An Encounter On The Road

I could feel the heel of my boot giving way and my ankle twisting painfully. I limped to the side of the road and sat down on a rock to have a look. “Bloody hell!” Most un-ladylike of me, I admit, but the sight of the broken-off heel and the already swelling ankle didn’t exactly cheer me up. It was still several miles to my destination I suspected, and the road didn’t look like it was a busy thoroughfare. I didn’t fancy the thought of having to limp barefoot all the way into town and presenting myself in such a state at my newly acquired place of employment. What a great start to my new, independent life! 

Just as I resigned myself to keep hobbling on as best I could, a rider appeared from behind a bend in the road. He pulled up next to me, took one look at my sorry state and got off his horse.  

“What happened to you, lass?”  

I would have objected to his familiar tone but I was in no position to be haughty and the dark eyes that were looking into mine were full of concern.  

“The heel came off my boot and I hurt my ankle.”  

He took off his hat and knelt down in front of me. Dark curls fell over his face as he bent down to examine my foot. Gently he took it in his hands and ran his fingers over it and suddenly I had shivers down my spine that had nothing to do with pain.  

“I think you need to cool it – there’s a creek just down there,” he was pointing behind me, “I’ll help you.” He helped me up and draped my arm over his shoulder so he could support me, his arm around my waist. I was careful not to look at him but I was acutely aware of every point where his body was touching mine as we made our way to the little creek that wasn’t visible from the road. A fleeting thought passed through my head that I didn’t know anything about this man and he was leading me away into the bush and I should perhaps be concerned but I let it go.  

“You must know this area well.” I stole a look at him and nearly tripped at the sight of the smile he gave me. There was clear amusement in his eyes.  

“Aye, you could say that.” 

When I was sitting down on a log with my foot dangling in the cold clear water of the creek and he was attending to his horse, I was finally able to take a good look at him. He was tall and slim, well dressed in a waistcoat and jacket, and I could see he was wearing the high-heeled boots that people call larrikin heels. He hadn’t put the hat back on and the breeze was blowing his dark hair onto his face. He had high cheekbones and a moustache covered his upper lip. As if he had felt my eyes on him, he looked up and smiled. Embarrassed at having been caught staring, I turned away quickly to hide the blush creeping up my cheeks. 

“Is it to Beechworth you’re heading, lass?” He came up behind me and put a hand on my shoulder.  

“Yes. I’m to start work there tomorrow.” I took his outstretched hand and got up, holding onto his arm.  

“I will give you a ride in then.” He must have seen the look of alarm on my face as he hastened to add: “I promise you, you will be quite safe with me, lass.” The twinkle of amusement was back in his eyes and I mumbled something about how grateful I was for his help, quite cross with myself for being so flustered. 

He swung himself up on the horse with ease and bent down to lift me up. As if I weighed no more than a feather, he pulled me in front of him. I was sitting sideways between his legs, his arms lightly resting against me as he held the reins. I had nothing else to hold on to except the saddle and as the horse started moving, I nearly lost my balance. His arms tightened around me and he smiled down into my eyes.  

“Don’t worry lass, I won’t let you fall.” He smelled of tobacco and of the bush and I could feel the heat of his body all around me as we started down the still empty road. 

“Where is it that you will be working then, if you don’t mind me asking?”  

I was glad of the chance to be talking to distract me from the way his thigh was right against mine. I had also unsettlingly noticed from the corner of my eye how long his eyelashes were.  

“At The Commercial, do you know it?” I turned my head to look at him. There was that smile again; I could feel it all the way down to my toes.  

“Oh aye, I do indeed, and a very fine establishment it is too.” I took that to mean that he drank there and I was pleased, at least there was a chance then that I would see him again. As soon as the thought crossed my mind, I felt myself blushing. As if he had heard me, he said: “I shall be seeing you again then.” We stopped and I realised with a jolt that we had arrived in town. He got off the horse and held out his arms for me and the look in his eyes had me swallowing before I let him lift me down. He held me close to him for a moment and I could have sworn his lips brushed my cheek before he stepped away and pointed to a two-storey building in front of us.  

“That’s The Commercial right there, I brought you the back way – we wouldn’t want to ruin your reputation straight away now would we?” He winked and I was only just realising the implications of what he had said when he was already back on his horse. “Joe Byrne at your service lass,” he called out and tipped his hat at me before riding off, leaving me standing there in the dusty street. My new job suddenly looked very promising.