The Outback Doctor

by Lucy Clark

  Dave crossed to her side and lifted her hands, drawing her closer. ‘Come here, you gorgeous woman. I’ve been dying to kiss you for weeks. I can’t wait any more, Rosie.’

  His mouth was on hers within the next instant. It wasn’t a soft or exploratory kiss, as they’d previously shared, but was full of hunger and passion—from both sides. It was as though the last few weeks, working together, the misunderstanding, had all taken its toll and now they were free to hold each other in their arms and take pleasure in the kiss both of them craved.

  Rose brought her hands up to his head, her fingers tangling in his hair as his mouth opened over hers once more. Her heart was starting to race out of control and the blood that was pumping at a furious rate around her body was now drumming in her ears.

  ‘Rosie,’ he whispered against her lips as he broke free, gasping for breath. ‘The real you is much better than any dream.’ As he pressed hot kisses on her neck, he savoured the taste of her. It was a delight he could quite easily become addicted to and he quickly pushed the knowledge to the back of his mind.

  ‘Mmm,’ Rose groaned with delight, her senses being swept away by the fresh, spicy scent that wound its way around her. As he nibbled at her earlobe, a wave of goose bumps shot down her body and she savoured the sensation.

  The next time his mouth met hers, his tongue traced the inner part of her lip causing all the breath to whoosh out of her. The light-headedness made her feel faint and she clung to him as she felt her knees start to give way.

  Dave held onto her firmly and she was grateful for his support. Although, Rose reflected, the hard contours of his chest which were now pressed firmly against her breasts didn’t do much to settle her racing heartbeat. She felt the warmth between them, the barrier of their clothes almost non-existent.

  ‘Rosie,’ he whispered against her mouth. She liked the way her name sounded on his lips. It was as though he really cared about her and it made her feel…treasured. Whether or not it was another illusion remained to be seen, but for this brief moment Rose decided she was going to enjoy it.

  She smiled up at him.

  ‘Hmm? What’s funny?’

  She shook her head. ‘Nothing. I’m just happy.’

  ‘Glad to hear it.’ Then, before she could say another word, he swept her off her feet and scooped her into his arms.

  ‘What? Oh!’ Rose blushed and took the opportunity to bury her head in his neck. ‘You smell so good,’ she murmured as he sat them down on the sofa, Rose now settled on his lap.

  ‘So do you, sweetheart.’

  ‘Stop it.’ She giggled.

  ‘Really?’ He lifted his lips away for a fleeting second.

  ‘No.’

  He put them back. Rose closed her eyes, savouring the sensation, trying to recall whether Julian had ever taken the time to nibble at her neck. She couldn’t remember. Dave shifted and she leaned back in his embrace, turning her face upwards so their lips could meet.

  She sighed, her eyes fluttering closed as the gentle pressure from his mouth relaxed her. She could have stayed here for ever, safe and secure in Dave’s arms.

  From the sensual haze, a noise broke through. Her mind dismissed it, telling her to concentrate on nothing but Dave and the way he was making her feel.

  There it was again! That noise! Her eyes snapped open and she pulled back.

  ‘Rosie?’ His voice was sluggish and filled with repressed desire. ‘What’s wrong?’

  ‘Something’s outside.’

  Dave listened and when the noise came again he nodded. ‘Probably just a bird or a possum.’

  ‘A possum? Here?’

  He smiled as he eased her into a more upright position. ‘This is the outback, sweetheart.’ He looked at her startled expression. Her eyes, which had only moments ago been filled with passion, were now as wide as saucers. ‘Want to go take a look?’

  ‘Well…uh…I don’t know. Is it safe?’

  ‘It’s a possum, Rosie, not a drop bear!’

  Her eyes grew even wider. ‘What’s a drop bear? They sound dangerous.’

  Dave laughed and helped her to her feet. ‘Rosie.’ He shook his head sadly. ‘You’ve been living in the city far too long. A drop bear is a tall story that was fabricated to dupe American servicemen during the Second World War.’

  ‘What, killer koalas?’ Rose’s lips twitched as she saw the humour.

  ‘Something like that. They drop out of the trees onto the shoulders of unsuspecting tourists and hug them to death.’ Dave took her hand in his and led the way to the door. ‘So as you’re not an unsuspecting tourist, I think we’ll be safe from the drop bears.’ Once outside, Dave let go of her hand and Rose felt momentarily bereft. He walked into the garden and looked up at the roof.

  ‘Just as well it’s still daylight saving or we’d be out here with torches,’ Dave muttered as she joined him.

  ‘Speak for yourself. I’d be hibernating inside, hoping it came nowhere near me.’

  ‘Aha. Over there.’ Dave pointed to the drainpipe as the possum scuttled down it and onto the verandah. It looked at them as if to say, Go on, I dare you.

  ‘Cute, isn’t it?’ Dave whispered.

  ‘You think so?’ Rose wasn’t quite sure. Little furry creatures weren’t really her cup of tea.

  ‘We need to watch where it goes. If it gets into your roof, it can cause all kinds of havoc.’

  ‘What do we do? Call the fire brigade? The ranger or…or someone?’ Rose gripped tightly to Dave’s arm.

  ‘Rosie? It’s just a possum. Sure, it can damage property and be a pest but it’s a possum. That’s all.’

  ‘I’ll bet its claws are sharp.’

  ‘They are.’ He turned and headed over to his ute, keeping the noise down as he went.

  ‘Wh-what are you doing?’ Rose followed him, keeping a close eye on the possum.

  ‘We’ll distract it with some food and then I’ll grab it.’

  ‘We? Who’s this we? I’m not going near that thing.’

  Dave frowned at her. ‘It’s a possum, Rosie.’

  ‘So? I don’t mind looking at pictures of them in a book but me and furry little things just don’t go together.’ There was a hint of indignation in Rose’s tone but she kept her gaze trained on the possum, glancing at Dave every few seconds. ‘What are you going to do with it once you’ve caught it?’

  ‘Let it go in the bush. I’ll put it in a cardboard box and set it free on my way home.’

  ‘I take it you’ve done this before.’

  ‘Sure,’ he replied matter-of-factly. He pulled out a pair of heavy-duty gloves. ‘Your dad should have a box I can use in his shed. You stay here and watch it and I’ll go and get the box and some food.’

  ‘No.’ Rose was by his side in an instant.

  ‘Rosie, we need to keep an eye on it in case it moves. We need to know where it goes or it’ll end up in your roof and that’s when the costs start mounting up. Possum removal is high in this neck of the woods. Look, you go inside and make some possum food and I’ll stay and watch it.’

  ‘Possum food? I don’t know what possums eat?’

  ‘Exactly, yet you have two eyes and can watch a possum. Can’t you?’ Dave took a deep breath and turned to face her. ‘You’ll be fine.’ He kissed the tip of her nose. ‘Trust me.’

  Rose eyed him with suspicion. The smirk on his face told her he was enjoying this and she wasn’t one hundred per cent sure he wasn’t pulling her leg. ‘Well…what do I do if it moves?’

  ‘Just watch it, Rosie. Watch where it goes.’

  ‘And if it goes into the roof?’

  ‘Then it goes into the roof and we take it from there.’ Dave peeled her hand from his arm. ‘You’ll be fine. I’ll be back before you know it.’

  Rose kept her gaze on the possum, watching in her peripheral vision as Dave walked slowly to the front door and opened it. The possum moved—only slightly—towards him and for a split second Rose thought it was going to follow him into the hous
e. ‘Drop bear,’ she muttered. ‘More like feral furry things.’

  She was growing more and more impatient with every passing second that Dave was gone. ‘Come on. Hurry up,’ she whispered to herself. The possum was keeping a close eye on her as well and Rose could almost see its little mouth curving into a grin. The cheeky thing was laughing at her.

  ‘You OK?’

  ‘Ah-h!’ Rose screamed at the sound of another woman’s voice. The possum moved, shooting up the drainpipe as fast as it could. Dave came bursting through the front door and raced onto the grass.

  ‘Rosie?’ he called, and then stopped dead in his tracks. ‘Evening, Mrs Fredrick.’ He nodded politely. He could see Rosie was trembling and walked over to pat her shoulder. ‘It’s all right,’ he murmured, his eyes lighting with laughter.

  ‘You OK?’ Mrs Fredrick repeated. ‘She all right, Dave?’ she asked when she received no reply from Rose.

  ‘Just trying to get a possum out. I think you scared poor Rosie.’

  ‘Oh, sorry, Rosie. Didn’t mean to be sneaking up on you like that.’

  ‘She’ll be fine, Mrs Fredrick.’ He patted Rose’s shoulder again. ‘Where did the possum go?’ he asked.

  Rose shivered again and pointed to the drainpipe.

  Dave walked to that part of the house, his expression concerned. It quickly cleared. ‘No. It’s all right. He’s not in the roof, I can see him.’ He dashed for the door. ‘Let me get the food. We’ll try and coax him down. Stay with Rosie, please, Mrs Fredrick.’ With that, he was gone again.

  ‘Nasty pests, these possums,’ Mrs Fredrick said. ‘Cute to look at and nice in their own environment but I’ll tell you, they can rip the inside of your roof to shreds in no time at all. Usually it’s just because they’re scared, poor things, and want to get out as much as you want them out.’

  Rose shuddered. ‘Please, stop talking about them.’

  ‘You don’t like them?’ Mrs Fredrick’s eyebrows shot upwards in surprise.

  ‘Not particularly.’ Rose could feel herself calming down a fraction but she wouldn’t be completely calm until that possum was long gone from the house. It appeared that Dave was going to be her knight in shining armour yet again and she wasn’t going to dispute the fact one little bit. To own the truth, she rather liked it. He’d saved her from food poisoning and now a possum. A smile touched her lips as he came out of the house, holding a plate with something on it.

  ‘What’s he got?’ she asked Mrs Fredrick.

  ‘Probably some sort of fruit, soaked with wine or some other form of alcohol. Berries are the best—raspberries in vodka is one of the best ones.’

  ‘What? Doesn’t that hurt the poor animal?’

  ‘Ah, no. Just gets them a little drunk so we can take them back to the bush without them tearing us to shreds. Concerned about the native animals, eh? There’s hope for you yet.’

  ‘I’m a doctor, Mrs Fredrick. I care about life—even if it’s not human.’

  ‘Dave would never hurt an animal. Not unless he absolutely had to.’

  ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘Well, out here, if you hit a roo, for example, the kindest thing you can do to the poor animal is put it out of its misery.’

  ‘Eww!’ Rose couldn’t believe she was hearing this. What on earth had possessed her to come to Broken Hill in the first place? She must have been out of her mind. She knew that spending time with her dad was paramount but he was off on his honeymoon and here she was, trying to make sure a possum didn’t get into the roof. Correction—here Dave was, making sure a possum didn’t get into the roof.

  He was a good man and they were definitely hard to come by.

  She watched as Dave held the plate up towards the possum and then placed it on the ground before heading in their direction.

  ‘What did you give it?’

  ‘Eh?’

  ‘The possum food. What is it?’

  ‘Banana and scotch.’

  ‘Oh.’

  ‘I take it by that reply that Mrs Fredrick has been doing some explaining?’ He watched as Mrs Fredrick nodded. ‘Thanks. Poor Rosie here isn’t used to all these non-city things that happen.’

  ‘Most city slickers aren’t.’ Mrs Fredrick shook her head sadly as she spoke.

  ‘Ah, but Dr Partridge here has told me she’s not really a city slicker. She’s apparently lived in the sticks.’

  ‘Really? Where?’ Mrs Fredrick asked.

  ‘Wagga Wagga,’ Rose supplied a little absent-mindedly, as the possum started to move down the drainpipe towards the food.

  Dave and her neighbour laughed. ‘That’s not the outback, Rosie. This…’ He spread his arms out wide. ‘This is the outback.’

  ‘Look, he’s eating it!’ She said with surprise.

  ‘Of course he is. I make the best possum food.’

  ‘Perhaps you should think of opening a restaurant for them, then.’

  ‘Cute. Very cute, Rosie. All right, so now we watch him and wait.’

  ‘How long will it be before the alcohol takes effect?’

  ‘About ten minutes or so,’ he answered, and Mrs Fredrick nodded her agreement.

  ‘So we just stand here and wait?’

  ‘You’ve got it.’

  ‘Is the box all ready?’ Mrs Fredrick asked.

  ‘It’s around the back with the gloves. I’ll go through the house, around and out the back and then come along the side of the house, over here.’ He pointed to where the possum was now happily munching away on the banana.

  ‘Good boy,’ Mrs Fredrick replied. ‘You all right now, Rosie?’ she queried again.

  Rose forced a smile. ‘I will be, Mrs Fredrick, as soon as that possum has gone.’

  ‘Just as well Dave was here to help out.’

  Rose could tell by her neighbour’s tone that she was mightily interested in what was really going on between the two of them, and Rose wasn’t quite sure what she wanted people to know.

  ‘Just as well,’ she agreed mildly. ‘Has it finished yet?’

  ‘Yep. Cleaned up the plate.’ Dave preened. ‘Told you I make good possum food.’

  Rose laughed softly. ‘I’m sure it looks good on your résumé.’

  ‘What—the possum food itself, or the fact that I can make it?’ Dave chuckled.

  ‘Well, as you’ve got the situation well in hand, I’ll go back inside out of the heat. Have a nice evening—the pair of you,’ Mrs Fredrick said with a knowing grin, before heading off towards her own home.

  ‘Gossip out here is more potent than any hospital I’ve ever worked in,’ Dave said quietly, as they both watched the possum.

  ‘So I’ve gathered,’ Rose replied.

  They waited. Side by side, swatting flies, their arms brushing occasionally. Rose could feel the heat radiating from Dave and now that they were alone again she gave her senses permission to enjoy it. She shifted slightly and their hands brushed against each other. Dave didn’t move away but stayed where he was.

  ‘I’d like nothing better than to take you in my arms and kiss you goodnight, Rosie, but I think we need to protect your reputation for a little longer—at least until your father gets home.’

  ‘How chivalrous of you.’

  ‘Yes, I thought so.’

  ‘Modest, too.’

  ‘Absolutely.’ Dave chuckled. ‘Look.’ He pointed to where the possum was starting to slump a bit. ‘I think it’s almost time.’ He felt for her fingers and gave them a quick squeeze. ‘I’m glad I came.’

  ‘So am I.’

  ‘Really?’

  ‘Yes.’ Rose glanced up at him. ‘And not just because of the possum.’

  He smiled down at her. ‘Are you free for dinner tomorrow night?’

  ‘Yes,’ she replied a little hesitantly.

  ‘What’s wrong?’

  ‘I just don’t know if I want to go out in public yet. Do you know what I mean?’

  ‘Yes. You could come out to the farm and I could rustle you up a plate of stea
k and egg.’

  ‘Mmm,’ she replied, pulling a sour face. ‘Sounds…appetising.’

  Dave laughed but as he mentioned the farm, he remembered that Melody would be arriving in two days’ time. Tomorrow night would be the last time he could go out without having to worry about making babysitting arrangements. ‘Yes, we definitely need to see each other tomorrow night. We have a lot to…discuss.’

  Rose was glad he wanted to see her again but was slightly puzzled by the underlying vehemence in his words. Still, he was right. They did have a lot to discuss and she wanted to make sure he understood that whatever this was brewing between them had to be taken at a snail’s pace. She wasn’t going to let her heart be swept away this time. She was going to guard it and move slowly—as she should have done previously.

  ‘Why don’t you come here for dinner?’

  ‘The neighbours will see my ute and know I’m here.’

  ‘They already know that much,’ Rose countered. ‘But at least this way we won’t be under a microscope.’

  ‘Good point. All right. I’ll call by after clinic. What time are you due to finish tomorrow?’

  ‘The urology list usually finishes on time so I should be home just after five-thirty.’

  ‘All right. Can I bring anything?’

  ‘Yes. Any other tools you might need in case the house is ridden with other furry creatures.’

  He laughed. ‘You’re a good sport, Rosie Partridge. That’s what I like about you.’ He squeezed her hand once more before finally letting go. ‘Let me get this one out of here for you.’

  The possum was now about to fall asleep but even so, Rose kept her distance. Dave went through the house and soon materialised around the side where the possum was, his heavy-duty gloves on his hands, the box standing by.

  With little effort or struggle, he picked the dozing possum up and placed it carefully into the box. Folding the lid over, he made sure there was enough air circulating for the animal before carrying it towards his car.

  Rose scooted out of the way and watched as he put the box on the front passenger seat. ‘Is that a good idea?’ she called.

  He turned and gave her a slow but encompassing smile. She felt her insides warm at the sight. ‘Worried about me? Don’t be. This little fella will be asleep for the next hour at least. If I put him in the back and the box lid flies open, he might be attacked by a predator. I’ll take care of him, Rosie.’