Welcome to the Family
Gabe held his beer in his hand and slipped away from the noisy crowd in the house. He liked these people that Rose called family. But he just wanted a moment away from them all to think. He leaned against a post on the veranda and raised the bottle to his lips. The cool drink slid down his throat and settled in his full stomach. Meg and Moira had produced a feast from somewhere and he knew he had overindulged.
"There you are," Rose said, appearing beside him. "I thought you had left."
Gabe smiled and shook his head. "No. Just needed a minute to clear my head."
"They can get pretty noisy," Rose laughed. "You should have heard them when Alex was around. He always had us in stitches."
"I wish I could have met him." Gabe looked down at the girl at his side. She was gorgeous, but he wasn't sure if she knew it. "He's sounds like a great man."
Rose nodded. "He was. He made my mom so happy and he gave her Xander. I knew him for years before he married Mom. But I wish I had known him as my step-dad. He would have made a good one."
Gabe put an arm around her waist and drew her close. "But you have so many other people here that love you. You can see it."
She smiled. "I know."
"Hey, do you want to explain where they all live now?" Gabe sat down and patted the veranda beside him.
Rose dropped down and leaned back on her hands. "Well, let's see. Mom, Grace and Regan live in the house here on Drovers with Xander and Channing. Ben and Jaz are in the shearer's quarters for now. And Jodi and Matt are in the cottage with Katie. Kate and Dave are living at Kinsellas until they go to Africa. Patrick and Tayler are on Wilgul. When they leave, Ben and Jaz are going to move to Wilgul. Ingrid and Marcus live in the big house at Killarney. Nat is in the shearer's quarters there and Meg and Terry are in the old homestead. Did I miss anyone?"
"Yeah, Moira and Phil." Gabe chugged back some more beer. "Oh, and me."
Rose frowned. "Well, Moira and Phil are living on the La Vise place. But what do you mean I missed you?"
Gabe grinned. "Marcus offered me a job. I'll live in the other section of the shearer's quarters on Killarney."
Rose squealed and threw her arms around his neck. He hugged her back and leaned against the post again. She rested comfortably in his arms and sighed.
"Isn't this just the best place ever?" She gestured towards the windmill paddock and the hills beyond it.
Gabe had to agree. He had only been here in the area for a few hours but already it felt like home. Everyone had welcomed him and taken the time to talk to him. He felt relaxed, not at all uncomfortable. It was just what a home and family should feel like.
"Rose, did you tell your mom about us?" He pressed a kiss to her head.
"No, not yet. But I will tonight. I didn't want to lump you in with Cleo." Rose raised her head. "You don't have to worry about her. She likes you. She'll be okay about us."
"I'll be okay about who?" Stevie dropped down beside the two of them.
Gabe expected Rose to pull away but she didn't. She shifted a little so she could see her mother.
"About us," she said.
Stevie raised her eyebrows. "I see. Well, Gabe, what have you got to say about this?"
Gabe shrugged. "I don't think I had much choice. Your daughter decided she wanted me and that was that."
Stevie threw back her head and laughed. Gabe couldn't help but laugh with her and Rose soon joined in. Stevie wiped her eyes and patted Gabe's leg.
"You'll do just fine here, Gabriel Dawson." Standing up, Stevie headed back into the house.
"See, I told she would be fine," Rose said.
Gabe smiled. "You're a wise woman, Rose Hall."
"Hall? Since when did you drop the Smith?" Stevie popped back out of the house.
Rose shrugged and turned to face her mother. "Since about a year ago."
Stevie smiled. "Good on ya."
Rose stood up and hugged her mother. "You're my mom, not Aunty Michelle. I figured I may as well take your name."
"If Alex had lived would you have taken his name too?"
Rose looked at Gabe and then turned back to her mother. "Yes."
Gabe left the porch to give the two a minute alone. He wandered down into the yards. A bull pushed against his gate and Gabe gave him a friendly whack. The bull moved off and Gabe continued to the horse pens. Cleopatra was pacing around her enclosure while the rest of the horses peered over the fence at the newcomer.
"Hey, Cleo." Gabe leaned against the fence and studied the horse.
She caught his scent and flung her head up, defiance in ever movement. Gabe smiled. The horse had no clue what she had gotten herself into. He knew Rose wouldn't give up until the horse was tamed or dead. Or Rose had killed herself in the process.
Cleopatra was beginning to pace again so he left to go visit the other horses. A good dozen milled around in two enclosures, picking at bits of hay and grooming each other. They all looked like good stock horses, sturdy and bright. Except one.
The black mare stood beside the bay with the wide blaze, staring towards the freedom of the paddocks and hills. She was shorter and stockier than the rest.
"That's Riley's brumby."
He jumped a little at the voice. Rose joined him and he shifted closer to her. "Who's Riley?"
"He worked on Killarney for a couple years and helped my mom train some brumbies. He died the Christmas before Xander was born. He drowned." Rose sniffed a little and he rubbed her back. "Mom found his horse and she decided to keep her for Xander one day. We call her The Black Queen; Queenie."
Gabe nodded. "There are a lot of memories here, aren't there?"
Rose nodded. "Oh, yes. And every time I come here I make new ones."
A gate banged and they both looked up. A bull trundled across the yard. Rose groaned.
"What's up with that bull?" Gabe asked. "He was pushing against his gate before."
"That's Sir McLeod. He's got the best bloodlines but the worst attitude." Rose moved across the yard. "We'd better catch him before he gets to the house."
Gabe hurried after her and soon passed her. The bull was heading towards the house at a speed that defied his build.
"Rosie!" A little boy stepped off the porch and trundled down the stone stairs.
"Xander, stay there," Rose called. "Go back to Mommy."
A sudden gust of wind blew a red blouse off the clothes line and into the path of Sir McLeod. The bull snorted and picked up speed, lowering his head as he went.
Xander, blissfully unaware of the danger, slid off the last step and straight into the path of the charging bull.
"XANDER!"
It was Rose's shout the spurred Gabe on. He cut across the path of Sir McLeod, praying that he would reach the boy in time. He could feel the hot breath on his arms as he reached for Xander. He threw himself sideways and felt his ankle twist as he went down. His head hit something and stars started circling around his eyes. He could still hear the snorting of the bull and rolled again, cringing as something pierced his back.
Xander laughed in his arms and wrapped his own tightly around Gabe's neck. "Roll again, Gabe!"
Despite being so scared, Gabe had to smile. The little boy had a great memory to be remembering his name when he had spent all of two minutes in Gabe's company before running off to play with Turbo. Gabe rolled again and felt the cool grass beneath his back. Then the pain set in and he groaned. He felt the little boy push away from him and a small hand gently tapped his cheek.
"You 'kay?" Xander's face wavered in front of his eyes, shifting from one to three to two.
Gabe closed his eyes and took a deep breath that burned through his chest. He tried to sit up but his head swam and he collapsed gratefully back into the soft grass. He heard anxious voices coming towards him. Someone yelled and he could faintly hear hooves pounding somewhere.
"Gabe, are you alright?" Rose's scent wafted over him and he felt a cool hand on his forehead.
"Xander, you scared me." Stevie's voice was shaking as she scolded her young son. "Next time Rose tells you to do something, you do it."
"Yes, Mommy," Xander whimpered. "Gabe hurt."
"Gabe, are you okay?" Stevie asked.
Gabe cracked an eye opened and saw Stevie holding Xander, standing behind Rose. He tried to nod but groaned instead.
"Yeah, he's not okay," Rose said. "Gabe, we're going to have to move you."
He nodded and saw Marcus and Matt move towards him. They grinned as they slid their arms under his aching body.
"Well, that was a great way to wriggle yourself into this family," Marcus teased. "Saving the girlfriend's brother. There are easier ways."
Gabe forced his lips into a smile but was sure it was more of a grimace. "Next time I'll keep that in mind."
"Marcus, don't tease him," Matt said. "We'll get you to the house and get Meg and Moira to look after you. They're the next best thing to nurses."
"Probably do a better job," Marcus said, as they climbed the stairs and into the house.
Meg hurried out of the kitchen. "What happened?"
"Took on Sir McLeod." Marcus headed into the living room and laid Gabe on the pale couch.
"What?" Meg knelt on the floor and brushed her fingers around Gabe's head.
He winced as she touched the lump on the back of his head.
"What happened?" It was Moira this time.
"I fell, bumped my head and twisted my ankle and something stabbed my back," Gabe managed to say before the rest of the family crowded into the living room.
"Is he bleeding all over my couch?" Stevie asked. "Great, that's the couch from Killarney that Marcus and Ingrid gave me."
Ingrid laughed. "Stevie, we'll get you a new one."
"Don't worry about it," Stevie said. "Meg and Moira will get it clean."
"Okay, everyone out," Moira demanded. "We'll take care of this young man."
There was rumble of feet and laughter as the crowd headed out of the room and dispersed throughout the house.
"He didn't tell you everything," Rose said, sinking down onto the couch beside Gabe. "You saved Xander. I would never have reached him in time." She leaned down and kissed him gently. "Thank you."
"You're welcome." Gabe reached up and touched her face.
Rose leaned back to let Meg at Gabe. He smiled as she went and sat in a chair across the room.
"Welcome to the family, Gabe," Meg said. "You're stuck with us now. They'll never let you go after this."
"I couldn't think of a better place to be stuck," Gabe murmured, gazing at Rose.