Sarah moved slowly up beside the teenager and, raising her hand, gently stroked the other side of his nose. Aladdin accepted their attention for several seconds before he rolled his eyes and backed away. Sarah looked around. Hugo leaned against a post a couple of metres away, arms crossed and a frown creasing his forehead.
“Maybe I can give you a few pointers later about how to deal with Aladdin's problem.”
Like keeping Hugo out of sight and out of scent range.
“Awesome, Ms. Tait.” Lily's smile was broad and white as her shyness fell away, replaced by her obvious passion for horses.
Growing up, had she worn the same expression around Harry, the horse magician who had initiated her into the mysteries of whispering? “Call me Sarah.”
Ralph Jenner rubbed his hands together and grinned. “Come up to the house for refreshments before you work your magic on Aladdin, Sarah.”
She had intended that Lily use her first name and, when she worked, she expected her clients to do the same. The thought nagged that Jenner had manipulated both women and the situation to his advantage. But a horse in need wouldn't be denied her help just because she suspected the owner of cadging a free training session. Telling herself she could be an optimist if she really tried, the sour taste left her mouth as she re-labelled the experience as an investment in Lily's future.
##
Caleb spooned up the last of his stew and shivered. Antarctic winds sucked the final morsel of heat from his body as he cleaned and stowed his cooking equipment and climbed into the ute. Tugging the door closed behind him, he wriggled into his sleeping bag and pulled it up to his waist before returning to the tracking equipment. He donned the headset in time to hear:
“. . . kind of you.” Jenner's voice was slightly muffled but Sarah's response came through loud and clear.
Thank goodness she's wearing the bug. He adjusted the volume and switched on the recorder.
“Lily has an instinct for knowing what the horse is going to do, and she lacks fear.”
“Great. You have to let horses know you're the boss,” Lily’s father said.
“Not precisely.” Disapproval crackled through Sarah’s tone and Caleb could imagine the tension in her shoulders. She didn't approach horses with dominance in mind.
“It's more like a partnership. You have to work to gain the horse's trust, and make it pleasurable for the horse to want to do the same thing you do. Aladdin has been badly dealt with at some point and doesn't seem willing to trust most people. Especially males.”
“But you only suggested keeping Hugo away from him. What about Frank?”
“Frank's attitude is more understanding and he's patient. I think Hugo is—let's just say he's not attuned to Aladdin's needs.”
“Got it. So Frank will have sole responsibility for Aladdin. Sarah, that horse is a Cup winner. I know it and I want you to train him.”
“You know I'm in the middle of an endurance ride.”
“Stay with us now and I'll make it worth your while.”
Caleb gritted his teeth as he made notes. It shouldn’t have surprised him that Jenner was trying to nab Sarah’s help. He’d banked on the fact for her to gain access to the stables. But hearing the millionaire so blatantly conscripting her help set his back up.
“I won't opt out in the middle of my commitment to the riding school. Besides, I have bookings for the next couple of months, Mr. Jenner.”
“Ralph. We're past such formality, Sarah.” Jenner's voice sounded close.
Caleb wished he could see them. His fist clenched; he could almost see the millionaire flashing his white smile at Sarah. Instinct and common sense told him she could handle the situation and fend off the advance implicit in Jenner's cajoling tones. Regardless of whether or not she was working undercover for him, Sarah had planned an overnight stay at Selkirk. She knew who her host would be. Caleb hadn't put her into the situation but he couldn't ignore the tension in his gut. Or her reaction to his inadvertent touch. What was behind—
“Take your hand off me.”
Caleb sat up abruptly. Unseen tension simmered in Sarah's words and Caleb was half out of his sleeping bag before he knew it.
She doesn't like being touched. Where was Jenner's hand? Was he menacing her?
“Relax. I didn't mean anything by it.” Jenner's voice was softer, as though he'd moved away from Sarah.
Caleb glared at the receiver, his hand frozen around his gun. Was Sarah okay? Charging in like a maniac if she had everything under control would blow the operation. And she would blister his ears for not trusting her. He listened, willing her to let him know if she wanted his help.
“It's not like I need a white knight charging in to rescue me or anything. I just don't like being touched.”
That's my girl. Releasing his breath slowly, Caleb concentrated on every little sound coming through his headset. He swallowed his concern and applauded Sarah's quick witted response.
Just keep him talking about the horse.
“Please, think about taking on Aladdin.”
There was a pause, perhaps the sound of Sarah sipping a drink followed by the clink of glass on a hard surface. “I like to know the background of horses I work with before I agree to take them on. Aladdin seems to have some strong antisocial tendencies. Who was training him before you brought him out here?”
“It's complicated and to be honest, I'm not sure. I heard Jiminie Stables wanted to sell him and nabbed him from under the nose of Lex Ames.”
“The Lex Ames of that big Cup syndicate group? How did you do that?”
“My wife overheard a conversation at a party we were attending in Townsville and told me. I made them an offer they couldn't refuse before Ames got his syndicate to sign off on the deal.” Smugness pervaded every word.
“Quite a coup. How long have you had him?”
“Two weeks. I arranged to bring him out here away from prying eyes. I see potential but he's been bat-shit crazy from the moment they delivered him.”
“What do you mean?”
“He was kicking and squealing inside the van when he arrived. Every time Hugo brings him out of his stall, it's the same.”
“Was he like this before you bought him?”
“Ah, like I said, it's complicated. Let's just say I'm disappointed he's not more amenable. Nobody's been able to get on his back yet and I'm starting to wonder whether—”
“What?”
Caleb couldn't imagine the big grey allowing anyone to ride him, and the thought of Sarah on the stallion's back left him cold. Surely even she wouldn't attempt this one.
“Dad, you promised I could talk with Sarah before dinner.” Lily's voice grew louder, followed by a scraping sound that set Caleb's teeth on edge.
“Sure, gorgeous, but next time, lift the chair rather than dragging it across the tiles.”
“Da. . . ad!”
“Maybe you can convince Sarah to come back and train Aladdin as soon as she's finished her charity ride. I'll see you both at dinner.”
“Will you, Sarah? Will you come back and work with Aladdin?”
Caleb settled into his sleeping bag as Sarah and Jenner's daughter talked about training. He listened through dinner and made notes of further lines of enquiry but no more was said about the grey.
Sarah said goodnight and he listened to her soft footfalls, and a door closing. That was it for the night. He put a hand to the headset.
“I don't know if any of that was of use to you, Detective, but I tried. I'm going to give this little bug a rest, and have a shower and go to bed. I suppose there's no chance I won't see you sometime tomorrow, but you could surprise me. Hope you're tucked up all snug and warm. Night.”
Her microphone was switched off and Caleb took the headset off and packed it away.
His lips twitched as he lay back, one arm tucked beneath his head as he looked through the Perspex window at the starry night. He chuckled at the thought of Sarah and the bug and the shower. Confident that he
was listening in, she hadn't sounded half as snarky as usual. And that was more progress.
“Goodnight, Sarah.”
Chapter Five
Exactly what was off at Selkirk, Sarah wasn't certain. Only that it had to do with Hugo and Aladdin's strange antipathy for one another.
With a casual twitch of the training ribbon, she set Aladdin circling the perimeter of the arena. “Do you see how he reacts to the perceived threat by moving quickly away?”
Lily sat on the topmost railing gripping the wood in her excitement. “How many times do you do that?”
“You do it until you see the horse begin to tire and look for a safe place and then stand very still, and wait until he comes to you. You will be his safe place so don’t make any sudden movements when you reach this point.” Using this method with Aladdin was a good first step for Lily to practise after Sarah resumed her ride. Especially given the teenager’s existing if tentative connection.
As the grey began to tire, Sarah beckoned Lily to join her. “Connect with him, but keep your movements slow. Rub his nose and let him know you are safe.” Aladdin stood in the centre of the arena, calmly accepting Lily’s gentle stroking.
Observing their interaction at close quarters, Sarah knew the teenager had the right touch and an instinct for dealing with the horse.
“It’s not the stallions who lead the herd you know. There is a dominant female whose job is to keep them safe and make choices for the good of all. She’ll choose where and when they move, and she’ll punish a youngster with time out if they need it. All for the good of the herd.”
“Really? Wow! So what does the stallion do then?”
Sarah chuckled softly. “Besides look pretty? Well, his job is to protect the herd from other stallions. He often roams the perimeter while the dominant mare gets on with day to day stuff.”
She raised her hand and rubbed Aladdin’s nose. “Once Aladdin recognises and accepts you are his herd mother, you can work with him. Be calm, consistent, and above all, patient with him. Remember, your first priority is to earn his trust.”
Impromptu training session over, Sarah left Lily with a promise to do her best to reorganise her schedule if she could.
Jenner watched her farewell his daughter with avid eyes, smug in his certainty she'd be back. His two-handed handshake gave her the creeps but she refused to give him power over her by reacting to his touch. If it had been only Ralph Jenner at Selkirk, Sarah might not have returned, even for Aladdin. But where his daughter was concerned, she felt torn. The teenager had everything going for her, but her loneliness touched a chord in Sarah that she recognised from her own youth.
Regretful of the need to leave both lonely teen and troubled grey behind, she allowed Tabitha her head. Galloping through the ochre landscape, she revelled in Tabitha's warm body moving beneath her, racing ahead of the cold southerly wind as if she could outrun loss and pain, and a hunger that inexplicably reared its head when she thought of reaching her next campsite.
Pulling back on the reins, she slowed Tabitha to a walk. What had possessed her to bid Caleb goodnight through the bug? As though knowing he was listening in meant something more than him doing his job. As though there was a connection because he was privy to the conversations she had.
Whispering as though only the two of us were in my room.
“Bah!”
Tabitha turned her head and snorted.
Sarah patted the mare's neck and leaned forward. “Sorry, girl. It's me I'm disgusted with, not you. I should be planning how we're going to help Aladdin when we return, not going off into flights of fancy.”
Resolutely putting last night's silliness behind her, she spent the rest of the morning's ride sifting through Jenner's comments about the grey stallion, and adding them to her observations. One thing was crystal clear; Hugo, the strapper, had to go. His handling of the stallion was angry and inept, and if horses could have a personality conflict with people, Aladdin had one with Hugo.
“Why didn't I think to ask Jenner when Hugo came into contact with Aladdin for the first time?” Tabitha's ears twitched. Perhaps because it was such an obvious question. Instead, Sarah had made the assumption Hugo worked for Jenner already, but Aladdin had arrived upset and anxious. Had Hugo travelled with the horse from Jiminie Stables? Was his presence Jenner's choice, or part of the deal he'd signed?
Conspiracy theories were unfamiliar to Sarah, but Caleb's investigation had her seeing them everywhere—Fine Cotton, Jenner, Hugo as a saboteur. Shaking her head, she settled on juggling her commitments in her mind to accommodate Aladdin's—and Lily's—need for help.
##
Dust filled Sarah's nostrils and choked her as the wind swept up from the south. Tabitha's head drooped and Sarah considered making camp early when she stopped to pull on her padded jacket and wrap a bandana over her nose and mouth. Winter had hit with a vengeance and the endurance aspect of her undertaking took on new meaning.
“What do you think, Tabitha? Shall we make camp now or push on? There is a certain attraction to camping by ourselves, just you and me and no Detective Richards.” Her stomach growled and her thoughts turned to the lamb casserole Caleb had prepared last time. Would he be waiting even now at her pre-arranged stopover, camp oven simmering with another mouth-watering meal? Freeze-dried curry with red dust gratin didn't sound half as appealing.
Tabitha waited with her hindquarters angled stoically against the wind. As Sarah checked the halter, she was sure there was resigned reproach in the mare's unblinking gaze. She swung back onto Tabitha's back and peered through the dusty air. On a clear day, she should be able to see ahead to her destination. “No, you're right. Stick to the plan. Only another six or seven kilometres to go. Come on, my lovely. Not much further.”
By the time they rode into camp, her fingers were like blocks of ice clamped around the reins. Caleb's four wheel drive was parked to act as a windbreak and—yes, the aroma of fresh-baked damper teased her nostrils as she pulled her bandana down. But of Caleb, there was no sign.
Stiff and cold, Sarah walked Tabitha to the shelter of a small, scrubby stand of trees. Dismounting, she unsaddled her mare and saw to her needs. At least the horse's nosebag would prevent her oats from blowing away. Weary and gritty-eyed, Sarah slumped against Caleb's ute, her hands tucked into her armpits, eyelids fluttering down.
##
“Hey, sleeping beauty.”
With difficulty, Sarah forced her eyes open. Caleb hunkered down beside her and proffered a mug of steaming coffee. His dark blue, fleecy-lined jacket hung open, although the collar was turned up, and his Akubra sat low on his forehead, shading eyes the colour of melted dark chocolate.
Chocolate? She blinked and pushed herself into a sitting position. The hundred kilometre ride today was making food a high priority if she was thinking of Caleb in food terms.
“There's a shot of rum in there. That should help warm you, and dinner will be ready soon.” He turned his back and slid down the door and sat beside her, close but not touching.
She wrapped both hands around the enamel mug and held the rum coffee under her nose and inhaled. Sipping carefully—frozen lips and hot liquid weren't a good mix—she savoured the caffeine and hot sweetness. “Gosh, that's good.”
“I aim to please. How was your ride?”
With difficulty, she suppressed a groan. “Eating dust most of the day. It puts new meaning into what I'm doing.”
“I'll bet it does. Last night the temperature dipped close to zero. It would have been damned cold if I hadn't been in the back.”
“I can't complain. Last night I was snug between clean sheets with a feather doona. Tonight will be the other end of the comfort scale. I love it.” Usually, she did, but injecting enthusiasm into her voice today was too much for her sluggish self. Enveloped in her swag, with a one-eighty view of starry skies was her idea of heaven. But for some reason, tonight she couldn't warm up and her head was beginning to ache.
“I know what you're d
oing is supposed to be a challenge, but you look exhausted.” Concern laced Caleb's voice and he turned to face her. “How about you take my bed in the back of the car tonight and I'll sleep in your swag?”
“Really, Detective. You'll make me go soft with all this mollycoddling. Dinner, alcohol, a soft bed?” He didn't owe her. Not a thing. The offer was sweet but accepting his kind gesture would be silly. So why did it make her feel special? Like he cared about her? Nobody but her mother had made her feel special. Or cared for. Certainly not her father.
“Concern for my prize operative, Sarah. I can't have you falling sick on duty.”
Of course he couldn't. But she couldn't rid herself of the impression there was more to his offer. Not when the look in his eyes and the softening of his voice as he said her name hinted at things she would never seek.
She cleared her throat, still dry and sandpapery with dust, in spite of an extra large gulp of coffee.
“Tomorrow's stopover is with the second person of concern, isn't it?”
“Yes. But I'm interested to hear about your impressions of Jenner.” Caleb made no move to follow up on that look.
Had she got it wrong? Was it only in her imagination? Certainly, she could do without complications like finding the detective interesting. Men weren’t interesting. Men were to be kept at arm’s length and studiously ignored where possible. She looked into the fire, and the flames wavered and blurred in a weird, out-of-focus dance.
“You heard our conversations, didn't you?” And her nonsensical comment after she returned to her bedroom. Was that the reason she was interpreting his concern in the light of something personal? She'd made a working relationship into something more than it was. Richards wanted her healthy and observant and reporting back to him. Nothing more. Having dissected and analysed Caleb into his pigeonhole, she relaxed.
“I did, but you observed him as well. There's something odd in what he said about his acquisition of Aladdin.”
Long Way Home (Hearts of the Outback Book 3) Page 4