Page 7 of Stockman's Stowaway

‘Team for what area?’

‘I’m…’ She gathered her courage to reveal her job title, which regularly made miners scowl at her. ‘I’m a mining revegetation specialist.’

‘For real?’ Cap eyes lit up like he’d struck gold. His hint of a grin made her look at him, like really look at him.

Cap was a rugged but stunningly handsome man—which was not what she needed right now.

But she couldn’t stop herself from taking in the details of how the sun and wind had etched lines of experience over his weathered face where a shadow of a beard complemented his strong jawline.

‘What sort of job is that?’ Charlie asked.

‘Basically, I plant trees.’

‘So that’d make you a specialist in digging holes, eh?’ Charlie cheekily winked at her.

‘Charlie’s old school. You’ll have to explain it to him.’

‘Well...’ She jutted out her tender, bruised chin. ‘I’m a tropical native botanist who specialises in soil repair. I love dirt so much I help repair mining site landscapes, which means planting a lot of trees.’

‘So, you’re one of them eco-thingies like Cap.’

She shrugged.

Cap shifted behind the steering wheel. ‘I might have a job for you, if you want?’

‘Doing what?’

‘I’m trying to work out where to create wildlife corridors to protect the soil. Last muster we had a killer sandstorm, and we lost topsoil.’

‘Worst one I’d seen in all my years,’ said Charlie.

‘Besides rehabilitating some areas on the station, I want to try some no-tilling, self-seeding feed crop methods, too.’ The excitement was evident in Cap’s voice, as he rested his thick wrists on the steering wheel of the Tojo that plodded along the dirt road.

‘But aren’t you a cattle producer?’ In her experience they were very protective of their carbon monoxide–producing cattle that accelerated climate change. But she wasn’t going to mention that to the guy helping her out of a jam.

‘It’s all gobbledegook to me,’ mumbled Charlie.

‘I’m trying to reduce our carbon emissions,’ said Cap.

She whipped her head around to face him. ‘Are you for real?’

Cap gave a curt nod. ‘Absolutely. My younger brother, Ash, is using his drone for certain jobs, to cut down on fossil fuels, while I’m focusing on using muster dogs and stockhorses to do the same. I’m always looking for the best ways to reduce our carbon emissions, and I’ve also been researching regenerative agriculture practices to increase our biodiversity.’

‘What the hell did you just say?’ Charlie asked.

Cap spoke so passionately as he sat higher behind the steering wheel. ‘It’s all about farming for the future by looking after the soil today. I know the changes are coming fast, where the market will be demanding carbon-neutral beef on their shelves, and I’m hoping Elsie Creek Station will be there, front and centre.’

‘I still don’t understand all that.’ Old Charlie shook his head. ‘Was that English?’

‘It means that the methane created by the cattle won’t hurt the environment, because we’re balancing out the amount of stock among the landmass in the way we create our crops, use our water, and maintain our trees.’ He grinned at Mia. ‘It’s possible, right?’

She just stared at him, nodding like a fool with wide eyes, while her mind tripped over:Where have you been all my life?

‘So, do you want a job? I could really use your input.’

All she could do was nod. Normally, men would baulk at her job, especially those in the mining and cattle industry. The mining execs ignored her, because she was there as part of a government policy, and most of them would call her a misplaced hippy. Some cattlemen were so set in their ways they’d rather ignore anyone telling them what science had proven, but this… ‘I’m in.’ Sweet sassy malassy she was in.

‘Great. You can help me explain it to my brothers.’

---