Page 64 of Stockman's Stormcloud

‘I’m not sure. They’re working out the numbers now with the police. Would you like to come inside? Or we can go raid the cake in Bree’s kitchen?’

‘Where is Bree?’

Harper shrugged, then narrowed her eyes at the cottage. ‘You know, I haven’t seen Charlie or Bree all day. Which is strange, because those two would normally help.’

Some chairs scraped across the floorboards, as the table meeting ended on the farmhouse verandah. Hands were shaken and two police officers climbed into their vehicles as a helicopter landed nearby.

Sophie was itching to get out her camera, to take photos of the helicopter landing beside the house like a car being parked on the lawn. This world was so foreign to her.

‘That’s Ryder. Have you met Ryder?’ Harper pointed to the pilot in the helicopter.

‘At the hospital.’ It was hard to forget the gruff man who’d paid for these medical visits.

‘How did you go, Ryder?’ A younger man, with similar looks to Dex, came forward. He put his arm around Harper’s shoulders. It must be Dex’s brother Ash. So that meant the man wearing the baseball cap was Cap. And the petite woman standing beside Cap, wearing overalls, must be Mia. While Sophie was the slacker sitting in the car with her cat.

‘No good.’ Ryder scowled like Dex.

Dex nodded at her while dragging his oxygen tanks. His gait was strong, walking normally in those thigh-hugging jeans, and he had colour back in his face, shaded by the brim of his black hat. It was a huge improvement.

‘I couldn’t find anything with the drone,’ said Ash. ‘And the police can only do what they can.’

‘Pfft, wouldn’t hold my breath—’

‘Says the man carrying an oxygen tank.’

‘That I’m done with. Here, take this back, Sophie.’ Dexpushed the oxygen tank towards her.

‘No, I will not.’ She climbed out of the car to stare down her patient. So what if he was the best-looking one out of the brothers, giving her that smirk that made her insides flip in ways that made a good woman want to do bad things. She was here to do her job. ‘I’m here to check you out.’

‘I bet she is, bro.’ Ash chuckled.

A large dog gave a deep bark, as a vehicle cruised down the driveway, and everyone turned to watch. It was that bright yellow Kombi van. Of course, it had to be Bree.

‘About time she showed up,’ said Dex, rocking on his boot heels.

The Kombi van pulled to a stop and Bree jumped out. ‘I didn’t think I was that popular to warrant a welcoming committee.’

‘Where have you been?’ Ryder demanded, fists at his side.

‘Excuse me?’ Bree plonked a hand on a generous hip in adon’t talk to me like thatpose.

‘I said, where the hell have you been?’

‘Out.’ Bree brushed some imaginary lint off her shirt, completely unbothered by the scary big brother looming over her.

‘All night and half the day.’

‘What’s it to you, cupcake?’

Ryder growled. It was enough for Sophie to take a step back, with Harper and little Mia doing the same.

‘Our cattle got stolen,’ said Cap.

‘When?’ Bree searched their expressions as if for answers.

‘Last night.’

‘Where?’

---