“Aiden, it’s so dry. How can your brother possibly raise livestock here?”
“Believe it or not, this place does get rain.” He stares out at the road and sighs. “But from the looks of it, there’s not been any lately.”
With each minute that passes, we are further and further from anything or anyone. It’s hard to imagine his brother Heath could live out here. Aiden hasn’t said much about him, so I have no idea what his brother might be like.
Is he more like Graham or more like Vicki?
I wipe the sweat that has formed on my brow. “What’s Heath like?”
“He’s your typical single guy running a cattle station.”
What’s typical?
“He must get lonely out here.”
“He’s got a lot of staff, and he’s a bit of a playboy. He loves to say he’s not found the right one for him.”
“You don’t believe him?”
“I think he has too much fun with the backpackers who work for him. He wants the fun but not the commitment.”
“I’m guessing your dad doesn’t encourage him to settle down with any of them.”
Aiden looks at me bemused. “You’ve obviously figured my dad out.”
I twirl a strand of my hair around my finger. “I can tell he’s a bit old-fashioned and focused on the business.”
“You have no idea how right you are.”
We veer off the highway onto a long, rutted section of road. Bouncing around, we eventually turn into a driveway and arrive at a cream colour, single-story home with a wooden veranda. Nearby, a rusting old truck sits under a gumtree that must have fallen over years ago but kept growing at odd angles in an almost artistic way.
I should get Aiden to take a photo of that tree, so I can paint it when we get back home.
The views around the home stretch forever. It’s flat and seems like you could walk for days in any direction and still not reach the edge of the plateaued horizon.
A man approaches as we get out of the car.
I guess this is Heath? Dominant genes must run strong in this family. His resemblance to Aiden is uncanny though Heath is a bit thicker around the waist.
A pair of cattle dogs scamper around his feet as he walks closer.
My stomach twinges thinking about Scout and her broken leg.
The vet said she’d be fine staying with him while we were away, but I still feel terrible knowing she got hurt when she was only trying to protect me.
With a beaming smile, Heath walks up and man-hugs Aiden. “Hi, guys. Glad to see you made it.” Turning to face me, he stretches his hand out. “You must be Holly.”
I take his hand and give him my best Southern Belle charm. “Lovely to meet you.”
Aiden grabs our bags, and the three of us walk inside.
Heath gives us a quick tour, showing us our room, then taking us towards the kitchen and living room. The house is a quintessential bachelor pad and the only furnishings seem to be a leather couch, big screen television and several gaming consoles. The entire house is one big man cave.
In the kitchen, Heath slaps his brother on the back. “So good to have you here, bro. Let’s crack open a few.” He turns and walks towards the fridge. “Holly, would you like a beer?”
“Sure.”
“Great. I’ll grab a couple, and we can go out to the deck and catch up while I heat up the barbie.” He opens the fridge, pulls out a few beers and places them on the counter. He takes out a tray of meat, some corn cobs and a bowl of salad. “Aiden, can you grab the bread?”
Aiden picks up a loaf of bread from a basket Heath has on the counter.
Wanting to help, I ask, “Can I carry anything out?”
“No, Sugar, I’ve got it all taken care of. You’re my guests.” He flicks open a bottle of beer and hands it to me. “When I come to visit you two, then you can take care of me, how’s that?” He opens another one and hands it to Aiden.
“That sounds fair.” I raise my bottle to him. “Cheers.”
The two of them raise theirs and speak in unison. “Cheers.”
Heath walks us outside where he has a table and chairs set up. “The grill should be ready soon.”
Aiden and his brother place the food, dishes and cutlery on the table.
Sitting quietly, I enjoy the changing colours of the sky as the sun dips lower painting everything in a shimmering bronze. Seeing Aiden and his look-alike-brother talking business brings a secret smile to my lips. This kind of double vision is no hardship.
Aiden stands and gestures towards my beer. “Want another one?”
“Yes, please.”
He winks and goes inside.
Heath tilts his head towards me. “You likin’ life at Aiden’s place?”
“Yeah, it’s been good.”
“I heard you were from the city and I thought maybe my brother had lost the plot.”
“Excuse me?”
“Oh, I meant no offence. I was just surprised you weren’t from the country since he doesn’t get to the city these days.” He leans back in his chair. “You know, my family isn’t sure how you two met.”
“We met through a friend.”
“Well, Aiden seems happy, so I guess that’s what’s important.” Heath rubs his jaw. “Of course, you can imagine my family has concerns with everything Aiden does right now.”
Where is he going with this? Is this about me or the business?
Aiden returns with our beers, so I don’t find out what he was going to say.
I take a sip of beer and try to shake off the odd vibe from my conversation with Heath.
He slaps Aiden on the shoulder. “So, tell me how it feels to be back on the land.”
“It’s great.” Aiden settles back in his chair and stares towards the sunset. “What’s been happening around Winton?”
“Ahh, mate, even with the drought conditions, we’re having a decent year. We’ve got about nine thousand head going at the moment.”
Nine thousand?
I wonder how big this property must be to have that many cattle. “You really have that many?”
“Yup, and on our best years I’ve had as many as twelve thousand.”
“My word, I didn’t realise your place was that big.”
Aiden touches my hand. “Heath has a helicopter. That’s how big his property is.”
“I’m stunned. You must have a lot of staff.”
“I do.” With one eyebrow raised, he flashes a mischievous grin towards Aiden. “You should see the hot young thing that works for me. She’s from Germany.”
Aiden laughs. “Seriously? Haven’t you changed even a little after all these years?”
“Nope and I don’t ever plan to.” He grins and gets up to check the grill, finding it hot enough to cook the steaks. “How long are you staying?”
Aiden sighs. “Not long enough. I had to let Toddy go, so I’ll have to get back and sort out some staff.”
Heath turns to his brother and becomes more attentive. “Dad mentioned you did that. What happened?”
I look down, uncross my legs and shift in my seat.
“He was drinking too much and becoming a liability.”
“That sucks. Dad said Toddy’s family are losing their place. He also didn’t seem very happy that you fired him.”
“It’s not his decision.”
“True.” Heath places a couple of steaks on the grill. “He didn’t say anything about him drinking. I guess Toddy hasn’t learned.”
Aiden exhales and takes a sip of his beer.
If Heath only knew what happened to seal Toddy’s fate.
AFTER WE FINISH dinner and the dishes are taken care of, we relax with a few more beers under the clear, starry sky. The bands of the milky way stand out more than I’ve ever seen. Even more than at Aiden’s place.
“Tell me, what’s Winton’s claim to fame?”
Heath grins. “We’re the dinosaur capital of Aus.”
Being tipsy, I almost spit out my beer. �
��Seriously?”
“Yeah, in town, there’s a museum and some fossils here that were the inspiration for the stampede scene in that Jurassic Park movie.”
“Aiden, you have to show me the museum before we leave.”
Yawning, Aiden looks at me, shaking his head. “Okay, hon. Though I’ve seen it a million times.”
Heath slaps his brother. “See what you have to do to keep a woman happy. They’re all hard work.” He winks at me.
“Bro, you have it all wrong. You find a girl like Holly, you don’t ever let her go.” Aiden swigs the last of his beer. Yawning, he touches my knee. “I’m going to take a shower and hit the sack. You ready?”
I lift my beer, swirling it to see how much is left. “Give me…”
Heath chimes in before I can finish. “Can’t you see she has half a beer left. Why don’t you go ahead, and she can come in when she’s finished?”
Aiden looks at me with raised eyebrows.
I smile warmly. “I’ll be right in.”
He walks off, taking a few of the empty bottles with him.
Once the door shuts, Heath looks my direction. “Holly, you seem quite nice, but you know, the family has some concerns.”
Oh, crap, here we go. Maybe I should just be honest and tell him that his brother kidnapped me, but I fell in love and decided to stay with him. Would the truth be better than them thinking the wrong thing about me?
“What do you mean?” I hold my breath and wait for Heath’s answer.
“My dad thinks you’re, ahh…” He raises his eyebrow. “After Aiden’s money.”
“You mean you think I’m a gold digger?” I question bluntly.
Shocked, his jaw drops. “Well, I don’t know if I’d put it that way.”
“It’s what you’re implying.”
“You’re right, but I didn’t mean for it to sound so harsh.”
“It’s okay. I’ve just had my fill of assumptions from people.”
He nods with a knowing smile. “I can respect that.”
“But to put your mind at ease, and also your dad’s, you don’t need to worry about me being after anyone’s money.”
“Should I believe that? I mean you didn’t meet Aiden in the best of circumstances.”
You have no idea.
Heath continues to speak. “My dad said you met him through one of his jailbird friends.”
“That’s not exactly true.” I bite my lip and contemplate telling him the truth, but I know I can’t ever tell anyone what really happened. “You said earlier him being happy is what’s important, so does it matter how we met?”
He shrugs. “Guess not.”
Heath seems all right, albeit a bit arrogant, but I still like him, so I want to put his mind at ease. “I care about your brother. So, you don’t need to worry. I have the best intentions.”
“Give me a reason why my dad should stop stressing.”
“Not that it’s anyone’s business, but I have my own money.” I rest back in my chair. “Matter of fact, maybe I should be the one concerned about Aiden taking what I have.”
“Good point.” He smirks, shifting in his chair. “I’m not used to anyone challenging me. Sorry if I’ve offended you.”
“It’s all right. But it would be nice if everyone got to know me before they judged me.”
He runs a hand through his hair. “Holly, I like you. You’ve got some fire. We need more like you around.”
“Thanks, I appreciate the sentiment.” Smiling, I tilt my beer in his direction.
“So, what’s Texas like?”
Stretching my arms, I yawn. “I can tell you all about it tomorrow because I think it’s time I get some sleep.”
“I can’t wait to hear about it. Maybe you have some friends you can send over for me?”
Laughing, I stand and pick up the remaining empty bottles. “I’m not sure any of them would be able to handle you.”
“You’re hilarious.” As I walk away, he adds, “I’m glad you’re with my brother.”
Turning back, my eyes meet Heath’s. “Thanks for saying that.”
“Night, Holly.”
“Night.”
Inside, I find Aiden passed out in bed. Climbing under the sheets, I snuggle up against his naked body, letting the curves of mine mimic his.
Aiden yells out and he jerks awake.
Sucking in a sharp breath of air, I grab his hand and squeeze it tight. “Aiden, you okay?”
Skittishly looking around the room, he continues to breathe heavily.
I run my finger against his jaw, gently moving his face towards mine. “Aiden?”
Panting, he stares into my eyes but says nothing. He lies down and pulls me next to him. Wrapping his arm tightly around my upper body, his breathing slows, and he falls back to sleep.
I remain still, hoping as I drift into the threshold of sleep, that Aiden will find some solace from his nightmares.
THE NEXT MORNING, Aiden nuzzles his chin into the crook of my neck and kisses my cheek.
Opening my eyes, I reach for him and run my hands through his hair. “Morning, my love.”
Spooning my body, he whispers into my ear, his hot breath teasing my skin. “Sleep all right?”
“Yeah.” Stretching my arms above my head, I give him the answer he wants to hear, though I never sleep that well after one of his nightmares.
He trails several kisses along my neck. “I want to show you something.”
“What is it?”
“It’s sort of a surprise.”
Excitement runs through me. Aiden is creative with all his surprises, so who knows what he may have in store.
Rolling over, I notice Aiden is already dressed. Running my fingers along the buttons of his shirt, I ask, “Have you been up for a while?”
“Yeah, I woke up early and went for a ride with Heath.” He takes my hand and helps me get out of bed. Leaning in, he kisses my nose. “Get dressed and meet me in the kitchen.”
“Okay.” I scrunch my nose.
“If you hurry, you’ll find out.”
After a quick shower, I walk into the kitchen where Aiden and Heath are eating bacon and eggs. “Morning, Heath.”
“Hi, Holly. How did you sleep?”
“All right.” I lie.
Aiden hands me a plate and we sit at the table.
Heath smiles as if he is in on the secret. “Hope you like what Aiden has for you.”
I glance between the two, stopping to meet Aiden’s loving gaze. “What are you up to?”
“Finish that and I’ll show you.”
After we finish our breakfast, Heath takes our dishes and looks at Aiden. “You better hurry. I can tell the curiosity’s killin’ her.”
“Yeah, I’ve made her wait long enough.” Aiden winks at me, stands and takes my hand. Guiding me outside and across the veranda, we step down the stairs and walk towards the bendy gumtree.
Underneath the twisted branches, there are several horses grazing.
Aiden puts his arm around my shoulders, pulling me close. He points to a dark, chocolate brown horse that has a white patch down its forehead and muzzle. “See that one?”
Bubbles of excitement overtake my insides. “Yeah.”
“He’s yours.”
My eyes go wide. “Really?”
“A gorgeous woman needs a gorgeous horse.”
My arms wrap around Aiden’s neck and I kiss him, happy tears running down my face. “I love him.”
“Only the best for you, Holly.”
We walk over to the horse and I pat him behind his ears. “Hi, boy.” I squeal and then kiss Aiden through my beaming smile. Breaking our kiss, I hold his face in my hands. “I’m not sure how to thank you.”
“The smile on your face is the only thanks I need.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
AFTER AIDEN TAKES me on a ride with my new stallion, we walk from the stables back to Heath’s home. As we get closer, we see Heath waiting for us out on the veranda.
<
br /> He has a pained look as he holds a mug in his hands. “Aiden, Dad’s called a couple times. He said there’s some emergency he needs to talk to you about.”
Aiden wipes his brow. “Shit, Heath. Do you know what it is?”
He shakes his head. “No, but he was mumbling something about Shirley.”
“Fuck, really? Can’t he just deal with her?”
“I don’t know man. Just give him a call.”
I wait outside with Heath, still feeling a natural high from my surprise and a romantic ride pressed up against Aiden’s hard body.
Heath takes off his Akubra and runs his fingers through his hair. “So, you like your surprise?”
“I love him.”
“You mean the horse or my brother?”
“Very funny.” Laughing, I slap Heath’s shoulder. “I love them both.”
“I’m sure the horse will keep you happier.” He smirks.
“You shouldn’t be so down about relationships. You may surprise yourself if you give someone a chance.”
“I don’t want to deal with any of that. I don’t need complications in my life.”
“But you’ll miss out on so much if you never try.”
He nods and leans back against the veranda railing. “Maybe.”
Aiden walks towards us, the darkness noticeable in his expression. “Heath, I’m really sorry, but we’re not going to be able to stay as long as I thought.”
Frowning, Heath sips his tea. “What’s up?”
Aiden glances at me and then down at his feet. “Toddy’s missing and Shirley’s all up in arms.” He sighs and grits his teeth. “Dad made me promise to get back if the police don’t find him by tomorrow.”
“Police?” Heath’s eyes narrow on Aiden. “What’s going on?”
Aiden and my eyes meet.
Heath notices our look. “What’s that look?”
Aiden exhales. “He’s in a lot of trouble this time. We reported him to the police.”
“What did he do now?”
Aiden scratches behind his neck. “He owes a lot of money and may be involved in some cattle stealing ring.” He stops and stares at me.
Leading Hand (The Dusty Rider Series Book 2) Page 28