Page 121 of Stockman's Sandstorm

‘There is no such thing as the last time not when it comes to us,’ he murmured, holding her close to his chest, leaving her to swim in his warm eyes as a fingertip tenderly stroked her cheek. ‘These past few days, I have felt fear on so many levels. The fear of failure, the fear of trying, the kind of fear that tried to cheat me out of the best thing in life—my son. And the fear of losing my home. But my greatest fear is losing you, because I love you.’

‘You do?’

He sighed, but it was there in his eyes, the same love she felt deep inside. It might not have made sense, but it made sense to her soul.

‘Hearing you love me, even though our story started with the wrong time, wrong place,’ he said, ‘and I know this is a new world for you, but you are the right person for me. You make me want to do better. You have this gift for giving me the confidence to try and be better, helping me realise I could be a father. You helped me pull out all those plans I wanted to throw away, while listening to my crazy ideas, where I finally found the courage to share them with my brothers.’

‘You did?’ Her eyes widened with hope surging inside for Ash.

He tenderly held her arms as if to keep her in place. His head lowering as he stepped in closer, with a hint of smile spreading across his lips. ‘It’s starting, all those ideas are starting because of you. I want to plan a future for us, where we’d never need to look back at the bad, but only at the good memories we create together. I want you to stay, because I love you, Harper. Because you belong here, with me. And I want you to move back into your old room.’

‘And where will you be?’

His lips bent into one of those delicious grins. ‘I plan to prove myself to you and try to move in there.’

‘Yeah-nah, mate, I’m not that easy.’ She grinned at his arched eyebrow, sounding like a long-time local in the pub. ‘You haven’t even taken me out on a date.’

‘I plan to fix that. We’ll have weekly date nights, where we can talk freely away from any other influences, where we’ll be free to just be us because I’m only ever like that with you. I love you. You’re family to me, to Mason, to us. That includes my brothers.’

‘Even Dex.’ She screwed up her nose.

‘After what you did for this station, you’ve earned their respect. But most of all, you won me.’ He then lowered his voice, and said, ‘Do you realise how sexy hot you are when you get all businesslike?’

‘Stop it.’ She dropped her head, the heat brushing her cheeks.

‘Hey?’ He lifted her chin, making her face him. ‘You’re not going anywhere, because your place is here with me and Mason. This is your home.’ With his lips pressed to hers, he pulled her against his chest. His hands slid around her body, bringing her closer, where her heartbeat matched his and there was nothing more perfect in the world than kissing him right now, in a kiss that was better than any first kiss, because kissing Ash—kissing the man she loved—was like kissing heaven.

‘Breathe, Harper. I won’t leave you and I’m not letting you leave me.’ His voice penetrated the haze of lust. Even if her self-esteem was at its most fragile, she was no longer the nanny, she wasn’t someone’s daughter, she wasn’t some assistant or office worker, she was part of something truly fabulous. She was with Ash, and he was with her. And it was a warm, delicious, and gloriously intoxicating world that only held the two of them, that tasted of eternity, and of that deep soul-fulfilling love. The once-in-a-lifetime kind of love she’d always dreamed of was now a reality.

‘Oi, that’s enough, you two. There are children present,’ called out Dex.

It was enough to break their kissing connection. Ash’s darkening eyes matched the hunger she had for him as his thumb dragged over her bottom lip. ‘Can we ignore him, and just go inside, to your room?’ murmured Ash, his nose tenderly rubbing hers, while their arms wrapped tightly around each other, oh so deliciously close.

‘Oi, you two,’ this time it was Cap speaking. ‘We just got an invitation to pizza night at the caretaker’s cottage.’

‘Yeah, it’s party time at the neighbours,’ said Dex. ‘I’ll even find you some wine, Harper.’

‘ARPER, ARPER. H-H-Harper.’

‘Mason?’ Harper whispered, with her heart tight in her throat, as the tears welled up at the sight of the small boy, holding Ryder’s hand by the front door. Did she dare move? ‘Who taught Mason to say H?’

‘I did. When we were out doing the troughs.’ Ash gave that beautiful sexy grin with the dimple, the grin she loved.

‘Go see your aunty.’ Ryder helped the boy down the front steps and his little legs raced across the red dirt.

‘Mason!’ Harper ran to scoop up the toddler and squeezed him tight, breathing him in.

‘Harper home?’

Ash slid his arm around Harper’s shoulder to kiss her forehead, while she held his son between them. ‘Yes, Mason, Harper is home to stay.’

Fifty-four

‘Why are we out here?’ Harper complained as Ash led her by the hand to her car, parked under the cool shade of the back shed.

‘If you’re going to drive to town—how many days a week?’ Ash pulled back the dust cover he’d bought for the Audi to protect its black polish. Parked beside it was his old sunburnt ute covered in a layer of red dust, in the long car shed of sorts filled with assorted vehicles, tractors, and a truck. Dex had his fancy sleek ute at the far end, black of course, it was parked closest to the rundown stockman’s shack. Next was Cap’s mustard-coloured Tojo with the large dog cage on the back. There was Ryder’s big beast of a fancy vehicle. The crazy and fun Razorback. And the latest addition—the 1957 FJ Holden, the car they’d found hidden in the Stoneys after that sandstorm.

‘Three days. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday to help Ryan with the vet clinic. Don’t forget, on Fridays, Mason has his playdates at the train station and the school library.’

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