HIGH AND DRY - Day One

She rode up on the golden buckskin brumby and pulled him up short before the twelve men who were standing about in tuxedo’s seeming to be wondering where the nightclub had suddenly gone. She threw one leg over her horse’s neck and leant forward to clasp her booted ankle and rest on it.

‘G’day boys.’ She greeted them and the men all stared at her stunned.

She looked at each one remembering them from the file she’d been shown back in town before she agreed to come out. In fact she had been allowed to choose the final twelve from the short list of twenty.

Dave was tall and blonde with angular face and blue eyes. He was a gym instructor from LA and spent his weekends on the beach. She didn’t think she’d have much in common with him considering she hated the surf but they all seemed to be beach lovers in the USA. He was the last one she’d picked

Brad was shorter with brown hair blue eyes and a cheeky smile. He was an electrician in Illinois and loved motor sports on his days off.

Troy was tall, well built, dark haired and dark skinned. He was a genealogist in Virginia and spent his spare time hanging out in blues and jazz clubs.

Steve was a trucker from Texas with huge biceps and next to no hair. He had on one bicep a tattoo of a rose and the banner wrapped round it read “Mother”. In his spare time he said he trained dogs and enjoyed dancing. She looked at him now and just knew he’d have to have an amazing personality to not be the first eliminated. He looked scary! Bouncer scary, bikey scary, fighting mad scary! She couldn’t remember his application letter but there had to have been something in it to have enticed her to pick him!

Chris was tall, handsome and slender with dark hair and an amazing tan. He was a stockbroker from Wall Street and spent his time off reading anything by a fire in his Maine log cabin. She looked at him now and knew he’d be the next to go.

Greg was gorgeous. His brown hair had touches of red and his smile just made her look twice. He was a chef in Seattle and spent his time off hanging out in jazz clubs or riding on his father’s ranch. His white dinner jacket screamed style and his eyes dazzled at her with promise of fun.

Hal was a farmer from Kansas who enjoyed hunting and fishing in his spare time. blond big and stocky he wore a type cast out dated powder blue ex rental groomsman tux and she was dreading his accent.

Wayne was a fisherman from Florida. Already she was smiling at his dreadlocks and his Hawaiian flavoured evening shirt, beneath his red tuxedo jacket and yellow Bermuda pants. It showed up his Porte Rican crossed Jamaican complexion perfectly and he was as out of place here as anything could be! But she loved his humour it had oozed from his application letter like an addiction!

Barry was tall and angular his dark hair was spiked and he wore a checked bow tie and matching cummerbund. He was from Brooklyn and worked as a sports journalist. Of course sport dominated his spare time but he did enjoy the ballet. That bit of quirkiness had intrigued her enough to pick him.

Trevor stunned her with his smile. He was a Computer IC Networker from Boston and spent his spare time beach combing. He turned out to be rather small in stature, which had disappointed her but his nose in the photo didn’t seem as big as in profile in the flesh. He just had to be Jewish and she dreaded his accent also.

Garry was a dancer from Washington. He was elegant and tall with dark hair and dazzling large eyes. In his spare time he campaigned for human rights and enjoyed museums and history of the world. She wondered if he’d wanted to be a beauty queen when he grew up? Again she had no idea why she picked him.

Luke was a rather nicely built rancher from Denver. His dark hair and blue eyes had intrigued her but he now seemed a little stand-off-ish. In his spare time he wrote music and she was deciding whether she could come to stand having a budding John Denver mimic in the house.

She looked at them all now and wondered how she was going to survive the next week with this lot, up here in the Australian Great Divide trekking them up to the Murray, and not want to kill them! As the choppers, which had set them down, had lifted off she had wondered if she was doing the right thing. Okay she’d been a scout but jeepers! Camping with a bunch of scouts was one thing. Trekking alone with this mob was definitely going to test her bushcraft.

‘Okay guys this way to your first camp.’ She said and turned her horse around to lead them down to the camp.

They walked in and dumped their duffels on the ground to look at the set up. She had two fires happening. One had twelve sleeping swags around it the other had seats and cooking gear.

She dismounted and stood holding her horse and they realised she was not tall skinny and Barbie doll blonde. Trevor was only an inch or two shorter than her. She wore a big stockman’s coat and a leather akubra hat with her hair pulled back severely, right out of sight. But they liked her eyes and her pert nose.

‘Right you blokes, pick a swag and I’ll give you about ten minutes to change if you like before I come back and see to your tucker.’ She walked off with her horse and they all looked at each other.

They could see her organising her horse through the trees but she was determinedly ignoring them. Troy dumped his bag on a swag and set to in hunting out his jeans and a sweater.

‘I’m goner freeze.’ Wayne complained. ‘Man I only brought one jacket and pair of long pants and I’m wearing them. I’m goner freeze!’ the others looked at his red jacket and yellow pants and couldn’t hide their smiles.

‘Freezing won’t be your problem, riding in Bermuda shorts will.’ Luke pointed out.
The look of horror on Wayne’s face made the others laugh as they changed into their jeans, sweaters and boots.
‘Oh please let her send me home now!’ he begged.
‘Man what did you bring? Didn’t you read your suggested packing list?’ Troy asked him
‘It was only a suggested list!’ Wayne replied exasperated as only a true Jamaican can get when flustered.

‘Come on boys your spooking the horses.’ She replied walking back into the camp straight to the cooking fire, not looking at them. ‘What’s the problem?’
‘Jamaican Jim over there hasn’t brought adequate clothing.’ Greg informed her turning his white jacket inside out and folding it to bury it at the bottom of his bag.

She looked at the man in his bright summer evening clothes and sighed. ‘Can anyone lend him something for now? We’ll pick him up something at the trading post in the morning.’

Clothes were flung at him from a few of them. She noted who didn’t offer she excused them if they were tall or skinny she even excused Trevor as he was short and skinny which meant it was a note against Brad, and Hal. But then in Hal’s case when he pulled out his big fleeced-lined denim jacket lovingly stuffed in and around a real white five gallon cowboy hat, there couldn’t have been much left in his bag.

She chuckled at Wayne and turned her back on them to see to cooking their steaks. Those who’d changed already came over and took a seat. She smiled up at them. She’d taken off the big coat and draped it over a chair and was now squatting before the fire in her cream moleskins, blue chambray shirt and fleece lined leather vest. She still wore her hat but they could see now her hair was platted and hung almost the full length of her back.

She dished out plates containing steaks, potatoes and vegetables. Then she gave them each a panican of coffee laced with rum for those who partook. She took note of those who abstained, none, and those who sought more and by how much. The first panicans had an extra dash of rum and what was left in the pot was rather mild.
She followed the meal up with a slice of plum pudding fried and dished up with stiff whipped cream.

After the meal as they sat around the fire with their rum laced coffee, she asked them all, ‘Okay if you could have one thing added to camp for you, what would it be?’ and then looked at each of them in turn.
Brad grinned ‘How bout a jeep?’
She grinned ‘Sorry mate national bush up here; we’ve only just managed to get permission for the horses. Think of something else.’ She looked to the next ‘Dave?’
‘Oh er a stretcher? I’m not too keen on sleeping on the ground.’
‘Noted.’ She replied. ‘Troy?’
He grinned ‘I forgot to pack my banjo.’
She grinned ‘Noted.’ Looking down she composed herself and looked to the next one ‘Steve?’
‘Could do with a porno book or two.’ She stared at him in shock then grinned as he was chuckling. ‘Got you there, reckon I could go a decent beer though. You Aussies claim to have the best.’
‘Okay,’ she said slowly and still smiling bemused looked at the next man ‘Chris?’
‘I need light to read by. And if that was a decent meal then I wouldn’t mind a real chef.’
‘Okay.’ She said again slowly and the others noted her tone.
She looked to the man she needed to answer her next. He’d spent the time after the meal immediately pitching in to help her clean up.
‘Greg?’
‘Woman that meal was top rate. You can cook with me any time.’ He grinned back and the others agreed with a series of “Yeah”s and “Right on”s.
He then answered her ‘I guess if Troy can get a banjo you’d better bring me a twelve string guitar.’
‘Thank you.’ She replied smiling at him then moved to the next man. ‘Hal?’
‘Well Ma’am I reckon if we’re up here in these mountains for a few days we’ll be needing fresh meat so I reckon I’ll be needing a gun.’
‘Sorry Hal, national park, no guns.’ She couldn’t help being curt and direct after that drawn out spiel. She knew she was going to dread his accent and she wasn’t wrong. But then she relented adding ‘Besides the support team bring us fresh supplies each camp. We’ll be right. Can you think of anything else?’
‘I reckon I’d better add to the band then if someone can get me a fiddle.’
‘Oh man.’ Chris moaned.
‘Noted.’ She replied liking the idea of music round the campfires. ‘Wayne, I know clothes, but other than that would you like anything else?’
‘Cards. I love playing cards.’
‘Okay, noted.’ She smiled ‘Barry?’
‘Well now little lady, I have a real passion for darts but I suppose out here being national forest and all, might stab some poor unsuspecting koala bear.’
She grinned. ‘Koala, not bear, they’re a marsupial not a bear. And I’m not sure if darts are completely out of the question. I’ll let you know.’ She smiled liking this deep slow talking American and wondering if he was like Abraham Lincoln or some other American icon.

She turned to the next man ‘Trevor?’
‘Stilts.’ He chuckled but no one else seemed to find his self-destroying joke funny. ‘Ah or not, maybe just a really thick book I could stand on that.’ He laughed again. ‘I hope the Shetland you’ve got me will keep up with all your thoroughbreds.’
‘Okay that’s enough. You’re not funny man.’ Chris interrupted.
‘Oh come on I was just warming up.’ Trevor retaliated. ‘I’ve heard them all, I just wanted to get them in before you lot did.’
‘Hey, hey Trevor enough.’ She cut in. ‘Mate out here every one of you is equal. Size and looks don’t count. At the end of the day it’s who you can rely on that counts. You may think these mountains will be a stroll in the park but I’m telling you they’re not so nice to you if you don’t take them seriously.’ She sat back and took a breath. ‘Have a think about it; I’ll get back to you. Luke?’
‘Well I brought my harmonica but I guess another guitar wouldn’t go astray.’ He replied.
‘Great, thank you.’ She replied and looked to the twelfth man. ‘Garry?’
‘It would be nice to bathe after a ride. I hear it’s the only way to relieve the aches.’
‘A bath?’ she asked stunned.
‘You could have first turn.’ He offered.
‘Thanks.’ She grinned looking at him strangely but the producers had said any request that was legal. She was thinking of the support ute trekking a bath about and the water it was going to need to fill it. ‘Okay Brad thought of something else?’
‘Yeah you have a game out here called cicada. What is that?’
‘Cicada? Oh you mean cricket’ she grinned ‘Same as the British game; ball, bat and two wickets.’
‘Can you teach me?’
‘Will need a few of us but yeah I suppose so, good thinking.’ She replied then turned back to Trevor. ‘Trev?’
‘Oh yeah that’s right little man only deserves a short name…’
‘Oi hang on a moment mate, out here Aussies shorten everything or if it’s already short they lengthen it and then shorten it. If you’re not careful you could go home with a name twice as long as your bloody constitution.’

The men looked at her and she stood up and turned a circle to calm down. This bloke was getting to her and quickly becoming short-listed on her send home order. But she had her advice from her producers. He wasn’t to go until she’d eliminated two others. Man that was going to be hard. She collected a log and turned back to add it to the fire.
‘Sorry mate. I’ve been a little edgy and I guess I needed this break as much as you guys do. What say I get a surprise gift for you?’
‘Really? You mean it?’ he asked totally excited. The more he talked the more he reminded her of that character Louie in the Lethal Weapon movies.
‘I bet you wear a bucket hat when you beach comb too.’ she said under her breath. ‘Yeah. You leave it to me and I’ll see what I can think of.’
She stood up and collected her coat.
‘Right guys, it’s time to bed down. In the morning we’ll be off. There’ll be a pair of boots for each of you and a Drizabone,’ she shook out her coat. ‘Like this and a Barmah hat like mine if you want one….’
‘That’s not an akubra?’ Gerry interrupted her
‘No they’re mainly made of felt and up here it could be raining one second hot as anything the next and snowing the next. These hats are soft leather, I think we’re using the kangaroo ones. They’ll protect your head in all conditions.’
the men gave her indications of understanding and then she went on.
‘So you get all these and a saddled horse. Hopefully we’ve matched horse to rider well enough. Don’t loose any of them and look after all of them. Goodnight guys.’

She walked away from them to her tent. She had wanted to sleep out like them and possibly would later but she’d been advised to use a tent for the first few nights till she knew them better. It also allowed her to use a stretcher and have a few home comforts like mozzie repellent and a hot water bottle from the camera crew camp.

She may not be able to see them but she could definitely hear them. And she giggled at the sound of them settling down. She looked at her list with her torch; she’d drawn it up in her book and there was a column beside the list of names with space for comments. She jotted down ‘annoying’ beside Trevor and Chris’s names and interesting beside Brad, Troy, Greg, Barry and Luke’s. She dared number them with who she wanted to go home most as one. Chris, Trevor, Dave and Garry were in the first four and then she petered out uncertain about who she liked best or worst out of the rest. Mind you Garry’s idea of a bath at the camp was intriguing. Maybe Steve could go or Hal, but Hal played fiddle she hoped he played it well and there was something warming her to Steve.

She finally slept with their names buzzing about her head. One thing was certain; Chris would have to go. He was just so negative and degrading and he looked like Tom Cruise and she disliked him. Mind you Louie look-alike Trevor was just going to drive her nuts she knew it. He was definitely number three as soon as she had to pick number three he was going to be it!

And then there was Luke. He was definitely interesting. Quiet and yet supportive and seeming always to be noticing her… and she was noticing him too.

She woke up in the middle of the night unsure of what woke her. What was that noise? Pulling on her boots and coat she slipped out of the tent. The twelve blobs around the fire were outlined in the moonlight. She walked over to find that Trevor and Steve were snoring like out of tune out board motors totally out of sink with each other and so loud she doubted anyone could sleep.

Shaking her head she walked back to the cooking fire. It was nearly out and she judged by the moon the morning would be still a few hours off. Deciding to add a log so the coals would be warm enough to start a fire in the morning she did just that. Then she wasn’t alone.
‘Can’t sleep?’ she asked him.
‘Can we drown them?’
She grinned. ‘No.’
‘Nuts.’ He replied
She turned to leave but he caught her. ‘Um, not tonight.’ She suggested
‘Why the mountains? I was expecting some tropical beach somewhere.’
‘Exactly why the mountains.’ She replied. ‘You’d best get some sleep, morning’s not far off and tomorrow will be pretty taxing.’
He looked at her dipping his head but she turned hers. He kissed her cheek. ‘Good night then.’ he said and let her go.

She went back to her tent but didn’t get much sleep. No, Chris was definitely the first to go. He was dangerous and she didn’t trust him.

Day Two

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adventure, australian, bush, episode, horses, intriegue, mystery, script, series, story, suspense and tvshow