Free The Road Home by Fiona Palmer Page B

window into the backyard. The leaves from the lilac tree swayed with the breeze. Her mind whirled and the minutes ticked into hours. In all that time, one thing stood out in her mind.
    Erindale.
    Home. Big blue skies welcoming her. Those thoughts warmed her heart.
    Would it kill her to attempt to run it? It couldn’t be that hard, surely? The more the idea ran in her head, the more it seemed like the right option. Erindale was calling to her. The thought of going home began to fill her with a sense of pride and peace as well as a nervous energy that picked her heart up out of the rubbish bin. Without realising it, her hand reached for her phone and dialled Noah’s mobile.
    ‘Hey, sis!’ His voice was bright and bubbly, and she struggled to hear him over the shed music and hum of the motors.
    ‘Hey, Noah,’ she shouted down the phone. ‘We need to talk.’‘Lara? What’s going on?’ Noah headed outside the shed where it was quieter.
    ‘Noah, what would you say if I said I wanted to come back and run the farm? I can sell the house in Perth and give you all that money towards the farm if you like. It will be a substantial amount. And after a while, if I can manage, will you put my name on the title deeds? Erindale means too much for us to give up and sell it. I just can’t let that happen, Noah.’
    The line was quiet for a moment. Hell. Lara back on the farm, running it? It seemed far-fetched but at least the farm would still belong to them and the money from the house would be great. It could be ten times what Jack could pay him upfront.
Jack.
He wouldn’t be happy about it, but this was Lara, his own flesh and blood. This arrangement would keep Erindale in the Turner family and Noah would get his money. Enough to build Amanda a house and pay off some debt.
    ‘Wow, sis. This is a bit to take in. Are you sure? Do you think you could manage?’ He ran a hand through his hair. ‘I mean, it would keep the farm in the family, but … shit … I’m speechless.’ He tried to sound excited but he was conflicted. Lara being here could cause complications. There were things he didn’t want her to see. But the offer of the house money was too good to refuse. When their folks died, Lara got some money, the Perth house and the farmhouse block while Noah got all the land. It seemed fair enough. He figured Dad had deliberately given the farmhouse to Lara so they’d be tied together. ‘Well, how about we see if you can last out six months and if you’re still keen after that, then I’ll put your name on the title deeds and Erindale can officially be yourstoo?’ He had no problems with giving the farm over to his sister if she could make a go of it. The money from the Perth house would go a long way to paying out his share. ‘So, what are your plans? Are you coming home straightaway?’
    ‘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