Rainbow Fire

by Emilie Richards

  Kelsey looked straight ahead. "What was the other murder?"

  "Some poor soul, we'll never know who, was found on the edge of one of the mine fields. No identification, and. . ." He paused and tried to think of how to phrase this delicately. "No possibility of a description," he said at last. "Just a pick and shovel and a book on opal mining. We guessed he was just drifting through. We get a lot of strangers here. Somebody between jobs or with no hope of a job comes here to make a quick fortune. The blooming funny thing about it is that sometimes they do. This one didn't, or if he did, he died for it."

  "You're sure he was murdered?"

  "The police announced it was a case of death by dehydration, a case of the man not being prepared for outback conditions. But an Aboriginal tracker who helps the police told me it was no accident. There were unmistakable signs of a struggle, even though there were attempts to cover up the signs. And he says there were still drops of water in the man's water bag. A man crazed with thirst would have drained it dry."

  "How can the police be so apathetic?"

  "How much attention does the murder of a skid row bum get in New York City?" Dillon countered.

  Kelsey fell silent as the ute wove through the South Australian roads back to Dillon's dugout. She combed through both stories, looking for the connection to Jake's accident and the attempts on her life and Dillon's. "I don't get it," she admitted at last. "Why do you think those murders had anything to do with us?"

  He liked the way she said "us." It was a word he would like to hear her say again. "There may be connections, there may not be. But the two men and your father were all victims who were made to look as if they'd suffered from an accident. Jake and Fizzle Fred were both found down mine shafts. All the men were mining, and, with the exception of Jake, they were men with no one to worry about them."

  Kelsey knew Dillon was being tactful. Dillon had worried about Jake, it was true. But she suspected no one else in town would have noticed his absence. Jake had been almost as alone as the other men.

  "How does this fit with your theory that someone believes one of my father's exaggerations about the opal he'd found?"

  Dillon shrugged. "I don't know, but I have a feeling it's all connected. I just wish I knew the key." He pulled off the road in front of his house and turned off the engine. "But you've worried enough for tonight. Now you need a good sleep." He opened his door and stepped out.

  Kelsey opened her door before Dillon could come around. She walked with him to the dugout and watched as he manipulated wires. Jumbuck came forward out of the shadows and rubbed against Kelsey's bare legs, purring as he did. She squatted and rubbed his head, surprised he had volunteered such affection.

  Dillon opened the door, then turned to watch. "Trying to steal my cat?"

  "He's lonely for a woman's touch."

  Dillon could empathize. He watched as Kelsey rose, a quick motion that showed just how well-trained her body was. He caught glimpses of the black-belt Kelsey at the oddest times. The sparseness of a sudden movement, the fluid grace of a gesture, the effortless swing of her hips or shoulders. There was nothing masculine about the way her body had responded to its conditioning. Rather she was totally feminine, her sensuality enhanced because her body, and her control of it, bordered on perfection.

  Inside Kelsey turned. In subtle ways the entire evening had led up to this moment. Dillon stood back from her, his eyes giving nothing away. She was a mixture of emotions. "I guess it's time to say good-night."

  "It is getting late."

  "What are our plans for tomorrow?"

  "We'll go to the mine."

  Kelsey waited, though for what she had no clear idea. She couldn't take the lead, because she didn't know where she wanted to go. When she saw that Dillon wasn't going to move toward her, she turned away. "Then I'll see you in the morning."

  Dillon wished it were that easy. But he knew he had one more hurdle to overcome before they said their final good-night and he could retire with his regrets. "I have to check your room," he said gruffly.

  She turned back, puzzled. "My room?"

  "I have to be sure everything is all right."

  She was hurt by his tone. "I can check."

  "I won't sleep if I can't see for myself that you're going to be all right."

  She thought she heard concern mixed with something else. For a moment she wasn't certain, but then his eyes gave away his secret. They were hungry, the proverbial starving man peering in at a banquet. He wanted her, and not having her was torture. She felt suddenly humbled. And proud. "Fine," she said softly, not certain yet what she was agreeing to, but just as certain that in a few minutes she would know. "I'll come with you."

  He stopped pretending. "I'm not sure that's a good idea."

  "Neither am I." Kelsey tossed her head and started down the hall. Dillon, with no choices left, followed in silence.

  Chapter 12

  “ARE YOU GOING to get down on your hands and knees and look under the bed?"

  "I plan to, yes." As he answered Dillon didn't look at Kelsey. He'd had one glimpse of her leaning gracefully against the doorjamb, and one glimpse had been enough. He had memorized the sleek curve of her legs, the way her breasts pushed against her soft coral knit blouse, the way her hands hung relaxed by her side, just skimming her hips. He had memorized the expression on her face and wished, for the first time in his life, that he could paint. "Woman on the Threshold," he would title what would surely be a masterpiece.

  "Nothing looks disturbed."

  Dillon suspected that the only thing disturbed in the room was him. "I suspect my little trick with the wiring kept our friend out of here, but I shouldn't like to take any chances."

  "Our friend was too busy shooting at me to figure out how to break into your dugout again." Kelsey admonished herself for using the doorjamb to prop herself upright. And she couldn't delude herself into believing it was a delayed reaction to the stress of being shot at.

  Dillon knelt beside the bed and lifted the spread. "Everything looks fine. Someday soon I've got to use the carpet sweeper under here."

  "Don't worry about it. I don't plan to spend any time there."

  Dillon realized he was finished. The room was safe, and it was time for him to leave. He got to his feet and faced Kelsey. She was in the same position, and the expression on her face hadn't changed. "You'll be all right tonight."

  "Will I?" Kelsey forced herself to stop relying on the door-jamb. She stood straight, blocking the doorway. "And you, will you be all right?"

  He nodded, because he couldn't trust himself to answer that one verbally. "Can I do anything for you before I go?"

  She suspected he had just won the award for loaded question of the year. She stared at him.

  "Sunset?"

  "Do you know that no one has ever given me a nickname before?" She moved a step toward him. "I always wanted one."

  He told himself to move past her and out the doorway, joking as he did. Instead he stood perfectly still. "Sunset's the only time of day when I know I'm a believer."

  "And what do you believe in?"

  He believed in her, but the moment he told her, he knew there would be no turning back. "Triumph, I suppose. Glory."

  She stepped closer. "Then I should be proud."

  "Proud because someone's seen who you are? You're the same woman you've always been. It's just that you don't give enough of yourself to others to let them see you."

  "But I've given enough to you?"

  Not enough. Dillon knew that if he lived with her for the rest of his life, he would never have enough of her, because his need for what she had to give was insatiable. "I know you," he said simply. "It's only been days, but I know you."

  She nodded again, moving closer. "And I know you, now that I've let myself."

  "If you come any closer, you're going to know me much better."

  She paused, considering his words. "I've never been sure I could give myself to a man."

  "And no
w?"

  "This man won't hurt me."

  He prayed she was right, because this man no longer seemed to have a choice. He moved toward her until they were face to face and lifted his hands to her hair. "Stop me now," he said, his voice thick with unleashed desire. "Because there won't be any stopping in a moment."

  The warning didn't frighten her. His desire didn't frighten her. She moved into the shelter of his arms. "I don't want you to stop. I want you to start."

  He cupped her head, hungrily trailing kisses from her forehead to her cheek before he brought her mouth to his. Starting was simple, the most natural thing he had ever done in his life.

  Kelsey curved against him, parting her lips for the ritual dance of his tongue with hers. Her hands rested on his shoulders, then stroked upward along the strong column of his neck to his hair. When his lips left hers, she rubbed her cheek against the rougher texture of his as she curved closer against him.

  Dillon parted her hair and traced the delicate perfection of her ear with his lips and tongue. He could feel Kelsey's hands tighten in his hair and her body bend to his. She arched as he warmed her sensitive earlobe with his breath, then took it between his teeth and lips. She moaned in satisfaction.

  He found her lips again, already parted and moist, and he played with them, nipping, kissing, soothing, until she had moved so close that their bodies were almost one. He could feel her breasts against his chest, her hips against his, her body safely cradling the part of him that yearned to have her completely.

  As he kissed her, Kelsey explored Dillon with her fingertips, the smooth texture of his skin, the vibrant, clinging silk of his hair. Where was the voice that should be warning her of the consequences of this? Instead the only sound she heard was the beat of her heart. She grew hungrier for new sensations, the feel of his chest against her naked breasts, the weight of his body covering hers, their legs intertwined, their hearts beating together.

  As if he knew, Dillon shrugged out of his blazer, dropping it on the floor at their feet. Kelsey stroked her hands from his shoulders to the wedge of skin exposed by the open collar of his shirt. She hesitated only a second before she unbuttoned the first button, then bent to kiss the skin she'd exposed.

  Dillon's hands rested at her hips. He felt the next button give way, followed by the smooth glide of her lips against his chest. He lost count in the ecstasy of her exploration until his chest was bare and her hair was a fragrant veil over him.

  "You haven't done this before?" he asked, groaning.

  "No, I haven't." Kelsey trailed kisses along the vee of hair that ended at his throat. "You can't tell?"

  "No."

  "Good." She lifted his shirt away from his shoulders and slid it down his arms to the floor. Then she met his gaze. "That may not last."

  "Don't stop, Sunset. I'll take my chances."

  The warmth she saw reflected in his green eyes gave her the courage to continue. She stepped away and crossed her arms in front of her, lifting the hem of her blouse. For just a moment she faltered, unsure of what she would be offering him.

  Dillon saw her hesitation. "The sight of you lives in my dreams," he said softly. "I've never seen a woman as perfect."

  She lifted her eyes and let her lips curve into a smile. Then, with one swift movement, she tugged the blouse over her head, dropping it to the floor. Dillon smoothed his hands up her back and looped his fingers under the clasp of her bra. In a moment it was only a scrap of lace between them, and then it was on the floor, too. He held her away, drinking in the sight of her small breasts lifted toward him; then his hands left her shoulders to take possession.

  Kelsey felt her knees tremble. She swayed, and his arms came around her, lifting her so that her breasts flattened against his chest. She was suffused with sensations that built as he rocked against her. When she felt the button of her skirt give way under his fingers, she pressed harder against him. When she felt the skirt drop to the floor, she was grateful.

  Dillon reminded himself to go slowly, but it did no good. His desire for Kelsey had nothing to do with a long abstinence and everything to do with the woman she was. He stood back to drink in the sight of her again, glorying in the way she reached out for him.

  Her outstretched arms were the last thing he saw.

  The lights were extinguished at the same moment that a volley of gunshots shattered the windows of the sun porch. On the heels of the gunshots came the roar of an explosion.

  Dillon grabbed Kelsey and swept her to the floor, covering her with his body for protection. There was a fierce rumbling from the walls around them, and the floor shook with the blast's intensity.

  "Bloody hell." Dillon held Kelsey beneath him even though she tried to free herself.

  Dazed, Kelsey stopped struggling and lay still. The rumbling stopped after a few seconds. "Bloody hell," she repeated, after everything had become deathly quiet. Dillon didn't move, and she lifted her hands to his face. "Are you all right?"

  He wasn't sure he would ever be all right again, but he wasn't going to tell her that. Every nerve in his system was twanging from denial and shock. "I've heard of a woman making the earth move, but this is a bit absurd," he said, levering himself off her.

  "You Aussies can joke about anything, can't you?" she said, anger flaring. "You're a weird bunch, you know that?"

  But Dillon was on his feet, reaching for her. In a moment she was on hers beside him. "Find your clothes," he said, deadly serious now. "And get dressed. Then stay here until I tell you it's all right to leave the room."

  "I'm coming with you."

  "No you're not. Not until I see what happened."

  "Don't waste your breath wishing out loud." Kelsey bent down and felt for her clothing. The room was now as dark as the cave it was, and there wasn't even the glimmer of starlight to lighten it. Still searching, she heard the door open, then shut, and she softly cursed every inch of carpet until she found her skirt and blouse.

  In seconds she was out in the hall, feeling her way by pressing tightly against the wall until she came to the living room.

  "Dillon?" she called softly.

  There was no answer. She repeated his name as she edged toward the door.

  Dillon was on the porch, talking to a thin, blond stranger. Dillon held a limp parcel of fur in his arms.

  "Jumbuck!" Kelsey started toward him.

  "Watch where you step," he cautioned.

  Only then did she notice the condition of the porch. The floor was covered with shattered glass. Every window had been broken, and plants lay in disarray. Furniture was splintered, and the front door she had walked through was nothing more than a gaping hole.

  "This is Kelsey Donovan," Dillon said, introducing her to the man beside him. "Kelsey, this is my closest neighbor, Alf Sweeney."

  Kelsey nodded as Alf murmured something.

  "Alf saw a ute speeding away after the explosion."

  “Ya. A red one, the color of a bad tomato."

  Dillon stroked the cat's fur, as if somehow he could bring Jumbuck back to life. "Somebody shot out the windows and set off the explosives in the process. If I'd used a bigger charge, it might have taken part of the dugout down."

  "That's why you didn't use a bigger charge," Kelsey said, shutting her eyes and taking a deep breath. Reaction to both their aborted lovemaking and the explosion was just beginning to set in.

  "I've got some things to do in town," Dillon said.

  Kelsey looked up to see the two men exchange knowing glances. "What things?" she demanded.

  "Some things to check out."

  "I'm going with you." Kelsey reached for Jumbuck. She couldn't bear to watch Dillon stroke him any longer.

  "I want you to come," he said. He looked down at the cat. "I've got a torch in my ute I can get for you. Then you can put Jumbuck on my bed and tuck a blanket around him."

  "Dillon, he's—"

  "Unconscious," Dillon finished for her. "Most likely his head was knocked during the explosion. He may com
e to, and he may not. But he'll be suffering from shock either way. He'll need to be kept warm."

  Amazingly he was right. Kelsey could feel the slightest movement of Jumbuck's rib cage as he clung tenaciously to life. "I'll take care of him," she said.

  He started toward the ute. "Get some clothes, too. You may not be sleeping here tonight."

  She nodded, since that made perfect sense. "Have you thought about the dugout? Anyone can get in now."

  "I'll be guarding it, Miss," Alf told her. "Me and my oldest boy. With shotguns."

  "It's come to that?"

  Dillon turned, his face grim in the moonlight. "It's come to that. And more."

  They were halfway into town before Dillon spoke again. Kelsey hadn't questioned him, because she knew he would tell her where they were going when he was ready.

  "I'm taking you to Melly's." Dillon continued to look straight ahead. "She doesn't work tonight, and you'll be safe there."

  For a moment she didn't understand. "I thought we were going to try to find out who was behind all this."

  "I'm going to find out. You're going to Melly's."

  She felt betrayed. "No I'm not."

  "I won't take no for an answer. You're going."

  "What makes you think you can order me around?" Kelsey faced him, although he was still staring straight out the windshield. He didn't say a word. "Answer me!" she said. "Do you think I'm your servant now? Is that what happens when two people make love?"

  "We didn't make love," he pointed out. "And it's a bloody good thing we didn't, because if we had, you'd probably bring it up every time you didn't like something about me."

  "Nothing that happened back there gives you the right to tell me what to do!"

  "We couldn't agree more." He wrenched the wheel to the left and pulled the ute to a stop at the roadside, then turned to her. "I'll tell you what gives me the right!" He grabbed her, hauling her across his lap and pinning her arms to her sides. Then he kissed her, forcing her back against the steering wheel. Before she could think to struggle, he pushed her back to her seat. Then he started the engine again and pulled out into the road.