Forty-one
‘Did you have a good night tonight, Pop?’ Bree hooked her arm around Charlie’s as they strolled side by side across the dimly lit car park. She hadn’t seen much of Charlie tonight, as he’d stayed on the working side of the rodeo. It’s where her grandfather belonged, with his lifelong passion for the sport.
‘I did.’ He grinned back at the lights where the band was playing. ‘I helped a few lads with their grips. Gave a few tips on the best way to ride them bulls. It helped Ryder beat Chainsaw.’
‘Hmm…’ She was waiting for Charlie to say something about Ryder, who, after he’d returned his rodeo gear, had sat beside her for the rest of the show. Ryder didn’t care that he’d won nothing at the rodeo—except the adrenaline rush and their bet. Unlike Craig, who’d won another buckle for the best rider of the night, Ryder seemed content to keep his hand on her thigh and watch the rest of the rodeo as a couple.
It had been a long time since she’d been part of a couple.
‘Did you organise that minute of silence for Harry?’ Sadness filled his grey eyes. This is not how she wanted to end the night, when her grandfather had been on such a natural high.
‘We never had a funeral for Harry, and he deserved something. Was that okay?’
‘You’ve never made me prouder,’ he said, tenderly patting her hand. ‘Even though Harry never took part in any rodeos, he drove me there plenty of times. It’s because of my rodeo money he could buy Pandora.’ He pointed to the vintage car, catching the car park’s spotlights. ‘Harry and I emptied out our entire savings on fuel, hitting every roadhouse and outback pub on the way back to Elsie Creek Station. It was a hell of an adventure.’
‘Sounds like it.’
‘So…’ Charlie cleared his throat. ‘You and Ryder, eh?’
And there it was. She’d been waiting for it. ‘You won’t shoot him?’
Charlie chuckled. ‘Well, kid, if anyone would’ve shot him, it’s you. But, seeing as how you haven’t, what am I gonna do?’
‘Evening all.’ It was Leo, their neighbour, coming up behind them. ‘Bree.’ He tipped his hat to her.
‘Ugh. What a way to ruin the night.’ She rolled her eyes dramatically, as always whenever she met Leo. ‘Hello, Leo. I see you brought your balding gorillas with you. Isn’t it past their bedtime at the zoo?’ She tried to steer Charlie to the other side of the car.
‘Aw, Bree, that hurts.’
‘It would if you had feelings, but we both know you don’t.’ Pity it only amused Leo more, that was just a part of the game they played.
‘Bree, that’s not nice to talk to our neighbour like that,’ said Charlie.
‘Bree, listen to your grandfather.’ It was obvious Leo wasn’t offended at all.
She just glared at the man who always spoke with such precise pronunciation. ‘What do you want, Spawn of Satan?’
‘To say hello. I haven’t seen you in a while and I always enjoy our little chats.’
She shook her head. ‘I know you’re used to dealing with overgrown children with the attention span of a goldfish,’ she said, arching an eyebrow at his sidekicks, ‘but I mean, why are you here ?’ She stood right in front of Leo. He was tall, lean, with an edge to him. He didn’t scare her, never did. ‘You don’t do rodeos. You’re not a cattleman. You’re not a mining FIFO. And, as much as you love to create intricate word salads, I’d like the short and sharp version of why you came to Elsie Creek. You could have set up shop anywhere. It’s a big country, with plenty of places that would have made lithium mining a lot easier for you, giving you a much bigger profit margin than the property next door that doesn’t have enough water for that type of mining operation.’ Even though she knew he had the dope crop, Leo could have set up his operations anywhere else but here.
Leo narrowed his dark eyes at her, he was always a cool and calculated customer, who had the power to wipe the smile off your face without even touching you. ‘You know, you’re the first person to ask me that.’
‘It’s none of our business, mate. Let’s go, Bree.’ Charlie tried to drag her away.
‘No, the lady asked a question, and she deserves an answer.’
‘I’m no lady. I’m a blacksmith with a poor attitude, in need of a jug of gin to take the edge off my bristling temper.’
‘No, you’re more than that. I’ve been watching you for a long time, Bree, to know how truly special you are.’
Didn’t that send her inner alarm bells ringing. How long had Leo been watching her?
In the beginning, she’d been polite to the guy—nice, even. He was hot in his suits, with that mobster edge, effortlessly bantering with her as quickly as she dished it out. It was fun for a hot second, until she’d realised that he was trying to manipulate her. It’s why she gave him so much lip, hoping to push him away.
Yet Leo would come back for more, always smiling at her, always asking her for that date, and she always said no. For almost eighteen months they’d played this game, ever since Elsie Creek Station went up for sale.
‘I can’t believe you’d settle for someone like Ryder Riggs.’ Leo scoffed. ‘You don’t belong with someone like him. You need someone who’d truly appreciate your outlaw attitude, who could give you everything you desired.’
‘Right, and you’re expecting my ovaries to high-five themselves over you?’ Someone like Leo would treat her like a possession, a piece of property to control.
She knew this much: Leo had made their life at the station miserable, until the Riggs brothers moved in at the beginning of this year’s muster season.
Leo grinned. ‘I’m much better than that cowboy. And you know it.’
‘Firstly, Ryder is no cowboy, he’s a cattleman. A stockman. Secondly, I don’t know what you are.’ She tilted her head at him, knowing there was more to Leo’s story than he let on. ‘I’ve never been able to work that out.’ There had to be reason for all his twisted actions.
‘Want me to explain?’
‘No, thanks. We’re going now.’ Charlie tugged on her arm.
‘No, I insist we have that chat.’ Leo held his hand out to her. ‘We’re way overdue, Bree. After all, you’ve been knocking back how many of my requests for dinner?’
‘Why can’t you tell me here?’ She’d always known her smart mouth would get her into trouble one day. But she’d also been told to be herself—if she didn’t give Leo lip, he’d know something was up.
Charlie knew nothing about what Leo was really doing, because they hadn’t trusted him to keep a secret. Sadly, her grandfather was the innocent bystander in all of this.
Parked beside Ryder’s vehicle, Bree juggled Pandora’s keys to find the right key, then unlocked the passenger door for Charlie.
‘I can shout you a drink—’
‘Inside the rodeo grounds. Sure.’
‘No. If you want to know, you’ll need to come this way.’
‘I’m not going anywhere with you and your bridge trolls. Not when this Cinderella is over wearing her glass slippers for the night and is keen to go home and declare national pyjama day for the rest of the weekend.’
‘Bree, I’m not taking a no this time.’ Leo stepped in so close, his cologne sharp and rich. Just as tall as Ryder, but not as big in the shoulders, but Leo did have that lethal edge to him. ‘You will come home with me. Now.’ He nodded at one of his men, who lifted his jacket, to tap on his handgun, while the other one blocked any chance of escape.
‘You don’t scare me.’ Leo might know how to invoke fear with the calmest of words, but not with Bree.
‘I know.’ His dark eyes sparkled in the spotlight, giving her a sly grin. ‘It’s one of the many things I admire about you.’
But poor Charlie, his face was pale, his confident stance crumbling as he backed away, with his eyes silently pleading for her to behave.
It was enough to create an icy dread that settled in her stomach. To protect her grandfather, she had no choice but to go with Leo.
She barely nodded.
Leo gleefully wrapped his arm around her and began a slow stroll under the stars. ‘See, it’s almost a romantic walk.’
But there was nothing romantic about this at all.
‘I think you’ll want to hear this. You too, Charlie,’ Leo said, leading her towards his car with his armed cronies on either side of the wide-eyed Charlie. ‘After all, we’re practically family.’