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Percy looked up into his brown eyes with hints of gold and honey. “Same goes for you.” Then he looked around to make sure they were alone. “I love you, Albert Bramwell. As the flowers love the sun.”
Albie’s cheeks flushed pink, and his shy smile became a grin, his eyes alight. “Poetry, huh?”
“Only for you.”
He chuckled, then looked back toward the house. “We shouldn’t be late. Lest we want the wrath of Elsie.”
Percy started for the house. “No, we don’t.”
Breakfast was mostly quiet as they ate their porridge and stewed fruit. “We’ll head down the property line,” Des said.
The fact he was coming surprised Percy. His leg didn’t allow long stints in the saddle, so Percy could only deduce his concern for Albie won out.
Or maybe he’d missed the thrill of the ride. He’d been a great horseman before his injury, Percy had heard. And he had to believe that Des’s heart missed what his body would no longer allow.
Either way, Percy was glad Des was riding with them.
Albie pushed his empty plate away. “Our goal is to round up some horses, nothing more,” he said. “If they get away from us, we leave them be. I’ll not have anyone of us injured, or worse, for the sake of some wild brumbies.”
He gave Percy a pointed look.
Percy sipped his tea, trying not to smile. “Yes, boss.”
Albie huffed out a growl but then looked at Des and Robert. “Are we ready?”
They were both fighting a smile, but they gave a nod. “As we’ll ever be,” Des said.
Albie had a quick word with Elsie and Clara while Percy, Des, and Robert mounted their horses. Percy brought Minnie to the house for Albie, and Elsie walked him out.
“Don’t you worry about us,” she said. “I’ll go ahead and strip beds and make some more preserves. We’ve got enough wood to last us a year and enough chores to keep us busy even longer.”
Albie swung up into his saddle. “That’s not my concern.”
She grinned at him. “I’ve got a mean right hook and a shotgun should anyone turn up unannounced. Don’t you worry about us.”
Percy laughed, and Albie tipped his hat. “We’ll be back soon enough.”
“With a mob of horses,” Percy added.
“I’ll settle for in one piece,” she said, then waved them off as they rode off.
They headed back behind the house and skirted abouts where Albie’s property met McAllister’s. There were now some fence posts intermittently placed, still not finished, but the beginnings of a very long and expensive job, Percy could guess.
“Is this your land or his?” Robert asked.
Albie looked around, his expression thoughtful. “Actually, looks about right. Hard to tell though. The big granite boulder I used to jump off, not far from where McAllister’s boy was found, is on my land, so that’ll be a good yardstick.”
They soon came to the large boulder in question. The new fence line didn’t run down this far yet, but there were some trees cleared to the left of it. As it looked now, if that’s where the fence line would run, McAllister wasn’t encroaching on Albie’s land, but Percy couldn’t help but wonder what it’d be like to be so untrustworthy.
No one trusted McAllister.
He couldn’t even be trusted to run a fence line on his own land, and for all the “respect” and clout he had in town, no one trusted him to do the right thing.
And that was sad.
Percy would take Albie’s righteousness and honesty over the likes of McAllister’s ilk any day.
Before Percy knew it, they were at the edge of the ridgeline. The view down into the valley was spectacular. The morning sun painted everything clean and pastel. The air was fresh but not damp. It was a glorious sight.
