take the drive down to Jim Jim Falls and she’d just have to deal with it.
Ellie rolled out of bed and stumbled into the small bathroom, determined to get Kane McLaren out of her head. She scrabbled through the cupboard for some paracetamol capsules and popped two into her mouth with a handful of water.
Ten minutes later she walked into the staff dining room at the back of the lodge in search of her first coffee of the day. Kane was sitting at a table with an iPad in front of him. He glanced up and nodded as Ellie crossed to the coffee machine and she smiled tightly as she picked up a cup. At last her head had stopped throbbing. The noticeboard held a colourful poster announcing the band appearing in the Makowa Lodge main bar on Sunday night. At least there was something to look forward to.
‘Come and join me.’ The corners of Kane’s mouth tilted up in a brief smile. So Mr Fix-it appeared to be in a better mood today. After her cup was full, she walked across and pulled out the chair opposite him.
His hair was damp and he wore a khaki shirt the same as hers.
‘Thanks for showing me to my apartment last night.’ He was watching her intently as she checked out his work uniform. It suited him.
‘No problem. Did you get settled in okay?’ Ellie closed her eyes for a second as the first slug of coffee hit her bloodstream. If he could be civil, so could she.
‘Yup.’ Kane held her gaze when she opened her eyes. ‘Look, I was really tired yesterday, and I didn’t expect to be up in the air so soon. If I came across as a bit of a cowboy, I apologise.’
‘We have to work together, so if you’ve ever got a problem, be upfront. Tell me what’s bothering you, and then we’ll get along just fine.’
‘I will.’ Kane pushed his plate away and stood, leaving most of the food untouched. Ellie glanced down at the congealing mix of bacon fat and runny eggs stuck to the plate he’d left on the table.
‘A word of advice.’ She looked up at him and his dark eyes held hers.
‘Yeah?’
‘Never ask for the cooked breakfast in the staff kitchen. Artery cloggers are all you’ll get here. I keep cereal and milk in my room. I only come here for the coffee.’
Kane looked down at her, and his whole face lit up. It was as if another person had replaced the taciturn man of yesterday. ‘Don’t worry. I’m well used to those sorts of meals.’
Ellie tipped her head to the side, waiting for him to continue but he stood silently while she sipped her coffee. He was a good-looking man and she held his gaze a little longer than she normally would have. ‘We’ll have to get going soon. It’s going to be a long day.’ Heat ran up her neck; she’d been staring at him too long.
‘I’m ready to leave when you are.’ Kane had shaved this morning and he looked a good deal more civilised than the unshaven hunk in the unbuttoned shirt she’d taken up in the chopper yesterday. Not that she’d been staring. Okay, maybe she had, but that didn’t mean anything.
‘I’ll head across to the garage and get one of the four-wheel drives out of the compound.’ Ellie finished her coffee in one quick swallow and stood. ‘Are you okay to drive down if I navigate? The last ten kilometres down to the car park is a dirt track and it’s pretty rough. You’ll have to drive back so you might as well get to know the road on the way down.’ She folded her arms. ‘Or would you rather be a passenger?’
‘You’re the boss.’ Kane shrugged casually. ‘I’ll come with you now.’
Ellie pushed her chair in as Kane picked up the iPad. The black headline on the screen caught her eye.
‘
Sordina meets with Aboriginal council. Gives an assurance that coal seam gas exploration will never impact on Kakadu.’
The hair on the back of Ellie’s neck rose as she remembered the earthworks on the farm. This was precisely what her mother had been harping on about for the past three years. The headline was ambiguous. Was the news item
Ellie rolled out of bed and stumbled into the small bathroom, determined to get Kane McLaren out of her head. She scrabbled through the cupboard for some paracetamol capsules and popped two into her mouth with a handful of water.
Ten minutes later she walked into the staff dining room at the back of the lodge in search of her first coffee of the day. Kane was sitting at a table with an iPad in front of him. He glanced up and nodded as Ellie crossed to the coffee machine and she smiled tightly as she picked up a cup. At last her head had stopped throbbing. The noticeboard held a colourful poster announcing the band appearing in the Makowa Lodge main bar on Sunday night. At least there was something to look forward to.
‘Come and join me.’ The corners of Kane’s mouth tilted up in a brief smile. So Mr Fix-it appeared to be in a better mood today. After her cup was full, she walked across and pulled out the chair opposite him.
His hair was damp and he wore a khaki shirt the same as hers.
‘Thanks for showing me to my apartment last night.’ He was watching her intently as she checked out his work uniform. It suited him.
‘No problem. Did you get settled in okay?’ Ellie closed her eyes for a second as the first slug of coffee hit her bloodstream. If he could be civil, so could she.
‘Yup.’ Kane held her gaze when she opened her eyes. ‘Look, I was really tired yesterday, and I didn’t expect to be up in the air so soon. If I came across as a bit of a cowboy, I apologise.’
‘We have to work together, so if you’ve ever got a problem, be upfront. Tell me what’s bothering you, and then we’ll get along just fine.’
‘I will.’ Kane pushed his plate away and stood, leaving most of the food untouched. Ellie glanced down at the congealing mix of bacon fat and runny eggs stuck to the plate he’d left on the table.
‘A word of advice.’ She looked up at him and his dark eyes held hers.
‘Yeah?’
‘Never ask for the cooked breakfast in the staff kitchen. Artery cloggers are all you’ll get here. I keep cereal and milk in my room. I only come here for the coffee.’
Kane looked down at her, and his whole face lit up. It was as if another person had replaced the taciturn man of yesterday. ‘Don’t worry. I’m well used to those sorts of meals.’
Ellie tipped her head to the side, waiting for him to continue but he stood silently while she sipped her coffee. He was a good-looking man and she held his gaze a little longer than she normally would have. ‘We’ll have to get going soon. It’s going to be a long day.’ Heat ran up her neck; she’d been staring at him too long.
‘I’m ready to leave when you are.’ Kane had shaved this morning and he looked a good deal more civilised than the unshaven hunk in the unbuttoned shirt she’d taken up in the chopper yesterday. Not that she’d been staring. Okay, maybe she had, but that didn’t mean anything.
‘I’ll head across to the garage and get one of the four-wheel drives out of the compound.’ Ellie finished her coffee in one quick swallow and stood. ‘Are you okay to drive down if I navigate? The last ten kilometres down to the car park is a dirt track and it’s pretty rough. You’ll have to drive back so you might as well get to know the road on the way down.’ She folded her arms. ‘Or would you rather be a passenger?’
‘You’re the boss.’ Kane shrugged casually. ‘I’ll come with you now.’
Ellie pushed her chair in as Kane picked up the iPad. The black headline on the screen caught her eye.
‘
Sordina meets with Aboriginal council. Gives an assurance that coal seam gas exploration will never impact on Kakadu.’
The hair on the back of Ellie’s neck rose as she remembered the earthworks on the farm. This was precisely what her mother had been harping on about for the past three years. The headline was ambiguous. Was the news item
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