19
Camila
The sky at dawn is clear, blue, and absolutely blazing with sunshine—which strikes me as almost indecent after the storm that hit us the other night.
I stare at it for a few seconds with my eyes half-closed, looking for the catch.
But nothing. Not a single cloud. Just a calm that, knowing how the ground beneath this ranch behaves, doesn’t give me a good feeling at all.
Ethan, standing next to me, lets out a whistle as he adjusts the propellers on one of the drones with his computer-surgeon hands.
“Girl, this is perfect for the ground to start building up static again,” he remarks in his classic excited-geek tone. “It’s like we’re inflating a giant balloon under our boots. It makes you want to run away.”
“A balloon that, if we’re not careful, is going to explode right in our faces,” Kira blurts out, crossing her arms, wearing her sunglasses, and looking less than friendly. “Don’t let your guard down.”
“Don’t worry, everything’s under control,” I say with a nod, though I can’t help feeling that flutter in my chest.
I adjust the electromagnetic sensors on the first one and quickly check the cables as sweat starts to trickle down the back of my neck. The Australian sun is merciless, girls. But I’m not the one to tell you not to come in the summer.
“Magnetometers calibrated,” I announce, adjusting my hat. “Resolution maxed out. I want these toys to pick up static from miles away.”
“Thermal cameras ready,” Ethan replies, giving me a thumbs-up. “I’ve checked the software twice. If it fails, I’ll slit my wrists.”
Kira glances at me out of the corner of her eye with a smile.
“Whenever you’re ready, boss.”
I smile. It’s been ages since anyone called me that with such warmth, and honestly, it fits me like a glove. It makes me feel at home, even though I insist on being contrary.
“Takeoff in three… two… one. Let’s go!”
The hum of the propellers breaks the silence of the countryside. The drones rise and fly over the muddy lavender fields, heading straight for the northern hills. My heart is racing.
“Wow, what stability,” Ethan exclaims, glued to his screen. “Not a single glitch. Camila, you’re a fucking tech genius.”
“And the cows haven’t even noticed,” Kira adds, pointing toward the distant pens, where the animals go about their business. “At least we won’t have any stampedes. Or Darana’s bad mood. That’s something, at least.”
I let out a sigh and relax my shoulders. On my screen, the data begins to dance in real time: lines, graphs, and thermal peaks that start to rise. The ranch’s subsoil is speaking to us, and what it’s saying is that the underground magnetite is heating up in the sun.
“We have to map all the sectors before the sun goes down,” I tell them, turning serious. “If the cycle continues like this, the peak load will hit sooner than expected.”
“What if it goes off the charts?” Ethan asks.
I don’t answer. Because the answer is that we’ll be blown to smithereens.
I look up from the tablet out of sheer habit, scanning for the main house.
And there’s Darana, leaning against the railing while she talks to Bert, with her cowboy hat tilted to one side and those jeans that look absolutely damn good on her.
She doesn’t seem to be looking at me, but I know perfectly well that she is. It’s like an electric current running down my spine every time she breathes the same air as me, a warm flutter in my stomach that drives me crazy because I can’t control it.
Our eyes meet for a second. Just one. And boom!
The memory of her mouth against mine on the bar’s porch hits me like a bolt of lightning.
I taste the beer, feel the urgency with which she grabbed my waist, and sense the static between our skin.
I clench my teeth, feel myself blushing bright red, and fix my eyes on the screen in a flash.
“Since when have I been so attracted to Darana Calloway?”
· · ·
Night has fallen, and the aroma of meat sizzling on the grill, along with the crackling eucalyptus firewood and the clinking of ice-cold beer bottles, is pure bliss.
This feels like a miracle. After days of eating dirt, dealing with cables, and living in fear, seeing us all gathered together feels like a dream.
I’m sitting at the long wooden outdoor table, surrounded by the hubbub.
Kira is teasing Ricky about who worked harder today; Ethan is gesturing like a madman, trying to explain a static electricity phenomenon to a deaf ranch hand; and Joyce shows up with a tray of ribs that could feed an infantry regiment.
“Come on!” she booms with her overwhelming energy. “You guys look like you’re at a wake. Today we’re celebrating that this place is still standing and that tourism is coming back. Let’s eat, drink, and send the storms packing for one night!”
“And it’s all thanks to the scientist’s gadgets,” Ricky blurts out, raising his beer toward me with a grin from ear to ear. “Let’s not forget that if it weren’t for her, we’d be eating coal right now. Thanks so much, guys!”
I laugh, feeling a little flustered by the attention.
“We’re just doing our job,” I remind him.
“Yeah, yeah. You have to admit we’re starting to grow on you.”
I burst into a silly laugh, and for the first time in days, I truly relax. I feel good. As if the emptiness I’d been feeling were suddenly filling up with this noise and the smell of earth.
“Hey, scientist…” A warm, drawling voice—dangerously close—makes me turn my head.
Maddie has slipped onto the bench next to me without my noticing. She’s wearing a pair of killer denim shorts and a tank top that reveals her tanned, well-toned arms from working with the horses. She looks at me with a mischievous smile and eyes that sparkle with a desire for trouble.
“Do you mind if I steal a little of your attention?” she whispers, leaning in so close that I catch a whiff of her perfume mixed with the smell of the grill.
“It depends,” I say, raising an eyebrow and striking my best pose. “Is it to talk about the weather forecast, or are you going to make me an interesting offer?”
“With me, propositions are always on the table—have you already forgotten?” she says brazenly, and under the table, her knee starts brushing against mine in a way that’s anything but accidental.
“Although I could start by asking if you’re really tired after all that drone work…
or if you’d rather we get straight to the personal stuff. ”
I feel the spark of that touch travel all the way down my leg. Oh my God.
“Wow,” I murmur, trying not to let my racing pulse show. “I see you didn’t leave your nerve back at the stables today.”
“Half-measures bore me,” she says with a laugh that, I have to admit, is very sexy. She holds out her small beer bottle to me, staring intently at my lips. “Take a sip. You need to let your hair down, Bennet.”
I hesitate for a second, but I accept the challenge. I take a sip from her bottle, feeling the ice-cold liquid slide down my throat while she doesn’t take her eyes off me.
“Well?” Maddie prods me. “Do you like it?”
“It’s perfect for taking your mind off your problems.”
“Intense, fast, and to the point—just the way I like it,” she teases, now running her fingers across the back of my hand so slowly that it makes me feel hot.
Maddie moves a little closer, her lips almost brushing my ear.
“Later, we could finish celebrating…”
I laugh to cover it up, but suddenly, I feel a chill run down my spine.
That damn sensation I know all too well.
Darana is watching us with her arms crossed over her chest and a stiffness that’s off the charts.
She’s giving me a look so dark I can almost see smoke coming out from beneath her hat.
The tension between the two of us shoots back up to a hundred, but I quickly look away, feeling like a total coward.
“What are you thinking about?” Maddie asks.
“Nothing, just work stuff,” I lie.
Before I can come up with an excuse not to run away, Ricky slams his bottle down on the table, saving my skin.
“Guys!” he shouts, having had half a glass too many. “A serious question for the scientist. Haven’t you missed all this? The countryside, the hustle and bustle, real barbecue nights…”
The table gradually falls silent, waiting for my answer. Elizabeth looks at me from across the table with her ever-present motherly smile. Joyce crosses her arms, nodding.
I swallow hard and decide to play by the rules.
“I won’t deny that I missed Joyce’s cooking,” I say, and the workers burst out laughing. “You can’t get that kind of meat anywhere else. But… I don’t really belong here anymore.”
The words hit like a ton of bricks. Elizabeth leans forward gently.
“Are you really that sure? Because ever since you’ve been back, it seems like this ranch has gotten its spark back.”
“Maybe so, but I’ve built a life somewhere else,” I say, though the weight of everyone’s stares bears down on me.
Ricky slams his fist on the table.
“Well, I think you can leave the Outback, Camila, but the Outback never leaves you. And Birdsong Hills is calling you back.”
Elizabeth nods, driving the point home:
“Roots don’t die. They just wait for you to set foot on this land again to remind you who you are. And you’ve always belonged here, even if your mind was far away.”
A lump forms in my throat, and I’m left speechless. Maddie, who doesn’t waste any time, takes advantage of the lull to move closer and say in a teasing tone:
“Well, if you need reasons to stay, I volunteer to convince you. We can go for a ride at sunset, talk about your drones… What do you say?”
Before I can open my mouth, firm footsteps make the wood creak. Darana plants herself right beside us, arms crossed, jaw clenched, and eyes flashing dangerously beneath the brim of her hat.
“Well, I see the evening is shaping up to be quite entertaining,” she says. “May I ask what you two are laughing about?”
Maddie looks up and holds her gaze with a defiant smile. Sparks are going to fly between these two.
“We were just talking. Camila was saying how much she missed this place. And I was offering to show her around the southern areas… to cheer her up.”
Darana nods without taking her eyes off mine for even a millisecond. If looks could kill, I’d already be six feet under.
“Wow. How thoughtful of you, Maddie,” Darana remarks. “But Camila and I have too much work to do on the maps of the north to waste time sightseeing. Right, scientist?”
My pulse races to two hundred beats per minute. The tension between Darana and me is so intense that I could swear even the drones can feel it. Maddie, who’s no fool, senses the tension, presses closer to my shoulder, and blurts out:
“Sometimes you need to be reminded of what’s right in front of you before you can make up your mind. Right, Camila?”
“Come on, girls,” Joyce interjects, sensing the impending disaster between the three of us. “Leave the shotguns in the pens—we’re celebrating today. Darana, sit down here and have a drink. I cooked the meat just the way you like it.”
Darana sits down on the bench directly across from me, fixing her gaze on mine.
Just as Maddie gets up to grab another round, Darana leans over the table, just enough so that only I can hear her.
“You can pretend all you want,” she whispers heatedly. “But let’s see how long you can hold out before running away.”
I’m left breathless, my heart racing.
“I’m not running away from anything, Calloway,” I reply in the same tone, holding her gaze with every ounce of pride I have left. “This isn’t a schoolyard.”
“All the better,” she says with a sidelong smile and a cheeky expression that drives me wild. “Because I’m not into little-girl games either. Enjoy your dinner.”
Maddie returns with the beers, breaking the moment, but the spark has already set the powder keg ablaze. Joyce stands up, raising her glass to break the tension.
“Well, enough chitchat! A toast! To what we were, to what we are, and to whatever the future holds for us here at Birdsong Hills. Cheers!”
“To Camila!” Ethan shouts from across the table.
“To the scientist!” the ranch hands repeat amid cheers.
I smile, moved, clinking my bottle with the others. The warmth of these people envelops me, and for the first time, I’m afraid to admit that I love it. Maddie puts her arm around my shoulders, laughing at one of Ricky’s jokes.
“See? This place isn’t going to let you leave that easily. And neither am I.”