Forty-two
You could’ve knocked Ash over with an emu’s feather when he saw Harper seated at the table while his brothers ate. Just the sight of her had his pulse picking up, with a thirst to be near her. Pity he was covered in grease and dirt, and in dire need of a shower, with his stomach rumbling at the smell of food. ‘Did you cook, Harper?’
He’d missed her. Like really missed both her and Mason—when not that long ago he didn’t think of anyone else but himself. But now he hadn’t stopped thinking about Harper, trying to come up with ways to spoil her, to make Harper and Mason happy.
‘Bree, did. She said its leftovers.’ Harper stood awkwardly, going all shy on him. But it had his heart doing cartwheels, so tempted to drag her into his chest to kiss her. But not in front of his brothers shovelling food into their gobs.
‘Thanks, I’m starving.’ He grabbed a plate. ‘Please, stay.’ He grabbed her dainty wrist, so soft and warm.
‘I was going to check on Mason.’
‘Where is he?’
Harper pointed to the lounge room and Ash peered inside the house. There were no more boxes cluttering up the main living room, a wide-screen TV sat on the shelf playing cartoons, with Mason lying beside Ruby on a bean bag with toys scattered around him.
‘Harper tidied up the lounge, bro. She’s getting us organised.’ Cap nodded at the house. ‘First-aid kit, fire blankets, antivenene, and a big whiteboard to put up our to-do list.’
‘The place looks good.’
Did he hug Harper, disturb the boy for a hug, or just eat? ‘How’s Mason?’
Harper gave a shy shrug. ‘Good— I, um, need to tell you about the snake.’ She gave him a quick rundown, answering all his anxious heart stopping questions.
‘Bree said you’d be tough enough to handle it.’ And smiled at her, proud for her. What a woman!
‘She didn’t kill it,’ said Dex. ‘Don’t worry, brother, we’ll hunt it down. Unless you’ve got a good snake dog in your pack, Cap?’
‘I don’t have hunting dogs.’
‘You have heelers. They’ve always been a good snake deterrent.’
‘Is it okay if I visit for a bit, fellas?’ It was Charlie, carrying his hat in his hand.
‘Sure, Charlie, pull up a pew.’ Ash sat dragging Harper back to her seat. Obviously he was going with the idea of food first, then shower, then a load of hugs with the boy and then the nanny—or could he just skip to the good bits and hold Harper first—even if he was filthy.
‘I’ll go.’ Harper went to leave.
Ash gripped her thigh, keeping her in place. ‘Stay, Harper. I like you seated at the table.’ He didn’t care what his brothers thought, Ash wanted her here. ‘Do you want some tucker, Charlie?’
‘I’m sure Bree’s got some waiting for me back at the humpy. I just wanted to thank you for allowing me to bring my brother’s car back, like you did, Ash. I know it took you away from mustering.’
‘Is it really your brother’s car?’ Cap asked.
‘It is. Rego papers were in the glove box.’
‘What’s the story, Charlie?’ Ryder tore chunks off his bread to dab at his stew. ‘For you to come over with hat in hand, it must be big.’
‘Well …’ Charlie gingerly sat down, his voice laced with pain. ‘My brother and I came here over sixty years ago. We were staying where you are, Dex, in the stockman’s shack. While I worked here full-time, my brother, Harry, did a stint as a linesman, maintaining the telegraph line, with dreams of being a footballer.’
‘Did he get that game?’
‘Harry got a few games, down south. Then in the off-season he’d come back to this station and do the musters. Until he hooked up with a girl.’ Charlie frowned.
‘What’s wrong with that?’ Ash couldn’t look at Harper. Yet he could feel her body heat, dying to touch her, but not with his brothers watching.
‘She was married to the head stockman.’
‘The scandal.’ Dex gave a low chuckle.
‘Happens too many times,’ mumbled Ryder. ‘Wrecks a place after that.’
‘I didn’t know. I swear it. If I did, I would’ve told him to quit it. But according to the coppers—’
‘Why were the police involved?’ Ryder dropped his spoon into his empty bowl. Cap and Dex stopped eating.
‘Because of the murder. But my brother wasn’t no murderer, Harry wasn’t like that.’
‘Are you saying your brother is wanted for murder?’ Ash asked. Why hadn’t Charlie or Bree mentioned this earlier? He’d been working with them all day, to drag that old Holden back to the shed.
‘No wonder he ditched the car in the Stoneys.’ Dex scraped the last of the stew from the pot onto his plate. ‘But do give Bree our compliments on her tucker.’
‘Oi.’ Ryder frowned at Dex before speaking to Charlie. ‘Where was this murder?’
‘Um, well, here. At the station. In one of the sheds.’
‘Where were you when it happened?’
‘Out with Darcie. We’d been mustering when Darcie’s old man rode out and told us they’d found Jack Price murdered, his wife Pen missing, and Harry and his car were gone.’
Charlie sighed, staring down at the hat he held between his two hands, showing his age in the deep wrinkles crowding around his sad grey eyes. ‘My brother left without saying goodbye. I know he wouldn’t do that, like I know my brother wouldn’t murder anyone. Harry wasn’t like that. Thankfully, Darcie believed the same, which is why he let me stay on, even if his father was deadset against it.’
He then slapped on his hat and stood. ‘Anyhoodle, I thought I’d let you mob know first, before the bush telegraph kicks into overdrive.’
‘Charlie, we aren’t kicking you out over this.’ Ash wasn’t afraid to stare down his brothers. He liked Charlie, who was a damned good stockman with lots of tips and tricks he’d shared with Ash in the short time they’d lived here. ‘We’re not kicking anyone out.’ He tenderly patted Harper’s knee, hoping she got the message.