Outback

"Let them know that he's happy. Only those not involved or unaware though. I've got the names of those he would rather see burn in hell than speak to again."

"Cathy, I'll do anything to see my brother again. I don't care what I need to do, what I have to prove, I just want to... hug him and say how sorry I am. I know after five years; it might not mean much."

"It would mean the world, Kelly."

Over the next two months, Kelly and I spoke a couple of times a week. She was eager to know what Mark was up to, and after confirming with him that I could give a little more detail, I let her know we lived on a farm. That excited and also didn't surprise her. "Mark always loved working outdoors, with his hands. My parents always thought that sort of work beneath them, our family name."

I messaged her quickly when I was in hospital, ready to give birth. To be honest, Kelly was now desperate to meet Mark. She'd figured out, to a point, where he likely was, though didn't ask after that first conversation. She was taking a soft approach. Mark still hadn't talked to her, but he did pass on messages. He knew it was awkward for me, and he apologised each and every time, but I also understood what he'd gone through, what he was still going through.

"I need to trust her, Cathy," he said softly, holding me one night just before I ended up in hospital to give birth to our second child, "I'm getting there, I really am. But... She was involved. I still can't be sure."

I kissed his forehead and assured him I didn't mind. I liked talking to his sister.

After I'd given birth to our daughter, christening her Michelle Catherine Smith, I remained in hospital for only a couple of days before I was released. Two children born and both pregnancies had been a breeze, to be honest. I already noticed how Mark doted on our daughter, the whispered promises that he'd never leave her. Watching him just gaze down at her, I couldn't help cry silently, as I knew the hidden pain he still kept deep inside. All he needed now was Katie home and all would be well.

Three months after I returned home, I asked Mark to join me at the kitchen table. I must have used a certain tone as he almost meekly sat down. It was so adorable, I couldn't help chuckle as he returned that smile I loved seeing form, lighting up those blue eyes. I took his hand and looking into them. "Invite your sister north," I said.

"Okay," he replied immediately. I must have looked surprised, as he laughed. "I think it's time, sweetheart. We drive to Brisbane from here, she flies up from Sydney. We'll meet her at the airport and go from there. Make a weekend of it."

"You're sure?"

He squeezed my hand. "It's time."

*****

Mark

I still hadn't spoken to Kelly after all this time. I did feel guilty about it, but I heard the conversations Cathy shared with my sister and they seemed to be getting on well. There was certainly a friendship formed, and I did listen in occasionally, Cathy putting it on speaker so I could hear my sister's voice. I was aware of the situation back in Sydney, of everything that happened after I'd gone

Cathy and Kelly organised everything between them. I figured driving would be a pain in the arse. We could fly from Longreach to Brisbane, so at least we wouldn't have to drive, getting into Brisbane before Kelly would arrive at the same terminal. Ely and Bill asked if we'd be bringing her back. I said we'd meet first in Brisbane, see how things went, then I might finally let her know where I was living now.

Once we agreed a date, I organised flights. I knew taking a new-born on a plane could sometimes provoke emotions but I figured the plane from Longreach wouldn't exactly be full. Cathy and Kelly continued to chat until the Friday before we were meeting. I was listening in as usual when Kelly signed off.

"I love you, Mark."

I cleared my throat. "I'll see you tomorrow, Kelly."

I heard the sob immediately, Cathy taking my hand. "I look forward to meeting you tomorrow," she added.

"Me too," my sister whispered, "I've got to go."

I was feeling that nervous that night, so once the children were fast asleep, Cathy helped me relax by taking my cock in her mouth, returning the favour on her as I loved going down on my wife, before she straddled my lap, put my hands to her hips, and told me to hold on.

I love my wife. And I certainly loved watching her enjoy more than a couple of orgasms while riding me. But there was a good reason, apart from the fact we wanted to be intimate. She knew some fun with her helped me relax. Cuddling into my side once she simply had enough, and happy that I'd left more than one load inside her, she whispered, "It'll be okay, Mark. I promise."

I carried my daughter while holding the hand of my sun when boarding the plane. Cathy knew I hated being separated from her when I was at work. Every time I entered the house, I'd kiss my wife, hug my son, then cuddle my daughter. I was thankful that I worked on the farm so that I would rarely miss a day. Still did head out occasionally for a couple of nights to check things, but that was rare. Bill had one of the other lads do it more often than not nowadays.

We landed in Brisbane mid-morning. I'd never been to Brisbane before so it was a novelty for me. Cathy had been there a few times so she'd be taking the lead once Kelly arrived. My son, Matthew, had been very well behaved during the flight. Michelle had slept the entire time, held against my body. I glanced to see Cathy glancing at me the entire time, our baby against my chest, son sleeping against my side.

"You want more?" she asked me.

"If you do, then yes, I do too," I replied, feeling the grin, "But what about the farm?"

"Mark, you're more than capable of running it with Dad. I love looking after you and my children. Once they're all grown, I'll get back into it. Or... we do something else."

"What would Mum and Dad think?"

"It will pass to me, to us, soon enough. You realise he's already done that, right?" I nodded. Her brother, Chris, wasn't interested in the farm, and had already been told. He didn't mind. "Dad is getting close to packing it in. Farming is tough. He wouldn't blame us for selling up and heading east for a more comfortable life."

"You sure?"

"I'm just thinking, Mark. You're not the only deep thinker around here."

I chuckled, kissing her softly on the lips. "I love you to the moon and back," I whispered.

"Only the moon?" she joked.

"Sun?"

"Better."

We waited in the arrivals for Kelly's plane to be appear as having arrived. Once it did, we headed towards the door where she appeared through. Cathy took Michelle from me, holding Matthew by the hand, as we waited for her to appear. The screen stated the bags from the flight were now being unloaded. That's when the nerves hit, feeling Cathy's hand in mine. "It's okay," she whispered.

"I don't know how to react," I whispered.

"My advice?" I nodded. "Give your sister a hug. Then cry together."

I snorted. By my wife always gave me good advice. I'd likely listen to it. A few people walked through the sliding doors before Kelly appeared. She looked around twice before she slowly looked in my direction. She looked good. A little paler than I remembered. Her blonde hair was still very... blonde. Blue eyes like mine. Still short. Still slim.

She walked towards us ever so slowly, her bottom lip beginning to tremble. I felt Cathy's hand on my back, guiding me towards her in return. She stopped barely a pace before me, looking up at me. Her eyes showed me her nerves. She was almost shaking with nerves and I think fear. When I lifted my hand, she flinched, and that made me feel guilty, until I ran it around the back of her head. My other hand went to her back as I pulled her tight to me.

The first sob that escaped her resulted in near silence around us. My shirt was soon wet with her tears, leaning down to kiss the top of her head. No point trying to say anything at first. She was too busy crying. I felt hot tears running down my cheeks at the same time. I should never have said what I said. I should have known, out of all of them, my sister wouldn't have done what happened willingly. She wasn't quite the victim like I was, but I knew what her family was like.

She eventually leaned back, using my thumbs to clear her cheeks, leaning down to kiss her forehead. That provoked my sobs, hugging her tightly again. "I'm so sorry," she sobbed. I shushed her for now. I knew how sorry she already was. We would talk later. For now, I kissed the top of her head again and tightened my hold. It was in that moment, I admitted that I had missed her too.

When she'd calmed down, I leaned back again as she looked up at me, a crooked grin forming. "You look good, Mark. A lot more tanned."

"Are you okay?"

"No. No, I'm not. But right now, this minute... yes..."

Wrapping an arm around her waist, I turned to my wife. "Kelly, please meet Catherine, though she prefers Cathy. My wife. We've been married three years and change. Next to her is my little man, Matthew. He's two. And she holding Michelle, our daughter. She's approaching four months."

Cathy handed me Michelle before hugging my sister. Kelly started crying again. Cathy needed a little weep too. They knew each other well despite only talking on the phone. Then my sister got down on a knee and introduced herself to my son. He looked up at me, a little unsure about who this strange woman was. I nodded and smiled before he hugged her. Kelly cried again as she hugged in him in return.

After the introductions, Kelly turned back to me, looking to her older brother for guidance. "You're staying in the same hotel as us. I organised everything except your flight. Two nights. Already got the hire car in the car park outside. We'll check in, settle, then we'll head out and talk." She hugged me tightly again. Caressing the back of her head, I whispered, "It's okay, Kelly. I've heard everything. But we still need to talk."

"I know," she whispered.

"But... I know it wasn't you. In my heart, I know it wasn't you. You were the only one I ever actually liked in that family. Took a long time to let the anger subside." I lifted her chin so she met my eyes. "I'm sorry for calling you that. I know I owe that apology."

"You calling me that opened my eyes, Mark. It was cruel, but it was necessary too. If you thought that about me..."

We loaded up in the hire car, and once I had the sat nav set up, I drove us towards the hotel. Wasn't anything fancy, though with the savings I still retained, it wasn't cheap either. Kelly had her own room next to mine. My son was very well behaved, despite being a two-year-old. Cathy fed Michelle before I knocked on Kelly's door, asking if she was ready to head out for dinner.

Pushing the pram along, Cathy had her hand around my left arm. I glanced at Kelly and used my eyes. Wrapping her hand around my right arm, she needed to wipe her cheeks again. I stopped and kissed her cheek. "It's okay," I whispered.

"You should hate me..."

"All I want to hear is your truth, Kelly. From the horse's mouth."

We went with something nice and simple. Pizza. A little Italian restaurant, not one of the chains. Michelle was awake and making plenty of noise. My son tried to misbehave. All it took was a look from his father for him to quiet down. Then I ruffled his hair, called him a good boy. Made him smile and he happily coloured in the paper he'd been given.

Once dinner arrived, all of us sticking to non-alcoholic beverages, Kelly told me everything she remembered. Some of it I already knew. She described Tony. What he looked like. How he acted. He was older than Sally and I by at least twenty years. And there was no doubt he'd been selected by her parents. "He bought Sally's love," she said, "Gave her all sorts of gifts. Mostly signs of how rich he was. Add to that my parents were in her ear constantly about how pathetic you were. I couldn't believe it, Mark. They were doing everything they could to split you up."

"Why?" was the only question I had.

"You pissed them off by doing your own thing. That's what I think anyway. Never really had an explanation from them. Heard snippets and rumours, but they... hated the fact you threw their apparent 'gifts' back in their face. The fact you wanted to be your own man, find your own way in the world. Not like Brian, still suckling at the family teat."

"And you?"

Kelly looked away and down. Resting a hand on her shoulder, she looked my way. "I'm alone, Mark. I don't see any of them from the family. Most of my friends abandoned me one they got wind of what happened. It was a scandal, Mark. A proper scandal."

I took a deep breath. "Do you know where my daughter is?"

She almost started to cry, so I pulled her close and hugged her again. That was the answer. She didn't know. If she did, I knew she would have told me immediately. "I've tried," she sobbed, "I've done everything I could to find out. But they haven't let slip once in five years. Brian definitely knows, but I haven't talked to him in years." Then she laughed. "They knew you hired someone to watch them. He wasn't that good."

"Crap," I muttered.

"Police interviewed us more than once about what happened. Mum and Dad flatly denied being involved in your daughter being taken. Admits Sally was cheating on you and that he's aware she left the country with Tony and your daughter." She chuckled again. "He hates you, Mark. I mean properly detests you."

"I barely care that he exists, Kelly. He's no longer my concern. What about Cheryl?"

"I think she has a twinge of regret. She did give birth to you, after all. But she's not stupid. She knows the relationship is dead."

"Brian?"

"Hates your guts. Not sure who hates you more, him or Dad."

"And you?" I asked softly.

"I missed my big brother. We always got along so well, Mark, even after you left home. I understood why, though I'll be honest, I also thought you were stupid to do it at the time. Your life could have been so much easier, but now that I'm older, I understand why you needed to do it. I respect it now." I heard and felt her sigh. "I've felt nothing but guilt for five years. I should have had the courage of my convictions, told you what was happening. But Dad and Brian threatened me. Throw me out on the street, cut me off completely, take away everything they'd given me. Dad buttered me up by buying me things. I've done a lot of growing in five years, Mark. I'm not the same women I was then."

I sighed myself, stroking my sister's back, doing the same to my wife, feeling her cuddle into my side. "Any idea where she might be?" I wondered.

"I can only take a guess. Tony's accent... I couldn't pick it, but I don't think he was a Yank. I reckon if they went anywhere, they're in Europe. But I don't think he was English. If he was, he had a fairly plain accent. Thing is, I don't think Mum and Dad have ever been overseas to see Katie. They ever come across as grandparents who'd give a shit? It was done for maximum pain and hurt against you."

"I don't think they ever gave a shit about anyone but themselves. And I had the PI I hired watch Sally's parents. He eventually bit the bullet and asked if they'd heard from her. They told him she'd disappeared without a word, and that they had no idea we'd split up. From what I've learned, sounds just like that..." I didn't say 'bitch' with my son present.

"Do you believe them?" she wondered.

"They always liked me. Yeah, I'd believe them, particularly as he eventually told them I'd hired him. Once he did, they apparently had plenty to say. Most of it wasn't useful, but I certainly grinned as he relayed certain messages. I eventually called, just to say my goodbyes to them. They wished me well and hoped I'd find my daughter one day."

Returning to the hotel, Cathy and I put the kid to bed before she said I should talk to my sister for longer. With two kids in the room, nookie was out of the question anyway. She saw the look in my eyes and giggled. "Wait until we get home, then my husband will see his wife on her knees."

"Ever tell you how much I love you?"

"I'm sure you tell me half a dozen times a day, Mark."

"I think I'll have to up that rate."

"Go talk to your sister. She needs her big brother." She hugged me tightly. "Can I make one suggestion?"

"Of course."

"Invite her to the farm."

"Okay." I know my quick reply surprised her as she leaned back. But the smile... "I believe every word, sweetheart. My sister didn't lie to me. I have to look it in a certain way to see it like that, but it was more... keeping a secret rather than a lie. I'm going to allow myself to trust her. If she breaks that, she loses me forever. It's that simple."

That earned a soft kiss on my lips. "Definitely getting on my knees when we get home. Once the kids are asleep anyway."

"I assume, after that, it's on your back with my face between your legs."

"God yes, Mark. Though only if I get that thick cock in me afterwards."

"We're getting you pregnant again quickly, aren't we?"

"Give me a couple of months to get my body back, then yes, definitely."

Heading downstairs to the hotel bar first, I bought a bottle of wine and a couple of beers before returning upstairs to Kelly's room. Knocking on the door, she was wearing a dressing gown, bare feet and legs, looking rather cute, to be honest. Lifting the wine, her face lit up as she opened the door for me to enter.

Sitting back together on her bed, she leaned against me as we sipped on our drinks and just spent time catching up with each other. I told her everything and that led to plenty more tears. I held nothing back. She wanted to know. She needed to know the turmoil I'd been through. More than once, she just needed me to hold her as she sobbed. I won't say it felt good to tell her, but she insisted I tell her everything. By the time I was finished, it was after midnight. We were both utterly exhausted

Getting off the bed, she slid under the blankets as I sat back down on the edge. "Tomorrow, we'll just enjoy each other's company. No more about the past. Okay? That's done and dusted. Nothing more to share."

"I don't want to go back," she admitted, "I want to stay closer."

"Small steps, Kelly, but I love hearing the fact you'd rather be closer to me."

"I love you."

I leaned down and kissed her forehead. "I love you too." She needed another long hug after that. "The fact I felt guilty told me that I at least felt something," I whispered as I held her, "I thought I felt nothing from your messages. But it was a lie I told myself. I tried to bury all my feelings, but that shit just doesn't work. The fact you messaged every week, Kelly. Every damned week. That alone proves what I mean to you. And I can open my heart to you in return."

"No wonder she married you."

"She fell in love with a broken man, Kelly. She helped put me back together."

When we returned to the airport on Monday at lunchtime, it was all well and truly water under the bridge. Kelly was already talking about packing up and moving, but before that, she had an invitation to come see us at the farm first so she could meet our parents. When I called them Mum and Dad, she understood why.

Within the next three months, Kelly was flying into Longreach Airport. We'd told Ely and Bill all about it. Cathy and I had told them about the first meeting in Brisbane, and they wanted to speak to Kelly too. Soon, the conversations were taking place online with web cameras, and I was saddened that Kelly was by herself while the four of us gathered to speak to her. But Ely and Bill thought she was wonderful and couldn't wait to meet her.

Being a tiny airport, it took all of five minutes for Kelly to get off the plane before she appeared near the carousel to pick up her bag. She dropped everything upon seeing me, the hug as tight as it was before, though this time she was too busy giggling as I easily lifted her up. Picking up her bag, I did ask if she'd packed a kitchen sink. "You're here for a week, not a year," I muttered with humour.