The Road Home (6 page)

‘Well, as soon as I can. But I guess I need to sell this place, quit my job … Maybe a few weeks or months?’

‘Oh, sis. That sounds great.’ Noah’s head was still reeling. Lara alone on the farm made him uneasy. The things she could find out, the things she could destroy – or even the injuries she could sustain. It was a risk, but Noah was nothing if not a risk-taker.

‘Yeah, well you’ve been running it all these years, so now it’s my turn.’ She sounded so full of determination to give it a good crack.

‘That’s great. Well, you get started at your end. Look, I’ve gotta go. The fleeces are piling up and the rousies are giving me the evil eye. Only this mob to go and we’re done shearing.’

‘Okay, then. Talk soon.’

‘Yep, bye.’ Noah gazed at his phone for a long minute.

‘Hey, everything okay, mate?’ said Jack as he dried off his sweat with a towel.

Noah turned around and realised the shed had stopped for lunch. Jack was looking at him with slight concern. He had to talk to Jack but he wasn’t going to be happy. He thought of the old yellow fridge with ‘Turner’ painted on the front. Yes, this was Turner land, and he wanted it to stay that way. He had to do the right thing by his family.

‘Hey, mate. I’ve got some bad news. Spare a minute to talk?’

Jack leant back against the corrugated tin fence and crossed
his arms. The muscle twitched in his jaw as he sized Noah up. ‘It sounds serious.’

With a sigh, Noah scratched his scruffy hair and thought of the best way to break the news to his best mate.

NEARLY three weeks later, Lara couldn’t believe she was at her own going-away party. Anna had organised it at her place so she could put her kids to bed and party on. But Darcy was trying to climb all over the couch with toys in each of his chubby two-year-old hands, and Chloe was running around the table with her blond hair trailing behind her, only stopping to shove more food into her little mouth. It didn’t look like they’d be in bed any time soon. Coloured balloons floated around the tiled floor for the kids, and Anna’s husband Paul was adding more finger food to the table. The kids’ toys had been packed away neatly in the corner and the lounge room sparkled from a recent spring clean, with fresh flowers on the table and washed cushions on the couch. No signs of the kids’ grubby marks anywhere.

‘Drink up, girls,’ said Anna, pouring some champagne into their glasses. ‘This could be the last night in a long time that we’ll all be together.’

Mel’s shoulders drooped, and her black top slid off one shoulder.
‘It seems like just yesterday that you came in saying you didn’t like your job, and now you’re really leaving on a big adventure. I’m so happy for you, even if I don’t look it,’ Mel said, sighing as she attempted a smile. There were some friends from school chatting by the CD player and Amber from work was making conversation with Chloe on one of her many stops for more food. It was a nice crowd, but Lara was going to miss the two girls by her side the most.

‘Thanks, Mel.’ Lara swayed her hips in time to the music playing in the background, her turquoise summer dress swishing around her knees. ‘You guys will have to come and visit. I might need all the help I can get.’

‘Sorry, I have an allergy to dust, animals and country music,’ laughed Anna.

Lara didn’t really expect her friends to come and visit. It was a long way from the city, they weren’t used to driving on gravel roads, and Darcy and Chloe would be hell in a car for that long.

‘Count me in!’ said Mel. ‘You know I’d love to visit … hopefully while Noah is still there.’

‘Engaged, remember?’ said Anna, who was drinking down her wine like it was water. She was adjusting her green strapless dress every few minutes. ‘God, it feels like ages since I last wore a dress. I feel like a fish out of water.’

‘Well, you look gorgeous, Anna. You should do it more often,’ Lara said.

‘I totally agree. I wish I had your skin tone.’ Mel sighed and turned to Lara. ‘When I visit I’d love to catch some yabbies.’

‘Oh my God. That sounds like a sexual disease,’ said Anna, horrified.

Mel ignored Anna’s outburst. ‘So, does Nic know you’re off into the outback?’

‘No. I haven’t heard from him since I threatened to tell Emily about us. He must have realised how much his marriage meant to him.’

‘Bastard.’

‘Jerk.’

Anna shook her head and changed the subject. ‘Are you happy with the sale of the house, Lara?’

‘Sure am. Can you believe it sold for eight hundred? Who would have thought the house Mum and Dad bought all those years ago would have turned such a profit?’ Lara sighed. ‘I’m going to miss that house. It’s been my home for a long time. But Erindale is more of a home to me than that house ever was. I could never picture Mum and Dad in it.’ Her parents had rented it out until Lara left high school, then she’d moved in and after their death it had become hers.

‘Are you taking all your stuff?’ asked Mel. ‘In particular, that fancy mirror on your wall?’

Lara raised an eyebrow. ‘You mean that one with the coloured glass around the edge that you always admire?’

Mel nodded.

‘Sure. You can have it as long as you don’t put it in the clinic,’ she joked.

Mel clapped and hugged her friend. ‘Thank you, thank you. I’ll look after it, I promise. Anything else you want me to look after?’

Lara smiled and shook her head. ‘The removalists are coming tomorrow afternoon. I’m just going to put it into storage for now.
I can’t go dragging it all to Erindale. There’s nowhere to put it and I won’t have the time to sort the house out as I’ll be flat out trying to learn how to run the farm.’

‘So, how does one run a farm?’ asked Anna.

‘Can’t say I really know,’ said Lara. ‘Shift a few sheep, put in a crop, fix a few fences. Stuff like that.’

‘At least you won’t have any problems doing the book work side of things,’ laughed Anna.

‘And don’t forget she has Noah’s best friend around to call on. Jack. Even his name sounds manly,’ said Mel.

Lara laughed. ‘Ha. I doubt he’ll want to be stuck helping me. He has his own jobs to do. But yes, he’s a man’s man with muscles, that’s for sure. Not scrawny like Noah. He has these vibrant green eyes, thick dark hair … oh, and a Maori tattoo down one arm.’ Her description sounded great, but he was even better in real life.

‘Wow. I think I need to go take a cold shower,’ said Anna, flapping her hand at her flushed face. ‘Very interesting.’

Both girls were giving her the nod, but Lara shrugged. ‘Men are out, didn’t you know? Now it’s all about me. Me, me, me.’ Lara hadn’t given much thought to what she really wanted in ages, besides the kind of coffee she felt like drinking that morning. ‘No, I’m going to concentrate on being a successful farmer.’

‘You’ll be great,’ Mel said.

‘Yeah, with your determination, you’re bound to succeed, Larz.’

They made it sound so easy. Yes, she knew how to work hard when she put her mind to something, but running a farm couldn’t be more different to the corporate life she’d got used to. And how would she cope without her friends nearby? They’d been everything
to her since she moved to town. On the farm she would only have her dogs for company.

She put on a brave face. ‘I’m only a phone call away. Don’t forget me!’

‘Never,’ said Anna, and they all moved in for a group hug.

LARA parked Millie outside the familiar farmhouse. She was greeted by thirty-odd pink and grey galahs that flew down from the large salmon gum tree as she shut her door. They squawked and dived around her head, then flew back up to the gum tree on the other side of the driveway. They were loud and raucous but it was a sound of home and she welcomed it.

Poor Millie looked like airbags had gone off inside her – every window strained with bits and pieces from Lara’s city life. Some things she’d brought she’d probably never use or need, like many of her clothes and shoes, but her computer was new and it would be better than the old, clapped-out one Noah was still using. She planned to spend the next week going over the farm to get a grip on how it ran, and transferring the books onto her computer. Although the Agrimaster program was new to her, she was confident with the book work. The practical farm work was going to provide the toughest learning curve. She was relying on Noah to ease her into it. She didn’t know if she could handle cleaning
up flyblown sheep, or the horrible job of mulesing. Her stomach would have to toughen up, for a start. As Noah had always said, ‘Take a spoon of cement and harden up, princess.’

‘Hey, Larz, could you cram any more crap into the car?’ asked Noah, making his way through the gate. His arms were already open, and she jumped into his embrace. He squeezed her tightly.

‘That crap you’re referring to is my life,’ she said, laughing. Lara stepped back and turned full circle, taking in the house, the sheds and native bush. And the space – so much space she could swing a bunch of cats. No more Mrs Jillary from next door with her nose over the fence telling her off because her lilac tree was dropping leaves in her yard; no more listening to the screaming fights of the young couple on the other side. Now she would only have the kangaroos dropping by to eat the grass, foxes leaving deposits on the lawn, and rabbits digging holes in the garden. She used to love coming back from school, sitting on the veranda and watching the wildlife go about its business. Stopping long enough to enjoy what Mother Nature had to offer. She wondered when she’d forgotten to stop looking. With a deep breath, she sucked up all the familiar smells of home. ‘It feels so good to be back.’

‘You’ve made the right choice, sis.’

‘I was just thinking the same thing. At times I worry that I’m stupid for thinking I can do this, but then another part of me really believes I can. And I really want to, Noah. I really want this to work.’

‘Don’t overthink it, Lara. Just dive in headfirst.’

‘Yeah, and as I recall, you’re always banging your head and getting yourself into trouble.’

He frowned at her words and Lara caught a shift in his eyes. What was that? Fear?

‘Hmm. What about the time you decided to surf the old car bonnet behind the ute?’

Noah laughed and his eyes cleared. He put his arm around her shoulders as they walked to the boot. ‘Ah, that was just a scratch.’ He gave her a wink. ‘But it was hell fun. Sometimes you gotta risk it if you want the biscuit.’

‘God, I actually think I missed your Noah-style philosophies on life.’ She paused. ‘I really wish you didn’t have to leave Erindale. You and I could have lots of fun working this place together,’ Lara said. She opened the boot, which just about exploded with bed linen.

Noah reached forward and grabbed a falling pillow. ‘No, you’d get all bossy and it wouldn’t be much fun,’ he stirred. ‘You’d need to dot every ‘i’ and account for everything. No wonder you became a bloody bean counter.’

‘Financial planner, actually – and I would not!’

Noah threw her a sceptical look over the collection of pillows in his arms. ‘Come on. You’re bloody near anal,’ he said, his eyes mischievous. ‘Just like Mum was. Everything so efficient.’

With her own arms full with her doona, Lara followed Noah to the house.

‘This is going to take a few trips,’ she said.

‘No shit, Sherlock. Ever heard of travelling light? What do you need all this stuff for anyhow? Your room still has everything.’

Lara rolled her eyes. ‘Hello – that’s my whole point. The last time I was here I nearly died from my old doona. When I find time, that room is getting a complete overhaul.’

When they’d finished, Lara stood at the door to her room looking at the stuff they’d dumped in the passageway.

Noah cleared his throat. ‘Well, welcome home, sis, but, um … I’ve got sheep to move, so I’ll leave you to it.’ He stepped away before she could ask him for help. ‘I’ll be back for dinner. Chops would be great,’ he added as he headed outside.

Lara cursed under her breath. With a sigh, she took a step into her room. First things first. ‘Goodbye, Dieter Brummer,’ she said, ripping the old posters off her wall. She wasn’t going to rearrange furniture or do any painting just yet, but her cupboards needed going through and she wanted to make up the bed and then vacuum and dust. Now that this room was her main residence … a spring clean was in order.

At six o’clock that night, Noah strolled back into the house in shorts and a singlet, leaving his boots by the back door. ‘Something’s cooking?’ he said, sniffing the air. His cheeky grin appeared through his scraggly stubble.

‘Yes, I cooked, but no, it’s not chops.’ Lara wouldn’t be bossed around by her big brother, no matter how much she loved him.

Noah opened the lid on the pot sitting on the cooktop. ‘Ooh, spag bol. Nice.’

‘So, what did you do today?’ Lara said, draining the pasta.

Noah got out two plates and put them on the bench. ‘Fed sheep and carted a few loads of water. We’ll do a few for the house tank tomorrow.’

Lara scooped the sauce over the spaghetti, trying not to get it
on her white tank top. ‘That better be one of the first things you show me! I don’t want to run out of water.’

‘Nah, it’s easy. You’ve driven the truck before, and I’m sure you remember where the standpipe is. Then you just pull the rope to start the pump after you make sure the hose is in the tank.’

Lara sighed as they took their plates to the table. ‘You make it sound so easy.’

‘What? Starting the pump or driving the truck?’

‘Both.’ Lara sprinkled parmesan cheese over her spaghetti.

Noah piled a forkful into his mouth and sucked the spaghetti up before waving his fork at Lara. ‘If you get stuck, you can always ask Jack to grab a couple of loads for you. Jerry won’t mind if he’s off helping you for a bit here and there. Not much happening at Jerry’s at the moment, that’s why Jack was helping me with the shearing. Don’t expect to be able to do everything straightaway. I’ve asked Jack to keep an eye on you, so if you get stuck, give him a call. Or else there’s Trent next door. You remember the Smiths, right? They’re always willing to help, and I’ll only be a phone call away too.’

‘I’ll be calling you every night,’ she sighed. It was starting to sink in just what a huge task was ahead of her. She’d be a hot topic on the local grapevine. Right up there after the weather, she was sure.

‘Better change the phone plan, then,’ Noah teased. ‘Don’t stress. It’s not rocket science. You have common sense and deep down you know the way the farm works. Just take a chill pill and let it work itself out.’

‘Oh, well. I can only try. So, when do you want to head off to Amanda’s, anyway?’

‘Well … as soon as you’re feeling comfortable. Maybe even next week?’

‘Next week!’ She felt her heart start to pound. ‘That’s so soon.’

‘Sorry, Larz, but they’re shorthanded with Amanda doing wedding stuff, so it makes good sense to go now and help out. There’s not much going on here and you’ll be fine.’ He gave her a stern look.

Lara felt like Erindale was a big plane and the moment Noah left she’d be gripping the controls and barely keeping it in the air. ‘I know, I’ll be fine.’ She gave him a smile. ‘Next week will be good. I suppose Amanda is busy looking at houses?’

‘Yeah, another thing I’ll be needed for. She’s already throwing the house plans at me. There’s so much to do. We have to sort out the power to our site and all this other crap. Until then we’re staying in the old house, which used to be her granddad’s place. It’s not far from her parents’ house.’

‘Why? Didn’t you want to sleep with the in-laws?’ she teased.

Noah groaned and used his finger to scrape the last of the sauce off his plate.

‘You’ve lived on your own for far too long,’ said Lara, screwing up her face as Noah sucked his finger. He reached over to grab her plate too but she pulled it back. ‘No, you don’t. Disgusting.’

‘You twit. I’m taking it to the sink.’ He snatched up her plate, and started cleaning up the kitchen and putting the remaining spaghetti in a container. ‘So, did you get your room sorted?’ he asked.

Lara stayed at the table, enjoying having someone else clean up after her. She’d been on her own for far too long as well. ‘Yep, sure did. I think the vacuum cleaner nearly died from the dust intake and I found quite a few spiders, dead and alive. I also managed to
get my computer set up and I transferred Agrimaster across. By the pile of invoices and crap on the table, I take it you have no book work skills.’

Noah popped his head around the kitchen archway. ‘It’s all up to date. It’s just my filing that’s less than desirable. Think of it as a welcome-home gift.’

‘Well, in that case, I’ll leave you to finish in there and I’ll go get started on my gift.’

Lara was in the office for half an hour before Noah walked in. He’d had a shower and was in track pants and his old fluoro shirt.

‘Oh, jeez. I thought you’d got rid of that,’ she said as he sat down.

‘Come on. There’s nothing wrong with it. Not a hole or tear in sight.’ Noah picked up a pile of paperwork and flicked through it.

‘So, the books look a little tight.’ Lara nodded to the pile.

Noah leant forward and rested his elbows on his knees as a sigh escaped his lips. The room felt small with the both of them in there. It had soft yellow walls, a white melamine cupboard and a simple computer desk next to a set of metal filing drawers. Also crammed in were Noah’s wetsuit, a few spare luggage bags and boxes of paper.

‘Yeah, I’m sorry I’m leaving her to you in such an undesirable state.’ His fingers massaged his temples gently.

‘Why didn’t you tell me you were doing it tough?’ Lara leant back in the computer chair.

Noah shrugged. ‘Well, everyone else around here is in the same boat. We deal with it, we keep moving and we hope next year is a better year. There’s nothing anyone can do to fix it. We can’t make
it bloody rain or jack up the grain price. But sheep prices have got better, so I’ve started increasing our numbers to help offset the crops. You’ll want to keep going in that direction.’

‘If it’s what you reckon. Noah, I don’t want to do this cold turkey … I still want you to be a big part of the farm, whether you’re here or not. Your input is important to me. If you say buy or sell sheep, or crop canola or bloody sunflowers, then I’ll do it. Just run this place as if you were still here. I’ll just be your woman on the ground.’

‘Cool. I’d like to keep my finger in the pie, so to speak. I think Dad would be bloody happy right now – us two working together for Erindale. He was always hoping you’d come back.’

Lara felt a pull on her heart. ‘I wish I had. Maybe then things would be different …’ Their parents might not be dead. Her words went unsaid but Noah picked up on her thoughts.

‘I don’t know, Lara. I think fate had them meeting that train. What are the chances of that happening – them crossing the tracks just as one is coming? Don’t go back down the “what if?” path. I’ve been there and it didn’t bring them back.’

Noah’s words rang true. ‘It’s weird being here without them around. I keep expecting Dad to walk in from feeding sheep or Mum to be in the kitchen cooking. I spent so many years trying to forget their funeral, pretend it never happened, that they were still here with you. It’s … hard, but still better being home.’

Noah gave her a sympathetic smile. ‘Come on. Why don’t we leave this and have a scotch instead?’

‘You slacker.’ Lara handed Noah the wad of invoices, much to his disgust. ‘Where’s the chequebook?’

‘Top drawer.’

Noah’s eyes showed his lack of interest. ‘Well, how about we just enter the last few weeks so it’s up to date then?’ she offered. He immediately brightened. She slid open the drawer and pulled out a thick chequebook. God, she hadn’t used cheques in ages. Everything was electronic. Maybe she could set the accounts up electronically. It might save them some bank fees. She filed that thought away for later.

As they went through each invoice for the last few weeks, Lara learnt more about the farm. There were bills for seed cleaning, header parts, and payments for fertiliser. Noah also went into detail on things she didn’t understand.

‘So, what’s this seed-cleaning thing?’

‘I take the grain I harvest off and it goes through a machine that cleans out a lot of the smaller grains and weed seeds. It gives us a better sample and therefore we get a better price for it. Also, it helps clean our seed grain so we’re not planting a heap of weeds at seeding time.’

‘Right.’ Lara hoped she’d got all that.

‘Don’t worry about any of that yet. But in a couple of months you’ll be seeding, once the rain comes. Sometimes I hire a casual worker to help with seeding and harvest, if the farm can afford it.’

‘By the looks of this, it can’t,’ she told him. ‘So I’ll be doing what I can alone?’

‘If you can …’ Noah frowned. Lara knew then and there that she wouldn’t hire workers. She wouldn’t use up valuable dollars unless she had to. ‘See how you go.’ He pointed to the notebook she was scribbling details into. ‘I’ve got the fertiliser for spreading
ordered but you’ll have to get some chemical for spraying soon. I’ll run you through that this week.’

It was ten-thirty and her eyes were getting dry and scratchy. She rubbed them with her fists and Noah shot her a grin.

‘Come on,’ she said. ‘Just a few more and then we’re done.’

‘Jeez, you’re like Dad in that department,’ Noah said with a smirk. ‘He couldn’t leave a job half finished either.’

Lara studied Noah. If things had been different and she’d fought harder to stay on Erindale instead of going to boarding school, could she be sitting here with her father instead? Noah rubbed his eyes and she realised how lucky she was to be here right now with him.