Six
‘We’ve got dingoes.’ Dex dragged out his chair at the outdoor table that occupied the corner of the farmhouse’s front porch. It’s where Cap and the rest of his brothers had gathered for every sunrise and sunset since they’d moved in. ‘Mongrels got one of the calves.’
‘Which means they’ll be back,’ said Ryder, passing out a round of cold beers to his brothers.
‘Can we bait them?’ Ash asked as he spun his chair around to sit on it like a saddle.
‘Not with my dogs around, thank you. Besides, they’re a native animal that was here first.’ Cap patted Sarge, the guard dog, before dragging out his chair.
‘Not for long, if they keep this up. They’ll have a belly full of lead if they take any more of our calves,’ said Dex.
‘I may have a solution.’ Cap scrubbed at his hair, hidden under his cap, unsure how to broach the subject with his two older brothers, who weren’t as open to change as his younger brother, Ash.
‘We could put up an electric fence,’ Ash offered.
‘They’re too smart and cunning for that, when a box of bullets will do.’
Cap frowned at the bully, Dex, who provoked his violent streak for a living. ‘We don’t need to kill them. We can share the space with them as they’re an Apex hunter that will effectively manage the roos from destroying our crops, just the way nature intended. And I have some ideas.’
‘Well, you’re the dog whisperer. Let’s hear it.’ Dex rocked in his chair while chugging on his beer, but his dark steely eyes kept watching. But they weren’t nearly as cold as Ryder’s.
‘I’m thinking of getting some nanny dogs.’
‘We’ve got one; it’s Ruby who looks after Mason.’ Ash pointed his beer at the plump labrador lying next to the child playing in the lounge.
Dex tilted his head. ‘Is it me or is that labrador getting fat.’
‘Stop fat-shaming my son’s dog,’ said Ash. ‘Ruby’s retired, leave her alone.’
‘Harper has ruined those police dogs, she’s turned them into pampered house pets. Look at what she’s done to that beagle.’ Dex pointed at the beagle, flat on her back inside a very plush dog bed, wearing a neckerchief, snoring.
‘I’m thinking of getting dogs for the calves,’ blurted out Cap to stop his brothers bickering.
‘Eh?’ Dex raised an eyebrow.
‘Do you mean guardian dogs?’ Ryder asked. ‘Like they do with sheep?’
Cap nodded. ‘Yes, it’s the same concept. I can get us some maremmas. There’s a station up near Broome that’s had some luck with that breed in protecting their calves.’ Cap scrolled through his phone and brought up some pictures. ‘They’d live with the calves to protect the herd. Eventually I’d love to establish a breeding program here and sell the pups.’
‘You’d give up a dog?’ Dex chuckled. ‘You, who is forever bringing home strays?’
‘Sure, if they’re going to a good home. I’d check out the owners before they left, and I’d ensure they had proper training. I’d also like to train local farmers on using muster dogs, or help them with any problem dogs they have to help build their mustering teams.’
‘That’s a lot to take on. When we’re flat out fixing this place up.’ Ryder looked annoyed, which was normal.
‘Talking about strays…’
‘What did you bring home now?’ Ryder arched an eyebrow at Cap.
‘Porter’s bringing out a dog.’ Cap then spotted Bree coming towards them from the caretaker’s cottage. It was enough to make him rub the bridge of his nose to push back the headache that was about to form. ‘And I brought back someone else.’
‘Who?’ Dex followed Cap’s line of sight to turn in his seat. ‘Uh-oh, incoming.’
‘She’s staying at Bree’s.’
‘Friend of Bree’s?’
‘Nah, she snuck into the back of the ute.’
Dex swivelled back to face Cap. ‘Were your dogs in there?’
Cap nodded. ‘She made it all the way to Leviathan Creek before we found her.’
‘We?’
‘Me and Charlie. Hey, did you know he’s put in a missing person’s report with Porter over his brother?’
‘Does Bree know this?’ Ryder’s deep voice was lower than normal.
Cap shook his head as Bree approached. ‘How’s Mia?’
‘She’s asleep.’ Bree stopped by the steps. Her red hair shone in the sun, but it did nothing to dampen the smouldering temper that made her green eyes darken. ‘That bastard did a number on her.’
‘All right, you two, what the hell is going on?’ demanded Ryder.
‘It’s what I was trying to tell you…’ Cap waited a beat, hoping Bree would step in, before he continued
But Bree arched her eyebrows at him to speak.
For fate’s sake. ‘I found Mia hiding in the back of the ute with the dogs. She’s pretty banged up, got a black eye, a fat lip and I’m sure there’s more bruising on her back.’ It made him sick to think of someone doing that to a woman. He turned to Bree. ‘Did Mia tell you who did that to her?’
‘Her boyfriend did.’ Bree plonked her fists on her hips. ‘As this is your station, you boys have a right to know, so I’m telling you this now, so none of you demand twenty questions out of her later. Her name is Mia Dixon. She used to work at the mine on the far side of Elsie Creek. And, she’s grateful Cap gave her a job.’
‘You what?’ Ryder spun around in his chair and glared at Cap.
‘Mia’s a botanist who specialises in soil. I told you I want us to become carbon neutral with our beef and creating wildlife corridors is an important part of that.’
‘Only for the dingoes to come in and pick off our herd.’ Dex was such a dick.
‘There is enough wildlife around that they don’t need to touch our herd, and the guardian dogs will watch out for them.’
‘Pfft, at this rate we’ll just be producing pet meat to feed your pack !’
‘ For fate’s sake, I’m suggesting all this to put us in front of the competition, and to stop that neighbouring mine stealing our water by proving how environmentally sound we are. But you’re still stuck in the boggy bulldust—’
‘Oi!’ Ryder slammed his beer on the table like a judge hammering his gavel in court. ‘First thing, is Mia okay?’
‘She’s going to be fine.’ Yet Bree’s jaw twitched with anger. ‘Nothing’s broken, but he put the boot into her, so she’s bruised all over. That sociopathic scumbag had better not come near me and my stash—’
‘Bree.’ Ryder raised his hand, cutting off her tirade. ‘How many shotguns do you actually have stashed around this place?’
She shrugged.
‘How many are registered?’
Again, she shrugged. ‘Let me put it this way, cupcake, if that degenerate shows up here, he won’t get within six feet of her before I’ll have a double barrel locked and loaded.’
‘Jeez, Bree, you’re scaring me,’ said Ash, poking up the brim of his hat.
‘It’s a good thing she’s on our team.’ Dex chuckled, rocking back on his chair.
‘Do we need to be concerned about this guy showing up?’ Ryder arched his eyebrows at Cap.
Cap shrugged. He hadn’t considered that. This was the first human stray he’d ever brought home.
‘No,’ replied Bree. ‘Mia said she lost him at the Elsie Creek Pub, where she climbed into the Tojo’s cage of dogs—and that shows how truly desperate she was.’
‘And brave,’ mumbled Ash, shaking his head. ‘But she must be alright for the dogs to let her in like that.’
‘How could you not see her?’ Dex asked Cap. ‘I know you’re always checking that cage.’
‘The dogs must have shielded her while she hid behind the bags of dog food. And she’s such a tiny thing.’ Pretty, even. But he wasn’t sharing that with his brothers.
‘Oh, as an FYI, Mia talks just like Cap about the garden, soil, and stuff. All eco-friendly.’ Bree gave Cap a wry grin, her eyes all sparkly, which was a sure sign of trouble.
‘I see.’ Ryder gripped his beer, as his scowl deepened. ‘You’re not trying to save another stray, are you, Cap? When everything went to hell with the last mystery woman we had out here.’
‘Oi, leave Harper out of it.’ Ash frowned.
Cap gritted his teeth, his hands curling to fists on his thighs. ‘I don’t care what you say, Mia is staying as long as she wants.’
‘I vote we let her stay.’ Ash raised his beer. ‘If this Mia knows her stuff, she could offer ideas on fodder and how to improve our pasture grasses. Right, Cap?’
‘Exactly.’ Cap nodded at his younger brother, so glad to have him on board. ‘You gave me a paddock to run my own trials, and I’m hoping Mia can advise me on the best plant stock we can use in the best possible way to improve our soil.’
‘But only when she’s ready, Cap.’ Bree lowered herself to meet his eyes, there was a heavy protectiveness laced within her voice. ‘Mia is going to be sore for the next few days, so I’d appreciate it if she had no visitors to let her heal in peace.’
‘Thank you, Bree.’ The relief was enormous that the redhead was on the job.
‘Do you think Mia should call the police?’ Ryder asked.
‘Hell, yeah.’ Cap’s scowl was low over his eyes, as an unexpected rage began bristling within his chest. ‘Porter’s bringing out a dog later, we can talk to him then.’
‘Mongrel.’ Dex frowned as his chair thumped hard on the floorboards. ‘If anyone laid a hand on one of our sisters, I’d kill the bastard. We all would.’ Dex’s voice was loaded with grit, coming from a man who never backed down from a fight in and out of the ring. ‘But as I’m so good-looking, I’d hate to steal Cap’s thunder of being the white knight—’
‘Leave off.’
‘Tell this girl—’
‘Her name is Mia .’ Cap ground his teeth and sneered viciously at Dex.
‘Did Mia say this man’s name, to keep a lookout for him?’ Ryder asked Bree.
‘Gavin Rikers.’
A name Cap would never forget.