by Lisa Ireland
‘Are you up for a little fun?’ he asked.
‘What do you mean?’
‘See that big gum on the other bank?’
Jenna nodded.
‘If you look closely you’ll see a ladder of sorts.’
Jenna squinted until she saw a series of planks nailed into the side of the tree. ‘Yeah, I see it.’
‘Do you see the rope?’
Jenna’s eyes followed the planks up the trunk to a fork in the tree. There she saw a little wooden platform, and dangling just above from a higher branch was a thick rope. ‘Wow,’ she said.
‘Dad helped Joe and I build that platform when we were kids.’ A grin spread over Luke’s face. ‘Are you game?’
Jenna returned his smile. ‘Are you daring me?’
‘Yeah,’ he said. ‘I am.’
They swam together to the far side of the river and clambered up onto the bank. Jenna raced towards the tree but Luke was faster and got there first.
‘What happened to ladies before gentlemen?’ she asked.
‘Not this time,’ he replied, serious for a moment. ‘I need to get up there and check the rope is safe before we use it.’
‘I’m right behind you,’ she called as he started up the tree.
Up on the platform, Luke grabbed hold of the rope and gave it a sharp tug. Jenna watched as he carefully inspected it for damage. ‘Looks fine to me,’ he said as she scrambled up onto the platform. ‘But I guess I should give it one last test before I let you risk life and limb.’ He grabbed hold of the rope with both hands and stood at the edge of the platform. Luke let out a giant whoop as he swung out over the water. Jenna laughed and applauded as he dropped into the river.
He came up grinning. ‘Come on. Your turn.’
Jenna’s hands felt clammy as she stretched out and grabbed the rope. She could feel the adrenalin pumping through her body. From the safety of the ground this had seemed like a good idea but now she was not so sure. From here the river appeared to be a long way down. She hadn’t done anything like this since she was a kid.
‘Chicken!’ called Luke.
She stood on the edge of the platform, closed her eyes and pushed off.
As she swung out over the river her heart soared. She squealed with joy.
‘Woo hoo,’ Luke called as she plummeted into the water.
She came up laughing. ‘That was so much fun. Let’s do it again.’
Luke swam up beside her and smiled. He reached out and touched her hair. She looked up at him from under her tangled curls.
‘Twig,’ he said, as he pulled some debris from her hair.
‘Oh.’
His hand went back to her head but this time he drew her close and pressed his lips to hers.
Jenna pulled away. She was not setting herself up for another rejection. Last night had been humiliating enough. ‘I thought you couldn’t do this.’
Luke looked deep into her eyes. ‘I don’t know what to say. This can’t go anywhere. You understand that? No matter how attracted I am to you, this can never be more than a weekend fling. I don’t have anything to offer you, Jenna, but I can tell you this: right now, this minute, I feel something I haven’t felt for a long time.’
‘What’s that?’ she asked.
‘Happy.’
This time Jenna kissed him. There in the cool waters of the Curlewis River her reservations evaporated. The passion she had tried so hard to quell came pouring out. She ran her fingers through his hair and pulled him closer as they kissed. His hands caressed her and their bodies slid under the water, entwined.
They surfaced breathless and laughing. Jenna slithered away from him and swam towards the far bank. ‘I want to jump again,’ she said.
Luke laughed. ‘I’ll be right here waiting,’ he said.
Jenna climbed the tree and grabbed hold of the rope. She swung out over the river squealing and giggling before dropping back into the deep water below. Luke swam up beside her and planted a quick kiss on her mouth. ‘You’re beautiful,’ he said.
Jenna’s heart swelled. How could this man who was so wrong for her, so different to her, make her feel so complete? She knew they didn’t have a future but maybe she should just go with her heart and be happy right now. Feeling wanted for one weekend was better than not at all.
She placed her arms around his neck and looked into his eyes. ‘Thank you,’ she said.
* * *
Luke could feel Jenna shivering beneath his hands. He gently moved her towards the bank. ‘Come on, let’s warm you up,’ he said. He clasped her hand and pulled her up out of the water. The bank was now in full shade and, despite the heat, Luke could see the goose bumps on Jenna’s skin. He picked up her towel and wrapped it around her shoulders, drawing her into his arms at the same time.
Somewhere at the back of his mind he knew that none of this was a good idea, but when he was near her, he was driven by a force more powerful than common sense. Her soft, wet skin felt like velvet and he couldn’t resist the urge to lay his lips upon it. He kissed the smooth skin of her throat, slowly working his way up to her mouth. A small sound escaped her lips and she quivered in his arms. ‘Are you still cold?’ he asked.
‘Not at all,’ she said with a smile. And when she kissed him back he knew she was telling the truth.
He cradled her head and pulled her closer, kissing her more insistently, and she responded with equal ardour. His free hand moved over her body, his fingers slowly trailing up her stomach until they reached her breast.
He shut down the voice in his head telling him to stop before they both got hurt. If he was honest with himself he’d known that this was what he wanted from the second he’d laid eyes on her. He was drawn to her, driven by a force he seemed powerless to control. And it seemed that Jenna felt the same way. Whatever this was — lust, passion, a monumental mistake — it was unstoppable.
He cupped her breast gently and moved his lips from her mouth and back to her neck. He felt the sharp intake of her breath as her nipple hardened, rising to press the wet fabric of her bikini top against his palm.
‘Luke, stop.’
Damn it. He’d pushed her too far. ‘What’s wrong?’
‘Can you hear that noise?’
He lifted his head and listened. ‘Probably just kids skylarking.’
The yelling became louder and more insistent. Luke forced himself to pull away from Jenna. ‘Do you think — ’
Jenna nodded. ‘It sounds like Rob.’
Luke jumped up and pulled his T-shirt over his head. ‘I’m going to see if I can find them,’ he said.
Jenna slid her feet into her thongs and picked up her caftan. ‘I’ll come with you.’
Luke looked at her footwear. ‘It might be better if you stayed here,’ he said.
More yelling sounds came from the distance.
‘If one of them is injured, you might need my help,’ she said.
She was right. An extra pair of hands never went astray. ‘Okay, but be careful walking in those shoes. We don’t need you to get hurt.’
Jenna nodded and slipped the caftan over her head.
‘Follow me,’ Luke said, and he headed off towards the sound of the voices.
There was a well-defined track along the river’s edge, which Luke surmised was the route Rob and Brooke would have taken. He moved as quickly as he could without leaving Jenna behind, although he had to admit she was keeping pace pretty well, especially as they were going uphill. The bank was getting progressively steeper and the bush thicker the further they went along the track.
‘Stop for a minute,’ Luke said, when they heard Rob’s voice again. He sounded nearby.
‘Rob?’ Luke called.
‘Down here, mate,’ came the reply.
Luke looked down towards the water. Through the scrub he could just see Rob crouching down. Brooke appeared to be lying on the ground.
‘What’s happened?’ Luke shouted.
‘Brooke’s taken a tumble and hurt her ankl
e. I need your help to get her back to the truck.’
‘Righto. I’ll be down in a minute.’ He turned to Jenna. ‘Go back to the ute and grab anything that might be useful.’
‘Like what?’
‘Towels, rope, anything that can help make a splint. If her ankle’s broken she won’t be able to put any weight on it at all. I’m not sure how hard it will be to get her up the slope but we don’t want to do any extra damage to her ankle in the process.’
Jenna nodded. ‘I’ll be as quick as I can.’ She hesitated for a moment. ‘Luke?’
‘Yes?’
‘It surely can’t be that bad? I mean she’ll be okay won’t she?’
He could hear the concern in her voice and it touched him. His natural instinct was to comfort her, but experience had taught him not to make promises he couldn’t keep. ‘I hope so. Just hurry back with whatever you can find.’
Luke started down the steep embankment, wishing he’d had the sense to bring his work boots with him. He was relieved not to have Jenna behind him. He wasn’t ready to answer questions about his medical knowledge and surely she would notice that he knew more than your average farmer. What the hell was he doing? His desire had caused him to launch into something he knew he wasn’t ready for. He wanted to keep his distance, to go back to being comfortably numb, like he was before he met her. But the moment he kissed her the floodgates to his heart had opened.
Thank God she was going back to Melbourne tomorrow. The last thing he needed was to turn his, or Maggie’s, world upside down.
He reached the pebbly river’s edge and crouched down near Brooke. All thoughts of Jenna vanished from his mind as he assessed the situation. ‘How did you end up like this?’ he asked.
Brooke’s face was white but she managed a smile. ‘I slipped on the wet rocks, klutz that I am.’
Luke smiled reassuringly as he looked her over. ‘Where does it hurt?’ he asked.
‘My ankle mainly. My hip’s a bit sore too.’
‘Did you hit your head at all when you fell?’
Brooke shook her head.
‘Good. Let’s have a look at this ankle.’ He turned his attention to her foot.
Brooke winced in pain as he touched her.
‘Good thing you didn’t move her,’ he said to Rob. ‘Looks like it could be broken.’
‘I’m sorry,’ said Brooke. ‘I’ve ruined everyone’s day.’
‘Don’t be silly,’ said Luke. ‘We’ll have you out of here in no time.’
* * *
Jenna scanned the interior of Rob’s ute for anything that might be useful. She gathered up a length of rope, a bottle of water, some painkillers she found in the glove box and a newspaper that was on the floor of the back seat. Maybe they could roll the newspaper up and use it as a splint? She spied a large toolbox in the back of the truck. She tried to lift it, but it wouldn’t budge. She tried opening the lid but it was locked. Damn!
They would have to make do with the things she could carry. She bundled up the few bits and pieces she had into her towel and hurried back along the track, hoping that Brooke’s injuries weren’t too serious.
Luke seemed to know what to do and had impressed her with the way he had taken charge of the situation. He was obviously used to being in control. Maybe they were more alike than she had first imagined.
Her heart raced and her breathing was laboured as she hurried along the overgrown track back to the others. It was tough going but she knew it was more than the physical exercise causing her heart to pound. The thought of Luke’s touch, of what had happened in the river, was causing an adrenalin surge. When she pictured his wet hands caressing her slowly, his lips gently kissing her all over, it caused a reaction she’d never felt before. It was a mix of elation, nervous anticipation and an absolute desperate desire for those hands to be on her again as soon as possible.
She heard voices coming from below and realised that she was close to the spot where Brooke had fallen.
‘Luke,’ she called. ‘I’m back.’
He scrambled up the bank towards her. ‘What did you get?’
Jenna handed him the bundle.
‘Great. The newspaper will make a good splint. We just need something to secure it with.’ He tossed the other items aside. ‘Best not give her anything to drink in case she needs surgery.’
‘Do you really think it’s that serious?’
‘It’s hard to tell without an x-ray. Her whole lower leg is tender so there might be a broken bone there, or it could be just bruising.’
Jenna nodded, impressed with Luke’s knowledge of first aid. Obviously that sort of thing was important to know if you lived out here.
‘Wait here. I’ll splint the leg as best I can and then Rob and I can carry her up.’ Luke took off his T-shirt and started ripping it into strips.
As she looked at his bare chest, an image of their bodies entwined on the riverbank flashed through her mind. Stop it. This was definitely not the time to be thinking about her desire to be back in Luke’s arms. She tried to focus on the task at hand. ‘What’s that for?’ she asked.
‘To secure the splint. Stay here. We’ll have her up in no time.’ Luke set off down the embankment again.
From up on the road it was hard to tell what was happening. Jenna caught glimpses of Luke and Rob bent over Brooke and after some time she saw Brooke’s body being lifted. Rob appeared to have her under the arms, while Luke supported her legs. Progress up the slope was painstakingly slow and Jenna began to feel anxious.
Finally they made it safely to the road. Jenna rushed to Brooke’s side. ‘Are you okay?’
‘I’ve been better,’ Brooke said, but she managed a smile.
‘Spread the towel out, Jenna. We’ll let Brooke rest for a minute before we head back to the ute,’ Luke said.
‘You mean give yourself a rest,’ joked Brooke, as the two men set her down on the towel.
Luke grinned. ‘Good thing you’re only a lightweight, or we’d be in real trouble.’
‘We can’t carry her like that all the way back to the ute,’ said Rob. ‘It’ll be too uncomfortable for her.’
‘No,’ said Luke. ‘She can wrap her arms around our shoulders and we’ll support her that way. The splint is pretty secure so her leg should be fine.’
‘It’s a pity it’s so far away,’ said Rob.
Luke looked at Jenna. ‘You could go get the truck. It won’t get far along this track but even a couple of hundred metres would help. The closer you can get the better.’
‘But…’
‘You can drive, can’t you?’
‘Of course I can drive.’ So long as it’s an automatic transmission.
‘Well?’
‘Where are the keys?’
‘The keys are in the ignition,’ Rob said.
Jenna shook her head. No one she knew would ever leave their car unlocked, let alone the keys in the ignition. She turned and headed back down the track once more. What were the odds of Rob’s old truck being automatic? Pretty slim she thought. Last time she’d driven a manual was the day she passed her driver’s test, almost 10 years ago now.
When the ute came into sight she crossed her fingers. Please be an auto.
She climbed up into the driver’s seat and cursed. No such luck. She clenched her teeth in determination. How hard could this be? Thousands of people drove these types of vehicles everyday, why not her? It wasn’t as if she was stupid.
She turned the ignition and released the handbrake. So far so good. She put her foot on the clutch and slid the gear stick into first and then slowly released the clutch while pushing on the accelerator. The ute stalled. Damn.
It took three more false starts and some bunny hopping before she managed to propel the vehicle forward. Too scared to change out of first gear, she nudged the truck along until the track was too narrow and overgrown to continue.
Beads of perspiration trickled down her face as she opened the door and swung herself down. So much for the
swim cooling her off. Hot and dirty, she made her way back up the now too familiar track.
Luke’s face was sporting a large grin when she caught up with them. ‘Have a bit of trouble getting the ute started?’ he asked.
‘No,’ she said.
‘Sounded that way from here.’
Jenna felt her face colour. ‘I’m not used to driving trucks,’ she said.
Luke and Rob laughed. ‘Don’t worry. At least you managed to bring it up a bit further,’ Luke said.
‘I’m not sure how much further I can go,’ said Brooke. Her face was now twisted in pain.
‘The ute’s not far,’ Jenna said.
‘Thank God,’ said Brooke.
They walked the final length of the track in silence.
When they finally reached the ute Brooke kissed the bonnet. ‘I never thought I’d be so happy to see such an old rust bucket,’ she said.
Rob and Luke helped her into the front passenger seat, which Rob had pushed as far back as possible. ‘Try to keep your leg still,’ Luke said as he propped the toolbox and a towel under Brooke’s foot.
Jenna had to sit in the middle of the backseat because Brooke’s seat was pushed back so far. Luke climbed in next to her. Her skin tingled as his bare skin grazed hers.
He reached down and took her hand.
Jenna felt a lump welling in her throat. She hadn’t held hands with a boy since high school.
‘I’ll drop you two off at Tandarra on the way to the hospital,’ said Rob.
‘No, I want to come,’ said Jenna.
‘The nearest hospital is nearly an hour away,’ said Rob.
‘I don’t care,’ Jenna replied.
‘Jen, I don’t want both of us to miss the bush dance. I’ll be fine. I’ll have Rob with me.’
‘But…’
‘We have to go to Tandarra anyway. Maggie will be wondering where we’ve got to,’ Luke said.
Jenna shook her head. ‘Brooke, I really think I should come with you.’
But Brooke was insistent. ‘If you miss the dance because of me it will be adding insult to injury and I mean that quite literally. Please, Jen, go and have some fun.’
‘Well…if you insist.’
Brooke turned her head and managed a smile. ‘I do.’
