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Back The Orchardist's Daughter Save as PDF
Chapters (57)
  1. COVER PAGE
  2. PRAISE
  3. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
  4. DEDICATION
  5. PROLOGUE
  6. PART I SEEDS
  7. 1
  8. 2
  9. 3
  10. 4
  11. 5
  12. 6
  13. 7
  14. 8
  15. PART II GERMINATION
  16. 9
  17. 10
  18. 11
  19. 12
  20. 13
  21. 14
  22. 15
  23. 16
  24. 17
  25. 18
  26. 19
  27. 20
  28. PART III GROWTH
  29. 21
  30. 22
  31. 23
  32. 24
  33. 25
  34. 26
  35. 27
  36. 28
  37. 29
  38. 30
  39. 31
  40. 32
  41. PART IV UNDERSTOREY
  42. 33
  43. 34
  44. 35
  45. 36
  46. 37
  47. 38
  48. 39
  49. 40
  50. 41
  51. 42
  52. 43
  53. 44
  54. 45
  55. 46
  56. EPILOGUE
  57. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Up at the big tree they’d passed Kurt’s wrecked ute. Then they’d made a line and combed the bush, calling Leon’s name, fearing the worst. Shane had found Leon’s phone in the forest not far from Kurt’s ute, nothing else. Toby hoped the poor bastard wasn’t bleeding to death in the forest somewhere. He had a strong feeling Kurt had shot Leon.

Late afternoon, Toby had excused himself then gone home because there were things to be done. Kids to be picked up from after-school activities. Dinner to be cooked because Steph was working late. Wood to be chopped. Cows to be fed. He’d felt guilty leaving the search, but there’d been plenty of other helpers and he knew they would be okay without him.

Now he finished unravelling the last bale and bent over to collect the twine; he didn’t want the cows chewing it and causing a blockage in their guts. Usually being out in the paddock cheered him up, but not today. He was worried about Leon, and disappointed in Mooney for not joining the search. He knew Mooney’s attitude shouldn’t bug him, but it did. Mooney was selfish—Toby shouldn’t have expected anything else. Fact was, Mooney’s wife and kids were his only redeeming features. But Leon was part of this town now, and it was time for Mooney to get used to it. People weren’t going to tolerate his crap anymore.

As he was stuffing the twine behind the tractor seat, Toby caught sight of something on the ground up near the forest. He wasn’t sure what it was. A blanket blown from the washing line? A cow lying down? It didn’t look right.

He revved the tractor uphill, tyres spitting chunks of mud in the soggy paddock. Two gates had to be opened and closed before he was near, and it wasn’t till he was almost there that he recognised the shape of a man on the ground. Something turned in his chest.

Parking the tractor sideways across the steep slope, he jumped down and leaned over the body, a sick feeling in his throat. On the footy field Leon had checked Mooney’s pulse, and that was what Toby did now, pushing his fingers into the cold skin of Leon’s neck. Relief poured through him as he felt a beating pulse and saw Leon’s chest gently lift and fall.

He pulled out his phone to ring Steph, who was home now and down in the house with the kids, out of this infernal wind. He would get her to call the ambulance, and then he would work out how to ferry Leon to shelter.

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