Darcy hesitated.
“I can lead your horse if you need to stay,” Faith offered.
“That would be great. The track is pretty straight the rest of the way.”
She hadn’t considered the risk of getting lost.
“I want to stay with Dad,” Lara said.
“Not this time, pumpkin. We’ve got a lot of work, and I need you to show Faith the way home.”
Lara scowled. “Will you tell me what Sergeant Dot says?”
Darcy’s eyes widened. “Sergeant Dot isn’t here.”
“But she’s who Uncle Brandon called, isn’t she? Something killed those sheep, and it wasn’t dingoes.”
Darcy sighed. “You’re too smart for me, pumpkin.” He hugged her. “I’ll tell you what Dot says if you take Faith home and help her with the horses.”
“Deal.” She held out a hand for Darcy to shake.
Faith smiled.
“She’s a smart cookie,” Brandon murmured as Lara took Darcy’s horse and led it over to where the others grazed.
“Yep.” Darcy reached into the backpack and withdrew another bottle of water, passing it to Faith. “Take this one as well. You can never have enough water.”
Her fingers brushed his as she took it, and a zing zipped through her. “Do you want me to return the float today?”
“No. I should be able to repair the pony club float by Tuesday and use it to take Lara’s horse into town. We can do the swap then.”
A shame. She wanted to see him again, wanted to hear what the sergeant in charge of the Retribution Bay police station had to say as well. “All right. Thank you for taking me riding and showing me your beautiful land.”
“Any time.” His gaze was serious.
For some it was a throwaway line, but he seemed to mean it. She felt she could call him and he would be there for her. Matt coughed, and she realised they were all waiting for her to move so they could get back to business. She blushed. “I’ll see you later.”
She mounted her horse, took Fezzik’s reins from Lara, and headed towards the homestead.
She resisted the urge to look back.
When they arrived back at the farmhouse, Faith helped Lara with the two farm horses before she sent Lara inside to find Amy. She placed her own saddle over the wooden fence and brushed Spirit. “I’ll give you extra feed tonight,” she murmured. “You did well.”
Spirit shifted back a couple of steps and her ears flattened. A small kangaroo hopped towards them. It wasn’t shy, and there were no other kangaroos around.
“That’s Maggie.” Lara jogged over with Amy trailing after her. “She’s a rescue. A car hit her mum and Granddad saved her.”
How sad.
“She’s a fan of almonds,” Amy said. “If you want to feed her, I’ll bring some out.” She smiled. “Did you enjoy your ride?”
“It was wonderful. People would pay good money for a trail ride like that.”
Amy pursed her lips. “It wasn’t too hot?”
“We swam mid-way, so it was pleasant.”
“Do you ever run trail rides?”
