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I followed Travis through a door and onto the tarmac where I was introduced to the pilot—Lisa, and co-pilot—Joe.
My bag was stowed and once onboard, I settled into a seat at the front by a window where I looked forward to getting my first views of the station that had been home to the woman I loved.
Chapter Eleven
ELIZABETH
I waited impatiently at the private glass doors where my brothers needed to enter the airport terminal. It was ten minutes to nine, and I had been waiting for almost an hour after giving up on sleep at the hotel. After confirming with airport administration that my brothers had filed a flight plan and were due to land at nine, I caught a cab to the terminal.
When tears again dripped from my eyes, I brushed them away with yet another soggy tissue.
After showering earlier, having purchased the necessary toiletries and new underwear in the terminal on arrival, I’d made the mistake of looking in the mirror. My face was pale, eyes bloodshot, and puffy. It was clear I had been crying for hours. Pulling my hair into a messy bun added to my shocking appearance but I was past caring.
What I was struggling to figure out was…Why was I so upset over something a man I barely knew had done? Had I fallen in love with him after only a short time? In my heart, there was no doubt I was in love.
My new and exciting life in Sydney had thrown me a curve ball in the form of Hudson, and seeing him with another woman, had shattered my world and ended that life. I would have to ask Harper and Ellie to box up my belongings and send them to me because there was no way I was returning to Sydney and risking running into the man.
When I caught sight of the family plane taxiing to where we had landed what seemed like such a short time ago, I stood back from the doors, my hands twisting in each other. Tears flowed. I desperately needed to be in my brothers’ arms.
Moments later I saw Mathew and Lucas descend the aircraft steps and stride towards where I stood. I’d never seen a sweeter sight.
When they reached the doors, I stepped back, and they pushed inside. I was immediately swept into their arms and the dam walls burst. They held me close for a few minutes, and when they moved back, Mathew dabbed at my eyes with a handkerchief.
Lucas bent down so our eyes met. “How about we grab something to eat and a coffee?”
“Nothing to eat, just coffee, please. What time can we leave?”
“Clearance is for twenty minutes past ten, so we have a bit of time,” Mathew answered.
“Thank you for coming.”
Mathew held me close as we walked further into the terminal until we reached a café. “We will always come for you, Sweetheart.”
Lucas stepped up to the counter to order while Mathew and I seated ourselves at a table. He took my hand. “We missed you, want to talk about what happened?”
Lucas took a seat opposite and gathered my other hand.
“I can’t yet, it hurts too much.”
My brothers exchanged a glance before Lucas pinned me with a frown. “Do we need to kill someone?”
I giggled for the first time in more than twelve hours.
A server set our coffees and two pieces of carrot cake for the boys on the table. I immediately sipped at the liquid gold while they devoured their sweet treats.
“You don’t need to kill anyone. I was stupid and not ready for a city like Sydney and the men there. I’ll tell you more about what happened when we get home. We’ll sit down with Mum and Dad, so I only have to explain once.”
“Fair enough,” Lucas accepted.
Desperate for a change of subject, I asked, “What’s been happening at home?”
“We’ve had a good calving season and next week we start tagging and castrating.” Mathew paused and looked at Lucas. “We could castrate him, that would be much more painful than killing him.”
Before Lucas could agree, I intervened.
“No one is murdering, castrating, hog-tying, or doing anything else to anyone. What happened is my own fault for being naïve.”
The time passed quickly and finally, we were airborne and headed for home. I relaxed back in the seat and the previous night of no sleep caught up with me; in no time at all, I was out like a light.
