Megan just bit her lip.
‘They…they wouldn’t have a clue how to fight this thing,’ she said bleakly. ‘Mum and Dad don’t think about things outside the farm. Pat either. They don’t know how things work.’
But you do, thought Luke. Patrick was a born farmer, but Megan? Megan would soar above the world.
Where had that thought come from? He stared at her. How come he’d never noticed what she was really like before? Had she changed, or had he? The idea shocked him so much he hardly heard her next words. ‘Sorry?’
‘I said…Luke, please could you help us? You’re different. I mean, you like farming like Pat, but you think about things too. Hell, I’m saying this all wrong—’
‘Of course I’ll help,’ Luke broke in. ‘I don’t know what I can do, though,’ he added honestly.
Megan took a deep breath. ‘Could you ask Sam?’
‘Ask him what?’
‘To do something about us on his show? Explain why the resort would be such a bad thing. Please? It’d really make the Council stop and think if there was something on TV. It’s not just us,’ she added hurriedly. ‘I mean, it’s happening in lots of other places too—resorts or golf courses or silly trivial things taking resources, using up water. Did you know that one hectare of a golf course uses ten times more herbicide and pesticide than our orchard?’
‘No, I didn’t know,’ said Luke, impressed.
Megan looked embarrassed. ‘Sorry. Of course you wouldn’t. There was a documentary on TV. My brain just seems to remember stuff like that.’
‘I like it,’ said Luke, then felt even stupider than before.
‘Luke, if Sam says the resort’s a bad idea the Council will listen to him. You know they will.’
Luke nodded. ‘I’ll ask him. He’ll be back today.’
‘Thanks, Luke. You’re a real friend.’
‘I’ll do anything I can to help,’ said Luke. He was surprised how much he meant it, not just for the Fishers, but for Megan especially.
He watched her as she went back inside.
Chapter 7
Luke
In thunder, lightning, or in rain
( Macbeth , Act I, Scene 1, line 2)
The cows stared at Luke as he walked back down the hill, still hoping that he’d magically produce a bale of hay from his pockets, then bent down to the cold grass again. He hardly noticed them.
How could things change so fast? The Fishers’ place was the one thing that never changed, no matter what else happened in his life. And now this…But maybe Megan was right. If Sam just spoke up for them on the show, the Council would be forced to stop the resort…
The four-wheel drive was parked in the courtyard when he reached home.
Mum’s voice floated out of the kitchen window.
‘ Mountains hiii…iiighhhhh… Something something coming home, Mountains hiii…ighh… ’
Luke grinned. Mum’s singing sounded like one of the cows in trouble. But at least it was easy to know when she was happy.
The house smelled of roast beef. ‘Our own meat,’Sam boasted whenever they had anyone to dinner. ‘You won’t find better beef in the world.’
‘Is that you, darling?’ Mum came out of the kitchen, wiping her hands on her jeans. They’d been new the week before, but Luke noticed there were already stains at the knees.
‘Yeah, it’s me,’ he replied. ‘How was Sydney?’
‘Okay,’ said Mum vaguely, ‘except I forgot to change my shoes when I got out of the car at the airport. So there I was with my gumboots under my dress at the TV station!’ She eyed him more closely. ‘Hell’s bells, you look like you’ve been dragged through a hedge backwards.’ She picked a twig out of his hair.
‘I’ve been pruning. Over at the Fishers’.’
Mum’d had her hair done again in Sydney. The colour was different somehow. Luke squinted then worked it out: red streaks among the brown and blonde. But she’d managed to make a mess of it already.
He bent down and kissed her cheek while she hugged him. It felt strange to bend down to Mum, when only last year
‘They…they wouldn’t have a clue how to fight this thing,’ she said bleakly. ‘Mum and Dad don’t think about things outside the farm. Pat either. They don’t know how things work.’
But you do, thought Luke. Patrick was a born farmer, but Megan? Megan would soar above the world.
Where had that thought come from? He stared at her. How come he’d never noticed what she was really like before? Had she changed, or had he? The idea shocked him so much he hardly heard her next words. ‘Sorry?’
‘I said…Luke, please could you help us? You’re different. I mean, you like farming like Pat, but you think about things too. Hell, I’m saying this all wrong—’
‘Of course I’ll help,’ Luke broke in. ‘I don’t know what I can do, though,’ he added honestly.
Megan took a deep breath. ‘Could you ask Sam?’
‘Ask him what?’
‘To do something about us on his show? Explain why the resort would be such a bad thing. Please? It’d really make the Council stop and think if there was something on TV. It’s not just us,’ she added hurriedly. ‘I mean, it’s happening in lots of other places too—resorts or golf courses or silly trivial things taking resources, using up water. Did you know that one hectare of a golf course uses ten times more herbicide and pesticide than our orchard?’
‘No, I didn’t know,’ said Luke, impressed.
Megan looked embarrassed. ‘Sorry. Of course you wouldn’t. There was a documentary on TV. My brain just seems to remember stuff like that.’
‘I like it,’ said Luke, then felt even stupider than before.
‘Luke, if Sam says the resort’s a bad idea the Council will listen to him. You know they will.’
Luke nodded. ‘I’ll ask him. He’ll be back today.’
‘Thanks, Luke. You’re a real friend.’
‘I’ll do anything I can to help,’ said Luke. He was surprised how much he meant it, not just for the Fishers, but for Megan especially.
He watched her as she went back inside.
Chapter 7
Luke
In thunder, lightning, or in rain
( Macbeth , Act I, Scene 1, line 2)
The cows stared at Luke as he walked back down the hill, still hoping that he’d magically produce a bale of hay from his pockets, then bent down to the cold grass again. He hardly noticed them.
How could things change so fast? The Fishers’ place was the one thing that never changed, no matter what else happened in his life. And now this…But maybe Megan was right. If Sam just spoke up for them on the show, the Council would be forced to stop the resort…
The four-wheel drive was parked in the courtyard when he reached home.
Mum’s voice floated out of the kitchen window.
‘ Mountains hiii…iiighhhhh… Something something coming home, Mountains hiii…ighh… ’
Luke grinned. Mum’s singing sounded like one of the cows in trouble. But at least it was easy to know when she was happy.
The house smelled of roast beef. ‘Our own meat,’Sam boasted whenever they had anyone to dinner. ‘You won’t find better beef in the world.’
‘Is that you, darling?’ Mum came out of the kitchen, wiping her hands on her jeans. They’d been new the week before, but Luke noticed there were already stains at the knees.
‘Yeah, it’s me,’ he replied. ‘How was Sydney?’
‘Okay,’ said Mum vaguely, ‘except I forgot to change my shoes when I got out of the car at the airport. So there I was with my gumboots under my dress at the TV station!’ She eyed him more closely. ‘Hell’s bells, you look like you’ve been dragged through a hedge backwards.’ She picked a twig out of his hair.
‘I’ve been pruning. Over at the Fishers’.’
Mum’d had her hair done again in Sydney. The colour was different somehow. Luke squinted then worked it out: red streaks among the brown and blonde. But she’d managed to make a mess of it already.
He bent down and kissed her cheek while she hugged him. It felt strange to bend down to Mum, when only last year
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