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Tarni held his gaze for a few more seconds. ‘Now I’m going to head up to the house.’

‘I’ll just check the doors are locked first.’ Cy took her hand and held it as they walked up the steps together. The security light came on outside the front door, and he nodded with satisfaction when he reached the screen door. ‘All good.’ He put his key in the lock and unlocked the security door, then the front door, before he reached in and turned the hall light on for her. ‘I won’t be long. I’ll just check the trenches and come straight back up.’ He leaned down and kissed her briefly, and Tarni resisted putting her arms around his neck.

Just.

‘See you soon.’

‘I’ll bring your bag up when I come back.’

‘Okay. And Ellie’s dish. I forgot it.’ Tarni pressed her fingers against her lips as Cy ran down the stairs. She was almost gliding on air as she walked into the kitchen. Crossing straight to the pantry, she took out the sandwich toaster. There wasn’t much in the fridge until they went back to Darwin to shop. Cheese and tomato toasties would have to do.

Tarni smiled. She was thinking of them as a pair now.

Softly, softly, she warned herself.

Take it lightly; you don’t want to get hurt, girl.

After plugging the sandwich toaster in and lining it with baking paper, Tarni walked to the sink and turned the tap on. She reached for the hand sanitiser and soaped up her hands. When she rinsed the soap off, she glanced down at the spoon that was in the sink and frowned. She thought she put everything in the dishwasher before they left, but maybe not. She picked the spoon up, opened the dishwasher, and put it on the top shelf with the rest of the cutlery.

As she straightened up, she noticed a streak of blue liquid staining the side of the dishwasher. It was strange. She hadn’t used anything blue. The only thing she’d used near the sink before they left had been the Baileys for the cheesecake. With a shrug, she got the dishcloth from the side of the sink and wiped it off. Maybe it had always been there and she hadn’t noticed it before.

As she looked along the bench at the water purifier, she couldn’t resist lifting the lid. Relief filled her as she saw that it was still half-full, just as she remembered before they left. She’d really worried she was losing the plot last week. Whatever that virus was, it had played havoc with her memory and her feelings.

Tarni went to the fridge and took out the cheese and tomato, and quickly made three sandwiches. She was sure Cy would be able to eat two.

She stood at the window and waited for his headlights to appear, but there was no sign of him yet, so she didn’t put the sandwiches in the toaster. Instead, she went to the cupboard, took out a glass and some ice cubes from the freezer, and poured a glass of water from the purifier. There was still a lemon on the fruit bowl, so she cut it in half and squeezed some lemon juice into her glass. She took out a second glass, filled it with ice, and with a smile, added Coke from the fridge. She was learning Cy’s preferences very well.

He was taking ages, and she wondered what was holding him up. Eventually, after she’d finished her water and was pouring another glass for herself, his lights lit up the trees as he drove back from the dam.

The blinkers flashed quickly, and the lights wavered, and another headache began to target her temples. ‘Oh bugger,’ she thought. She’d been feeling so much better.

Tarni went back to the sandwich toaster and slid the three sandwiches onto the large surface, and closed the lid.

She was sitting on the veranda with her glass of water and Cy’s Coke when he came up the stairs with her bag.

‘Everything okay?’ she asked, going into the house.

‘That rotten little turd took his money and hasn’t done any more since we were here down there on Friday morning.’

‘Oh no.’ Tarni shook her head. ‘What a lowlife.’

‘Yep, I should have known better. I thought he was a bit strange. I should have known better than to trust him. Anyway, no matter. I put your bag down the hall outside your room. I left mine in the car.’ Cy looked at her intently as he put the Pyrex dish on the bench. ‘I’ll move back down to the shed tonight.’

Disappointment filtered through Tarni, but she pushed it away. It was too soon. If their relationship did go that way, there was plenty of time to get to know each other before they slept together. It was weeks before Kane and Ellie came back.

‘The sandwiches are ready, and there’s a glass of Coke on the veranda for you. I thought we’d eat out there. It’s such a lovely night,’ Tarni suggested. ‘It’s hard to believe we’re into June, and we can sit out there without a jumper on at night. I love this climate.’

‘So, you’re thinking you still might stay around?’ Cy asked.

‘I’m thinking I might.’ Tarni nodded and smiled at him.

She brought the toasted sandwiches out to the veranda and put them on the table between them. Leaning back, she took a deep breath and looked out over the dam. ‘Hard to believe that someone can do that, isn’t it. Jerry, I mean. Maybe he got sidetracked for the weekend. Maybe he’ll turn up tomorrow.’

‘I don’t think so. I think I made a poor call,’ Cy said. ‘Anyway, I’ll get down there digging tomorrow. I should’ve done that in the first place, and not been lazy. Only puts me two days behind where I wanted to be.’

‘Yeah, I better get back to the shed tomorrow too. I really should go down and check the incubators tonight, but I’m feeling tired again.’ Tarni put her head back and yawned before she reached for the sandwich, but her hands were shaking.

‘You okay?’ Cy asked.