Cloud Riders(9)

‘You must know your story is bizarre and totally unbelievable.’ He put up his hands in a frustrated motion. ‘However, I’m inclined to give you the benefit of the doubt and check out your story. But trust me when I say that if there is no container, Cassie, and this is just to get my sympathy …’ Kayden didn’t finish. He just picked Cassie up and put her in the car. They drove back in silence. Cassie became nervous when she saw that the other car was still out the front. She held her breath and started to shake, not wanting to go inside.

Kayden could feel her fear and growled, ‘It’s okay. I won’t let him touch you. Just settle down. Shit, do I have to treat you entirely like a damned child? You act like you’re bloody ten years old.’ He picked her up, annoyed again, and she wrapped her arms around his neck, not letting him go. She didn’t care how cross he was; he was safer than the others were. He laid her on the bed and pried her arms from around his neck. He shook his head. ‘I still doubt your wild story, Cassie. However, if you’re telling me the truth and want my help, you will stay here until I get back. If you’re a liar, maybe it’s best if you were gone when I return,’ he said and left her.

She heard him talking, the noise of car doors opening and closing and the engine of the car starting up, after that silence. Cassie was glad they were all gone and now alone, hobbled to the bathroom to freshen up. She knew he told her to stay in the room but she smelt like the horse and needed a shower. Finding another shirt in the wardrobe, she put it on and lay back on the bed. Her foot was sore so she took his advice and decided to stay off it.

It was some time before she heard the car pull up again. Only one door opened and one set of footsteps came inside as the car drove off. Cassie could hear Kayden pacing in the sitting room and knew he must have found she wasn’t lying and was wondering what to do with her now. She was just about to get up when he opened the door and came in. You could have fried an egg on his face; it looked so hot and red. He seemed a little calmer as he changed the dressing on her foot.

‘I told you not to move. You’ve opened it up again.’

‘I had to go to the bathroom. While I was in there I showered as well,’ she said bravely.

‘I noticed you’ve cleaned up. You smelt like a horse when I brought you home,’ he joked.

Cassie giggled and he smiled back and kept fixing her foot. It was the first time he had even attempted humour and it was refreshing to see him actually smile at her. His face was so handsome when he did.

He didn’t speak for the rest of the day; he just lifted her wherever he wanted her to be while he worked through his jobs. They checked on the new foal and fixed a couple of fences before cleaning the stables. He was a hard worker and never seemed to stop. Cassie understood that he was so used to being on his own that having her around must have been why he seemed so frustrated. He was just a loner and happier to be by himself.

That evening they sat on the porch drinking coffee while they watched the sun set. Listening to the night creatures as darkness came made Cassie brim over with questions. The sounds filling the air were foreign to her. She questioned Kayden and he told her what they were. It was the first time they had really had a conversation that was more than simple politeness and it was nice just to listen to his honey-smooth voice that made her feel warm all over. When he was being just like that she could listen to him forever. He picked out the sounds for her and not only named the insects that made them but also gave her a description of their colours and shapes.

‘Your country is very different from what I have ever known.’ She turned and looked at him curiously. ‘Where am I? What country is this?’ Kayden seemed to get annoyed again and Cassie reacted by cringing away. ‘Don’t worry, I don’t need to know.’

It was a long time before Kayden answered. ‘You really don’t know?’ he asked.

Cassie lowered her eyes and felt stupid for having to ask. ‘I saw a sign when I first arrived that said Newman or Perth. I wasn’t very good at geography and those places don’t ring a bell.’

‘You’re on a farm a little way out of Mt Newman in Western Australia.’

‘Australia!’ Cassie was wide-eyed and shocked. ‘Kangaroos and koalas Australia?’ she asked, not quite believing what he was saying. ‘Why would they send me so far?’ Hot tears streamed out of her eyes now she knew that there was definitely no going home. ‘They sent me down under.’ She stood up and paced. ‘And probably hoped the desert or the crocodiles would get me. They really wanted me dead!’ Cassie stopped moving as the impact of where she was shattered the last bit of hope she had left. She flopped back onto the seat next to Kayden, wondering if panic attacks could kill because right at that moment, her heart was racing like a freight train, almost too fast to breathe.