Her pulse kicked up.
Stock theftanda missing person’s case on a deserted cattle station seemed more than just coincidence.And with Porter sniffing around, she had to know more.‘Craig mentioned the story—which I’d assumed was just a story Stone used to impress his girlfriend, Romy.’
Porter looked at her for a long, hard second.
She didn’t feel comfortable with that look.
‘Why are you working on a cold case?I’d assume you’d be too busy doing patrols.’That was his job as Territory Police, while she was on the federal payroll.
‘Does your boss know you’re out here?’She never went off and did her own investigations without a superior officer knowing where she was going.Finn was very strict about that rule.
‘Does yours?Or is he sleeping off another hangover?’
‘Hey!Finn’s at the office.’Even if she’d found the Stock Squad’s troopy parked at the pub this morning and had had to go and get him.
‘Did you drop Finn home last night?’Other than Porter’s petty fridge notes this morning, it’d been nice waking up to a quiet house that didn’t smell like a brewery.
‘Hmph…’ He looked away from her.
‘I heard you got your detective’s ticket.Are you going to transfer out and use that for a promotion?’Whoa, where would that leave her living arrangements?
‘Nope.’
‘But you could be a detective somewhere.’And being an outback cop was pretty much the place where police careers went to die.
‘I did that to learn.Now I’m using those skills on this cold case—and to give Tilly some answers.’
‘Who?’
‘Tilly.Matilda Dixby.This is her land.’He nodded back at the scrublands.The open, flat land was sun-drenched and silent—the kind of place that looked empty yet danced in the heat’s shimmer.Neat fence lines etched through spinifex and saltbush, with paddocks the colour of toasted wheat.The sky pressed down like a weighted sheet of blue, still and endless on a property that had so much potential.
‘Where is Matilda Dixby now?I was told this place has been deserted for years.’Her interest was piqued, as she’d never gotten to speak to the owner.Finn and Cowboy Craig did that as part of their stock theft investigation.‘So, is it true about the missing overseer?’
Porter nodded.‘Tilly lives in town.Her son, Sawyer Dixby, was the overseer who went missing.When does your horse get here?’
She glanced at her watch.‘Craig is dropping him off this afternoon…’ If it wasn’t for that horse, she might have moved back to the pub after this morning’s love note from Porter.
She glared at him.‘You should create your own list, starting with being nicer to housemates.’
‘Ah, but we agreed no secrets as housemates…’ He chuckled as he sauntered towards the shed.‘You know, that’s what friends do.Have fun with each other.’
‘Fun.Ha.’Friends?Pft!
‘You do have fun, don’t you, Montrose?’
‘Sure.’Yet she struggled to picture the last thing she’d done for fun.‘The horse will be my fun thing.And I love my job.’
She’d expected some sort of wisecrack from Porter.Instead, he gave her a look that wasn’t right.‘What?’
He just shook his head and turned away, his taunting voice carrying over his shoulder.‘OnmyNot-to-Love List—not that I’d ever make one—I’d have…Rule one: do not bother with a woman who keeps lists about who they can and can’t love.’
Her hands clenched into fists over this guy she so wanted to pummel.‘And what would rule number two be?Pick a moron with no brains or emotions.Buy a blow-up doll and call her cutie-pie!’
‘Says the girl who bought a stallion to show her a good time.’
‘You arsehole!I don’t need this.’
He moved faster than expected, pulling on her arm to stop her from stomping back to her car.‘I’m sorry.I was just teasing you, just like Stone does all the time.’
