Hope Echoes

by Shannon Curtis

  He shook his head. He wouldn’t be able to commission one for that purpose. He frowned. ‘Why?’

  She looked down at the dash. ‘Because Brayden Terrance is dead—a fourteen-year-old boy who was a friend of mine, and who should have been safe on my property,’ she said. ‘Because someone came on my property in the middle of the night and thought he could hit me. Because someone was making drugs on my property … and because you think I had something to do with it.’

  The last was said so quietly, but he heard her pain, the hurt that was laced with anger. He regretted causing that, but honestly, he still couldn’t rule her out. Not factually, anyway, with a logical explanation for his commander that wasn’t ‘I feel it in my gut’.

  ‘I have to do my job, Jac,’ he said, just as quietly. She nodded, but her lips pressed together.

  ‘So, let’s do it,’ she said, lifting her chin toward the gate. ‘Hop out and open the gate.’

  He sighed, then undid his seatbelt and climbed out of the cab. He fumbled with the latch—it looked like it hadn’t been touched in years. He had to press against the gate and give it a shove, using his shoulder and hip for added force. He grimaced when he heard the cotton of his shirt tear, felt the give in the fabric, as he pushed the gate open.

  He glanced at the ripped shirt and dirty trousers as Jac drove through, a smirk on her face.

  ‘City clothes, mate,’ she called through the open window. ‘They don’t hold up on a farm.’

  ‘You just want to tear my clothes off me,’ he retorted as he closed the gate and climbed back in the truck.

  ‘Don’t flatter yourself,’ she sniggered.

  Four hours later they were sitting on the tailgate of her ute with Ray flopped out between them. Jacinta handed Mac a bottle of water from the esky that was tied in at the end of the tray, right next to her toolbox. She always stocked it up after breakfast. You never wanted to get stuck out somewhere without water. She poured a little into her hand and offered it to Ray, repeating the process until he had drunk what he was interested in.

  ‘Thanks,’ Mac said, lifting the bottle.

  She nodded, then tilted her head back to sip from her bottle. The water wasn’t cold, but was still refreshing enough after what they’d been doing.

  She lowered the bottle and eyed Mac. His white shirt looked filthy. So did his pants for that matter. God, she hoped those shoes weren’t expensive.

  ‘Okay, so that’s George done, Harry, and Sherry. Dick was blown to kingdom come, so that just leaves Tom, Brandy and Ginny.’ She counted the tunnels off on her hands, juggling her bottle of water as she did so.

  ‘I need to call in to the station,’ Mac said, holding up his mobile and moving it around. ‘But I don’t have service.’

  ‘You can use my satellite phone,’ Jac offered, jumping off the tailgate and walking back to the cab. She reached into the centre console and grabbed the satellite phone from the charging port connected to the cigarette lighter, disconnected the cord, then walked back to hand him the phone.

  ‘Ta.’ He keyed in a number, and then held the phone to his ear.

  Jac clicked her tongue, and Ray sat up, then jumped down as she stepped away from the vehicle to give Mac some privacy. She walked a little bit, and Ray trotted along beside her, sniffing around some of the silver cassia before heading over to flop down in the shade of a mulga tree.

  She heard Mac swear lightly behind her, and turned. He grimaced. ‘Dad’s been trying to call me.’

  Jac shrugged. ‘So call him back.’

  ‘Nah. I know what he wants to talk about. I’ll leave it until I get back to town.’

  ‘Why, Macarthur Phillip Hudson, are you avoiding your old man?’

  He grimaced. ‘One of his mates was brought in the other night, and I may have had something to do with charges being laid against him.’

  ‘Um-mah. Bet Uncle Pip isn’t happy about that,’ she said. Mac’s parents ran the Echo Springs Hotel, and she knew Pip Hudson well enough to know he was staunchly loyal to his friends—her father included—and woe betide anyone who messed with them. Including his police detective son, apparently.

  ‘I don’t have the luxury of applying the law when and where I feel like it,’ he said. ‘If you break the law, I have to uphold it. Dad’s mate broke the law.’ Mac shrugged, as though the logic was simple and obvious, and it was—for someone who was as black and white as Mac.

  ‘But you can use some discretion, right? Like letting someone off with a warning as opposed to a ticket...?’

  He arched an eyebrow. ‘Are you planning on speeding into town?’ He held out the sat phone to her.

  She smiled, shaking her head as she took it off him. ‘You know what I mean.’

  He leaned back against the tailgate and braced his arms either side of his lean hips, his broad shoulders rolling slightly forward with the movement. ‘Sure, but if we’re talking drunk driving, or even drug manufacturing,’ he said, gesturing to the landscape, ‘I have to investigate. I can’t turn a blind eye, no matter how much folks might want me to. I live in this community, and I want to make it safe for those I care about.’

  There was something in his voice, a resignation that gave her pause.

  ‘It must be hard when you have to police your friends and family,’ she said slowly. For the first time she tried to put herself in his shoes.

  ‘Part and parcel of being a country cop in your own community,’ he said, dipping his head.

  ‘I never really considered what your job must be like, sometimes...,’ she admitted. She couldn’t imagine what it might be like, the things he’d see. She occasionally got the local paper when she was in town, and would read various stories about so-and-so being arrested, or such-and-such a crime being committed, but had never once really thought that it would be Mac having to do that unpleasant job of arresting people he knew, maybe even liked.

  He winced. ‘The worst was when I had to give my mum a ticket.’

  Her eyes rounded. ‘You didn’t. Aunty Daph?’ she gasped.

  ‘Yep. Speeding. When I was a constable.’

  ‘You gave your own mother a ticket,’ Jacinta repeated, shaking her head, shock and amusement warring with each other until amusement one. She tried to bite back a smile.

  ‘What was I supposed to do? I had Sarge in the squad car with me,’ he said, raising his hands, palms up.

  ‘Man, I bet it sucked to be you that night at the dinner table.’

  ‘Tell me about it. I ended up having to go to the Cooee for a meat pie,’ he said, referring to the Echo Springs pub.

  She chuckled, and Mac smiled reluctantly. He looked more relaxed when he smiled. Younger. As though for a moment he could discard the weight of his job.

  She sobered. ‘I guess—I guess I can understand why you would think ... what you did,’ she said quietly. She didn’t want to put his suspicions into words again, it still made her angry, but ... ‘I suppose if I found out there was a drug lab on my friend’s property, I’d be a little suss about it too.’ She shifted to stand in front of him. ‘For the record, you’re wrong, by the way. And I’m. Going. To. Prove. It.’ She prodded him gently in the chest to emphasise each word. She noticed there was very little give beneath her touch, his skin firmly muscled beneath the fabric of his shirt.

  He shifted, relaxing his thighs slightly so that she now stood in between them.

  ‘And just how do you expect to do that?’ he asked silkily.

  She realised they were standing close to each other. Really close. Despite the day’s heat, the tramping over hills and down through gullies, she could still smell traces of his aftershave, all mixed with a musky scent that was pleasant and ... sexy? Gawd, she must have it bad. Any other guy, and sweat smelled like, well, sweat. Mac, on the other hand, smelled wickedly delicious. And the heat coming off him...

  ‘I’m going to find out who is behind it,’ she told him airily, hands on her waist.

  His gaze went from challenging to serious, and he gras
ped her hips gently, pulling her forward until his gaze was on level with hers. She was tall, and she knew he was tall, but this close, this quiet and still, she was beginning to get a sense of how powerful and all-encompassing his presence was. Her heart started to pound a little faster in her chest.

  ‘Be careful, Jac. These guys are dangerous. If you see anything, you call me. Don’t approach them.’

  His green eyes were steady, resolute. He was so damned concerned, and if she’d only admit it to herself, his worry made her worry.

  ‘What do you know that I don’t?’ she asked in a low voice, focusing on his gaze. He blinked, and his expression became shuttered.

  ‘You know I can’t discuss that with you,’ he said, his voice low.

  She frowned. ‘Why?’

  ‘Because you’re still—’. He bit the words off. ‘Because I’m a cop investigating illegal activity on your property,’ he told her.

  ‘You still think I’m involved?’ she said, a little louder than she meant to. She’d been half-joking before. ‘Damn it, what do you think I’m doing out here?’ After all the time they’d spent together that day, inspecting as many mines as they had, he still thought she could be party to this drug operation. ‘Why would I invite you to search my property with me if I was guilty?’ She tried to step back from him, but his grip tightened on the belt loops of her jeans, preventing her from retreating.

  ‘Hey, I have to do my job. You could be leading me on a wild goose chase, dragging me away from where the action is, for all I know. I have to be objective.’

  Oh. Wow. ‘Screw you,’ she said, shoving against his chest, breaking his hold. ‘You know me better than that,’ she said, holding up a finger at him. ‘I have never had anything to do with that rot, and never given you reason to think I have.’ She pivoted on her foot toward the front of the vehicle. She was tempted to let him bloody well walk—

  His hand grabbed her arm, pulling her back as he rose from the tray. His face was tight with fury. ‘Do you think I like this? Do you think this is easy for me? I wish this hadn’t happened, or if it had to, that it happened anywhere but here. I don’t have the luxury of telling my sergeant or the public prosecutor that she’s okay, I know her, she wouldn’t do this. I’d be replaced in less than a heartbeat.’

  Damn it. Every single time he voiced his suspicions, it hit her like a barb.

  She stepped closer, her chin jutting forward. ‘You said it the other day—you’re like a stand-in big brother. You know me that well. Do you honestly think I would let drugs onto my property?’

  ‘I’m not here as a big brother, Jac—’

  ‘No, I get it. You’re here as a cop—’

  ‘I’m here...’ he said, his voice hard with frustration. He gazed down at her face, his green eyes dark and stormy with anger, but something in her eyes arrested him, and he stared at her intently. ‘I’m here,’ he murmured huskily, and dipped his head.

  Chapter Eight

  Mac pressed his lips against hers, felt her swift intake of breath, and then her lips relaxed against his. He opened his mouth wider, deepening the kiss. Her hands came to rest on his chest, and he slid his arms around her slender waist, pulling her gently to him.

  She moaned softly against him, and his heart thudded at the sound. Her hands started to slide up toward his neck. She tasted delicious, all honeyed warmth and fiery spice. Something thudded into his hip, and Ray started barking excitedly as he jumped around them.

  He lifted his head, surprised at what he’d done. That so wasn’t planned. Judging by Jacinta’s stunned expression, she hadn’t expected it, either. Ray jumped up again, as though wanting to join in the play.

  Play. Yeah, he’d like to play with Jac, but not in a way that was at all childish or innocent.

  He swallowed as he stepped back. ‘I’m—’

  Sorry. The word tripped on his tongue. It was the polite thing to say, after kissing a woman when she had no idea it was coming, but for the life of him, he couldn’t quite get the word out. He wasn’t sorry. Hell, he wanted to go back for more.

  With Jamie’s kid sister.

  Bloody hell.

  ‘Uh, no, it’s ... fine,’ Jacinta said, although her expression looked confused. Well, he could relate. It’s just that she’d had this look in her eyes, this hurt, this vulnerability that he knew he’d put there...

  And yeah. That kiss was all about offering moral support. Completely platonic.

  Not.

  She jerked her thumb toward the car. ‘We should, uh, get going.’

  ‘Yeah.’ Before he did something stupid, like kiss her again.

  And again.

  They had to pass each other to walk around to their doors, and did an awkward little two-step. He halted, and gestured with his arm. ‘After you.’

  She pasted a smile on her face and skirted around him, then strode along to the driver’s door.

  He closed his eyes and shook his head. Gone was the easy conversation, the occasional teasing from before. Had he made it awkward?

  The car started up, and he heard the grate of an awkward gear change. Of course it was bloody awkward.

  He sighed, opened his eyes, and walked around to the passenger side.

  The entire trip back to the house was ... torture. Mac mentally berated himself. He was a cop. He had a job to do, and at the moment Jac was part of that job. He had no business kissing her.

  Getting involved with a suspect was ... bloody stupid. He had to figure out what was going on, and Jacinta would be exonerated—or incriminated.

  She was younger than him. Oh, not that much younger, but sometimes he felt so old, so cynical, and she... well, she still seemed so... young, so trusting.

  And she was Jamie’s sister. His mate wouldn’t be happy to know Mac had hit on his kid sister.

  He straightened. Ah, crap. She was seeing Nielsen. Okay, so they seemed to have a special relationship if Nielsen knew her nocturnal habits but she didn’t consider herself his girlfriend. He slid his gaze toward her. He hadn’t realised she was so open and free with her intimate relationships.

  Not that he was being critical—that would make him the ultimate hypocrite, what with his own track record.

  But he realised he didn’t know very much about Jac and her relationships. She’d gone off to boarding school in North Sydney, and he and Jamie had been sent off to a boarding school in Campbelltown, just outside of Sydney. Neither of them had attended the local school, like Leila Mayne and the Terrances.

  Jac pulled into the yard and stopped the car.

  ‘Uh, look, Jac—’

  ‘Hey, Jac!’

  Mac frowned as Scott Nielsen strode out of the larger maintenance shed.

  ‘Scott. Did you get the goods?’

  Jac had climbed out of the car before Mac could say anything else. Mac followed, but at a slower pace.

  ‘Yeah. I’ll do the job tomorrow,’ Scott answered.

  She lifted her hand. ‘No, I’ll head out now and do it.’

  Scott frowned. ‘What’s the rush?’

  The screen door slammed, and Mac turned to see Tom walk out onto the veranda.

  ‘I’d like to do it ASAP,’ Jac said. ‘I’m going out to check some of the fences tomorrow, so I’d prefer to do it now.’ She put her hands on her hips, and Mac noticed she’d crossed her fingers. He realised his body shielded her from her father’s eyes, and that Scott couldn’t see her hands.

  Almost despite himself, his lips quirked. She still crossed her fingers when she was telling fibs. It was adorable.

  And not something a detective should find at all cute in a suspect when she was being deceitful. He cleared his throat, and Jac glanced over her shoulder, and immediately folded her arms at his meaningful glance.

  ‘We’ll take your truck,’ she called out to Scott, then started to walk off.

  ‘I’ll be back tomorrow morning,’ he told her, and she halted, her expression surprised.

  ‘Oh? I thought—’ She broke off, but her
cheeks grew heated, and he would have loved to know what thoughts were running through her head to give her such a warm, rosy hue.

  He grinned. ‘I need to just clarify a few details.’

  ‘Oh. Well, I’ll be heading out early,’ she said to him, as though to discourage him.

  ‘How early?’

  ‘Seven,’ she said straight away.

  He managed to keep the smile on his face. ‘I’ll see you at six forty-five, then.’

  He’d have to get up at sparrow’s fart to do it, but he’d be there.

  Jac’s jaw worked, as though she was talking and didn’t realise her voice wasn’t working. She eventually closed her mouth and nodded.

  Mac watched as she strode off with the station manager toward another vehicle in the yard, his eyes narrowed. Then he turned and found Tom giving him a similar look.

  ‘Need to clarify things, huh?’

  Mac nodded. ‘Yes, sir.’ If she’d talk with him. At this rate, it might be a very quiet excursion.

  ‘You just spent half the day with my daughter, and didn’t get things clarified enough?’

  He glanced over his shoulder as the other ute pulled out of the yard. ‘Not nearly enough.’

  Tom glanced between him and the car, then nodded. ‘See you tomorrow, then. I’ll let Marion know you’ll be here for breakfast.’

  ‘I heard,’ Marion sang out from inside the house.

  ‘Of course she heard,’ Tom muttered. ‘She’s got ears like a bat.’

  ‘I heard that, too.’

  Mac’s lips twitched as he started to walk back toward his car, but halted when he heard Tom call his name. He turned.

  ‘I’d suggest you dress down for the occasion,’ Tom said, pointing to Mac’s ripped shirt, and then sauntered back into the house.

  Mac grimaced as he fingered the ripped fabric. He liked this shirt.

  He’d kissed her. Jac drove the spike into the ground and twisted it deeper.

  ‘Are you all right, Jac?’ Scott asked, curious as he watched her attack the sensor she was spearing into the ground.

  ‘Fine,’ she muttered. She stood back to check her handiwork. A little to the left. She jerked her chin to the one she’d already placed on the opposite side of the track. ‘Can you get behind that one so we can make sure they’re lining up?’