Outback Flames: Australian Rural Romantic Suspense (5 page)

BOOK: Outback Flames: Australian Rural Romantic Suspense
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In the
delivery room, she spoke about leaving him and the baby the following morning.
Talk about a kick in the guts. But he held on. Held her hand until her last
breath vanished and she left him with tears in his eyes and a tiny bundle of
male flesh that had one sole parent. A parent that was scared to death of
holding him in his arms, fearing he'd drop him and cause injury. Jordan
frowned. Why was he doing this to himself? He cursed in an undertone.

His mind
reverted to Zoe. He'd get on the internet tonight, do a bit of research on the
subject of memory loss and find out what he could.  

He manoeuvred
his vehicle over a cattle grid onto his property and glanced up at the house.
At least four rooms were liveable. When he finished the job at Zoe's, he'd do
more here. They were living on top of each other, and it was impossible to hide
anything from a six-year-old child.

After dinner,
and when he was certain Luke was sleeping, he switched on his computer that sat
in the corner of a large room used as the kitchen, lounge room, dining, and
office area. He had plans of using this area as the kitchen and dining room
only. The adjoining room would become a lounge room with an office off to one
side. The bathroom and bedrooms would sweep toward the back of the house. He
had it all planned, but he needed to find the time to get the job done. Working
at Zoe's had put him behind, but he didn't mind so much. He hadn't expected to
land such a big carpentry job so soon and it paid well. He glanced about. His
abode was comfortable and reasonably clean. Although lacking a woman's touch,
it was his and his son's domain.

Doing a Google
search, he spotted what he was looking for
.

 'Amnesia due
from extreme trauma. Such memories can be recovered gradually, through active
search and reconstruction, or they can come to mind spontaneously, without
active search.'

Interesting.
Without active search. It appeared Zoe wanted to remember and she hadn't, as
yet, remembered a single thing.

'Sometimes
suggestive therapy sessions may help. Advise them to get professional help. Get
the person concerned to open up, talk all you can about the events before the
incident. Anything. With the sessions and having someone to help along the way is
half of the battle.'

Jordan re-read
those lines aloud. 'Talk all you can about the events prior to the incident.
Advise the affected person to seek professional help.' Yeah, how could he do
that? Come right out with it. Nar. They'd only kicked off as kissing friends.
He grinned with that thought, and he hardened. God, she'd chucked him a wicked
curve ball that's for sure. His mind was all over the place.

He leaned in
closer to his computer, turned back to check if Luke remained asleep and hadn't
wandered into the room. Swinging back to his computer he read some more.

'Under extreme stress, the body releases a
hormone called cortisol which can affect the brain's ability to make the nerve
pathways needed to form new memories. Too much cortisol damages the part of the
brain responsible for making memories.

'This is how traumatic events can cause temporary
loss of memory. Psychologists call it dissociative or psychogenic amnesia.
External events can affect the brain's ability to form memories because of extreme
instances of stress to the brain. This is why victims of traumatic situations,
such as car accidents and crimes, often do not remember the incidents.'

His stomach
tensed. He rested his elbow on the desk, ran his fingers through his hair. At
least he had some information on how to deal with her situation. He hoped to
hell that in the end everything would work out the way he intended. He'd have
to tread carefully if he was ever to earn her trust, but one thing was certain,
he had to open up and talk about her past, talk about her parents, anyone. He
had to do anything he could think of to make her remember him, before it was
too late.

***

Jordan had
spent the following week in a foul mood. Where in the bloody hell was she? She
organised the joint, took off without telling anyone and he was expected to
continue as though she didn't exist. His guts were on fire. No one could put it
out except Zoe, and that meant having her in his arms.
For crying out loud.
Sure mate. She'll walk up and plant a beauty on your lips just like that.
He
must be mad.

He turned and
glanced through the opening of the front door hoping he'd spot her that
morning, but like the past few mornings she hadn't made a show. His gut
clenched. Perhaps she wasn't as in love with the place as she had made out.
Perhaps she'd taken off to see a boyfriend, someone. It was obvious whatever it
was she was far too busy to worry about the transformation going on at
Montagreen.

The more he
thought about her in the company of another male, and alone, his jealously belt
tightened. But he didn't have any right feeling like he did, and he wondered
where it came from. He'd never held a jealous bone in his body. He spent some
time analysing his concern and arrived at the conclusion he was concerned for
her wellbeing.

A woman alone,
without memories, without something to keep her street-smart wasn't his ideal
of safe. So where in the bloody hell was she?

Perhaps she'd
turn up and announce the place was for sale and then where would that leave
him? Would he stand by and watch her go walkabout for a second time? He
couldn't chance that and he realised he didn't have her mobile number to
contact her in a real emergency. He let out a stifled groan. He should have
kept her number when she'd rung to tell him he had the job.

He was
finishing the final repairs on the staircase. The cleaners had come and gone,
the bedrooms upstairs were completed, walls sealed, painted and the entire
house rewired. The afternoon he showed her the photographs and when they ran
into each other in the supermarket was the last time he'd seen her.

He flicked a
gaze down the stairs toward the front door, before walking along toward the
main bedroom to install the built in robe doors. The distant sound of clicking
caught his attention. As the sound moved closer, he listened closely.

'I was
wondering where I'd find you.'

Jordan glanced
toward the doorway as Zoe walked in. The sight had him mesmerized. He couldn't
take his eyes from her. A white strapless dress clung to her figure, and
strapped to her pretty feet were a pair of heels that made her legs go on
forever. As she stepped closer, her perfume arrived as a floral explosion,
hitting his senses hard. He pushed upwards to stand.

When she
stopped at arms’ length, her fragrance drowned him. She was an evocative flower
bomb sending his imagination way past decent. He steadied the runaway beat of
his heart. Even her skin appeared to hold a brighter glow, and he was positive
that glow wasn't there before she'd left.

'God Zoe.
Where in the hell have you been?'

Chapter
Six

 

Jordan's work clothes; feet
encased in work boots, with a tool belt slung low over a pair of shorts, suited
him well, and those warming parts inside Zoe began to kindle.

She swallowed.
'What do you mean?'

'You ask me to
rebuild the place but you've been gone for a week, and now you show up.'

'It is my
place, and I'm allowed to 'show up'.' She raised her hands and accentuated her
index fingers in mid-air.

'You could
have told someone you were going away.'

'I didn't
think I had to report to you or to anyone in this town. You seem to have
handled things well in my absence.'

'Yes, but what
if there was something I needed to ask you about? I had no way of contacting
you.'

'You should
have stored my number when I rang you about the job. I thought you would have.
Anyhow, it couldn't be helped. I'm here now. Have there been any problems?'

'No. '

'So everything
is all right.'

'Well, yes.'

'I'm moving in
tomorrow morning.'

'Moving in?
The place is not finished. There are still a few things to take care of.'

'I noticed the
cleaners have been in, and the master bedroom and ensuite are finished. The
entire downstairs area looks completed. The other rooms can take as long as
they want.'

'They're
almost done as well. The painters left about ten minutes ago.'

She flicked
her gaze to the built in cupboard doors he'd installed.

'I know
they're not like the old free standing cupboards but it's the changes you
ordered.'

Zoe nodded.
'Yes. Thank you. They're much better.'

He put the
power tool down on the floorboards. 'I'll clean up any left over mess before
the carpet is laid.'

'I rang them
and they are laying the carpet tomorrow at seven. I said there are a few rooms
that might not be finished, and they'll come back if necessary to finish the job.'

He stepped
closer. 'We haven't spoken much since I first showed you the photographs.'

'Um, yes I
know. Thank you for those. I'm having them copied and will return them soon.'

'No rush.
Those photographs are only a glimpse at all the good times you had.'

'With you?'

'Yes. Zoe.
With me.'

'I gathered we
were more than kissing friends.'

'Yes we were.
We were girlfriend and boyfriend in those days.'

A shudder
worked its way up her spine and she wondered...nah… not at thirteen, surely.
But she had to know. 'Well did we...?'

A smirk rode
over his face, and mischievous lines appeared at the corners of his eyes. 'No
Zoe, unfortunately we didn't.'

She clasped a
hand to her chest. 'Thank heavens for that.'

His smile
disappeared. 'Why do you say that?'

'I was a child.
I was thirteen when I left here.'

'I know.
That's why nothing happened. We caught the bus together every day to school and
back. We hung out together on the weekend; we even did our homework together.'

'That tight,
eh?'

'Yeah. Real
tight.' He grinned.

She smiled.
'It appears we were friends, but you know even after looking at the photographs
I can't remember you. I'm sorry.'

'That's okay.
Now you know where I stand.'

She screwed up
her face. 'Meaning.'

He closed the
gap between them, stopped centimetres from her. A landslide of emotions pressed
over her heart when his lips brushed hers, only to repeat but this time much
deeper. His arms slid around her waist. The tug was strong, and she returned
the kiss, inhaling his scent, devouring his touch as her arms slipped up around
his neck. Her breasts squashed against his chest, and the kiss continued,
finally drawing to a close when she had to come up for air.

She blinked
and gazed at the one man that had tipped her almost over the edge. An edge she
didn't think possible. But something had kicked up her insides and now a tickle
remained deep in her belly and she wanted a repeat of that kiss. Instead of
slipping forward, she slid a step backwards. 'I have to go.' She turned. Her
legs felt as though they weren't attached to her body and she floundered until
she was out of his sight. Taking a breather downstairs near the front door, she
looked out toward the fig tree.

A flash passed
through her mind, and she blinked, trying to erase the bright light. It persisted
until an image of herself and Jordan stood under the fig tree with his arm
draped around her shoulder. A quick shake of her head and the image faded, and
she escaped to her ute.

Relief arrived
the moment she sat behind the wheel staring at the house that reflected images
of her mother and her father. She must have sat in her car for at least fifteen
minutes allowing the memories to fit into the slots they had escaped.

So Jordan was
practically family. A small amount of contentment rose, and her lips tugged at
the edges. What other memories lay in waiting when she moved in the following
morning?

Excitement
coursed through her veins, but alongside that excitement, fear had her tripping
over the what-ifs. This is what she had wanted wasn't it, to remember, to have
her memory intact? She closed her eyes for seconds. Yes, this is what she
wanted and she'd continue until her dream was completed, until every memory was
cornered and locked in a safe place like everyone's memories, and that included
memories of Jordan.

Upon returning
to the motel she gave Jade a call and they agreed to meet for dinner that
night. Zoe took a shower and painted her toenails, a luxury she couldn't afford
while with her aunt. If her aunt suspected she'd saved as much money as she
had, she would have confiscated it. Zoe had to be careful and that meant she'd
only been shopping a handful of times. There wasn't anywhere she could hide
anything personal so she didn't bother.

The few times
she did accompany her aunt into Tamworth, she kept her head down and didn't say
a word although the many feminine products, and the glittery wrappings of
chocolate wooed her. She'd managed to contain her wants, knowing one day she'd
have both and resemble someone normal, someone who held it all together.

She was now
her own person and her life was beginning to look up. She'd even purchased a
few treats while in Tamworth, the white dress she couldn't ignore in the store
window, and the perfume she wore that day. She'd never owned a bottle of
perfume, and she thought she deserved a small bottle. It was expensive, but
she'd make it last.

The knock of
the motel room was at precisely seven. Zoe swung the door open, spotting Jade
dressed in jeans and a silver top. She wore silver accessories. Where Jade was
a silver girl, Zoe had only one item of jewellery, an engraved gold bangle
encircling her wrist. She tried getting it off once, but it refused to budge.

'Hi ya'.'

'Hi Jade. I'm
ready. I'll get my bag.'

Zoe swung
around and picked up her handbag from the bed.

'How's the
house going? Jordan's busy lately so I don't get to talk to him much.'

'I'm moving in
tomorrow,' she said as she looked up.

'Wow. That was
fast.'

'The main
bedroom and ensuite are finished. There're only a few more rooms left to go.
The carpet layers will be there at seven and I'll move in after they finish. I
can do more if I'm living there. I've ordered some furniture. A bed, dressing
table set and a dining table, which are also being delivered tomorrow. That
should do me until I have time to decide what I can afford and what I need.'

'You work
fast, that's all I can say.'

Zoe smiled as
she locked the motel door, and the women strolled down the street to the one
and only restaurant in Munna.

'Take a seat
ladies. One of the waitresses will be with you soon,' a man in his fifties
called out as he tied an apron around his thickening mid-line.

'Thank you Mr
Owens.'

'Well, well. I
didn't recognise you Jade. And who is your gorgeous friend?'

'This is Zoe,
Mr Owens.'

'Well hello,
Zoe. You can call me Trevor. Most people do. Jade forgets all the time. Do you
have a last name?'

'Hello Trevor.
It's nice to meet you. My last name is Montgomery.'

Trevor moved
in closer. 'My god it is you.' His right hand moved to his mouth, fingers
pressed over his lips before he dropped his hand to speak. 'The rumours are
true. I didn't believe it until now. Little Zoe Montgomery has returned.' He
looked her up and down. 'Not so little anymore I see.'

A few heads
turned, making her feel uncomfortable. It was as though Trevor had announced
her name over a loudspeaker.

'What happened
to you? You were listed as missing. The entire town...my apologies little one.
You found your way back home.'

'Yes. I'm
back.' She tried not to let anyone hear the deep thudding of her heart and
wondered if every encounter would be similar.

'Zoe is
restoring the house at Montagreen,' said Jade.

Trevor gave
her an inquisitive look. 'That's an admirable thing to do. Are you going to run
cattle?'

'As a matter
of fact I am,' Zoe piped up, feeling somewhat dissected by the continual stares
from the surrounding customers.

'That could
only be a good thing, right.'

'It sure is Mr
Owens. She's a trained jillaroo.'

Mr Owens let
out a chuckle. 'Sounds as though you have it all organised.'

'Come on Zoe,
let's find a seat.'

'Good idea.'
Zoe followed Jade toward the corner of the restaurant, away from prying ears.

'I'm sorry
about all that. He talks so loud. His wife told him to get a hearing aid but he
wouldn't take a bar of wearing one.'

Zoe smiled as
she sat down. 'It feels strange after all these years, running into people that
actually knew my parents, and knew me.'

'Is that a
good strange or a bad strange?'

'It's good,
but I didn't think I'd feel so uncomfortable.'

'Perhaps if we
talked about what I know, which isn't much…' Jade let out a chuckle. 'It might
help you to settle. It would be a big thing to go through. Have you spoken to
anyone about what happened?'

Zoe adjusted
her handbag hanging over the spare chair beside her and then looked up at Jade.
'Yes. I saw a doctor in Tamworth last week about it. When I went to the house
today, I had a passing image of my parents, and one of Jordan when he was
younger. Not much to go on, but it's a start.'

'It sounds
promising. We don't usually pry Zoe, but seeing you're alone in this and you
kinda reached out to me, I'll help you in any way I can.'

'That's so
kind of you.' Zoe propped one elbow on the table. A waitress walked up to their
table with the menus in hand and passed one to Jade, then Zoe.

'Here you go,
Jade.'

'Thanks
Patricia.'

'Would you
like to order a drink first, Jade?'

Jade looked at
Zoe. 'Zoe.'

'I'll have a
glass of white...um what do you keep?'

The waitress
ran through the list of wines, which was a total of three.

'The riesling,
thank you.'

'I'll have the
same,' Jade said, and the waitress left the table.

Zoe checked
the door as it opened, revealing an elderly couple entering the restaurant. To
her left, some distance away, a young couple sat snuggled together, and a grin
touched her lips. From the way they touched each other, and exchanged the
occasional kiss, no one could pry them apart. Farther down, opposite the
entrance, was the bar area where about six people sat with their backs to the
room.

'So what
happened when you left here, Zoe? You vanished. No one knew where you were.'

'I had no idea
about the missing broadcast. I was with an aunt. She took me away that night. I
didn't have a choice.'

'I'm so
sorry.'

'I don't like
speaking ill of anyone...but in this case... She was a mean person with a nasty
streak.'

'Meaning.'
Jade leaned in closer, and adjusted her chair.

'I remember
the ride in the car. That's all. I wasn't allowed to finish school and she put
me to work the next day.'

'Work. At
thirteen. The next day. Oh, you poor thing. She sounds horrible?'

'She said she
couldn't afford to send me to school. So I worked for my keep, cooking and
washing. Her washing and cleaning, until I was fifteen and she insisted I work for
the next-door neighbours as a cook. Luckily for me the Pattersons were lovely
people. They didn't have any children, and took me under their wing. Mr
Patterson hired me as a cook at first and then after a while as a jillaroo. He
even helped me through my studies...' Zoe looked toward the door then back at Jade.
'I passed all my tests without my aunt knowing. She told me I didn't need any
fancy certificates.'

'That was so
kind of your neighbours.'

'It was and
they kept it a secret from my aunt. Anyhow, after years of hard labour
mustering cattle, caring for livestock, repairing station equipment, as well as
clerical and administrative duties I know how to operate and run a cattle
station. I can now do it with my eyes closed.' She smiled. 'After work I'd
trudge on back to my aunt’s to prepare meals and attend to housework, whatever
needed doing. '

'Oh my god,
that is so cruel. Like a Cinderella.'

Zoe's lips
thinned. 'I suppose you could call it that. But I survived and here I am.'

'I wonder why
she put you to work when your parents were well off.'

Zoe felt colour
rush to her face before shaking her head acknowledging no. 'No. My aunt told me
they were flat broke. She said the house wasn't insured, and there wasn't any
money. That was the reason I had to get to work.'

'Well, I
shouldn't be saying this but I think you should check it out. I think Mr
McPherson should be back by now. Zoe...the house was insured so I heard, and
both of your parents had life insurance and more.'

BOOK: Outback Flames: Australian Rural Romantic Suspense
11.68Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
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