“Where will you be?”
“Outside. I’ll set up a swag behind the house.” That way, the lights around the buildings shouldn’t interfere too much with his view of the stars.
“I don’t want to take your bed,” she said.
“It’s fine. I like sleeping under the stars. Do you need anything before I go?”
She shook her head.
“Night.” He ran into Faith and Darcy in the corridor, coming out of his bedroom. “Story time over?”
Darcy smiled. “Yeah, though I’m not sure she’ll get any sleep tonight. She’s so excited about being a flower girl.”
Of course she was. Lara had sent him photos of her dress and she’d look like a princess. They entered the kitchen, where Georgie was making margaritas. The women were having their own celebration.
Darcy kissed Faith. “Have fun.”
“We will.”
His brother stopped at the door and looked back. “You coming, Ed?”
He rubbed his chest. “Yeah, I just need a word to Georgie, and to set up my swag.”
“See you there.” Darcy headed outside, and Georgie stopped mixing to ask, “What do you need?”
“Did you bring something for Tess to wear tomorrow?”
Georgie frowned. “I brought a couple of options, but they might be too big.”
“Dot’s about her size,” Amy said. “Maybe she’ll have something.”
Ed hated to ask Dot for more, but he also didn’t want Tess to feel uncomfortable. “I’ll call her.”
A short conversation later, and Dot had promised to bring out some options in the morning. Georgie and his soon-to-be sisters-in-law had their margaritas in front of them when he hung up.
“It was nice of you to think of Tess,” Faith said. “I’m sure she’ll appreciate it.”
“Ed is the most considerate of my brothers,” Georgie said. “He takes after Mum.”
The comparison made him equally embarrassed and pleased. “Is the swag still in the shed?” he asked Amy.
“Yeah, do you need a hand?”
He shook his head. “I’ve got it. Enjoy your night.”
He headed outside. Across the campgrounds, a camp fire burned, and he recognised Brandon’s face in the firelight. They were over near where Darcy had started to build a house for Sofia and Lara.
Ed continued to the shed, flicking on a light. His gaze fell on the two farm bikes parked next to each other, and he cringed, absently rubbing his forearm. Give him a horse any day.
Avoiding the motorbikes, he moved to the back wall, where the camping gear was shelved next to the telescope his father had bought after Ed had become fascinated with the stars. He closed his eyes. Though Ed hadn’t wanted to be a farmer, his father had encouraged his other pursuits. They had so many nights together, staring at the night sky and chatting about life.
The tightness in his chest made it difficult to breathe, and he took a moment to let it pass before grabbing the swag. After switching off the light, the night was darker than before, so he used his phone torch to find a spot behind the house and set up his swag.
Across by the fire, voices murmured, punctuated by the occasional burst of masculine laughter. Ed hesitated. Was there any point in going over there? He had little in common with his brothers and couldn’t imagine what he could talk about with Brandon’s army mates. Maybe that was unfair. He and Sam had got along well when he’d come to the station for the funerals. It would be so much easier if he was a manly man, active, working with his hands, liking beer and all that stuff. Instead he sat on his arse all day, using his fingers and brains to work magic, and loved an array of wines.
Some country boy he was.
He gazed up at the sky, the Milky Way clearly visible, and he found the Southern Cross and Orion. His world was up there, amongst the stars, or in front of his laptop.
