‘You don’t like being called Duchess, do you?’
She shrugged, but the hurt flickered in her eyes, like a kid copping it in the schoolyard and pretending it didn’t sting.
The thing was, Stone wasn’t being cruel.He’d defend Amara in a heartbeat—he just had a knack for playing the annoying big brother.Porter recognised it, because he had the same warped sense of humour, too.
‘Hey?Why does Stone call you that?’
‘Because he’s a prick.’
Porter laughed.
Surprisingly, she laughed with him.And she had such a sweet smile that was rare—but beautiful.
So beautiful in fact, it made him give in, hoping that this didn’t bite him on the arse later.‘The place I mentioned, it’s mine.And it has a stable.’
Five
The noise was unexpected.There was the thundering roll of a road train, the roar of a swooping helicopter, the grumble of motorbikes and quads, and the mewling of cattle pressing against the fences—stockmen yelling, whistling, shouting, while their sturdy stockhorses held the line, neighing and pawing at the dirt to block the herd.Dust filled nostrils and stung eyes as hundreds of assorted livestock took their places in the Elsie Creek Stockyards.
It was a cacophony of organised chaos.
And the livestock auction hadn’t even begun.
Amara, wearing her federal police vest that held her cuffs, pepper spray, taser, and other tools, with her handgun holstered to her hip, felt like the odd woman out under the scrutiny of the surrounding stockmen.
But she was proud of her position on the Stock Squad’s team.She’d fought hard to be here—unlike Craig and Stone, who just got the tap on the shoulder from Finn, and they were in.
Carrying over the coffees from the busy food van, she spotted Cowboy Craig.He was hard to miss with his blond curls brushed under his hat’s wide brim, along with the swagger and shiny rodeo belt.
‘Morning, Craig.What brings you here?’
‘The auctions.’
‘As a livestock inspector, or for your farm?If you’re here for the job, you need to wear your badge.’Like she had hers clipped proudly to her vest.
‘Mostly as a look-see.’
‘Huh?’Sometimes she’d swear they were just making words up to confuse her.
Craig grinned.‘I’m just looking.Where’s Finn?’
‘This way.’
‘Heard he had another bender last night.What is that, three this week?’
‘Who told you?Porter?’Who’d asked her to move in.Just housemates, he’d said.But seeing how Porter dressed, and hearing how his dog destroyed his couch, it wasn’t very promising.
But he did have a stable.
And being a cop, he was on shift work, so they might not actually spend that much time together.
They could be housemates.Right?
Which also meant being polite to Porter after hours.
Yet, she missed having a private space, which she didn’t get from living at the pub.Which is why Porter’s proposition tempted her so much.But mostly because he had a stable.
So really, she didn’t need a horse.
