Fifty-two
‘Give Harper a chance to explain, fellas. Trust me, you’ll want to hear this.’ Charlie leaned against his stockhorse where they stood in the shade of the farmhouse.
Ryder looked at Ash. ‘Your call.’
Ash kept his arms crossed over his chest, all calm on the outside. Inside he was a mix of jumbled emotions. From seeing Harper looking so sad, hearing her story, seeing the photo of her sister—Mason’s mother—in his hand, it had his head spinning. But now Harper had a way to save their home?
‘I’ll clear some space on the table.’ He turned his back on her.
‘Where’s Mason?’ Harper asked, carrying the box of paperwork.
‘Sleeping.’ He showed her the baby monitor clipped to his hip.
She gave him a soft smile, as if proud that he’d learned to use it. When she shouldn’t be proud of him for finally doing what a parent is supposed to do. And he shouldn’t want to smile back at her. But it was hard when he could smell her perfume, that soft aroma he wanted to inhale deeper. Her nervousness made him want to put her at ease, like the first time she rode the horse, or that spider incident. But he’d been hurt, too.
‘What were you going to show us?’ Ryder asked, as Cap and Dex cleared the table of empty plates, beer bottles, and glasses.
‘This.’ Harper took a set of maps out of the box she’d dragged from the back of her car. ‘These are satellite images of the property for the past fifteen years, right up to yesterday.’
‘Why do you have these?’
‘To show how Starvation Dam came to be. According to the federal water analyst, Starvation Dam was a run-off pocket carved out of the soils from the wet season rains. It just got added to over time to become a dam that still allowed for the natural run-off to occur, like it does to trickle down through the Stoneys and to the waterways that the mine is requesting.’ She showed them all the maps of the past and the present. ‘Starvation Dam has always been part of Elsie Creek Station and these historical images can prove that. Charlie, you’d know all about Starvation Dam during your time here.’
‘Yeah, that’d be right.’ Charlie loosely wrapped the reins of his horse around the rail, poking up the brim of his hat, while his boots with their thick Cuban heels clomped up the front steps to join them around the table. ‘It was always a big watering hole, and when they put in the irrigation, we made the walls higher.’
‘These show the first major excavations to the dam in 1961.’ Harper showed them an old black-and-white image. ‘The archives images aren’t that crash hot, but they’re good enough to show the changes, and the dam being built.’
‘I remember using the ol’ Massey backhoe. We called it the widow-maker. It gave us a heck of time.’
‘What has this got to do with saving the station?’ Who else would ask but Dex.
‘Because it proves this dam was here a lot longer than they claim in the government letter—’
‘How do know about that letter?’ demanded Dex, with Ryder also scowling.
‘I forgot,’ blurted out Ash, with that need to protect her. ‘I said Harper could read that letter, to help us.’ And here she was helping, even giving him a slight smile.
But then her eyes focused on the paperwork, and she was all business. It was hot.
‘The Territory Government’s wording states new works . However, this dam is considered an improvement upon existing infrastructure on a naturally occurring waterway.’
‘So they have no claim?’ Ryder asked.
‘None. And I also discovered something else,’ she said, unrolling another map. ‘Someone is approaching other properties along the river with offers to buy their land.’
‘The pricks who hassled my grandfather.’ Bree looked ticked, and ten times scarier than Dex or Ryder ever did. ‘And they work for Blackwell Mining.’
‘They’re buying out farmers for mining?’ Ryder asked.
‘I think it’s more to do with water rights,’ replied Harper.
Ash and Dex shrugged. They didn’t know anything about water rights.
‘Oh, no…’ Cap moaned as if in pain, dragging a hand down his face, going all doom and gloom. ‘Trust me, brothers, the sale of water rights is big business. We’re talking billions of dollars. Am I right, Harper?’
She nodded.
‘For water?’ Charlie scratched his head. ‘That falls from the sky?’
‘Water is a rare commodity, especially down south. And where the water entitlements are owned by foreign investors, the water is typically used to grow food, or used in mining operations—’
‘Like Blackwells.’
Harper nodded.
‘And they want to do that here?’
‘Well, they can try …’ Harper grinned in a way that had them all leaning back. ‘Do you guys know the local zoning regulations?’
‘We know of the zoning areas for cattle-tick regulations and when we need to move our cattle to different areas. All stockmen do.’ It was part of the job.
‘I’m talking about the zoning for land that defines the legally permitted uses for a specific property or area.’ Harper dragged out another map of the Northern Territory. ‘The government allocates areas of land for sporting and recreation areas, housing, industrial, and zones for agriculture, Aboriginal sacred sites, national parks, and mining. Now, all this area, everything on this side of Elsie Creek, is under an agricultural zone. It includes Elsie Creek Station, your brother’s station, Sandlot, and the many other cattle stations along this region.’ Harper tapped on the map, explaining that the green zone was for agriculture, and the red for mining. And Elsie Creek Station, and all their closest neighbours were all in the green zone.
‘That means they can’t mine out here. Not on this side of the highway?’ The excitement shone in Cap’s eyes as he tapped on the map, eager to show his brothers. ‘They don’t have the zoning for it. It’s all agricultural land, for farming, not mining.’
‘But how long will that last?’ asked Ryder.
‘That what I wondered,’ said Harper, in a rare agreement with Ryder. ‘From what I can gather from my research, Blackwell Mining is buying up land, hoping to put forward a submission to change the zoning to allow for mining.’
‘Can they do that?’ Cap’s excitement died.
‘Not now we know about it.’ Harper grinned one of those grins that was both smart and sexy.
‘What do you know?’
‘The Northern Territory isn’t a state. It’s a territory. They don’t have full constitutional powers of self-government and are effectively under the Federal Government’s control. It’s the Federal Government that funds the Territory’s roads, housing, and mining. Which means, that even though the Territory has a Water Act, it doesn’t hold much … water.’ She grinned at herself for the pun. ‘And that letter from the government …’
Ash dragged it out of the pile and passed it to Harper.
‘This letter should never have been written.’
‘But it’s official, right?’ Dex pointed at the letter. ‘It’s got the official letterhead, and they had that government courier drop it off.’
‘They never conducted a property inspection on your neighbour’s property for the mine about their uses of water.’
‘How do you know?’
‘Craig’s friend, the water analyst. He was the one who showed me how big of an impact that mine would have on the waterways for this entire region. It was enough for me to speak to the mines department—’
‘You did what?’ Ryder wasn’t happy.
‘Settle down, cupcake, she’s not done,’ said Bree, stepping closer to Harper’s side.
‘How did you speak to the mines department when they were ignoring all of our calls?’ asked Ryder. ‘My lawyers couldn’t get through.’
‘I skipped the local government and went straight to the Federal Minister of Mines,’ replied Harper. ‘He was the best man at my father’s wedding, and we had Christmas dinners with his family.’
‘You used your father’s connections?’ Ryder arched an eyebrow at her.
‘And mine, through my job. For the first time, too.’
‘Why would you do that?’ Ash asked, stunned at all of this.
‘Because this not only affects all of you—it affects Mason. The stress you’re all living under is not healthy. I should know, after living under a level-four terrorism threat …’ She touched the back of her head, the place that hid her scars.
Ash knew why she liked wearing hats so much, it was to hide and protect that sensitive area. It made his heart melt for her, he wanted to hold her, to take away that pain, but he couldn’t.
‘I may have used my connections to get in the door, but I had to show logical proof. Which I did with the water reports, satellite imagery, interviews, and historical research.’ Harper flicked at the maps spread across the table. ‘I collated all the data I could get my hands on to present my case to the Federal Minister. It was my job to show both sides of the argument.’
‘And?’
‘I could prove this new mine would have a severe impact on the environment, including the underwater artesian basin. Effectively blocking any mining works in this area without an extensive environmental impact report based on their mining methods—which Blackwell’s never did. The Territory Government should have never granted them that mining permit. And the Federal Mining Minister’s office is asking them why that permit was allowed.’
‘Are you saying they’re done?’ Ash held his breath.
‘Well, you should have received an email from the Territory Government retracting that letter, with an apology because they should have never legally sent it. So, someone in that office is about to lose their job.’ Harper checked the watch strapped to her wrist. The watch Bree had made her take off to stop clockwatching. ‘I warned them that if they didn’t send that email to you, by the close of business today, I was sending in a team of environmental lawyers and the Cattlemen’s Association’s team of lawyers to create a class action to sue their arses off.’
Ryder pressed his thumbprint on his tablet, waking it up. His eyes moved as he scrolled over the emails.
‘Well? Don’t leave us in suspense,’ demanded Dex.
Ryder held up the tablet and read, ‘It is with deep regret that we inform you of an interoffice error over the water rights for Elsie Creek Station … any previous correspondence pertaining to this matter should be disregarded, effective immediately. We are sorry for any inconvenience …’
‘Does that mean it’s over?’ Cap asked.
In a rare moment, Ryder nodded and smiled. ‘It’s over. We won. Harper, you did it.’
‘ Yes!’ Dex high-fived Ash, Ash high-fived Cap, then Ryder, then back to Dex.
‘I say we pop some bubbly and celebrate, you mob.’ Charlie patted the brothers’ backs. ‘You lads won. Elsie Creek Station is safe.’
‘Hey, you guys should know that they can change the law and—’
‘Let them enjoy this victory, blossom.’ Bree put her arm around Harper’s shoulders and squeezed. ‘Today, they won the battle, tomorrow they can focus on the war.’
Cap, Ash, and Ryder re-read the email, while Dex came back to the table with arms full of beers. ‘Who wants one? Because I plan to party.’ He flicked open the lids and handed out bottles.
‘Hey, you’ll wake up Mason, you lot.’ Ash turned to talk to Harper, but she was walking away.
‘I’ll get the little man. In the meantime, snowflake, you go speak to Harper before she drives away.’
‘I’m sorry, Bree, for what I said about—’
‘Let’s not ruin the party mood. Go.’ She pushed him towards the front steps. ‘Don’t let her get away.’