The Kiwi Target

he found it hard to sleep; his bed had never seemed so empty.
    In the morning at breakfast, he told Jenny about a decision he had made. “As far as my new job will let me,” he said, “I’m going to live on my station for a while. I’ve never been an outdoorsman, but Jack can teach me the things about the business I need to know.”
    She gave him her warm approval. “Louise and I talked about it, and we agreed that it’s the logical thing for you to do. Unless you plan to go back home permanently.”
    “I don’t think I could do that now,” he told her. “I’ve got too much of a stake here, and I don’t want to give it up.”
    They sat very close together on the jam-packed flight to Queenstown, but that was by necessity. When they were in the terminal, he tried to defer their parting. “How about dinner tonight?” he asked.
    “I’m sorry,” Jenny answered. “But we’re back just in time for me to keep a long-standing date with Chuck O’Malley, Ray’s son. I told you about him.”
    “Yes, you did,” he acknowledged. Quite suddenly he found himself hating a man he had never met, but there was nothing he could do about it at the moment. He looked toward the entrance and saw Louise McHugh coming toward them. She was wearing a pair of regular jeans and a checkered shirt tucked in at the waist. Plain as her outfit was, it accentuated her good figure and the easy way she walked.
    She greeted Jenny and then turned to Peter. “Welcome back,” she said. “I’ve got a car waiting. Unless you want to stop in town first, we can go right out to the station.”
    “I may have some mail at the Mountaineer.”
    “I picked it up on the way; it’s in the car.”
    As he went to claim his checked luggage, he wondered how s he had remembered to get his mail. Then the thought of Jenny being with another man again crowded his mind.
    Bag in hand, he turned to go to her once more, to at least tell her how much he had enjoyed her company. Understatement, h e decided, might be the best way.
    She was standing halfway across the terminal talking to a man who had clearly come to meet her. He was in his late twenties, six feet or more, firmly built, and—Peter faced it—remarkably handsome, despite the fact that he was leaning on a cane. It would be impossibly awkward to try to speak to her, so he turned and went out to the car.
    He put his bag inside on the back seat and then held the door open for Louise. As she climbed in, he was glad that he would not have to make the drive back to the station alone. Louise would be good company, and at that point, he needed it.

CHAPTER 28

    As soon as they reached the end of Queenstown, the warmth and clarity of the day began to work their magic. The open vistas of New Zealand offered a compelling invitation to be part of the vast beauty displayed before them: open fields, serene mountains, and the brilliant blue water of the lake. Peter took it all in and then asked, “Do you enjoy living here?”
    “Oh, yes!” Louise answered.
    There was no need for her to add to that. Peter glanced at her a moment, then wondered how people ever become entrapped in the misery of urban blight. Perhaps it was their karma and they had no choice.
    “Did you have a nice time on your tour?” Louise asked. It was a simple question, but it could be pregnant with nuance if he chose to take it that way.
    “Yes, I did. I didn’t expect to see Jenny—that was quite a surprise.” He thought carefully and then said, “She aided a lot to the trip.”
    “Of course she would. She’s a very lovely girl—in every way.”
    He sensed that it was time to change the subject. “Where do you spend most of your time—at the station?”
    “Our station, yes. During the tourist season, I help out here and there in town, but mostly I work at home. There’s always a lot to do.”
    “I know your father; tell me about the rest of your family .”
    “I’m it,” Louise replied. “Mother died some time ago, and I'm the only sprout. Dad and I are pretty much pals. He really wanted a son, but I do the best that I can.”
    “I can’t believe he was disappointed,” Peter said. “I like you very much as you are.”
    “Thank you for saying so. Are you going to stay here, Peter?” she asked.
    “Yes,” he answered. “Will you help me with all the things I have to learn?”
    “If you want me to.”
    He drove on, sorting out his thoughts, until Louise showed him where to turn off onto a well-maintained