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‘Surely there must be someone.’ Reece was gazing at her intently and Sara felt her cheeks flush. ‘Or haven’t you told Simon about him yet?’
Suddenly, and quite unaccountably, she felt the need to defend herself. As if being single made it okay for her to have looked at Reece and wanted him, even if it was impossible, and she’d rather be dangled over a tank of hungry sharks than admit it.
‘There’s nothing to tell.’ There was no time for a man in her life. When she wasn’t working, Gran took up all of her spare time. A man couldn’t be expected to stay with a woman who could only give him about five minutes of her undivided attention per day. ‘There’s been no one since before my mother died. And Simon’s my only close family.’
Apart from Gran. Simon seldom asked about her, probably assuming that she still lived independently, and Sara didn’t dare tell him any different until she could be more sure of his reaction. She could just about understand him staying away when their mother had been ill, but if he acted the same way with Gran, Sara would never be able to forgive him. And if Simon wasn’t to know just yet, then telling Reece would be foolish.
They ate in silence for a while. ‘Simon talked a lot about going home when your mother was ill.’ Reece had clearly been giving some consideration to which bombshell to drop next.
‘Did he?’ Sara couldn’t conceal her surprise. Simon had pretty much covered everything he’d had to say to her in one line of an email. He wasn’t coming back. It would be hypocrisy to do so when his mother hadn’t spoken to him for more than ten years.
‘Perhaps he’s been saving it. Until he sees you.’
‘Maybe.’ Maybe not. The last two years had been tough. First her mother had been diagnosed with cancer, and then her grandmother had fallen and broken her leg. Sara had given up her job, her home and, one by one, most of her friends in order to move back to her mother’s house to take care of them both. She had never quite understood why Simon had stayed away.
‘Give it time.’
‘I thought I’d done that already.’
‘Then give it some more.’ He was holding her in his gaze. It felt almost as if he was cradling her, keeping her from any harm.
‘Yeah, I suppose so.’ She may as well say it. He’d obviously heard most of it from Simon already. ‘I don’t want you to think that it was all Simon’s fault. Mum wasn’t the easiest of people to live with. We each dealt with it differently. I gave in to her on the things that didn’t matter and held out for the things that did. But Simon couldn’t do that. They used to have the most awful rows.’
Reece nodded her on. He seemed to understand that she both wanted and needed to say this to someone. And he was all she had right now.
‘It all came to a head when Simon said that he wanted to travel for a year after he’d done his degree in architecture. Mum had been pushing him away for years and then when he did leave she was so angry with him that she never mentioned his name again, even when she was dying.’
‘Simon told me that your father leaving had a pretty big impact on her.’
‘I don’t remember that. I was just a baby.’ Gran had told her about it, though. ‘I’m told she just shut herself off from everyone, became totally focussed on showing that she was better off without him. She threw herself into work and built up a successful company from nothing. She used to say all the time that my father was unreliable and weak …’ Too much information, perhaps.
‘And that’s what she said about Simon too?’
‘Yes.’ It felt good to be able to say it, even if it was hard. Sara swallowed down the lump in her throat. ‘It’s not true, though, is it?’
‘No. That’s not the friend I know.’ The look in his eyes was almost unbearable. Liquid blue, as if she could somehow plunge into his world. Luxuriate in the safety of those cool, soothing waters. ‘And you and Simon kept in touch. That has to say something, doesn’t it?’
‘Yeah. Not sure what … but, yes, it says something.’
He seemed to realise that she’d had enough, and that she couldn’t talk about this any more. He nodded towards her plate. ‘Eat. It’s been a long day already, and it’s not over yet. And this is too good to waste.’
‘Thanks. There are some more potatoes in the kitchen if you want them. I always make too much.’ She reached for his plate, but he was already on his feet.
‘I’ll go. You want some?’
‘No, I’m fine with this, thanks.’ Sara went back to her food, smiling as she heard the sound of a pan being scraped from the kitchen. She loved cooking, and having someone with appetite enough to scrape the pan was a welcome novelty.
‘Do you like Australia?’ When he returned to the table, he seemed as intent as Sara was on lightening the mood.
‘I love what I’ve seen so far.’ She shrugged. ‘Simon and I have been keeping ourselves to ourselves since I arrived. You and Kath are the first real Australians that I’ve met.’
‘Well, I hope we’ve not let the team down.’ He grinned at her then looked at his watch. ‘We’ll get going as soon as we’ve finished lunch. Simon will be wanting to see you.’
CHAPTER FOUR
AS FAR as appearances went, they’d fallen effortlessly into an easy routine. Up early so that Reece could do the forty-kilometre round trip to drop Sara at the nearest station before he went to work. Catching the train into Melbourne to spend time with Simon, then shopping and a tram ride back to Flinders Street Station, and home to cook for Reece.
The truth was a little different. Waking early and wondering if Reece was awake yet. Imagining the lazy flutter of his eyelids followed by the first sight of those clear, almost iridescent pools of blue. Three early nights in a row to escape the magnetic pull, which seemed to grow stronger as the sun fell in the sky and the moon rose.
The smile she liked best, held tight in her imagination during the day, was the one he gave her when he arrived home each evening. Today it was broader, more expectant, as if Reece had a surprise for her. ‘We’re going for a day trip tomorrow.’
‘Really? Aren’t you working?’
‘No. It’s Saturday tomorrow, in case that had escaped your notice. I’ve swapped shifts with one of the other doctors in the practice, and I have three days off.’
Something about the tone of his voice told Sara that he’d done that for her and she flushed with pleasure. ‘That’s great. So where are we going?’ The distance to the local shops and the station was almost enough to be called a day trip at home.
‘We’re going to Simon’s place.’
‘The authorities have issued the all-clear?’ She always waited until Reece got home so that she could check the news reports with him, telling herself that he could explain the things she didn’t understand. But in truth she’d been living in a bubble, cushioned in his world, and now reality was calling. Earth to Sara. Time to wake up now, and get to grips with life.
‘Yes. There are no more fires in that area now, and it’s safe to return.’
‘And the house? Do you know what’s happened to the house, Reece?’
He shook his head. ‘The fire went through that area, but I haven’t been able to find out what happened to Simon’s house.’ His look of frustration told her that he’d tried. ‘The house is surrounded by grassland, and there aren’t too many trees on the property. The worst fires didn’t get that far so there’s a good chance that it’s not badly damaged.’
He was giving her as much encouragement as he could, but he couldn’t tell her what she wanted to hear. But at least she wouldn’t have to wait too long to find out. ‘Thank you. That sounds promising.’
‘I found out where Simon’s car is as well. We can pick it up on the way, it’ll give you some mobility.’
Slowly the bonds that tied her here were unravelling. A car. And if everything went well, a house to live in too. For one brief moment Sara wished that Simon’s house was somehow uninhabitable, and then cursed herself for her petty selfishness. ‘So Trader and I might be out of your hair, then.’
‘No. I said a day trip. You can’t go back there.’
‘Why not? If the fire’s already been through, then there’s no more danger, is there?’ The thought of a lonely house, in a blackened landscape, frightened her. Served her right. How could she have even thought about the possibility of a problem at Simon’s house, however small and easy to fix, just so she could stay on here?
‘That’s not the point. We’ll go back to the house, find out what’s happened and salvage what we can. Then we come back here.’
He was giving her orders. She’d had enough of those from her own family, and Reece wasn’t going to start that with her. He was about to turn away when she reached forward, catching the sleeve of his shirt. ‘I’m grateful for everything you’ve done, but I can make my own decisions.’
‘Not with this, Sara.’
‘I’m not afraid.’ Okay, so she was afraid. But she wasn’t about to give Reece any more reasons to keep her here. ‘If the house is okay, I’ll stay there.’
‘Right. So you know where to go to get petrol for the car, do you? Or where to get food if the local store is closed? The power’s almost certainly off, so you’ll have no running water, and you can’t rely on the phone working either. What happens if you have an accident when you’re on your own up there?’ The tension lines had reappeared around his jaw, and his eyes flashed warning signals.
Trader slunk past them and out onto the veranda. He at least knew when to fold with Reece, but Sara wasn’t ready to throw in her hand yet.
‘Stop trying to frighten me, Reece. Lots of people will be going back to their homes. Why can’t I be one of them?’
‘Because you’re alone. And you’re not used to the terrain here, or the dangers. The emergency services have enough to do at this time of the year, without having to keep tabs on you.’
‘So I’m a liability?’ His words had stung her. He made her sound like the kind of person who just did as she pleased and let other people pick up the pieces.
‘You will be if you go back to the house. Simon would be the first to agree with me.’
‘I imagine he would. Simon isn’t my keeper, you know.’ Sara felt herself flush. She was being unfair and Reece probably knew it just as well as she did.
Her outburst shocked them both to silence for a moment. When he spoke, Reece’s voice was suddenly calm. ‘You’ve been under a lot of stress, Sara.’
If he only knew. ‘Don’t patronise me.’
‘I’m not patronising you. I’m asking you to stay here.’
There was an urgency in his tone that told her this was more than just a decision based on common sense. More than just a friend of the family, who was looking out for her safety. She should put a stop to that one right now. ‘What for?’
Before she could take another breath, he had looped his arms around her waist, pulling her hard against his body. Before she could get used to the jelly-legged, head-swimming sensation that having him close to her produced, he was kissing her.
Reece knew he shouldn’t be doing this. She was his friend’s little sister. She was a guest in his house. She was also irresistible, and she’d pushed him too far.
She tasted sweet, with a tang of the chilli tomatoes that were simmering on the cooker. Yielding and yet fiery all at the same time, and he wanted to explore both of those options. Her body pressed against his, her fingers leaving trails of pure, excruciating pleasure. He took his mouth from hers, just for one moment, to allow himself to catch his breath, and a little sigh escaped her lips. He caught it in another kiss.
He backed her against the refrigerator door and she shivered slightly as her bare shoulders touched the cool surface, grinning upwards and reaching for him again. Pulling his head down towards hers, for one more kiss, this time her eyes open and staring into his. Dark and full of things that he wasn’t sure he wanted to know about but simply couldn’t resist.
There were about a million reasons why he shouldn’t be doing this, but right now he couldn’t think of any of them, because Sara was unbuttoning his shirt. Her fingertips found his skin and he gasped. She raked one nail gently across his chest and he felt his whole body shake.
A fridge magnet clattered to the floor and his itinerary for next week fluttered after it. No problem there. The foreseeable future had just changed.
‘Kiss me again, Reece.’
He obeyed willingly, and she rewarded him by sliding her hands upwards, across his shoulders. A little sigh, and a shudder of pleasure that reverberated against his own aching body.
The phone rang.
No way! The sky could be falling in around their ears as far as he was concerned. He was busy.
The answering-machine kicked in. ‘Reece. Pick up. It’s an emergency.’
They both froze. ‘Go and get the phone.’ She pushed him away from her, and Reece turned and snatched the handset from its cradle.
‘This had better be good …’
It was good, all right. Or bad, whichever way you wanted to look at it. By the time he’d finished taking the message from his surgery, Sara had turned and was busying herself at the cooker.
‘You have to go?’ She’d clearly been listening to his side of the conversation, even though her back was to him.
‘Yeah. I’m sorry, Sara.’
‘What for?’ She turned her eyes on him, dark and suddenly thoughtful. The moment had been well and truly shattered.
‘For starting something I can’t finish.’ Reece wasn’t sure whether the apology was for the starting part or the not finishing, but he could keep that open for the time being. ‘One of my patients needs a home visit.’
‘Would you like me to come along? Perhaps I can help.’ She had already clapped the lid onto the saucepan and taken it off the heat, and was untying the strings of the butcher’s apron that she wore. A trace of regret tingled through Reece’s already inflamed nerve endings. He’d been looking forward to getting her out of that apron himself.
He forced his attention back to her question. Doubting her judgement had already gone down badly once tonight, and anyway he wanted her with him. ‘Yes. That would be great. Thanks.’
They drove in awkward silence. Reece was used to being flung together with people and then letting go. The feeling that Sara might be ready to stand on her own two feet now, and that it was him who wasn’t ready to let go, was unfamiliar and vaguely unsettling. When she finally did speak, her tone was measured.
‘So what’s the matter with the patient you’re going to see?’
‘Two-year-old child. Feverish, vomiting, listless.’
‘Probably just a stomach bug, then.’
‘Probably. Just as well to make sure, though.’
‘Yeah. Absolutely.’ She seemed to relax back into her seat slightly. ‘Do you do this kind of thing a lot?’
He smiled at her. ‘What, visit patients? All the time.’
‘No, I meant get called out in the evenings.’
‘Sometimes. We’re pretty busy at the moment. And I’m a doctor in a semi-rural practice. When you’re part of a community like this, the lines between off duty and on call tend to get a little blurred.’
‘I imagine it has its compensations.’
It did. Knowing all his patients by their first names. Not being the ‘new guy’ who was just about to leave anyway. But it made him feel uncomfortable as well. He functioned better when he wasn’t tied to one place.
‘I said that I imagine it has its compensations.’ Her voice cut through his reverie.
‘Yeah, I suppose …’ The possibility of staying put for long enough to find out was the one thing that Reece never talked about. The one part of his life that wasn’t up for grabs. ‘Yes, it does.’
The atmosphere in the car had turned from awkward to impossible, and Sara was glad when Reece turned into a driveway and drew up outside a large, sprawling house. As soon as he had grabbed his bag and got out of the car Reece was looking forward, though, on to the next thing. He was about as capable of hanging onto the past, even the very recent, mind-blowing past, as she was of growing wings and flying.
The front door opened before they got to it, and a young woman about Sara’s age was standing at the threshold. Reece motioned Sara inside, introducing her briefly, and she followed him through to a child’s bedroom.
‘What’s the matter, Ava?’ He knelt down next to the child, who was whimpering fretfully.
‘He’s been sick. And he’s feverish.’
‘Any bites?’
‘I don’t think so.’
‘Okay, let’s take a look at him.’ Reece turned to open his bag, drawing out a pair of surgical gloves, and Sara kept her eyes on the child. She’d heard those high, keening cries before, but it could well be nothing. Leaning forward, she brushed one finger against his hand. Cold, even though the boy’s flushed cheeks attested to him having a high temperature. Then she saw it.
‘Reece. He has neck retractions.’ She’d seen that rictus arching before too. She just hoped that Reece would react a little better to the suggestion than the doctor back in London had a few months ago. That time, a child had almost died before the doctors had accepted that Sara was right.
His gaze met hers and he nodded slightly. He’d got the message. ‘Has he been arching his back, Ava? Throwing his head backwards?’
‘Yes, a little. He’s been wriggling around, he’s not very comfortable at all.’ Ava was looking back and forth between Sara and Reece, questions in her eyes.
‘Okay, Ava. Come over here and let Reece take a look at him.’ He had heard what she had to say and there was no more that she could do. A paramedic deferred to a doctor, that was the way things worked. Sara guided Ava over to a chair in the corner of the room and knelt down on the floor next to her.
The boy whimpered as Reece examined him. ‘He’s been like this all evening,’ Ava confided to Sara. ‘What’s the matter with him?’ Ava’s instinct was telling her that something was badly wrong with her son, and that was just as telling as the indications that Sara had seen for herself.
‘We don’t know yet. But Reece will find out.’ She wanted to tell Ava that her son was okay, but she knew better than to lie in this situation. She also knew better than to say the word ‘meningitis’ until there was a fuller diagnosis. Instead, she took Ava’s hand, waiting while Reece worked.
‘I think you’re right, Sara. Call an ambulance—the phone’s in the hall.’ He had made a careful examination of the boy and now he threw the instruction at her over one shoulder.
‘What’s the number?’
‘Three zeros. We’re at 211 Flowers Road.’ Reece turned to Ava, who was now shaking visibly. ‘You were right to call me, Ava. Now I’m going to tell you exactly what’s happening and I want you to listen to me carefully.’
Sara hurried into the hallway and stabbed at the numbers. Quickly she reeled off the information that was asked of her, giving Reece’s name as the doctor in attendance.
‘They said twenty minutes.’ Sara had no idea about whether that was a good response time or not. Out here the distances were so much greater and while there was not so much traffic for an ambulance to negotiate, everything was so much further apart.
‘Good.’ Reece looked at his watch. ‘They’ll be making good time if they get over here so soon. I’ll write a letter for you to take with you, Ava. Where’s Dan?’
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