Читать книгу The Cattleman - Margaret Way - Страница 9

HE WAS BACK ON THE VERANDA in fifteen minutes flat. “Did you time me?” he asked. “I’m a bit late.”

“Actually I’d forgotten you,” she said casually, which was a long way from the truth. “I was breathing in the air and the exotic scents. It’s another world up here. I’ve never felt so connected to the earth. It’s rather a profound experience. Thanks again for the helicopter trip. It was a revelation, and one of the highlights of my life.”

“I think you mean that.” There was an appraising look in his eyes.

“How could you doubt me?” Jessica stood up, trying to hide the excitement he engendered in her.

“There’s plenty more I can show you,” he said. “How come you’ve never visited the Red Centre?” Something she had mentioned. “Or Kakadu, which is the jewel in the Top End crown—maybe a little off the beaten track—but Alice Springs? It’s quite a tourist destination these days. Our desert monuments, Uluru and Kata Tjuta, are world-famous.”

“Maybe when you have the time you can take me.” She gave him a sidelong glance.

“Jessica, we don’t know yet if you’re staying.”

“Why does it bother you so much? My staying, that is.”

“I have my reasons.”

“That sounds intriguing. So what are you going to do to frighten me off?”

“Whatever it is I have to act fast.” He met her eyes, a gleam of mockery in his. “No. It’s going to be your decision.”

“Your father’s, surely,” she said. They walked down the flight of stone steps together, Jessica acutely conscious of his height and pure, animal magnetism.