Monday
Makowa Lodge
Ellie was in the hangar office, trying to concentrate on the computer screen in front of her. Kane hadn’t shown up yet and she wasn’t sure what she’d say to him when he did. She hadn’t had much experience lately with the morning after scene. She’d never had much experience full stop – especially with a work colleague.
There’d been no sign of him as she rushed from her apartment to let Jock know about the break-in. She’d also hoped to be able to sort out the issue of being the only pilot in the lodge. But Jock was in a meeting, so Jan had promised he would call as soon as he was free.
A groan escaped her lips as she tried to focus on the flight schedule. Bookings for scenic flights were coming in faster than she could schedule them. But at least the frustrating work situation had replaced the self-recrimination that had dogged her since she had left Kane’s bed. It had even overtaken the nerves stirred up by her apartment being broken into. Nothing appeared to have been taken, and the only thing that had been touched was her laptop. She took a deep breath and relaxed her shoulders.
Everything combined to add to her cranky mood.
She’d passed Heather on the way to the office, and her friend had cut her dead before she’d had a chance to talk to her. Heather could be a bit precious sometimes but Ellie certainly wasn’t going to let one stupid mistake ruin their friendship.
Okay, so Heather’s suggestion that she get dressed up had backfired. And she’d obviously made a mistake going off with Kane and having sex with him. But they were adults and this wasn’t a silly teenage game. Nevertheless, a frisson of guilt ran through her.
There was no point being angry with Kane either. She’d been a willing participant. It was her own rules she’d broken.
Now they had to work together and she’d do her best to pretend it had never happened. He could do his job, and she’d do hers. Awkward but she’d get over it.
If Kane had half the regret that she did about last night, he wouldn’t want to spend any more time than necessary in her company either. And the more she thought about his connection to Panos, the more it bothered her. Bill’s reaction to her questions and his unwillingness to talk yesterday had her antennae quivering. Something was going on and she was going to find out what it was. He hadn’t showed up in the bar last night and she guessed he was going to avoid her, which made her all the more certain.
With a sigh she clicked the mouse and printed off the latest bookings spreadsheet. Flights were heavily booked from this afternoon and they were back-to-back every morning for the rest of the week. She picked up the phone and called the office. ‘Jan? Is Jock free yet? I really need to talk to him.’
‘Come on over and wait. He won’t be much longer.’ Jan must have picked up on her mood as her tone was placatory.
Ellie locked the door to the hangar and headed over to the office, keeping an eye out for Gina and the children as she walked past the playground. That was something else she mustn’t forget. She’d promised David to keep an eye out for them.
Heather, Gina, Bill . . . and Kane. A trip to the farm, and bloody flights all week. Ellie pushed away her rising temper as she pushed open the door of the administration block.
Jock was waiting for her in the front office. Although they’d spoken on Thursday, she hadn’t seen him since she’d returned from her break, and when he enfolded her in a bear hug she let her temper go and hugged him back. He’d been her mentor since she had done work experience here at Makowa Lodge during her final year of school and it was he who’d encouraged her to do her pilot training. She’d always suspected he’d been instrumental in getting her the job here, and she’d worked hard to show her appreciation.
‘We missed you, Ellie. Sorry I didn’t catch up with you before the weekend.’ His Scottish burr washed over her and Ellie’s nose twitched at the smell of sweet pipe tobacco in his work shirt. ‘And thanks for going up at such short notice the day you got back too. Appreciate it, love.’
She followed him into his office and dropped into the chair opposite his desk. ‘It’s good to be back. But we have a bit of a problem.’
‘I know.’ He held his hand up. ‘It looks like the tourist season has started earlier than usual. The place is full and flights are steady for the rest of the week.’
‘More than steady. Are you aware that Kane won’t fly?’
‘I wanted to talk to you about that.’ Jock frowned. ‘Look, it’s a long story, but basically I’d signed him up before I realised how adamant he was about not flying. There was a misunderstanding about the terms of –’
Ellie held her hand up. ‘I know. I found that out the other day when we went up together.’ She didn’t share that Kane had been reluctant to even do that. She was beginning to understand him, and it would have felt disloyal. ‘So what are you going to do?’
‘He’s a damn good mechanic and he’s willing to do other stuff around the lodge so I’ve talked to the Heli-Tour guys over at Cooinda. They have an extra pilot at the moment, so if you’re happy to be on your own, we can subcontract some of the flights out to them. Until I can get another pilot over here.’
‘Sounds fine to me.’ Ellie was pleased with Jock’s solution. ‘Kane is a good engineer and seems very experienced. He’s really thorough with the birds.’
‘Not a cowboy, eh?’
‘Not a cowboy.’
‘Be better if he’d fly, though. Maybe you can talk him into it. He’s got the quals. Ex-military. There’s a story there.’
‘Always is, Jock.’ So her hunch had been right. Ellie stood to leave and then remembered the break-in. ‘Have we had any problems with security lately?’
He looked at her and shook his head. ‘No, why? It’s been pretty quiet since the new cop started at Jabiru.’
‘I think someone broke into my apartment last night.’
Jock frowned. ‘You think? What did they take?’
‘Nothing. That’s the strange thing.’
‘Any damage? To the lock?’
Ellie shook her head. ‘No, nothing.’
‘Are you sure there was someone in there?’
‘I’m sure.’
‘I’ll give the police station a call and tell the staff to keep an eye out.’
‘Thanks. I’ll see you later.’ She turned to leave but Jock called her back.
‘Ellie? Go easy on him.’
She flicked her boss a curious look as she left the office.
Kane was in the hangar checking over the helicopters when Ellie walked in after grabbing a coffee at the bistro on the way back. Despite her feelings, a flurry of butterflies flitted around in her stomach. He reached up to wipe a mark off one of the windscreens and warmth shimmied straight down to her lower belly as the muscles in his arms flexed.
‘They’re both right to go up.’ He jerked his head towards the two helicopters. No ‘good morning, nice to see you, great sex,’ but she was okay with his business-like greeting. He’d set the tone and she was more than happy to follow along.
‘I might be a great pilot but I’m not that good.’
‘What do you mean?’ He leaned against the doorway into the office, pulled a rag from his pocket and wiped his hands.
‘Taking both birds up at once.’ She stared at him. The black T-shirt defined the muscles on his chest but, thank God, they were covered this morning. She kept her eyes away from his biceps as he threw the rag onto the workbench.
‘Look about last night, I wanted to say –’
Ellie cut him off before he could finish. ‘I know. It was a mistake. Don’t worry it won’t happen again. Not wise when we have to work together.’
He shrugged and disappointment flooded her as she wondered what he’d been going to say. ‘I think you’ll have to change your mind about flying. Have you seen the bookings for this morning?’
‘Yeah, I have.’ He returned her gaze, but without a smile. ‘But you know what? That’s not my problem. I told you I was hired as an engineer. I won’t be taking any flights up. Not today. Not this week. Not ever. Talk to the boss if you don’t like it.’
‘I’ve already talked to the boss.’ Ellie leaned casually against a table, striving for nonchalance. She let the words hang in the air for a moment. You could have cut the tension in the air with a knife. They were two different people from the man and woman who had sought pleasure in each other’s bodies a few hours ago. She lifted her chin a fraction higher and held the intense gaze that was being levelled at her. ‘You are a qualified pilot.’
‘Sure am.’ Now there was a glimmer of a smile around his mouth and she held back the angry words that rose to her lips. The bastard was enjoying this.
‘Military.’
‘Clever lady.’
‘No, Jock told me.’ She folded her arms. ‘So what’s the big deal then?’ Ellie kept her voice level. ‘Are you going to fly here at all?’
‘That, babe, is not your problem.’ He turned away slowly as the gate opened and a middle-aged couple walked in.
‘Hey there.’ The guy had an American accent and he held his hand out to Kane. ‘Steve and Jodie Wallace. You’re taking us up at ten-thirty.’
Kane shook the guy’s hand and then gestured to Ellie with a cat-that-got-the-cream smile. ‘Good morning, Steve. I’m the engineer. Miss Ellie here is your pilot.’
Ellie damped down her frustration as the guy looked at her with a sceptical frown. Every few days she encountered tourists who wanted a male pilot but she’d got used to it early on. Whoever said sexism was dead?
‘Hey, Steve, Jodie. Come with me and we’ll get the paperwork going. Lovely morning to go up.’ Ellie forced the happy tone into her welcome chat as she led them towards the office, ignoring the wink that Kane gave her as she passed him.
Bastard. She ignored the temptation to poke her tongue out. He really brought out the worst in her.
*
Kane was pissed off. On top of his confusion over why Ellie had left his room with no explanation – and had so easily dismissed it as a one-night stand – guilt burned in his gut every time she took off with another load of tourists. Just how many bloody people wanted to see Kakadu from the air anyway?
It wasn’t his problem that Jock had stuffed up and hired him. Kane had made it quite clear when he’d been interviewed on Skype that he wasn’t flying these days. Whether Jock had misunderstood, or whether he’d thought Kane would change his mind when he saw the set up here at the lodge, didn’t matter. His contract stated it in black and white: he was the engineer. The looks Ellie had directed his way shouldn’t have bothered him, but they did. She’d taken seven flights back-to-back from ten-thirty; she hadn’t even stopped for a lunch break. He made sure the other chopper was ready and waiting as soon as she came down each time. And he looked after each group as they arrived and had the paperwork done so all she had to do was take them up. She smiled and chatted to the tourists but the occasional glances she flicked his way were hard to read. She was as prickly as all hell with him.
Kane shrugged; the last thing he wanted to do was hurt anyone, and Ellie’s vulnerability had already tugged at him. It had been a big part of the attraction last night. Something hard within him had softened a little when she’d drifted off to sleep with her fingers curled in his. He’d lain there for a long time watching her sleep before he drifted off.
It was bad enough that he hadn’t gone to her when he’d woken up alone in his bed. As the sun cleared the horizon, he’d jerked awake to the noise of machine gun fire. Before he could make a fool of himself, he pulled on his sweats and went for a long run.
He was too damaged to inflict himself on anybody. Ellie deserved better. Someone she could rely on; he was not going to connect with anybody. Maybe he’d been an absolute louse the way he’d treated her today but she was right – sleeping together had not been a good move.
I’m not worth it.