“Dad always insisted we learn how to do everything. Made us as self-sufficient as we could be. Even got Matt’s family to teach us about edible and medicinal plants.”
“It would have been interesting.” She glanced at the sky. “Bill brought me out here with his telescope and showed me the stars. Told me how your ancestors had used them to navigate on their voyage here.”
Brandon chuckled. “Didn’t help them much. They wrecked the ship on an uncharted reef in the bay when they tried to escape a cyclone.”
“Too busy looking skywards perhaps.”
“There were rumours of a mutiny.” His tone was conspiratorial.
“Really? That sounds fascinating.”
“The stories have probably been exaggerated over the years,” he said. “Maybe if I have time while I’m back, I’ll go through the old stuff.”
He’d mentioned he had three weeks. Longer than her father had ever taken from the military. “Will you visit more often afterwards?” He stiffened and the silence stretched. She sat up, leaning away from him. “Sorry. It’s not my place to ask.”
“It’s complicated,” he said. “I left after a difficult situation.”
One thing Beth had wanted was to sit down with Brandon and discuss Charlie’s death. She thought he felt responsible for it and wanted to ease his mind. Maybe Amy could do that for Beth. “Charlie’s death was hard on everyone.”
“What do you know about it?” There was a roughness to the question, almost a defiance, but under it all a vulnerability as well.
“Beth didn’t tell me a lot,” she said. “Only that Charlie was killed in a stampede. She thought you blamed yourself for it and that’s why you never came home.”
“I was to blame. I caused the stampede.” The words were ripped from him.
Though shocked, she reacted instinctively, pulling him closer towards her. “It was an accident.”
He said nothing, but Amy was certain it would have been. This family cared for one another, they wouldn’t do anything to purposefully hurt each other. “Do you want to talk about it?”
Brandon raised his head and then looked away. “Do you hear that?”
In the distance there was a quiet rumble of an engine. “Yes. It’ll be a car along the main road.”
He shook his head as he stood and brushed the sand from his pants. “Wrong direction. That’s on our land.”
Quickly, she got to her feet, her heartbeat accelerating. “Could Darcy or Matt have gone out?”
“We would have heard them leave.” He started down the dune towards the house and she hurried behind him, her muscles tense.
“What are you going to do?”
“Find out who it is.” His tone was hard and fear for him swept through her. She didn’t want him hurt.
“They might be dangerous.”
He glanced at her. “So am I.”
***
Anger simmered in Brandon’s blood as he strode back to the farmhouse. Beside him Amy jogged to keep up. “Shouldn’t we call the police?”
“It would take them too long to get here.” And he wanted to deal with these bastards himself.
He flicked the light on in the shed and the brightness made him blink. The gun safe was still in the corner, hopefully the code was still the same. As it clicked open Amy asked, “What are you doing?”
“They might be armed.” He pulled the rifle out and loaded it with bullets.
Her face paled. She’d be safe inside. He eyed the motorbike and the ute, weighing up both vehicles. The bike would be more flexible, but it would be hard to carry the gun. He jumped in the ute, found the keys in the ignition and turned it on.
