Cherish the Land by Ariel Tachna Read Free Book Online Page B

still in the getting-together stage to know exactly what to expect. He’d have to sit there with a smile pasted on and pretend it didn’t kill him every time Jason’s name was paired with Cooper’s. He’d have to tease Jason the same way he’d tease any other jackaroo once he couldn’t pretend not to hear the gossip. He’d have to put on the façade he’d perfected while living with his stepfather and act like everything was fine when nothing was fine at all. And he’d have to do it so well that his best friend didn’t suspect.
    He clenched his fist, pulling the torn skin over his knuckles. The bite of pain settled him. He could handle it. “It’ll be worth it to be home.”
    “You could try telling him,” Macklin said. “You might be surprised.”
    “He’s with someone else,” Seth repeated. “I don’t poach. If it doesn’t work out for them, I’ll think about it, but I won’t be the other guy in this story.”
    “Your choice,” Macklin said. “Now, if you’re staying, we need to talk about duties. I doubt you want to spend all your time following the mob around.”
    “Carley mentioned Caine had plans,” Seth said. “Might as well use my fancy degree for something.”
     
     
    J EREMY GLANCED down at his watch again. Ten o’clock. How long did it take for the doctors to do their rounds? He’d expected someone to come talk to them an hour ago at least.
    “Checking your watch every two minutes isn’t going to make them come any sooner,” Sam said.
    “I know, but it’s been hours already.”
    “Only because we got here so early. Ten o’clock isn’t that early unless you work on a sheep station, love.”
    Jeremy sighed and looked at his watch again: 10:02. “If I have to watch any more bad telly, I’m going to scream.”
    “Don’t do that. My ears wouldn’t survive.”
    Jeremy spun around at the unexpected voice.
    “Neil! What are you doing here?”
    Neil shrugged in the way Jeremy had learned to expect when Neil had done something nice and then tried to pretend it didn’t matter. “I hadn’t heard anything this morning, so I figured I’d come check on you.”
    “So you got up at the crack of dawn to get here?” Sam snarked. “Even if we had news this morning, you left before we could have got it to you.”
    “My brothers needed me,” Neil said in such a matter-of-fact tone that Jeremy had to fight back tears again.
    “We’re glad you’re here.” Jeremy’s cheeks burned at the sound of his voice breaking, but he needed Neil to understand how much his presence meant. “I’m glad you’re here.”
    “What did Caine say about you coming?” Sam asked.
    “He said if I wanted to spend my day off in the car, that was my business,” Neil replied. “As long as I leave by dinner, I can get home tonight. It’ll be a long day, but it’ll be worth it.”
    “It wasn’t your day off,” Jeremy said with a frown. He was out of it, yes, but he knew Neil’s day off was always Sunday, not Saturday.
    “Caine seemed to think it was when he made that comment last night,” Neil replied with a shrug. Gratitude surged through Jeremy again. Whatever happened with Devlin, Jeremy would still have a family, one far more reliable than his brother had ever been.
    “Mr. Taylor?”
    Jeremy took a deep breath and steeled himself to face the doctor.
    “Yes, I’m Taylor.”
    “We did another CT scan on your brother this morning. That’s why it’s taken me so long to come talk to you.” The doctor’s tone was kind, overly so.
    “It’s bad news, isn’t it?” Jeremy said. He shivered despite the room being warm. Sam and Neil flanked him, the heat from their bodies steadying him. He wasn’t facing this alone.
    “It’s not good news,” the doctor agreed. “We drained the blood that was putting pressure on your brother’s brain in the hope of reducing the risk of brain damage, but the bleeding hasn’t stopped despite the medication he’s on, and the pressure is building back