Page 46 of Stockman's Stormcloud

‘Anywhere is fine. Charlie won’t mind.’

She put the pile of paperwork, some photo albums, and old newspapers on the table. ‘This is cool. Look at the old photos. And these old charts.’

‘Can I see that?’ Dex stood beside her to check out the map.

‘Is that the station?’

‘It is. It’s an old bore runner’s map. And a good one at that.’

‘Awhat?’

‘On a station this size they’d employ someone to just drive from bore to bore, while checking on the boundary fences, the troughs, and other watering holes, or dams, like this one.’ He tapped on the map. ‘This is Starvation Dam.’

Did the dam work with a name like that? ‘What are those little marks?’

‘Hmm… Good question.’ He paused, angling his head, standing so close to her she could see the individual lashes and the many colours that made up his dark eyes. They weren’t brown, they were a rich roasted hazelnut set in dark chocolate. Her favourite chocolate combination.

She leaned in closer, drawn to him.

‘Sophie, how are your off-road driving skills?’

‘Why?’ she barely whispered, as his manly scent wove its way around her like a spell, whispering promises of protection and unspoken passion.

Until Dex stepped back from her, snapping the map into a roll. ‘Well, I doubt you’ll let me drive that fancy SUV the hospital gave you, that has decent enough suspension to not hurt my ribs.’ He grabbed his new oxygen trolley and gave it a nod of approval.

‘It’s a company car.’

‘If anyone asks, I’ll just tell them you’re helping me, playing nurse. I’m a stockman who’s good at keeping secrets.’

‘That’s the first time you’ve called yourself a stockman.’

‘It’s what I do, sweetheart.’ He slid on his black, wide-brimmed hat and his sinful eyes shone beneath the brim.

Holy moly, he was the stuff of cowboy fantasies women dreamed about, making her heart hammer.

‘I can show you some really cool places to take some photos.’

‘Don’t tease me.’ Which he did just by breathing.

‘I’m up for an adventure. How about you?’ He held out his elbow, just like they’d done walking the hospital’s halls together like some old-fashioned courting ritual. But with Dex, it could be anything.

Sixteen

‘This country is gorgeous!’ Sophie was ecstatic as she zoomed her camera in on the tips of the tall slender grasses, taller than the work vehicle, to take a photo of teeny tiny zebra finches balancing on the cluster of seed heads.Click.

She couldn’t stop taking photo after photo. The way the grasses shimmered under the slight breeze like ripples on a pond, beneath an enormous blue sky, free from any cloud formations. The escarpment’s vibrant reds shifted to deep mauves in the shade, never getting closer as they drove, not even ten minutes past the sheds to this small pocket of paradise.

Even if Dex knew how to manipulate her desires, teasing her with her passion for photography, she really had no choice but to drive him down a dirt track. There’s no way her beaten-up old sedan would get her out here, even if it was a good spot for stealth camping.

But now, standing on the SUV’s roof rack, they were parked in the middle of a field of grasses taller than the arm-reach of a professional basketball player. It was so thick in areas they created a solid wall of impenetrable grass.

Her finger couldn’t click fast enough, with her smile so wide her cheeks ached. She was living her dream, right here, right now.

‘Do I need to use this stupid mask?’ Below her, Dex wrestled with the tubes from the oxygen bottle on his new cart.

‘I’ve got something for that.’ She scooted down the ladder. ‘I was supposed to give it to you earlier, but I got so excited I forgot.’ She rummaged through the medical bags in the back of the car. ‘I have this nasal cannula. It’ll deliver extra oxygen through a tube and into your nose. But I will only let you use this if you keep up your breathing exercises—’

‘I’m not a child, Sophie.’ Dex adjusted the tubing, hooking it over his ears and nose, then slid his hat back on. ‘You can dump this.’ He shoved the mask into her hand. ‘I had a bet I’d get rid of that mask soon. Looks like I won.’

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