Outback Flames: Australian Rural Romantic Suspense (4 page)

'There's no
way around it. It was a knock out.'

He edged
closer, and slipped a hand around her waist. She glanced up at him but before
he could say any more, his lips were over hers. The sensuality of warmth,
softness, and pure female enticed his mind to soar, while parts of his anatomy
filled with heat.

The kiss
continued, long, breathless and fulfilling. Jordan broke from the kiss and
their gaze locked for several heart-stopping seconds. Her glassy eyes sparkled
like early morning dew over green grass. God, she was so feminine. Yet earlier
he would have believed she didn't hold a feminine bone in her body by the way she
lifted the cleaning equipment from her ute, but the curves under her jeans gave
her away.

'Well, how do
I rate in your books now?' she said on a whisper.

'You have
always rated tops, Zoe. Always.'

His arm
remained around her waist, and somehow her legs ended up over his, resting
close against his stomach.

'You have
answers, don't you?' She kinked an eyebrow.

'Yeah, some.
They're hard to explain.'

'If it's too
difficult for you to talk about, don't. I can find out from the local police,
the sergeant when he returns.'

Jordan didn't
know if that was a good idea or not, as his heart continued to pound in the
after effects of their kiss. He'd loved the girl, and here she was a woman, one
he wanted to get to know much more deeply. 'I could fill you in a bit at a
time.'

'Sounds good.'
She smiled and god she'd knock him off his feet if he were standing.

'Could we take
it slow?'

Zoe grinned.
'Isn't it the woman who wants to take it slow? But I agree. After all, I've got
a lot to do, a life to find out about, and well...I didn't plan on a
relationship with anyone. After being through what I went through it's not
something I've had a lot of practice at. I'd make your life difficult.'

'No you
wouldn't. You'd make my life complete, Zoe. I swore to you when I was fifteen
that I'd take good care of you.'

'You did?
That's a surprise.'

As they
chatted about the past Zoe could sense the sincerity in Jordan's voice. He
meant well, but she couldn't remember him or their past, so there was no use
dwelling on the what ifs and what could have been. She'd have to concentrate on
the here and now if she ever hoped to make some progress in life.

'I need to put
my mark on a place where I once existed before ever thinking of going down that
path.'

'I know. I
know it'd be hard. But can you think about it?'

She smiled.
'Yes. I will.'

'What's wrong
with being mates first?'

'Nothing. I
wouldn't mind a mate.' She smiled, and his heart softened.

'I've got
something for you.'

'What is it?'
He swung a bag onto the table and rummaged around inside, dragging out an old
photograph album and placed it on the table in front of them. He opened it to
the first page.

'Jade said you
didn't have any photographs. I found about six or seven you might be interested
in. There may be some in the house, but I haven't seen any.'

Warmth charged
through her body as she glared at the album sitting on the table. Her breath
must have died somewhere in her throat and she sucked in another desperate
gulp. As she looked up, her gaze locked with his. 

'I thought you'd
be pleased. I'm sorry. If you don't want...'

He was about
to pick up the album and she reached out, touched his hand. 'No. It's not that.
It's a shock that's all. After so long. My aunt...she never had any
photographs, or so she said. I didn't see any at her house. She told me
everything was destroyed in the fire.'

'I can't
imagine why she'd do such a thing.'

'You don't
know my aunt.'

'What's her
name, in case she comes snooping?'

Zoe looked up,
as horror coursed through her body. She checked the front yard, and turned
back.

'She doesn't
know where I am, or who I'm with. I told her I was leaving one afternoon, but I
don't think she believed me. I didn't tell her where, when or how. Her name is
Patricia Mayberry. She never married, although she's living with a male I was
forced to call Uncle William. His last name is Shearer.' Zoe closed her eyes,
withdrew her hand and wrapped her arms around her waist.

'I shouldn't
have bought up the subject.'

'She...please
don't repeat this to anyone.' Zoe glanced at Jordan and he nodded.

'They...meaning
my aunt and William threatened to kill me if I told anyone about what had
happened. They even said I'd be dead before I made a hundred kilometres from
the property.'

'You're
joking?'

'No. It
certainly isn't a joke. It's real.'

'I don't know
what to say. No wonder you're so jittery.'

'After what
I've been through, I know what they're capable of. Getting an A.V.O. wouldn't
be enough to stop them. That would be inviting them in, especially if they know
where I am. I don't want to fear them further.'

'Don't you
think they'll come looking for you here in Munna?'

'Not here.
They don't know I found out anything about Montagreen. I told them I would have
loved to go to the coast. I used to have pictures of the ocean and stare at
them often. My aunt told me I was off with the fairies. You know, I haven't
even seen the ocean. They say that at times it can be like one big lake.
Imagine that. A lake.'

'Perhaps one
day you can go there. Run over the sand.' Jordan sighed. 'I'm sorry for
bringing up the subject.'

'I need to
talk about things, although mentioning their names gives me the creeps. When
the constable pulled up in town, I thought perhaps Aunt Patricia sent them
looking. It scared the crap out of me. Although I doubt they'd ever go to the
police, they might make a false allegation. I can't be too careless.'

'I'll keep an
eye out for you, if that's okay. I won't let anything happen to you.'

Her lips
thinned. 'Thank you. I'd like that.' God what was she doing? But sitting here
with Jordan everything seemed right. Fate was dealing her a deck of hearts and
she didn't mind his company, in fact she loved his company.

He looked at
the album, gave it a few taps and picked it up. 'They're great photographs.
There's a couple of your mother and father taken about six months before the
fire.'

Zoe wanted to
reach out, wanted to see for herself but something inside prevented her from
lifting a page for a sneak peek into a past that haunted her. Her aunt said the
opposite to everything she'd found out so far, and she wondered how many more
lies she'd uncover. 

Jordan moved
the album between the two of them on the table and opened it to the first page.
'You ready?'

She swallowed.
'I'm not too sure. Although I've had years to prepare for something like
this.' 

'That's your
Mum and Dad. Rebecca and James. They were great people, well respected in Munna
and the surrounding area. Your mother always fussed when having visitors.'

Zoe lowered
her head.

Oh my god.
Oh my god. My mother. My father. Me. Who's that boy? Who? Mum, Dad.
Tears
filled her eyes and she tried to blink them away. Her right hand moved to the
album, her left hand followed and she picked up the album, brought it closer
and studied the first photograph. She ran a shaky index finger over her
mother's hair, and over her beautiful face. Zoe realised she looked much like
her mother with the same hair colouring and eyes. Swallowing was difficult. Her
father had dark hair with streaks of grey at the temples. He appeared a little older
than her mother. Her hands trembled and she set the album down.

'They're...they're
beautiful.'

'I could leave
them with you, if you like. It's almost knock off time.'

'Thank you...'
Tears rolled down her cheeks and she sniffled.

Jordan slipped
an arm over her shoulder. 'Hey. They're supposed to be happy photographs. Your
parents loved you heaps, Zoe. You were special to them and you always will be
no matter where or what form they're in...'

Small
whimpering sounds emitted from her throat. She sniffed. 'I know. Thank you.'

He gave her a
tight squeeze, trying to reassure her she wasn't alone.

'I hate to
leave you like this. But I do have to go.'

Zoe licked her
lips and glanced up. 'I'm okay.' She lowered her head to look at the
photographs. This wasn't the first time she'd cried. She cried every night at
her aunt’s during the first few years.

'I was skinny
wasn't I?'

'No you
weren't. You were perfect.'

Zoe looked at
the photographs again, only to whip her head back up, glaring at Jordan.
'You're the little boy, aren't you? I can see the eyes, the resemblance.'

'Yeah. That's
me.'

'Wow I look
happy, don't I?'

'You sure
were.'

'So the house
partially burnt. I still don't know who caused it or why.' Zoe tucked a stray
piece of hair behind one ear, and looked up at him. 'I'll ask the police like I
said. It's okay. No big deal.'

'All I know is
that someone wanted your parents dead. No one knows why. There wasn't anything
to go on except a prehistoric bomb that looked as though it could have been
made by a kid.'

'A kid.'

'Yeah. A kid.'
Jordan eased upwards to his feet.

'Where are you
going?'

'It's three.
Knock off time for me although I'm not working. I've got things to do.'

 'I thought
you'd work at least until sunset.'

'Not in your
life. Nope, knock off is before three. Keep the album, copy them, do whatever
you want. I'll see you tomorrow.' He leaned in and pressed his lips to her
forehead, and drew back. 'You have my mobile number if you need someone to talk
to.'

Zoe nodded and
watched him leave while her insides did a crash dump. Her mind followed as
emotions tumbled through her body. When he drove away, tears pricked the back
of her eyes, and sprinkled down her cheeks. She wiped them away and glanced
back at the photographs.

The fig
tree...her parents...Jordan. She squinted, leaned forward. They all seemed so
happy. It was all here, but her memory was locked away in the photographs with
those people. Perhaps Jade could add something. After all waiting for the
sergeant to return could take weeks.

The doctor she
saw once in Tamworth recently said speaking to people who knew her before that
night might help to unlock that part of her mind.
H
e said talking about it was the only way for
her memory to return, if at all. When she visited him there wasn't anyone to
help her with the past, and she didn't dare broach the subject with her aunt.
Now, she had Jordan, Jade and the sergeant.

She spent the
following half an hour studying the photographs and tried to recognise
something. Failing, she pushed upward to her feet, clutching the album close to
her chest. With a last surveillance of the area, she walked toward her ute,
turned back and stilled. Her heart squeezed. She was a shell, an empty shell.
Without a past how could she move forward?

On the way back to the motel, she
decided to do a little shopping. She needed more toiletries and coffee, perhaps
some biscuits, Tim Tams. Her aunt said they were an overindulgence they
couldn't afford. Zoe wanted to indulge, and then overindulge. She grinned. She
didn't shop with her aunt, but she'd spotted packets of Tim Tams at the
Pattersons, and had her first treat at seventeen, thanks to Lily Patterson.
They were the most divine taste, one she'd never forgotten.

Zoe owed it to
herself to have a treat occasionally. After all, life was for enjoying. It was
about time she tried to enjoy her life.

***

Jordan veered
his car up beside the primary school and jumped out the second he saw his son
Luke running from the school gate.

'Dad.'

'Yeah mate.'

'Guess what?
I'm invited to a party. I got an invitation.' He held it in his left hand as it
waved all over the place.

'Let's look at
it when we get home. Come on.'

Luke stopped
beside his father, and Jordan took his bag. 'How was your day?'

'Mrs Fletcher
is nice, but she's married.'

Jordan
wondered if his sister's matchmaking skills were rubbing off on his son. He
seemed to be mentioning women a lot lately.

'Yeah, mate. I
know she's married. Why do you say that?'

'Well
sometimes—'

Jordan opened
the car door and Luke climbed in. He was a replica of himself when he was a
kid. Dark hair, and blue eyes, except Luke's eyes were deeper; almost midnight
blue. He was already a winner with the girls.

'See you
tomorrow Luke.'

Jordan
chuckled when he heard a little girl call out. He glanced up as he rounded the
front end of his car to the driver's side and climbed in. The girl waved and he
spotted Luke waving back.

Luke appeared
lost in thought. 'What're you thinking mate?'

'Ah, nothing.
I was talking about Mrs Fletcher.'

'Sorry. What
were you saying?'

'Well everyone
has a wife or girlfriend. Dad, you don't have a wife or a girlfriend. You never
have a wife or girlfriend. How come?'

Talk about
kill his manhood. He'd had a few women since Michelle's death, but that was when
he frequented the city a few times. And those days were long gone. He didn't
broadcast his sexual life to the small town of Munna, especially to his sister
or his son.

'I'm happy the
way we are. Aren't you happy?'

'I sure am
Dad. A girl would spoil things anyhow.'

Jordan
grinned. 'Sure would.' And he thought of Zoe. God she wouldn't spoil a thing,
in fact it'd be the opposite. He pictured running his hands down her arms,
kissing those luscious lips a thousand times over, and holding her naked
against him. He stifled a moan.

'Dad, Dad.
What's the matter?'

Jolted from
his temporarily lack of awareness, he turned his gaze toward his son.

'Thinking
about the job today. Sorry mate.'

And Luke
didn't stop chatting about the girl’s birthday party scheduled for that
weekend. Jordan usually worked on Saturdays to compensate for the early knock
offs during the week. Perhaps Jade would be able to drop him off, as she had
already offered to babysit on the Saturdays while he worked on the Montgomery
job.

'We need to do
some shopping before we head home.'

'More
groceries?'

'Yeah more. A
hungry animal lives at our house and eats so much.'

'Aw Dad. You
eat lots too.'

'Well, two
hungry animals that have holla stomachs.' He chuckled, before reversing his
vehicle against the kerb in front of the supermarket. He snapped the automatic
lock after Luke climbed out.

Jordan stood
beside the meat section thinking a good steak on the barbeque was something he
and Luke hadn't had for a while. As he selected two T-bone steaks and placed
them in the trolley, he glanced up, snagging Zoe in his vision. She headed
toward him.

She pulled up
with a smile. 'Hi ya'. Doing a little shopping?'

'Yeah. You
know what it's like.'

'I'm pretty
limited...with...'

Luke skidded
to a halt when he spotted Zoe talking to his dad. He held up a book with pink
pictures covering the front cover, and glanced from Zoe to his father. 'Look
what I've got, look?'

Jordan shook
his head. 'I'm not sure mate. I don't know what girls like?'

'Well it's
pink, and don't girls like pink?'

'Yeah they
do,' Jordan agreed.

'Can I help
with something?'

Jordan glanced
at Zoe. Luke mimicked his father.

'Well.' He
leaned forward over the trolley. 'We need a present for a birthday party. She's
a girl.' He grinned.

'Naturally she's
a girl.' Zoe smiled at his son.

'Is she your
age?'

'No, she's
turning six this Saturday. I'm already six.'

'Six. Wow
that's getting old.'

Luke puffed
out his chest in response.

'I saw a
handbag set when I passed the toy section. I think a six-year-old girl would
love that. There is also a set of beads with it as well. A necklace I think.'

'Can I go and
have another look?'

'Only to the
toy section, okay mate.'

Luke tore off
as though the party was within minutes.

'He's cute.
The reason for knocking off work early I gather. I didn't know you babysat.'

Jordan
straightened. 'Luke's my son.'

'Oh, I'm
sorry. I thought you were sing... Never mind. Well, I shouldn't be keeping you.
Um...your wife is probably wondering where you got to.'

'My wife died
six years ago while giving birth to Luke.'

***

One of the
best things in Jordan's life was his son. When Luke was born his priorities had
changed overnight. He had to learn how to bottle-feed a baby, learn how to
change nappies, shop, and get up late at night when he cried. It took a while
to tackle a routine, but he'd done it.

At that time,
Jordan had worked for his father. He needed to have the freedom of knocking off
work early, and being available for his son. It'd worked out well so far.

Jade collected
Luke from school two afternoons a week, which helped him get on with any
backlogs at work. He'd come to love this small town and its people. Although
his father and he didn't see eye to eye on all projects, his mother was the
glue that had kept the family together.

Jordan turned
up the road heading home. It was a good thing Luke had interrupted him at the
supermarket. He was on the verge of asking Zoe out for a barbeque, and his mind
ran over the possibilities of where that could lead. But with Luke about he
doubted much would have come of it, although it would have been nice to have
her over at his place.

After some
time, he sucked back a breath of frustration, and concluded there was no one
else he'd rather be with than with his son. Luke had settled into school, his
life was good and he wanted it to stay that way. After all, he had a
responsibility to uphold.

God, who was
he trying to kid? Six years was a mighty long time to be alone, not have that
one woman beside you, someone to laugh with, to share the day's load, to curl
up beside each other in bed at night, and to fall asleep in each other's arms.
His palms grew sweaty over the steering wheel.

His mind told
him he was looking forward to working at Montagreen, but his heart warned him
to take care even though something had already begun. He put it down to lust.
God, any sane man would want to have Zoe in his bed. But he wasn't looking for
that. Zoe had meant the world to him when he was fifteen. Deep inside something
insisted he get to know her all over again. He'd wondered at times if the girl
he used to know was locked away in there, and wondered if he'd ever see her
again.

His gut
churned. He was stuck in between the fence and the bull. Running wouldn't get
him anywhere, climbing the fence might make him too late, and he couldn't stand
around and get pulverised while some other guy walked right on in and claimed
her as his own.

Jade's words
came to mind. 'Before someone else snatched her up.' Over his dead body.

'Dad.'

He jerked from
his thoughts.

'Yeah, matie?'

Zoe felt like
sticking her head in a paper bag when she received Jordan's answer about Luke's
mother.

There was one
thing she admired about Jordan, and that was his ability to take control of his
life, especially when a child was involved. It was a rare quality to have.
Jordan was a family man.

Zoe's heart
missed a beat, and a touch of sorrow edged to her heart. She feared trusting
people again. She'd trusted her aunt and look what had happened. She didn't
want to risk facing more lies in the future. Her life had run smoothly without
any hiccups since she escaped her aunt's clutches. She'd gotten this far, but
her determination was wearing thin.

The moment she
got through the front door of the motel room, her mobile rang and she dug her
phone from her bag, noticing it was Jade's number. She hit answer and pressed
the phone to her ear.

'Hi Jade.'

'Hey Zoe.
What'd ya' been you up to?'

'Nothing much.
I only just got in.'

'Do you want
to catch up for a coffee? It's only four and Mum is looking after the kids.'

'Sounds
great.'

'Meet you
there in half an hour.'

'Do you mean
across the road?'

'Yes. The one
and only, remember?'

Zoe smiled.
'Okay. See you soon.' She hung up, took a quick shower, and changed into a pair
of jeans and a snug fitting white top. She twisted her shoulder length hair up
into a loose knot at the nape of her neck, and applied a light lip-gloss.

As she walked
through the doorway, she thought meeting with Jade would give her a chance to
find out more about her parents, and about Jordan.  Or maybe not about Jordan.
Asking too many questions about her brother may hint she'd taken a fancy to the
man. Which wasn't the case. Who was she trying to kid? Jordan warmed her heart
and body in places that had never been touched. She could always say it was
because he worked for her, and the more she knew about him the better. As for
her warming parts, they had to stay put and she hoped they wouldn't ignite when
he was close by.

She crossed
the street, and spotted Jade sitting at the same table they shared when they
first met. Jade waved, and Zoe waved back.

'I hope you
haven't been waiting too long.'

'I only
arrived. It's been a warm one today.'

'I'll say.'
Zoe pulled out a chair and sat.

'So how do you
find my brother's work?'

Zoe smiled.
'He's a good worker. He's finished the exterior, but cleaners are needed to do
a thorough clean out. The place is a pigsty.'

'I can
imagine. Do you need a hand?'

'Thanks, but
no. Jordan suggested cleaners. I expect he's already booked them. Their last
name is White.'

'Beth and Jo.
They'll do a great job. They have four women working for them. It won't take
long.'

'That's a
relief. I want to move in as soon as possible. I can't stand waiting around. I
need to get into action, into work mode.'

'You sound
like your parents. They were good workers, so Mum says. Your mother helped here
in town on occasion at the haberdashery store over there.'

Zoe turned to
look at the dilapidated shed tucked beside a bakery store.

'Apparently it
was a great store in its days. It closed five years back. Old Mrs Munroe
couldn't run it any longer and then she died of a heart attack. Your mother was
a quilter and apparently really good at sewing. Mum said she'd whip up a dress
with a scrap of material. Her needlework was well known all round this way.'

The excitement
that brewed in Zoe's stomach fizzled fast. She’d hoped to speak with the woman,
hoped to find someone else that knew her mother. She suspected there would be
many people in the small town of Munna that could tell her snippets of
information about her parents. She'd fit the pieces together.

Zoe turned
back to Jade. 'I was hoping to find out more about my parents.'

'I think as
time goes on the townsfolk will mention things.'

As Jordan
drove toward his property, his mind wouldn't keep still. One minute it was in
fast forward, the next slowly rewinding everything he knew about Zoe. He wanted
to ask her why she hadn't said anything to him the night of the fire, why she
only stared out through the back window screaming as the car veered away from
him for good, but he knew she had no answer. Her screams had echoed through his
mind for years. He'd finally gotten over the nightmares when he met Michelle.
When she'd died they returned with a vengeance.

He thought he
could learn to love Michelle as time went on. When she died, he had no other
choice than to pick himself up and care for his son, although Jade had helped,
doting over him like a mother. He owed her big time. He didn't know what he
would have done without his sister’s or mother's input. He grimaced at the
thought.

Michelle
didn't show much at all when she confessed she was five months pregnant. He
hadn't believed it at first, but as the months went by she made up for the
growing boy inside. She'd even mentioned speaking to the Doctor about an
abortion, but it was too late, not that he would have agreed. The Doctor said
after twenty weeks she'd need a medical reason. She had none.

After they
married, Jordan didn't know if it was the pregnancy that took over or if she
was being a complete bitch. Michelle was going to leave him after the baby was
born. She admitted that the only reason she married was due to her pregnancy.
The feeling was mutual. She'd even told him she disliked the dirty little rats
sicking up all the time, and the smelly nappies, telling him she wouldn't cope.