Forty-nine
‘Boys, I brought this over.’ Charlie lumbered up the front steps with a child’s booster seat for the car, dumping it on the spare chair at the table where the four brothers had sat down for the evening. ‘Where’s the lad?’
‘Inside, watching TV.’ Ash pointed to the open doorway where the childproof gate gave him a clear view of his son, happily playing with his toys. He’d just fed and successfully bathed the boy, who was now ready for bed.
It wouldn’t take much for Mason to fall asleep. He’d been outside all day with Ash as he worked on his new ideas for his paddock, working on the troughs, then helping his brothers work on the drafting yards.
He was proud to have survived day one as a single dad doing it on his own, without … Her.
‘Where did you find this car seat?’ Ash checked over the chair that looked well used. ‘I could have used it today. Harper stole mine.’
‘She did not. None of you gave Harper a chance to take it out of her car.’ Cap effortlessly flicked off the caps from the four beer bottles and handed them out to the brothers. ‘Charlie?’
The old stockman shook his head.
‘Stop sticking up for her.’ Dex scowled, taking his beer to lean back and rock in his chair. Dex then pointed his beer at Charlie. ‘Did you know Harper was Mason’s aunt?’
‘No. Swear it, fellas.’ Charlie stood firm. ‘I’d wondered if she was something to the boy. She might not be a nanny, but she truly cared for that kid like he was her own.’
‘That’s what I keep telling them.’ Cap rubbed at the lines across his forehead. ‘Just that these morons won’t listen.’
‘Stop sticking up for Harper. She betrayed us, the deceiving little wench.’ Again, Dex scowled.
‘Or you didn’t give her a chance to talk. None of us did.’
‘Enough.’ Ryder slammed his beer bottle down on the table. ‘She’s gone. That’s that.’
‘Anyhoodle, this is the baby seat from Bree’s Kombi van. She doesn’t want it anymore and thought you might need it.’ Charlie nodded and stepped off the porch.
‘Thanks, Charlie. Can you please tell Bree thanks for me, too.’ Ash hoped to make amends with the redhead.
‘Hey, why did Bree have a baby seat in her Kombi?’ Dex asked.
‘Oh, that.’ Charlie stopped with hands on hips and a heavy head dropping to his chest. ‘That was my great-grandson’s seat,’ he said, his voice filled with sadness. ‘Bree’s son.’
Dex swallowed hard, sitting forward in his chair with a heavy thud. They all felt it, like they’d been sucker punched in the guts.
Ryder spun around in his seat, to face the old man. ‘Bree had a son?’
‘Liam. He was a good lad, a real spitfire like his mother. He kept Bree on her toes, that’s for sure.’
‘What happened to him?’ Cap asked, the rest of the table listening.
‘Liam got this rare form of leukaemia, where there was nothing they could do for him, just take his pain away. But he was a tough lad, smiling to the very end.’ The old man sniffed, wiping the tip of his nose.
‘How old was he?’ Ryder’s voice was low, soft even.
‘Two. Just a little older than your boy, Ash.’ Charlie faced them squarely. ‘Treasure that boy, because when they’re gone it’s heartbreak like I’ve never felt before and Bree … Well, Bree …’ He adjusted his hat on his head and looked back to the caretaker’s cottage wearing sorrow heavily across his shoulders. ‘Just know, that young lad brings a lot of joy not just to you mob, but to us, too.’ Charlie gave a curt nod and left.
Ash felt like he was standing underwater as he struggled to process the news of Bree losing a son.
Ryder stood from the table and snatched his bottle of Wild Turkey. The other bottle he used for celebrations or commiserations, and he poured a full round, sliding the glasses across the wooden tabletop, leaving the bottle standing on the table, uncorked.
Ash had never guessed Bree was a mother. He couldn’t fathom the pain she’d gone through.
It was Bree who’d helped a wailing Mason on his very first night. She’d known he was teething and how to help him. She’d made icy pops, supplied sunscreen, cooked meals, and had given Harper countless tips on how to care for Mason. She’d even supplied the cot, the special baby carrier for the muster, and the highchair! Not once did Bree ever let on that she was a mother who’d lost her child.
‘Bree told me once that it takes a village to raise a child, telling me how truly lucky I was.’ Ash licked his lips, tasting the bourbon. ‘I thought she was joking, like she does.’
‘No wonder Bree said she won’t babysit.’ Dex swallowed down his glass, hissing as if it was bitter.
‘Do you blame her?’ Ryder gripped his bourbon glass tightly and tossed it back. The man, who normally savoured each drop of his bourbons, slammed it down and poured them another round.
‘Excuse me.’ Ash got up from the table.
‘You okay, bro?’ As the most sensitive of the brothers, Cap was the peacemaker, placing a brotherly hand on Ash’s shoulder.
‘Yeah …’ No. He wasn’t. ‘I’ll be with my son.’ Ash headed inside, his stomach in knots, sickened with the fear of losing someone who had become such a deep part of his soul it scared him. All he wanted to do was hold Mason, while ignoring that part of him that wanted to hold Harper, too. She was gone. Even though she’d deceived him, he missed her terribly.