Little Girl Lost (24 page)

It didn’t take him long to figure it out.

‘You’ve probably put a stone through your radiator.’

‘I’d figured that out too.’

Scott was pleased to see the girl had produced a hat from somewhere and was now wearing it. The brim wasn’t broad enough to give her face much protection, but it was better than nothing.

‘So what do I do now?’ she asked.

‘You’re heading to Coorah Creek?’

‘How did you know?’

‘That’s where this road goes,’ he told her. ‘After the Creek, there’s just Birdsville.’

‘And after that?’

‘The desert. You really don’t want to go there – and especially not with this.’ He patted the old Holden affectionately.

She smiled at that, and Scott caught a glimpse of the girl behind the stranded tourist. Now that her eyes were no longer wide with distress, they were a lovely shade of blue-grey. Her face was a bit red from the sun, but she was a very pretty girl. About his own age, he thought. And as for that accent – that was just a cuteness bonanza. He couldn’t help but wonder what on earth a girl like this was doing heading for the Creek.

‘So?’

Acutely aware that he had been caught staring, Scott tried to look efficient. ‘I guess I’d better get you into town.’

‘Can’t I call the … whatever you call the Automobile Association out here?’

Scott smiled. ‘No, actually.’

‘Oh. No phone service.’

He nodded.

‘Well, there must be a garage at Coorah Creek. Have they got a tow truck? You could send them back for me.’

The words froze Scott in his tracks, his face closing down. It wasn’t the girl’s fault. She didn’t know what memories her words had just unleashed to strike him with an almost physical force. She had just turned an impulse into a stark reality. His return to Coorah Creek was no longer something in his future. It was here and now and he wasn’t really ready for it. That wasn’t a good sign. He struggled for a few seconds to regain an appearance of normality.

‘No truck,’ he said. ‘I’ve got a rope in my car. I’ll tow you in.’

‘But I don’t know …’ The girl’s voice trailed off, and Scott saw the apprehension in her eyes.
You and me both
, he thought.

‘Perhaps it would help if I introduced myself. I’m Scott Collins,’ he said. ‘And I promise you I am not an axe murderer or even a car thief.’

That almost wiped the tension from her face. Her lips twitched in the start of a smile. ‘Hi Scott. I’m Katie Brooks.’

She held out her hand and he took it briefly. Like Katie herself, it was small and looked far too delicate for life in the outback.

‘I’ll get the rope.’

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