Page 84 of Stockman's Stormcloud

When she came out of the bathroom resembling a human being again, she found Dex, all long and lean, lying across her bed, patting her cat. Her belly did flips because her fantasy was real.

‘Wow. I’ve only seen you in your nurse uniform, but this…’ He got up, patting his hand over his heart, with his eyes slowly taking her in with pure admiration.

Who was this man? Certainly not the grouch who’d argue with his brothers.

His intense attention made her smile, the kind of smile that grew from the inside, sending a warm glow to spread across her skin. How did he do that? She’d never reacted like this to anyone.

‘Sorry, cat, you’re staying put.’ He shifted Mr Purrington, who seemed satisfied to paw at the doona and nestle down to sleep where Dex had just been.

‘Let’s go.’ Dex opened the door and held out his elbow,

It had her giggling and skipping on her toes, holding onto his elbow like the first time they’d strolled the hospital corridors together. Only this time it was to the staff car park, and she wasn’t on shift or in her uniform, and Dex wasn’t dragging an oxygen canister with him, as he led her to a large truck.

She craned her neck back at the sheer size of the metallic beast. ‘This is my first time riding in a truck.’ It sounded so silly.

‘Well, I like playing with virgins.’ Dex winked at her as he opened the door of a whopping big semi. Dex even held his hand out like a gentleman to help her climb in. ‘It’s not just a truck, Soph, this is a road train.’

‘That you’re driving around like a car?’ The tyres had to be bigger than her car.

‘I like big toys. Get in, I’m hungry.’

She couldn’t hide her smile and was so glad she’d wornjeans as she climbed into the truck’s cab. ‘This view is brilliant.’

‘Not scared of heights, then?’ He drove it so effortlessly, commanding this massive metallic beast onto the road.

‘Nope.’ She sat high in the cab as Dex steered them past the hospital, making a quick trip down Elsie Creek’s main street. The shops lined up on the right, with the pub towering over the town on the corner, where Dex turned left at the main intersection that didn’t even need traffic lights.

The empty trailer on the back rattled as they crossed the railway line. They turned left to cross the cattle grid and entered the train station. Past the passenger terminal with its lush, trimmed lawn and playground that held a vintage train, then through to a massive area of railed yards and ramps just like the station’s drafting yards.

‘This should be far enough away from the cattle smell,’ he said, as the truck hissed to a stop.

Through the lens of her camera, she took in the sharp contrast of the metallic rails that made up the empty cattle yards and the long railway line that disappeared on the horizon where the sun was setting. The show was about to begin, and she had front row seats.

‘Is there any way to clean the windscreen?’ It was bug splattered, with an arch of dust along the edges where the windscreen wipers had pushed it aside.

‘I’ll do you one better.’ Dex pulled out a cooler from the back bunk. ‘Come on. This way.’ His fingers beckoned to her.

‘Over your seat?’

‘It’s a tough seat. I’m sure it can take it.’

She adored this playful side of Dex, it had her grinning as she crawled over the driver’s seat. Out the driver’s door, she found Dex standing on a metal ladder that made up part of the back trailer. ‘Up we go.’

‘No way.’ The trailer seemed so much taller than the truck’s cab.

‘You said you’re not scared of heights.’

‘I’m not.’ Sophie slid her camera strap over her neck. ‘Areyou right to climb—’

‘I’m already up, Sophie.’ He leaned down, holding out his hand. ‘Your turn.’

‘I’m coming.’ The ladder’s small rails were cold under her hands as she climbed to the top of the trailer, where Dex helped her up to the roof. ‘I feel like I’m on top of the world.’ It was an amazing view of the stockyards, with the tiny outback town of Elsie Creek partially hidden behind a row of large gum trees.

But stretched out before them was an uninterrupted view of the outback that disappeared on the horizon where that great big ball of fire slowly descended, colouring the sky in a vast display of orange and reds to clash with the blues and mauves of the fast-approaching night.

They sat on the top boards that formed a central strip of the roof over the cattle trailer to watch the show, Sophie taking photos as Dex spread out paper bags of food like an impromptu picnic.

‘If I’d thought about it, I would’ve picked up a bottle of wine for you.’

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