Page 54 of Stockman's Showdown

‘I contemplated it,’ Ryder said, his deep voice tinged with amusement as he climbed out of the vehicle. ‘But we both knew you’d either take a quad or saddle a horse. Which one?’ He walked around the back of his ute, all dressed in bad-arse black. No hat, but a black beanie.

Oh, lordie!

‘Quad.’ Wait, she was supposed to be mad at him, not perve on him!

Ryder opened the back door. ‘Get in, cupcake.’

‘That’s not my name.’ Wow, the guy opened the door for her.

‘I’ll have to find you one. Please excuse Dex for hogging the front passenger seat. He wanted to play shotgun.’

Nope, she was not going to ease up on him for his gentlemanly actions. Okay, maybe a little. ‘That’s fine by me. I’ve done my fair share of opening and closing gates, and I know how many there are between here and the eastern boundary.’ She scooted into the middle of the back seat.

‘Damn, I didn’t think of that.’ Dex swivelled around from the front passenger seat. ‘Do I smell food?’

‘For the drive.’ She opened the small cooler, revealing foil-covered burger rolls, and let it rest on the middle console. ‘Or does the driver have a no food policy?’ It did have that new vehicle smell to it.

‘Too bad, I’m starving.’ Dex peeled back the foil to unleash the aromas of beef patties, with her special barbecue blend. ‘Yum, hamburgers. When did you make these?’

‘It was supposed to be dinner, but Charlie wasn’t hungry, and I always cook when…’ When she was thinking, or worried, because yes, she was a girl who ate her feelings—then drank her gin to not feel.

‘Thank you, Bree.’ Ryder took his burger, peeling back the foil. ‘Have you eaten?’

‘If you count the cupcakes.’ She had to do something with her hands, taking the smallest one.

‘This vehicle is huge.’ It was so smooth a ride, she couldn’t believe they were driving down a dirt track filled with potholes and corrugations even at speed, thanks to Ryder’s lead foot. With a steel bull bar on the front, this twin-cab ute was a tank on wheels, that came with air conditioning and an actualwindscreen, where she didn’t cop bugs in the face, or suffer with windblown knots in her hair, like she did when hooning around in the Razorback.

‘It’s fancy.’ It was also a big reminder of how rich Ryder was. While she was nothing more than the caretaker’s granddaughter, hustling for pennies as a smart-mouthed blacksmith.

‘It’s not as fancy as my ute.’ Dex grinned with his cheeks full of food. ‘And it’s a thousand times better than that monstrosity you drive.’

She grinned, sitting back in her seat. ‘Don’t knock the Kombi van, stormcloud. It can go anywhere, and it’s reliable.’

‘It runs on elastic bands and sewing machine oil.’

The mention of elastic bands had the one in the crime-scene photo playing on her mind. How could it be part of a murder scene? ‘Go on, admit it, you like the Kombi. You’ve got it plastered on your wall at home, that I bet you worship it every night.’

‘I’ve put Sophie in charge of getting a new picture for that wall. Hey, can you teach her to make these?’ Dex held up what was left of his meal.

‘Nope. That’s your kitchen. Your girlfriend.’

‘Have you invited Sophie to your cooking lessons, yet? Like you do with Harper and Mia.’

‘Sophie says she’s busy with work and knows how to cook.’ Not that they ever cooked much at their cooking lessons at the cottage.

Ryder peeked back at her, one hand on the steering wheel, the other holding his half-devoured burger. ‘Did you explain to Sophie that your cooking lessons are code for long liquid ladies’ lunches?’

‘I’m sure Harper or Mia have told her.’ It wasn’t Bree’s place—well technically it was, because they held it at the cottage. ‘Ihardly see Sophie.’ No, she kept right away from the blonde who had started a stampede. And Bree was not apologising for getting up Sophie either.

Poor Dex was stuck in the middle.AndDex was her buddy,andhe loved Sophie,andSophie did make Dex truly happy,andhe deserved that. Which meant Bree should be playing nice to the straitlaced nurse for Dex’s sake.

Ugh! The things she did for people.

She sat forward and tapped on Dex’s upper arm. ‘Next time I’ll be sure Sophie gets word to come.’ But she doubted Sophie would come, because Sophie had never warmed to Bree, after assuming Bree and Dex were a couple.

How could Sophie ever think that? Not when Bree’s broken dial for attractive males was swinging only in Captain Cupcake’s direction.

‘Thanks, Bree.’

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