Outback Ghost

by Rachael Johns

‘Hello? Can I help you?’ came a shaky voice.

  Stella narrowed her eyes, trying to see through the dark flyscreen door. ‘Um. I’m looking for Adam Burton. I need the key for the cottage.’

  ‘I see.’ The door opened and there stood a woman who looked almost as forlorn as the dog. Her hair was neither blonde nor brown and hung loosely around her shoulders and halfway down her back. She looked as if she could have been quite pretty in her day, but those days were long gone. Her bloodshot eyes and the bags beneath them told Stella she’d been crying. ‘Did he say to come here?’

  Stella shook her head. ‘He told me to meet at the cottage but I’ve been waiting almost an hour and my little girl needs to settle in. I’m sorry to bother you.’

  Without a word, the woman’s gaze dropped to Stella’s side. To Heidi. She stared intently and Stella felt the hairs on the back of her neck rise. So, Heidi was and looked different. People didn’t need to stare at her like she was some kind of freak show.

  Stella drew her daughter into her side and cleared her throat. ‘Do you know where I can find Adam or the key?’ Right now the latter would be preferable. If another person stared at Heidi like that, Stella was liable to snap.

  Before the woman could reply, Heidi escaped from Stella’s clutches and flung herself at the scraggly woman, wrapping her little arms around the woman’s thin waist.

  ‘Oh.’ The woman let out a half-laugh, half-breath and her lips crinkled upwards at the edges. ‘Hello there.’ She moved her own arms to accept Heidi’s hug, her hand moving to stroke the little girl’s hair. ‘What a sweetheart,’ she added, looking up and meeting Stella’s gaze.

  ‘She is.’ Stella relaxed at the genuine warmth in the other woman’s eyes. This wasn’t the first time Heidi had thrown herself at strangers. She had incredible empathy and often took on board the feelings of others. Whenever she saw someone in a wheelchair or another person crying, she wanted to make them better.

  No one spoke for a few long moments but when Heidi eventually pulled back, the recipient of her hug did look a fraction better than she had when they’d arrived.

  ‘You two must come inside while I call Adam for you. I have some lemonade and a packet of chocolate biscuits if you’d like.’

  Heidi’s eyes widened as she looked between the two women.

  ‘That would be lovely,’ Stella said, reminding herself that she too shouldn’t be so quick to judge.

  ‘I’m Esther.’ The woman held out her hand. ‘Lovely to meet you.’

  Stella returned the handshake. ‘Stella, and this is Heidi.’ They followed Esther down a long dark hallway, their shoes click-­clacking on the polished wooden floor.

  ‘Oh, I’m sorry, we should have left our shoes at the door,’ Stella said. She’d been away from the farm so long that she’d forgotten the custom of leaving boots outside.

  ‘Don’t be silly. Your shoes are hardly dirty, besides, I’ve got nothing better to do than clean anyway.’

  Stella didn’t know what to say to that, so she laughed lightly. Moments later they emerged into a massive farm kitchen – the type with pots and pans hanging from the roof and a table that could sit a dozen shearers in the centre of the room.

  ‘Have a seat. I’ll call Adam and then get you those refreshments.’

  Esther turned away and went to use a radio on the far wall. Heidi climbed onto a chair, her little legs dangling but not reaching the floor. Although she was seven, she had the physique of a five year old. Stella didn’t feel right sitting until Esther returned, so she took a moment to look around the kitchen. Dim like the rest of the house, it gave off the same sad vibe as the woman, in total contrast to the front garden, which bloomed with summer colour. On the fridge a few photos hung. One was of a little boy and girl about nine and seven and the others were only of the girl. They had a yellow tinge and were ruffled round the edges, suggesting newer ones should have replaced them years ago.

  ‘Adam is extremely sorry.’

  Stella blinked, realising Esther had returned. ‘Did he forget?’ she asked, smiling at Esther as if she hadn’t just been staring at images that had nothing to do with her.

  Esther nodded, then turned towards the fridge. She spoke as she retrieved a bottle of Sprite and an unopened packet of Tim Tams. ‘He’s harvesting at the moment and that tends to take precedence over all else. But on top of that we’ve had an eventful day, I’m afraid, and you must have slipped his mind.’

  ‘That’s okay. Better late than never.’

  Heidi’s eyes widened again as they homed in on the biscuits as Esther opened the packet.

  ‘I can see someone’s a fan,’ Esther said, pushing the packet towards Heidi. ‘Now, Stella, is lemonade okay for you, too, or would you prefer a tea or coffee?’

  ‘Lemonade will be perfect in this weather, thank you.’ Usually she didn’t let Heidi drink soft drinks but this was the start of their special holiday. Allowances could and would be made.

  Esther was halfway through pouring three glasses when the front door banged and heavy footsteps hurried down the hallway towards them. Stella turned to see a tall, well-built, tanned god of a man appear in the doorway. Standing in black socks, oil-stained jeans and a snug navy T-shirt, he defied the laws of attractiveness. Once upon a time she’d been a sucker for the dirty look of a man who wasn’t afraid of hard labour but she could no longer afford to let such things affect her. While she swallowed, trying to bring moisture back to her mouth and sense back to her brain, he closed his eyes briefly and ran his hand through tousled sun-bleached hair.

  Then he tossed her the most apologetic gaze in the history of mankind, a dimple forming in his cheek as he did so. Rushing forward to offer his hand, he said, ‘I’m Adam. Pleased to meet you. So sorry you had to wait.’

  This was Adam? The moment she’d met Esther, whom she’d assumed to be Adam’s wife, she’d adopted a visual image of a middle-aged man with a rotund belly and grey or balding hair. But this man couldn’t be much older than thirty. Maybe he was Esther’s son, rather than spouse. This knowledge should not bring the lift to her heart that it did.

  She forced her hand upwards to greet his.

  ‘It’s fine,’ she said, trying to recover from the jolt of unexpected and unadulterated lust that had just slapped her hard. She hadn’t experienced any such thing since having Heidi. ‘It’s not like we’re in any real rush.’

  ‘We?’ Adam’s brow furrowed and he glanced sideways, his gaze landing on Heidi for the first time. For a second Stella wondered if he’d felt the same jolt of lust looking at her and that’s why he’d only just noticed her child, but she pushed that silly notion aside and nodded.

  ‘Yes, this is my daughter, Heidi. Heidi, say hello to Mr Burton.’

  ‘Hi Mr Button.’ Heidi’s smile filled her whole face, despite her mouth being full of chocolate biscuit.

  Stella’s heart stilled as she waited for Adam’s reaction. Perhaps if he were affronted by Heidi’s appearance, she’d find it easier to ignore his off-the-radar gorgeous factor.

  ‘Hi Heidi.’ Although he smiled, Stella heard the hesitation in his voice and she saw the way he looked at Heidi, as if he was a little fearful.

  ‘Want a bikkie?’ Heidi asked, offering up a Tim Tam towards him, oblivious to any tension in the room.

  He chuckled and stepped forward. ‘Sure. How can a guy refuse a choccy bikkie from such a gorgeous lady?’ Taking a bite, he stepped back again and lowered his voice as he addressed Stella. ‘I didn’t know you were bringing a child.’

  She folded her arms. ‘There wasn’t any room on the website to include specifics about who was coming but it is a two-bedroom cottage…’ She paused a moment, ‘Is that a problem?’

  Please, dear God, let it not be a problem. They’d barely been here an hour but Heidi already adored the place and Stella couldn’t bear to break her heart if they had to leave.

  ‘Not exactly,’ Adam replied, ‘but the fence around the cottage is more for show than safety. It’s not v
ery high. We’re harvesting at the moment so I don’t want her to be in any danger.’

  Stella’s heart relaxed. ‘Oh, that won’t be a problem. I won’t let her out of my sight. There is nothing in this world more important to me than Heidi’s safety.’

  Adam’s smile appeared once again, this time warm and full of depth. ‘In that case, welcome Stella and Heidi. We’re stoked to have you here.’ He gestured to Esther. ‘I see your little lady has already won Mum’s heart.’

  Stella turned to follow his gaze and saw Esther sitting next to Heidi. They were chatting about the cat they’d seen at the cottage.

  ‘Yes,’ Esther nodded, ‘he’s quite a character but no, he doesn’t have a name. Would you like to name him?’

  Heidi’s forehead furrowed and her tongue pushed up her upper lip in the way it always did when she was concentrating. ­‘Whiskers?’ She looked between Esther and Stella for reassurance.

  ‘I think that’s a splendid name,’ Esther said with a grin, then she looked to Adam. ‘Can I get you a glass of lemonade too?’

  Adam glanced at his watch. ‘A quick one.’

  Esther fetched and poured another glass and then they all sat around the table.

  Heidi seemed content to chat to Esther for hours, but Stella was aware Adam had come in from working on the farm and she didn’t want to keep him long. Not to mention his presence made her nervous. She downed her drink, relishing the coolness against her parched throat and then tried to hurry Heidi. ‘Drink up, sweetheart. I want to see our cottage and Mr Burton has to get back to work.’

  Adam met her gaze across the table. ‘Adam, please. You can both call me Adam.’

  His words were innocuous but his voice made her body temp jump at least five degrees. Stella cursed the heat that rushed to her cheeks as she spluttered to reply. ‘Thank… thank you.’

  ‘Ready Mr Adam,’ Heidi said, sliding off the chair and pushing it back into the table as she’d been taught to do.

  ‘What do you say to Mrs Burton?’ Stella prodded.

  Heidi turned to their host and beamed. ‘Thanks for bikkies, Mrs Button. We should do it again sometime.’

  Stella stifled a laugh. Heidi’s class had been studying manners for the last term and it showed. She’d have been happy with a quick thank you.

  ‘That would be lovely.’ Esther stooped to Heidi’s eye level. ‘Now, run along with your mum and Adam and I’ll see you soon.’

  ‘Yes, thank you so much,’ Stella added as Heidi’s hand slipped into hers. ‘You’ll have to come visit us at the cottage so I can repay the favour.’

  Esther merely smiled as Stella and Heidi followed Adam outside. On the veranda a younger dog, a Kelpie pup if Stella had her breeds right, was now charging back and forth irritating the heck out of the old retriever. Adam whistled once and the puppy turned its attentions away from the other dog. It bounded up and bounced around Heidi and Stella as if it had never seen strangers before in its life, which couldn’t have been very long judging by the size of it.

  Heidi and the pup almost did some kind of dance as they fell over each other trying to offer affection. Stella and Adam looked on smiling as the small dog practically gave Heidi a lick bath.

  ‘Mutton, stop,’ Adam shouted but neither Heidi nor the dog made any attempt to disentangle themselves.

  ‘It’s fine.’ Stella laughed, thinking that she’d never be able to get Heidi to bed that night after all this animal excitement. ‘She loves it.’

  ‘He’s supposed to be a sheep dog,’ Adam muttered, shaking his head. ‘Could be a lost cause.’ But he couldn’t hide his smile and Stella could tell he had quite a soft spot for the pup. ‘You two want to follow me to the cottage?’

  Stella nodded. ‘That would be fabulous. Heidi, we’ve got to go. You might be able to play with the dog later.’

  ‘He’d love that.’ Adam grabbed the pup by its collar and yanked it away from Heidi. He carried it down the steps and then plopped it on the ground at the bottom of the veranda. Within seconds it had bounded past him and was jumping at the ute door.

  Stella took Heidi’s hand again and followed to their car, all the while listening to her daughter’s ramblings about the dog and the cat and drinking lemonade. Heidi chattered all the way back to the cottage and Stella had to force her mind to stay focused on her daughter’s words, but it was hard. For some darn reason, all she could think about was the man driving in the ute a few metres ahead of them.

  They’d barely exchanged more than five sentences but there was just something about Adam that turned her insides out and made it hard to think of anything sensible to say. It couldn’t simply be that he was good looking – she’d met and spoken to plenty of spunky guys before – but being near him affected her in a way she wasn’t sure it should. She found herself wanting to know all sorts of weird and wonderful things about him.

  What did he do when he wasn’t farming? What was his favourite movie? His favourite food? Did he prefer Pepsi or Coke? Pizza or hamburgers? Was he an early bird or a night owl?

  But most importantly was he married or spoken for?

  The mere possibility left a pathetic and stupid ache in her heart. It wasn’t like she was in the market to even think about a relationship. Heidi’s dad had knocked her faith in love and men right out of ballpark. She hadn’t even looked at a man in that way since the day her daughter was born. She’d had neither time nor inclination.

  But something about Adam hit a weak spot and made heat coil in the empty pit of her belly. It made her wish she’d worn a sundress today instead of her scrappy old denim shorts and comfy Bonds T-shirt. It made her wish she still painted her nails every Friday night and took the time to straighten her hair after washing it.

  Telling herself to stop being silly, she licked her lips and took a breath as she parked alongside him in front of the cottage. Before she’d even pulled her key out of the ignition, Adam was at Heidi’s door, opening it and helping her out of her car seat, Mutton at his feet, desperate for a partner-in-crime again.

  ‘Thank you,’ Stella said as she climbed out of the car and shut the door. Heidi and Mutton were already halfway up the cobbled garden path to the cottage.

  ‘What, for being unprofessionally late or for letting my puppy slobber all over your daughter?’

  She laughed. ‘Both.’

  He shrugged. ‘I aim to please.’ Then he dug a key out of his pocket and offered it to her on his palm. The key was attached to a Star Wars key ring. ‘Here you go.’

  Her pitiful heart skipped a beat as she reached out and swiped the key off his hand. Despite her best efforts, her fingertips brushed against his calloused palm in the action and goosebumps immediately erupted all over her skin. She hoped he didn’t notice because in this hot weather goosebumps would be a dead giveaway of her silly crush. That’s certainly what this felt like – she hadn’t experienced such an instant attraction to anyone since high school, when she’d changed her crushes almost as frequently as she changed her socks. The days before she’d had to exchange fun and frivolity for responsibility.

  A crush. She could deal with a crush. There wasn’t any harm in admiring the scenery as long as she didn’t start fantasising about sampling the produce.

  ‘Thanks,’ she said, trying to sound normal. ‘Are you coming in?’

  ‘Only a moment. I’ll give you the quick tour and see if you have any questions before I head off again.’ Adam smiled and gestured up the path for Stella to go ahead.

  She started towards the cottage, her fingers gripped tightly around the key as she climbed the few steps onto the veranda. She smiled at Heidi and Mutton who were waiting excitedly at the front door and then lifted the key to slip it into the lock. It seemed to stick and she bit her tongue on a curse as she jiggled it harder. But the more she jiggled, the more it seemed impossible that it would ever open.

  ‘There’s a knack.’ Adam’s voice sounded right behind her and her body stilled as his shadow, his scent, his whole presence loome
d behind her. Not in a threatening way. The only threat she felt was to her libido, which appeared to have suddenly woken from a long and silent slumber and was now fully recharged and ready for action.

  ‘Oh?’ The word came out as barely more than a squeak.

  ‘Yeah.’ And then he was closer. Oh Lord. She could feel his breath against her neck as he leaned close, covered her hand with his and gently eased her hand and the key to the right, then quickly back again. The door pushed open and his hand fell away. ‘See? Simple,’ he said, stepping forward to hold the door for them. ‘I’ll make sure you’ve got the hang of it before I leave, but there’s probably not much need to lock up anyway. We’re pretty much out of danger’s way out here.’

  Simple? Out of danger’s way? At least he appeared to be oblivious to the very dangerous flutter of her pulse beneath her skin. ‘Thanks.’ She couldn’t meet his gaze but looked to Heidi instead. ‘Come on, sweet pea, let’s take a look around.’

  Heidi and Mutton rushed forward.

  ‘No you don’t, little fella. No four-legged creatures past the front door.’ Adam stuck his foot out and gently nudged the exuberant puppy. It wasn’t cruel, more authoritative and Stella couldn’t help but notice the respect and admiration in Mutton’s eyes. Adam clearly had an effect on everyone.

  Heidi paused to throw her little arms around Mutton and then she dashed past them into the house.

  ‘Heidi, wait,’ Stella called.

  ‘It’s okay,’ Adam said. ‘Let her look around. She can’t come to any harm inside.’

  ‘I’m more worried about the damage she can inflict.’

  Adam chuckled. ‘This old place can handle it. And when we decked it out for a farmstay, we chose sturdy furnishings.’

  ‘Well, if you’re sure.’ But now that that little quandary was out of the way, Stella became acutely aware that it was just the two of them standing in a narrow hallway. And he was looking at her in a disconcerting but also rather lovely manner.

  As if realising he was staring, Adam shook his head quickly. ‘Okay, the official tour. This way, Madam.’ He waved his hand in an elaborate motion as he gestured into the hallway. ‘After you.’