Emma Darcy – The Outback Bridal Rescue (страница 3)

‘Megan Maguire?’

A vivid image of Patrick Maguire’s youngest daughter instantly flew into Johnny’s mind—a wild bunch of red curls, freckled face, eyes the grey of stormy clouds, always projecting fierce independence, spurning his every offer of help with work on the station, defying him to imply in any way that she wasn’t fit and able to run Gundamurra just as well as her father did.

Which was probably true. She’d worked towards it, not wanting to do anything else with her life. Johnny knew he’d never made any criticism of that choice. He actually admired her very capable handling of the work she did. What he didn’t understand was why she couldn’t just ride along with his company whenever he visited, make him as welcome as her father did. She invariably shunned him as much as possible and when she couldn’t, her scorn of his chosen career invariably slipped out.

Yet she’d liked listening to him play his guitar when she was a kid, hanging on his every word when he sang. Why she’d grown up into such a hard, judge-mental woman he didn’t know, but be damned if he’d let her attitude towards him keep him away from Gundamurra. Patrick was like a father to him. Best father any guy could have.

‘Patrick…’ He felt it in his gut. ‘Something’s happened to Patrick.’

Another hissed breath from Ric, then… ‘He’s dead, Johnny.’

Shock slammed into his heart. His feet stopped walking. He shook his head, refusing to believe it. Denial gravelled from his throat as it started choking up. ‘No…no…’

‘Two nights ago,’ Ric said in a tone that made the fact unequivocal, and he went on, quietly hammering home the intolerable truth. ‘He died in his bed. His heart gave out. No-one knew until the next morning. Megan found him. Nothing could be done, Johnny. He was gone.’

Gone…

Leaving a huge black hole—a bottomless pit that Johnny kept tumbling down. He was barely aware of Ric’s hand gripping his elbow, steering him. His feet moved automatically. He saw nothing. It wasn’t until Ric thrust a glass of whisky into his hand that he realised he was sitting on the couch in the mobile home provided by the movie company.

‘It’s a hell of a blow. For all of us, Johnny.’

He nodded. Couldn’t speak. Forced a swallow of whisky down his throat.

‘I’ve booked flights to Australia for both of us. I guess you’ll need to clear that with your people here. Might mean a delay in their schedule if they can’t shoot around your absence.’

The movie…meaningless now.

The deep ache of loss consumed him. Ric had Lara and their children. Mitch had Kathryn, with a baby on the way. They’d both made homes of their own. For Johnny, Gundamurra and Patrick was home, and with Patrick gone…it was like having the roots of his life torn out of him.

There was no longer any reason for him to go back.

Megan wouldn’t want him there.

But he had to go back this one last time…say goodbye to the man who’d always treated him as a son, even though he was no blood relation. Megan couldn’t begrudge him that. Ric and Mitch would be there with him. All three of them, remembering what Patrick had given them…the big heart of the man…

Why had it stopped?

He looked up at Ric, his inner anguish bursting into speech. ‘He was only in his seventies.’

‘Seventy-four,’ came the quiet confirmation.

‘He was so strong. He should have lived to a hundred, at least.’

‘I guess we all thought that, Johnny.’

‘It’s only been three months since Christmas. He looked well then. Same as ever.’

Ric shook his head. ‘There were no warning signs. Maybe the stress of the drought, having to kill so many sheep, lay off staff…’

‘I offered help. Whatever was needed to tide them over, see them through the drought however long it went on. You know I’ve got money to burn, Ric.’

Ric’s mouth twisted into an ironic grimace. ‘I made the same offer. Most likely Mitch did, too.’

‘He helped us, dammit! Why couldn’t he let us help him?’ Johnny’s hands clenched. ‘I bet it was Megan who wouldn’t take what we offered. Too much damned pride. And Patrick wouldn’t go against her.’

‘Don’t blame Megan, Johnny. She’s got enough to carry without a load of guilt over her father’s death. I’d deal kindly with her if I were you. Very kindly. Patrick would want you to.’

‘Yes, I know, I know…’ He unclenched his hands, opening them in a helpless gesture. ‘I’ll miss him.’

Ric nodded, looked away, but not before Johnny caught the sheen of moisture glittering in his dark eyes. It was a heart-twisting reminder that Patrick had been like a father to all three of them, not just him. Ric was hurting, too. And Mitch…

Mitch was probably already at Gundamurra, giving whatever support was needed, making the legal business of death as easy as he could. Being a top-line lawyer, he’d do that for Patrick’s daughters. There wasn’t just Megan to consider, but Jessie and Emily, as well. They’d all be in shock. Ric was right. Patrick would expect his boys to deal kindly with them.

‘We don’t know why he died,’ Ric said brusquely. ‘Maybe it was just…his time to go. No point in railing against it, Johnny. We’ve got to get moving to make the flights home. Are you okay to do whatever you’ve got to do before we leave?’

He gulped down some more whisky. It helped burn away the welling of tears behind his eyes. ‘Ready to go,’ he asserted just as brusquely, rising to his feet. ‘Let me make a few calls first, clear the way.’

Helicopter to Phoenix, flight to Los Angeles…many hours passed before Ric and Johnny could finally board the Qantas jet to Sydney and settle in their seats for the longest leg of their journey over the Pacific Ocean. The flight steward offered them champagne. They both declined, choosing orange juice instead. It was not a time for champagne.

A question had been niggling at Johnny. ‘Why didn’t Mitch call me direct? It would have saved you coming to get me, Ric.’

‘We thought it was better this way…the two of us travelling together.’

‘Well, I’m glad to have your company but we could have linked up here for this flight.’

Ric slanted him a wry look. ‘You might not have co-operated with that plan. You have a habit of doing things your own way. This course ensured I’d be with you.’

Johnny frowned. ‘You thought I needed my hand held?’

‘No. It’s all a matter of timing. There’s more, Johnny. Mitch didn’t want to load it on you all at once over the phone. He gave that job to me with the advice to let you get over the shock of Patrick’s death first.’

The nerves in his stomach started knotting up again. ‘So hit me with the more. I’m sitting down and locked in. What else do I have to absorb?’

Ric looked at him, decided he was ready for it, and let him have it. ‘Patrick’s will. Mitch held it. He’s opened it.’

‘Well, that can’t be bad.’ Instant relief. ‘Patrick was always fair.’

‘Prepare yourself for another shock, Johnny. There’s a huge mortgage on Gundamurra and you’re about to inherit half of it.’

‘What?’ Incredulity blanked out several million brain cells.

‘Not quite half. You get forty-nine percent of Gundamurra and Megan gets fifty-one, leaving her in the driver’s seat where she’s always expected to be. But she won’t have expected to share her inheritance with you, Johnny. The normal thing would be a three-way split with her sisters.’

Co-owner of Gundamurra with Megan?

‘Mitch thought you should be prepared…get your head around it before we arrive at Gundamurra,’ Ric went on.

Johnny’s head was spinning.

What did it mean?

Why would Patrick cut out his two older daughters?

Why make him co-owner rather than Ric or Mitch?

A sense of horror billowed through him. He reached out and gripped his friend’s arm. ‘I didn’t ask for this, Ric. I swear I knew nothing about it.’

‘I didn’t think you did, Johnny,’ Ric assured him. ‘I have no doubt Patrick planned it himself.’

‘But why me? It’s not right, not…’ His mind fumbled for words. ‘Did he…did he explain to Mitch when he drafted the will?’

Ric shook his head. ‘Mitch wasn’t in on drafting it. Patrick did it himself and sent it to him sealed for safe-keeping two months ago.’

‘Two months…’ Johnny shook his head in bewilderment. ‘He must have made up his mind after Christmas.’

‘Maybe he knew he didn’t have long to live.’

‘Dammit! Why wouldn’t he tell us? We were all at Gundamurra for Christmas.’

‘If Patrick thought it was the last one for him, he wouldn’t have wanted to spoil it.’

‘But…’ Johnny lifted his hands in helpless frustration.

‘Want to know what Mitch thinks?’

He waved a go-ahead, completely beyond imagining what had motivated such an extraordinary step.