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Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Robyn's bouncing nod of agreement. Her glowing expression told Keri that she had done the right thing by planning this trip. She had come to Crocodile Creek with the minimum of supplies, certainly with nothing she could wear to the party Robyn was organising. Still, when Ben suggested she returned to Darwin to collect her things and take Robyn along, she was dubious.

'I'm not sure that Robyn's up to travelling by road,' she had observed.

'She has to go to the hospital for a check-up. The journey will be more leisurely and less stressful by car than by plane,' he explained. 'She's anxious enough about staying overnight in hospital. It will reassure her if she knows you're near by and you can collect her next day, after you've done your errands.'

He seemed sure she would come back. She sighed. He knew as well as she did that she wouldn't let Robyn down, whatever the temptation. 'Is there anything I can do for you in Darwin?' she asked.

He hesitated. 'No, thanks. Just take care.'
She didn't know what prompted her to ask, 'Are you sure you don't want to come with us?'

'I wish I could. But there's too much to be done here with the wet season approaching. Rick can't handle it alone.'

She understood his reluctance to leave the properties in Rick's care. 'He'll have to get used to it if he's to run Casuarina alone,' she pointed out.

A shadow darkened his expressive eyes. 'I know. I keep telling myself I should give him more responsibility.'

But he knew what would happen if he tried. 'It won't be easy for you to give up control of half of Champion Holdings,' she ventured.

He nodded distantly then shook his head as if to dismiss the notion. 'I have to do what's right.'

Yes, she thought, he would always do what was right, even if it killed him. She felt a surge of compassion for Ben who was prepared to give up everything for a cause he believed to be just. She couldn't fault him for having a conscience but she wished he wouldn't let it rule him so rigidly.

With a sigh of frustration, she turned her full attention back to the road. From the Carpentaria Highway, they had joined the Stuart Highway at Daly Waters. From here it was a straight drive north along 'the track' as the road was known, a stretch of bitumen which reached from horizon to horizon in an almost ruler-straight line.

They had decided to stop for lunch at Katherine, the first sizeable town on their route. A few miles south, they passed the turn-off to Mataranka. It would be good to stop there, Keri thought nostalgically. Years ago, she had swum in Mataranka's famous thermal pool. Set among lush palm and date trees, the pool seemed to be empty until her touch started the crystal-clear waters rippling. It was a long time since she had swum there. She couldn't imagine doing it now, among strangers who would notice what she preferred to keep hidden.

She cast a sidelong glance at Robyn who had dozed off. In sleep, her involuntary movements were stilled and she looked tranquil. She was still too thin but she looked much better than she had when Keri first arrived. The sight of her friend dozing made Keri smile. She couldn't be sorry she had agreed to stay when she saw the good her presence was doing.

The next landmark was Elsey Station, made famous by Mrs Aeneas Gunn in her book,
We of the Never-Never.
At Katherine, Keri bought barbecued chicken which they washed down with a flask of coffee supplied by Jessie that morning. They freshened up at a petrol station, where Keri had her car checked over. She didn't want to risk a breakdown between there and Darwin.

By mid-afternoon, they were pulling into the capital city. 'We made good time, don't you think?' Keri asked Robyn, who was now wide awake and interested in her surroundings. She nodded vigorously and gestured with her hands.

Keri interpreted the typing movement. 'Yes, we brought your portable keyboard. It will be the first thing I unpack.'

Her flat was in Mitchell Street, only minutes from the city centre, so they were soon making themselves comfortable there, drinking tea and stretching their cramped muscles. With access to her keyboard, Robyn relaxed, knowing she could communicate with Keri again. 'This trip was a good idea,' Keri said. 'If I'd stayed away much longer, I'd have had to send for some more clothes anyway.'

At the mention of clothes, Robyn reached for her portable keyboard. 'Party dress?' she wrote, adding several question marks.

'I know. I intend to buy one,' Keri said and laughed. Robyn's question marks were the equivalent of anyone else's nagging. 'You wouldn't let me go back without one. What are you planning to wear, anyway?'

'Sexy black silk pyjamas,' came the typed response and Robyn chuckled wickedly.

Keri's eyes gleamed. 'I see. When did you arrange to have them made?'

Robyn's hands danced over the keyboard. 'Mail order. Collect from boutique tomorrow.'

'I can't wait to see them,' Keri said. She studied the business card Robyn handed to her. It belonged to an exclusive fashion boutique in Smith Street. 'I might find something there for myself,' she speculated.

After they had washed away the dust of travel, both figuratively and literally, for the Northern Territory's infamous 'bulldust' got into every pore, Keri drove Robyn to the hospital. 'I'll be back for the evening visiting-hours then I'll collect you tomorrow to drive home,' she assured her friend.

Robyn rolled her eyes in mock resignation then she reached for her keyboard which Keri had set up on the nightstand. 'Did you see that new intern? Dishy!' with lots of exclamation marks.

Keri laughed. 'You're incorrigible.' But she was relieved that Robyn was coping so well. She felt much better as she left the hospital and returned to her parked car.

She had been looking forward to an evening to herself and had made plans to enjoy it. Suddenly none of them appealed any more, and she faced the fact that she missed Ben. At Kinga Downs she could watch him ride by from the homestead veranda, or catch a glimpse of him bent over his desk in his office. The eyes which met hers in the driving-mirror went wide with surprise. Surely she wasn't falling for him all over again despite the hazards? He still thought of her as a gold-digger. The ring she wore which he had offered her as payment for her cooperation was ample proof.

In annoyance, she slammed her palms against the wheel. Why did he insist on casting her as the villain? She understood why he was so anxious to have Rick married and settled. Jake's will had left him more or less responsible for his half-brother, but Ben must know by now that she wasn't going to sabotage Rick's plans. There had to be another explanation for Ben's behaviour towards her.

She steered carefully in the gathering dusk but her mind was only half on the driving. Ben had offered her a businesslike marriage, so he wasn't afraid of commitment. What else could there be?

Still lost in thought, she parked her car outside, ready to visit Robyn later, and took the lift to her floor. The doors had barely closed behind her when she became aware of a man lounging outside her front door. 'Rick! What are you doing here?'

'Surprise, surprise,' he drawled. 'Ben told me you were bringing Robyn for her check-up. I couldn't leave you alone in the big city at night, so I've come to take you out to dinner.'

'Ben needs you at home,' she said, her mind whirling.

'Ben doesn't need anyone. Besides, he thinks I'm still at the muster camp with the men.'

She made no move to open her door. 'You were sure I'd welcome you, but I don't. You're the last person I want to see.'

He looked pointedly around the hallway. 'Ben isn't here now, you don't have to pretend.'

'I'm not pretending,' she said, enunciating each syllable with great care. 'I don't want to have anything to do with you. Is that plain enough?'

He straightened, his eyes dark with anger. 'It's plain enough all right, but it's a different tune from the one you used to play with me. I intend to find out why.'

'Maybe I grew up and saw you as you really are,' she said tiredly. 'You're totally irresponsible. Your behaviour today proves it. And you still haven't learned how to take no for an answer.'

Rick seemed about to say something more when they both heard the phone start to ring inside her flat. 'Aren't you gong to answer it?' he queried.

Rather than open her door while he was still here, she was tempted to let it ring, but it could be the hospital calling about Robyn. She had given them this number in case of emergency. Reluctantly, she unlocked her door.

She wasn't quick enough to prevent Rick from following her inside. To her dismay he beat her to the phone and picked it up. 'Hello? Yes, this is Keri Donovan's number. Who is . . .' He stared at the instrument for a moment, looking puzzled. 'He hung up.'

A feeling of dread assailed Keri. 'He? Who was it?'

'It sounded like Ben.'

Her heart sank. It probably was Ben. He had said he would call this evening to make sure they had arrived safely. He would have recognised Rick's voice and thought they had arranged to meet in Darwin. 'How could you?' she said to Rick, cold fury in her voice.

'Steady on, I didn't know it would be Ben. You're not the only one in the soup. Now he knows I've skipped out on the muster.'

'You would think of yourself first,' she seethed. 'Get out of here before I call the police and have you arrested.'

Ben's call must have rattled him more than he was admitting because he agreed to go, asking only to use her bathroom first, which she could hardly refuse. Then he left with alacrity. She was sure her threat alone wouldn't have made him go so readily.

The evening passed with agonising slowness. Apart from her visit to Robyn at the hospital, she spent the time pacing the flat, willing the telephone to ring. If Ben called back, she could explain what Rick was doing here. For some reason, it was suddenly important that she make Ben understand that she hadn't betrayed his trust by arranging to meet Rick here.

When she could stand the suspense no longer, she picked up the phone and dialled Kinga Downs. Jessie Finch answered. 'I'm glad you had a safe journey. I know you can handle the outback but I was worried how Robyn would cope with the trip.'

Keri made herself curb her impatience. 'She's fine. She slept most of the way. I've just come back from visiting her and they tell me the check-up is routine.'

'You've set my mind at rest. I'll tell Mr Champion when he comes in.'

'Isn't Ben there?' she asked, dismay colouring her voice.

'He came in for dinner then left again. I don't know what got into him but he was furious when he drove away.'

Keri bit her lip. 'You don't know what was the matter?'

'No, but it seemed serious.'

'Did he say when he'd be back? I really need to talk to him.'

'He didn't tell me that either. All I can do is give him a message when he comes in.'

With that, Keri had to be content. It was late by the time she gave up waiting for Ben to call back and went to bed. She slept fitfully and awoke as the first light of dawn stained the sky with red. Piccaninny daylight, the aborigines called it. Baby daylight, the birth of a new day. It was an apt description, but its beauty failed to cheer her as she contemplated facing Ben tonight. He would be even more convinced that her word was worth nothing. She tried to tell herself that his opinion didn't matter but she was still troubled.

As she picked at her breakfast of toasted muffins and coffee there was a knock on her door. Her first thought was that Rick was back but it was too early. He liked to sleep late, especially after the sort of night she was sure he would have had in Darwin. It was more likely to be one of her neighbours, keeping an eye on her flat. She opened the door and got the shock of her life. 'Ben!'

'It's me,' he said grimly and marched past her into the flat without waiting for an invitation. He came to a halt in the living-room and looked around.

Suddenly she knew what he expected to find. 'Rick isn't here,' she said flatly.

'Then you don't deny that he answered your phone last night?

'Why should I? I have nothing to hide.'

'How can you be so blatant about it? You broke our agreement and spent the night here with him . . .'

'I did neither,' she broke in. 'He turned up out of the blue and barged in. You Champions make a habit of it, it seems. He picked up the phone before I had a chance to answer it. And he left two minutes afterwards,' she finished in a voice which dared him to contradict her.

She half expected him to argue but he tilted his head back and closed his eyes, massaging the sides of his neck with both hands. When he looked at her again, the light of battle had left his eyes. 'I get the feeling that an apology might be in order.'

'It would be a start,' she said evenly. At the sight of his tired gesture, some of her anger had ebbed away and she began to realise how glad she was to see him. As usual they were on a collision course, but this time she had won. He believed her and was even willing to apologise for misjudging her. Unaccountably, she felt her spirits soar.

He took a step towards her. 'I'm sorry for thinking what I did about you and Rick last night. I should have realised he would do something stupid like this.'

She inclined her head. 'Apology accepted. Would you like some breakfast?'

The hungry way he looked at the coffee-pot was all the answer she needed. She poured him a cup and gestured to him to join her at the breakfast bar as she put more muffins into the toaster. 'Would you like me to cook something? An omelette or bacon?'

'Toast is fine. I probably don't deserve that much.'

If it came to a toss-up between arrogance and humility, she thought she preferred his arrogance. A contrite Ben Champion seemed like a contradiction in terms. 'I told you I accept your apology. There's no need to grovel.'

He tilted an eyebrow at her. 'Was I grovelling?'

'It was a good approximation.' She buttered the muffins lavishly and pushed a plateful towards him. 'There's Vegemite or honey,' she said, indicating the jars. He spread two of each and bit into a black- coated Vegemite one. She waited while he ate, then asked, 'Why are you prepared to believe me this time, when you've always thought the worst of me in the past?'