“Is all this yours?” Faith asked.
“Yeah,” he replied.
She nudged her horse to the other side of the ridge and looked down at the valley. “Is that another dry riverbed?”
“Not really. It collects the runoff from the ridge when it rains and funnels it south to the low-lying areas I pointed out yesterday. It’s pretty amazing to see the amount of water and how quickly it gathers. Every few years there’s enough rain to cause a flash flood.”
“So that’s why we need to check this area for livestock?”
He’d forgotten the excuse Brandon had given. Normally he would have taken the ute and driven around the ridge. It was longer, but faster. Still, it was best to double-check. “Yeah. We’ll ride down this side and there’s a trail up the other.” He pointed it out.
He took the lead down the trail, which was only wide enough for one horse. The ground was a mixture of rock and sand, and he let Fezzik have his head so he could pick his way. As a kid, he’d raced Charlie down the trail after they’d watchedThe Man From Snowy River. His dad had been furious they’d endangered the horses going so fast on the rough ground. Now every time he came out here, he filled in any gullies in the trail to maintain it. And because he still felt guilty about his recklessness.
“Is that a cave over there?”
He twisted to where Faith pointed at a cave at the bottom of the opposite ridge. “Yeah. We often see rock wallabies there.” He smiled. “Lara believes it’s where the mutineers hid the treasure they stole from the Retribution.”
“Weren’t the mutineers hanged?”
“The details are vague depending on which account you hear.” And which version you preferred to believe.
“So have you looked?” Faith asked.
“Not personally. Lara came up with the theory recently, and the wallabies had babies in their pouches. We didn’t want to scare them away by traipsing into their home. I’ll take her when they’re weaned.”
“Mutinies and treasure sound all very much like high seas pirate shenanigans,” Faith said.
“Mum had started investigating the truth of the history, at Lara’s prompting,” Darcy said. “I’m not sure how far she got. There are some old trunks in the shed, but whether they go back that far, or are just junk some of our other ancestors left there, I don’t know.” Maybe he should see if Lara was interested in reviewing it with him.
“Do we need to check the cave for sheep?”
“No, they don’t come down in the valley, not as much food.”
They reached the bottom and crossed the hard surface of the valley bed. Larger trees grew here, probably because of the way the water collected during a rain. Branches and twigs lay against them, evidence of a flood which had pushed debris down the valley and had caught on the trees. Occasionally he drove the ute down into the gully and gathered the debris for firewood.
They rode side by side, towards the cave and the trail which led up to the other side.
Faith sighed. “This would make a lovely trail ride,” she said. “If you wanted to diversify your income a bit more.”
She was right. Especially at this time of the morning. It was cool, and the walls of the ridge shaded the gully from the morning sun. They could offer morning tea or even breakfast, but at this stage they had no one to lead the tour. Amy wasn’t a confident enough horse rider yet. “I’ll keep it in mind.” It would keep the horses exercised as well.
At the top of the other side, the land was flatter. Aside from an emu pecking at a nearby bush, the land was still. No sheep, not that he expected any.
“Can you access this area with a car?” Faith asked.
“Yeah. There’s a gate near the main road.” Darcy pointed. “And another further south where the ridge ends.”
She raised an eyebrow. “So it would have been quicker to drive?”
He smiled. “But nowhere near as pleasant.” He shifted his horse closer to hers and kissed her.
“I didn’t pick Brandon as a romantic,” she said.
“He surprised me as well.”
But he was thankful for it. Spending time with Faith was just want he needed right now.
Chapter 10
