Page 77 of Rough Stock

‘I get it.’ Although Finn was his boss—and even though Bree and Finn were divorced—they were friends. Not surprisingly, Ryder didn’t seem impressed about the ex-husband being factored into their conversation. ‘Congrats to the both of you.’ Especially to Bree, she’d been through hell and deserved some good in her life. And he’d been there on the sidelines to help her, like she’d always been there for him.

‘And, if I may make a suggestion to the new owners of these fine stockhorses, they like being ridden at sunrise when you’re not using them for yard work. Enjoy.’ She blew them a kiss as Ryder opened the passenger door of the ute for Bree, and they soon disappeared down the long driveway.

‘That was a quick visit,’ said Izzy, standing beside him.

‘It was.’

‘Is the truck any good?’

‘Hell yeah.’ Craig left the horses to drink and climbed into the back of the truck. ‘I’ve used it plenty of times when mustering with Charlie and Bree.’

In the back he found all the tack gear they could ever need. This was a gift that had his heart beating at the magnitude of what Bree and Ryder had done for them.

Aww, buck me, there’s that dust again.He dropped his head and wiped his eyes.

‘Are you ready to ride, yet?’ Izzy meekly peered inside the truck.

‘Are you?’

‘It’s been a while.’

‘When was the last time you went riding?’

‘With you.’

‘We can fix that.’ And he was looking forward to it, too.

‘Is it too soon?’ She nodded at his leg, suddenly realising he’d been rubbing at it.

There was no way he was going to knock back this gift horse. ‘We can just do a quick ride around the paddock.’ He sighed, with the smile filling his chest, while staring at the horse. ‘We got Slim.’

‘You said that already.’ She shrugged. ‘You know I don’t know anything about horses.’

‘They’re not just any horse, hon. Slim is an exceptionally good stockhorse. Trained by Charlie. And I bet Peppercorn is, too. They’re top class, well-skilled horses.’

Again, Izzy shrugged.

‘Slim is experienced enough to take on a rodeo bull, like our recent guests.’ He pointed to the fenced sandpit area, which had been a playpen for the big bull, Wraith, for a few weeks. ‘That cunning redhead…’ Craig peered back at their long driveway and grinned.

‘Why cunning?’

Craig ran his hand over Slim’s back, the coat smooth, the muscles strong. ‘Bree knows Slim’s skills would be put to the test out here. He’d know how to handle any stock we bring in with the Stock Squad.’ That sneaky redhead had gifted him the perfect horse, which meant Bree would have gifted the perfect horse for Izzy.

‘Come on, honey.’ He hauled out the saddle from the truck, giving Izzy a quick lesson on brushing down the horse, while he dusted off his own saddle from the back shed.

With horses saddled and bridled, he helped Izzy climb onto Peppercorn and reminded her how to hold the reins.

‘I don’t know about this.’ High in the saddle, she bit her bottom lip, unsure.

‘It’ll be a slow and easy ride. Just enough to let the horses stretch their legs and get a feel for the place, before we put them in the stables for the night.’ And he had stables, paddocks, round pens, and all the stuff needed for assorted stock that now included stockhorses. Could this day get any better.

Craig swung into the saddle, his left leg protesting the movement with a sharp twinge. Gritting his teeth, he shifted his weight carefully, testing the strain in his calf and ankle. The damn thing still wasn’t right, but he’d had enough of sitting around.

As Slim shifted beneath him, Craig could feel the power bristling through the horse’s body, eager to move. Craig was just as keen to push forward, even if his leg disagreed, he wanted to ride as badly as the horse wanted to run.

‘How’s the leg?’ Even though Izzy spoke softly, her worry was loud and clear.

There was no denying the discomfort—it would take time to come good. But Craig had never been one to sit on the sidelines, and he sure as hell wasn’t starting now.

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