The Rebel And Miss Jones

She had half turned towards him in her seat, and even though he couldn’t see her eyes behind her sunglasses, he was pretty sure that she was sizing him up. ‘So are you going to stop, or do we need to do that thing they do in the movies, where they keep driving while they swap places? I’ve not done that before, but I can give it a try.’

He found himself wondering whether she would actually do it, and a laugh began to rumble deep in his chest, leaving him almost breathless.

‘What’s that?’ Her attention was diverted for a moment and the tone of her voice changed. Reece followed the line of her pointing finger and saw a ute stopped at the side of a track leading to the road.

Without a word, Reece swung the steering-wheel round, bumping onto the cracked, dry earth. She had the presence of mind to hang on, and they sped towards the vehicle. The hazards were on, blinking a warning, or in these circumstances more likely a cry for help.

‘There’s someone in there.’ She was leaning forward, trying to see through the dust. Reece jammed on the brakes, and before he could tell her to stay in the car, she had released her seat belt and had jumped out, running towards the stranded truck.

He was right behind her. A quick look told him all he needed to know, and he opened the driver’s door and spoke quietly to the middle-aged man behind the wheel.

‘What’s up, mate?’ Blue lips. Perspiration. Gasping for breath. ‘I’m a doctor.’

‘Bloody angina. Always seems to come on just when you don’t want it, eh?’ The man seemed more annoyed than relieved to see them.

Reece resisted the temptation to roll his eyes. Bravado was just one of the unhelpful reactions that someone might have to a situation like this. ‘Have you got medication? Pills or a spray?’

‘Yes.’ The man tried to turn in his seat and winced, clutching his chest. ‘There’s a spray in the emergency bag behind my seat.’

‘I’ll get it.’ Sara was grinning, only a slight shake of her head betraying that she was probably thinking exactly the same as Reece was. Opening the passenger door, she clambered inside, tugging at the red canvas bag that was wedged behind the driver’s seat. She managed to pull it out, almost falling backwards out of the vehicle, and unzipped it. ‘Gotcha.’

‘That’s the one.’ Disarmed by her smile, the man began to relax in his seat.

She passed the canister of nitroglycerin spray over to Reece, and he checked the prescription details on the label. ‘Here you go, mate.’

The spray began to work, and almost before his eyes the man began to recover, the blue tinge around his lips fading. Reece straightened and beckoned Sara to his side, out of earshot. ‘I’ll check that the truck’s running all right and then I want you to take my car. Keep going on this road for another thirty kilometres and we’ll meet you …’

‘I’ll stay with you.’ She grabbed the car keys from him and pocketed them. ‘How long do we have?’ She scanned the horizon, suddenly tense.

Reece didn’t know. The fire might be coming this way and it might not. But by the time he got on the road again she could put at least five kilometres between herself and here and that could only be good. ‘Not enough time to argue about it.’

‘Perfect.’ She turned on her heel and almost flounced the two steps back to the truck, bending down by the driver’s door to talk to the man.

Reece sighed. The look on her face when she’d looked back in the direction they’d just come from told him that she had understood the risks of staying any longer, and her body language now showed that there was no changing her mind. And since he would have made the same decision in her place, he couldn’t think of a single argument to persuade her differently.

‘Right, then, Frank, if you’re up to standing, we’ll just move you round to the passenger seat and we can get going.’ She gave the man a bright smile and he grinned at her. She had a way with her. No-nonsense, but with a lightness of touch that made even Reece feel better about the situation.

‘Sure.’ The man took her arm, leaning heavily on it, and Reece supported him from the other side. They slowly walked him around to the passenger seat and she folded a rug to make a support for his back, and buckled the seat belt over him.

‘Where are we going?’ That hint of tension had returned, although she hid it from Frank.

‘It’s thirty kilometres to the next town. I’ll call ahead, see if an ambulance can meet us there.’

‘Okay. I’ll follow you.’

‘Think you can keep up?’ Reece grinned at her, suddenly relishing the chance to goad her a little.

Her cheeks flushed prettily and suddenly the day seemed a whole lot easier. ‘I’ll do my best.’

They leaned against the SUV side by side, drinking the takeaway coffee that Sara had got from the store in the main street while Reece had been busy seeing Frank into the ambulance. Trader lapped greedily at the water that she had poured into a camping dish she found in the boot of the car. ‘So what was he doing out there? The guy in the café said that whole area is on high alert.’

‘It is. He’d been staying with his daughter for a couple of days and he reckoned he’d nip back and get some things from home. He would have been fine if the angina hadn’t slowed him up.’

‘Hmm. So you gave him the talk about not being indestructible, then?’

Reece chuckled. He liked the way that she anticipated him. The way that they’d fallen into an almost seamless synchronicity back there. Just training, he guessed, hers and his. ‘Yeah. I imagine he’ll hear it again from a few different directions.’

She shrugged. ‘Well, as long as he listens to one of them. We must be in mobile range by now.’

‘Yeah. I’ll call the hospital and get them to tell Simon that we’re on our way. We can stop by at my house first and you can have a shower and change your clothes.’ Reece drew his phone out of his pocket.

She twisted her mouth ruefully and Reece wondered what her lips would taste like. Sweet, he reckoned. Like the rest of her. ‘I’ll take the shower, but I don’t have a change of clothes with me.’

‘Wasn’t that your case I put in the back of the car?’ The large, lightweight case with a strip of gaudy material tied around the handle so it could be picked out easily at an airport.

‘Yes, but my clothes are in the chest of drawers in Simon’s spare room. I filled my case with his things.’ She shrugged. ‘It’s his home. I wanted to bring as much of it as I could.’

Most women would have brought at least a change of clothes, but it seemed that Sara wasn’t most women. She’d left behind practically everything she possessed in this hemisphere, putting her brother first. That simple act of selflessness made Reece smile.

‘I’ll call my sister, then. She’s about your size. I dare say she can fix you up with something.’

She blushed again. Reece could really get used to that. ‘That’s okay. I have plenty of spending money. I can pop to the shops somewhere. I don’t need much.’

Maybe not. But Reece could provide her with whatever she did need. She was his friend’s sister, and she had no one else, which made her his responsibility now. ‘I won’t ask Kath to bring much, then.’

She nodded, head down all of a sudden, staring at her coffee. ‘Thanks. Just a clean T-shirt would be great.’ She drained her coffee, crushing the cardboard cup in her hands. ‘Thanks for coming to get me. I don’t know where I’d be right now if you hadn’t.’

Her hands were shaking. She was under no illusions about the danger of the situation she’d been in.

‘No problem. Do you want to drive while I make my calls? I’ll programme the sat nav for you.’ It might take her mind off the worries of the moment.

She nodded. ‘Yeah. Thanks.’

‘On the right, remember.’ Reece tried to make a joke of it, but he was too tired to even see whether she got it or not.

‘I remember. Get in, before I decide to leave you behind.’

He’d dozed fitfully in the car. As soon as he’d made his calls and there was nothing left to do, his body seemed to shut down, taking what it needed. Sara knew all about that kind of exhaustion. After her mother had died last year, finally losing her battle with cancer, it had been weeks before she’d been able to sit down without going to sleep. Gran had said she had slept off all her tears, gently making it clear that she disapproved of such a strategy, and in hindsight she might have been right.

The sat nav beeped in an indication that she was exactly where she was supposed to be. Sara nudged Reece gently, and he woke with a start, suddenly alert. ‘Is this your house?’

‘Uh?’ He relaxed back into his seat when he saw where they were. ‘No. This is my sister’s house. Back up a bit, will you?’

Sara manoeuvred the heavy vehicle into the mouth of the driveway, stopping when Reece shook his head. ‘Her car’s not there, she must be over at my place. I’m just down the road a little way.’

‘Down the road a little way’ turned out to be more than four kilometres. Reece indicated an opening in the tall bushes that flanked the road, and Sara steered into it, the SUV dwarfing the small shiny runaround already parked outside the house.

‘Here we are.’ He grinned, stretching the kinks out of his back and shoulders. ‘Hopefully, Kath’s got the kettle on.’ He opened the passenger door and almost fell out of the car, regaining his footing quickly. At his command, Trader suddenly woke from his repose and scrambled past Sara to follow Reece.

The house seemed far too big for one but, then, there was more space out here. There were large windows, a covered porch, and trees and bushes that were unfamiliar to Sara. It wasn’t like home. From what Simon had said, it wasn’t really a home to Reece either. Just a place to camp out until Reece’s permanently itchy feet became too much for him and he upped sticks and moved on.

It was nice, though. An oasis of shade and weatherworn colours, which made up in charm for what it lacked in grooming. Reece fitted in here perfectly.

‘Ah!’ He was standing in the open doorway. ‘I can smell fresh coffee.’

‘Only because I brought it with me.’ A woman’s voice sounded from the hall. ‘When did you last go shopping for food, Reece?’

He rolled his eyes and winked at Sara. ‘I’ve been working.’

‘Yeah, and what’s your excuse the rest of the time?’ A blonde, pretty woman dressed in shorts and a T-shirt joined him in the doorway.

Reece shrugged. ‘No clue. Playing?’

Kath jabbed one finger at his ribs and Reece caught her hand, chuckling. Trader sensed that it was time to let off a little steam and threw himself against Reece’s legs, demanding attention.

‘Come inside.’ Kath had broken away from Reece and was advancing on Sara now. ‘Don’t mind my brother, he’s got no manners.’ She grabbed Sara’s hand and led her past Reece into the house. ‘No coffee either, but at least I can do something about that.’

Kath stayed long enough to pour the coffee and unload the contents of two large shopping bags into the refrigerator. Then she took a last swig from her mug, professed herself delighted at having met Sara and apologised for having to run.

‘Later, sis. I’ll come by and pick Trader up this evening if that’s okay.’ Reece rose from the sofa and gave his sister a brief hug. ‘Thanks for everything.’

‘I just wish we weren’t going away tomorrow. Perhaps I can stay behind a few days, Joe and the kids can manage on their own for a while …’ Kath fisted her hand against Reece’s chest. Sara could never have done that with her own brother, and suddenly she envied Kath the careless gesture.

‘Don’t start trying to tear yourself in two again.’ Reece held up an admonishing finger and Kath shrugged and nodded. ‘If you can run some of that excess energy out of Trader this afternoon while we get sorted, that’ll be fine.’

‘Right. Later, then.’ Kath grinned cheerily at Sara, and Trader followed her to the door with an air of almost palpable joy.

‘At least Trader’s found someone who’s got their priorities straight.’ Sara smiled, nodding at Kath as she jogged to her car, Trader trotting obediently behind her.

‘Yeah.’ Reece grinned. ‘Cattle dogs can be a bit of a handful if they’re not trained and exercised properly. Trader’s ancestry is part dingo.’

‘Yes, Simon told me. He said you helped him to train Trader.’

‘Yep. He didn’t have a clue where to start.’ Reece shot her a quizzical look.

‘No, he wouldn’t. We didn’t have pets at home. Too much mess.’

‘That’s a shame.’

‘Yeah.’

Reece seemed to be waiting for Sara to elaborate, and when she didn’t, he collected the empty coffee cups and put them into the dishwasher, leaving her to stare aimlessly out of the window. This sitting in one place, waiting to find out what someone else was going to do next, was the downside of being rescued.

‘Right, then.’ Reece obviously had a plan, even if she didn’t. ‘I expect you’ll want to wash off some of that dust.’ He turned, without waiting for her assent, and disappeared into the hallway. The only option available was to follow him.

‘This is your room.’ He flung one of the doors open and walked inside. ‘The shower’s through there, and Kath’s left some things for you, so I hope you’ll have everything you need.’

The room was bright and welcoming. Clean, cool shades of cream and green that just demanded you stay a while and relax. On the wide bed was a small pile of clothes, neatly folded. Next to it were towels and a small wicker basket containing soap, shampoo, toothpaste and some packages wrapped in paper. A large bunch of flowers sat on the table next to the bed, strange, brightly coloured blooms mixed with others that were more familiar to Sara.

This was a safe place, an oasis, where she could wash off the dust and sweat of the road. She couldn’t accept it. She needed to stand on her own two feet. Make her own decisions.

‘This is my guest room. It’s yours for as long as you want it. At least until Simon gets out of hospital.’

From what Reece had said, that was going to be more than a week. ‘I really can’t impose. I’m very grateful for everything you’ve done already …’

‘And what? Do you know anyone else here?’

No one. Apart from Simon, Reece was the only person who even came close to being a friend. ‘I can book into a hotel. Near the hospital.’

‘What, with Trader? Even if you find somewhere that’ll take him, he’ll get bored and tear the place apart.’

He had a point. ‘Perhaps you wouldn’t mind taking him. Just for a while, until I get something sorted.’

Reece rolled his eyes. ‘Right. So I get to do a full day at the surgery then come home and take him out for a couple of hours to work off his excess energy. Anyway, what kind of person takes a mate’s dog in and sends his sister to a hotel?’

Sara’s hand flew to her mouth. ‘I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to …’

‘Impose? You already said that. And you’re not. You’ll have to fend for yourself while I’m at work, but treat this place as your own.’ He looked at his watch. ‘It’s half past ten now … an hour’s drive to the hospital … We can catch our breath, have something to eat and be with Simon by lunchtime. What do you say?’

‘That sounds wonderful. Thank you.’ If she was going to stay here, she may as well do it gracefully. Her mother had told her that. Whatever you do, do it gracefully. Sara had been berated too many times for almost never following that advice.

‘Good. Shall I call Simon, let him know that we’re here, or would you like to?’ He nodded at the phone extension next to the bed.

‘I’d like to if that’s okay.’

‘Of course.’ In one fluid movement he caught her hand, and Sara felt her cheeks redden. He produced a pen, pulling the cap off with his teeth in a gesture that was oddly almost piratical, and wrote on her palm. ‘Here’s the number. It’s the main switchboard, but if you ask for Simon, they’ll put you through to his room. Tell him that you and Trader are staying here.’

‘Yes. I will. Thank you, Reece.’ There was something else that she needed. The thought that Gran might have somehow heard about the fires was thudding at the back of her skull, like a headache about to happen. ‘Would it be okay if I used your phone to call England?’

‘Of course. Call whoever you want, you don’t need to ask.’

‘Thanks. I’ll just be quick …’

He dismissed the notion with a weary gesture. ‘Take as long as you like.’ Turning swiftly, he strode out of the room and closed the door behind him. Sara heard the sounds of his footsteps along the hallway and another door opened. A thud as his heavy boots were dragged off and hit the floor. Then silence.

CHAPTER THREE

SARA had made her calls and taken a shower. She sat on the bed, wrapped in a towel, and forced herself to take a couple of deep breaths. Gran was okay, Simon was okay. It was going to be all right.

Kath had left T-shirts, sweatpants and a skirt with a drawstring at the top, which would pretty much fit any size, along with a pair of open sandals. There was also a cotton nightdress and a note, saying that she should call her and let her know if there was anything else she needed. Sara smiled. The resemblance in tone to Reece’s, kind but brooking no argument, was striking.

She dressed in her own jeans and one of Kath’s T-shirts, and padded barefoot along the hallway and into the open-plan living area. Reece’s car was still parked out front, but the house was silent and there was no sign of him outside on the veranda either. She took a deep breath. She knew exactly where he was, and it was the last place that she wanted to have to go and find him.

The door was slightly ajar, and she tapped on it nervously. Not a sound. Frowning, Sara cautiously craned her neck around the door to see inside.

He was lying on the bed, fast asleep. His boots, jeans and heavy shirt had been slung in the corner in the approximate direction of the laundry basket. It was as if he’d stripped down to his boxer shorts and then lain down, thinking just to close his eyes for a few moments, until it was time to move again.

His skin was smooth, golden. One arm thrown out to the side and the other rested across his chest. Sara caught her breath and for the first time allowed herself to stare at Reece. He looked so peaceful. The temptation to join him there on the bed, feel the steady, reassuring swell of his chest against her cheek, was almost irresistible.

Stop this! Peaceful he might be, but that wasn’t what was freezing her to the spot. He was so beautiful. The snapshots that she’d already dared to glimpse—his chin, his brow—were nothing in comparison to being able to look for as long as she liked at the whole thing.

Just a moment more. One minute, to fantasise that she wasn’t who she was, and he didn’t live ten thousand miles away from where she had to be in another couple of weeks. It didn’t work, and a minute wasn’t enough. Sara drew back, and headed for the kitchen.

She’d made coffee for herself and sat in one of the wicker chairs on the patio with a book from the stack on the breakfast bar. She’d reckoned that she ought to wake him, and then chickened out and read another couple of chapters. Finally she decided that food would probably do the trick.

The amount of chopping, clattering and general commotion that it took before she heard his footsteps in the hallway attested to how tired he’d been. As did the fact that he was still half-asleep and had clearly forgotten that having company generally meant you didn’t walk around the house half-naked. Sara concentrated on not slicing her finger along with the vegetables on the chopping board. She’d already seen what Reece had to offer, and there was no point in staring at what she couldn’t have.

‘Ready for something to eat?’ She flung the words over her shoulder and then gave in to the inevitable and looked in his approximate direction.

‘Uh? How long have I been asleep?’ He ran his fingers backwards through his hair in a lame effort to tame it a little.

‘It’s two o’clock.’

‘What?’ He straightened, suddenly seeming to come to. ‘We should be at the hospital by now. Sara, I’m sorry. Why didn’t you wake me?’

‘Because you were asleep. How do you like your steak?’

He stared at her as if she had just landed in his kitchen from outer space. ‘What?’

‘Kath left some steak in the fridge. I hope you weren’t planning on saving it for anything else?’

‘No … no, of course not. What about Simon?’

‘I called him and told him we’d be with him later on this afternoon.’

He grinned. It was the kind of easy, open grin that melted your heart, set it sizzling like butter in a pan. ‘How is he?’

‘He says he’s fine. I’d like to see for myself, though.’

‘Yes, we’ll go as soon as we’ve eaten.’ He tried to see what she had on the cooker. ‘What’s that you’ve got there? Smells great.’

Sara stepped in front of it. ‘Wait and see. Are you hungry?’ She was getting a crick in her neck. Fixing her gaze on his face, not allowing it to wander down to his chest, to the tiny line of sun-bleached hairs that disappeared into the waistband of his shorts, was making her jaw throb.

He grinned. ‘I could eat a horse.’

‘Bad luck, then. That’s not on the menu. You’ve got ten minutes to have a shower if you want to.’ Sara hoped that was enough of a hint to get out of her hair and stop distracting her. Maybe put some clothes on.

‘Oh. Yeah, thanks.’ One hand wandered to his chest and stayed there, as if he had only just realised that he had no shirt on. He turned quickly, and Sara allowed herself just enough of a glance in his direction to confirm that the view from the back was as good as that from the front. ‘Pink.’

‘What?’

‘The steak. Pink but not too bloody, thanks.’ He threw the words over his shoulder and disappeared.

He was back in five minutes, thankfully wearing a clean pair of cargo pants and a shirt, his short hair already half-dry. Banished once more from his own kitchen, he busied himself with laying the table in a shaded part of the veranda.

Sara laid his plate down in front of him and he grinned appreciatively.

‘Looks good! If I’d been awake, I would have thrown myself in between you and the cooker.’

‘In case my cooking’s like Simon’s?’

‘Yeah.’ He waited for her to sit down, and cut into his steak. ‘This is just perfect.’

Steak with a black pepper sauce, potato gratin and green beans. Nothing fancy, but all done from scratch. ‘Good. Thanks.’

‘I could get used to this.’ He tried the potatoes and nodded with approval. ‘Obviously Simon missed out on the family cooking lessons.’

‘Yes. Missed out on a lot.’ Sara stopped herself. She didn’t want to say anything to Reece that Simon wouldn’t want him to hear. ‘How long have you known him?’

‘Ten years. He was working on the architect’s plans for an extension to the hospital where I was working. Kath was there to meet me, and he tried to chat her up in the canteen.’ Reece was grinning.

‘So you found my brother trying to hit on your sister …’ Sara laughed. ‘How did that go?’

‘Oh, pretty much as expected. I thumped my chest and growled a bit, and Kath kicked me under the table. Simon had told her that he was only just off the plane, and before I knew what had hit me, she’d roped us both in for a trip up to Sydney with her friends.’

‘And did Simon and Kath ever …?’ Sara waved her hand to indicate whatever it was that might have happened between the two of them.

‘Nah. Kath’s interest was purely humanitarian. We’ve both been in that situation enough times—new place, no friends—and she was just trying to make him feel at home.’ He grinned. ‘Kath does that.’

Reece did too. He’d taken her in without a second thought. ‘Thank you. For looking after him.’

Reece gave her the smallest of nods in acknowledgement. ‘So what about you?’

‘Me?’

‘Who looks after you?’

The question floored her for a moment and she stared at Reece, not sure quite how to answer. ‘No one.’