Baby At Bushman's Creek

She imagined the eerie, empty outback stretching out all around them, and she shivered slightly, glad of Gray’s tall, solid, immensely reassuring presence beside her. Clare was furious to find herself thinking that it would be even more reassuring if she could slip her hand into his and feel his long fingers close securely around it, and, terrified that one might steal over of its own accord, she hugged her arms together.

‘How many will I be cooking for?’ she asked, hoping that her voice didn’t sound as high and tight to Gray as it did to her.

‘At the moment we’ve got two ringers—they’re the more experienced stockmen—and four jackaroos,’ he told her. ‘Then, tonight, there are two truck drivers. They’re taking the sale cattle out first thing tomorrow morning so they can get to the sealed road before it gets too hot. We get government inspectors occasionally, roo shooters, contractors who come in to do specific jobs…you think a place like this is isolated, but you’d be surprised how many people pass through.’

Clare had been calculating on her fingers. ‘You mean I’ll be catering for at least eight every night?’ she said, taken aback.