Page 101 of Stockman's Stormcloud

‘What do you care?’

‘I care way more than I should…’ Dex paused, removing his hat to rake fingers through his hair, before slapping it back on. ‘I don’t want you to go.’

Her heart fell at those words. ‘And I don’t want you puttingyourself at risk over some cows.’ Which revealed she cared way too much.

The stubborn fool crossed his arms. ‘It’s almost a million dollars’ worth in cattle.’

She quickly regrouped, rolling her shoulders, lifting her chin. ‘Even so, your health, your life, is priceless to me. Why can’t you see your worth?’

Thirty-two

Dex dropped his head as he sat heavily on the steep concrete steps out front of his house that had once been a dump, now felt like a home. ‘You don’t get it.’

‘Help me understand, please.’ Sophie stood before him, her caring nature on show. She was too good for a man like him.

‘Because this is my shot at proving to my brothers that I belong here.’ He looked past the groups of sheds, past the stables to where their stockhorses grazed on open fields, and the long red track that led to the escarpment, before gazing up at Sophie. ‘I’m the kid who got expelled from school because I’d earned the reputation as a major troublemaker. And I was. If there were any dirty illegal jobs to be done, I’d get asked to do it. And I’d do them. No questions asked.’ He even smirked to himself, wiping the dust from his nose.

‘Why?’

‘It was easy money. And honey, the bigger the risk—the bigger the payout. But that was until my baby brother bought his cattle station on his own. Catching up with all my younger brothers I learned they all had a special talent to contribute towards this station as stockmen. You’ve got Ash, who I thought was a lazy gamer, but he’s designed these hi-tech cattle tags and uses his drones in the most imaginative ways for mustering cattle, with more plans to gamify the station. You’ve got Cap who has put the science into soil with his partner, Mia, who is a tropical botanist who is putting an enormous mark on this station’s future with wildlifecorridors to sell carbon credits, while rehabilitating muster dogs that help us with our jobs as stockmen.’

‘And Ryder?’

‘We couldn’t have bought this station without Ryder. He’s the bank.’

‘Ryder is rich?’ Sophie arched her eyebrows, glancing back at the empty sheds. It was a typical reaction, because Ryder hid his wealth well.

‘Ryder won’t say how rich. But he’s a self-made millionaire. And the perfect big brother.’

‘Sounds like you’re jealous of him.’

Dex wasn’t going to answer that, not when it was an old wound that kept getting scratched. He never wanted Ryder to be his boss, but on this property, with him owning the majority, Ryder was the boss—until Dex could fully pay for his quarter share. ‘And I can’t believe you’re still jealous of Bree.’

‘Why does everyone protect Bree? She’s such a bully.’ Sophie threw her hands in the air, pacing back and forth.

‘Bree isn’t a bully, because bullies take—I should know,’ he said, stabbing his thumb into his chest. ‘Bree gives a thousand times more than she takes from people. She’s tough, is what you should be saying, because Bree has had to fight for what she has.’

‘Yeah, right. I lived in my car for a few months. Bree lives with her grandfather over there in a sweet set-up.’ Sophie pointed towards the cottage hidden on the other side of the sheds.

This jealousy thing of Sophie’s had to stop.

But Dex was also aware of how much Sophie’s ex had lied to her, causing her to lose everything. So why should Sophie trust him, especially when Dex didn’t trust lightly himself?

So why not tell her the lot. ‘You don’t know the whole story. Bree watched her father murder her mother when she was a child. That’s why Bree came out to live with her grandparents.’

Sophie’s jaw dropped.

‘I know nothing about Bree’s husband, Finn. But I do know Bree had a son, who died of leukaemia.’

Sophie gasped, slapping her hand over her mouth.

‘Bree’s never had it easy, but she’ll come out swinging because she’s a lot like me.’ Dex blinked at the ground, then wiped over his mouth.

‘What?’

‘That cunning witch.’ He shook his head, the smile barely a curl on his lips. ‘Bree is a lot more like me than I realised. No wonder she could see my faults and help me to move past them.’

‘Riiight.’ The sarcasm was thick in Sophie’s voice.

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