Return to Riversleigh

by Anne Ashby

  Luke thrust back his chair, the suddenness of the movement driving Amy in behind Marcia’s skirt. It’d been months already. How long does she need to stop being afraid of me?

  With a tight smile and a “Have fun with Aunt Marcia,” comment, Luke stalked out the door with the pie and Thermos clenched in his hands. He needed to concentrate on other things today.

  Chapter Nine

  Shannon had dressed in the oldest warm clothing she owned. Even so, her choice was hardly suitable for mucking around on the farm. Next day off she’d better find some more appropriate clothing as she’d be spending hands-on time with Luke’s project. While his initial employment had specifically been for business planning, their conversations over the last few weeks had left Shannon in no doubt he wanted her involvement in all aspects.

  If she was being honest with herself, she’d admit being pleased to have a break from the tedious business study she’d committed to. In fact she couldn’t wait to do something physical for a change.

  Tugging on gloves and a woolly hat, Shannon shivered as she left the cozy flat. Spring might be officially here now, but the temperature wasn’t showing much improvement. She tugged her jacket tighter around her body and tucked her scarf inside. Once they got working, she’d warm up. And once the sun melted the morning frost the temperature was sure to rise.

  She hurried toward the sheds. Luke had stridden past a moment earlier and she hurried to catch him up. Just because her working day wasn’t starting in the office, there was no excuse for tardiness.

  The sight greeting her as she turned the corner of the tractor shed stopped her dead. Pain squeezed across her chest. Her voice rose a dozen octaves before it exited her mouth. “What is that?” she demanded.

  Luke glanced over his shoulder. “What’s what?”

  Shannon’s shaking finger pointed. “That.”

  Luke stepped from between the two horses, a confused frown gathering on his face. He followed her finger. “A horse? Yep, at my guess, I’d say it was a horse,” he teased. “Or to be more correct, two horses.”

  “W-what are they doing here?”

  “It’ll be easier to reach where we’re going on horseback.” Unaware of Shannon’s adverse reaction, Luke gave the closest monster a pat on the neck. “I saddled Beauty for you. She’s a lovely animal, strong and surefooted. She won’t let you down, will you, girl?”

  Holding back a scream as Luke put an arm under the horse’s head and laid his cheek against the hairy neck, Shannon backed up tight against the shed wall. She managed to force the words out through clenched teeth. “Uh, ah, not me.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  Until this moment, Shannon had considered Luke a reasonably intelligent man, but had he lost the ability to understand plain English?

  “I’m not going anywhere near any horses.”

  “Don’t be silly. We’re on a farm. We use horses to get around.”

  “Not me. I don’t.”

  Luke gave an impatient snort. “Look, you should have said you don’t ride. It won’t take too long to teach you, though.” He smiled. “We’ll have you galloping around in no time. I can change my plans for the day. We’ll just head up to the tree line and sort out a motor-cross track, that’ll be a gentle ride to start.”

  The great oaf. Does he need hitting over the head with a fence post? A trembling hand rose and clutched the scarf at her throat. “Me and horses don’t belong on the same page.”

  He laughed. “There’s nothing to be afraid of. I didn’t realize what a city girl you’d turned into.” He held out a confident hand toward her. “Come and say hello.”

  Shannon shook her head and prayed to melt further into the tractor shed wall. “I’m not into horses.”

  “But you’re in the country, on a hilly farm. We need to ride to access places too dangerous for four-wheelers.”

  Shannon turned and scampered around the front of the shed, out of sight of the two hideous monsters.

  Luke caught her up before she took more than a couple of paces. “Horses are an essential part of farm life. We can take it slowly until—”

  Shannon’s head shot up and she glared at her boss. “There was nothing in your job description about riding horses.”

  Her fists planted themselves on her hips. “Listen to me carefully, Luke. I am not taking riding lessons, from you or anyone else. I am not going to be galloping around anywhere now, or in the distant future. I am not going anywhere near horses. Full stop.” Anger mixed with fear goaded her forward until she was nose to nose with him. “Do I make myself clear?”

  Luke was dumbfounded. He stood staring, his eyes—and even his mouth—open. After silent seconds, during which Shannon’s nerve deserted her and she slumped against a tractor wheel, Luke shook a bewildered head and snapped, “Okay, okay. I get it. No equestrian jaunts.” He disappeared around the corner.

  She heard him talking to the horses. Shannon remained where she was, uncertain if her quaking legs would support her. Oh God, I haven’t blown it, have I? She buried her face in her hands, swearing under her breath. But I couldn’t. Even if I’d been prepared, I couldn’t go near those animals. The idea of climbing onto the back of one of them, of allowing it to have control over her… She shuddered.

  “C’mon.”

  Shannon’s head crept up.

  Luke had a saddle in his arms, the reins of one horse looped over his shoulder. “Let’s get a bike for you.”

  A lump in her throat threatened to choke her. Her heart thumped. Her mouth dried and tears welled up. She pressed her palms tight against her eyes, a quiet, shaky laugh escaping her lips.

  “C’mon.” He disappeared inside a shed. He exited minus the saddle. “We don’t want to waste all day hanging around here.” His irritation echoed in the words.

  Shannon scurried forward, keeping a wary eye on the horse Luke still intended to ride. She waited, gnawing her lip as he leapt onto its back. Though she dreaded reliving her terrifying experience, she needed to explain, to justify her stand. Mostly she needed to thank him for not making it a job-ending issue.

  Gulping, she looked up. He appeared relaxed and in control. He wasn’t exerting any pressure on the reins at all. She winced, knowing too well how quick a horse could break away. How devastating a wild ride could become. Although Luke tightened the reins when the horse swung its head toward her, she took a hasty step back. “Luke, I didn’t mean—I can explain—I-I…”

  “Forget it for now.” His expression softened to show sympathy and understanding. “One day you can tell me about your love affair with the equine race. But now we have work to do.” He waved his hand toward various vehicles parked under cover in the open shed. “Grab something and let’s go.” He swung the horse around and cantered away.

  “I’m sorry I got heated,” she called after him.

  His raised hand acknowledged her words.

  Shannon eyed the choices available to her. These were more her style, motorized transport. Marcia drove over from her house on a four-wheeler each day but Shannon didn’t know which quad bike was hers. Anyway, a trail bike was more able to follow where Luke wanted his horses to go so she leaped onto one and kicked the engine. It had been a long time since she’d been on a motor bike, but the thrill returned the moment she exited the shed and tore after the galloping horse.

  The frosty chill and the slippery surface added to her growing excitement as she powered through a muddy patch of ground. Her fear of horses disappeared as quickly as it had risen, and another emotion now raced blood through her veins—exhilaration!

  Luke had reined in at the edge of the tree line. Shannon donutted to a stop some meters away from the horse.

  “This isn’t your first time on a bike, I’m guessing?”

  Although she’d kept a wary eye on the horse’s reaction to the noisy bike on her arrival, the animal didn’t balk. She grinned, killing the engine before rubbing her gloved hand across the petrol tank. “It’s a long time since I’v
e ridden. I loved it.”

  “You’re welcome to take it, or anything else, for a ride whenever.” Shannon jumped off the bike as Luke swung down from the saddle. He approached with the rolled-up plan in his hand and spread the paper along the bike’s seat.

  “I was intending to head on up into the bush today, but—”

  Heat burned Shannon’s face. “I’ll take this bike anywhere you want to go,” she challenged.

  His gaze rose from the drawings, his eyes twinkling. “I just bet you would, too.”

  Shannon’s back stiffened. “You think I can’t?”

  Luke chuckled. “Oh no, I’m sure you can.” He had the audacity to wink at her. “You can prove it after we sort out a few things here.”

  Damn, I’ll show him. He doesn’t need to think I’m a scaredy-cat just ’cause I hate horses.

  “I still figure the best place for a motor-cross track is over there.” He pointed.

  They had discussed the possible locations for the various tracks Luke had planned numerous times. But having the land right in front of them did make the visualization easier. Luke intended to develop the whole side of the mountain at once.

  Now close to breaking soil, Shannon had to voice the trepidation she’d been harboring for some time. “Wouldn’t it be more prudent to start small?”

  As expected, a scowl appeared. “Small?” he snapped. “I’m not interested in small.” His fingers tightened on the plan and he glared at her. “Why wouldn’t I do the whole thing at once?”

  While he had phrased the statement into a question, Shannon guessed he wasn’t expecting a reply. After chewing her lip for a moment, a sense of responsibility forced her to voice her reservations. “You don’t know if any of this is going to take off.” She took a deep breath. “Let’s face it Luke, you haven’t done any real research into local interest or—”

  “I’m not concerned about local interest. I’m developing an adventure park for adventurers, not a few farmers.”

  Shannon had always guessed his attention wasn’t focused on the local cliental they might manage to attract. He had his sights set much higher—far too high, in her opinion.

  “You might find yourself grateful to those few farmers before long.”

  His eyebrows drew together. “You don’t have any real faith in this project, do you?” he accused.

  She glanced at him warily. He’d once told her to speak her mind. Perhaps now was the time to find out if he meant that. “Not the way you’re planning to charge ahead, no.”

  Instead of jumping on her negativity, she watched as he rubbed fingers along his jaw line before demanding, “Why not?”

  The expense of putting his plan into operation had worried Shannon from the first day. She took a deep breath. “I understand the financial aspects of this have nothing to do with me, but I see hundreds of thousands of dollars disappearing into a huge hole, with you having little or no chance to recoup anything. You might end up with that ‘expensive family playground.’ ”

  His chuckle surprised her. “I shouldn’t have told you what Debra McEwan said, should I? And stop worrying about the money. I have that under control.”

  Under control? How can he have it under control when he refuses to consider any way of making a return on this investment? His frivolous attention to this—in his eyes—minor detail irked her so much she wanted to scream. She’d lived through knowing how quickly money disappeared if it wasn’t protected. Luke’s blasé attitude scared the hell out of her.

  She attempted a different approach. “This park won’t be profitable during the winter months. Have you considered that?”

  Luke shrugged.

  “Any winter tourists will be here to ski. They’ll hang out at the ski fields around Queenstown and wouldn’t venture down here. Are you prepared to continue paying staff while you have no income?”

  She risked putting a hand on his arm. “That’s the sort of thing you should be considering, Luke. You might think you have endless money, but if you’re not careful this will be a huge drain on your finances.”

  “So I just close it down for the winter and head north.”

  Fear knocked at Shannon as one hand encircled the bike’s handle bar until her knuckles ached. Her voice dropped. “North?”

  “Yeah, north. Europe, Canada, Asia, I don’t know, somewhere warm.” He shrugged again.

  “What about the children?”

  Shannon’s lips tightened as she caught the exact moment Luke remembered he had children to consider now. He couldn’t hide his bitter grimace although he quickly sought to counter it.

  “They’d come with me, of course.”

  Disappointment drove words out her mouth. “Now I know you’re not thinking straight. What about their schooling? Amy only has months before she’s five. You can’t drag kids out of school.”

  Luke’s snorted reaction set Shannon’s stomach rolling. “Schooling? They’d learn far more traveling with me than any school could teach them.”

  Shannon glared after him as, apparently unperturbed, he wandered across the rise they were on and surveyed the paddocks in question. He sounded like Eric. Luke doesn’t have any better clue than Eric had what damage he could do.

  Shannon swallowed the sourness invading her mouth. It isn’t my place to interfere. I have nothing to do with what Luke does or doesn’t do in his private life.

  Luke stood for a long time, hands stuffed into his pockets, a frown marring his face. “So what are you suggesting? What do you think I should be doing?”

  He swung around as Shannon stepped toward him. “And don’t suggest a special-needs playground. That’s not going to happen here.”

  Relieved he appeared willing to listen to other options Shannon took her time before replying. She had given this a lot of thought over the last few weeks.

  “You’ve got to start looking upon this as a business, Luke. It’s not a hobby, not at the level you’re planning. Despite your insistence you have the money, you must be more practical in your approach or you risk being burned, very badly.”

  Shannon’s shoulders relaxed a little when he hadn’t interrupted her impassioned speech. He’s actually listening. “I’d start with the less extreme stuff. Some pursuits will attract more people than others. You have to encourage people, and then have them want to return. It’ll take forever to attract tourists, or enough tourists for any substantial return. You should be appealing to locals to begin with.”

  His sour expression said it all but he waved her on.

  “Country people are into bikes, quads, four-wheel driving. Instead of having one extreme motor-cross track you’ve planned, you could incorporate a series of graded tracks I mentioned before.” And you ignored.

  She traced an area of the plan, one off to the side of where they now stood with her pointed finger. “That flatish section could be used by novices or young kids, then another track over there.” She waved her arm. “I’m not suggesting giving up on more extreme courses, they could continue up those knolls and gullies, with another heading up into the bush line for more experienced riders.”

  He was listening to her. The tilt of his head suggested his interest was tweaked. She swung around to face the opposite side of the mountain. “And over here would be ideal for a couple of mountain-bike tracks.”

  His gaze followed her pointing finger.

  Her words quickened as her enthusiasm grew. “You need graduated activities, not just the real difficult ones. We want to encourage people to develop skills, to try the next level when they feel ready. Then we’d attract new wannabe adventurers.”

  She’d been studying marketing strategies and this was the time to share. “For instance, if you developed a half-decent mountain-bike track, you might attract riders vying for the national team to train here. That’s the sort of thing you should be considering. Providing training courses would keep people here.”

  She took a deep breath. “You could build your high jumps onto one track but leave another as a
training option.”

  His nodding head gave her more encouragement. “We could put in a running track alongside.” She gave a faint smile at his shaken head, and added. “Mountain racing is becoming popular. I have a friend in Auckland who’s into mountain running, she travels all over the North Island to compete.”

  A smile played around his mouth. “I’m waiting.”

  His comment swung her around to face him. “Waiting?”

  “Yeah, waiting for your suggestion a disabled playground would fit in somewhere.”

  “I’m keeping that suggestion for later,” she quipped back with a grin.

  Luke paced across the face of the hill, a frown on his face. He swung around. “I wasn’t planning on anything as tame as running trails. Couldn’t anyone wanting to run just use a bike path?”

  “Too dangerous, I’d say, for runners and bikers to share a path.”

  Excited he’d taken a moment to consider the possibility, Shannon persisted a little more. “We should consider athletes entered into adventure races. They have to train somewhere. If you provided the right tracks, maybe we could encourage some to train here. That could be a steady source of income for you.”

  She joined him on the face of the hill. “You and Jase might be able to work out some package deal between the hotel and your park. And imagine the publicity if someone who trained here ended up winning some major event. You’re going to need publicity, Luke.”

  Luke’s frown grew heavier. “I appreciate your input. I do want your input, but—”

  A frustrated breath rushed out of Shannon. “Would you just do a little research before you dismiss it out of hand?”

  Luke shrugged one shoulder.

  While his interest was barely engaged, she trusted he would look into the idea and give making a dedicated running track some thought.

  “Hmm, I agree with your ideas for over there.” He indicated the area set aside for motorized sport. “Interlacing tracks of varying degrees of difficulty would allow for an expansion of users’ abilities.” He smiled and nodded. “As you suggest, it could bring them back to tackle the next track.”