Page 13 of Stockman's Stormcloud

‘Darling…’ His mother put down her knitting to hold Dex’s hand. ‘You can’t live on a camp bed inside a tent in a run-down shack while you’re recuperating.’

‘I was planning to renovate. I’ve just been busy.’

‘I’m not judging. We live in a junkyard, darling, so we never judge how anyone lives. Lord knows, we get judged daily. But while I have you in the same room… I’d like to say sorry to all of you boys.’ Cammie turned in her chair. ‘I’m sorry I had your father build the boxing ring in the yard. And I’m sorry I was determined you all learned how to box and that I set such a harsh boxing training schedule when you were all little boys. I just didn’t want you to get bullied.’

‘Mum, this is not your fault.’ Dex squeezed her hand as his brothers backed up what he was saying.

‘Well, I can’t help but feel guilty for your health.’Click-clack. Click-clack

‘I’ll be fine, Mum. You know I’ll bet on me to fight this and win. I always do.’

‘Not this time.’ Ryder leaned in with cold eyes like hard steel. ‘If you don’t take care of yourself now, you’ll have issues in the long-term if you don’t quit fighting.’

But it’s how Dex made his money. In one fight, he’d earn more than most people made in half a year. He was doing it to pay off the mortgage.

‘So, we’ve all been discussing your options.’

‘For what?’ Dex scowled at Ryder. His big brother had no right to tell him what to do with his life. ‘Don’t think you can start pushing me around. You’re not my boss.’

‘Hey, brother, you need after-care treatment.’ Cap, their family’s peacekeeper, leaned down to meet Dex in the eye. ‘If you do what the doctors say, you will fully recover.’

That was promising. ‘And what exactly is that?’

‘Rest. The hospital will send out someone to check on your progress and give you breathing exercises to help your lungs recover.’

‘And you can’t do that lying in a tent surrounded by dust.’ Ryder leaned back in his chair, crossing his muscular arms over his broad chest. ‘You’ll need someone who won’t take your crap when you decide you’re fit enough to not need the treatment.’

‘Oi.’ He resented that.

‘You can’t mess with this, Dex. They’ve got you on some heavy drugs.’ Ryder leaned in again with that menacing overlord attitude. ‘No lungs. No breathing. Got it?’

Arsehole.He got it.

‘Good. Now let’s fix it with you deciding where you want to stay, so I can tell the hospital where to book those daily medical visits.’ It was Ryder, the man in charge, and at times like this, there was no arguing with the man.

‘We’d have you at the farmhouse, bro,’ said Ash, ‘but you’ll get irritated in a heartbeat over a toddler in your space. You won’t get the proper rest you need, because we all know every time Mason sees you, he wants to punch you.’

‘I’ve been training him.’ Teaching the toddler to punch was stinking cute. But Dex understood it wasn’t best, because the boy would jump on him.

‘You can come home with me,’ said Mum. ‘I’ll spoil you.’

‘Thanks, Mum, but no.’ He took a few sharp breaths. ‘I’m about to test the new calf cradle I built.’ Ever since their first cattle draft, he’d been fixing up those yards, to help improve their drafting processes.

‘The vet’s coming out— Hold on, what day is it?’ Hestruggled to speak in his normal tone and fill his lungs with metal-tasting air, while fighting off that cloudy feeling of light-headedness.Come on, brother, breathe.

‘Monday,’ replied Ash. ‘We had Harper push the appointment back because we’ve been here, taking shifts.’

The fight had been on Thursday night. No way! Did that mean he’d been knocked out for more than three days!

Even if it hurt, he roughly raked fingers through his hair as if to get a grip on the time lost. ‘Have you all been here?’ Nah, his brothers wouldn’t babysit him like that. Would they?

But they all wore serious expressions as if he’d died or something.

‘Bree and Charlie were here, too,’ said Ash.

No flipping way!

Pushing off the mask, Dex reached for the water cup.

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