by Leah Martyn
And the Christmas pine, right from the magnificent star at the top down to the simple clusters of popcorn gathered in gold net and hung with bright red ribbon, was a sight to behold.
‘Are you sure we haven’t stumbled into Aladdin’s cave by mistake?’ Liam shook his head in wonderment. ‘It’s stunning.’
Nikki swallowed the lump in her throat. ‘It certainly is…’
‘But not nearly as stunning as you,’ he declared softly. Dipping his head, he kissed her gently but thoroughly for all the world to see. ‘You take my breath away.’
‘And you take mine, Doctor.’ Nikki gave a shaky laugh, her heart cartwheeling, and she wondered whether it was possible to overdose on sheer happiness.
‘Well, aren’t you two a sight for sore eyes?’ Grace bore down on them. ‘Nikki, you look divine.’
‘Thank you, Grace,’ Nikki fluttered a hand to the aquamarine silk of her slim-line dress. ‘You look lovely, too.’
‘It’s so exciting!’ Grace almost did a little jig, her face wreathed in smiles. ‘Just everyone’s here. We’ve been waiting for you—but not long,’ she qualified. ‘Did you have an emergency?’
Liam’s eyes gleamed wickedly. ‘Not quite.’
She lent forward confidentially. ‘Do you know, the weather bureau’s predicting rain and I fancy I saw some rather promising cloud formations earlier. Wouldn’t a huge summer storm be a perfect end to the evening?’
Liam and Nikki merely exchanged a lingering smile.
‘Nikki, you look gorgeous!’ Dressed in a Christmassy-looking skirt and slinky top, Jade made her way between the tables towards them. ‘My stars!’ Her voice ran up a note. ‘Is that a Von Traska model you’re wearing?’
Nikki beamed. ‘I had it flown out especially for this evening.’
‘Hey, don’t I get a mention, too?’ Liam pretended to puff out his chest. ‘I did shave, after all.’
Jade giggled. ‘You look gorgeous, too. Black shirts on dark-haired men look very sexy. Now…’ She referred to her clipboard. ‘You’re both up here on the official table. Follow me.’
‘Jade…’ Nikki looked at Liam helplessly. ‘Why are we at the official table?’
Jade flapped a hand. ‘Because you were the driving force behind all this—especially you, Nikki. And because Fergal said so.’
Nikki’s dress dipped gracefully around her ankles as she reluctantly followed Jade. ‘This was a community effort,’ she tried to reason. ‘It wasn’t just me!’
‘Rats,’ Jade dismissed, waving them gracefully to their chairs. ‘You were the wind beneath everyone’s wings—with apologies to whoever wrote those words.’ She chuckled.
When everyone was settled, Fergal rose and called for hush. ‘This is a very special evening,’ he said, his gaze moving warmly around the gathering. ‘And I want to congratulate each and every one of you for your planning and hard work and for giving of yourselves so generously to make this a Christmas to remember.’
A muted ‘Hear, hear,’ echoed around the hall.
Fergal beamed. ‘Now, before we partake of this wonderful feast, there is one other very special announcement. Earlier this evening I was privileged to be celebrant at the remarriage of Wirilda’s medical officers, Liam Donovan and Nikki Barrett.’
Someone shrieked and then wild clapping broke out. ‘You sly dog, Liam!’ came from Baz Inall’s table.
‘How perfectly lovely,’ Grace sighed, and began dabbing her eyes. ‘And I never guessed.’
‘What about a toast, then?’ someone urged. ‘Dion? You’re good at making speeches.’
‘Just keep it short,’ a wag called from the rear of the hall.
Dion rose to her feet obligingly, congratulating the newly-weds, adding with a touch of dry humour, ‘You may or may not know, Liam insisted on donating this marvellous champagne. I’m wondering now whether he had a secret motive all along.’
That statement brought a ripple of laughter, before Dion continued, ‘Liam and Nikki have given unstintingly of themselves for this community and I know I speak on behalf of us all when I wish them every happiness for the future. So, if we could all be upstanding, and raise a toast to Liam and Nikki—the Doctors Donovan.’
‘Oh, help.’ Overflowing with emotion, Nikki held tightly to Liam’s hand. ‘Did you know this was going to happen?’ she asked.
Liam’s smile began slowly, then widened. ‘I had a fair idea Fergal was up to something.’ A brief frown touched his eyes. ‘Did you mind it was such a small wedding?’
She shook her head. ‘It was perfect. This is perfect.’ She drew her hand in an arc around the faces in the hall.
‘Ah, look like dinner’s being served.’ Liam made an elaborate show of massaging his stomach. ‘I could eat a horse.’
‘Horse isn’t on the menu as far as I know.’ Nikki sipped her champagne in an attempt to bury her giggle. ‘Are we going to have dancing later?’
‘Bound to. Someone mentioned a band.’
Much later, over coffee and dainty mince pies, Nikki asked, ‘Do you think Grace’s clouds will come to anything?’
Liam chuckled. ‘She’s hardly ever wrong.’ He leaned across and refilled their glasses. ‘And Cubby Daylight said he’d smelt rain for days now.’
‘Is that possible?’
‘Oh, yes,’ Liam said seriously. ‘Our indigenous folk have uncanny perception about things like that.’
‘How come we get to have our own bottle of champagne?’ Nikki looked at him through a haze of happiness. ‘Is it because we’re the bride and groom?’
‘Probably.’ Liam’s smile was tender. ‘Are you a tiny bit drunk, Mrs Donovan?’
She giggled, as she was meant to. ‘Drunk on happiness. I love you, Liam.’
‘I love you, too—so very much.’ He picked up his glass. ‘Shall we have another toast? A private one?’
Her mouth twitched. ‘I think we should have several.’
‘OK, you first.’
Nikki pretended to think. ‘What about to the best Christmas of our lives and to all our wonderful patients who are mostly our friends as well?’
‘I’ll drink to that. But may I add another very special one?’
‘Go on, then.’ She smiled indulgently, running the tip of one finger lightly down his shirt front.
‘To my wife, Nicola,’ he said, his voice deep and husky with emotion. ‘And to this, our new beginning.’
ISBN: 978-1-4603-5759-0
CHRISTMAS IN THE OUTBACK
First North American Publication 2003
Copyright © 2003 by Leah Martyn
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All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention.
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