Five
It was just after midnight and a child’s wails echoed like a tsunami siren screaming across the outback plains. Ash held the boy in his arms, desperate to keep him quiet as he paced the front porch.
‘What’s wrong with the kid now?’ Dex stumbled outside in a pair of boxers, his bare chest showing off his many tattoos and scars.
‘He’s got a set of lungs on him, I’ll give him that,’ said Cap, in shorts and a singlet. ‘My dogs aren’t this loud.’
‘Now I remember why I don’t want kids.’
‘Hey, I didn’t plan this.’ Ash held out the boy. ‘What is his problem? I’ve given him a drink, changed his night nappy, offered him food—’
‘You mean, I did.’ Ryder strolled outside with a steaming coffeepot in one hand and a stack of cups in the other. ‘Cut the kid some slack. He’s in a new house surrounded by strangers, and he’s probably missing his mother.’
‘I should call Mum. She can look after Mason,’ said Ash.
‘I already tried.’ Cap sat back in his chair, blowing at the steam curling from the fresh cup of coffee. The strong caffeine aroma filled the air.
‘What did Mum say?’ Ash winced as his eardrums copped the full brunt of another wail from Mason.
‘Mum said it’s time you grew up and she won’t be visiting for a while to meet her grandson. But she promised to send a few packages and she wants photos.’ Cap picked up his phone and aimed it at Ash. ‘We all know Mum loves her photos, and she wants lots of them.’
‘So, if we send Mum photos of Ash looking absolutely pathetic, it might change her mind.’ Dex picked up his own phone.
Now both of his brothers were taking photos as the kid wailed in Ash’s arms, while Ryder casually sipped his coffee, watching over the compound, which was normal for Ryder, who didn’t sleep much.
Dex dropped into his chair, leaning his arms on either side of his coffee cup, practically inhaling the brew. ‘Someone needs to work out how to stop the crying, or I’m sleeping in my swag in the back of my ute.’
‘I think I’ll build myself a humpy near the dog kennels,’ muttered Cap.
‘Oi. Here comes trouble.’ Ryder nodded at the torchlight.
‘Do you reckon it’s Charlie?’
‘Not at that pace.’ Ryder inhaled deeply, as if to brace himself for it.
‘Boys.’ Bree came into the porch light wearing a nightgown showing off her curves, with her long thick hair flowing past her shoulders. In one hand she held a torch, in the other she carried a small cloth bag. ‘Hey, sweetie…’ She put her hand against Mason’s forehead. ‘Look at you, screaming down the house.’ She reached into her bag, then rubbed something over his gums, followed by a colourful stick of ice, and the toddler was instantly quiet.
‘What did you do?’ Ash asked Bree, as his brothers sighed with relief.
‘Your son is teething. Cruellest thing every child goes through.’
‘How do you know?’
‘I noticed him drooling yesterday, chewing his fist. At his age it’s probably a molar coming through.’
‘What did you rub on his gums?’
‘Clove oil. It’s the best thing for toothache, but not so tasty. That’s why he’s got that ice block. Don’t worry, it’s just frozen fruit juice to numb his gums. It’ll be messy, but it works. I suggest you get him some children’s paracetamol from town tomorrow. Goodnight, boys.’ And just like that, she walked off.
‘I’ll pay you to babysit, Bree,’ called out Ash.
‘I don’t work for you boys. Find a nanny, and one you won’t sleep with, Ash. Find one who can clean, to save the farmhouse from looking like some frat house.’ She pointed at the boxes of empty beer tins and bottles of bourbon. Assorted boots lay in loose pairs, while shirts and jeans lay wherever they fell. Heck, they hadn’t even unpacked, more focused on working the land than being houseproud.
‘Bree?’ Ryder stood. ‘What’s the story about those death threats?’
She stopped in the middle of the compound, her head dropping to her chest as a trillion stars shone above her.
‘We can’t help you and Charlie, if we don’t know what the problem is.’ Ryder leaned his shoulder against the post, while Ash paced the porch holding Mason sucking on a stick of ice.
Bree sighed, as she turned and reapproached the light. ‘When Darcie passed, there were plenty of offers to buy this station—from corporations, foreign investors, and even a few mining companies. But with the caretaker’s caveat in place, it gave Charlie the power to say yes or no on who bought the property. My grandfather was only following Darcie’s wishes for what he wanted for this place.’
‘Did you get a lot of threats for saying no?’
She nodded. ‘One particular group wouldn’t take the hint.’
‘Who?’
‘Your eastern neighbour, Leo, and his band of balding gorillas.’ It was a death look of pure fury that made Ash stop pacing.
‘What did they do, Bree?’
She looked back at the cottage hidden under starlight. ‘Can’t be proven.’
‘Tell us,’ demanded Ryder.
‘Fine.’ She plonked her hands on her generous hips and took a few steps closer to the light. ‘Besides threatening to bash my grandfather within an inch of his life, they poisoned Charlie’s dogs, wrecked the dam, and cut the fences. They also slashed the tyres on our bull catcher, the Razorback. Started a bush fire, and damaged the truck Dex is trying to fix.’
‘Is that why you keep a loaded shotgun under our porch?’
Again, she nodded, with none of her sassy humour. This was a whole new side to Bree. ‘The last time, I caught two men holding Charlie over the bonnet of their fancy car, determined to get him to sign some documents. They didn’t stick around long, not after I let off a warning shot.’
‘Jeez, Bree, why didn’t Charlie say anything when we bought the place?’ Nervously, Cap raked fingers through his hair.
‘Because Charlie didn’t want to scare you off. He really wanted you boys to buy the place. He believes you’ll do the right thing by this station.’
‘Bree, are you going to tell me if there are any more guns stashed on this property?’ Ryder asked. ‘As the owners, we’re liable.’
‘Charlie and I keep all of our registered firearms in a locked cupboard in the cottage. As for the others…’ She turned to walk away, then hesitated as she spoke over her shoulder. ‘Just so you know, Charlie is here until he dies. It’s what he and Darcie said they’d do together, just that Darcie went first. It’s my job to look after Charlie. As I would dearly love to have that man outlive me, I’m doing everything in my power to make it so. But he has a tricky heart and won’t let them operate. It’s his choice, his life. So, lemme make this perfectly clear, I do not work for you boys, and I certainly do not work for this station. As soon as Charlie passes, the caretaker’s caveat will be over, and I’ll be gone.’ Bree turned on her heel and disappeared into the thick darkness cloaking the outback.
‘I’d really like that woman, if she didn’t scare me so much,’ muttered Dex.
‘Yeah.’ Cap nodded, sipping on his coffee mug.
Ryder frowned in the direction Bree had disappeared, pushing away from the porch rail. ‘I knew that damage to the dam looked suss. Tomorrow, we’ll think about setting up some security. In the meantime, I’m going to get a few hours shut-eye while that stuff is working on Mason. Ash, tomorrow you go get that kid whatever it is Bree recommends. A nanny would be good, too. See you at sunrise.’
‘Can we afford a nanny?’ Ash asked Cap and Dex.
‘Probably not,’ said Dex, opening the screen door to the house. ‘But if it means I get some sleep, I’ll chip in.’
‘Me too,’ said Cap, following Dex inside, leaving Ash alone with the baby.
All day he’d been in a numbed state, fighting the tight grip around his lungs and the weight on his shoulders, every time he looked at the boy.
Fatherhood. It was the biggest burden that came in the smallest package. How was he was going to make the next twenty-eight days when he’d barely made it through the first night?