by Karen Wood
She approached Mrs Arnold, who was bringing the damper out of the ashes. ‘Mrs Arnold?’
‘Hmm? Here, grab a cloth and take hold of this.’
With the cloth full of damper, Jess asked, ‘Can I go for a walk after dinner?’
‘Go for a walk?’ From the look on Mrs Arnold’s face, Jess might as well have asked to go to Mars.
‘Yes. I’ve just got some weird idea about looking for min min lights.’
‘S’pose so, if you can get someone to go with you,’ Mrs Arnold said doubtfully. ‘Steer clear of the cattle, though.’
‘Thanks, Mrs Arnold. I will.’
‘I mean it, Jessica. Stay clear of the cattle, or they’ll up and rush, you hear? If I find you anywhere near ’em, I’ll brain you.’
Jess took her bowl of stew and joined the others around the fire. Lawson picked quietly at a guitar while Stanley spent the mealtime telling tall stories. He spun a yarn about a snake crawling into his sleeping bag, obviously designed to give the girls the creeps. Lindy just smiled, shook her head, and mopped up the last of her stew. Beyond them, Jess could see Luke and Bob under the bonnet of the old ute.
‘Where’s Dave?’ asked Jess, with the vague idea of taking him up on his offer of his horse. A night ride would be even better than a night walk.
‘He’s on night watch with Ryan,’ said Shara.
‘Oh.’ That dashed that idea. Jess got up and rinsed out her bowl. ‘Who’s coming for a night walk then?’
‘Can we go tomorrow night?’ said Rosie. ‘I’m so tired.’
Jess looked to Grace, sure she would jump at the chance.
‘I’m staying here,’ Grace said, looking more than comfortable curled against her father, both their faces glowing warmly in the firelight. Jess turned to Shara with a questioning face.
‘I’m with Rosie,’ said Shara. ‘I haven’t slept properly for two nights.’
Jess’s shoulders slumped. ‘But I’m not allowed to go by myself,’ she complained.
‘I’ll come,’ said Luke, appearing on the other side of the fire, covered in grease. He picked the lid off the stew pot and looked around for a bowl. ‘After a quick feed, anyway. Jeez, that smells all right.’
Jess grinned.
A dark look came over Mrs Arnold’s face. ‘Sit yourself down, Luke,’ she said. ‘I’m responsible for the girls while they’re out here, and I’m not letting ’em go walkabout with some grubby ringer in the middle of the night.’ She raised an eyebrow, daring him to challenge her.
Luke found a bowl and a ladle, then turned to Mrs Arnold with one in either hand. He smiled his most charming of smiles. ‘It’s okay, Mrs A. She’ll be in good hands.’
‘Yeah, that’s exactly what I’m worried about,’ Mrs Arnold said in a slow, menacing voice. ‘Now get some dinner and sit down.’
A ripple of giggles went through the camp.
14
JESS SQUIRMED in her swag. She pushed Grace’s knee away from her ribs and curled up in a ball to stop her bladder from aching. On the other side of her, Rosie snored loudly. Outside the window, Jess could hear the truck’s CD player crackling with country music. She pulled the sleeping bag up over her freezing nose.
In the end, her bladder got the better of her and she wriggled out of her swag. As she lowered herself to the floor of the truck, Mrs Arnold’s hand reached out and wrapped around her ankle.
‘I’m busting for a whiz.’
‘Well, come straight back.’
Jess pulled on a jacket and slipped out the narrow door. In the soft orange light of the campfire, she could make out two people lying T-boned, one with their head on the other’s belly. Lawson and Lindy.
No wonder he does what he’s told! Wait till I tell the others!
‘I’m gonna tell them both to finish up,’ Lindy was murmuring to Lawson. ‘We’ve got enough riders now that the girls are here. Gracie’s pretty handy on cattle.’
Lawson shrugged. ‘You’re the boss.’
Jess stopped in her tracks, unsure if she had heard right. She still couldn’t believe that Lawson would bow to anyone. She shook her head and kept creeping, barefoot, towards the riverbank. She squatted under a tree, and looked up to the stars that twinkled through its canopy.
As she stood and made her way back to the camp, a twig cracked behind her. She spun around. ‘Dave!’
‘Hey,’ he whispered, stumbling through the bushes towards her.
Jess wrapped her jacket tightly around her. ‘Aren’t you watching the cattle?’ she said, cautiously.
‘Yep,’ he said. ‘They’re not doing much, sleeping and farting mostly.’ He stepped closer. ‘Saw you trotting across the camp and thought I’d come and offer you a drink.’ He held up the crumpled silver remains of Mrs Arnold’s not-so-secret stash and gave it a shake. ‘Hmm, I seem to have emptied that, but I do have a couple of cans of rumbo left,’ he said, tossing the empty bladder over his shoulder and pulling the cans out of his pockets.
‘No thanks,’ Jess said politely, looking around for a way out of there that didn’t involve brushing past him.
‘Don’tcha drink?’ he said, sounding alarmed.
‘No.’
‘Just have a little one,’ he insisted, holding the can out to her.
‘No thanks,’ she said, pushing it away.
‘Ah, c’mahhn, don’tcha know how to have fun?’
‘I have to go back to the truck, Dave. Mrs Arnold is sitting up waiting for me.’
But Dave didn’t give up. ‘I need a drinking buddy, it’s so bloody dry around here!’ He took another step towards her, and she noticed he was unsteady on his feet. ‘I only wanna talk. I don’t bite!’
Jess leaned away from him. ‘Talk about what?
‘What’s a young thing like you doing out here?’ He held up the cans and pulled a comical face. ‘And not having any fun?’
‘Well, you know what Mrs Arnold’s like – the word “fun” doesn’t seem to be in her vocabulary. In fact, she’ll probably blow a gasket if I’m not back in that trailer soon.’ Jess faked a laugh as she pushed past him.
Dave held out an arm and wrapped it around her waist. ‘You didn’t answer my question,’ he said, suddenly sounding nasty. ‘I asked you what you’re doing out here. No bloody place for a bunch of girls, if you ask me.’
‘Hey!’ Jess jumped backwards and shoved his hand away. ‘We’ve got every right to be here. Those were Harry Blake’s cattle, and he was family to us.’ She tried to dodge past again, but he stepped sideways to block her.
‘Let me past!’
‘Leave her alone, Dave.’
Jess looked past Dave and saw Luke walking into the cover of the trees.
Dave spun around and gave a mocking laugh. ‘You wait your turn, boy.’
Luke put a hand on Dave’s shoulder. ‘I said, get away from her.’
Dave took a step forward and put his face close to Luke’s. ‘Why don’t you find your own drinking buddy?’ he growled.
‘Why don’t you sober up?’ Luke shoved him hard in the chest, and as Dave lurched backwards, Luke shoved him again.
Dave staggered a few drunken steps before finding his feet, then lunged back, swinging a fist at Luke.
Luke ducked easily and hammered a fist straight into the man’s face. It connected with a sickening crunch, and Jess gasped as she watched Dave reel backwards and roll about with his hands over his face. He unleashed a tirade of abuse at both Luke and Jess before collapsing in a silent heap.
Luke bent to pick up the cans that Dave had dropped and, one by one, emptied their contents onto the ground. ‘You okay?’ he asked.
She nodded and shivered. ‘Are you just gonna leave him there?’
Luke gave a short, scornful laugh. ‘I can give him another one and roll him into the river if you want.’
She shook her head quickly.
They both stepped back as Dave pulled himself off the ground. ‘I’ll give you another one,’ he snarled.
Luke
dropped the cans and stepped towards him.
Dave took a moment to get steady on his feet, then sized Luke up, who stood as solid as a rock, looking down at him. ‘You’ll keep,’ Dave muttered, and to Jess’s relief, he stumbled away, wiping his face with his sleeve and spitting on the ground.
Luke turned to her. ‘You sure you’re okay?’
She nodded. ‘How’d you know I was down here?’
‘The dogs whined when you walked past, then I saw him follow. I can spot a drunk a mile off.’
Jess watched Dave disappear along the river. ‘I thought he was a nice guy,’ she said, willing herself not to cry.
‘Probably is when he’s sober,’ said Luke. His voice changed. ‘Need a hug?’
She looked at him and nodded, and he came closer and wrapped both arms around her. Jess put her face into his chest and could hear his heart thumping. He held her stiffly for a while, with his chin on her head, and then she heard him begin to breathe more easily. ‘You’re not used to seeing stuff like that, are you?’ he asked quietly.
She looked up at him. ‘No, that freaked me out a bit.’
‘Sorry,’ he whispered.
‘No, I’m sorry,’ she said, ‘for being such a cow to you at Harry’s place. I was horrible.’
He gave her a squeeze. ‘No biggy.’
She squeezed him back and put her freezing nose into the warmth of his neck. She drank in his smell – no soap or washing powder, just him: clean, fresh, but mixed with the muskiness of horse and woodsmoke. Then she startled. ‘Oh no! Mrs Arnold! She’ll come looking for me,’ she whispered urgently, pulling away. ‘She’ll kill us both!’
‘Wait,’ said Luke, grabbing her hand. ‘Aren’t you going to tell her what happened?’
Jess groaned. ‘I’ll get sent home. And what if Dave tries to have you up for assault?’ She looked at Luke pleadingly. ‘Please don’t tell anyone.’
‘Are you nuts?’ said Luke. ‘He was drunk!’
‘I think Lindy is going to sack them anyway. I overheard her talking to Lawson.’
‘Dave was harassing you.’
‘He didn’t hurt me. I’ll be fine. I’d better hurry before Mrs Arnold comes looking for me.’ Jess began to pull away. ‘If she finds me down here with you, I really will get sent home.’
But Luke kept hold of her hand. He pulled her back into his arms. ‘Are you sure you’re okay?’
‘Yes.’
He swept her hair off her face and looked down at her with a calm intensity. ‘You tell me if he comes anywhere near you again.’
‘Okay,’ she said, feeling suddenly self-conscious.
‘If he even looks at you.’
She nodded. ‘Um, I have to go.’ She pulled herself away from him and felt her hand slip from his, then tiptoed hurriedly across the camp to the trailer.
Later, lying in her swag, Jess couldn’t sleep, unable to stop reliving the sense of Luke’s warm arms wrapped around her and the way he had looked at her. Maybe Rosie was right?
She pulled the curtain back and looked out the window. Only a flat pile of embers remained of the campfire, where Lawson and Lindy sat quietly. The generator hummed and music still crackled softly from the cabin of the truck. After what seemed like hours, she drifted into a fitful sleep.
15
SHE WOKE TO her foot being violently shaken.
‘Time to get up,’ said Mrs Arnold.
Jess groaned, stretched and looked out the window at the pink and orange sunrise. The campfire had died and there were two empty cups, upended, where Lawson and Lindy had been.
Suddenly, Bob ran into the camp waving and gesturing madly. Jess noticed he held Mrs Arnold’s empty wine bladder in one hand.
‘Something’s happened to Bob!’ said Jess, loud enough to wake the others up.
Shara, with her hair sticking up and eyes half-open, grunted and shuffled up next to her. ‘What’s going on?’
Outside, Lindy appeared from the cabin of the truck, hopping about and pulling on her boots. She listened briefly to Bob before sticking two fingers in her mouth and issuing a sharp whistle.
Grace instantly sat up and crawled to the tiny window. ‘Let me see,’ she said, squeezing between Jess and Shara.
The entire camp erupted into chaos.
Lawson emerged shirtless from somewhere and was bellowing at Ryan within seconds. ‘I told you to keep an eye on those drinking buddies of yours,’ he roared. ‘There was to be no alcohol on this trip!’
Ryan, looking drowsy and wearing only a pair of shorts, held up his hands in puzzlement. ‘I didn’t know there was any!’
‘Uh-oh,’ Jess heard Mrs Arnold mumble.
Lawson clenched his fists and raised them at Ryan, as though he wanted to punch him from one end of the camp to another.
‘I wasn’t drinking!’ Ryan protested. ‘I’m sober as a judge!’
Lawson dropped his fists and stormed off, calling for Stanley. He wrenched open the door of the truck and snatched his shirt from the front seat.
Lindy ran towards the trailer. ‘We got some stolen horses, Jude. Could you come and give us a hand?’
‘Sure they didn’t just get loose?’ asked Mrs Arnold, reaching for her jacket.
‘Someone’s unbuckled the hobbles and left them behind.’
‘Which horses are missing?’
‘Marnie and Walkabout.’
Jess shot upright and smacked her head on the ceiling of the trailer. ‘Ouch!’
‘Grab some halters, girls.’ said Mrs Arnold as she disappeared out the door.
The trailer came alive as four girls scrambled for four pairs of boots that all looked the same. One by one they filed out of the door and grabbed halters and buckets, anything to help lure a wayward horse.
Luke ran into the camp, yelling, ‘The cattle are out – someone pulled the fencing down!’
Lawson swore and turned to Mrs Arnold. ‘We’ve got some cattle to muster too, Jude.’
‘Oh, so now you want us to ride?’ said Grace, as she stepped out of the trailer.
‘Who said anything about you riding?’ Lawson said, shortly.
Grace stopped in her tracks and put her hands on her hips, a look of fury on her face. Lindy roared up on a motorbike and indicated to the seat behind her. ‘Hop on!’
Grace hoisted a leg over the back of the bike and planted herself behind Lindy. She pulled a face at Lawson as they buzzed off into the breaking day.
Jess ran straight to Bob, who was hurriedly pulling saddles out of the tack box. ‘How long have the horses been missing?’
‘Not even an hour, ay. I checked on ’em before I went for a wash down the creek.’ He gave her a reassuring look. ‘Can’t have gone far. We’ll get ’em back.’ He slung a couple of bridles over his shoulder and raced off.
Jess ran back to the trailer and hastily pulled a jacket on, buttoning it up to her chin. Then she rummaged around in Mrs Arnold’s cooking gear, grabbed a rolling pin, shoved it down the front of her jacket and set off at a run. She had no idea what she would do with it, but she certainly wasn’t going to let Wally fall into the hands of those men.
Way ahead she could see the dust trail of the motorbike and hear Lindy shouting. As Jess jogged in its wake, hoofbeats rang out behind her and she turned to see a jet black horse approaching her.
Luke cantered up on Legsy and held out an arm. Needing no further invitation, she took hold of his elbow and vaulted up as he slowed beside her.
‘They’ve stolen Walkabout,’ she said, planting herself firmly behind the saddle.
‘Yeah, I know. Lawson’s ropeable.’ Luke turned the horse and cantered after Lindy and Lawson.
‘They must’ve let the cattle out on purpose so they could get away with the horses,’ said Jess.
‘Yeah, probably.’
‘Walkabout doesn’t have any brands! They’ll be able to mark her themselves and put her through the sales.’
Lawson cantered up on Slinger. He ground the horse to a halt and swun
g him around. ‘The cattle are all headed for the creek,’ he said. ‘It’ll be chaos if they all jump in together.’
‘Want us to go head them off?’ asked Luke.
‘Lindy and Stan have already headed out clockwise. I’m going to circle in the other direction and head them off. You guys ride to the next bore and make sure there’s water in the trough; if we can head the cattle back there before they get too thirsty, they might leave the river alone. Fill the troughs up nice and full and open any gates for them.’
‘Yep,’ said Luke.
Lawson paused and looked at Jess. ‘And then I’ll be going for that filly, Jessica.’
Jess scowled and looked away. She heard him click up his horse and gallop away.
Luke turned Legsy and they cantered off in the direction of the bore.
‘Dave knew that Wally and Marnie were my favourite horses,’ said Jess. ‘I told him all about Opal too. He’s done this out of spite.’
‘And you thought he was a nice guy.’
‘He better not take it out on the horses. He better not—’ She didn’t even want to think about it.
They cantered steadily along the wide dirt track before coming to a wire gate strung across the road. Jess slid off the back of the colt, slipped a wire loop off the gatepost, then dragged it, clanging and jingling, back to the fenceline. With the track opened for the cattle, they set out to look for the bore.
After loping for quite a distance, the colt grew tired and slowed to a walk. Luke and Jess rode in silence, awed by the sense of limitless space that radiated around them. Jess rested her head against Luke’s back and wrapped her arms around his waist. As Legsy lunged over a clump of grass, she lurched into his shoulder blades.
‘Ouch, what was that?’ he asked.
‘A rolling pin.’
He laughed. ‘You’re so funny, Jess.’
‘And I’m not afraid to use it,’ she said, readjusting the rolling pin and replacing her hands on his ribs. His torso was lean and sinewy, but beneath his shirt, the bones down his right side felt all wrong. She had noticed them before but had never asked. ‘Did you break a rib or something?’
‘Five of them.’
‘How?’ She felt his chest lift and fall as he drew a deep breath, and she suddenly felt awkward. ‘Did a drunk do that to you?’