Page 111 of Stockman's Stormcloud

She straightened her shoulders to glare at him. Dex could be so cold at times.

‘See…’ He tapped the tip of her nose to temper her anger. ‘That’s the same for me.’

‘Well, I’ll be here.’ And she wasn’t moving.

‘Okay then, you can watch my fight kit.’ He dumped his duffel bag at her feet.

‘Where are you going?’

‘To see a man about a dog.’ And he disappeared amongst the crowd building up behind her.

She could never understand why men had the need to fight. At the cattle station, Dex was such a different person, patting the dogs, taking time to brush down the stockhorses,checking over the cattle in the drafting yards, play fighting with his young nephew, and ending his day watching the sunset while cradling a beer in his lap talking with his brothers.

Here, Dex was a loner. Guarded, and oh so fiercely dangerous. And he should be, considering he was about to enter a fighting bout, which meant putting his life in danger. Dex had way more to lose than anyone.

The nerves were killing her as she tugged on the stupid string Bree had given her. It was such an ugly brown colour, coarse against her skin, but it did its job of making her think hard about what she wanted.

Dex was right to get mad at her stupid deal, because she would have felt trapped. It’s how she’d felt about her ex, too scared to do anything until it was too late that she’d lost everything.

Here, now, in a completely different world, those rose-coloured glasses she’d been living behind changed, as if the camera’s lens filter had been switched to show a new way of life.

Life was rugged, it was dirty, and it was dangerous. If you didn’t fight for what you wanted in life, someone was always lurking in the shadows, only too willing to take it all away.

In that moment, she truly understood why Dex was doing this.

Sophie had never had to fight for anything, not like Dex or Bree. But she wanted to fight now. She wanted to fight for her future, and she finally realised what it was.

And the simple string fell away from her wrist to land in the dirt, like magic.

Thirty-six

‘Oh, look, there’s my little stormcloud.’ Bree stood behind a small table that held crates of bottles at the back of her open Kombi van, with music playing and a string of fairy lights illuminating her area. Parked alongside other vehicles, selling assorted goods, this car park boot sale was doing a roaring trade. ‘Are you ready for some rage therapy?’

‘I’m here, aren’t I?’

‘It’s just adorable that you woke up and chose violence today.’

He matched her sly grin. ‘How’s sales?’

‘I’ve nearly sold out. I made cider this time. They can’t bust me for that, and it’ll give the crowd something to drink while waiting.’

‘No gin?’

‘Puh-leese, the cops are watching. I’m not letting them have that over me.’

‘Isn’t Finn one of the good guys.’

‘Is he?’ She arched her eyebrows at him.

‘He told us you were divorced. Does this mean you and Finn are—’

‘Honey, just because I’m re-reading from the same book, it doesn’t change the ending. But you can change yours.’

‘I’m fighting. Are you betting on me to win?’

‘Always.’ Someone approached her table. ‘Will you look at that dung beetle in a skin suit?’

Dex glared at public enemy number one. It was Leo.

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