Page 37

Chapter Thirty-Seven

T he throbbing pain in Abi’s abdomen dragged her from sleep and she curled onto her side in an attempt to get more comfortable. Although it was still dark, the faint morning glow made it possible to see her surroundings.

Mackenzie was still asleep in the bed beside hers. He lay on his stomach, his muscular arms curled up around his head, his face was away from her, his breathing deep and relaxed.

Rustling sounds from the surrounding bush caught her attention. She’d learnt to accept the noises and tried to picture what type of animal it could be. There were no definite footfall sounds and the rustling leaves told her it was foraging amongst the dense forest floor. Deep grunting noises had her imagining a wild pig was out there looking for food. The sound gradually dissolved as the birds awakened with the onset of dawn.

Out the hole in the cabin wall, the morning sun jostled for a place through the damp leaves. She’d begun to notice a regular pattern to the birds’ morning chorus. One bird’s call sounded like a whistle. It released a long, drawn-out sound that ended abruptly like the whistle had been yanked from its beak.

Another bird’s call was a short hoot that the bird repeated, progressively growing faster and faster and when it reached fever pitch it too just stopped, like it had fallen off its branch. Then the kookaburras started their dueling laughter, loud and obnoxious.

Mackenzie’s chest still rose and fell in a slow, regular pattern. She was amazed that the birds never seemed to wake him. In her previous life, Abigail hadn’t taken the time to listen to nature and she was surprised by how much she enjoyed it. It was a glorious way to start the day, so peaceful and relaxing.

Mackenzie rolled toward her and opened his eyes.

“Morning, sleepy head.” She brushed hair from her lip.

“You been awake long?”

“A while. Bit of a pain in my stomach.”

He furrowed his brow. “You okay?”

“I’ll be fine. Just hungry, I think.” She loved that he genuinely cared for her.

“Well, how about you have a bit of a lie in, and I’ll get some brekkie on the go?”

“That would be lovely.”

Mackenzie climbed out of bed and reached for his shirt. Her eyes fell on the silver ring nestled in his thick chest hair and she caught herself following the line of hairs down his muscular torso until they disappeared into his shorts. Dragging her eyes away, she was grateful but also disappointed when his shirt fell over his chest.

He was due for a shave and his beard was thick and dark, the scar on his chin completely hidden. “I’ll call you when it’s ready.” He flashed white teeth at her.

“Thanks.” She watched him leave before rolling onto her side. Her hand brushed over her breast, and she was surprised to feel her erect nipple. A hot flush burned up her neck as she brushed over her breast again, stirring a need within her that she hadn’t felt for a very long time.

Staring at Mackenzie’s empty bed, she recalled the images of him on the rock; his body lying golden and glistening, the sun highlighting his pubic hair.

Stop it , Abi.

Searching for something to do, she reached for Charlie’s letters.

She unravelled the white ribbon and the bundle spilled onto her bed. Each time she opened one of the envelopes, she diligently returned it to its original position in the pile. Glancing at Charlie’s last letter, the one he wrote before he died, she fought the urge to read it, fearing what sad words she might find there.

In the previous letter, Charlie had written of his excitement at seeing his daughter’s engagement announcement in the newspaper and he’d begged Sue to be included in the wedding ceremony. Abi hoped his next letter offered a positive response, but she didn’t hold much hope for Charlie.

Abi marked her place in the bundle with the fifty-dollar note, realizing she was almost halfway through the pile. She selected the white envelope and instantly noticed it was different. This envelope was addressed to Charlie and the harsh straight letters written on the envelope had an angry presence about them. Before she even opened it, Abi knew it was from Charlie’s ex-wife, Sue.

The yellowed paper inside had dog-eared edges and ragged creases indicating it had been read many times over. This letter isn’t going to be a pleasant read . She rolled onto her back and held the crumpled page above.

Charlie, you stupid fool,

What do I have to do to get my message through your thick skull?

We don’t want to hear from you. Not me and NOT Holly.

It’s been fourteen years and it’s time you moved on. We have. Holly has had a real father in her life for years and I have a husband who treats me like a wife.

Leave us alone and for God’s sake do NOT ruin Holly’s wedding day. She doesn’t want to see you.

If you love her — then disappear.

How dare she stop him from sharing his love with his own daughter?

Abi thought of her own father. He’d been an enigma in her life, either a dark shadow in the corner or a loud voice in the den, completely lacking any ability to show affection. She never felt his touch, not even so much as holding his hand or a kiss on her cheek. His voice was always a commanding bark, and his eyes showed his contempt for her. In fact, she’d feared him. He died when she was nineteen and she’d shed no tears at his funeral.

Mackenzie poked his head into the cabin, startling her. “Breakfast’s ready.”

“Oh. Okay, I’ll be out in a minute.”

She tied the bundle of letters together, slipped out of bed and stepped barefoot onto the dirt. Mackenzie sat by the fire, balancing a metal plate on his lap and when she sat down beside him, he handed her breakfast over. A portion of evenly toasted pastry was centred in the middle of the plate with a couple of beans oozing from the side.

“Bean calzone today.” He seemed embarrassed.

“Mmm, my favourite.” She didn’t want to consider how many times they’d eaten this for breakfast since they crashed.

“Liar.”

They ate in silence gazing into the fire Mackenzie had loaded with fresh logs. He still insisted they had to keep the fire going, no matter what. They needed to travel a fair distance into the bush now for fire fuel. Scavenging for wood was a daily chore and a good workout. Their days were a steady stream of chores—washing clothes, searching for food, preparing meals, collecting water, making the fire. Abi never thought such mundane duties could be so satisfying. Back home, she hired people to do all the hard work for her. No wonder she had trouble losing weight.

She reached for Mackenzie’s empty plate. “So what contraption are you working on today?”

Mackenzie was constantly planning or making new things. She recognised that keeping busy was his way of dealing with their situation.

“Don’t laugh,” he said solemnly.

Her eyes narrowed as she studied him, trying to read his mind. “You can’t tell me not to laugh. I don’t know how I’ll react until you say what it is. So?”

He cocked his head to the side. “A bath.”

She couldn’t help it and started laughing. “A bath. That would be fabulous.” She paused trying to stop her giggling. “I don’t know why I’m laughing. I’m intrigued and excited. I can’t wait.”