Page 45 of Stockman's Stowaway

‘What is it?’ Ryder’s deep voice cut through their bantering and Ash’s chuckling.

‘It’s a herbal salve my grandmother created specifically for branding.’ Bree stirred the concoction, then used the ladle like tongs to toss the rag into the flame, where it arced and hissed, turning green. Then she slid the branding iron straight into the green glowing coals. ‘Don’t panic, precious, it’s not toxic.’ Bree even winked at Mia. ‘In fact, you’ll be happy to hear that this salve effectively takes the sting out of the branding process, so you’re not causing any harm to the beast.’

‘That’s a relief to hear.’

Charlie hollered from the stands. ‘I use it when I get burnt on the pizza oven. Takes that sting out straight away.’

‘Oh, is that the stuff you gave me, Bree?’ Mia showed her arm. ‘When I got burnt doing the jars when we preserved your tomatoes.’

The men looked at her face, not her arm.Aww, come on.She’d forgotten about the bruising on her face, because it didn’t hurt anymore.

Bree gave her a soft smile. ‘The same, precious.’ She stirred the bucket again, putting the lid back on securely. ‘The other benefit of this salve is that it helps the beasts heal quicker, like an antiseptic tattooist cream, giving you an extremely clean outline of the Elsie Creek Brand on their coats, making it harder to tamper with. It’s one of the tricks of being a brand master,along with how to stoke a good coal fire to ensure the rod is hot enough. But if you want my secret recipe, you’ll have to make a blood oath under a blue moon. Dex can bring his broomstick.’ Bree grinned as she removed the branding iron from the fire; it was now scalding white. It was hotter than an oven. ‘Want me to show you how effective it is on your rump, Dex?’

‘Oi.’ Dex backed away from the redhead with his hand on his butt. ‘Told you I’m not your toy for anger management. I am not the bigger person my mother wanted me to be. I will hit you if you get too close with that branding iron.’

‘Watch yourself.’ Cap thumped Dex’s shoulder while angling his head at Mia.

‘Sorry, Mia. Bree and I were just mucking around.’ Dex wiped a hand over his face, the remorse was so unexpectedly raw and real. ‘Our mother raised us to never hurt a woman, and we’ve got sisters. But give me five seconds with any bloke who’d dare to raise their fists to a woman, and I’d soon sort them out.’

Coming from the professional street fighter, she believed him.

‘It’s fine. I know you were just sharing a joke.’ Mia wished they’d stop treating her like some fragile egg, ready to fall to pieces at any second. She was made of tougher stuff than that. But the constant reminder was wearing her down.

But then she did have her first panic attack yesterday, when running from Leo. It only made her more determined to prove her mental toughness moving forward, giving them an encouraging smile.

‘As long as that ointment works, we’ll use it,’ said Ryder. ‘We appreciate it, Bree.’

‘I’ll add it to the bill.’ Bree slid the branding iron into the large water drum with a hiss, unleashing wisps of curling steam. ‘See you on the other side.’

‘Where are you going?’

‘Because of my grandfather’s manipulation, I’ll be helping Charlie with the culling calls in the pound, sorting your stock out like a croupier at a casino.’

‘Oi, what’s that about my calls?’ Charlie barked from the balcony. ‘I know what I’m doing.’

‘I know, Pop. But don’t get cranky when I spot something from the ground.’ Bree then turned to the men; her seriousness shone in her eyes. ‘And don’t think that taints any of Charlie’s calls. He’s got half a century of experience on him.’

‘I know,’ said Cap. ‘We’re lucky to have both of you on board.’

‘I don’t work for you mob, remember that. Take care of Mia, Cap. And Mia? Trust what Cap has to say. Oh, and don’t get jealous if I want to play with your dog in the pound.’

‘Willow is not my dog.’

‘Denial is not a good look on you, precious.’ Bree gave the dog a pat. ‘See you in there, girl.’ She then adjusted her hat, tightened her gloves, and climbed a set of rails like a ladder to pick up a set of long white poles that rested on a boarded walkway. ‘Let’s get going. I’d like to be home before sunset, boys. I’m overdue an ice bath and a decent liver kick of gin.’

Seventeen

Ryder began strapping on a thick set of leather chaps over his jeans. To Mia they looked like the ones western cowboys wore. ‘Ash, you ready?’

‘I am.’ Ash smiled and waved at Harper and Mason standing on the gangway at the drafting yards.

Ryder tapped the back of his hand sharply against Ash’s chest. ‘Oi, no show ponying stuff because your kid is watching. I want this to be an injury-free day in the yards.’

‘Okay, okay. Relax, Ryder.’ Ash opened the box he’d been carrying. ‘I’ve got a hundred of these new ear tags I want to trial before producing more in the future.’ He handed out a few plastic tags that looked similar to luggage tags.

‘Are these the trackers you’ve been designing?’ Cap asked, passing one to Mia, who inspected the hard plastic with numbers on one side.

‘Can’t you use the ear tags for identification instead of branding?’ Mia brushed her thumb over the cool plastic.

---