‘Not often.’ Matt had been mostly absent during the week, hauling fuel from the Alloway Roadhouse, at the station collecting meat, or digging a pit for the new set of toilets that were going in at the camp. He was present for breakfast and dinner and gone for the rest of the day. ‘He’s not a ranger,’ Tilly explained, ‘so his work is different. Oh, we share the chores – the cleaning and the wood, stuff like that – but he mostly looks after the machinery, keeps things running about the place.’

‘Mmm.’ Jane got up to peer through the window, Matt’s character forgotten. ‘I wonder what Luke’s doing? He said he’d only be five minutes.’

‘And it’s been all of six.’ Tilly smiled. ‘He won’t be far.’

The following morning when the three of them finished at the camp, Tilly dried her hands and dropped the towel back behind the seat. ‘That’s practically walking,’ she said, wrinkling her nose. ‘Remind me to put it in the wash tonight. So, what next, oh master?’

‘The fenceline again, but first,’ he added, cutting off both hers and Jane’s groans, ‘I thought we’d take a quick swing by Sandstone. Show Jane the springs and the caves. She knows about Sophie’s plans and wants to see the place. Maybe next time she comes north it’ll all be done and we can stay there. There’s an old track near the caves that’ll bring us out pretty close to the fence, so we might as well have a squint at it in passing. It’ll only take an hour. What do you reckon?’

‘You’re the boss.’ Tilly shrugged over Jane’s eager rejoinder.

‘Oh, yes, please. I’ve heard so much about them. I’ll just check how much film I have left in my camera.’

‘And I need to find my sunnies. I left them here somewhere yesterday,’ Tilly said. She found them near the laundry tubs and quickly returned to the vehicle.

Making shooing motions at them, Luke headed for the driver’s seat. ‘All aboard then.’

Chapter Twenty-three

Grading, Tilly mused, certainly made a difference. They sped along quickly to the point where the road diverged, then lurched and twisted over the narrow side track, getting ever closer to the line of cliffs until the green blob of Sandstone Springs appeared at their foot. Jane eyed them, impressed, the yellow and ochre of the rock face vivid in the morning sun. ‘Wow! Look at the colours. I bet you’d get a view from up top.’

‘It’s not as high here as the river escarpment,’ Tilly observed, studying it. ‘I could climb that. Why don’t we, Luke? If the scheme goes ahead, maybe we could have a marked trail to the top for those who want to hike. Something you could suggest to Sophie.’

‘Or you could,’ he said. ‘Your idea.’