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Kane nodded and climbed into the driver’s side. ‘I didn’t realise we’d need to take lunch. How far away is it?’

‘We’ll be gone all day by the time we drive down and back. It’s about thirty kilometres to the turn-off and then another forty along an unsealed road. But it’s slow going; the last ten kilometres are little more than a sandy track.’ She stepped up into the passenger seat and waited for Kane to start the car. ‘I thought we might walk into the waterfall while we’re down there.’

‘Sounds good.’

‘And we have to go north first to Sandy Billabong to put up the sign that Heather gave me. You really don’t know much about Kakadu, do you?’

He shook his head.

Ellie shrugged, wondering again why he was really here. ‘It’s great working here.’ She couldn’t help the smile that tugged at her lips. ‘It’s the most beautiful place in the world. You’re in for a treat.’

‘It’s very different from what I expected. Most of the feedback I’ve heard says it should be called “Kakadon’t”.’

‘Yeah, I’ve heard that, but if people bypass it and don’t visit, they miss out on one of the best places in the world.’ Ellie pursed her lips and looked out the window. ‘The most spectacular parts of the park are a long way off the sealed highway, like our trip today. Some don’t think it’s worth the long drive, but you can make up your own mind.’

Kane put one arm along the bench seat and looked over his left shoulder as he reversed the car. ‘So tell me why you moved away from the farm.’

‘My father couldn’t make a go of his mango plantation.’ Her voice was clipped as she pulled out her stock answer and pushed away the sadness that always came when she had to explain what happened. ‘He died. We moved. I trained and I came back. Stop here.’ She pointed to the building which housed the restaurant and when he pulled up, she jumped out.

‘My life in a nutshell,’ she said through the open window. ‘Wait here, I’ll be right back.’

*

Despite the incident with the sensor light, Kane had slept all night without waking in the early hours as he usually did. Dreamless for the first time in months. He’d woken up feeling calm and rested, but sitting beside Ellie Porter put paid to that now. The khaki shirt pulled tight over those lush curves as she moved on the seat, pointing out features of the landscape.

He’d seen a different side to her as soon as they parked at Sandy Billabong. The dour mood she’d be in since he mentioned the farm lifted when they’d turned off the main highway and headed east towards the billabong. Her face came alight as she pointed to some cabins in a cluster beside the dirt road. Kane caught a glimpse of a river behind them in the gap between the buildings.

‘That’s a culture camp run by one of the traditional owners,’ she said.

‘What do you mean by traditional owners?’

‘The local Aboriginal clans.’

Ellie glanced across at him and Kane took note of her relaxed position. Her legs were curled up beneath her on the seat and her arm rested along the back of the seat. He lifted his gaze from the tanned thigh close to his.

‘The traditional owners make decisions in the management of the land, and many of them have roles within the park.’ She leaned her head back on the seat rest. ‘Heather is descended from one of the clans, and Bill, her dad, is heavily involved with the protection of the park.’

‘Protection from what?’

‘Mining initiatives, development, basically anything that threatens the park. He represents the local clan on a couple of parliamentary committees.’ Ellie’s voice was quiet and she turned away, staring out of the window and lost in her thoughts. They didn’t speak again until they passed a narrow road and she directed him to take a right turn then pull up next to a big noticeboard on the other side of an area where long tussock grass almost reached to the top of the bonnet of their vehicle.

She grabbed the laminated poster off the seat, opened the door and jumped down from the seat, pulling a key from her pocket.

Kane opened his door and climbed down, watching as Ellie unlocked the glass door at the front of the noticeboard. He walked through the long grass to stand beside her.

‘Any snakes around here?’ He kicked at the sandy soil between the mounds of grass, grateful for his sturdy boots. Plenty of holes and places for them to hide.

‘Nah, they’ll stay away. The main thing to worry about here is the crocs.’

Kane looked up at her, unsure whether she was teasing him.

She pinned the warning onto the board and then slid the front panel back down and locked it. ‘Want to have a look at the billabong while we’re here? The bird life is amazing.’

‘Sure, why not.’ Ellie strode ahead of him and Kane followed, enjoying the view. He’d noticed Heather’s posturing in the office and had been slightly amused by it, but he wasn’t here to get involved with anyone. Still, that didn’t mean he couldn’t appreciate a tight butt and a fine set of legs.

Kane expelled his breath and lifted his gaze as a huge expanse of water dotted with all manner of bird life opened up in front of them. A mass of purple waterlilies in full bloom edged the water, nodding over the flat lily pads. Beyond them, the billabong stretched as far as he could see.

‘How big is this? I always imagined billabongs were like a small dam.’