Chapter 13
Taj whistled as he packed the ute and did a final tool check. A week into the new year and Kim was finally back from spending Christmas with family in Sydney. Her two-week absence had seemed much longer. Taj prided himself on self-sufficiency. He’d schooled himself to be grateful for what he had, to require no more. So why did his thoughts turn to Kim on waking and when he closed his eyes at night? Why had he counted down the days until she returned?
He’d spent a lonely Christmas, lonelier than usual, and was glad the holiday was over. The loss of Camila always loomed large in this season, her favourite time of year. She’d loved their secret Christmases in Afghanistan: white-capped peaks, fir forests heavy with glazed snow, decorating their cabin with a tiny tree that could sw
