Christmas at Coorah Creek (Choc Lit) by Gover Janet

Author:Gover, Janet
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Choc Lit
Published: 2015-10-30T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Thirteen

The track to the creek looked just the same to Scott. It was just two tyre ruts in the rough ground. It may have become a little deeper over the years, but nothing else had changed.

‘Are you sure?’ Katie had pulled up just off the main road, and was staring down the dusty track, her brow wrinkled in a frown.

‘You’ll be fine,’ he assured her. ‘Good Aussie cars are built for roads like this. Just keep your wheels in the tracks and take it easy.’

Katie’s response was a dubious sigh, but she put the car in gear and edged forward. ‘If I do any damage, it’ll be on you,’ she said.

Despite her misgivings, Katie handled the rough going well. The car travelled smoothly, if slowly, down the track towards the line of gum trees that marked the creek bank. Scott suppressed a smile as he watched the concentration on her face and the careful way her hands gripped the steering wheel. Katie might be out of her depth here in the outback, but she wasn’t about to let it beat her. She had strengths and abilities that maybe she hadn’t even found yet. He liked that about her.

He liked watching her. He liked the way she bit her lower lip as she concentrated. He liked the way she could laugh at herself and he really liked the way her blue eyes sparkled when she did.

Finally, they reached the creek. Katie didn’t need his guidance as she instinctively parked the car under the trees, out of the hot sun. The bare dirt and a few bits of litter indicated this place was more frequently used now than when young Scott Collins used to come here. Before he was old enough to drive, he’d ridden a pushbike. Once or twice he’d used his father’s car, hoping not to be caught. Now the town had grown, he imagined many more kids would be seeking this place out.

As Scott opened the door and got out of the car, he saw movement in the long dry grass as a snake slithered away. It was just a carpet snake. Harmless. But he decided not to mention it to Katie. She’d seen enough of the local wildlife already today.

They moved to the front of the car and looked down the sloping bank to the creek.

‘There’s not a lot of water.’ Katie sounded disappointed.

‘Not at this time of the year,’ Scott said. He took a couple of steps down the bank then turned to offer her a hand down. It wasn’t that he thought she needed his help. In fact, he was sure she didn’t. He just wanted an excuse to hold her hand.

Katie started to shake her head, then her eyes met and held his. Understanding passed between them and she placed her hand in his. It felt good to curl his fingers around her small hand and offer her whatever strength he had.

They made their way down the slope. She sat down on an old tree trunk that had washed down the river in some flood many years before.

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