Page 30 of Stockman's Stormcloud

‘Come on, Sophie.’ He lowered his head, his dark eyes solely on hers as if she was the only other person on the planet to share oxygen with him. ‘Give me something to look forward to.’

She didn’t want to. She had to fight this attraction for someone who might be taken, and in any case was her patient. She could do this, she was a strong girl. She could say no.

Aw, who was she kidding? She wanted to. She very, very much wanted to, and nodded.

‘Good. Drive safe, Sophie Pendleton. I’ll see you tomorrow.’ He stepped back wearing a smile hidden behind the oxygen mask, but it was the sinful shine in his eyes that made her pulse quicken.

‘Remember to do your breathing exercises.’ Like sheneeded to remember to breathe herself.

He gave her a wave that said,let the woman think she was in charge. It was obvious Dex had no intention of following doctor’s orders. Dex did what Dex wanted.

The only problem was, she wanted him too.

Ten

Thenext day, Dex woke to the sound of a horse galloping hard towards the cottage. He lifted his head as the aged stockman swaggered towards the front door. ‘Charlie?’

‘Morning, lad.’ Charlie opened the front door and hollered,‘What you stormin’ in like that for, kid? Did you forget the stable is out back.’

Bree walked inside carrying a hessian sack. ‘I checked the red claw and cherabin pots this morning. Good haul.’ She opened her damp hessian sack, filled with giant freshwater prawns and crayfish.

‘Where do you score these?’ The crustaceans were huge. But the struggle was real, trying to get his arse off the large comfy couch without upsetting his ribs.

‘We’ve got spots all through Scary Forest.’ Charlie took the sack of goodies to the sink. ‘Nothing beats a feed of red claw on fresh bread and butter, with salt and vinegar. No need to fancy up what’s already fancy.’

Bree removed her riding gloves, still wearing the radio harness and her stockwhip as if she’d been droving. ‘You should have seen the jennies I put back. They were bigger. Perfect time, right before the full moon.’

‘Pfft, witchy nonsense,’ muttered Dex as he tried to inhale without a fuss. ‘Why did you throw the females back?’ He loved a good feed of red claw.

‘To keep breeding so they can keep feeding us. Duh.’ Bree shook her head, filling up her water bottle at the filteredcooler.

‘What’s got you hightailing it here, where your horse is eatingmy flamin’ flowers?’ Charlie scowled through the open doorway, pointing at the horse reaching over the front fence. ‘Oi! Black Hand.Stop that, or you’ll end up as glue if you’re not careful.’

The black stallion paused, ears twitching, to then coyly pretend to sniff at the rambling roses.

‘Carked-it’s back.’

‘No way.’ The scowl fell from Charlie’s face as he turned to Bree. ‘Where?’

‘He had a go at us at the watering hole, where I was contemplating throwing a line in for the fish.’

‘Excuse me?’ Dex finally found the energy to stand from the extremely comfy couch, only to make it three steps across to the dining table. Fishing, yabbying, and horseback riding all before dawn—he wanted in.

But what made the skin on the back of his neck crawl with heat was the idea that Bree had been in danger. She may be that friend you’d love to hate, but she was a friend to a man who rarely made friends. And there were only three things you never messed with in Dex’s world: his family, his friends, and his home.

His hands curled into fists as the fire churned in his gut. Only for his ribs to cut him in half, pushing against his lungs leaving him with nothing more than hot air. He hated this.

‘Since when are you polite?’ Bree arched her eyebrows at him.

‘Only while I’m crashing on your couch.’ Especially while in a vulnerable state, given the effort it took to plonk himself down on a dining room chair like a defenceless child. Come on, he was a fighter, not a wimp. ‘Who is Carked-it? And are you okay?’

‘I’m fine.’

‘Seriously?’ He understood Bree was tough as nails, and was quite capable of fighting her own battles, but she was a mate. ‘You said something had a go at you. What? Becausewe’ve got crocodiles and buffalo out here.’

‘Good guess, it was a snapping handbag living up to its name.’

‘Did you shoot it?’ Because the redhead had shotguns stashed all over the station, and slept with one, while he slept on the couch next to their whopping big gun safe.

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