Summer Down Under Read Online Free PDF Page A

because I would
kick myself if I didn’t give you my phone number.” He looked down
at the ground again and toed a pebble. “Just in case there was the
smallest chance you may want to call me when you’re in
Australia.”
    “Oh.” Words failed her at that point and she
just stared at him.
    “Um, would you like to go for a walk along
the beach?” he asked after another moment had passed and she still
hadn’t said anything more.
    Sam hesitated for a moment and cast a glance
up and down the beach. It was still deserted. She hardly knew this
man, even if he did just rescue her from a rowdy mob of vendors.
Sam looked into his eyes and decided to listen to her instincts.
They told her he wouldn’t try to hurt her, so she took a deep
breath, trusted them, and agreed.
    “Okay, why not?”
    Daniel’s smile lit up his face. His hand
started to move towards hers and she quickly crossed her arms over
her chest. She was definitely not ready for something as intimate
as hand holding. Not yet, maybe never.
    She noticed a flicker of disappointment in
Daniel’s eyes but it was gone almost instantly, he replaced it with
a smile and fell into place beside her. When they got to the sand,
Sam kicked off her sandals and scooped them up, holding them in the
hand that was closest to Daniel. That way she had an excuse not to
hold his hand, should he try again.
    The sand was warm and soft under her feet as
they wandered down the beach to the edge of the shore. Another
beautiful island rose out of the ocean in front of them. Sam took a
moment to soak in the beauty of her surroundings before turning her
attention to the man beside her.
    “So,” she said. “Tell me what it is that you
do on a sheep station?”
    “Well, there is a lot of riding about on
motorbikes,” he started to explain. “We have to muster the sheep
into holding pens for a variety of different reasons.”
    “Muster?” Sam interrupted.
    “It means herding or gathering. We muster the
sheep into pens and do whatever we need to, depending on the time
of the year.”
    He could see the look of confusion on her
face and continued with his explanation.
    “You see, there is lamb marking after the
lambs are born. We won’t get into that, though, it’s not the most
pleasant job on the station. Then there is jetting just before the
fly season. Basically, we spray the sheep with a pesticide that
kills the blowflies. Nasty buggars they are. Then lots of
maintenance, mending fences, etcetera, and the finale of the year
for any sheep station...shearing.” He finished his explanation with
a “Phew”
    “So, you’re basically a cowboy who works with
sheep?”
    “You could say that. Actually, blokes are
called Jackeroos, and Sheilas, meaning the girls, are called
Jillaroos.”
    His description of work on his parent’s sheep
station fascinated her once more. He talked about it on the plane,
but now he was going into more detail. Daniel kept her captivated
with many interesting tales of things that happened to him in the
outback, and before she knew it, they had arrived close to the
entrance of the beach where they had left his bike.
    They walked and talked for what seemed like
hours. Sam began to realize that talking to Daniel felt as natural
as breathing. He made her feel at ease, and that was something she
had never experienced around a man; she had certainly never
experienced the sensations welling deep within her at his close
proximity.
    They stopped and he turned to face her, his
eyes burning with what she could only assume was passion. She’d
never actually seen a look like it before; she had only one other
experience to draw from and certainly couldn’t gain any clarity
from that.
    Walking side by side with him, it had been
easy and natural to avert her gaze from his. She had been
constantly looking all around and taking in the stunning beauty of
the area.
    Sam diverted her gaze again, “It’s a pretty
beach.”
    “It is. I come here whenever I’m in Bali.
It’s