find that bull, because I want to give it a piece of my mind.’
‘Really? You want to tell a bull off?’
‘Oh, he’s really not that bad—and we do need him. He’s a good source of income—breeding-wise,’ she finished as they walked through the kitchen towards the back door. ‘I could tell he was going to fly off the handle. Rich thought I was mad—kept telling me that I couldn’t read a bull’s mind.’
‘And can you?’ Melissa was intrigued by this woman as they headed outside to the rear of the homestead. She shielded her eyes from the glare of the sun as she looked around, searching for Joss. Mindy kept on walking so she kept on following.
‘I have this intuition thing where animals are concerned.’ She turned and grinned brightly at Melissa. ‘Rich says that’s why I married him. He’s such an animal. Anyway, it’s just a thing. I can tell when the animals are jittery or a bit off.’ She shrugged. ‘I’ve always had it, and my dad came to rely on it. Rich still has a lot to learn. We’ve only been married for three years, but he’ll get there.’
‘Perhaps after today he’ll listen more carefully and we won’t have more casualties.’
‘True.’ Mindy was serious again. ‘I hope the boys are all right.’
‘Boys?’ Had some children also been hurt?
‘The two guys who just weren’t fast enough when the bull decided to have a temper tantrum. You’d think they’d be a little bit quicker on the uptake.’ They rounded a corner nearthe back shed and there were the ‘boys’. Joss was kneeling down next to one of them; the other man was propped up against the side of the shed in the shade, a bandage around his upper arm and shoulder.
‘Do you think we’ll need the RFDS?’ she asked as she knelt down on the other side of the patient.
‘Yes. I’d like the patients in at least overnight for observation.’ He gestured to the medical kit. ‘I need Vicryl sutures, double zero and zero.’ He’d pulled on gloves and was just finishing injecting a local anaesthetic near the wound site. ‘James here has been very lucky indeed. That bull only gave him a bit of a love nick.’ Joss indicated the gash in the station hand’s abdomen. ‘A little to the right and you might have lost a kidney, mate.’
‘So long as he wasn’t initiating a mating ritual, I’ll be right,’ James added with a laugh, then winced in pain.
‘Take it easy,’ Melissa soothed. ‘What analgesics have they been given?’
‘I’ve just given them both morphine,’ Joss answered. ‘James here is worse than Andy, and Mindy’s had a good look at Andy and applied bandages.’
Melissa went and took a closer look at Andy, checking his pupils and reflexes, listening to his heartbeat, taking his blood pressure and counting the beats of his pulse. ‘You’re doing just fine, Andy,’ she reassured him when she was finished, then stood and looked at Mindy. ‘Good work,’ she praised. ‘Nice pristine bandaging.’
Mindy shrugged. ‘I’ve had experience.’ At Melissa’s raised eyebrows, Mindy elaborated. ‘This is my farm. It’s where I grew up. Rich was the foreman for years—that’s how we met—and when my dad passed away last year Rich just took over. Growing up on a farm like this, out in the middle of nowhere, means you have to be prepared for anything. So I’vedone first aid courses and cooking courses and bookkeeping courses and several other courses to make sure I can handle anything that’s thrown at me.’
‘Impressive.’
Mindy wrinkled her nose and rubbed her stomach. ‘I just wish they offered parenting courses on line, too.’
Joss looked up from where he was getting ready to debride James’s wound. ‘Given the way you keep all these blokes in line, I don’t think you’re going to have any trouble being a parent, Mindy.’
‘That’s what Rich says.’
‘Then you should listen to him. I’m almost ready, Lis.’
‘OK. So how do I contact the RFDS? Do I just call Dex
‘Really? You want to tell a bull off?’
‘Oh, he’s really not that bad—and we do need him. He’s a good source of income—breeding-wise,’ she finished as they walked through the kitchen towards the back door. ‘I could tell he was going to fly off the handle. Rich thought I was mad—kept telling me that I couldn’t read a bull’s mind.’
‘And can you?’ Melissa was intrigued by this woman as they headed outside to the rear of the homestead. She shielded her eyes from the glare of the sun as she looked around, searching for Joss. Mindy kept on walking so she kept on following.
‘I have this intuition thing where animals are concerned.’ She turned and grinned brightly at Melissa. ‘Rich says that’s why I married him. He’s such an animal. Anyway, it’s just a thing. I can tell when the animals are jittery or a bit off.’ She shrugged. ‘I’ve always had it, and my dad came to rely on it. Rich still has a lot to learn. We’ve only been married for three years, but he’ll get there.’
‘Perhaps after today he’ll listen more carefully and we won’t have more casualties.’
‘True.’ Mindy was serious again. ‘I hope the boys are all right.’
‘Boys?’ Had some children also been hurt?
‘The two guys who just weren’t fast enough when the bull decided to have a temper tantrum. You’d think they’d be a little bit quicker on the uptake.’ They rounded a corner nearthe back shed and there were the ‘boys’. Joss was kneeling down next to one of them; the other man was propped up against the side of the shed in the shade, a bandage around his upper arm and shoulder.
‘Do you think we’ll need the RFDS?’ she asked as she knelt down on the other side of the patient.
‘Yes. I’d like the patients in at least overnight for observation.’ He gestured to the medical kit. ‘I need Vicryl sutures, double zero and zero.’ He’d pulled on gloves and was just finishing injecting a local anaesthetic near the wound site. ‘James here has been very lucky indeed. That bull only gave him a bit of a love nick.’ Joss indicated the gash in the station hand’s abdomen. ‘A little to the right and you might have lost a kidney, mate.’
‘So long as he wasn’t initiating a mating ritual, I’ll be right,’ James added with a laugh, then winced in pain.
‘Take it easy,’ Melissa soothed. ‘What analgesics have they been given?’
‘I’ve just given them both morphine,’ Joss answered. ‘James here is worse than Andy, and Mindy’s had a good look at Andy and applied bandages.’
Melissa went and took a closer look at Andy, checking his pupils and reflexes, listening to his heartbeat, taking his blood pressure and counting the beats of his pulse. ‘You’re doing just fine, Andy,’ she reassured him when she was finished, then stood and looked at Mindy. ‘Good work,’ she praised. ‘Nice pristine bandaging.’
Mindy shrugged. ‘I’ve had experience.’ At Melissa’s raised eyebrows, Mindy elaborated. ‘This is my farm. It’s where I grew up. Rich was the foreman for years—that’s how we met—and when my dad passed away last year Rich just took over. Growing up on a farm like this, out in the middle of nowhere, means you have to be prepared for anything. So I’vedone first aid courses and cooking courses and bookkeeping courses and several other courses to make sure I can handle anything that’s thrown at me.’
‘Impressive.’
Mindy wrinkled her nose and rubbed her stomach. ‘I just wish they offered parenting courses on line, too.’
Joss looked up from where he was getting ready to debride James’s wound. ‘Given the way you keep all these blokes in line, I don’t think you’re going to have any trouble being a parent, Mindy.’
‘That’s what Rich says.’
‘Then you should listen to him. I’m almost ready, Lis.’
‘OK. So how do I contact the RFDS? Do I just call Dex
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