Legacy of Hunters Ridge

by Sarah Barrie

  All the way back, she questioned herself: Where was she going to put him? That yard with Violet and Chester wasn’t big enough for another horse. And she had no gear. This was going to cost a fortune. What had she been thinking?

  As she pulled up in her drive, the phone rang. Cam. She hit the button.

  ‘What?’

  ‘You realise your phone etiquette could really do with some work?’

  ‘Oh. You. Wonderful.’

  ‘So could your demeanour.’

  ‘How’s this for demeanour? Go away.’ She hit end and took a slow breath, then another. She’d just have to let the pony go in the big paddock and hope she could find him again. At least he couldn’t get on the main road. But she didn’t move, not yet, because she was waiting for it. Sure enough, the phone rang again.

  ‘What now?’

  ‘Look, I didn’t mean to pressure you.’

  ‘Yes, you did.’

  ‘You’re right, I did. Are you okay?’

  ‘No. I’m not even close to okay. This is all your fault, I’m not talking to you. Probably ever.’ The horse stomped in the float, eager to be let out. ‘I have to go.’

  ‘What’s all my fault? Don’t hang up, Ally –’

  She hung up. Maybe she would forgive him one day. Just not right now. Not while she had to get this horse out.

  She dropped the back and untied Coco just as Cam’s ute appeared. The pony rushed out, forcing her to run with him to avoid losing him or being pulled over. Ignoring Cam, she walked Coco up again, worked with him until he stepped calmly off the ramp.

  ‘This is my fault?’ he finally asked, not quite masking a grin as he watched her.

  ‘Completely,’ she replied, as she introduced her charge to the concept of personal space. ‘How the hell did you get here so quick?’

  ‘I called from your driveway. Wanted to suss out your mood before making an appearance.’

  She turned. ‘Are you actually laughing? What the hell could you possibly find funny about this?’

  ‘You. You go from “I don’t want to have anything to do with it”, to bringing it home in the space of –’ he checked his watch, ‘– half an hour?’

  ‘I don’t even have anywhere to put him.’

  ‘Will he tie up for a bit?’

  ‘I have no idea.’ She led Coco towards the shed and tied him to the fence. He nickered at Violet, who happily nickered back. ‘You told me to fix it, so I thought I could. Only I don’t know if I can, and Colin doesn’t want him back. Not ever. He was standing in the paddock with a rifle. So now I have this pony I don’t want or need. And what the hell am I going to do with it? I should set it loose in your garden, that’s what I should do.’

  His grin spread. ‘Give Colin a few days, he’ll change his mind. Lucy has him wrapped around her little finger.’ He stepped in and kissed her until her toes curled, then set her down and gave her arse a pat, earning a swipe of her hand. ‘You’re amazing. Go grab some starposts. We’ve got a yard to build.’

  The makeshift yard they built was not as pretty or as large as Violet’s, but Coco didn’t seem to mind, once he’d been put in it. When they were done, Cam had needed to rush off to sort a problem with a flat-pack kitchen delivery, and there was nothing for Ally to do except worry about the way she’d run out on Ebony. For roughly an hour she berated herself for her dramatic display of self-pity, by which time she was so completely over herself that she got back in her car and went into town to apologise.

  Two minutes after arriving, she was nursing a chamomile tea while working her way through one of the decadent cookies Ebony favoured as she explained herself. ‘So while I try not to, I do occasionally fly off the handle. It’s possible you’ll see it again. I can only apologise.’

  Ebony had kept quiet until Ally had got everything off her chest. Now she nodded in sympathy. ‘I get it. Cam is pushy. He means well and, annoyingly, more often than not he makes a good point, but as another woman he cares about, I can happily agree there are times you just want to smack him over the head with the mindyour-own-business stick.’

  ‘Would you happen to know where I could get one of those? Because that could come in handy in all sorts of situations. But you’re right. He had a very good point. I just didn’t want to listen.’

  ‘I’m glad you did, because that poor pony isn’t dead.’

  ‘Now I’ve just got to figure out what I’m going to do with it.’

  ‘How about while we figure that out, we unpack some boxes?’

  By the time Ally and Ebony had two rows of shelves brimming with stock, the sun had all but disappeared. Feeling lazy, Ally called in for takeaway. Mia wouldn’t be far away and she didn’t feel like defrosting meat when she got home. Besides, Mia had mentioned movies, and she never brought less than three. They’d be up half the night.

  The red and blue lights in Ally’s rear-vision mirror as she turned onto her road startled her. Immediately her gaze flew to the speedo. She was under the limit – just. So what then? She pulled over and the police car pulled up behind her.

  A moment later Rob appeared at her window. ‘Hi, Ally.’

  ‘Hi, was I doing something wrong?’

  ‘No, not at all, just needed to talk to you. Didn’t think you’d see me wave you down in the dark.’

  ‘Oh. What’s up?’

  ‘You didn’t happen to pass anyone on the road just now, did you?’

  ‘Not since back in town, why?’

  ‘Another abandoned car’s turned up, just a couple of k’s that way. The engine’s still warm.’

  ‘Whose?’

  ‘Bella Campbell’s.’

  ‘Oh no. Maybe she broke down – went for help.’

  He nodded slowly. ‘Maybe.’

  ‘Sorry I can’t help.’

  ‘Was worth a try. Actually, while I’ve got you, Ebony wanted me to give you a map of where Martin Sullivan’s place is, and where his hunting groups have been spreading out into the forest. Being that you’re close by, it’d be good for you to know. Come over and I’ll dig it out of the glovebox.’

  ‘Sure.’

  ‘You heard about Lucy Breton?’

  ‘Yeah, I have her pony. I’m going to see if I can do some work with it. I heard a ute-load of idiots caused the pony to bolt.’ She reached his car and he opened the door.

  ‘I’m sorry, Ally, but –’

  Headlights cut across his car and Mia pulled up alongside them. ‘Ally, what’s happening?’

  ‘Hi, Mia, just grabbing something from Rob.’

  ‘How’s it going, Mia?’ Rob said, then fished in his glovebox. ‘Like I was saying, I’m sorry, I know you’re thinking it will be one of Martin’s group that stirred up the pony, but I don’t have the resources to be out there more often keeping these guys in line. A lot of small country stations like ours are being closed down altogether. There’s talk of this area falling under the Mudgee station control when I retire. I just can’t get more staff out here.’ He handed her a large map with shaded parts marked over some of the forested areas. ‘I’ll talk to Martin, but I don’t think I’ll get anywhere. On that, and on Bella Campbell, I’d appreciate it if you’d let me know if you see or hear anything, even if it doesn’t seem important.’

  ‘Will do.’

  Rob said goodnight and headed off, and Ally followed Mia into the driveway.

  ‘What was that about?’

  ‘Remember the waitress studying to be a doctor? Her car just turned up on the side of the road. He was hoping I might have seen something.’

  ‘God, I hope she’s okay.’

  ‘Me too. Give me that bag, I’ll take it up.’

  ‘Thanks, I’ve got some more stuff to unload.’

  When Ally came back downstairs, Mia was in the lounge room. ‘What? I – oh.’ On the back of a chair sat her best saddle, draped over the lounge were her show bridles, saddlecloths, helmet, riding clothes and assorted training aids. Her grooming kit was on the floor.

  ‘When you
told me about the pony, I thought you might need this stuff.’

  ‘I can’t believe you kept it.’

  ‘It’s only the competition gear that was locked in the truck, because, you know – most of the rest of your equipment was destroyed.’

  ‘I told you to sell it.’ She ran a hand lovingly over the black leather saddle. ‘It would have paid a stack of bills.’

  ‘I couldn’t do it.’

  Ally’s vision swam. ‘Last time I rode in this saddle, it was on Magna.’

  ‘I know. But I can’t think of a better reason to use it again than to save a pony’s life, can you?’

  ‘I guess not.’

  ‘What’s he like? I can’t wait to play with him.’

  ‘Um, I guess he could do with a wash.’

  ‘Remember we’d bring the horses in after a spell and make them all gorgeous again? A bath, a brush, a trim, some coat conditioner, a couple of clean rugs …’

  ‘Mia …’

  ‘It’ll be fun. Just like old times.’

  ‘Like old times?’

  ‘Sure, why not?’

  ‘Why not,’ Ally repeated.

  CHAPTER

  18

  Ally tied Coco securely to the fence, while Mia laid out the contents of the grooming kit and checked them off.

  ‘Okay we’re good to go,’ Mia said and looked the pony over. ‘And what a mission we have here.’

  ‘He got a lot of those tangles and scratches when he ran away. A bath and a general tidy will fix it. Put the clippers away, he’s a paddock pony, not a show horse.’

  ‘No fun,’ Mia grumbled, but packed them back then lifted the thick, tangled tail. ‘Are you pulling the mane or the tail?’

  ‘I’ll handle the tail. You suck at it.’

  ‘Watch it, or I’ll make his mane look like Whoopi Goldberg on a bad hair day.’

  ‘Okay, you do the tail.’

  ‘No.’

  ‘Why not?’

  ‘I suck at it.’

  Ally laughed. ‘Pass me the comb.’

  They tidied, washed and groomed. Mia’s good mood was contagious, and Ally relaxed, falling into an old rhythm and beginning to enjoy the work. ‘Okay, I just need to rinse his tail and we’re done.’

  Mia shook out a clean cotton rug. ‘This might be a bit big, but the smallest rug you had was a five-foot-six.’

  ‘It’ll do.’ As Ally rinsed the last of the suds out of the pony’s tail, the water stopped.

  ‘Did you kink it?’

  ‘I’m nowhere near it.’

  ‘I guess I might have run out of water.’ She looked around at the mess they’d made. ‘We’ve definitely flooded the place.’

  ‘But you have a windmill and a pump, don’t you?’

  ‘Yeah but … I don’t know. I’ve never had a windmill before. I think the pump’s over near it somewhere.’

  Mia tossed the cotton rug over the pony’s clean coat and left him tied. ‘Let’s take a look.’

  ‘That would be it,’ Ally said a moment later as they stood by the windmill. ‘I wonder if I –’ She pressed the reset button. A loud click sounded promising.

  ‘Hey, Ally, what’s this?’ Mia was standing over a heavy-looking metal plate.

  ‘I don’t know. Something to do with my water?’

  They struggled with the plate, lifting it a bare few inches. The smell that escaped was putrid.

  ‘Close it, close it!’

  They let it go, staggering back.

  ‘I’m guessing it’s not my water.’

  ‘It certainly doesn’t smell that bad when we drink it.’

  Ally chewed on her lip. ‘Maybe it’s the septic?’

  ‘Then, jeez, Al, did it smell that bad when you ate it?’ Mia giggled.

  ‘Gross, Mia!’

  ‘You might be braver but your sense of humour’s not back.’

  Ally walked away, picked up a short length of hose and tried the tap. It worked. Problem solved, she thought, then increased the pressure coming through the hose and turned it on Mia.

  Mia squealed and bolted away from the spray. ‘Ally, what are you doing?’

  ‘Developing my sense of humour. What’s wrong, Mia, lost yours?’

  Mia squealed again and ran at Ally, wrestling for the hose. In seconds they were both soaked.

  ‘You know, I just don’t want to interrupt them,’ Lee said as, arms folded, he stood next to Cam and watched the girls drown each other.

  ‘Yep, who carries on like that at their age?’

  ‘No one I know,’ Lee said with a smirk.

  Laughing hysterically, Ally caught sight of the men and called out, ‘Hi guys, you look hot.’

  ‘Why, thank you, pretty lady,’ Lee replied. ‘You’re not so bad yourself.’

  ‘Watch it,’ Cam growled.

  ‘Oh, come on.’ Lee laughed. ‘I’m not hitting on her.’

  ‘No, I mean, watch it!’

  Ally sprang forwards, spraying water everywhere. The men ran in different directions and Ally went for Cam, who feigned left, hitting the spray, but it put him in position to get an arm around her waist. He lifted Ally off her feet, snatched the hose then swooped down, bending her back over his arm to kiss her senseless.

  Mia eventually closed her mouth and turned the hose off. ‘Hey guys, do you happen to know what this hole in the ground is?’

  Cam and Lee took a look. ‘Under here?’

  ‘Yeah but don’t –’

  As she spoke, Cam slid the top off, swore and put it quickly back. ‘No idea, but I think I’d be leaving it alone.’

  ‘There’s a stink and a half.’ Lee looked around. ‘It could be an old well. Stagnant water can get on the nose.’

  Ally frowned as a thought occurred to her. ‘Cassie at Mavis’s hospice did mention a mine shaft on the property. Apparently Billy died when he fell into it. Do you think that’s what it could be?’

  Cam nodded. ‘It could be, but I don’t much feel like taking a better look. You certainly wouldn’t want anything falling down there. It should probably be fenced off.’

  ‘What would I do without you?’ She batted her eyelashes playfully.

  Mia pulled at her saturated clothing. ‘I’m going to get changed.’

  Ally was just grateful she wasn’t wearing anything too translucent. ‘I should probably do the same thing.’ She walked the short distance to where Coco was tied. ‘I’ll put the pony back first. We gave him a bath but the water cut out.’

  Cam gave Coco a pat as Ally led him past. ‘Did Rob catch up with you?’

  ‘About Bella? Yeah, he pulled me over last night just after he found her car.’

  ‘I don’t think Mia should be on the road after dark. That’s four girls now.’

  ‘I’ll talk to her about it. She probably won’t need a lot of convincing.’

  ‘Expecting company?’

  Ally turned her attention to the drive, and her stomach sank as she spotted the driver. ‘No but … probably should have been.’

  She sighed and pulled again at her wet clothes, then approached Ben Bowden’s car. ‘What are you doing here?’

  ‘I could ask you the same question.’

  ‘David’s mother is dying. I’m here to sort everything out.’

  ‘Looks more like you’re moving in.’

  Lee stepped past Ally and shook Ben’s hand. ‘Ben, how are you?’ Ben looked at Lee in surprise. ‘Lee. What are you doing here?’

  ‘Do you know Cam? He’s the one who got those charges against me dropped.’

  ‘Blakely – the lawyer. Nice to meet you.’

  Cam repeated the hand-shaking process, while Ally was incapable of anything other than standing on the spot in complete disbelief.

  ‘How’s everything at the Sydney LAC?’ Lee asked.

  ‘Same as always.’

  ‘Would you mind continuing the whole reunion party without me?’ Ally asked dully, ‘I need to get changed.’

  Ben’s eyes returned to her. ‘Not just
yet. Any particular reason you need a lawyer hanging around, Alissa?’

  ‘What are you getting at?’ Cam said warily.

  Ben’s gaze stayed firmly on Ally’s. ‘Has something occurred to you?’

  Cam stepped up to put a hand on Ally’s shoulder. ‘What’s going on?’

  Ally glanced at Cam. ‘Your new friend here is the one who thinks I deliberately set fire to the stables to get back at my husband. He does these little check-ups every now and then to … see how I’m going.’

  ‘Is Ally still a suspect?’ Cam asked.

  ‘There are elements of the case that are still under investigation.’

  ‘What elements?’

  ‘Are you Alissa’s lawyer?’

  ‘Let’s say I am. Because if you’re gonna come out here and hassle her without a very good excuse, I’m gonna get in your way.’

  Ben shot a glance at Lee, swung back again. ‘I have new information on her case. I’d advise your client to show some cooperation.’

  ‘Oh, look.’ Mia appeared on the veranda, voice dripping with venom. ‘Someone’s left a stool sample in our driveway.’

  Ally’s eyes closed on a resigned sigh. ‘Shit. Cam quick, before she gets herself arrested again.’

  His brow shot up. ‘Again?’

  Ben turned to watch Mia approach. ‘Always a pleasure, Mia.’

  ‘You’d want to be here to apologise,’ Mia said.

  ‘Or what?’

  ‘Or this is going to cost me another five hundred bucks.’

  ‘Why don’t you just try that again and see what happens this time?’ Ben suggested calmly.

  With one last dubious look in Ally’s direction, Cam jogged a few steps to intercept Mia, grabbing her around the waist a half-step before she reached Ben. The momentum had them spinning before he could pull her back to a safe distance.

  ‘If he wants to set foot on this property, he can get a warrant!’

  Cam turned his attention to Ben. ‘You’re popular, aren’t you?’

  ‘Let her go,’ Ben said. ‘She can come for a nice long ride back down to the station.’

  ‘Back down?’

  Ben considered Mia for a moment then nodded at Cam. ‘I’ll let Mia fill you in. Next time,’ he continued, ‘I won’t be so nice.’

  ‘Next time,’ Mia mimicked, ‘you won’t see me coming!’