Stockman’s Stormcloud (Stockmen #3)

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 wildlife corridors 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.

‘No. Not right. It’s wrong, you’re wrong.’ He stood to frown at Sophie. ‘You need to stop with the jealousy over Bree. I mean that. I’ve seen how nice Bree is to the other girls who live here, she talks to them differently, not like one of the boys, and they adore her. Harper enjoys having cooking lessons with Bree. And when Mia came here, full of bruises from being bashed by her ex, it was Bree who comforted and helped Mia heal and was willing to shoot the guy just to protect Mia.’

Sophie gasped again, stepping back from him.

Okay, maybe he should have left that part out of their conversation.

‘Look, you might see Bree as a bully, because she’s trying to protect me, and she’s trying to help us find the cattle that Ryder accused her of stealing. But you haven’t seen the extraordinary lengths she’s gone to, not just for this family but for the herd, to help save this station.’ And that’s when it hit him. ‘I get it…’ He rocked on his boot heels while peering up at the sky.

‘What do you get?’

Bree was right, again, telling him that conversation was like a sounding board to see the world in different ways. ‘Bree doesn’t work for us, she refuses to accept any money from us, because she treats this place like it’s her home. And when it’s your home, you’d do anything to ensure it’s safe, like a mother protecting her family.’ And Dex had called Bree a mother bear a few times when in that protective mode.

It’s why he was considering entering this weekend’s fight. And with only two more days to train, before Saturday, was he ready?

He gazed at Sophie. His beautiful, sweet Sophie. Brushing his knuckles tenderly against her soft cheek. ‘I’m going to be honest with you, when I say I’m falling for you in a big way.’ There, it was out. And he wasn’t afraid to say it either.

‘How? When I’m wondering if we’re even compatible?’

‘We’re not.’ He shook his head. The grin came easy. ‘I enjoy saying good morning to you, when you say good night, knowing there’s an angel in my bed during the day before you work the night shift. Your presence is calming for an angry person like me. I enjoy watching you, when you look at the world and how you smile at it from behind your cameras, and how you are so kind and caring to other people. You’re everything I’m not.’

He’d never spoken to anyone like this. So was he damning himself by being so open, even if this was exactly what Sophie was asking for?

‘I don’t believe in soulmates, Sophie. I don’t know the rules of dating or relationships, but ever since I met you, all I want to do is share everything with you, so I’m a little less lonely in the world. I am a mess, I know it. I always have been. But I also know I’m changing, hopefully for the better, and that’s just by being with you.’

‘I don’t want you to change.’ Her eyes were so big and filled with hope.

He tenderly stroked her soft, fair hair. ‘I need to change, Soph. I’ve done a lot of bad things in my life. There’s also are lots of secrets I will never tell you, when I know you hate secrets, but you’ll have to trust me on that. I know it will take time for you to trust someone again, and to fully trust someone like me. I get it.’

He took a step closer, to tenderly cradle the sides of her delicate face. ‘But know that it scares me more that I might lose you, than it does to walk into a fighting ring knowing I may never walk out again.’

‘So don’t do it. Stay.’ She clutched his shirt into her fists, as if holding onto him for dear life.

‘I have to do it. It’s my chance to do something big for this family, for my brothers, but for me, in here…’ He tapped his chest. ‘It’s what my heart is telling me to do—to fight for my brothers, for this station. So, now I’m going to give you a chance to walk away.’ Freeing himself from her grip, he stepped back from her. He didn’t want to, but he had to. ‘Like one of your board games, I’m giving you that get out of jail free card to leave. Today. This way no one gets hurt, and you won’t need to get involved with the dramas we’ve got going on.’ His life had been one big drama, but this time the fight truly meant something to him.

Sophie didn’t need to be involved in this. Not when she was still recovering from her own dramas. It wasn’t fair to involve her in all of this. She deserved so much better.

Sliding his hand into the back pockets of his jeans, he gazed over the land that had brought him so much peace. ‘This is my home. I haven’t had a home for a very long time, and I will fight for it.’ Damned straight he would.

He turned and faced her. ‘Now, it’s up to you. Do you want to stand beside me, or forget all about me? I’m giving you the choice to decide before we both get hurt.’

‘Do you want me to go?’

‘No.’ He shook his head. ‘I want you to stay. Permanently.’

‘But we’ve only known each other for a few weeks.’

He shrugged. ‘Not being able to breathe makes you look at the world differently.’ And he did, ever since he’d woken up in hospital, and realised he’d have to find ways to make a living without fighting. But there were other ways to fight, especially for the things he believed in.

‘I don’t want to scare you off, but I will take it at the pace you want. I’m just letting you know my intentions, because I can see you living here, with me, in this house, with that cat.’ He chuckled. ‘I’ve never been like this with anyone else, just you.’

He stepped closer into the shade of his house he wanted to make into a home. ‘You know, I can see our children, with you taking photos of them as they grow up here, with their cousins, the way I did with my six brothers and sisters. There is room for you here, if you want to be with me.’

‘If I stay, will you agree to not fight?’

‘I can’t do that. I have to fight, because I’ll always fight for my family. And if you want to be a part of that, know that I’ll always fight for you, too.’