Thirty-six
With her heart in her throat, trying not to panic for Cap and his dogs, Mia raced to the mustard-coloured Tojo that shone like a beacon of hope in the dusty car park.
At the driver’s door, she fumbled with the keys, dropping them in the dirt. When she scooped them up, footsteps crunched behind her. She peered over her shoulder and gasped. ‘Gavin!’ She stepped back into the Tojo, trapped.
‘Leo said you were here.’
She froze. The last time she’d seen him, he’d been so angry at her.
‘I’ve been looking for you everywhere.’
A car door slammed, another ute rumbled past, and some dogs barked. It was enough to wake her out of her trance, to remind her of Atlas. Of Cap.
‘I can’t talk to you right now.’ She unlocked the driver’s door and rummaged around the back of Tojo’s cab. It’s where Cap kept the toilet paper, the first-aid kit, and the testing kit, which she dragged out by the handle and slammed the door.
If they could pinpoint what toxin caused the dog’s sickness, then the vet could administer the right medicine to cure Atlas quicker. So she had no time to waste talking to Gavin. Confrontation avoided.
‘Hey, stop and talk to me. I haven’t seen you for a month.’ He blocked her off, and gripped her upper arms.
‘I can’t. I’ve got to go. It’s over.’
‘No. We are not over until I say so.’ His frown was dark. It’s the one she remembered from her nightmares.
She pulled her arm free. ‘I have to go. We can talk about this later.’ Not if she could help it.
‘No, we’re doing this now.’ He pulled her back with an iron grip on her arm. ‘Leo says you’ve shacked up with the neighbours who’ve stolen his water access and stopped his mine from getting off the ground. They’re bad people.’
‘No. Leo is the bad guy. Not the Riggs brothers. They’re the good guys.’ It was the first time she’d spoken to anyone like that. It was like this foreign feeling of courage surging inside. If nothing else, this confrontation helped her recognise that she had no feelings for the man standing before her. She’d never loved Gavin. She’d just been desperate to be with someone because she only saw her faults and didn’t think she deserved someone special. She had to get back to Cap.
Mia struggled to get out of his grip. ‘Let. Me. Go. ’
‘No, my little Mia, remember you belong to me.’ Gavin tightened his grip, cutting off the circulation in her arm.
She froze with terror.
‘Is everything all right there, miss?’ Nearby, two stockmen closed the door of their black monster-like truck, its back tailgate covered in stickers.
‘It doesn’t concern you.’ Gavin scowled at them. ‘Move on, mate.’
But they didn’t, instead the pair of stockmen casually sauntered towards them as Mia struggled to get her arm free.
Before she’d moved into Cap’s place, one night while huddled on Bree’s couch, sharing a tub of ice cream, Bree had told Mia if she ever got into trouble while in the small town of Elsie Creek to go find a stockman. Most of them were gentlemen who’d help anyone in need. Bree had said stockmen might look calm on the outside, but they played with cattle for a living and were a lot tougher than the miners in this town realised.
Mia hoped Bree was right.
‘We weren’t talking to you, mate.’ With a deep tan, dark hair under his black hat, the young stockman hooked his thumbs through his jeans belt loops, wearing a long-sleeved shirt that displayed Danbunnan Station on the pocket. ‘Josh, did you hear who I was talking to?’
The younger stockman, wearing a matching shirt, gave a cheesy grin as he scratched his chin. ‘Oh yeah. I’m a hundred per cent sure my friend, Tyson here, was talking to the lady. Not you, mate.’ Josh was so young, nineteen if that, wearing a cheeky grin. ‘Just so there’s no confusion, I’ll ask… Are you okay, Miss? We both heard you telling this fella to let you go.’ His eyes showed concern as they landed on the grip Gavin still had on her arm.
Tyson, the stockier offsider, nodded at her. ‘I know I did. It’s why we’re being nosy, when we’d rather be holding up the bar inside. So, mate, the lady made her request clear for all of us to hear. Let her go. Now .’
Thank the heavens for stockmen, who proved chivalry was not dead. Mia’s arm was freed from Gavin’s burning grip.
‘Ease up, we were just talking.’ Gavin stepped back, yet he was still too close. ‘We live together.’
‘No. We don’t. We’re done, Gavin. It’s over.’ She rubbed at her arm, scowling at the enemy as she stepped clear of him.
‘Were not finished talking, little Mia.’
‘It looks like she has, mate.’ Tyson said, as the Danbunnan Station stockmen blocked Gavin from getting near her.
‘You okay, miss?’ asked the one called Josh.
‘Yes. Thank you, gentlemen. You’re my heroes.’ She scooped up the testing kit.
‘Hear that, Tyson, I’m a hero. Wait till I tell Sienna back at the station. I reckon she’ll make me custard slice as my reward.’ Josh tapped his mate’s chest. He tipped his hat at Mia, giving her a charming yet boyish grin. Only to scowl at Gavin and block his path from following her.
It was enough for her to bolt free, with that feeling of leaving her past behind as she wove her way through the car park to help Cap.