Emergency Response (3 page)

Mackenzie stood to the side, her head turning from one man to the other. It was like being at the
Australian Open.
What was Nathan talking about? What had Liam tried with Kate?

“I was just giving Mackenzie what she wanted,” Liam said.

“How the hell would you know what Mackenzie wants?” Nathan’s face was flushed, his brown eyes flashing.

“How do
either
of you know what I want?” Mackenzie spluttered, but they weren’t listening, and her words fell on deaf ears. She touched Nathan’s arm, hoping to defuse the situation, but he jerked away.

Hands in his pockets, Liam rocked back on his heels with a smug look. “She told me what she wanted.”

“Yeah? And what was that?” Nathan asked.

“I’m right here,” Mackenzie said, but neither of them looked at her. “Why don’t you ask
me
what I want?”

“She wanted to be kissed. She asked for it,” Liam said.

Mackenzie let out a shocked sound. This was not going to end well.

“She asked
you
to kiss her?” Nathan asked. “I find that hard to believe.”

“That’s right,” Liam answered, folding his arms across his chest. “She asked for it, so I did! I kissed her. And I reckon she liked it too.”

All it took was one shove to wipe the look of arrogance off Liam’s face. Mackenzie gasped. Liam took a step backward but thankfully didn’t retaliate. Kate and Joel rushed over to check out the commotion. The other guests were on the dance floor, oblivious to what was happening. Mackenzie looked at Nathan and read the embarrassment on his face. Even Liam hung his head, avoiding her gaze.

“What the hell is going on?” Joel had to shout above the music, looking from his twin to his new brother-in-law.

Both men stood like sullen teenagers in front of the school principal. “Nothing,” they replied in unison.

Mackenzie wished the ground would open up and swallow her.

“It doesn’t look like nothing to me,” Kate said, hands on hips. “Nathan? Mackenzie? What happened? What’s going on?”

“Your new
brother-in-law
kissed Mackenzie last night,” Nathan said.

Puzzled, Kate looked from Liam to Mackenzie and back to Nathan. Mackenzie kept her mouth shut. No one was listening to her anyway.

“So?” Kate asked. “What’s wrong with that?”

“From what I saw, I don’t think Mackenzie wanted him to,” Nathan said.

Kate shot Mackenzie a questioning look.

“No, I didn’t want Liam to kiss me.” Mackenzie rubbed her bare arms where hundreds and thousands of goose bumps had made their appearance. “But,” she said, glaring at Nathan, “I am more than capable of telling him myself without
you
butting in. What makes you think I needed you to ride in on your white horse to save me now?”

Nathan flushed with embarrassment.

Mackenzie crossed her arms across her body. All her earlier romantic notions were in tatters. As much as she wanted Prince Charming and a happy-ever-after ending, she wasn’t the type of female who needed rescuing. Nathan Kennedy might have looked like he could play the part, but his arrogance had not won her over at all. Who did he think he was anyway, trying to speak on her behalf when he didn’t even know her? She might not be an outgoing sort of girl, but she was still able to stand up for herself.

Kate shook her head. “Really, Nath?” she asked, voicing Mackenzie’s question.

Nathan hung his head lower and didn’t answer his sister. His eyes remained downcast and it was obvious he was ashamed of his behavior. As he should be.

Kate turned to glare at Liam. “You know what, Liam? You have to stop thinking every woman finds you irresistible.” Kate looked at Mackenzie apologetically. “Sorry, Mackenzie, Liam tried something similar with me when we first met. Unfortunately, until you get to know him, he can be a real idiot and doesn’t know when he’s crossed the line.”

Kate glared at Liam and he had the decency to look remorseful. His own brother didn’t even stick up for him.

Mackenzie shrugged, trying to give the impression she didn’t care, when in reality she wanted to hightail it out of Birrangulla and run back to Sydney as quickly as possible so she’d never have to see either of these men again. She had never felt so embarrassed in her entire life. Okay, that wasn’t strictly true. She had never felt so embarrassed since the
last
wedding she’d attended.

Liam had left by the time she arrived at
Eagle’s Ridge
the next day. Mackenzie breathed a sigh of relief. Thank goodness she wouldn’t ever have to see him again. The post-wedding barbecue was a much smaller affair than the celebrations on Friday night, for which Mackenzie was grateful. Joel and Kate had only invited immediate families, along with Mackenzie and Melissa.

She saw Nathan as soon as she arrived. Tongs in hand, he stood at the barbecue turning sausages with a ridiculous frilly apron slung across his neck. If the apron wasn’t off-putting enough, the scowl on his face was enough to keep anyone away. He looked like he wasn’t going to move from his cooking spot for the rest of the day unless someone forced him. And it definitely wasn’t going to be her – she was keeping her distance and counting down the hours until she could return to Sydney.

“Did you enjoy the wedding?” Melissa asked, taking the spare seat next to Mackenzie.

“It was lovely. You all looked so beautiful. And Kate and Joel seemed to have a wonderful time.”

“But did
you
?” Melissa prodded. “Did you enjoy yourself?”

Mackenzie sighed. She’d known Melissa for a long time and there was no point lying.

“The actual service and the start of the reception was fantastic, but it all deteriorated rapidly after that.”

She explained what had happened on Friday night, and about the argument which had broken out between Liam and Nathan at the reception.

Melissa chuckled. “Oh Kenz, that’s awful for you, but you have to admit, it must have felt nice having two attractive young men fight over you. I’d take it as a compliment.”

Mackenzie shrugged and closed her eyes. She tilted her head back, enjoying the warmth of the sun on her face. Melissa was right. In the light of day, it wasn’t the worst thing to have happened in her life.

“Both of them
are
rather good-looking,” Melissa said. “And single. If I wasn’t married, I’d be throwing myself at their feet! What a shame Liam’s already gone back to Sydney, but at least Nathan’s still here. I reckon you should go and chat to him.”

Mackenzie didn’t bother opening her eyes. “I’m going to stay well clear of Nathan Kennedy. I just have to get through today without having to speak to him and then I’ll never have to see him again. You’re right, he’s sexy, he’s single and he seems like a nice guy but—”

She heard Melissa’s sharp intake of breath as she sensed the brush of someone move past her legs. She sat up in a hurry as Nathan and Emma, plates in hand, positioned themselves in the chairs opposite her. She groaned inwardly. This could be awkward. She smiled politely and Nathan returned her smile. Had he overheard what she’d just said?

Melissa stood. “Well, I’m going to go and have a chat with the happy couple,” she announced, winking at Mackenzie as she left the group.

Mackenzie closed her eyes again. If she had to, she would pretend to be asleep.

“So where exactly do you live,” she heard Emma ask Nathan.

It was hard not to eavesdrop, given she was only sitting about a meter away from him. Nathan was so close she smelled his aftershave, even over the aroma of cooked onions and burned snags.

“Iron Ridge,” he replied.

That’s right. Mackenzie remembered Kate saying something about her brother living and working somewhere in the middle of nowhere. She couldn’t remember whether it was Central Australia, Western Australia or the Northern Territory. His job had something to do with the mines – Mackenzie hadn’t paid much attention when Kate had told her, but she was pretty sure he was some sort of fly-in fly-out worker making truckloads of money.

“It’s in the Pilbara. In Western Australia,” he continued. “Have you seen the movie
Red Dog
? They reckon the dog was born in Paraburdoo back in the seventies. Paraburdoo is pretty close to Iron Ridge and they did a lot of filming in our town.”

“Really?” Emma asked. “I didn’t know that. I loved that movie. Did you know that, Mackenzie?”

Mackenzie opened her eyes, feigning ignorance. “What? Sorry, I wasn’t listening.”

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Nathan’s smile fade.

“The movie
Red Dog
,” Emma said. “Have you seen it? Nathan said it was filmed where he lives.”

“Yeah, I’ve seen it,” she answered. “It was a great movie. Gorgeous dog. Very sad ending, though.”

“It’s all right if you like chick flicks,” Nathan said, smiling at her.

“I happen to love chick flicks.
And
romantic comedies,” she said.

“Aren’t they the same thing?” he asked.

She took a breath and forced herself to relax. Although he hadn’t apologized for his behavior at the wedding reception, he was being very nice. She took the olive branch he was offering and smiled back at him.

“So where exactly is Iron Ridge?” Emma asked.

Mackenzie was glad Emma had asked the question as she didn’t want to admit her own grasp of Australian geography was rusty.

Nathan laughed at Emma but he looked at Mackenzie when he answered. “To be honest, I reckon most Australians would have a hard time pinpointing the Pilbara on a map, let alone our little town. It’s in the far west of Western Australia. Midway from top to bottom.” He drew a rough map in the dirt with the toe of his flip-flops, indicating the triangular-shaped point on the left tip of Australia.

“It’s about here,” he said, pointing to a spot on the ground.

Mackenzie wasn’t watching what he was drawing, her eyes mesmerized by his long legs. She’d admired them the day before in his suit, but in shorts, they were even more sexy, his lean muscles and fabulous tan now on display.

He stopped, as though waiting for her to say something. She shook her head to clear the crazy thoughts racing through her mind. What was it about this man? One minute she never wanted to see him again and the next she was dreaming of running her hands over his bare legs!

“Somehow I pictured it to be in the center of Australia,” she stammered. “In the desert. In the middle of nowhere.”

Nathan threw back his head and laughed. It was a distinctive, infectious laugh. “Trust me, Iron Ridge
is
the middle of nowhere!”

“How long have you lived there?” Mackenzie asked. The way he spoke of the place aroused her curiosity.

“Coming up five years.”

“Your family must miss you.”

Nathan shrugged. “I guess so. Between Mum and Kate, they’re always at me to come back home permanently. Like many of the people who live there, I do fly-in fly-out work so I’m back home regularly. Usually six weeks there then I’m back in Sydney with Mum and Dad for two.”

“What do you like about living there?” Mackenzie asked.

“I like the transient lifestyle. Each person comes carrying a dream, usually to work hard and pay off the mortgage. Plus I like the slower pace. There’s no traffic, no queues. Less stress.”

“Slower than Birrangulla?” Emma asked.

“Much slower!”

“Jeez, and I thought Birrangulla was a quiet little country town,” Emma said with a grimace and a toss of her long hair over her shoulder.

Nathan chuckled. “Birrangulla is a buzzing metropolis compared with the Ridge. There’s a day-care center, a primary school, the hospital and a shopping center. That’s about it.”

“At least there’s somewhere to shop,” Emma said, looking relieved.

“Probably not the kind of shops you have in mind though,” Nathan said. “The shopping center, if you want to call it that, is home to an IGA supermarket, the liquor store, a pharmacy and the hairdresser. That’s about it! Oh, and a post office.”

Emma’s mouth fell open. “You have
got
to be kidding me!”

Mackenzie laughed at Emma’s response. What Nathan was describing sounded perfect after the hustle and bustle of Sydney. A bit like the town she’d grown up in before she’d run away.

“Imagine Emma trying to survive in the Outback!” Nathan said, sending another smile in Mackenzie’s direction.

“Come on, that’s not fair,” Emma said with a laugh. “You hardly know me. It’s not like I’m some sort of dirt-fearing, shop-loving city chick who balks at the idea of wearing sensible shoes! I might not have grown up on a farm, but I
am
used to living in the country.”

“Well, you wouldn’t wear clothes like that in the Pilbara,” Nathan said, pointing from Emma’s crisp white linen pants and matching white shirt down to her expensive-looking heels.

Mackenzie had to admit Nathan had a point. Emma wasn’t dressed for country life. Mackenzie glanced down at her own outfit. Navy blue three-quarter-length pants, a plain cotton T-shirt and ballet flats. Everything about her outfit screamed sensible. And, if she was honest with herself, a bit boring. Emma might not look like she was dressed for the Outback, but at least she looked fashionable. Maybe Mackenzie should take a leaf out of the younger woman’s book.

“Why wouldn’t I dress like this?” Emma asked.

“Two words. Red. Dirt. It gets into everything. It doesn’t matter how often you clean, everything is covered in a thin layer of red dust. You should see the grout on the white tiles in my bathroom – it goes orange if I leave it too long,” Nathan said.

“Ugh. It sounds dreadful,” Emma said, shaking her head and screwing up her face. She stood to leave. “I don’t know how you can live there.”

“Well, I guess sometimes the isolation gets to you. When a thousand-kilometer return trip to the next big town to do some shopping is the highlight of your week, you know it’s time for a break. As I said, I fly out regularly to see what the rest of Australia is up to.”

“Tell me about your job,” Mackenzie said after Emma wandered off. “I can’t imagine what it must be like working in a rural community without all the resources we have in the city.”

Nathan spoke briefly about his job, but he didn’t sound overly enthusiastic about his actual role. It seemed to Mackenzie whatever it was he did, it was simply a means to an end. When he started talking about the issues of health care in the Outback, Mackenzie’s ears pricked up. The more he spoke, the more something sparked inside her. Perhaps remote area nursing was something she should consider.

“What happens if people get sick?” she asked.

“It’s not easy. There’s only one doctor who’s not always on duty, one paramedic, a handful of nurses and the volunteer St John Ambulance officers. If you get sick, they send you out to Port Hedland, Karratha or Perth. Thank goodness for the Flying Doctors, that’s all I can say.”

“Have you ever had to use them?”

“No, not personally.”

“Why do you do it?” Something about the way he’d spoken so dispassionately about his work made her question his motives. Was he hiding something? Why else would he live on the other side of the country, away from his family, when he obviously cared so deeply for them?

“What?” he asked.

“Work out there.” She tilted her head and stared at him through narrowed eyes. “Somehow I don’t think you do it just for the money.”

He looked at her intently for a brief moment before shaking his head. “Actually, it
is
for the money. I guess you might say I’m saving up for my future.”

That made sense. He’d struck her as the kind of guy who would have big plans and visions for his future. She sat forward in her seat. “So what’s your big dream? What are you saving up for?”

“Honestly?” Nathan shrugged and slumped back in his seat. “I have no idea. I think I’m having some sort of mid-life crisis. I’m thirty-five and still don’t know what I want to do with the rest of my life. It’s hard because although my parents are great, I’m sure they expected me to make something of my life, like Kate has.”

Mackenzie frowned. “Have they said as much?”

He shook his head vigorously. “No, not at all. But I’m sure they must be wondering when I’m going to grow up and settle down.”

By “settling down” did he mean getting married and having kids? That’s certainly what it meant to her.

“What did you study at university then?” She assumed he would have gone straight to university after school.

“Would you believe I did a teaching degree?” He looked at her as though expecting her to think it was some kind of joke and laugh at him.

“Actually, yes,” Mackenzie replied. “I reckon you’d be a great teacher.” And she meant it.

His face clouded. “I wouldn’t know. I couldn’t get a job once I finished, so I packed my bags and took off for the UK. I thought I’d find a teaching job over there, but ended up only being able to get work in pubs. I did that for over ten years before moving to Iron Ridge and have never taught a single day in my life.”

Mackenzie raised one eyebrow. “So why don’t you apply for a teaching position now? Surely there must be a job somewhere in the country.”

“I doubt that I could. It’s been well almost fifteen years since I trained and because I’ve never taught, no one would give me a job.”

“But you don’t know that for sure,” Mackenzie said. “Maybe you should apply for something.”

The look he gave her made her back off a bit. Had she hit a raw nerve? Or did she sound like his mother? She changed tack. “So do you really
like
living in the middle of nowhere?”

His face lit up. “Absolutely. I love it. The Ridge has become my home. You know,” he said, leaning forward again, “the best thing about living in the Pilbara is the people. They’re like family. You know everyone, and they know you.” He paused and gave a chuckle. “And everything
about
you too!”

“It sounds kind of perfect to me,” Mackenzie said, voicing her earlier thoughts.

She knew exactly what Nathan was describing. A long time ago she’d experienced that same sense of community – where people knew everything about each other and looked out for one another. Where people cared for one another.

She pushed the distant memories aside and reflected on her current life in Sydney. Mackenzie loved nursing but she was in a rut. The reality was, most of her work colleagues were merely that – colleagues – some of them probably didn’t even know her last name. Her flatmate was simply someone she shared a house with – hardly a close friend. Sydney was great, but she couldn’t see herself living there forever. She’d been there fifteen years already and some days it felt longer than a life sentence. The alternative was moving back to her hometown, which was never going to happen. Too much water had passed under that bridge.