Page 71 of Stockman's Stormcloud

Dex met Bree’s eyes across the kitchen counter. She had to be thinking the same thing:was this another one of Leo’s attempts at destroying them?

‘You know,’ said Charlie, shaking his head, ‘stealing grown cattle is the worst crime because it involves changing earmarks with a knife and brands with a running iron.’

‘Didn’t you have Ash’s special tech tags on some of them?’ Bree asked.

‘That’s how we knew they were gone. What we worked out is that they removed their ear tags before driving them off theproperty between four and six this morning. They were quick, because Ash and Ryder flew out in the chopper and traced his cattle tags to this spot where they’d dumped them.’ Dex pointed to the map.

‘And that’s Drinkastubbie Downs,’ said Charlie.

Bree peered over her grandfather’s shoulder to the map. ‘They must have mustered them in yesterday to de-tag overnight, which means setting up fences—’

‘How come no one heard them?’ Sophie asked.

‘It’s a two-hour drive on a wallaby track to get there,’ said Bree. ‘Can you hear what’s going on at the hospital where you work? It’s roughly the same distance.’

‘I didn’t realise this place was so big.’ Sophie sheepishly tucked her fair hair behind her ear.

Dex stroked her back. That’s right, he was consoling a female who had done nothing wrong. Sophie was only here for him. And he liked that.

‘You didn’t go out there and check, Dex?’ Charlie asked.

‘Believe me, I wanted to.’

But Sophie, his sweet Sophie, squeezed his arm. ‘You’re still recovering, Dex. Be patient with yourself.’ She was too nice for someone like him.

‘How much cattle did they nick?’ Charlie asked, tickling the cat’s chin.

‘Eighty.’

‘Which means they had a road train,’ said Bree. ‘I’m guessing they’d have three double trailers for cattle, with the fourth trailer saved for their fencing gear and muster bikes or horses.’

‘They had bikes. Ash and Ryder found their tracks, and the road train’s,’ said Dex. The problem was road trains hauling cattle in this outback region was so common, it’d blend in easily.

Charlie arched an eyebrow. ‘Sheesh, no wonder Ryder blew his stack. That haul would be worth—’

‘Almost a million dollars.’ Bree grabbed her phone from the desk. ‘Pop, go fuel up the Razorback. And from here onout, the Razorback gets parked in our back shed, just like it used to. I’ll bring up Pandora, too.’

‘Aw come on, Bree. Ryder will apologise shortly. He always does once he cools down.’

Bree was fuming so much, there was a heated glare in her eyes that was positively lethal. ‘Charlie is retired and I’m only here for Charlie. We don’t work for the Riggs brothers.’

‘Listen, kid, I know you’re mad at ‘em, but all of them boys have been good to an old man like me.’

‘Really? What about how much free work we’ve done for them on this station, like droving that herd away from Carked-it. Remember, we don’t own this land, Pop.’

‘I know that, kid.’

‘And look at how much good we’ve done for them, eh?’ Bree pointed to the couch that Dex had lived on this past week.

Dex’s stomach clenched as another new fire smouldered in his chest. Bree and Charlie had been there for Dex at one of the worst moments of his life. The caretakers had been there for his family multiple times that they’d become family, in the short time they’d lived at this station. Yet, he felt like he was being pulled apart in a tug of war, stuck in the middle between friends and family. And in his world, Dex didn’t make friends, not when his family always came first—especially when their livelihood was at stake like their stolen cattle.

Bree leaned in closer to her grandfather, gritting her teeth as if to tether her anger, while pointing at the front door. ‘But you didn’t see their faces, the way they were looking at me when I got accused out there. Ryder only said what they were all thinking, but he was the only one who had the guts to ask if I stole those cattle.’

Sophie dropped her head, to fiddle with her tea mug, as if hiding her guilt. Did Sophie think Bree was guilty, too?

Charlie scowled at Dex. ‘You didn’t?’

‘Hey, not me.’ Dex held his hands up. ‘I know what you were doing, Bree. I didn’t tell them anything. But you shouldtell Ryder.’

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