To avoid a lot of the noise, not to mention dust from the kitchen being ripped out, Berry decided to revisit the sheds. She started out mid morning with high hopes about what she would find, but after three or so hours that state of starry-eyed anticipation was beginning to wane.
She didn’t think there would be anything of value, because as far as she knew the McCalisters as a whole had always been pretty poor, but she was hoping for something personal to her family, perhaps even something that had belonged to her mum. But so far all she’d found was a stack of old newspapers, a couple of car tyres and a rusty old hand mower that looked a hundred years old.
The second shed was as disappointing as the first. So far it had given up:
Seven dried-up paint cans
A plethora of cardboard boxes and old rust-pitted tins
A Golden Fleece Service Station wall calendar from 1962
More stacks of newspapers
Assorted old tools, including eight different chisels
Five glass marbles
One dainty cup and saucer, surprisingly unchipped
Two jars of half-rusted nails
A half-filled bottle of turpentine
Three candles
A box of matches
A ball of string
An old brown leather briefcase
And, finally, several copies of the Australasian Post from the 1960s.
Berry carried the items out of the shed and dumped them in a box outside. She was just about to bin it all, but hesitated as she held the old cup in her hands. It was shallow with a pale blue band wreathed in flowers and a fine gilt line running around the rim. In the sunlight, Berry could see that the cup had an almost translucent quality and it was obvious that it was very old. Berry smiled; maybe she’d found a little family treasure after all.
She grabbed a smaller box and placed the cup and saucer in it, along with the marbles with their colourful swirls frozen within the glass. The brightly coloured covers of the old magazines caught her attention. Celebrities of the day were pictured along with beautiful bikini-clad models posing on the beach by a brilliant blue sea. Berry picked up the top copy, from August 1964; the cover was graced by a stunning model with long dark hair, and a list of articles that made Berry’s eyebrows involuntarily shoot up. In particular, the one that said in large bold type, What’s Wrong With Women? Why women have more power and freedom than ever before, but they’re not happy about it.
‘Well, I guess I’ve found my reading matter for tonight,’ she laughed, putting the magazine into the box with the teacup.
Glancing at her watch, she saw that it was nearly four p.m., so she picked up the box of treasures she was keeping, as well as the old briefcase jammed full of papers and a couple of maps, and walked back to the house. As for the rest of the junk she had hauled out of the shed, Berry would deal with that tomorrow.
Just as she was opening the boot of her car, the sound of a vehicle crunching up to the house made her look up. She frowned at the SUV that had just come to a stop. She didn’t know the car and she couldn’t see through the tinted windows to work out who was behind the wheel. Putting the box in the boot, she turned and waited for the occupants to get out of the car.
She smiled when she saw Nate slide out of the driver’s seat, but she quelled it before he was close enough to notice. Damn, that was the last sort of reaction she wanted. It wouldn’t take much for her to become entangled with Nate—Berry would have been a fool if she failed to recognise the chemistry between them—but the last thing she needed was an interlude, romantic or otherwise. She needed a clear head and she sensed that Nate had the ability to mess her up, if she let him.
‘Hey,’ he said as he sauntered over towards her.
‘Hey,’ she responded trying hard not to notice just how good he looked in jeans. ‘I didn’t know you were stopping by today.’
‘I just had to pick my sisters up from school, and as I was driving by, I thought—’
Nate didn’t get to finish his sentence as the doors of the SUV banged open and two identical blonde girls in school uniforms got out and hurried over.
‘Hi! You must be Berry,’ one said. ‘I’m Amelia and this is Emily, or you can call us Lia and Em, everyone does.’
‘Were you scared when you came back? I mean, I walk past here all the time and it’s creepy. Do you think it’s creepy—with what happened and all?’ the other girl babbled.
The girls talked over each other and Berry felt like she’d been hit with a blast of teenage exuberance. It took her a moment to gather her wits, and when she glanced at Nate he simply rolled his eyes.
‘Sorry, these are my sisters … my baby sisters,’ he explained.
‘Geez, Nate, we’re not babies,’ Em said. ‘You should stop saying that.’
‘Well, you’re not exactly rational adults either. Don’t be so nosey and watch your tongue, Em,’ he said.
Berry smiled at the girls and Nate. ‘It’s okay. And yes, Em, when I first arrived I thought it was a bit creepy. But maybe the cold rainy day had something to do with that. It feels very different now.’
Amelia looked over at the house. ‘Why’s that?’
‘Because it’s being renovated, and that can change the whole feel of a place.’
‘Can we look inside?’
‘Em!’ Nate said as he sent her a look.
Em ignored him and grinned at Berry. ‘Please, can you show us around? I’ve always wondered what it was like inside.’
‘All right,’ Berry said. ‘But it’s just a house and I doubt it’s anywhere near as grand as Tarantale Downs.’
‘You know, Nate was right,’ Em said as she fell into step next to Berry. ‘You are really pretty.’
Berry bit back a smile not because of the compliment but the half-strangled, ‘Geez, Em,’ that Nate muttered under his breath. She took a quick peek in his direction and saw that his cheeks were flushed.
‘So, are you going to live here?’ Lia asked.
Berry opened the front door. ‘I’m not sure what’s happening yet. It’s something that I have to talk over with my brother and sister.’
‘How come they’re not here?’ Em asked as she stepped past Berry. ‘Shouldn’t they be helping you fix up the place?’
‘It’s not that easy. Jess is at uni and Tom’s still in school,’ Berry replied as she looked at Em. ‘I think he’s probably about your age.’
‘Really,’ Lia said. ‘Are they going to come up?’
Berry nodded. ‘Yes, but I’m not sure when exactly.’
‘So, who’s looking after Tom if you’re here?’
Berry smiled as she ushered them into the lounge room. ‘We all live with our uncle and have done ever since we moved to Melbourne. My mum’s brother. Our grandparents are down there as well, so to be honest I’m not sure if we’ll keep Stone Gully Farm.’
‘It’s been in your family for a while now, isn’t that right?’ Nate asked.
‘Yes.’
‘Seems a shame to get rid of it,’ he continued. ‘I mean, any one of you might change your mind later down the track. Once it’s sold, that’s it.’
Lia nodded before flicking her long blonde hair over her shoulder. ‘You could rent it out—that way it would pay for itself and you still get to hold onto it. If your brother is the same age as me, what he wants now might be different to when he’s, like, Nate’s age.’
‘Hey, you make it sound like we’re stupid kids who don’t know what they want,’ Em said quickly.
‘I’m not saying that. It’s just, I don’t even know what I want to do when I finish school. How would I know if I wanted to keep a house or not?’
Nate gave Berry a shrug. ‘Hate to say it but she may have a point.’
Berry was quiet for a minute. ‘I hadn’t thought about it that way. You might be right, Lia. Tom may regret selling this place. It’s certainly something I’ll have to discuss with him. And Jess.’
‘When are they going to visit?’ Lia asked.
‘Soon, I suppose. The truth is I didn’t want them here in the first place. I didn’t want to trigger any bad memories.’
‘Won’t just coming here do that?’ Nate asked gently.
Berry shrugged. ‘Maybe … I don’t know. Jess is a couple of years younger than me, so her memories are a bit blurry, and Tom was just a baby. Perhaps it wouldn’t have turned out so badly after all.’
Em gave her a smile. ‘You were just trying to protect them.’
Berry smiled. ‘I probably was. But, now, the house is the same but it’s also going to be so different. It’s getting a facelift and a brand new feel—so maybe that’s scared away the darkness.’
Berry gave them a quick tour of the house and introduced them to some of the workmen, before they wandered down the steps into the back yard.
‘I really like your place,’ Lia said with a smile. ‘I can’t wait to see it all finished. I mean … that is, if you invite us back.’
‘Of course you’re invited back. You can drop in anytime you see my car parked out the front.’
‘Thanks, Berry!’
‘What’s down here?’ Em asked as she pointed to the old sheds. ‘Anything interesting?’
‘Only if you like dust and cobwebs,’ Berry replied. ‘I’ve been going through the sheds but so far all I’ve found are some really old magazines, a handful of glass marbles and a very pretty teacup. Unfortunately, not one bit of hidden treasure, which was more than a little disappointing.’ She led them downhill towards the sheds.
‘Yeah, well, people generally don’t put anything very valuable in sheds. That is, other than cars or tractors,’ Nate said as he pushed himself off the railing and followed her.
‘So, there wasn’t anything pretty?’ Lia asked.
‘No, except for the teacup and the marbles.’
‘That’s a shame, it would have been really cool if you’d found something old and important.’
‘Yeah, I guess it would have been.’
They continued past the sheds and made their way towards the orchard. The girls walked slightly ahead and Berry was conscious of Nate striding along beside her. It was becoming disconcerting to say the least.
‘So, you haven’t said what brought you over today.’
Nate glanced at her. ‘Um, I just wanted to let you know that the fence is fixed. You don’t have to worry about any stray animals wandering in.’
‘Thanks, I appreciate it.’ Berry looked away. Why did half her conversations with Nate end up feeling weird? Thanks, I appreciate it. She directed an internal eye roll at herself.
‘Oh, there was one other thing. We’ve cut up the tree and stacked it on your side of the fence. I figured you’d still have at least one open fire. It has to dry out, so you probably can’t use it until next winter but it’s there anyway.’
‘You didn’t have to do that. But thanks.’
‘If you want … when I’ve got a spare minute, I can bring it up to the house. We could stack it over there near the sheds. At least that way it’s closer than halfway down the back paddock.’
‘I wouldn’t want you to go to any more trouble,’ Berry said quickly.
Nate shrugged. ‘No problem at all. I’ll get it sorted.’
Em stopped ahead and turned back to Berry and her brother. ‘Berry, what sort of orchard is this? The trees look different.’
‘You’ve got a good eye. It’s made up of all sorts of different fruit trees,’ Berry said as she pointed past Em. ‘Apples over there, and over in that direction are pears, plums and a few nut trees.’
‘Quite a mixed bag of varieties,’ Nate said.
‘Well, thinking back I suppose it was more like a hobby farm. Not like the majority of sheep runs in the area. My grandparents ran it as a proper farm, but Dad just didn’t seem to have the knack when it came to sheep.’
‘Oh, I see … sorry, I shouldn’t have said anything,’ Nate said.
Berry gave him a friendly nudge with her shoulder and then immediately regretted the close proximity. ‘Don’t be silly, it’s okay. Dad always wanted to try new things, most of which never quite panned out like he’d hoped. I remember Mum used to use the fruit from here to make jams and chutneys and sauces that she’d sell to local shops and cafes around the area. Also, there used to be big raised beds of strawberries closer to the house, and blackberries too.’
Lia stopped walking and turned back around. ‘Is that where you got your name from?’
Berry smiled. ‘Partly. Berenice was my great-grandmother’s name, but my dad called me Berry because he said that I was sweet. I guess it stuck, because no one calls me Berenice anymore. Well, except for my uncle if I’ve managed to really annoy him,’ she said with a laugh.
‘And does that happen often?’ Nate asked with a raised eyebrow.
‘No, not at all. Well, maybe once in a blue moon,’ Berry said. ‘My uncle can come across as a little formidable, and he’s not particularly demonstrative. I guess that makes him well suited to being a lawyer! But once you get past the hard exterior he’s kind and squishy inside, especially when it comes to me and my siblings. He didn’t have to take us in after our parents died, but he did and I think that says a lot about him.’
Nate nodded. ‘I reckon you’re right. So, you’re close?’
‘Yep.’ She paused, then added thoughtfully, ‘I guess that happens when a family goes through a tragedy.’
Nate watched her. ‘I suppose you can appreciate what you have, and who you have, and draw strength from each other.’
‘Yeah,’ Berry said. ‘Something like that. Is your family close?’
‘Yes, I get along pretty well with these two nut jobs,’ Nate said with a grin as he gestured to his sisters. ‘And my mum. Dad, on the other hand, can be … difficult.’
‘Yeah, well, every family I know fights and argues and thinks that they’re the only dysfunctional one around, but I reckon no one does it perfectly.’
‘Mmm, I suppose I should be thankful, but Dad and I tend to rub each other up the wrong way. He believes he’s right about everything all the time and insists on treating me like I’m a sixteen-year-old idiot.’
Berry winced. ‘Ouch, really?’
‘He’s always saying that I’m the future of Tarantale Downs and yet he won’t give me a voice in how the place should be run. Look, he’s my father and the business belongs to him, I get that, but you’d think he’d start giving me a little bit of responsibility. Sometimes I don’t feel much more than a glorified stable hand, the only difference is my pay packet might be a bit heavier than Justin’s.’
‘I’m assuming that you’ve tried talking to him?’
Nate gave her a look.
‘Sorry, I guess you’ve already done that,’ she said with a sheepish grin.
‘Yeah, I’ve tried. More than once. I always get the same answer—You’re not ready yet. I get frustrated because half the time he’s telling me to man up and take responsibility for my actions all the while he’s saying that I’m not ready to handle any aspect of the management of Tarantale.’
‘That must be hard.’
Nate shrugged. ‘It can be. As I said, we tend to butt heads a lot—it’s one of the reasons I moved out of the main house.’
‘Oh, where do you live? Still on the property?’
‘Yep. I had the old stables renovated. I’m still at Tarantale but far enough removed so I can have a little breathing room.’
‘Sounds like it was a good move,’ Berry said with a smile.
‘Berry, what’s down here?’ Lia called out as she reached the edge of the orchard.
‘If we keep going we’ll hit the dam.’
‘Oh, okay,’ Lia said as she turned back to continue walking down the path.
Nate glanced at Berry. ‘Listen, we just sort of showed up—are we keeping you from something?’
‘Nah, I’ve spent most of the day by myself in the sheds. It’s nice to have some company.’
‘Well, if you’re sure. Shall we keep going to the dam?’
‘Good idea. I’ve been walking down here a lot. I don’t really know why, maybe because it’s just peaceful,’ she said as the dam came into view.
‘Oh, look, Nate—it has an island in the middle,’ Em said with a grin. ‘It’s so lovely!’
‘Have you been over there?’ Lia asked.
Berry shook her head. ‘No, not yet. As far as I know, that’s where the herons nest. I wasn’t sure if I’d disturb them, plus I don’t have a boat. It’s on my list of things to do, I just haven’t got there yet.’
‘Maybe we can all go together?’ Lia suggested.
‘Lia, will you stop inviting yourself,’ Nate said half under his breath.
‘That’s all right,’ Berry said. ‘It sounds like a great idea … if we can find a boat.’
Nate said, ‘Leave it to me. Maybe we could aim for next weekend or the one after that?’
Berry nodded. ‘Sounds good.’
Berry meant what she said. Everything about this place needed to be cleansed, and the dam was no exception. In her mind, the dam held a handful of golden memories of her mucking about on the water with Jess—a time that was precious to her, but also painful in the way it brought back all the things that had gone.