Call On Me (9 page)

Lori
grinned.

“And you can
stop that,” Ghost told her.

He walked
beside Matt as they exited the office to find Ali had returned to
the van and was sitting waiting for him.

“The footy game
still on for tonight?” Matt asked as they separated at the
bowsers.

“Hell yeah.
Can’t wait to see your team get thrashed.”

“You’ll be
weeping into your beer.”

They separated
at the bowsers, Matt returning to the ambulance while Ghost hopped
into the panel van.

Ali was still
smiling as she handed the iced coffee to Ghost.

He took a
mouthful before placing it in the drink holder and starting the
van. Putting it into gear, he pulled out of the service station.
“So,” he began conversationally. “New bloke in town, huh?”

“Yep.”

“You seemed to
be getting on all right with him.”

“Name’s Chris
Smith, new mechanic working at the servo, new to town, just bought
a place nearby. The Mason’s old house, in fact. Two sisters living
in the city, Mum and Dad retired and caravanning around Australia.
No pets.” She glanced sideways at him. “Catholic.”

“Oooh, could be
a problem there,” he replied.

“How so?”

“You’re
Anglican.”

“I think we can
work around it.”

He mulled that
over for several seconds. “Going on a date?”

“He did ask me,
yes,” she answered.

“Don’t tell me
you agreed.”

She turned her
head to look at him. “I did. Why not?”

“He’s new to
town, you don’t know him.”

“I will know
him after a date.”

A spike of
concern went through him. “Please tell me you’re taking your own
car.”

“I’m not a
complete drongo, Ghost. I’m meeting him at the restaurant for a
meal.”

“Wise move,” he
approved. Lots of people, her own car, and no chance of getting
dumped anywhere or being at the mercy of a man she didn’t know.
“Take your mobile.”

“Yes, Dad.”

He shot her a
glance. “Home by ten.”

“Sure.
Not.”

“No messing
around in the back seat.”

“Can we borrow
your van, then?”

“Yeah, about
that. Not happening.”

She
laughed.

Dropping her
off at home, Ghost carried the empty esky inside for her, waiting
until she locked the security screen before he went home.

Once inside he
was met with five furry felines all demanding an early morning
snack because it had been
hours
since they’d last been fed
and they were starving to death.

“Lying little
hounds,” he told them as they followed him into the kitchen. “It’s
only three in the morning.” But he nevertheless refilled their
biscuit bowls, refusing to cave under Mauve’s reproachful gaze to
get them tinned food.

Pulling a bag
of frozen ‘roo meat from the freezer, he placed it in a bowl and
shut it in the pantry to thaw out for their dinner that night. If
he dared leave it on the sink, Max would have it dragged across the
floor and up the stairs within the hour and likely stash it under
Ghost’s bed, which would be downright nasty when it thawed out
completely and went undiscovered for a time. It wouldn’t be the
first time it had happened.

Going upstairs,
Ghost showered and pulled on a pair of boxers. Padding across the
carpet to his desk, he turned on the computer and sat down. Pulling
a notebook from the drawer, he started jotting down notes from his
impressions of the night, as well as some ideas he’d come up with
while talking to Matt.

Millie wandered
in to jump up onto the desk and eye the notepad. As soon as Ghost
stopped writing and pushed it aside, she flopped onto it and closed
her eyes, purring happily. Giving her an indulgent under-the-chin
rub, Ghost leaned back in the chair and glanced out the window at
his neighbour’s house.

The light was
on in the backyard and he could see Ali standing outside, the
smaller shadow of Minx in the garden. Obviously the old cat wanted
a last walk in the garden before going to bed.

Then Ghost did
a double-take at a sudden realisation. It was three in the morning
and Ali was standing outside in a thin nightgown. A very thin
nightgown. The light behind her showed the outline of her lush
curves in tantalising peeks.

Good God, the
woman shouldn’t be outside dressed like that! In fact, she
shouldn’t be out at all, not alone at this time of the morning. Who
knew what perverts lurked around? Not that anyone had ever actually
come to any harm in the small town, but still, a woman dressed in
nothing but a thin nightgown shouldn’t be parading around in it in
her backyard.

Bounding out of
the chair, Ghost ran down the stairs, across the hall and into the
kitchen, flinging open the back door and running down into the back
yard. Crossing to the fence, he placed his hands on the top of it
and pulled himself up, bracing his hands on the fence as he looked
around at the now empty Mackay yard. Ali had gone inside, the click
of the door lock audible on the night air, the back light switched
off, leaving him hanging onto the fence in the dark.

Dropping back
onto the ground, Ghost shook his head. He’d have to have a chat to
her about her safety, and he’d have to include Lori in that talk if
she did the same thing. Odd, he’d never noticed it before, mainly
because both sisters usually went out together if it was a late
night, this was the first time he’d ever seen one of them out there
alone and it wasn’t something he liked. True, they lived in a small
town, but anything could happen, especially when strangers came and
went.

Like Chris
Smith, who no doubt knew exactly where Ali lived.

Yep, he was
going to have a chat to her this afternoon when they’d all be out
of bed.

Turning around,
he went back into the house.

~*~

Matt was coming
over at five to watch the footy game and bringing the pizzas with
him. Ghost checked the ‘fridge. Light beers and Coke were nice and
cold and everything was ready. The furry horde were scoffing down
‘roo meat and all was right with the world.

Time to have
that little chat with Ali. No doubt she wouldn’t welcome it, but he
was sure he could do it diplomatically.

Going out the
back, he easily jumped the fence and crossed the grass to the
veranda. Up the steps, a quick knock on the door and he opened it
and walked inside. The kitchen was empty. “Ali? Lori? You girls up
yet?”

Ali walked in
seconds later. “I’m here. What’s wrong?”

His gaze
skimmed over her. Good God, the woman was dressed in the same thin
nightgown. The light behind her from the hallway outlined those
same lush curves and if the material had been a little thinner,
he’d have seen a lot more than just curves outlined. “Ali!” He
almost barked her name.

“What?” Drawing
on an equally thin dressing gown, she yawned.

“This.” He
waved his hand at her then the door. “That.”

Brows raised,
she looked from him to the door and back.

“You’re in your
nightie with the door unlocked,” he stated, more than a little
annoyed.

“So?”

“Look, I wasn’t
going to be so blunt about it but obviously you need it. I saw you
in the early hours of this morning.”

“So?” Puzzled,
she crossed to the sink, picking up a glass and placing it under
the tap as she turned it on. “We were out at the pond. Of course
you saw me.”

“I mean out in
the yard.”

“You were
spying on me?”

“No. I got a
glimpse of you and…” He took a deep breath, not sure why he was so
annoyed. “Look, I could see right through your nightie.”

For several
seconds she stared at him. “So?”

“Ali, I could
see
through
your nightie.”

Her cheeks
flushed a little but she refused to look away. “That bothers you?
So don’t look.”

This was harder
than he’d thought. “It didn’t bother me, but-”

“So what’s the
point?” Taking a sip of water, she watched him closely over the rim
of the glass. Her green eyes had darkened a little, a sure
indication that she, in turn, was getting a little annoyed.

“Look, you were
alone in the backyard in the early hours of the morning, no one
home to help you if you needed it, in a see-through nightie for any
pervert to ogle.”

“Such as you?”
she replied a trifle tartly.

“What? No.” He
thrust one hand through his hair, dislodging a strand of hair to
irritatingly flop across his brow. “I’m saying you need to be more
careful.”

“I’m not an
idiot, Ty.” She placed the glass on the sink with a decided clink.
“Anything else you want to pick on while you’re at it?”

“No. And I’m
not picking, I’m just trying to advise you.”

Her eyes
narrowed. “Well don’t. I’m a grown-up, not a fifteen year old.”

“I never
said-”

“And I have to
get ready for a date, so if you don’t mind.” She stalked from the
kitchen.

Great, he’d
handled that without a shred of diplomacy. He wasn’t even quite
sure where he’d gone wrong. Probably in trying to tell Ali instead
of Lori. Lori could be reasoned with, Ali, however, was a whole
other ball game. Not to mention the fact that Ali was not a morning
person and seeing as how she’d gone to bed in the early hours of
the morning, four thirty in the afternoon was kind of like morning
for her, so not a wise time to confront her and try to give a
friendly warning. You’d think after all these years he could have
remembered that. Now she was mad at him.

With a sigh, he
strode from the kitchen into the hallway. “Ali?”

“Go away.” Her
voice came from her bedroom.

The door was
open. He rolled his eyes. “Look, I’m sorry, okay?”

“I doubt it.”
Her head poked around the corner as she scowled at him. “You never
say what you don’t mean.”

“Okay. I’m
sorry, then, at how it sounded.” Hands in his pockets, he rocked
backwards and forwards on his heels.

“You sounded
like an opinionated jerk.” Her head vanished.

He didn’t think
so, in fact, he totally disagreed. “I’m just concerned.”

“And that’s
really sweet, but you didn’t have to be an arse about it.”

“I was not an
arse.” He watched Minx come out of Lori’s bedroom and meander into
Ali’s. “Where’s your sister?”

“Why? You want
to pick on her as well?” Ali strode out of her bedroom to the
bathroom across the hall.

“No, of course
not.” Hmmm, she was wearing a red dress with a low-cut bodice. From
what he could see, her breasts were amplified by some kind of bra
that made them sit higher.

They didn’t sit
naturally that high, that much he knew. He’d seen her in bathers,
though granted she’d always been careful to wear a towel draped
around her overly generous hips. But her breasts, yes, he’d seen
them threatening to spill out of the top of bathers. They
weren’t
as high as they were now in the dress. She was
wearing some kind of magic bra.

He preferred
her natural. Heavy and tear shaped, just the way a woman was
supposed to be, not high enough to make his eyes water.

Except she
wasn’t out to impress him, but to impress…“Are you getting ready
for a date with John Brown?”

Eyes narrowed,
she walked back out of the bathroom. “That’s Chris Smith, and yes I
am.” Walking up to him, she turned her back and held up her heavy
hair with one hand. “Can you zip me up, please? Bloody thing is
caught.”

“Great, now I’m
a lady’s maid?” Grabbing the zipper, he tugged. It was caught and
he bent down to watch closely as he wrestled the silky
material.

Now he could
see the back of her bra. Holy Hannah, it was black as sin. And
lacy. He’d seen her bras on the clothesline, of course. Big, lacy,
and in a variety of colours, but he’d never actually been up and
personal with them. He couldn’t help but brush a fingertip against
the bra strap. Yep, silky.

“Are you done
yet?” She queried, trying to look back over her shoulder.

Ghost shook his
head. “Not yet.” Bloody material. Slipping his hand between the
material and her back, he pulled it away a little so he didn’t
catch her skin as he tugged again on the zipper.

That light,
fresh scent she’d worn the previous night rose from her warm skin
to swirl through his senses and he breathed it in deeply. Nice.
Very nice. Her skin was as silky against his fingers as her dress,
and with the material pulled a little way from her body he could
see the beginnings of the curve of her hips, rising out from the
small of her back into the graceful, ample curves of her
bottom.

An unaccustomed
warmth went through Ghost. He wondered if her curves were soft.
Well, he knew they were, he’d had her snugged up against him many
times over the years as they ghost hunted, he’d hugged her on
birthdays and special occasions, he’d kissed her cheek and the top
of her head, but he’d never actually thought about it. Never
thought about the warmth of her skin, the softness of her curves,
the-

“For crying out
loud, Ghost, what are you doing?”

“Nothing.” More
than a little flustered at his own wayward thoughts, Ghost tugged
the zipper and up it went, closing off the sight of all that white,
soft skin.

Before he could
straighten, she spun around. “Thanks. Took you long…enough…” She
trailed to a halt.

Ghost was
nose-to-nose with her breasts, those same big breasts pushed up in
one of those magical bras, the tips of them almost brushing his
nose. Straightening slowly, he had a good eyeful of an ample
cleavage and an equally good nose-full of that damned scent that
had his senses swimming.

Still
straightening, his gaze took in her throat, the graceful arch of it
as she moved her head back to meet his gaze as he straightened to
his full height until he was looking down at her.