Heartland

A moving love story about family, passion and where our hearts truly lie. 

When Callie Reynolds arrives at Glenmore, the property she’s recently inherited, the last thing she wants is to be saddled with a warty horse, an injured neighbour and a mad goose. Haunted by her sister’s death and her fractured family, all she wants is freedom.

But Callie hasn’t counted on falling for Matt Hawkins, an ex-soldier determined to fulfill his own dream of land and family. Nor could she predict the way the land, animals and people of Glenmore will capture her heart.

Callie is faced with impossible choices. But she must find the courage to decide where her future lies, even if it costs her everything she holds dear.

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“The first thing that struck me when I began reading this novel was the awesome sense of place which immediately transported me into Callie’s world. Cathryn so skillfully combines atmosphere with location, creating a world which offers authenticity and a full range of sensory stimuli.”

– Book Muster Down Under

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“With Heartland, Cathryn Hein has written a wonderful, moving story exploring the themes of grief, guilt, family and love. It will definitely be on my favourites list for 2013 and I am happy to recommend it.” 

– Book’d Out

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Go Behind the Scenes…

In A Memory Story, the story behind Heartland.

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Excerpt

Glenmore, far western Victoria.

They returned to the yard. Honk trumpeted his displeasure but to Callie’s relief remained out of harm’s way. She’d had enough of his snappy mouth, and the tour with Tony had left her feeling tense and fractious.

‘The house has been let go a bit,’ said Tony, studying the front.

‘I know. It would have been hard for Nanna to keep up maintenance on her own.’

‘Your parents never came to help?’

‘The Hope Foundation takes up a lot of their time.’

At her flat tone, he shot her a speculative glance but commented no further. He continued around the side of the house to the backyard and eyed Callie’s makeshift repair to the water tank’s pipe. ‘Do you plan to do any work on it before listing?’

‘Only the absolute minimum. I hadn’t planned on hanging around.’ She glanced across to where the newly renamed Morton stood, hanging over the fence, dozily watching them. ‘But I might have to stay on a bit.’

‘I know you’re keen to sell but the better the property looks the more you’ll get. It’s a cliché but first impressions count. Although I don’t suppose it matters in this case. Given the location, Glenmore will probably go to a developer who’ll knock the place down anyway.’

Callie focused hard on Tony. ‘What do you mean?’

‘I mean you’re potentially sitting on a gold mine. You haven’t been here for a while but Dargate’s had a massive injection of wealth, and people are looking to spend it. The demand for small acreages is huge, and Glenmore’s in a prime location.’ He indicated south. ‘You’re, what, a kilometre from MacLeans Bay?’ His arm swept east. ‘And if that wasn’t enough, you have Becketts Landing and the river just over there, plus you’re barely seven kilometres from town. The only place with more potential than yours is Amberton, and Gramps refuses to sell even though it’s the best thing for him.’

A sick feeling lodged in Callie’s stomach. Glenmore broken up, the house flattened. The possibility had never occurred to her. ‘But this is prime grazing country.’

‘It is, but it’s also prime hobby farmer territory.’ Tony squinted across the paddocks, nodding. ‘This’ll sell fast, all right. I’d bet my reputation on it.’

A motorbike revved in the distance, causing both of them to swing toward the sound. Callie waited for it to come into view, but the bike remained hidden by forest.

‘I hope you’ll give the business to Graney’s,’ said Tony, turning back to her. ‘We’ve a reputation for taking good care of our clients. I’ll make sure you get the best price possible and seeing as you’re an old friend of the family, I can even cut a deal on the commission.’

Callie swallowed. She stared at Honk, at Morton, at the paddocks and machinery shed, at the land her family had loved so much. ‘I don’t know.’

Instead of fading, the motorbike noise increased, carried toward them on the light sea breeze. Callie shaded her eyes, frowning as, to the south, a helmetless rider appeared at the edge of the forest and turned up the firebreak that ran along Glenmore’s western boundary. Though the track was sandy and rough, the rider handled the terrain easily, standing in the saddle, legs and arms absorbing the bumps like springs, loose blue singlet billowing.

Tony glanced at the motorbike and when he spoke, an urgency tightened his tone. ‘I know you’re keen to get this moving. If you want I can have the sales authority drawn up today.’

Honk waddled under the clothesline and lowered his head to feed. What would happen to him if she sold? This was his territory, had been for over twenty years. She couldn’t just leave him. Callie’s gaze drifted back to Morton, still hanging his warty face over the fence, tail swishing at flies, eyes half closed as he snoozed in the heat. What if no one wanted to buy him? The only other place would be the knacker’s and that fate was too sickening to contemplate.

Overwhelmed, she raised her eyes skyward, thinking of Hope, her parents, Nanna and Poppy, trying to stay strong against the terrible ache that gripped her heart and tightened her throat.

‘Callie?’

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