Emerald Springs by Fleur McDonald

Author:Fleur McDonald [McDonald, Fleur]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
Published: 2015-02-17T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 20

As Amelia drove across the ramp into Eastern Edge, she was smiling. After two days in the hospital and one and a half at home, this was the first time she’d been able to get out by herself since the robbery, and she was looking forward to having some alone time with Paul. She’d been worried that driving by herself might trigger memories of the attack, but as soon as she’d headed off into the bright sunshine, she’d known it would be okay.

Paul had visited Granite Ridge the evening before, and Amelia thought she saw a thawing in her mother’s attitude towards him. Her father, meanwhile, had come in early for a beer on the verandah with Paul, genuinely pleased to see the young man and to discuss farming with him. While Amelia wouldn’t wish her experience on anyone, she was glad something positive seemed to have come out of it: a relationship between her parents and the man she loved. Natalie had even lent her car to Amelia for this trip—Pushme was off getting a full service, as Amelia didn’t feel safe getting in the unreliable old car.

The driveway was long and winding, so it wasn’t until she rounded the last corner that she saw the three utes, one with a trailer, parked in front of the house. On two of them was emblazoned Smithy’s Building Company in bold blue letters, while the third belonged to a local electrician. With a small gasp of surprise, Amelia pulled up and climbed out of the car. She stared at the house, her eyebrows raised, listening to the noise coming from inside—then jumped at the sound of smashing glass.

‘Ah, fuck it!’ yelled a male voice.

In spite of her confusion, Amelia giggled until her ribs ached, then headed towards the house. Peanut was in his usual position as overseer, high in the branches of the pepper tree, washing his paws but keeping an eye on his kingdom.

‘What’s going on here, Peanut?’ Amelia asked, pausing at the bottom of the steps. She opened the front door and called, ‘Hello?’ Then she walked in.

She didn’t get two paces before she froze: the best word to describe the scene was ‘chaos’. The old scarred wooden kitchen benches were gone, replaced by modern, sleek-looking ones in creamy-stone laminate. A new stove was sitting on a pallet in the middle of the floor, and the window above the sink was now missing its glass. That appeared to be covering the floor.

‘Oh,’ said Amelia, picking her way through.

A tradesman looked up. ‘G’day, love. Don’t mind the mess.’

‘What are you doing?’ she asked, then realised it was a ridiculous question.

‘Guess you’re Amelia, then? Paul’s getting everything organised so you can move in as soon as possible.’

‘But there’s no money!’ Amelia blurted out.

‘Nothing for you to worry about,’ answered the tradie with a grin, as he swept up the glass. ‘Your bloke’s got it covered.’

‘Uh-huh,’ she said, fixing a polite smile in place.

She wandered through the rest of the house, taking in the progress.

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