Summer Down Under

by Pensy, Alison

  “You’re doing great. How do you feel?”

  “Dizzy,” Sam replied, looking straight ahead. If she turned her head, she felt like she would pass out again.

  “Nearly there,” Daniel said as they reached the bathroom door and he held it open for her.

  As promised, he saw her safely to the bathroom, and then left her alone to undress. The chair was a good idea; she sat on it to take her robe off and hung it over the back. Steam wrapped around her like a warm blanket. With caution, she stepped into the warm water. Once in, Sam grabbed the sides of the bath and lowered herself until her body was almost fully submerged. A sigh of pleasure escaped her lips. The warmth penetrated her aching muscles. She couldn’t remember when a bath had ever felt this good.

  After she pulled the shower curtain across, she realized Daniel was right. You couldn’t see through it. She hadn’t noticed that before, hadn’t needed to. Safely enclosed in her little cocoon, she felt comfortable enough to let him back in.

  “You can come in now,” she called.

  The door opened and clicked closed behind him.

  “Well, what do you want to talk about?” Sam asked.

  “Anything you want.”

  “Do you think your dad will fire me now?”

  “What? No, of course not. Why ever would you think that?” Daniel sounded surprised at the question.

  “Well, I’m obviously not much good with sheep, am I?” Sam replied, heavyhearted.

  Daniel was starting to break through her heavily reinforced brick walls. Although, she was nervous about it at first, she was beginning to like the feelings she had around him and didn’t want to have to leave so soon.

  “You had an accident, that’s all. It wasn’t your fault and, if anything, he should be apologizing to you for asking you to do something you had no experience with. But, I’ll warn you now, I don’t think I’ve ever heard my dad apologize for anything, so don’t hold your breath.”

  A moment passed in silence, and Sam’s eyes grew heavy. She could feel herself start to drift.

  “Anyway,” Daniel started talking again bringing her back from the edge of sleep with a start. “Mum wouldn’t let him...” he paused, “...not now that she knows how I feel about you.”

  Sam tossed that statement around in her mind. She remembered hearing their voices in her head earlier. Of course. The penny dropped, and her eyes widened as the conversation replayed in her head. Daniel was telling his mother that he cared about her. He wasn’t just after one thing, he cared about her.

  Butterflies started dancing in her stomach. She had pushed him away ever since they met, and he kept coming back for more. He cared about her, that was why.

  Sam smiled and thought about that for a few minutes. Now she had to figure out how she would ever pluck up enough courage to let him closer. She wasn’t sure she even knew how to love. What she had experienced with the only other man she’d let into her life, certainly wasn’t love.

  Daniel would probably end up being very disappointed, but she decided if he was willing to be patient with her, and it was evident by his actions so far that he was, then it was only fair that she try and meet him halfway. She had to take a leap of faith.

  Daniel pulled her from her thoughts. To her amazement and amusement he had started spouting poetry, and very eloquently, too. Was there no end to this guy’s talents? It wasn’t your usual sophisticated poetry by English greats such as William Blake or Shakespeare. No, this was funny, lighthearted poetry and it made her giggle.

  He stopped.

  “I didn’t know you liked poetry.” she said

  “There’s a lot about me you don’t know. I’d like you to find out, though. If you’re willing to give it a try.”

  “What kind of poetry is that, anyway?”

  “It’s Aussie poetry, written by some of the most famous outbackers and settlers in our history. Basically, it’s just stories of what they did when they first settled the country. Do you like it?”

  “I do. I’ve never been one for poetry, but this is funny. Please, carry on. I’ll try not to interrupt you again.”

  Daniel recited some more poems for a few minutes while Sam washed herself and started to feel human again. She was still reluctant to get out of the bath, it felt so good, but the water was starting to get cool and her fingers were starting to prune. It was probably getting very late. She knew she would not be expected to work tomorrow, but Daniel would still have to be up early as usual to help his father.

  “Sam?” Daniel asked after finishing his last poem. “Can I ask you a question?”

  Sam hesitated. “You can ask...” she replied, trying to sound lighthearted, “...but I may not answer.”

  “Fair enough,” he said. “Where do you feel most comfortable?”

  She was not expecting a question like that. “Excuse me?”

  “You know, where do you feel most at ease?” he continued.

  It was a strange question but, nevertheless, she thought about it for a moment. “I think I would have to say it would probably be in the shower,” she answered, then paused a moment making sure she was happy with her response. “Why do you ask?”

  “Oh, just making conversation.”

  Sam shrugged and looked at her hands. She was loathed to leave the sanctuary of the bathtub, but knew she couldn’t stay there all night. She was starting to feel very sleepy. Feeling human once more, she resigned herself to the fact that bed was definitely beckoning now. Sam leaned forward and pulled the plug. The water gurgled as it escaped down the plughole.

  “Could you pass me a towel please?” she asked through the curtain.

  A towel, complete with hand, appeared where the shower curtain met the wall.

  “Thank you.”

  “I’ll be outside if you need me. Take it easy, though. You may feel dizzy when you stand up.”

  Daniel placed the chair next to the bathtub again and quietly clicked the door closed. Sam pulled the shower curtain open, eased herself up onto the edge of the bathtub and sat there while drying herself off, as best as she could. Her robe was still draped over the back of the chair, and after she was dry, she wrapped herself in it.

  “Daniel?” she called. He opened the door. “Please, could you help me up? I still feel a bit wobbly.”

  Her lack of balance probably had as much to do with the painkillers Mrs. Miller had given her, than the kick to her face. She had a feeling they were pretty powerful. It wouldn’t surprise her if the matriarch of this homestead had a fully stocked doctor’s office somewhere, too.

  Daniel leaned forward and eased Sam up off the chair. Once standing, a rush of pain filled her head. She put her hand to her forehead and moaned.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “My head is pounding,” she answered, starting to feel nauseous with the pain.

  “Come on, Mum left you some more painkillers on your nightstand, and I have a remedy that will help until they kick in.”

  He led Sam back to her room, and for some silly reason, she noticed that he was clean and had changed his clothes.

  “When did you have chance to shower?”

  “When you were sleeping earlier. Mum kept an eye on you for a while so I could clean up.”

  He sat her on the edge of the bed and handed her a couple of pills and a glass of water. Then he leaned her pillows up against the headboard and got on the bed sitting up with his back against them. He opened his legs and gestured for her to move up to him.

  She narrowed her eyes at him.

  “Trust me,” he said. “Sit in between my legs with your back to me, and lean against my chest. This will work wonders for your head, I promise.”

  Sam looked hesitant.

  “No funny business, honestly.” He gestured with open hands, his eyes begging her to trust him.

  Sam drew in a deep breath and did as he asked.

  “Now lay your head back on my chest.”

  She leaned into him, as he requested. Laying her head against his c
hest. Even though her head was pounding, the feel of his warm body against her back felt wonderful. She closed her eyes and allowed her body to sink into his warmth. Unconsciously, a soft purr escaped from her throat.

  She felt a firm pressure on the center of her forehead, which then moved out to either side of her temples and away. He repeated the motion. His thumbs applying pressure to the center of her forehead, then moving out to either side. His warm breath ruffled her damp hair, and her breathing fell into the same easy rhythm as his.

  After several minutes of doing this, the pain in her head started to subside; she let out a sigh. Every muscle in her body had relaxed. Sam’s arms lay limp either side of her. She could feel the hard contours of Daniel’s thighs through his soft cotton sleep pants under her hands. Subconsciously, her fingers started stroking patterns on his legs. Sam could hear a soft growl deep in his throat.

  “That feels so good,” she murmured.

  Sam felt her consciousness give way to blissful sleep. She felt soft lips kiss the top of her head and heard a whisper in her mind just before sleep consumed her.

  “If you let me, that’s how I’ll always make you feel.”

  ***

  Several hours must have passed. Sam started to feel consciousness creeping back. As it did, she became aware of an unfamiliar sensation. Her pillow was rising and falling at a relaxed, steady pace beneath her. Then the soft lub-dub of a heartbeat became audible underneath her ear.

  Her eyes flew open. Stretched out before them was her pillow, shaped very much like Daniel’s chest. Her arm lay unperturbed across his stomach, her leg draped comfortably over his thigh, as though it had always belonged there. Sam was wrapped around him like a warm blanket on a chilly day, and he held her in place with his arm across her shoulder.

  Not wanting to wake him, but desperate to see his face, she slowly moved her gaze upwards until it fell upon his beautiful features.

  His face was angled down to her as though he had fallen asleep watching her. His eyes were closed and framed by dark, angled eyebrows and long feathery lashes. His cheeks were chiseled and his mouth soft. All this was complimented by a strong jaw line. Another soft sigh escaped her. She felt cocooned in a blanket of warmth and love.

  Sam watched him for a moment until his eyes slowly started to open, revealing the brilliant pools of blue beneath. He focused on her gaze and his mouth curled into the brightest smile. Hers followed suit as best it could under the circumstances.

  Sighing with the first morning breath he whispered, “G’day, beautiful. How are you feeling this morning?”

  There he went again, calling her beautiful. If he didn’t stop, she wouldn’t be held responsible for melting into a pile of goo on top of him.

  Although the pounding was becoming apparent in her jaw again, she tried to push it aside. She had just spent the night in bed with the most gorgeous man alive, albeit they were fully clothed and she was not conscious, but that didn’t matter. She couldn’t feel any better at that moment if she tried.

  A wave of emotion poured over her. She pulled herself up onto her elbows so her face was directly above his.

  “I feel fine.” She smiled.

  “Unfortunately, your face says something different.” The worried look he wore the previous night returned.

  Sam’s smile fell. “Pardon?” she asked.

  “You’ve got a rather nasty bruise come up.” He winced in sympathy.

  She smiled again. “I don’t care.” Quite unexpectedly, for the both of them, Sam lowered her face and planted the softest kiss she could muster on his full awaiting lips. She lingered for a few seconds and lifted herself up again.

  Daniel’s eyes widened. “What was that for?”

  “That was for last night. For staying with me and making me feel like the most special person alive.”

  With a quick flip, he had her lying on her back and was now the one hovering above her. Sam squealed in surprise and looked up into his stunning blue eyes, full of unspoken want and desire.

  “You are the most special person alive,” he repeated, before lowering himself and planting a tender kiss, taking care to avoid the bruised side of her face and mouth.

  Sam wished her mouth didn’t hurt so much, because she would have kissed the life right out of him at that moment. An overwhelming rush of desire flooded through her. A sensation she had never experienced before. She wasn’t entirely sure how to deal with it.

  Daniel slowly withdrew his lips from hers and looked once more into her now bewildered expression. Her breath was ragged and he raised a quizzical eyebrow in response.

  “How do you do that to me?” Sam breathed, eyes wide.

  He replied with a smug smile. “Sam, that’s just the beginning.”

  His words provoked an unwitting, and, at that moment, sincerely unwanted, response. Fear washed over her once more and her body went rigid beneath him. She sat up and pushed him off. Resigning herself to her fate, she sat on the edge of the bed and focused on her feet, again. Was that all she had to look forward to in life? Every time a man got close to her she would sit and stare at her feet? She didn’t even like her feet. In fact, there wasn’t much about her body she did like. If push came to shove, she thought her hair was okay.

  A gentle hand placed itself on her shoulder.

  “You’re shaking, Sam. Did I do something wrong? You kissed me, remember?” Daniel whispered, a tinge of regret in his voice.

  “I’m sorry. I-I don’t know how to deal with these feelings. I feel like a complete idiot.” Sam mumbled to her feet. “I really appreciate your help last night, but we better get dressed and go for breakfast.”

  A deafening silence hung in the air for a few moments before Daniel got up and left the room without saying a word. Sam closed her eyes. Why did life have to be so complicated?

  Chapter Sixteen

  Sam got up and wandered into the bathroom. When she stepped in front of the mirror, she gasped. Holy cow! Daniel wasn’t kidding. A big black and blue bruise covered the left side of her face from just below her eye to underneath her chin. When she leaned in for a closer look, she could see there was even see some purple thrown in for good measure.

  Hesitantly, she brought her hand up to her face, allowing her fingers to softly touch the damaged skin. She winced. Half of her lips were swollen, and they, too, had a purple tinge to them, not to mention the nasty split that was now scabbing over. With caution, she opened her mouth to see how far it could open. Not far, she found out, before a stabbing pain kicked in and she screwed up her eyes. Her attempt at brushing her teeth failed miserably, as every time the brush moved in the direction of her injury, the pain was too much to bear. She gave that up as a bad job and resigned herself to having to suck on a breath mint to get rid of the awful taste in her mouth.

  She had to say she was not quite convinced that nothing was actually broken, but Mrs. Miller seemed to know what she was talking about. Sam didn’t particularly want to go all the way into town to see a doctor, so she took Mrs. Miller’s word for it.

  After finishing the halfhearted attempt on her teeth, she wandered through to the kitchen. Daniel had once again beaten her to it and was talking with this father.

  As soon as Sam walked into the kitchen, Mrs. Miller swooped down on her. The matronly lady took her chin gently in hand and looked at the damage.

  “Ooh, that is a nasty bruise, young lady,” she clucked like a mother hen. “At least the swelling has gone down a good bit.”

  Sam gave her a pathetic attempt at a smile.

  “You’ll be right as rain in a few days, but you’re not going out to work today. You can stay inside and rest. That was quite a knock you took. You were out for an hour, you know.”

  No, Sam didn’t know. She hadn’t thought to ask Daniel how long she was unconscious. She was too busy thinking about other things at the time.

  Her attention turned to the voices coming from the dining table. As Mrs. Miller had turned back to what she was doing, Sam proce
eded in their direction. She felt nervous about seeing Daniel again after pushing him away, yet again, just a short while ago. She hoped he wouldn’t be too annoyed with her, but couldn’t blame him if he was.

  Once again, as soon as she entered, both men stood up, thrusting their chairs behind them. Sam gave them a weak smile, feeling just a tad embarrassed by her appearance.

  “Looks like you took quite a beating, my girl,” Mr. Miller stated. “Maybe I was a bit hasty sending you in there without first telling you what to do. We’ll rectify that when your face is better.”

  Sam goggled at him. Was that an attempt at an apology? Daniel said he had never heard him apologize for anything, so she decided that was probably as close to one as she was going to get. Sam nodded her understanding.

  Sam strolled over to her place beside Daniel’s at the table.

  “Hi, Lucrecia,” Sam said on her way around the table. The friendly little bird bobbed her head and squawked a greeting.

  Daniel, as always, had already pulled Sam’s chair out and was waiting behind it for her to sit. Sam looked at him and threw him a sheepish smile, half expecting him to ignore her as he did the day before. To her surprise, he beamed back a bright happy smile. Daniel, obviously noticing the bewilderment in her eyes, widened his smile even more. Sam relaxed her shoulders. It didn’t look like he hated her, after all, and for that she was thankful.

  As soon as Sam was seated, and Daniel had settled himself down next to her, Mrs. Miller’s bustling form came through the door bearing their breakfast on a large tray. She had cooked up something special for Sam today, as she knew the poor girl would have trouble eating. Mrs. Miller placed three bowls of soft warm oatmeal sweetened with honey on the table in front of them.

  Mr. Miller glared at the bowl placed before him.

  “What’s this rubbish?” he grouched at his wife.

  Mrs. Miller glared back at him and growled a warning. “Don’t even start with me, Paul.” She looked over at Sam and smiled. “You should be able to eat that with no problems, dear.” After giving one last glare to her husband and a wink in Sam’s direction, the portly woman turned on her heel and went back to work in the kitchen. Sam fleetingly wondered why Daniel’s mum never sat and ate breakfast with them, but decided there must be a good reason behind it. It really wasn’t any of her business anyway, so she started to attempt to eat her breakfast instead.