Page 31 of Stockman's Stowaway

Yet, Cap had inspired such trust in her so quickly. And the more time she spent with him, especially one on one, like they’d done these past few days, the more attached she got. If she was smart, she would be protecting herself before these feelings got any stronger.

Besides, Cap only looked at her like some wounded animal that was helpless and beyond repair. Which, for some parts of her, was true. ‘But Bree—'

‘Doesn’t work for us. So, having Bree help us with the mustering is rare. I won’t take advantage of her generosity.’ He stood and stretched towards the roof.

From her seated position she watched as his shirt came untucked from his jeans, exposing his belly, which rippled with muscle upon muscle. He had veiny forearms to hint at the muscles, but nothing like what she’d seen of those smooth ridges and deep shading of his abs. Just that one small peek had her mouth watering.

This was not happening!

Cap pulled down a large cylinder that was tucked into the exposed beams of the verandah’s roof. He opened the end of the cylinder and produced a roll of large photographic images. ‘I wanted to show you these.’

‘How did you get satellite images?’ She helped him unroll them across the table, using the tin filled with beer caps, empty beer bottles, and coffee cups to hold them in place.

‘Harper got them to help our case against this new mining site trying to claim our water.’

‘Really?’

Cap nodded with a scowl. It didn’t last long as his focus returned to the large satellite images. ‘These give us a picture of the station’s history for the last fifteen years. You can see where the water gathers in the wet season, and where pockets have eroded away, including the stock patterns.’ He pointed to areas of the map, and the ages showing the changes over one-and-a-half decades.

‘This is brilliant stuff. You have lots of natural waterways, billabongs… This is all yours?’

Cap nodded, the smile barely curved on his lips, but the pride shone in his eyes. ‘You should see it from Ryder’s chopper, or the videos Ash has from his drone.’

‘You said you’re collecting the data.’

‘Ash is learning to take water samples, too. He’s creating some tech for the water troughs to give daily readings of rainfall and water quality, all at the touch of a button. Hopefully reducing the need to clean troughs all the time, so no wasting water or using fuel and manpower to check on them. At the moment we’re using Charlie’s idea for algae control—dropping a copper penny in each trough. It’s simple, works a treat, while still keeping us on the organic list for livestock.’

‘I can help with that.’

His lips curved, crinkling the sides of his mouth, but again that smile shone in his eyes. It was a struggle to ignore her foolish feelings for this guy when he looked at her like she was the answer to all his prayers. ‘You can?’

‘I’d take daily water and soil samples as part of my job in the mines.’ Call her crazy, but she wanted to help Cap realise his dream. The guy had been her hero, bringing her out here, but also giving her a job she loved. And she was great at her job—if she focused! ‘Can you get a water and soil sampling kit from the hardware store?’

‘Any preferences?’

She reached for Post-it notes sitting beside the coffeemaker, and a pen that sat among assorted office supplies resting beneath a whiteboard listing out jobs for the station.

She scribbled down the water testing kit details. ‘I know they have this brand in town. It’ll be perfect for you guys, easy to read, but it’ll show you the minerals while also detecting any contaminants in the soil and water to keep your livestock safe.’

‘Brilliant.’ He took the paper, their fingers barely brushing, but it was enough to send a spark up to her elbow.

Come on, focus on the job, not on the boss wearing that sexy smile.‘Where is Ash putting his data?’

He read the note, then pinned it to the whiteboard under a magnet. With a marker he wrote:Harper, can you please collect from the hardware store?Then he drew an arrow, and a circle around the Post-it note. ‘On a spreadsheet, I think.’

‘Well, if you were to lend me your laptop, I’ll give you a copy of the template I used for my mine samples.’

‘You don’t have a laptop?’

She dropped her head, the foolishness of her situation prickling heat along the back of her neck. ‘I did.’ Now, all she had was a phone she couldn’t use, as they were out of range, and her purse stashed in her workbag. What happened to her independence? Her wardrobe? ‘I’m in the market for a new one.’

‘Use mine. I don’t like computers.’

Which made sense when he drove a vintage truck. ‘Can you use a computer?’

‘A bit. I only use it for research.’

‘Not to watch any movies or social media?’

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