Koolaroo land could be beautiful when the sunlight hit the rolling hills right, or when the afternoon storms rolled in, turning the sky electric. But she was also brutal. Getting stranded in the Outback usually meant getting dead. This land didn't forgive mistakes, and it sure as hell didn't care how many generations of this family had been trying to tame this sunburned property.
I started the engine again and drove the final stretch of driveway, hating every damn meter. As I reached the main house, Cassidy came storming out the front door like she'd been waiting for me. The way she strode with her cowboy hat pulled low and her arms swinging, I couldn't decide if she was going to punch me or wrap me in a bear hug.
When I removed my helmet, her storm-gray eyes lit up. She tried to hide her smile, but I caught it. She was relieved I was here. Maybe even glad.
"Didn't think you'd come," she said, wrapping her arms around me.
"Thought about turning around a few times." I pulled her to my chest. Despite everything screaming at me to get the hell out of there, it felt good to be here for her. After all, she was the only one who'd cared enough to contact me after I’d left.
She eased back and punched my upper arm. "You've been gone way too long, bro."
I nodded, thinking it wasn't long enough. Sweat trickled down my spine as I kicked the stand down and dismounted.
Declan appeared on the wrap-around verandah and looked down at me. His hair and beard were still scruffy, but the gangly accountant I remembered had been replaced by a man who looked as if he spent as much time working with the cattle as he did the farm’s books. He gave me that familiar, silent assessment that told me he was figuring things out, just like he did every day with Koolaroo's finances.
After a long moment, Declan shoved his hands in his pockets and gave me a nod. "Mitch."
"Hey, Declan, good to see you."
The screen door slammed open, and Kayden stormed out onto the verandah. "Bloody hell, am I hallucinating?"
"Hey, Kayden, how you doing?"
"I'm fine. But what the hell are you doing here?" Kayden rested against the railing, one boot hooked over the other, his gaze fixed like a man watching for trouble he knew was coming. The angry young man I'd left behind a decade ago had grown hard and weathered by the sun. His shoulders stretched his work shirt, and his biceps bulged beneath his rolled-up sleeves. That boyish face had squared out into a strong jaw, darkened by a five o'clock shadow that was much thicker than I remembered. My baby brother wasn't a kid anymore.
"I'm here to look for Frank." I grabbed my duffle from the Harley, strode to the weathered stairs, and propped my boot on the bottom step. The warped plank creaked under my weight as I met my brothers' stares.
"Worried you'll miss out on your inheritance?" Kayden's voice had grown as rough as the land itself.
"Nope." I hadn't even thought about the legal implications of my old man being dead, only about how happy I'd be.
"Bullshit." Kayden cocked his head, giving me that sneer he'd perfected before he’d become a teenager.
"Leave him alone," Cassidy snapped at our youngest brother. "I told Mitch to get his ass home and help look for Dad."
The air between us stretched as tight as razor wire.
"Or I can get back on my bike and piss off again …?" I shrugged.
"Hell no. You're here, so you can help us." Cassidy grabbed my arm and dragged me up the stairs. "Back off, you two. Mitch is staying to help."
"Yeah, and then what? You gonna leave us again?" Kayden asked.
Cassidy released my arm and stepped back, watching for my reaction. Clearly, she wanted that answer, too.
"No idea." I shrugged. It was the truth. I hadn't exactly left the Special Air Service on good terms. I’d torched that career on my way out. And for what? I’d given them ten years and made it to Sergeant First Class. I’d lost it all in one bullshit argument. "Let's find Frank first."
No one spoke, and the morning air shimmered between us like a mirage.
"Yeah, let's do that." Kayden shook his head, and his boots thundered across the deck as he disappeared inside.
"It's been a long time, Mitch." Declan's light blue eyes softened. He'd always been the peacemaker between Kayden and me. Some things never changed.
"I know.” I scraped my fingers through my sweat-soaked hair. “I'm sorry."
"You gonna tell us why you left?" Declan leveled his gaze at me.
I'd never told anyone why I’d pissed off out of here. Partly because admitting I'd been played made my gut burn. Partly because they'd have begged me to come home. But I couldn't. Not while Frank was still breathing.