Dance in the Outback is my seventh release and to
celebrate I’m giving away seven copies (gifted via Amazon) of this story. The
contest will run until 30 November 2013 and to enter the random draw, please
leave a comment on my website and share my post.
All details are on my blog : http://www.segilchrist.com/2013/10/31/new-release-dance-in-the-outback/
Extract from Dance in the Outback © S. E.
Gilchrist 2013
“How far are we from the nearest town?” Melanie
asked.
Dirk
drawled, “Missing the bright lights already? Longreach is the largest town and
it's to the nor-east of us. It’s more than a fair day’s drive. I wouldn't go
thinking you can take off for a coupla hours at the beauty salon and be back by
lunch.”
Irritating
man.
“I was
making polite conversation.”
He
laughed.
The deep
sound did something funny to her insides. After clearing her throat, she asked,
“Is this the Diamantina Country?”
She
fielded the surprised glance he shot her by batting her long eyelashes and was
rewarded with an upward quirk of the edges of his mouth. Dear me, is that a
smile I can see? “I've always been interested in the Outback. It's so vast
and untamed.”
“It is
all that and don't forget it can also be deadly. You must carry water on you at
all times,” warned Dirk. “The Diamantina Country is further south of us. We're
on the edge of the Channel Country.”
“Oh.
Then I guess flooding could be a problem during the wet season.”
“Sometimes,
it depends on how much rain we get up north. Of course if a cyclone crosses the
coast, anything could happen. Especially if she's a category four or five.
There's a low pressure system churning about in the Arafura Sea at the moment.”
Charming.
Another
fly buzzed about her face and she swatted uselessly at the pesky insect. Heat,
flies and possible floods. Sounds like a fun break. I wonder if I'll get to see
an emu. She sank back into her seat feeling the heat press in on her from
all sides. Longing to rest for a moment, she resisted the urge to close her
eyes, unwilling to reveal her weariness in case it was construed as weakness.
As if he
was in tune with her thoughts, he asked, “It might take some days before your
body acclimatises to the heat. You'll need to take it easy for a while before
you can start pulling your weight.”
“Pardon?”
Startled, Melanie turned to stare at his profile.
Dirk
said in a smooth voice, “This is a working cattle station. Everyone has a job
to do. We need everyone we can get to help with the mustering out in the
western region. Probably only take about seven days. Ever ridden a horse? Or
maybe a camel might suit you better.”
Mouth
open, Melanie shook her head. Was he serious? Visions of a female
version of Lawrence of Arabia chasing a cow floated about in her head. She’d
wear a pit helmet and a long floaty white scarf. She swivelled round and looked
at James who nodded encouragingly.
James
said, “You'll love it, Mel. Just think; no need to worry about bathing every
day, sleeping under the stars with scorpions and meat ants and nothing but red
dust for miles.”
“You’ll
need to keep a sharp lookout for camel spiders too. Ever seen one?” Dirk turned
on the car’s fan and immediately hot air blasted from the vents.
Melanie
shook her head again.
Dirk
made a sweeping motion with his left hand. “There’re bigger than my hand and
can run about 16 kph.”
“What?”
Want your own copy? Buy links are here :
http://www.segilchrist.com
Twitter - @SEGilchrist1
http://www.amazon.com/S-E-Gilchrist/e/B009F6LGXA
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