“You can’t push her, Milt. I think she wants to stay on the property. This thing at Marla is only temporary.”

“I know.” His look softened and he sat in the chair opposite her, his big hands resting on the table. “I’ve talked with her about it. I wanted to be clear that Bree has a choice.”

Natalie suddenly understood what he was trying to say. “Because you didn’t.”

“Yes, but I don’t want to be like my father and die with my boots on either. I want you and I to do other things, maybe move off the property to our own place while we’re young enough to start again…travel.”

Natalie couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Her husband and the word travel.

“I’ve given Bree time,” he said. “But there’s a line in the sand and if she doesn’t want to stay we’ll sell the lot, buy a motorhome and go around Australia.”

“Wait.” Natalie glared at him. “What do you mean a motorhome?” There was no way she was moving from her big house to be confined in such a small space.

Milt chuckled. “That got your attention.”

She relaxed. He’d been teasing her. Once upon a time he’d done that a lot. So much had changed in their lives in recent years.

Later in the day Natalie strolled back down the passage. She’d been up in her bedroom unpacking and had added another layer to her clothes for warmth. She paused at Laura’s room and looked in. The bed wasn’t made but the rest of the room had been tidied up at least. She moved on. The next door was firmly shut. Olive was resting in there. Natalie wasn’t sure how long her mother-in-law planned to stay but if she was still here tomorrow night, Kate and Sean would have to sleep in Bree’s spare room.

She let herself into the kitchen where Laura was on her own, chopping vegetables. Bree and Milt were both working outside.

Natalie gave her daughter a hug. “That soup we had for lunch was delicious.”

“Thanks. Granny made the bone broth the day before.”

“What are you doing here?”

“Preparing a stir fry.”

“Can I help?”

“Sure.” Laura passed her a chopping board, a knife and some carrots.

“Dad said you and Granny have been doing lots of cooking.”

“The freezer’s full again.” Laura glanced over her shoulder and lowered her voice. “Why did Granny move into town?”

Natalie paused her chopping and thought about Olive’s announcement not long after Clem’s death that she’d found a unit in town. Natalie and Milt had both been taken by surprise. “She said it was something she and Pa had planned to do and she wanted to have her own place.”

Laura stopped chopping too. “You and Dad didn’t ask her to leave?”