much pressure on his brain stem.”
Jeremy stared at the doctor blankly, trying to make his brain process the words. Sam and Neil flanked him in an instant, an arm around him from each side. His knees trembled as he struggled to make sense of this new reality. He couldn’t force his mind to work. Devlin couldn’t be gone. He’d always been there, even when Jeremy wished he wasn’t. Everything else in Jeremy’s life had changed—for better or worse—but not Devlin. And now he was gone.
He bent double beneath the pain, only Sam’s and Neil’s arms keeping him from falling. “I can’t…,” he gasped. “He can’t be gone.”
“I’m sorry for your loss,” the doctor repeated.
Jeremy forced himself upright. “Can I see him?”
“In a few minutes,” the doctor said. “They’re cleaning him up. You can wait here. An orderly will come get you when they’re ready for you.”
Jeremy nodded and the doctor withdrew.
“I’m so sorry,” Sam whispered as he pulled Jeremy into his arms.
Jeremy shuddered, trying to hold back his sobs. He’d already cried once today. He could hear Devlin sneering at him for his tears. Real men don’t cry . Once had been bad enough. Twice in one day would be too much.
“Don’t hold it in,” Sam ordered. “He’s your brother. You’re allowed to cry for him.”
“He’d disown me,” Jeremy said around a hiccough.
“I’ll disown you if you don’t,” Neil muttered.
Jeremy tried not to laugh, but he couldn’t stop it. Tears streamed down his face as he cried and laughed and cried some more. “Bloody hell, Emery,” he said between sobs. “You can’t say shit like that. You’re the only brother I have left.”
“Pretty sure there’s a few more men on Lang Downs who would give you that title,” Neil replied, “but I’ll claim you.”
Jeremy’s laughter quieted, his grief getting the better of him again. Tears continued to leak from his eyes unhindered as he sat on the empty bed. Sam sat next to him, a bedrock of support.
“Did Devlin have a will?” Sam asked. “Or anything to tell us what kind of arrangements he wanted?”
“There’s a family plot on the station,” Jeremy said. “He’ll be buried there. Everyone in the family has been for a hundred fifty years.”
He and Devlin would be the last ones.
“That takes care of funeral arrangement, then,” Sam said, “but we’ll still need to find his will and insurance policies, if he had them.”
“If he did, they’d be in the safe in his office. I know what Dad’s combination was. I hope Devlin didn’t change it.”
“Can you tell me where the safe is?” Neil asked. “I can see if Molly will drive to Taylor Peak to look for it. She’s sort of family.”
“She’s family,” Jeremy said firmly.
“Not in a way most of them will recognize,” Neil reminded him, “but the jackaroos are still less likely to challenge her than they would be to challenge any of the men. And it’ll be faster than you driving all the way there and then having to come back to deal with everything here.”
“The station…. There’s no foreman.”
“So assign one,” Sam said. “Perkins or White or someone. Even if it’s just for a few days, until we can get there and see what’s what.”
“You can worry about that tomorrow,” Neil interrupted. “Tell me where Molly should look. Everything else can wait a day or two.”
Jeremy closed his eyes and tried to picture Devlin’s office. He hadn’t been in there since he moved to Lang Downs almost ten years ago. Even when he went to Taylor Peak to torture himself with Devlin’s continuing rejection, he never got past the living room—if he even got that far. Half the time Devlin ran him off before he reached the veranda.
“The office is in the back of the house, to the left off the living room,” Jeremy said. “If Devlin didn’t move anything around, the safe will be in the closet. If he moved it, it could be anywhere in the house. Dad’s
Jeremy stared at the doctor blankly, trying to make his brain process the words. Sam and Neil flanked him in an instant, an arm around him from each side. His knees trembled as he struggled to make sense of this new reality. He couldn’t force his mind to work. Devlin couldn’t be gone. He’d always been there, even when Jeremy wished he wasn’t. Everything else in Jeremy’s life had changed—for better or worse—but not Devlin. And now he was gone.
He bent double beneath the pain, only Sam’s and Neil’s arms keeping him from falling. “I can’t…,” he gasped. “He can’t be gone.”
“I’m sorry for your loss,” the doctor repeated.
Jeremy forced himself upright. “Can I see him?”
“In a few minutes,” the doctor said. “They’re cleaning him up. You can wait here. An orderly will come get you when they’re ready for you.”
Jeremy nodded and the doctor withdrew.
“I’m so sorry,” Sam whispered as he pulled Jeremy into his arms.
Jeremy shuddered, trying to hold back his sobs. He’d already cried once today. He could hear Devlin sneering at him for his tears. Real men don’t cry . Once had been bad enough. Twice in one day would be too much.
“Don’t hold it in,” Sam ordered. “He’s your brother. You’re allowed to cry for him.”
“He’d disown me,” Jeremy said around a hiccough.
“I’ll disown you if you don’t,” Neil muttered.
Jeremy tried not to laugh, but he couldn’t stop it. Tears streamed down his face as he cried and laughed and cried some more. “Bloody hell, Emery,” he said between sobs. “You can’t say shit like that. You’re the only brother I have left.”
“Pretty sure there’s a few more men on Lang Downs who would give you that title,” Neil replied, “but I’ll claim you.”
Jeremy’s laughter quieted, his grief getting the better of him again. Tears continued to leak from his eyes unhindered as he sat on the empty bed. Sam sat next to him, a bedrock of support.
“Did Devlin have a will?” Sam asked. “Or anything to tell us what kind of arrangements he wanted?”
“There’s a family plot on the station,” Jeremy said. “He’ll be buried there. Everyone in the family has been for a hundred fifty years.”
He and Devlin would be the last ones.
“That takes care of funeral arrangement, then,” Sam said, “but we’ll still need to find his will and insurance policies, if he had them.”
“If he did, they’d be in the safe in his office. I know what Dad’s combination was. I hope Devlin didn’t change it.”
“Can you tell me where the safe is?” Neil asked. “I can see if Molly will drive to Taylor Peak to look for it. She’s sort of family.”
“She’s family,” Jeremy said firmly.
“Not in a way most of them will recognize,” Neil reminded him, “but the jackaroos are still less likely to challenge her than they would be to challenge any of the men. And it’ll be faster than you driving all the way there and then having to come back to deal with everything here.”
“The station…. There’s no foreman.”
“So assign one,” Sam said. “Perkins or White or someone. Even if it’s just for a few days, until we can get there and see what’s what.”
“You can worry about that tomorrow,” Neil interrupted. “Tell me where Molly should look. Everything else can wait a day or two.”
Jeremy closed his eyes and tried to picture Devlin’s office. He hadn’t been in there since he moved to Lang Downs almost ten years ago. Even when he went to Taylor Peak to torture himself with Devlin’s continuing rejection, he never got past the living room—if he even got that far. Half the time Devlin ran him off before he reached the veranda.
“The office is in the back of the house, to the left off the living room,” Jeremy said. “If Devlin didn’t move anything around, the safe will be in the closet. If he moved it, it could be anywhere in the house. Dad’s
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