He said, ‘I looked up your family station on my phone and I’d like to at least pay the tariff for accommodation on the web page. Lack of finances isn’t a hardship I suffer from.’

She opened her mouth to refuse and then stopped herself. She guessed she’d want to do the same. Charity sucked. And her family could use the money. ‘I invited, so you don’t have to. But if you’d prefer to pay, then no problem. You can do it online later.’

It was funny how hard that had been to say, which was probably why she was a midwife and not a businesswoman.

The awkwardness passed as she pulled into traffic. ‘We’re all looking forward to you coming.’

‘It was good of your family to drop in yesterday.’

‘My mother is tough. As is my grandmother.’

‘And yet they both look so sweet. I’ll look forward to knowing them better. And you.’

You do know me, she ached to say. She stared at the road, but in her peripheral vision she could still see his broad shoulders resting back against her passenger seat. Could detect the tang of his aftershave, a mix of wood and citrus, and feel the heat from his big, rangy body a foot away from hers. He was her man, a man whose bone structure, musculature and skin she knew intimately.

Taking him with her had better work.

‘Is Uluru near your station?’ he asked, and Ava thought, Thank you. A welcome interruption.

‘About seventy kilometres. Mount Conner is closer and also impressive.’

‘I feel ripped off that I’ve been to the centre and I don’t remember any of it.’

Now there was a nice, safe topic, and Ava grabbed the opportunity. ‘We can drive out when you’re feeling up to it. I do the base walk around Uluru as often as I can. I start after sunrise and it takes me about three hours, but I love the different facets. The folds and the angles in morning light, and the up close and personal is less populated with tourists at that time.’ She thought about the moments just leaning against the smooth granite, feeling the vibration in her aura. He’d think she was a crackpot.

He leaned back in his seat and said quietly, ‘I must do that one day. How long is the base walk?’

‘Nearly ten kilometres around.’ She glanced quickly at him. ‘Maybe give yourself a couple of weeks before you do. I hike the base most times I work down there. It’s good for my soul.’ She shrugged a little self-consciously. ‘I see something different every time. And it’s good exercise. Bit different to a gym, I imagine.’

‘I like the gym.’ He half laughed. ‘But I’ll have to go back to see what you see before I return to Sydney.’