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“I don’t blame you. Are you right to steer while I drag it out?” When she nodded, Joe said, “Hop in now, no point getting any wetter.”
Not to mention that the wetter her T-shirt got, the more it clung to her curves.
Violet hurried across to the ute, opened the door and climbed into the driver’s side. Joe glanced over as he walked up the incline after securing the chain to the bar underneath the bull bar. He jumped in the tractor, and it started with a roar. She might be old, but she was sturdy and reliable.
“Knock it into neutral,” he called out.
“It won’t move,” Violet called back.
He accelerated and moved forward slowly, and gradually he could feel the ute coming behind him. He kept the pressure on the accelerator, and it was only a few minutes before the ute was out of the creek. He kept going until they reached the top of the slight incline. He moved to the side of the road, turned the tractor off and climbed down.
“Thank you so much, Joe. I really appreciate it. Can I pay you for your trouble?” Violet had wound her window down, and he stood beside her, rain dripping off his hat.
“No, but there’s one thing you can do for me.”
Her eyes narrowed and he could see what she was thinking.
“Look, you’re going to have to come with me tonight.”
“Why?” Her face was closed.
“Because the creek is rising fast and if you leave your camp set up there, you’ll be camped in the middle of the creek in an hour or so.”
Her eyes widened and she opened the door and climbed out.
“Bloody hell,’ she said. “I owe you big time, Joe. I’m sorry for what I was thinking.”
“I’ll help you get the tent down, and your swag in the back of the ute. Dismantle everything and throw it in the back of the ute. You can come back with me.”
He watched Violet bite her lip, and he could see the thoughts churning in her head.
“Look, I live by myself, and so you feel at ease, once we get back to my place, we’ll call the police station or my sister-in-law, who’s the principal at the high school. They’ll vouch for my character. I can understand you being hesitant, and I admire your caution.”
“No, that’s fine.” Violet’s now very wet shoulders relaxed. Joe didn’t let his eyes stray any lower. “You’ve helped me, and I can see for myself that creek is coming up. I just appreciate your help.” She smiled and the light of the torch caught the raindrops shimmering on her long dark eyelashes. “I would’ve really been up the creek without a paddle if you hadn’t come along.”
“It’s all good. Come and we’ll get your gear packed away. Have you got a rain jacket? I can give you my oilskin.”
She shook her head and looked down ruefully. “Too late now.”
They worked well together and soon her tent and swag were in the ute.
“I’ll just throw some dirt on the fire, just in case,” Violet said.
“You get in, I’ll do that. It’ll take us about twenty minutes for the tractor to pull you along to the house. I just hope it doesn’t do too much damage to your car, towing it like that. The brakes will be heavier with the motor not on.”
“I don’t care if it does,” she said as she opened the car door. “What’s happened is the responsibility of the car manufacturer, and once the problem is diagnosed, I’ll be fighting to get a refund or a new ute.”
“Where did you buy it?”
“In a city.”
Joe sensed that Violet didn’t want to share too much about herself, and he could understand that. He wondered why she was travelling alone, and where she was going.
“Jump in, and we’ll head home,” he said as he hurried across to the last glowing embers of the fire. The rain began to pelt down.
Chapter 5
Violet
