Read The House at the Bottom of the Hill for Free Online Page A

morning?’
    Dan rolled a shoulder. ‘Yeah.’ He went running every morning, unless there was a metre of snow. ‘Only did ten kilometres though. Feel like finishing it off.’
    ‘I’ll come with you.’
    ‘Sorry, mate, I need you to restock from last night. The backup mixers are low. Next time, huh?’ He often ran with Josh and enjoyed the competition. Josh was taller than Dan but Dan was faster. They pushed each other in companionable sportsmanship. Today he needed to get Charlotte alone.
    Dan slammed his bedroom door behind him with his foot. He kicked off his shoes, undid the buttons on his shirt and dragged it off his shoulders. He pulled off his jeans, hopping to the chest of drawers. He yanked out a pair of cotton rugby shorts and a crumpled but clean white T-shirt.
    Where the hell had he left his runners? He turned, scanning the room. The king-size bed sat in the middle, sheets and blankets in a mess, pillows propped against the wooden headboard; one on the floor. The room was spacious enough to be his away from it all bolt-hole. He had a small study area set up by the window. His home gym equipment took up nearly half of the room. A dumbbell rack served as a bedside table—enough space to balance his alarm clock on top—not that he needed a wake-up call; he rose before sunrise. The only piece of equipment that didn’t see any action, except in deepest, darkest winter, was his cross-trainer.
    He grinned. His king-sized bed hadn’t seen much action lately either, but he took his thoughts off that.
    His runners were where he’d thrown them that morning after his usual six a.m. fifteen-kilometre run: in the doorway to the bathroom, half hidden under the towel he’d discarded after his weight session.
    He dressed, and headed out the back door and down the alleyway. She was halfway up the hillside. She wasn’t running, but she had a reasonable pace going considering the hill was steep. It wouldn’t take much to catch up with her, but Dan ran the other way—he’d bump into her when she got to the top of the hill.
    He headed north out of town, picked up the pace and took the bush track leading off Main Street. His breathing pattern settled quickly, his lungs like healthy bellows by the time he got to the other side of the hill. He’d seen her, almost at the top, as he ran between the granite boulders that were scattered on the hill as though randomly dropped like marbles from the hand of a giant.
    At the top of the hill, he paused and looked out over the pastures. A bit parched but not bad yet. Not damaged by drought. The sunlight cast a golden colour over the tops of the many hill crests. Deep in the valleys the land was still dark green, dotted with snow gums, which were the strongest trees he’d come across. In winter, the boughs cradled the snow, dipped and bent, patiently waiting for spring.
    Lucy trotted over the crest, yapped, and went into a gallop, heading for him.
    Dan turned his back to the ridge and jogged on the spot.
    Lucy barked, circling him.
    ‘Hey, girl. How’s it going?’
    Two barks.
    ‘Is she nearly here?’
    One bark.
    Dan grinned and bent to scruff the dog behind her charcoal, black and white ears. She rolled onto her back. ‘You’re nothing but a flirt.’ He tickled her stomach. The white hair on her belly, peppered with the odd copper spot, felt soft and warm on his fingers.
    He lifted his hand and clicked his fingers and Lucy twisted her body to sit, as fast and agile as a Jack Russell after a rat. She watched him, waiting for another command. Yeah, she was a good example of the breed, quick-minded and trainable. Dan shook the paw she held up for him. She wouldn’t see much ranch action around here, but she might be a useful search and rescue dog.
    ‘Lucy!’ Charlotte called out behind him.
    ‘Help me out here, would you, Luce?’ Dan said. ‘I need to talk to her, so if you could make it look like you need a rest, I’d be grateful.’
    Lucy got to her feet, circled Dan