Page 123 of Stockman's Stormcloud

‘I do. The drafting yards. Dex did a great job on the new layout of the chutes and his cradle. We can do a health check on each one of them, and then put them in quarantine for a few weeks in Drover’s Rest.’ She then stopped and faced the Riggs brothers. ‘Unless you two gentlemen have any objections, suggestions, ideas? Speak now or—’

‘Good idea, Bree. We’ll meet you at the drafting yards,’ said Ryder, agreeing with Bree again. That was three times in one day.

Ryder dragged out his phone. ‘I’ll call Ash to get the spotlights ready and flush the troughs in the holding yard. Cap can dump a load of feed in there too, to keep them happy while we process them. And if Sophie isn’t too banged up, she can drive Charlie home.’

‘Great. I’ll call Charlie, and meet you back there,’ said Bree, also dragging her phone out of her witchy bag. ‘Of course, I’ll be expecting Dex to overtake me in no time.’

‘As if I’d let my baby eat your dust,’ he teased the redhead, as he too dragged his phone out to call Sophie and let her know what was going on. It was rare for them to even be in phone range like this.

Bree approached the large cattle trailer containing their stolen herd. ‘Hello, my pretties, are you ready to go home?’

The cattle lowed louder, shifting with excitement as if they’d recognised her.

‘Get comfortable, kiddies, the next stop is Elsie Creek Station.’ Bree slung her shotgun over her shoulder, her red plait trailing down her back as she jumped into the cab, and in a few moments the truck started heading for home.

‘I’d really like that girl if she didn’t scare me,’ said Dex,watching the truck’s tail-lights disappear on the dusty road.

‘What about your girl? Getting into a fight.’ Ryder nudged his brother.

‘I know. I’m in love. And she loves me.’ The grin got bigger, as did that deep breath making his chest rise and ribs expand with ease ‘And because of Sophie, I’m going to retire from the fighting gig.’

‘And do what?’

‘Make babies.’

Forty

Chest heaving, muscles screaming, Dex’s body was coiled like a tightly wound spring. The humidity from the outback heat had his bare torso glistening under the sun, as his boots dug deep, desperate for a hold on the riverbank.

Dex wrestled with his opponent. One tonne of raw prehistoric power.

It was the lethal beast they called Carked-it.

‘Hold him,’Bree cried out.

Sweat fell like teardrops from his hair. Determination was etched into every sinew of his body. Fuelled by raw grit, he wrestled the massive creature in the mud alongside his brothers, Ryder, Cap and Ash, all lying on top of a massive monster.

‘Hurry, Bree,’ Ryder grunted through gritted teeth, as the leathery skinned beast shifted beneath them, with paws as big as their heads, and its long tail disappearing into the muddy water. But all four Riggs brothers held on, while Bree manned the dangerous part where its mighty jaws, full of teeth, snapped and snarled.

‘Not my first crocodile, you know.’ With practiced precision, Bree secured the hessian cloth over the crocodile’s eyes, taping it firmly in place to keep the massive reptile calm. She then moved to its powerful jaws, winding strong tape around the snout, ensuring it stayed shut. The crocodile’s thick, muscular body wriggled under the firm grip of Dex and his brothers.

‘Hurry, Bree,’ urged Charlie.

Ignoring her grandfather, Bree remained focused, as she reached for the sturdy ropes, looping them around the crocodile’s front legs, binding them tightly to restrict any movement. Before swiftly repeating the process on its powerful hindquarters, anchoring the creature’s body to prevent it from thrashing. For added security, a few thick chains rattled, and finally the beast went still. ‘There, all bundled up like a baby. You can get off him, now.’

Ryder checked Bree’s bindings on the beast, giving them a nod that they could breathe with relief.

‘We did it, brothers.’ Dex patted his brothers’ shoulders, all of them covered in mud and sweat, mirroring his grin.

‘Dude, we’ve just wrestled a monster.’ Ash’s white teeth was such a contrast to the mud they all wore.

‘I know.’ This was better than winning the bare-knuckle championship for the third time.

‘So, what do we do with him now?’ Standing on top of the empty crocodile cage, Sophie was busy with the fancy new camera she’d bought with the winnings from her fight. Her diamond engagement ring flashed in the sun.

Higher on the riverbank stood Harper, Mia, and little Mason, with Charlie brewing his billy tea on a small camp fire.

Bree used a towel to wipe the mud from herself, passing it along to Dex. ‘We could drop the saltie off at the ranger’s station, which is what we did last time. But we can all see how effective that was.’

---