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‘Do you have one of my cows in your backpack too?’

‘Dude, I’m hurt by your extreme lack of faith in my essential goodness, but the answer is no. Not this trip.’

‘You’re not going to put pictures of me busted up all over the Internet, are you?’

‘You think I could sell those for a mint and pay my uni fees?’

He absolutely did think that.

‘Oh.’ She paused, as if only just realising his accident would be of public interest. ‘No, I’m not going to take pictures of you all busted up and sell them to the highest bidder,’ she offered quietly. ‘I wouldn’t do that. If that’s what people do in your world, I feel sorry for you.’

He felt the need to explain. ‘You wouldn’t believe what papers print about me.’

‘So you’re not crazy in love with your brother’s beautiful wife?’

How had that rumour started again? ‘Me and m’brother were trying to buy a national energy company a couple of years back. That rumour was a way to disrupt our takeover bid.’

She took her own sweet time thinking about that. ‘Your world is brutal,’ she declared finally.

‘Yes.’

There was another pause, a bigger one, before the voice spoke again. ‘She’s very beautiful, though. Your sister-in-law.’

‘She’s also smart, kind and I’ve known her since birth. Still doesn’t mean I’m in love with her.’

‘I do have a macadamia and coconut bar I could share with you,’ she murmured.

‘Keep it.’ He was angry with her for believing the lies they wrote about him.

‘Hey, you were prepared to believe the worst of me too, Mr Take a picture of me all battered and torn and sell it to the papers and make a mint.’

He had no comeback for that. She was right. But maybe they could start again, right here and now. He reached towards her and his fingers collided with the gently rounded flesh of what was most likely her rear end. He cleared his throat and withdrew his hand. She was a warm presence at his side from shoulder to toe. It was enough. ‘Can we start over? I’m not...usually so...tetchy.’

‘It’s not just you. I’m on edge too and I’m sorry for repeating what the gossip rags were saying. They make stuff up as they go along.’

‘True.’

‘Would you like some more water?’

‘Please.’

She rose from her spot beside him and then he felt the cut of a plastic drink bottle against his lips. He reached up to close his fingers around the bottle and caught her fingers too.

‘I’ve got it,’ he murmured.

‘Hang on, let me—there. It’s all yours.’

He slaked his thirst, and he was uncommonly thirsty.

‘Hey, easy with that.’ He felt her palm against his forehead, low over his unseeing eyes. ‘You’re hot.’

‘I get that a lot.’

‘I bet you do.’

Were they flirting? Was he reading the room right?

She cleared her throat. ‘I meant you have a temperature, which isn’t exactly wonderful news. I don’t think we should wait this one out until someone finds us. I need to go for help.’