stared. It was the answer to one of her primary problems. Sheâd never even put together a flat-pack bookshelf. âIâd pay you â¦â
He smiled indulgently and waved his hand. âNot necessary.â
Oh, it was very necessary. She needed him to stop treating her like a senior citizen. Right now. Paying him would put it all back on a professional footing. She straightened her shoulders. âMoneyâs not a problem. Iâd feel better if I paid you.â
Even the bush crickets held their breath.
He studied her closely. âWhen I first got to Banjoâs Ridge a few of the locals really helped me get established, and I appreciated it. I just want to pass that help on. But if you feel better paying me, we can work something out.â
He patted the side of his jacket, where her forms were tucked away. âIâll come back as soon as my shift finishes. If we get lucky weâll have your preliminary approval ready to go.â
Five hours later Jayne hovered in the doorway, chewing her lip. Ollie looked up at her with soulful, trusting eyes.
She smiled at him. âOkay, Iâll ask.â She found the ranger at the back of the property, pulling piles of mesh sheets into position across a gravel clearing.
âExcuse me, Mr Blackwood â¦â
He straightened slowly, his blue eyes steady and blessedly neutral, his rolled-up sleeves revealing strong, tanned forearms. âCall me Todd. What can I do for you?â
âI ⦠If youâre going to be here a few days I canât leave Oliver locked up all that time. I was wondering if I could â¦â
He smiled, and her stomach did a clumsy somersault, but it had nothing to do with fear. His smile reached all the way to his eyesânot all smiles did that, in her experience.
Not all of them reached clear into her gut either.
âSureâbring him out,â he said. âHe and I have to come to terms some time.â
Her chest was unnecessarily tight. Between his smile and his gentle patience for her maladjusted dog, she just couldnât get a deep breath in. âThank you.â
She was back in minutes, with a surly Oliver tightly restrained by the tether in her grip. Holding him gave her an anchor. Todd saw her coming and slowly stretched up to his full height, his eyes soft. âWhat would you like me to do?â
Jayne laughed lightly. âCould you maybe shrink about a foot? â
âNot much I can do about that, Iâm afraid, but Iâll do my best to be non-threatening.â
It had been a while since sheâd not felt threatened around a stranger, but for some reason she wasnât dissolving into a trembling mess around Todd Blackwood. Although he was making her a whole different kind of nervous.
She brought Oliver closer, and Todd took a step back to give him some space. Jayne nudged the black dog between them. Ollie was as stiff as she was.
âRelax, Jayne. Heâs feeling your tension. The worst that can happen is that heâll try to bite me, and if he does he and I will have a quick man-to-man conversation to figure out whoâs boss.â
She shifted until her body was slightly between them.
Todd frowned. âI wonât hurt him, Jayne. Just like people, dogs like to know where they stand with others. He might appreciate the direct approach. Letâs just see how he goes.â
Human and dog ignored each other for a few moments, and then Todd took a step closer. Ollie looked up at him suspiciously.
âThis could take a few minutes,â he said. âIf he sees us being comfortable with each other he might relax.â
Comfortable. Right. Jayne forced her body into a parody of a relaxed pose, triggering another one of those killer smiles. Her mouth dried, just a little bit.
The smile graduated to a deep chuckle. âEven Iâm not buying that. Plan B ⦠how about just some normal conversation?â
It had been a while since sheâd had any conversation that wasnât via e-mail. Todd took a tiny step closer to Ollie. The dog stayed put. It was working. She sighed. âOkay. What would you like to talk about?â
Todd let his hand drop down to his side, close to Ollieâs head so he could sniff it, but his eyes stayed locked on her. âHow about what youâre doing out here all by yourself? Seems unusual.â
She stiffened immediately, and Ollie pushed up onto his feet.
Todd broke in quickly âOr ⦠we could talk about something else. Where did you grow up? Thatâs not a Queensland accent I hear.â
Jayne let out a big breath, and Ollieâs tail sank back towards the ground. âHardly. Iâm from Pennsylvania originally.â
âWelcome to Australia.â
âIâve been here a couple of years, but thank you.â She laughed.
Ollie looked up at her, as if surprised by the unfamiliar sound. Todd took the opportunity to slide his hand down and gently rest it on the dogâs black head. Ollie forgot to flinch. âKeep talking,â he said quietly, and then slowly closed his fingers into a rub.
Jayne drew in a breath. This was the closest Ollie had been to another person since sheâd found him skulking, half-starved, down near her back dam. âI moved here two years ago. I was looking for somewhere different to where Iâm from.â
Blue eyes met hers. âDifferent?â
Safer. Further. âSomewhere new.â
Todd was fully squatting now, and Ollie glared at him guardedly. But he was prepared to tolerate it as long as the gentle rubbing continued. It did, and Jayne found herself transfixed by the sight of those strong fingers pushing through Ollieâs black fur.
âThis must be quite different to home,â he said.
âNot so much. Jim Thorpe is a small community in the valley of a mountain forest. This all feels quite familiar. The trees are different. But still beautiful.â She smiled down at Ollie and added her gentle strokes to Toddâs.
âYou miss it?â
She lifted her eyes back to his but couldnât hold his gaze. She glanced out at the towering forest circling her sanctuary. And then it hit her. She was making conversation. And her chest wasnât imploding. âI miss parts of it. But everyone grows up, moves on.â
âYou didnât want to stay close to your family?â
Oh, how she hadâand her mother had cried and cried on hearing how far from
