Lost In Kakadu
Authors: Kendall Talbot
Kendall Talbot
An action adventure novel set in the Australian jungle where two unlikely people prove just how attractive opposites can be…
It’s pretentious socialite Abigail Mulholland’s worst nightmare when her plane crashes into an ancient Australian wilderness. Things go from bad to downright hellish when rescuers never come. As she battles to survive in an environment that’s as brutal as it is beautiful, Abigail finds herself also fighting her unlikely attraction to Mackenzie — another survivor, and a much younger man.
Mackenzie Steel is devastated by his partner’s death in the crash, the only person with whom he shared his painful past. Now, as he confronts his own demons, he finds he has a new battle on his hands: his growing feelings for Abigail, a woman who’s as frustratingly naïve as she is funny.
Fate brought them together, but they’ll need more than luck to escape Kakadu alive. Could the letters of a dead man hold the key to their survival?
When I met my real life hero at sixteen, I had no idea it would result in a love affair that’s still going strong some 28 years later. We live in Brisbane Australia, with our two gorgeous sons and a fluffy little dog.
I love exploring. A rugged path in virgin bush is like a doorway with a great flashing entry sign to me. My deep love for travel and passion for adventure are the backbone of inspiration for my writing. I’ve been known to scuba dive amongst sharks, ride the white water in a rubber raft and hike for days in our great Australian bush.
In researching
Lost in Kakadu
I ate witchetty grubs that I dug from my garden, made slingshots with my bras, sat in the pouring rain and did many other crazy things that had my family assessing my sanity.
I live by two life mottos:
•
Be grateful that I’m mortal, it motivates me.
Life is precious.
•
Life’s too short to drink bad wine.
I drink my good wine, use my expensive perfume and wear my fancy clothes. There’s no need to wait for the right moment … that moment’s already here.
I would love to hear from my readers via my website:
http://www.kendalltalbot.com
Lost in Kakadu
wouldn’t have come to maturity without the help of two organisations:
•
Queensland Writers Centre
. Dr Kim Wilkins guided me from a blank page to a 68,000 word manuscript during the ‘Year of the Novel’. Thanks Dr Kim.
•
Romance Writers of Australia
. This wonderful volunteer organisation has introduced me to a whole new world of friends who are so generous with their time and knowledge. Thank you.
Cheers to everyone who has followed this journey with me.
To my wonderful husband for his love, passion and support and also for suffering through my first drafts so we could talk about my characters as if they’re real people.
To my sons, who I’m so very proud of.
To my sister, mum and dad, who provided endless encouragement.
To my girlfriends and our Friday afternoon cuppas where we never boil the kettle.
To my writing buddies who provide inspiration, hope and honest feedback.
And to my editor, for her patience and expertise.
Thank you all
.
Bestselling Titles by Escape Publishing…
Abigail Mulholland no longer expected her husband to open the taxi door for her, but she was still disappointed when Spencer completely ignored her. She wriggled out of the back seat, clutched her Jimmy Choo handbag under one arm and juggling her five-inch heels on the broken pavement, did her best to race into the airport terminal. The air-conditioning was instant relief from the sticky heat outside.
Safely inside, she watched through tinted glass as her daughter Krystal slid from the taxi without taking her eyes off her iPhone. Spencer transferred the heavy suitcases from taxi to trolley with an agility that belied his age and then offered their driver a decent tip. As the car drove away, Spencer pushed the luggage toward the doorway and Krystal slinked after him, oblivious to everything but her phone.
Abigail smirked when her husband paused to examine his reflection in the glass doors. It was an obsession, one he could never resist. A halo of flies followed him through the door, and he swatted at the relentless insects. He stopped the instant he saw Abigail watching him.
“Here we go,” he said, and raced toward the lone check-in counter.
Abigail hooked her arm through her daughter’s. “I’m going to miss you.” Her heart wrenched as Krystal pulled back.
“So don’t go.” Purple chewing gum danced around her tongue.
“Your father wants me to.”
“Yeah,
right
. You practically begged him to take you.” Krystal’s eyes were a baffling mix of defiance and longing. “You’re going to hate every minute.”
Somehow, Krystal’s spiteful rejections still stung. “Well, I think I’ll love it.” She forced a confident smile.
Krystal huffed, then skipped ahead to her father and wrapped her arm around his waist. Moments later Spencer handed over his wallet and Krystal removed a bundle of notes. Abigail sighed.
Past the check-in desk, a small plane on the tarmac caught her attention.
That can’t be our plane
. As she probed the tiny departures board, a sense of foreboding gripped her. There it was: Kakadu.
Oh God, it
is
our plane!
Abigail’s head swam. If only she hadn’t found that note hidden in Spencer’s diary. If only it hadn’t driven her to insist on going on this trip.
What was I thinking?
Spencer appeared at her side and she launched into him. “I can’t get on that plane. Look how small it is. It has propellers, for God’s sake.” She hated that her voice sounded almost hysterical.
He clicked his tongue. “It’s all part of the adventure. Besides, that’s not small. When I went to the Amazon, I boarded …”
Abigail tuned him out. The hidden note proved Spencer sometimes lied about his worldly adventures. Watching him now, blustering with bravado, she found herself wondering exactly how many times he’d manipulated his friends into covering for him.
She turned away, back to the plane, and cringed at the quad-bladed propellers that hung off each wing. The plane’s long red nose resembled the tip of a rocket and five small windows indicated a handful of passengers at best. A burning sensation crawled up her neck as she imagined peering out, like a trapped animal.
A gust of wind pushed at the glass door of the boarding gate. She stepped aside as hot air howled through the gap. Two men were standing at the nose of the plane, their angry expressions and aggressive hand movements sure signs they were arguing. The door pushed open a little more, and she heard them yelling.
“Fix it … Bullshit … I told you.”
She glanced around to see if anyone else was watching. But Spencer was gone, and the airport was practically empty. She felt so alone. Nothing new there, though. She moved closer to the door, resigned to curiosity.
“No you don’t … The package is in … It’s buggered.”
Their hand movements became more aggressive. The argument escalated, and for a moment it looked like they were about to get physical. Her heart slammed into her chest as she watched events unfold. Suddenly, one of the men threw his hands in the air and marched away from the plane, straight toward Abigail. She jumped back when he thrust through the glass door. He stormed past, cursing to himself, his yellow vest flapping wildly at his sides.
That can’t be good.
She looked around the airport again, searching for her husband.
Spencer was walking back from the one and only shop. Beside him, Krystal was grinning, a new shopping bag swinging on her arm.
“Spencer!” He glanced up, and Abigail waved him over. She was trying to keep an eye on the man who’d strode past her, but Spencer took so long approaching that he was already gone. The other man was still under the plane.
“They were fighting!” The words blurted out as soon as Spencer was within reach.
“Who?” Did he have to sound so patronising?
“Two men. Near the plane. Then one of them just raced through here. I think there’s something wrong with the plane.”
He rolled his eyes and tutted. “Don’t be ridiculous.”
“I’m not. I heard them.”
“Well … What did they say?”
“I only heard some of—”
“Of
course
you did. You’re just making something out of nothing, as usual. So let’s stop being silly. We’ll be boarding soon.” Spencer turned on his heel and strode away.
Abigail spun back to the plane, feeling completely hopeless. Her stomach tightened as she thought about what she’d seen. Maybe she
was
making too much of it. But she couldn’t deny what she’d seen. Something was wrong, and as usual Spencer wasn’t listening to her.
She turned to see him hugging Tina, his personal assistant.
Damn it.
Now she’d have no hope of pursuing her worries with him.
Spencer’s decision to have Tina along ‘to escort their daughter home’ was infuriating. They all knew it wasn’t the only reason the young woman had flown thousands of kilometres to be here. Tina reached up to kiss Spencer’s cheek, her silken hair spilling over her shoulder.
The sight of Tina always made Abigail’s blood boil. She was immaculately dressed in a tailored grey suit that clung to her hourglass figure but still barely contained her bulging breasts. She waved her red fingernails, a look of guilty satisfaction in her eyes that Abigail despised her for.
Krystal’s squeal echoed about the sparsely furnished airport. She embraced Tina, and the pair of them twirled around laughing. Abigail wished she could be happy for them, but seeing her daughter with Tina like that inspired nothing but resentment. Holding her chin up, she walked toward them.
“Hello, Tina.” She didn’t even try to mask the contempt in her voice.
“Hello, Abigail.” Tina released Krystal. “Are you ready for your big trip?”
“Absolutely. Are you ready to look after a fifteen-year-old girl for a week?”
“Of course. It’ll be fun.”
Abigail rolled her eyes at Spencer.
“Tina’s taking me shopping every day.” Krystal hugged Tina’s slender waist and glared at her mother.
Abigail couldn’t remember the last time her daughter had wanted to go shopping with her. Or do anything else, for that matter. Abigail cast the hurt aside. “Well, don’t spend too much money—”