If it weren’t for the joy she had seen on Amber’s face when she had talked about spending her day with Maureen and Arthur, Jade would have regretted her trip to Adelaide immediately. But she couldn’t turn back the clock and neither would she, as Amber, Maureen and Arthur deserved to spend time with each other.
She had to be logical. There was nothing anyone could do to change things. She reminded herself that Amber was settled with Maureen and Arthur and they would no doubt be making a fuss of her so she probably wouldn’t be overly anxious. She was the anxious one. She told herself it would be just the one night and then she had four days off with Amber. They would celebrate her third birthday with a trip to the zoo. But not the one that Mitchell had suggested with the roaming lions. Jade liked the petting zoo, where they could walk among the goats, and chickens and ducks. She was slowly getting her anxiety under control. Looking for the positives was the best solution, she decided. It wasn’t the end of the world. She would spend a few hours seeing some Australian bush wilderness up close before she crawled into her own tent, and then in the morning they would be back in Adelaide.
She just didn’t want to get up close to Mitchell. But then she reminded herself that they had a group of campers with them. It wasn’t as if anything could or would happen.
Jade looked down at her nursing uniform, now a little the worse for wear and stained with blood. ‘I think it might be difficult to hike around in this. I mean, the white duty shoes are about the only bit that works. And you’ll look a little silly in your outfit too, a little formal for a bush walk.’
Mitchell looked down at his clothes and realised his long grey slacks and white business shirt and the tie that was hanging loosely from the collar would not be the best outfit.
‘Maybe someone can loan us some clothes,’ he said, and headed over to the group about to begin their bush yoga class. ‘Since we’re here overnight, I was just wondering if you might have some clothes we could borrow until tomorrow.’
One of the older ladies in the group slowly undid her very awkward lotus pose with a grimace. ‘I have some old things that belonged to my daughter and son-in-law. I meant to drop them at the mission but didn’t have time. There’s a bag in the car. I’ll grab something for both of you,’ she said as she stood up. ‘And while you’re off walking I’ll fix up the tent with the new bedding since you’ll be staying the night together. We don’t have a spare tent.’
Jade felt her stomach fall and heart race. That was not how she had pictured the sleeping arrangements. Sleeping in the same tent with Mitchell had her close to panic.
Lying in the dark hearing him breathing. Knowing he was so close. Knowing he was stirring feelings that she should not be feeling.
Mitchell saw Jade flinch and he knew what he needed to do.
‘I’ll sleep under the stars and you can have the tent.’
She let a little breath escape with relief and her pulse returned to normal. She couldn’t share a tent with Mitchell. It wasn’t because she couldn’t trust him, it was because she wasn’t sure she could trust herself.
‘Here you go,’ the woman said, and handed Jade some denim shorts and a T-shirt and Mitchell a pair of cargo pants and a tank top. ‘They might not be a perfect fit but they’ll be better than what you’re wearing now for out here in the bush.’
Jade smiled and took the clothes. ‘Thanks so much. I’ll launder them and drop them off at the mission next week.’
Jade disappeared into the tent and when she emerged, Mitchell’s jaw dropped. The tiny denim shorts fitted like a second skin with her long bare legs pouring from them. The tight T-shirt that bared her midriff was also the perfect size, in Mitchell’s opinion, but he was sure Jade would not agree. He was certain her prim and proper alarm would be ringing.
‘I’ll check if she has anything else for me to wear. This is obviously for someone a few inches shorter,’ she said, tugging at the hem of the top, trying to hide the bare skin.
‘I think you look great … in fact, better than great. There’s no time to change, the sun will go down and we won’t see anything if you try on everything in the mission bag. Let me throw on my hand-me-downs and we can get out of here and take in some sights of the Aussie scrub.’
Jade felt so self-conscious. It had been so long since she had been out in public in revealing clothes and she wanted to pull the denim fabric down to cover her legs as well. But there wasn’t any spare fabric and none was about to magically appear. The shorts were so small and the T-shirt was stretched very snugly over her breasts. She was at least grateful she had worn a sports bra and not a lacy number.
Mitchell emerged as if he had chosen the outfit. Jade knew he couldn’t have done better with a stylist. The tank top showed off his perfectly sculpted arms and the cargo shorts sat low on his hips, just the way he liked them and the way she had seen him wear them at the beach.
Remembering the fact that Mitchell had already seen her in her bikini, and the others were involved in an Outback yoga class, and the kookaburras definitely wouldn’t care about her attire, she decided she had no choice but to let it go.
‘Looks like you’re about to get your first sighting of marsupials from the land Down Under,’ Mitchell said with a smile.
He grabbed some bottled water from the campsite cooler and they headed off through the dry scrub with the leaves and bark snapping under their feet. The air was still dry and warm and Jade could smell the distinctive scent of the eucalyptus leaves. She was thrilled when half an hour into their walk she spied a lizard sunning itself on a hollow tree branch. The brown and black scales blended with the tones of the bush surroundings and it became almost invisible.
‘Would poisonous snakes, like rattlesnakes, be around here?’ she asked as she surveyed the tufts of dry grass dotted on the red dirt around her.
‘There are poisonous snakes, but we don’t have rattlesnakes, they’re one of your countrymen. I’d say the deadly brown snakes would be the ones to watch out for around here.’
‘That’s a help.’ She laughed as she jumped from one large boulder to another. ‘That’s the colour of most snakes!’
‘Then maybe,’ he called to her, ‘don’t try to pat any of them.’
Mitchell loved seeing that side of Jade. She was carefree and spirited. He wished they could stay here for a week and get to know one another. To see how much more he could uncover about the woman who was now standing atop a two-foot rock and smiling into the setting sun.
She was perfect and he was dangerously close to falling for her.
They were having such a great time that Jade even forgot how inappropriate her outfit was. The Outback and Mitchell were both captivating and distracting. The walk was wonderful with the scent of the warm summer night and the wildlife sounds all around them.
‘So how do you like Outback Australia?’
‘Well, it’s definitely a far cry from LA,’ she said as she climbed over some rocks to where he was standing. ‘Can you tell me more about where we are?’
‘As your personal tour guide—unpaid, I might add—I can.’ His mouth curved into a ridiculously handsome smile. ‘This is the Flinders Ranges National Park. We’re about three hundred miles from Adelaide …’ He paused as he realised immediately that it also meant from her niece.
‘And Amber,’ she added dryly. ‘But I’m okay, really.’ She decided the rock could be her makeshift seat in the sun as she dropped down onto the hard but warm boulder for a rest while she enjoyed the view. ‘I’m sure Maureen and Arthur are spoiling her rotten and, to be honest, I couldn’t be happier about it. She needs to know she has family who love her as much as I do.’
Mitchell was surprised. It was a huge step for Jade. He hoped he’d had something to do with her shift