The Road Home Read Online Free PDF Page B

bigger than his. But then again, she didn’t think she could move into it, either. Taking a deep breath, she pushed the door open. It squeaked as it dragged against the floor. She peered around the door and her shoulders slumped as her hand went to her heart.
    ‘Oh, Noah,’ she mumbled. It was just as her parents had left it. Her mother’s jewellery beside the bed, her father’s shoes by the cupboard. Everything was dulled with seven years of dust, like an old photograph. Pain gripped her chest as a sob forced its way up. She couldn’t stand the sight any more. With a tug she shut the door and walked away with fresh tears.

4
    THE back door banged shut as footsteps padded up the hallway.
    ‘Hey, sis. Something smells great!’ said Noah. He pulled up a chair at the table opposite the servery window.
    ‘Just a roast. Should be ready in an hour. Did you get the shed sorted?’ It was nearly six so Noah was in early.
    ‘Yeah, I’ll get up at sparrow fart tomorrow and get the next mob in. Jack said he’d stay and do some bales up for me.’
    ‘What? After he’s spent all day shearing?’
    Noah shrugged. ‘That’s the kind of bloke Jack is.’
    Lara pulled out two beers from the fridge and handed one to Noah as she sat down beside him. Noah clinked his bottle with hers. ‘Cheers.’
    ‘Cheers.’
    ‘So, I suppose you’re wondering what I needed to talk to you about?’ Noah asked.
    Lara took a sip before she replied. ‘Yeah, you could say that. Is everything all right with Amanda? You two haven’t called offthe wedding, have you?’
    Noah ran a hand through his hair and leant back in his chair. ‘No, nothing like that. It’s about Erindale.’
    ‘What about Erindale?’ she asked, as her pulse began to quicken.
    ‘There’s no easy way to break the news so I’ll just come right out and say it. Lara, I want to sell the farm.’
    Lara felt short of breath as she clutched the end of the table. ‘Pardon?’
    Noah sighed and put his beer down. ‘Look, Amanda doesn’t have any brothers and her dad has offered his farm to us eventually. It’s a big farm, Lara, with cattle, and I want to do that with Amanda. I don’t want to drag her here to Erindale, away from her family. And I don’t have any family here.’ He paused and they both felt the silence weigh down on them. ‘So it makes sense for me to move. Amanda’s farm is much bigger, and quite frankly, I never really wanted to run this place anyway.’ Noah scratched at his scruffy hair. ‘You know how much I hate sheep, Larz. It was always Dad’s dream for me to take over the farm and pass it on to my sons, but I’ve never really wanted it. I’ve dreamt of setting up cattle and I can do that with Amanda now.’ He paused, ready to drop the even bigger bombshell. ‘I want to move as soon as possible, which means putting this place on the market.’
    ‘But you can’t!’ Lara felt the panic shaking her and couldn’t decide whether to scream or cry. ‘This is our home. It’s all that we have left of our parents. Noah, you can’t.’
    ‘Larz, I felt the same way at first, but this is my chance of making a life for me and Amanda. I want to use some of the money tobuild her the house she wants on the farm and set ourselves up. Plus I have a heap of debt to pay off.’
    Lara shot him a glare.
    ‘Look, I can understand how you feel,’ he went on. ‘But you’re hardly ever here any more. Will it matter?’
    She jumped out of her seat. ‘Of course it matters. This farm is our heritage, Noah!’ She paced up and down the length of the table. Just the thought of losing Erindale made her sick. She still thought of this place as her true home, even after all these years. How could Noah even contemplate selling?
    ‘I know that, but I have to think of Amanda and move on. You did.’
    Lara winced as his words hit home. ‘Can’t we just keep it?’
    ‘Not if we can’t work it. I’ve thought about leasing it out.’
    ‘But that means someone else