Her Outback Home Read online

  ‘I’ve checked into cabin three. We booked an en suite and there isn’t one.’

  Hannah drew in a large breath and planted a smile to her face while counting to three in her head. Drawing out the moment she glanced at the diary entry.

  ‘Mr Singh, we’re very happy to have you here and welcome to Boondaburra Bush Resort. You’ve booked one of our quality cabins that does have an en suite. Some of the cabins in the park do not have a bathroom, but I assure you, yours does. If you exit the screen door and go to the left, there is an additional building attached to the cabin. It looks like a water tank, I guess, with the corrugated iron walls and steel door. If you enter, you’ll find your en suite equipped with a toilet, basin and shower. I trust that will be suitable for you.’

  The man grasped his hands together and placed them on the counter. ‘So, to clarify, the en suite is actually located outside of the cabin?’

  ‘Yes, that’s correct,’ Hannah said, and she maintained eye contact and didn’t let the corners of her lips drop.

  ‘Right,’ he said and repeated it, ‘right,’ nodded and exited the shop.

  From out the back, Davey started a rendition of I’m in Chains…and was wildly off-key.

  Her father looked at her and raised his eyebrows. No point bitching about the exchange. It was her job to ensure guests enjoyed their stay and it was the best it could be. She did wonder though, why people didn’t read the brochure or check out the internet accommodation options when they booked. It was pretty self-explanatory. She knew – she’d written the bloody thing.

  ‘You go and have a cuppa, I’ll cover out here,’ she said to her father and moved away to sit at the computer and check out the weather forecast for the coming week.

  CHAPTER 3

  Jackson swatted at the fly that buzzed in his ears. He strode over and shut the flimsy screen door. Note to self: keep door shut if you do not want to be inundated with bugs.

  His hand came away dirty from touching the doorknob. Gross. He ran his pointer finger along the make-shift timber shelf, and it was dusty. Splotches of grass and dirt were scattered across the lino floor. It was fair to say nothing was sparkling and clean about this place. But hey, they were in the country. Almost eight hours from Brisbane, in fact. And he wasn’t outside in the bush yet. He was indoors in the best available cabin on offer with the en suite.

  He could hear his team outside moving between their cabins, and their grumblings. Not really fair but he hadn’t warned them. What was the point? They still had to come; they all did. And it would be worth it.

  Jackson was sure the brochure advertising the resort had used the term ‘glamping’. This wasn’t his definition of glamping. The cabin was a canvas tent with a floor and enclosed sides. And it was true, the shower was private. You just had to battle the bugs and leave the safety of your cabin to use the toilet. He was pretty sure the pamphlet hadn’t mentioned that. It seemed like camping, but what would he know? He’d never camped.

  Jackson didn’t care. It would do. They had a job to do and not for the first time since they’d arrived, a bolt of excitement raced through him. This place had loads of potential. And he couldn’t wait to get started. He left his bag where he’d thrown it and went out to join the others.

  ‘Jackson, have you seen the bathroom?’ Monroe asked with her lips pouted.

  ‘Yes, and it’s functional. Would you prefer to be staying in the cabin without the en suite?’ And he pointed in the near distance. ‘See over there. That’s the communal bathroom that the campers use. If you’d prefer you can shower there. Did you remember your rubber thongs?’ He smiled, teasing.

  ‘Urgh,’ was her only response. He might have detected a slight shiver from Janessa who stood next to Monroe.

  ‘Hey, what’s that dude over there doing?’ Hudson asked.

  They turned their heads back in the direction of the toilet block. The building sat next to an open, covered concrete area housing picnic tables and what looked like barbecues and cooking equipment. In the middle of the space, a man danced. Fast, jerky moves to music they couldn’t hear. A few of his vocals drifted up to them.

  A small crowd of three or four young men had gathered around the dancer.

  ‘Weird,’ Hudson commented.

  Jackson recognised the guy from reception. It was obvious he had Down Syndrome and enjoyed singing; he’d been singing in the shop too. Jackson was reminded of his younger brother, Samuel who had Asperger’s. Sam mightn’t look different even though often his intense glare and serious demeanour didn’t always serve him well. But if anyone dare pick on his brother, well, it was one of the only times Jackson fired up. A similar feeling came over him now and his fists clenched. The dancing man’s wavering voice and small shuffling steps backward made him suspect that his spectators weren’t being kind.

  ‘Hey. It’s pretty obvious he’s Down Syndrome, so give him a break, okay?’

  Jackson marched down the small incline. Yeah, he was right. Snide comments were being flung around and the guy had stopped performing and stood still, his head slightly bent.

  ‘I really love that song you were singing. Do you know any others?’

  The young man smiled up at him with such gratitude, Jackson’s heart juddered. After offering a reassuring smile in return, he turned to the spectators. ‘And if it was the case, and I’m sure it’s not, that any of you were teasing this young man about his singing, I might have to break some knuckles and have you thrown out of the park.’

  The boys, no more than fifteen, scuttered in each direction.

  ‘And don’t do it again!’ he shouted after them.

  Jackson placed his hand on the young man’s shoulder, ‘I wouldn’t have broken their knuckles, but it was fun saying it. I’m sorry they were mean to you. Are you okay?’

  ‘Oh, yeah. Okay. Thank you for helping me. My name is Davey.’

  ‘Hi Davey. I’m Jackson.’

  ‘Hi Jackson. Thank you, Jackson.’

  He gave a wave and walked back to his workmates who’d moved under the shade of a tree. They exchanged glances but didn’t comment. ‘Only task for today is to set up our workspace. We’ll convene in Roger’s tent as he has most of the gear. Plus, there’s happy hour back at the reception bar area later, that’ll be a great chance to meet the owners and learn more about this place.’

  His team nodded.

  ‘What time does that kick off?’ Roger asked. ‘And I’m assuming there’s no need for us to dress up?’ He offered a twisted smile.

  ‘Pretty sure it’s four pm for drinks followed by an information session. And I’m guessing that we’ll be the most overdressed there. Maybe we can wear our runners.’ The group laughed, but Jackson meant it. They stood out like sore thumbs. Their objective wasn’t a secret, but they could probably fit in better.

  He pulled out one of the camping chairs he’d brought and set up under the shade of a nearby tree and nursed his laptop on his knees. Sweat dripped down his back and moisture gathered under his arms. And this was winter in the bush. Imagine summer! He didn’t say any of this out loud, didn’t want to be a whinger like the others in his team.

  But he did understand from his research that the summer months were a time when few people visited this far inland because of the heat. He might have read the Gorge walk was closed then. Surely not? It was the only attraction for miles. He made a note to look that up later.

  Jackson paused from scrolling through his emails and took in his surrounds. It wasn’t hard to imagine himself sitting in a recliner beside a lagoon-style swimming pool right in the middle of that common area with palm trees and slides. That would attract visitors all year round. You can’t have a successful resort running at low capacity at any time, it didn’t make economic sense. It was implausible really, a business couldn’t only run for a few months, could it? All answers he had to find out.

  As he dreamed of the potential of the park, the woman he’d spotted at the creek earlier walked across the open green space, movin
g around a couple of kangaroos and into the covered common area. She placed her hand on the guy who was still wildly dancing, and he stopped.

  Jackson muttered under his breath, stood too quickly and almost upended his computer. He recognised her. A fizzle of something zipped through him. What was she doing here? Was this fate? His mother would draw that conclusion, he was sure. After returning to the bar last night, the woman had vanished. His disappointment at the time was palpable and now she was here.

  It appeared as if she knew the Downs guy. He offered her a puffy-cheeked and gummy grin, and she smiled warmly in return. He performed an exaggerated dance move for her, and she doubled over at the waist, laughing.

  Last night, she’d had bare shoulders and wore a mid-drift that showed off her tummy, and her curly hair had flowed down her back. Now she was dressed for the middle of summer in shorts and a tee with her hair held in a high ponytail. While not tall, she was slim and toned with tanned arms and legs but appeared strong and held herself with confidence, as if she could do anything, get herself out of any scrape. Was she a local? Was it possible she worked here? It sure appeared as if she fitted in.

  She watched the young man as he walked away from her. From this distance Jackson could just make out the broad smile that spread across her face; a smile filled with affection and delight. They knew and loved each other.

  ‘Jackson, can you come and check this out?’ Roger sang out from indoors.

  He glanced at the woman one last time before resuming work.

  Hannah hauled the bucket of cleaning products onto the picnic table and checked the contents. Occasionally, her father would sneak in some chemical-fuelled product that worked faster but killed the environment around them. He should know better, but he was lazy. Today all was well, only the usual, eco-friendly cleaning products were present.

  The lunch rush was over, and Hannah wanted to give the outdoor kitchen and tables a wipe. The guests were fantastic at cleaning up after themselves, as was expected, there wasn’t a trio of cleaners behind the scenes at the resort, but she always checked just in case. Today the kitchen looked tidy.

  Two British backpackers were washing up their dishes in the sink. ‘Oi, get a load of that lot. Pretty swish. New people in camp. Always makes it more exciting at happy hour, particularly when they look as hot as that.’

  The girls laughed.

  Hannah glanced up the small rise toward the cabins on the hill, where the backpackers were enjoying the view of the new group to camp, Infinity Developments. Two of the blokes gathered outside cabin three while the others lugged what looked like office equipment. That was weird. Why would anyone need a mobile office out here in the Gorge? Plus, the internet was shite. Getting a signal was almost impossible.

  She squeezed the excess water out of her sponge, and stood watching at the basin sink. There was one camping-style table with a camp chair outside, barely catching the shade of the tree. Lucky it wasn’t the rainy season, and even more lucky, in winter it was cool enough to be outdoors.

  What on earth were they doing? Discomfort spiralled through her stomach but Hannah couldn’t work out if that was from her confusion at what they were up to, or her brief encounter with the guy last night. She still wondered what his hot kisses trailing down her throat would have felt like. Hannah shook off the thought. Either way, something wasn’t right. Her instincts went on high alert and usually they were spot on. Nothing about this fancy group gave her the impression they were planning a gorge hike. None of that bothered the British girls who were scheming a walk past the group on the way to the lookout. She could hardly criticise.

  Hannah watched pub guy move into the cabin. Who was he? He was still dressed in his clean city-gear. She couldn’t watch him without wishing he’d simply disappear so they could avoid any awkward moments that would surely follow. She sure as hell wasn’t going to hook up with him out here, at her home. He might be on holiday, but she wasn’t.

  He left the cabin again. He needed a hat, that’s for sure. His pasty white skin would burn quickly even in this mild winter sun. His skin matched his hair. Hannah could see his face without his aviator sunnies. He was youngish, her age possibly. Yeah, he was tall but slim, just like she’d thought earlier. His legs looked super lean in those dark blue jeans. She glanced at the group as a whole, they were all so darn good looking and polished and smooth and clean. Or had she simply lost perspective living out here in the wilderness?

  Hannah glanced down at her outfit. It was all practical workwear out here in the bush. Her shorts were stiff from the creek water and wore a couple of dark brown stains. Even her white Boondaburra shirt was turning an ugly shade of off-white. Maybe time to grab a few more clothes next time she was in town?

  She’d give the visitors a day and then they’d resemble her too, so why worry?

  ‘Excuse me. You work here, don’t you?’ asked a woman as she approached with a young boy in tow.

  Hannah nodded.

  ‘My son has a rash. I wonder if you have a first aid kit or any relief cream. I usually carry some with me but forgot this time and you know…’ The mother shrugged.

  The boy, around ten-years-old stood beside his mother with his head down. When he glanced up, Hannah saw the redness on his neck, spreading to his arms.

  ‘We sure do. Follow me back to reception and we’ll get you sorted with some light pain relief to take away the sting too.’ Hannah chucked the cleaning gear back in the bucket, did one last look around including a quick glance up the hill, and walked with them across the green space.

  ‘Hey. Matey.’ She addressed another child. ‘We love the kangaroos, but we can’t feed them. They’re wild animals and if they become dependent on humans for food, they’ll not be able to look after themself. So, whilst they’re friendly and will hang around here all day hoping for a scrap or two, can I ask you not to feed them?’

  He muttered “sorry”, and she caught his arm before he raced away. ‘Want to know their scientific name?’ The young kid looked blank. ‘Macropodidae,’ she said triumphantly. He ran back to his cabin causing the birds in the tree to break into flight.

  CHAPTER 4

  The mystery woman he’d met at the pub ran the information session. She’d introduced herself and the moment she’d started talking, Jackson’s attention was captured and time evaporated.

  Hannah.

  The sweet cadence of her composed and confident voice was seductive and commanded notice. His group muttered amongst themselves, and ordered fresh drinks, yet Hannah didn’t break speed.

  Jackson relished the icy cold beer he drank as he relaxed in the outdoor garden where happy hour was underway. Fifteen or so park visitors had gathered and he detected a range of dialects from German to Japanese to Canadian. That caused his gut to clench. Could the resort be an international destination?

  Or was it Hannah who had his insides buzzing? Not only did she work here, in the last half-hour he’d learned about the Gorge and National Park and the local area. Hannah knew a lot; it was impressive and knowledge obviously derived from years on the land. Her passion came through in every word.

  But Jackson had done his homework, too, and was familiar with the names and terms: Baloon Cave, Mickey Creek Gorge, the rock pond and the platypus pool for viewing the reclusive creatures at dusk or dawn. All nearby attractions. But there was one main drawcard, the Gorge. And he was getting the distinct impression the nice nature walk he’d envisaged might be a whole lot more than that.

  His eyes roamed over Hannah’s body; he couldn’t help himself. She’d changed her clothes from this morning. She now wore a close-fitting, red top and jeans that clung to her body. His throat dried and he took a sip of his beer.

  As guests shouted questions at her she brushed her hair from her face answering without hesitation. Those wild masses of curls spread down her back; in the dying dusk light of the day, the colour appeared more blonde than brown. As Ryder next to him asked a question, Jackson was thinking her eyes were dark like
chocolate almonds.

  At least his team were paying attention.

  ‘I know it’s hot during the day,’ Ryder said ‘but evenings get cold right? Can we light a campfire and toast marshmallows?’

  The rest of his group chuckled, but Jackson remained quiet.

  Hannah turned her attention to the group of six sitting in the front row, slightly to the right. Jackson glanced sideways at them, wondering what she saw. As he turned back Hannah scanned across each of them in turn. Did her gaze slow on him? Her chest rose and fell like she was controlling her emotion. Funny, she’d been animated as she’d answered the other questions. Were fires a sore point? Did he detect the slightest hint of disdain spread across her face when she looked at them?

  ‘No, absolutely not. I know we’re approaching the middle of winter, but we’ve had very little rain this year and we remain on high fire alert. No campfires, ever.’ There was no smile.

  ‘O…k…a…y,’ Ryder dragged out the letters.

  Davey, the dancing young kid, stood behind the bar and rang a bell. The man who’d checked them in appeared at his side announcing the special drink of the day.

  Hannah shoved her hands in her pockets. It appeared as if she still had a lot to say and might be disappointed to be cut short. An elderly couple approached and had her captive for a few more minutes when they pulled out their map that they pored over.

  Jackson stood as the older man approached him and held out his hand. ‘I’m Robert. Welcome once again to Boondaburra Bush Resort. Nice to see you all again. More drinks anyone?’

  The group put in their orders and Jackson followed Robert back to the bar.

  ‘Robert, you’re the owner, aren’t you?’ he asked as the older man bent down behind the counter to collect clean glasses.

  He nodded. ‘Yes, I run Boondaburra with my family. Son, here, Davey,’ he smiled at his helper who was now expertly pouring drinks, ‘and daughter, Hannah,’ and he gestured behind him.