Flame Tree Hill

by Mandy Magro

  Her dreamy attentiveness to the glorious scenery was broken as a trio of scrub turkeys scampered across the track and Robbie swerved a little to miss them, the Land Cruiser slipping slightly in the soft terrain as he gently pulled the old girl back onto the trail, his beloved speedboat bouncing around behind them.

  ‘Bloody crazy-arse things,’ he mumbled under his breath while he glanced behind quickly to check everything was all right.

  Kirsty smiled as she watched the scrub turkeys disappear into the rainforest and then turned her attention back to Robbie and Aden. Opening a packet of peanut M&M’s, she popped one in her mouth, then shook the bag in offering. ‘Do you guys remember in 2003, when we’d had a few years running of a dry spell, and the old town beneath Tinaroo resurfaced because the dam had started to dry up?’

  Aden dug into the packet and pulled out a handful of M&M’s. ‘Hey yeah! We all came and watched the Pioneers cricket match that they played on the old Kulara cricket field. It’s bizarre to think they were playing on a pitch that had been laid to rest for years under the dam and we were walking around on roads and bridges that used to be the main thoroughfares of the old town. It was a day in history, I reckon, and one I was proud to be a part of. We even had our photo taken all together and published in the local newspaper, remember?’

  Kirsty nodded, smirking as she recalled the picture in the paper, her huge metal braces amid her broad teenage smile. ‘Yeah, the three of us looked like right dorks and yet we all thought we were so cool getting into the paper. The entire school was talking about it, taking the piss out of us. I took heaps of photos, too, which I’m so glad that I did. According to the weather bureau it could be another sixty years or so before Kulara is visible again.’

  ‘Bloody oath,’ Robbie said between crunching on M&Ms. ‘Especially considering the shed at home is built with the timber from some of the buildings they removed before they flooded it. Grandad Walter was always a stickler for reusing materials, never throwing anything away.’

  The sheltered rainforest suddenly gave way to endless views of crystal-clear water, surrounded by gently sloping grasslands. It was a scene straight from a painting.

  With swags unpacked, camp fire prepared with a stockpile of gathered timber, and the portable table and chairs erected, Kirsty, Robbie and Aden got busy preparing their ski gear, the speedboat lapping at the shore in readiness.

  ‘So who’s up first?’ Robbie asked as he slapped on some sunscreen.

  ‘Oh, me, me!’ Kirsty said, hopping on one leg as she hastily pulled on her wetsuit. She couldn’t wait to get in the water.

  Aden grinned at her, clearly amused by her eagerness. ‘I’ll get your skis ready, K. One or two?’ he asked.

  Kirsty was struggling with the zip of her wetsuit, cursing under her breath as it refused to budge. ‘I think I better stick to two skis for now. It’s been a long time since I last did this. I’m not even sure I’ll be able to get up on them.’

  Aden walked up behind her and placed his hand over hers on the zipper. ‘You’ll be fine. It’s just like a riding a bike. You never forget how to do it. Here, let me.’

  ‘Well said, by the master of barefoot skiing,’ Kirsty said as she cautiously let her hand drop back down beside her, a shiver travelling over her entire body as Aden pushed her long hair over her shoulder and slowly zipped her suit up. He was dangerously close. All she had to do was turn around and she would be close enough to kiss him.

  The zip finally locked into place and he whispered in her ear, ‘There you go, all set.’

  Kirsty gave in to temptation and turned, meeting Aden’s eyes as he stood casually before her, his wetsuit hanging from his waist. They held each other’s gaze, something passing between them for the briefest of moments, the intensity of it unfathomable. Kirsty fumbled with her hair, throwing it up into a quick ponytail, unable to look into Aden’s chocolate-brown eyes any longer for fear of falling into them. The deep grumble of the speedboat broke the silence and Kirsty breathed a private sigh of relief. ‘Um, thanks for zipping me up. We better get in the water before Robbie takes off without us.’

  Moments later Kirsty was strapped to the skis, gripping the handle of the rope tightly as Robbie hit the throttle. She wobbled to her feet, swaying, the challenge of the feat filling her with sheer determination to accomplish it. She could do this! She’d done it a thousand times before. She gritted her teeth, her concentration totally focused on balancing, and then she gained her footing and was gliding over the water like it was ice, sprays of water arcing out behind her. She looked at Aden, who was watching her from the back of the boat, ready to tell Robbie she had fallen if the need arose. He gave her the thumbs up and she grinned back at him, chuffed she had proven her skiing abilities after all these years. The three of them had spent many school holidays out here on the lake with their families and she’d always found herself showing off in front of Aden. But they weren’t schoolkids any more, and a flicker of sadness crossed her mind at the thought of how much had changed.

  After a light lunch they all hit the water again, this time with the wave biscuit. Kirsty and Aden held on for dear life as the huge inflatable ring they were clutching bounced erratically over the water at top speed, the fine sprays of water hitting them in the face, making it impossible to see. Aden chuckled and Kirsty couldn’t help but squeal delightedly; it was unadulterated fun at its best.

  Robbie hooked the boat to the right and the rubber ring hit a wave of water, lifted into the air, then slammed back down seconds later as Kirsty fought hard to hold on and Aden tumbled on top of her, both of them grappling for leverage. He stretched his arms out wide, grabbing hold of the handles and pinning them both down to the ring, every inch of his well-built body now pressing into hers. She closed her eyes, enjoying the sensation, wishing they could stay in this position all afternoon.

  At that moment, they hit another wave and the rubber ring lifted once again, this time twisting upside down in the air and dumping both Kirsty and Aden into the lake. They tumbled under the water, grabbing for each other as they resurfaced, laughing and struggling for breath. Aden wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her up, his deep throaty laughter making her dizzy with desire as she tried to blink her eyes back to some sort of normalcy; her eyelids had almost folded backwards after she was dunked so forcibly into the water. It felt wonderful, like they were teenagers again, without a care in the world.

  Their laughter subsided and Kirsty bit her bottom lip as Aden brushed her sodden hair from her face. He moved in nearer, pulling her closer to him under the water until she could feel the heat of his body against her own. She held her breath, wondering if he was about to kiss her, her heart trying to hammer its way out of her chest as she imagined what his lips would feel like. Then Robbie was there again, the boat rocking from side to side in the water as he motioned for them to hop back onto the ring, completely oblivious to what was going on.

  Aden’s hands slid slowly from her highly responsive body, the sloshing water making it impossible for Robbie to know what was going on beneath the surface. Kirsty’s mind raced. What was Aden doing to her? And what was she thinking, letting him? She sighed as she swam over to the ring, joining Aden back on it.

  The scraping of tin camping plates signalled the end of the night’s lip-smacking dinner of rump steak, eggs and jacket potatoes that had been wrapped in alfoil and baked in the camp fire. Kirsty relaxed back further into her chair, contently full, as she immersed herself in the peacefulness of the evening. She had missed this, spending time out in nature. She could hear the water lapping gently at the lake’s edge and the boat softly rolling from side to side. An owl hooted nearby and she glanced up to the tops of the tall pine trees that circled their camp, trying to spot the bird’s glowing yellow eyes with the beam from her torch. She switched it off, the only light now coming from the embers of the camp fire glowing red in the darkness and the kerosene lantern on the fold out table.

  Aden pushed himself up and began gath
ering the dirty plates. ‘I reckon it’s time to boil the billy. The damper I stuck in the camp oven earlier should be almost ready. Who’d like a cuppa to go with it?’

  Robbie grinned, the whiteness of his teeth glowing in the dimness. ‘Sounds like a plan. I’ll go grab the butter and golden syrup from the Esky. Heart attack on a plate! Yummo!’

  Kirsty licked her lips. ‘Aw, yes please. That sounds delicious. And leave the dishes, Aden. I’ll wash them up while you two look after the dessert.’

  Aden carefully dropped the pile he was carrying into the washing-up bowl, which was already filled with hot water and suds, leaving them to soak. ‘That’s a done deal, K.’

  A lazy spiral of smoke swirled upwards as the trio said their goodnights and climbed into their swags. Kirsty was weary and she yawned loudly, stretching her arms high, spellbound by the blanket of sparkling stars above. ‘Just beautiful.’

  ‘Pardon?’ Aden asked as he wriggled in his swag.

  Kirsty chuckled softly. ‘Oh nothing, I was just talking to myself. Admiring the stars. I just love sleeping under them.’

  ‘Me too. There’s no ceiling more beautiful than the night sky. I sleep so peacefully when I’m camping. It’s just so quiet out here.’

  With a few little snorts, Robbie began to snore stridently.

  ‘Well, it was peaceful!’ Kirsty said, unimpressed. ‘How are we meant to sleep with that bloody racket?’

  ‘I reckon I’m that tired I’d sleep through a cyclone at the moment,’ Aden replied.

  Kirsty snuggled further into her swag. ‘Yeah, you’re probably right. Every inch of me is aching. I’m not used to how much skiing takes it out of you.’

  ‘Night, K. Sweet dreams.’ Aden’s husky voice sounded sleepy, his last word trailing off as his breathing deepened.

  Sweet dreams indeed, Kirsty thought as she closed her heavy eyes. I’m sleeping beside the most gorgeous man in the world, with the most amazing views surrounding me. Now if I could just find a way to change the past, I’d be the happiest woman in the world.

  Chapter 9

  ADEN honked the horn briefly as Kirsty took one last look at herself in the mirror. She scowled at her reflection, annoyed at the pimples that had so inconveniently decided to erupt on her face today. She hadn’t had pimples since she was a teenager. Could it be her new face cream? She picked up the offending bottle and tossed it in the bin beside the bathroom sink, sighing as she swiftly pulled her hair into a ponytail.

  Robbie stuck his head in the doorway of the bathroom. ‘You better hurry up, sis. Aden has heaps on today. Don’t want to keep the man waiting.’

  ‘Okay, okay. Hold your horses,’ Kirsty replied gruffly as she heard Robbie’s footsteps padding down the hall. She’d had a bad night’s sleep, tossing and turning all night after another nightmare, and had felt like death warmed up when she got out of bed that morning.

  She hung her towel on the rack, wincing as her arm brushed against her chest. Her breast still felt sore but her period had been and gone. She wasn’t due again for another week so that couldn’t be the reason behind the discomfort now. She idly thought about getting it checked out, just to make sure she didn’t have some sort of weird infection under her nipple. She was due for her pap smear anyway so she’d make an appointment to see the local doctor before she ran out the door this morning. She couldn’t leave it any longer.

  Hanging up the phone, Kirsty was pleased to have scored an appointment the next day thanks to a cancellation. She hurried into the kitchen and grabbed the packed lunch she had prepared. She shoved it in her backpack along with a freshly made flask of tea and two pannikins.

  Robbie poured hot water into his mug, the pungent scent of coffee instantly filling the kitchen. ‘It’s nice of you to help Aden today. The poor bugger is so snowed under. I don’t know how he keeps going.’

  Kirsty reached up on her tiptoes and gave Robbie a quick peck on the cheek. ‘I don’t mind being busy. It’ll be fun learning about the horse acupuncture biz.’ She took off down the hall. ‘Catch you tonight. It’s your turn to cook dinner, too.’

  ‘Spaghetti it is then!’ Robbie called after her as the door slammed shut.

  In the driveway Aden’s four wheel drive was waiting. Kirsty opened the passenger-side door and Aden tipped the front of his hat and nodded. ‘I thought you’d fallen down the plughole. I was just about to send in a search party.’

  ‘Sorry, didn’t mean to keep you waiting. I brought lunch for us both if that’s any consolation.’ Kirsty slid into the Land Cruiser, feeling slightly frazzled from rushing. A whiff of Aden’s aftershave tantalised her senses, earthy woods mixed with a hint of musk and spice. It reminded her instantly of their trip to the lake a few weeks back, when he had held her close beneath the water. The very recollection of it made her nervous. They’d been acting like it hadn’t happened.

  ‘I dunno . . . It depends on what it is,’ Aden responded with a smile as he started the four-wheel drive, the motor turning over noisily.

  ‘Cheek! You won’t get any if you keep that up. I’ve packed corned beef and pickle sandwiches and a generous slab of chocolate cake, which I made myself.’ Kirsty raised her eyebrows. ‘And not from a packet either.’ She smiled smugly as she struggled with her seatbelt. ‘Bloody thing!’ The seatbelt locked and refused to budge. She yanked at it in frustration, only making matters worse, and then gave up the tug of war as she huffed and slumped back in the seat.

  ‘Here, let me help.’ Aden chuckled as he leant across and gently pulled the seatbelt over Kirsty’s breasts and stomach, clicking it easily into the lock. He turned his head, his lips now only centimetres away from hers. ‘Seatbelts can be a bit temperamental, like people. You just gotta have the magic touch.’ He stayed where he was for a moment, holding Kirsty’s blue eyes with his own before pushing himself back into the driver’s seat and pulling his own seatbelt on with ease.

  Kirsty didn’t realise she’d been holding her breath until her burning lungs reminded her to breathe. Her temperature seemed to have risen considerably and she could feel a red tinge burning her cheeks. She hastily diverted her attention to Hank, who sat outside the open window of the Land Cruiser, giving her his best puppy dog eyes. ‘Sorry, buddy. Not today. I promise I’ll take you for a burn on the quad to check the cattle when I get home this afternoon.’

  Hank whimpered. His head and tail hung low as he slowly headed back towards the cottage, stopping once to turn around and stare back at her, giving it one more try. Kirsty smiled at his efforts and shook her head while shaking her finger at him. ‘Go on, back on the verandah, mister.’

  ‘He’s persistent, got to give him that,’ Aden said as he turned the Land Cruiser around and headed down the long drive, a trail of dust flaring out behind them.

  ‘Poor bugger. I haven’t had much time for him with all the work around here. Between tending to the horses, feeding the cattle and mending broken fences and water lines, I haven’t really had time to scratch my own butt.’

  Aden switched on the stereo, the alluring voice of Waylon Jennings filling the cab. Kirsty hummed away to ‘Rainy Day Woman’.

  ‘You do work hard, Kirsty, harder than a lot of blokes I know. It’s admirable. Thanks for offering to give me a hand today. It’s probably the last thing you feel like doing on your first day off since we went camping.’

  ‘Seriously, I don’t mind. It’ll be nice to have a day out doing something different. I’m looking forward to watching you work.’

  ‘It’ll be nice having the company. I like hanging out with you. You’re easy to be around,’ Aden replied casually, his eyes on the road.

  Kirsty couldn’t help but smile; she was enjoying Aden’s company more and more each day and was happy to hear he felt the same. She’d been feeling increasingly upbeat of late, too, the past not eating her up so often. It was a welcome change. Being back in Australia had had the opposite effect to what she’d feared. She didn’t feel like she was running away any more. Aden was here and
they were getting on great, and life felt like it was going back to normal. She prayed it would continue that way.

  ‘How’s your Aunty Kulsoom enjoying her stay?’

  ‘Oh, she’s loving it. She reckons the country air is healing her from the inside out.’

  Aden nodded. ‘I can vouch for that. I think she’s put on a little weight over the last few weeks, thanks to your mum’s awesome cooking. God knows she needed it.’

  ‘Yeah, it’s wonderful to see her looking healthier. She was so skinny when she got here. The cancer has really knocked her about.’ A familiar lump of emotion caught in Kirsty’s throat. ‘It would be terrifying to think that you could die in a matter of months if the chemotherapy didn’t work.’

  ‘I understand a bit about what she’s gone through after watching my granddad die from lung cancer. It’s a bit different though . . . his cancer was caused by his smoking, but your aunt’s – it was just totally random. When Grandad started smoking as a teenager the health risks of smoking weren’t even known and he’d given up years before being diagnosed, but it still got him in the end. It’s so bloody unfair.’ Aden’s voice trailed off as a frown creased his brow.

  Kirsty stared out the window for a moment, trying to control the emotions raised at the thought of Kulsoom’s cancer. ‘Tell me a bit about horse acupuncture so I can at least look like I know what I’m doing today.’

  ‘Well, the Chinese have used acupuncture and herbal medicine to treat horses for over five thousand years, with brilliant results. We westerners have a bad habit of shunning anything that veers away from textbook veterinary practice, but in my opinion we should be embracing traditional Chinese medicine. I’ve worked with horses that have been deemed untreatable, and acupuncture has cured them in a matter of months – everything from lameness and leg injuries to physical and mental stress, right through to horses afraid of being tied up or mares that are just plain bitchy.’