Page 42 of Stockman's Sandstorm

He peered at the wall that separated them from the child.

‘Do you want to get your son?’

Ash shook his head. ‘I have a meeting with my brothers. We’re planning a muster this morning.’ He was keen to see how he could gamify the station, and to prove to his brothers that his ideas would be a valuable contribution.

Yet he felt guilty for not going to see Mason, especially after last night.

‘Hey, that’s why I’m here.’ She paused, catching the doorjamb on her way out into the corridor. ‘Thanks for the shortbread, Ash, and for not flirting with me.’

‘Boundaries, right?’

‘Boundaries.’

Yeah, well, right now, those boundaries of hers were beginning to suck.

Eighteen

‘Charlie, you need to ask her,’ urged Dex, seated at their outdoor table on the porch. Ash cradled his coffee mug, alongside the rest of his brothers, for their morning meeting.

The old stockman scowled. ‘I don’t need my granddaughter’s permission to go on a muster, not when I’ve been flamin’ managing musters long before any of you lot were born.’

‘We know Bree won’t let you go,’ said Cap.

‘Hey, does Bree have an illegal still?’ Ryder took a deep mouthful of his coffee.

‘Who told you that bulldust?’ Charlie narrowed his eyes at them.

‘The Station Hand visited last night. He also mentioned you and Bree are brand makers.’

‘Dying trade, I’m afraid.’ Charlie thumbed up the brim of his old Akubra. ‘But we make ‘em for sheep, pigs, even some alpacas, but mostly cattle right across the country. Bree takes care of the register, makes sure no two brands are the same. I’ve got a clever granddaughter, for sure.’

‘And you’ll need her approval to come on this muster?’ Ryder leaned closer to the old man. ‘We can’t do this without you, Charlie. You’re the only one who knows the path through the Stoneys to Wombat Flats.’

‘Bree knows it, too. She’s been up and back plenty of times to check on the cattle. They’re safe enough, getting fat out there.’

‘But if we don’t move them and they decide our dam isn’t legal …’

Charlie’s grey eyes flared open. ‘Cor blimey, it’ll be a flash flood. They’ll either drown or get cut off for good. And that’s a bloody fine herd you don’t want goin’ to waste.’ Charlie shifted to rest his forearms on the table. ‘Have you lot got stockhorses? You’ll need two per man, and then a couple of pack horses for your gear.’

‘The Station Hand and our brother are finding us some,’ said Cap. ‘I’m taking the dogs, too.’

‘Long, bloody walk for them dogs, you know. That beagle won’t make it.’

‘Long walk for cattle, too. But I’m only taking the cattle dogs.’

‘What about Sarge, there?’ Charlie nodded at the regal-looking shepherd that lived on the far corner of the porch.

‘He’ll stay to guard the property. Don’t worry, I’ve got special feeders for the dogs that are staying.’

‘We’ll be locking the front gate, which we plan to fix ASAP, and we’re putting up some more cameras, especially around the dam, along with these signs.’ Ryder held up a tin sign stating Private Property, under 24-hour surveillance.

‘You should hang signs that say Trespassers will be shot. That’ll make ‘em think twice.’ Charlie chuckled. ‘Hey, what’s stopping them from smashing the cameras? They broke the fences and didn’t care about hiding their tracks the last time. Have you got many cameras?’

‘Not yet. We’re making fake ones until our next order arrives.’ Ash showed off his latest creation. The top of a glass beer bottle sat on a plastic container, cut down to size, painted white. It even had some shiny foil on top to look like a solar panel.

‘What the flamin’ heck is that?’

‘A fake camera. If we make enough of them, they won’t know what’s real and what’s fake.’ Ash held up two clunky security cameras side by side. He was going to enlist Harper’s help to make more with him, and maybe talk more about gamifying the station.

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