Outback Sisters by Rachael Johns Page B

person?’
    â€˜Simone was lovely, but nothing happened, if that’s what you’re insinuating. I’m serious about getting serious and I’m not about to ruin something that could be great by rushing into things. If you must know, I had a few beers over dinner so I stayed at the pub,’ Logan finished, unable to meet Angus’s gaze.
    â€˜Fair enough.’ The kettle began to whistle and Logan continued on to the bathroom, leaving Angus to make his coffee.
    He stripped quickly and stepped into the steaming shower. At first the heat almost burned his freezing skin, but as he stood there, the hot water slowly warmed him from the outside in. He thought about his date with Simone and smiled; if only he could work out a way to get Angus out there and meeting people as well. It wasn’t healthy to be alone so much and now that Olivia was away at uni in Perth, she wouldn’t be coming back as often as she had when she was at boarding school.
    And their baby sister seemed to be the only person who ever made Angus smile. This weighed heavily on Logan’s mind but he’d never mentioned it to her, not wanting her to put her life on hold out of guilt. Instead he’d vowed to return to the farm and check in on Angus as much as he could and to be a practical support as long as possible. Working on the farm today would be good—it’d help him keep his mind off his own woes and hopefully they’d get the chance to have a rational talk about the wind-farming thing. The energy company that was sniffing around the area had a meeting at the end of next month for farmers interested in leasing their land and he wanted Angus to be there. His mission over the next few weeks was to convince him how an opportunity like this could be good for all of them.
    With that thought, Logan turned off the shower and stepped out to start the day. Immediately the aroma of bacon and eggs drifted under the door and his stomach groaned.
    For all Angus could be a grumpy bastard, deep down he was a great bloke and that was why Logan spent so much damn time worrying about him. It broke his heart to see his big brother’s life just going to waste. He hurried to pull on his old jeans and a work shirt, his mouth salivating in anticipation of breakfast with the works.
    â€˜Man, that smells good,’ Logan said, grinning at Angus as he re-entered the kitchen.
    Angus merely laid two plates on the table and indicated for Logan to sit. He did, happy to see he had cooked for himself as well. Logan suspected that often when he was away, his brother lived on Vegemite toast and Weetbix, and not just for breakfast. When he was home, he took it upon himself to ensure the cupboards were well stocked and dinner was something nutritious. He loved cooking and it wasn’t always easy to do in motel rooms, so coming home and spending time in the kitchen wasn’t a hardship.
    They ate and then dumped their dishes in the sink to return to later. Angus filled a couple of flasks with hot coffee and Logan almost made a quip about how domesticated he was, but swallowed it at the last minute, not wanting to piss him off and start the day strained.
    Once they were in the ute, bumping across the paddocks, Angus surprised him by initiating conversation. ‘What’s she like then?’
    Logan was surprised to find that the first person who came into his head was Frankie, but he pushed the image aside and smiled. He didn’t know Frankie like he’d gotten to know Simone these last few weeks and it wasn’t like Simone wasn’t also a knockout. ‘She’s great. Really warm and bubbly. Lots of fun. An artist. You’d like her.’
    Angus snorted. ‘Doesn’t she have kids?’
    It wasn’t like Angus to want to talk about women or anything personal, so Logan ignored the irritation that flared within him at Angus’s sceptical tone and went with it. ‘Yes, two teenage girls. Harriet and