The Mighty Quinns: Teague
Kate Hoffmann
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Table of Contents
Cover Page
Title Page
About the Author
Dedication
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Copyright
KATE HOFFMANN has been writing for fifteen years and has published nearly sixty books. When she isnt writing, she is involved in various musical and theatrical activities in her small Wisconsin community. She enjoys sleeping late, drinking coffee and eating bonbons. She lives with her two cats, Tally and Chloe, and her computer, which shall remain nameless.
To Dr Greg B, DVM, for his insights
on equine veterinary medicine.
And for taking such good care of
Chloe and Tally!
Prologue
Queensland, AustraliaAugust 1996
TEAGUE QUINN STRETCHED his arms over his head and closed his eyes against the sun, the warm rays heating the big rock beneath him. The wind rustled in the dry brush. The sounds of the outback were so familiar they were almost like music to him.
Hed managed to escape the house before anyone noticed he was gone, saddling his horse and riding out in a cloud of dust, the shoe box tucked under his arm. When he wasnt working the stock with his father and brothers, he was tending to some other job his mother had conjured out of thin air. He wondered what it might be like to live a normal life, in a grand house in Brisbane, where daily chores didnt exist.
Thered be girls and parties and school and sportsall the things fourteen-year-old boys were supposed to enjoy. Teague sighed. Most boys his age didnt like school, but real classrooms with real teachers, chemistry and biology and physics and math, these were things hed never experienced.
Instead, Teague was stuck on a cattle station in Queensland, with his parents, his two brothers and a rowdy bunch of jackaroos. Classes took place at the kitchen table, him and his brothers gathered around the radio listening to School of the Air. The closest town, Bilbarra, had a library and a small school, but that was a two-hour drive, much too far to make it practical day to day. Some of the kids on the more profitable stations were sent away to boarding school, but Kerry Creek wasnt exactly swimming in cash. Though the Quinn family wasnt poor, they werent in the big bickies, either.
Teague heard the sound of hoofbeats and pushed up on his elbows, scanning the approach to the big rock and cursing to himself. Would he ever be able to get away from his brothers, or would they be following him around the rest of his life?
When he didnt see a rider coming from the direction of the homestead, he glanced over his shoulder and watched as a horse galloped full bore from the opposite direction, its rider hunched low in the saddle. Scrambling to his feet, Teague stood on the rock, ready to defend his territory against the interloper.
The boy drew his horse to a stop, the animal breathing heavily. From beneath the brim of a battered stockmans hat, he stared at Teague, a grim expression on his face. He wasnt very big, Teague mused, sizing up his chances if it came down to a fistfight.
But then suddenly, the boy smiled. Did I scare you? In one smooth motion, he brushed his hat from his head and a tumble of wavy blond hair revealed not a boy, but a girl. His breath caught in his throat as he stared into her pale blue eyes. Teague swallowed hard. She was the most beautiful girl hed ever seen.
I scared the piss out of you, didnt I? You should see your face. Youre as pale as a ghost.
Teague scowled, embarrassed that shed noticed his reaction. Nick off. I wasnt scared. Why would I be scared of a mite like you? You couldnt knock the skin off a rice pudding.
She slid off her horse. Oh, yeah. Well, youre so stupid, you couldnt tell your arse from a hole in the ground.
Teague opened his mouth, shocked to hear that kind of language from a girl. But then, he really had no experience talking to girls. With no sisters, he wasnt sure how girls were supposed to talk. On the telly, they always seemed to act so proper and prissy. This girl was acting more like his brothers.
She hitched her hands on her waist and stared up at him. Well, are you going to give me a hand up or are you going to be mingy about the view?
Teague studied her for a long moment. There wasnt much to fear from her. She was at least a head shorter than him and a few stone lighter. Though, in a verbal sparring match, shed probably slice him into dinner for the dingoes. He reluctantly held out his hand and pulled her up beside him.
She scrambled to her feet and took a good look around. A frown wrinkled her brow, then she plopped down and sighed deeply.
You dont like the view?
She shook her head. I thought I might be able to see the ocean.
Teague laughed, but when he saw the hurt in her eyes, he realized the depth of her disappointment. Sorry, he mumbled as he sat down beside her. You cant see the ocean from anywhere on this station. Even if you get up to the highest point. Its too far away.
She cursed beneath her breath before turning away from him. I used to live near the ocean. I could see the water every day. I wish I could see it again.
A long silence grew between them. That must have been nice, he finally ventured.
It was better than living out here. Everything is sodusty. And there are flies everywhere.
Yeah, but you dont get to ride horses in the city, Teague offered, surprised to find himself defending the outback. Or keep cattle. Or have a lot of dogs. And you dont see lizards and roos like you do here.
You like animals? she asked, her disappointment forgotten as suddenly as it had appeared.
Teague nodded. Last month I found a bird with a broken wing. And I healed it. He pointed to the box beside him. Im going to let it go today.
Can I see? she asked, bending over the box.
Teague picked the box up, said a silent prayer, then lifted the lid. The sparrow immediately took flight and the girl clapped her hands as it flew into the distance. He felt his cheeks warm. Maybe it healed itself. Its only a sparrow, but I kept it alive until it could fly again. I find hurt animals all the time and I know how to make them well again. He paused. I like doing that.
A tiny smile tugged at her lips. All right, there is one good thing about living on Wallaroo.
Teague swallowed hard, wondering if shed just paid him a compliment. Then her words sank in. You live on Wallaroo? He hadnt even considered the possibility. But now that he thought about it, this was the girl his parents had had been talking about. Youre Hayley Fraser, then.
She seemed surprised he knew her name. Maybe, she replied.
Hed heard the story by way of eavesdropping. Hayleys parents had been killed in an auto wreck when she was eight years old. Shed been moved from foster home to foster home, until her grandfather had finally agreed to take her. According to Teagues mum, old man Fraser hadnt been on speaking terms with his only child since Jake Fraser had run away from home at age eighteen. And now, his poor granddaughter was forced to live with a cold, unfeeling man whod never wanted her on Wallaroo in the first place.
Teagues mum had insisted that Wallaroo was no place for a troubled young girl to grow up, without any women on the station at all, and with only rowdy men to serve as an example. Yet there was nothing anyone could do for her. Except him, Teague mused.
You ride pretty good, he said. Who taught you?
I taught myself. It doesnt take much skill. You hop on the horse and hang on.
You know your granddad and my father are enemies. They hate each other.
Hayley blinked as she glanced over at him. No surprise. Harry hates everyone, including me.
You call him Harry?
She shrugged. Thats his name.
Teague felt an odd lurch in his stomach as his eyes met hers. She had the longest eyelashes hed ever seen. His gaze drifted down to her mouth and suddenly, he found himself wondering what it might be like to kiss such a bold and brave girl.
Its because of that land right over there, Teague said, pointing toward the horizon. It belongs to Kerry Creek, but Haryour grandfather thinks it belongs to him. Every few years old man Fraser goes to court and tries to take it back, but he always loses.
Why does he keep trying?
He says that my great-grandfather gave it to his father. Its part of the Quinn homestead, so I dont know why any Quinn would ever give it away. I think your grandfather might be a bit batty.
Hayley turned and looked in the direction that he was pointing, apparently unfazed by his opinion of her grandfather. Whod care about that land? Theres nothing on it.
Water, he said, leaning closer and drawing a deep breath. She even smelled good, he mused. He reached up and touched her hair, curious to see if it was as soft as it looked, but Hayley jumped, turning to him with a suspicious expression.
What are you doing?
Nothing! Teague said. You had a bug in your hair. I picked it out.
She sighed softly. I better get home. Hell wonder where I am. I have to get supper ready.
Teague slid off the rock, dropping lightly to his feet. Then he held his hands up and Hayley nimbly jumped down. His hands rested on her waist as Teague took in the details of her face, trying to memorize them all before she disappeared.
Hayley quickly stepped away from him, as if shocked by his touch. Maybe Ill see you again, she murmured, looking uneasy.
Maybe. Im here a lot. I guess if you came out tomorrow night after supper, you might see me.
Maybe I would. She glanced up at him through thick lashes and smiled hesitantly. Then she gave him a little wave and ran to her horse. Teague held his breath as she hitched her foot in the stirrup and swung her leg over the saddle. So whats your name? she asked as she wove the reins through her fingers.
Teague, he said. Teague Quinn.
She set her hat on her head, pushing it down low over her eyes. Nice to meet you, Teague Quinn. With that, Hayley wheeled the horse around and a moment later, she was riding back in the direction from which shed come.
Shit, he muttered. Now he knew exactly what his mother had been talking about when shed insisted that someday hed meet a girl who would knock him off his feet.
Hayley Fraser. He liked saying her name. It sounded new and exciting. Someday, he was going to marry that girl.
1
THE DUST FROM the dirt road billowed out behind Teagues Range Rover. He glanced at the speedometer, then decided the suspension could take a bit more abuse. Adding pressure to the accelerator, he fixed his gaze down the rutted road.
Hed finished his rounds and had just landed on the Kerry Creek airstrip when the phone call had come in. Doc Daley was in the midst of a tricky C-section on Lanie Pittmans bulldog at the Bilbarra surgery, and needed him to cover the call. It was only after Teague asked for details that he realized his services might not be welcomed. The request had come from Wallaroo Station.
The Frasers and the Quinns had been at it for as long as he could remember, their feud igniting over a piece of disputed landland that contained the best water bore on either station.
In the outback, water was as good as gold and it was worth fighting for. Cattle and horses couldnt survive without it, and without cattle or horses the family station wasnt worth a zack. Teague wasnt sure how or why the land was in dispute after all these years, only that the fight never seemed to end. His grandfather had fought the Frasers, as had his father, and now, his older brother, Callum.
But all that would have to be forgotten now that he was venturing into enemy territory. He had come to help an animal in distress. And if old man Fraser refused his help, well, hed give it anyway.
As Teague navigated the rough road, his thoughts spun back nearly ten years, to the last time hed visited Wallaroo. He felt a stab of regret at the memory, a vivid image of Hayley Fraser burned into his brain.
It had been the most difficult day of his life. Hed been heading off into a brand-new worlduniversity in Perth, hundreds of miles from the girl he loved. Shed promised to join him the moment she turned eighteen. Theyd both get part-time jobs and theyd attend school together. He hadnt known that it was the last time hed ever see her.