And now her wish was going to come true.
‘Thank you,’ she told them. ‘I’d love to join you.’
Ellie and Noah came in then, bringing drinks and snacks for everyone, and the five of them spent the next few hours sharing stories and recalling the past. By the time Ellie and Noah started bickering over who should get the last Tim Tam, Beth was emotionally exhausted but also completely relaxed. She could sit with the Brennans all day, doing nothing but basking in their togetherness.
CHAPTER
FIFTEEN
‘We don’t have to do this, you know.’
‘I know.’ Beth shoved her hands under her thighs in an effort to stop wringing them. ‘But talking to your parents really helped. I think I’m ready.’
She wasn’t entirely sure that was true, but Christmas was only a few days away, and she didn’t want to leave it until then to first lay eyes on the house her father had lived in. The last thing she wanted was for sadness to dampen her holiday spirit or to distract her from enjoying her time with the Brennans, so she’d asked Noah to take her to see the Campbell family’s former home. She wanted to get the sad stuff out of the way so she could fully appreciate her first big Christmas celebration. Who knew when she might get another opportunity like this?
Noah slowed down when the sign for Brennan’s Organic Beef came into view, then turned onto a gravel drive. They continued along it for a kilometre or so, the tree-lined road rising steadily all the way, and when they finally crested the hill, Beth forgot to breathe.
A valley stretched out before them, while lush, grass-covered hills dotted with cows rose on the other side, their beauty reflecting perfectly off the smooth-as-glass surface of the dam that lay at the centre of the property. To the left were a number of buildings—a modern farmhouse, a colonial-style cottage, numerous sheds and a sizeable horse-riding arena. To the right, the land sloped up again and another house sat perched at the top of the hill. Noah drove towards it, veering right when they came to a fork in the road.
She couldn’t make out many details before the land rose up and stole her view, but then they rounded a bend and Beth got her first proper look at the place.
The house sat on a limestone foundation, its white stone walls and sandy-coloured tin roof making it stand out against the blue sky above and green hills beyond. The wraparound verandah featured an elegant white wooden balustrade and the stone steps led up to a glass-panelled front door. She stepped from the car and a chill ran up her arms, despite the heat of the day. The place looked like home.
Noah joined her, but she couldn’t tear her eyes from the house her father had grown up in.
‘Did the exterior change in the renovation?’
‘Not much at the front. Just gave it a lick of paint and put in new railings.’
She imagined how it might’ve looked forty years ago. Pictured her dad racing along the verandah as a kid and her grandmother stepping through the front door to call him in for dinner. Would her grandfather have been sitting in a chair with a beer in his hand, watching it all play out, or would he have stood at the railing smoking a cigarette?
Her visions subsided and gave way to an awareness of Noah’s quiet presence.
He stood beside her and waited, putting no pressure on her to share her thoughts or urge her to take a closer look. As always, he seemed to know just what she needed and left the next move up to her.
‘Will you show me inside?’
With a soft smile, he held out his hand and she took it. He pushed open the front door and she was greeted by glossy floorboards, white walls and high ceilings. To her left, a collection of framed photographs hung on the wall, the house in one of them immediately grabbing her attention. She moved in for a closer look. Judging by the fashion worn by the man and woman in the image, the photograph had been taken in the fifties or sixties.
She shot a look at Noah. ‘Is thatthishouse?’
Smiling like he’d anticipated her reaction, he nodded.
‘And who are these people?’ she asked, certain she knew what his answer would be.
‘Their names were Ian and Elizabeth Campbell,’ Noah said, his voice holding a hint of emotion.
Her fingertips fluttered to her lips. ‘My grandparents?’
He nodded again.
She pored over the photograph, wanting to learn every one of their features, but the image was grainy and taken at a distance, so it was impossible to see whether there was a family resemblance. Still, here were two of her relatives, immortalised in black and white.
Before she could fully process just how wonderful it was to see a picture of her grandparents, the next image caught her eye—a close-up of a little boy. He leaned over the verandah railing and looked straight at the camera. Behind him, a man and woman sat on a two-seater cane settee.
She looked closer at the couple. Were they the same people from the previous photo? And if they were …
She glanced at Noah, her eyes wide.
