Page 22 of A Home Among the Snow Gums
Josh opened his mouth, cleared his throat, started to say something, then turned back to fuss with the bridle the same way she fussed with her plait.
She prised it off him. ‘Spit it out,’ she said. If he was about to get all emotional and weepy because his maladjusted little sister had finally decided she was okay enough to rejoin society, she was going to kick him.
‘Hannah—’
He was, damn it. Well, not if she could help it. ‘I’m going to head over to the camp,’ she said. ‘Let Skippy walk his fidgets out while we figure out which steers we like the look of.’
‘Looking good, girlfriend,’ called a voice behind her.
‘Kylie! The blabbermouth herself. Aren’t you supposed to be chained to your workshop fixing my car?’
‘Have a coffee, grumblebum.’
‘You are so lucky you’re offering me a caffeinated beverage right now, or I’d be giving you a serve for telling everyone about my event today.’
‘You’re welcome,’ said Kylie, leaning in and giving her a hug. ‘Now, just channel some of that aggro into your event and you’ll have a shiny new buckle on your belt in no time.’
Winning a belt buckle wasn’t why she was here. Reclaiming herself, being someone other than Hannah the sister, Hannah the vet, Hannah the small-town girl who hadn’t coped in the big, bad world … that was why she was here.
She slugged down half a cup of the truly diabolical coffee Kylie had handed her, then tightened her fingers on Skipjack’s reins. ‘I’d better get moving.’
‘You feeling as nervous as you look?’ said Kylie.
‘Yep.’
Vera took Hannah’s half-finished cup from her and gave her a hug. ‘You’ll do great.’
‘I’ll give you a leg up,’ said Josh, holding out his hands for her boot and swinging her into the saddle.
Hannah looked at her brother. He was okay when he wasn’t flogging orange juice from her fridge. No-one knew her better than he did. ‘Walk me to the yard?’
He rubbed her knee. ‘Always. Vera, my sweet, can you keep Jane Doe with you? I’ll come find you in a bit.’
‘Sure.’
Jane Doe thumped her tail and Josh slipped a hand into Skipjack’s bridle and led the way to the pens of temporary fencing, where steers and heifers from local farms had been trucked in to be used in the competition.
Hannah jumped as the music cut off and the master of ceremonies’ voice blasted through the overhead speakers.
‘And a warm Snowy River thank you to D and V Tickle of Mackenzie Plains for sponsoring the maiden A event. Des and Viv have donated a service from their champion stallion Stormy Dan. BYO mare!’
Donating a service! That was new. There’d been no prizes like that back when she did pony club.
She reached a hand down to her brother. He’d led her horse for her back then, too, if she was remembering correctly. Even braided Tubby’s mane with ribbon for her when she’d asked, even though it made him look like a total wuss—his words. ‘Thanks for coming, Josh. I guess I was being an idiot about not wanting anyone here.’
He rested his hand around the ankle of her boot. ‘You don’t have to do this alone, Han. Not if you don’t want to.’
A wad of messy stuff, which felt like what she imagined a cat furball must feel like, lodged in her throat. ‘You’re not the worst brother a girl could have, Cody.’
He grinned at her. ‘And you’re not the worst boss a bloke could have, Cody.’
She frowned. ‘Speaking of. Aren’t you working today?’
He lifted his mobile from his pocket. ‘I’m on it. Grab bag in the truck, liver treats in the glove box. Kylie will drive Vera home if I have to go lights-and-sirens back to town.’
She grinned. ‘Sirens. I’d like to see that on the vet truck.’
‘Why stop there? My arse would look amazeballs in a cape and tights. Mild-mannered Josh Cody by day, Supervet by night.’
