Page 5 of Outback Hearts

Her checkout assistant spoke apologetically. ‘I’m so sorry, Sassy, but Lachie and the kids have got this bug that’s going around. I won’t be able to.’

‘It’ll be a long day then,’ Sassy said. ‘What about tomorrow?’

There was a hesitation, and Sassy closed her eyes as she scanned the last of Mrs Simmons’ groceries.

‘Well, I needed to talk to you. Jason doesn’t want me to work anymore now that he’s got the fly-in-fly-out job.’

‘Okay. And how long have you known that?’ Sassy bit back her frustration and smiled at Mrs Simmons as she handed over her discount card.

‘Well, we only talked about it at breakfast this morning when the kids were sick,’ Julia said. ‘I’m really sorry. I know how hard it is for you to get someone.’

Sassy took a deep breath and nodded as she looked at the queue of eight people. The locals waiting at the single checkout were looking kindly at the “Closed” sign on the second checkout. Of course, they understood that she was there by herself, and they were usually patient.

‘Okay, Jules. I have to go. I’ll see you next time you come in.’

‘I’m so sorry, Sassy.’

Sassy put the phone down and packaged up Mrs Simmons’ groceries.

‘Julie’s not in today?’ the older woman asked.

‘No, kids are sick,’ Sassy said.

‘You’re gonna have a busy one then. No one else you can get, sweetie?’

‘No, we’re just about out of staff in town.’

‘You have a good day, won’t you?’

‘I’ll do my best. Thanks, love.’ Sassy smiled at the three young women standing at the end of the checkout. ‘Morning, ladies. New to town?’ she said. Even if she was busy and frazzled, she could still be friendly.

‘Yes, we are,’ came the reply in a broad English accent. Sassy smiled at the sound—her grandmother had taken her to England when she’d finished high school, and she’d absolutely loved it. She’d always intended to go back, but life had intruded. And wow, suddenly, she was fifty.

‘Just passing through?’ she asked as she began to scan the items, watching as the girl at the back picked up the jar of budget coffee and pulled a face.

‘Well, we’re hoping to stay the night, but we were looking for a free camp around here. Is there anything you can recommend? We’re on a budget,’ the English girl said.

Before Sassy could answer, the girl at the back—clearly Scottish from her accent—piped up. ‘I don’t care how many nights in the wild or how many times I have to dig a hole to go to the loo, but I draw the line at no brand instant coffee. Is it okay if I run and grab another one?’

‘Yeah, go for it. I’ve still got some groceries to put through,’ Sassy said with a grin. ‘It’s not a free camp exactly, but I don’t know if you noticed the old pub on the hill at the edge of town? Looks like a ruin, but it’s open for camping. It’s got a toilet and a cold shower, a fireplace where you can heat water, and it costs ten dollars a night. One of the only camps around here.’

‘Sounds perfect,’ the second girl said, carefully placing her items in a line on the counter.

Sassy checked them through. ‘It’s not too bad, really.’ She looked up at the tall man standing patiently behind the three girls. ‘Welcome back to town, Alex. You camp out there, don’t you?’

Alex Miller was a regular traveller through town, and she couldn’t believe he was still at it. The man had to be in his eighties, and he drove a Land Cruiser towing a small caravan, still travelling all over Queensland and the Northern Territory. He was amazing, and a gentleman to boot.

‘Yes, it’s quite good,’ Alex said. ‘I’ll be staying there tonight, so you girls won’t be alone if you’re worried about being in the bush.’

The middle girl—Sassy thought she was Australian—laughed. ‘God, we won’t be scared. You should see some of the places we’ve camped on the way out here.’ She gestured to her two friends. ‘These two—my UK friends—have had some “experiences” already.’ She shook her head with a grin.

The queue had dispersed as people had obviously decided to go and add to their groceries, which was good for business. At least she’d get some more sales out of the day, even if she was spending time chatting instead of stocking shelves. Goodness knew when she’d get time to do that today.

‘So where are you girls heading?’ Sassy pushed the worry away.

‘Winton,’ the Australian girl answered. ‘We want to see all the dinosaur stuff.’

The Scottish girl rolled her eyes. ‘Jill wants to see all the dinosaur stuff. We’re along for the ride.’