by Annie Seaton
“Yes, we are. But the freshwaters will attack if you provoke them, too.”
Jess looked across at him and her green eyes were wide. “You’re teasing me, right?”
He shook his head. “When I offered to bring you across to Cockatoo Springs, the main reason I offered was to keep you safe.”
Well, that was one of the reasons he’d offered. And she certainly had shown him she had no idea about keeping herself safe.
“The saltwater crocodile is a man-eater, and they’ve invaded the river and creek systems of the Top End. They come as far as three hundred kilometers inland, and here we’re only about a hundred kilometers from the coast. We wind in and out across the wetlands to get back up to Cockatoo Springs. As the crow flies, it’s only about a third of the distance we spend on the road.”
“You’re just trying to frighten me.”
A lazy swirl of desire kicked low in his groin. Not now. Not yet.
“Look, Jess, I might have teased you about other things, but this is deadly serious, and you have to listen to everything I say and do it when I say to. Okay?”
“Oh…okay, as long as you promise you are being truthful with me. No sharing a tent because you say you have to protect me or stuff like that, okay?”
Alex laughed. He hadn’t thought of that one. It would have been good ploy to upset her. In fact, he hadn’t given much thought to the camping at the waterfall…yet.
“Not a problem. We’ll stay well back from the water, and besides, I don’t have a tent.”
“What, we sleep out in the open? No way.”
“No, I’ll sleep in my swag in the boat and you and Bowser can have the back of the truck.”
“What? With all that the smelly fish stuff?”
“I unloaded that when we stopped at Wally’s and put the canvas canopy on the back of the truck. It might still smell a bit, but it’ll keep the mozzies off you.”
“The what?”
“The mosquitoes. Don’t you have them in the States?”
“Of course we do, it was your accent that threw me.”
“Anyway, make sure you cover up with Bushmans. There’s some in—”
“The glove compartment,” she finished off his sentence with a laugh.
At least she had a sense of humor.
He idled the truck to a stop about seventy-five meters from the water beneath a stand of melaleuca trees, their ghostly white bark bright in the mid-morning sunshine. The water was low and flowing slowly where a narrow U-shaped bay came off the main arm of the river. Fringed by white sand and overhanging trees, it was one of his favorite stops on the road to his resort. It would have been a good stop for the night, but he wanted to cover more of the road before he called it quits for the day in case it began to rain.
Reaching behind the seat, he passed a long-sleeved khaki shirt to Jess.
“Put that on, it will protect you from the sun and the insects.”
While he kept digging behind the seat for a pair of socks, Jess took it off him and wrinkled her nose.
“Sorry, it’s a spare fishing shirt,” he said. “Pretty hard to get away from the smell of fish when you’re around my truck.” After a minute, he held up a pair of black work socks and grinned at her. “Success. Put these on under your sandals.” He opened his door and pointed to Bowser. “Stay there, boy.”
The dog stopped, and ran back across the seat to Jess.
“No way. I’m not putting your socks on.” She threw them back over the seat and opened the door.
“Whatever, but don’t come crying to get me to take the prickles out of your feet.”
Walking around to the other side of the truck, he reached up to help her to climb down. She waved his hand away, jumped down onto the river sand, and stood there buttoning up the shirt while he cut a piece of string and passed it to her. She looked at it for a moment before she shrugged and tipped her head forward, gathering her hair in one hand and looping the string around it before tying it off.
“We’ll stay here about half an hour. I’ve got some crab traps in the river I can check now, seeing we’ve come this way. Then we’ll have a cuppa.” He pointed to the stand of trees on the right. “There’s a nice natural restroom over there. Just watch out for brown snakes.”
“What about the crocodiles when you check the traps?”
“That’s okay. When you come back from the ‘restroom’, I’ll back the trailer down and drop the boat off. Do you want to come out in the boat and help me?”
“God, no. I’ll wait in the truck.”
Alex shrugged. “Offer’s there if you change your mind.”
…
Five minutes later, Jess stood and grinned as she adjusted her clothes. She tiptoed over to the area shielded by the thick trees and managed to avoid prickles and snakes. It was possible Alex might be exaggerating the dangers and trying to scare her. This restroom experience out in the open under the trees would be a story to tell in the office when she got home. For a New Yorker used to her creature comforts, she’d already learned a lot of new things in her experiences during the last twenty-four hours. Now that they were into the journey, her confidence had kicked back, despite being in the middle of nowhere with a total stranger with no company except for crocodiles, brown snakes, and mosquitoes.
And birds.
She looked up in appreciation as a flock of something black with bright red slashes in their tail feathers squawked overhead and settled in the trees above her.
“Red-Tailed Black Cockatoos.” Alex sauntered over with Bowser on his leash, trotting along beside him.
“They’re beautiful.”
“They’re a protected species. Over at Cockatoo Springs, we—” He bit off his words and Jess looked at him.
“You what?
“Doesn’t matter.” He turned on his heel and dragged Bowser behind him. “Come on, I have to get this boat in the water, so we can’t stand around yakking all day.”
She shrugged and followed, watching where she placed her almost-bare feet. Her sandals were pretty but flimsy, and offered little protection against any of the hazards he’d described. She’d be spending as much time as she could in the truck, and she was not going to put on those socks. Wrinkling her nose, she looked down. The smelly shirt was bad enough.
Alex paused at the boat trailer, lifted three big wire mesh circles out of the boat, and put them on the ground. Jess kept walking and stopped behind the truck. The tray on the back was covered with a square tent-like abode made of thick khaki canvas. It was zipped up tight all round, and two large canvas flaps were held down with plastic pegs.
He glanced up at her. “That’s your room. Unzip it and check it out if you want.” His tanned face broke into a grin. “I’ve already had your bags delivered.”
Jess reached up and unzipped the zipper on one side, but she couldn’t reach the top. It was too high. She climbed up onto the draw bar of the trailer, unzipped it to the top, and peered into the dim space. A foam mattress with chunky holes eaten out of it, by something she had no desire to know of, filled the small space. Her bags were thrown in a jumble at one end, and an old discolored pillow and a dirty blanket lay in a heap on the middle of the mattress.
“Sorry it’s not five star accommodation.”
Jess jumped when Alex’s breath grazed over her ear. It was immediately followed by his warm body pressing up against her back. He leaned forward and pointed into the little space. Jess stiffened as his hard body moved into her, and he casually looped one arm across her shoulders.
“Bowser chewed up some of the mattress last time he slept in there, and it might not be pretty, but it’s still comfy.” He stepped down from the draw bar of the trailer and held his hand out to her. She gripped it and hitched her breath. A jolt of heat ran up her arm. As her feet hit the ground, she dropped his hand and stepped away.
“What do you want me to do?”
“Stay in the truck with Bowser while I’ve got the boat in the water. It won’t take me long to lift the cra
b traps. With a bit of luck, you might even get crab for dinner.” He grinned at her. “Won’t be as good as Janet’s fish, but you can still take a photo if you like.”
He moved in closer and looked down at her. “Crab on a campfire by a waterfall. Would that give you a good article and help you keep your job?”
“It would help, but it’s not quite up there with an interview with the famous Alessandro Ricardo and his chefs.”
She moved back, feeling uncomfortable with his proximity. Alex was giving out mixed signals. Something wasn’t right. He walked to the front of the truck and lifted Bowser back in before turning to her. “Can you back a trailer?”
“Can I what?”
“Just what I said. Drive the truck backward so the trailer goes straight in the water.”
“Er…I don’t know.” And she certainly didn’t want to try it.
“What say we give it a go? A lot safer for me if I can stay in the boat while you back the trailer in.” Without waiting for her to answer, Alex opened the driver’s side door and gestured for her to climb up
“Ah, I don’t know how I’d do that. I’d prefer not to.”
“Nah, come on, it’s easy. If you can drive a car and follow instructions, you’ll be fine. Just do what I say.” He stood behind her and gently pushed her toward the vehicle. When she stepped up, his hand lingered on her butt for a second too long. She pulled away from him and slammed the door. Copying the way he’d placed his elbow on the windowsill, she looked down at him. “Now what?”
“I’ll get in the boat and you slowly back the truck down to the edge of the river. When I yell out, hit the brakes, and the boat will slide into the water. Much safer than me standing and pushing it in.” He pointed across to the other side of the narrow river. “See?”
She followed the direction in which he was pointing and gasped. Three large brown shapes, which she’d thought were logs, were sliding slowly into the water.
“Oh, my God. Are they crocodiles?”
“Yup, sure are. Good size ones, too.”
“You can’t get in the water. What if they—” Jess bit her lip.
“Calm down. I’ll be in the boat.”
“But why do you have to go on the water?”
Alex leaned in through the window and put his hand on hers. The heat burned up her arm, and she shook his hand off. It must be the outback heat that was causing this stupid reaction every time he came near her.
“I’m very touched by your concern for my well-being. I’m going in the boat because I need to pull up my crab traps. It’s my livelihood.” Alex looked at her, and his voice was patient. “You’d hate to see a poor fisherman go without, wouldn’t you?” His face was way too close to hers, and he’d put his hand back on her arm.
“Go without what?” she asked waspishly.
He held her gaze, and a smile played about his lips. “Go without catching fish. What else did you think I meant?”
“Oh. Go and get in your boat and get your crabs,” Jess snapped. “I don’t care what you do. Just do it quickly so you can get me to Cockatoo Springs and I can get my interview and go home.”
“Not enjoying the trip, then?”
Did nothing upset the man?
“No, I’m not. Between you and your smart comments, your lousy driving, the heat, the dust, your smelly dog, and the whole fish thing…” She waved her arm impatiently at the boat. “I just need to do what I have to do and then everything will be okay.”
Chapter Six
Alex walked to the back of the truck, whistling happily, and climbed into the boat. The trip was beginning to wear on Jess and she was getting feisty. He’d seen the sassy side of her yesterday when she’d given him the finger, and he’d wondered how long it would be before her gumption resurfaced. Grinning, he unplugged the electric cable between the boat trailer and the car, and climbed onto the trailer.
After he’d unclipped the chain securing the boat to the trailer, he called out.
“Okay, take it slow and watch me in the side mirror.” Jess watched him over her shoulder as she started the truck.
“Nice and slow.” Reaching down, he grabbed both sides of the boat and braced himself so he wouldn’t lose his balance when the small tinny hit the water. The truck backed slowly down the slope toward the water.
He’d been teasing her about the crocodiles, but the last thing he wanted was to end up in the water. That would be taking the rough fisherman act a tad too far. Despite his constant teasing, smart remarks, and his deliberate invasion of her personal space, she’d held her cool…until now.
“Now pick up the speed a little and when I yell stop, hit the brakes.” The wheels of the trailer reached the edge of the water, and she slowed the truck to a crawl.
“No, not yet, go faster! Pick up the speed. Now!”
The truck stopped.
“What in the bloody hell are you doing, woman?” Casting a quick eye out for any interested crocodiles, he jumped out of the boat and ran across the sand to the cabin of the truck.
Jess looked at him without speaking.
“What are you doing? I said go fast then hit the brakes.”
“I couldn’t hear you,” she said calmly. “And that thing…” She flicked a red-painted nail to the back of the truck. “The little house camping thingy blocked my view.”
Alex rubbed the back of his neck, biting down on the words of frustration he was holding back. Drawing a deep breath and releasing it before he spoke, he forced a smile onto his face and spoke patiently.
“Sorry, I’ll yell a bit louder this time.” He stepped up onto the running board on the side of the truck and reached in.
“Now this is what I want you to do.” He grabbed the wheel with one hand and turned it a quarter-turn to the left. “Drive back up the slope till you get to the top. You’ll have to put your foot down a bit and then stop. Then we’ll try again.”
Jess looked at him and drove the truck back up the hill, and he stayed on the running board beside her.
“Great. Stop here.” He jumped down. “Now I’m going to get in the boat. What you have to remember is that the river drops off really quickly into deep water here, so when I yell stop, hit the brakes.”
“Okay.” Jess squared her shoulders and grasped the steering wheel with both hands. White knuckles contrasted with the red painted fingernails.
“Once the boat’s in the water, drive back up to here and wait in the truck with Bowser. I’ve only got half a dozen traps in here, so it won’t take me long to pull them out. Now that the wet is coming, I want to lift all the traps out for the season.”
“Alex?” She looked at him, and he couldn’t decide if it was curiosity or suspicion in her expression. “How would you have done this if you’d been by yourself?”
“I would have risked the crocs. And moved bloody fast.” He grinned at her. “Good money in crabs, and they love them over at the chef school. Okay, all set?”
She nodded, and he walked across and climbed back into the boat.
“Okay, nice and steady.” The trailer began to inch down the hill.
“Bit faster, Jess.” She waved out the window and acknowledged his call, and the speed of the trailer down the riverbank increased.
“That’s great, keep it going.” He glanced back at the truck, caught her eye in the side mirror, and waved at her to keep going. The truck speed picked up and the wheels of the trailer hit the water.
“Okay, stop!” he yelled. “Now.”
The truck stopped with a shudder and the boat slid off the trailer, splashing into the river in one smooth movement. Alex reached down to start the motor as the truck roared back up the hill. A whoop came from the car. “I told you I could do anything I set my mind to.”
Once the outboard had fired, he looked back up the hill. Jess had parked the truck in the shade of a huge kapok tree. Her elbow was resting on the window, and he gave her a thumbs up as she leaned out and grinned at him.
“That was fun. Can we do it a
gain?”
Her cheeks were flushed, and her hair was tied back with the piece of string he’d cut off for her when they’d stopped. Didn’t quite go with the designer clothes look.
He smothered a grin. Shame she’d refused the socks. “Don’t get out of the truck till I came back.” His voice carried across the water, and she acknowledged his words with a wave.
Alex turned the boat, headed it toward the mangroves up the river, and tried to ignore the warm feeling in his chest. He’d started out to teach her a lesson but was fast falling under her spell despite his best intentions. It would be interesting to watch when she got to Cockatoo Springs and see how long her determination held out.
Anything she set her mind to. Well, not this time.
It was good to be away from her for a while. If he wasn’t careful, he was going to fall in the usual Richards’ way. He’d learned the hard way with Emily and he wasn’t going to be sucked in again. No matter how attractive she was.
…
Jess groaned and pushed the little dog away from her as yet another unpleasant smell wafted up to her. He snuffled in his sleep and curled up on the passenger seat. It was unbearably hot inside the truck. She tipped up her water bottle, draining the last few drops. Alex had been gone over half an hour, and the temperature in the truck had risen as the sun climbed to its zenith.
“Little dog, I don’t know what you’ve been eating, but it smells like rubber bands.” It was a choice between the odor coming from the dog or the insects. A swarm of small black flies had arrived soon after Alex had disappeared around the bend, and she’d wound the window up except for a small crack at the top. They’d filled the cabin of the truck, but she’d managed to swat most of the stragglers with a rolled-up newspaper she’d found in the glove compartment. The heat was becoming unbearable and she was going to have to get out of the truck before she expired from the heat.
God, how the hell did I ever get myself into this situation?
When she’d found out she couldn’t drive across to Cockatoo Springs she should have got straight back into the rental car and driven back up a real highway to the city. The date for her return flight back to New York was open, and the office was winding down for the Christmas break, so there’d been no urgency for her to get back to New York.