Page 1
Chapter 1
A country road . . .
Saturday, December 9th 3.00 p.m.
Violet Valentine eased back on the accelerator of her brand-new four-wheel-drive ute as the gravel road descended into a small, shaded valley. A message had dinged on her phone as the vehicle whizzed effortlessly up the hill, but she hadn’t had a chance to look at it as she concentrated on the unfamiliar—and rough—road. The phone had then rung twice before the phone service dropped out. She’d expected the mobile reception to be patchy out here in the northwest of New South Wales. She wasn’t worried; she knew it would be her sister, Wendy, checking up on her, which she had done at this time every day for the past five days since Violet had left her home state and headed south across the border.
And with much criticism from her big sister.
“Why on earth would you leave a brilliant job with the best horse stud in the whole of Queensland?” her sister had said. “You had a great salary, a job you loved, and fabulous rent-free accommodation. Honestly, Vi, I cannot understand your thinking sometimes.”
Violet had shaken her head and lied to her sister for the first time in her life. “I’m twenty-eight years old, and I’ve worked since I left uni. I have a brand-new ute that will take me off-road and a sense of adventure. I’m going to see some of the country.”
She didn’t mention that she had a job interview in the Hunter Valley next week. It was unlikely, but if Brian, her ex-boss and former partner, did get in touch with Wendy, she wanted none of her plans shared, accidentally or otherwise. Wendy had no idea what Brian was like.
No one did; he was clever. He’d always treated her well when there was an audience.
“The last thing I want is to have no idea where you are,” Wendy said. “I’ll worry myself sick. I’ll call every day.”
“There’s no need. I’m a big girl now, Wen. And I won’t do anything risky.”
“And what about Christmas? We’ll miss you. Maybe you could fly home?”
“No, it’s time I stood on my own two feet. I have no idea where I’ll be in a month.”
The teary farewell had been emotional for Violet as she had no intention of ever going back to Queensland.
“I’ll fly down and visit you wherever you end up,” Wendy had said with a frown when she’d asked how long Violet would stay away.
“Come and visit for my birthday, and maybe I’ll come home for Christmas next year,” Violet said. “If we plan that, we’ll see each other at least once every year.”
“I’ll do it in comfort if I do visit you,” Wendy replied. Rolling her eyes, she gestured to Violet’s ute. “There is no way I could travel like that. That’s what Jerry always wants to do. A swag and a tent in the back of a ute.”
“I know you well.” Violet pulled her sister in for a last hug and blinked to clear the tears that stung at the back of her eyes. “You love your business class flights and your five-star hotels. I love being in the bush. Besides, I have a very comfortable swag, a waterproof tent and a new four-wheel drive, everything I need. Did I show you the fabulous camp chair that I bought?”
“I’m not interested in a camp chair. Stop changing the subject. You just know that I’m going to worry about you.”
Violet glanced back in the rearview mirror before she turned the corner at the end of Wendy’s street and saw her sister wiping away tears.
Violet had shed many tears too over the past couple of weeks, but not all of them had been caused by the thought of leaving Brisbane and her family.
Last night she’d made good use of her new gear, camping east of Armidale at a national park campground. The weather had been kind, and being the only camper, she’d found the quiet and tranquillity she’d craved.
The morning mist had hovered over the valley below as she sipped her coffee and enjoyed the solitude. The song of bellbirds tinkled around her, and an echidna ambled across the grassy flat.
For the first time since she had found the courage to leave, calm trickled through Violet and she managed to put her worries aside. She would never have to see Brian Bailey again. More than anything—and Violet knew she had to get over what had happened—she had to rebuild her confidence. Brian had destroyed her self-esteem, not to mention her confidence in her ability to do her job well.
Last night when there had been phone service, she’d Googled the national parks between Armidale and the Hunter Valley.
The sound of the Akuna National Park to the west had appealed. The website informed her that visitors to the park based their ‘exploration of the park around water activities, such as swimming, fishing, and kayaking. A wonderful spot for long, relaxed bushwalks, birdwatching, nature photography, and self-reliant camping and hiking’; the description sounded perfect for her needs, and she could make use of her small kayak that was on the back of the ute.
Once she’d packed up her campsite in New England this morning, Violet followed the dirt roads to the southwest. It was less than a hundred kilometres to the Akuna National Park and she’d stopped several times to look at the amazing views from the lookouts and to take some photos to text to Wendy.
So far, she hadn’t seen any signs directing her to the national park, and the navigation on her car couldn’t seem to access the satellite, but she knew she was heading in the right direction.
The landscape around her gradually opened out as the trees thinned. For the last twenty kilometres or so, Violet had followed a ridgeline and caught occasional glimpses of a river winding below. According to the National Park website, the Akuna River bisected the national park, so she had to be close to the boundary of the park.
Taking a deep breath of appreciation, she gazed out onto the landscape; it was almost like a rural painting. To the east, emerald-green rolling hills filled her vision, obviously pasture for some of the sheep and cattle properties she knew were around the district. It seemed they had received a fair bit of rain out here over the winter as the pasture was green and lush. On one hill close to the road, she spotted some black horses in a well-fenced paddock.
