Free The man at Kambala by Kay Thorpe Page A

without a word and went straight indoors to her own-room. With the door safely closed behind her, she sat down on the bed and pressed a hand to the spot where Steve had kissed her. It had been a rotten thing to do, especially the way he had done it — leading her on to say things she didn't mean just so that he could make fun of her. She had hated it, and yet at the same time it had created a small, gnawing hunger inside her, a need to know what it would be like to be kissed properly by a man like Steve York. The full treatment, he had called it. Sara put both hands to her suddenly hot cheeks and tried to steady the almost painful thumping of her heart. This was ridiculous. She didn't even like him all that much.
    She avoided him as much as possible for the rest of the day, but made a special effort at dinnertime to appear her normal unconcerned self. Once or twice she caught Steve eyeing her quizzically, but he made no comment which could be even remotely interpreted as a reference to the afternoon. Sara was glad when ten o'clock came round and she could make for her room with a plausible plea of tiredness. It wasn't until she heard Steve's voice in the corridor bidding Kimani good night, and then the click of his own door that she finally slept, however.
    The Willards arrived at nine with their hired guide from the Lodge. Chipper tumbled from the Land Rover bright-eyed and brimming over with questions instantly forgotten when he saw Kiki perched on Sara's shoulder. Responding as always to attention, the little animal was not at all loth to accompany his new friend on a quick tour of the compound, showing his jealous resentment of Chipper's delight in the fawn by nipping his ear and shrieking indignantly until they came away from the pen.
    While Mr. and Mrs. Willard took drinks with the three men on the veranda, Sara kept her promise to show the boys the view from the bluff. She took the field-glasses with her, and gained a gratifying response from Travis as he swept from horizon to horizon in rapt attention. Chipper was far more interested in looking for the snakes which Sara had mentioned, and terribly disappointed when he failed to find any in the immediate vicinity.
    `They don't hang around if they hear you coming,' she explained. 'Poking a stick into a hole is about the quickest way of scaring them off. Anyway, we don't want you getting bitten.'
    `The snake would probably come off worst,' commented his brother dryly as he leaned back against a rock. 'This is the life! I'm going to hate going back tomorrow. Another night here, then one more in Nairobi, and then home.'
    `Well, you could hardly study architecture out here on a reserve,' Sara pointed out practically. 'Not unless you concentrated on mud huts and log cabins. Once you're back home you'll soon forget all this.'
    `Not all of it,' he returned softly, looking at her with frankly admiring eyes. 'I've never met a girl like you before, Sara. All the kids back home think about is dressing-up and dating. I'll bet you never even bother to look in a mirror, yet you look better than most of them do after spending hours in front of one.' He caught the expression in her eyes and looked surprised. `I can't be the first guy who ever told you you're pretty. What about all the others who've been to the Lodge?'
    Sara smiled and shrugged. 'I don't go over there all that often. And I haven't noticed anybody taking any particular interest before.'
    `Maybe because you froze them off before they could get started. You looked at me a bit as if I were a reptile slithering over the grass yesterday.'
    `Did I?' She was startled. 'I didn't realize.'
    Travis laughed. 'Oh, that's okay. It takes more than that to put me off. Pop says I lack sensitivity. Do you think I do?'
    `I'd have to know you better before I answered that,' she answered on a light note.
    `Not much chance of that. I'll probably never see you again after today. I don't suppose there's any chance of you coming across to the