by Lucy Clark
‘Our country?’ Bluey asked.
‘Why else would he be here, you drongo?’ The words were spoken by the young woman with the laughing blue eyes. She sauntered up to stand next to them, beer in her hand, and Sebastian felt a ripple of pleasure pass through him at her still being around. ‘Er…drongo means you’re a bit slow-witted,’ she added, remembering the need to translate.
‘Sometimes it can mean you’re being a jerk,’ Bluey added, sulking a bit.
‘Well, I didn’t mean it in that context.’ The woman smiled sweetly at her friend. It was amazing. Right before his eyes, Sebastian watched as Bluey all but softened into putty at one look from this woman. Who was she and did she have this effect on all men? Was he in danger here?
He raised the glass to his lips and looked down at her. She wasn’t too short either, about five feet eight or nine, but compared to his own six feet three she was considerably smaller. ‘I don’t believe we’ve been properly introduced. I mean, you’ve played a practical joke on me—’
‘I said I was sorry,’ she insisted, and he smiled.
‘Feeling guilty?’
‘A little—yes. I had no idea you’d been flying since this morning. I thought you’d left Heartfield yesterday and were doing the trip up here in two days.’ Danny had to admit she was annoyingly impressed with Sebastian and the way he’d slipped easily into the throng of locals. She’d expected the teasing about his shorts to have put him offside, but instead he’d smiled and joined right in.
‘You know a lot about my itinerary.’ He frowned.
‘It’s my job.’
He supposed if she was the town’s taxi person then it made sense she knew about it. ‘My hosts in Heartfield invited me to stay an extra night. If I’d known what type of travelling awaited me, I probably would have reconsidered.’
Typical, Danny thought. Most city slickers couldn’t stand the distance factor of the outback. Even in Dingo Creek, they really were in the middle of nowhere. It would be interesting to see how Sebastian coped with that.
‘Hindsight,’ Bluey said, and nodded. ‘I had that happen to me once.’
The woman laughed and patted Bluey on the shoulder. ‘Good for you, mate. So…’ she returned her attention to Sebastian ‘…how are Halley and Max?’
‘You know them?’
‘Sure.’ She shrugged. ‘There’s only around nineteen million people in this country—spread out over seven and a half million square kilometres. Why wouldn’t I know them?’
‘Are you…taking the mickey again?’
She laughed. Oh, he was smooth! ‘Kind of. I met Max years ago through a mutual friend.’
Sebastian nodded. ‘I met Halley a while back when she was travelling through England, evaluating hospitals.’
‘Was she the one who set you up to come here?’
‘She suggested it.’
Some of the blokes started shouting in the corner and in the next instant the crack of a fist connecting with a jaw was heard.
‘Oh, damn,’ she said crossly as she put her beer down on the bar and stormed in the direction of the fight. The last thing she needed right now was to set a broken jaw. The blokes were gathering around their mates who were fighting, egging them on. Danny started to push through and felt someone grab her arm.
‘Where are you going?’ Sebastian asked in amazement.
‘To break them up before they do permanent damage. Not only to themselves but to the bar as well.’ She shook her arm free but he held her back again.
‘You can’t break them up, you might get hurt.’
‘It’s OK. I can hold my own.’ She winked at him before twisting out of his grip and pushing through the throng. ‘Break it up,’ she yelled.
Sebastian shook his head as the men seemed to part like the Red Sea to let her through.
‘I said break it up,’ she yelled again.
Sebastian’s eyes grew wide with surprise as she pushed her way between the two fighting men. Both were about his height and carried a lot more weight in front. Solid, well-built men, and she simply stood between them, one hand on each of their chests. Who was she? Taxi driver? Barmaid? Bouncer?
Her hat came off, and where he’d previously thought her hair short, he found he was wrong. It tumbled down in wavy, brown curls to settle around her shoulders. Not tight artificial curls but soft and bouncy. They suited her. Made her appear more…feminine.
‘That’s enough,’ she retorted, sounding far from feminine.
Both men seemed to calm down, but in the next instant one took a swipe at the other. The woman glared at him before clenching her own fist and punching the guy on the arm. ‘I said that was enough. Now, sit down, both of you.’
Sebastian couldn’t believe it. This woman seemed to have no fear—none whatsoever.
They stared at her in stunned stupidity. ‘Sit down,’ she said more forcefully. ‘And don’t move.’ She glared at them both before storming from the room, the rest of the patrons getting quickly out of her way. She returned a few moments later carrying a large first-aid box which looked like a toolkit. She set it down on the table between the men and opened the lid.
‘What on earth would your wives think of this behaviour?’ she chastised them as she wrenched open a bottle of antiseptic. Sebastian knew he should probably help her but he was simply stunned by what was happening. Besides, she seemed to have the situation well in hand.
‘You’re both as bad as you were ten years ago. When are you going to grow up?’
‘Aw, come on, Da—Ow. That stuff hurts,’ one man wailed as she dabbed the split skin on the side of his jaw with the antiseptic.
‘Well, whose fault is that?’
‘Come on, Doc,’ the other man said. ‘Give us a break.’
Sebastian stared at her in amazement. ‘You’re the doctor?’
CHAPTER TWO
‘YES. Give me a hand, will you?’
‘Ow, Danny.’ The man pulled away from her.
‘You’ll get no sympathy from me, mate.’
Sebastian, still trying to come to terms with the fact that this woman was the doctor, headed over to the other man and looked at his wounds. ‘What on earth were you two fighting about any way?’ Danny asked, and they both shrugged. ‘Figures. No more drink for you two tonight. Leave your trucks here and get someone to drive you home. You’ve obviously had enough.’
‘But—’
‘I’d listen to her, mate,’ another man said. Sebastian glanced up to see the newcomer was dressed in a khaki police officer’s uniform. He guessed him to be in his late fifties yet he appeared very fit and healthy.
‘OK, Sarge,’ they both replied meekly.
‘G’day, Bob,’ Maisy called from the bar, and waved at the cop. ‘I’ve got your usual here for you.’
‘Right you are, Maisy. Holler if you need a hand, Danny.’
‘Thanks, Bob, but I think Sebastian and I can cope.’
‘Yeah—g’day,’ Bob said, offering his hand to Sebastian. Sebastian shook it quickly before swabbing his patient’s knuckles with antiseptic. ‘You’re the Brit here doing some sort of research. Bob Fuller. Welcome to Dingo Creek.’
‘Sebastian MacKenzie. Thank you. It’s been…’ Sebastian let his gaze stray over to where his medical colleague had almost finished with her patient ‘…an education.’
‘Bob,’ Maisy called in a sing-song voice. ‘Ya beer’s gettin’ warm, lovey.’
‘Comin’, Maise. See you ’round, Mac.’
Mac? No one had ever called him Mac before.
‘They’re sweet on each other,’ Danny explained as she finished with her patient and told him to go on home.
‘Who?’
‘Maisy and Bob.’
‘But she told me she wasn’t looking for another husband.’
‘Why look when she’s already found him?’ Danny asked rhetorically with a shrug. She turned her attention to the man she’d hit. ‘Now for you.’ She checked his arm and he winced.
‘Ow, Doc. You’ve got a mean right hook.’
‘Necessary for survival out here,’ she joked. ‘You seem OK to me.’ She looked him over and nodded with satisfaction. ‘You’ll do. Now, get out of here.’
‘Yes, Danny,’ he replied meekly. ‘Thanks, Mac.’ He nodded at Sebastian and headed out.
Sebastian slumped down into the chair the man had just vacated. ‘A…different sort of introduction, wouldn’t you say? Why didn’t you tell me who you were?’
She shrugged. ‘Would you have believed me?’
A slow smile tugged at his lips. ‘You could have tried.’
‘You were just so…’
‘Hot? Tired?’
‘Pompous.’
He raised an eyebrow. ‘Pompous?’
‘Yeah.’
‘So that’s the reason why you couldn’t resist…taking the mickey?’
Danny chuckled, her eyes lighting up with mischief. ‘You should have seen the look on your face. You were completely knocked off balance. It was great.’
He stood and smiled down at her. ‘Glad you enjoyed it.’ He took a step closer and Danny felt butterflies dance around in her stomach at his nearness. She was powerless to break her gaze free and as she breathed in, the scent of him—soap and shampoo, mixed faintly with sweat—was a heady combination.
His gaze flicked from her eyes down to her lips and back again, and her heartbeat doubled its rhythm. He leaned closer, his arm stretching out as he placed the bottle of antiseptic on the table behind her, his shoulder brushing against hers. Danny gasped at the contact before quickly clearing her throat. Her gaze was riveted on him.
Now who’s the one knocked off balance? they seemed to question. She finally looked away and glanced down at the ground, her hair falling softly across her face. She shuffled her work boots on the floor and shook her head slightly, trying to get control of the unfamiliar emotions he’d evoked with just one simple touch, not to mention the way his gaze had burned into her. Talk about hot—and it had nothing to do with the weather outside.
Clearing her throat again, she lifted her head and brushed her hair back from her face. ‘So…I guess we should discuss what’s going to happen for the next two weeks.’
Sebastian raised an eyebrow. ‘You mean regarding my research?’
Danny’s eyes went even wider and he enjoyed the sensation. ‘What else is there?’ Her voice cracked on the last word. Was he flirting with her? She glanced surreptitiously at him for another second, unable to decide. ‘I’ll just get my beer,’ she said, and headed off.
‘Would you collect mine, too?’ he called, and she raised her hand in acknowledgement but couldn’t look back. She collected her hat off the floor as she went, winding her hair up and securing it in place by putting her hat back on her head. There. Now she felt comfortable. Now she felt like herself.
‘So the game’s up, eh?’ Maisy asked as Danny collected the two beer glasses still sitting on the bar.
‘Huh?’
‘Mac—he knows who you are now.’
Danny smiled, not only because the joke was over but also at the way the word ‘Mac’ rolled neatly off Maisy’s tongue. ‘Yeah.’
‘Well, ya had him going for a while, lovey.’
‘That I did. Well, I’d better get back. We have a lot to discuss.’
‘Right you are, lovey. Oh, Bob, Bob…’ Maisy called as she headed down to where the police officer was sipping at his beer. Danny smiled at her friend. Maisy was the closest thing she had to a mother—a surrogate mother—and she was glad to see her finding romance yet again.
Taking a deep, steadying breath, Danny headed back through the crowd to where Sebastian sat. He’d packed up her medical kit and placed it on the floor beneath the table.
‘Here you go…Mac.’ She handed him his beer.
The teasing glint was back in her eyes and he smiled. ‘Taking the mickey again?’
‘Not really.’ She sat down. ‘Just wondering how you feel about the nickname.’
He shrugged. ‘I’ve been called worse.’
‘But never “Mac” before, eh?’
‘No. I can’t say I have.’
‘Well, you should be honoured. Out here, everyone has a nickname. If your name is short, it gets lengthened—if it’s long, it gets shortened.’
‘Like…Danny?’
She laughed. ‘Yes. It’s spelt with a “y” and is short for Dannyella.’
‘Dannyella.’ The way he said her name made it seem like a cherished caress. He looked at her for a long moment before nodding. ‘It suits you.’
‘Sometimes I get “Thomo” because of my surname, but that nickname is reserved mainly for my dad, and then other times it’s just “Doc” but either way it’s a sign of affection that says you’re accepted by the locals.’ She was babbling and she wasn’t quite sure how to stop. She hadn’t babbled like this since tenth grade when William Bourke had asked her to the high school dance.
‘So I should feel honoured,’ he stated.
‘Exactly.’ It was happening again. She could feel the butterflies starting to dance once more and she frowned, trying to control them.
‘Something wrong?’
‘No.’ She took a sip of her beer. ‘The next two weeks.’
‘Right.’
‘I have clinics, house calls, as well as the ever-present paperwork to attend to.’
‘Not to mention bar-room brawls to break up.’
She smiled. ‘Absolutely.’
‘Tell me something, Dannyella…’ Sebastian leaned forward a little, lowering his tone a notch. The rich deepness of his voice washed over her and she waited almost breathlessly to hear what he had to say. ‘Do you always punch people when they don’t listen to you?’
She sat back in her chair, the tension easing as she put a bit more distance between them. ‘Step out of line and I guess you’ll find out,’ she remarked. Keep it light, she told herself. Light and friendly, and the two weeks will just fly by. He’ll be out of here before you know it and life will go back to its usual pace, minus the irratic thump-thump of her heart, which was happening every time this man looked at her.
‘What time do you start tomorrow?’
‘Depends what time I get to bed tonight,’ she replied, and as his eyebrows rose yet again she realised how her words might have been misconstrued. ‘I mean, it depends on what happens between now and when I go to bed…um…’ She was digging herself in deeper. She took another sip of her beer. ‘Emergencies,’ she said, after swallowing. ‘There could be an emergency.’ She shifted in her chair and realised he was enjoying her discomfort.
‘So, tomorrow?’
Danny nodded. ‘I’ll be here for breakfast so I’ll give you a holler.’
‘I presume that means “call”.’
‘Got it in one.’ She stood and so did he. It was a polite gesture and she presumed this was how he’d been raised. When a woman rose from the table, he stood, too. Danny eyed him suspiciously for a second before shrugging and draining her beer.
Sebastian didn’t miss the opportunity to sneak another quick look at her body—and her gorgeous legs. She placed her glass back on the table and he met her gaze once more. She grinned at him, the same maddening grin he’d first seen on her face when he’d arrived. She was back in teasing mode. ‘Ya’re right zippy pickin’ up the lingo, Mac,’ she drawled in that twangy accent. ‘We’ll make a fair dinkum cobber out of you yet, mate.’ She pulled her keys from her shorts pocket. ‘Catch ya!’
Her teasing mood was contagious and Sebastian couldn’t resist a bit of olde-worlde charm to counteract her Australianisms. Before she could blink, he’d taken her free hand in his and raised it to his lips. Her skin was soft and smooth and although the kiss was brief, he didn’t miss the quick spark of excitement in her blue eyes. ‘Sleep well, Dannyella,’ he murmured.
His deep voice stirred a chord within her and she was unable to look away. She gazed at him, trying desperately to control the sensations he’d
evoked at one simple touch. Her entire body seemed to be covered with tiny goose-bumps which had begun at the contact site before spreading up her arm and exploding over her entire body.
The light-hearted mood she’d worked hard to create had vanished into thin air, and as he lingered a fraction of a second longer than necessary, his gaze melding with hers, she knew something important was happening between them. A connection of some sort. It was a moment in time and the raucous sounds of the bar and people surrounding them seemed to have disappeared completely. It was as though only the two of them existed.
Get a grip, Danny, she told herself sternly, and forced her legs to take a step away. ‘I need some sleep.’
Sebastian nodded. ‘Likewise.’
‘See you later.’
‘Sleep well,’ he reiterated, and she smiled, desperate to get them back onto a more even footing.
‘In this heat?’ She chuckled and shook her head. ‘You’ve got to be kidding, mate.’ With that, she turned and walked out of the bar.
Sebastian sat down and sipped his beer thoughtfully. What had possessed him to kiss her hand in that way? He’d only meant to tease her a little but it had backfired dramatically. He exhaled slowly and raked a hand through his hair before taking another sip of his drink. The liquid had a completely different taste to the beer back home and he found after another mouthful that he didn’t dislike it. He’d had quite a few ‘firsts’ today.
First time he’d had someone vomit on him.
First time he’d been in such a stinking hot climate.
First time he’d tasted Australian beer.
First time he’d been knocked sideways by pressing a simple kiss on a woman’s hand.
Dannyella Thompson. He shook his head again and finished his drink. He may as well go and get another one because until the bar was clear of people, Sebastian doubted he’d get any sleep.
‘Sebastian?’ Danny said in a hushed whisper after she’d knocked on the door of his room. Her stomach had tied itself in knots as she’d walked through the deserted bar. Her palms had started to perspire as she’d climbed the worn wooden stairs. Her heart was now beating double time as she knocked once again on his door.