Page 23 of Jillaroo from Jacaranda

For the next month, it was time to focus on herself. This was what her trip to Wildstone Station was all about – self-discovery. A quick glance in her rear-view mirror to her luggage-laden back seat had her grimacing. There was no such thing as overpacking, was there? Even Buck was in the horse trailer.

Townsville was far behind her now, and she was heading towards Charters Towers. Needing some fresh air, she flicked the air-conditioner off and wound her window down. She blew a lock of hair from her eyes, but as soon as the air settled, so did the lock, back out of her line of vision. Squinting into the sun bouncing off her dusty windscreen, she arched her back, stretching out her cramped muscles. She’d been travelling along the same stretch of copper dirt road for the past forty minutes and had only passed two other vehicles – a four-wheel drive and a road train. With nothing but red rock outcroppings, cattle, horses, the odd farmhouse or outbuilding, and a seemingly never-ending fence line of rusty barbed wire as far as her eye could see, the countryside was as stunningly wild as she’d ever seen. She breathed in her surroundings with eager anticipation of what lay ahead on her grand adventure to the outskirts of the Australian outback.

She was extremely grateful for Ty’s generous offer to stay, and she’d be sure to pull her weight whenever and wherever she could to show her appreciation. But she also had to tread carefully. There was undoubtedly an attraction to Ty, but with her promise to herself, and her loved ones back home, that was a big no-go zone. She needed some time to relearn herself, who she really was as a strong independent woman, standing resolutely in her own two boots.

Out of the corner of her eye, something darted from the scrublands and straight into her path. As safely as she could, she applied the brakes, bearing in mind Buck was being towed behind her, and came to a stop less than a metre from a very startled-looking emu.

What in the hell?

They stared at each other for a breathless second before off it took again, reminding her of the Roadrunner and Wile E Coyote cartoons she used to watch as a kid. Chuckling to herself, she went into first gear and continued onwards as the scents of the Australian bushlands – hard-baked earth, livestock and the hint of lemon myrtle – joined her inside her Holden Colorado dual-cab. The wind tossed and tangled her hair and she tucked strands of it behind her ears. She wound the window back up and flicked the air-conditioning to high.

The satnav announced she was turning just up ahead. Slowing, she cranked her steering wheel to the right. The tyres met with more dirt and a plume of red dust rolled out behind her. The thin country road continued for another couple of kilometres, and she was careful as she rounded each bend – any oncoming vehicles would mean she’d have to hug the verge so they could safely pass each other. Jaw-dropping scenery had her eyes widening as she neared a set of gates. She was clearly at the right property, the sign dangling from the fence stating she’d just arrived at Wildstone Station. The reality that she was actually here, at Ty Parker’s actual place, hit her like a hard slap of surrealness. For a lengthy moment, she merely stared at the sign, her fingers tightening around the steering wheel. Sudden panic fuelled her heart into a frenzied gallop and she abruptly wished she hadn’t come here. What in the hell was she doing in the middle of Woop Woop with a bloke she barely knew? Had she lost her damn mind? It had seemed like a good idea at the time. Now, this quest for an epiphany that would be the answer to healing all her anguish seemed kind of crazy.

Oh god, I need air.

As she cracked open her window, the scent of cattle greeted her, soothing her a little. She wound it all the way down as she pulled in a long breath then let it out real slow. She could do this. It wasn’t a big deal. She was just having a holiday on a cattle station. This was the break she so needed. She was overthinking, as usual.

Climbing out, she opened the gate, rolled inside, jumped back out and double-checked she’d firmly closed it behind her. Then, before she could overthink everything again, she accelerated down the long drive. A cattle grid rattled under the wheels, soon followed by another. Clear blue sky and the endless stretch of land gave her an aching desire to explore every inch of this place with Buck – high in the saddle would be the perfect vantage point.

Mobs of cattle grazed in the distance, some lifting their heads to watch her roll past. She noted the well-kept fencing, paddocks, lean-tos and stock tanks – Ty clearly took great pride in keeping the place shipshape. It said a lot for his work ethic, and his strength of character. Breathing it all in, she felt the tension in her shoulders begin to ease. The deeper she drove into the heart of the expansive property, the more she felt a sense of peace wash over her. There was something so very soothing about being in such a magnificent place, and it gave her hope that she’d made the right decision to spend time here.

After passing a quaint white cottage with matching picket-style fencing – she hoped it was where she was about to call home, it was so charming – she approached the main homestead. Pulling up beneath the shade of a towering paperbark tree, she admired the splendour of the Queenslander through the dusty arches of her windscreen. On the lower level, a sprawling verandah hugged the front and sides, dotted with potted plants, with a double porch swing front and centre. She gathered the smaller balcony upstairs was off the master bedroom and could only imagine the spectacular views from there.

Off to the left of the house, a windmill stood beside a massive water tank, the blades circling slowly. Ty’s LandCruiser was parked in the open machinery shed opposite. He must be out gallivanting, so she was happy to mooch about until he returned home.

Stepping from the driver’s side, she stretched out her lower back by touching her toes. After straightening, she checked on Buck. He was fine, and didn’t seem to mind staying in his trailer for a little longer. She would have freed him into a paddock if she’d known which one was okay, but best to wait and be sure. Patience was a virtue, as her great-grandmother would have said.

She wandered over to a tyre swing dangling from a hefty branch and sank into it. Holding the rusty chains, she refrained from going for a swing, just in case it hadn’t been used in forever and decided to give way beneath her weight. Landing on her rump from midair would not be a good start.

The melodic tinkle of the wind chimes hanging from the front verandah of the homestead carried upon the breeze along with the distant lows of cattle. She briefly closed her eyes and breathed in deeply, the native bushland aromas filling her. Such simple things gave her the sweet sensation of homeliness. It wasn’t long, maybe twenty minutes, before hoofbeats drummed behind her and she spun to see a wide-brimmed hat atop Ty’s broad-shouldered silhouette, galloping towards her. A knight in his dusty armour and on the most magnificent of horses, he was a sight for sore eyes. Her heart leapt into her throat as he neared her, the quickened beat making it a little hard to catch her breath.

‘Woo up now, girl,’ Ty said as man and horse skidded to a stop. The chestnut stockhorse pranced backwards a few steps before steadying, heaving a big horsey sigh. Pushing the brim of his hat up a little, he flashed her a knee-buckling smile. ‘Howdy doody, Rose. It’s real nice to see you again.’

Shading her eyes, she looked up into his handsome face. ‘Hey, Ty.’ Butterflies danced in her belly with the sound of his low, rasping voice. ‘Who’s this beauty?’ Reaching out, she brushed a hand down the mare’s long neck.

‘This here is Gretchen.’

She noted the horse’s soft, intelligent eyes. ‘After the country music singer, Gretchen Wilson?’

‘The one and only.’ Ty bent to fondle the horse’s flowing mane. ‘She’s a real good girl, this one, aren’t you sweetheart?’ he said kind-heartedly. ‘Unlike the infamous Miss Wilson, though, she can’t sing to save her life.’

Rose laughed as Ty shifted his weight to get out of the saddle. She watched him dismount with an effortless ease as a tangle of emotions twirled through her – excitement, apprehension … and something powerful enough to make her heart flutter as if it had just grown wings.

‘I saw your dust trail and hightailed it here as soon as I could.’ Placing the reins over a low-hanging branch, he left Gretchen in the shade and moved in so close to Rose that his testosterone-fuelled aura was almost too much to bear. ‘Sorry to keep you waiting so long. I was in the middle of pushing a few cattle into their new paddock.’

‘No worries at all. I was happy to wait.’ Needing to catch the breath his proximity had just stolen from her, she pretended to be absorbed in brushing imaginary dirt from her jeans. What in the hell did this man have over her?

‘Did you find the place okay?’ Towering several inches above her, he blocked out the sunshine as he lifted his sunglasses to the brim of his hat.

The blue of his eyes was so deeply compelling, she took a second longer than she wanted to answer. ‘Oh, yeah. Sure. It was a cinch with the navigation thingamajig.’

‘Thingamajig, huh?’ His dimples deepened. ‘That’s proper Aussie lingo if ever I’ve heard it.’

‘Ha, yup.’ Shifting from boot to boot, she found it impossible to stop fidgeting. ‘Kinda like “yeah, nah”.’

Ty nodded. ‘Ha, the “yeah, nah” stumps the foreigners every single time.’

‘Sure does.’ A silence followed and lingered, but it wasn’t uncomfortable in the slightest.