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CHAPTER FOURTEEN
AARON HELPED JULIE up the step and into the caravan. The touch was conciliatory, unconscious, but Julie’s stomach still tightened at the contact. She and Aaron had strolled back to toward the caravan on the outskirts of the camp, after she’d said goodnight to Dale and Steve and the rest of the crew. Everyone else was retiring for the night. The fire had been doused and lights were going off one by one around the campsite. Bazza and Rosie had their own tent set up on the opposite side of the fireplace nearest the water tank, and she saw Bazza duck into the tent and draw down the zip. The Scanlons also had a large tent—more of a marquee, really, with only three sides enclosed, the fourth side left open to let in the air. Lee, the indigenous stockman, took himself off into the bush, where he’d set up his swag under cover of a large stand of bloodwood trees. It seemed like he was a bit of a loner, but then, so were a lot of people you met up here. Carrot and Dave had been the last to leave the fire, ribbing each other quietly about the day’s mustering efforts, while they headed toward their modified trailer, which served as a way to carry all their belongings, and also had an extension on top, which folded out to one side of the trailer and functioned as a sort of roof over their heads, under which they set up their own swags.
It was early by most people’s standards, just after nine pm, but she had to be up by five to get breakfast ready for the crew, and everyone else was in for a long day’s work tomorrow. Steve had wanted to walk her over to the caravan, but after a few moments of hushed whispering, hoping that Aaron wouldn’t overhear, she’d convinced him that it was Aaron’s job, and that he should go and bed down in his swag near their large horse trailer beside Dale and the rest of the Stormcloud crew. Which he finally did, but not before giving her a quick, awkward hug. He was clearly still worried about her.
The team had spent an easy evening chatting beside the campfire. Carrot had even brought out an old guitar and started strumming it, a beautiful backdrop to the stars and peaceful night around them. Aaron had seemed fairly relaxed, at least until Rosie had asked them how they’d met. Julie had nearly lost it at the flash of naked fear on Aaron’s face. But then she’d quickly sobered when he’d started telling half-truths about how they’d met, and the memories of their first meeting back in Dalgety came back to haunt her. Afterward, Aaron had moved off to talk to Tony, the helicopter pilot. She’d watched as his features had become animated in the firelight while he chatted, leaning forward eagerly to hear what Tony had to say. Vaguely, she wondered what they were talking about. By the enthusiastic waving of hands, she decided it had something to do with flying helicopters, and she was glad that Aaron had something else beside her safety to fill his mind.
Glancing up, she noticed low clouds sliding over the horizon, blocking out the moon. They’d been rolling in all afternoon, causing the humidity to rise. It was stuffy inside the caravan, and one glance at the double bed tucked down at the end made her recoil in dismay. She didn’t want to sleep cooped up in this tin box, with Aaron sleeping on the floor at her feet. It’d been Aaron’s plan all along, but not hers. The past two nights sleeping—or not sleeping, as had been the case—with Aaron in her bedroom was enough to cure her of any more time confined in close quarters with him. She had another plan in mind.
“I’m going to sleep under the stars tonight,” she stated, not looking at him.
“What? That’s not what we agreed on, I—”
“I brought you a swag, you’ll be safe from snakes and spiders, if that’s what you’re worried about,” she said, cutting him off.
“I’m not worried about the vermin,” he growled. “I’ve spent plenty of nights in a swag before. Remember—” He cut off abruptly. Julie was sure he’d been about to mention the times they’d slept down by the river, and she grabbed the tabletop with her hand to steady herself. “What about those clouds?” Aaron pointed skywards, changing the subject.
“Oh, it won’t rain, don’t worry.” She forced a giggle and turned on her heel, glad to be able to hide her face. “We sometimes get what’s called a dry storm up here in the north,” Julie explained. “The clouds build up because of moist air from down south, but it won’t rain. We might get some lightning and thunder, but no rain. It’s actually not a good omen, because the lightning can cause bushfires. We’ll need to stay alert.”
“Great.” Aaron didn’t sound at all pleased. “Thunder and lightning, did you say?” What was that look that flashed across his face? Apprehension? Aaron removed his Akubra and scrubbed a hand over his face, and the look was gone.
“Yep. It can be quite a show.” She went to head out the doorway, but Aaron’s large frame still filled the entrance. He frowned at her. “The swags are in the back of the Land Cruiser,” she explained.
“Do you really think that’s a good idea?” He wasn’t moving an inch.
“Yes, I do. Can’t you feel how hot and airless it is in here? We won’t get any sleep, we’ll be tossing and turning all night.” She took a step closer, only a foot from his face now, and put her hands on her hips, willing him to get out of the way. They stayed like that, locked in a stalemate. The urge to glance down at his strong, masculine lips was immense, but she wasn’t giving in. He wasn’t going to win this one.
“Fine,” he finally conceded, backing down the steps and onto the ground.
Julie released a quiet breath. Jeez; she was glad he’d moved when he did. Because she wasn’t sure exactly what might’ve happened if he hadn’t. Staring into his face mere inches from hers had given her time to reacquaint herself with the little idiosyncrasies of his features. The blue eye was the color of a stormy ocean, the brown eye more like a piece of rare amber. Square jaw, set at a jaunty angle, covered with a week’s worth of scruff. Resolute mouth set into a hard line, but with the ability to quirk upward with amusement at the most surprising times. His tawny hair was still the same, a little longer on top, fashionably swept over to one side, but shorter around the back and sides. The darker slash of his expressive eyebrows riding up his high forehead. And that scar was intriguing, it leant him an almost pirate-like look.
Aaron held up his hand. “I’ll get the swags. You stay there. Grab a flashlight, will you? And have you got your pepper spray?”
Julie sighed; he was in overprotective mode again. She merely gave a weary nod and then puttered about in the caravan, taking care of her nightly ablutions, like washing her face and brushing her teeth. The caravan had a large water tank, which allowed her the luxury of running water at her fingertips. But she’d still have to shower over at the water tank like everyone else, where Dale had rigged up the makeshift shower bays using hessian bags as screens. That was a task for the morning, after everyone else had left for the muster, and she might have a little privacy. As long as Dale didn’t try and hang around, demand that she stay within sight, like he’d been doing all day. She stared out the small window, watching a sudden flurry of lightning strikes on the horizon. They lit up the nighttime sky, sending everything into stark relief for a millisecond.
A sudden image assaulted her brain, of her and Aaron standing in the outdoor shower together, her hands running over his soapy shoulders, down his back, over his superb buttocks, and then… Hold up, girl. What was she thinking? She needed to switch off her libido right now, because that was never going to happen. Aaron Powell was never going to have another chance to break her heart.
She picked up the pack of cards sitting on the rear of the countertop and began to shuffle them absentmindedly. It soothed her to have something to do with her hands, helped her to think. Plus, she liked to do magic tricks to pass the time or to entertain people. It was fun and often helped break the ice. The cards slipped between her fingers, the familiarity of them letting her mind wander.
“I’ve set up the swags over by the old river gum,” Aaron said, stepping up into the caravan.
Julie’s hand flew to her heart. “Jeezes, you scared me.”
“Sorry.” But the look on his face said that he wasn’t really, and his next statement proved it. “You should be more aware of your surroundings, you know.”
She threw her hands up in the air, almost losing the cards. Was this guy ever going to take a break from serious protection agent? She was safe out here. As safe as she could possibly be.
Keeping a lid on her temper, she instead asked him, “Do you want to brush your teeth?”
She stood and watched as he did so quickly and efficiently, then they shut up the caravan and he showed her where he’d set up the swags with a swing of his bright flashlight. The old river gum spread its protective limbs above them, leaves rustling gently in the breeze.
“I wasn’t sure if you wanted to join the others over by the fire,” Aaron began to say, but she waved her hand.
“No, no, this is great,” she replied. They were close enough to the others that if they called out, they’d hear, but far enough away to have a little precious privacy.
“It’s pretty flat under here, not too many stones,” Aaron started to explain. Then another flash of lighting lit up the sky, followed by an ominous rumble of thunder and Aaron flinched and ducked his head.
Julie stood for a second, contemplating first the overarching sky above and then Aaron, as he too glared at the sky, then mumbled something too low for her to hear.
