Page 46 of Whispers of Sweetwater

‘Should be an easy fix,’ Roy assured her. ‘Can you leave it with me overnight, maybe for two, if need be?’

‘Ahh.’ She considered her work, and how she was going to get around. She’d have to take Molly up on her offer to use her old ute. ‘Yup, all good.’

‘Great, I’ll give you a call if we need anything else, Brianna.’

She thanked him, and grabbing her vet bag from the passenger seat, left. But as she walked out of the garage, she couldn’t help but glance back once. Len was still watching her. Just for a moment. And then he turned away, shaking his head as if mumbling to himself. She told herself not to overthink it. Some people were just … odd.

But the feeling stuck with her long after she was gone.

CHAPTER 12

Brianna wrestled Molly’s old ute up the winding track towards Sweetwater Acres, the engine grumbling like a cranky pensioner and the suspension growling at every bump. The dashboard rattled like a box of mismatched screws, and the seatbelt clip dug persistently into her hip.

‘Old battle-axe,’ she muttered with a wry smile, patting the cracked vinyl dash.

She couldn’t wait to get her Hilux back from the mechanic – hopefully that afternoon, all going well. The sun was already warm, glinting off the bonnet as she crested the last rise. Sweetwater Acres unfurled before her like something out of a painting, sunlight spilling over the paddocks, shadows stretching long and low across the dew-dark grass. She pulled up near the southern fence, climbed out and stood at the rail. One hand rested on the sun-warmed timber, the other reached for Duchess’s velvety muzzle. The mare stood proud and patient beside her, ears flicking lazily, her coat a glossy sheen beneath the rising light. At her side, Maverick tottered between confidence and clumsy curiosity, his long legs still awkward but his spirit bold.

Brianna chuckled as he nipped at her sleeve. ‘You’re getting cheekier by the day, aren’t you, little buddy?’

Maverick snorted and danced sideways, tail flicking, before circling back to press his face into his mother’s flank. Duchess, steady as the land, didn’t flinch. She’d come a long way since the tense night of the birth, where Brianna had knelt in the straw, coaxing life into two uncertain bodies. Lost in her moment with her two favourite horses, she glanced over her shoulder when she heard the crack of a car door. Hayden was crossing the paddock with two enamel mugs and a battered thermos, and something inside her tightened at the sight of him. The early sun caught in his dark hair, mussed from a morning without a hat. His jaw was rough with stubble, his shirt clung to the cut of his shoulders and chest, and rolled sleeves revealed the strong lines of his forearms. He was tall, steady and unapologetically masculine. Shading her eyes, she felt her pulse flicker as she watched him close the distance between them. He wasn’t big-headed in the slightest, but there was something about the way he carried himself, all strength and quiet surety, that made the air feel hotter than it already was. He moved with a quiet confidence, all sun-baked muscle and work-worn ease, a man who belonged to the land. Ink marked both of his forearms; she already knew one image showed stock horses mid-gallop, and the other was a date in sharp serifed script. Another tattoo, faint and half-hidden, peeked from beneath the collar of his shirt near his neck, like a secret he hadn’t quite decided to share.

‘I heard the unmistakable sound of Molly’s old girl battling up the driveway, so I figured you’d be out here,’ he said, handing her a mug.

She smiled, accepting it – this was becoming a regular thing, drinking coffee together. ‘Maverick’s becoming a little heart-thief.’

‘Yeah, he has a way of doing that, the little bugger.’

They stood together in quiet comfort, doing their usual, sipping coffee and watching the horses graze.

‘How’s Molly doing now she’s back home?’ he asked.

‘Better. Busy. Determined.’ Brianna exhaled. ‘She’s opening the café tomorrow, whether the universe agrees or not.’

Hayden nodded, jaw tightening slightly. ‘She shouldn’t be paying that money.’

‘She only paid the eight hundred,’ Brianna replied. ‘Says she’s buying time. And she’s still convinced someone in town knows more than they’re letting on.’

Hayden frowned into his coffee, jaw tight. ‘Eight hundred’s still eight hundred too much. They’re counting on fear to keep her quiet. And it’s working.’

Brianna shook her head slowly, eyes scanning the horizon. ‘I know, and I hate it. But she’s stubborn. She thinks giving them what they want will keep the wolves at bay.’

Hayden sighed heavily. ‘I don’t know if she’s doing the right thing.’

She looked over at him. ‘Wouldn’t you do the same? If it meant keeping someone safe?’

Hayden studied her then, the lines at the corners of his eyes deepening. ‘Yeah,’ he said quietly. ‘I would. No question. If it was someone I cared about, I’d pay it. Doesn’t make it right, though. Just means you’re cornered, and doing what you can with what you’ve got.’ He paused, his eyes fixing on the horizon. ‘I hate seeing her trapped like this. It’s eating her up, whether she admits it or not.’

A breeze picked up, rustling the grass.

‘When I dropped my Hilux off, Roy’s dad was there too,’ she said, matter-of-factly. ‘In the back, tinkering with something. He was so quiet, and he was watching me like he was weighing something up.’ She half shrugged. ‘He’s a bit of an oddball, if you ask me.’

Hayden didn’t reply straight away. ‘Yeah, he’s most certainly an oddball. Len senior used to run the shop, and Len junior, the one you met, inherited it from his dad.’

Brianna’s phone buzzed and she answered it, her tone polite and professional.

‘Next job?’ Hayden asked as she ended the call.

‘Uh-huh. A property over the other side of town, a sick ewe and two lambs not feeding.’