of the Alligator River, North and South, and the numerous billabongs and wetlands. Both he and Cy maintained if you treated the crocodiles with respect and didn’t intrude foolishly on their territory no harm would come to you.
Samantha took that as a very good reason for being allowed to go along. It wasn’t as though she was planning to come within patting distance of their hideous snouts. They weren’t cuddly koalas, though even koalas being wild animals could inflict a lot of damage if they felt threatened.
David gave a satisfied sigh. “So are you going to be free to take us?”
For one dreadful moment it looked like Sunderland was about to say, no, only Samantha breathed a sigh of relief when his sister caught his eye and smiled. Isabelle knew he wanted to go. Ross loved being out in the wilderness. There were a few pressing commitments he would have to attend to before he went. Afterwards for the space of a few weeks of the trip he could delegate. Their overseer, Pete Lowell, was a good, dependable man. Their father had trained him.
“All right,” Ross agreed, returning his sister’s smile with some wryness. “I’ll take you. That would be Matt, your assistant and yourself, I take it?”
Well you take it wrong, Samantha thought smartly, catching her brother’s eye.
“I was hoping, Ross, Samantha could come,” David said sounding thoroughly persuasive.
It was quite clear that didn’t work on Sunderland. The animated expression on his lean handsome face changed abruptly. Samantha willed him to give in but he shook his head. “That would well and truly be bending the rules, Dave. It will be far from easy getting to the places you’d want to get your shots. I’ve seen your work. I know danger entices you. It’s the same excitement as a safari only we don’t get to kill magnificent wild animals as they did in the bad old days.”
“What if we established camps?” David suggested, seeing Sunderland’s point of view.
“And leave your sister on her own?” Sunderland’s black brows shot up.
I’m not even Samantha, Sam thought. I’m “your sister.”
David’s topaz eyes moved to the silent Isabelle. “What if Isabelle came along? For all her lilylike appearance I expect she’s a woman who could handle herself in the bush.”
Yes, oh yes!
Samantha, mindful of what Isabelle had said to her, managed to hold her tongue but instead of shrinking away from the idea, Isabelle glanced down, her long lashes dark and heavy on her cheeks. She knew Ross had made it clear he didn’t want Samantha on the trip which in all fairness she had to admit was in the wildest least explored area of the continent. On the other hand she could see Samantha had a positive yen for adventure.
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