The Road Home

by Palmer, Fiona

  ‘I think I am. This place really means something to me. I feel a connection and I’m already the happiest I’ve been in a long time. I just knew that being back out here would feel so right.’ Noah shot her a worried look. ‘I mean it! I stand by my decision. Maybe coming home is something I should have done long ago.’

  Lara opened her arms and spun around on the spot. The midday sun bore down on her as a gentle breeze swirled past, carrying dust and gum leaves. She could see for miles in each direction and she knew she’d never again get that claustrophobic feeling she’d experienced in town. She’d also put Nic behind her. Now their relationship was over, she could really see what he was like, and all the things she had put up with. In the first two days she’d been back at the farm Jack had showed her more courtesy than Nic had during their entire relationship. She was free of him, free of the city and free in her heart.

  ‘It just feels right. Like this is where I belong, even though I might look like a fish out of water.’

  Noah was staring at her with a weird expression. She put her hand on his shoulder and saw the glistening of tears before he blinked them away. Her heart melted.

  He cleared his throat. ‘You look so beautiful and happy, sis. Maybe you do belong here. I just wish things were different, you know?’ A sad smile tugged on his lips.

  ‘Me too, bro.’

  ‘Carn. Let’s go fill this up and feed some hungry sheep,’ he said, banging the empty feeder. He handed over a stopwatch. ‘Oh, and you’ll need this until you get the hang of things.’

  ‘Um, how is this going to help?’ Lara asked, her eyebrows scrunching together.

  ‘You time how long it takes you to put out each run of grain so you don’t overfeed or underfeed the sheep. You’ll see. Can we go now?’

  ‘Yes, boss.’ Lara saluted him and they jumped in the ute and headed to the silos to fill up with grain. The wind from their open windows flicked Noah’s messy brown hair around his head as he squinted through the glaring sun. His arm rested on the door, his tan glowed gold and there was a smile on his face. Lara felt like her twelve-year-old self again, wishing she could be just like her big brother.

  12

  LARA finished making a salad and put it in the fridge. She had worked with Noah for the rest of the week. They’d fed sheep, discussed the seeding plan and everything else she’d need to do over the next few months. She’d started to cart an exercise book around with her to take notes on how each thing worked. Noah thought it was hilarious that she’d planned which days to feed sheep, which days to get water, and which days to do fencing; when to get ready for seeding and when to start spreading out fertiliser. It was so familiar to him, but for Lara it was a huge responsibility.

  Noah’s last day at Erindale would be tomorrow, Sunday. Then he’d be off, all the way to Esperance – to his new home, new farm and new family. Things would certainly be quiet without his smart-arse wit.

  Lara heard Jack’s voice outside. Noah had invited him for lunch so they could catch up before Noah left, and she was looking forward to seeing him again. She took out three beers and joined them on the back veranda, where Noah was firing up the barbecue.

  ‘Hi, Jack. How was the shearing?’ she asked cheerfully, handing him a beer. She did a little double take when she noticed his clean-shaven face. A hint of alluring cologne floated towards her. He was wearing thongs, long denim shorts and a black T-shirt with a silver fern on it – he was obviously still a Kiwi at heart. The tattoo on his arm was just visible under his sleeve. The guy scrubbed up all right.

  ‘S’all right. Same old, same old,’ he said, taking the beer. ‘Cheers.’

  When things were quiet on Jerry’s farm, Jack would earn extra money by going off shearing, crutching or working for whoever needed some help – people like Noah. Lara put Noah’s beer on the side of the barbecue for him then moved away so nothing would spatter over her yellow summer dress. She’d tied her hair up into a high ponytail to stay cool. The midday sun had sent the temperature rising and the flies buzzing into the shady areas of the veranda.

  Lara turned to Jack. ‘Does your back give you trouble when you shear?’

  ‘No, but I cut myself with the handpiece,’ Jack said dryly, holding his hand out.

  Lara took a quick breath. ‘Oh, no.’ A thin red line went across his palm.

  ‘Ya klutz,’ laughed Noah. Lara threw her brother a frown but Noah rolled his eyes. ‘It’s only a nick,’ he said. ‘Jack’s just after a bit of sympathy. I’ve seen him do worse.’

  Jack smiled, pulled his hand back and nudged Noah with his shoulder. ‘Whoops, don’t burn yourself,’ he stirred.

  ‘You want yours charcoaled?’ Noah threatened, waving a sausage at Jack.

  ‘That’s all you know how to cook anyway.’

  Jack and Noah fell into easy chatter about Jerry’s sheep. It was obvious the guys would really miss each other after seven years of camaraderie.

  ‘Are you packed yet?’ Jack’s question jolted Lara into their conversation.

  ‘Haven’t packed a thing,’ Noah replied. ‘I’ll think about that tomorrow. I’ve just gotta throw all my clothes in the trailer as well as a cupboard that Mandy says we need, and I’m set.’ Noah stared at the sausages as he rolled them with the tongs. ‘Hard to believe that’s all I’ve got,’ he said softly.

  ‘No, it’s all you’re taking, not all you’ve got,’ Jack said. ‘Look around. You have shitloads of stuff. And I’m glad you’re not raiding the shed – I reckon I own half those power tools.’ Lara watched with a smile as Jack threw the line in and Noah bit back with force. Jack sure knew how to distract Noah when he needed cheering up.

  ‘Bullshit you do!’ Noah waved the tongs at Jack. ‘I can only think of one or two things.’

  Jack raised his eyebrows and counted on his fingers. ‘Let’s see – the drop saw, the grinder, the drill, the air compressor … all mine. And that’s just to start with. I hope you’re not planning to nick off with them.’

  Noah shook his head. ‘Wouldn’t dream of it, mate,’ he said with a sly grin.

  ‘So, where do you stay at Jerry’s?’ Lara asked.

  ‘On the farm,’ Jack replied bluntly.

  ‘I gathered that.’ Gee, trying to get a conversation going with Jack was harder than getting milk from a gum tree.

  ‘He lives in the donger out near the shearers’ quarters. Quite a flash one with all the mod cons,’ said Noah, filling the silence.

  Jack turned to Noah. ‘I think those snags are overdone,’ he said.

  ‘No, they’re not. The black bits are what make the taste.’

  They carried the food inside and cleared the table to make room for it. Jack picked up some of the papers.

  ‘What are these? Are they colour-coded?’ he asked, inspecting them. Lara felt her face burn.

  ‘Lara did them,’ Noah replied. ‘Our fancy seeding plan. Blue for wheat, green for barley and yellow for oats. And she’s numbered them for which paddocks get seeded first and what they’ve been sprayed with, see? Cool, hey? I told you she’d be efficient.’

  ‘Hmph. Well, anything’s better than your scribbled ones,’ Jack replied.

  Noah looked at Lara. ‘If he wasn’t so handy, I’d have dumped his arse years ago,’ he joked. ‘Jack fixed the ceiling. He’s the best kind of mate to have. Handy at everything.’

  Jack looked uncomfortable. ‘My dad’s a handyman. He taught me what I know.’

  ‘Is your dad still in New Zealand?’ she asked. Jack glared at her.

  ‘Anyone want the sauce?’ Noah interrupted.

  Lara’s phone buzzed. It was a message from Mel.

  Hiya, just had call from Nic trying 2 find you. I told him you’d left the city with your new boyfriend!! LOL Hope you’re happy, miss ya. Talk soon. Oh and send me a pic of JACK!! (and Noah for keepsake.)

  She sighed before getting back to her meal.

  ‘What’s up?’ Noah asked.

  ‘Oh, it’s nothing. Just a pain-in-the-arse
ex-boyfriend.’ She’d have to call Mel tonight and make sure Nic wasn’t being a nuisance.

  ‘The one you ran away from?’ asked Noah.

  Lara threw him a look.

  ‘Hey, I’m happy. If he hadn’t been such an arse, then maybe you wouldn’t be back here,’ Noah said, trying to hide his smile.

  The look on Jack’s face said the opposite. ‘Running away from a bloke is no reason to change your life and do something silly like trying to run a farm,’ he said gruffly. Lara was shocked.

  ‘Jack,’ Noah warned. ‘Build a bridge, mate.’

  ‘And just what does Jack need to get over?’ she asked, flicking her eyes back and forth between them. They both ignored her, looking at the food on their plates like they were searching for gold. ‘For your information,’ she said calmly, ‘that’s not the reason I came here. This is not a holiday for me, Jack, or a passing whim. I’m here to stay and I’m determined to do this work.’

  Jack didn’t meet her eyes, and Lara seethed at his rudeness. ‘I’ll be too busy to even think about men,’ she mumbled. And she meant it. Coming to the farm had changed her future and she no longer cared about Nic. She saw him for who he really was, and he was no match for her. He wouldn’t last two days out here.

  ‘Well, I think it’s nearly time for a swim,’ Noah said, desperately trying to change the subject. ‘Who’s up for it?’

  Lara screwed up her face. ‘In the dam?’ It had been ages since she’d swum in a murky dam.

  ‘You can,’ Noah said, ‘but we’re going into Kulin to the pool.’

  ‘I’ll go get my chilly bin,’ said Jack without enthusiasm.

  ‘Well, sis. You gonna put some bathers on and come with us?’

  ‘I think I might,’ Lara said, fanning the sweat on her face. Jack or no Jack, sitting at home sweltering was definitely not preferable to a refreshing swim at the pool.

  After lunch it took them ten minutes to get changed and pack some nibblies and drinks. Jack put the small esky into the ute after Lara climbed in with her bag and sunscreen. She pulled her thin cotton dress down over her thighs and shoved the bag between her feet.

  ‘So, you’re a waterslide virgin,’ said Noah as he started driving. ‘I can’t believe you haven’t been down it.’

  Lara could see herself in the reflection of his dark sunglasses. ‘Nup,’ she replied. ‘I haven’t been back into town since …’ she cleared her throat ‘… the funeral. I bet nothing’s changed in seven years.’

  Lara’s knee knocked against Jack’s as they went over a bump. She drew it back but she couldn’t do anything about the constant contact her thigh and shoulder had with his. She was still angry with him for his rudeness, but the biceps he had … well, you’d have to be a nun not to notice. It struck her again how different his build was to Nic’s, and she wondered for a second if Nic had moved on. Well, she sure had, and she was determined that this was the last time she would ever think of Nicolas Poole.

  ‘Hey, Jack. Got a spare beer in your esky?’ she asked.

  ‘Does Batman wear a cape?’ he mumbled before pulling out a stubbie for her.

  ‘Thanks.’ She cracked off the cap and guzzled a mouthful of icy beer to wash away her last-ever thought of Nic.

  Jack was looking at her oddly. She couldn’t pick his expression with his eyes hidden behind his sunglasses.

  ‘What?’ she finally asked.

  His lips threatened to tug into a smile. ‘I just didn’t think you’d be a beer drinker. Kinda thought you’d be into wine or some fancy coloured drink.’

  ‘Really! Hmm.’ She didn’t want to tell him he’d been correct. ‘That’s like me thinking you’re a bad boy because of your tatt,’ she said, glancing at the intricate black marks.

  Noah laughed. ‘Jack a bad boy? You’ve got to be kidding. He’s a gentleman. Couldn’t hurt a fly.’

  With a sudden jerk, Jack whacked the dashboard, killing one of the many flies resting there. A second ticked by before they all laughed.

  ‘It’s a traditional ta moko tattoo and it reminds him of where he came from,’ Noah explained. ‘Diehard Kiwis. Don’t be around Jack when the All Blacks are playing.’

  Lara was trying to look interested in the pattern but she was actually admiring the way it wrapped around his muscled arm. ‘So, you won’t go back to New Zealand? Ever?’

  Jack sighed. ‘My older brother runs the farm with my dad and he’ll take it over eventually,’ he said.

  ‘So you won’t go back?’

  ‘No.’

  ‘Jack has his oldest sister, Bec, two hours away in Katanning. She married a farmer and has four kids. His youngest sister and her husband are thinking of coming over with their family as well, maybe to work with Bec and Derik on their farm. They have two kids and Jack’s brother has four.’

  ‘Gee, you have quite a big family, then,’ Lara said. ‘An uncle to ten.’

  Jack’s chest rose slightly. ‘Yep.’

  Lara wondered whether she should just ask Noah the questions. She glanced out the window as Noah drove into town, past the shire building, the woolshed shop with the old petrol pumps out the front, the pub on the corner with its painted brick walls. Some things were new, like the public toilets and the kids’ play area under huge sails across the road from the woolshed, but it was still Kulin. Kids rode their bikes down the roads and birds flew around the nearby trees. It was big enough for a district high school – the one she’d wished her parents had let her go to. The one they’d let Noah attend.

  Lara turned back to her brother. ‘Noah, you’ll have more than one kid, won’t you? I know Amanda’s right into running the farm and all, but she still wants kids, right?’

  ‘Oh, yeah. She’s mentioned having four, and I’ll admit I choked, but I think she was pulling my leg,’ laughed Noah.

  ‘One of my best friends has two,’ Lara said, ‘and they’re just the cutest kids out. Darcy has the chubbiest little hands. I’d love some one day. But that’s the trick, isn’t it? It’s not a job you can really do on your own.’

  ‘Unless you use a turkey baster,’ laughed Noah.

  ‘Noah!’ Lara smacked him on the arm.

  He chuckled. ‘We’re nearly here, so are you definitely going to go on the slide? Or are you too chicken?’

  Lara groaned. ‘Noah, I’ll go on your little kiddie slide if it’ll make you happy.’

  Noah pointed out the window and Lara saw a gigantic metal construction. ‘What the hell is that?’

  ‘That is the kiddie slide. People come from all over to go on it,’ he said proudly.

  Lara’s mouth fell open. ‘Oh my God. I’m not going on that! What if I fall over the edge? Do you see how high up that thing goes?’

  ‘Come on, sis. You wouldn’t be chickening out now, would you? The Lara I knew had guts.’

  Lara knew Noah’s baiting tactics would work. She wouldn’t back out now.

  ‘You bastard,’ was all she could say.

  They carried their stuff in, paid at the gate and headed across the lawn to the area with the shade covers.

  Lara peered up at the towering monstrosity. ‘It looks ten times bigger from here!’

  She caught Jack smiling at her before he pulled his shirt over his head. His chest was lean, with a six-pack chiselled beneath his ribs and a dark scattering of hair leading down to the top of his low-sitting shorts. She was distracted from the sight by a voice behind her.

  ‘Lara, is that you?’

  Lara spun around. ‘Mrs Callum!’

  ‘Call me Trish, love,’ she said, pulling Lara into a hug. ‘Noah told Eric you were coming back, but I didn’t believe him or the word going around town. But it’s true?’

  ‘Yes, Mrs … Trish. I’m going to try and run the farm.’ Trish hadn’t changed at all. She’d been Lara’s mum’s best friend, the one whose party she’d been coming home from when they’d had their accident. Trish’s grey hair was cropped short and her skin was tanned and wrinkled from the sun.

  ‘Oh, th
at’s wonderful. When we heard Noah was going to sell up, the community was devastated. We don’t like losing people, especially young ones. But now you’ve taken his place.’ Trish held Lara’s arms and smiled fondly. ‘We’ll have to organise a welcome-back party. If you ever need anything, you come and see me and Eric. Any time, okay?’

  ‘Don’t worry, Trish. She’ll be right,’ Noah reassured her.

  Trish turned to Noah. ‘So, when are you off? Do you need a hand packing? How’re the wedding plans coming along?’

  Lara felt the air move as Jack picked up his towel and headed towards the slide. She pulled off her dress and shoved it in her bag along with her sunnies, then jogged to catch up with Jack. At the gate he picked up a couple of mats, holding one out for her. Even though he clearly had the shits with her, he was still being the gentleman. This man was just totally confusing. Noah had mentioned Jack had been burnt by a city woman before – maybe he’d decided to keep his distance to protect himself. Well, Lara wasn’t after a relationship, but some friendly chitchat would be nice.

  Kids rushed past, water flicking off their wet bodies as they squealed in delight. Maybe her bikini had been a bad idea. She hoped the blue ties didn’t come undone on her way down the slide. She glanced at Jack, whose gaze was moving slowly up her body. He seemed to appreciate her choice in bathers.

  Lara held tight to the railing as they climbed up. From the stairs she could see people flying down the slide. ‘Crikey, that looks fast.’

  ‘Steady up, Brady,’ said Jack, carefully holding Lara out of the way as a boy with a buzz cut squeezed past. She could feel Jack’s body heat, his naked chest so close that the hairs on her arms tingled. ‘And you too, Taj. Just wait your turn, boys.’

  Jack shook his head but Lara detected a smile. He let her elbow go and she felt the hairs on her arms settle back down. She glanced at all the faces of the kids in front and behind them. ‘I don’t know any of these kids. It sounds like you do?’