Cowboy Redemption (Down Under Cowboy Book 6) (5 page)

“Wow.  Oh my gosh.  That’s fantastic.  Thank you so much,” I gush.

“The programs you presented to me were amazing, Kennedy.  You should be proud of yourself.  They are well thought out and both of them will provide the residents with important life skills.  I know you have already planned to help at the rebuild tomorrow for their last day, but you’re free to start the swimming and cooking lessons whenever you like.  I thought you’d like to get a head start on lesson planning.”

“Thank you so much, Maria.  I am
so
excited to get started!”

“I’m glad to hear it.  Goodnight, Kennedy.”

“Night, Maria.”

She leaves and I do a happy dance, shaking my booty with a big smile on my face, before fisting-pumping the air and hissing,
yes!

Exhausted, I collapse onto the ground under a shady tree and sprawl out.  Sweat and dirt weighs heavy on my face, my hair is all over the place and my clothes are so filthy I’ll probably throw them out rather than try and wash them clean.  But, I feel on top of the world.  The rebuild is finished and during the next month, the community will be able to start moving back in.  Thankfully, the rain held off, but it also meant the day was extremely humid.  Which isn’t fantastic working conditions.  Still, we managed to complete the job and it looks amazing.  I’m honoured to be part of such an amazing accomplishment.

“I’m stuffed,” Brenton moans as he sits down and rests his back against the tree.

“A bit of hard work never killed anyone,” I reply.  He has been whinging and whining all day, and it is starting to get on my nerves a little bit.  We are all hot and bothered, but no one else is complaining like he is.

“Yeah well I wasn’t told I’d have to put up with these conditions,” he mumbles.

Fed up, I open my eyes and glare at him.

“Brenton, what landed you here?” I question, knowing the answer, but wanting him to tell me anyway.

He gets a sour look on his face, his lips twisting before he speaks.  “Stupid judge,” he spits.

“A stupid judge?” I scoff in disbelief.  “A stupid judge didn’t land you here. 
You
landed yourself here.  Every action has consequences, and when you break the law, you have to suffer the punishment.  It could be worse – you could be in juvenile detention right now, and I can guarantee it would be a whole lot less fun than this.”

“Only ‘cause I got caught,” he says stubbornly.

I raise my eyebrows at him and give him a foul look.

“What?” he says, full of attitude.  “It’s the truth.” 

“Would you rather be in detention right now?” I ask.  Brenton is only sixteen, but he has been in trouble with the law more times than most. 

“I’d rather be at home, taggin’ buildings,” he spits.

“Well, that’s no longer an option, because you’re here.  I hope by the time your stay is up, you’ve learned your lesson and won’t repeat your offenses.”

“This is bullshit! It’s slave labour and I won’t learn shit from doing this,” he shouts, kicking the ground.

“Have some respect, not only for your elders, but for women,” comes the hard voice from behind me.  I know immediately it is Kye, but I still crane my neck to see him standing there.  His arms are crossed threateningly across his chest, his biceps bulging from under the dirty white tee he’s wearing.  His feet are planted shoulder width apart, and his face is as hard as stone, his eyes determined, focused solely on Brenton.

“Well, it
is
bullshit,” Brenton mutters sullenly.

“Come with me, mate.  We’re going to have a little chat,” Kye says.

“Fine,” Brenton snarls.

“Thank you,” I mouth to Kye when I catch his eye as he looks over his shoulder, walking away with Brenton.  He gives me a wink and they disappear out of sight.

I close my eyes again and enjoy the slight breeze that is beginning to pick up, blowing welcome cool air around.

I need to get up and go home to have a nice cool shower.

But I can’t be bothered right now.

“Hey, Kennedy.”

I open my eyes once again and see Mitch standing over me.

“Oh, hey Mitch.” I smile.

“We’re all going down the waterhole for a swim to cool off. Want to come?”

“Sure.  That sounds awesome.”

“Great.  After, we’re all meeting back at the Retreat to have celebratory drinks and a barbeque.”

“Sounds like a plan.  Let’s go.”

I don’t have a swimsuit, but I also don’t care.  I plan on diving in fully clothed.

There is about twenty of us all up, consisting of five sponsors and the rest residents.  The girls all stay in their shorts and tank tops, removing only their shoes.  But the guys all remove their shirts and some even strip off their jeans to swim in their underwear.

We dive in and immediately my skin cools as the water envelops me.

“Heaven,” I sigh.  Kye and Brenton aren’t here, so I have no idea where they ended up.  When I see him again, I must ask how his chat with Brenton went.  Maybe he would benefit from a chat with an Aboriginal elder?

“Are you getting in?” I ask Taleasha. 

“Nah, I’m fine here,” she says, dipping her toes into the water.

“Can you swim?”

She hangs her head before shaking it slightly. 

“Would you like to learn how?”

She looks at me.  “Yes.”  She sounds hesitant but hopeful.

“Okay.  Meet me here tomorrow morning at nine.”

“Okay.”  She has a big smile on her face now.  Seeing as tomorrow is Sunday, it is my day off.  I had planned on spending the day creating lessons plans for the new classes.  I’ll just have to stay up late tonight and tomorrow night to get it done.  Taleasha leaves in four days, and I’d like her to have some water skills before she goes, so it is imperative I start right away.

After swimming for around an hour, we make our way back to the huts to shower and get dressed for the celebration tonight.

Dressed in a pair of jeans, black cowgirl boots and a pink and silver plaid, snap-button shirt, I set my cowgirl hat on top of my loose blonde hair and make my way out to the party. Everyone is gathered around the bonfire area, even though there is no fire lit.  They’re chatting and drinking, having a good time.  Music is playing from someone’s car stereo and the vibe is really good.  I immediately pick Kye out of the crowd, but decide to go and chat with a group of girls. 

I pour myself a glass of wine from the selection of drinks and take a seat.

“Hey, girls.”

They all reply hello and continue speaking about the success of the rebuild.

“Are you all set for Monday?” Maria asks me.

“I am.  I’m so excited,” I answer honestly.

“What’s happening Monday?” Corinne, another sponsor, asks.

“Kennedy is conducting workshops to teach the residents swimming and cooking skills,” Maria answers.

“That’s a fantastic idea! If you need any help, let me know.”

“I will for sure.”  I smile.  Corinne is a relatively new sponsor, considering she has only been here for three months.  She fits in well and has earned the respect of the residents with her honesty and vibrant personality.

I finish off my wine and pour myself another glass.  Deciding to mingle, I make my way over to the barbecue area where the men have congregated as they cook steaks and sausages.

“Hey, Mitch, this was a great idea.”

“Thanks, Kennedy.  Glad you’re having a great time.”  He smiles easily, showing off his slightly chipped front tooth.  He is a good-looking guy and the chipped tooth gives him a bad boy edge that I doubt he would have otherwise.

“What’s next on your agenda, considering the rebuild is now complete?”

“Well, that depends.  I’ve applied for funding to construct a library and rec room here at the retreat.”

“Wow,” I gape.  “That would be amazing!  When do you find out if you’ve been successful or not?”

“Hopefully soon.”  He flips the steak, then sets down his tongs to take a swig of his beer.

“I’ll keep my fingers crossed.”

“Thank you.  While I’ve got you alone, I wanted to know if you’d like to join me for dinner and a movie one night?”

Shit.

“Uh…um…”

“We could go into Darwin, or stay at my hut.  The choice is yours.  I’ve wanted to ask you for months now, but I haven’t had the chance.”

Mitch is a nice guy, but I’ve taken a leap of faith and gone with my heart by dating Kye.  I use the word
dating
loosely, because really, it’s not dating.  It’s more
casually seeing
. 

Tomatoes-tomahtoes

“Uh…”

God, how do I tell him no?

I don’t want to offend him, but I don’t see him that way at all.  He is a colleague, nothing more.  It would be wrong to lead him on, but I don’t want to hurt his feelings by shutting him down.

“Can I think about it?” I finally blurt.

He grins.  “Of course.”  Taking another swig of his beer, he sets it down and picks back up the tongs.

“I better get over there,” I stumble, waving my hand before darting off. 

I find myself in the pitch dark, behind a tank.  I lean my back against the cool metal and tilt my hand back, breathing in the fresh air and taking in the starlit sky above me.  The clouds have disappeared, but thunder rolls in the distance.

“You okay?”  Kye’s deep voice startles me.

“Sure,” I say, giving him a tight smile, even though he can’t see it in the darkness.

“Yeah?  Doesn’t seem like it,” he comments sceptically. 

“I’m fine,” I assure him.

“What did Mitch want?”  he asks after a period of silence.

“Not a lot.”  I’m not sure I want to tell Kye, because I don’t know how he will react.  Of course, he has no right to say anything at all.  But, he’s a man, and in my experience, men are complicated creatures.

“Didn’t look like nothing.”

“Well, it was.  I better get back out there.  The girls will be wondering where I am.”  I walk off and just as I am about to pass him, he reaches out and takes my hand, tugging me back.  He gently pushes me back against the tank and crowds my space.  I tilt my head up to meet his eyes, ignoring the thudding in my chest and the rapid beating of the pulse in my neck.

“What are you doing?” I try to speak clearly and firmly, but the words end up coming out croaky and weak.

“I just want to get one thing straight with you, then I’ll let you go back to your girls,” he says.

“Okay?”

“I’m playin’ things your way with the whole taking it slow business.  But let me make something clear.  For however long we’re
taking things slow
, we do it exclusively.  I don’t share,” he says pointedly.

Someone’s jealous.
  Is it wrong I kind of like the alpha male vibe he is giving off?

I straighten my spine, because no matter how much I may like that he is jealous, I am a strong, independent woman.  And I don’t take shit from a man!

“Excuse me?” I glare at him.  “First of all, I am my own person, and no one tells me what to do.  And second, I’m taking a risk by giving you a chance, so I suggest you don’t act like the kind of arse that will make me rethink my decision.”

“No need to get all bitchy.”  He actually has the audacity to smirk.  I’m sure there is a fine stream of smoke beginning to filter from my ears.

“You need to get out of my space,” I grit out.

“Don’t walk away all pissy,” he says, softening his tone and his whole demeanour.  His thumb reaches out to brush down my jaw and my frustration begins to ebb away.

“You have to realize that I was hesitant to even start anything with you in the first place, so for you to insinuate that I would begin something with another man at the same time brings up emotions from my past that I’m trying to leave behind.”

“Okay, darlin’, I apologise.  I didn’t realize it was a much deeper issue for you.  I hope you’ll share with me one day about that time in your life, but for now I’ll try to curb the possessiveness I feel for you.”

“Thank you,” I murmur.

“You have to understand, the way I feel for you is new to me.  I’m just winging it here,” he says easily, making me smile.

“Then I guess we’ll just have to learn together.”  I smile up at him and my breath catches as he leans in close.  My eyes flutter shut as his lips brush the apple of my cheek ever so slightly.  His breath floats over my skin and the scent of his cologne fills my nostrils.  Seemingly reluctantly, he pulls back and drags his hand down my arm from my shoulder to my wrist, before he threads his fingers with mine.

“Let’s get back to the party,” he says.

“Okay.”

With a total of only five hours sleep for the past two nights, you would think I would be feeling like crap.  I’m not.  I bound out of bed at five am to shower and dress before making myself a coffee in the largest cup I have.  It’s actually a soup mug, but eh!  My eyes are a little scratchy from lack of sleep, so I squirt some eye drops in and finish off my coffee. 

After doing a final run through of my paperwork, I make my way to the communal hall, since it is now after seven. 

“Ready for this morning?” Maria asks as she comes up beside me.

“I’m so excited!” I reply, buttering my toast.

“Come and see me tonight, please.  I’d like a report of how it went.”

“Absolutely.”

Taking my toast and a glass of orange juice, I find a seat and continue reading through the pages of brainstorms and lesson plans I spent last night and the night before putting together.

After everyone has finished eating, we make our way outside and I address the group of under eighteens.

“Today we have some very exciting changes starting.  For the remainder of this week, and possibly next week, we will be running a daily rotation.  If you could all break up into groups of five, I will assign you your daily activities.”

Once all the residents have formed their groups, I speak again.

“Group one, you will be with me.  Group two, you guys will be with Corinne and group three, you will be with Frank.”

The other sponsors, Corinne and Frank, head off in opposite directions with their groups, while I take my five kids to the waterhole.  For the next ninety minutes, I’ll be doing swimming lessons with my group, Corinne will be doing trust building and diary writing, and Frank will be doing gardening and maintenance.  After ninety minutes, we’ll rotate until each sponsor has spent time with each group.  Then we’ll break for lunch.  After lunch, I will have all of the residents in the kitchen area for cooking class until dinnertime.  I hope it goes as well as I think it is going to, but it’s trial and error, I suppose.

Once we arrive at the waterhole, I ask the kids a couple of questions regarding their experience in the water.  I’m surprised to find most of them can’t swim.  Only two of the residents can actually put together a recognized stroke. 

“Is anyone here afraid of the water?” I ask.

“No,” they all reply.

“Okay, great.  First off we’re going to all hop in and I want you to show me if you can float on your back.  The water here is only waist-deep, so don’t be afraid you won’t be able to touch the bottom.  You will be able to.”

For the next hour or so, I teach them basic swimming skills.  They progress fairly quickly and I’m bolstered by the success of the first lesson.

“If you guys can make your way back to Frank, he’s waiting for you.  I’ll see you all again after lunch.”

“Kennedy?”

“Yes, Pia?” I respond.

“Will we be doing more swimming lessons?”  She sounds eager and it makes me smile.

“Yes.  Each day for the rest of the week, we will be doing the same group sessions as today.”

“Yes,” she hisses.

“Bye, guys.”  I wave them off and wait for my next group to arrive.  I sit down on the log and begin making notes about the residents’ capabilities when I sense someone appearing from the corner of my eye.  I look up expecting the next group, but my eyebrows climb and a smile forms on my face when I see it is Kye.

“Morning,” I chirp.

“Mornin’.”  His deep voice is punctuated with an easy grin.  “How’d the first group go?”

“Amazing.  They all did so well.”

“Glad to hear it.”  He sits down beside me, his bare thigh brushing against my own.  The skin on my leg heats and I bite my lip.

“You need any help?”

“Sure, if you want to stick around.  That would be great.”

The next group arrives and, with Kye’s help, I take them through the same process as the group before them.  First I speak to them about their water confidence and abilities, then we learn floating and basic swimming skills.

“You’re doin’ really great, Taleasha.  Just keep your arms and legs out like a starfish.  Good.”  I hear Kye encouraging the kids and it warms my insides.  Glancing over, I try not to get distracted by his muscular chest as it sits out above the water.  It’s incredibly hard not to want to stare at it all day.  I manage it though. 
Barely.

By lunchtime, I’m exhausted but feeling on top of the world.  Kye and I worked so well together as a team and the residents definitely benefited from the lessons.

Next up, cooking classes.

~*~

“Since we’re all here together, I’m going to ask you to work in teams of two, with one team of three.  I’ve set up stations for you all, so go ahead and choose one and we’ll get started.”  I walk up to the front of the kitchen where I set up my station and watch as the kids find an area each.

“You’ll notice in front of you that you have some vegetables and meat.  Once you’ve cooked your meal you’ll be able to eat it.”  Upon hearing that, a rouse of cheers fills the room and the kids are eager to begin.

“We’ll start by preparing the vegetables.  The potatoes need to be peeled…”

I prepare my own meal as well as supervising the residents and helping them with anything they need.  By the end of the afternoon, we all have a plate of meat and vegetables in front of us.  Admittedly, some of the meat is burnt almost black, and others are still a bit raw.  However, at least they accomplished what they set out to do.  They now know how to prepare vegetables for boiling and how to check if they are cooked.  They also know how to cook meat without making it as tough as leather.

As a final step, I also taught them how to make gravy, which they all loved.  

“You guys are free to sit down and enjoy your meal.  I’ll see you tomorrow.  Don’t forget to wash your dishes and put them away before you leave, please.”

“Thank you so much, Kennedy,” one of the residents says.

“You’re welcome.  Enjoy, guys.  You earned it.”

I leave them be and make my way back to my hut to compile my day’s notes and a report for Maria. 

After presenting my report to Maria, I decide to head back to my hut.  Utterly exhausted from such a successful day, I skip dinner and fall into a deep sleep until my alarm wakes me at five am.