Page 62 of Stockman's Showdown

Her cheeks heated. Was Bree blushing?

She turned away from him. ‘I’m going now.’

‘Want me to come inside?’

The look she gave him only made him grin wider. ‘I can guard the cottage from the couch.’ Which was right next to her bedroom.

She paused, her hand on the door handle, and turned back to him. ‘I’m not going to tell Charlie what we found tonight.’

‘Why not?’

‘Because it’ll stress him out and he may react one of two ways.’

‘Which are?’

‘Charlie might freak out enough to want to dig landmines around the cottage and organise hourly patrols with shotguns.’

Which was how Dex was reacting, and Ryder had yet to tell Ash and Cap, hoping to have a plan in place first to stop that pair from panicking.

But Bree had been unusually quiet the entire drive back from Starvation Dam. No interruptions. No smart-arse comebacks while he discussed with Dex about upgrading their property’s security. For the moment, they had to proceed carefully, and that meant prioritising Elsie Creek Station’s defences ASAP before they even dared to think about switching off the water pipe and upsetting Leo, the drug lord, who lived next door.

Yet Bree never said anything.

For someone as highly intelligent as Bree, who could have already nutted out over a hundred different scenarios, it was unusual. It worried him that she might go off on her own and do something risky, or let her temper flare—putting herself in danger.

‘What’s the second option?’

‘Charlie will burn it all down and blame it on a bushfire out of control.’

He shook his head. ‘Charlie’s not like that, is he?’ But it’s something Bree would do.

‘Where do you think I got my scheming temper from?’ Surprisingly, she kissed his cheek. ‘Thank you for keeping me involved. But you don’t need to come with us tomorrow, it’s a business trip. We’ll have deliveries to make, too.’

‘Nope, I’m coming. It’s a date. I’ll even shout you lunch at the pub.’ Which didn’t sound very romantic at all. But, then again, he’d never tried this hard for a woman when they normallybored him, or he just couldn’t trust them. There was no one like the redhead closing the door on him.

The smile left his face and he headed back to his car, allowing that heat to strike deep in his chest. This was his backyard. His home. His family. And Ryder was going to do everything he could to get rid of Leo, once and for all.

Twenty-five

‘When were you going to tell us?’ Cap slammed his fist against the table, in between pacing the length of the boardroom, where Ash, Dex, and Ryder were seated calmly at six that same morning.

‘I’m telling you now.’ Ryder frowned at his brother, who was normally the level-headed peacekeeper. ‘So sue me, if I wanted to let you two sleep.’ Because he knew they’d be up all night, racked with worry, from here on out.

Cap leaned his fists on the table. ‘You may be our big brother, but we’re not boys.’

‘I know that. Which is why you’re each getting one of these.’ Ryder slid three Glocks across the table, custom models from his personal arsenal—just a few of the many guns he’d legally designed as a registered gunsmith. ‘You’ll also get holsters, ammo, and two spare clips as backup for your rifles.’

‘Nice.’ Dex examined the weapon with a wry grin. Of course, Dex would be into them.

‘I don’t enjoy playing with guns.’ Cap raised his hands away from the pistol as if it was diseased.

‘Put it in the Tojo, do whatever you want with it,’ said Ryder, reaching for his coffee cup. ‘Listen, Cap. We’re defending ourhome, and I know you never hesitated that time we had to defend our herd from a pack of wild dogs.’

Cap closed his eyes for a beat, as if to dampen his temper, before sitting heavily in his seat to share an even heavier sigh.

‘Later today, when I come back from town, we’ll do some target practice.’

‘What else are we doing, bro?’ Ash picked up the Glock, getting a feel for the weight in his hand. ‘I’ve got my son and Harper to think about.’

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