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‘I—haven’t made up my mind,’ she murmured, knowing that wasn’t completely true. She understood how limited her options were—how messy it would be to do this without him. But it was more a question of want now. She couldn’t imagine raising their baby alone. Not when Tate was here, begging to be a part of their lives.

‘We’ve still got time,’ he said, after a beat, offering her a tight smile.

The bubbles crackled some more as silence stretched between them. As if to somehow emphasise his statement, Sarah became aware of the noisy ticking of a clock across the room.

‘Tell me about this muster thing,’ she suggested, needing to move the conversation back onto easy, neutral ground.

‘Basically, we’re getting every cow from the station into the yards, doing counts and checks, then moving them on.’

‘Moving them on where?’

‘That depends on how they come out. Either back to the paddocks, or onto trucks.’

She nodded thoughtfully. ‘And you do that…in trucks?’

His eyes met hers in the reflection again.

‘Horses, bikes, choppers.’

She blinked. ‘Wow.’

‘Wow?’

‘It just sounds like a huge operation.’

‘That’s because it is. But it’s just a part of life on the station.’

She contemplated that. ‘Is it dangerous?’

He reached out and took the tea towel from her, to begin drying the plate he’d just washed, his body turning to face her, the full force of his attention on Sarah. ‘Everything out here can be, Sarah. That’s what I like about it.’

‘Imminent threat of death?’

‘It’s reality. You’ve got to focus, keep your wits about you. It’s a constant test of mental and physical strength.’

‘Okay, but what about our child?’ she said, after a beat. ‘How do we make sure they’re kept safe?’

‘The area around the house is as good as it can get.’

‘So, no snakes, spiders, dingoes…’

His features showed sympathy. ‘You get snakes and spiders in the suburbs, too.’

‘Not like out here.’

‘You learn young how to respect this place.’

‘All the lessons you didn’t know when you were stranded up on the ridge as a little four-year-old?’

‘Right.’ He put the plate down, then reached out, putting his hand on hers. ‘Do you think I’ll let anything happen to our child?’

She hesitated. ‘Do you think you can stop it?’

‘You’re looking for guarantees I can’t give, again.’

She nodded slowly.

‘I can promise you this: I will do my best, always, for our child.’