Eight
Cap knocked on the door of the caretaker’s cottage. The faded red paint blended well with the small squares of colour that made up the stained-glass windows. ‘Mia? You in?’
Even though it had been a few days since Porter had dropped off the dog, Cap had agreed with Bree that Mia might need a companion, having unexpectedly found one in Willow, that he’d put off collecting the dog.
He also hadn’t seen Mia since he’d brought her home. Yet he’d been dying to check up on her, even though he knew she was in good hands with Bree watching over her.
The wooden door opened, and it was a smiling Mia. Wow! Her eyes, a gorgeous honey-hazel colour, widened as he locked gazes with her. It was enough to have his heart hammering in his chest.
But then his eyes roamed over the rest of her delicate features. The angry-red swelling was gone, but the bruising was a horrific purply-blue.
‘Did you come for Willow?’ Mia’s voice was so bright and cheery.
He hesitated. ‘Bree was telling me you and Willow were doing okay together.’ Sadly, the canine and female shared something in common, both recovering from a brutal past. Bree called it trauma-bonding. ‘You can keep her.’
‘As much as I adore her,’ she said, tickling her nails across the dog’s snout. ‘Willow is yours and she needs a good run. I don’t live on a property.’
‘Where is your home?’
‘Um…’
Hold on, if she was running from her boyfriend then she probably didn’t have a home anymore. To run like that, with nothing, and to hide in fear like she’d done these past few days, he couldn’t imagine it.
What sort of man hurt a woman like that? It only fuelled the anger bristling inside his chest. When normally, Cap was the peacemaker who never got angry over anything. But this was different.
Cap cleared his throat, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jeans. ‘I was wondering if you’re up for a drive?’
‘Where to?’
‘I’d like to show you the paddock I get to play with.’
‘Seriously?’
‘We all have one. Ash has one he’s trialling for his water system and drone work. I’ve taken the paddock next to it to build the first wildlife corridor, which will also act as a windbreak.’ To finally start on his dream was intimidating, but to have someone like Mia with her skill set practically land on his doorstep was fate. And he believed in fate working in mysterious ways.
‘And you want my opinion?’
He nodded. It was rare that he sought out the company of strangers like this, particularly female ones, but this might help Mia too. ‘You can just sit in the car. I’ve got coffee in the thermos and some lunch. Nothing fancy, like Bree makes when on a muster, but it’s edible.’
‘So, a day trip?’ She took a few timid steps outside while still keeping within the verandah’s shade.
From around her legs the kelpie surprisingly trotted towards him and sat at his feet.
‘Hello, Willow. Let’s take a look at you.’ Cap squatted low to inspect the beautiful animal. He was never shy around animals—just women. ‘She looks like a purebred.’
‘I know.’ Mia squatted next to him. Her aroma was a lively scent of summer mixed with exotic orange blossom. It matched the shine in her eyes, which he took as a good sign considering what she’d been through.
‘My dad would kill for a dog like Willow.’ Mia’s gorgeous grin grew as she patted the dog. ‘Look at her stance, it’s so square and solid. Her muscle structure is sound. Her ears are perfectly pointed, and her coat is super glossy. Besides a few scars here and there, she’s perfect.’ Mia frowned. ‘Bree told me that Willow was…’
‘Hurt. Yeah.’ He patiently let the dog sniff at his hand until she allowed him to pat her. Her fur was like silk. ‘Porter did a good job in looking after this animal, it had to hurt to give her up like this.’
‘The policeman looked like he really hated leaving her behind.’
‘Sometimes you have to do what’s right for the animal and what’s in their nature, and Porter knew Willow is a working dog. Reckons she’ll make a good muster dog.’ He adjusted his hat to look over the dog’s stance. ‘How do you know about dogs and their stances?’
‘My mother used to do the local dog shows for fun. Nothing too fancy. But she won a few trophies, some dog food and all of these canine accessories. But she was happy.’ Mia sighed, dropping her head to let her hair fall over her eyes to hide her bruises.
‘Well, come on then.’ He stood, dusting his hands, as both dog and Mia flinched from him.
That hurt. There’s no way he’d hurt them.
But he understood their trust had been broken, and that would take time to heal. With Willow, he knew how to help her. With Mia, he had no idea, but he was hoping this day trip would be a step in the right direction.
‘Let’s go. Willow can ride in the front until she meets the other dogs at our first stop.’ He opened the passenger door of the Tojo. ‘ Willow. Up. ’ He tapped the bench seat, and the dog jumped with ease. ‘Hmm, you’ve had training.’ So why was she dumped?
‘I’d love to see what she can do.’
‘Yeah, I’m keen to find out, too.’ Especially all about Mia. ‘Ready for a drive?’
‘Count me in.’ Her little button nose lifted, and her grin grew as she climbed into the passenger seat. Not only did it have him grinning as he closed her door, but his stomach was rolling with warmth, too. Fate was smiling today.
After a short trek down the rambling dirt track, Cap parked his trusty Tojo under the shade of some towering gum trees. On a small rise, the front window framed their view where the sun bathed the land in a soft buttery sunlight. Rolling open plains, red soils, and large clusters of strong gums were scattered across the landscape to share their long shade over assorted grazing fields, all beneath a dazzling clear blue sky.
Finally, he owned some country. A land he could work on the way he wanted to. Besides his dogs, this was what made him jump out of bed in the mornings, what drove him to all hours of the night researching for a dream that was so close he could taste it.
Now, licking his lips, he was finally going to talk about it. ‘This is my paddock.’ Turning off the engine, he patted Willow as she sat between them.
‘How can you tell? There are no fences.’
‘Not yet. Which is where you come in.’ He climbed out of the driver’s seat. Willow stayed with Mia, following her out the passenger side.
‘Have a look, you mob.’ Cap opened the cage door on the back of the ute and the cattle dogs poured out like beer from a pub’s beer tap, to happily sniff around the area, giving the new dog, Willow some space.
The introduction to the pack would begin soon enough. Yet, Willow obediently remained seated beside Mia’s steel capped boots, as if the dog had already bonded with her owner of choice.
‘Well, here’s the station’s map.’ He rolled it out across the Tojo’s bonnet, using his coffee thermos and a travel mug to hold it in place. ‘We have Starvation Dam there.’
‘Seriously?’
‘I didn’t make the names up in this place, but if you ask Charlie, he’ll tell you that each place has a story.’
‘Is this cattle station that old to have some history to it?’
‘It was established in 1910. Even though it’s not a great name, Starvation Dam is a good dam. And we have over seventy bores on the property, somewhere. Haven’t made our way around to them all yet, but I’m sure we will as the herd grows.’ He pointed to the coloured marks on the map.
‘So, plenty of water then.’
‘Yep.’ But it still niggled him that the neighbouring mine had tried to take their water.
‘And you’re looking at putting in some native corridors?’
‘Just this paddock, to start with.’
‘I should warn you, that even if this paddock is a much smaller scale than the work I did for the mines, it’s still expensive. You’re looking at seedlings. Irrigation. It all adds up.’
He could almost hear what she was thinking, The Riggs brothers were running a family station, not a mining site that had a big budget with their billion-dollar profit margins.
Cap might not have mining experience, or degrees in his pocket, but he had a solid working knowledge, and he knew what he wanted. To have someone with Mia’s technical skills was pure icing on his dream cake. Thank you, fate.
‘There’s a stack of irrigation pipes behind the shed. And I’m thinking of using one of the kennel structures to create a nursery.’ It was Bree who’d given him the idea, back when he first looked at the kennels.
He adjusted his hat to peer out over the land. ‘I plan to use this paddock to show my brothers how big an impact my ideas can have on this place. If we can run a successful revegetation trial, they’ll let me do it with the rest of the property.’ It was enough to have the adrenaline racing through his veins, as he licked his lips, again tasting the reality of his dream coming true. ‘If I can convince my brothers and get them on board, I can show other local cattle producers what we’ve done, to create an impact for positive change within this region.’
‘It sounds like a lot of hard work.’
Didn’t he know it. ‘I want this place to flourish.’ His words echoed around him, but he spoke from the heart. This was his passion. ‘I’ve done the same kind of work on other properties for crop farms, sheep and cattle stations, and I’ve been a part of their many trials and errors, so I know what works. As this is our family’s land now, it deserves to be treated right for our family to enjoy for generations to come.’
‘I get it. But it’s still a big ask. You’re talking about how many acres?’ She tapped on the map.
‘The station is 5,334 square kilometres or 2,060 square miles. That’s 1,320,000 acres.’ He grinned at the numbers that made him rock like Dex on his boot heels. Sure, they might seem small numbers compared to some of the other stations he’d worked on, but it was prime cattle country. ‘Don’t let the numbers scare you, there are plenty of pockets on this property that are pristine.’ He tapped on the map. ‘Wombat Flats is one of them. It’s paradise.’
‘So, it’s not all bad, then?’
He cracked a smile that barely contained his inner pride over his family’s land. ‘We’ve got lots of amazing grazing land that has been resting for a while now, because we’ve had no cattle. I think it’s been over a year since the herds were sold, but even then, Charlie looked after the grazing lands.’ Cap could see this station’s future. Like his brothers, they all saw the potential of this land to produce a high class of cattle, it’s what attracted them to Elsie Creek Station in the first place. And, as Ryder said, with all the cattle sold off the sale price dropped substantially.
Mia turned back to the map. ‘So, where were you thinking of creating this wildlife corridor?’
‘I was thinking either here or here.’ Cap indicated the likely spots on the map. ‘As well as the obvious benefits, it would also act as a windbreak to help improve our pastures, and potential dingo deterrents by putting something native between them and our livestock, to recreate that balance of nature.’
It was cute how she sucked in her cheeks while thinking. Yet he recognised that look of someone who was reading the land, just like he did. Only a thousand times prettier.
Focus, mate.
He shuffled his boots in the dirt, scratching the back of his head. ‘I should mention that in just over a month there’s a campdraft happening in town. And I’m hoping to sell a few native seedlings to buy dog food.’
Mia laughed. It was the sweetest sound. ‘So, you want me to be your nursery hand?’
‘And be my consultant for what type of plants go where. There’s plenty of natural vegetation around, so I’m sure we can scrounge up plenty of native seeds. Hopefully we’ll have excess to sell at the show. You could sweet-talk Bree into donating some of her soil—’
‘It’s gorgeous, isn’t it?’
Cap chuckled. Her enthusiasm was stunning, especially the way the world reflected in her warm eyes.
‘I know, I’m weird.’ Again, she dropped her head, only this time there was a pretty red flush to her cheeks.
‘I like that someone else gets excited over soil like I do.’
‘Really?’ She peered up at him with such hope it did something odd to his heart.
‘My older brothers also think I’m weird, but I’ve converted Ash to my side. But I’m going to speak with Harper about doing up a something to promote the seedlings at the campdraft.’
‘I haven’t met Harper yet.’
‘Bree said you needed space.’ And time to heal.
‘Bree has been amazing. So has Charlie, and you,’ she mumbled shyly, while twisting her fingers.
‘Me? I didn’t do anything. I just want to use you for your brains, lady.’
Lifting that dainty chin of hers, Mia’s smile just got bigger. Holy fates, it was pretty. He had to see more. ‘Hey, what do you know about dog trials?’
‘Not much. Only what my mum did for the show dogs. Why?’
‘Because I want to show off my muster dogs.’
‘Which ones? You have so many.’ She pointed to the pack spread out under the trees.
‘Fern. Atlas.’ He whistled and two beautiful and proud-looking cattle dogs rushed towards him. It was time for the introductions to begin.
‘The blue heeler is Fern. The red heeler is Atlas. He’s the alpha dog of this pack, and my best muster dog. Fern is a close second. I want to use the upcoming campdraft to show them in the muster dog trials.’ He patted his best mates of the pack.
‘To win more dog food?’
‘That’s the plan. Willow, say hello to Atlas.’ He let Atlas sniff around Willow. Fern, doing the same. ‘You should tell Willow to play. You’re her owner.’
‘I am not. Will not, whatever.’ Mia awkwardly crossed her arms at her wrists, barely containing her giggle. ‘So, you want my opinion on planting?’
‘Yes.’ He gave the dogs a nod at how accepting they were towards Willow. After all, they’d all been in Willow’s position before, either rehomed or saved, easily welcoming the newest member to the team. ‘And I promise to not pay you in dog food.’
Again, he scored another sweet giggle. What would he do for a laugh?
‘Bree feeds me enough.’
‘Lucky you. Every night, we’re arguing over who’s cooking dinner at the farmhouse. We’ve only scored an invite to the caretaker’s pizza night once. We’re waiting to be invited again.’
‘But don’t you and your brothers own the station?’
‘We do. When we bought this place, it came with a caretaker’s caveat to protect Charlie. We can’t evict him or charge him rent on his area, but we’d never kick him out. We’re meant to leave him be, because he’s retired, but Charlie knows this place so well, it’s his home, and he wants to work.’
‘And Bree? She said she didn’t work for you.’
‘Bree is here for Charlie. She’s said when Charlie goes, she’s going to pack up her yellow Kombi van and find the nearest international airport to fly out and sit on some beach in Tahiti that doesn’t have crocodiles, to drink gin and watch some ice hockey game.’
‘But their yard is like a home.’
‘To Charlie it is. I’m not sure how long Bree has lived here. She never stands still long enough for us to have a conversation that lasts more than ten minutes. We’d hire Bree to be a stockwoman straight up. She’s highly skilled.’
‘And she’s a blacksmith.’
He nodded. ‘Bree’s a master brand maker. It’s a family trade she learned from Charlie. But you, too,’ he said, gently poking her arm, ‘have a unique set of skills this station desperately needs to help steer it towards a new future. If you want in?’ It was a big ask, and his biggest pitch ever to convince someone to take a job, but he was hoping it would help her heal. He knew that dogs liked to be useful, to be included, and working dogs were at their happiest when mustering. Would his job proposal be something that could help Mia?
‘I’ll do it.’
He blinked, unsure if he’d heard right. ‘You will? I don’t want you to do anything you don’t—’
‘I’d love to do this job. Seriously, this is major.’
‘You’re right, it is a lot of work.’
‘I’m not scared of getting dirty, but you bet your sweet sassy malassy I’ll have a crack.’ She gave an affirmative nod, rolling up her shirt sleeves as if ready to dig in today. ‘But I can’t sleep on Bree’s couch forever.’
‘I can help with that.’
‘How?’
‘There’s a spare room in the demountable, near me.’ But he hadn’t opened it in a while.
‘Sounds like the rooms you’d find at a mine site. How bad is it? Apparently, your brother Dex lives in a tent inside his shack? Is that true?’
‘Dex has his camp bed tucked inside his tent inside his lounge room. Don’t ask me why.’ Cap chuckled. ‘But if you don’t mind barking dogs, I can offer you a room near the kennels and that nursery.’ Yeah, he was laying it on thick, hoping to help her, which would help him and this station. It was a win-win all round.
‘I’d hate to put you out.’
‘No sweat, I’ve got the room. We could get Bree to check it out, she can then send Harper shopping for bedding and stuff. Harper likes to shop, and Bree’s great at knowing what people need and where to find stuff in the sheds. Sadly, you’ll be having meals up at the farmhouse and you’ll get added to our cooking rotation.’
‘I’m happy to chip in any way I can.’ She nodded eagerly; it was promising.
‘Do you want to get any gear from your place?’
Mia winced. Her joyous mood gone.
‘I’m sorry I said that.’ Idiot!
‘It’s okay. There’s nothing I want there.’ She turned away, twisting her fingers. Mia’s change in mood was enough to have Willow nudging her leg.
‘Are you sure?’
She tenderly stroked the dog’s ears. ‘I’ve got my ID with me. The rest were just mining clothes.’
‘Were you a FIFO?’
‘Short-term contractor. Gavin was the FIFO, a diesel mechanic for mining machinery.’ She cleared her throat, crossing her arms tight over her chest. ‘He was renting a farmhouse with the prospect of looking to buy.’
‘And do what?’
‘Exactly what you’re doing here.’
Mia glanced over the wide field, her eyes became dreamy and soft, with a slight smile curving her luscious lips. She was a true natural beauty, with no make-up to hide her inner shine.
‘It was actually my dream. Mine.’
It was as if those words flashed in his brain, like some savage animal wanting to imprint on her until she was his. He wiped his mouth, as if that would get rid of the flavour of desire so deep it travelled like an earth tremor all over him. He turned for the car. ‘Well, how about you give me some ideas on what to do with this paddock.’ He drank deeply from his mug, quenching his inner thirst.
Women never looked at him, not when he spent more time with animals than humans. Cap avoided people if he could, except for his brothers. Besides, someone like Mia wouldn’t be interested in getting involved with anyone, not after what Gavin had done to her.
Pity, because she might just be the perfect woman for him. Or did fate have something else in store…