by Debbie Behan
They all nodded in agreement.
‘Woody, I want you to feel free to tell Ella whatever you need to. If Ella knows, Cassie feels she will stop being a spiteful to the rest of the group and will never again selfishly prevent you from preforming your duties. I hope she’s right, Woody. I was ready to replace you mate, I was so angry at you. Piss me off like that again and even Cassie won’t save you next time, I don’t care how attached she feels to you. Is that understood?’
Woody straightened and nodded in agreement, unable to believe what he was hearing—that he had been given a second chance. He still looked gutted but at least he was sitting upright now and not stooping anymore.
‘Okay, enough said. You’re back in and so is your woman. Woody, hear me and hear me good! There are no more chances. What I just put Conor and Cassie through was uncalled for. They both paid a high price for your desertion and I won’t let it happen again.’
Woody put his head down and collected himself. When his gaze came up to meet Kayden’s it was full of remorse. ‘I never thought this would happen to me: that I would fall for someone so hard that it would make me end up betraying you all. It’s something I’ll have to live with now. A hard lesson learned and I thank you all for giving me the opportunity to continue with my relationship with her, but I have already broken it off with Ella. Regardless of how this would have ended here tonight, I can’t see it working. Changing the ruling on this makes no difference to my decision that this should be over.’ Woody sat back in the chair, looking a bit more comfortable about talking to them about her. ‘When I went away with her I realised that for me it was more than likely only about the sex. Her world was so different to mine and didn’t interest me. Her friends were stuck-up and they all bitched about each other so much that I went on a bender. When I received your message that we had a mission on, I had no way of getting back. You see, I couldn’t drive as I had written myself off to put up with them. Ella couldn’t drive me because she had gone out with her girlfriends. She wasn’t answering her phone, not even the texts I sent her. Neither could any of the guys I was with as they were all as smashed as I was. I went to sleep it off, only by the time I finally made it back here it was too late. I knew you guys would be possibly on your way home and that I was in trouble. I am committed, Kayden, more than ever. I can’t believe I stuffed up so badly and nearly lost everything that I’ve ever truly loved. I apologise, not just to you, but to all of the team for being an idiot and I hope you can all forgive me.’
Conor patted him on the back. ‘It’s okay, mate, I forgive you. But if you ever do it again I’m going to put my size twelve right were the sun don’t shine and my frigging broken arm will feel like a mosquito bite compared to how you’re going to feel,’ he teased. ‘Mongrel!’
Woody gave him a man hug. ‘Thanks, man! Glad you’re okay.’ He then knelt in front of Cassie. ‘I’m so sorry, Cass. We’ve all been worried sick about you. Did your father give you a hard time?’
‘I’m far too tired to tell you about it tonight but just like you I had to say goodbye to someone who would prevent me doing my job if I became too involved.’ She touched his cheek caringly before rolling her shoulders and breathing in deeply. She really felt bombed. ‘And most likely the same as you, there is only so much stress a person can take in one day,’ she said, exhausted.
‘Yes, you look tuckered out. We’ll talk tomorrow.’ Woody watched her, worrying that she’d really overdone it and took on board that it was all his doing.
Kayden moved over and put a protective arm around his woman. ‘Well, that’s it for me too, boys. It’s been a long day for all of us. We’ll sleep here so we can get an early start in the morning. We need some bonding time so discuss it between yourselves and let me know in the morning where you want to go. Goodnight all!’ He waved over his shoulder, leaving them flabbergasted as to how Cassie could have worked that miracle on their boss. Cassie smiled as the sound of whooping and hollering sounded out behind them. Woody was back, her dad hadn’t put a spell on her, and she was in her man’s arms.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Surrounded by Beauty
The sun shone brightly through the window as Jason pulled the curtains back. ‘Come on, you two, you’re sleeping the day away!’
Kayden was all wrapped around Cassie. Loosening his grip and stretching, he asked if the horses had been checked.
‘They’re fine. Woody went down to the paddock before he went to bed early this morning.’
Cassie groaned and cuddled back into her man. ‘Then why do I have to get up?’
‘We all want to take you somewhere special today,’ he grinned. ‘It’s a bit of a drive so we need to leave shortly.’
Cassie smiled. ‘Sounds like a reason to get up then.’ She sat up, stretching.
Kayden threw a shirt at Jason. ‘Nick off and let the two of us get ready then,’ he joked with him.
Jason gestured to the coffees beside the bed. ‘Drink up and get a wiggle on then,’ he said, throwing the shirt back at Kayden. In high spirits, he left them to it.
An hour later, they piled into Conor’s black Hummer that seated all six comfortably. Together they travelled along the Great Northern Highway and turned into Karijini National Park. Woody drove while Jason and Ethan acted as the tour guides. The brothers’ double act was quite entertaining. ‘It is the second largest national park in Western Australia and one of the most spectacular sights in the Pilbara. It has gorges, crystal-clear rock pools, waterfalls and the best scenery you will see anywhere.’
They gave a vivid description, stopping suddenly as they reached the Oxley Lookout. The view making them all catch their breath, Cassie seeing firsthand the most stunning view ever. Below was the junction of four gorges: the Red, Aeano, Joffre and Hancock. She greatly admired the tremendous forces of nature that must have torn the earth apart, leaving such beauty in its wake.
Further into the ranges, they pulled up in the car park of Fortesque Falls. Here they had to walk down a steep trail leading to the waterfall. Down the path, the foliage increased in density. The tropical plant life was a lovely contrast against the iron ore-rich walls, in shades of deep purple to earth reds. Finally the pathway opened up to a breathtaking sight of spring-fed pools beneath the stunning Fortesque Falls.
It looked so inviting that Cassie kicked off her shoes and tossing her dress aside, dove into the cool, clean water. She enjoyed the fresh feel against her skin and the taste of spring water on her lips. On coming up for air, waves of water exploded all around her as the boys bombarded her. Boys will be boys, she thought, giggling.
After the dip, they walked up another path and turned right to the fern pools about ten minutes away. Here they could only admire the perfect bush setting: so green and lush around sparkling pools. They all sat and soaked in the beauty of nature at its most healthy, relaxing in the sun, deep within their own thoughts.
Woody was the first to speak. ‘What was it like spending time with your dad? Is he as wicked as they say?’
She nudged him. ‘How did you know that was who I was thinking about?’
‘Just a guess,’ he said, looking out at the kids playing under the waterfall. He too would have been thinking of Ella. They both had a lot to work through; maybe they could help each other.
She turned to him, crossing her legs. ‘In so many ways he was just a dad and nothing more, a parent who showed his daughter what it would have been like to have had a real father. I felt special and loved.’
‘So, then the princess felt sad to leave even though she knew he was really just a mean old tyrant who was to be her enemy.’
Cassie looked up at Kayden who was sitting on a rock near them and frowned. ‘It was so hard. I’ve never had a parent love me before and it really tugged at my heartstrings to have to leave,’ she sighed and dropped her shoulders, feeling the real worry.
Kayden stood up and pulled her to her feet. �
�Cassie I’m so proud of you for what you did for us but seeing your father again will make you confused. Know that I have to take that decision out of your hands. As your boss I have to insist that for the time being you should steer clear of Aldebaran. You need time to get over him. You have to get your head back into the game. There’s a major war going on up there and we need you to be thinking clearly. Okay?’
She knew he was right but she hated him for saying it. ‘Dad said you’d keep me away from him and believe it or not, he does understand why. That being said, I do need time to sort out my feelings for him. He really threw me a curveball, being so sweet and kind when I was expecting an angry wizard to cast a spell on me or something along those lines. To fight against him is going to be tough if I soften too much towards him.’
Kayden hugged her for her bravery. She was obviously having a hard time with it, more than he had thought. The guy must have really done a number on her because she was usually good at picking up on bad karma and Kayden knew he was one of the worst.
Cassie suddenly felt overwhelmed with the heartbreak of losing another parent. She started to shake and cried for a very long time. She cried for a father who could have been her saviour as a child and for a life that would never be because he could not be the father she now needed him to be. She had let him love her and she had returned it without question. Now home, reality hit and she to let it go as nothing good would ever come of their strong bond while they fought on opposite sides.
When she finally calmed down she felt better, as if all the sadness had finally run out with her tears. Cheering up, she realised that she had brought everyone down and decided to cheer the team back up. All of a sudden, she put a big grin on her face and giggling, she wriggled from Kayden’s arms and ran full pelt into the spring.
Woody reached her first. ‘You’re crazy, girl. You had us all worried sick,’ he chuckled.
‘I’m better now. As if I’m going to let my personal life totally spoil our trip! I want to remember it as being fun.’
He shook his head, grinning. ‘You asked for it then.’ With that, he lifted her up, tossing her high into the air. The others had joined them and she caused some frenzy as they all fought to catch her.
The sun was high up in the sky by the time they headed back to the car park. They were all still fooling around and Cassie stirred Ethan up so badly that he and Jason grabbed her. While Jason held her down, Ethan wrote in a black marker on her stomach, ‘Bad Girl’. When they let her up, she lifted her shirt to have a look and to proudly show off his artwork. He had written it in calligraphy and it actually looked quite cool.
‘I’m not washing this off, you know.’ She danced around, admiring it. ‘Actually, that gives me an idea. Seeing I’m a part of the team now I should be initiated into it. Let’s go to a tattoo shop so I can get the Cloud Riders emblem you all have on your arms.’
Kayden reached for her and grabbed her around the waist. ‘You’re such a little rebel. The guys can’t do anything to upset you, can they?’ He looked over at Ethan. ‘Now, what have you started?’
‘She’d look sexy with tats,’ Ethan laughed.
Kayden punched him in the arm and then gave Cassie a very seductive look. ‘I know.’
‘Then we can go straight there on the way home? I saw a tattooist on the way here,’ she nagged.
‘I guess it won’t hurt to at least take you there to have a look. It might frighten the hell out of you and make you change your mind.’
She nudged Ethan, seeing as he was the one she had been stirring all the way back from the waterfall. ‘What do you think?’
He grinned. ‘Might be worth seeing you in pain. Might just shut you up for a bit.’
Kayden bent down and talked quietly. ‘If you really want this, you know I won’t stop you. However, I must warn you that I’m very partial to a woman with a tattoo. Therefore, don’t go holding me responsible for my actions if you look too hot. Are we clear, gorgeous?’
She hugged him, laughing. ‘Promises, promises!’
‘Well it looks like we have a date with our tattooist,’ he grinned. My woman got me all excited, we’re going now. Stuff the food. Get your selves in the car. He grabbed the keys and moved her quickly over to the car. If you lot aren’t in and doors closed by the time I’ve buckled her in, you lot can walk home. He chuckled to himself as he relayed the message to the men only.
‘You do know after the needles stop jabbing it smarts like a burn,’ Ethan warned as he jumped in the Hummer. The boss wasn’t going to give her a chance to change her mind. He was keyed up and that meant leaving the horror stories for the rest of them to tell so as to maybe put her off.
‘Shh,’ she said, putting her hand to his lips. ‘I don’t want to know. I want the team symbol. End of story. No scaring me or the lot of you can wait outside.’
‘I’m not waiting outside, Cassie. Those stirrers can though. I want to see it happen so don’t think for one minute that you’re going to spoil my fun. No damned way!’ Kayden grumbled, amusing her.
‘We all want to see!’ Woody added.
She shook her finger at them. ‘You’re all bitches and sadists. Okay, but you have to behave.’
‘Promise,’ they agreed, hitting each other.
‘Like she’s dumb enough to think we’ll shut our traps,’ Jason joked.
Pulling up at the tattooist, Cassie was a bit nervous but she put her mind at rest knowing that it would be over in an hour, after which she would be walking out of the shop with the Cloud Rider marking.
Marco the tattooist was a good friend of Kayden’s and had done most of their tats; therefore he knew she was in good hands. The guys pulled up chairs to watch, making jokes and taking bets on how long it would be before the poor guy was zapped into the shop next door when he hurt her. He was a funny character and she liked him. When he finally asked her where she wanted it, there was no other choice. Kayden had already decided it would look better below her belly button, close to her right hip but smaller and more feminine. Kayden seemed very pleased with that spot and shook his head at any other suggestion. ‘My girl, my spot!’ He refused to listen. Cassie didn’t care, just so long as it was on her somewhere. So she lay back and Marco started the artwork.
It was a little over two hours by the time he switched off the gun and the damned needles stopped striking her skin. It wasn’t something she would ever want to do again, especially in such a tender spot. Ethan was right: it now just felt like a bad case of sunburn but she would heal quickly and admiring it in the mirror, she was happy with the result.
Without warning she started to feel a bit light-headed and Kayden caught her, snatching her gently up in his arms. ‘You alright, gorgeous?’
‘Your princess is sore and sick of being tough.’ She dropped her lip. ‘I think I need spoiling now.’ She gave a girlie smile and his eyes melted. She could tell he loved that she had dropped the hard-core act and needed him.
Arriving back at the farm to drop the guys off, she felt tender and not very sociable. All she wanted was for Kayden to take her home so that she could just feel miserable and sore all by herself. However, they had other plans. The guys knew what she would be feeling and were refusing to let her be miserable. They propped her on their couch with pillows and told her to sit still while they organised cinema food and a movie. They fed her hot dogs and ice cream while watching a chick flick. How they had one in the house was beyond her. She had thought she would have to watch a rerun of Seinfeld or a gory man movie. She cheered up that they had gone to such an effort.
Dawn was beginning to throw light across the sky when she woke the next morning. They’d made her sleep all night on the couch to prevent her from rolling over in her sleep, hurting herself. What she hadn’t realised was that they had all crashed there on the floor around her. Aw, that is so sweet, she thought, looking around the room at everyone sleeping. She found Kay
den wrapped up in a sleeping bag right beside the couch. She sat up and groaned with the tenderness.
Kayden sat up. ‘Are you alright, honey?’ he said a bit groggily.
‘Sorry I woke you. I am okay, just moved too quickly,’ she whispered.
‘You don’t have to whisper,’ Woody said. ‘We’re like doting parents waking at your every murmur. Boy, you talk a lot in your sleep.’ He chuckled and she heard little sniggers from around the room.
‘Shut up! What did I say?’
They all laughed.
‘You were growling most of the night at Marco, calling him everything,’ Jason stirred.
Kayden chuckled. ‘Enough, guys. You didn’t move all night, honey, they’re just being stirrers.’
She threw back her covers. ‘Well, if it’s okay by my doting dads, I have to make a trip to the bathroom,’ she giggled with them.
Kayden helped her to stand up and it pulled a bit on the tattoo. She groaned. ‘Next time I get a dumb idea like this, remind me not to.’
‘And that would stop you?’ Kayden asked, still fussing over her.
The boys were all sitting up now, watching. They had her going—now it was their turn. She walked a little bent over and complained a bit. Then looking back at their concerned faces she stood up straight and smiled. ‘Gotcha!’ she giggled as she went up the stairs.
She heard them all laughing. Woody just shook his head. ‘Little bitch! She had us all going for a minute. I’m going to slap her backside when she comes back down.’
Kayden got all defensive, ‘Like hell you will! No one touches her sexy toosh but me.’
Later that day, Kayden checked her tattoo and took off the bandage and they all came over for a look.
‘She’s like us, now,’ Jason said. ‘Heals fast now she’s linked with our team magic.’
Cassie grinned, happily looking down at it. ‘It does look cute though, hey?’
‘Just wait until I have you on your own and I’ll show you cute you are,’ Kayden whispered in her ear before getting up to help with dinner. The BBQ smelt delicious and Cassie lay back, relaxing and sipping her cocktail while she waited. As the evening stars glittered in the sky, she wondered what mischief her father was conjuring up. He’d be bored now that she was gone and would no doubt be up to no good.
