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“Really? I’ve never been in one before.”
He hesitated for a fraction of a second. She sounded completely sincere, and he hated himself for doubting her for even one second. Why had he ever thought her capable of coming onto their property and stealing one of their vehicles? It was a preposterous idea. He couldn’t completely dismiss the possibility of Ryan doing something dodgy like that, however. There was something about that guy that rubbed him up the wrong way. But Ryan was with Daisy, and because of that fact alone, Dale decided he had to believe in him.
“You’ll love it.” He assured her. Their fleet of all-terrain vehicles consisted of quad bikes, with four wheels and a roll bar chassis. They used them a lot on the station to ferry guests around to the different sites and activities. They were so easy to drive, even the guests could have a go. They were a great way to see the country—open to the sky and the elements, and slower than his truck—they gave the passengers time to take it all in. Twenty ATVs stood in a line right inside the big, open door to the machinery shed. Actually, it was only nineteen now, he reminded himself. This was where they kept all the farm machinery, as well as the many tools, rolls of wire, feeders, drums of gasoline, oil, and all sorts of odds and ends needed to keep a station of this size running smoothly.
“Jump in.” He indicated the passenger seat of the first ATV, and he watched as she grabbed the roll bar and swung effortlessly in. He enjoyed watching her move, she had an easy, long-limbed way about her that seemed to pull his eye toward her, no matter where she was.
The path up to the top of the escarpment had been made especially for them to use. Steve had done most of the work himself on their big tractor, using a grading attachment. It wound around the base of the large monolith for a mile or two until it ascended through a low saddle that took them up along a ridge, and eventually led them onto the escarpment.
He watched Daisy out of the corner of his eye as he drove. Wisps of her honey-blonde hair escaped from under the hat and blew around her face as her green eyes sparkled. As they climbed higher, the land slowly opened up below them. He never tired of this view.
“This country truly is amazing. I can see why you love living here.” Daisy broke the comfortable silence that’d settled over them.
“Yes, it is, isn’t it? You know, I never used to appreciate it this much. I was always itching to leave. Get out there and see what the rest of the world had to offer. Then my mother sent me to Montana. My uncle owns a ranch over there, and I spent nearly two years with him. It wasn’t until just recently, after I got back, that I began to see what we have here is really special.”
“Sounds like your mother knew what she was doing.”
Huh? Dale had never considered that angle before. He’d always assumed Daniella sent him to Stargazer to learn different techniques, so he could bring back any worthwhile practices and implement them here. He’d never thought that perhaps it was Daniella’s way of giving him his freedom. Allowing him to stretch his wings. In her own way, perhaps Daniella had tried to give him that gift, and he was suddenly grateful to her.
They passed between two large ironbark trees, and the country opened up in front of them. Daisy gasped. “Oh, wow.”
Most people had a similar reaction. The view from up here was spectacular. You could see for many miles in every direction; it was the highest point in the area. Steve reckoned you could even see all the way to the coast on a good day. Dale smiled to himself. That might be a bit of an exaggeration.
He stopped the ATV beneath the shade of a large stringybark. Shutting off the engine, he let Daisy take in the vista. The escarpment dropped away beneath them in a cliff face, a drop of around four hundred yards or more to the valley floor. Undulating floodplains spread out below for as far as the eye could see, broken on the horizon by lots of smaller, razor sharp escarpments that sliced into the blue sky like knives. The red ochre of the earth contrasted with the bright green of the grass, and the more muted olive green of the eucalyptus trees. Sizable areas still contained standing water, which formed small inland lakes in the low-lying areas, left over from the floods, and it shimmered and sparkled, reflecting the growing colors of the sunset.
“This is so much better than I expected,” Daisy sighed.
After taking a moment to appreciate the view, Dale left Daisy sitting in the ATV and busied himself, setting up two folding chairs and a small folding table close to the edge, beneath the spreading branches of a eucalyptus. The table was a must out here, otherwise the creepy crawlies—ants, spiders, and scorpions, just to name a few—would descend on the food. He also spread out a large picnic blanket in front of the table, so they could lie back and watch the stars later, if they wanted. He unpacked Skylar’s basket, placing two wineglasses, and the special bottle of red wine he asked her to include, on the table. The food was simple, but delicious. Small, homemade quiches, using some of their very own maple-cured bacon and caramelized onions, also grown in their veggie garden. A freshly made basil-and-pine nut dip, big hunks of sourdough with lots of butter, a plate of locally made vintage cheese and slices of pear, with two individual salted caramel-and-chocolate ganache tarts to finish. Skylar had made these for the guests’ desert tonight, but he’d managed to wheedle a couple out of her.
“Wow, this looks like a meal fit for a king and queen.” Daisy had sidled up next to him, without him realizing. “You certainly eat well with Skylar around, don’t you?”
“Yes, she’s definitely one of the draw-cards of the resort. People come just to taste her gourmet food,” Dale admitted. “Take a seat. The show is about to begin.” He removed the cork from the bottle of wine—it was that old that it still had a cork, one of the large selections his mother had collected over the years. She’d probably kill him if she knew he was drinking it tonight, but he mentally shrugged and poured them both a glass. “Here’s to getting out of our own heads for an hour or two.”
They clinked glasses, and he watched as she drew in the aroma of the wonderful, old Merlot from the Barossa Valley. It was his favorite. There were only a few bottles left. But he couldn’t think of anyone else he would rather share it with. She closed her eyes and took a sip.
“This is amazing.” She opened her eyes and gave him an appraising glance. “You sure know how to pick an excellent wine.”
It was so nice to have someone else who appreciated his passion for red wine. His mother had gotten him into appreciating the stuff, and Steve would often share a bottle with them. They didn’t drink much red wine in Montana, and he had to settle for beer most of the time. It was good to be back and have access to the family cellar once more. That was one more thing he needed to find out about Daisy. How had she come to esteem red wine? It was unusual to find anyone who enjoyed it like he did, let alone someone his age. He had so many questions for her? Where was he supposed to start? Later. He’d interrogate her later. Now was the time to take pleasure in the landscape before them. It was the whole reason he’d brought her up here.
“I thought it was appropriate. A deep, bold red, to match the sunset.” And he wasn’t wrong. The sky was morphing from orange to red, then an intense purple, right before their eyes as the sun sank below the horizon. They ate and watched the delight of the setting sun, Daisy sometimes making an appreciative noise when she tasted something new.
As soon as the sun dropped below the edge of the world, darkness encroached like a stealthy hunter, stealing the light quickly, until it was hard to see his hand in front of his face. He dug in the basket and found the small electric lantern they always kept for night-time picnics. Standing up, he hung it on the low branch a little away from them, and it spread a soft, warm glow around them. Just enough light to see what they were eating. And so they didn’t stumble around in the dark and fall over the edge. It would also attract the insects, which was why he hung it away from them.
“Sheesh, I’m glad I don’t eat here every day. I’d be as large as a house if I had unfettered access to Skylar’s cooking.”
“I doubt that,” he scoffed. “You look pretty damn good to me.” Oops, he hadn’t meant to say that out loud. But now he had, he may as well own it. “I mean, you’re a beautiful woman, Daisy.” He put his half-eaten bread back on the plate, and turned to catch her gaze. How would she react now he’d put it out there? She must get compliments like this all the time. Would she shut him down? Or would she kiss him like she had the other night?
