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  ‘Are you sure it’s safe down there? It’s awfully dark now.’ Her voice quavered.

  ‘It’s good. Now hurry up or I’ll explore by myself. Go back and do your sewing or something.’

  ‘I’m coming now. Don’t go without me.’

  Tommy waited at the bottom of the rocks as Missy climbed down carefully. She stepped cautiously from one flat rock to another and gripped tree roots that were intertwined through the rocks. She shuddered and pulled her hand back quickly when her fingers brushed a cobweb. After a few minutes, she reached the bottom and waited for her eyes to get used to the dim light.

  ‘This is amazing. We might discover something and become famous explorers,’ Tommy said.

  ‘What are we going to discover?’ Missy still wasn’t convinced they should be down here. A hiding from Father was the least of her worries now that she’d climbed down.

  Tommy looked at her scornfully. ‘If we knew what it was, it wouldn’t be a discovery.’ He jumped off the rock ledge where he had been waiting for her. A small puff of dust rose into the air and something scurried up into the rocks near Missy.

  ‘There’s something down here,’ she squealed and jumped down beside him. ‘Oh, I knew I shouldn’t have left the lantern behind.’ Her cry echoed eerily off the high walls.

  Tommy ignored her. ‘Or even better, the cave might be full of gold. It’s not far from the workings as the crow flies. We could be rich. Imagine how pleased Mother and Father would be if we discovered gold.’

  Missy grabbed hold of Tommy’s arm as he turned to walk across the cavern. She was pleased when he didn’t shake her off.

  ‘Keep your eye out for gold nuggets glinting in the light. This is just the sort of place we’re likely to find one.’ Tommy’s voice was quiet and Missy wondered if he was a bit scared underneath all his bravado.

  As they walked deeper into the cavern, she looked up and saw the small crack along the edge of the roof where chinks of light were shining through from outside. The roof in the centre was high above them, but it was light enough to see the colours on the sloping surface. As her eyes adjusted, she kept looking back to the opening where they’d climbed down, reassuring herself that it wouldn’t take long to get back up into the glade if they stumbled upon anything.

  ‘Don’t be scared, sis. If there is anything in here, I’ll look after you.’

  Missy squeezed his arm in silent thanks. ‘I wonder how far it goes?’ She peered ahead as far as the light from above would let her see.

  ‘It looks like it turns up here. Do you want to wait while I go ahead?’

  ‘No way! We’re staying together.’ She held onto him tightly and looked up. ‘Look at the colours up there.’

  The ceiling was honeycombed in a regular pattern. Blocks of bright orange sat side by side with cream and dark-brown sections. Small black blobs covered the rock as far as she could see.

  ‘There’re thousands and thousands of bats in here.’

  ‘That’s probably what Stanley was scared of. He hates bats.’

  ‘Probably.’ Missy let go of Tommy’s arm as her nerves receded. ‘Come on, let’s go find this gold.’

  His grin was wide before he scarpered ahead of her.

  CHAPTER

  9

  Hidden Valley, 3 January 2019

  Travis looked up as the Troop Carrier pulled to a halt at the cattle yard. He’d been wondering if Emlyn would return the key on her way back. She’d taken a long time, and Joel had commented that maybe they should go out to see if she was okay.

  He suspected that Joel had a bit of a crush on their visitor. The cattle had been loaded and the truck had left half an hour ago, and he was repairing a broken fence-wire at the edge of the yards, but he couldn’t stop thinking about the mess over in the breeder’s paddock. He’d kept the boys away from there and he’d asked Bluey not to say anything yet. Bluey had been quiet as they’d worked, and he’d headed back to his place when the truck had left. Travis was sick in the gut thinking about what was over there; he couldn’t put the job off any longer.

  Gavin had driven past with a wave a while ago. Alison had taken the three kids back to the house to get some lunch going. She’d slipped back into her old job of manning the gate without a problem. Joel and Jase had been a great help, although some of their time had been spent keeping Cass entertained once the novelty of loading the cattle had worn off. Jase had given Cass his whip and a quick lesson in cracking it. A wry grin crossed Travis’s face as he walked over to the vehicle.

  And damned if the little tyke didn’t master it first go.

  The door slammed, and Emlyn began striding towards the fence. She held out the key without a word, but her eyes flashed, and her lips were set in a straight line.

  ‘All sorted?’ he asked as he pocketed the key.

  ‘I guess you could say that.’ She put her hands on her hips and stared up at him. ‘The damn gate was unlocked and open, and you didn’t tell me about the bloody great wheel ruts at the end of the road.’

  ‘Wheel ruts?’ He frowned. ‘No one uses that road apart from us. I haven’t been that far out for a few months.’

  ‘Well, it looks like a massive truck got bogged and lurched its way out through the mud.’ Her voice got louder. ‘And then your gate was open. I’ve had a totally wasted morning, and I doubt if a delivery truck will be able to negotiate that road, anyway.’

  ‘Yeah, Kev’s got a four-wheel-drive truck. He’ll be able to get through.’ He dropped his gaze from the unhappy face in front of him to the key in his hand as her words filtered in. ‘You said the gate was unlocked already?’

  ‘Yes, and open.’

  ‘Bloody hell. I wonder who did that.’ He stared past her to the ute, at the grass seed and spikes on the tyres. ‘Sorry I sent you on a wasted trip.’

  ‘Are you really?’ Her voice was cold. ‘I don’t think you’re sorry at all.’

  ‘What?’ He narrowed his gaze.

  ‘I said I don’t think you care one bit that I’ve had a wasted day. I know you don’t want us here, but it’s a bit of a low act when you waste my morning deliberately. I have research papers to read, and I still have to sort out the last accommodation before the team arrives tomorrow.’ She took a big breath. ‘No wonder you didn’t want your sons to—’

  ‘Just wait right there.’ Travis was in a foul mood already and he hated being unjustly accused. Alison was an expert at it. ‘I fully expected the gate to be locked. I’m sorry that you’ve had a wasted trip.’ He took a deep breath. It wasn’t Emlyn’s fault that his week had gone to shit.

  ‘All right, I’m sorry I snapped too.’ She seemed to be happy to meet him halfway. ‘I’m hot and I’m tired, and I thought I was going to run out of diesel on the way back.’

  ‘Come to the shed and I’ll top up your tank. It’s only fair.’

  ‘I guess I’ll have to because I haven’t got enough to go to town now.’ She lifted her chin. ‘Where’s the shed? I haven’t seen it.’

  ‘It’s down the hill behind the house. Follow me.’ Before she could protest, he swung himself up onto his horse and headed along the road towards the house.

  His anger was swift. Despite not giving the mining company permission to come onto his land, they’d obviously ignored him. He should have gone to Townsville with Gavin when he’d met with them a few months ago to make it quite clear they weren’t welcome. It hadn’t been necessary to meet with them in the end; Carroglen told Gavin there wasn’t enough water on the station to make exploration viable, and they were going to pass anyway. Travis had been relieved; under the legislation, he’d had no choice but to let them on. But he’d made sure he’d locked the back gate after they had approached him eighteen months ago. Whoever had been there had been on his land without his knowledge.

  * * *

  Emlyn’s temper had improved a little by the time Travis directed her into the shed and she parked the ute by the pump.

  ‘Jesus Christ!’ She jumped when he cursed and
strode across to the other side of the shed.

  ‘What’s the matter?’

  ‘The backhoe’s gone.’ He gestured to a large empty space between two posts. ‘It was here yesterday.’ His brow wrinkled in a frown. ‘I need it this afternoon. Bluey must have moved it on his way from the yards.’

  Emlyn waited while he filled the tank. He was solicitous, and his voice was pleasant, but she could tell his mind was elsewhere. When he gave her a big smile, she was hard-pressed not to roll her eyes. Talk about an attitude change, but she was still angry after the unproductive morning.

  ‘You still look a bit hot. Would you like to come in and have a cold drink or a cuppa?’ He put the nozzle back into the holder.

  Emlyn was self-conscious as his gaze settled on her long-sleeved shirt. She was hot and thirsty, and since she’d got out of the ute, feeling a little bit light-headed.

  ‘Thank you. A glass of water would be good. And then I won’t take up any more of your time.’

  ‘Leave the Troopie here.’ The look he directed at her was sharp.

  She followed him across the paddock up to the house yard, neither speaking. When they reached the steps, she waited at the bottom, but he shook his head.

  ‘Come on upstairs. It’s cooler inside.’ He gestured to the air conditioner that was at the base of the wall. ‘And the boys have got the air going. Come in and meet Alison and sit down for a few minutes. You look like you’re about to fall over.’

  Reluctantly Emlyn climbed the steps, tightly gripping the weathered handrail. Travis held the door open and gestured for her to step through. The sparsely furnished living room was large, and a couple of sliding doors opened out to a narrow verandah on the side. Two single chairs sat either side of a coffee table in the middle of the room, littered with newspapers, catalogues and an array of used coffee cups. The carpet was frayed, and an old-fashioned, dull-green sofa filled the wall between the sliding doors. She blinked; the wall at the back of the room held a floor-to-ceiling mural painted in garish shades of red.

  ‘Please sit down and excuse the mess. We’ve been flat out on the property.’ He flicked her an apologetic look. ‘Cold water, or would you prefer coffee or tea?’

  Emlyn sat on one of the single chairs and leaned back. ‘Tea would be good.’

  Footsteps padded down the hall that led off the living room, and Joel appeared in the doorway, with Cass and Jase not far behind him.

  ‘Emlyn! How did you go? Did you find the gate okay?’

  She shared a look with his father. ‘Yes. I did.’

  ‘Mum’s got a pot of tea made. She’s just cutting some of the cake Aunty M sent over. Would you like a cup of tea or coffee, Emlyn?’ Joel asked.

  ‘Tea for Emlyn please, Joel,’ Travis answered for her.

  ‘Choccy milk,’ the small girl butted in.

  ‘Okay.’ Travis smiled, and Emlyn was surprised at how much younger he looked when he wasn’t stern.

  ‘Did you bring me back some of Aunty Maureen’s Christmas shortbread?’

  ‘Silly, Dadda. It’s not Christmas anymore.’

  ‘But she might have some left over.’

  ‘Look, I won’t stay, after all. I’ve got a lot to do still and you’ve got visitors.’ Emlyn went to stand but the room tilted. She grabbed the side of the sofa and sat down again. ‘Don’t worry about a cup of tea.’ She closed her eyes until the room stopped spinning, and when she opened them, Travis was close to her, his expression full of concern. Being in his house with all his family around was ramping up the anxiety she’d managed to keep under control since she’d arrived.

  ‘Stay right there,’ he said. ‘Alison will love talking to you. She was always fascinated by the tubes and the history of the place when she lived here.’

  ‘Yeah, Mum’s not a real visitor,’ Jase added. ‘This is her other home, too.’

  ‘Dad, Uncle Gavin ended up going to Townsville,’ Joel said. ‘We passed him on the way while you were still at the yards.’

  ‘I saw him go past.’ Travis nodded. ‘Good. Joel, did one of you take the backhoe out?’

  Joel shook his head.

  ‘What about Bluey?’

  ‘Nope, he went home for a kip.’

  Travis frowned as he stared through the window. ‘It’s not in the shed.’

  ‘I want my dress.’ Cass disappeared up the hall while Joel and Jase stayed in the living room talking to Emlyn. Travis went into the kitchen.

  Joel sat near Emlyn on the other single chair. ‘Aunty Maureen is actually our great-aunt. She’s just turned eighty-eight and still lives in her house in Mt Surprise next door to Dad’s cousin. She was always interested in the tubes, too.’

  ‘Sounds like a lot of people are. I’m surprised that there hasn’t been much exploration so far.’

  Joel lowered his voice and Jase nodded as he spoke. ‘I think it was very much a family decision to keep quiet about them. The place has always been a cattle station, and both Dad, and our grandfather before him, hated the thought of people traipsing over the land to get to them.’ He shook his head when Emlyn frowned. ‘Tourists, I mean, not you. And other companies, too. That’s why Dad had the back gate locked, but that’s another story.’

  She sat up straighter in the chair. ‘Don’t worry. I already know your dad isn’t very happy about us being here.’

  ‘Well, I think it’s great.’ Joel looked up as a tray rattled. ‘Here’s Mum now.’

  Emlyn was nervous about meeting Alison. From the little Travis had said, she’d assumed there was a fair bit of tension between them. Life had obviously thrown him some curve balls, also. The woman who came into the living room with Travis was not what Emlyn had expected. Alison Carlyle was petite and had a young face with gentle blue eyes. Her smile was shy, and Emlyn noticed the look that Travis sent his wife’s way before he bent down to pick up the catalogues from the coffee table.

  Alison glanced at Emlyn and Travis cleared his throat. ‘Emlyn, this is my—this is Alison. Al, Emlyn is the first of the university group to arrive. She’s staying over at the dongas.’

  ‘I was just returning the key to the back gate.’ She felt the need to explain her presence in the house, but Alison smiled at her.

  ‘Lovely to meet you, Emlyn. The boys told me you went with them up to the entrance to the main tube the other night. Isn’t it fascinating?’ She gave a mock shiver. ‘Apart from the snakes and the bats, that is. Tell me all about your work. I’d love to hear what you’re going to be doing there. I think the tubes are intriguing.’

  Emlyn swallowed and was pleased when Travis reached for a cup. Her eyebrows rose when he carefully placed a fine china cup and saucer on the coffee table in front of her.

  ‘I noticed your cup the other day,’ he said.

  ‘That’s kind of you,’ she said.

  ‘Jase, throw the newspapers in the bin at the back door ready to be burned.’ He shot an apologetic look at Emlyn. ‘Having all males in a household tends to turn it into a pigsty very quickly. And please ignore the painted wall; that’s some of Gavin’s work. He went through a stage when he tried his hand at being artistic. I’m going to get the boys to paint over it one day.’

  Interesting. His rugged face had softened before the shutters came down.

  Emlyn picked up her teacup and took a sip. Her head was still a bit wonky, but she welcomed the hot liquid as it slid down her parched throat. She turned to Alison. ‘I’m the field entomology coordinator at the university. We’ve got two research scientists—a professor and an associate—on our team, and both of them are really experienced in the area of tropical insects. One of the scientist’s partners is a secretary in our department, and Lucy will be transcribing our notes and uploading the photographs. They’re driving up from QU now and Bill, the driver, doubles as our cook, sets up the equipment we need, and he’ll be a bit of a jack-of-all-trades. And there’s a freelance photographer, too, but I haven’t met him yet.’

  Alison nodded her thanks to Travis when he pass
ed her a coffee mug. She sat on the sofa between Joel and Jase. ‘I’d love to watch you work if that’s allowed. Not far in, though.’

  Travis’s eyes narrowed. ‘How long are you staying, Al?’

  Alison shrugged. ‘I’m not sure. Aunty M appreciates the company, although’—she looked around—‘now that Gavin’s gone away and there’s more room, I’ll stay here for a couple of days before Cass and I go home. The boys can’t stay all the holidays; there’re things to be done at home, too.’ She turned back to Emlyn, ignoring Jase’s sullen expression. ‘Tell me more about the tubes and what you’ll do in there.’

  ‘The first week will be mostly looking through as much of the tubes as we can and making a plan. We’re really hopeful about the potential of what’s in there.’ This time she levelled a look at Travis. ‘If necessary, we’ll be hoping to extend our stay here.’

  When he looked away and stared through the window, Alison kept her gaze on him and the sadness in her expression was very familiar to Emlyn.

  ‘Anyway, I won’t keep you.’ Emlyn drained her cup and put it back on the saucer. ‘Thank you for the cuppa, and thanks for the fuel, Travis. Hopefully I’ll see you again, Alison. Come over any time you want to. You too, Joel. I haven’t forgotten our chat the other day.’

  As she stood, their little girl ran into the room. She was wearing a pink dress with a skirt that flared out over plump legs, and pink satin ballet pumps. She twirled and ran across to Travis. ‘Dadda, milkshake!’

  Emlyn closed her eyes briefly as the dizziness returned. She turned on her heel and headed for the door. ‘Don’t worry about seeing me out. I’ll go down and get the car.’ She closed the door behind her, knowing she’d been rude, but sometimes coping with a simple social situation was beyond her these days.

  * * *

  ‘She seems nice.’

  Travis glanced at Alison as she sat in the chair that Emlyn had vacated. ‘Yeah. I haven’t had much to do with her. But I’m not happy with the university being here.’