Outback Flames: Australian Rural Romantic Suspense (2 page)

Chapter Two

Zoe was lucky to score a job at
the age of fifteen helping with the cooking, and whatever needed doing at the
cattle property next to her aunt's, although weekends and nights were never something
she'd recall as pleasant.

Zoe had worked
hard, learned all she could and moved on to become a jillaroo. Now she had the
qualifications and the hands-on experience to run a cattle station, thanks to
Thomas and Lily Patterson.

After years of
being brainwashed, of thinking she owed her aunt for raising her, Zoe had paid
her dues and she'd walked away without even as much as a backward glance.

She'd returned
to Montagreen to rebuild a past she had no idea about. Although her parents
weren't around, she had to cling onto the hope that someday her memory might
return.

Her mind
wandered back to Jordan. He wore denim jeans and a dark blue t-shirt stretched
over a wide, muscular chest that sent goosebumps prickling over her flesh. He
would have been a wild stallion in his younger days. The slow curve of his
smile set a dimple to the left of his cheek, and along with his loose-legged
walk, any woman would experience an undeniable attraction.

She had
checked out his left hand ring finger. He wore no wedding band, but most
carpenters found it far too dangerous to wear jewellery. She huffed into the
air. Even if he wasn't married, she wasn't going there.

After leaving
the cafe she passed by a restaurant and the local pharmacy. Farther up on the
corner sat the local pub, with two storeys and wide, intricate verandas. It
adorned the small town, almost as a monument, appearing as though it had stood
for years. She continued up the street, smiling at a few passers-by and noticed
three utes parked in the street.

Zoe glanced at
the note in her hand. Sergeant McPherson was the town's police officer as well
as the solicitor. She'd looked up the names of solicitors before leaving her
aunt's property near Tamworth. Mr McPherson was the only solicitor listed.
After giving him a ring, her suspicions were confirmed. He held the deeds to
her parents’ property. He wanted to ask her questions, but she didn't have time
to chat, not wanting her aunt to catch her on the phone. Zoe promised Mr
McPherson she'd have that chat when she arrived.  

After arriving
at the address scrawled on the top of the note, she stepped up three rough
concrete steps into a small office with a reception desk directly ahead. As she
approached the desk, a young woman glanced up.

'May I help
you?'

'My name is
Zoe Montgomery,' she said, coming to a stop in front of the desk. 'I have an
appointment to see Mr McPherson.'

'Oh. I'm
sorry. He's still away and won't be back for at least a few more weeks. He said
to apologise and give you...' She searched around in front of her and held up a
large envelope. 'This. I don't know what's in it, but he said it's what you'd
be coming in for.'

The girl
passed the envelope over the reception desk toward Zoe. 'There you go. Um...I
guess it's you.' She smiled. 'Who else would walk in and ask for an envelope in
your name?'

Zoe's lips
thinned and her heartbeat raced.

'Thank you.'

'If you'd like
to see Mr McPherson, I can organise an appointment for when he returns.'

'I think
everything I need for the time being will be in here. If not, I'll give you a
call. Thank you.'

Zoe left the
office as disappointment rode over her heart. She’d hoped to speak to someone
about her parents and about that night but gathered there would be many people in
Munna who could fill her in on the missing slots in her mind. She stepped out
onto the footpath and stared at the envelope in her hand. It contained the
deeds to a place where she once lived, a place in another lifetime.  

 The rumble of
a vehicle caught her attention. She turned slowly as a police vehicle pulled
into the kerb beside her. Fear shot through her, and her heartbeat knocked out
an alarming thud against her chest. Had her aunt found her and sent the police
looking for her? Impossible. Her stomach plummeted, and she looked round before
refocussing on the police vehicle.

Her aunt
didn't have any idea where she'd headed and she didn't have any hold over her,
not anymore. She hadn't for years. So what was troubling her? She took a
nervous swallow, and adjusted her balance when a tall thin man about thirty
stepped from the vehicle and walked around the front end of the car. He took
off his hat, revealing sandy coloured hair.

'Miss
Montgomery, Zoe Montgomery?'

'Yes, that's
me.'

'I'm Constable
Matthew Berry. Most people call me Matt. I'd like you to come with me to the
station if you don't mind?'

Her stomach
dipped. 'Why?'

 He squinted,
looked closer. 'Some of the townsfolk have reported that you've returned.'

'Meaning?'

He seemed
agitated, but that didn't mean she was going to go with the man.

'I need a good
reason to go with you.'

'I need a
statement.'

Zoe's eyes
widened and she shook her head. 'Regarding what?' Something was gouging a damn
big hole in her stomach.

'I wasn't in
town the night of the fire so I don't know much about that night. Don't you
know you've been listed as missing for fifteen years?'

A sinking
feeling drip-fed into her legs. Her lips parted with disbelief.

'Are you all
right?' Her reached out, grabbed her elbow, helping to steady her balance.

'Missing?' How
could she be missing? Her forehead creased with concern. How could she have
been missing when her aunt raised her? And no one came looking for her that's
for sure. Her aunt had said she was her only living relative, and that meant
sole carer. What had she been up to?

Surely the
Pattersons next door to her aunt’s would have known if she was doing something
illegal? After all, they knew her aunt well. A cool shiver ran up Zoe's spine
and the future she hoped for had dampened.

'I don't
understand.' She shuffled about, her lashes blinking repeatedly.

'You are Miss
Zoe Montgomery, aren't you?'

'Yes, that's
correct. I didn't realise...I.'

'Come on. I'll
make you a coffee at the station and you can fill me in on the last fifteen
years.'

Automatically,
Zoe followed the officer to the passenger door of his vehicle.
Fill him in
on the last fifteen years.
He had to be kidding. Perhaps he had it all
wrong.

A few
pedestrians lingered close by, assessing the commotion. Zoe flicked her gaze
away, knowing she'd be the talk of the town and chins would be wagging. After
all, Munna had a population of around one thousand people, and half of them
lived out of town on properties.

'Come on, up
you go. Get you away from all this.'

Zoe looked up,
spotted more pedestrians gathering on the footpath.

The station
was within walking distance but Zoe thought it kind of the officer to whisk her
away from the crowd of six or more people.

They pulled up
in front of a cream weatherboard building with the sign 'Police Station'
written in blue secured to the exterior wall.

'The sergeant
is away at present.'

'I know. I
picked up the deeds to my parents’ property. So the sergeant has two offices?'

'Yeah. He did
work out of the police station, but didn't think it right. He said he'd like to
keep police matters and his personal clients separate. Which is a good idea,
don't you think?'

Zoe nodded,
and he turned off the ignition. She opened the passenger door and stepped from
the vehicle, meeting the officer on the footpath. They headed indoors. It was
an older style building with high ceilings. Cream flaky paint covered the
walls, which were in need of repair. 

'Have a seat.'
He shot her an inquisitive look, and turned toward a coffee machine in the
corner of the large room. 'How do you have it?'

'White with
one sugar, thank you.'

The officer
placed the coffees on the desk before slipping onto a seat opposite her.

'So you
weren't aware that you were listed as missing, or that the entire town had been
looking for you the night you disappeared.'

Warm fluid
snaked through her body. 'I had no idea. It's come as a shock. I haven't any
memory of that night or any time before.' Zoe held her breath. She wasn't about
to tell him that she stayed with her aunt and uncle. That she was virtually
held prisoner for fifteen years. She couldn't risk them interfering with the
life she'd dreamed of for so long. No, she wasn't about to chance that. It'd
destroy everything she'd worked so hard for.

'Where have
you been for fifteen years?'

She tilted her
head and looked at him. 'I prefer not to say at this stage.'

'You mean you
do know but won't tell us.'

God, she was
going to get herself into a mess if she wasn't careful. 'I haven't got my
memory back.'

Puzzlement
creased his facial features. 'Do you mean to say you don't know where you were
for fifteen years?'

'That's
c...correct.' Zoe swallowed a bundle of nerves and it hit her stomach with cold
unease. She didn't normally tell lies, and her stomach soured. But what could
she do? She wasn't about to step back in time...no she was much stronger now.
She'd planned this stage of her life for years, and she couldn't back out now.

'You're not
much help. The sergeant may ask you to come in when he returns. He'll probably
want you to make out a full statement. With luck by then you might have
something to tell us.'

'Thank you
Constable. I have to go. I'm meeting someone out at Montagreen.'

He nodded.

Zoe stood.

'A lot of
terrible things happened that night. I'm sorry for your loss.'

'Thank you.'

Zoe couldn't
wait to leave, and when she stepped outside she sucked back a desperate breath.
Yes, terrible things. Her parents were burnt to death in that fire. Her eyes
filled with tears, and she blinked them away as she headed toward her car.

She scrambled
into her ute and crawled from town, heading toward Montagreen. Would Montagreen
have dams full of water and tanks to get her by? Would she find anything left
of a life her parent's had once built for her? Zoe shook her head, and tried to
concentrate on the scenery.

The ochre
land, dotted with various species of saltbush, ran on forever and in the
distance, gum trees sparsely covered the hills and distant mountains. Dry heat
peeled through the open window. She couldn't recall such obnoxious heat. She
may have worked outdoors for years, but nothing compared to what she
experienced at present, especially when she spotted a mirage billowing up from
the bitumen toward the cloudless sky in front of her.

She sighed, and
glanced about at the drought-stricken land. A few rundown sheds moved into
view, and a rusty tractor stood in the middle of a dry paddock, appearing as though
it'd been abandoned for years.

A large sign
ahead caught her attention. She slowed her ute as she passed the bold, black
lettering burnt into timber, reading 'Townsend'. She peered about, half
expecting to spot someone, recalling Jordan said his parents lived south of
Montagreen.

Half an hour
later, she reached the turnoff and left the main road. She slowed her ute as
she passed over a cattle grid with a sturdy timber fence on either side. As she
crawled up the hill, gum trees lined either side of the road, giving brief
respite from the intense heat.

She continued
at snail’s pace, trying to pierce the stubborn barricade of her mind. Foreign.
Everything was all foreign. Nothing appeared familiar and a thread of
uncertainty wound through her. What if she never remembered? What if everything
she was about to face remained forgotten? She cringed at the prospect. 

A timber
structure filtered into view between the trees. Keeping her speed slow, she
craned her neck forward until a sudden gasp left her throat and her foot hit
the brake hard, slamming her to a stop.

Disbelief
shattered her senses as her gaze rested over a white two-storey timber home.
Overgrown gardens ambled out of control over the fence, and vines sought
support as they clung to the veranda railing. Even the front gate had fallen
from its hinges. The grass, thirty centimetres or more high, concealed what she
suspected was once a footpath leading toward the house.

A sudden frost
chilled her bones.

Zoe stretched forward, peered at
something that should have been a memory. There were no warped bits of timber,
no blackened remains announcing a story gone wrong. Instead, dark blue plastic concealed
one end of the home.

In a state of
incredulity, she reached for the door handle of her ute, keeping her eyes on
the house, and opened the door, easing out onto the dry soil. Her body trembled
and she grabbed the edge of the door for support. Allowing her mind to absorb
the scene before her, she eased out a deep breath.

After a quick
glance behind, she made her way toward the gate to pick up the rusty black
frame. She propped it against the dilapidated fence, then headed toward the
thick blue plastic. A gap to one side revealed new timber, nailed in rough
fashion over the damage. A chill skittered over her.

'My parents’
house. Impossible.' Her eyes welled with tears, dropping to her cheeks. She
glanced about. Her aunt had told her the entire house had burnt down, that
there was nothing left. Why had she lied?

She walked
toward the front door, reached out and gave the doorknob a turn. It was locked.
She stepped back and peeked through a window but it was impossible to see
through the opaque milky white that had built up over the years.

Taking
tentative steps, she headed to one side of the veranda, noticing some of the
floorboards needed replacing. As she drew to a stop, she scanned the area. The
life she'd left behind was all here, a childhood she was so desperate to
remember, with parents she'd never see again. It was all here, had been for
fifteen years. She grabbed the railing for support, and glared into the
abandoned gardens.

Montagreen had
been forgotten, left to wilt into the earth. A shudder tripped through her
body. Restoring it to its former glory would give her the satisfaction she
craved.  

Zoe lifted her
head when she heard a vehicle rumbling toward the house. A black four-wheel
drive pulled up on the other side of the gate. Jordan jumped out and jammed a
dark Akubra over his jet-black hair before he sauntered toward her.

She made her
way to the steps, and eased down on the bottom one, eyeing him carefully. Jade
had said he was a carpenter and a jackaroo. It was an interesting combination,
especially for a sexy hunk of masculinity that had no right looking the way he
did. His jeans stretched over the solid muscles in his legs and his saunter was
lazy as though he didn't have a care in the world. He stopped before her.

She pushed
upwards to stand, refreshed by the brief rest.

'Zoe.'

'It's good to
see you could make it.' She crossed her arms against her chest. A flutter
stirred deep in her belly.

'Are you all
right? You look mighty pale.'

'Um, yes. I've
just had a bit of a shock, that's all.'

'I'm truly
sorry to hear about your memory loss.'

'It's
frustrating at times, but I have a feeling it will return one day. I hope
sooner rather than later. Something here will surely jolt my silly brain,
although finding the house hasn't burnt down has come as a complete surprise.'

'Surprise?'

'I didn't
realise only a part was damaged. I was told the entire home burned to the
ground.' She flicked a quick look at the damaged end. 'Do you think any of it's
worth saving? I mean, will you be able to know by looking at it?'

'I knocked a
few pieces of timber together to make sure the rain wouldn't blow in. The
plastic is extra insurance.' He glanced up at the sky. 'It held up when it
rained a few months back.'

'What on earth
did you do that for?'

'It was Mum
and Dad's idea. They asked me to keep an eye on the place. They knew your
parents well and said it was a shame to let a house like this deteriorate.'

Warmth flushed
over her skin. Jade had said Montagreen bordered her parents’ property. It
would have only been natural that they would have spoken from time to time.

'The place was
a bit tidier months back.' He dug his hands into the front pockets of his
jeans. 'Thanks to Mum and Dad. Mum came over a few times to help out. It's a
bit of a mess now. If I had known you were returning I'd have cleaned it up a
bit better. Mum would have insisted.'

'Your mother
did that?'

'She was
pretty upset for a while after that night, especially when no one could find
you.'

'Oh. Thank
you.' So his parents knew her mother and father, and well, by the sounds of
things.

'You can thank
my parents when you meet them. Most of the house is intact, but a lot of the
timber will have to be replaced on the far end, and the last two rooms rebuilt.
The hallway on the top level, right to the room on the other end, is charred.
Some of the timber on the veranda needs replacing as well. General maintenance,
and with a good clean up, it should be like new.' He stepped forward. 'Do you
want to take a look? We can't go in too far, but it'll give you a bit of an
idea.'

'Is it
locked?'

He dug around
in his pocket. 'I've got the keys. The sergeant in town gave them to me when he
found out I was keeping an eye on the place. They've been in my glove box
for...anyhow, let's go.'

Zoe watched
him step over the tape. He turned. 'Are you coming?'

She hadn't
prepared herself to step back into the past so soon. Who was she kidding?
Fifteen years was ample time to be prepared for anything that came her way
concerning her parents and her past. She stepped over the tape and walked up to
Jordan, who stood by the front door.

'The timber's
okay here.'

Zoe continued
to inspect the building. She crossed her arms.

Jordan looked
back. 'Are you sure you're okay?'

She shot him a
glassy gaze. 'Yes thanks. Could you open the door please?'

The sound of
the key slipping into the lock forced air into her lungs and that one breath
stayed there until Jordan called out to her for a second time. She braced
herself as she stepped through the doorway. 

Musty air hit
her nostrils, and cobwebs draped from the staircase to the walls. A mouse ran
out in front of her but she didn't jump. Instead she watched it closely, until
it disappeared from sight. 'You mean to say no one has been here at all. No
one...not even...not even to remove the furniture?'

'There wasn't
anyone around that had the right. If I had known you were returning I would
have cleaned it up a bit, and as I said, tidied up the yard.'

'There was no
need...you didn't know.' Her gaze wandered through to the lounge room to her
left, and she realised the hard work ahead. A centimetre of dust or more coated
a rat-chewed lounge, and she wondered what other surprises the house had in
store.

Zoe raised her
eyebrows as she inspected the tiled foyer. Years of dust and grime concealed
the original colour. She lifted her gaze. 'Are the stairs okay to use?'

He sauntered
over toward them. 'Half way up there's two broken steps, and the balustrade is
unstable.'

She took a
step and a flash sparked through her mind. She reached up, rubbed her temple
with her fingertips.

'Headache?'

'No. It's come
as a total shock. Everything has. I might go outside and get some fresh air.'
One would think time took care of most things, but now, even without
remembering her heartache was as strong as ever, as though it happened
yesterday.

Zoe headed
outdoors, inhaling the fresh air as she tried to steady the sudden bombardment
to her senses. If she had known the house remained standing, she would have
left her aunt a lot sooner. She had waited until she'd saved enough deposit so
the bank would give her a loan to start from scratch and rebuild Montagreen. To
think she'd put up with her aunt for so long when it hadn't been necessary
sickened her. So much time had been wasted. She rested an open palm over her
stomach, unable to come to terms with such deceit.

It wasn't long
ago that she'd overheard her aunt talking about Zoe Montgomery. Zoe had
suspicions years ago, but nothing of any substance to act upon.  

Jordan locked
the house and walked over to Zoe. She glanced up into lazy river-blue eyes and
her body oozed with warmth. She snapped her gaze from his.

'Here, these
belong to you.' He held the keys out in front of him, and she flicked her gaze
at his large hand and reached out. He dropped the keys into her open palm.

'Thank you.'
Her fingers tightened around the keys. Everything was surreal. She didn't
expect to be where she was that day, and with the keys to a house that had been
abandoned and waiting for her return for so long.

'Do you
remember anything about the fire?'

'The fire
brigade arrived in time. Any later and the entire house would have burnt down.
Apparently you were standing under the fig tree, over there.' He nodded in the
direction of the front yard where a giant fig tree stood inside the house yard.

'Do you know
how it happened?'

'How about we
get out of the heat? Over there under the tree.'

Zoe inspected
the tree. She imagined looking through one of the windows of the house out to
that tree, imagined her parents doing the same. She turned to face him.

'It's a
beautiful tree.' She licked her dry lips.

'There used to
be a table and a few chairs sitting in its shade. Would you like a drink? I've
got a small Esky in the car.'

'Yes, thanks.'
She made her way under the tree.

While she waited,
she spotted a wide yellow ribbon, loosely fashioned into a bow around the trunk
of the tree. It appeared it'd been there for some time, and now drooped toward
the ground.

'Here.'

She looked up.
Jordan held an Esky in one hand. After placing it on the ground, he opened the
lid, and pulled out a can of Coke.

'Looks like
you're come prepared.'

'You can never
take chances out in these parts.' After snapping the lid, he passed the can to
her and as he did, their fingers touched for the briefest of moments. She
jerked back and prayed he didn't notice.

'Do you know
how many dams are on the property?'

'About six.
Two are full, but the ones closer to the house have almost dried up. You've got
two tanks over there near one of the sheds.'

Zoe lifted her
arm, blocking the sun's glare. In the distance, a shed with large tanks stood
out in a dry paddock. 'Can you tell me anything about the property?'

'The holding
pens are stable,' he said, gazing in the same direction.

It was almost
as though he'd read her mind.

'Most of the
sheds have stood up over the years. Your father had them solidly built, so
there's not much to worry about in that department. A few fences need
repairing, but that's about all.'

'That's a
relief. I'll take a wander later on and check out the property.' Zoe sighed and
wiped her brow. 'I could do with a seat right now.'

He waved a
hand, gesturing at the shade. 'Pull up the grass. There's plenty of room.'

She turned and
eased down onto a patch of dry grass with her legs outstretched, her back
resting against the tree. As she sipped on her Coke, Jordan settled beside her
with his own can.

'It must be
ten degrees cooler in the shade.'

'It feels like
it. What can you tell me about the fire?'

'Not much to
tell. Some of the townsfolk believe it was a petrol bomb. Some think a dropped
match was responsible, and then there was mention of a candle.'

'Surely the
police know.'

'Yeah. They'd
be the ones to talk to.'

He avoided her
gaze when he spoke about the fire. She shrugged it off.

'I'll speak to
them, later. Can you get a quote to me? I’d like to start as soon as possible.'

'Yeah. I know
the local electrician and plumber, but some of the material will have to be
ordered from Tamworth.'

'Exterminators
to begin with,' she decided. 'I want the entire place fumigated.'

'That's
understandable.'

'We'll take it
from there, once I get a quote.'

'Sound good.'

He downed the
last of his Coke, and pushed upwards to his feet. 'I have to get going. It's
almost three.'

Zoe looked up
at him. 'Okay. I'm staying a while longer. Thanks for the Coke.'

'No worries.'
He hesitated. 'Don't go inside alone until it's been given a thorough check
over. The floor and stairs could be lethal.'

'That bad,
eh?'

'It's not too
bad. I'd take some precautions though.'

She nodded and
he turned. As he headed toward his car, she eyed him closely. God, he was all
man. He didn't ask too many personal questions either, that was one thing she
liked about him. He seemed confident, clever, and he didn't annoy her like most
men she'd met while working as a jillaroo at the Pattersons’ cattle station.

Zoe put her
empty can on the veranda before strolling around the outside of the house. She
rubbed at her forearms. Goosebumps pricked over her flesh, and she almost
laughed, as it had nothing to do with the temperature. She stared upwards,
pressing her mind for memories. A doll, a painting, a word, or even a familiar
face would be great to begin with, but her mind refused any intervention. 

She retreated
to the steps, eased down, crossed her legs at the ankles, and leaned on the
railing to gaze around the yard. Once again, she pressed her mind for a memory,
but nothing came. What else happened here that was so horrific?

Jordan's
entire world was shifting, again. He wiped perspiration from his forehead as
panic latched onto his heart, and for cryin' out loud he was bloody well
shaking.

How could he
contain himself? He'd hoped for this day for years, fifteen bloody years to be
precise, although he'd given up and married Michelle, thinking it was the right
thing to do, considering she fell pregnant. But Zoe had never left his heart.
Never. Bloody hell.