‘My column?’ he said feebly as he watched her packing up, ready to leave as soon as her ever-reliable Harry turned up.
‘For the paper,’ she said. ‘They want it Monday. There’s a note on your desk about who to email it to and the number of words, et cetera. The paper comes out on Thursday, you see.’
He thanked her and went into his office-cum-consulting room. There must be six little memos there—including the details of his ‘column’. But being busy would be good.
He could hear Maddie and Madge, talking in the kitchen. He’d go and join them, maybe have a beer, and look into what kind of things could go wrong with budgerigars later.
Maddie was parading in her school uniform—having been pronounced ready to return to school on Monday by her doctors. She and Madge had gone into the village to get it earlier and had obviously made a day of it, as new shoes and a sensible wide-brimmed hat were included in their purchases.
‘We can’t go into the playground without a hat,’ Maddie told him. ‘It’s a rule!’
‘And a good one,’ he agreed.
But when she suggested she go over to Lauren’s, to show her the new uniform, Cam said it was a bit late and maybe Helen and the wombats would like to see it instead.
She skipped happily off, and he poured a glass of wine for his mother and sat down at the kitchen table.
‘Were you here when Kate left?’ he asked, and she shook her head.
‘Although we did run into them in the village,’ Madge explained. ‘I really do not understand that woman—never have,’ she continued. ‘She was far more interested in introducing me to her fancy man in his fancy car than in saying goodbye to her daughter. Although I must admit Maddie showed little interest in either of them, just standing in front of the shop window trying her new hat at different angles.’
‘Do you think Maddie realises Kate’s gone for good this time?’ Cam asked.
Madge sighed. ‘Really, Cam, I don’t think she’s ever felt any connection. I doubt she has ever seen Kate as her mother—more as some exotic being who drifted into her life when she was still in the haze of her illness. She certainly hasn’t any childhood memories of her. She was barely two when Kate left.’
‘Well, I hope that’s the end of it,’ Cam said, suddenly realising he was right back where he’d started when he’d arrived in Australia—in a big old house with his mother and daughter.
Well, there was the sanctuary. And Debbie. But Lauren had been right. He had to get involved with the local community, if only to distract his thoughts from Lauren herself...
But why? He didn’t want to distract himself from thoughts of Lauren—not a bit of it. She was the best thing that had happened to him in his entire life—including being given his own vet practice and building his own ultralight.
And he loved her.
Had he told her that?
He’d certainly told her he was smitten—but that might not have been taken as love...
And he’d certainly mentioned marriage—but had he officially proposed?
Of course not. He hadn’t been able to until today, when the divorce papers had been signed.
He’d do it now—go and ask her. She was in the sanctuary. He’d seen her walk around the side of the house.
And then somehow Madge and Maddie and Debbie were all there too—going into the sanctuary.
School uniform showing off time?
He pushed ahead of them.
CHAPTER TWELVE
LAUREN WAS HELPING Helen check the stock in the sanctuary when Madge, Maddie and Cam came in through the house door, Debbie trailing behind them.
Her heart, for all she knew it shouldn’t, flipped at the sight of the man she loved—loved to distraction, really.
Although how she—an intelligent, rational, not-so-young woman—had allowed herself to fall in love with a younger man, she didn’t know.
Nor did she really know where things would go from here.
Or why there were suddenly all these people here...
Cam stepped away from his entourage, and would have taken her hand if she hadn’t backed away.
But, seemingly unperturbed, he took his stance in front of her and spoke with calm authority. ‘Lauren, I love you. Will you do me the honour of marrying me?’ he asked.
You are not going to faint, Lauren said sternly to herself, clutching the desk in the sanctuary while her knees turned to jelly. You don’t do fainting.
‘Please say yes, Lauren!’ Maddie said, squeezing forward to stand close to her friend and frowning. ‘You look sick, like I did when I was in hospital, and not at all happy.’
‘She’s happy inside,’ Cam said, looking serenely composed but probably inwardly laughing at the position he’d put her in—the wretch. ‘Not right away, of course,’ he continued, bland as milk. ‘But in a few months—once we’ve had a chance to work things out...like which house we want to live in—’
‘Lauren’s!’ Maddie said, clapping with delight. ‘Because Henry and Puss the cat live there, and there’s a little room that looks out over the lake that Lauren said I could sleep in whenever I came to stay. She used to sleep in it when she was little.’
Lauren continued to grip the desk and closed her eyes. She had a four-year-old—no, a four-and-a-half-year-old—organising her future.
‘Lauren?’ Madge said, her voice soft...anxious.
Lauren opened her eyes and smiled weakly at Madge. ‘I’m fine,’ she managed, and at the words her fighting spirit returned. ‘Although whether your son will be when I finish with him over this nonsense, I can’t say.’
‘But is it nonsense?’ Madge asked.
Lauren shook her head.
‘Daddy just didn’t do it right,’ Maddie explained to her grandmother. ‘He should have got down on one knee and given her a ring.’
Lauren shook her head again. This family had her beat!
‘Daddy will do all that part when he’s somewhere private,’ Cam told his small relationship advisor.
‘Can I watch?’ Maddie asked.
But Cam’s words had been weak, and Lauren realised just what a strain this must be for him.
‘We’ll talk about it later,’ she promised Maddie, as Madge began herding the child and Debbie towards the door.
Lauren walked with them, thinking to escape but knowing she needed to talk to Cam.
Talk?
More like yell and shout and throw a tantrum, if she could remember how to do it from her two-year-old days.
Madge stopping her with a soft hand on her arm.
‘He shouldn’t have put you on the spot like that, but it would make me very happy if you did decide to marry him,’ she said. ‘Me and Maddie. And not just for dogs or cats or rooms, but because you make him happy.’
She gave Lauren a peck on the cheek and left, with Maddie talking excitedly about her new room.
‘I’m off too,’ Helen said, her arms raised in the air, as if well aware that a lot more had to be said.
Lauren turned to look at the man who remained, smiling genially—if a little anxiously.
‘What have you done?’ she muttered.
He held out his hand. She put hers into it and he clasped it tightly, pulling her closer until he could put his lips to hers in a kiss that said far more than words.
Oh, if it could only be, she thought as she leant into him, feeling the solidity of his support and her overwhelming sense of love.
He eased her a little away, so he could look into her eyes, but kept her hands captive in his.
‘I know all your arguments about the difference in our ages and they’re rubbish. Older men marry younger women all the time. And as for family—if you’d like children...well, you’re still young enough. Lots of women in their forties are having children these days.’
Stunned by all that
had happened, she could only stare at him.
‘And as for your biggest fear, my darling...’ He looked deep into her eyes. ‘I know we’ve never spoken of it, but it’s your father’s illness, isn’t it? Your over-active imagination has you declining into some form of dementia and me having to look after you. You’ve been there and done that, and you know how hard it was, but the doctor in you must know it’s not hereditary, even though some things that could lead to it are genetic.’
‘It’s a lottery,’ she mumbled, and he drew her close again.
‘So shall I tell you something?’ he whispered in her ear. ‘The love we share will give us many happy years, and I would willingly care for you. You didn’t stop loving your father, and I have no intention of ever—ever—stopping loving you. You are my friend—my mate, in Aussie terms—my lover and hopefully my wife, and I will love you for ever and a day.’
He drew her close again, and his kiss told her all the things he’d said and many, many more.
The cloud of fear disappeared, and she knew the love she felt for him must be shining in her eyes.
‘Do I need to officially say yes?’ she asked, aware that her answer was already given as she pressed her lips to his.
‘You just have to say, I love you, Cam,’ he said. ‘Because you do, don’t you?’
She stepped back, her hands holding his, and looked into those blue eyes she’d first seen in a dry gully not so very long ago.
‘I love you, Cam, more than you could ever imagine.’
And she let him pull her close again and hold her as she knew he would—now and for ever!
* * *
They were married by the lake, their friends around them—Maddie clutching the black kitten and the cat, Henry the dog, who’d refused to go and live with anyone else, staunch by Lauren’s side.
‘It’s a wonder someone didn’t bring out the wombats and a koala,’ Cam said, as he held his wife in his arms and they looked out over the magic of the lake that had led them to love.
‘No, but there is a drone,’ Lauren told him.
And they both looked up so the little drone from the local paper could record this special event.
And smiled.
* * *
If you enjoyed this story, check out these other great reads from Meredith Webber
One Night to Forever Family
Conveniently Wed in Paradise
The Doctors’ Christmas Reunion
A Wife for the Surgeon Sheikh
All available now!
Keep reading for an excerpt from Reunited with Her Daredevil Doc by Susan Carlisle.
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Reunited with Her Daredevil Doc
by Susan Carlisle
CHAPTER ONE
DANA WARREN SWUNG the single glass door of the US Forest Service open with a spring in her step and anticipation rushing through her veins. This would be her time. What she’d been working toward for years. Her boss had called her in. There was a fire burning in the Deschutes National Forest southwest of Bend, Oregon. New, smaller fires needed extinguishing before they joined the larger one. Her crew was next in line to jump with her as their trail leader.
She’d trained for this moment and was ready for the task. Adrenaline coursed through her at the thought of jumping. It was what she lived for and loved. There weren’t many women in the smokejumper service, less than 2 percent out of four hundred, but she’d held her own beside the men, earning their respect. Because of that she’d been proud of how she’d moved up the ranks.
Heading straight for the desk of the fire manager, she leaned over his shoulder and studied the computer screen. “Whatta we have, Gus?”
“Nothing for you right yet, but I’m sure it won’t be long.”
Dana pursed her lips and nodded. Gus wasn’t wrong often. His job was to determine the fuel of the fire, the direction, the wind velocity and make the call for the number of jumpers needed to fight it. He was good at his job.
Before either she or Gus could say more, Leo Thomas, the manager of the smokejumpers at Redmond Air Center, in Redmond, Oregon, called, “Dana. Good. You’re here. Come in my office.”
She dropped her pack on an empty chair outside the door and followed Leo. “Hey, my team’s ready when you say—” She pulled up short. Her heart thumped hard against her rib cage. The last word stuck in her throat.
Travis.
He rose to his feet from where he’d been sitting in a metal chair against the wall. “Dana. I, uh hadn’t expected to see you.”
Travis took the words right out of her mouth. Not planning to see him would be an understatement. The idea of turning heel and running flashed through her mind but she’d already done that once. She swallowed hard. Grown now, she was determined to act it. Still words hung in her mouth. The last time she’d seen Travis she’d been foolish enough to try to kiss him. To make matters worse, now she couldn’t seem to do anything more than stand there and stare at him.
“You two know each other?” Leo directed a hand back and forth between them.
She looked at Travis. He watched her. Her attention remained on him as she answered Leo. “Yes, we know each other.”
Travis straightened as if gathering himself. “Dana and I worked together one summer a long time ago.”
Leo nodded and spoke to Travis. “That’s where you got your experience.”
“I fought fires during my college years breaks and for the year between college and starting medical school.”
Leo nodded, stepping behind the desk. “I see. I bet the medical board found that interesting during your interview.”
“They did, and they especially appreciated the wilderness emergency training I have.”
Leo nodded before looking at her. “Dana, I need you for a special assignment. I want you to take Dr. Russell to a spot just south of Mount Bachelor. He has a medically fragile patient who has refused to leave his cabin. The doctor fears the man has taken a turn for the worse. To make matters more difficult the bridge on the road into his place has burned and the fire is headed his direction.”
Dana glanced at Travis. His blue-eyed look remained on her. She spoke to Leo, “May I speak to you alone?”
Leo sighed, turning his attention to Travis. “Please wait outside for a minute.”
Travis started toward the door in one smooth motion. Still as tall and athletic as she remembered, he’d filled out. His jeans fit tightly over thick thigh muscles. He looked trim and fit. Apparently he worked out. Where he had a lanky physique of youth before now his shoulders had the wideness and broadness of a mature man. With his black hair and piercing sky eyes, he could stop her breath. Based on his appearance, Travis looked as if he could handle the grueling physical requirements this trip would require. Something that made up a major part of a smokejumper’s life. What she found most disconcerting was he still had the ability to rattle her nerves.
He quietly closed the door behind him. She rounded on Leo, placing both her hands on his desk. If she went on the mercy mission then her team would go up without her. “It’s my crew’s turn next. This sounds like something for Rescue to handle.”
“Your team hasn’t been called yet. If they are, Ricky can take the lead. Dr. Russell can’t call in Rescue when he doesn’t know the medical situation yet. Winds are picking up and this old man’s cabin is in the thick of the forest, hard to access. With the size of the fire burning, all the available rescue helicopters are in high demand. He has to assess the situation before he can ask for one. The hope is that you two can get the man out without the use of Rescue. While you’re there I’ll also want you to form a fire lin
e around the cabin.” Leo nodded toward where Travis had exited. “Dr. Russell can assist.”
Dana stood straight. She didn’t want someone else handling her crew. She wanted to do her job. She cared nothing about babysitting a man she’d made an idiot of herself over. That had been embarrassing enough but being forced to spend time with him again only added misery to pain. “Come on, Leo. You know I’ve been waiting for my chance with a crew. Can’t someone else take Travis, uh Dr. Russell out? My team and I know how to work together.”
Leo’s eyes narrowed. “There’s a man up there on the mountain,” he pointed the direction on Mount Bachelor. “He may be old and cantankerous by refusing not to leave when he could have, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t do what we can to save him. The man may need dialysis. You’ve advanced EMT training. You know the area. You’re perfect for the assignment.”
“Over half of these guys...” she directed a hand toward the outside office “...can be called woofers because they have the same Wilderness First Responder training as I do. One of them could go.”
Leo nodded. “But I’m assigning you to see Dr. Russell gets to his patient safely and that both get back safely. I know this isn’t the norm, but it’s necessary. You’re the best person for the job. You know that area better than any of the others around here since you worked out of the Bend district before you came back here. Dr. Russell assures me this man needs help now or he might not survive. I’ve given you more explanation than anyone about an assignment. You know what you have to do, do it. Now, open the door and ask Dr. Russell back in.”
“Do you even know if he can still jump? I don’t need two people to see about if he gets hurt.” She didn’t hold back her disgust.
“Why don’t you ask him?” Leo suggested.
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