Page 84 of The Science of Attraction

“You told us you got that from one of the steers.” My mother looked between us, and I saw the fear in her eyes.

Ten left it for me to answer.

“What shearer?” My father’s gaze sharpened.

I shrugged, staring him down. “It was one of Harold’s gang. He didn’t stay long after that.”

Ten huffed. “Yeah, you made sure of that.”

My father slammed his fist on the table, making everyone jump. “Wh-whaaat... happened?”

I could’ve lied like I’d always done, but one glance at Liam and I knew I was done with all that. I sighed, put my sandwich back on my plate, and slowly met my father’s gaze.

“Zach wasn’t out back then,obviously. Maybe it would’ve helped if he was.” I left the accusation unsaid. “Anyway, this pervert banked on Zach keeping his mouth shut for reasons we all understand and tried to corner him in the kennel room. I caught him before anything happened and I made my feelings known, that’s all.”

“Jules thumped him,” Ten offered casually.

I snorted and shook my head. “The guy was a scrawny piece of shit.”

Ten looked me in the eye. “You weren’t much bigger.”

He wasn’t wrong.

My father turned to Marty. “Did you know?”

Marty shook his head and muttered, “Dirty bugger.” But when my mother shot him a blistering look, he quickly added, “The shearer.”

A toe nudged my foot and I looked up to find Liam’s eyes soft on mine. “You’re a good brother.”

The kitchen fell quiet, and I looked around at the small group of shepherds all nodding in agreement.

“Thank you for protecting him when we couldn’t.” My mother’s eyes shone with tears. “I wish I’d known about him earlier.”

I swallowed around the lump in my throat and nodded. “It’s okay.” Although I wasn’t sure it was.

All eyes flicked to my father who’d yet to say anything, but he remained quiet, a deep frown cutting across his brow. The idea that someone might’ve threatened one of his boys in that way had clearly never entered his brain. I wasn’t sure if he was more upset about what had almost happened to Zach, or the fact that someone had gone against him on his own land. The concept must’ve been about as foreign to him as what was happening around the lunch table.

I picked up my sandwich, stared at it, then put it back down, my appetite gone.

“Did annnnyone... I mean w-waaas he ever... hurt?”

I looked up to find my father’s eyes locked on mine and I sighed. “Not in the way you mean, but I think that’s something you should talk to him about, Dad.”

“And we will,” my mother answered for him. “Amongst other things.”

My father did a slow blink and seemed to shrink a little at the thought.

I glanced at Connor whose wide-eyed gaze was sweeping the table with undisguised curiosity.

“So, Connor,” Ten broke the silence with a welcome change of topic. “You know anything about farming?”

Connor grinned. “Does playing Farm City count?”

Stuart barked out a laugh. “Man, I love that game. You wanna play sometime?”

Connor perked right up. “Sure. There’s an online version.”

Ten looked between them. “What the hell is Farm City?” Then he held up his hands. “No, don’t answer that. I don’t think I want to know.”

---