Wendy continued. "They indulged me when I announced my plans to go off to university five hundred kilometers away because I threatened to run away if they didn’t. My father was convinced I'd fail, return home where I belonged and do as expected. I hated the thought of going home, being dictated to and having my life run for me. So, I pretty much begged Kyle to let me come here. Until now he had no idea I had a family. He didn’t pry and I didn’t mention them. I was happier that way."
I had a lot of questions, but I would ask Wendy in private. I continued the story. "When dad called me about a month before I graduated and told me about his plans to move to the coast with mum, I was shocked. He said he'd always intended handing the station over to me when I came home from Uni. I knew I'd need help and discussed my concerns with Wendy, she asked me to let her come here and work the station with me. Who better to have at your side than your best friend?" A best friend it appears I know fuck all about.
"How did the other men react to you making Wendy foreperson?"
"They weren't too bad. A little skeptical at first but she’d already proven herself in many ways. When she showed them she was willing to tackle every chore, including the back-breaking ones, she earned their respect. She works as hard, probably harder than they do."
Luke turned his focus back to my foreperson. "Boyfriend, Wendy?"
"No! Don’t have time and wouldn't allow a man to put his grubby paws on me ever again."
My head snapped up, and I narrowed my eyes. Something about the way the lady spoke had me taking notice. She was one angry tiger. Something was definitely in her past I didn’t know about. But, I was determined to find out. I let it go for the moment and set about learning more about Luke.
"What about you, Luke? Girlfriend? Someone special? I fixed my attention on his eyes, the windows to the truth.
"Nope, had the odd fling but they weren't who I wanted."
Luke's eyes were locked on mine, was he trying to tell me something? Nah, I was imagining things. I pushed back the chair to stretch my long legs, lifted the glass of wine to my lips, sipped, and watched Luke finish the last of his chili. He then mirrored my actions by sipping his wine.
"What do you have planned for tomorrow," Luke asked.
I flicked a glance at Wendy knowing she would already have the day planned.
"John and Kale are bringing the wild ponies up to the house yard so Doc Brummer can give them a final check over. Once we have his okay, we'll start getting them ready for the saddle.
I sat back and relaxed while Wendy and Luke continued the conversation. "How many are there?" Luke asked.
"Twenty-three. We caught them in the hills and drove 'em down here. They'd gotten lost from the herd and were half starved. Outside our boundaries there's next to no feed. We've had them for about six weeks now. Apart from grazing, we've been feeding them lucerne hay and supplements. They're fattening up nicely and their coats are glossy. A few will even come over for a scratch or pat."
Luke closed his eyes for a moment before speaking. "I would love to buy some land and breed horses. Magnificent animals."
Wendy addressed me. "Mitch and I will bring the cattle down from the north pasture and sort out which ones we'll be sending out. The trucks will be here at daybreak the day after tomorrow, so I've let the men know I need all of them on hand. There's a few nice heifers I'd like to put Dufus over. Apart from that, the rest is normal daily stuff. Feeding, mucking out. What are your plans, Kyle?"
"Numbers. Fuck, I hate bookwork but I know if I asked David to do the books, there'd be whispers all over town about how we're doing. I don’t have time to find someone out of town and to keep taking everything to them.
"That's not ethical," Luke growled.
I shook my head. "No, it's not and David wouldn’t give details. It would be hints in conversation like—I can’t believe how successful Kyle's place has become since he took over from his dad, or, did you know Kyle has double the stock out at his property now? It's my business, not the towns."
"Got it," Luke said.
"Sorry, didn’t mean to get pissy, I just hate it when people don’t mind their own goddamn business."
Luke nodded. He'd grown up in Clearlea, he understood.
I continued. "After lunch I'll ride out and check the electrification is holding up. I hope it is because if there's a break in the circuit, it'll take fucking weeks to find it."