Page 34 of Rough Stock

‘Brodie? Stick to the one topic.’ Craig gently nudged Izzy’s side. ‘Brodie’s like you.’

‘You want to be a stockman, too?’

Izzy grinned at the boy. ‘No thanks. Being married to one is bad enough.’

Didn’t that comment make Craig smile, while sliding his hand over her lower back.

She hadn’t mean to say that, it just popped out. Especially when she’d been trying to distance herself from Craig, but it was hard when Craig needed her to drive him around. Plus, she was keen to see where this whole cow-stealing thing would lead them, even if she was meant to be hiding out from the bad guys.

‘Anyway, there’s plenty of work for that lawyering stuff. Not much crime…’ Brodie scratched beneath his sweaty stockman’s hat. ‘But then you’ve got Ginny’s bull gettin’ nicked. It’s bad news, that. Got a lot of the other stockmen talking about old-school traditions of what they did to cattle rustlers back in the day. Is it true that you’d get the death penalty for stealing someone’s stock?’

‘Used to. Australia abolished the death penalty at the federal level in 1973, then in all states and territories by 1985.’ She’d read that random fact only yesterday after Finn’s visit, that had her looking into the laws for stock theft.

‘So, what do they get now, if they get busted for stealing cattle?’

‘Fourteen years.’

Brodie squinted so hard his lip curled. ‘So it’s serious stuff, huh?’

‘Yes, it is, Brodie. But do me a favour? If you hear of anything, you let me know,’ said Craig. ‘I’d like to help Ginny get her stock back. Wraith deserves to go home.’

‘Too right he does. Wraith’s not a bad bull. He’s a flamin’ sook in the yards.’

‘How do you know?’ Izzy asked.

‘I get paid to muck out the stalls here and at the rodeo. Like an internship.’

‘We all had to start somewhere, mate. I know I did my fair share of time on the shovel, too.’ Craig patted the boy’s shoulder. ‘You take care, Brodie, and if you hear anything, call me.’

‘And if I ever need a lawyer, I’ll be sure to call you first, Izzy.’ Brodie chuckled, tipping his hat to her, before running off to the yards.

‘Oi. Stop flirting with my wife,’Craig called after him.

Brodie’s laugh echoed as he disappeared behind some railed yards.

‘I like him.’

‘It’s obvious Brodie likes you, too.’

‘What’s his story?’

Craig slid his hands in his jeans, his smile gone. ‘Lydia found Brodie asleep in the back of the hay shed here, covered in cigarette burns and bruises.’

‘Who’d do that to a boy? Brodie seems so sweet.’ She paused, only for her frown to start because Craig had mentioned Brodie was just like her.

She suddenly understood what Craig was trying so hard not to say.

‘Brodie’s parents did that to him. For being different.’ She gritted her teeth, as that old festering wound burned beneath her skin.

‘Hey…’ Craig tenderly grabbed her wrist with one hand, while his other hand held her cheek. ‘You’re okay now. You’re safe.’

‘Is Brodie?’

Craig nodded. ‘Lydia takes care of him. She helped Brodie go to the police and has stood by that boy, even when Brodie’s parents went after her.’

‘Why? Is that because they wanted Brodie back so they could cash in their welfare cheques?’ The bitterness was still there in her voice, even after all this time.

‘They wanted Brodie to change his story.’

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