Page 38 of Stockman's Stowaway

Mia couldn’t get dressed quick enough as Charlie grabbed torches and water bottles.

Another haunting howl echoed in the air. It made Mia’s skin crawl.

‘The buggers are close.’ Charlie narrowed his eyes at the open back door that only showed a deep blackness. ‘Leave your dog here, girlie. We don’t want Willow tangling with them wild ones. It’s why Cap keeps his dogs in kennels at night—to protect them.’ Charlie slipped on his jacket, before sliding on his sweat-stained Akubra with its distinctive crocodile leather band.

‘Want a jacket?’ He pointed to the rack filled with assorted coats, hats, leather aprons, stockwhips, and spurs. Underneath stood a row of assorted boots.

‘I have a jumper.’ Mia grabbed her water bottle, holding her jumper with her teeth, she slung the rifle’s strap over her shoulder while shoving boxes of bullets down the front pocket of her overalls, as she raced after Charlie.

By the back door, Charlie nodded at Willow. ‘Tell the dog to stay or she’ll break out and follow.’

‘Stay, Willow. Please, stay. I’ll be back soon, I promise.’ Mia patted the dog, securely closing the wooden door behind her.

The excitement and the sense of urgency had her scrambling as the cool outback air nipped at her skin. She scurried after Charlie, who’d quickly headed for the dark sheds, only guided by torchlight.

At one o’clock in the morning the world was draped in a deep galaxy of stars that allowed the cool heavy dew to fall like an ice blanket. Mia wished she had borrowed one of Charlie’s coats.

Inside the shed, the corrugated walls amplified the sound of a deep-throated engine roaring to life, so loud it hurt her ears.

It belonged to a fierce-looking vehicle you’d expect to find in a Mad Max movie. It was a four-wheel drive, with its top half cleanly cut free, leaving only two front seats and a steering wheel, with a large bionic arm and a serious steel bull bar across the front. It had no front windshield or doors or anything for safety like airbags or seatbelts. In the back, it held steel bench seats that ran down the sides like a troop carrier. The odd thing that stood out most was the baby seat in the middle of the two front seats.

‘I’m guessing the baby seat is for Mason?’ Mia helped Charlie load up the vehicle, before taking the passenger seat.

‘That boy loves this thing. I reckon he’ll be driving it the second his toes hit the floor pedals, just like Bree did.’ Thick diesel smoke spewed out of the twin exhaust stacks like you’d expect to find on the sides of a huge semi-truck.

‘What is this thing?’

‘This here is the Razorback.’ Charlie’s wide grin deepened his many weatherworn wrinkles, as he flicked on a bank of spotlights that lit up the world in hot white light.

‘A what?’

‘The Razorback is a bull catcher, and a bloody good one at that.’ He crunched the gears, and the rumbling beast roared with its lethal V8 engine, as Charlie steered towards the farmhouse where he hammered on a foghorn you’d expect to find on a ship!

Mia flinched in the passenger seat, while holding her ears. ‘Sweet sassy malassy that’s loud.’ It was enough to wake the dead.

‘Gotta get their attention somehow.’ Charlie chuckled as he pushed the horn again.

Hoooonk.

The shepherd they called Sarge, howled with the horn from the front verandah.

The porch lights flickered on as Ryder pushed open the screen door. Slipping on a shirt, Ryder was a wall of muscle. But his scowl was super scary. ‘You’d better have a bloody good reason to play with that horn, Charlie.’

‘Dingoes are makin’ a helluva racket up near the herd.’

BOOM!

Running over to meet them, Dex and Cap flinched like Mia did in the passenger seat as the sound of a shotgun blast rang in the air. But Ryder and Charlie remained calm.

‘Don’t tell me that’s Bree out there.’ Ryder pulled on his boots and jacket.

‘Bree’s on horseback,’ said Charlie. ‘You can reach her on the radio.’

Ash rushed outside wearing only boxer shorts. Another brother with nothing but a torso of muscle. Was it a Riggs family trait? Whatever it was, Harper was a lucky lady.

‘Did I hear a gunshot?’ Ash asked.

‘It’s those damned dingoes.’ Dex dashed past him, heading into the farmhouse.

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