Page 124 of Stockman's Stormcloud

‘Or?’ Dex wiped off the mud and dust, checking the thick chains and rope that contained the monster lying deathly still on the side of the riverbank. With his long snout wrapped in tape and his eyes covered, the croc seemed quite calm.

‘I think Carked-it should go for a helicopter ride,’ suggested Bree. ‘The sling will hold him.’

Ryder arched an eyebrow at the redhead. He was as filthy as his brothers, guzzling down water from having wrestled with a crocodile.

‘You can fly him to the river,’ said Bree. ‘Carked-it has got another twenty years left in him and deserves to find a good home. Don’t you agree, Pop?’

‘That ol’ saltie will go another fifty years, the cunning beast he is.’ Charlie swaggered over to pat the large crocodile’s nose. ‘Listen up, young fella. If you ever come back to pinch any more of their livestock, you’ll leave me no choice but to make crocodile boots for the boys. You hear?’

‘Will the helicopter carry that much weight?’ Sophie asked, taking more photos. She never stopped. And Dex didn’t want her to. She was now happily living with him, along with her cat, where she spent hours photographing life on the station.

Mr Purrington had taken couch surfing to a whole new level of not only squatting on Dex’s couch, but the ginger ball of fur had also taken ownership of the couch Dex had once camped on in the caretaker’s cottage.

It was also quite the spectacle to see Charlie walking the cat like a dog along Drover’s Rest where he watched over the stolen cattle being re-educated at stock school. Every morning Bree rode her stockhorses, tending to the herd with care, until they were ready to move back with the rest of the mob.

Finn was gone. He took his photos, got his case file and their statements, climbed into the rustler’s truck, kissed Bree one last time and drove away. Just like that.

It was Marcus and Porter who kept them updated on the rustlers, who’d been remanded into custody, awaiting trial dates.

But Leo, the slippery mother, got away with everything. Again. No doubt plotting the next part of their ongoing war.

But today, none of that mattered, not in this pretty spot, with the escarpment called Cattleman’s Keep on their left and the Stoneys stretching across the distant horizon. They were on the far edge of Emu Plains, a wide open plain where their cattle grazed among the assorted grasslands. While an enormous crocodile lay in the mud on the banks of the wide creek bed that Charlie and Bree calledOne More No MoreCornerthat led to a group of water holes.

Even though Dex had officially retired from fighting, it didn’t stop him from wrestling with crocodiles, or cattle if needed. He loved station life. ‘How did Carked-it get in here, anyway?’ Dex asked Charlie. ‘This creek is freshwater.’

‘He probably trekked through one of the side creeks from the Stoneys. They run high in the wet season. And with you mob repairing Starvation Dam, he could’ve walked across land searching for water. I know a good spot for this swamp puppy.’

‘So that’s what you call a swamp puppy?’ Sophie pointed at the crocodile.

‘Yeah, what did you think it was?’ Charlie poked up the brim of his hat.

‘A dog.’ She shrugged sheepishly, pointing to Cap’s muster dogs resting along the bank. ‘So what is a grass puppy?’

‘Dusty diamonds.’ Charlie gestured to the cattle grazing in the distance. Then he picked up a stick and began drawing a map in the moist river sand. ‘If you mob head towards the Stoneys, and follow it to the right, you’ll see Wait-a-while Waters.’

‘Is that the name of another paddock?’ Ash asked.

‘Flood plains. Real pretty place in the wet season, like an inland sea. We go out in the airboat and clean up on the fishing there. Barra love the place.’

‘I like fishing,’ said Mia, hooking her thumbs through the straps of her overalls.

‘Me too. I’ll remember that, girlie, the next time I go fishing.’ Charlie gave a nod, always keen to show the place he called home.

‘So where am I dropping off this croc?’ Ryder’s shadow fell over Charlie’s mud map.

‘Well, you’ve got this creek that gets plenty of run all year round. It’s part of Elsie Creek herself. Got plenty of crocs too, but it’s a briny creek perfect for a saltwater crocodile with plenty of fish and crabs living it up in the mangroves. It’s partof the wild country where he can live out his days on this property the way he’s meant to as a wild beast.’

‘Sounds like a plan,’ said Ryder. ‘Do you want to come for a ride, Charlie?’

‘Could I?’ The old man’s eyes were bright with anticipation.

‘You can show me exactly where to go. Who else wants a ride in the chopper? I have room for two more.’

‘Take Sophie, she can take photos,’ said Bree.

‘Yes, I’m in.’ Sophie was practically jumping up and down like an excited child on Christmas morning.

‘And what will you be doing, Bree?’ Ryder asked in that deep tone.

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