Page 10 of Cinderella and the Outback Billionaire

CHAPTER THREE

WAKING FELT LIKE rising through mud. So much mud weighing Reid down, wanting him to stay in that place where pain couldn’t reach him and fear couldn’t overwhelm. But fear had a way of tunnelling, and it roused him just enough to become aware of the stabbing pain in his head and an all-encompassing darkness. ‘I can’t see.’

He heard movement beside him and felt warm fingers circle his wrist. ‘Do you know where you are?’

‘I—’ No.

‘You’re in a tent in a dust storm,’ the sweet voice continued. ‘Your helicopter crashed. You have a head wound and more.’

It was the voice from his dream. Or maybe it wasn’t a dream after all. ‘You were here before.’

‘I found you. Put a tent up around you and gave you some painkillers.’ He felt the press of a drink bottle to his lips and drank gratefully and ignored the trickle of water that escaped from the corner of his mouth and etched rivulets down his neck. ‘Sunset was a couple of hours ago.’

He felt movement beside him and then the hand was gone from around his wrist. ‘Put it back!’

‘What?’

‘The hand. Put it back! Put it back! Anywhere, it doesn’t matter. Please.’

He now knew what startled silence sounded like. And then a warm, small hand pressed gently on his shoulder and he could breathe properly again. That touch, human connection at its most basic—it anchored him.

‘Do you want my knees digging into your side too?’ She sounded a little shaky—nice to know he had company in that regard. ‘Because I want to sit up to check you over again, but if I do that, I’m gonna be all up in your space.’

‘Dig in. Please.’

‘You rich guys. So kinky.’

‘You know who I am?’

‘Yeah.’ The hand stilled. ‘Do you know who you are?’

‘I haven’t lost my mind.’ Just his sight.

‘Just checking. Far as I can tell, the bandage has stopped most of the bleeding from your head. I used up the rest of the bandages on you too, while you were out to it. There’s one around your other wrist and hand—pretty sure you have a break there, and your shoulder looks out of place too. And I hope you didn’t like those trousers too much, because I sliced them straight up the legs so I could stop the bleeding from the gash that runs from mid-thigh to your kneecap. And then I unbuttoned your shirt to check out your abs. Looking good, by the way. Then I slid my hand underneath you and groped all over your back and your butt—’

‘Who’s the kinky one now?’ he murmured.

‘And when my hand didn’t resurface covered in blood, I decided you probably weren’t bleeding out. After that, I kinda just tucked in beside you to wait. I figure your big brother will be trying to find you soon, but he’s going to have to wait for the dust to settle first.’

‘You know Judah?’

‘I know of him. Same way I know of you. Hard not to around here.’

‘So, you’re local?’ Was she being evasive with her identity or was he imagining things? ‘I’m not about to sue you for trespassing, if that’s what you’re worried about.’

‘Funny guy.’ She patted his shoulder. ‘I don’t have any money for you to get and I doubt you’d want my ute. It’s a relic held together with duct tape and baling twine and have you seen the cost of diesel these days?’

‘So you’re a broke horticulture student on an Outback camping trip?’ Their earlier conversation was starting to come back to him. That blasted plant book.

‘Sounds about right. I had a job mowing lawns and trimming hedges in Brisbane. Cleaning garden goldfish ponds and water features, keeping permaculture closed water systems in shape—I really liked that part of the job, but then my boss had a heart attack and sold the business and the new owners were a young husband and wife couple and there wasn’t enough work to keep me on.’ She sighed heavily. ‘I have three thousand dollars saved—and if you do sue, I’ll deny I ever confided in you. It’s not in any bank.’

‘Keep your three grand. And you shouldn’t carry that kind of money on you,’ he felt compelled to add.

‘Who says I do? Okay, I’m grabbing my phone from my backpack so I can see what time it is.’

‘You have a phone?’

‘Yup. Phone, car, computer, and a good pair of secateurs. All my worldly possessions. See why you shouldn’t sue me for taking cuttings of your rare plants without permission? Okay, it’s eight fifty-two in the evening. Are you hungry? Could you eat a cow?’

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