Outback Thunder (4 page)

"So if you
guys are right, go check your stuff and make sure you are ready to ride
tomorrow at dawn."

They shuffled away
and Zoe turned back to the house.

"Zoe,
wait." She glanced at Jonas coming toward her. "Look, don't make this
more difficult in front of the men, okay. I have to make sure safety is the
priority here and you know why. Personal feelings aside, I don't want to be
liable for an accident that was easily preventable with a little forward
planning."

"You weren't
to blame for my parents’ deaths, Jonas."

"I know that
but it could so easily have been prevented. I brought you a new swag too. It's
in the store shed. Take a first aid kit to add to your bag as well. I'm taking
Bran for a look to see where most of the cattle are and see if the rivers are
up. We should be back for dinner." He elbowed her. "Your turn to cook
by the way."

He walked away and
she shook her head.

That sneaky
mongrel.

He'd show him. She
had learned to cook pretty well in London, taking classes in her spare time.
After last night's rather boring offering of steak, eggs and chips Bran had
cooked, they would have something restaurant quality on the table.

Sighing, she
walked over to the stables and looked for Midnight. She hadn't been down to see
him and felt guilty for neglecting the horse she had broken in as a youngster.
He pricked up his ears when she called his name. "Hey, buddy, I've missed
you."

Zoe opened the
door and walked into his stable, the smell of the hay and horse manure reminder
her how much she loved this place. She wrapped her arms around the horse’s neck
and the smell took her back to her life before London. She missed it so much.
If not for the break-up with Jonas she never would have left. Midnight
snickered and nuzzled against her, nipping at her shirt. She methodically
brushed his dark coat. It was a job that always used to clear her head and help
her sort out her problems. Zoe ran the brush from his shoulders down his legs
and worked her way around his body. When she finished she found a hoof pick and
checked his shoes, digging out the mud.

 She filled up
Midnight’s hay rack and opened his door so he could go out in the paddock.

Then she walked
over to the stores to collect her gear for the next day. The scenery hadn't
changed much since she had been here last and she leaned on a fence post to
look around her. Not that she'd taken the time to wander over the farm. She had
been too distraught over her parents’ death to even care about the property. In
her mind if it wasn't for the farm they would still be alive.

Her mother had
loved going out and checking the dam pumps with her father. It was their time
to be away by themselves. Brandon had called her three days after they had been
due back. A search party was sent out and the police had requisitioned a
helicopter when they weren't found in the first couple of days.

Their four wheel
drive had rolled on a deeply rutted road and her father had been killed
outright. It was revealed later that her mother had clung to life for at least
another twenty four hours before passing away. It was the helicopter that had
found them eventually in an area that Brandon had thought they would be
avoiding.

Zoe's eyes filled
with tears and she clutched at her stomach, doubling over in grief. Sinking
down to the grass she leaned on an old fence post and dropped her head into her
hands, finally giving into the long overdue emotions. Holding it in at the
funeral had been wrong and now it was coming back to haunt her. She let the
tears fall unheeded down her cheeks until she was spent. Taking a piece of long
dry grass she chewed on it while her emotions settled, keeping her gaze on the
distance enjoying the view. When the moment passed and she was more in control
she stood and wiped her hands over her face.

 The safety talk
Jonas had just given them was fair, she knew that. Even though it had set off
the emotions she had been holding in he had done nothing wrong by organizing
the men to be ready and safe. It was her bitchy attitude and something she had
to get over. Buying a helicopter made sense, especially after her parents’
tragic death and Zoe couldn't fault his business ethics. He was taking care of
the staff. It just galled her to think that she was still having erotic dreams
with him as the only other participant. How he still had the ability to make
her blood heat and her body hum with lust was beyond her. Try as she might, she
couldn't imagine anyone else in her dreams or her bed.

And now they were
living under the same roof. Life was going to be pretty tough for a while. She
listened as the helicopter took off and flew overhead. Then she dusted off her
jeans and headed into the farm office.

"Hey, Pete,
I've come for my gear." She smiled at the farm manager who she had known
since she was a child.

His gnarled hand
reached out and brushed her hair away from her face. "I missed you, Zoe
girl. Welcome home. My, you sure are looking stunning."

"Thanks. I
have to admit I missed this place too. And you of course, but you know that,
right?" She leaned into him and wrapped her arms around his waist.

"Yeah, I
know. Boss ordered you some new gear. Want to see it?"

"Sure. I
better be ready in the morning or risk his wrath. That would be fun." She
didn't even try to keep the sarcasm from her voice.

"He means
well and you know it, Missy. You're just being plain stubborn because you
can." Pete moved out of the circle of her arms and walked through to the
storeroom. She followed him and watched him go to a shelf, pulling down a new
swag still in its plastic wrapping. He dropped it on the floor at her feet and
added a first aid kit.

Zoe stood with her
hands on her hips and watched the pile grow. A water bottle, a new saddle
blanket were added before she held up her hands.

"That’s
enough, Pete. I have plenty of gear, I don't need any more. Midnight has to
have all of this on his back."

"Do you need
new gloves?" Pete held out a pair of leather gloves and she smiled taking
them.

"Sure. That's
it, then. Thanks. I have everything I need." She held the soft gloves up
to her nose, breathing in the smell of the leather.

"I think
there is more you need, young lady. You're just not letting yourself see
it"

"Pete, don't
please. I'm a big girl now and totally over Jonas. He might be our business
partner but that is where it stops." She tried to keep eye contact with
him but failed. He always saw way too much.

"You can lie
to yourself all you want, Zoe, but don't you ever try to lie to me." He
walked over and lifted his hand and cupped her chin. "If you need me I'm
here, kitten. You know that."

"I know,
Uncle Pete. Thanks, but I doubt I’ll ever get over what he did to me. It still
burns, you know?" Zoe wiped away a tear threatening to overflow. "I
wake up in the night thinking about him but it's always marred by
betrayal."

"You were
young and crazy. Get over it, Zoe before it sours you and you miss the chance
to make it right."

"What? Make
it right? He was the one who cheated, not me. I don't have to make anything
right."

"I know him
and we both know he isn't the cheating kind. I've never met a more upfront kid
than Jonas. Are you sure you didn't read something into it that wasn't there?"

"I caught him
with a half-naked girl in our secret place. What was to get wrong?"

"Way I heard
tell, you never gave him a chance to defend himself. Don't you think you owe
him that much at least?"

"No, I don't.
It was pretty clear. Anyway enough of that. Thanks for looking after Midnight
for me while I was away."

"You know he
is safe with me. He could probably do with a bit of a ride before tomorrow
though and I think you might need one too by the look of you. I doubt if you've
been on a horse much lately."

She shook her
head.

"Don't want
you to be crippled by the end of the day then. Go saddle up and take a
leisurely ride around the place. Your gear is all sorted now."

"Sounds like
a good idea. Thanks."

 Zoe took the new
blanket and headed back to the stable. Midnight was where she had left him busy
munching on hay. He glanced her way and returned to his food, his ears back.
"Don't even try to do that, Midnight. We are going out, deal with
it."

She hooked a
bridle over his head, brushed her fingers over the soft hair of his ears and
buckled it up. Then she led him outside and saddled him. Swinging into the
saddle, Zoe, realized how much she had missed the farm but she consoled herself
with the thought that what was done was for her daughter. She swallowed hard,
sniffed and then wiped her hand over her face. Struggling to keep it together,
she headed out for a ride around the farm where she had grown up.

Nudging her knees
into the horse’s side she moved into a canter, determined to get the tears and
the memories out of the way before she had to start work in the morning. A
cleansing of her soul was long overdue and she embraced it all the while
dreading the pain it was going to cause her.

Zoe went through
the house paddocks and kept riding until she couldn't see any buildings. She
slowed Midnight and let him walk leisurely along while she got her bearings.
She’d missed the farm and her family, there was no denying that. It had been
hard to stay away for so long. And now she was home but so was Jonas.

 More by instinct
than intention Zoe headed for the dam, her favorite place as a teenager.
Memories of skinny dipping made her smile.

When they crested
the hill she noticed it hadn't changed much. If anything the area was more lush
than she remembered which was to be expected. The sparkling blue water rippled
with the warm breeze. Rushes bordered on the edge of the water circling one side
of the dam. Bird life was noisy and Zoe smiled as young ducklings and geese
swam under the watchful eyes of their mothers. Blue water lilies lined the
edges of the water, their petals bending with the soft breeze.

Her shoulders
relaxed and the knot simmering in her stomach slowly loosened as she breathed
in the clean air. Dismounting from her horse, she kicked off her boots. Reaching
under Midnight she released his girth strap and pulled down the saddle. He
turned to her and nuzzled her shoulder.

"Yes boy,
we're going for a swim." Zoe popped the button on her jeans and pushed
them down her legs. Throwing them on the ground, she undid the buttons of her
shirt, sliding it from her shoulders letting the sun kiss her pale skin with
its warmth. Her nipples budded up under the heat and a delicious tingle ran all
the way down to her thighs. A quick glance around settled her nerves. There was
nobody in sight.

Grabbing a handful
of Midnight’s mane in one hand and the bridle in the other, Zoe pulled herself
up onto his back. Naked legs swinging against his sides, she pushed him forward
into the water.

The initial shock
when the cold hit her toes quickly faded as she urged him in deeper. When the
water pooled over Midnight’s back Zoe tied his reins in a knot and floated away
from him. She knew he would play for a bit and then go and stand in the shade
and sleep. She laughed loudly and the noise rang out over the calm water. This
was home and it felt so bloody good to be back. And to think she'd wanted a
cold white Christmas this year. Nothing beat the heat of the outback in summer.
Lilly would love this place, shame she would probably never get to see it.

Brandon, Jonas and
she used to spend lots of time down here at the dam with the kids of whatever
workers they had on the station at the time. The old pier they’d built was
still standing although it looked a little worse for wear. Two big tire tractor
tubes were lying in the reeds nearby that she had used to lay in on Jonas' lap
and drift over the dam.

Zoe floated on her
back, listening to the sounds of stillness, the outside world miles away. The
almost cloudless sky was a vivid deep blue above her and the sun was pouring
down. She pulled her Akubra over her face and floated aimlessly, enjoying being
alone in her own silent world for the first time in years.

The sun warmed her
skin and sent small fires between her thighs and over her breasts. She lifted a
hand and ran her fingertips over the cotton bra noticing the tightness of her
nipples as they responded to her touch. Zoe licked her lips and moaned softly.

Keeping her eyes
closed under the brim of her hat she remembered her past. She imagined it was
Jonas that was teasing her nipples with his tongue. Flicking and nipping them
with his teeth while she squirmed beneath him. She reached down with her other
hand, slipping her fingers underneath the elastic of her panties. Her fingers
parted her lips and the cool water rushed against her hot sex. Her body bucked
when she slid a finger inside herself.

To stop from going
under Zoe used her other hand to drift through the water while she pleasured
herself. Cursing Jonas for betraying her and still holding her heart she rubbed
her thumb over her clit while she worked her fingers inside. The sensations
were ripping through her, the last partnered sexual encounter so long ago it
took little to react to the self stimulation with the force of a volcano. Gritting
her teeth she tried stop herself from crying out as she convulsed and her pussy
clenched around her fingers.