Ask Me for Tomorrow Read Online Free Page B

reached for his wet-weather jacket. Shrugging it on, he shouldered the back door open. He, Ethan and Cal had built the verandah he walked on now; Ethan had married Samantha on it. This house was full to bursting with more good memories than bad, and Dean carried this thought with him as he crossed the grass to join the small group of people huddled beneath the willow tree by the creek.
    Ethan looked up and smiled when he heard Dean approach. He was wearing a bulky jacket but underneath he was still in his pyjamas, which made Dean a little less self-conscious about his own state of dress. Ethan was wet from the rain but the chairs he’d dragged out from the shed were dry. The blue tarpaulin tied to the strongest limbs of the tree flapped in the wind, making a sharp snapping sound.
    Ethan was always doing things for this family. Small things, but they were infinitely considerate.
    Since his brother had come home, Dean had taught himself to notice and acknowledge such gestures. It hadn’t been easy to see them at first, but as the brothers had grown closer Dean learned Ethan’s style, and now he saw these little acts of kindness everywhere.
    ‘Good morning,’ he murmured. ‘Thanks for the seats and the tarp.’ He swallowed. There was a lump of emotion in his throat so big he thought it might choke him. ‘Thanks for coming.’
    ‘No problem,’ was Ethan’s answer. He slapped Dean on the back and stepped aside when Sam joined them.
    Sam’s smile was careful and measured, as it always was when she spoke to Dean about Bree. ‘I’m sorry about the rain. I wish it was nicer weather.’ Her cola-coloured hair was scraped up into a ponytail. She had a round face, a small nose and a slight frame, but she was strong. Always had been. A tomboy with an interest in farming plant machinery, she’d been friends with Bree since high school, and had done her damnedest to be there for the kids since their mother had gone. Dean doubted he would have got through the last few years without her.
    He hugged her. ‘Thanks for sorting out the kids.’ Who were at that moment sliding along the wet grass as if there were wheels on their feet. Nina wore a rain hat pulled low over her heart-shaped face, and a shiny plastic raincoat that billowed around her little body. Her auburn curls were frizzy and there was grass stuck to her cheek. Dean frowned at the colourful flowers on her coat, which looked suspiciously drawn on, then looked over at his son.
    Rowan’s arms and legs seemed too long for his body, his mop of brown curls defying style. Rowan was all Ethan except for the grey eyes, which had come from Rowan’s late grandfather. Ethan and Dean had their mum’s brown eyes.
    Thinking this brought Bree back to mind – another wonderful mother worth remembering. Maybe this morning wouldn’t be as bad as expected. Maybe it would be kind of nice.
    ‘Dean.’ Sam touched his elbow to get his attention. ‘Do you know there’s a nasty bruise on Nina’s back? I saw it when I was helping her change.’
    ‘A bruise?’
    ‘A big one.’ Seeing Dean’s surprise, she hastened to comfort him. ‘She hasn’t complained about it, so she might not even know it’s there. Kids are always banging into things.’
    ‘Okay. Thanks, Sam.’ He looked over at Nina skidding on the slippery grass, her face alight with enjoyment, and wondered.
    A four-door ute turned into the driveway and bumped along the gravel. It stopped near Dean’s charcoal Mazda 3. There was a moment of quiet, then the passenger door opened. A woman shouted as a dog launched itself from the cab, slipped in the mud, righted itself then charged for Nina, barking madly. Nina instantly forgot her game and ran towards it. Their reunion was more like a collision. Floyd the blue heeler bathed Nina’s scrunched-up face in doggy drool, and she loved every second of it.
    Rowan galloped over and flung his arms around the pair. Dean laughed when the three overbalanced and toppled onto the