“She doesn’t have a great relationship with her father and brother,” he said. “But it turns out her brother is one of Brandon’s army mates, so he should be there.” Ed pointed to the left. “This is the start of the station here.”
Tess looked, but the only difference in the land was a fence running perpendicular to the road. She scanned the road ahead for a driveway but saw nothing. “Where’s the entrance?”
He laughed. “Not for another fifteen kilometres,” he said. “We’ve got quarter of a million acres.”
Her mouth dropped open. She couldn’t have heard that properly. “How much?”
“Two hundred and fifty thousand acres,” he said.
“That’s bigger than Singapore!”
He nodded. “A lot of land in Australia.”
She shut her mouth, not quite believing him. She reached for her phone and stopped. No. It was on the side of the road somewhere. Which was a good thing, except the loss of it made her feel more vulnerable. She had no way to communicate with the world. Her skin tensed as a thought occurred to her. She only had Ed’s word that Tan was an adversary and not a friend. What if he was lying to her?
She gripped the armrest and glanced at him. Don’t panic. Would he really be pushing so hard to get home if he was a colleague of Tan’s? It would make more sense to leave her in Tom Price for Salvatore to collect.
Tess exhaled. Her first task when she got to Retribution Bay was to buy another phone.
Soon afterwards, Ed slowed the car and a gravel driveway appeared. The sign at the entrance had a large angry-looking ram on it and declared Welcome to Retribution Ridge.
“Home,” Ed said.
He slowed to a crawl as the van bumped over the gravel. They rounded a corner and buildings came into view. A few trees and a small garden surrounded a rambling house, the greenery at odds with the dry land around them. Across from it was another building with a bunch of doors in it, kind of like a dormitory, and behind it were sheds and pens. A dozen different caravans and tents were set up in another area not far from the second building with children playing outside, and a couple of stray sheep grazed over a small patch of grass. It was a small community in the desert, a haven. Tess instantly relaxed.
“I mentioned we have camp guests during the season,” Ed said. “It’s a new thing since the beginning of the year. The building with all the doors in it is the shearers’ quarters.”
A white ute pulled up outside the house with a dog in the tray, and two men got out, both wearing brown cowboy-style hats like she’d seen in souvenir shops, but with far more wear to them. Brothers perhaps, both with dark hair and similar builds, but they looked nothing like Ed.
Ed stopped the van next to the ute and sighed. “Made it.” He unstrapped. “Come on, I’ll introduce you.”
Tess was conscious of her cheap white T-shirt and black shorts, and she probably smelled. Not the best first impression. As she hopped out clutching her backpack to her chest, Ed hugged the two men, and did that back slap thing men did. She hovered at the bonnet of the van, and the dog trotted up to her, tail wagging. She stroked his soft, dusty fur, getting comfort from the animal. The slightly shorter, more solid man gazed at her with suspicion, but the lankier man grinned, and held out his hand. “You must be Tess. I’m Darcy, this is Brandon.”
His firm handshake jolted her, and she stuttered. “Nice to meet you.”
“You both look exhausted,” he said. “Come inside and have some lunch.”
The back door of the house slammed open, and a dark-haired girl appeared. “Ed!” She flew down the stairs and threw herself into Ed’s arms. He picked her up and spun her around. “Hey, La La.”
She laughed as he put her onto the ground. “You smell. Didn’t you shower this morning?”
Tess cringed. If he smelled, she would be far worse.
“Nope. I’m hoping you saved me some hot water.” He gestured to Tess. “This is my friend, Tess.”
Lara waved at her. “Hi!” Then she lowered her voice. “You never said you had a girlfriend.”
“I don’t,” Ed said, casting an apologetic look at Tess. “Your dad mentioned something about lunch.”
“Yep, Amy’s put the kettle on, and lunch is on the table. We’ve been waiting for you to arrive.”
Ed gestured for Tess to follow, and she slid past the two brothers, feeling their eyes on her. They probably didn’t appreciate the trouble she’d brought to Ed.
The door they entered took them straight into the kitchen. Four women and a man sat at the long wooden table, which had plenty of room for more people. Though the cupboards were all dated, there was a real homely feeling to the room, whether it was from the fresh scent of baked goodness, the fruit bowl on the table, or the magnets with papers and drawings on it stuck to the fridge. The people at the table rose when they saw Ed, and Tess hung back as they greeted him with hugs. She clasped her hands, shifting over to the corner so she wasn’t in the way. One woman with short black hair in a pixie cut strode straight across to her. “Tess?”
She nodded.
“I’m Sergeant Dot Campbell.”
