Page 81 of Stockman's Stowaway

It was her turn to give his hand an encouraging squeeze. ‘Hey, you’ll be incredible.’

He gave her a wink, the sly kind that always made her smile from the inside. ‘Here, you take Willow with you.’ He led the kelpie from the cage, her coat gleaming. ‘I’ve got to admit Bree’s dog shampoo is fancy. The kelpie looks like one of those polished racehorses at the Melbourne Cup.’

‘So do Fern and Atlas.’

‘They do look good.’ He patted the dogs in the cage. ‘Stay... I’ll come back and set them up once I’ve shown you where the tent is.’ Closing the cage, he grabbed the trolley loaded with crates of plant seedlings.

‘Do we lock the Tojo up?’ Considering they locked nothing at the station.

‘Yeah, I forgot.’ He chuckled as he walked around to the driver’s side and locked the old ute.

‘What about the back?’

‘The dogs won’t let anyone near it.’

She dropped her head at the reminder.

‘Hey, my little stowaway, you’re okay.’ He gave her shoulders a squeeze and kissed the top of her hair as if he’d read her mind.

Ash closed the boot of Harper’s slick Audi. ‘Babe, we should’ve brought my ute for all this stuff.’ He juggled with the fold-up tables and chairs. ‘Cap? Have you got room on that trolley? I’ve still got a kid to get out of his seat and they don’t travel light.’

‘I’ve got you.’ Cap helped his brother with the tables.

‘Here, let me.’ Mia helped Harper load up the pram with a cooler, a water container, and the many items a toddler needed.

It was like a bucket of cold water being splashed over her good mood. She hadn’t told Cap about her not being able to have children. Every time she tried, she chickened out because she didn’t want to ruin what they had.

‘We good?’ Cap asked, while waiting for her like always so he could walk at her side.

‘Yeah.’ She pasted on a smile, sliding the baby bag over her shoulder, and grabbed the boxes of pamphlets, looking for Willow’s lead, following close to Mia’s knee, like always. ‘Good girl, Willow. Stick close.’

‘Anyone see Bree?’ Harper pushed the loaded pram like a wheelbarrow.

‘Bree is parking Charlie’s car up by the vintage cars display near the beer tent,’ replied Ash, hoisting his son onto his shoulders.

‘Pandora,’ said Harper. ‘It’s says so on the new numberplates Bree got for the car, that Porter helped her get registered. Bree has a nickname for everything.’

‘And everyone,’ said Ash already looked bothered as the packhorse. ‘Where are we setting up?’

‘Our tent is on the main thoroughfare. Good traffic, Bree said.’ Cap pulled out the mud map Charlie had given them. ‘Here.’

‘Will your other brothers help us today?’ asked Harper.

Cap grinned at Ash, who said, ‘Dex, the revhead, has volunteered to watch over Pandora, acting like a proud father. I think he’s trying to convince Charlie to make it a black muscle car. Porter thinks it should be a hot rod.’

‘I like how it is now. Charlie was up late polishing it.’

‘Like you were, polishing dogs. I’ve gotta say that kelpie’s looking good.’ Ash tilted his head at the dog. ‘Great shine on her coat.’

‘Thanks to Bree’s dog shampoo,’ Mia said.

‘Another witchy concoction.’ Ash shifted his shoulders to better balance the child, before hooking his arm through the camp chair and cooler.

‘Will you be showing the fluffy white bears next year?’ Harper asked.

‘Babe, those guardian dogs aren’t pets.’

‘But Lurch and Momma Bear are adorable,’ said Harper. The new guardian dogs had settled in so fast they were like part of the furniture, protecting a paddock full of poddy calves.

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