Summer Down Under

by Pensy, Alison

  A Summer Down Under

  Smashwords Edition

  Copyright 2012 by Alison Pensy/Adrianna Blakeley

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without written permission from the author.

  Published by Laxsaro Publishing, Publishing on Smashwords / August 2012

  ISBN:978-0-9825438-6-3

  Chapter One

  Sam stood by the departure gate, staring out of the window at the 747 that was to be her home for the next twenty-four hours.

  It didn’t really matter what had brought Sam to this point in time, but she pondered on the thought, nonetheless. She let out a small sigh. It would have been preferable for her not have taken the journey she had through her teenage years, but her mouth quirked up to one side as she realized the irony of it. If she hadn’t sustained that journey, then there would be no need for her to be here, embarking on the adventure of a lifetime. Oh, she was sure that some people would have looked on it as running away. But to Sam, she had something very important to prove. That there was much more to her than everyone portrayed her to be.

  She didn’t care to prove that point to anyone but herself. She knew in her heart that she could be strong and confident, not the timid, downtrodden girl she was known as and treated as such.

  So, little more than a few days after her twentieth birthday, she was leaving her disastrous teenage life behind in search of a new beginning. And, in her mind, that could only be done as far away from home as possible.

  She sucked in a breath and blew it out in a hearty puff, making her lips pout and the hair on her forehead flutter as she did so. Examining her feelings, she suddenly realized that she didn’t actually feel anything at all. No fear, no anxiety, not even a hint of excitement. She drew her eyebrows together in a frown and turned to look at the lady standing beside her.

  “Shouldn’t I be excited?” she blurted, making the lady jump with the sudden break in silence. The stranger turned to look at Sam with a puzzled expression.

  “I mean, I’m just about to embark on the adventure of a lifetime,” Sam continued, “and I don’t feel anything at all. Surely, I should be excited.”

  The lady looked thoughtful for a moment, then turned back to look out of the window without saying a word. Sam turned her attention back to the massive airplane, too, deciding the lady must have thought she was asking a rhetorical question.

  “Have you ever done anything like this before?” the lady said a few moments later.

  Surprised that the lady had been thinking about her question all that time, Sam turned to look at her and thought about what she asked. She came to the conclusion that, at the ripe old age of turning twenty only three days before, she hadn’t been any further than visiting her uncle in Spain, and that was only a couple of hours flight from England.

  “No,” she answered.

  “Well, that’s why then,” the lady offered. “You can’t be excited if you have no idea what to expect.”

  Sam digested her response for a moment and conceded that the lady had a point. It’s hard to get excited about something you have no expectations of, but she thought that, surely, she should feel something… fear, anticipation… anything. She’d never been on a plane this big or for this length of time before now and certainly had never traveled by herself, let alone to the other side of the planet. But, nevertheless, all she felt was a whole lot of nothing. Her heart was empty.

  A year ago she would never have imagined possessing the courage to reach this moment. She’d been sitting in a pub and found herself examining her life under a microscope; rather poignant for a nineteen year old, but, nonetheless, that’s what happened.

  Like a lot of kids, she was the product of a broken home and spent her teenage years babysitting her younger sister. Sam’s dad left when she was young and, as her mother worked nights as a nurse, she found herself unable to go out and enjoy herself with friends. She was needed at home to look after her sister while her mother earned enough money to put food on the table. At the time, being a teenager, she thought she was being seriously hard done by, having to look after her sister while her mum worked. Of course, she understood the necessity of it now, but she still couldn’t shake the feeling that she’d lost something she could never get back. It wasn’t the only thing she had lost that she could never get back. She closed her eyes for a brief moment, pushing the thought to the back of her mind.

  She’d also spent much of her life being a doormat, and visibly cringed as she remembered most of her high school years being the victim of bullies. Then, to put the cherry on the cake, just to make sure her self-confidence was completely shattered beyond repair, she ended up for far too long with a boyfriend who, well, she wasn’t ready to revisit that just yet.

  Now that her sister was old enough to look after herself, she had this desperate need to get as far away from England as she could. A chance to start over somewhere where no one knew her, somewhere she could find out just who she really was. There had to be more to her than the clumsy, average looking girl that everyone else saw.

  For a while, she wasn’t sure where she would end up going. It had to be somewhere that spoke English. She would be on her own and thought that only sensible. Somewhere that was not too dangerous for a very self-conscious, single white female to find herself.

  As fate would have it, she overheard a couple of people sitting at the next table. One of them was telling the other of the incredible journey he made backpacking around Australia.

  She thought that was a brilliant idea! Australia was as far away from England as one could get. So, for the first time in her life, she made a spontaneous decision right there over a glass of wine. She was going to backpack around Australia for a year, stopping in Bali for a week on the way over. Then came the not-so-tiny task of saving enough money for this adventurous undertaking.

  When Sam proudly proclaimed her plans to family and friends she met a sad but unsurprising response, they all but laughed in her face. For a while, everywhere she turned she was greeted with the same nonchalance, accompanied by quotes like “We’ll believe it when we see it,” and “You, travel around Australia by yourself? Don’t be silly. Now finish your dinner!”

  Not being one for sticking to anything she started in the past, she could hardly blame them. It was up to her to prove them wrong and to prove to herself that she had what it took to see something through.

  That was when she had her first epiphany. She decided that when hit by negativity from all angles, you could do one of two things. You could agree with everyone, do nothing, and regret it for the rest of your life. Or you could secretly stick your fingers up at them and follow your dream. Sam chose the latter.

  For the first time in her life, she was determined to make this dream a reality. She set about working hard and saving every penny she could get her hard working fingers on. That’s why, a year later, she was standing, staring in disbelief at a plane she was about to board that would take her half way around the world to encounter goodness knows what and to meet God knows who.<
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  She took a deep breath and joined the line of passengers waiting to board. They moved slowly down the little tunnel that led to the plane. Clutching her boarding pass in her hand, she revisited her feelings. Still nothing, no feelings whatsoever; she just felt numb.

  Upon entering the plane, Sam patiently inched her way down the aisle, waiting while the other passengers in front of her hefted their carry-on luggage into the overhead compartments and took their seats. She was looking up at the seat numbers as she shuffled forwards and eventually made it to hers. When she got to her row, Sam looked down at the gorgeous sight that beheld her, and he looked right back up at her and smiled. To her surprise, feelings came flooding back with wild abandon. Sam realized after a few seconds that she was blatantly staring. In all fairness, it was hard not to. A combination of black hair, aqua blue eyes, and full lips was smiling at her. She closed her eyes for a second to regain the composure that had so unwittingly been pulled from under her feet. She took a breath, opened her eyes and gave a polite smile back.

  She tried to quell the uneasy feeling that was knotting itself into her stomach at the thought of spending the next twenty-four hours sitting beside the most handsome creature she had ever set eyes on. Taking another deep, calming breath, she hefted her bag into the overhead bin and took her seat beside him.

  “G’day.” he said, holding out his hand. It was hard not to notice the difference in their hands as she took hold of the one he politely offered. His hand dwarfed hers, his grip was strong and his skin slightly rough to the touch. It was a hand that had seen its fair share of hard work.

  “Hello,” she replied, shaking his hand. Sam allowed his hand to clasp hers for just a few seconds before pulling away, trying very hard not to look rude or make him feel like he had some incurable disease. Truth was, she was not comfortable being touched by anyone, least of all, a man she didn’t know.

  His face, like his hands, were sun-kissed. She subconsciously scanned the rest of his features. Dark wavy hair fell almost to his shoulders, and blue eyes sparkled as he spoke. Judging by the way his knees were pressed firmly against the seat in front of him, he was probably around six feet tall.

  She realized after a moment that he was staring at her in what looked like anticipation, but for what she had no idea. She blinked a couple of times and looked away. She hadn’t seen eyes like that before, holding hers captive almost against their will. Something that made the disconcerted feeling roiling in her stomach all the more noticeable.

  Sam noticed her hand still tingled from his touch and a warm feeling was creeping up her arm. She drew in another calming breath and brushed the sensation aside. She had no time for such feelings and certainly didn’t want to investigate them further. But as much as she tried to ignore it, her traitorous body had other ideas.

  “I’m Daniel,” he said with an Aussie twang, bringing her attention back to his face. “It looks like we are going to be neighbors for a while.”

  “Samantha.” She squeezed her eyes and shook her head. “I mean Sam, call me Sam.” Her mother’s reprimanding voice echoed through her head, telling off anyone who dared to call her by a nickname. “If I’d wanted her called Sam I would have christened her Sam.” Sam pushed it away. She didn’t want to be ‘Samantha’ anymore. It was time for a change. She continued on. “I’m guessing from your accent you’re Australian. Are you going home?”

  “Yes, on both counts.” He smiled. His lips looked incredible, too. Out of nowhere she wondered what they would feel like on hers and swiftly reprimanded herself for the thought.

  “I just finished with university and was celebrating with some friends in London for a couple of weeks. Had a bonzer time.”

  She gave him a blank look and saw that he had caught her expression as he added. “Great time. I mean I had a great time.”

  “Ahh, I’m probably going to hear my fair share of Aussie phrases over the next year aren’t I?”

  “I reckon.”

  She had to force herself to stop staring. She just couldn’t get over how drawn to him she was and it was scaring her. She quickly tried to engage him in conversation to quell the uneasy feeling that was now having a party in her stomach. Talking was something Sam always did when nervous; although, it wasn’t always the best solution. She had been known to talk complete drivel in these situations and make a complete fool of herself.

  “So, where in Australia do you live?”

  “In the outback.”

  “Big place.” She cringed at the sound of her sarcasm. He must have heard it, too, because he continued.

  “My mum and dad own a sheep station, about the size of London, in central Queensland. Now that I’ve finished with college I’m going to be helping them run it for a while. They’re not getting any younger, and dad needs some help with the lambing and shearing season coming up in a couple of months.”

  “That sounds interesting.” Sam couldn’t imagine a place the size of London being inhabited by only a few people.

  “It’s a lot of hard work, but I’m glad to be able to help my folks, especially after they’ve been doing it all on their own while I was away at university. How about you, what takes you to Oz?”

  “I’m fulfilling a dream.” Sam replied with pride. And escaping a nightmare, she thought sardonically. “I’m going to backpack around Australia for a year, starting in Sydney.”

  “On your own?” he asked in surprise, a crease of concern appearing between his eyebrows.

  “I can look after myself,” Sam retorted, rather more sharply than was necessary. “I’ve been taking self-defense classes with a police trainer for the past year,” she added upon seeing the look of worry creeping across his face.

  The training hadn’t just been in preparation for her trip. She made it her mission to be able to defend herself in the future, but she wasn’t about to divulge her reasoning behind that to a complete stranger, especially one of the male variety.

  The conversation continued at an easy pace. Daniel told her about his parents and the sheep station. The way of life sounded fascinating to Sam, but it was very hard work. It was obvious with the way he described everything with such passion that it was a way of life he adored.

  They must have been talking for a while because they had been in the air for some time and hardly even noticed the flight attendant wanting to know what drinks they would like until they heard her clear her throat to get their attention.

  They stopped talking and looked up.

  “What would you like to drink?” the attendant asked Daniel, with a flirtatious twinkle in her eye. Sam couldn’t understand why she had a sudden pang of jealousy at the way the attendant gazed at him. Daniel was nothing more than the guy she was seated next to on the plane.

  “I’ll have a beer, thanks,” he told the attendant, giving her one of those stunning smiles that Sam wished were reserved solely for her, and then she wondered where that thought came from?

  “Make mine an orange juice, please.” Sam smiled at the flight attendant, too, but was rewarded with a blank look as she was handed her drink. The attendant made sure to flash Daniel one more smile before moving on down the aisle.

  Their meals came and went. Then an announcement by the pilot stated that they were about to fly over the equator and to “look out of the window to see something special.” Only thing was, Daniel was sitting next to the window.

  “Do you mind?” Sam gestured to the window.

  “No, of course not. Go right ahead.” Daniel leaned back in his seat so Sam could lean over to look out the window.

  Even though he had leaned back, Sam had no option than to brush against his chest to peer out of the window. Her cheek only lightly grazed his chest but she could feel the hard planes of his muscles underneath his t-shirt. He smelled spicy and masculine and it sent her heart racing. So much so, she was almost distracted from the amazing sight that was presenting itself out of the window.

  At first she thought it eerie, then the true beauty of what
they were flying over took hold.

  “Wow,” she breathed, almost inaudibly, but Daniel had heard.

  “I know,” he agreed, mirroring the awe she felt in the tone of his voice.

  It looked as though someone had drawn a soft pastel line in the sky. One half of the sky was the beautiful pale pastel colors you would expect from a sunrise, the other half almost a dark night sky. It was beautiful.

  While she was leaning up against Daniel’s chest, she wondered how long she could get away with looking out the window before he realized that all she really wanted was to be pressed up against him. At that moment, her brain took over and reminded her of the reason she did not want to get involved with another man, possibly ever, and she straightened up.

  As it started to get dark outside, the flight attendants came around asking people to close the shutters over their respective windows. Daniel obliged and pulled theirs down to shut out the infinite darkness that was closing in around the plane.

  The cabin took on a different atmosphere now. The cabin lights dimmed and people talked in hushed whispers. It was like a sleeping pill. Sam could feel herself getting tired and her eyes grow heavy.

  The next thing she knew was the sensation of being prodded softly in the shoulder. Consciousness was threatening to override the cozy blackness she was enveloped in, and she fought against it.

  “Hmm?” she mumbled after a couple more prods had started to get her attention.

  “Would you like some breakfast?” a soft voice whispered in her ear. She became aware of the now familiar scent that was Daniel and the warm feel of him next to her cheek. Next to her cheek!

  Chapter Two

  She was torn away from her blissful slumber to the horror that she had fallen asleep on him. She sat bolt upright with a start, mortification written all over her face as her cheeks turned a rich shade of scarlet.