AllFreeNovel
Share Us
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
“IS THERE ANYWHERE I can get cell reception in this bloody backwater?” Aaron held his phone to the sky and shook it, but then regretted his impatient words as soon as they left his mouth. It was only ten in the morning, but it’d been a long day already, and he was letting the stress get to him. It was imperative for him to check his emails and messages, especially the one with the supposed photo of this stalker guy, otherwise he was working half-blind on this job.
He’d been on the go since just before five, helping Julie prep the food for breakfast. The hungry hoard had descended at five-thirty, devoured everything in sight, and then left him and Julie alone in the suddenly empty campsite. But that was only the beginning. Julie had to clean up from breakfast and then prep for lunch and dinner, and even though his job was to protect her, she had him running around camp like a personal slave.
Julie lifted her head from where she was kneading the dough to make damper and studied him. But instead of some clever retort, which he probably deserved, she said, “There’s a repeater tower up on that hill over there.” She pointed a flour-covered finger to the left of the campsite.
“What’s a repeater tower?” He was pretty sure it wasn’t a cell tower, so why on earth would he get reception up there?
“It’s for the UHF radios,” she said, as if that explained it all.
Aaron had noticed all the staff out on muster wore a portable radio in a specially made pouch slung over their neck and around one shoulder, so they could talk into it hands free if need be. But that still didn’t make him any the wiser, so he stared at her blankly.
“UHF radios only work if they have a line of sight. If a hill or mountain get in the way, they don’t receive so well. So, in those areas, we put a repeater tower, which helps strengthen the transmission.”
“Oh.” That was all fairly logical. But it still didn’t answer his question about cell coverage, which used completely different technology.
“You can also get some mobile reception up there, because it’s the highest point for miles around,” Julie said, putting him out of his misery.
“Oh. Good.”
“If you help me get this damper in the camp oven and stoke the fire for me, I should have half an hour or so free before the silverside is ready to be carved up, and the damper is cooked. We can saddle up the two spare horses and ride up there.”
“Thank you,” Aaron replied, and he meant it. Julie didn’t have to take time out of her busy day to help him. “I’m on it,” he added, heading toward the campfire. He felt more at ease now they had the camp to themselves. No one could approach without him seeing or hearing them. He ran a perimeter check every hour or so, just to make doubly sure nothing was out of the ordinary. Which meant he was happy to give Julie a longer leash and not hover over her, like he had last night. He walked to the firewood stacked high in a pile, ten meters behind the fire pit. Grabbing a few large pieces, he expertly slotted them around the edges of the red-hot coals. Julie wanted the coals to cook over, but not a roaring flame, as that would only burn things.
Aaron was getting a fast lesson about what cattlemen liked to eat; plenty of simple, high-protein, high-carb meals to keep them going all day. But it seemed here on Stormcloud, they were fed at almost a gourmet level. For breakfast this morning, Julie had served up huge piles of bacon, fried eggs, toast, and baked beans. The lunch menu today consisted of an enormous side of corned beef—Stormcloud beef, of course—done over the campfire, which would be sliced thinly and laid out on a plate, homemade damper, an enormous bowl of coleslaw on the side, and a fresh fruit platter, all neatly sliced so the ringers could eat it and go. For morning smoko, Julie had already baked up a huge batch of scones, which would be served with a slathering of strawberry jam—no butter, it melted in the unforgiving heat. He and Julie would stack all the food in the back of one of the Land Cruisers and drive out to meet the team, to deliver lunch and this afternoon’s snack and save the crew time and energy, so they didn’t have to come back to camp. Luckily, there were no vegetarians or vegans out here. They wouldn’t fare well.
Ten minutes later, Julie was still fussing around the damper, making sure it was in the perfect spot on the fire, and testing the meat to see how much longer it needed.
“I’ll go and saddle the horses,” Aaron suggested helpfully. Anything to get them up that hill a little quicker.
“Would you mind? That’d be great,” she replied, still preoccupied with the food. “I got Dad to bring Chester, the chestnut, for you to ride.”
Aaron strode over to the horse yard, a makeshift construction of steel fences erected beneath the shade of a cluster of river gums. It was the first time he’d taken a good look at the horses. Most of the ringers brought their own mounts, but some, like the Scanlon crew, preferred to ride the four-wheeler ATVs. Aaron peered over the top of the fence at the two horses standing together in the far corner. The big one must be Chester, and…hang on… For a second, he thought it was Cloud, Julie’s beloved palomino from Roseby Downs, and his heart did a double-tap in his chest. But no, that’d be impossible. Cloud would be in horse-heaven by now, or at the very least deep in retirement back in some lush paddock in Dalgety. Julie and Cloud had been a spectacle to watch together; they almost seemed kindred spirits. He’d loved to watch them, Julie’s long, blonde hair flying behind as she urged Cloud into a full-on gallop through the green grass.
But he’d promised himself no more memories. So, he banished those untrustworthy thoughts and went over to the trailer where all the horse’s tack was stored, glancing back to make sure Julie was okay. Her voice raised up in a song he didn’t recognize, and he smiled to himself. She had a good voice, but she only sang if she thought no one else could hear.
It’d been a long time since he’d saddled a horse, but it came back to him as if it were yesterday. Both horses were well-trained, and while Chester sighed as he slipped the bridle over his ears, he walked docilely enough beside him across the yard to be saddled. The horse’s hooves kicked up a haze of dust in the mid-morning sunshine. Now and then, he caught the sound of Julie singing, and was reassured she was safe. Chester nuzzled Aaron’s hand, probably looking for a treat, and he let the horse’s whiskers tickle his palm for a moment. A flock of parrots flew overhead, squawking lazily, bright colors flashing, headed to the billabong for a drink. He brushed a fly away from his face and tilted his head back to stare at the dappled light streaming down through the leaves.
Julie kept saying that it was beautiful out here. Peaceful. But this was the first time he’d really stopped to experience it.
And she was right.
He could see the attraction of this place. Of this lifestyle.
The ankle holster would get in the way when he was riding, so he leaned down and slipped it off, tucking the gun into the front of his jeans. Julie seemed to think she was completely safe out here, untouchable. But he wasn’t confident enough to leave the weapon behind. It was his job to be cautious.
“Come on then,” he said in a low voice, clicking his tongue and leading both horses through the yard gate, then shutting it behind him.
Julie was waiting for him as he led the horses over to the campsite. Her Akubra was firmly clamped down over her forehead and she was holding up two UHF radios. “We need to wear these, so we can hear what’s going on out there, in case we’re needed.”
Handing Aaron one of the radios, she took the reins of the palomino from his other hand. “Thanks for saddling Dusty for me. She’s a great little mare. Dad bought her for me when I started working here,” she said, slipping the radio pouch over her shoulder.
“She reminds me of Cloud.”
“Yes, she does look a little like her,” Julie replied, a strange look passing over her face.
Aaron wanted to ask what’d happened to Cloud, but thought better of it.
