He looked up at Amara, standing in her sparkly ballgown as she hobbled on the far side of the small waterhole.She was an unexpected angelic vision, for sure.
But the rifle he’d just dug free from the mud had his mind churning into overdrive.
Covered in itchy, gritty mud, he tried to consider the answers to the many questions, all raised in the blink of an eye.
‘Porter.The horse?’Amara pointed to the metal-grey stallion watching him curiously only a few metres away.
‘Oh, yeah.’He placed the rifle aside, then washed his face, neck, chest, and arms free from the mud.Not only to keep himself clean, but to show the big grey he meant no harm.
They’d made friends before, back in his own yard, when he’d sneak in a carrot or two while Amara was at work.Tempest had been his first paddock puppy, the reason he’d fixed up his stables—and, of course, for Amara’s smile.
‘You’re lucky you didn’t laugh at me too, horse, tripping facedown in the mud.’He wiped the water dripping off his chin, still gritty, but it was enough to douse the embarrassment.
As casually as he could, he sauntered over to the horse.
It wasn’t the first time he’d had to calm down livestock stranded on the side of the road.It’s why he kept a rope in the back of his police ute, along with a big bucket, and had built the water tank that sat snug under the rear tray for just such occasions.
He’d used the cage’s back door plenty of times as the place to loop the rope through, to then walk a few stray pet buffaloes, horses, even the odd cow or two back into town.
Not to mention the countless dogs he’d found.Those that still managed to wag their tails as he helped them climb into the back cage for a handful of dog treats, some water, and a pat, while he ran his microchip reader over them to find out who they belonged to.
It was just part of the job, being an outback lawman.
And yet, he’d never learned to ride a horse.Never saw the point, when he preferred the fuel-powered kind of horsepower.
‘Want to hitch a ride back with us, mate?’he spoke calmly to the big grey horse that had made Amara smile.She never smiled at him like that, when he was such a sucker for that smile.One day she might.
‘I’m sure the lady will spoil you.’He took another step closer to the horse.‘Just between you and me, mate, she hasn’t been the nicest person to live with since you up and left without a word.’
‘I can hear you,’ her voice travelled over the watery surface.
He grinned, then looked at the horse, who lowered his head.And just like that, Porter slung the necktie around the stallion’s neck, and led them back around the waterhole, only stopping to scoop up the thing he’d found in the mud.
Amara was on her feet again, limping poorly, that’d only make her ankle swell again.The hem of her dress was all muddied, but still pretty and sparkly.Yet it was the dazzling shine in her eyes that matched her smile as she held her arms out to greet the horse.
Now why couldn’t she hug him like that?
‘Hello, you.Haven’t you been on an adventure?’Amara’s arms wrapped around the horse’s mane and hugged him.Even though he was dusty and dirty, the horse seemed fine, and happy to see her, too.‘What are you doing out here?’
‘His natural instincts would have brought him here.’Porter brushed away the dirt and mud from the rifle.It had been buried in the dried clay, which had been packed tight around the frame.
He glanced back at the waterhole where the edges of the drying banks were cracked.‘A waterhole like this?It’s more of a natural spring… Coming from a station, Montrose, what do you think about this spot?Is it something they’d regularly use?’
Amara paused from patting her horse to give the area that studious look.She was a clever lady, a good cop too, who had the background to see the bigger picture—especially with livestock and stations.Amara may have fought for her position with the Stock Squad, but Finn had chosen well to have her as part of his team.He just wished she’d see this for herself.
‘With no signs of infrastructure, I’d say this is one of those unreliable waterholes, a seasonal spot you wouldn’t include in paddock rotations for livestock.’
‘So, something left more for the wildlife then?’
She nodded.‘It’d only be full in the wet season, like everywhere else around here.It’d just be more of a swimming hole in the summer, I guess.’
‘Which means no stockmen would come here as part of their normal stock route, muster, or whatever it is they do.’
‘Boundary riders or bore runners would be the ones to check waterholes, but even then, they’d follow a map that had a layout of fence lines, paddocks, and their watering points.And I can’t remember the last time I saw a fence.’
Which meant no one had any reason to be out here as part of their day job.
He glanced down at the rifle in his hands, then back at the morning light creeping in slowly, creating a golden hush that softened the sharp edges from the shadows that stretched across this land.
