Page 48 of Stockman's Stormcloud

‘Why not? Do you hate women?’

‘I don’t hate all women.’

‘Do you hate Bree?’

He scowled at her over his shoulder.

‘I saw the way you two were talking to each other earlier. And when I asked—’

He walked so fast to stand over her, she lost her train of thought.

‘There is nothing between me and Bree. Got it. We’re just friends.’

‘Do you trust her?’

He took a moment before he nodded. ‘Yeah, I do.’

‘Why?’

‘Because Bree has proved herself to me that she is trustworthy, many times. Do you trust every guy you meet?’

‘No. I learned my lesson.’ And it was a harsh one. Well, two of them to be exact.

Yet here she was, doing it again, going for round three inhow dumb can one girl be when it comes to men?

Come on, she was a smart girl who’d sworn to never let her emotions or attraction to any male ruin her. She’d made a promise to herself, while in tears, to never get romantically trapped by anyone again.

Yet, with Dex, he’d made her forget her heartbreak, the shame, and the devastating consequences that led to her massive move from a busy inner-city ER to the middle of the remote outback.

Dex also had the power to destroy her. Just like he did in their games of Battleship, where he showed no mercy.

It was the wake-up call she needed.

Sophie packed her digital camera away and climbed into the driver’s seat, sliding on her seatbelt. ‘I’ll drop you off, as I have things to do.’ She had a cat to feed, and then she’d swap her site visits with someone else, sticking to her plan of looking out fornumero uno—just like Dex did. After all, Dex was only a patient she would soon forget.

Seventeen

‘What do you think you’re doing?’ Bree, wearing her welder’s cargo pants, plonked her hands on her hips.

It was midnight, and Dex had been patiently waiting, leaning against the Kombi van, parked in the caretaker’s shed. ‘I’m going to supervise.’

Bree laughed as she effortlessly hooked a trailer to the back of her abominable yellow beast of a vehicle. ‘I don’t need your help, Stormcloud. I put the still in there, I’m getting it out.’

‘To put it where?’ Dragging along his new oxygen trolley, he climbed into the passenger seat, and wound down the window.

‘How about you tell me one of your secrets?’

‘As if.’

‘So why should I share mine?’

‘But you did. And it’s a big one.’ He chuckled. A little one. Even though the rib was still a pain he chose to ignore it.

‘Not for long.’ Bree scoffed, as she grabbed a stack of ropes from the hooks on the shed wall.

‘Do you do horseshoes, too?’

‘Hire a farrier. I don’t work for you boys.’ She climbed into the driver’s seat. ‘Get out.’

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