It was dark when Darcy woke, as it was every morning, but today something was different. He wasn’t alone. He smiled and shifted, unable to resist snuggling into Faith before he started the day. Last night could have been a dream if she wasn’t here next to him.
Faith mumbled something in her sleep.
He didn’t want her to wake alone and be uncomfortable in his house. “Faith, honey. I need to feed the animals, but I’ll be back in a couple of hours.”
Her voice was full of sleep. “It’s dark.”
“Sun will be up by the time I finish breakfast,” he said.
She turned to him. “Do you need a hand?”
The offer touched him. Sofia had always grumbled about him being too noisy when he got up. “I’ve got it. Brandon will be up too.”
“Will it be quicker if I help?” She ran a hand over his chest.
She might be more of a distraction, but he liked the idea of her helping him. No, it was selfish to want her to rise so early, and he hadn’t asked Brandon to cover for him. He must have been silent too long because she sat and rubbed her eyes. “Does Amy have some clothes I can borrow?”
He was powerless to resist. The idea of her coming with him was just too appealing. “Georgie leaves a change of clothes in her room.” He slipped on his jeans and went down the hall to his sister’s room and found a pair of jeans and T-shirt. When he came back, Faith had turned on the lamp and sat in bed with the sheets pulled up around her breasts, her short hair sticking out in every direction, her lips a little swollen from the night before. He hardened and passed her the clothes and then threw on a T-shirt and gathered his boots.
He kissed her chastely. “If I stay here with you looking as sexy as you do, we won’t get out of the house until long after sunrise.”
Her smile stayed with him as he entered the kitchen where he found his brother making coffee.
“Rain’s forecast for Tuesday,” Brandon said as a way of greeting.
It gave them a few days to prepare. They’d moved most of the flock closer to the house after the sheep had been slaughtered, but one flock still remained in a low-lying paddock. “We’d better move the sheep in the wetlands to higher ground.”
“What time do you have to pick up Lara?”
“About ten.”
“How about we do it when you get back?”
That was fine. Lara would need a nap because she would have stayed up later than normal.
“Morning,” Faith said as she entered the kitchen. Georgie’s clothes fit her, and she’d found a comb to tidy her hair.
Brandon’s eyebrows raised, and he smiled. “Morning. You’re up early.”
“I offered to help Darcy.”
Brandon glanced out the window. “The back side of the ridge should be checked for stray sheep. If you two hurry, you could take the horses and make it up to the ridge by sunrise.”
Darcy covered his surprise. He’d been out there a couple of days ago.
Brandon poured the coffee into a thermos and placed it in a backpack. “Looks like a nice morning for a ride.”
Love for his brother filled him. “You be right with the rest?”
His brother nodded. “Yep.” He added some of Amy’s biscuits to the bag and handed it to Darcy. “Have fun.”
“Thanks.” Darcy added a portable radio and held out his hand to Faith who took it. His heart expanded. Chores always came first in his father’s eyes. Then relaxation. But he wasn’t giving up this opportunity. He owed his brother one.
Over at the horse yard they saddled two horses. Faith could handle his father’s gelding, Reg. The horizon was a thin glow of orange, but they had time yet. He swung onto his horse and they rode out of the yard side by side.
Birds flittered around the bushes in the cool morning air. Over near the taller gum trees, cockatoos screeched the morning wake up alarm. None of the campers had stirred yet.
Next to him, Faith inhaled deeply. “This is lovely. It was nice of Brandon to suggest it.”
