Englishman at Dingo Creek

by Lucy Clark

  She nodded, knowing what he said was factual and necessary. ‘We need to keep our distance.’

  ‘We do. Before things get way out of hand.’

  ‘Then I suggest you stop looking at me like that.’

  ‘Like what?’ He couldn’t break his gaze free from hers. Each was captivated by the other.

  ‘Like you want to throw this stool to the other side of the room and haul me against your body before pressing your mouth firmly over mine.’

  He groaned at her words as he fought valiantly for self-control. She was correct. Utterly and completely correct, and the idea that she could read his mind, understand his body language and the desire in his eyes should have been enough to scare him silly.

  But it didn’t—and that scared him even more. He did the only thing he knew was right in this situation. He turned and walked away.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  DANNY lay back in her bed, one hand behind her head, listening to the whir of the ceiling fan as it spun around on high, thinking about him again.

  She’d worked awfully hard during the past six days not to think of him and most of the time she succeeded—except at night. Night-time was the worst and it was starting to affect her in a big way.

  The evening they’d had nits, Sebastian had collected his suitcase and headed down the road to the pub. It had been after closing time so at least the bar hadn’t been chock-a-block full of rowdy men when he’d returned.

  Two days later, a few of the locals had offered to take him out for some proper outback barramundi fishing and although she’d desperately wanted to go with them, she took every opportunity to put more distance between herself and the man she was coming to care about far too deeply.

  They’d both put their best professional foot forward and treated each other with a politeness that made her want to scream. He avoided any physical contact with her, not that she’d gone out of her way to get it but still…things didn’t seem right. Were they wrong to fight this attraction? The attraction which just continued to grow, despite how hard they fought against it?

  He’d witnessed another outback birth, helped her fix a fractured leg and apply a cast. They’d smiled, been polite and had made so much small talk she thought she might be sick if they had to do it any more. She shook her head. ‘It isn’t right.’

  Her phone rang and although it was one o’clock in the morning, she welcomed the interruption.

  ‘Danny, it’s Bob. Get dressed. I’ll be there in two shakes of a lamb’s tail.’ With that, he disconnected the call. Something had obviously happened and she quickly pulled on some clothes and hurried down to the surgery to check her emergency medical kits.

  A toot of the horn sounded and she picked up the kits and headed for the door. Once outside, she stopped in her tracks on the verandah as she realised Sebastian was already in the vehicle. He climbed out and held the door open for her, causing her to fight the rising surge of pleasure she felt at his thoughtfulness. Not many men, actually, none that she could think of out here, possessed his natural and gentlemanly charm.

  Was that one of the reasons she was so taken with him? Was that why she found it hard to stop thinking about him? She shook her head as she buckled in, telling herself to think about it later. Bob took off, explaining the circumstances as he drove.

  ‘A tourist photographer, who got permission to enter one of the communities, was supposed to report back to the elder by seven o’clock last night.’

  ‘Let me guess,’ she said. ‘He hasn’t turned up.’

  ‘You betcha. I’ve spoken to the elder and we think it’s best to set up a search party to head off at first light to try and find the guy. The elder is getting a team together so once we get there, we can get some sleep and then head out early.’

  ‘Sounds good. Did you pack enough food? Searching is mighty hard work,’ Danny explained when Sebastian frowned a little.

  ‘Plenty, Doc.’

  ‘Then we shouldn’t have any trouble.’ Danny settled back and closed her eyes. ‘Wake me when we’re there, Bob.’

  ‘Right you are, Danny.’

  The next thing she knew was a light touch on her cheek. She smiled and turned, not opening her eyes. Yawning, she breathed in deeply and caught the now very familiar scent of Sebastian. ‘Mmm,’ she said, and, opening her eyes a bit, saw his fuzzy face slowly come into focus. ‘G’day, you gorgeous Brit.’ She reached out and brushed her fingers down his cheek, her smile one of relaxed pleasure. She shifted and it was then she realised she was partially restrained. She frowned, dropped her hand, looked down. The seat-belt strap across her body was a clear indication she was in a car. Then she remembered. Someone was missing and Bob had brought her out here.

  Correction. Bob had brought her and Sebastian out here.

  She looked back to Sebastian. He was smiling as though he knew exactly where her thoughts had been, one eyebrow raised in pure male smugness. ‘What a delightful way to start the day,’ he murmured, still enjoying her discomfort.

  Before she could move or think straight, he leaned over her and unbuckled her seat belt. She gasped in shock as their bodies touched, her skin tingling with pleasure at the contact areas. He took his time moving back, as though he wanted to prolong it.

  ‘You smell incredible,’ he murmured, and within the next instant he was gone. Danny blinked her eyes a few times, wondering whether or not she was still dreaming. She climbed from the vehicle to find Bob and Sebastian unloading the back tray.

  ‘The sooner we get this set up,’ Bob was saying as he found a comfortable spot for their swags, ‘the sooner we can get some shut-eye.’ The elder of the community came to greet them and had a quick chat with Bob. He greeted Danny like an old friend and Sebastian envied the relationship she had with the people around her. She wasn’t up on any pedestal, she wasn’t thought aloof or standoffish. She was one of them. Accepted. He was greeted politely but warily and he didn’t blame the elder one bit. In a situation as serious as this, the last thing they needed to deal with was another ‘tourist’. At least, that was the way Sebastian was made to feel.

  ‘Don’t take it personally,’ Danny said as they rolled out their swags.

  ‘Pardon?’

  ‘The elder. He’s wary of outsiders and especially tourists.’

  ‘He thinks I’m going to set the search back, doesn’t he?’

  ‘I have no idea what he thinks, Sebastian,’ she said softly. ‘I just know you should relax for now because as soon as the sun comes up we won’t be stopping until sundown, but hopefully it won’t take that long.’

  ‘What are you expecting when you find him?’

  She shrugged as she climbed beneath the covers of her swag, clothes and all. ‘A number of scenarios. Broken limbs, dehydration—they would be the most common. Snake bite, spider bite. If he was silly enough to go for a swim in the river, we may not find him at all.’

  ‘What do you mean?’ An uneasiness crept over Sebastian.

  ‘Crocs.’

  ‘Crocs? The crocodiles might have taken him?’ The thought hadn’t even occurred to him.

  ‘We don’t know, Mac. Everything from here on in is speculation but we’ll do everything we can to find him. This community has some of the best trackers around.’ She lay down and looked up at the stars. Bob was still talking to the elder and it was nice to have a few minutes by themselves.

  ‘I’ve missed you, Dannyella.’ His tone was soft and she turned to look at him. He was lying down, resting up on one elbow.

  ‘I know.’

  ‘I’ve enjoyed myself tremendously during the past week and the locals have been nothing but delightful and welcoming. I’ve also enjoyed helping out in your clinics but…’ He reached out and brushed his finger lightly down her cheek. ‘I’ve missed you.’

  She momentarily closed her eyes at the contact, knowing she had to hang onto sanity. Just for a little longer. Opening her eyes, she worked hard at not turning over and snuggling her face against his hand. Instead she
made sure her voice was steady and calm. ‘You’ll be gone tomorrow, Mac. That’s the end of it.’

  ‘You’re right.’ He slowly withdrew his hand and she felt like crying. This wasn’t what she wanted. This wasn’t what she wanted at all!

  ‘We’ve worked so hard during the past six days to keep our distance,’ she rationalised. ‘We can’t start breaking it now.’

  ‘I know.’ He sounded like a little boy deprived of his most favourite thing in the world.

  Bob came back over, telling them the plan for sunrise. ‘We’ve only got about three hours until the sun starts peeking over the horizon, so I suggest we all get some sleep,’ he instructed in his best ‘I’m in charge’ voice. Danny smiled, glad to have the momentary distraction, but all too soon her thoughts returned to Sebastian. He was lying only a few feet away from her. She could hear his breathing, she could smell his scent, she could almost feel the strong beat of his heart.

  He was everything she’d ever wanted in a man and he lived on the other side of the world. She knew it would never work—him coming to live in Australia. He might like it for a holiday but he just wouldn’t fit in. Besides, what would he do? There wasn’t enough money to support two full-time doctors for this area and she knew he wanted to do more research, more academic work.

  The other option was for her to leave here and go to England. No way, was her immediate response. She couldn’t. Even to just think of a life somewhere else made her hyperventilate and break out in a cold sweat. Besides, she had her father to consider. Her mother had walked out on him years ago and he was still hurting deep down inside. If she left…he’d have no one. She couldn’t do that to him. He’d never hold her back and would, no doubt, give her his blessing if that was what she desperately wanted…but it wasn’t.

  She desperately wanted Sebastian. Wanted him to stay…at least for a bit longer. Wanted to find out where this frightening, natural attraction would lead them. Looking up at the stars, she knew he was the perfect man for her. She loved him! She had no idea when it had come about, only that she was now slap-bang in the middle of it with nothing to do but to put him on the plane on Friday, tomorrow—her heart wrenched at the thought—and watch him fly out of her life for ever.

  Knowing she should sleep, she tried to get him out of her mind, acknowledging a few minutes later that it would never work. Instead, she embraced the fantasies her mind was wanting to explore and, closing her eyes, started to dream about a nice, quiet life together. Sebastian and herself. Out here, in the outback. Working together in the community, in the clinics, in their marriage.

  They would enjoy their evenings at the pub, relaxing with the hard-working men. They would enjoy their solitary time away, camping out beneath the stars next to her favourite billabong. They would even enjoy picking nits out of each other’s hair after every health clinic!

  Sighing, she drifted off into her wonderful dreamland where everything did work out perfectly.

  At first light, they were up and raring to go.

  ‘Temperature’s already thirty degrees,’ Danny told Sebastian, and he groaned. ‘The biggest threat today is dehydration. The last thing we need are members of the search party dehydrating so everyone is to carry their own bottle of water to drink while we’re searching.’

  ‘Understood,’ he remarked as they finished rolling up their swags, applied generous amounts of sunscreen and insect repellent as well as their hats.

  ‘You’re seriously going to wear that hat?’ she asked when he placed his bush hat on his head, the corks still dangling down. She shook her head as he just grinned at her. ‘I knew I should have cut them off the first time I’d seen them.’

  They headed over to where Bob was gathering the troops and listened as he explained the situation and where the search was going to start.

  They set off in two utility trucks and as there was only room for three people to sit in the cab section, everyone else rode in the back tray. Some sat down but most of the men stood. Sebastian found it quite amusing to see so many people crammed onto the tray, the local police officer one of them. Everyone treated Dannyella with the utmost respect and as she was the only female in the party, he found that quite interesting.

  From what the photographer, whose name was Neil Tilby, had initially told the elder, he’d planned to head in the direction of the river to take some photographs. They drove in that direction, past the fifty-metre-high gorge walls, which were weather-beaten with character, the trees and grass around lush and green due to the water in the river. Just as the ground started getting rocky, they spotted another vehicle—an abandoned one.

  They all climbed out and waited. ‘Yep. That’s the vehicle he took out here. It’s his all right,’ the community elder announced.

  ‘Right,’ Bob said. ‘We’ll split up into two teams.’ He unfolded a map of the area and marked the sections they’d search first. ‘Danny, you stay with me. Mac, you go with team two.’

  ‘Ah. Not a good idea,’ the elder said. ‘We have Rudy. He’s good with medicine things.’

  Sebastian merely shrugged. ‘I’ll go where I’m told,’ he said.

  ‘Righto, then. Sebastian stays with us.’ Bob continued on. Once they were all sorted out, they headed off.

  ‘Don’t take it personally,’ Danny said as she fell into step beside him. ‘It’s not that your medical expertise wasn’t wanted, just that—’

  ‘It’s all right, Dannyella. I understand how the elder must feel. He has no reason whatsoever to trust me.’

  ‘You’re right.’ She shrugged. ‘Rudy is good with fixing people up and usually does it for the community. They only call me in when absolutely necessary.’

  ‘That doesn’t bother you?’

  ‘Not in the slightest. I can use all the good help I can get.’

  They headed down to the river, the trackers conversing with each other in their native language. If the tourist had had any sense, he would have headed to the river to get water when necessary.

  After an hour of searching—nothing.

  Two hours—still nothing.

  The two teams kept in constant radio contact, sharing whatever information they’d gleaned. The ground along the edge of the river was rocky as well as sandy and after another hour of searching one of the trackers struck gold. A footprint in the sand.

  Bob immediately radioed the other team, giving their position so they could meet up. The trackers continued to look for footprints and Sebastian felt his excitement and anxiety mount when they found the next one.

  Now, armed with a clear direction of where Neil had been, new life seemed to flood the search party. Another set of prints indicated the man was indeed hurt.

  ‘See how the indentation of the print is heavier than the others found?’ Danny pointed out. ‘At least at this stage, the prints are heading away from the river up to the gorge wall.’

  ‘No crocs?’

  ‘It means we can almost rule out the crocs. After all, crocs are amphibious and have even been reported waddling down a main street in Darwin.’

  ‘You’re joking!’ He was astounded.

  She smiled. ‘It’s true, I swear.’

  The second team joined them and the search fanned out a bit more, covering more ground, but the rocks next to the river were now a little steeper and the noise from the rapids drowned out any calls they were making to the man.

  At midday, the heat was well above thirty degrees and Sebastian had finished his bottle of water. All he wanted was to jump into the river, clothes and all, and just cool off but there was no way he would risk it with the crocs. The heat, the humidity and the flies didn’t make for a pleasant combination but they had a job to do.

  As they were heading slightly away from the river’s edge, there was no more sand, which meant no more nice and easy to find footprints. The trackers, however, were trained to use every sense and as they sniffed the air, declaring the direction the team should take, Sebastian turned curious eyes towards Danny.

  �
��Sweat,’ she explained. ‘In this heat we all stink so they’re tracking him by the smell of his sweat.’

  ‘Wow.’ He was suitably impressed.

  A drop of blood was found but it was dry. ‘Not surprising in this heat,’ Sebastian mumbled, and Danny smiled. Still, it was a clue and it meant the man could be in a bad way.

  People were starting to get tired and hungry and when Danny offered some of her own water to Sebastian, he hesitated.

  ‘Bob has extra supplies. It’s all right.’

  Ten minutes later, another triumph occurred. A drop of sweat was found on a rock. As the tracker pointed it out, Sebastian stared in wonder. It was the minutest speck but they’d found it. As it hadn’t dried in the heat, that meant their man was somewhere close.

  Everyone began calling out and within five easy steps up some more rocks towards the gorge wall, the trackers found him. Bob radioed immediately for the flying doctor and to let his superiors know the man had been found.

  Danny went straight into doctor mode and began to assess the patient. He was unconscious, had dried blood on the side of his head, a gash across his arm and abdomen and his ankle was wrapped in some cloth.

  ‘Can you hear me?’ she called, but received no response. ‘Mac, obs. Rudy? Where’s Rudy?’ she called as she pulled on gloves and felt the man’s head. ‘Contusions. Mild concussion.’

  ‘Pupils equal and reacting to light but a little sluggish.’

  ‘Ya wanted me, Doc?’ Rudy asked as he squatted down beside her.

  ‘Take a look at his ankle and check for any other fractures, thanks, mate.’

  ‘BP is low. Pulse is thready,’ Sebastian reported.

  ‘Set up a saline IV. Everything you need is in the kit. Get a volunteer to hold the bag up for you.’

  ‘Acknowledged.’ Sebastian set to work.

  Danny tore open Neil’s shirt and checked out the gash to his abdomen. ‘He’s had a pretty nasty fall somewhere. Bob, see if the trackers can figure out which way he’s come from. Piece together what’s happened.’