and get a feeling for the different personalities and listen to their stories. She was surprised to find that the majority of them had family at home. She hadn’t realised so many would be in that situation and she wondered why they would choose to stay for months at a time if that was the case. But it seemed that many had been bitten by the Antarctic bug.
By the time dinner, a three-course affair that was apparently the norm, was finished and their dishes had been returned to the kitchen for the slushies to clean up, Sophie was exhausted. There had been a lot to absorb in the short time since she’d arrived and her eyelids were drooping as everyone made their way back to the bar. She listened to the plans being made around her—some of the guys decided to have a jam session, others were going to watch a movie—but Sophie just wanted to put her head down.
As soon as she thought it was polite to do so, she excused herself and went in search of her bed. Not that she expected to sleep well but it would be wise, she thought, to at least lie down. She hadn’t had a good night’s sleep since Danny had died and she suspected that her insomnia would be compounded by her new surroundings and a different bed.
Back in her donga she was glad she’d had the foresight to make her bed. She changed into pyjamas and unpacked a soft cashmere blanket that she had carried in her hand luggage. The blanket had once been on the bed she’d shared with Danny and she liked to think it still smelt like him. She knew that was fanciful thinking but it was something that gave her some comfort. But the blanket was as much a practical item as a comforting one. It had seemed to Sophie that she felt the cold more now that she had no one to share her bed.
She wrapped the blanket around her shoulders and climbed under the covers. She laid her head on her pillow as she thought about Danny.
She knew this experience would have been right up his alley. He had been an adrenalin junkie—not a risk-taker, any risks he’d taken had been calculated ones—and she knew he would have jumped at a chance to explore Antarctica. The company he and Luke had founded ran adventure tours all around Tasmania, offering everything from white-water rafting on the Franklin River, mountain biking down Mt Wellington, cycling the east coast, hiking on Cradle Mountain, rock-climbing and abseiling to kayaking. His job had taken him away from home, away from her, a lot but they had been planning on reorganising things to allow them to spend more time together as they’d hoped to start a family, but now it was just her and she had to make new plans. Solo plans. And today she had taken the first step on her new path.
‘Doc?’
A voice disturbed Sophie and she rolled over, still half-asleep.
‘Are you awake?’
‘Hmm?’
‘Doc.’ The voice was a little louder this time. A little more insistent. ‘You need to get up. There’s been an accident.’
An accident? Danny?
Sophie’s eyes flew open. There was a man standing beside her bed but he wasn’t fair and clean-shaven, like Danny. He was tall and dark and bearded. He looked familiar but it still took her a moment to work out who it was.
‘Gabe?’
What was he doing in her room?
There could only be one reason. She sat up.
‘What is it?’
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