by Lucy Clark
Danny couldn’t speak. She was stunned.
‘I want to lighten your workload. I want to work alongside you. I want to be there, with you, every step of the way.’
‘I…Uh…Wow!’
‘You said it. And with the medical students, Dannyella, if we get one medical student every year who falls in love with the outback and decides to practise in the outback, the strain and stress on all outback doctors will hopefully decrease over time.’
The excitement was there. In his eyes, in his voice, in his entire body. He was alive again and he was here—with her.
Danny quickly thought everything through. The students could stay at the pub. Maisy would love fussing over them. They could learn how to adapt things to the outback way and hopefully locums like the one who had looked after Maisy, might have more knowledge to help them cope better.
‘It has merit,’ she said finally.
‘You’re going to let me do it?’
‘Do you need my blessing?’
‘Actually, it’s all completely organised but I had expected a bit more of a fight from you. After all, this is your territory. Your township, your family and friends. I thought you might get offended. Think I was implying you couldn’t cope.’
‘Well, you were right on that score, Mac. I would have been offended, only a very close friend, not so long ago, pointed out that I wasn’t really living. I was merely existing.’ She gazed into his eyes and whispered, ‘I don’t want to do that any more. I want to live…with you. You complete me, Mac.’
‘You took the words right out of my mouth.’ He bent his head and kissed her again, long, slow and fulfilling. ‘So you’re happy with the arrangements?’ His tone was husky and Danny wrapped her arms tighter around his neck.
‘I’m never letting you go,’ she mumbled against his neck. Then she gasped and pulled back to look at him. ‘What about your mother?’
He grimaced. ‘My ears are still burning from her tirade but she’ll settle down…in time.’
‘Are you sure? I don’t want to be the cause of bad feelings between you and your mother.’
‘It’s not you who has caused the bad feelings, Dannyella. You’ve liberated me and I intend to spend the rest of my life thanking you.’
She raised an eyebrow. ‘Really? I’m sure I could get used to that but, Sebastian, are you one hundred per cent positive this is what you want?’
‘With all my heart.’
‘But what if you get…tired of the outback in a few years’ time? What if the isolation gets to you?’
‘Like it did to your mother?’ He smiled tenderly at her. ‘I love this place, Dannyella. It’s got into my blood and I’m happy here. You are definitely a bonus but I chose to come here—to the outback—because here I’m alive. I want to be alive with you—for the rest of my life. Trust me, Dannyella. Trust my love.’
She breathed an enormous sigh of relief, feeling her final doubts fade away. Sebastian would be with her for ever. Her mother had thought the outback wild and romantic and within a month or two had realised it was the opposite. Mac was different and that was very evident in the plans he’d made.
‘Yes.’ He let her go.
‘Close your eyes.’
‘Why?’
‘Just do it, Dannyella.’
‘OK.’ She did as she was told. She listened. He was rummaging around in his backpack. ‘Come on. What’s taking so long?’
‘Keep still. I’m going to put something on your head.’
‘Is it alive?’
‘No.’
‘Good.’ He placed the object on her head. ‘Feels like a hat to me.’
‘Open your eyes.’
She did and burst out laughing. ‘Corks!’ Thankfully, he had already shifted the one directly in front of her eyes and placed it up on the brim.
‘Your very own. I know you’ve been secretly coveting mine.’
‘Now we match.’
‘Well…almost.’ He lowered the string in front of her eyes and Danny gasped in surprise. Instead of a cork on the end of the string, he’d tied a solitaire diamond engagement ring in its place.
‘Will you marry me, Dannyella?’ Again his words were simple, honest and heartfelt.
Tears welled in her eyes and she bit her lower lip. Taking a breath, she tapped at the ring, making it swing to and fro. ‘Well, if I don’t, this thing will really poke my eye out.’
‘Can’t have that, can we?’ He smiled at her.
‘Of course I’ll marry you, Mac. I love you.’
‘Excellent,’ was all he said, a silly but proud grin on his lips. Then, as though he was unable to contain his joy, Sebastian picked her up and started to twirl her around. ‘I can’t believe how happy I am.’
Danny laughed. ‘Put me down before this ring really does do some damage.’
He did as she’d suggested and then untied the ring from the hat. ‘Sure?’ he asked as he slid it onto her finger.
‘Absolutely, mate.’
ISBN: 978-1-4603-5742-2
ENGLISHMAN AT DINGO CREEK
First North American Publication 2003
Copyright © 2003 by Lucy Clark
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