The Innimincka Affair

by Robert Chalmers

  "No Rebecca, there is no little wife waiting back on the station. No girlfriend either. I doubt there ever will be, living way out there where I do. There's nothing. The nearest shops are a few hours by plane away. No hospitals, no schools, no neighbours. No little white picket fences." Cooper sounded almost apologetic, and not a little sharpness had crept into his tone. But that was life. That's where he lived, and to date the one or two women who had seen where he lived couldn't get off the place quick enough. He had no doubt this one would certainly prove to be the same. He realized for the first time that this was a mistake. Meeting this woman, indeed any representative of the foreign company was a mistake, and one he would now have to put right.

  Rebecca simply looked at him. She had noted the rise in colour under his collar, and the hastily crossed legs and thought she knew the reason. His slow appraisal of her had also been noticed. She was not a little girl any more and knew pretty much how things worked. The idea that she had caused his arousal pleased her. It also caused those butterflies in her lower stomach to start fluttering again. It was not going to influence her now though. She had a job to do.

  She smiled sweetly and said "Are we going to have a drink, or sit here watching each other for the evening. Something light to eat would be nice too. Even in first class the food leaves a lot to be desired." There were very few others in the room at the moment, as it was still early. Rebecca stood up and walked the length of the lounge, admiring the view outside. She need to stretch her legs a little and settle her thoughts. She noticed that Cooper had ordered drinks for both of them. 'Good'. She liked a man to take charge without being overbearing, and small gestures like that proved his capacity for being in control.

  As she sat back down the drinks were delivered. A Whisky by the smell of it. Teachers perhaps. Or Glen Livet? Definitely Glen Livet. A jug of water, and a small bottle of Dry accompanied the order. Rebecca liked hers on the rocks. Within moments a selection of nuts and sweetmeats appeared beside the table on a small cart. Cooper raised an eyebrow as Rebecca smiled in appreciation. "Is there anything specifically you might like, Rebecca?" He asked.

  "No thank you Cooper, this will do nicely until dinner later." She replied. She would have loved a lot more, but she wasn't about to blurt that out to Cooper in the middle of the lounge. His voice flowed over her like molten lava, melting her inside, her heart thumping against her chest. There didn't seem to be a lot to say suddenly as they sat there nursing their drinks. As she had guessed, Cooper was a man of few words, but what he had said indicated a love of his home, and if she wanted him talking then the best subject might just be that. Not only could she listen to his voice for as long as he wanted to talk, it might be good to know just how deeply he was attached to this small kingdom he owned. For it was a kingdom. Certainly larger than some European kingdoms.

  Again it crossed her mind, that she had no real idea why the US Corporation that had engaged her services through her company, wanted to purchase this remote cattle property. She determined to find out this very night with a few discretely placed calls later on. There were some unanswered questions about this whole deal. For example, what happened if something happened to Cooper. What happened to this vast property? Who were the beneficiaries?

  Rebecca leaned forward to rest her arms on the table.

  "Tell me about your home. About where you live. I'm interested to hear what would keep a man out in such a lonely place at such cost."

  "Well," he began "quite apart from the financial side of things, it is my home. Born and raised. My parents lived there. I was born there. Actually born there. A number of generations of my family have gone before me. It's a wild place. There are still nomadic aboriginals living there. Not many mind you, but we do see them from time to time, and the station workers know generally where they are at any one time and tend to avoid them if possible. Although usually it's the other way around. Most of the station workers are themselves aboriginal Australians. We have a few Europeans - white Australians if you like, in the workshops, and driving the trucks that bring the cattle in to the markets and other work." Cooper sat back and thought for a bit. Rebecca could see in his eyes he was now far away from her.

  "Yes, let me see. In the workshop, two tradesmen, a mechanic/engineer and a diesel fitter. A grader driver. We have a helicopter pilot. The head stockman is Darcy, he's a local aboriginal, as are all the stockmen. It was their place in the beginning. There's Old Bill the grader driver. He's an x-stockman. Been on the place since Adam was a boy. He's too old now for stock work, but he can still climb up into the cabin of the road grader."

  Cooper smiled at the memory of the old man. He had taken Cooper over most of the vast property during the course of the years as he kept service roads clear, and pushed new tracks into temporary stock yards for the trucks. Cooper had loved those days, before he had been sent away to boarding school to finish his higher education, then on to university.

  His father even by then had been very ill, and was almost incapable of running the vast property any longer. He has issued his instructions from the wide shady veranda of the homestead, and his staff - most of whom were his friends as well, saw that everything moved along smoothly.

  Cooper had spent every holiday at home, and often flew back home from the city of Toowoomba on weekends to be with his father. He had brought along friends of course, and now and then a young lady. But none had stayed. The girls from other cattle and sheep properties scattered across the vast country either went back to their own homes to take up running their family stations, or they shunned the bush forever. Cooper had never asked anyone to stay, and although he missed their company, he had not complained or bowed to the pressure to move into the cities. He didn't hate the cities. He just didn't feel comfortable in them. No horizons, and too many people.

  Cooper spoke softly as he recounted this patchwork of his life in the vast wilderness of the Australian 'outback'. Rebecca hadn't said a word, just sipped at her drink. She had raised a hand to the waiter and indicated fresh drinks as Cooper spoke. She could listen to him forever. She was jealous of his love for his home. If only he was able to love her as much as that. Rebecca sighed. No man could love two mistresses, no matter what they said, and his land was obviously his first love.

  Well, she had a job to do. The sooner she started now, the easier it would be on her, and on him. She had no doubt that he would eventually give in to the offers of the US Corporation she was representing. New World Holdings. What they held seemed to be very eclectic in Rebecca's ideas. Everything from waste management to air freight and a lot of things in between. There was even a small nuclear power plant in Europe in the mix somewhere. Big players with deep pockets. They did have cattle ranches, both in the US, and in Argentina, and Rebecca could only surmise that this vast property held by only one man seemed like easy picking for them. Hers not to reason why.

  This was going to be a tough mission. Cooper had refused to even speak with anyone but herself and only face to face. He had refused the entry of a legal team into the discussion, either his own, or hers. He would talk directly to Rebecca, as the representative of New World Holdings out of courtesy, and no one else.

  "Have you heard of New World Holdings before this offer was made via our law firm?" She asked out of the blue. Cooper snapped his jaw shut and his lips became a thin line. His eyes glittered. Rebecca had never seen this before. Not like this. His eyes literally glittered, with a light like the reflection from the core of a diamond in them. She involuntarily moved back from the table a little. The man radiated danger like a heat wave. Yet he hadn't moved a muscle, other than to stop talking, and really focus his attention on her. A long silence followed. Then he relaxed a little and said.

  "I prefer to not talk about this whole thing until you have seen Innamincka. We will fly out first thing in the morning if that's ok with you?" From the sound of his voice, Rebecca guessed that if she said no, then all talks were off, and her entire mission would be a failure. “But in answer
to your question, yes, I had heard of them.”

  Cooper visibly made the effort to relax. He reached for Rebecca's hand across the table. She almost drew it back in alarm. She hadn't got over the sudden change in him moments ago.

  "Please. I apologise. I can see that I have upset you. That's the last thing I want to do." The feel of her small hand in his huge palm softened him to the core. No physical reaction this time to her, just overwhelming tenderness. She was so fragile. He had never felt anyone to be as - yes, fragile - as this woman. Oh sure, he had no doubt she had a good business head on her and would take no prisoners in a court of law. However, he doubted if she could even stand up to a strong wind. Perhaps the bush was no place for her after all. Was he compounding the mistake already made? Was insisting she step right out of her comfort zone and into his a mistake? He was beginning to think that perhaps it was. And all because he could feel her softness in that tiny hand. Which he hadn't let go of yet.

  Rebecca looked from his face to her hand and back again. His eyes had softened again, and the little smile lines were back. His hand holding hers was huge. She could feel the muscles in it, tense but at rest. His long fingers were smooth and his nails short and clean. For a man who lived alone, he still knew how to care for himself. She had met ranchers in many countries, and those that still worked the land themselves seemed to delight in carrying it with them under their fingernails. Ugh! What was it about men without women in their lives?

  This man was an enigma to her. He was unlike any man she had ever met. Nothing at all like the men in her office back in London, or even New York. She let out a sigh.

  "Shall we call a truce then? I'm sorry I brought up business at this moment. I shall start respecting your customs as of now." Rebecca withdrew her hand slowly from his. Her skin was tingling as though a small electric current was coursing through her hand. It shook slightly as she lifted her drink to her lips, the ice tinkling against the glass.

  "Customs?" He questioned.

  "TGIF Cooper. Thank God It's Friday. No business after midday you said." She smiled as she watched his face.

  "Ah." Was all he said.

  "Is it permissible under these strange new customs to talk about personal things, between a man and a woman?" Rebecca asked with a slightly bantering tone to her voice.

  Chapter 3

  "Of course Rebecca. May I start in that case? I'd really like to know more about you."

  'Hmmm,' Rebecca thought 'was this a good idea?' She nodded and smiled.

  "What would you like to know that you don't already know?" She said.

  Cooper sat silently for a moment. He was not sure how to start now that he had made the opening gambit in this little game that he seemed to have started.

  "Well. Let's see. You already know why I'm not married. The tyranny of distance to borrow a phrase. What is your excuse?" He smiled broadly and took her free hand again to take any sting or impropriety out of his words. He held her hand by the fingers, up in the air slightly and seemed intent on studying them.

  Rebecca was speechless. Not because of the question, but because of the feeling that surged through her at the feel of her fingers in his warm hand. 'Oh my this was difficult' she thought.

  "I..." She started. "I was to be married once some years ago. He was killed in Afghanistan by an IED. We never even..." She choked on the words, tears suddenly flooding down her face. She jumped to her feet and rushed for the lady’s room. Cooper was half risen to his feet, staring after her. 'What have I done?' He worried. 'Stupid. What a stupid thing to ask a beautiful and sensitive woman. Too long in the bush with nothing but cattle and flies for company.' He sat back down and worried at his bottom lip. So she had been about to be married once. Not all fire and ice then. His question had really touched a nerve. So her intended had been a veteran. Cooper felt a little sad at her loss.

  He waited some minutes for her return, but she was not coming back it seemed. He signalled to the waiter to clear away the drinks and snack trays.

  He looked again toward the restrooms, and it was then he noticed the two heavy set men in dark suits, white shirts and dark ties, sitting silently in a far corner to the left of the entry to the lounge.

  He did a double take, and they both seemed to be very intent on studying their menus. Although even from here Cooper could tell one menu at least was upside down. There were some strange people about and that was a fact. He looked again for Rebecca. He couldn't very well go into the lady’s room looking for her, so he just settled in to wait. He waved the waiter away again. 'Ok, that hadn't gone at all well.' He thought to himself. 'Face it Cooper, you have no idea at all when it comes to high class women do you. She's... too nice to let slip through my fingers because I'm an unsophisticated country bumpkin.' He shook his head in disgust with himself.

  Rebecca meantime having fled to the rest room, had been dabbing cool water on her cheeks and eyes, and drying it off with tissue. Luckily she didn't wear much makeup, so she didn't have any repair work to do. Just to her pride. She couldn't believe what had happened. She thought she had got all the crying out of her system years ago. It seemed not. Something about Cooper and his attention, even his looks, had triggered emotions she had kept buried now for a long time.

  She couldn't imagine what Cooper must be thinking. Maybe he had left already. It had taken some time for the sobbing to stop, and the tears to stop flowing.

  Well it solved one problem anyway she thought. There was no way that gorgeous hunk of a man would ever take her as anything but a bawling, over emotional female now.

  Rebecca picked up her grip, and left the restroom. To her surprise Cooper was still there. She went directly to him, and without sitting down, suggested they go to the restaurant immediately. Dinner was a quiet affair. Neither of them willing to broach the subject that had set Rebecca's emotions into free-fall. They sipped their wine and made small talk, both avoiding even direct eye contact.

  Rebecca finally said to Cooper. "I will go with you to your property. Your cattle station, in the morning. What time do you wish to depart?"

  Cooper sighed. He was beginning to really regret the decision he had made to get her to look at where he lived. He should have simply said a flat 'No sale' and left it at that. He couldn't understand what it was that had prompted him in the first place. When Rebecca’s arrangements were being made to come to Australia, he had decided on the spur of the moment that he would at least have the pleasure of her company for a few days before he turned her clients down flat, assuming who ever she was would accept the invitation.

  Well, she was nothing like he had imagined. Indeed, she was stunningly attractive, sophisticated, well dressed, and looked to Cooper like she had just stepped out of the pages of Cosmo or some similar magazine. But a mistake was a mistake and he wouldn't agonise over it. She would never entertain the thought of him as anything other than a client now, after his crass behaviour of a short time ago.

  "Rebecca." Cooper looked at the table and swirled his red wine in his glass. He looked up again. "Perhaps you would rather not have to go all the way out there with me now after all?" He didn't smile, and his face had a far away look on it as he was picturing his home being no more than a house again when he got back there - alone again. He couldn't believe how much it was affecting him this time. "I'm sorry I've upset you. But there it is. We can conduct any business we have, right here in this hotel, which has an excellent business centre. Then you will be able to go directly back to the UK, or where ever your business takes you.”

  'Well, that's it then.' Thought Rebecca. 'I really blew it that time didn't I? Now he’s begging off the trip'

  "If that's what you think Cooper." Rebecca was disappointed. She found she had been looking forward to spending some time with Cooper after all, apart from business. But she had certainly messed that up. Crying and running off like a teenager.

  "We can meet tomorrow morning if you like, in the Business Suite. We can discuss what ever has to be discussed so that I can ta
ke the paper work back to the clients. I'm sorry I've ruined your plans." She grimaced slightly in disappointment, and pushed her chair back to stand up. A waiter was there immediately helping.

  Without further discussion she turned and left Cooper sitting at the dinner table. She kept a stiff back and head held high until she managed to exit the restaurant and approached the elevators. She was crest fallen, and couldn't believe how she had behaved so unprofessionally. It served her right. She should have taken charge of their meeting right there at the airport. She just hadn't expected Cooper to be so, so - so gorgeous. She felt herself flushing with emotion again as she thought of his rugged good looks.

  Rebecca stepped into the elevator and turned to face the doors just as two heavy set men pushed through them, forcing them to spring apart again. They stood in the small space, one either side of Rebecca. She was feeling a little intimidated by their size, one either side of her like that. They seemed vaguely familiar, and she wondered where she had seen them before.

  Was she hearing things? One of them had spoken to her. She was sure of it. With an unmistakable East European accent, the one on her left had said something to her.

  She looked to her left slightly, trying not to make eye contact.

  "I beg your pardon?" She said.

  "Not to beg pardon lady. You will push button to go to basement car park." He said.

  A chill ran down her spine. She was being mugged, and here in Australia, in one of it's finest hotels.

  She gasped out. "I will do no such thing. Who do you think you are? You have the wrong person."

  She realised immediately that it was a stupid thing to say. Obviously they thought they had the right person, but what did they want?

  "We have right person." The man said, hardly moving his face as he spoke. Instead of saying anything further he leant forward and pushed the basement button, the moment that the elevator stopped at her floor. The door opened and Rebecca made a dash for freedom. Or she tried. She found herself held either side in an iron grip on each upper arm. There was another couple waiting to get in the elevator, but they stepped back in alarm as the other man, on her right said brusquely.