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sunset. It seemed almost magical as the burning
ball of blazing orange, its hue taken from the
shadows and reflections of the earth around her,
began to sink below the vast horizon. It felt like
she was on the edge of the world, a tiny
insignificant speck as her land cruiser sped along
the red earth link to the man made appendages that
she knew were only a few hours away. The
vastness of this land appealed to her senses. The
freedom she felt here second only to the heavens
above her. Someday she would have her own
helicopter and pilot about wherever she chose,
whenever she chose, but for now& she was chained
to four rubber rings and her imagination.
God must have surely made Australia first she
decided. Only the brushes of new paint could be so
vivid, so colorful, and so totally splendid. The land
was old, ancient in tradition and peoples, steeped in
legends and superb in its different phases. After a
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spring rain, the earth would blossom into millions of
tiny wildflowers, carpeting the broad expanses of
the red soil for as far as the eye could see. She
loved it fiercely and it fed her soul. But it was the
heavens that fascinated her the most. She never
tired of looking at the sky, from the bright cobalt
hues of a hot summer day, to the superb slashes of
the magenta and ocher colors of the master artist at
work in the sunsets.
It was already cooling as the desert wound down
from the heat of the day and she shivered slightly.
Although how much the shiver was due to the
temperature change and how much to the intruding
images of Ryan s steel gray eyes she didn t know.
Sydney knew she was only putting off the
inevitable, but she hadn t been able to face Ryan
yet. She had been blazing hot under the collar
when Matthew had given her the letter from Paul
Roglund declaring Ryan s ability to straighten her
out. But she had not been prepared for the impact
on her senses when she had stood face to face with
those eyes. They were far to sharp and probing and
she did not want them assessing her, discovering
her hidden yearnings and feelings, turning her
inside out. Not to mention his authoritative air that
gave the impression of a man used to being obeyed.
Sydney did not like bossy men. She had already
established that fact a long time ago and she was
dead certain Ryan was as bossy as the creator could
turn out. And that comment about the brush
man& what in the world was that suppose to mean?
She was aware of the Fuller Brush man concept. A
man that traveled door-to-door selling all kinds of
brushes and whatnot, but it was a notion long dead
now.
She shrugged her slender shoulders, her fingers
probing the knot of tension in her neck. Maybe
after doing a show for Dan, she would feel better. A
night at the Frontiersman was always relaxing and
Martha let her stay for free, so she wouldn t have to
face Ryan until tomorrow. Perhaps by then, her
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mind could shore up her defenses and control her
reactions to his disturbing presence.
Her mind drifted over the words to her song.
Only she knew how vulnerable she felt at night with
her father gone. Her demons in the dark were very
real and they sometimes prevented her from
sleeping.
The fear that she would lose Camaroo weighed
heavily on her mind, especially at night and it was
then that she often wished she had someone to
share her troubles with. She had met some young
men when she was at Uni, but they hadn t
impressed her. They had all seemed shallow
somehow& without depth or substance. None had
touched her inner guarded feelings, or had that
dizzying effect that Ryan produced with a single
glance.
Just sell Camaroo, Sydney, her father had
urged. You and Cassie don t need to be out here
alone. I want to know that you girls are going to be
taken care of after I m gone. Promise me you ll sell
it. She had heard his mouth say one thing and his
eyes tell her something else. And he had worked
like the very devil to save it, and his good name,
himself. Fate had intervened however and he
hadn t had the time to complete his work.
Sydney knew she had to do it for him. She
slammed her fist against the steering wheel. You
won t make me change my mind Ryan Roglund, no
matter what you say, she declared fiercely, her
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