Twenty-six
‘Are you ladies okay back there?’ Ash peered in the direction Harper and Bree had disappeared. They’d been gone for ages, and in this place of stone canyons, you could easily get lost—especially Harper, who had no sense of direction.
He dropped his head and listened hard for signs. At first, he could only hear the wind whistling and the water roaring over the brink of the falls. But then there was the faint echo of women’s laughter.
He sighed, wiping his hand over his mouth where the smile grew, but the relief of hearing Harper’s laugh was enormous.
Earlier, he’d seen her terror while riding through the Stoneys. It had him so worried that he wanted to pull her off her horse and make her ride with him and Mason.
But seeing Harper face her fears had been more rewarding. Each hour that passed, her inner confidence grew in the way she rode her horse and peered at the world around them. It was beautiful to watch.
‘They’ll be fine, lad. Whatcha need?’ Charlie squinted at him from beneath his weatherworn hat.
‘What do I do with this one?’ He pointed at the kid strapped to his chest, who’d just woken up and was asking for Harper or Bree.
‘Strip him off and let him paddle and play with the pups. The water’s only ankle deep.’
‘Just not too close to the falls. The torrent will knock Mason over,’ said Cap. ‘I’ll take him.’
‘Sure.’ He dragged the boy from his carrier. The air was cool against his sweaty shirt as he unclipped the contraption, freeing himself from the burden of the boy. ‘Are we stopping for lunch?’
‘And to swap horses,’ said Ryder. ‘We don’t want to wear them out before we work them.’
‘Here, Bree made these sandwiches. Dig in.’ Charlie pulled back the lid of a large carry bag to reveal rows and rows of assorted sandwiches. Egg salad sandwiches, salty cured corned beef, ham off the bone, smoked bacon, and grilled chicken strips. They all came with assorted relishes, cheeses, and salads, creating an endless combination of flavours. ‘Bree made ‘em fresh this morning.’
Ash’s stomach growled. He’d never had such fancy sandwiches, nor had so many choices that he wanted to stuff his face silly.
‘Don’t mind if I do.’ He was famished. Plucking a soft buttered triangle sandwich of ham, Swiss cheese, a tarty jam, and seeded mustard, with crunchy lettuce and alfalfa. He devoured it in a few bites. What a feast!
Should he put a plate away for Harper before his brothers devoured the lot? Thinking of others … ‘Mason, come and get some food.’
The little boy’s eyes were enormous as he quickly sloshed through the water to grip on the sandwich with his little fingers and chow down.
Should he have fed the boy sooner? He’d made sure the boy had plenty of water to drink in between his naps, but hadn’t thought of snacks.
‘Tank-u.’
Aww. The boy had manners, and was chatty at times, though he struggled to say the letter H. But he was easy to please, plus he loved the outdoors with an obvious sense of adventure, he wasn’t shy about peeking around corners. Just like Ash. ‘Stay close, Mason.’
The boy nodded, kicking at the water, eagerly taking another sandwich from Ash, with his little cheeks full of food.
With only the sounds of the tumbling waterfall filling the shallow rock pool, the men stood around the food bag eating, all of them watching the boy.
Nearby, the horses grazed on slender grasses growing in between the cracks and crevices in the slate-like floor. The wet cattle dogs were having a fat time rolling in the soft sand, eroded from the hard rock beds due to the wind and time.
It was common for stations in the Northern Territory to have their fair share of hidden waterfalls, but Grass Tree Creek was impressive. A hidden oasis in the middle of a towering rock garden.
‘Here come the girls now.’ Dex nodded in their direction.
Ash raised his eyebrows, with his half-eaten sandwich frozen in his hand, watching Bree and Harper arm in arm, giggling over some secret.
Harper’s smile was so bright, as if the stress she was under was finally lifting from her shoulders, smoothing out the worry lines she’d had crinkling her brow. In its place were shiny eyes, and her natural beauty.
‘I think the snooty city girl is enjoying herself,’ said Dex. ‘I don’t think I’ve ever seen her smile until today.’
‘Yeah …’ Damn, it was pretty. Nah, Harper was better than pretty—
Dex slapped the back of Ash’s head. ‘Oi, stop it.’
Ash rubbed the back of his head. ‘Don’t hit me, ya brute. I’m not your punching bag.’
‘I’m building a boxing ring at my place so we can punch up anytime.’ Dex grinned, scooping up another sandwich. ‘But I was talking about you going all starry-eyed at the babysitter. She’s outta your league, and don’t forget she’s not here for long.’
‘Did you remember to advertise for a real nanny?’ Ryder asked, between mouthfuls of his sandwich.
Ash shrugged. ‘It’s on my list.’
‘Did Harper say how long her holiday was?’
‘Nope.’
‘What does Harper do when she’s not pretending to be a nanny?’
‘Office something or other. Overseas.’ Again, Ash shrugged at Ryder. He didn’t feel like sharing the details with his brothers, he wanted to keep the conversations he shared with Harper to himself. ‘Maybe if you’d bother to have a conversation with Harper, she might actually help you in the office.’
Ryder frowned. ‘Charlie, if you’re running a brand-making business, who does your paperwork?’
‘Bree manages it all. She’d make an excellent secretary if she’d stop tellin’ me what to do. Go to this appointment, eat this, drink that, don’t do that, no coffee. I miss coffee.’
‘Bree is only doing that because she cares,’ said Ryder. ‘She told us that she wants you to outlive her.’
‘Yeah, I know.’ The old man sighed, adjusting his hat. ‘I’m lucky to have someone like her. Ol’ Darcie adored her, too. Bree looked after him, too, at the end and wanted no money for it. It’s why I reckon Darcie created that caretaker’s caveat.’
‘That’s for you, right?’ Dex asked, as Ryder listened.
‘And Bree. That kid grew up here, too.’ Charlie plonked his hands on his belt. ‘Look, fellas, Bree may seem snappy with you mob, but once she learns to trust you, you’ll never find a more loyal friend who’ll treat you like family. I don’t think you’re far off now…’ Charlie nodded at the food bag filled with sandwiches. ‘That kid was up all night making sure you were well catered for. And believe me, there’ll be times you’d tell her to get nicked, to go live a life elsewhere, which she did…’ He paused, scratching his ruddy chin.
‘But one phone call from that hospital mob was all it took and my granddaughter rocked up. Then she moved her whole life, to take care of two old men and this station. Darcie’s own children didn’t even bother and that was his kin.’ Charlie dusted his hands, then faced the four brothers. ‘Let me tell you fellas, underneath that brassy red hair is a kind soul. And, if you lot bothered to talk to that little Harper, you’ll find she’s like that, too. Harper is a good kid, otherwise Bree wouldn’t have bothered befriending her. Now, let’s skedaddle before them two females give us a job, and come and get your fresh horses to saddle.’ With hands full of sandwiches, the brothers left Ash.
He wasn’t walking away from Mason, not near water.
Harper approached, her cheeks brushed with red, almost the same colour as the tip of her nose.
‘You should put on some more sunscreen. Your cute nose is getting burnt.’ Ash playfully tapped her slightly upturned nose. He hadn’t meant to get that close to her, but he enjoyed being near her. Inhaling the soft fragrance that he’d come to recognise as hers.
‘I will, thanks.’ She gave him a shy smile. ‘Where’s Mason?’
‘Splashing in the water.’ Ash nodded at the boy.
‘He’s naked.’ Her eyes widened with surprise.
‘He’ll drip dry soon enough. Go get yourself some lunch.’
‘I could handle a swim.’ Her smile light, her eyes bright, even her walk seemed lighter and full of energy. And that view of her high and tight arse in those jeans made his head tilt.
‘She’s having a good time,’ whispered Bree, close to his ear.
Busted . ‘Bree. Where did you come from?’
‘The spinifex fairies dropped me off on their way to the pub. What do you think?’ Bree giggled.
‘Hey, Bree.’ He grabbed her arm before she walked away. ‘Thank you.’
‘For what?’
‘For helping Harper adapt.’ Wishing he could do more to make life easier for Harper.
‘You guys really dumped her in it, you know?’
‘Yeah, I know.’ They’d been idiots—himself mostly for not seeing it sooner.
‘Talk to her, Ash. Harper is a clever woman.’
‘And what do you suggest we talk about? Shopping?’ Did he admit he’d been trying—but the boundaries they had were making it difficult for him to even be in the same room as Harper. Not when he wanted to tuck her close to his chest, grip the sides of her face and kiss her.
‘Why not tell Harper what this mine is trying to do?’
‘How? When I don’t understand what they’re doing.’ And he wasn’t asking his brothers to explain it to him, it’d only give them another excuse to look at him like an idiot. He wasn’t dumb, he just didn’t do legalese.
Bree got in real close, her voice low, but her green eyes were steady and sure. Ash couldn’t look away. ‘Talk to Harper. Not your brothers. Harper. Trust me on this, Ash.’ She patted his arm and headed for the sandwiches. ‘Did Mason eat all the good sandwiches …’ She scooped up the boy, with Harper beside her. His cackling little laugh echoed down the stony corridors.
Ash narrowed his eyes at Harper, taking in the details, like the way she tucked her hair behind her ear, how slender her wrists were and her long dainty fingers. Her dark hair, with that slight curl and glorious shine, was loose around her shoulders. She also looked damned fine in that hat, as if it was made for her.
Wait … Was Bree hinting to him that there was more to Harper than he was aware of?