by Tamsin Baker
“Well, you two have got things sorted, so I’ll leave you to it,” Michael said. With a nod in the direction of them both, he returned to his car and climbed in. He’d not spoken otherwise.
“Talkative chap, isn’t he?” Daniel remarked as Michael’s vehicle disappeared up the road. He realised belatedly he’d not thanked the Good Samaritan for his help. He would make sure to do so in the next couple of days.
Raff shrugged. “He says all he needs to say.”
“I’ll be on my way then.” Daniel stuck out his hand. “I would’ve been in strife if you hadn’t come out.”
Raff’s handgrip was firm. “Pleased to help. I’ll see you tomorrow.” He clambered back into his truck, and his tail lights soon disappeared into the distance. Daniel followed at a slower pace, fuelled by a mixture of caution and tiredness.
He drove cautiously through the town, noting a couple of pubs were still open, but more than anything, he just wanted to get to the cottage. He stopped off at a 24-hour petrol station and bought a meat pie and a carton of milk from a disinterested girl behind the counter. It was hardly gourmet fare, but it was warm and would have to do. He could shop for supplies in the morning.
The directions for finding the cottage were accurate. As he unlocked the door, he heard again the call of a mopoke. Perhaps it was the mopoke. Ridiculous idea. There must be hundreds of them.
☐
Cassie picked up the cloak and flung it around her shoulders, clasping the toggle at her neck. It wasn’t cold, but there was a chill in the air for anyone who was sky-clad. She heard the mournful cry of the mopoke, and the irregular call of other night birds. You were never truly alone in the bush. The cries were clustered back along the track towards where she had parked the car. Had something disturbed them?
She strained to listen, but aside from the thudding of her heart, she heard nothing. Instead she felt a faint vibratory tremor, one that started in her core and shimmied out to the tips of her toes and fingers. It was a warning of something, but of what she had no idea.
As she moved to blow out the last candle on her altar stone, the mopoke swooped out of the darkness and flew a circuit over her head.
“What is it, my friend? Has something disturbed you?”
Such was its ability to blend with its environment, she never saw the bird unless it chose to show itself. That didn’t happen with every ceremony, but she was always aware of its presence. Sometimes she glimpsed the outline of Boobook Man, standing in the protection of the adjoining trees, his cloak covered in brown flecked feathers.
She never approached him. She had too much respect to do that. If he wished, he would approach her. Was tonight’s flyover a warning, or was it a flight of support? Surely the latter. There was no danger out here. Perhaps he carried a message from Aphrodite. She knew the goddess would not be rushed. Answers would come when the timing was right.
With one last look around to be sure nothing was left behind, Cassie made her way back to her car. It was difficult not to be impatient. Now she had decided to ask for help, she wanted immediate results. That was unlikely to happen. Like Aphrodite, he would come to her when the timing was right. Who could it be in a town the size of Harrow, anyway? She knew most of the men, those who might be considered eligible. She had already considered them, and that was the problem. None of them measured up.
Chapter 2
Daniel took stock of his surroundings in the early morning light. He had slept solidly, but as was his custom, woke early. With a warm mug of tea between his hands, he stepped out onto the front veranda. The dawn chorus greeted him from the top of the surrounding eucalypts. There were no near neighbours, from what he could see. That suited him fine. He was here to work, not socialise.
Mostly he would work from the dining table inside, but there was a table on the rear deck as well, and perhaps sometimes he could bring the laptop out in the fresh air. A change of scenery always helped inspiration. He moved back inside to take stock of his new accommodation.
The bathroom was basic, but the water was hot. That was a tick. Again, the kitchen was basic, but it seemed to have everything he would need, and a few supplies were in the pantry as well, perhaps left by previous tenants. There was an open lounge-dining room, with a table that could seat six people, and then a cluster of saggy lounge chairs facing an open fireplace. It obviously got cold in this region. Hopefully, not during this visit. Two bedrooms led off the main room, and he had taken the larger of the two.
It didn’t take long to shower and unpack his belongings. That just left breakfast. He opened the pantry door. There was a jar of oats, and an open Weetabix packet. He peered into the box and was met with a gauzy mat of weevil web. Eugh! It looked like breakfast would be in town. Later. Nothing would be open yet.
To pass the time, he set up his laptop and workspace, and checked the internet connection. The assurance that reliable and fast Wi-Fi was available was the deciding factor in renting Lanes End. It was crucial for his work. That done, he took a walk around the perimeter fence, noting a gate at the rear boundary. Something to explore? The cottage sat on a couple of acres, mostly natural scrub, but a small orchard grew close to the house, plus the remnants of a vegetable garden.
He surveyed the fruit trees hopefully. Any produce would be lucky to survive the ravages of marauding possums. He found a few almonds untouched. It reminded him how hungry he was. Except for odd bird calls, it was quiet. He liked that. He’d come to Harrow to get away from distractions. It would be perfect. Still, he was glad the town was in walking distance, especially when a breakfast beckoned.
☐
There was a choice of three cafés in town. That was promising. In time, he could try all of them. He wandered into the first he came to, Beans2U, deciding it was as good as any. Hopefully the name meant it had good coffee. He was aware of curious stares as he selected a table and sat down. Tourists must be thin on the ground if a stranger in town was so obvious. A waitress, whose name badge proclaimed her name to be Amber, approached his table and thrust a menu at him.
“Just coffee, or are you eating as well?”
“Is coffee the only choice? Perhaps I was planning on ordering a cup of tea.”
Amber ran her tongue suggestively around her generous lips, and pulled her shoulders back, thrusting her breasts in his direction. Daniel was momentarily reminded of the scene last night, and the breasts of the unknown nymph in the bush.
“Mister,” Amber husked with a low-lidded look, “you can order whatever you like, but right now I want to know if you want something from the menu, or just want to order something to drink.”
Phew. He felt the heat. It was enough to make his toes curl, and that wasn’t all that stirred. Was that a personal invitation or did she come on to all male customers like that? “I’ll take the menu, thanks, but I’ll start with a mug of flat white while I consider the options.”
“Coffee coming up. When I bring it over, you can tell me what else you’d like.”
Amber sashayed to the next table before looking back over her shoulder and delivering a quick wink, so fleeting he’d almost missed it. Looking around, Daniel realised the woman behind the counter was watching and had probably witnessed the whole exchange. He felt the heat rise in his cheeks. This wasn’t how he’d planned his first sojourn into town. The last thing he needed was a reputation. Not the lecherous sort, anyway. He would try one of the other cafés next time.
The café began to fill, and Amber was kept busy. He managed to place his order and eat his breakfast with minimal interaction. He was careful not to make eye-contact again with the waitress. When he fronted the till to pay for his meal, the woman behind the counter took his money.
“You’ll be the man staying in Bob Russell’s cottage.” It was a statement, not a question.
“Yes. How did you know?”
“I saw the car you drove up in. My husband, Michael, gave you a lift last night. He told me about it.”
Daniel hadn’t seen her t
he previous evening. Perhaps she’d been out, or in bed early. “I see news travels fast around here.”
“It does,” she replied flatly, still holding on to his change. “Don’t pay too much attention to Amber. She plays up a bit, but it doesn’t mean anything. I wouldn’t want you to get the wrong idea.”
He was being warned off, or was that only his imagination? That was two warnings from the Fielding family. Strange sort of coincidence. Daniel smiled at her to diffuse the situation and dropped his eyes to her name badge. Carmel. “I’m Daniel Burton. Pleased to meet you, Carmel. Your husband was a saviour last night. I must think him properly some time.”
“No need,” she said. “We’re neighbourly people around here.”
“So I’ve seen.” He pocketed his change. “Thanks for breakfast. I need to see about my car.”
The sunshine was bright when he emerged from the café. Raff had given him the address of his workshop, and it wasn’t hard to find. The man in question emerged from the rear of the shed. He wiped his hand on a rag before extending it in greeting.
“Morning. Found your way, I see. Can you leave your car here for a while? I’ve a job I need to finish, and then I’ll check yours over and see what needs to be ordered in. I’m not sure if that panel is repairable or if it should be replaced.”
“I don’t need it today, Raff, so you can have it as long as you need it.”
The two men surveyed the damaged.
“It won’t take long to put the quote together,” Raff said. “I’m an ay-one mechanic, but automotive painting is not my forte. I’ve got a mate dropping in later today, and he’ll give me a price on that side of things. I can fit the new panel to the car, but he’ll have to do the painting.” He slapped Daniel on the back. “Don’t worry, mate. We’ll soon have it looking as good as new. I’ll give you a call when the quote’s ready.”
“Not a problem. I’ll take a stroll around the town and explore my new territory.”
“There won’t be a lot to check over. I’ll catch you later.”
Daniel nodded, and turned back towards the main street. He’d leave the bulk of the supermarket shopping until he had the car again, but for now he could locate the post office and the bank and whatever else was of interest. It didn’t take him long to walk up one side of the main street and down the other.
He came to a central square and the civic centre. To the rear was the library. He decided to duck in. He wanted to check out what research facilities were available, and it probably had the daily papers. While he waited for his car, he could catch up on the news.
The library was already full of patrons. There were lots of children, and at one end, a librarian was reading a story to a sea of pre-schoolers seated on the floor around her. She sort of looked familiar, but that was silly. He hadn’t been to Harrow before. Keeping as far from the reading session as he could, he found the papers and scanned them. There wasn’t much of interest, but then there rarely was.
He turned instead to the reference section, pulling out a couple of books that might help with his historical research. He glanced at his watch. Nearly lunchtime. Perhaps he could join the library and then could borrow the books. The librarian he’d seen earlier was sitting at the processing desk when he approached. He was taken by her unusual green-blue eyes, fringed with dark eyelashes and set in olive skin. The darker skin and light eyes were an unusual combination.
She looked up from her work and smiled. “Can I help you?”
The voice. It was familiar, but surely not? This was the voice of the woman he’d seen in the bush clearing last night. How could it be the same? She looked up at him, raising her eyebrows. He hadn’t answered her question.
“I’d like to join if I may, and then to borrow these two books and to put in a reservation for a third.”
“Do you have some ID?” Her voice was mellow and smooth, tantalisingly so.
Daniel fished out his wallet and handed over his driver’s licence. “I’m staying at Lanes End Cottage, so for the duration of my time in town, that will be my address.”
She smiled politely and quickly processed his paperwork, gave him a library card and checked out his books. She tapped out some details on the computer keyboard, before looking up again. Those eyes. He could drown in sea-green pools like that. He brought his attention back to what she was saying.
“I’ve reserved the book for you. It’s at our sister library in Eden Valley. It should arrive in the next day or so. I can text you when it’s in.”
“That would be helpful. Thank you.” He tucked the other two books under his arm. They would keep him going for a while.
“Enjoy your time in Harrow, Mr Burton. The books are due back in a fortnight.”
He opened his mouth to thank her again, but her eyes had already moved to the next person in the queue. On impulse, he didn’t leave immediately, but took his place at a reading desk, pretending to read one of his books. When there were no more customers wanting her attention, she jumped up from the desk and swapped to other tasks.
He watched her as she moved about the library, pushing the shelving trolley. In his mind’s eye, he saw those ripe, luscious breasts falling free, the nipples hardening in response to the night air. Her hair, previously flowing free, was now caught back chastely in a barrette, giving an altogether different impression, along with the shirt and practical trousers she wore.
As he watched, she scanned the library, seemingly to check nobody needed her attention, and then selected a book from a shelf, skimming it for a while before pausing at a particular page. She was engrossed, leaving him free to observe her. Surely he was mistaken. How could this serious, professional person be the same woman he’d observed in the bush?
Someone wanting assistance rang the bell at the front desk. Quickly, she jammed a piece of paper in the book at the page she was reading, and leaving it on a reading table, hurried off to answer the summons. On impulse, Daniel slipped over to the table to see which book it was that had caught her attention. Australian Native Orchids. Unusual choice. Perhaps she grew orchids as a hobby. He knew some people did that. Opening the book at the slip of paper, he saw the page featured a description of the Musky Caladenia. The deep purple flower was known for its musky scent. Unusual.
He glanced at his watch again. He really should make a start on his self-allocated word count for the day. As he left the library, Raff called him to say the car was ready. The shortest route back to Raff’s workshop was through the library carpark. Parked in one of the bays was a blue Mazda sedan.
☐
Once the children’s book session finished, the library settled down to the normal routine. There were the regulars who came in to read the paper or use the library’s internet connection. Then there were others who came in to exchange their books. If she saw Mary Fischer, she knew it was a Monday, if Gertie Ferguson, then it was a Tuesday, and so on. Her regulars were dependable.
Daniel Burton had broken the routine. She reviewed the detail on his membership form. It didn’t tell her much. According to his driver’s licence, his home base was in Adelaide, but on the form, he had given the Lanes End address. She entered the information in the computer database, including his cell number and email address.
The books he’d selected were interesting. She learnt a lot about people from the books they borrowed. There had been some debate in the staff room about whether to order Fifty Shades of Grey for the shelves. They had, and it was intriguing to see whoever borrowed it usually brought to the check-out desk in the middle of their selection, not displayed on top of the pile.
Daniel Burton had borrowed books on local history and the development of the region. Strange choice for a man of his age. There was something altogether unusual about him. The way he had looked at her, for instance. She had wondered at first if she had a smear of breakfast across her face. His gaze had made her tingle, almost with a recognition of her own. That was ridiculous. She’d never seen him before.
There was still an
inner vibration that was disturbing. When the inner forces spoke, it was a reliable portend of events about to happen. Daniel Burton was a very attractive man. Probably that was it. She laughed to herself. Hormones! They had a lot to answer for. Cassie ran into him again during her lunch hour. She was about to drop into the fish mongers as he came out of the supermarket, laden with bags in each hand. He noticed her too. The light of recognition she saw in his eyes sent a warm flush spiralling from her face and heading south.
She formed her face into a polite smile, rapidly trying to think of something suitable to say when Amber swept into view. Amber Fielding—never backwards about coming forward. They’d known each other since childhood, but had never been close. They didn’t have much in common, although Amber usually participated in seasonal ceremonies.
Now, she swept up to Daniel with a sultry smile. “Have you decided what you want?” she whispered in a Marilyn Monroe voice. She reached out and trailed a manicured finger across his cheek. With his hands full of shopping, he was powerless to stop her. He jerked his head back, his eyes registering surprise. Amber laughed, a deep, throaty and somehow suggestive laugh, and continued down the street. “Let me know when you’ve made up your mind,” she called over her shoulder. “You know where to find me.”
Even knowing Amber, Cassie was stunned at the audacity of the encounter. She looked back to Daniel, whose face registered the astonishment he must be feeling.
“Does she always come on that strongly?” he asked.
“Like a bunny in heat, you mean? Quite often. It’s all a game to her. Looks like she has you in her sights.”
“Some game. She never asked if I wanted to play. If I did something like that to her, I’d be up on a charge of sexual harassment.”
“Maybe,” Cassie conceded, “but here in the country, it can take a little while for social attitudes to catch up.”
In her mind, it was Daniel who trailed a finger across her face, teasingly outlining her mouth before leaning in closer and—