Brandon’s gut twisted and he forced himself to breathe through the pain as he walked into the room. “He was the prankster and the most adventurous of all of us.” Brandon focused on Lara, but was conscious of his siblings’ eyes on him. “He loved riding fast—horses, motorbikes, it didn’t matter. And he had the most infectious laugh and this enthusiasm that before you knew it, you were caught up in his capers.” All of them had taken the blame at some point for something Charlie had thought up.
“He sounds like fun,” Lara said.
“He was,” Darcy said.
Georgie sniffed. “I’d forgotten about his laugh.”
Brandon still heard it in his head regularly. It was one of the last things he’d heard before things had gone horrifically wrong. Swallowing, he mimicked the laugh, the sound ripping at his soul, but it had the effect he’d hoped for. Both Ed and Georgie laughed and even Darcy cracked a smile.
Georgie patted the floor next to her. “Join me. You can take that pile.”
He hesitated. Did he really deserve to be here? No, but he wasn’t cruel enough to reject Georgie’s offer. He lowered to the floor and Georgie hugged him. “Thanks,” she whispered.
The pain in his gut eased a little.
“Do you remember the time he mistook that ram for Rocky?” Ed asked.
Darcy laughed. “I think he broke the land speed record that day.”
Rocky had been their affectionate pet ram who wouldn’t hurt a fly. Not so some of the other rams. The memories stung, but being surrounded by his family was like a balm soothing the ache that had been part of him for over a decade.
“Here’s a photo of Mum and Dad all dressed up,” Ed said. “Anyone know where they were going?” He handed the picture around and both Darcy and Georgie shook their head.
Brandon took the photo and stared at it. “It was their twentieth wedding anniversary,” he said. “Dad had arranged a night at a resort, and they left me in charge of you all.” Total disaster.
“Was that the night of the pea and ham soup fiasco?” Darcy asked.
Brandon pressed his lips together and nodded, still remembering the mess and the fear of his father’s anger.
“I don’t remember that,” Georgie said.
“You were the only one I’d got to bed,” Brandon told her. “You must have been about seven.”
“Back when you used to do what you were told,” Darcy added. Georgie stuck her tongue out at him.
“So what happened?” Lara demanded.
“Charlie happened,” Darcy and Brandon said at the same time. Their eyes met and a glimmer of understanding shone in Darcy’s. Brandon gestured for Darcy to tell the story.
“We were in the kitchen making popcorn for a movie marathon,” Darcy started. “Mum had put pea and ham soup in the slow cooker so we had something for lunch the next day and Charlie was messing around with the lid lock. Next thing we knew there was an explosion and the soup sprayed all over the kitchen—ceiling, floor, cupboards, everywhere.”
“I remember that!” Ed said. “It stank so bad.”
“And Charlie burnt himself on the soup so I put him in a cold shower.” Brandon took up the story. “Then the three of us cleaned up the mess. By the time I went to check on Charlie, he was sitting on the couch in a fresh set of pyjamas swearing he couldn’t help clean because the burns were too painful.”
“And sucker that Brandon was, he believed Charlie,” Darcy said.
He’d felt too guilty about Charlie being hurt to push the point.
“It took us until midnight to finish cleaning. Charlie had watched the movie and gone to bed.”
Lara laughed. “That’s so naughty.”
All three brothers grunted in unison.
The phone rang and as Darcy stood, Amy brought the phone into the room. “It’s Dot.”
Brandon stiffened and Darcy took the phone. “What news?”
