Forty-two
‘That’s not me?’ Mia gasped at her reflection in the mirror of the sporting grounds’ changing rooms. The eyes were hers, but the make-up was new.
She rarely wore any. Working outdoors, she never dressed to impress. But the clothes were new. In a striped collared business shirt, fitted jeans, heeled boots, and a black leather belt. ‘I’m dressed like you, Harper.’
‘I don’t do stripes. But they suit you.’ Harper straightened Mia’s collar. ‘You did a good job on the hair, Bree.’
Mia touched her smooth silky hair. ‘I could do with a cap.’ Missing Cap, hoping Atlas was okay. She’d heard Fern was fine. But sadly, Atlas was still getting treatment.
‘For this event, you get a new town hat to add to your wardrobe.’ Bree carefully placed it on Mia’s head like a tiara. ‘Perfect. You’re ready. And so is Willow.’ She touched the dog’s nose. ‘You look good in your new dog collar.’
‘I chose the mustard colour because it reminded me of Cap’s Tojo.’ Harper adjusted the collar that was like a minimalist rope bracelet. ‘I think the tiny charms on it are a cute touch. And I’ve ordered a special name tag for Willow with Mia’s number on the back for when they come to town. My dogs are getting one, too.’
‘I think you should become a personal shopper, Harper, for both human and canines,’ said Bree.
‘Willow needed to look as good as her new owner to celebrate their participation.’ Harper’s phone pinged, and she read the message. ‘Ash says they want Mia at the arena now.’
‘Let’s go.’ Bree hooked her arm through Mia’s, hustling her out the door and into the bright sunshine.
‘Do I have to do this?’ Mia swallowed hard, while the dog trotted beside her, with her tail up, her coat gleaming, and her new collar all sparkly.
‘You said you’d do it.’
‘But do I have to get dressed up?’
‘This isn’t dressed up, it’s smart casual,’ said Harper. ‘I have plenty of ball gowns and cocktail dresses if you want to get dressed up. Hey, we should do that at our next cooking lesson and make cupcakes while wearing ball gowns and tiaras.’
‘Oh, I’m in,’ said Bree with a bright smile. ‘Mia, didn’t your mother dress up when she did her dog shows?’
‘Um, yeah… I should call her.’
‘Give me that.’ Bree snatched the phone. ‘You can call her after the events. In the meantime, I’ll take photos you can send to your parents and Cap.’
‘Cap knows I’m doing this?’ She licked her lips, that felt foreign from the lipstick.
Harper nodded. ‘I can’t wait to watch. Ash is filming it with the drone.’
Mia stumbled.
‘I’ve got you.’ Bree clutched her arm tighter.
‘Do you think I’m going to run away?’ Which is what she wanted to do.
‘I think when you give that first command to Willow, the crowd will disappear, and it will be just you and the dog having fun out there. You’ll forget we’re even here.’
‘Can we forget I said yes?’
Bree gave a wry smile as they approached the arena. ‘You can back out. Anytime.’
‘Really?’
‘But then you’ll suffer with crippling guilt for quitting, and end up with stomach ulcers—’
‘Bree!’ Harper motioned with her eyes at Bree to stop.
Bree laughed. ‘Let’s put it this way, precious, it’s just the fear talking. Look, let’s picture your fear as black mould that grows in dark, stagnant places. We try to conceal it, ignore it, yet sometimes that fear compounds into something like a phobia,’ Bree said, brushing some lint off Mia’s shoulder. ‘With your fear of standing in front of a crowd you can either trample on it like a weed to make room for the pretty native wildflowers, or you can go hide in a dark corner again. But I know you’ll be disappointed in yourself for not trying. Now, get out there and have fun. We’ll be here supporting you.’
‘One last gift. A bottle of water for you, and this is a portable water bowl for the dog. It matches her collar and lead. Go Team Willow .’ Harper gave the thumbs up, just like she did at the drafting yards.
They left Mia on the edge of the arena with Willow beside her, holding a lead, a bottle of water, and a portable dog bowl that folded away like a compact grocery bag with a clip.
Ryder approached, carrying a large piece of paper in his hand, it was like a running bib worn by marathon runners with large numbers on it. ‘Mia, I’m going to pin this number to your back.’
‘Isn’t that Cap’s number?’
‘It’s yours too. I’ve put your name beside Cap’s as the team representing Elsie Creek Station.’
Didn’t that make her stomach swirl. Did this mean they’d officially made her a part of the team?
‘As the last contestant for the obstacle course, you’re to stay out in the arena for the next event.’
‘Back-to-back events?’
‘It’s how we got the extra time to allow you to get ready. You’ll start there at the jumps. It’s set out the same as Cap’s obstacle course back home.’ He pointed at the small jumps.
‘We only did that for fun. Not for show. Cap’s dogs did this.’
‘Mia, we don’t care if you win. We’re just proud of you for stepping up in Cap’s place. And if Cap were here, I’m sure he’d tell you that you look nice. Good luck.’
Wow! Ryder Riggs said all that. Her jaw fell open watching the big man walk away.
That’s when she noticed the crowd of assorted hats spread around the arena. At one end sat a group of stern-looking cattlemen seated at a long table holding pens and clipboards. Another held a microphone. Above them stood a huge board lit up with red numbers.
‘Ready, Miss?’
No way was she ready to stand in front of E.V.E.R.Y.O.N.E.
Willow brushed her moist nose against Mia’s hand. It was her dog. Who was a part of her team.
She crouched down to the dog. ‘Think we can do this, Willow?’
Willow’s tail wagged, her eyes on the obstacle course. Willow loved the course. And this was for Cap, for his family and friends who’d helped her. For a month she’d been searching for a way to thank them all, so this was it.
She unclipped the dog’s stylish new lead. ‘Steady, Willow…’
The dog crouched down, tail wagging, her eyes on Mia.
She nodded to the adjudicator, who held up his hand.
A buzzer went off. The large clock started.
‘ Go, Willow, over to the end .’ The dog ran her heart out, making quick work of the small jumps which represented the differing heights of the cattle rails. She then ran around the top end, through the mesh tunnel to leap effortlessly over another set of jumps, and up to the tall bridge to represent cattle ramps. Then, back through the jumps again and over to the paddle swing.
‘ Hold… ’ There was a pause as the dog used her weight to lower the board like a seesaw, then through a series of tyre jumps, then the sprint towards Willow’s favourite section of the twenty-part obstacle course, the weave poles.
Twelve plastic poles stood over six feet high where the dog had to swing past them going from the left, to right, left, right, left, right, past each pole evenly spaced at sixty centimetres apart.
With her dainty paws doing a swimming step as if dancing on the dust that made up the outback arena, Willow raced through it as if it was a straight line, then over the last hurdles to race back to Mia.
‘I’ve got you, girl.’ Mia crouched down with her arms out, and Willow jumped into them for a hug. It was then Mia heard the crowd’s applause.
The numbers on the clock showed sixty-nine seconds.
Was that a good time?
Then the ground crew made quick work of putting the obstacles onto a truck, leaving Mia and Willow all alone in the arena. She’d barely had enough time to test out the new water bowl for Willow, when the truck left the arena and a gate opened at the far end allowing three steers to enter the holding pen.
Willow barked, her tail thumping in the dirt, her eager eyes on the cattle.
It was time for the next event.
‘ Welcome to the muster dog trials,’ said a male voice over the loudspeakers and the crowd’s voices hushed to listen. ‘For those new to the muster dog trials, all dogs start with a hundred points. Points will be deducted for errors such as excessive barking, nipping, excessive force, and disobeying commands. The aim is to walk three cattle calmly around the fences then through the gates to represent drafting gates. It’s a test to show the skills of the dogs helping the stockman move the cattle where they want them. And competitors have six minutes to complete this trial.’
A sweat bead trickled down the side of her face, Mia swallowed hard wishing they’d just get on with it.
The MC continued, ‘First off will be the kelpie, Willow, and her handler, Mia Dixon, from Elsie Creek Station, who recorded an impressive time in the obstacle course. I’ve been told that Mia and Willow have only been working together for three weeks. They’ve been trained by Caleb Riggs, co-owner of Elsie Creek Station, who trains handlers and problem dogs in the art of mustering partnerships. Let’s begin…’
Mia felt the world fall away. The breeze grew still, as a bird flew past, and a fly flirted with her shoulder.
‘Willow, steady.’
The dog crouched down, her eyes alert and shining, focused on the cattle.
The buzzer went off and the three steers were released.
‘Away, Willow.’
With speed, the kelpie ran in a wide, arching circle towards the cattle.
‘Come round.’
Willow rushed around them on the right, pushing the trio towards the first rails. One steer lowered its head and Willow barked, getting close enough to almost nip at its nose. Would they lose points for that?
‘Easy, Willow.’
The dog backed off, weaving back and forth like a western line dancer to push them through the first gate.
But Mia still couldn’t breathe, the sun scorching down on her, twisting her fingers, as the time seemed to stretch into hours. ‘Come round… Push them through… Steady… Walk up. Walk up. ’
Willow ran side to side, herding the cattle just like she did in the drafting yards to walk them through the open gate. Mia closed it behind them. Five minutes and sixteen seconds, with forty-four seconds to spare.
It wasn’t fast like Atlas or Fern would have done, but it was steady, the cattle were calm, and it’s what Cap would call a good clean close.
‘Well done, Willow, well done.’ She patted the dog heartily as her reward.
A buzzing noise hovered overhead. She looked up to face Ash’s drone. Normally she’d duck and hide, but today she waved, then she waved at Bree and Harper holding Mason where they cheered loudly with Dex and Ryder clapping beside them. Mia had nothing to hide.
Why should she?
After all, there was nowhere to hide in front of everyone in the arena. So what if she mucked up, she was having a go. She even shyly smiled at the crowds who were clapping for them.
Bree was right—Mia might not have won, but this was a win for her. It was also a win for all those who called Elsie Creek Station home.