A few of the guys nodded their heads and a couple of the older hands laughed good- naturedly. Zoe shook her head. The guy was being an ass already and it was her first day back on the job.
"So, Jonas. Are you going to be checking that we have our girth straps done up tight and our teeth brushed as well?"
The men sniggered as he glared at her. "If that is what you want Zoe, I will. What we are doing is making sure everyone is safe, not something I call trivial. This is a dangerous country and we’ll be away from home for days at a time. Forgive me if you think that I'm overdoing it."
The heat ran up Zoe's face and she dropped her head.
"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."
&n
bsp; "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.
Breathing heavily, she relaxed and rolled over in the water, tipping her hat back on her head. The glare of the sun on the water blinded her. She held her hand over her brow opening them slowly as her eyes adjusted to the light. Midnight was where she knew he would be, his head hanging down as he stood resting in the shade after his cool dip.
Zoe struck out and started to swim. She made it to the middle of the dam and rolled over on her back again. Having to resort to sex by herself was getting just a bit jaded. It was the only thing keeping her sane when she longed for the one and only man who could send her over the edge with barely a touch. An unsatisfying date night ended many a time with her hiding under the covers to give herself her own release.
Now it was starting to piss her off. How hard could it be to get a decent date that gave her a stimulating time and then offered more? Obviously too fucking hard if the last few years were anything to go by.
Maybe I have to lower my standards? Shit, maybe I shouldn't have any at all.
But that wasn't the problem and she knew it. She still loved the lying, cheating bastard.
How freaking sad was that?
Nobody else had ever measured up. Not in the 'look what you do to me' department anyway. Her dates had been good social company but none had rocked her socks or even made her slightly damp in the panty department.
It was going to be so hard living in the same house as him while she sorted this out and not give into the urge to throw him against the wall and make mad passionate love to him. She would have to set herself some guidelines. Like looking the other way when he walked past so she didn't give in and grab a handful of that tight ass. Avoiding him would be better but that would be impossible.
She would look him in the eye. No more glancing at his throat or the trail of dark hair that ran down to his belly button and beyond. And definitely no drooling at what lay below the waist. Her sex threatening to heat up again, Zoe challenged herself to swim to the other side of the dam.
By the time she made it to the edge scattering cattle egrets from their lazy positions, she was breathing heavily from her first bout of exercise this week. She really couldn't afford to let go of her routine. It had taken years for her to get to the fitness level she was. Not one to be on show though, it was all for her own benefit and because of her business. Zoe insisted she and her staff be walking posters for personal trainers and the chain of gyms she owned and it had paid off.
She crawled into the shallow edge of the dam and took off her hat. It was soaking wet. She shook it and put it back on, mindful that she hadn't been in sun such as this for years.
She relax
ed for another ten minutes before swimming back over to the other side where she pulled her jeans over her damp legs. When she had her shirt on she picked up the saddle and walked over to Midnight. "Let's go home, fella. I could do with a drink."
Chapter Four
When they got back to the yard, the new helicopter was sitting on the purpose built concrete pad that hadn't been there when she came home for her parent’s funeral. Zoe unsaddled Midnight and after checking his feet for stones, she hosed him down and let him go in the paddock.
"Hey Zoe, have a good ride?" Brandon asked when she walked into the kitchen. He was sitting at the table, a cold beer in his hand.
"Yeah it was good. I think I needed it." She grabbed a glass from the cupboard over the sink and poured herself a glass of water. Turning to face him she leaned against the bench and drank deeply. "How did you go with the recon flight?"
"Great. The first lot of cattle aren't as spread out as I thought. It shouldn't take too long for us to bring them in."
"That's good news. I'm not sure my ass could stand too many days in the saddle to start with." She looked at him keenly, aware that something was amusing him by the grin he kept trying to hide. "What's up Bran?"
He coughed and tried to look away. Just then Jonas walked into the kitchen, a sheet of paper in his hand. He smiled when his gaze met Zoe's. She looked between him and her brother, ready to hit out when he spoke. "How was the swim Zoe, enjoy it?"
The heat flushed up her cheeks and she narrowed her eyes, grappling for what to say.
They saw me? But I didn’t hear the chopper. Right, you fucking idiot Zoe, you had your hat over your face and your ears were under water. Duh.
Outback Thunder Page 3
