Free Kakadu Sunset by Annie Seaton

Heather passed over before putting both sets in her pocket. She paused in the doorway. ‘Will your dad be around tonight?’
    ‘He’ll probably stay back for a drink tonight after they come in. I’ll make sure there’s a cold beer waiting for both of you too. You’ll need it after your long day.’ Heather turned to Kane. ‘Have a good day, Fly Boy.’
    Kane waved to Heather and followed Ellie out of the office.
    ‘You met Terry last night. Terry is Heather’s cousin and Bill Jarragah is her dad,’ Ellie explained. ‘Some of our staff are subcontracted by the national park administration headquarters at this time of the year because there’s so much to be done leading into the tourist season. If you’re going to stay a while you’ll soon get to know everyone and where they fit in. Do you know much about Kakadu and how the park works?’
    He shook his head as they walked to the car park. ‘Nothing.’
    Ellie shot him a glance. ‘You’ve got a lot to learn, then.’
    ‘I do. And I’m keen. So lead the way.’
    Ellie took a deep breath and filled her lungs with fresh air. The sky was clear and the faint smell of wood smoke from the burning savannah tinged the air. It was good to be home but she could do without all these complications meeting her at every turn. She stopped walking and turned to Kane. She’d clear one of them right now. ‘Remember when we flew back last night?’
    ‘Yeah?’ His eyes held hers as she turned around.
    ‘Did you notice I flew over your stepfather’s farm?’
    ‘No. I was chilling for a while.’
    Hmm
. He might call it chilling, but Ellie had sensed he’d been strung out about something.
    ‘There was some machinery down the back near the park boundary and the earth was all dug up.’ She kept her voice casual. ‘Do you know what Panos is doing down there?’
    ‘No.’ Kane shook his head slowly. ‘I only called in at the house to see my mother.’ A fleeting expression of sadness crossed his face but it was gone in a flash. ‘Why? What are you worried about?’
    ‘Just that whatever’s happening down there is very close to the national park and the river. And I saw that article in the
Sun
on your iPad.’
    ‘Ellie, look, I don’t have a very high opinion of my stepfather, so I wouldn’t be surprised by anything he was doing. Next time I go to visit my mother, I’ll ask her what’s happening. Okay?’
    ‘Thanks. Appreciate it. It’s none of my business what happens on the farm. I know it’s not ours anymore but –’
    ‘But you care about the park? Don’t worry, I’ve already picked that up.’ His gaze swept around to the woodlands between the administration block and the river. ‘It is a beautiful place and I’m looking forward to seeing more of it.’
    ‘So are you going to stay around here long?’
    ‘As long as it takes,’ was the enigmatic reply.
    ‘Come on, let’s hit the road. I’ll fill you in as we head out.’ Ellie narrowed her eyes and the slight ache thudded behind her temples again. She sensed Kane was telling the truth about the farm, but still, there was something not quite right there. She dug in her pocket for her sunglasses.
    ‘Sounds good.’ Kane walked along the path beside her and Ellie focused her attention back on him. His voice was friendly – and deep and sexy – maybe she was overthinking things. ‘How come you know so much about Kakadu? Have you worked here long?’
    ‘As soon as I got my flying licence, I came back.’
    ‘Came back?’
    ‘I went to Darwin for a while. Plenty of jobs there but this is home to me.’
    Ellie fought down the ache that was always just below the surface. Would there ever be a time when the grief eased? The anticipatory buzz of the day ahead had faded and she pushed away the headache that was hammering at her temples.
    ‘Do you miss the farm?’ Kane asked.
    ‘Yes.’ Ellie hated talking about it. She’d been through the counselling with her sisters and despite the words that were