Blackpeak Vines

by Holly Ford

  Reluctantly, Ella removed her arms from Rob’s waist and slid back in the seat, feeling suddenly cold as the breeze found the space between them.

  ‘It’s easier if you get off first,’ Rob reminded her, gently.

  ‘Sorry.’ Idiot, she told herself, glad that at least he couldn’t see her face as she braced herself against his shoulders. Achingly conscious of every brush of her body against his, she brought her leg back across the seat and clambered awkwardly to the ground.

  ‘It’s beautiful here.’ Behind the remnants of fence, beech forest rose two hundred metres or more to the snow-line, now mostly bare rock, but dusted white here and there by the previous week’s bad weather. Ella turned to look over the valley they’d left below.

  ‘Yeah.’ Rob’s voice was flat.

  ‘I guess it’s beautiful everywhere you go.’ Turning back, she smiled at him.

  ‘Yeah,’ he gave the valley a hard stare, ‘it is.’

  She felt herself starting to blush. ‘You probably get sick of people going on about it.’

  ‘No.’ Rob frowned at the tussock below his feet. ‘No, that’s not it. It’s just — well, it’s hard to think of living anywhere else, that’s all.’

  ‘Why would you—’ Ella stopped.

  ‘Your friend Luke called this morning.’ Rob looked away.

  Ella’s stomach flipped. So Luke had decided he couldn’t live without Charlotte after all? She was surprised at how betrayed she felt; it wasn’t as though he’d promised to leave Charlotte alone. She forced her mind back to the more important question at hand.

  ‘What happened?’

  ‘I passed her the phone.’ Rob sighed. ‘Apparently that was wrong.’

  ‘So she actually spoke to Luke?’

  ‘She hung up.’

  Ella was silent.

  ‘I thought—’ Breaking off, he stared at the valley some more. ‘I thought I was happy the way things were. I thought it was enough. But it’s not.’

  Oh, how she hated to see him hurting this way. Ella fought the urge to put her arms back around him.

  ‘Any fool,’ he continued bitterly, ‘can see that Charlie isn’t over that guy.’

  What could she say? Remembering the look on Charlotte’s face the first time she’d seen Luke, it was hard to argue.

  ‘What are you going to do?’ she asked him, as gently as she could.

  ‘I don’t want Charlie to settle for anything,’ he said. ‘Even me.’

  ‘You should talk to her.’

  ‘I’ve tried.’ Turning to the bike, Rob began untying the load on its back tray. ‘Those sorts of conversations with Charlie don’t tend to turn out well.’ He sighed. ‘As you saw.’

  Ella watched in awe as, with a shrug of his shoulders, he went back to being his usual unflappable self.

  ‘Anyway,’ he said, ‘you didn’t come up here to listen to my problems. I should get to work. I told Hannah we’d be back for lunch.’ Rob smiled. ‘You’re invited, by the way.’

  They both looked around as the noise of a helicopter echoed in the distance.

  ‘That’ll be Mum,’ said Ella, sighting the chopper below Black Peak.

  ‘Carr’s taken her up today?’ Rob sounded surprised.

  ‘No. She’s with’ — Ella cast her mind back for the name — ‘Lakeview Helicopters.’

  ‘Oh.’ Rob watched the chopper disappear through a gap in the hills. ‘Well, Baz is a good pilot.’

  Extracting a sledgehammer from the quad bike’s tray, he walked over to the fenceline and, as Ella hurried to get her camera out, began to drive the first waratah into the ground.

  By the time Rob had finished replacing the broken timber strainers with iron, the fence looked a good deal straighter, if less picturesque. As he tightened the last strand of barbed-wire, huge spots of rain began to darken the old bleached posts. Hurriedly, Ella stowed her camera gear back on the bike.

  ‘Looks like we’re in for a shower.’ Slinging his gear on the bike’s lightened tray, Rob rummaged in the front box and pulled out a musty oilskin. ‘Here.’

  ‘What about you?’

  ‘I’ll be okay.’ He hooked his shirt away from his chest. ‘I could do with some cooling down anyway.’

  The rain was getting harder. With a dubious look at it, Ella struggled into the oilskin — it was at least three sizes too big and weighed a ton. A second later, she was glad she had, as the sky opened up and the rain drove in with sudden fury. She fought with the zip as the wind arrived and the rain turned horizontal.

  ‘This’ll be through in a minute,’ Rob yelled. ‘Come on.’ Taking her arm, he turned her towards the hut. ‘Let’s make a run for it. We’ll wait it out inside.’

  They sprinted through the tussock. As Rob slid open the bolt on the door of the hut, the wind nearly tore it out of his hand. Ella, following him inside, struggled to push the door shut. Hurriedly, Rob added the weight of his shoulder.

  ‘Got it.’ He rammed the inner bolt home.

  Together, they leaned back against the door. The noise of the rain on the tin was deafening.

  ‘It’s not much,’ Rob said, surveying the dark and creaking space inside, ‘but it’ll keep the rain off.’ He eyed a small cascade coming down from the roof. ‘Most of it, anyway.’

  Ella looked down at the puddle forming on the dirt floor beneath her oilskin. Lifting her chin, she fumbled to undo the heavy collar.

  ‘The zip’s caught. Here.’ Standing in front of her, Rob worked it free. Ella’s breath caught as he brought the zip down to her waist. Feeling his hands linger there, her gaze travelled slowly up the sodden shirt clinging to his chest. She watched a bead of rain trickle down the taut muscles of his neck to collect in the hollow of his throat. Ella had never wanted to touch anything so badly. She looked up into Rob’s face. The blue eyes gazed down at her, raindrops on their lashes. As the expression in them began to change, Ella felt her lips part. She lifted her face to his.

  ‘I’m so sorry.’ Releasing her coat, Rob took a step back. ‘I … I should never have … I didn’t mean …’

  Oh, God. Ella leaned her head back against the door. ‘I am such an idiot,’ she groaned, out loud.

  ‘No.’ Having retreated to a safe distance, Rob held up his hands. ‘You’re not. You’re beautiful, and you’re sweet, and I like you …’ He exhaled a long breath. ‘More than I should.’

  Unable to look at him anymore, Ella closed her eyes.

  ‘In another life …’ He ground to a halt.

  A life without Charlotte. And Blackpeak Station.

  ‘But you want this life,’ she finished for him, opening her eyes again. ‘Here.’

  ‘It might be over,’ he said softly, ‘but that doesn’t mean I’ll stop loving Charlie. Not for a long time. Not ever, I don’t think.’ It was his turn to look away. ‘The thing is … well, ever since the first time I saw her, there’s been no one else for me.’

  Ella rubbed her hand across her eyes. ‘You have to talk to her,’ she said. ‘Before you do anything.’

  He searched her face. ‘Ella, I’m sorry. I wish things were different. I really do.’ He pushed his hands through his wet hair. ‘It would be so much easier if they were.’

  Ah, yes. Easy-option Ella, the girl guaranteed not to make you lose sleep.

  She summoned a smile. ‘Can we forget that happened? Please? Let’s say we just walked in the door, and then—’ She fought to clear her arms of the oilskin.

  Re-crossing the hut, Rob lifted the coat from her shoulders and hung it beside the door. ‘It’s forgotten.’ He returned her smile.

  In the silence that followed, Ella noticed that the sound of the rain outside had eased.

  ‘Would it be too awful,’ Rob asked, ‘if I did remember it once or twice, though? Just quietly, to myself, when I’m old and alone.’

  ‘Can I look like Scarlet Johanssen?’

  ‘If you insist.’ He sighed. ‘But I’d rather you looked like you.’

  They both listened.
In the distance, they could hear the helicopter again.

  ‘The rain’s stopped,’ Ella said.

  ‘Let’s get going.’ Rob picked up the coat again. ‘Do you want to put this back on?’

  Ella shot him a look.

  ‘Right.’ He slung the oilskin over his arm. ‘There might be some more rain on the way, that’s all.’

  ‘I’ll take my chances.’

  With the bulk of the waratahs gone, it was a lot easier to climb onto the bike behind him. Tentatively, Ella put her hands on Rob’s hips.

  ‘Hold tight,’ he said. ‘I won’t bite, I promise.’

  Ella sighed and increased her grip. She wished he’d put the bloody oilskin on. His shirt was so wet he might as well be naked. Sure enough, the first turn plastered her against his broad back.

  ‘Sorry,’ she muttered, mortified, into his ear. Now her shirt was drenched, too.

  ‘Don’t worry about it. Just hold on.’ Glancing back at her, he grinned. ‘This is another one for the retirement home.’

  To her own surprise, Ella felt herself start to relax. For all that they might as well be taking a shower together, the tension between them was easing now that it — now that she — was out in the open. Now that he knew exactly how much she’d like to … As the quad bike went over another bump, Ella rested her forehead briefly against Rob’s shoulder. She’d never touch him this way again. But it was a long way down, so she may as well enjoy the ride.

  By the time they reached the final gate, the wind had pretty much dried them off. Lightening her hold on Rob’s waist, Ella eased herself away. That’s it, she told herself, struggling not to feel too sad. This is over. Not, of course, that it had ever begun.

  ‘You want to drive the rest of the way?’ Rob finished fastening the gate behind them.

  ‘Can I?’ Ella’s eyes lit up. ‘Is it safe?’

  Reversing, he swung the bike onto the track. ‘Here? Sure. I’ll be right behind you.’

  Ella felt her spirits lift as, Rob’s guiding hands over hers, she opened up the throttle and the bike flew back towards the homestead. This was fun. Easing to a halt in the drive, she saw Carr’s ute parked beside the Land Rover.

  Rob switched the ignition off. ‘Are you coming in for lunch?’ Without touching her at all, he swung off the bike. ‘Carr’s here.’

  Ella dismounted less gracefully. ‘I think I’ll get going. Thanks.’

  ‘Any time.’

  Ugh, did he have to be so nice? It just made it worse.

  Opening up the front box, he passed her the camera bag. She fumbled for Lizzie’s keys.

  ‘Ella!’ As she put her hand to the Land Rover’s door, Hannah hurried out from the kitchen. ‘You’d better come in.’

  ‘What is it?’

  Hannah hesitated. ‘It’s your mum.’

  Ella went cold. ‘What about her?’

  ‘She’s … well, she’s had a spot of bother.’ Hannah glanced back over her shoulder. ‘Come on — come inside.’

  In Blackpeak’s kitchen, Carr was interrogating a young guy in overalls while Charlotte and Jen looked on.

  ‘So what? You just left her there?’ he demanded, furiously.

  ‘Left her?’ Ella stared at them. ‘Lizzie? Left her where?’

  ‘You’re Lizzie’s daughter?’ the young guy asked, looking scared. ‘She said you were here. I’m Hayden. I came to find you.’

  Through the window behind him, Ella saw the Lakeview helicopter parked on the lawn. ‘Where’s Lizzie?’ she asked him, again.

  Hayden squirmed. ‘She’s up at the Opal Lakes.’

  Shaking her head to clear her confusion, Ella waited for more.

  ‘She made me drop her off,’ he said miserably. Carr turned away in disgust. ‘I can’t get back in there.’

  Carr turned back. ‘You should never have taken her up there today.’

  ‘She wouldn’t take no for an answer.’

  ‘Jesus. What are you even doing flying a job like this — why didn’t Baz take it?’

  Hayden looked away. ‘Dad’s gone to Noumea for a fortnight.’

  ‘For fuck’s sake, Hayden, what were you thinking?’

  ‘I didn’t want to lose the work,’ Hayden pleaded, as Carr started to pace the floor.

  ‘And you never saw the cloud coming? Why did you take so long to get back?’

  ‘She wanted an hour up there.’

  ‘An hour?’

  ‘We’d been flying around all morning. I thought she just wanted to go up to the lakes, but she didn’t, she wanted to go all over the place.’ Hayden looked sideways at Carr. ‘She was talking about the Main Divide.’

  ‘Today? Jesus Christ.’

  ‘I thought while she was up at the lakes, I’d head back to base and fuel up. You know, in case it came in bad and we got stuck on the coast.’

  ‘You went home?’ Carr stared at Hayden in disbelief. ‘What is this, fucking amateur hour?’

  Hayden turned to Ella. ‘Look, I’m really sorry. I don’t know what else to say.’

  Ella felt almost sorry for him. ‘Well, it’s okay, isn’t it? The cloud will lift in a bit and you’ll go back for her then.’ She looked around the kitchen.

  ‘The thing is,’ Charlotte said gently, ‘the forecast’s not great for this afternoon.’

  Ella stared at her. ‘How not great?’

  Charlotte looked away.

  ‘She’ll be okay,’ said Hayden, hastily. ‘There’s a hut just over the other side of the ridge.’

  ‘Does she know that?’ Carr glared. ‘Which way did you come in?’

  ‘The other way,’ Hayden admitted.

  ‘And what was the last thing you told her to do?’

  Hayden hung his head. ‘Stay in the basin.’

  There was a silence.

  ‘She’s got her phone,’ Ella pointed out.

  Charlotte shot her a pitying look. ‘There won’t be any signal.’

  ‘What was she wearing?’ demanded Carr.

  ‘I think … well, I’m pretty sure she had a jacket.’

  ‘How cold will it get up there?’ Ella shook herself out of her daze.

  The others exchanged a look. No one answered.

  ‘How high is it?’ she demanded.

  There was another silence.

  ‘Thirteen hundred metres,’ said Carr, at last.

  ‘Jesus.’ Ella looked around the room. ‘She could die up there if we don’t get her down, couldn’t she?’

  ‘Let’s not panic yet.’ Carr met her gaze. ‘Lizzie’s a smart woman.’

  ‘But she doesn’t have anything, does she?’ Ella felt as though she was speaking out of a nightmare — surely soon she’d wake up? ‘No food, no shelter, no sleeping bag … is there anything up there at all?’

  ‘There’s plenty of water,’ Hayden put in.

  He took a step backwards as Ella turned her gaze on him.

  ‘It’ll be okay,’ said Hannah, hurriedly. ‘Everything will be fine, you’ll see.’ She put her arm around Ella. ‘I’m sure Lizzie’s clever enough to find the hut.’

  Ella brightened. ‘Yes. She just has to follow the track.’ She looked expectantly at Carr. ‘Right?’

  ‘Sure.’ He nodded. ‘Look, I’m going to head out. Mountain Rescue are paging me.’

  ‘What should I do?’ Ella looked around again. ‘I need to do something.’

  ‘The best thing you can do,’ Carr told her firmly, ‘is get home as fast as you can and stay put. If anything happens, that’s the number they’ll call.’

  ‘Right.’ She nodded. Orders were good.

  ‘You want me to come with you?’ Hannah offered.

  Ella hesitated. Lunch, she noticed for the first time, was ready on the table. ‘No, it’s okay. I’ll be fine.’

  ‘Are you sure you don’t want someone to wait with you?’ asked Charlotte. ‘I can come.’

  Oh, God — that was the last thing she needed. ‘Really,’ she said, ‘I’ll be fine. I think I’d rather be alone.’
/>
  Outside, Carr opened the Land Rover’s door. ‘You okay to drive?’

  Ella climbed in. ‘I’m fine. I promise.’ Hand on the armrest, she looked back at him. ‘There’s no track to the hut, is there?’

  He gave a brief shake of his head. ‘It’s a rock traverse. Unmarked.’

  ‘Right.’ She took a deep breath.

  Carr looked into her eyes. ‘She’ll be okay.’

  Feeling numb, Ella followed Carr’s Hilux out to the road. She saw him look for her in his rear-vision mirror after the ford. Then, hitting tarmac, he was gone, leaving her to pick her way home around the still unfamiliar corners.

  Chapter THIRTEEN

  Hayden would be back any moment, Lizzie told herself, watching the minutes tick by. Dammit. She would have had time to check out the other side of the lake after all. There! Was that him now? As she listened, the sound of the rotor — if that’s what it had been — faded away again. Lizzie looked up at the almost clear sky. She had to stay put. He’d be there soon.

  Really soon, she added, half an hour later.

  Okay. He was an hour late now. Something, clearly, had gone wrong. It crossed her mind that the helicopter had crashed. That Hayden was dead. Or lying horribly injured beside a wreck somewhere. If he were, it would be all her fault. What had possessed her to force him to fly outside his comfort zone? Lizzie pulled herself together. Come on, she hadn’t held a gun to his head. Just a cheque book. God, if she ever got down from here, she was really going to have to readdress her management style.

  Hayden hadn’t crashed. Of course not. She was being ridiculous. It was probably just some problem with the helicopter or something. Like, it had crashed … Oh, for God’s sake, she ordered herself, stop being such a drama queen.

  Feeling a cold draft on the back of her neck, Lizzie shivered. She looked over her shoulder. Oh, that couldn’t be good: the fluffy white finger of cloud above the top of the basin had become a heavy grey mass. As she watched, it rolled north across the sky, blotting out the sun. Instantly, the temperature plummeted.

  Lizzie pulled her jacket on and buried her hands in her pockets. Hayden couldn’t get back. That was the truth. She sank her head against her knees. This was bad. Very bad indeed. Oh, poor Ella: she would be coming to pick her up in a couple of hours, and — well, it didn’t bear thinking about. Raising her head again, Lizzie looked around the basin. Jesus. She couldn’t be here by herself for — for — how long? It was impossible. No one could stay here. Had they, ever? Of course not; you’d have to be insane. She bit her lip. Or really, really stupid.