Legacy of Hunters Ridge

by Sarah Barrie

  ‘I – it wasn’t that obvious was it?’

  ‘You’re a little jumpy around him, and I get it. The way he watches every move you make, don’t be surprised if he gets it too.’

  ‘Oh, God. He probably feels sorry for me.’

  ‘I’m just guessing here but I don’t think that’s what he was feeling.’

  ‘Why don’t you ask Lee out?’ Ally said, seeing his headlights pull up behind them.

  ‘And risk him feeling sorry for me? Are you kidding? I have to associate with the guy on a regular basis. No way am I giving Mr Neanderthal that kind of information. I’d rather he just continued on, oblivious.’

  CHAPTER

  15

  Ally stared at the figurine of the little pig. It was sitting on the coffee table right in front of her – the first thing she’d seen when she’d opened her eyes. What were the chances of a pig figurine appearing right after Poppy left? And hadn’t the cat figurine appeared just after Tom had gone to Ebony’s surgery? She turned the pig around and examined it, looking for signs Luna might have been playing with it. There weren’t any. And what were the chances of her placing it perfectly on the table? Ally was all for finding rational explanations, but there didn’t seem to be one in this case.

  The sound of trail bikes distracted her, telling her Terry and Kyle were about to arrive on her doorstep. With a shake of her head and an uncomfortable feeling in the pit of her stomach, she headed out to greet them.

  While they worked, she fed the animals and tidied the vegetable garden. She finished about the same time as they did, and after paying them, wondered what to do next. She could go inside again, tidy up, but the house was already spotless and she was enjoying the day.

  ‘Hey, Luna, let’s go for a walk.’

  Luna bounced along beside Ally as she headed out through the back paddock. They wandered aimlessly for a while until, hackles up and barking, Luna took off into a pocket of scrub that wove its way through the paddock towards the back gate.

  ‘Luna!’

  There was a crashing sound – something much larger than Luna was in there.

  ‘Luna!’ What was she chasing? A wallaby? A pig? If it was a boar, they were dangerous, weren’t they? For a second, Ally thought she might have glimpsed the top half of a human torso as it moved through some low shrub. Whatever it was moved fast, and the view wasn’t clear. The idea it could be someone rather than something stopped her dead in her tracks, had her calling the pup more sharply. Luna hesitated, then gave a happy bark, and shot off again. Branches swayed and snapped as whatever she was chasing moved quickly. Before long, there was no trace of the dog.

  After a solid half-hour of searching, Ally was starting to panic. There was just no sign of Luna. The stupid pup had run off before, but she always came back. Ally called until her throat was sore, until she was at her back-gate entrance to the trails. Surely she wouldn’t have come this far?

  ‘Luna!’ She spotted a movement in the trees ahead. ‘Luna?’

  Rob appeared, carrying Luna, who was struggling to lick his face. He laughed and gave her a pat before dropping her gently on her feet. ‘Hi, Ally, lost something?’

  ‘Rob? What are you – where did you find her?’

  ‘She found me. Hell for leather after a roo. Ran right past me. Must have had enough, because she circled and came back to flop on my feet. Heard you calling, so I was hoping I’d find you at your gate.’

  ‘Thank you. I was worried. I thought –’

  ‘Thought?’

  ‘I thought it was a person she was after.’

  He grinned and shook his head. ‘It was a big roo. She would have found her way back.’

  ‘Thanks.’

  Rob smiled apologetically as his phone rang and he dug it out to answer it. When he hung up, he looked unimpressed.

  ‘Is there a problem?’

  He nodded. ‘That’s why I’m out here. The Wilson boys were coming back from your place, found a dead wallaby with too many bullets in it to be accidental. Ebony’s been in their ears to keep an eye out – they’re always out here on their trail bikes, so they called it in. I had to get some photos for evidence.’ He sighed. ‘But that was Ebony on the phone – she’s decided she wants me to bring it back.’

  ‘That’s horrible.’

  ‘Yep. Roo populations can get out of hand, sometimes they need to be culled, but these little wallabies are endangered. We can’t afford to be losing them to ignorant hunters. It won’t be locals doing the damage, they know better.’

  ‘You sound very sure.’

  ‘That’s because I know most of them, and I know around here they’re all pretty experienced hunters. The local group know how to track in the bush. They know to be constantly scanning ahead, how to follow scat and trails and anticipate the animal’s movements, some can even decipher one individual from another. You put that sort of effort in, have those sort of skills, it kind of guarantees you know what you’re hunting long before you fire a bullet. Now, some people have dogs, and dogs are trained to go for the pigs. They’ll bail them up, hold them for a hunter, no mistaking your kill then either. Hell of a lot different to running around, blindly shooting at anything that moves – which is what some of these party groups of Martin Sullivan’s seem to be doing. Martin knows how to hunt, so there’s no excuse for people he’s responsible for carrying on like this. Especially on your boundary here.’

  ‘I hope they don’t come any closer.’

  ‘I’ll be doing what I can to make sure that doesn’t happen. Now, if you’ll excuse me, my car’s about a hundred metres back that way, and I’m going to bag the body up before it gets any smellier. You take care, Ally. If you do hear any shooting, you call me. Right away.’

  ‘Thanks, Rob.’ She’d wanted to talk to him about the mysterious figurines, but it didn’t feel like the right moment.

  She wandered back with a much less bouncy Luna. She had an idea the pup had worn herself out, yet once close to the house, Luna raced off after some ducks and skidded into the side of the dam, only to leap and spin comically when her feet got wet. Ally smiled, even as she decided she really needed to do some training with her. The pup couldn’t keep running off whenever she felt like it.

  Hot and uncomfortable from her trek, she considered the dam. It certainly looked inviting. She went inside to find her swimming costume, emerging a few minutes later carrying Luna’s favourite ball.

  ‘Wanna swim?’

  On the far side of the dam, trees and undergrowth met the edge of the water, but the closest bank to the house was grassy and open. Ally found a spot and dropped a towel on the grass.

  ‘Here you go, Luna.’

  She threw the ball just a tiny way in and Luna leapt after it, then hesitated when it started to get deep.

  ‘You’re supposed to fetch it!’

  Instead Luna just stood in the shallows and shook with excitement as the ball floated out.

  ‘Okay, let me.’ Ally kicked off her thongs and pulled the cotton shirt she’d worn over her expensive swimsuit over her head. The swimsuit seemed overkill out here, but David had enjoyed seeing her wear nice things and they’d spent many hours in their pool. There had been so much social life, so many parties and events. She’d never really enjoyed all that as much as he had. No wonder he’d thought she was boring.

  The water was cool and she took her time slipping in, until, as she took another step to reach for the ball, the bottom dropped out from beneath her. The splash as she submerged had ducks flapping away noisily and Luna barking hysterically. Surfacing, she gasped at the chill, and trod water as she dragged her wet hair from her face. Luna jumped in and scrambled at Ally’s shoulders for purchase.

  ‘Ouch – careful. Go back.’

  She pushed the pup gently towards the bank and Luna paddled to shore, before leaping in again to tread a few frantic circles, testing out her new swimming skills. Ally laughed, and it occurred to her she was happier than she’d been for a long time. Despite the cha
llenges out here – or maybe because of them – she felt more alive.

  As she floated, she let her thoughts wander. Why not consider staying? There was nowhere else in particular she wanted to be. It wouldn’t hurt to find out what a modest house would cost, whether she could afford to pay out her debts and still buy one. But what would she live on? She’d need to work. Perhaps she could pick something up in town. It needn’t be much, just something to pay the bills.

  She thought about that, really considered it. The idea was a tempting one. Maybe it was time to break the news to Cam that the place was off the market, at least while she figured it all out. He might be okay with it – hadn’t he himself suggested she consider staying? But after all her assurances that she wasn’t going to change her mind, after all that fencing she’d somehow have to pay for, it might piss him off. Well, she’d done that before, hadn’t she? And if he stopped being so damn nice to her, it might just stop her making a fool of herself over him.

  ‘Come on, Luna.’ She swam lazily out a little further and collected the ball then tossed it towards the bank and Luna followed it in.

  ‘That looks like a hell of a lot more fun than putting in a gate.’

  She spun, the water rippling around her. Cam and Lee were standing at the water’s edge.

  ‘Um … hi.’ She scrambled self-consciously to the edge and climbed out, wrapped her towel around herself. ‘Gate?’

  ‘Present.’ Lee gestured with his hand for her to follow them.

  She didn’t miss the sweep of Cam’s gaze over her as she followed Lee.

  They’d left their ute in the driveway, and on the back of it was a shiny new farm gate.

  ‘Useless here ordered too many for one of our projects,’ Lee taunted. ‘Thought you might like this dodgy one replaced.’ He kicked lightly at the broken one.

  ‘Yes, please. Do you need me to help?’

  ‘Nah, it’s simple. I just dragged Cam along for the hell of it.’

  Cam just shrugged. ‘I’ll go have a cold drink with Ally then.’

  ‘Hey, this was your idea, buddy.’

  ‘But as I’m so useless …’

  ‘I guess you could be helpful.’ Lee tore a plastic bag from the gate and removed the bolts from inside. ‘Here, you might need the instructions.’

  Cam grinned and turned the paper around a couple of times. ‘Shame – I don’t read Chinese.’

  Lee snatched it and unfolded it, handed it back. ‘It’s English.’

  Cam laughed. ‘Smartarse.’

  ‘Wish I could say the same …’

  ‘Fine, I’ll hang the gate, you go do your tax return.’

  ‘I’d rather learn Chinese.’

  ‘It’s English, remember?’

  Smiling at the pair, Ally took Luna back to the house and headed up the stairs to shower and change. It was hot in the upstairs rooms, so she opened all the windows. In the spare room, the doona was hanging off the end of the bed but the sheet was pulled up. Her eye immediately caught sight of a mass of movement. Seeping into the sheet was a circle of blood.

  She must have screamed, because she heard Cam calling her name, heard the front door slam and booted feet on the stairs.

  But her eyes were focused on the thing in the bed. Slowly, she reached for the sheet, ripped it back hard.

  The large tiger snake was mangled, dead – probably – but writhing.

  ‘What is it? Jeez.’ Cam swung her around and pushed her towards the door. ‘Get her out of here,’ he ordered Lee.

  Wide-eyed and trembling, Ally allowed herself to be led downstairs. ‘I’m okay, it was just a shock,’ she told Lee when he pushed her towards a seat. She clasped her shaking hands, took a few steadying breaths.

  ‘Sure you are. You always scream like that when you’re okay?’

  ‘It was just the – how did it get there?’

  ‘You need some water or alcohol or something?’

  ‘No.’

  ‘You’re white as a sheet. I can hear your teeth rattling as you talk.’

  ‘Sorry.’

  ‘I don’t want an apology. I’m not good at calming down hysterical women. You have to tell me what to do.’

  Her eyes flared at that. ‘I said I’m okay.’ She imagined he’d rethink his use of hysterical if he ever saw her during a panic attack, decided he’d probably run for the hills.

  ‘The cat was probably trying to bury it by putting it under the sheet.’

  ‘Maybe. It must have been.’

  Cam joined them and studied her face. ‘I wrapped it up in the sheets. I didn’t think you’d want to use them again.’

  ‘No.’ She shuddered. ‘Definitely not. Thanks for dealing with it.’

  ‘No problem. I just need a garbage bag.’

  ‘Sure, I’ll get one.’

  Lee leapt to his feet and pulled one from the cupboard under the sink. ‘I’ll deal with that. You,’ he said to Cam, ‘deal with this.’

  Lee headed upstairs and Cam sat beside Ally, giving her shoulders a squeeze.

  ‘Okay?’

  ‘Yep.’

  ‘Tom’s a hunter. We’ll keep the window shut.’

  ‘That’s just it – I can’t! I keep locking it, it keeps coming open.’

  ‘A clever hunter. I’ll fix it.’

  Lee stomped back down the stairs with the bundle. ‘All done.’

  ‘Thanks.’ She got to her feet and forced a relaxed smile. ‘I should let you get back to it.’

  Ally was tidying the kitchen when Cam stepped through the door.

  ‘Hi. Are you finished already?’

  ‘Yeah. You all right?’

  ‘All good. I’m glad you guys were here, though.’

  ‘So am I.’

  She smiled a little self-consciously. ‘Aren’t you getting sick of playing hero?’

  ‘No.’ He returned the smile but it was the intensity in his eyes that had her transfixed. ‘I should take a look at that window.’

  ‘Oh – thanks.’ She led him up the stairs and showed him the offending window.

  He examined it, frowned. ‘I guess it’s not completely out of the question that the cat might be able to get it open, but he’s one clever animal.’ Ally didn’t like the look on his face. He might have said it, but he didn’t look like he believed it. ‘A piece of dowel will stop him. We’ll drop it in the cavity and he won’t be able to budge it. Got a tape measure?’

  She looked at him blankly. ‘I have no idea. Oh, wait.’ She opened one of the sewing room drawers and found a measuring tape. ‘Will this do?’

  ‘Yep.’ He took a measurement, entered it into his phone. ‘I’ll cut a piece and drop back over with it.’

  ‘Thanks.’ She didn’t feel like being alone, didn’t want him to go. Besides, she had to talk to him about the house, wanted to get that conversation over and done with. ‘Are you … busy, this afternoon?’ Cam checked his watch. ‘I have a meeting about a potential sale at four.’

  ‘I want to talk to you about something. Could you possibly come back? I could make you dinner,’ she blurted. ‘As a thank you and – it doesn’t matter. If you’re busy, it can wait.’

  His eyes roamed over her face, softened. ‘I can be back around seven?’

  She wrapped her arms around herself, nodded quickly. ‘Okay. Good.’

  As soon as he left, she started to panic. She’d had a weak moment, hadn’t wanted him to go. Yes, she needed to talk to him about withdrawing her sale offer, but what was she doing, inviting him to dinner? She wasn’t good at entertaining men, and experience told her she was more prone to stuttering than making sense when she tried to make conversation with Cam. To be fair to herself he was gorgeous and friendly and had yet again come to her rescue. But now she’d invited him to dinner.

  She didn’t even know what she had in the house. There could be some steak, no expensive cuts but – she opened the fridge, stared at the ingredients, walked to the pantry, repeated the process. She had some oyster sauce, some ginger, garlic,
chilli, a few vegetables. There was a microwave rice. So she’d do a stir-fry. It wasn’t exactly fancy. He’d probably be expecting something complicated. The only semi-complicated dishes she could handle were desserts. And what about dessert? She had chocolate. She could make something quick with chocolate.

  Her stomach was completely in knots by the time he arrived. Dinner with Cam. Just the two of them. The perfect opportunity to make a fool of herself. And piss him off about the house while she was at it.

  Breathe, focus, relax.

  She ran the palms of her hands down her sides, then opened the door and let him in. ‘Hi.’

  ‘Hi, I brought a bottle of wine. And the dowel.’ He held up both with a grin.

  ‘Thanks. Come in.’

  ‘What are you cooking? It smells great.’

  ‘They’re just little chocolate puddings. I should check them.’ She did, decided they were looking good. ‘I hope you don’t mind stir-fry. If I’d had a chance to plan, I would have tried for something nicer.’

  ‘If it’s anything like everything else you cook, it will be lovely.’ He opened the wine he’d brought, and she handed him two glasses before heating the frypan. She missed her wok, but the pan worked well enough.

  Cam handed her back a glass. ‘So what did you want to talk about?’

  ‘Sorry?’

  ‘You said you wanted to talk about something.’

  ‘Oh, right.’ She put the marinated meat in the pan and didn’t speak until the initial sizzle had died down. She’d been planning on tackling that conversation last to avoid making dinner incredibly uncomfortable. ‘I, um … I know I promised I’d sell you the property, but I was thinking that I might like to stay around a bit longer than I had planned.’ She risked a quick glance at his face and it remained bland, as though he was thinking.

  ‘You don’t want to sell?’

  ‘Not really. No. I don’t think so.’

  ‘You want to stay?’

  ‘Yes. Not in this house, of course, but I think I might be able to afford to build something modest.’

  His eyebrows drew together in a frown. She threw in the vegetables, even as she wondered if they would be eating tonight.