Page 114 of Stockman's Sandstorm

Harper nodded at the truth she’d only realised now.

She’d loved the station’s mornings, even if it had taken her a while to find the courage to step outside, to peer at a strange and foreign world. But once she let that screen door shut behind her, to stand beyond the farmhouse’s shadow, she fell in love with the sky. The way that colossally large sky would change colours continuously throughout the day, from soft pinks, cool grey blues, to arctic blues so deep it was like looking for secrets in the deepest ocean. There were the blazing reds, scorching oranges to vivid magenta and mauves, where the sunset surrendered to the galaxy of stars that lowered over the earth, putting the red dust to bed and the outback world was quiet once more.

There were no terrorist threats out here. No peak-hour traffic, no sirens screaming, no phones ringing, no click clack of the many shoes across the pavements, no crowds bundled in big coats hiding from the weather.

Her time at Elsie Creek Station had been an adventure, from the moment she’d arrived. And those days, when she’d climbed into the saddle to ride through the Stoneys, had helped her to see the beauty in a world that had once seemed so desolate, where beneath that harsh shimmering scorched surface, she saw paradise.

She’d never forget the flavour of the spring water at Cascades Spur, or her shower under the stars at Wombat Flats. Sure, she had her own scary tales of the bird spiders, the tussle with a snake, and her own high-speed trip into town. But there were the cuddles from the dogs, the giggles of a child curious to learn a new word. There were her cooking lessons with Bree, lingo lessons with Charlie, or those conversations with Ash about his plans for the station, long after dark.

She missed the station and the family that felt like hers.

When her phone beeped alerting her to an incoming message, she peered at the screen. Her eyes widened. Her fingers shook as she quickly tapped on her keyboard and opened her emails.

‘Good news?’

Harper pointed to her laptop screen. ‘I think I know how to save the station.’

Fifty-one

Sitting high in the saddle, holding the reins with one hand, Charlie leaned over the neck of his horse to push open the front gate. He tipped his hat to Harper as she slowly drove under the tall archway holding the sign with its intricate metalwork proclaiming Elsie Creek Station. She used to admire it, now it made her sweaty hands tremble as she struggled to grip the steering wheel.

The nerves just got worse, churning her stomach into sour butter, the further she followed Bree’s yellow Kombi down the long dirt driveway.

She was about to face the Riggs brothers.

The sun sank lower, creating a splashy display of fiery reds and oranges across the sky. It was glorious. But it also meant it was time for the brothers to sit at their outdoor table, knock back a beer or three, to then argue over whose turn it was to cook dinner.

Bree had said Harper owed them an explanation. So, she prepared herself for a frosty reception, hoping that the Riggs brothers had the patience to listen to what she had to say.

The simple weatherboard farmhouse came into view, with the four brothers gathered around the table. It made her want to spin the car around and escape.

Yet with Bree in her Kombi, and Charlie riding on horseback, Harper had her own private security detail, normally given to politicians about to front a hostile crowd. But those politicians had never met a more hostile crowd than the Riggs brothers, who now stood on their porch ready to defend their home and family.

‘Come on.’ Bree opened Harper’s car door. ‘You can do this.’

‘What is she doing here?’ barked out Dex, coming down the steps.

‘STOP. All of you.’ Bree blocked off Dex, who started stepping away from the fearless redhead. ‘Harper is here to explain herself, and you all owe her the decency to listen. You told me I had the right to get involved with your family business. You all agreed to this. So this is me stepping in for your family. So, trust me when I say you’ll want to hear what Harper has to say.’

Ryder looked at Bree for a long beat, then gave Harper the nod to go ahead.

But it was the angry glare from Ash that had Harper struggling. It was Ash she needed to speak to most, but it was obvious she wasn’t going to get that private one-on-one conversation, she had to do this in front of everyone.

So, with a deep breath, she stood before the brothers towering over her from their place on the verandah. ‘I’m sorry I didn’t tell you who I was.’

‘Why didn’t you?’ Ash scowled like Dex, with his arms crossed over his chest.

‘Because I didn’t want you to look at me like you do now, filled with hate.’

‘Are you here to take Mason away?’

‘You being a senator’s daughter, you’d have enough political connections to take him away, right? They said Mason arrived on a private jet. Where were you?’ Dex was scary angry. Harper stepped back, but Bree was at her side.

‘One question at a time, and she can answer you all.’ Bree gave Harper an encouraging nod. ‘They deserve to know everything.’

Again, Harper took a big breath and spilled the one answer Ash needed to hear. ‘I would never take Mason away, I swear it. I came out here to make sure he was okay, especially when I’d learned about the twenty-eight-day caveat.’

‘What caveat?’ demanded Dex, with Cap arching his eyebrows, both looking to Ash.

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