Mountain Ash Read Online Free Page A

see Marion Van Over coming from the main house. ‘She’s over here!’
    Danielle looked pissed. He knew he looked relieved, which wasn’t good.
    He glanced down again and saw he was right. Her face had tightened and those lovely soft brown eyes were now bruised by his rejection.
    He’d seen too many chicks like her and how they worked. The Van Overs might think butter didn’t melt in her mouth, but he and the boys had a fair idea. The fellas were busting their guts to jump her bones. But him? Well, he was over having a different woman in his bed every week. The ones he’d met either wanted to use him until someone better came along – a man who owned a property rather than just worked one, he thought in his most cynical moments – or they wanted a ring on their third finger and someone to support them. He’d never managed to find the lovely women some of his mates had, the ones who wanted you for yourself rather than for what you did - or didn’t - have. He wasn’t sure what he was doing wrong to only attract the likes of Danielle, but he sure as hell wished he could figure it out. In the meantime he was done with women. Casual sex was more trouble than it was worth.
    â€˜You slackin’?’ Wally Price pulled up on his horse in front of Nate, grinning, showing that he had only two remaining front teeth, courtesy of a buck-jumping career long past. Thank the Lord the old fella still had his back molars, otherwise he’d have been shovelling gruel into that gob for the rest of his life.
    â€˜Nup. Just avoiding going fishing.’
    Wally’s deep-set eyes moved to follow Danielle as she stomped across to her aunt. ‘You don’t like the fishies in these parts?’
    Nate gave a half laugh. ‘It’s not that I don’t like them: I can’t afford the fine. Going fishing without a licence is too risky.’
    Old Wally gave a cynical cough. ‘You’re not down south now, McGregor. You don’t need a licence to fish up here, as you well know. Anyway, since when have you worried about doing things legally?’
    Nate pulled the head of his horse around. Kicked him forwards. ‘Since I grew up,’ he called. Nate heard Wally burst into laughter. He swung back around in the saddle. ‘You got a problem with “grown up”?’
    The deep lines on Wally’s face had collapsed into one another as he laughed, but the old man quickly sobered when he saw Nate’s fixed expression. ‘Nope. But what’s with the no-women policy, McGregor? You knocked back that girl, Jasmine, last week at the bar in Alice, and now you’re getting all prissy over the govie.’
    Nate kept his horse walking towards the stables – a corrugated iron shed held up with Mulga posts. It was an amazing tree, the Mulga. The white ants didn’t touch the stuff. He decided he could take a lesson from that.
    Wally plodded up from behind. His horse was his own and the gelding was an ambler, a great walker, whereas Nate’s planthorses left a lot to be desired. That’s one thing he wouldn’t miss here on Mount Elizabeth when he finally left. The crappy horseflesh.
    â€˜So?’ prompted Wally.
    â€˜Yeah, well, I’m just sick of having a new woman in my bed every –’
    â€˜Aha,’ interrupted Wal. ‘Wondered how long it’d take you.’
    â€˜Take me to do what?’
    Wally pulled his horse into the hitching rail outside the stables. Slid off the old gelding’s back in one swift movement and started to unhitch the girth.
    â€˜Wally?’ He hated it when the old man talked in riddles. It reminded Nate of his father, Alex. As if he wanted to be reminded about him! Especially after what that old fool had gone and done now.
    â€˜Wally! You can’t just put a line out there like that and not explain what the fuck you mean!’
    â€˜Can’t I?’ Wally carried his saddle into the