“Is there anything else?” Tess asked.
Georgie shook her head.
“Read it again,” Amy suggested.
I have decided to put this journal and the English translations of the Dutch captain’s journal together, and bury them in the walls of the cellar. I shall inform my children of the truth when they are old enough, and one day maybe our ancestors will find the journals. If they do, I wish them luck on this land and they will know the truth of who their great grandfather really was.
Know my children and my children’s children that I loved my husband with all my soul. I ask them not to judge too harshly the decisions we made for the good of our family.
Georgie’s chest tightened. Lilian had found her happiness. She deserved it after her ordeal.
“So is the treasure still there?” Lara asked.
“Only one way to find out.” Brandon grinned. “Looks like we’re going treasure hunting tomorrow.”
Chapter 3
The house was dark by the time Matt arrived home and even at the camp sites few lights were on. His headlights illuminated a small blue car parked out behind the homestead. Georgie was here.
Disappointment filled him. Maybe he should have come home for dinner. It was always fun when Georgie was home. She had such an optimistic way of looking at the world, though she could be quick tempered when something set her off. He enjoyed seeing her riled, maybe because it was so easy to do it. He parked outside the shearers’ quarters and got out, trying to be quiet now he knew Georgie was sleeping in one room. His body tightened and he shook off the feeling, annoyed by the reaction. This was Georgie, his best friend’s little sister.
He ducked inside his room to get a change of clothes and then showered off the dust and dirt of the day’s work before he returned to his bed. He should be more tired than he was. As much as he loved his parents, sometimes it was hard work visiting them. They wanted him to be more involved in their culture, making sure it stayed alive, but it was difficult. So few people knew the old ways and fewer cared to. His people were a dying tribe and he struggled between fighting for it and letting it go. But he didn’t want to let his parents down either. They’d been disappointed enough when he’d dropped out of high school in Year Ten.
They were talking about setting up a business running cultural tours and he’d brainstormed ideas with them. To be honest, it was a great idea as there was nothing like it in the area, yet so many tourists came to explore Ningaloo Reef or fish. He’d also agreed to help Parks and Wildlife redo their signs so they contained more cultural information. His mother would call him with the meeting details.
Darcy shouldn’t have a problem with him taking a day off. It wasn’t as if the station was thriving.
That was another concern. Money was tight, and it might not be long before Darcy had to let Matt go. He’d worked at the Ridge since he was fifteen, he had no other skills, no place of his own. He couldn’t imagine working anywhere else, and the idea of having to apply for work made him cringe. Who’d want to employ someone who hadn’t even graduated from high school?
Matt lay on the single bed, staring at the ceiling. Outside, the occasional bird called, and Lara’s pet sheep, Flotsam and Jetsam bleated. The sounds of home.
He exhaled, trying to calm his mind, but how was he supposed to sleep? On top of family expectations, and the threat of losing his job, he had to deal with the whole animal smuggler thing. Someone, probably Stonefish, was stealing native animals and selling them for profit. Matt had seen photos of how creatures were treated, squashed into tubes and plastic containers. Hadn’t people stolen enough from his family and his people?
Darcy would be furious when he found out. He was very protective of the station’s land and Stonefish had already taken so much from him.
Then there was Nhiari. Matt would have to deal with her unhappiness at being left out of the investigation.
The verandah creaked and he stiffened. Sure, it always made noises in the night, but the first creak was followed by a second and then a third. Someone was outside.
There’d been too much sabotage over the past couple of months for Matt to ignore it. Quietly he threw on a T-shirt and moved over to the door. He opened it and peered out. The figure stood on the steps just down from his room, leaning against the verandah post, staring across the yard. Small and lean, with short hair sticking up in different directions. Though it was dark, he had no trouble recognising Georgie.
Delight filled him. He grinned and crept quietly over to her. “Not tired?” he asked.
She shrieked and whirled, almost tumbling over in shock. Matt grabbed her before she fell, pulling her against him to steady her. Her warm body pressed against him in a way it never had. Feminine, curvy, soft. It felt right.
Shocked by the thought, he let her go and she swore.
“Matt! You scared the shit out of me.” She ran a hand through her hair and sat on the step.
The edge of fear in her voice made him contrite. “Sorry, I couldn’t resist.” He sat next to her. “What’s up?”
She shrugged. “Couldn’t sleep.”
It had been a long time since they’d sat side-by-side with Georgie confiding in him. Not since before she’d gone to university. With a jolt, he realised he’d missed it. They’d always been able to make each other feel better. He bumped her shoulder with his. “Come on, spill, Freckles.”
She was silent a long moment and then sighed. “Where to start?”
The next silence was longer than the first, so unlike Georgie. His concern spiked. “What happened?”
