Page 61 of Stockman's Stowaway

Mia dashed to the bathroom, took care of business and then loaded up her toothbrush. Glancing up at the mirror she grimaced at her reflection. The bruising was now a garish greeny-yellow with tinges of brown. At least the swelling was gone, and her lips were back to normal.

At the main hat rack, she slid on her oversized shirt to protect her from the sun, that hung with her hat. This almost felt normal, getting dressed to go to work. ‘I think I heard Ryder say something about security cameras, wouldn’t that stop the need to take long drives?’ She knew Cap and Ash were keen on cutting down on fossil fuels.

‘I forgot they had those.’ Bree juggled her keys, unlocked the tall cupboard and removed her shotgun that rested among many others. ‘But it’s a long fence line to check. Who knows how many hours of footage Ryder has to troll through? If we find something, we can fix it and let them know. So, in a way, we’re helping.’

Mia paused buttoning up her shirt, to grin at the determined redhead. ‘I thought you weren’t helping them.’

Bree shrugged. ‘We’re just doing a boundary run. It’s just another job on a cattle station, checking the fences and the firebreak. It is the dry season and we’re wary of bushfires this time of the year.’

Mia attacked her woolly hair with the brush. ‘You’re going fencing with shotguns?’

‘Don’t worry, it’s just a precaution. I’d hate to come across a sick beast and not help put the poor thing out of their misery.’ Her shotguns clicked loudly as she checked the load.

‘Oh…’

‘Sadly, it’s the ugly side of the job.’ Bree slid into her riding boots, slapping on the large Akubra she wore when on a horse. Bree had many hats, some with hatbands wound in various materials, like twine, leather and wire. Some had playing cards and matches or some shiny charms in them. But she also had a large collection of colourful skullcaps. Today, it was the wide-brimmed Akubra, grey and weatherworn with lots of twine and strips of leather and lace to make up the unusual hatband.

‘Don’t worry, I’ll radio Ryder to meet us at the drafting yards later,’ Bree said, handing Mia her soft brown hat. ‘By then, they would have finished walking the bush mob out to Ash’s paddock. What are you doing later? You’re welcome to join us, to hear Charlie and Craig swap rodeo stories.’

‘I was going to help Cap with the new guardian dogs tonight.’ She was looking forward to seeing the big bears in action.

Bree grinned widely. ‘Well, well, well…’

Mia winced. ‘It’s not like that. It’s work.’

‘Riiiight.’ Bree giggled to herself. ‘At least Craig can have the couch. Take my swag and have a night under the stars.’

Mia felt like a loose end. ‘You know, I can’t wait to get into a routine again, and know what I’m supposed to do. I feel like I’m on holiday, sleeping in while everyone else is working.’

‘You needed the rest, Mia. And that couch has a habit of putting people to sleep.’

‘But I can’t live on the couch forever.’ She needed to get her independence back. ‘Do you want me to help you with Cap’s house?’

‘I finished putting in the struts for Cap’s new deck, earlier. I’m just waiting on the concrete to set before I can do any more. Ieven reinforced the braces on Cap’s kennels. He’d need it with those big dogs.’

‘Did you look at the nursery? The nursery tables need repair.’

‘Nice try, Mia.’ Bree gave her a sly grin. ‘I don’t work for the boys, especially when they can do that themselves.’

‘Oh, yeah, sorry.’

‘But good news. Harper is bringing out the paint today after work. We can do an undercoat of your room, before I drink too much gin.’

‘Really?’

‘It’s what you want, a room and a routine to help you get over…’ Bree gently brushed the hair from Mia’s face like a sister. ‘I know that once you have a room, and the nursery started, you’ll be so busy doing what you love, that this will all be a long distant memory to forget.’

Why couldn’t that be yesterday so that everyone looked at her normally today. ‘I really want to help the brothers.’

‘We can all see that.’

‘Why are you helping Cap with his house?’

‘Because Cap gives up a lot for his dogs. In the time he’s been here I’ve seen how he cares for them. Cap is the type of guy who’d rather feed his dog pack first and let himself go hungry, and he has done so for their vet fees. I know Cap has saved countless working dogs. He’s found good homes for those dogs, or he’d kept them, like Scout there who struggled being around people in suburbia after what happened to her.’ Bree pointed at the beagle sniffing around the room.

‘What happened to her?’ The beagle looked so happy and healthy.

‘A druggie hit her nose after she’d busted him at an airport. Scout won’t do crowds anymore. So, on behalf of the many dogs Cap has saved, this is me paying it forward for those canines who can’t. Do you understand what I’m saying?’

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