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‘Didn’t you take your sweet time to show up?’ In dusty jeans and crocodile leather boots, Stone swaggered out from behind the counter of the Elsie Creek Police Station, to open the security door and hold out his hand. ‘And you must be the wife . I’m Stone Kipp. Full-time sweetheart, and part-time crocodile wrangler.’

‘Hi, I’m—’

‘Isobel Callahan.’ Stone clasped Izzy’s fingers to lean down and kiss the back of her hand.

‘Oi.’ Craig scowled at Stone.

Crocodile wranglers were a whole other level of crazy, and Stone was as reckless as the rest of them. ‘What do you care, you two-bit hussy? We all know you’re a man-whore, and that this lady is too good for you.’

Nope, Craig wasn’t even going to dignify that smart-arse remark with a response.

‘I like your braces, Miss Callahan. Don’t mind them myself.’ Stone grinned at Izzy as he rocked on his fancy boot heels. ‘Had Lydia at the train station’s stockyard make me some with a radio holster. Perfect for egg collecting.’

‘Chicken eggs?’

‘No, crocodile eggs.’

‘How do you do that?’

That’s just great, give Stone an inch and he’d take twenty miles of bull rope to reel in the females at the mere mention of his job. Crocodile wranglers—they were worse flirts than rodeo cowboys.

‘Well…’ Stone sidled up beside Izzy, wearing that smart-mouth smile while sliding one arm around her shoulders.

It made Craig scowl. ‘Stone.’ The growl was deep.

‘What? The lady wants to know…’ There was nothing innocent about Stone’s smug shrug, while keeping his arm around Izzy’s shoulders. ‘First, you find a crocodile nest in the flood plains, then you zip down on the sling that hangs beneath the helicopter, to dig the eggs straight out of the nest.’

‘In front of wild crocodiles?’

‘Some people use a cage, but they don’t do much, not when a full-grown male croc can crush a human skull like cracking an ice cube in his teeth.’ Stone held out his hand and squeezed it as if crushing an invisible stress ball. ‘Then you’ve got the female’s maternal instinct kicking in, where those little ladies jump for the sling’s rope, and that’s what gets the heart pumping.’

‘Adrenaline junkie,’ mumbled Craig.

‘I can show you. We’ll make it our first date.’

‘Behave, Stone,’ said Policeman Porter, strolling down the hallway. ‘Craig may just wallop you one. And I won’t stop him.’ He gave Craig a nod of hello.

‘Pfft. The cowboy’s got bad ribs. What damage can he do? Besides, she’s not wearing a wedding ring.’ Stone grinned cheekily.

‘Is there a reason you’re polluting our police station today, Stone?’ Porter casually made himself a coffee at the small kitchenette area. ‘Or are you trying to bum a free ride to pick up your helicopter from the pub again?’

‘I’m here on official Stock Squad stuff.’ Stone grinned as he faced Craig and Izzy. ‘The Bossman said you’d show today. Come along children, we’re in this part of the schoolyard. They don’t let us play with the public.’ Stone gave a casual salute to Porter.

‘Make sure you stay back there, too, Stone.’ Porter stirred his coffee, then shook hands with Craig. ‘Nice to see you on your feet again, Craig.’

‘Thanks. This is—’

‘Isobel Callahan.’ Izzy held her hand out, wearing that lawyer’s face as she curtly shook his hand.

‘Hey, congrats on making detective.’

‘We all know Porter cheated,’ said Stone, waving at them from the corridor. ‘Come along kiddies, playgroup is this way.’

‘Don’t tell me you’re part of the Stock Squad, too?’ Craig followed with his hand possessively on Izzy’s lower back, while hobbling on one crutch was a challenge.

‘Well, I won’t then.’

‘Are you?’ Izzy asked.

‘I’m like Cowboy Craig, one of them specialists.’ Stone bowed at the open door. ‘Beauty before unemployed cowboys,’ he said. ‘Then me. You know, full-time sweetheart and part-time crocodile wrangler.’ With chin high, Stone strutted into the large room like he owned the place.

Stone, the smart-arse prick, then pulled out a chair for Izzy at the large round table. ‘For the lady.’

Izzy looked lost. It was enough to ignite Craig’s protective nature to kick in so hard he stepped right into Stone’s face with a deep, heated growl rumbling in his chest. ‘Back off, Stone. I mean it.’

‘Okay, okay.’ Stone stepped back with palms open as if surrendering to the police. ‘I’ll be just over here if you change your mind, sweetheart.’ He dropped into the chair behind the desk in the corner and put his crocodile leather boots on the empty desk with a thud. ‘Cowboy Craig, your desk is there, behind the Duchess.’

‘I don’t need a desk, because I don’t do paperwork.’

‘That’s what the Duchess is here for. She’s our paperwork queen.’

‘The name is Constable Amara Montrose.’ The policewoman stood behind her desk, snapping her South Australia Police uniform straight, her light brown hair pulled back tight away from her face. There was not a single hair out of place. ‘Watch yourself, Stone. I’ll have you on harassment charges.’

‘Ew, I don’t want to sleep with you, Duchess. Haven’t you met my future wife?’ Stone grinned at Izzy. ‘She just hasn’t divorced this cretin yet.’

‘Oi!’ Broken ribs or not, Craig would thump that smart-mouth prick.

‘Reel it in, Stone,’ ordered Finn, as he entered the room and closed the door behind him. ‘We’re meant to work together.’

‘There’s no I in team.’ Amara screwed her nose up at Stone.

‘No, but there is an E and an M in it and if you’re part of the clever crowd who can read letters backwards, Duchess, it spells ME.’

‘This can’t be the Stock Squad?’ Craig mumbled to Izzy.

‘It is.’ The policewoman approached with her hand out. ‘Hi, I’m Constable Amara Montrose—’

‘ Duchess, ’ coughed Stone into his hand.

‘—from the South Australia Police Equestrian Division.’

Craig shook her tiny hand. ‘I’m Craig Callahan, and my wife…’ he said, glaring at Stone.

‘Isobel Callahan,’ replied Izzy formally, while coolly shaking Amara’s hand. Was this too much for Izzy? When she was usually working on the other side of the law. Or had the morning they’d shared been too overstimulating for her? Should they have just gone home?

No, he wanted to help Ginny. And having Izzy with him, helping ask the questions, was a bonus. Izzy knew the law, like Craig knew livestock.

‘So, are you going to join us, Craig?’ Finn dumped a large folder and his coffee on the table as he dragged out his chair.

‘Craig has some conditions, such as accommodating his current injuries.’ His wife was playing lawyer. Didn’t that just make her smart and sexy, especially when she was on Craig’s side.

‘We get that. And look, it’s not a full-time gig at this stage. Constable Montrose and I will do the bulk of the work.’

‘Why do you have Stone?’ Craig asked.

‘Because I’m beautiful and they need someone to make the Stock Squad look good.’

‘Don’t make me hurl, Stone.’ Amara rolled her eyes.

‘Stone is our helicopter pilot,’ said Finn, ‘and he’s good with wildlife, like you are with livestock. Did you see Ginny?’

‘We did.’

‘With your tracking skills, did you see where the thieves came in and how?’ Finn pulled out a map across the table, that displayed the layout of Ginny’s farm.

‘Here.’ Craig tapped on the map as both Amara and Stone joined them at the large round table that was big enough to sit twelve. ‘They travelled down from the neighbour’s firebreak and cut the fence here… Then they cut through these fences here, here, and here to select their stock.’

‘Did you work out what vehicle they used?’

‘They had two ATVs, one of them a six-wheeler. We’re guessing electric ones.’ Craig scrolled through his phone and showed them a picture of the tread marks that he’d taken at Izzy’s suggestion. ‘Their tyre impression is much lighter, as their weight is more evenly distributed than the traditional fuel-engine ATV, and Ginny and her family didn’t hear them.’

‘Who’d have an electric vehicle out here?’ Amara asked. ‘There are no docking stations to fuel up. I know farmers would rather skip filling up a diesel generator to then wait six hours to recharge an electric car. When it’s much easier to just fill up their diesel utes and go.’

‘I’ve got one,’ said Stone. ‘I run it from the house to the hangar and leave it to charge under solar panels all day. But I doubt I’ll see any cattlemen who’d bother to tow a diesel generator or a bunch of solar panels behind them to charge up those electric vehicles. They wouldn’t last long on a muster, that’s for sure.’

‘I agree.’ Craig even nodded at the crocodile wrangler, forming a truce of sorts.

‘Would an electric vehicle be strong enough to cart a bull?’ Amara asked.

‘It’d kill the battery time.’ Craig looked to Stone for confirmation.

‘Agreed. At home, I’ve used mine to drag my helicopter from the helipad to the hangar. It’s not fast, but steady, and I’m not paying for fuel, but I’m still hesitant about using them near the avgas when refuelling.’ Stone was a clever man when he wasn’t being a smart-arse. ‘But a six-wheeler is rare.’

‘I agree. Most cattle stations prefer to hang on to their quads, if they can. They’re cheaper to run.’

‘So how did they carry the bull?’ Amara asked.

‘The thieves had a low trailer, easy enough for the bull to walk on.’ Craig then asked Stone, ‘With a bull on the trailer, is that the same weight as towing a helicopter around?’

Again, Stone nodded in confirmation. ‘Less.’

‘This is good, Craig.’ Finn patted Craig’s shoulder as Amara scribbled down some notes while Izzy sat quietly. ‘Narrowing down the vehicle type is a great start. Did you follow those tracks down the firebreak?’

Again, Craig nodded. ‘Izzy and I followed it to where they had a truck waiting. Izzy took photos with her phone.’

‘I can email them to you for your files.’

‘Thanks. Constable?’ Finn gave a curt nod at the policewoman.

Amara scribbled down on the notepad. ‘Here’s my email address. Oh, should I order business cards, sir?’

Again, Finn nodded.

Izzy tapped away on her phone as Amara fired up her tablet and waited.

‘Got ‘em. Look, they’re date stamped, too.’ Amara held up the tablet and showed Finn and Stone.

‘Not my first investigation,’ mumbled Izzy under her breath.

Craig grabbed her hand under the table to soothe her prickly mood.

‘Did you see anything else?’ Finn asked.

‘Just the tracks. We followed them down the dirt road, and lost them here…’ Again, Craig tapped on the map. ‘We fixed the fence they left wide open. Although, Izzy warned me I may be tampering with evidence, I had to do something. I couldn’t let livestock wander on the road. But Izzy took photos before I fixed it.’ He had no idea what cops did as part of their job. Thankfully, Izzy did.

‘The photos are enough. I’ll get you a kit later, so you can do a plaster casting of tracks in the future.’ Finn gave the nod to Amara who scribbled down more notes.

‘Do I get any special gadgets, Bossman?’ Stone asked.

‘A muzzle might be a good start,’ muttered Amara under her breath.

Craig agreed. ‘What have you guys got?’

‘The constable and I interviewed the family and all the visitors to the property.’

‘I’ve checked out all of their alibis, sir—they’re solid,’ said Amara, still busily writing notes on her tablet.

‘Which leaves us with zip. You?’

Craig shrugged. Until Izzy nudged him with her knee under the table.

‘What?’ Finn narrowed his eyes at them.

‘Um, well, Izzy and I went to the local stockyards.’

‘Why?’ Amara asked.

‘Because in this town, if you want to find out anything about the cattle industry, the local stockyards will know,’ replied Craig.

‘I knew that,’ muttered Stone. ‘And Lydia makes the best cuppa and leather belts, too. You should see her about a police belt, Duchess. She did one for Policeman Porter.’ Stone pointed at her waist. ‘Do you do anything kinky with those handcuffs?’

‘I’m not talking to you.’ Amara again screwed her nose up at Stone.

‘But you just did.’

‘Ugh.’

Even with Izzy trying not to laugh, Craig sighed heavily at Stone being a child, as he said, ‘Lydia, the stockyards clerk, would like you to say hello, Finn. She’s a lovely lady to have onside, with what you do.’

‘I was going there next…’ Finn rubbed his forehead as if fighting a migraine, like a father sick of controlling the siblings fighting in the back seat on a very long drive.

But then there was a pause as they stared at the images spread out in front of them.

‘So, from the silence, I’m guessing we have nothing?’ Stone asked.

The silence got heavier.

‘The ex-bull rider.’ Izzy tugged on Craig’s sleeve. ‘If it was my case, I’d check him out.’

‘Who?’ Amara held up her stylus, ready to take notes on her tablet.

‘Yeah, spill, mate.’ Stone nodded eagerly. ‘Tell him, Bossman.’

‘In this game, every bit of information matters, no matter how small,’ said Finn.

Craig exhaled heavily, sitting back in his chair. ‘Dane Carter, or DC as he was called on the rodeo circuit. A total tosser.’ He hesitated. Until Izzy gave him a nod of encouragement, and with the rest of the odd squad watching, he had to spill. ‘Dane’s an ex-bull rider who was banned for cheating. We just learned that Dane quit Grainger’s cattle station as a head stockman for the mustering season.’

‘You’re kidding?’ Finn frowned.

‘What?’ Amara asked, all bright eyed.

‘Head stockmen never quit, especially on a muster.’

‘Yet Izzy and I heard Dane quit, leaving the cattle station owner high and dry during a muster. In this town, Dane will never get another job as a head stockman again for doing that to a station owner.’

‘Got him.’ Amara read off her tablet’s screen. ‘Dane Carter, fifty-one, divorced.’

‘Any priors?’ asked Finn.

‘Drink driving, assault from public brawling, and…’ Amara paused, her eyes flicking to Stone with a hint of sympathy in them. ‘And a charge of animal cruelty.’

Stone leaned closer to the table, and spoke through gritted teeth, ‘What the hell for?’

‘Drugging one of the rodeo bulls he rode,’ explained Craig, siding with Stone’s reaction. ‘It’s why Dane got banned from the sport. Arsehole.’

‘Agreed.’ Stone gave a sharp nod. No smile either. It was rare to see the serious side to the cheeky crocodile wrangler.

‘So why did Dane quit his job?’ Finn sipped his coffee, his dark eyes on Craig.

‘Apparently he sold his property to a new developer.’

‘You could do a land title search easily enough.’ Izzy dropped her elbow on the table and pointed at Amara’s tablet.

Craig’s brow ruffled, because he knew Izzy was keen to find that developer to sell Dustfire. Their home.

‘I’m normally quicker than this, but I’m still learning their system.’ Amara gave an awkward shrug. ‘And sometimes the internet reception is slow.’

‘Coz the information highway has a long way to travel, Duchess.’

‘May I?’ Izzy held out her hand to Amara.

Finn nodded at Amara, who reluctantly handed the tablet over.

Izzy quickly tapped out a web address. ‘The federal system is slow. And it’s nothing to do with the connection, it’s the traffic. Public records are ten times quicker through this portal… There. Type in the lot number and you’ll have it in less than ten seconds. It’s enough for a basic name search.’

‘Thanks.’ Amara tapped in an address. ‘Dane’s property got sold to a company… Everlight Energy Solutions. ’

Izzy sucked in air, dragging her hands under the table, before going completely still. No one else seemed to notice the change, but Craig did.

‘I know that mob. They do solar farms, right? They’re applying for federal funding as they’re going national, with investors scrambling to get on board.’ Stone peered over Amara’s shoulder as she conducted a web search.

‘Stone’s right,’ said Amara.

‘Say that again, only louder.’ Stone leaned forward, cupping his ear.

Amara frowned at Stone, before returning her attention to the tablet’s screen. ‘It says they’re a solar farm company using renewable energy to sell to electricity companies. I can’t find much else. Just a few land purchases, nothing more.’

‘Stone, what do you know?’ Finn asked briskly.

‘That there’s big money to be made in renewable energy, especially solar farms. They’re quite profitable for initial investors, and those carbon-spewing companies who are in dire need of carbon credits. Especially now the government is drooling at the mouth to offer plenty of subsidies for any company that can provide clean renewable energy.’

‘How do you know?’ Amara’s look practically screaming, Oh really?

‘How do you not, Duchess? Don’t you watch the news or current affairs shows? Or do you spend all your time binge-watching horse auctions all night, when most people watch bad reality shows?’

Izzy shuffled uncomfortably in her seat.

Craig knew Izzy watched those shows when suffering brain fatigue. ‘What people watch in their own homes is their choice, Stone.’

His wife—yes, his wife— gave him a slight thank you smile.

‘When was the sale on Dane Carter’s property?’ Finn asked Amara.

‘Um…’ Amara tilted her head, biting on her lower lip. She then held up the tablet to Izzy. ‘I’m not familiar with this format.’

Izzy ran her finger down the names and numbers on the tablet’s screen. ‘Sale went through a week ago. They paid the mortgage and council rates the same day, giving Dane a profit of walk-away cash of one hundred thousand dollars. Isn’t that low for land of that quantity?’

Amara and Stone shrugged. Finn narrowed his eyes at Izzy, asking the intelligent questions.

‘Dane had nothing on there, not even sheds or fencing,’ replied Craig. ‘I don’t even think Dane had the phone or power connected. Just a well, and no bores.’

‘So, an axe-handle block of uncleared land?’ Finn asked. ‘I’m assuming that’d be perfect for a solar company to clear the land and create power, wouldn’t you say?’

Both Izzy and Stone nodded.

‘A solar farm, two electric ATVs, and a potential suspect. Well done, Craig. The constable and I will see if we can’t find this Dane Carter.’

‘We heard Dane went on holiday. If he’s just sold his land, and quit his job, he’d have no reason to hang around here.’

‘I’d still like to check around the pub for rumours.’

‘Good. You can give me a lift then, to pick up my chopper, Bossman.’ Stone checked his watch. ‘It’ll be happy hour in the front bar shortly. I’ll shout you a beer.’

‘If you do, talk to the publican. Stone knows her,’ said Craig.

‘I do. Samantha knows everything that goes on in this town. Her family started the place.’

‘And then Samantha can have a quiet word to her staff to keep an eye out,’ suggested Craig.

‘Thanks. You two work well together.’ Finn pointed at Stone and Craig. ‘Unless you want to come with us, Craig?’

‘Cold beer on a hot day?’ Craig licked his lips, suddenly thirsty. Plus hanging with Finn would be informative, he’d know the right questions to ask.

‘Craig needs his rest.’ There was a layer of protectiveness to Izzy’s voice as she stood from the table and held out Craig’s crutch. ‘He’s still recuperating from his injuries.’

Even if he didn’t want to, Izzy was right. It was time to go.

‘No worries. We’ll keep you updated. You did good, Craig. You too, Izzy.’ Finn shook their hands at the doorway. ‘It’s a pity I can’t afford to keep your services, Izzy. Unfortunately, you’re way out of our budget.’

‘What do you think the chances are of recovering Ginny’s livestock?’ Craig had to know if it wasn’t some wild buffalo chase.

‘As much as I’d like to stop and search every cattle truck on the highway—’

‘You’ll be there all year.’ The crocodile wrangler leaned back in his seat with his hands behind his head. ‘This is cattle country, and it is mustering season, Bossman.’

‘I know that, Stone. Not my first muster season.’

‘Oh, yeah. Forgot you did the cowboy thing.’

Finn frowned. ‘Stockman. Don’t ever call me a cowboy.’

‘Sorry, Finn.’ Stone sat straighter. ‘Hey, how come they call you Cowboy Craig, if it’s an insult to stockmen?’

‘I’ve had it since I was a kid.’ In boarding school, they used to tease him over it, but Craig screwed them over by wearing that name with pride.

‘Can we go now?’ Izzy seemed pale.

‘I’ll walk you out.’ Finn opened the door, allowing Craig to hobble past.

‘You need to discuss a wage, terms, that sort of thing,’ Izzy whispered.

‘Not today.’ Craig was more interested in finding out what was going on with Izzy.

‘I can email you the same standard contract we gave Stone, for Izzy to look at and make changes.’ Finn suggested. ‘That’ll include the quarantine station.’

‘We’re definitely in on the quarantine station.’ Craig paused in the hallway, leaning on his crutch, to peer at Izzy. ‘We have the infrastructure sitting there, Izzy. We may as well make some income off it.’

‘Okay.’ She answered that way too quickly, without any complaint at all. It surprised him.

‘Good.’ He was going to check on the condition of the yards and fencing and start making a plan for growing his own stock feed for the future. Dustfire was perfect for a quarantine station, and he could easily manage it. In fact, he was looking forward to it. As for the other part of the Stock Squad stuff? Meh…

‘Here, take my card, it’s got everyone’s numbers scribbled on the back if you can’t reach me first. And I’ll have Amara email the rest of the welcome kit.’ Finn opened his ID case to remove a business card. ‘In the future, I want you to check in with me before you go visiting places.’

‘Is that so you’re not doubling up?’ Craig didn’t want a babysitter, even if Izzy played that part now.

‘And to know where you are, in case anything goes wrong.’

Izzy gasped, her eyes widening, showing her fear for Craig.

She cared! She truly cared about him. He knew it. She was just hiding it.

So what else was she hiding?

‘I meant car trouble, that sort of thing.’ Finn gave a meek nod to console Izzy.

‘Oh, right.’ It still didn’t make Izzy relax her rigid shoulders.

‘What I’d really like is if you could accompany me, too,’ said Finn.

‘Then you can ask the questions? Because, mate, I was lucky to have Izzy with me, because she knew what to ask.’

‘I get it. And, like I said, having you with me makes it easier to get accepted by the locals.’

Izzy bit her lip while looking over Finn’s many tattoos, that made him look like someone who’d run a drug cartel. ‘And Craig knows all the shortcuts to places. He knows most of the cattle station owners and the stockmen, too.’

‘That, too. It’s a big win for my team to have you on board.’ Finn held out his hand to Craig. ‘So, let’s make it official. Welcome to the Stock Squad.’

Finn had a solid handshake.

‘Do I get a badge?’

‘You’ll get ID, similar to your stock inspector’s badge, but it’ll give you powers on a federal level, and also a pass card to come and go from the office here. But leave the official arrests up to me and Amara.’

‘And the paperwork? I don’t do paperwork.’ Craig shook his head.

‘I’ll be emailing you an electronic logbook. I’m hoping Izzy can help you with that.’

‘Like a travel log?’

Finn nodded. ‘It’s more of a notebook we use to remember names and dates.’

‘For reports?’ Which sounded like paperwork to Craig.

‘For Amara, she’s our paperwork queen, she loves the stuff. I haven’t had to type out a single report since she came on board. Just sign off on it.’

‘And Stone?’

‘Don’t worry about Stone. He’s a damn good pilot with his own chopper and seaplane—both of which we’ll need. He’s also got skills, just like you do. And I know once the male posturing settles down, you two will work well together.’ Finn patted Craig’s shoulder like a friend. ‘In the meantime, hurry up and get better, so I can use your skills. And, I’d like to start using your quarantine station on the stock we do recover.’ Finn gave them a curt nod then walked away.

‘How do you feel?’ Izzy asked Craig, as they walked down the corridor of the police station.

‘Tired.’ And sore. It’d been a big day, and it was just shy of lunchtime.

‘No, I meant about the job?’

Through the police station’s front doors, he paused to hobble on his crutch to slide on his hat as they greeted the sunshine. ‘I’d never expected to do this kind of work. What do you think?’

‘Are you worried about the quarantine thing?’

‘No, Dustfire will be perfect as a quarantine station, and I can manage that easily enough…’ He peered over the car park with the police van parked out front. ‘It’s the other side of the job. I don’t really know how to interview people.’

‘I can type you up a standard set of questions you can study for interviewing people. It’s how I learned. The rest will come with practice.’

‘What do you think about me taking this job?’

‘Do you really want my opinion? When really, it’s none of my b—’

‘Stop that.’ He pressed his fingers over her luscious lips, standing close enough to admire her soft honeyed fragrance and smooth skin. ‘I trust your opinion.’

‘Fine…’ She inhaled heavily as if to calm herself down, opening the ute’s passenger door for him. Talk about role reversal, when he used to do it for her all the time. ‘I think once you get over your nerves and some minor teething problems, you’ll be brilliant at it.’ She stood square in front of him, her eyes so clear and focused. ‘Honestly, the Stock Squad is lucky to have someone with your special set of skills and vast experience, and they know it. You’ve always been more than just a stockman, Craig.’

The smile shone from inside his chest. He had to be beaming. ‘Thank you, Izzy.’

She tried to hide her smile. ‘Now, get in the car so you can get off that leg.’

‘Yes, boss.’ He chuckled, settling into his seat, with Izzy rolling her pretty eyes at him as she closed his door. The door’s creak wasn’t as loud, now it was getting used more frequently.

‘Do we need to get anything for you to make those bull ropes?’ She slid in behind the steering wheel.

‘I’ve got enough supplies at home.’ And it felt right saying that word, too. Home. ‘Can you swing by the bottle shop, though? I think we should celebrate the new job for me and for Dustfire.’ There was no way he’d sell the house now. He just had to find a way to convince Izzy to stay on as his partner.