‘Caro,’ he called again, and this time she knew she’d have to answer.
‘I’m in the grotto,’ she called, and within minutes he was there beside her, sitting on what had always been ‘his’ rock.
‘How did you know?’ she asked.
‘It was obvious that someone had been along the old track and as you were the only one stupid enough to be coming down here on your own, I just followed your trail.’
‘Stupid enough?’ she demanded, angry but not sure whether it was because her thinking time had been interrupted or because his presence always caused her tension.
‘There could have been a landslip or a bit of the track washed away.’
‘Well, there wasn’t, and I’m quite safe, so you can go off and do whatever you were planning to do with Reuben.’
‘Which was to come and see you,’ Keanu told her, not as excited now as he’d been earlier, not quite as sure she was going to like the idea. And he’d already decided that now was not the time to mention his divorce. Other matters were more urgent after all.
‘I was talking to Reuben about the mine. I talked to the elders about it yesterday, and spoke to your father this morning. Something you’d said about finding someone to invest in it—once we knew how much we needed—sparked a kind of shadow of an idea in my head, and it wasn’t until yesterday at the funeral that I worked out what it was.’
He paused, waiting for a comment, perhaps a little excitement, or even a cool ‘And?’
But there was no response so, feeling even more uncertain, he ploughed on.
‘Reuben isn’t the only islander with a son making good money on the mainland, so it seemed to me that the islanders themselves might like to invest in the mine, form a company of some sort, a co-op perhaps—and take it over.’
‘Take it over?’
Caro’s voice was scratchy.
‘Completely?’
‘That’s why I had to talk to Max. I knew he’d know which way to go, the company or whatever, and of course he’d have to agree to the idea.’
‘And he did? He’s happy for the islanders to take over the mine?’
Keanu was worried now. He’d really expected excitement that he’d sorted out the problem, perhaps a little hesitation as Caro considered it. But not this flat, unemotional questioning.
Unable to work it out, he went with answering.
‘Yes, of course. He was annoyed he hadn’t thought of it himself. Of course, it can’t happen overnight, but within maybe six months we could have the mine up and running again and money going into the hospital—that would still be part of the arrangement—with the shareholders benefiting as well.’
‘And you never thought to talk to me about this?’
Not flat and unemotional now—no, now she was upset, although he couldn’t fathom why.
‘There’s been no time,’ he said, hoping to sooth whatever was bothering her. ‘As you can imagine there’s still so much to do. It’s mainly been just contacting people.’
It was hard to see her expression in the gloom, but he saw the way she stood up, and knew from the way she held her body that she’d be glaring down at him.
‘Contacting everyone but me!’ she said. ‘Do I not count? Wasn’t I part of this save-the-mine project from the beginning? Wasn’t I the one who got the books and put the figures together? Then suddenly it’s all “Don’t worry your little head about it, the men will fix it” and you don’t even mention it to me?’
He stood too, and put a hand on her shoulder—a hand that was quickly shrugged off.
‘Caro—’ he began.
But she was already walking away, pausing only to say, ‘You could have mentioned it as we sat on the swing, as we talked about love and what love was. I thought it was sharing, doing things together—not everything, that would be silly—but this was a joint project at the beginning, then suddenly it was all yours. I don’t know how to feel, Keanu. I don’t even know why I feel the way I do, when obviously it’s the ideal solution for the mine, but right now I just have to get away by myself and try to work out what I really want from love.’
And with that she disappeared from the grotto, not going back along the track but climbing the rocks at the side of the waterfall.
She was as sure-footed as a cat, so he didn’t worry about her going that way, and he knew it would be pointless trying to argue with her in the mood she was in, so he sat on his rock in the place where they’d practised getting married, and wondered just how things had gone so wrong.
She climbed the rocks to the top, skipped over the flat rocks where she’d sat with Keanu—had it been only a few days ago?
Keanu.
He’d sorted out the problem at the mine—or would eventually—and he’d spoken to her father.
But not to her.
Did he really know her so little he’d thought she wouldn’t want to know?
After all the work she’d done on the figures, of course he had to know. Had to realise the responsibility—family responsibility—she felt towards it.
And didn’t he even consider just how hard this might be—hearing that a chunk of her life, her heritage, had been taken from her without any discussion?
It wasn’t that she wanted the blasted mine. As long as it continued to support the hospital, she couldn’t have cared less what happened to it.
Somewhere deep inside she knew she was being silly, that it was just a mine. And she knew full well that without it the hospital couldn’t keep going.
She made her way along the track to the house, still feeling wounded no matter how she tried to rationalise it.
Had Keanu talked to her about his idea, made her part of it right from the start, she knew she’d probably feel differently about it.
Probably even be as excited as he was about it.
She’d reached the hospital and was about to climb the hill to the house when Sam caught up with her, his face so serious she knew something was wrong.
Very wrong!
‘You father phoned,’ he said gently. ‘Christopher has taken a turn for the worse. He’d like you home.’
Panic flooded her body. She’d always known this day would come. Known, too, that it was getting closer.
But now …
‘He’s sending a plane for you. You’ve got two hours. You father will send a car to meet the plane at Sydney airport.’
Caroline supposed she’d heard the words, but her total focus was on her brother, willing him to stay alive until she got there.
She’d been selfish, thinking only of her own unhappiness when she’d fled to the island, and now—
Shutting off that thought, she hurried up to the house.
Keanu left the grotto. He’d told Reuben he’d go over to Atangi to talk to the elders again—tell them he’d spoken to Max. Reuben was phoning them and they’d be waiting for him, no doubt filled with excitement and ideas about how they’d manage the mine.
He went down to the village where he kept a boat he’d bought from one of the locals almost as soon as he’d arrived back on Wildfire, half thinking he should have let Caro know where he was going, but he was already running late.
Plus, he needed to consider