Beneath The Surface

Chapter Four

Olivia passed the time sorting out her outfits for the next few days and periodically checking out the window to see if the rain had eased further. It hadn't. She changed into a more comfortable outfit: a black Don O'Neill sleeveless jumpsuit with a sleek high-waisted, black belt. The only shoes she had packed were her various designer heels, but while she was inside the house she went barefoot.

She tapped her pen on her 'To-Do' list, which so far consisted of only 'wait for rain to go away.'

The barking of dogs alerted her to the arrival of a car. Olivia looked out the window and saw Travis pull up in a white Toyota LandCruiser. Three dogs leaped off the back of the tray: two kelpies and a blue cattle dog. Travis began walking towards his house. Now was Olivia's chance to thank him.

She slipped on her heels and dashed out the door. She ducked her head as she ran across the lawn, struggling to keep her heels from digging into the soft ground. She glanced up quickly and saw Travis standing on the verandah with his head tilted as he watched her. The three dogs also stood beside him, seemingly just as amused as Travis was.

Olivia climbed the two steps onto the verandah and smoothed her hair back. She patted at the drops of water on her forehead before they ran into her eyes and smudged her mascara.

"Phew, it's really coming down isn't it?" she said with a smile and looked out at the puddles that had formed on the ground. She looked back at Travis to see him staring at her. His lips were pressed together and his eyebrows moved slightly, as though assessing just how insane this city-woman was.

"You must be the landowner. I'm pleased to meet you."

The corner of his lip curved into an amused smile.

Olivia blinked and cleared her throat. "I'm Olivia. Most of my friends call me Liv." She held out her hand but immediately regretted it after she saw his dirt covered hand. Some kind of dark substance was caked under his short fingernails.

Thank God for anti-bacterial wipes.

"Travis. But most of my friends call me Travis."

Was he making fun of her?

Olivia had to force her smile as he took her hand in his.

"It's lovely to meet you, Travis," Olivia said in the most authentic sounding professional voice she could muster. "And might I say, what a beautiful home you have."

The corner of his mouth twitched and his eyes displayed a flash of humour.

Olivia licked her lips and continued to smile politely at him. "So, you're a cattle farmer?"

Stupid. Of course he is a cattle farmer.

Again his mouth twitched and this time so did one of his brows, but he suppressed his smile.

"By day. Exotic dancer by night."

"Uh, I just wanted to thank you for letting me stay here. It's very kind of you. I can assure that as soon as the road is clear I will be on my way and out of your hair. I hope I won't be too much of a bother while I'm here."

He blinked a few times and Olivia found herself staring at his eyes once more. He couldn't be more than a few years older than her judging by the faint lines near his eyes. He was at least twenty centimetres taller than her and had broad shoulders. His shirt was soaked through and tiny drops of water fell from his hair. If it weren't for all the dirt, grime, and five-o'clock shadow he might actually be quite attractive. Get him into a Pierre Cardin suit and he would look a million dollars.