Outback Thunder (14 page)

"I just never
took you for the domestic type. I mean, you are the high powered business man
these days if the media is to be believed. I bet they would have a field day if
they could see you now."

He growled at the
suggestion. "They get very little right ninety percent of the time."
The switch flicked off on the kettle and he turned back to pour the hot water
into the jug, stirring briskly with a fork. When the gravy was smooth, Jonas
carried it to the table and placed it on a mat in front of Zoe. Then he brought
out the dinner he was keeping warm in the oven.

"That looks
pretty impressive." Zoe reached over and took a piece of chicken, popping
it into her mouth. She closed her eyes and smiled. "That is the best roast
chook I have had in ages."

"A man of
many talents. Now, more importantly how are you feeling?"

"Pretty good
considering. I mean, I expected to wake up with a pounding headache and all I have
is a gentle thump. I reckon it will be all but gone by tomorrow."

He served her
chicken and vegetables, pouring lashings of gravy over her entire meal, just
the way she liked it when she was younger. Sitting down beside her he served
himself. "That's good. I might have to go out tomorrow but only if you are
better. I still want you to follow doctor’s orders though. No going out of the
house for any reason."

"Yes,
boss." She speared a piece of roast potato dripping in aromatic rich brown
gravy and put it in her mouth licking the drip of gravy that rolled down her
lip. "What's the problem?"

"With all of
the stock we managed to get in, there wasn't one young bull that was acceptable
for the auction. What we have is okay but not for breeding for other farms. We
can keep them for beef. What we offered was around twenty head of prime boys so
we need to come up with the goods. I just want to scout around in the chopper
and see if I can spot a few. If it's not too hard, I'll try to guide them in
otherwise the guys can go out and round them up."

"Well that's
a piss off. I thought we did well with the muster."

"We did, but
Pete has checked the bloodlines and isn't happy. I must say I agree with
him." He poured gravy over his vegetables before taking another bite of
food. "We have much better out there; we both know that so it's just a
case of finding them. One of the bonuses of the chopper is being able to do a
quick search and find mission."

"You won't be
out long then?"

"No, I
shouldn't be more than an hour or two at the most. Brandon should be home
tomorrow though if you need anything and don't forget Pete is down at the
sheds. You take it easy and relax and I might take you out for dinner in a
couple of days once we get everything sorted."

"Sounds like
a plan." Zoe licked her fork and put it down on her plate. She raised her
eyebrows at him and asked, "Is there anything for dessert. I'm really
hungry. I missed lunch."

He put his knife
and fork down and after wiping his mouth with a napkin, met her gaze.
"Zoe, we need to talk about us."

"No, don't
spoil it, Jonas. You said I could work it out myself." She gazed over at
him, her eyes huge in her still pale face.

Jonas sighed. If
he pushed her she would probably dig her toes in and turn him down. "Fine.
I'm giving you a limit though Zoe. You have one week to get over your misplaced
feelings and decide if we are going to be together. I love you, you know that
and we have a great future together. As much as I like the sex, I want more. I
want it all." Jonas smiled at her trying to ease the bite of his words.
"I regret every day that you didn't give me the chance to put things
straight with you, every day. You know the truth now. Neither of us were to
blame."

"I didn't
trust you Jonas."

And you don't
know the truth.

"I know but
we were young. People make mistakes, deal with it." He nodded his head
toward her plate. "If you want dessert you need to eat more than
that."

She gave him a
heartbreaking smile and put a juicy piece of chicken on her fork, pushed it
through the creamy gravy and put it in her mouth. Zoe kept her gaze on him
while she finished her dinner.

"Oh, that was
so damned good." Leaning back in her chair she rubbed her hand over her
full belly. "I don't think I can fit anything else in to be honest."

"No problem.
I only had ice cream anyway. You can always have some later if you want
to." Jonas stood and took their plates to the sink. He rinsed them and
turned back to Zoe. "Fancy a movie? We can curl up on the couch and relax
for a while."

****

Zoe willed her inner
sex goddess to sit down and stop with the cheering and pom pom routine. Curled
up on the couch with Jonas used to mean only one thing. Sex.

"Um, yeah
sure. That sounds like fun." She tried to keep her face bland and not let
him see the heat in her eyes.

Yes, I want to
drag him to bed but I won't, no matter what my inner goddess slut has to say. I
need to hold off for just a bit longer and forgive myself before I jump into
another relationship with him.

Zoe watched him
move around the kitchen clearing up dinner.

Then again,
having sex is hardly a relationship. Get a grip girl, you can be tough and not
give in.

****

Zoe woke then next
morning when Jonas placed a cup of tea on her bedside table and brushed his
lips over hers.

"Mmm, I was
having a lovely dream," she murmured. She opened her eyes and gazed into
his face. Reaching up, she wrapped her arms around his neck. "Be careful
out there."

"I'll see you
before lunch. Rest up." Jonas kissed her lightly on the lips again and
left her lying back on the pillow, her heart thudding.

Closing her eyes,
Zoe went back to sleep. When she woke the sun was pouring into her bedroom. She
looked over at the alarm clock sitting beside the now cold cup of tea and
sighed. The morning had slipped by without her even being aware of it. It was
almost twelve o'clock and she was still in bed. Unheard of for her to sleep
this late, even on the weekends. She threw back the covers and sat up swinging
her feet over the edge of the bed. Her head was pain free except for a small pull
where the stitches were. There was no fogginess now and she felt almost normal.
She stood and made her way to the bathroom. After a quick shower, Zoe took her
cold tea into the kitchen and put the kettle on for a fresh one. She gazed out
of the kitchen window while she waited for it to boil and noted the dark clouds
forming over the horizon.

The farm was
bustling with activity. Chickens scratched in the yard around the sheds and
dogs pulled at their chains keen for work. She watched some of the roustabouts
head out on their horses, waving their hands in front of their faces to disturb
the ever present flies.

Zoe tucked a stray
strand of hair behind her ear and poured the water into her cup. She leaned
against the bench and watched while she sipped. Jonas would be back soon and it
was lunchtime so she would get a meal ready.

She searched the
fridge and decided to use some of last night's chicken for sandwiches.
Tomatoes, cucumber and lettuce were washed, sliced and left to drain while she
grated cheese. Zoe pulled the meat from the chicken bones and made a large
plate of sandwiches in case Brandon arrived hungry as well.

When she was
finished she covered the lot in cling wrap and placed it in the fridge. Zoe
glanced at the clock again, a small twinge of apprehension grasping her
stomach. She walked through the lounge fluffing up pillows and straightening
magazines on the table watching the clock every few minutes.

By the time the
hands reached one o'clock she had made up her mind. Shucking off her shorts, she
pulled on work jeans and an old shirt. With socks in her hand she headed to the
back door, grabbing her hat. Hopping around the kitchen, she pulled them on
with her boots before running down the stairs out to the yard.

"Pete, Pete
where are you?" Zoe ran to the office throwing open the door only to find
it empty. She ran round to the machinery shed and looked in there and found
that strangely empty of people too. Standing hands on hips and her heart
racing, Zoe took stock and looked around her. Everyone was gone. The yard was
now strangely silent.

She shook her head
and ran to the stable for Midnight, she could do this on her own. She opened
the stall door and called his name only to bounce back with a strangled scream
in her throat.

A hand reached out
to steady her. "Whoa, Zoe. Steady on love."

"Holy fuck,
Pete. You scare the crap out of me." She stood her hand at her throat, her
breath coming fast.

Pete put the curry
comb he had been using on the ledge of timber by the stable door. "Why are
you in such a panic, girl? I thought you were resting up." He gazed at her
and reached up a hand to brush the hair from her stitches.

"I'm fine,
really. I was worried about Jonas. He said he would be back before lunch."

Pete glanced at
his watch, a frown marring his brow. "Hmm, he said he would be back by
now. Time got away on me again, let me try to contact him before you go off
half cocked girl."

He took her arm
and led her to the office where he pushed her into a chair before sitting at
his desk. He flicked a switch on the two-way radio and spoke into the mike.
"Jonas, do you copy."

Zoe held her
breath for an answer, her stomach turning into a bundle of knots and doubt.

"Do you copy,
Jonas, over?" he repeated. When there was no reply he looked over at her
his eyes worried and forehead drawn in a frown.

"I'll saddle
up."

"No, Jonas
said you have to take it easy. The boys will be back in soon, they're scattered
all around the farm but won't be long. I can send them out searching."

Zoe stood and ran
out of the office and back to the stable. She grabbed her saddle and led
Midnight out.

Pete came up and
put a hand on her shoulder. "I can't let you go, honey. Brandon and Jonas
would never forgive me if you came to grief out there. Hell, I couldn't live
with myself. Let me call your brother."

"No. I'm
going, Pete and that's that. I feel fine, honestly. Can you grab me a two way
and a swag please while I saddle up? You should probably grab a Drizabone too
looking at those black clouds rolling in. I doubt this storm will pass us by
and you know how much rain could fall in the next few hours."

Pete walked away
to do as she asked muttering and cursing about independent stubborn females as
he went. When he came back loaded with her gear, Zoe was ready to go. She took
the swag and tied it on the back of the saddle and slid the first aid kit into
her saddlebag. He slid a water bottle in the other side and when she was
mounted, Pete handed her a satellite phone and a two way radio.

"More range
with this but the battery won't last forever. Use the two way when you can and
leave this off until you need to contact me in case you are out of range. The
boys will be here soon and I'll try to make contact with Brandon." He
placed a rough hand on her knee. "Take care, Zoe. I don't want anything to
happen to either of you. Safety first, okay?"

"I'll be
fine, stop worrying." She told him what direction she was heading to then
smiled at him and turned her horse to the drive before taking off at a steady
gallop.

Zoe headed to the
trail they had taken for the last muster, that was where he mentioned last
night. If Jonas wasn't in that area she would track east and search there next.
A hollow ache was settling low in her belly and her mind was running madly with
the 'what ifs' making her question every decision she had ever made regarding
him.

If she hadn't
jumped to conclusions, if she hadn't run instead of giving him a chance to
explain why he was half naked in their spot with another girl. If she had said
yes to him yesterday instead of trying to salvage her misplaced sense of pride.
If she had stayed and told him about the baby. If she had tried to contact him
once Lilly was born. The ifs went on and on in her mind, driving her crazy.

She would find him
and make it right, something she should have done days ago. Now Zoe wondered if
she would have the chance.

The sun was low in
the sky and almost hidden behind the dark storm clouds when she pulled up for a
break at a small waterhole. Her horse needed a drink and so did she. If she
didn't make contact with Pete soon Zoe would never hear the end of it. She
dismounted and let the reins hang over Midnight’s neck. He took a step forward
and dipped his head to the cool water.

Zoe reached up to
the saddlebag and grabbed her water bottle. She sighed as the cool water ran
down her parched throat. She took off her hat and wiped her forehead with the
sleeve of her shirt. It was still bloody hot even at this time of the
afternoon, a sure sign of a big storm building. She put the water bottle back
and took out the two way to call Pete.

"Pete, this
is Zoe. Do you copy?"

"Zoe, what
the fuck do you think you are doing," Brandon shouted over the airway.
"You should have called me, not gone gallivanting over the countryside in
your condition."