Race Girl (13 page)

Tam grinned at her from the back of her stocky buckskin gelding, Outback Jack, as they clucked the horses up to ride away from the paddocks and out of the yard. Tully made sure to ease into her saddle and roll forward in her seat to keep her jeans from scratching Judy's saddle – the back of Tam's was scratched to crap from the embellished back pockets of her jeans.

It had been
that
long since Tully had ridden Western, the huge saddle felt literally like an armchair, with her legs long and low around Elsa's belly. Tully shook out her arms to try and relax, wriggled her hips to get accustomed to the saddle and the easy movement of the quiet mare. She rolled the up the sleeves of her shirt, flicked up the collar and buckled up her helmet, nudging Elsa with the heels of her boots to follow along behind Tam and Jacko.

Judy yelled after Tam to replace her baby-pink Stetson for a helmet, which had Tam cursing under her breath. Tully shook her head at her friend as she hopped down off Jacko, leaving him standing with his split leather reins dangling, and dashed back to the barn to change. Tam stomped back out of the barn, leaving her helmet strap undone until the very last minute, as she mounted up.

Tully waved to Judy and kicked Elsa into a trot to keep up with Tam and Jacko, down past the sand arena with the three red and white barrels set in a triangle at one end, to the gate that would take them out into the rolling paddock beyond.

‘You've gotta have another go 'round the barrels when we get back,' Tam said, after they'd made it through the metal gate. ‘Remember last time?!'

‘I'll make sure the girth's tight enough this time thanks, cow face,' Tully said, shooting Tam a slanty-eyed glare, then chuckling as she remembered how her saddle had spun around underneath Elsa's belly and she'd hit the sand with a thud. She shook her head, scanning the endless paddock out in front of them. ‘Sure there aren't any bulls in here?'

Tam shook her head. ‘Only mummies and bubbas.'

A sweet, hot breeze blew up off the land, swirling dust and grass and the heady scent of earth, lifting Elsa's flowing blonde mane off her creamy coat.

Tully's heart revved, a buzz of excitement tearing through her. ‘C'mon, girl!' she said, kicking the sturdy Elsa up into a trot. Tully posted easily to the mare's silky smooth stride, down the first dip, then up a rise, until the full force of nature – from the land to the burning blue sky, from the mountains in the distance to the stands of epic white-trunked eucalypts snaking along the river ahead – swept Tully up and had her clucking Elsa into a lope. A squeal escaped her lips and she glanced across at Tam, who easily matched her pace on the fiery little Jacko.

Tam beamed back, urging Jacko forward. The pounding of the horses' hooves whipped up a cloud of dust as the girls cantered across the wide-open paddock side by side, leather reins in one hand, their ponytails dancing out behind them in sync with the horses' silky manes and tails. A mob of grey kangaroos startled and bounded along with them across the plain, before breaking free and ducking under the fence into the tall native grasses in the neighbouring paddock.

This is so
fun! Tully thought, allowing her hips to really loosen and flow with the rhythm of her mare's joyful stride.
Riding, just for the pleasure of it
. . . With every stride the nerves shook free, her muscles relaxing to allow her body to move in unison with the horse.

At the far end of the paddock, Tully hopped off to get the gate. A flock of plovers squawked and swooped them, sending the horses baulking just before Tully could get back on. She got a hold of the reins and pulled herself up as fast as she could, then they set off at a canter, not keen to get pecked on the head by one of the aggressive birds. ‘Must have a nest nearby,' remarked Tam.

The girls chatted and slowed to a brisk trot down the gravel road, west towards the banks of the Logan River. The heat was stifling – sweat trickled down Tully's back and ran into her eyes, her body swelling against her clothes, the heat filling her veins like she was being cooked from the inside out. The horses were really feeling it too – breathing heavily, sweat foaming and turning their coats dark over their shoulders and down their necks.

Voices rose from the river beyond the gum trees and a cooler breeze swept up to greet them. Tully felt like she was emerging from a heat haze as they trotted down the dip in the road, into the shade of the towering eucalypts. The horses pulled for their heads as they spotted the water, tinted brown and reduced to a low level from lack of rain, but still tempting in the heat. The girls turned for the long narrow beach of sand and rocks to their right, far below the steep sandy banks of the river. A pack of shirtless kids in boardies were swinging off the rope tied from a far-reaching fig tree on the other bank. One of the older boys waved at Tam.

The girls slipped off the horses' backs and stripped down to their cozzies, before riding the horses straight into the slow moving current to give them a drink. Elsa dropped and tried to roll, sending Tully straight into the cool murky water. Jacko stood and pawed and pawed, drenching Tam and drawing applause from the kids. He snorted and tossed his head, then let Tam ride him out for a swim to the middle of the river and back, clearly very pleased with himself.

When the horses were done in the water, the girls fed them carrots out of Tam's saddle bag and sat chatting, relishing the feeling of the gritty sand beneath their skin. Tully loved the way her body was relaxing into the cool earth, her mind working around and starting to clear away the stress and pain from her mother's death and the trying months since. The horses grazed at rare shoots of grass shielded from the sun in the shade of a bushy golden wattle growing out of the riverbank.

The sun had dipped, casting long shadows to the east by the time the girls decided their rumbling bellies couldn't handle a minute longer without food. They got dressed and dragged the ponies away from the grass, which they'd done a good job of eating to dirt. Back on the gravel road and Jacko pulled into a canter, obviously keen himself for some afternoon tea.

‘I'm gonna smash a Big Mac meal,' Tam turned and shouted at Tully.

‘For
real
, Tam,' Tully yelled back. ‘You've gotta stop eating those things! They'll kill you!' Although, all of a sudden, Tully didn't think a ‘Big Heart-Attack', as the girls at work often called them sounded so bad the way her stomach was rumbling.

The paddock with the barbed wire gate and the swooping plovers came into view just ahead. Tully kicked Elsa up, ready to race Tam for the gate, when the sound of a vehicle coming up fast behind them sent her horse skittering forward. ‘Whoa!' Tully cried, her body in spasm from fear. She struggled to gather the reins and lean back in the saddle.

Jacko jumped about a foot into the air, sending Tam off balance and nearly over his ears as he darted into the ditch.

Tully pulled Elsa up and whirled around. A sparkling white Ford Ranger ute had skidded to a stop just behind them. The ute had a red ‘P plate' turned sideways in the tinted back window and huge chrome mags that caught the sun, nearly blinding her. ‘What the heck are you—' Tully started to shout, as the driver wound down the passenger window.

Brandon? Oh no . . .

‘Sorry, girls,' Brandon Weston said.

Tully's mouth fell open. Brandon's hair was messy and wild, his grin charming and wicked from behind the steering wheel. She noticed his teeth: white and perfectly straight, framed by full lips. His torso was tanned and ripped – the only clothing covering his body was a pair of blue boardies. Tully studied the pack of muscle across his stomach, took in his rounded chest and strong biceps, before she was able to tear her eyes away.

Holy
crap.

‘Couldn't see ya until I was nearly on top of you,' Brandon said, pushing black sunnies up into his hair. ‘You really shouldn't ride two abreast.'

Tam managed to settle Jacko and pulled him around to face Brandon. Her eyes were spitting fire until they narrowed on his face, then went wide as she took in his lack of shirt. ‘Brandon Weston,' she smirked, tossing her ponytail back over her shoulder. ‘Fancy meeting
you
out here.'

‘Lucky I was taking this little rascal down for a swim.' A straggly tan dog with big floppy ears popped his head up from the passenger seat, panting and wagging his tail like mad. ‘Onya, mate,' Brandon grinned, rubbing him behind the ears. The little dog's eyes rolled back in ecstasy.

‘Do you always drive so hazardously, Weston?' Tully said, doing her best not to smile at the adorable dog and to keep her eyes off Brandon's tanned, ridiculously hot body.

‘Have to go fast to catch you, Athens,' he said. ‘Been hoping to see you again—give me your number this time, so I won't have to go running you down.'

‘What was that?' Tully said, her hands fumbling for the saddle horn. Her eyes went really wide as she tried to comprehend what was happening. She wasn't sure if it was the blinding effect of the light glinting off the mags or the fireworks of excitement going off inside her, but she was definitely seeing stars. ‘I won't be giving any Weston my number,' Tully said finally. She straightened up and raised her chin to look Brandon in the eye, before blurting, ‘But I'll take yours.' She had to grip the horn to keep from taking a second tumble off Elsa at the shock of the words that had just come out of her mouth.

Brandon's eyebrows shot up, then he smiled wryly. ‘Righto then, Athens,' he said, studying her face. ‘I'll text it to ya.'

Tam burst out laughing.

‘Ah . . . nice try,' Tully said.

Brandon shook his head, then reached across to dig in his centre console. He must have found a pen, as a few moments later, he was handing Tully a Weston Park business card with his father's details on the front, and a mobile number scrawled across the back in blue biro. ‘Don't be a stranger.' He winked and grinned at Tully, then shifted his ute into gear and crept off down the gravel road.

‘Wow, Tulls—what's gotten into you?!' Tam cried, looking across at Tully, aglow with admiration. ‘Girl. Power!'

Tully let out a long breath as she stared incredulously at the tail of dust disappearing in front of them. ‘Did that just happen?' she said, tilting her head to the side, pointing in the direction of the ute. Her whole body was shivering and weak with disbelief, but there was also a heat pounding from her core, a strength she'd never before experienced pulsing and building inside her. She pulled back her shoulders, straightening in the saddle.
Maybe Dahlia's cheekiness and confidence is rubbing off on me!
Tully thought, her smile thinning into a new found determination.

12

Christmas Surprise

Tully thought she'd never get away from the Thompsons'. Tam blurted the whole ordeal to Judy a few seconds after they got back and Tam and Judy nearly wet themselves in hysterics about the potential flame between Tully and Brandon. Neither seemed to realise the impact it would have on Tully's family, or on the fate of her farm, or to Brandon's father, mother, or his whole racing outfit. Neither seemed to care that Tully wasn't totally convinced that Brandon wasn't a cocky tosser who should be avoided.

Both Thompsons certainly
did
understand how hot he was, however, and how all sensible considerations could easily fly out the window when a boy such as Brandon turned his eyes on you.

Tully promised that she'd come around again next week for Christmas. She also agreed to Tam (‘I'm not too proud to beg, Tulls, if it means you'll do it!') that she'd call Brandon that night. Telling herself she was sick to death of hearing his name and thinking about his face and
that body
and his ute and the way he'd ridden that grey on the first day they'd met after so many years wasn't working. No matter what she told herself, whatever she felt for Brandon did seem to be intensified by the fact they were the only two children of rival racing families and that they'd grown up so close to each other, but so far apart. She yearned to get to know him but at the same time, was terrified of what it would bring.

Brandon Weston wanted
my
number!

Brandon Weston likes me . . .