Outback Thunder (7 page)

"Morning,
Zoe." He was in the kitchen before she looked up. Jonas clicked on the
kettle and grabbed a couple of mugs from a cupboard. "Coffee?"

She nodded, with
her mouth full of food.

"Should be a
nice clear day. Good for working." He reached past her and added coffee to
the mugs before turning his back to the bench and leaning against it.

"Uh uh."
Zoe spooned the last of the milk into her mouth and rinsed her bowl and spoon.

Jonas kept his
gaze on her while she took a seat at the table and pulled on a pair of socks.
He poured her coffee and passed it over.

"Thanks."
She sipped it quietly avoiding eye contact with him and his gut ached.

Maybe I came
over too strong last night. Oh well, better than letting her think she is
invincible after all this time away from the farm and putting herself in
danger. Brandon would kill me if anything happened to her out there. It was my
idea to bring her back, luckily he went along with it but you can only press
friendship so far.

"
So, are you happy with the team you're on?"

"Yep, doesn't
worry me any. I'm here to work and work I shall."

She drained her
mug and put it in the sink. Taking her hat from the hook on the back door, Zoe
pushed it onto her head and picked up her boots. She sat on the top step to
pull them on before skipping down to the path and out the gate toward the
stables.

Brandon walked
into the kitchen and looked at Jonas. "You look like you swallowed
something bitter. What's happening?"

"Your sister.
Perky as all hell this morning and ignoring me as much as she can."

"Well you
knew it wouldn't be easy Jonas. I did warn you when you came up with this idea of
yours that she wouldn't come easily." He scratched his head and looked
around the kitchen, sniffing the air. "Did you make me coffee?"

Jonas shook his
head and moved to the kettle, flicking the switch. "She's already down at
the stables you know."

"Really?
Hell, that doesn't sound like our Zoe at all. You must have really pissed her
off." Brandon picked an apple from the bowl on the table and polished it
against his shirt before taking a bite. "Should be entertaining then, all
I can say." He chewed happily waiting for his coffee.

Jonas put the mug
on the table and headed for the door.

"Best
behavior, Jonas. Don't piss her off too much or she will bite you."

I wish
. The thought of her mouth on his body had his blood heat up a
notch. Mentally shaking himself he walked away. He jammed his hat on his head
and headed outside, pausing to pull his boots on before he followed her to the
stables.

The sun was just
peeking over the horizon shading the sky a muted pink and grey as it rose. How
he had managed to stay in the city all these years until he was ready to move
back was a mystery to him. This is how he wanted to wake each day, not gazing
out over the concrete jungle that he had called home. Sydney to San Francisco,
it was all the same. Too busy, too impersonal and nothing like living in the
outback.

The sounds of the
farm coming to life stirred his blood, easing the tension from his shoulders.
He would let Zoe go about her business but he would keep an eye on her from a
distance. If anything went wrong he would be there to sort it out and make it
easier on her, not that she would thank him for it. He was more likely to get a
mouth full of attitude for his trouble.

Jonas headed for
Pete's office avoiding looking in her direction. He would get the teams sorted
then warm up the chopper. Pete was handing out last minute forgotten items and
giving the recipients the sharp side of his tongue while he was at it. Jonas
leaned against the door frame, arms folded watching the newer roustabouts
getting a verbal lashing remembering the many times he was on the other side of
Pete's discipline himself.

When the young
guys had scampered away with their basic supplies toward their horses, Jonas
climbed up the step into the office. Pete was shaking his head cursing.

"Don't matter
how many times you tell them, they just don't get it. It's on them if they
freeze their asses off overnight out there. I won't be ready with a blanket and
a fresh pair of bloody socks for them."

"I hear you
and they will only do it once, you can be assured of that. And I speak from
experience so I know what it feels like to forget something in my supply
pack." Jonas took the printed sheet from the hook on the wall and glanced
at it, quickly assessing the teams they had sorted out. "Let's go do this
then, Pete, and I can get airborne."

They walked down
to the stables and called everyone to listen. "Okay, here are the team
leaders. Rusty, you'll take Josh, Paul and Bluey with you." He paused and
looked up to see they were all paying attention. "Brandon, you have Bill,
Zoe and Tony. Johnno, take Zeke, Tyler and Ben." He motioned to Pete.
"Pete has your radios in the office on charge. Do not forget them or
you'll hear from me. I need to be able to keep in touch. I'll be in the air
shortly but head out to the southern side of the farm and I'll let you know
when to split up. I'm hoping to get the stock in quickly, say by late tomorrow
but we will have to be ready for delays." Jonas looked around at the faces
watching him careful to avoid meeting Zoe's gaze. "Ride safe."

****

Zoe watched Jonas
stride away to the helicopter. Today she would prove that she hadn't lost her
edge being away from the farm. Pulling her gloves from her back pocket she
pushed her Akubra down on her head and walked back to her horse. Her swag was
tied on the back of the saddle along with the basic first aid kit and a pack of
rations. She was going to do it tough in the food department but it was only
for a couple of days and she had survived before and would do so again.

"Ready, Zoe
bird?" Brandon reached for his mount and pulled himself into the saddle
easily.

"Yep. Lead
on, brother and let's do this." She stretched her gloves out and slid her
fingers into the soft leather, smelling the fresh new tang of horses, leather
and sweat that was home.

They milled around
on their horses until the entire crew was ready. Zoe looked skyward when the
helicopter flew overhead and watched it rise up and bank toward the southern
side of the property.

"Let's ride
out." Brandon's voice rose over the chatter of the men.

Zoe grabbed the
pommel of her saddle in one hand and the reins with the other and slid her foot
into the stirrup. The excitement building in her chest, she pulled herself up
onto Midnight’s back. He skittered around and she let him fidget before bringing
him under control.

"That animal
needs more work than we had time for Zoe," Brandon said a frown on his
forehead.

"He was fine
yesterday. It's been so long since he's been out with the others on a muster,
he's just excited." Zoe let the reins go slack again and Midnight stood
still snorting his pleasure. "Once he gets out he will be fine. I've
missed this too, Bran." Zoe looked around at the commotion and her heart
swelled. This was home where she belonged. She missed it so much more than she
had thought she did. It was a shame Jonas was here to pull on her heart
strings. Her homecoming would have been perfect without him around.

She took the reins
and casually prodded her horse over to walk beside her brother. "Tell me,
what are Jonas's plans for this place?" She looked at him from underneath
her hat, trying her best not to look too interested. She missed Lilly even
though her daughter was at school. Zoe hated being so far away from her. The
sooner she sorted out her shares the better for all concerned.

"I'm so
pleased he bought out the others. We would have been taken over by an overseas
mob if he hadn't and who knows where we would have ended up." Brandon
shook his head. "It's a good thing for us, I know it is. He has the cash
to inject a sizeable amount of capital which is something we desperately need.
And he has vision. Just listening to him excites me."

He grinned at Zoe
and her heart raced with love for her big brother. The farm was his life, it
always had been. If he was transported to the city he would wither and die.

"After this
auction we are going to replace a heap of the cows with younger stock from good
bloodlines and we were even thinking of bringing in a couple of new sires. That
way we have a broader gene pool."

"Sounds
expensive to me."

"It is but if
you get Jonas to show you his five year plan you will see why it's worth doing
now. He has the money and isn't scared to use it either. I never thought he
would come back to the farm. I kind of figured that he was used to being the
big company CEO and liking the perks that went with it. Seems he always planned
on coming back here when he was in the right position, he just never said so
out loud." His face lit up and he used his hands to show the size of the
farm. "You'll have to have a look at the plan he's drafted out Zoe, it's
incredible. We have so much unused land here and could easily be one of the
biggest beef producers in Australia if we do it right. We could be filling the
farm with more stock upping the production rate of breeders and beef. He's even
talking about increasing the land holdings too."

"Why don't I
know about that then?"

"I send you
the company reports Zoe. I guess you're so busy with you own business that you
haven't really taken much notice."

"Hmm I
guess." Zoe knew how bright Jonas was because she had stalked him while
she was away in London. Google was a wonderful thing if you wanted to find out
about things other than what the press reported. He had started as a junior in
an investment company and worked his way up.

"What I don't
get is why he is investing his time here. I mean, I know he said we all have to
work the place but surely he isn't going to stay here forever?"

"Sadly
no," Brandon replied. "He's going to get us back in the black and
then plans to head back to the city to take care of his other business
ventures. He has ventures in London and San Francisco as well as all over
Australia. It all keeps him busy and on the road a lot. It's a shame because
this is where he wants to be."

Zoe held her
breath and waited for the butterflies in her stomach to settle before she asked
the next question. "How long do you think it will take to get things
sorted?"

"We were
discussing it last night after you went to sleep. Probably six to nine months
initially. Obviously the breeding will take longer but we should have
everything planned and implemented by then."

"Well if he
doesn't have to stay then neither do I. I have a business to run, you know
that. I really don't see why you can't run this place yourself with help.
You've been doing it since Mum and Dad died."

The crackle of the
two way radio stalled the conversation.

"Jonas to
Brandon."

"Brandon
here, mate."

"Split the
teams up now. Send them to the following co-ordinates. They shouldn't have too
much trouble locating the stock. I'll scout around as much as possible to group
them together and I'll catch up with you tonight." He rattled off the
co-ordinates while everyone listened.

"Okay guys,
you have your area. Ride safe and we'll hopefully see everyone back at the farm
tomorrow night. Make sure you keep your radios on you in case of emergency.
That way Jonas can get to you quickly," Brandon said.

The team leaders
checked and gave the thumbs up before they headed off to their own area.

"Let's
go," Brandon clicked his reins and his horse took off in a gallop with
Zoe, Bill and Tony riding fast to keep up with him.

The cattle were
spread out over hundreds of acres and normally took them days, if not weeks to
bring in. With Jonas up in the air, the job was much easier. He could pinpoint
the main groups and give the co-ordinates for the men to find them easier
saving days of searching.

The heat and dust
was getting to Zoe by the end of the day. They had a large group of cows and
calves rounded up but still had to go further afield for more which wouldn't
happen until the morning. Then they could start to herd them toward home.

****

Zoe eased her
aching body from the saddle, landing heavily on the ground. She leaned into her
horse’s side, the smell of sweat filling her nostrils. A groan escaped her lips
and she pushed herself away, hell bent on getting herself sorted before she
landed on a heap on the ground. Her bedroll hit the dirt first, then the rest
of her gear. She was sore, her ass was on fire and her whole body ached. Undoing
the girth on the saddle, she pulled it off and placed it on the blanket on the
ground out of the way. She undid the bridle and slipped a halter over
Midnight’s head. He wandered over to a patch of grass and put his head down,
nipping and pulling the grass into his mouth.

She turned to
Brandon who had a fire building up and looked almost as fresh as he was when
they started out. Zoe just wanted to roll out her swag and climb inside
shutting out the rest of the world.