The shorter guy grinned. “Damien, but they call me Dobby on account of my ears.”
“And because he’s our slave,” the other guy joked. “I’m Heath.”
So where was Amy’s brother, Arthur? He glanced at her, but she was chatting to Sam.
“You drove from Perth in that wreck of a van out front?” Dobby asked.
“Yeah. It was an adventure.”
“So I hear,” Heath said.
Brandon must have told them about it. Ed passed Tess the bowl of pasta and sat back, content to listen to the talk around him. The Ridge kitchen was built for this—lots of people, good conversation, family and friends. He remembered too well those days after Charlie had died and Brandon had left, when the table had felt empty and full of sorrow. At eleven, he’d had no idea how to fix things, to bring Brandon back and make the family smile again. His one attempt—the letter he’d written Brandon—had never been answered.
He clenched his teeth against the wave of betrayal. He should be over it by now. A couple of years later, when Darcy got Sofia pregnant and she’d moved in with them, life had looked better. Ed had latched onto Sofia, helping her however he could with her pregnancy, hoping she and the baby would turn around his family. Except she’d deserted him too. It was Lara who had brought colour, light, and noise back into the house.
And now Amy and Faith had added to the joy.
If only his parents were here to witness it.
Ed focused on his meal. Next to him Lara was telling Tess all about the Retribution. “The sailors mutinied,” she said, her eyes wide. “But there was no reason for them to, unless there was treasure involved.” She lowered her voice. “I reckon they had gold on board and were taking it north. The convicts were going to steal it and use it to buy a boat and sail to freedom.”
“But why mutiny when they had no ship to get away?” Tess asked.
“Well…” Lara took a deep breath, and Ed grinned. He’d heard Lara’s theories before, but Tess seemed genuinely interested in the story, so he didn’t interrupt.
After dinner, Ed caught Tess yawning. He took Amy aside. “Have we got somewhere for Tess to sleep?”
“Kind of,” she said. “We’re playing musical beds tonight. Brandon and Darcy are sleeping in the shearers’ quarters with Matt and Brandon’s army mates. I thought Tess could sleep in Lara’s room and Lara can sleep with Georgie.”
Which left him without a bed. He normally shared a room with Georgie. “Aren’t there extra rooms in the shearers’ quarters?”
She winced. “I hired them out to some backpackers before we set the date of the wedding.”
And the station needed every cent they could bring in.
“Would you mind sleeping in the swag, or in the van?” Amy asked, eyes beseeching.
“Yeah, it’s fine.” He’d been the one to bring an extra guest, so it was his own fault. “Where’s Arthur?”
Her eyes narrowed, and a mix of anger and disappointment filled her face. “Got called out on an urgent mission which was far more important than my wedding.”
Ed winced. That didn’t help their strained relationship. Amy and her brother had spoken a couple of times since they’d become reacquainted, but the wedding was supposed to be their time to reconnect. Sounded like Arthur was a real douche. “I’m sorry.”
She shrugged. “Don’t be. I’ve still got all of you.”
After the dishes were done, Sam hustled Brandon and the rest of the guys outside, carrying a bottle of bourbon. “Time to drink to celebrate the end of your single days.” The other guys cheered.
“I’ll be right with you,” Darcy said. “Story time?” he asked Lara. She nodded, and Darcy and Faith took her down the hall.
Ed felt a pinch that Sam hadn’t invited him to go with them, but he had Tess to take care of. He wandered over to her. “Are you tired?”
She glanced up at him and nodded.
“No one will mind if you go to bed. Do you want me to show you to your room?”
The gratitude on her face told him he should have asked her earlier. “Please.”
He took her to Lara’s room, where the bed was full of stuffed toy animals. He cleared them off. “The toilet’s down the corridor, and help yourself to anything in the kitchen.” Did he need to worry about leaving her in the house unsupervised? If she was working for Tan, she could do anything while the others were distracted with wedding celebrations. Though she did look dead on her feet.
