Beneath The Surface

Chapter Fifteen ~ Travis

Travis

Travis rode hard and fast along the path he had taken Olivia on yesterday.

Olivia.

He gritted his teeth and pressed on as the tree's swayed violently around him like arms extending out of the dry earth to grab at him.

His heart was beating fierce in his chest and his could feel the anger rioting beneath his exterior. He pushed his horse up and around the ridge and came to halt at the top of the gorge. He dismounted and paced back and forth.

A little over twelve hours ago it had been a scene of beauty and wonder, but now everything had been drained of it's colour and was harsh and cruel once more.

Why him? What had he done so wrong in his life that he had to endure such misery and heartache?

He slumped down on a boulder and clenched his eyes shut.

He pulled the letter out of his pocket. The final letter Beth had written to him. The letter he was going to show to Olivia today.

A bitter lump of regret settled in his throat.

His hands shook as he unfolded the letter, the same way they shook the hundreds of other times he had unfolded it.

Travis,

I know you're out there. I hear when you knock, and I know you're there even when I don't hear you knocking.

I want you to know that even though I won't let you in that it doesn't mean that I don't love you. I do. I always will. I won't let you in because I need you to remember me when I'm healthy. It's the only way I can endure this. If I live on in your memory as that happy-go-lucky girl who always smiles and is willing to give anything a go then I can pass on with no regrets.

I know this is hard for you, but I hope one day you will understand and forgive me.

Maybe tomorrow I will be well enough to go the gorge with you? Tell Matilda I'm sorry I haven't ridden her for a few days. I'll bring her an extra apple when I'm stronger.

You need to understand that this isn't then end for you. You are going to find love again.

I know you probably don't want to hear it, but it's true. I had a dream.

You will see her in a flash, but you won't truly realise you love her until you find the White Sands.

Until next time my love, Beth

xx

Travis pressed his hand to his forehead and grimaced. He had never believed Beth's words about finding another love until ten days ago after he had finished unloading the cattle. In a sudden flash of lightning her had seen the face of a beautiful woman and his heart had almost burst.

He didn't want to believe it. He was afraid that another woman would replace his beloved Beth's memories.

When he had taken Olivia to Little Lagoon he thought maybe that too could have been a sign. Maybe he was just hoping against hope that she would agree that the sand was white. But with Beth's keen designer eye she knew the difference between white, egg-shell, and cotton. If the sands on the beach had even the slightest hint of colour to them she would have specified.

Travis felt the confliction firing through his brain. If Olivia wasn't the woman Beth was talking about, then why did he so desperately want to run back to her and beg her to stay? On the other hand, why had he put so much faith into Beth's letter? He knew the disease had ravaged her body, it almost certainly would have altered her mind too.

He scrunched the letter in his hand and pressed his head to his fists.

Rupert nuzzled his head under Travis arm and stared up at his master.

For a long time Travis just sat, staring out at the impending storm. He watched as the dark cloud with the heavy curtain of rain and lightning approached.

Could he just let her go?

She had lied, but after hearing just how pushy and insistent her boss had been, perhaps she felt obliged to mislead Travis.

Either way, he had to at least give her the opportunity to explain without interrupting, and now that he had had a chance to settle his anger and clear his head, he could do that.

Letter or not, he had to at least try to salvage whatever it was that they had.

Travis mounted his horse and nudged him.

"Come on Kenneth, let's go home."

The first drops of rain began to fall as Travis dismounted his horse and tied him to the post out the front of his yard.

He ran to the granny-flat with his pulse echoing in his skull.

He knocked once and opened the door.

"Olivia." It was quiet inside and the lights were off. Travis closed the door and dashed to the bedroom. Empty. As he came back to the living area he saw a pile of clothes neatly folded on the table and the swimsuit he had purchased for Olivia only three days earlier.

There was a contract on the table and a letter addressed to him on top of it. He picked up the letter and read.

Dear Travis,

I know there's nothing I can say to fix this, so I won't drag this out any longer.

I'm sorry. When I first came here, it was entirely by accident. I didn't want to be here any more than you wanted me to be here. I was supposed to go to the Coleman's property, that is not a lie. But after my boss discovered your property ran over a prominent coal seam, he asked me to present you with a new contract. I tried to get out of it, and I even lied to my boss because I was starting to like you, more than I thought I would.

I know this doesn't change anything, I just want you to know that I never lied to you about my feelings towards you. I will never forgive myself for not being honest with you, and I know I betrayed your trust. I didn't mean to hurt you.

Thank you for everything. I will send you a cheque in the mail to reimburse you for everything.

Olivia.

Travis placed the letter on the table and picked up the contract. It was for Mr Coleman. Olivia could probably get into a lot of trouble for disclosing her clients information like this, but after speaking to Matt on the phone earlier, he wondered if she would even have a job to return to.

The dates all lined up with what Olivia had told him. He read the cover letter attached to the second contract and saw that it was dated to only a few days ago.

She had been telling the truth.

His mouth felt dry and he wondered how long ago she had left. Had she walked? She couldn't have taken the car because Kevin had borrowed it.

He tossed the contracts onto the table and was about to head for the front door to chase after her when something caught his eye.

An icy hand moved up his spine and his stomach felt heavy. His gaze was locked on her swimsuit and he reached out and picked them up.

He swallowed a hard lump as he stared at the label.

'White Sands.'

The air was knocked out of his lungs. His mind raced and he bolted for the door. He ran to Kenneth. He mounted and commanded Kenneth into a gallop. Each thud of Kenneth's hooves seemed to beat in time with Travis's heart. He just hoped he wasn't too late.