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She was well on her way when she realised it might have been a good idea to bring a water bottle with her and maybe even a map of the local area. She had taken a few left and then right turns on side roads to break the monotony of the long straight road but now she wasn’t quite sure which way led back to town. The flat dry landscape all looked the same. An occasional gnarled gumtree offered a landmark now and again but as soon as she turned in another direction there was another one just like it.
The sun was beating down with increasing force and her mouth started to feel like she had been sucking on a gym sock for hours. The thought of something wet and cold was almost enough to make her begin to hallucinate. She even thought she could hear the rattle of ice cubes in a glass and the slight tang of a twist of lemon …
She bent down, her hands on her knees as she dragged in a couple of dry, rasping breaths. Her brand-new running shoes were no longer pristine and white. Instead, they were stained with the ochre-coloured dust of the outback.
She gradually became aware of the sound of a motorbike on her left and she straightened to see a man approaching from behind a fenced property, where a herd of cattle was watching from the limited shade of a cluster of gumtrees, their wide eyes seeming—along with the motorbike rider and the kelpie riding on the back—to be seriously questioning her sanity.
Matt’s first words confirmed her impression. ‘What the hell are you doing this far out here without water?’ he barked.
Kellie hated the ditsy, helpless female role. There was no way she was going to admit she had made a mistake, even if she knew she had indeed made one and a potentially life-threatening one at that. ‘It’s barely seven in the morning,’ she said. ‘I’ve only been running for half an hour or so.’
He frowned at her darkly. ‘Then you must be an Olympic champion because you’re at least nine kilometres from town. If you turn back now that will be a eighteen-kilometre round trip, which is just asking for muscle meltdown without adequate fluids in this sort of heat.’
Kellie narrowed her gaze to take in the acubra hat on his head. ‘Well, now, Dr McNaught,’ she said in a pert voice. ‘Aren’t you a fine one to be preaching health and safety issues with me when you’re not wearing a helmet? You could have a fall off that bike of yours and end up concussed or brain injured.’
His jaw clenched slightly as his dark blue eyes tussled with hers. ‘I’m on private property and driving at less than forty kilometres per hour.’
Kellie planted her hands on her hips and continued to stare him down. ‘You could be driving at ten kilometres an hour and still come off and hit your head against a rock or something,’ she pointed out.
He took off his hat and wiped his sweaty brow with the back of his hand. ‘Yeah, well, it’s too hot to wear one.’
‘I’m afraid that excuse won’t quite cut it with the cops if they pull you over on the road,’ she countered, trying not to stare at the bulge of his biceps as his hands returned to grip the handlebars of the bike.
His eyes nailed hers. ‘I don’t ride my bike on the road.’
The dog, who up until this point had been perched—somewhat precariously in Kellie’s opinion—on the back of the bike jumped off, and with an agility she could only envy wriggled on its belly underneath the fence and came over to nuzzle against her.
She bent down in delight and gave his velvet ears a gentle stroke, crooning to him softly. ‘Well, hello, there, gorgeous boy. Have you been helping your daddy on the farm? What a good dog you are, and very clever too. I saw you balancing there like a gymnast on the back of that big bad old bike. Not many of the city dogs I know could do that.’
Matt felt like rolling his eyes but secretly he was a little impressed. Spike wasn’t usually so good with strangers. He was a cautious dog, leaning a little towards the anxious if anything, but that was because he had been badly mistreated before Matt had rescued him from the dogs’ home in Brisbane.
He watched as the dog melted under her touch, Spike’s brown eyes turning to liquid as Kellie tickled him under the chin.
‘Here, Spike,’ he called, and whistled through his teeth.
Spike pricked his ears and looked at him, but then turned back to Kellie and rolled over in the dust, exposing his belly for a scratch.
‘Oh you darling, darling boy,’ Kellie gushed, scratching and stroking him simultaneously. ‘You like that, huh? Yeah, well, I’ve never met a man yet who didn’t like his stomach stroked, or his ego, too, for that matter. But you don’t strike me as the overblown-ego type. You’re a real sweetie, aren’t you?’
Matt could feel his blood surging to places it hadn’t surged to in years as he watched Kellie’s hand move over his dog’s exposed belly. But then the long length of her toned legs in those shorter-than-short running shorts was enough to set anyone’s blood boiling, he thought. Her soft, sensual voice was like a whispery caress along the stiffness of his spine, and his deep abdominals switched on with a deep clench-like kick as he thought of how it would feel to have those slim, soft fingers skating over his naked flesh …
Kellie grinned as she straightened, the dog still nudging her hand with its head. ‘He’s so cute,’ she said. ‘I was just thinking last night how much I’d love to have a dog. Do you know anyone who’s got one for sale?’
Matt hastily assembled his features into a stern frown. ‘Dogs are not like toys to be picked up and played with at random. It takes commitment and patience to own and train one, especially a working dog. Besides, what would you want with a dog? You’re only here for a few months. What will you do with it when you leave?’
She rolled her eyes at him. ‘Duh! I’ll take it with me, of course,’ she said. ‘I love dogs. We’ve had dogs ever since I was a toddler. Our last one only died a few months ago. That was another reason I took this post. I couldn’t bear to leave before Sadie lived her last days. I wanted to be there when she died.’
‘And were you?’
Kellie couldn’t quite read his expression due to the angle of the morning sun. ‘Yes,’ she said. ‘I was the one who took her to the vet when I realised things were rapidly going downhill. When she was put down the vet left me alone with her and she died cradled in my arms. It was one of the most moving experiences of my life. It reminded me of my mother’s death. It made me realise no one should ever die alone, not even the family pet.’
Matt looked at Spike, who was still licking Kellie’s fingers as if they were coated in thick chocolate. ‘If you want to share the space with Spike on the back, I’m willing to give you a lift back to the homestead and then on to town,’ he said gruffly.
She raised her brows at him. ‘On the bike?’
‘Only back to the homestead,’ he clarified. ‘After that you can have the assurance of airbags, stability control and ABS brakes all the way into town.’
‘We-ll,’ she said, shifting her lips from side to side as she considered his offer.
‘I promise to drive extra-slowly,’ he added.
‘OK, then,’ she said, and moved towards the fence with the dog at her side. ‘Now, then, Spike, I’m not sure I’m going to do it your way. I think I’ll go over the top.’
Matt propped his bike on its stand so he could offer his assistance but she had already snagged her jogging shorts on the top rung of barbed wire by the time he got there.
She looked down at him sheepishly, her perfect small white teeth sinking into her plump bottom lip. ‘Oops,’ she said, giving her shorts a little tug.
‘Here,’ he said, moving closer. ‘Hold onto my shoulders and I’ll unhitch you.’
Kellie put her hands on his shoulders, her belly giving a little quiver of reaction as she felt his hard muscular warmth seeping through the palms of her hands. Her fingers dug in a little further as she felt one of his hands releasing the fabric against her bottom and a shiver ran up like a startled mouse the entire length of her spine. Wow! Those hands of his sure had some magic about them, she thought as she hastily tried to disguise her reaction.
‘There,’ he said, his voice sounding a little scratchy. ‘You’re undone.’
‘Th-thanks,’ she said, locking gazes with him, her hands still on his shoulders.
The sounds of the bush seemed to Kellie to intensify the fact that apart from the dog and the herd of cattle they were not only totally alone but still physically touching.
Her fingers splayed experimentally, relishing the feel of toned male flesh, her belly doing another little flip-kick movement when she saw the dark unshaven stubble on his jaw. She suddenly wanted to run her fingers over the prickle of his skin, to feel it against the softness of hers, on her face, her mouth, her breasts and the silk of her inner thighs.
She looked back into his deep blue gaze and saw the unmistakable flare of male desire burning there. Her chest began to feel as if a moth was fluttering inside the soft cage of her lungs.
His hands went to her waist, the long fingers resting against her for perhaps a second or two longer than necessary before he lifted her from the fence. Kellie felt every angle and plane of his tall lean body on the way down, her breasts brushing against his pectoral muscles, her belly against the hard buckle of his belt, her trembling thighs against the rock-hard length and strength of his.
He set her on the ground and stepped back from her, his expression instantly shutting her out. ‘Come on, then, hop on,’ he said tonelessly, kicking the bike stand with his foot before straddling the bike.
Kellie had never realised how arrantly masculine such a simple action could be. ‘Um … where’s Spike going to sit?’
she asked, trying to sound calm and cool and totally unaffected when inside she felt every secret place pulsing with a need she had never felt in such strong, insistent waves before.
‘He’ll run alongside,’ Matt said, and gave the dog a signal with one of his hands. ‘It’s not far and he’ll enjoy the exercise.’
Kellie put one leg over the bike and moved as close to him as she dared, her inner thighs having to stretch to accommodate the muscular width of his. ‘R-rightio,’ she said a little uncertainly. ‘I’m all set.’
He started the bike with a downward thrust of one booted foot. ‘Put your arms around my waist,’ he instructed. ‘The ground’s pretty rough in spots.’
‘Er … right …’ Kellie said, and nestled closer, her arms going around his trim taut middle, while her mind went to places she wasn’t sure it should be going.
For instance, she knew if she inched her fingers just a teeny bit closer she could touch his male outline, the unmistakably hard male outline of him she had felt on her little sensual slide down his body. Or if she nudged herself even closer against his back, her feminine mound would be able to feel the tautness of his buttocks …
‘Everything all right back there?’ Matt asked after a journey of about fifty metres.
‘Er … yes … fine … just fine …’ she answered, wriggling back a bit.
Within a few minutes Kellie could see the homestead in the distance, the colonial design with its wrap-around veranda and large rainwater tanks an iconic image of rural life on the land.
The effects of the longstanding drought, however, were clearly visible. The gardens surrounding both residences looked worn down by thirst and the various trees offering what they could in terms of shade had a thick coat of red dust on their leaves.
Matt brought the bike to a standstill near one of the large sheds a short distance from the homestead and Kellie dismounted even before he had turned off the engine.
‘How far behind will Spike be?’ she asked.
‘He’ll probably stop for a quick dip in the home paddock dam,’ he said, taking off his hat and brushing back his hair with his hand. ‘And speaking of water, let’s get you inside and rehydrated.’
Kellie followed him up the four well-worn steps to the front door, the cooler shade of the veranda an instant relief from the now fierce heat of the sun. Inside the house was even cooler, the long hallway with its polished timber floors and the smell of furniture polish and cedar making her feel as if she was stepping back in time to a previous era.
She looked around with interest as he led her to the kitchen. ‘Wow, this is such a lovely house, Matt,’ she said. ‘It must be, what, a hundred and fifty years old?’
‘Something like that,’ he said, handing her a tall glass of water he had poured from a covered jug in the fridge.
Kellie felt the brush of his fingers as she took the glass and, averting her gaze, took a few sips even though she felt like throwing her head back and downing the contents in one gulping swallow.
‘Help yourself to more water and feel free to make yourself tea or coffee,’ he said as he headed to the door. ‘Everything’s there on the bench near the kettle. I’m just going to have a quick shower before we head into town.’
‘Thanks,’ she said and once he had left the room she quickly refilled her glass and drank deeply.
Kellie heard the sound of water being lapped thirstily outside. She looked out of the window and was pleased to see Spike had made his way back and after his drink was making himself comfortable in the shade of the rainwater tank.
She wandered from the kitchen to the comfortable-looking sitting room across the hall, the sound of an ancient grandfather clock ticking yet again reminding her of how many generations of farmers had lived here.
Her gaze went to the mantel above the fireplace where there was a photograph of a young woman, the same woman she had caught a glimpse of in Matt’s wallet the day before. She picked up the frame and looked into the features of his late fiancée, her long ash-blonde hair, almond-shaped green eyes and wide happy smile marking her as a stunningly beautiful woman.
The floorboards creaked as Matt stepped into the room and Kellie turned around, suddenly feeling like a child who had been caught with their hand in the cookie jar. ‘I was just … um … having a look around,’ she said, still holding the photograph.
He walked across the room, took the frame from her hands and looked down at it for an infinitesimal moment, before turning and carefully setting it back on the mantel in exactly the same position. Kellie got the impression he thought she had deliberately desecrated his shrine for his fiancée. She could see the tension in his shoulders as he stood with his back to her, still looking at the photograph.
‘What was her name?’ she found herself asking.
‘Madeleine,’ he answered after a slight pause.
‘She was very beautiful,’ Kellie said, not sure what else to say to fill the awkward silence.
‘Yes …’ He turned around to look at her, his expression showing none of the emotion she could hear in his voice. ‘Yes, she was …’
The grandfather clock timed the next silence.
Kellie breathed in the clean scent of Matt, the tantalising combination of citrus-based shampoo and soap and aftershave activating all her senses. His dark brown hair was still wet, although it looked as if he had used his fingers rather than a comb to push it into place. His jaw was cleanly shaven now but it looked as if the razor had nicked him just below his chin on his neck. She could see the pinkish graze and she felt an almost uncontrollable urge to close the small distance between their bodies and salve the tiny wound with the tip of her tongue.
She ran her tongue over her parched lips instead, more than a little shocked at how she was reacting to him. She couldn’t remember a time when she had felt so physically aware of a man. Her whole body was on high alert, her skin tingling to feel more of his touch. She could still feel the warm imprint of his hands where they had rested on her waist earlier, the nerve endings still fizzing like thousands of champagne bubbles under her skin.
‘Matt, I was—Oh, sorry,’ a gruff male voice said from the door. ‘I didn’t know you had company.’
‘It’s all right, Bob,’ Matt said, turning to face the man. ‘This is Kellie Thorne, the new GP filling in for Tim Montgomery. Kellie, this is Bob Gardner, my manager.’
Kellie smiled and took the older man’s heavily calloused hand in hers. ‘I’m very pleased to meet you, Bob,’ she said with a bright and friendly smile.
‘Nice to meet you, Dr Thorne,’ Bob said. ‘My wife Eunice would like to meet you some time. She’s away at the moment, visiting our daughter in Cairns, but when she gets back I’m sure she’ll invite you over for a meal or something.’
‘I’ll look forward to it,’ Kellie said still smiling.
‘What did you want to talk to me about, Bob?’ Matt asked.
‘That heifer we were worried about has delivered her twin calves without any dramas,’ Bob said. ‘But I thought we should still get a couple of antibiotic injections from Jim Webber just in case she comes down with milk fever.’
‘Good idea,’ Matt said. ‘I’ll drop in on my way home from the clinic, unless you’re going to town.’
‘I’ve got to see about that pump part so I can get them then,’ Bob said. He turned again to Kellie and smiled. ‘I hope you settle in quickly, Dr Thorne, and enjoy your time with us. Lord knows, Matt here could do with the back-up. He works too hard but that’s life in the bush, I guess.’
‘I’m looking forward to helping out in any way I can,’ she said. ‘In fact, the sooner the better.’
‘Well … be seeing you,’ Bob said, and, brushing off his hat, stepped out of the room.
Matt pushed back his partially dry hair with one hand. ‘Wouldn’t you like a couple more days to look around a bit first?’ he asked. ‘To settle in and find your way around?’
She shook her head, making her glossy chestnut ponytail swing from side to side. ‘No, I’ve seen enough. I more or less know what I’m in for. I’m itching to get started.’
Matt felt a tiny wry smile lift one corner of his mouth. ‘You really like diving into things boots and all, don’t you?’
She gave him one of her high-wattage smiles in return. ‘No point in living life unless you live it to the full, right?’
Matt had to force himself not to glance back at Madeleine perched on the mantel in her silver frame, but he felt her rainforest-green eyes watching him all the same. He had been promising himself he would put her away … well, not exactly in that sense. But he had come to realise recently there would always be a part of him that would think of Madeleine with deep affection. What? Not
love? That tiny voice of conscience spoke inside his head, louder than it had in years.
Matt had thought he had loved Madeleine. They had been together for so long it was hard to say when the feelings he had assumed were love had started. As a young couple together for such a long time they had sort of gradually drifted into a deeper and deeper relationship. One thing had followed another and before he’d known it they’d been having an engagement party, and then a little while after that they had started planning a wedding …
He gave an inward grimace. Perhaps it was well and truly time to send Madeleine’s photograph back to her parents. No doubt they would find a space for it among the unopened wedding presents and uncut wedding cake.
He gave himself a mental shake and reached for his keys. ‘Let’s get moving,’ he said, and led the way out to his car.
CHAPTER SEVEN
THEY had barely travelled a kilometre or two on the way into town when Matt got a call on his mobile. Because he used his hands-free device to answer while he was driving, Kellie heard every word of the exchange.
‘Matt, there’s been an incident at Coolaroo Downs,’ a female voice said. ‘Apparently one of the jackaroos had some sort of altercation with a bull. I’m not sure how serious it is. You know what Joan Dennis is like these days—she panics if someone falls off a fence. It might be just a graze for all we know. The volunteer ambos are on their way but I thought you should see what gives before we call in the flying doctor.’
‘Thanks, Trish,’ Matt said. ‘I’ll head back that way now. I have the new GP with me but rather than drop her in to the clinic I think she’d better come with me just in case this is serious. Can you let the clinic patients know I might be half an hour or so late?’
‘Sure,’ Trish said. ‘So …’ An element of feminine intrigue entered her voice. ‘What’s she like?’
