"We kill 'em, leave 'em out here, we don't get caught. Joe can let that girl go."
"What girl?" Alex asked, knowing Claire wouldn't have let any horse, much less Blaze and Phoenix, go without a fight.
"Wouldn't ya love to know?"
"Alex..." Nick said warningly under his breath. He knew his brother's temper and, knowing how much Claire loved her horses, was thinking the same thing his brother was, but didn't want Alex causing more trouble.
Terry and some of the other men from Kilarney came up shooting in the air, distracting the thieves long enough for Alex and Nick to jump them, tying them up like the calves they used to rope. "The constable's coming. We'll stay here. Can the chopper move?" Alex shook his head. "Meg called before we left. Tess is in labor and she can't find Claire." Alex mounted Phoenix, knowing Blaze well enough to know she was so spooked, she'd only let Claire ride her. Nick borrowed Amy's horse and they took off through the fields to Drover's, Blaze following.
The boys put the horses in the corral when they arrived, seeing Amy's ute there, but not stopping to pay attention. "Daddy!" Alex picked Charlotte up, kissing her cheek. "Auntie Tess is sick."
"She's going to have your baby cousins." Nick went into Tess's room. "You want to go outside?" She nodded and he carried her to the porch where she could play with Roy.
Meg joined them. "There's not time to get Tess to a hospital."
He nodded. "She'll have the babies at Drover's. Claire had Charlotte here."
She nodded. "I don't know where she is, Alex." She paused. "Did you catch the horse thieves?"
He looked at her. "Did you tell Claire they were stealing horses?"
"She knows. Doesn't know Sandra's back yet."
"Why didn't she tell me?"
"She knew you've been worried, about all of it." She paused. "I checked the barn, I checked the yard, I was afraid to get too far away in case Tess needed me."
He nodded. "One of them said that Joe could let that girl go. She's got to be hidden around here somewhere." He walked towards the sheds.
"Daddy!" Charlotte saw he was leaving again and ran after him.
He picked her up. "I'm sorry, BOM. Not this time. You need to stay here with Meg and Roy."
"No."
"Yes." He kissed her forehead and put her back down. "I'll be back with your mum in a little bit, I promise." He walked away, not wanting to see her reaction, knowing Meg would take care of her.
Nick kissed Tess's forehead, sitting on the bed beside her. "Sorry I'm late."
She touched his face. "Are you okay?"
He nodded. "Yeah. I'll tell you later, I promise."
"It's not the hospital."
"Yeah, I know. I'm sorry."
She shook her head. "I wanted them born here."
He wasn't surprised. Despite her initial urge to sell the property, she'd grown to love it as much as Claire did. "Why didn't you just tell me?"
"I don't know." She grabbed his hand as another contraction hit her and he let her hold as tight as she needed, gently stroking her hand, breathing with her.
Alex searched every building in the yard at Drover's, the sheds, the empty shearing quarters, even the barn again. The only other place he knew about was the building out where they'd buried her father. He got in the Drover's ute and drove down, not knowing what he planned on doing, only he planned on walking out of there with his wife.
"Claire?" He called into the building. He heard crying and forced open the door, afraid of what he'd find. When he saw the red-tinged water, how much she was hurting, his mind flashed back to the miscarriage.
"What are you doing here?"
"Let my wife go."
"I can't do that."
Alex stepped forward and the man saw the look in his eyes, the same one he'd given Peter after Claire's riding accident. The man took off running and Alex bent down to stroke Claire's hair. "Hold on, okay?" She nodded, putting her arms around him as he picked her up, carrying her out.