Page 32 of Stockman's Stormcloud

‘Why?’

‘Coz that’s the game of rodeoing, lad. You’d know from the world of bare-knuckle fighting, that sometimes you’ll end up with that bull messing you up with their horns and Buckshot bloody well did.’ The old man lifted his shirt, exposing a jagged mess of scars across his stomach and chest.

Dex gripped his ribs, forcing his lungs to behave. They were nothing compared to the mess on Charlie’s chest.

‘But I survived, and I won a lot of dosh riding that bugger. Bloody big sook he was in the end, too. Buckshot loved my wife, for sure. And, my beautiful Bea adored him,talking to him like a child, scolding him for pinching her flowers, like that flamin’ horse is doing now.Bree!’ Charlie pointed to the open front door, where the sky was shifting to a hazy mushroom pink.

‘I’m going, Pop.’ She slung on her hat. ‘But we need to do something about Carked-it. Today. He has to go, again.’

‘What do you mean,go again?’ Dex asked.

‘We’ve trapped Carked-it before, with the help of the old park ranger, who took him somewhere where they said he wouldn’t come back. Fat lot of good that did, because he’s back like a boomerang muddying up the billabongs. Oh, and did I mention the part where he’s takingtheir cattle.’ She pointed to Dex.

And that meant money to Dex. ‘Where?’

‘Carked-it pulled down a steer by One More No More Corner.’ She approached the map spread across the dining table. ‘There, by Dog Chain’s Dipper. We can set a trap there. Then we’ll ask Ryder to drop that snapping handbag off in his fancy helicopter on the other side of Wait-a-while Waters.’

Dex could only raise his eyebrows at these unknown destinations that made up the station he owned with his brothers.

‘Sounds like a plan, kid. I’ll put our supper on ice for later.’

‘I’ll unsaddle the horse and meet you by the back shed. I’ll get the Razorback and grab the croc trap, the big one. That prick’s almost six metres now.’

‘No way.’ That was a monster.

‘But seeing as you’re here, Dex, you get to share the good news with your brothers about that lost steer. Back soon.’

‘We don’t have steers over there.’ Because they’d bought a cattle station with very little cattle.

‘Sure, you do, Stormcloud. You’re just looking in the wrong place.’

He narrowed his eyes at the cunning redhead. ‘How many more cattle have you two hidden?’

The last herd Charlie and Bree had hidden had been over athousand head tucked away in Wombat Flats, now getting fat in two paddocks.

As per usual Bree said nothing. She just pinched a piece of toast from her grandfather’s plate, and was out the door, slamming the wrought-iron gate behind her, before effortlessly hoisting herself up into the saddle and riding away.

Dex wanted to ride horses again, too.

He was wide awake and alert now, with a mind that needed to do something. He hated his injury, and the stupid hassle of taking one breath. It was like scalding razor blades pressing against his lungs that refused to expand, stopping him.

Charlie got to work in the kitchen, tucking the crays away in the fridge, flicking on the kettle, dragging out his old, dented thermos and a large water container, then started loading up snacks into the cooler.

Dex stood to stretch, but the white-hot pain in his ribs stopped him.

At the open front door, between the many flowers Charlie had growing in his front garden, Dex struggled to spot the farmhouse. He hadn’t seen his brothers since Ryder had driven him back from the hospital, after they waved off their parents at the town’s airstrip that was conveniently right next door to the bush hospital.

He hated feeling powerless like this, unable to get out there because of his lungs.

Normally, he’d be up at the farmhouse, sipping coffee with his brothers at the table on the front porch to discuss their plans for that day. He missed coffee. They didn’t have any in this house because of Charlie’s heart condition.

Gripping the side of the couch, he forced through the pain to push his lungs to fill up and hold one breath. Each time, they expanded a little further, even if it was like pushing against a mattress holding an elephant, stabbing him with burning spearheads. But he was up and standing.

‘Oi, lad, you’d better get ready.’

Dex peered back at the old man. ‘Won’t Bree tell me off?’ Like that annoying big sister.

‘It’ll do you the world of good to get a bit of sun. But, if we’re going in the Razorback, you’ll wanna take your painkillers, lad.’ Charlie plonked his pills down on the table. ‘Coz, there’s nothing like going on a crocodile hunt to get the blood pumping. You in?’

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