Stockman’s Showdown (The Stockmen #4)

Ten

‘ Get on your horses, now.’ Bree swung into her saddle. She unsheathed her bushman’s knife from her belt and sliced though the rope to safely release the horses, knowing they wouldn’t run far. Right now, she focused on her grandfather where he stood in the path of the thunderous herd of cattle heading straight for their campsite.

Bree let her stockwhip crack as she urged Black Hand to leap over their campfire and gallop straight for the herd that had yet to cross Koala Creek. She had to protect her grandfather and the others, that included little Mason. ‘Pop?’

‘Cap and I will hold ‘em off. You get in front, kid.’ Charlie swung his stockwhips in the air, their crack like a thousand guns as Cap, and his team of muster dogs, created a barrier between the creek and their small stock camp. It was enough to force the cattle to head upstream.

Aw come on! Why couldn’t they have gone downstream in the direction of the drafting yards?

Gritting her teeth, she nudged her horse, aiming to cut off the stampeding herd.

‘brEE!’ Ryder’s voice shouted over her radio. ‘Don’t you dare get in front of them.’

Ignoring him, she rode hard, doing what Charlie had taught her. Her stockwhip’s long length whirled like a helicopter to CRACK !

The cattle closest shied away, pushing against the others to turn the tide of thundering beef.

Before her the ancient sandstone formations rose from the horizon like a battalion of soldiers guarding the front line. They were impassable. And if the herd didn’t slow down, they’d crush themselves in their panic, with nowhere to turn.

‘Come on.’ Black Hand’s hooves pounded as they raced for the front of the herd, with Bree driving him hard in the saddle as the deafening noise of a thousand bellowing cattle filled the air. A gritty dust storm stirred against her eyes, nose, and ears, but she blindly pushed forwards with Black Hand, powering fearlessly through the dust cloud to finally break through.

Ahead of her was a small rise, and she raced towards it. There she turned the horse and stood fast and pulled out her shotgun.

KABOOM!

Its sound echoed like thunder bouncing off the massive wall of sandstone that rose behind her like a rock giant facing down over a thousand head of Brahman, with their white, wild eyes and sharp horns, barrelling towards her. With the reins in her teeth, whirling the stockwhip in one hand, CRACK, she gave a well-practised pump of the shottie with the other, then squeezed the trigger.

KABOOM!

The first row of cattle stalled. Then the next. And then the next, starting a wave of white-coated cattle slowing down to a stop.

Only then did she breathe, letting the reins fall free from her teeth, to slide her shotgun away. ‘Well done, Black Hand. Well done.’ She slid off the saddle and patted her trusty horse, who stamped his hooves and snorted with fire, raring to go again.

But her legs were shaky, and so full of adrenaline right now, with her heart beating a bazillion beats she could only laugh at what they’d just done.

Ryder rode up in a fury. ‘ Are you freaking crazy? ’ Jumping off his horse, he was all in her face. ‘Do you have a death wish?’

‘Bit harsh, cupcake. When all you had to say was thank you.’ Considering she’d just stopped his herd from hurting themselves while also protecting his family. But, no, Ryder typically had to go and ruin the moment with a lecture.

‘I just want to protect you. Don’t you get it?’ He ripped off his hat, roughly raking fingers through his thick hair.

‘I—’

‘No.’ He pointed his hat at her. ‘No, you are not some convenience. You are not some urge or itch to scratch. And you are not something I want to own, like a possession I bought from a store. You are someone I truly care about, and when you go and do dumb crap like this—’

‘I was helping you.’

‘Stop it.’

‘No. You stop it. You don’t control me.’ She sneered, raising her chin in defiance. So what if he was all tall, hot, and broody. With his tousled brown hair, chiselled jaw, and trimmed beard. He never scared her.

But then he slapped his hat back on his head, shading the look in his eyes that were a warm toasted hazelnut—it was such a contradiction for a man with ice in his veins. Especially when arguing with the a-hole!

‘I don’t want to control you, Bree,’ he said, so close their hat brims were touching. ‘All I want is to take care of you, because you mean so much to me.’

Her eyes flared wide as she stepped back from him. ‘You can’t.’

‘I can’t help it. Believe me.’ Again, he removed his hat, to wipe away the perspiration on his forehead, using the upper sleeve of his shirt that tightly showed off his muscles.

‘I’m all wrong for you.’

He shook his head as he readjusted his hat. ‘No, you’re perfect.’

‘Are your ears full of bulldust or something?’ Giving him her best dramatic eye roll. ‘I just told you I’m all wrong for you. Because if I was right for you, we wouldn’t be screaming at each other! ’ Her own voice echoed to blend with his, while the cattle watched them like spectators in a shopping mall. ‘Remember, you and your brothers conned my grandfather into coming, knowing of course he’d manipulate me into playing stockwoman. So here I am, doing that job—that you already told me you would’ve fired me for! You ungrateful—’

Beneath their feet the ground rumbled again, and something cracked on the hill behind them. ‘What was that?’

It was enough to make the hair stand up on the back of her neck.

They spun around to search for the source, as something else cracked like ice being broken but a thousand times bigger, coming from above them.

The horses nickered and started pawing at the ground with the cattle once again stirring, heading back the way they’d come.

‘Get out of here, Bree. Go. ’ Ryder threw her into the saddle.

She struggled to grip Back Hand’s reins, managing only to grasp his mane, as the horse hurtled down the small hill and bolted towards the back of the rising dust cloud caused by the shifting herd.

A massive rumble began from behind them.

Bree peered over her shoulder as the entire side of the rock wall fell. She knew the escarpment’s height was only half the size of Uluru, but still taller than the Eiffel tower, sending tons of rubble, rock, and sheered sandstone powder to wash over them in an explosion that hurt her ears.

As the dust scattered, and the exhausted cattle slowed down, Ryder and Bree pulled up their horses to turn and gape at the damage. The air was filled with a chalky haze blended with the gritty dust coating her sweat-soaked skin, which she could taste on her tongue. She dragged out her water bottle, taking a deep drink to wash out her mouth, swallowing hard to stop the ringing in her ears. ‘Here.’ She passed the bottle to Ryder.

‘Thanks.’ He took it, splashing some over his face, before guzzling deep.

The landslide had transformed the lower section of once-solid rock face into a jagged pile of rubble, resembling a beach left bare by the retreating tide. It was catastrophic.

‘Did Bree do that?’ Dex asked, riding up to meet them.

‘It’s sandstone. Crumbly stuff, that’s always falling off the escarpment.’

‘With some help from cattle and redheads with shotguns.’ Dex grinned at her.

‘Are you two, okay?’ Ash rode up fast to join them.

‘We’re fine.’ She brushed the dust from her clothing, where that green blanket was now red. The good thing was, as she removed the thick dust-encrusted blanket from her shoulders, it had saved her clothes and her hair from the brunt of the dust.

She really liked this blanket. Taking the time to roll it up and securing it to her saddlebags, even copped a nod from Ryder.

What was the story behind this blanket?

‘Bree, you’re a nut case and a hero all in one,’ Ash said, with Dex chuckling beside him. ‘You’re the only woman I know who’d race to cut off a herd and end up starting a landslide.’

‘Is everyone at the camp, okay?’ Bree couldn’t see them through the dusty haze. But the cattle were calming down and drinking from Koala Creek, which was a good sign.

‘Charlie, Cap, and his dogs protected them. What the heck happened?’ Ash poked back the brim of his hat.

‘Sophie is what.’ Ryder scowled at his brother.

‘Flipping hell.’ Dex dropped his head, rubbing his forehead. ‘I’m sending her back.’

‘Don’t worry, brother, I’m sending Harper and Mason home, too.’ Ash patted Dex’s shoulder.

Ryder scowled. ‘Good. A muster isn’t a summer camp for teens, which is what you two were turning this into. This muster isn’t—’

‘What is that?’ Bree turned her horse away from Ryder’s lecture.

‘Will you stop rushing into danger?’

‘I want to see the damage.’

‘And cause another landslide.’

‘I didn’t cause that. It was coincidental. And I’ll find a geologist I can pay to back me up.’ When she was really hoping to skip another one of Ryder’s lectures.

‘Why? Do you have one in your pocket?’

‘At the pub. You can find all sorts there. Or, I can be like Ash, who found his nanny at the supermarket in town.’ She cheekily winked at Ash, before riding closer to the edge of the rubble, spotting the dark shadow, like a hole. ‘Look. It’s a cave.’ She jumped off her horse and shared some water with Black Hand who seemed keener on sniffing around, as Ryder and his brothers rode up.

It was as if nature had peeled back the lower quarter of its rocky curtain to reveal a secret cave, the wide entrance framed by loose rocks and rubble scattered across the ground. Dust hung in the air, swirling lazily in the beams of sunlight to shine into the cave’s mouth, exposing rough and irregular walls of red and orange sandstone that faded into darker, more ancient tones that were lost deep in the shadows.

‘You are not going in there.’

‘Watch me, cupcake.’ She didn’t care what Ryder said, kicking herself for not packing her torch in her saddlebags. ‘Stay, Black Hand, I’ll be right back.’

‘You are the most—’

‘Will you lighten up?’ She scowled at the broody a-hole barking in her face. ‘Stop being such a buzzkill. And stop ranting at me like some nattering, no-fun nanny. You’re not my parent, you’re not my brother, and you are certainly not my boss. So stop ruining the day’s adventure.’

Ryder’s jaw dropped as if she’d slapped him.

It was enough to make her pause and inhale deeply to temper herself. ‘Look, cupcake—’ The nickname always elicited an annoyed scowl out of him, which was a much better look than before. ‘We’ve just survived a stampede and a landslide, so let’s catch our breath, and let the herd do the same, while we take a peek inside this cave.’

‘It could be unsafe.’

‘I’m willing to take my chances.’ She entered the mouth of the cave where the floor was strewn with loose rocks and debris. Dust lingered, but the air inside was cool and free from any humidity, it only heightened her curiosity at this unearthed mystery.

Certain sections of the cave’s walls had been cut away with straight, deliberate lines. The ceiling bore deep gouges, while some were faint but visible under the layers of dust and dirt. In some places, even though aged, sturdy wooden support beams braced the interior, unmoved by the landslide.

Leaning against the wall was a sturdy hammer and some shovels, a sight that made her shudder, as if an eerie ghost were scraping its nails across her scalp, sending a ripple of goosebumps to squirrel down her spine. ‘It looks like an old mine.’

Ryder grabbed her forearm. ‘Careful. Please?’

‘Well, since you asked so nicely.’ Matching his pace, they entered together.

‘You two are as crazy as each other,’ called out Ash, well clear of the main entrance. ‘I’m not going in there.’

‘Good. You can watch our horses.’ Dex rummaged through his saddlebags. ‘I’ve got a torch, so don’t start without me.’

The temperature dropped as they entered the small cave where old planks of wood braced the roof and sides. It was surprisingly sturdy enough to survive that landslide.

‘Did you know this was here, Bree?’ Ryder asked.

‘No. I knew they did some fossicking deeper in the Stoneys, and they’d panned for gold in the creeks, but not this…’ She stopped, her hand instantly reaching for Ryder’s solid chest.

His large hand squeezed hers. ‘What is it?’

She pointed with a trembling finger. ‘That.’

The torchlight swept across the cave’s uneven floor, illuminating a large wooden crate where two skeletons, clad in tattered clothing, were huddled together, their yellowed bones eerily well-preserved in the cool, still air.

Beside them stood two old suitcases with the leather remarkably intact, although their metal clasps were tarnished. Beside them sat a smaller wooden box, with the words Charlie Splint etched in the weathered grain.

Bree took a step closer towards the skeletons. They were holding each other like lovers. One wore a dress, the other wore pants and a shirt that was rolled up at the cuffs, with an old stockman’s hat pushed back against his head. Beside his skeletal fingers a chisel lay in the dirt, below the wall, where the words TOGETHER FOREVER were scratched in the stone .

The message hit Bree like a sledgehammer, leaving her nauseated. When Charlie had re-launched the search for Harry, she’d always feared it would end in heartache. But nothing could have prepared her for this. She struggled to breathe, to speak, her voice trembling, barely above a whisper: ‘I think that’s Pop’s brother, Harry, and the woman he ran away with.’