The Secret of Sentinel Rock Read Online Free Page B

couldn’t believe what she was hearing. It would take ages before she could look for Emma. And wasn’t her mother rushing things a little? “Couldn’t we leave it for a few days? It doesn’t seem right somehow going through all of Grandma’s things so soon.”
    “The sooner the better, Em. I just want to get it over with.” Kate wiped smudges off the door of the fridge. “Besides, we have to get back to the city. You have school next week and I have an advertising business to run, remember? And we’ll both have a lot of catching up to do.”
    Emily tried another tactic. “Mom, could I stay here while you go into town?”
    “Certainly not, Emily. It’ll go quicker if you help.” Kate picked up Emily’s plate and glass and rinsed them under the tap. “Your father will be back this weekend to take us home, so we need to get as much done as we can.” She began loading the dishwasher. “Your aunt Liz can only help for a couple of days. She’ll be back this afternoon. The time will pass fast enough until the auction this summer.”
    “Auction?” Emily looked in surprise at her ­mother.
    Kate straightened up and turned to Emily. “Yes, of course, we have to have an auction. We can’t just leave everything here when we sell the place.”
    “What do you mean? Aren’t you keeping the farm?”
    “Certainly not. Who would run it?” her mother asked in surprise. “Your uncle Andrew is too old. And his sons all have farms of their own – too far away from here to make it worth their while.”
    Emily was stunned. She had never dreamed the farm would be sold. She knew, of course, that her parents and most of her aunts and uncles were either retired or had jobs in various cities, but how could they give up the farm where they’d grown ­up?
    “What about Uncle Ian?” Emily blurted out with sudden inspiration. He was ­semi-­retired, but not too old to ­farm.
    Kate snorted. “Don’t be ridiculous, Em. He’s never been interested in farming in his life.”
    “Couldn’t we just keep renting the land to Mr. Ferguson and visit here once in awhile?”
    “No, Emily,” her mother said in exasperation. “The decision has already been made.”
    “Why can’t we keep the farm?” Emily whined, hating herself for doing so, but unable to stop. She knew how much it irritated her ­mother.
    “We’re selling the farm. End of discussion.” Kate polished the table with ­vigour.
    Emily stood stiffly across the room, noting that her mother wouldn’t even look at her. She felt hot tears forming and quickly grabbed a tea towel off the hook by the stove to wipe her eyes. They just couldn’t sell the farm! She loved it ­here.
    Her mother’s voice broke through her misery. “Let’s get a move on. Gerald will be here any moment.”
    Just then she heard the crunch of gravel and the squeal of brakes as a vehicle slowed for the turn into their farmyard. Emily ran to wash her face, struggling to compose ­herself.
    Plans for finding Emma had been pushed from Emily’s mind completely during the last agonizing minutes of the conversation with her mother, but they returned in full force as she slammed the door after getting into Gerald Ferguson’s truck. Emily stared across the pasture. She was still determined to get to the rock sometime today. If Emma was there, well and good. If not, she had plenty to think about at her favourite ­spot.
    •••
    In fact, it was late afternoon before Emily managed to escape the clutches of her mother and Aunt Liz. They were forever finding something for her to do. They’d decided to start by sorting through things in the end bedroom on the second floor. Their plan was to work their way back towards the stairwell and then do the ­attic.
    Mechanically, Emily followed their instructions, her mind elsewhere. She was trying to come to terms with everything that had been going on in her life lately. Never seeing Grandmother Renfrew again was devastating enough. Now the added blow of