The Girl in the Hard Hat (27 page)

The blonde safety manager looked stern. ‘Gavin and I have a meeting.’

‘Oh,’ Lena waved, ‘I’ll just get out of your way.’

Wendy leaned her hip on the desk, arms folded, as she watched the young engineer leave the room. As soon as the door shut behind Lena, she turned blue eyes on Gavin.

‘Wow! Her too?’

‘
What?
’

‘That’ll be three all up that I’ve counted so far . . . apart from myself.
If
I can count myself, which given our last moment together – you know, the one before you started avoiding me – clearly I can’t.’

‘Three what?’ Gavin demanded.

‘Women!’ Wendy’s eyes shot daggers at him. ‘But your evident prowess with the opposite sex can’t possibly be what you came to see me about.’

He watched her in shock, not knowing how to respond. He knew what he wanted to say.
Don’t be ridiculous. You’re the only woman I want to be with. I can’t sleep. I can’t eat. I can’t concentrate on my job because you’re forever in my head.

But, of course, he couldn’t say any of that. It would only lead to complications that could possibly endanger her life. So instead, he blinked twice and said baldly, ‘You’re right, Sarge. It’s not what I came to talk to you about.’

He’d never seen anyone look so cross about being right. His lips twitched as he quickly outlined his problem with Spoon and the demand for confined-space training. ‘So . . .’ he drawled when he was done, ‘is it really warranted or is he just being silly?’

For a moment she was silent, obviously tossing up whether she should have allowed him to change the subject so easily. Finally she responded, tight-lipped. ‘There are several criteria that need to be met before a work area can be classified as a confined space. I can do a formal risk assessment before he starts work but just from what you’ve explained to me, I don’t think this is a confined space.’

‘So he doesn’t need the training?’

‘Not from a specialist, no. But let me chat to him for half an hour or so about some small risks associated with this job.’ She paused. ‘We would also be wise to apply some other controls too, such as making sure that there is adequate ventilation. Maybe put a fan behind Spoon to disperse any fumes out of the pipe.’

‘Okay, that sounds good.’ He wanted to stay and say something more. Her body language shrieked both contempt and unfinished business. But he knew to bring up the subject he had just successfully managed to avoid would be disastrous. Even now he wanted to kiss those soft lips into a smile. Envelop that rigid body in his arms and whisper sweet words in her ear.

Go now!

He walked towards the door and picked his hard hat up off the kitchen counter. ‘Thanks for the advice, Sarge. I’ll see you around.’

Sitting on the steps of his donga that night, Gavin tossed back a beer and wondered if his life could possibly get any worse.

And then Mike showed up.

‘Why hello there, Hopkins,’ he greeted the bald-headed skid supervisor. ‘You seem to be making a habit of stopping by. Would you like a beer?’

‘No.’ Mike’s expression was anything but friendly. It was clear he intended his visit to be a short one because he was dressed for the shower. Having removed his uniform, he wore a white undervest, a towel around his waist and thongs. In one hand, he carried a toiletries bag that looked like it had been around the world and back again at least six times.

‘A shame that.’ Gavin tipped back another mouthful.

‘I thought I told you to stay away from my niece!’

‘Did you?’ Gavin leaned his forearm on his knee. ‘Damn! I knew there was something I forgot to do last week.’

He wasn’t a big drinker but he’d already downed three that night because of his mood. Definitely more than his usual quota and on an empty stomach the alcohol seemed to be going straight to his head.

Mike looked positively murderous. ‘This isn’t a joke.’

‘No, you’re absolutely right.’ Gavin tried to nod with sincerity but his head jangled a little too much so he stopped. ‘This week you have my word that I will do everything in my power to avoid her.’

‘Oh really? What did you do?’

Gavin chuckled. ‘Nothing you wouldn’t have done if you’d been in exactly the same situation.’

Mike took a swing at him. But Gavin caught the fist before it hit the side of his face. The action, however, sobered him. He had seen that light in someone’s eyes before.

Wendy’s.

‘Now why the hell would you go and do that?’ He threw Mike’s fist away and stood up, the alcohol fumes clearing from his brain.

‘Do you think I don’t know trouble when I see it?’ Mike hissed.

‘What?’

‘I’ve been you, Gavin. And I know exactly what you’re doing.’

Gavin folded his arms, unable to disguise the contempt that crossed his face. ‘Oh yeah? And what exactly would that be?’

‘You’re running.’ Mike’s eyes flicked over him in disgust. ‘And you’re going to keep running until whatever’s chasing you tires or gives up.’

‘For fuck’s sake –’

But Mike interrupted him. ‘Do you want me to start digging?’ he threatened. ‘’Cause I will. I have no qualms in exposing you and whatever game you happen to be playing, legal or illegal.’

This time Mike had his attention. But Gavin didn’t say anything, merely waited for what was obviously coming next.

The price of the negotiation.

‘Stay away from my niece: she’s not going down that road with you. She’s been through enough.’

‘Are you threatening me?’

‘Damn straight I’m threatening you.’

Gavin’s eyes narrowed. Mike was panting slightly from the toll the conversation was taking on him. He wasn’t afraid. If anything he both pitied and respected Mike for taking such a firm position about his niece. He wondered if Wendy knew of her uncle’s protective nature.

Probably not.

‘So, Mike,’ he put his beer down as his eyes ran over the gentleman’s portly figure, ‘just out of curiosity, from one man to another . . . What were
you
running from?’

Mike’s face flamed red. ‘None of your damned business!’

Gavin’s eyes lowered and noticed for the first time a rather interesting aspect of Mike’s bare feet. ‘Must have been a pretty hard jog,’ he commented thoughtfully.

‘Don’t underestimate me,’ Mike spat at him. ‘If you try me, Gavin, I’ll bring whatever’s chasing you here faster than a bolt of lightning from a black cloud. Do you understand me?’

Gavin held up his hands in mock surrender. ‘Perfectly.’

It had been a kiss to cast all other kisses in the shade. Soft but firm, arousing but tender, and wholly and woefully shake-your-bones-out-of-your-body powerful.

And no wonder.

It was delivered by one of the most experienced playboys on the Pilbara. Gavin had not one, not two, but
three
women on the go. He was unashamed. Unfaithful. And unapologetic.

In fact, the only thing he
was
concerned about was her complicating that state of affairs.

She swallowed hard.
Thank your lucky stars.
At least she had escaped.

She should be grateful that he had sensed her inexperience. It was probably clear from the clumsiness of her kissing or perhaps the way she’d thrown herself at him that she was starving for that sort of attention – and not interested in anything casual. There was no other reason that she could think of for his sudden and immediate withdrawal from a courtship that
he
had started. He must have realised that she wasn’t his equal in the sexual games he liked to play. She knew she should be feeling relieved, but it was humiliation that stained her cheeks crimson. She tried to focus on the files in front of her.

The audit was tomorrow. The culmination of four weeks’ work and late nights stressing. She’d actually had to skip her R and R to be in town for it.
Just think, you could be lazing on a beach right now instead of sitting here feeling pathetic.

After catching Gavin embracing Lena, she’d kept mostly to herself. She didn’t think the two were involved. Lena was too in love with Dan for that. Gavin was probably being his usual flirtatious self. Taking what he could, when he could.

And as for Lena, she was young and impulsive. She had Annabel George circling her boyfriend like a shark. Perhaps she wanted to show Bulldog that she too was in high demand – make him jealous enough to be firmer with the loony stalker.

Who knows?

Who cares?

She just had to remember who she was and what she was there to do rather than get involved in other people’s love lives or, worse, caught up in an affair of her own.

For the last five days she had worked solely on preparing herself for the audit – trying to concentrate all her energies into this task. That actually wasn’t as easy as she hoped.

For starters, they’d just hit November. The tropical Cyclone Season Outlook had been issued by the Bureau of Meteorology, which was basically a prediction of the likelihood and frequency of cyclones in the coming season due to global weather patterns and other relevant statistical information. She didn’t like the look of their predictions this year. It seemed they could be expecting some nasty storms quite early in the season. Yet another issue to worry about.

Secondly, perhaps not as important but equally as stressful, word had been spreading around site that she and Gavin had been on a few dates. The rumours were now a full-blown love story that the guys liked to quiz her about whenever they got the chance.

‘He treating you right, Sergeant?’

‘You tell me if he ain’t toeing the line.’

Apparently, a couple of men had witnessed Gavin getting her call on Sunday and watched him run off hot foot to rescue his ‘sheila in distress’. Compounding that was the fact that he had been missing for the rest of that day. Everyone just assumed they were an item now.

Even when she denied it. Which she did.
All the time
.

Chub was quick to realise something was up. For someone who was always protesting his inability to understand women, he seemed to be all-seeing when it came to this debacle.

‘So you sure those rumours about you and Gavin aren’t true, little mate?’

‘Would I lie to you, Cobber?’

‘Well.’ Chub sighed as though picturing a romantic scene in his mind’s eye. ‘It’s just that when he came in here last week he was looking at you like you were a bowl of hot wedges served with sour cream and sweet chilli sauce.’

She rolled her eyes. ‘I would think that highly unlikely.’

Chub reluctantly pulled himself from the pleasant daydream. ‘Little mate, if there’s one thing I
never
make mistakes about, it’s bowls of hot wedges with accompanying dips.’

‘Good to know.’ She smiled.

He eyed her thoughtfully. ‘I just don’t want you to do something dumb, like save yourself for me.’

‘
What?
’

‘I didn’t want to be cruel. But I’m sorry, love. It’s just not going to happen.’

Wendy put her hand over her heart. ‘OMG! Why not?’

‘You’re not my type.’ He lowered his voice to a whisper. ‘You eat like a stick insect on a diet. Who does that?’

She laughed. ‘All right, you’ve convinced me to give up hope. I won’t save myself for you.’

He turned back to face his computer but said seriously, ‘No point in saving yourself period. Life starts now, little mate, not ten years from now. Trust me. I know.’

She looked at him for a moment. ‘Cobber, what
do
you look for in a woman?’

‘Mostly a pulse.’

She laughed. ‘Don’t say that. You’re a great guy. Any woman would be lucky to have you take an interest in her.’

‘You think?’ For once she thought he lost some of his cockiness. ‘I’ll keep that in mind.’

She didn’t quite know what else to say to him so decided for a subject change. ‘Have you got a hard copy of everyone’s resumes? ’Cause Frank will want to flick through them definitely.’

Chub seemed relieved. ‘Yep, all here.’

‘And Carl’s?’

‘Just added it. Did you know before this job he worked in Indonesia for five years?’

‘Yeah, I read it over last night. He’s got a tonne of experience in the field, hasn’t he?’

Chub nodded. ‘Then we’re all set.’

‘Great, I’m going to start working on the bookshelf.’

She swivelled in her chair to look at the piece of furniture behind her. The day before she’d had a couple of the guys move a large but empty bookshelf from the main office donga to sit in the space behind her desk. Now she was going to arrange her files of carefully ordered records and documentation into an easily accessible library of information. Frank could demand any bit of paper for any section on site he wanted. She would just be able to reach behind her and pull it out as efficiently as possible.

Despite her preparations, Wendy was still nervous as hell the next morning. Unable to eat, she skipped breakfast and went into work half an hour early just to double check all was ready. Carl, on the other hand, was actually pretty relaxed for a man who ordinarily seemed to be constantly at the end of his fuse.

Wendy figured that betrothal must agree with him.

Frank and Dan turned up at precisely eight and were escorted into Carl’s messy office by John Lewis, who seemed put out at having to contaminate himself via association with the client.