Brumby Mountain (18 page)

Jess used her lunch break to belt through some homework so she could go and see Luke's brumbies after school. She was dying to see Opal too. She wondered all day if the traumatised horses were any more settled, or if they had gone the way of their stallion.

When she got to Harry's she found Luke's wildies looking healthier – their flanks had filled out and their various wounds seemed to be healing. But they were as jittery as ever, starting at the slightest noise and staying closely huddled together. The sight of them filled her head with images of nets and trucks and boat winches.

Jess held a carrot through the fence to Opal. ‘Hey, girl.' She smiled as she ran her hands over the filly's neck. ‘I missed you.' She glanced at the brumby mares behind as Opal took the entire carrot and crunched on it whole. ‘Fancy not knowing the joys of root vegetables.'

Rosie and Corey arrived on their horses.

‘How have you gone with these guys?' asked Jess, glancing at the brumbies.

‘Still can't get anywhere near them,' said Corey. ‘I've tried a few times and they just totally freak out.'

‘How about Lawson's ones?'

Corey's face brightened. ‘They're going great. John gelded the two colts and I've taught them to lead.'

He bent down from his saddle and opened the gate to the arena, where Lawson's six wild horses chewed on hay. He ushered one of the geldings out into the arena and began riding around behind it. Jess watched in amazement as he pushed his horse into a canter and began circling around the trotting brumby at a slow lope, gradually getting closer. When he got alongside, he leaned over and slipped a halter over the brumby's ears. It shook its head but kept trotting. Corey let it run and kept circling it around and around, without putting any pressure on the rope.

After a minute or so, the brumby settled into a rhythm and Corey kept cantering, circling, circling, then reached down and gently ran a hand over the gelding's back and neck, then over its rump. Jess was surprised at how accepting the animal was. Corey looped a rope around the horse's rump and encouraged it to walk up alongside his horse. He led it for a couple of circles each way, asked it to stop and then removed the rope and halter and let the brumby go. It whinnied and trotted back to its mob.

Jess opened the gate with a smile on her face. She had to admit that was skilful riding, and great horsemanship.

‘It's a cool technique, isn't it?' said Rosie, still sitting on Buster and watching from the sidelines.

‘Sure is,' Jess agreed. ‘They're ready to go to their new home.'

‘Have a turn,' offered Corey. ‘Try the other gelding.'

Jess spent the afternoon on Dodger, with Rosie and Corey on the rails instructing her, haltering the brumbies one by one, circling, running her hands over them and then releasing them.

‘You guys have done such an amazing job,' said Jess, as she let the last one go. But she couldn't help feeling sad about Luke's mob of three wildies. Would they ever adapt to their new surroundings?

The next day, Jess woke feeling desperately blank. She hunted for her phone, but in vain. The emptiness of being apart from Luke stayed with her all day. It couldn't be healthy, she thought, to miss someone so much, to be so miserable without them.

‘A woman's destiny must be her own,' she scrawled absent-mindedly across the inside of her textbook. But she was having trouble believing it.

23

JESS SAT IN CLASS,
willing herself to keep it together until she got to Harry's. Being with the horses would make everything better. She needed to be near them, to see the calmness in Dodger's eyes, be mesmerised by Opal's easy lope.

That afternoon, she helped Corey and Rosie with the trapped brumbies again. This time they were able to lead all of them around off the side of their horses. Jess spent some time with each one, off the back of Dodger, teaching them how to ‘follow a feel' and give to the gentle pressure of the ropes, how to step into the release and come willingly forward. They quickly became light and responsive. It was fantastic progress and soon she became lost in their world again.

As she helped feed up that night, Jess felt certain that all of Lawson's brumbies would make good riding mounts. But the same couldn't be said for Sapphire's mares. Jess walked to their yard and found them eating hay with Opal. They jumped when they saw her and began milling around nervously, trying to hide between each other, packing into a tight group. Jess took a rope and walked into the yard. She would take Opal home tonight. Dodger was too lonely without her. He had whinnied all night.

Opal stood slightly to the outside of the mares. Surely it wouldn't upset them too much if she just nicked into the yard and led Opal out of there. Jess made a loop with the rope and coiled it in her hand as she approached the filly, then fumbled it and dropped one end. She stooped to pick it up.

Without warning, Opal's shoulder barged into her, sending her sprawling into the mud. She saw hooves and legs coming at her and rolled quickly away and under the fence.

Rosie ran to her. ‘You okay?'

Jess clutched her throbbing shoulder and winced. ‘Landed on my arm,' she groaned.

In the yard the mare swung her rump around and lifted her tail, squirting and winking.

‘They're horsing like mad,' said Rosie. ‘It's sending Biyanga nuts. We had to lock him in his stable.'

Jess stood in the gateway and called Opal over, waiting until the brumby mares were at the other side of the yard before letting Opal out. She watched them as she closed the gate.

‘We'll have to do something with them soon. They can't stay in here the rest of their lives,' said Rosie from behind her. ‘Luke needs to come back.'

As Jess settled into bed that night, she heard a muffled ring. She lifted her head and listened. Her phone! Where
was
it?

She leapt out of bed and flew to the laundry, diving on her duffle bag and madly excavating. Nothing. She stopped. Listened. Saw a faint glow down the side of the washing machine. How the heck had it got under there? It was lit up and vibrating and she pounced on it, slamming her finger onto the button and pressing it to her ear, hoping like mad it hadn't rung out.

‘Yes?'

‘Jess!'

‘Luke?'

She heard him sigh with relief. ‘Jessy.'

‘It's nearly midnight, you mad thing,' she whispered, unable to contain her happiness.

‘I'm sitting on Rambo. It's a full moon. I'm on top of the mountain and there is snow everywhere. It's amazing, Jessy!'

‘Wow.' She wished desperately she was there, on the back of Rambo with him.

‘The little creamy foal, the one you saved. It's back with its mum!'

‘Min Min,' said Jess. ‘We called her Min Min.'

‘I've been trying to ring you and tell you.'

‘I lost my phone.' She didn't think he could get coverage, except from . . .

‘I miss you, Jess.'

‘I miss you too.'

‘Yeah, but I miss you
heaps
.'

‘Is it keeping you awake at night?'

‘Yeah.'

‘Thought it might be.' Jess laughed as she crept back to her bedroom and crawled under the covers. A smile spread over her face as she lay back against her pillow. ‘Am I having a dream or something?'

‘Depends. Are you dreaming about me?'

‘I always dream about you.'

‘I would dream about you too if I could get to sleep in the first place.'

‘You need a therapy pet.'

Before she could tell him about Sapphire's mares, the phone went dead. ‘Luke? You there?'

It had lost reception. She lay with the phone held against her chest, bitterly disappointed, hoping it would ring again.

So this was what their relationship would be: broken phone calls in the middle of the night, whenever he had the energy to go up the mountain. She finally gave up and willed herself to sleep. If it was all she could have of him, she would take it.

24

LAWSON'S BRUMBIES PROGRESSED
quickly. Once they could lead and tie up, load on and off a horse float, graze inside a fenced paddock and pick up all their feet without fuss, Lawson called the buyer and told him the horses were ready.

A man arrived one afternoon in a small horse truck. While Lawson talked to him, Jess slipped a halter around Buddy and led him to the loading ramp. ‘You be good,' she said, letting the little pale chestnut nuzzle at her hands. ‘You show them what fine horses the tablelands brumbies are.'

She slung the rope over his neck, turned his head towards the opening of the truck and slapped him on the rump. ‘Walk up,' she said, letting him load himself.

Buddy scrambled quickly up the ramp and walked into the back of the truck. He turned his hindquarters so that he stood alongside the partitions. Jess followed and closed the steel divider beside him, making way for the next horse. Then she tied his halter to the bars on the small window. ‘You have a fun life, Buddy,' she said, giving him a final pat goodbye.

Corey led the next horse up, and one by one, all six of Lawson's brumbies were loaded and tethered securely inside the truck. Jess took a last look at them and felt an enormous sense of satisfaction. They were beautiful horses, kind by nature, hardy and athletic.

She cast her mind back to the first day she had met Luke, loping around an arena on a fine black colt he had broken in himself, a mixed-up kid full of aggro and confusion. These brumbies would soon sort out another bunch of mixed-up kids at Lawson's friend's clinic.

They know everything you're thinking. They just mirror what you do.

Lawson joined her at the fence as the truck pulled out of the driveway and rolled down the road. ‘Hear from Luke yet?'

‘Yeah, only for a minute, then the phone cut out,' said Jess. ‘There's no reception down there.'

‘Tell me about it,' said Lawson, sounding annoyed. ‘What's he doing, is he coming back?'

Jess shrugged. ‘He told me he'd be back by next school holidays.'

‘He said the same to me,' said Lawson. ‘But I just got a call from TAFE. He's been making enquiries about transferring his farrier's apprenticeship to a college down there.'

Jess looked at Lawson with her mouth open.

‘He didn't tell you either, did he?' Lawson looked unimpressed. ‘Sorry to bring bad news, kid.' He turned and walked back to the house.

Jess stood alone, staring up the road. She could still hear the fading engine of the horse truck, grinding its gears as it made its way around the bends in the road.

Jess sat under the big coachwood tree, staring gloomily through the fence rails at Luke's miserable-looking brum–bies. The foal was a sooty dun, or buckskin. There was nothing pretty about him – he looked as though he had been rolled in dirt – but he was a nice enough type and would probably make a good station horse.