Page 25 of Rough Stock

‘No. Only bull catchers. We’ve got five of ‘em.’

‘But this…’ Craig winced at the stabbing pain in his leg as he crouched down to the grass.

He did not miss Izzy’s concerned look.

Brushing a hand over the soil, he read the tread pattern. ‘These are from ATV tyres. One’s a four-wheeler…’ He removed his sunglasses. ‘And the other’s a six-wheeler. Now they’re rare.’

‘But I would’ve heard them ATVs, and the dogs would’ve too. The neighbour’s got one, and it’s got a grunty engine.’

‘Could it be an electric ATV?’ Izzy asked. ‘I read somewhere that they’re quieter than the normal petrol engines.’

Craig nodded, as he again accepted Izzy’s help to stand. ‘You wouldn’t have heard them, Ginny. And by their tracks, they were towing trailers that were low enough for Wraith to walk on board.’ He scuffed his boot over the grass and started following the tracks.

‘Would an electric ATV have the guts to tow a bull like Wraith?’

‘It’d be a big strain on the engine, and the battery wouldn’t last long, so it’d be a slow trip…’ He stopped and peered around to the boundary fence line. ‘Which means they’d have a truck close by to help them get away.’

Again, he hobbled along, following the tracks in the field, trying to read the story in the soil and bent grasses, while Izzy walked beside him.

‘Where’s your lecture telling me to go sit in the car?’

‘The doctor said you needed to do some walking. I just brought the water bottle.’ Izzy peered over the land and gave a soft sigh that matched her smile. ‘It’s really pretty country out here.’

‘Thank you, Missy. My dad got it, purely for breeding rodeo bulls. He loved them. And I’ve kept up the family tradition, hoping it’d stop my sons from riding in rodeos.’

‘Did it work?’

‘Nah.’ Ginny pointed to the large homemade rodeo ring they had near the sheds. ‘My husband, Frank, was a bull rider. Retired now.’

‘Like someone else I know.’ Izzy tugged on an earlobe, hiding her grin. ‘So how do you travel with a stash of rodeo bulls? I can’t imagine the Hilton having room for the bulls at their hotels.’

‘We’ve got a specially built bull trailer for our truck, which comes with bunks. We all take turns driving from one rodeo to the next.’

‘Are the bulls okay with travelling?’

‘Oh, yeah. The rodeo organisers make my bulls feel like kings. They’ll even ship in fresh sand for them. And Wraith loves the sandpit, he’ll flick it around like a toddler at the beach.’ Ginny grinned, only for it to disappear with a sigh as she looked over her land. ‘Then, while on the road, and in between rodeos we’ll stay at other farms for the bulls to do a bit of rutting.’

Izzy looked at Craig for an answer.

‘Breeding. They’ll put the bull in with a group of heifers for a fee,’ he explained quietly.

‘Who looks after your farm while you’re away?’ Izzy asked.

‘I’ve got five sons, and a daughter-in-law who has blessed us with our first grandchild.’

‘Aww, congratulations.’ Izzy sounded like she really meant it, too.

Ginny smiled wide. ‘I think it’s what helped motivate Frank to get better, so he could come home and be with the family. Craig came to our boy’s wedding. Where did you have yours?’

‘Courthouse, Darwin,’ replied Izzy. Her dark brown eyes met his, bringing to light the memory shared between them.

Craig and Izzy had wanted their wedding to be intimate with just the two of them. They told no one. And on that day Izzy truly stole his breath, his heart, and his soul when she’d looked him in the eye and saidI do.

The memory ignited something in his soul again, that he slipped one arm over her shoulders with the need to keep her close. ‘Don’t panic, it helps me get my balance on the turf with my leg.’ It was his excuse, and he was going to take it.

‘I’m really sorry for what Wraith did to you, Craig. Wraith can be such a sweet boy.’

‘It’s all good, Ginny. That’s just the sport.’ Balancing on the crutch, he gazed over the field. ‘I can see how they did it.’

---