Read Online The Sunburnt Country by Fiona Palmer - Free Book Online

the door open just enough to pop her head in. She wished her body wouldn’t react like that to him.
    ‘Sorry to bother you,’ she began.
    ‘Jonelle, come in, please,’ he said, standing up and waving her in.
    She held up her hand. ‘No, I’m just here to bring your tyre back, but your car’s locked. If you just give me your keys, I’ll put it back on and put your spare in the boot. You can keep working.’ Daniel moved towards her. Even though it was another hot day, Daniel wore suit pants and Jonny couldn’t help noticing that he wore them well.
    He pulled his keys from his pocket as he glanced back at his desk piled high with files. ‘It’s okay,’ he said. ‘I need a break anyway.’
    Jonelle led the way outside, grabbed the tyre off the back of her ute and waited as Dan unlocked his boot. ‘Good parking spot,’ she said, standing in the shade of the small carport behind the bank. She tapped her fingers against the tyre and wondered why she was nervous. Maybe it was knowing she had his attention when Renae hadn’t been able to get it. Which was weird, everyone loved Renae.
    What would Dan see in her, besides a grease-stained tomboy?
    ‘Being boss has some perks,’ he said with a smile she didn’t return. She didn’t want to lead him on.
    As she went about her job, Daniel leant against the roo bar on her ute.
    ‘So, how’s your week been?’ he asked as she struggled with the jack. She felt the heat of the day creep up her neck and over her skin, or was that just Daniel getting on her nerves? She could do this job blindfolded, yet today she was fumbling like a novice.
    ‘Fine, thanks.’ His fancy cologne was wafting in the warm breeze and it wasn’t helping her already jittery state.
    ‘So, are you doing anything tonight? I hear the pub’s a happening place and I owe you a drink for helping me out the other day.’
    Jonny didn’t dare meet his eyes; instead she shrugged and made it look like changing the tyre was taking all her concentration. ‘Um, I’m not sure yet.’
    ‘Well, I hope you can come.’ Dan shifted his stance as he glanced down the road. ‘Not much really happens here, does it? Everything seems to move so slowly. What do you do around here?’
    That’s right. Come to our town and make fun of it , Jonelle thought. She’d have to charge him an inflated price after that. ‘Ah, you know, shoot a few roos, eat a few snakes and crack cans with our heads,’ she said dryly.
    Daniel’s laugh was light and airy. He obviously didn’t realise she was annoyed, or maybe he just chose to ignore it.
    ‘Seriously, what do you do with your time?’
    ‘Lots of things. There’s always something to do if you’re up for it.’ She stood up to put the jack in the boot; he stepped into her path and stared her down.
    ‘Is that a challenge?’ His smile was gentle, the glint in his eyes brave and testing.
    Jonny didn’t have time to play with him. She had oil to change in Mr Dixon’s ute, so she moved past him, putting away the car jack, the spanner and the spare.
    Slamming down the boot, she turned and said, ‘Shall I send the bill to the bank?’
    ‘Oh.’ Dan fumbled around in his pocket, pulled out his wallet and handed her his card. ‘Here’s my name and number, but yeah, just send it to the bank. Thanks.’
    ‘Daniel Tyler. Got it.’ She slipped the fancy business card into the pocket of her work overalls, where it would probably stay until it disintegrated in the wash.
    Jonny climbed into her ute and started the engine. Daniel lifted his hand in a wave goodbye but Jonny barely raised her finger off the steering wheel in a weak attempt at a farewell. She drove to her workshop muttering under her breath the whole way. ‘What an idiot. He thinks he’s so much better than us.’ If only he didn’t set her heart racing whenever she saw him.
    Yeah, she could wait a few months until he was gone and she could handle the sparks that he ignited inside her. But she just didn’t