COMING HOME
Ann B. Harrison
Copyright©December, 2013 Ann B. Harrison
Editedby Juanita Kees
Coverart by Valerie Tibbs
Thisbook is a work of fiction. Names, characters places and incidents are the productof the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actualevents, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.
Acknowledgement
Coming Homewas inspired by the abundance of historical houses in the Hunter Valley. Tomake my story come alive I needed to touch bricks and mortar and absorb thehistory. A friend suggested I visit Tocal Homestead in the Hunter Valley.
The moment I drove overthe crest of the hill and saw Tocal Homestead before me, I knew I'd comehome. I spent my first morning roaming the magnificent estate, taking photosand talking to the ladies in the information centre. As I was about to leave, Iwas introduced to Sandra Earle, the Homestead Coordinator.
When Sandra found outwhy I was visiting Tocal, she offered me a behind the scenes guided tour. Ican't thank her enough for the invaluable information she gave me for my book.
I would also like toexpress my heartfelt gratitude to The CB Alexander Foundation for the greatwork they do keeping our history alive. You can find out more about TocalHomestead and its engaging story here. http://www.tocal.com/
If you find yourself inthe Hunter Valley, I recommend a visit to Tocal Homestead, in my mind themost beautiful maintained Australian homes.
Table ofContents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-one
Chapter Twenty-two
Chapter Twenty-three
Chapter Twenty-four
Chapter Twenty-five
Chapter Twenty-six
Chapter Twenty-seven
Chapter Twenty-eight
Chapter Twenty-nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-one
Chapter Thirty-two
Chapter Thirty-three
Chapter Thirty-four
Chapter Thirty-five
Chapter Thirty-six
Chapter Thirty-seven
Chapter Thirty-eight
Chapter One
Cade Williams hit theground hard clutching the ball to his chest. His chin connected with thecropped grass and the metallic taste of blood filled his mouth. The ball wasstill in his grasp and that was all that mattered. There was no way he wasgoing to let it go so close to the line for the other team to pounce on. Hegroaned as the cascade of tackling bodies landed on top of him.
"Try!" Thecrowd screamed and he bucked under the pressure of the opposing team. When theyclimbed off giving him the chance to stand up, he surged to his feet.
"Cade, Cade,Cade," came the roar from the stands.
He took out hismouthguard and spat blood on the ground before lifting his arms to the crowd,throwing the ball in the air. "Woohoo."
His team mates surgedforward, lifting him up as they chanted his name and slapped him on the back.He relished the attention, his heart pumping with adrenaline as they droppedhim to the ground.
Cade grabbed a waterbottle from the drink boy and took a long drink, rinsing his mouth out beforesquirting the remains over his head. He took a few deep breaths, letting thecool water trickle down his cheeks. He threw the bottle back and ran to jointhe rest of the team to watch their captain, Matt Boyle attempt to convert thegoal.
With cautious steps,Matt paced back from the ball and looked at the goal posts. Rubbing his handstogether, he dipped his head, ran and kicked. Cade kept his eye on the ball andscreamed along with the crowd when it sailed between the goal posts.
"On fire, boys.Only ten minutes to go and you're on a winning streak," yelled theircoach. "Go get 'em, Cade. One more try to seal the match." He slappedCade on the shoulder. "Back him up, boys."
They lined up in frontof the half way line and waited for the opposing team to kick the ball. Thereferee blew the whistle and the ball soared through the air toward Cade andhis team.
They surged forward.Cade leapt into the air and clutched the ball to his chest. As he fell to theground, he was tackled with force. He lay still, conserving his energy for thefinal part of the game and waited until they let him get up. He put the ballunder his boot and tapped it back before falling back into line, ready tointercept a pass when it came his way.
Second tackle, thirdtackle, they reached the half way line and the crowd screamed its support. Theadrenaline raced through his veins, giving him a buzz nothing could take awayfrom him. Cade lived for the sport and the adulation of the crowd. Livingthe dream buddy, living the dream. Fourth tackle and he was ready, headingto the seventy-five yard line.
The ball flew throughthe air toward him and he reached out to take it, holding it tucked against hischest with one hand, the other held out like a battering ram as he focused onthe line ahead.
The crowd screamed hisname, spurring him on. Ducking and weaving, Cade powered to the touch line, theneed to get the next goal burning in his chest. Hands grabbed at his shirt,slowing him down but he pushed forward. A blur from his right torpedoed towardshim but with a final surge of energy, he launched himself across the line toland behind the goal posts.
A sickening painradiated up his leg from the tackle he couldn't avoid. His screams of agonywere lost in the roar of the crowd. His stomach rolled and Cade gasped tobreathe through the knife like pains shooting down his leg. A cold sweat tookhold of him and he shuddered uncontrollably. He tried to focus on the men ontop of him but his vision wavered with each stab of pain.
Team mates jumped ontop of Cade, their excitement overflowing, and the crowd rose to their feet tocheer the victory. Feeling as though he was separated from the action around him,he focused on trying to stay conscious. He concentrated on taking stock of hisinjury. His leg was burning and it was hard to tell exactly where the pain wascoming from. He feared it was broken at the very least.
"Cade, mate, areyou alright?" The coach looked down at him and took his mouthguard out sohe could talk.
"My leg. Thebastard got my leg. It fucking burns, Col."
The coach called on hisradio for the stretcher and the crowd hushed as the ambulance officers attendedto Cade. As they lifted him onto the stretcher, his leg moved and he screamedin pain.
"Fuck, fuck,
