by Lucy Clark
‘Don’t apologise for loving the land, Dannyella.’
‘What’s it like where you come from?’
‘You’ve never been to England?’
‘No. I went to America for a conference a few years back but haven’t made it as far as Europe or the United Kingdom.’ She shrugged. ‘I’m just not good in big cities.’
‘I live in a rural part of the country. It’s almost the exact opposite to this.’ He swatted a fly. ‘Case in point. It’s green all year round. It also rains for a good three quarters of the year, too. Unlike here, I imagine.’
‘Unlike here,’ she agreed. ‘This billabong is actually quite low. Once the rains hit, we’d be underwater where we’re standing.’
‘Really?’
‘Absolutely.’
‘Do you really want fish for dinner?’
‘Do you?’
He smiled down at her. ‘Do they bite in the dark? Because I doubt if we have much daylight left.’
‘I’ll light the fire and then, instead of fishing, how about swimming in the moonlight?’
‘Are you sure there are no crocodiles?’
‘Absolutely. No crocs in billabongs, well, not now at any rate. After the rains some sneak in while the water’s high.’
‘Comforting,’ he replied drolly.
Reluctantly, she moved away. ‘You pack the fishing rods away and I’ll get the fire going so we’re not left in the dark.’
He bent and scooped their hats from the ground. He handed Danny hers and placed his own cork-infested one on his own head. ‘Deal.’
As she bent to light the fire and coax it into life, she was pleased there was no awkwardness between them and that was something which had never happened to her before. Not that there had been that many romantic interludes in her life—in fact, there had only been one during med school but when he’d found out she’d intended to return and practise medicine in the outback, he’d broken off with her. The local blokes were all probably too scared of her. She grinned. They’d all known each other for far too long for there to be any romantic entanglements.
Yet now that she’d actually kissed Sebastian, she had expected it to be uncomfortable. She shrugged to herself. She felt quite excited, really, at the prospect of what might eventuate. Hadn’t he just been telling her how much he liked the outback? Surely that was a good sign.
In the same breath she also warned herself not to get her hopes up. Her boyfriend had dumped her in med school because of the outback. Her mother had upped and left because of it as well. She’d seen people come and go and knew that if you really wanted to live out here, it had to get into your blood. She looked up as she heard Sebastian walking towards her. Would it get into his?
Probably not. He hadn’t been born in the outback and it was only the rare exceptional person who really fell in love with the place who stayed for good. She sighed with regret. Although Mac liked the land, she seriously doubted whether he would be bitten by the outback bug.
‘Strangely enough, there were no fish on the end of our lines.’ He placed the rods on the ground next to their swags.
She laughed. ‘I’m not surprised.’
He came and crouched down beside her. ‘So what do you suggest we do about our evening meal?’
She lifted two of the corks onto the brim of his hat so she could see his eyes more clearly. ‘We could hunt up some other kind of bush tucker, if you like. Bound to be a couple of snakes, goannas or lizards out here that aren’t bad over the coals. There are also several trees we can eat the foliage from or perhaps dig down in the dirt for some witchety-grubs or honey ants.’
‘Dannyella.’ His lips twitched into a smile. ‘I know you’re taking the mickey again.’
She smiled. ‘Or I guess we could raid the ESky Maisy packed this morning.’
‘Brilliant idea.’ He leaned forward, tilted his head so the brims of their hats didn’t collide and placed a quick kiss on her lips. One of the corks hit her in the face and she pulled away, laughing.
‘I swear when you wake up tomorrow morning, those corks may have come to a…crumbling end.’
‘Don’t you dare. It does work, you know. They do help keep the flies away.’
‘Yeah, not only the flies, mate.’ She laughed again.
They changed into their swimming costumes and went for a refreshing dip in the billabong before rolling out their swags and devouring the contents of the ESky.
‘A lot more appetising than any bush tucker I could have rustled up,’ she said, licking her fingers. They lay beneath the stars, both covered in insect repellent and with a citronella candle burning to help keep the bugs away.
‘You were right,’ Sebastian said as he took her hand in his. ‘I wouldn’t have wanted to miss this. The stars are like a sea of jewels on a bed of velvet. I don’t think I’ve seen this many before.’
He had surprised her. Instead of whinging and grumbling, as other visitors had when she’d brought them out for an overnighter, he was lapping up the scenery…falling in love with the land. It was probably a good thing that she didn’t think about how perfect he looked in her world, regardless of her out-of-control heart rate. ‘Tell me about your home. Your job.’
He was silent for quite a while and Danny was about to apologise for prying but he took a deep breath and said, ‘I’ve told you I live in a village at the edge of the Lake District.’
‘Where it’s lush and green.’
‘Yes.’ She didn’t need to turn her head and look at him to know he was smiling. ‘The countryside is quite pretty.’
‘Does it relax you?’
Again he thought for a while. ‘You know, I’ve never really thought about it before but, yes, I guess it does.’
‘Why haven’t you thought about it? Don’t get me wrong, Mac. I’m not criticising, I’m just trying to understand. The land here is everything. It’s why people choose to live here in the first place so I guess, to me, your comment doesn’t make sense.’
‘I can see that.’ He shifted slightly and let go of her hand. Danny closed her eyes, annoyed with herself for asking the question in the first place, but she wanted to get to know him better. He propped himself up on his elbow, his hand supporting his head. ‘The countryside where I live is pretty, Dannyella, but, no, it’s never…called to me. Neither did the people or the need for rural general practitioners.’
‘You wanted to escape from your parents.’
‘At the time, yes. Now…it’s just the way things are. I’m settled in my job.’
‘You don’t sound as though you like it.’
He smiled. ‘It’s not that simple.’
‘Would you prefer to go back to the city or even to a hospital?’
He shuddered. ‘No. Rural practice is a good life. I have a partner to help lighten the load so there’s no fear of burn-out and I do enjoy the extra study I’ve been doing.’
‘Of course. How much longer do you have on your Ph.D.?’
‘Another nine months.’
She nodded. There was her answer to all her schoolgirl hopes and fantasies. Sebastian had to return to his work, his study and his home. At the end of next week, he would climb aboard a small plane and fly to Darwin. He had almost a year’s work to complete, and by the time it was done he would have forgotten all about his outback interlude.
‘I guess we should get some sleep. We have a busy day tomorrow.’
He watched her closely. He knew something had just happened but he wasn’t quite sure what. He leant over and caressed her cheek. ‘You do look tired.’
She smiled and leaned up slightly to kiss him. ‘Have a good one.’
‘Have a good what?’
‘Sleep.’
‘I see.’ He bent down and kissed her again before lying on his back again and taking her hand in his. ‘So long as you promise to stay beside me and protect me from any possible predators, I’ll definitely have a good one.’
‘It’s a deal,’ she replied.
CHAPTE
R FIVE
WHEN Sebastian woke the next morning, it was to find Dannyella gone.
He sat up and looked around. The fire had been taken care of and her swag was neatly rolled. He let out the breath he’d been unconsciously holding. She hadn’t left him here. Not that he’d expected her to but…where was she? Perhaps she’d gone to answer the call of nature?
Sebastian decided to take advantage of this opportunity to do likewise and, after rolling up his swag so it looked almost as neat and tidy as hers, he grabbed his overnight bag and headed into the trees which he’d used last night to change for swimming.
He swatted at some flies, unable to believe how hot and sticky it was already. A mosquito bit him on the arm and he slapped it away. A swim. It sounded glorious and on impulse he decided to go for a quick dip. It would definitely help refresh him.
When changed, he walked down to the billabong, rubbing the sunscreen on as he went. He looked out over the smooth surface of the water. Not a ripple in sight. Perfect. A second later, Dannyella emerged from beneath the water, laughing. He was surprised to see her and the sound of her happiness was like music to his tired soul.
In the next instant, a dark-skinned man came up beside her, laughing as well. Sebastian’s gut tightened at the unknown intruder into his private world with Dannyella. That was how he’d come to think of this place. Just himself and Dannyella and no one else.
She spotted him and waved. ‘Hi, there, sleepyhead. Are you coming in or are you going to fry in the morning sun?’
He forced a smile and waved back before wading into the refreshing water. When it was deep enough, he ducked beneath the water and swam to her side.
‘Feel better?’ she asked once he’d surfaced.
He tread water along with them. ‘Much.’ He smiled at her before turning to the stranger. ‘I’m Sebastian MacKenzie.’ He offered his hand for the other man to shake but instead, the man slapped it in a high five.
‘G’day, mate. M’name’s Andy.’
‘Andy’s on walkabout and came across us late last night.’
‘Didn’t want to interrupt yus, when yus was both lookin’ so cosy, ya know.’ He grinned, his white teeth gleaming in the sunlight. ‘Then her bein’ the little nosy thin’ she is comes and digs me out early this mornin’.’
‘I heard something,’ she replied defensively, and sent a small spray of water in Andy’s direction. ‘Can I help it if you make as much noise as a wombat?’
Andy laughed and splashed her back.
‘Now, come on. You’re acting like children,’ Sebastian said. He had a moment to blink before both Danny and Andy started splashing him. ‘Cut it out,’ he called, but was laughing nevertheless as he gave as good as he was getting. When she didn’t stop, he ducked beneath the water and pulled her down as well. They both emerged spluttering with laughter, her arms linked around his neck.
The smoothness of her skin against his was like an electric shock—but an extremely welcome one. Their gazes met for a brief second and their laughter momentarily disappeared as a stronger, more powerful emotion ripped through both of them.
Danny smiled shyly and pulled away. She was becoming far too aware of him, far too quickly.
‘So where yus two headed?’
Danny named the two stations they’d be visiting.
‘Ah, lots of kiddies at the second one. It’s health-check day, ’ey?’
‘You got it, mate.’
Andy looked up at the sun. ‘Time I should be movin’. See ya round, Mac. Catch ya later, doc.’
They all swam in and waved goodbye before Danny and Sebastian walked back to their camp. ‘One thing I do like out here is that it doesn’t take you long to dry off.’
Danny laughed and ruffled his almost dry hair. ‘And then you sweat again and then the flies stick to you again.’
‘A vicious cycle.’
‘Some would say.’ She shrugged and pulled her jeans on over her black swimmers, covering up those luscious legs. He’d been amazed last night when they’d gone for their swim how perfect her legs were. The best pair he’d ever seen. He’d had a hard time controlling the urge to slowly run his hands up and down them, feeling their perfect contours. Now she was covering them over again and it wasn’t fair.
She pulled on a red cotton shirt, leaving it to hang open before sitting down and pulling on socks and work boots. Sebastian couldn’t take his eyes off her as he watched her dress. She straightened and raked her fingers through her hair before coiling it up and setting her hat in place, her hair hidden beneath it. It was then that she looked at him.
‘You just wearing your swimming costume today?’ she queried.
‘Uh…no.’ He followed suit by pulling his trousers over his now dry swimming shorts—again a purchase from his previous stop in Heartfield—and pulled on a T-shirt and cotton shirt. She watched him dress and he was conscious of the way her gaze continually roved over him. He left his shirt unbuttoned and didn’t bother to tuck it in. When he met Dannyella’s gaze, she was grinning like a Cheshire cat.
‘What’s wrong?’ He looked down at his trousers, wondering if he’d forgotten to do the zip up.
‘Nothing.’ She walked over and ruffled his hair again. ‘You look…messy.’
‘Is that a good thing?’ he asked slowly.
Her smile increased. ‘Well, I don’t know about you but I certainly like it. We just need to get you into a pair of jeans for the picture to be complete.’
‘I see.’ She liked the way he looked. He had to admit that out here he felt…free. It was hard to explain, difficult to understand but, still, the feeling was there.
‘The bush doesn’t judge.’ Her words were matter-of-fact.
‘Pardon?’
‘I said, the bush doesn’t judge.’ She spread her arms out wide. ‘You can be anyone you want to be out here and the bush won’t judge you for it.’
He nodded. ‘Is this how you feel?’
‘All the time, mate. All the time.’
‘So who are you, Dannyella Thompson?’ His gaze met hers and seemed to bore deep down into her soul. Danny looked up at him, a little confused by the question. ‘You said you could be anyone out here. Who are you?’
She smiled, still not sure of his meaning. ‘I’m me.’
He smiled back. ‘Of course.’
Needing to do something other than feel she was under the microscope, she turned and bent to pick up the swags. She pointed to the one he’d rolled. ‘Good effort for a first time. Definitely needs work but not bad.’
‘What’s wrong with it?’
‘If you don’t roll it tight enough, you’re liable to find some…uh…visitors in your bedroll the following evening.’
‘Ah. I see.’
‘Never mind. You’ll be back at the pub by tonight so it’s quite irrelevant.’ She loaded up the four-wheel drive and turned to him. ‘Ready?’
‘Yes. I wish I’d brought my camera.’
‘It wouldn’t have done it justice, Mac.’
‘Still, it would have been nice to have had the reminder.’
They climbed in and put their seat belts on. ‘What’s wrong with your brain? Do you suffer from short-or long-term memory loss?’
‘No.’
‘Then live off the memories, Mac.’
He absorbed what she’d said as she started the engine and put the vehicle in motion. ‘Is that what you do?’
‘Absolutely.’
‘Are you storing memories of me?’
She turned and smiled at him. ‘What do you think?’ she asked rhetorically.
They drove for about half an hour, the conversation turning from music to movies to books. When his stomach grumbled, he looked across at her apologetically. ‘Sorry, but I’ve usually eaten breakfast by this time of day.’
‘And you will,’ she replied as she slowed down and turned into a driveway. She went over the cattle-grid and then began to drive up the long track. Once they’d driven through the first paddock, she st
opped before one of the gates. ‘How about working up even more of an appetite by opening a few gates for me?’
‘When is it my turn to drive?’ he grumbled good-naturedly, but climbed out and walked towards the gate. Danny had to admit, she didn’t mind the sight at all. He had a sure and purposeful stride and she watched him as he took the chain off the gate and held it open so she could drive through. Then she waited for him to lock it again before he climbed back in and they were off again.
‘I’m driving on the way back,’ he said pointedly as he got out the fourth and final time to do the last gate. She giggled, realising she hadn’t had this much fun in years. Sebastian made her feel…special…alive. It was a nice sensation.
She knew he had to return to England at the end of next week but while he was here surely there would be no harm in enjoying herself a little. She shrugged. ‘What can I say?’ she whispered out loud as he headed back to the car, a hot and weary look in his gorgeous blue eyes, partially hidden by those stupid corks. ‘I like him. Corks ’n’ all.’
Finally, they reached the homestead and climbed from the vehicle. ‘Take a deep breath in,’ she said, doing the same thing herself. ‘Ah-h, delicious.’
‘Mmm. Something does smell good.’
‘Ruby always cooks me the most amazing breakfast every time I come. Trust me, my friend. We’re in for a real treat.’
‘I was wondering why we hadn’t eaten anything this morning.’
She grinned at him. ‘Well, apart from your stomach giving you away, I would never have known.’ She led the way into the house. ‘Why didn’t you say something?’
‘I didn’t want to seem impolite.’
Danny threw back her head and laughed. ‘Oh, you Brits. Some days your polite little manners are just too much.’ Without giving him time to respond, she opened the screen door and walked right on in. ‘We’re here, Ruby,’ she yelled, and a moment or two later a woman in her late sixties came rushing out to greet them.
‘Oh, wonderful, wonderful.’ Ruby’s accent was a lot like Sebastian’s but nowhere near as tight. ‘I was going to give you a call in another fifteen minutes if you hadn’t already arrived. Ted’s come in from the paddock and is champing at the bit for his breakfast, but I told him, no, dear, we were waiting for the doctor and her friend.’ Ruby held out her hand to Sebastian. ‘I’m delighted to meet a fellow countryman, Sebastian. I’m Ruby.’