Page 30 of Outback Heat
I get ready for work, pulling on the light blue scrubs with Bodella Surgery Community Nurse stitched across the breast, and tie my long brown hair up in a high bun. The heat will hit me the moment I step outside, and I don’t like the feeling of my hair sticking to my sweaty neck.
My coffee nearly burns my tongue as I gulp it down, barely registering the bitter taste as Ida rattles off all the latest news around town. I say goodbye to her and rush down the hallway, the sound of my sensible shoes echoing off the walls. I yank open the rickety screen door, allowing a burst of fresh air to flood the stuffy hall. My foot collides with a cardboard box, causing it to slide along the wooden boards of the porch.
I sweep my gaze over the quiet, empty street, the air tinged slightly red as a breeze blows dust in from the plains. Looking back down at the lonely package, I squint at the shipping label. It’s addressed to Matilda Weber. There aren’t too many people who know where I live currently, so my curiosity is piqued.
Squatting down, I rip off the tape and open the box with gusto. An explosion of packing peanuts billow out of the box and over Ida’s front garden, but I barely notice.
It’s a cowboy hat.
The tan coloured felt fabric is discoloured around the headband and the brim is fraying slightly. It’s not new, it’s more than worn in. I frown at the hat. It’s familiar and I wrack my brain to remember where I’ve seen it before.
Picking it up, I turn it over in my hands, searching for a clue of the strange gift.
Tucked within the hat is a card.
Matilda,
A little piece of me to keep close to you.
Mayhem
My heart swells, and I lick my lips to keep my emotions bottled. This is so thoughtful and unexpected. I don’t know much about outback living or cowboys, but Iknow every person has a hat that’s part of their persona. It’s a personal item which comes to mean a lot to its owner. For Murphy to send me his hat to wear, I know it’s a big deal.
Straightening up, I put my hair into a low ponytail and put on the hat. It’s big, the hat wobbles around on my head, and the gusting wind immediately tries to steal it from me. Digging into my bag, I pull out two bobby pins and secure it to my head. There’s no way I’m not wearing my Alpha’s hat.
As I drive the two hours down the long dirt road to my patient, I let myself feel giddy like a teenager whose crush gave them a present.
As the day progresses, I receive multiple compliments on my new hat. People I’ve never met or spoken to come to shake my hand while others stare with an odd expression I can’t place.
The sun is setting when I finally arrive back at Ida’s house. The smell of the desert fills my nostrils as I step out of the car and the cicadas rattle in the nearby scrub. I shoulder open the front door and head straight for the shower. Ida is out of the house for her weekly poker game at the rural fire brigade shed four doors down. She took me last week and cleaned me out. I declined her invitation, refusing to be hustled by the old Omega again.
The water is blissfully cool and I enjoy washing off the thin film of sweat and dust from my skin. There is a tan forming where my scrubs cut off at my upper arm and I scold myself for the umpteenth time for not reapplying sunscreen after my lunch break.
Wrapping a fluffy towel around my hair and my body, I pad back to my room. As I enter, I can hear the ringtone I’d assigned to Murphy at his insistence.
Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy by Big & Rich blares from my work bag.
My heartbeat quickens as I press the flashing green button to answer.
Fifteen
Murphy
“Didyougetmydelivery?” I ask the moment she answers the phone, beyond excited to hear her reaction to my gift.
“Uh-huh,” she hums in response. I can hear the smile through her sweet voice, and I can’t help grinning along with her. Just the sound of her voice makes me happy.
“I did. It was pleasantly unexpected but, if I have your hat, what are you wearing?”
I let my voice drop a few octaves, and growl, “Nothing right now, Spitfire.”
It’s a lie. I’m sitting on the bullbar of my car fully dressed and watching the rodeo set up for the night. The sight used to fill me with buzzing anticipation but it no longer gives me the same satisfaction. Instead, it’s the sweet Omega on the other end of the line that makes my blood pump.
I expect her to splutter and chastise me. Instead, she mimics my tone. “Good. I’m not wearing a stitch of clothing either.”
I pull the phone away from my ear and stuff my fist into my mouth and groan. I was joking around but, fuck me if she isn’t telling the truth. She’s naked on the other end of the phone line. My cock stiffens in my jeans and I slip off the hood of the car so I can adjust myself.
I press the phone back to my ear in time to hear her giggling.
