Outback Ghost (9 page)

‘But seriously,' Frankie continued, ‘He
is
a catch. He's well established, has a nice property and doesn't live with his parents. And did you know he was one of
Cleo
's Bachelors of the Year a few years back?'

‘As in the magazine?' She hadn't read it in years but once upon a time, before her life became more serious, it had been her favourite weekend read. She'd been known to drool over the young bachelors showcased each year.

‘Yep. He scored a few modelling contracts after that but that life isn't really his thing. He's a down-to-earth, all round nice guy, not cutthroat enough for that industry.'

Frankie was a great saleswoman but she needn't have bothered. Stella already felt unsuitably smitten towards her cousin. If Adam's devastatingly good looks weren't intoxicating enough, his treatment of Heidi had sealed the deal. A deal she didn't want to feel because such emotions would only lead to heartbreak. Hers, and maybe Heidi's. In Stella's experience, most men were reluctant to take on another man's child, but when that child was special needs it was even more unlikely.

Still, no matter how much her brain told her falling for Adam was a bad idea, she couldn't help wanting to know more about him. She reckoned Frankie would tell her almost anything if she asked and there were lots of questions whirling through her head. Like, was he an only child? How long had his parent's marriage been on the rocks? Who was the little girl in the photos on the fridge? Stella wasn't usually a nosy person so she forced those questions back in their box and glanced at her watch. Heidi was getting restless She'd take her to the park for a quick (or as quick as quick could ever be where Heidi was concerned) play and then hopefully they could have a nice, chilled afternoon relaxing around the cottage.

‘I'm sure Adam's great,' Stella said, starting to pack Heidi's crayons back into her pencil case, ‘but I'm really not interested.'

‘Ah well.' Frankie raised her hands in defeat. ‘You can't blame a loving cousin for trying.'

Stella laughed. ‘Of course not.'

‘So, what do you and Heidi do when you're not holidaying in the most beautiful spot on earth?'

Smiling at Frankie's apt description, Stella said, ‘Well, Heidi goes to school and I work shifts in a restaurant as it happens.'

‘Really?' Frankie raised and eyebrow and tapped the side of her head. ‘Good to know. Don't suppose you want any shifts while you're in town? We're about to head into the crazy summer period.'

‘Thanks,' Stella said, genuinely meaning it. It was nice to be asked and although she though Frankie would be fun to work with, paid employment was strictly off limits this summer. ‘But Heidi and I have been looking forward to this holiday a long time. I want to spend every moment with her.'

‘Fair enough.'

Stella noted the time on the wall clock behind them. ‘Thanks for the chat,' she said, ‘but we really should be going. The swings await.'

‘That does sound like fun.' Frankie grinned, standing alongside Stella and Heidi. ‘And you two be sure to pop back in here and say hello to me again.'

‘We will,' Stella and Heidi promised as they started towards the door. It had been a long time since Stella had had close friends or family around and she had the feeling getting to know Frankie could be almost as dangerous as getting to know her cousin.

They'd been four days in Bunyip Bay and Heidi had been pestering Stella constantly about going to visit Adam and/or Esther – the little girl wasn't fussy really, she just loved socialising. Knowing what she now did about the recent demise of Esther's marriage, Stella didn't want to bother the woman but she was avoiding Adam for other reasons. Just thinking about the possibility of seeing him made her insides quiver.

So far she'd managed to put Heidi off by telling her Adam was busy working and keeping her busy with a plethora of other things. They'd spent more mornings on the beach, gone on a day trip shopping to the nearby town of Geraldton and seen a movie while they were there. Afternoons had been spent walking around the farm trying to steer clear of the paddocks being harvested. Heidi's favourite game was going out just before dusk and hunting for bunyips. She wasn't at all concerned about the sinister shadows that crept up on them as the sun disappeared. She'd have stayed out all night, listening to the noises of nature and fantasising that they might really come upon a bunyip. And apparently her new imaginary friend felt the same.

Most night's Stella lured ‘them' back to the cottage with promises that she'd draw Heidi a new bunyip picture and make up a story for her before bed. Where once Stella used to snuggle up with Heidi on her bed when she read or told stories, Heidi had informed her that Lily-Blue wanted to sit there and listen so there was no room for Stella. It was stupid to feel put out by somebody who didn't exist but there was just something about this imaginary friend that made Stella feel uncomfortable. She felt more real than any of the others.

‘What that, Mummy?'

Stella looked up from the love seat where she'd been sitting to eat her breakfast. Heidi had been sleeping later since they'd been here – probably because she played out in the fresh air much more than she did back home – so in a few short days Stella had become accustomed to starting the day this way. She liked the quiet of the farm in the early morning and the fresh air that held a hint of the warmth the day would bring. The half an hour of solitude she got before her daughter woke was therapeutic for her soul.

‘Hey, gorgeous girl.'

Heidi ran to her and climbed into her lap. ‘What that?' She asked again, pointing out into the paddock beyond where Adam or one of his contractors was working. Stella hadn't seen Adam since that day in the café and she considered getting Heidi's toy binoculars from inside to see if she could change this.

‘That, my love, is a combine harvester,' she explained, pushing her silly ideas to the back of her mind. ‘It is a machine that the farmer drives, which collects the grain from the crop and sorts the good stuff, the stuff the farmer then sells to make his living.'

‘Ahh.' Heidi nodded slowly, her gaze remaining firm on the paddock. ‘Adam driving it?'

‘Maybe.' Stella ran her fingers through Heidi's bed messy hair. ‘Are you ready for your breakfast?'

‘Want to ride carvester,' Heidi said, pulling her head away from Stella's grasp.

‘Maybe later, sweetheart. Harvesting is a big job. We shouldn't bother Adam too much.'

Heidi pouted and Stella could relate. As great as their holiday had been so far, she longed for a bit of adult company, but even if she could trust herself around Adam, it wasn't fair to pester him during such a busy time.

‘Tell you what, how about we make some cookies today instead?' Although Stella wasn't much of a baker, Heidi loved cooking and it would be the perfect distraction.

As expected, Heidi nodded enthusiastically, then said, ‘Lily-Blue wants choc-chip ones.'

Stella stifled a groan. A. they didn't have choc-chips, which would mean a trip into town first and B. she was already sick of Lily-Blue laying down the law. Who would have thought an imaginary person could cause so much trouble?

‘We'll make choc-chip ones next time,' she promised. ‘I've only got the ingredients for Anzacs.'

Those were Heidi's favourites so she didn't kick up a stink. ‘Okay, Mummy, let's go.' She climbed off Stella's lap, tugging at her hand as they walked into the house.

‘Breakfast first,' Stella told her firmly.

She fully expected Heidi to demand she make some toast for Lily-Blue as well but apparently Lily-Blue didn't eat. It was on the tip of her tongue to ask Heidi what did it matter what type of cookies they made then, but she swallowed that narky response. Just because she'd been on edge since meeting Adam, didn't mean she should take it out on Heidi.

She let Heidi eat her vegemite on toast while watching ABC Kids and went to have a shower. The hot water felt so good against her skin. That was another benefit of being here – she knew she shouldn't waste water but she couldn't resist having longer showers than her busy lifestyle normally allowed.

Finally, after lathering her skin with her favourite vanilla body wash and washing yesterday's salt water – which she'd been too tired to deal with last night – out of her hair, she forced herself to turn off the taps. She stepped out of the shower and wrapped one of the cottage's fluffy white bath sheets around her. The TV was still blaring when she stepped out of the bathroom, but knowing Heidi sometimes got too engrossed and forgot to eat, Stella detoured to the living room on her way to her bedroom.

‘I hope you've eaten your toast, young lady,' she called to Heidi as she turned into the room. Oscar the Grouch was counting bugs on the box. Stella couldn't see Heidi's head from behind the couch but assumed she'd slumped down in her seat. She tiptoed forward, planning to surprise Heidi with a tickle-bomb but when she launched her arms over the back of the couch, she froze in terror.

The plate of vegemite toast sat untouched on the couch and Heidi wasn't there.

‘Heidi?' Stella shot bolt upright, her head snapping left and right as she madly scanned the room. Sparsely furnished, there weren't a great many places to hide in the cottage. Why would Heidi hide from her anyway? She felt as if her heart was banging against her chest cavity fighting to get out, but she told herself to calm down. She'd been in the shower ten minutes max. Heidi couldn't have gone far. She was probably just trying to pour herself more milk or out on the veranda playing with Whiskers.

Spinning so fast she almost tripped over the towel, which had loosened, Stella ran to check the kitchen, shouting Heidi's name. When she didn't find the little girl there, she checked the bedrooms. Also empty. She burst out onto the front veranda like a wild beast escaping from a cage and the panic in her heart skyrocketed. Snatching for breath, Stella screamed, ‘Heidi? Heidi? Come to Mummy. Now! Where are you?'

The love seat made a creaking noise and she turned to look at it, hoping to see Heidi playing there. But the seat rocked back and forth as if someone had given it a big push. Stella glanced at the gum tree in front of the picket fence; its leaves weren't even flickering on this perfectly still day. Thinking that maybe Heidi had decided they should play hide and seek but had forgotten to tell her about it, Stella followed the veranda round the back of the house. Whiskers slept peacefully in the sun on the back steps but there was no sign of the little girl.

Tears welled up in the corners of Stella's eyes and then spilled out and down over her cheeks before she could control them. Where had Heidi gone? Surely she couldn't have gone far but a farm could be a dangerous place. Thinking of the dams, which were still full after a surprisingly wet spring, she almost collapsed with fear.

She steadied herself against the veranda railing and prayed.

‘Please God,' she cried out in desperation. ‘Don't let anything happen to her. I'll do anything you want but don't let me lose her now.'

In response, Whiskers looked up as if disgusted that her peace had been disturbed, stood, stretched and stalked off into the garden. Stella watched the cat go and then suddenly came to her senses.

What was she doing standing here bargaining with a higher power she wasn't even sure she believed in? That wasn't going to bring her daughter back. Why had she ever let Heidi out of her sight? Swiping her eyes with the back of her hands, Stella told herself she needed to pull together for Heidi's sake. She'd go inside, put on some clothes and suitable shoes, call Adam and start searching every inch of this property. She didn't like the idea of phoning Adam when she'd so adamantly told him that she would keep Heidi safe on the farm, but for the sake of the only thing that mattered in the world to her, she would swallow her pride.

She turned to head into the house, despair heavy in her heart. If anything happened to Heidi… Well, that was something she couldn't even bear thinking about.

Adam slowed the header at the sight of the little girl running through the wheat towards him.

‘Heidi?' He squinted and held a hand up to block out the sun. Despite wearing sunnies the early morning light was blinding. He was lucky he'd even seen the little girl, whose pale yellow pyjamas camouflaged her amongst the crop. What the hell was she doing out here on her own? He killed the ignition and leapt out of the machine, raising his hand and shouting to her. ‘Stop there, Heidi. Don't come any closer.'

Even though he'd switched off the header, he didn't want her getting too close. He ran to her, peering past her at the cottage on the look out for Stella.

‘Mr Adam.' She beamed at him.

‘Hi kiddo.' He crouched down in the crop beside her. ‘Where's your mum?'

Ignoring his question, she looked past him and eyed the massive green combine harvester. ‘Ride your carvester? Puh-lease?' Her eyes were wide, her lower lip out-turned and her voice begging.

How could anyone say no to that face? He wanted nothing more than to scoop her up, carry her back to the header and make her dream come true but he couldn't look past the fact she was out here by herself.

‘Where's your mum?' he asked again.

‘Having shower,' Heidi replied.

An image of Stella naked, water cascading down over perfect curves slammed into his cerebellum. A good ten seconds passed before he managed to speak. ‘Okay, and does she know you're out walking on your own?'

Heidi glanced down at the ground and shook her head. Sighing, Adam straightened again. ‘Let's go and have a chat with her and see what she thinks, okay?'

Glancing wistfully at the header, Heidi gave one reluctant nod and offered out her hand. Adam swallowed. He wasn't used to kids, not that he didn't like them exactly but he made sure he didn't have much to do with them. The closest he got was his cousin Simone's two girls and only now that they were teenagers, and therefore pretty independent, had he let himself relax a bit more around them. Still, Heidi was looking up at him with those big, brown wide eyes and her hand outstretched. He didn't have it in his heart to reject her.