He braced himself. “Nhi, it’s time to wake up.”
She grumbled and opened her eyes.
He offered her the mug. “I made you a coffee. We need to get going before too many people are around.”
She blinked at him and sat, brushing her long hair out of the way. It had tangled during the night, and he itched to run his hands through it and comb it, like he had the morning after their date.
Nhiari reached for the coffee. “Thank you.”
He smiled. “You’re welcome.” He left her to wake up and fetched a comb from the tent. It would take some finesse to get all the knots out of her waist-length hair.
Lee held up the comb. “Shall I comb your hair while you drink your coffee?”
“I can do it myself.”
“Yeah, but we need to get moving. You can enjoy the coffee while I deal with the knots.”
She stared at him a long moment and he read the surprise and want on her face. Still he waited until she nodded. “Please. I’ll drink the coffee as fast as I can.”
He appreciated someone who understood the time constraints.
He sat behind her, wincing at the hardness of the bedroll, and teased out the knots. Her hair was thick but glossy, and he was careful not to pull too hard. He didn’t want to hurt her.
She sat silently, drinking her coffee, and he couldn’t see her expression.
He didn’t speak, didn’t want to risk saying the wrong thing and her pulling away, but he took his time, allowing himself that one luxury. When he was done, he moved away.
“Thank you.” She handed him her mug and then braided her hair, her fingers moving so fast he couldn’t quite make out how she was doing it. But in very little time, her hair was tied back and she was putting on her shoes.
He needed to get his things sorted.
“Are we riding or driving in?” Nhiari asked.
“Driving,” he replied.
“You don’t think that’s risky?”
“The only one likely to pull us over is Pierre,” Lee pointed out.
Nhiari sighed. “Fair enough.” She frowned, looking at the car. “You have a different number plate.”
He nodded, impressed she’d noticed. “I took the ones from Clark’s car.”
He drove out of the cave, turning east to move further into the canyon.
“There’s a trail along the ranges to the west,” Nhiari said.
“I need to pick up something else this way,” Lee told her.
She didn’t ask him what, which must have taken some effort. Lee gritted his teeth, wanting her to interact with him, to ask him questions. He’d thought they’d reached at least an understanding last night. She’d taken him to her secret waterhole rather than going to the beach. He’d hoped it meant she trusted him.
But no. It seemed for every step forward he gained, she took at least a half step back.
It was a bumpy trip over rocks and shrubs along the bottom of the canyon. When they reached the eastern side, he turned north and followed a barely-there track to where a ranger road was.
From there it was less difficult, and he increased his speed. The road wound up the ranges and in about ten minutes, they were at the top. He pulled up next to a hut and got out. “Won’t be long.”
He scanned the surroundings, but there was nothing out of the ordinary. The hut was unlocked, and he prised the door open, making sure it was empty before gathering the four bags which had been left behind in a large esky. He shut the door behind him and placed the bags into the back of the four-wheel drive, checking everything he needed was inside. A few of the cold items he placed straight into his fridge. Hopefully this would be the last time he had to ask for food deliveries.
