A path opened up through the crowd and someone patted him on the back as he passed.
“Good on you, mate.”
“She’s a great girl, doc.”
And then he was clear of the last table. Ahead of him, Amy stood in front of the black-covered desk, her dress a rich red beneath her pale face. He stopped in front of her, waiting to hear if she would listen to him, if he might have a chance to show her how much she meant to him. But first, he had to see to a patient. “Where’s the emergency?”
Mike leaned over the desk and pointed at Amy. “Here, doc.”
“Amy? Are you hurt?” It didn’t make sense but he ran a professional gaze over her. Nothing jumped out at him, other than her beautiful hazel green eyes.
“Did you mean it?”
“Amy, bizarre as it sounds after what you saw, I swear Sharyn means nothing to me. Tess fetched me to look at her friend’s ankle.”
“I see.”
“I think it was a set up by Sharyn.”
From the security of Mike’s arms, Tess piped up. “It was a set up, doc. I didn’t know she meant to do anything. Honest.”
“Okay.” Amy wasn’t giving away anything, but at least she was here, and she was listening to him.
“She claimed to need help standing and grabbed me. You arrived and saw—”
“Her in your arms.”
“Oh, God, Amy, it’s Gosford all over again. Only this time, I might lose the most precious thing of all.”
“Dan, did you know Sharyn’s radio mike was on?”
“No, it wasn’t. I turned her off before Tess called me to help.”
Mike leaned forward, and Dan finally processed the fact he was standing in front of the control console. “Sorry, doc, guess I accidentally turned her mike on. Heard every bitchy word she said.”
“You heard—everything?”
“Everything.” Tension radiated off Amy. “Why did you say—what you said?”
“I wanted to make it absolutely clear to Sharyn that my attention is firmly fixed elsewhere. On a blonde bombshell who flies through storms and out the other side and with whom I am madly, desperately in love. But I don’t want to scare her away by telling her until she’s had time to decide whether she wants to go public with me.”
“Too late for that, Dan. You told the whole of Mt. Isa.” Amy’s gaze held his.
“So—what would you say?” He took her hand and ran his thumb across her knuckles.
She tightened her hold. “Tell me to my face this time.”
“I don’t care if everyone knows it. I love you, Amy.”
“Then let’s show them how it’s done.” Amy slipped into his arms and raised her face to his. Her lips were soft and sweet and there was a promise in her kiss that filled him with joy.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) provides a huge array of services and peace of mind to many in the vast country that is Australia. Originally based in Cloncurry before it moved to Mt Isa, it is an essential part of health services in outback Australia where the tyranny of distance makes a quick trip to the doctor impossible.
I hope you have enjoyed Just One Kiss, book one of Hearts of the Outback. Reviews help other readers decide whether to try a book, or an author new to them. I would greatly appreciate it if you have time to leave even a short review on any platform. Thank you.
Coming late February 2016 – Book 2 in Hearts of the Outback
Read Chapter One of Lizzy and Alex’s story.
Book 2 –Hearts of the Outback
Chapter One
Lizzy Wilmot looked at the congregation assembled to farewell her brother. In spite of having grown up in separate households after the death of their mother, a twinge of sadness for her brother and the man he might have been brought a lump to her throat. While not many people remembered she and Jeb were siblings, still she hadn’t expected so many people at his funeral. Under the circumstances and with the police investigation ongoing and all that.
Beside her, Donna, her sister-in-law rocked her two-month-old son and dabbed her eyes with a soggy tissue. “I don’t know why I’m so teary after the way Jeb abused me but I can’t seem to stop crying.”
“Hormones. And no matter what Jeb did, it’s tragic his mental health issues led him to take his life.”
“I did love him, once.” Donna’s tissue fell to pieces and she reached one-handed for her handbag.
Lizzy held her arms out to take her nephew while Donna searched in her handbag for more tissues. At eight weeks of age, Daniel Campbell was the most beautiful baby she’d seen. And if she had anything to do with it, he’d grow up like his brave mother and avoid the abusive behaviour common to the Campbell men. “You’ve got nothing to be sorry about, Donna. Jeb behaved appallingly to you. Don’t forget, both you and Dan might have died if not for the Flying Doctor.”
Fresh tears welled in Donna’s eyes. “The thought of anything happening to Dan scares me witless. I don’t want to go back to the property.”
“Too many bad memories? I know what you mean. I’ll be happy if I never see that place again.” Goosebumps traipsed down her spine. The last time she’d been at the homestead, her brother had trained a gun on the doctor and pilot who had responded to Donna’s radio call, while Donna lay screaming in childbirth. If not for Dr. Dan Middleton, Lizzy doubted either Donna or young Dan would be here today. No wonder Donna had named her son for the Flying Doctor.
“Hey, Donna, how are you doing?” Amy Alistair, the RFDS pilot who had flown Lizzy’s sister-in-law in during her labour, squeezed Donna’s shoulder and kissed her cheek before turning to Lizzy. “How’s young Dan? He’s grown a lot.”
“He sure has. Hey, can you sit with Donna? There’s someone I’ve got to see.” Handing Dan to Amy for a cuddle, Lizzy slipped along the side aisle towards the double glass doors.
“Mr. Padstoke?”
The stooped, grey-haired lawyer stepped out of the line of people coming into the chapel and joined her in the space between the glass door and a plaster column.
“I received a message you wanted to see me as soon as possible?” he said before he held her hand between both of his. “My condolences on the loss of your brother, Ms. Wilmot. I didn’t mean today. It’s a difficult time for your family. Could you call into my office at your earliest convenience? Would two o’clock tomorrow afternoon suit?”
“I can be there. I assume this is to do with my brother’s will. Does my sister-in-law need to come too?”
“Ah, perhaps it might be—easier if we discussed things without her.”
Lizzy frowned but Doctor Dan, after whom her nephew was named, entered and waited behind Mr. Padstoke. Jeb’s will could wait. The business of today was to bury her brother.
##
“Elizabeth Wilmot to see Mr. Padstoke.” Lizzy smiled at the receptionist and turned to take a seat.
“Ms. Wilmot, please come straight through. He’s expecting you.”
She followed the trendily dressed thirty-something woman down a corridor and waited while she knocked on the end door. “Ms. Wilmot is here.”
Lizzy stepped into the office and Mr. Padstoke came around his desk to shake her hand. “Thank you for making the time to see me. I’m sure you have a lot to do but time constraints make it imperative we talk with you as soon as possible. May I introduce Alex Carter.”
Dressed in a dark grey suit and burgundy tie, Carter’s white shirt contrasted with his olive skin. Dark brown eyes fringed by thick lashes widened as their gazes met and a spike of sexual chemistry punched through Lizzy’s body with the force of a tsunami. His face was too angular to be handsome but an aura of power surrounded him.
Momentarily deprived of speech, Lizzy held out her hand. Despite the warmth of his hand as he shook hers, and the flare of sexual awareness in his eyes, there was something cold and hard about him.His mouth was set in a tight line. Beautiful but cold, it looked as if it had been chiselled by a sculptor.
A f
risson of fear ran down her spine. Squaring her shoulders, she raised her chin. “How do you do, Mr. Carter?”
“Ms. Wilmot. It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m sorry for your loss.” His voice was a rich baritone and it reached inside warming her like a Cognac on a cold night.
He waited until she was seated before taking the seat next to her.
“I thought this meeting was about my brother’s will. How do you fit into the picture?”
“A straight talker. Good. What we have to discuss comes directly as a consequence of your brother’s will. How much do you know about it?”
“Nothing. We were not—close.”
Mr. Padstoke drew a document from the yellow manilla folder on his desk. “I have a copy of Jeb’s will for you to take away and study at leisure. There are provisions in there for his widow and son, although of course he had no idea if would have a son or a daughter when he wrote it. But there is one section in particular that demands urgent attention. It’s to do with the responsibilities attached to ownership of the family property.”
“Didn’t he leave it to his wife and child? ‘Craeborn’ has always passed to the eldest son.” Lizzy struggled to understand why she was the one talking with the solicitor about inheritance. As emotional as Donna was, it would be hers to make decisions about for her son.
“Inheritance rights aren’t written in stone. I suspect there is a great deal we don’t know about Jeb but one thing is certain; he hated the his wife’s family and would do anything to ensure ‘Craeborn’ didn’t fall into Tait hands.”
“I don’t understand. Donna is a Tait and he married her. How can you say he hated her family?”
“Perhaps your sister-in-law can shed light on that for you. What I can tell you is that Jebediah made provision for his wife and child, but ‘Craeborn’ does not form part of their inheritance.”
“Then who inherits it?”
“You, my dear. ‘Craeborn’ passes to you.”
About the Author
Born and raised in Toowoomba, Susanne is an Australian author of contemporary and suspense romances set in exciting and often exotic locations, and rural romance set in Australia. She adores travel with her husband, both at home and overseas, and weaves stories around the settings and people she encounters.
Her heroes have to be pretty special to live up to her real life hero. He saved her life then married her.
Susanne is a member of the RWA and was a finalist in their 2011 Emerald Award. She placed third in the 2015 Pan Macmillan short story competition with Chez Romeo. Mentoring aspiring writers, and working as a freelance editor keeps her off the street! She loves connecting with readers and fellow writers.
More Books by Susanne Bellamy
Second Chance Love (Aust store) amzn.to/1FEJyx4
Second Chance Love (A Bindarra Creek Romance) bit.ly/1O5ngaN
Second Chance Café – Four Short Stories by Susanne Bellamy, Elizabeth Ellen Carter, Noelle Clark and Abbie Jackson bit.ly/1QlViZl
Sunny with a Chance or Romance amzn.to/1Cmy9jM
One Night in Tuscany amzn.to/1dKLyX6
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bit.ly/1ynJsTZ
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You can find her at the following:
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Website: http://www.susannebellamy.com/
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Just One Kiss (Hearts of the Outback Book 1) Page 12