Page 87 of Stockman's Stowaway

‘You did thatafteryou stole her from me. It’s my dog.’ Leo went to grab the lead, but the dog cowered. ‘Come on, Porsche.’

‘Back off, mate, or I’ll pop your arm clear out of your shoulder socket, to dislocate it permanently.’ Ryder’s voice was low and loaded with warning. It even had Bree backing away.

‘Is this a good time to repeat that we get the dog to pick her owner?’ It was Harper, timidly standing on a stack of empty boxes, to raise her hand in the air. ‘I believe the idea was tabled earlier, and I’d like to second the motion.’

‘All right, everyone, back up. You too, Leo.’ The sergeant’s authoritative tone had everyone’s attention. He held out his large hand to Mia. ‘If I may?’

‘What are you going to do, Sarge?’ Porter asked.

‘Let the dog choose.’

‘Go with him, Willow.’ Mia handed the lead to the sergeant, who trotted the dog out of the tent and into the main thoroughfare.

‘Everyone, clear a path.’ The crowd eagerly split up along the main walkway at the Sergeant’s stern voice. ‘I want you, Porter, you—’ He pointed at Mia.

‘That’s Mia,’ said Bree.

‘Porter, Mia and Leo make a line along here.’ He flicked out his police baton, it had Willow cower. ‘Easy girl, I won’t hurt you.’ He then dragged the baton along the dirt to form a line.‘You lot line up here. And I want two volunteers from the crowd to join that line. Not you, Bree, or anyone else who knows these people. I want two complete strangers who have never seen the dog before.’

A woman with an umbrella that matched her glamorous fifties outfit, and another stockman volunteered. Mia didn’t know either of them.

‘Are you doing a police line-up, Sarge?’ asked the volunteering stockman.

‘Something like that.’ The Sergeant walked the length of a cricket pitch with the dog, then he turned and faced everyone. ‘To make this fair, I want all those in the line to face the other way and keep their backs to the dog and not move. You will not coerce the animal. There will be no signalling. No whistling. No calling any names. And we will let the dog choose of her own free will.’

Ryder stood in front of Mia. ‘If you want the dog, Mia, you’ll have to do this. If Cap was here, he’d do it.’

But Cap was nowhere in sight.

‘I don’t do public speaking or stand in front of a crowd. I get stage fright.’ And she hated confrontations that scared her so silly that she needed to pee.

‘You have to, or you’ll lose the dog. Who do you want Willow to be with?’

Thirty-two

The breeze barely blew as the heat rose from the soil, making Mia’s brow break out with beads of sweat. With unsteady legs, she struggled to walk in a straight line to stand beside Porter. ‘Is this going to be okay?’ For her, the dog, and everyone else.

‘Stand at the other end, Mia. Furthest away from Leo if you can. I’ll stand in the middle. I want arm’s length apart, to give the dog plenty of room to roam.’ Porter positioned the two strangers and Leo. Then he leaned over and whispered to Mia, ‘I’ve got my fingers crossed she’ll go to you.’

‘But the crowds? All these people?’ She hated the attention.

A warm hand squeezed hers. It was Cap, and her heart flooded with warming relief. ‘You’ve got this, Mia.’ He walked her to the end of the line, gave her hand a squeeze, and let her go.

She didn’t want him to go. ‘But—’

‘Don’t worry. I’ll be right over there, standing with the rest of the family. I’m not going anywhere.’

Every time he saidfamily, her heart twinged with guilt that she hadn’t shared her secret yet. ‘You could take my place.’

‘She’s not my dog.’ Cap gave her a sly wink before standing beside Ash and Ryder, along with Harper and Bree.

‘We’re rooting forTeam Willow,’ called out Harper, holding little Mason. The mother and son duo gave her the doublethumbs up, just like they did from the viewing platform in the drafting yards.

Mia swallowed hard, brushing her hair down around her face to avoid all those eyes watching her. Feeling even more underdressed.

‘All right, no one move. And no one says a word,’ called out the sergeant, and a hush washed over the crowd. ‘I’ll unclip the dog’s lead and the dog will choose where to go. No coercion.’

Mia heard the distinctive click of the dog lead.

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