Page 43 of Stockman's Stowaway

By then they’d become one big line of vehicles, bikes, dogs, and horses, with the helicopter shadowing above, to form an impenetrable wall, giving the herd a final push past the hessian wings and through the wide-open gates.

As the last of the herd passed through, Bree shut the gate with a clang, and the herd was contained.

A cool breeze blew the red dust away like a veil being lifted to expose an enormous cornflower blue sky and a large, roofed structure, with lots of yards made of thick rails taller than Mia.

It was the drafting yards.

Bree removed her hat, lowering her scarf she had covering her nose and mouth, and wiped the dirt and sweat from her brow. ‘And my job is done.’ She slapped her hat on her head andtrotted away on her towering black horse. ‘I have a hot shower owed to me.’

‘Aw, come on, Bree, we could really do with your help to man the gates,’ said Dex, circling her with his horse.

‘Hey, hold up, kid. Job’s not done yet.’ Charlie scrambled off his bike to grab her horse’s reins.

Nearby, Ryder landed his helicopter in the open field as Harper parked the Razorback alongside Ash’s bike. That’s where Mia parked the quad, wiping at the thick dust covering her face and staining her clothes.

‘We can start training Harper to do the sticks,’ said Charlie, still holding Bree’s horse in place.

‘I can’t wait to learn,’ said Harper.

‘See, kid. I’ll need help with the training.’

‘Pop, my care factor has hit theI-don’t-give-a-damnlevel.’ Sitting high in the saddle, Bree didn’t look impressed at all.

‘There’s only three of them in the pit, until Cap gets Mia confident enough with Willow at the back. Please do it for me, kid. We’ll just do the sortin’ today. That’s all.’ Charlie patted Bree’s denim thigh in a fatherly manner. ‘With you on board, we can knock over that part of the draft in no time, to let them lads finish the rest, and do Cap’s deck on Saturday, just like you planned. Then Mia can move into her new room and start working, which you said would be good for the girl.’

‘But—’ Mia went to say something, but Dex—the bully—blocked her view using his horse to get in the way, while shaking his head at Mia to shut up.

Mia glared at Dex. She hated being used as a tool to manipulate Bree.

‘How many more days in the drafting yards have we got left, kid?’ Charlie was good.

‘Oh, man.’ Bree slapped her hat back on her head and climbed off her saddle. ‘You owe me big time, old man.’ Bree led herhorse away to the shaded trough where she began unsaddling the horse with Dex beside her.

Harper passed Mia a bottle of icy cold water, fresh from the large esky that sat on the back of the Razorback. ‘I’m starting to think that this might not be fun.’ She pointed at Bree, who didn’t look happy at all.

‘Nah.’ Charlie hitched up his trousers as he headed for the gates. ‘The kid’s been up all night. It’s not easy mustering under moonlight, takes a lot out of you, but she’ll be right, you’ll see. But you two, c’mere. First lesson about the yards.’ He pointed to the tall, thick-railed gates. ‘Never, ever, under any circumstances, do you ever put your hands, fingers, tongues, or toes anywhere near these gate panels. Especially when you’ve got a bull charging at you. They’ll hit the fence with a full tonne of their weight, and if your hand’s caught you’ll lose digits.’

‘Now, that sounds scary.’ Harper gulped, looking at Ash by the Razorback.

Ash scooped his son out of the baby seat and slung one arm around Harper’s shoulders. ‘It’s all good, babe. If you and Mason stay up there on the high boards with Charlie, you’ll have the best time.’ He passed Harper the baby carrier.

‘Mason’s growing out of this.’ Harper clipped it over her shoulders, then around her waist.

‘I can see that. Did you bring that box out?’

‘I tucked it under the passenger seat. Next to the spotlight.’

‘Cool.’ Ash rummaged under the seat, while holding Mason, who was eagerly pointing at the cattle and babbling.

‘Can you?’ Harper turned her back to Mia. ‘I can’t reach the back clip.’

‘Oh, sure.’ Mia clipped it into place; it was the first time she’d done that, when she’d done her best to avoid all things that involved babies and small children.

‘Where are you going to be, Ash?’ asked Harper.

‘We’ll be in the pit. Charlie can explain what our jobs are.’ Ash helped Harper slide the toddler into the pouch, then kissed Harper’s cheek, sharing a tender smile that openly showed his love for her.

Ash then ruffled the boy’s hair, kissing his son’s forehead, before slinging on his hat and tucking the box under his arm. ‘Look after them, Charlie.’ Ash warned, as he ducked under some of the rails.

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