Page 61 of Stockman's Stormcloud

Cap nodded like his head was on a spring. ‘I can show you the data. Mia would know more, and she’d say it’ll be perfect. Our weather is perfect for it.’

‘Bree said the same.’

‘Bree would,’ muttered Ryder, with his frown deepening.

What was Ryder’s issue with Bree?

‘This isn’t a long-term thing, it’s just a short-term idea, like the carbon-credit scheme.’ Dex shuffled in his seat. ‘Because of the low availability, we can get more bang for our buck than any other crop, until we need that land for cattle grazing.’

‘How much?’

‘As a rough guide, if I can yield about one tonne of hemp seed per hectare in my paddock, and if I only use 300 hectares, which is this area behind that reservoir,’ he said pointing to his map, ‘I’d make a million plus from one quick crop, if done right.’ Bree was a genius.

It made his brothers sit still and listen hard.

‘We’re fencing the paddock as it is,’ he continued, ‘and I’ll use the reservoir to water it, and I’ll be able to modify the harvester we inherited with this place easily enough for harvesting.’

‘Aren’t there strict laws for growing hemp?’ Ash asked.

Dex shrugged. Laws never stopped him from doing what he wanted. ‘Bree knows another farmer in the area who is growing hemp and said we should check it out.’

‘You andBree, huh? Getting chummy since crashing on her couch.’ Cap playfully punched his shoulder.

‘We haven’t killed each other yet.’ But they were, as Bree called it, trauma-bonded, especially after last night.

Bree was the type of friend you’d call if you needed to clean up a murder. And he was the type of mate to call if you needed to shift an illegal still in the middle of the night, no questions asked. If Bree were a bloke, no one would think anything of their friendship.

‘Which reminds me, did you know Bree’s been babysitting a herd of eleven hundred head in this area?’ Dex drew a circle on the map.

‘I spotted some in the chopper,’ said Ryder. ‘They’re stretched out everywhere.’

‘Well, Bree and Charlie took me through the Scary Forest—which you would love, Cap—when they gave me a tour on our way to drop off a crocodile cage.’

‘Oi. You’re staying there to rest. Not go on tours.’ Ryder’s frown darkened his features.

‘A crocodile is eating our beef.’

‘What beef?’

‘I’d tell you if you’d stop interrupting me.’ Dex scowled at his big brother.

‘All good, let’s hear Dex out.’ Cap was always the peacemaker.

Dex waited a beat in case there were any more interruptions. It was so good to be back to normal, arguing with Ryder on a daily basis. ‘According to Bree and Charlie, that mob of scattered cattle will start coming closer to the waterholes at the height of the dry. Charlie said it’ll be like throwing out a butterfly net when we’re ready to muster in a few weeks.’

‘Good.’ Ryder’s chair scraped across the floorboards. His boot steps were heavy as he crossed the verandah, where he scribbled a note on the large whiteboard, filled with their many tasks. It was the to-do list that never ended on this station. ‘I’ll check the area out next time I’m in the chopper andwe can plan the next muster. What do they call that area?’

‘Emu Plains. It holds a few creeks, like Spear Grass Creek that fills these watering holes, Station Dog Cemetery, Bullock’s Bath, and I forget the name of the third one. Bree’s put the crocodile trap in One More No More Corner.’

‘Gotta love the names in this place.’ Ash grinned, leaning closer to the table.

‘And there’s a story behind each name. Including the station’s name…’ Dex quickly recounted Charlie’s story to his brothers, and also told them about the drive through Scary Forest.

‘How big is that saltie?’ Cap asked. ‘I know Bree’s keen to protect the freshwater crocodiles we have. They’re on the endangered list, you know.’

‘Really?’ Ash’s eyebrows rose again, while Ryder scowled over his coffee mug.

‘Carked-it is so big, I watched it drag a full-size beast underwater. The trap Bree and Charlie set wasn’t tiny either.’

---