The McCalister Legacy

by Nicole Hurley-Moore

  ‘That’s not proof they found gold,’ Nate responded.

  ‘I know but it’s definitely something to think about. I talked to Young Ned the other night, and he said that my father had spoken to him numerous times about the legend and the Dohertys in general. He was keen to find out anything he could.’

  ‘So, what are you saying exactly?’

  ‘What if Dad had worked out the mystery—what if he knew where the gold was?’

  Nate took a deep breath and then slowly blew it out. ‘That’s kind of a long shot, don’t you think? Besides, if he’d found the gold—and let’s just say that it was even on Stone Gully—why would he have done what he did? If a man hits that kind of jackpot, what reason would he have to go crazy?’

  Berry stared at him for a moment. ‘I don’t know, but I’m going to find out.’

  Nate finished his coffee with a satisfied sigh. ‘That was great.’

  ‘Yep!’ answered Berry enthusiastically. ‘I’ve gotta say, I’m enjoying the meals here. You may never get rid of me!’

  ‘Okay with me,’ he replied with a smile.

  Berry was just about to expand on that thought when her phone rang.

  ‘Hi Berry, it’s Senior Sergeant Rob Mendez here. I just wanted to let you know that we’ve found Laurie Worth.’

  ‘Oh, that’s great. Did he say why he left town in such a hurry?’

  ‘Yes, but let’s just say the details keep changing. It’s not looking good,’ Mendez replied.

  ‘So, you think it was him?’

  ‘Well, it’s looking likely, although he denies everything.’

  ‘How did you find him?’ Berry asked.

  ‘He got spooked when he saw a patrol car. He ran a red light on the other side of Bendigo,’ he explained with a slight laugh. ‘Anyway, I just thought you’d like to know.’

  Nate looked at her from across the table as she ended the call. ‘And?’

  ‘They’ve found Worth. Apparently he ran a red light in Bendigo,’ Berry answered.

  ‘Well, that’s a relief,’ Nate said. ‘I know it hasn’t been proven it was him, but everything is kind of pointing that way.’

  ‘I’m just thankful he was caught before he could do any more damage. And I do really want to know why he did it in the first place.’

  ‘Are you still running with your gold theory?’ Nate asked.

  She nodded. ‘I’m not saying that my father definitely figured out where the gold was, but maybe Worth thought he did.’

  ‘But why now?’

  ‘I don’t know, but something must have triggered him. Maybe he stumbled across some new information, or Young Ned told him about my dad going to see him?’

  ‘It could just be that he had a dodgy plan to build something on Stone Gully,’ Nate offered.

  ‘Maybe, but either way I’m heading back home in the morning to start going over Dad’s papers again. I just wish you’d at least think it’s a possibility.’

  ‘I do, sort of. I believe that your dad was fixated on the legend and collated a ton of research on it. But I still think the gold is fictional. But, in saying that, if Worth thought there was a chance that it was real, then that would explain him trying to buy your place.’

  Berry glanced at him. ‘Okay, I’ll take it,’ she said with a grin.

  Nate returned her smile as he stood up from the table. Berry watched him as he walked up to her and held out his hand. Without any hesitation she took it and rose to her feet. His gaze locked on her and for a second she found it hard to breathe. A little while ago they were talking about theories and missing gold, but now the atmosphere in the room shifted.

  His arm went around her waist and he pulled her closer to him, his eyes never breaking contact.

  Nate’s face lit up with a warm smile. ‘I want you,’ he whispered as he rested his head against hers.

  Berry let the warmth of his body encompass her. Standing there, with her arms wrapped around him felt right. She wasn’t sure when or even how it happened, but the last thing she wanted tonight was to be alone. ‘I want you too.’

  ‘Good answer,’ he said before he lowered his head and kissed her. His mouth was soft and warm and it sent tingles through her entire body.

  The kiss started soft and gentle but developed quickly, and the first sparks of passion began to ignite. Still kissing her, Nate lifted her up—again Berry held onto his shoulders and folded her legs around his hips. His strong arms held her tightly as he carried her into the bedroom. He kissed her once and then again before he laid her on the bed.

  She scooted over to give him room enough to join her. He turned to reach for her but she was already there. She cupped the side of his face for a moment before leaning in and touching his mouth with her own.

  They stayed like that as if they were suspended in time, the only movement was the steady deepening of their kiss. There was a thrill in his touch as his hands began the slow and tantalising discovery of her body.

  Berry’s senses were heightened as Nate’s tongue followed that path blazed by his hands. It was too much and not enough at the same time. Berry bit her lip as his mouth began its agonisingly slow descent down the column of her neck. She pulled and tugged at his clothes as she was ensnared by the overwhelming need to press her skin against his.

  ‘Berry,’ he whispered against her throat, ‘you want this, don’t you? ’Cause if you want me to back off, then tell me now.’

  Berry looked at him and smiled. ‘Yes, I want this.’

  His hot breath blew across her sensitive skin, setting off a tiny maelstrom of tingles that seemed to spread and trigger over her body.

  His hand found hers and he interlaced their fingers. He looked down at her. ‘I want you so bad, Berry. I’ve never felt this way before.’

  Berry gazed into his eyes. ‘Then what are you waiting for?’

  Chapter Thirty-three

  Finding a way home, 1906

  Neddy looked around and around as he walked through the bush, still not convinced that he was going in the right direction. Sometimes he’d pass a tree or a clump of bushes that seemed familiar, but he couldn’t be sure.

  It had taken him a couple of tries to get out of the gully as the shale and dirt was summer dry and it moved under his feet. What also made it difficult was that he was carrying Peter under his shirt. The third time had been the charm as he managed to hang onto one of the saplings and pull himself out.

  Neddy looked up in the sky, the sun shining brightly down on him. He’d been walking for a long time now and the sun was directly overhead. His stomach rumbled and the walking made him thirsty. He stopped by a nearby gum and stood in its shade.

  ‘It will be all right, Peter—I promise. I think we’re going the right way and soon we’ll be home,’ he said to the rabbit. He didn’t expect Peter to answer; it was just that the talking helped—at least he didn’t feel altogether alone.

  He’d eaten some berries and drunk a couple of handfuls of water from the creek before he started off but that was ages ago. He swallowed but it didn’t help, his throat was still dry.

  ‘When we get home, I’m going to ask Mam for some of her lemonade. It’s got lemons and sugar in it,’ he explained to Peter. ‘Mam doesn’t make it often but maybe she will if I ask.’

  Neddy pushed himself away from the tree and started walking hopefully towards home, the thought of the lemonade spurring him on. The scents of the sun-warmed ground, eucalypts and dust were carried on the little breeze that blew past Neddy and ruffled his hair as it went.

  One ghost gum looked like the next and then the next one after that, but Neddy persevered and kept going. Another hour passed and his legs were sore and worn out. Those pesky hot tears started to prick at his eyes and he had to stop to wipe them.

  As he sniffed, he caught sight of something through the straight trunks of the gums and their grey–green leaves.

  ‘Peter, that’s a track!’ Neddy said as he hurried towards it. Relief washed over him as he stood in th
e middle of it and looked across the countryside. Beside him was a fenced paddock that looked vaguely familiar. In one direction the track sloped downwards and followed the paddock’s boundary fence. Neddy looked over his shoulder: the other way veered off and climbed uphill.

  ‘I think I know where we are,’ Neddy said to Peter as he turned around and started walking up the hill. Once he made it to the top he stopped to get his bearings. ‘Yes, I know this place. If we keep walking over the next hill we’ll be home.’

  He picked up speed with every step. The wind carried the sound of voices, but he wasn’t sure where they were or how far away. As he reached the dip in the track, a shout sounded.

  ‘Neddy! Neddy Doherty!’ came the cry.

  Neddy looked around and for a moment all he could see was the bush on one side of the track and the dried-up paddock on the other. But as he looked back to the bush he saw several figures emerge from the trees. Someone was blowing a whistle and people were calling his name.

  Mr O’Hare from the general store and stock feed hurried towards him with a grin on his face.

  ‘Jesus, Mary and Joseph—I’ve found you, boyo. You’re safe and sound now,’ he said with a laugh as he scooped up Neddy. ‘You’ve led us all for a merry dance, I’ll say.’

  ‘You’ve been looking for me?’

  ‘We have, nearly everyone in town,’ Mr O’Hare said with a smile as he sat Neddy on his shoulders.

  ‘Did you hear that, Peter—everyone has been looking for us?’

  ‘And who are you talking to?’ Mr O’Hare asked as they were joined by several other men who clapped him on the back for finding Neddy.

  ‘My rabbit, Peter—he’s why I left. He wanted me to follow him, you see,’ Neddy explained.

  ‘And why would he want you to do that?’ he asked with a chuckle as they all walked along together.

  ‘To show me the pretty pebbles,’ Neddy explained.

  Chapter Thirty-four

  Berry opened her eyes as a shaft of sunlight shone in the darkened room. It took her a moment to remember where she was, but as the events of last night came flooding back she couldn’t help but smile. Last night had been the start of something, she felt it in her bones. She didn’t want to jinx whatever it was between her and Nate by trying to define and give it a label, but she sensed that it had been the first building blocks in a natural progression. One she hoped would continue well past the foreseeable future. She turned over to see that the other side of the bed was empty and frowned as a wave of disappointment washed over her.

  ‘Morning,’ Nate said. He banged open the bedroom door as he tried to manoeuvre through it while carrying a tray.

  Berry sat up in bed and arranged the covers around her. ‘What’s this?’ she asked with a smile.

  ‘I thought you’d like breakfast in bed,’ he said as he triumphantly put the tray down in front of her and revealed a mug of coffee and some toast with jam. ‘I never said I was a chef,’ he added with a wink.

  ‘It looks fantastic,’ she said. Glancing up at him she saw that his hair was damp and he was wearing jeans and an unbuttoned blue plaid shirt. Berry tried to focus on the toast. ‘So, you’re up early or did I just sleep in?’

  Nate sat next to her and gave her a quick kiss. ‘A little bit of both. Dad called me earlier, he needs a hand with one of the stallions. So, even though I’d much rather stay here with you, I’d better do the right thing.’

  ‘You should,’ Berry said. ‘Besides, I was going back home today to finish going through Dad’s papers, remember?’

  ‘I do. Are you sure you’re okay to go back by yourself? I can get Mum to drive you there and go in with you, if you like,’ Nate asked.

  Berry shook her head. ‘Nah, I’ll be fine. Besides, I think I could do with a walk. And as for being by myself—well, I’m not worried. They caught Laurie Worth, so I haven’t got anything to be concerned about.’

  Nate smiled down at her. ‘I suppose so,’ he said before he kissed her again, this time lingering.

  After a moment or two Berry pulled away. ‘You’d better get going,’ she said with a laugh. ‘You don’t want to keep your father waiting.’

  ‘We could make him wait just a little bit,’ he said with a glint in his eyes.

  ‘But that’s the problem, isn’t it?’

  Nate frowned. ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘That it wouldn’t just be for a little bit. If you carry on what you’re doing, we could be here for the rest of the morning,’ she said with a meaningful look.

  ‘Ah, I suppose you’re right but you make it hard for me to leave,’ he admitted as he rested his head against hers. ‘Can’t I stay?’

  Berry laughed and gave him a gentle nudge. ‘No, you can’t. Go and meet your dad and we can catch up later.’

  ‘That’s a given,’ he said as he reluctantly got up off the bed. ‘All right, you win.’

  She gave him another smile. ‘It doesn’t feel like a win,’ she said. ‘But I’ll see you later, okay?’

  ‘Hmm, okay,’ he answered as he bent down and dropped a kiss on her head before straightening up and heading to the door. ‘Stay out of trouble.’

  ‘I’ll try, but I’m not promising anything,’ she called after him.

  Berry took her time walking back home, enjoying the peacefulness of the morning. Apart from the singing of several birds in a nearby bush, there was a stillness in the crisp air. It would probably take a good fifteen minutes to walk back to Stone Gully, longer if she kept on with this meandering pace. She paused every now and again to take in the beauty of the landscape. One side of Lyrebird Road was covered in dense bush and a vast stretch of gum trees, and on the other side were the cleared pastures of Tarantale Downs, punctuated by small pockets of bush and the occasional dam. It must have looked like the other side of the road at one time, Berry reflected, but it had been cleared in the past decades and now only a handful of ancient trees still stood their ground.

  She paused for a moment where a gnarled plum tree’s blossoms cascaded over the boundary fence. She reached up and touched one of the fragile pale pink blooms and was instantly transported back to the moment Nate kissed her for the first time. Berry smiled as she dropped her hand and continued on her way.

  As she walked up the drive of Stone Gully the bright red LEAVE was still scrawled across the front door. She briefly wondered how hard bright red paint was to paint over and considered changing the colour of the front door, but then she dismissed the thought and let herself back into the house.

  She caught herself smiling. It’s good to be home.

  Berry pulled back the drapes in the lounge room, then hurried to her bedroom and carried the box of her father’s papers back to the lounge and dumped them on the large coffee table. She looked at the stack of books, maps and notes, some of which she’d already read. With a sigh, she sat down and reached for her dad’s notebook—one way or another she was going to work this out.

  Nate leaned on the wooden railing as he watched Justin lead Constantine into the training arena. Constantine had a glossy black coat, stood about sixteen hands and was just as majestic as his bloodlines. He had proved himself in the dressage ring and was considered an up-and-coming champion.

  Nate dragged his gaze away from the horse and glanced at his father who was standing next to him.

  ‘He’s magnificent,’ Nate said.

  His father nodded. ‘I know—breathtaking. Best stallion we’ve had since Lightning Bolt. They’ll be lining up to get their foals sired by this one.’

  Nate looked back at Constantine. ‘I don’t doubt it. He’s beautiful, but pricey.’

  ‘It’s true, we’ve got a lot riding on this one. It took us a long time to recover from the accident. We’ve been holding our own over the past few years, but that horse,’ he said as he gestured to Constantine, ‘he could cement our ranking as one of the best studs in the district.’

  ‘I don’t remember much about the accident, I guess I was fairly young. We lost our
best horses, didn’t we?’

  Sam Tarant dragged in a deep breath. ‘Yeah, we did: Lightning Bolt and Longren. A van veered into our lane, hit the car in front of us and took us out as well.’

  ‘I remember we lost the horses and there was some sort of car accident but I didn’t realise to what extent.’

  ‘Yeah, it was bad. I was lucky, I managed to walk away with a dislocated shoulder, a few decent cuts and concussion. John, the stable hand who was with me, ended up with a broken leg but—’ Sam stopped himself, then continued with a shake of his head ‘—no one else made it. Not the people or the horses.’

  ‘It was that bad?’

  ‘It stuffed everything up. The business, our standing and reputation, and even the family. In some ways we never really recovered.’

  ‘But … but how come you’ve never talked about this to me? Why didn’t you tell me?’

  ‘Because that’s what parents do. It was my job to protect you, and to give you opportunities and a better life than I had. You’re my son, and you were just a boy. Why would I burden you with that?’

  ‘Sorry, Dad.’

  Sam glanced over at Nate. ‘What the hell are you sorry for? It was bad, it happened, but now it’s just water under the bridge.’

  ‘Yeah, but it must have made it hard for the business. I remember crying my eyes out over losing Longren, he was my favourite horse, but I never considered what the ramifications were for the business.’

  ‘It was touch and go. They were our best horses. Sure we eventually got a payout, but that was a long time coming and things were pretty grim for a while. I was sure we were going to lose the place,’ his father said. ‘For a while I was convinced I was the failure who was going to lose the family legacy—it messed with my head. I was difficult and I know I gave your mum a hard time—it was like I was a whole different man; I barely recognised myself. It seemed to me that no matter what I did, I couldn’t work out how to save us. The bank was baying for my blood … but we pulled through, thanks to your grandmother.’