Free A Bush Christmas by Margareta Osborn

Plains.
    â€˜I need to get these trees down to Ryan,’ Stirling said as they pulled up at his front gate. ‘I’ll skip lunch and head there now.’
    â€˜No. I’ll do it,’ said Jaime. ‘It’s the least I can do for making you so late.’
    Stirling seemed to wrestle within himself for a few moments before finally saying, ‘Okay, if that’s all right with you. I have to finish the lights, check some troughs and fix the electric fence into the bunny paddock.’
    At Jaime’s confused look, he clarified: ‘That’s what Valerie and I call the biggest eroded gully. A bit of a slap in the face, but it reminds us why we’re putting in the hard yards to revegetate.’
    Aha. Back to the bunnies and their nightly feasts chewing succulent tree shoots. Jaime still felt dreadful she’d misjudged the man. The least she could do was get rid of the trees for him.
    â€˜There’ll be a Weekly Times newspaper down at the shop for me, too. Can you pick it up? I forgot to get it yesterday.’
    â€˜Sure. Be glad to.’
    Stirling glanced at her, a suspicious expression crossing his features.
    â€˜Why so amiable, Princess?’
    â€˜No reason.’
    â€˜Mmm …’
    Sheesh! He even disbelieved her when she was trying to be nice !

Chapter 8
    Ryan’s shop was humming. She’d never seen so many four-wheel drives in one place except at a city car yard. Although most of these vehicles looked nothing like the Toorak tractors she was used to. These trucks bristled with bullbars, aerials and chunky tyres. They looked mean rather than soft and cushy, meant for the real business of four-wheel driving rather than just cruising to the Mornington Peninsula for a weekend in the ‘country’.
    She managed to catch Ryan on his second trip from petrol bowser to the till. ‘What’s going on, Ryan?’
    The store owner paused in his mad dash and flung her a wide grin. ‘Welcome to the madhouse. It’s Christmas at Burdekin’s Gap. But don’t worry, it only lasts a week or so. Ta ta, got to run and make dollars while the sun shines.’
    She leant against a petrol bowser and watched as vehicle after vehicle came up the drive. All these people must have finished work early and headed straight for the mountains.
    â€˜Hey there,’ called a young buck in a Nissan Patrol. ‘You wanna shine my baby?’
    Jaime laughed. Time she got out of here. She grabbed at Ryan’s workshirt as he buzzed past again. ‘Ryan, I’ve got your trees from Stirling. Where do you want them?’
    Ryan waved a hand towards the back of the store. ‘Out there somewhere. Hey, listen, JJ,’ he caught her look, ‘I mean Jaime . You don’t feel like giving us a hand here, do you? Just for this arvie? I’ll pay you.’
    Jaime glanced at the Nissan Patrol driver with a frown. He was giving her legs the once over and, noticing her interest in him, gave a lavish wink.
    â€˜Okay, but here’s the deal. I want to work inside, behind the counter. And if any man gives me a hard time, I’m out of here.’
    Ryan snatched up a pair of overalls. ‘Put these on then. They might hide that body of yours.’
    Jaime didn’t know whether to feel complimented or insulted.
    â€˜The fellas won’t be able to keep their hands to themselves otherwise,’ said Ryan, before taking off to fill another petrol tank.
    Okay, so it was a compliment. Shucks.
    She glanced down at the protective coveralls in her hands. They looked mighty big. It took a moment but finally it dawned on her that they were Bluey and Jean’s Pro Hart lovelies. Oh man, not again.
    But she had to admit hearts with ‘BLUEY LOVES JEAN’ were preferable to ogling eyes and pinches on the bum. She hauled the overalls on over her cut-offs, pausing to yank down her shorts as they seemed to curl into her crotch in terror. It was only one