Page 66 of Stockman's Stowaway

Mia rushed up the stairs behind him and tugged on Cap’s shirt, her excited eyes so pretty in the sunlight. ‘We’ll have stacks to sell. And Craig says he knows people who’d be interested in the guardian dogs, too.’

Dex screwed his nose up. ‘You haven’t even let those fluffy bears out of the kennels yet.’

Cap frowned at his brother. ‘I will, and they’ll work brilliantly. I’d even bet on it.’

‘How much?’

‘A pineapple?’

‘Nah, a grey nurse.’

‘You’re on.’ Dex shook hands with Cap.

‘A what?’ Mia asked Charlie.

‘Pineapple is fifty dollars, and the grey nurse is a hundred.’

‘What’s a twenty?’

‘The redback.’

‘Now that’s all sorted,’ said Bree. ‘Can we let Craig get on with his job, so you boys can sell your cattle, Ryder can beef up the security, Dex can start stripping the scrub, and Mia can start playing garden gnome to regenerate the property.’

‘And what will you be doing?’ Ash asked.

Bree’s grin widened, full of mischief. ‘Charlie, Craig, and I are planning on a long liquid lunch. Remember, I don’t work for you boys.’ She then nudged Mia. ‘And for you, precious, I’ll make you a hamper to share with Cap, because Craig’s got the couch tonight. You can collect it when you pick up my swag.’

Eh?Cap raised an eyebrow at Mia. What was Bree up to?

Twenty-two

‘Why are we building these new kennels out here in this paddock? When you have those ones near the nursery.’ In her overalls and hat, Mia squinted up at him in the most adorable way. It was a look that made Cap grin at her with admiration.

But if he kept staring at her, she’d think of him as a weird stalker or something. It didn’t stop him from taking sneaky glances in her direction every chance he got.

The freshly cemented floor was so white, where he cut the bindings from the roll of mesh wire. ‘This will be for the Maremmas. I plan to use this as a future training area for all guardian dogs and calves. Can you hold this wire up so I can attach it to the poles?’

‘Sure.’ Mia rarely said no, always keen to get her hands dirty. And she was such a tiny thing that he could easily secure the mesh to the poles above her head, while enjoying her summery aroma.

‘Can you explain the guardian dog process to me?’ She tucked her wind-tossed hair behind her ears, revealing more of her face and her delicate neck.

He licked his lips, imagining what her skin tasted like. ‘With any of the new guardians, I plan on keeping them inside the kennels to allow both the calves and dogs to get used to each other. Eventually they’ll move out with that group of calves tothe larger paddocks, where they’ll live with the cattle until the next lot of calves arrive. Don’t stress, we’ll be feeding them at various watering points in the paddocks while they keep doing their job of deterring any dingoes.’ He didn’t want his brothers suggesting the use of dingo baits, not when he could use these guardian dogs and the wildlife corridors.

‘When will these dogs be ready for that?’

‘Not long. They’ve come from a cattle station that’s well skilled at bringing out their natural instincts. It’s the calves who need to get used to the dogs. But with their coats looking similar in colour, and the calves’ age, it should be a quick transition period.’ With one side of the kennel secure, they moved around to the rear of the simple shelter.

‘You said they came from another station. Didn’t the owner want them?’ Again, Mia held the mesh to the pole while he worked around her body, securing it in place. It was torture to not touch her, but it was also a pleasure to be this close.

‘They’re rescue dogs who go to this Western Australian station that works with this type of dog breed, the way I rescue cattle dogs. These guardian dogs came through various animal shelters. People like the fluffy bear look but can't deal with the reality of looking after dogs like this and end up surrendering them.’

‘Why would anyone want to surrender these gorgeous, fluffy animals?’ Mia reached down to pat the female resting on her chain, while the younger male, still in his juvenile stage, strained on his chain to demand a pat from Mia, who was smiling at the dogs, in a way he’d never tire of.

‘Unfortunately, they don't make very good pets, Mia.’ Didn’t that kill her smile.

‘But…’ Her brow rumpled with confusion, as she helped him shift the roll of mesh along to the last post.

‘Maremmas have a powerful instinct to guard livestock. It’s a trait that’s been bred into them for centuries. They originate from Italy, where they protected sheep from predators like wolves. It’s what makes them perfect for guarding livestock. But not so good with people.’ He nodded at the dogs calmly lying in the cool shade of the new kennels while watching the skittish calves in the paddock. ‘Unlike cattle dogs or most other dogs, guardian dogs are an independent animal, which is what they’re bred for, to not depend on humans, so you can’t bribe them with food, or expect them to behave in an apartment when they’re bred to live outside.’

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