Where The Heart Is. Kate Hardy

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СКАЧАТЬ unable to meet his eyes that morning at breakfast.

      He was probably used to women throwing themselves at him. Well, she wasn’t going to make a fool of herself and add her name to the list. Definitely not.

      ‘What’s that animal over there?’ Carly asked, pointing at a shaggy, light brown animal.

      To Rowena’s relief, Luke switched into guide mode. ‘It’s a Patagonian guanaco—you’ll see a lot of them in the national park. They’re a sort of wild relative of the Andean llama,’ he explained. He told them more about the trees, too, the lenga and coigue.

      ‘And the park’s name—does it mean “towers of pain” because the trek can be tough?’ Carly asked.

      He chuckled. ‘Not exactly. “Paine” is a Tehuelche Indian word for “blue” —that’s the colour of the water and the colour of the ice. You’ll also see the Cuernos del Paine, when we get to Lake Pehoé—they’re granite towers, called “the horns” because of their shape.’ He grinned. ‘Though there’s a great legend about how they were formed. They were made by an evil serpent called Cai Cai, who caused a flood which killed the warrior tribe in the region. The snake turned their bodies into stone and then created the horns.’

      ‘I see.’ Carly nodded.

      ‘You’ll see a lot, over the next few days,’ Luke told her. ‘In the forests around here, it’s a birdwatcher’s paradise—catitas, woodpeckers, long-tailed meadowlarks and the great horned owl. Plus you’ll see condors, glaciers…and I think you’ll like Lake Pehoé.’

      ‘Just don’t go swimming in it?’ Carly guessed.

      He grinned, and Rowena had a vision of Luke swimming in the lake in the Andean summer. He’d be confident in the glacial waters, disappearing under the surface and emerging like a seal, his hair slicked back and shining wetly in the sun. And then…

      ‘Rowena?’

      ‘Uh, sorry. I thought I saw a condor,’ she lied. She just hoped that Luke hadn’t been able to read her thoughts. But when she glanced at him, she had the nasty feeling that he knew exactly what she’d been thinking.

      And that he’d been thinking along the same lines.

      Wet, bare skin.

      This was crazy. She didn’t do relationships. Not long term, not short term. Nothing. Nada, as he would say. So why did she have the hots for a man she barely knew, a man she’d never see again after the trek was over?

      To her relief, he let them walk on and moved to the group following them, chatting lightly to them. Then she realised what he was doing. Assessing the walkers, checking if anyone was having difficulty, who might need more help, who was a potential medical case. Exactly what she would have done, in his position. Putting his job first.

      She liked that. She liked it a lot. And that made it even harder to stay away from him. Though she knew she ought to, for her peace of mind.

      After a lunch of empanadas—a minced beef pastry which also contained tomato, raisins and hard-boiled egg—they set off on the final leg to the camp. The path was much steeper, climbing upwards, and Rowena was glad she’d taken the time to do a few stretches after lunch—her calves were definitely feeling the strain.

      But it was worth it when they reached Lake Pehoé. ‘Wow,’ she said softly. The water was turquoise and shimmered under the cool winter sky. She’d seen pictures of it in the guide book she’d bought when she’d signed up for the trek, but she hadn’t been prepared for it to be this beautiful.

      ‘Want me to take a photograph of you together?’ Luke asked.

      He’d done it again. Crept up on her and taken her by surprise.

      Though she noticed that Carly wasn’t complaining. Carly smiled and handed him her camera, then made Rowena pose with her in front of the lake, with the Cuernos del Paine rising up behind them. ‘You’re right, it’s fabulous,’ she said. ‘It reminds me of the Mediterranean, that incredible turquoise blue.’

      Why couldn’t she talk that easily to him? Why did it feel as if her mouth had been stuffed with sand? But if she didn’t do something, Carly would notice. She might even comment. Or, worse, realise what had made Rowena so tongue-tied. So Rowena handed her camera to Luke, muttered instructions on how to use it and smiled her thanks when he returned it to her.

      Dinner was another meal of hot soup followed by stew and cornbread. Rowena passed on the offer of pisco sours—the traditional Chilean spirit mixed with egg white, lemon juice and sugar—and stuck to a single glass of Merlot, not wanting to risk a hangover when they had a hard day’s walking ahead. Carly turned in early, and Rowena almost wished she’d chosen a bed in the refugio too—though when she left the bar for her tent, she was glad she hadn’t.

      Despite the hardness of her bed and the coolness of the night air, it was worth sleeping in a tent. Tonight there were no clouds and no wind, and the night sky took her breath away. The stars were bright—much brighter than they ever were in Manchester, with all the city’s light pollution—and the sky looked like indigo velvet. It made her want to reach out and touch it…And then she heard a scream.

      Human, or a bird?

      Then she heard another scream, and this time it was unmistakable. ‘Help!’

      She grabbed her torch and headed towards the sound.

      She was the second person on the scene, behind Luke by about ten seconds.

      ‘It’s Stephen,’ the young woman by the edge of the lake sobbed.

      One of the group who’d been drinking pisco sours, Rowena noticed.

      ‘He fell in. We were messing about. I didn’t know we were this close to the edge. He can swim, but…’

      But he’d been drinking—and the water was very, very cold. Either factor would impair his ability to swim. Putting both into play meant he was likely to drown.

      ‘I thought he was messing about—you know, pretending he was in trouble.’ The young woman gulped. ‘But then I realised he really was in trouble.’

      ‘How long’s he been in?’ Luke asked.

      ‘A few minutes.’ She shook her head, clearly panicking, and when you were scared, Rowena knew, it was hard to judge how quickly time passed. ‘I don’t know.’

      In waters that cold, with a low air temperature as well, just a couple of minutes could give Stephen hypothermia.

      Luke’s mouth was set in a thin line. ‘I’ll give you the lecture later. Just stand back—I don’t want anyone else falling in. I’ll get him.’ He stripped off his jacket and then plunged into the lake.

      Rowena put her arm round the young woman and guided her back from the edge. The rest of the group was silent. ‘You’re Melissa, aren’t you?’

      ‘Yes. I…We didn’t mean it. I didn’t know those drinks were so strong. They tasted…Well, it was a laugh. He just lost his footing.’

      ‘He can swim,’ one of the others put in.

      ‘Yes, СКАЧАТЬ