City Surgeon, Outback Bride

by Lucy Clark

  As he drove the short distance back to Sylvia’s, Henry shook his head in astonishment. He’d kissed Rayne. He’d kissed Rayne! He honestly couldn’t say what had come over him in that instant, only that, as he’d told Rayne, it had felt so natural, as though it had been completely the right thing to do—to quickly kiss her good night. It was what he’d done with his wife every time he’d left for work. It had been natural and real and as Henry parked his car, switching off the engine and staring out into the night, he realised a deep and meaningful truth.

  He’d moved on.

  Rayne had just finished getting ready for bed and headed into the kitchen to get a glass of water. Earlene was sitting at the bench, drinking her final cup of tea for the evening.

  ‘Ready to turn in, love?’

  ‘Yes. I’m exhausted.’

  ‘Busy day?’

  Rayne thought for a moment. ‘No more than usual, I guess.’

  ‘So that begs the question, why are you more exhausted today than other days?’

  ‘You know, I’m not sure.’

  ‘Oh, toffle. Of course you’re sure. Your poor body, your poor hormones are working in overdrive, trying to figure out what’s going on between you and Henry.’

  Rayne concentrated on getting her glass of water. ‘Is that so?’

  ‘You know it is, dear. Come and sit down and tell me all about it.’

  ‘There really isn’t that much to…’ Rayne stopped and looked at Earlene. There was no use trying to deny it, not to the woman who’d taken her in and helped her through the most trying times in her life. No, this woman could read her like a book and Rayne realised it was time for the next chapter.

  ‘All right.’ She sat down.

  ‘Good. Now, tell me how Henry makes you feel.’

  ‘Special,’ Rayne said after a moment of reflection.

  Earlene’s eyebrows went up. ‘We’re going to go straight to “special”, eh? Well, well, well. I hadn’t quite expected that.’

  ‘Why? Is there something wrong with that?’

  ‘No. Oh, no, dear, not at all.’ Earlene touched her cheek. ‘I just hadn’t expected it so soon. You’ve always been so careful, Rayne, so detached as far as men go. Jarvis and I quite despaired of you finding a man you could trust—really trust, Rayne—but thankfully you seem to have found him.’

  ‘He’s a nice man and yet he’s been through so much already, so much pain and loss.’

  ‘And I’m sure you’re helping him out. That’s a rare gift you have and it’s great that you use it to help those around you, but don’t forget to also use the gift on yourself. You need to heal from what happened to you in the past and really make the effort to work through it.’ Earlene paused. ‘Have you told Henry yet?’

  ‘Why I’m so wary of men?’ She shrugged. ‘Sort of. Well, not quite. I told him he was restoring my faith in men.’

  Earlene laughed. ‘That would have made him feel fit to crow.’

  Rayne smiled. ‘You know, I think it did.’

  ‘Go to bed, dear. Dream and find your answers.’

  Rayne stood and gave Earlene a hug before collecting her drink. She made it to the door before turning to face her again. ‘Earlene, what does it equate to when I say Henry makes me feel special?’

  Earlene laughed again. ‘Let yourself go and the answer will come to you. When it does, trust it.’

  Rayne shook her head. ‘Just what I need. More cryptic messages to decipher.’ Night.’

  When the festival started a few days later, the town seemed to come to life. Fairy-lights hung in the streets, children laughed and played all day long, visitors from all over the country came to their little town to celebrate with them, and life was very merry.

  At Henry’s hotel, Sylvia had actually changed her books to allow him to stay for as long as he needed and he was beginning to realise that the entire town had matched him up with their very pretty general practitioner and seemed to be doing everything in their power to ensure they stayed matched.

  ‘Didn’t have much of a good childhood, from what I hear,’ Willard had said.

  ‘Her mother didn’t do much. Poor Rayne was the one who looked after everything and from a very young age, too,’ Gladys had added.

  ‘She’s very special is our Rayne and we’re fiercely protective of her,’ Carmel said, putting her two cents’worth in.

  Henry had thanked them all for their concerns and had taken their warnings to heart. He had the notion that if he were to hurt Rayne, he’d be hung, drawn and quartered—and he loved the people of Deniliquin even more for their loyalty to such an incredible woman. Besides, he had no intention of hurting her. In fact, he was beginning to hope that things would turn out to be quite the opposite.

  On Tuesday night, as they walked through the town after having an early dinner at Darren’s café, Jasmine between them, Rayne breathed in deeply and sighed.

  ‘You all right?’ Henry asked, glancing over at her. She looked incredible tonight, dressed in strappy leather sandals, a white sundress and a burgundy cardigan Earlene had knitted for her. Her hair was loose and her eyes were sparkling with happiness. ‘My word, you’re beautiful,’ he murmured before he could stop himself. Her smile was a small one and she looked away shyly for a moment before thanking him.

  ‘It’s such a lovely night. The weather is perfect, the breeze just warm enough not to be sticky, the stars shining brightly and the town shining its brilliance. It all seems to fit as though it were meant to be.’

  ‘It does.’ They were headed to the hall to see the exhibitions. The cake judging had taken place earlier that day and Earlene had won a prize for her cake, which was a typical Australian ‘outhouse’, complete with an old man reading the paper and a red-back spider on the toilet seat. It had made people laugh and completely captured the spirit of the outback.

  ‘It’s in here,’ Jasmine said, tugging them both along. ‘And the picture I drew at school last week is up, too.’

  ‘I know, darling, we’ve already seen it,’ Rayne pointed out.

  ‘But you have to see it again.’ And they did, standing before it and admiring it for all its brilliance, just as an art critic would do with a painting at a gallery. They oohed and ahhed over the cakes and made their way around the photographic and other exhibitions.

  Then they walked towards Darren’s café where they were going to have a quiet dessert before checking out the jumble-sale stalls. The town seemed to be filled with people and getting a seat at Darren’s was difficult.

  ‘It’s so good for the town,’ Rayne murmured as they sat down with their iced cupcakes and chocolate milkshakes.

  ‘I can’t believe the transformation.’ Henry shook his head.

  ‘Even though you helped with most of it?’

  ‘I don’t mean that. I guess having all the visitors come is what makes the real difference. It’s great.’

  Rayne smiled at his words. He sounded just like a local and she wondered if that was exactly how he saw himself. He’d helped get this town ready for the festival and now he was reaping the benefits just as much as people like Willard and Gladys.

  People continually stopped by to say hello and chat, some patients, some friends and some both. Quite a few of them commented on what a happy family picture the three of them made, to which Henry and Rayne merely smiled politely and nodded.

  ‘Jazzy, you’re getting that everywhere,’ Rayne remarked, reaching for some more napkins to wipe the little girl’s face. ‘Why did you choose to wear white?’ she asked rhetorically.

  ‘So I’d look pretty for Henry,’ came the answer.

  ‘Of course. I should have known.’

  ‘Logical reasoning.’ Henry nodded and winked at Jasmine.

  ‘She has it in abundance,’ Rayne agreed. When Jasmine had finished getting her cupcake icing all over her, they decided to go for a walk by the Edward River. The sun had almost set but the lights were on to ensure they could see where they were walking.

  ‘I can�
��t get over how perfect the weather is,’ Rayne murmured as Henry carried Jasmine on his shoulders.

  ‘Very.’

  ‘Look at those colours, Jazzy. Aren’t they amazing?’

  ‘I’m gonna do a special painting tomorrow and I’m gonna paint the sky eggsactly as it is now.’

  Rayne smiled at Jasmine’s words and Henry chuckled. ‘I look forward to seeing it. A beautiful sky on a beautiful night with two beautiful girls. I’m beginning to think I’m the luckiest man on the face of the earth.’

  ‘You are, Henry,’ Jasmine declared. ‘This is just like when Mummy and Daddy and me used to go for a walk sometimes. Daddy would put me on his shoulders and Mummy would hold his hand. Now all you and Rayne need to do is hold hands and then it will be just the same.’

  ‘Can’t argue with that,’ Henry said quickly, and before Rayne could utter a word, he took her hand in his, linking their fingers together. Rayne smiled shyly and he gave her hand a little squeeze. ‘Relax,’ he said softly. ‘I won’t bite.’ Then he winked at her. ‘Not unless you want me to.’

  ‘Henry!’

  He laughed, a deep rumbling laugh that echoed around the area, warming its way through Rayne, and she realised that she should do as he’d suggested. She should just relax and enjoy this moment. Life was very short. She’d learned that the hard way but she’d also learned that letting go of the tight rein she held over her life was nowhere near as easy to do as it seemed for others.

  If someone were to ask her what love was, she wasn’t sure she could tell them. Oh, sure, she knew what it was like to love like a friend because she’d loved Janey. She loved Jarvis and Earlene but that was more out of gratitude than anything else. She loved Jasmine but that was a maternal love.

  Now Henry was forcing her out of the comfort zone she’d created for herself and it wasn’t the first time he’d done it. First with that tantalising brush of his lips on hers and now by holding her hand in public. He made her feel nervous and excited as well as filled with anticipation that something special and really important was about to happen, although she had no clue what it might be.

  Rayne had no real knowledge of what real love was. The love between a man and woman. She’d seen her best friend fall in love and run towards it with no fear at all, only complete happiness. Was that what it could be like for her? If she let go, would she be able to have that freedom of embracing love when it came along?

  Ever since he’d kissed her the other night, every time she’d seen him since, her stomach had churned, her knees had become weak and she’d felt extremely light-headed, as though she had been about to faint. It was ridiculous and she’d tried her best to ignore it but the fact of the matter was that Henry really did make her feel special…and she didn’t know how to handle that.

  ‘Ooh! Look at the ducks.’ Jasmine wriggled around on Henry’s shoulders. ‘Let me down, Henry.’

  ‘Please,’ Rayne reminded her.

  ‘Please,’ Jasmine said quickly, and when Henry let go of Rayne’s hand to lift Jasmine down, Rayne felt a cold chill swirl around her. She shivered a little, even though it wasn’t that cool, and rubbed her hands together. The instant Jasmine’s feet hit the ground, she was off running towards the waterfowl, scattering them from the edge of the path back into the water.

  ‘Don’t get too—’ She’d been about to say ‘close’ when Henry took her hand back, linking their fingers together once more.

  ‘Close,’ he finished for her.

  ‘I won’t,’ Jasmine promised, and headed off towards a park with a swing set which she knew was just down the path.

  ‘She’s a bundle of energy tonight,’ Henry commented.

  ‘Yes.’ That was all the answer Rayne could manage, her body once more warming at the simple touch of his hand holding hers.

  ‘Let your stress go, Rayne.’

  She looked up at him, surprised. ‘You can read minds now?’

  ‘I can feel your tension.’

  ‘By holding my hand?’

  ‘Yes.’ He chuckled. ‘Just enjoy this for what it is.’

  ‘And what is it?’

  Henry shrugged. ‘Who knows? But I’m enjoying finding out. You should, too.’

  They walked on in silence and slowly but surely Rayne started to feel less uncomfortable. ‘This is nice,’ she finally said.

  ‘You’re starting to relax. Good.’

  ‘It’s not easy. I’m working really hard at it.’

  ‘And I appreciate that.’

  Rayne gave his hand a little squeeze as they headed over to a bench so they could watch Jasmine play. ‘Life gets so hectic sometimes and if I turn my head too much, if I take my eyes off all those balls I’m currently trying to juggle, I’ll drop the lot.’

  Henry nodded. ‘I know the feeling. Although in my picture I’m not only juggling but I’m stuck on a merry-go-round.’

  ‘That wouldn’t make juggling all that easy.’

  ‘It makes it nigh impossible at times.’ He rubbed his thumb gently over the back of her hand, content simply to sit there with her. ‘When are you planning to take Jazzy to the ute muster?’ Henry asked.

  ‘Probably Saturday afternoon. Until Friday, I’ll be doing a shift at the hospital every day but I’m rostered on for Saturday morning so should definitely be free in the latter part of the afternoon.’

  ‘Sounds good. Why don’t we plan on going around four o’clock? It’ll just be until…say…six? Just a couple of hours.’

  ‘We?’

  ‘Yes. I’m courting you, remember?’ He held up their linked hands, as though that proved his point.

  ‘Oh, that’s right.’ Why did his words have the ability to make her all tingly inside? ‘I’ve never been courted before.’

  ‘So you’ve said.’ Henry paused, then decided to test the waters a bit. ‘Why not?’

  ‘Why not?’ Rayne repeated, then thought. ‘Never the time. Never the right man.’ She shrugged. ‘I don’t know.’

  ‘Yes, you do. You mentioned the other day I was helping to restore your faith in men.’ Henry shifted so he could see her better. ‘What happened, Rayne? Who hurt you?’

  Rayne looked up at the sky and knew it was time. Knew she had to tell Henry. She owed it to him, especially after he’d been so open with her. ‘It’s nothing…just fuss and nonsense really.’

  Henry nodded, encouraging her to go on, waiting patiently. Whatever she was about to say, she needed his understanding and support and she was going to get it. When he’d realised he’d moved on, he’d also realised he was moving towards Rayne. She’d become so incredibly dear to him and he wasn’t about to jeopardise that for all the tea in China.

  ‘Uh…well…’ Rayne looked at Jasmine, hoping for a distraction, but she was playing happily with a few of her schoolfriends in the sandpit. She cleared her throat and looked at Henry. ‘I told you how my mother had lots of boyfriends, how she would move from one place the next, following one man after another?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Well…when I was about fourteen, we’d moved across Sydney so she could live with her latest boyfriend and one day after school, when Mum was still at work, well…’ Rayne looked away and Henry suddenly had an awful feeling in his stomach. He tried not to tense at what he could guess she was about to say. ‘I’d developed rather early and had a rather full figure at fourteen. He…’ Rayne breathed out, forcing herself to say the words she’d only ever spoken to Janey’s family and a therapist, and that had been at the time of the incident. ‘He…uh…tried to…he came on to me.’

  ‘Did he—?’ Henry ground out angrily between clenched teeth.

  ‘No. No. He kissed me and that was enough to make me want to be sick. I shoved him away as hard as I could and I got out of the house. I ran and I ran. I ended up at Janey’s house and told Earlene what had happened. Then I promptly burst into tears.’ She looked at Henry again. ‘I never went back there. Jarvis and Earlene stepped in and just took me out of that situation. Gave me a different
life.’

  Henry bent forward and gently stroked her cheek as though he was helping her to heal the wound. ‘Thank you for telling me,’ he whispered, before straightening. ‘You are one amazing woman, Rayne Hudson. I hope you realise that.’

  ‘Some days I do. Most days I don’t.’

  ‘Then I’ll have to keep reminding you.’

  ‘Will you now?’

  ‘Yes.’ Henry let go of her hands and tenderly cupped her face. ‘I want to kiss you, Rayne. So desperately. But especially after what you’ve just told me, there’s no way I want to do anything to rush you or push you. You are in control of what happens between us and when. You have become very important to me these past weeks and you’ve stood by me while I’ve made some tough decisions about my life. You’ve been there for me and I want you to know that I am here for you. One hundred per cent. I want to be your friend—first and foremost—but I also want more. As I’ve said, it’s your decision and I’ll be as patient as a saint.’

  Rayne raised an eyebrow at that and smiled.

  ‘Well…almost as patient as a saint.’

  She chuckled, amazed at how he could make her feel so warm and secure and special. Her Henry. Making her feel special. He leaned forward and kissed her forehead before dropping his hands, showing her he really did respect her.

  Later, as they walked home, Jasmine back on her perch on Henry’s shoulders, Rayne couldn’t stop her thoughts from wondering what it would be like to have Henry hold her in his arms and feel his lips on hers. She’d dreamt about it enough and now, to her utter astonishment, he was leaving the decision entirely to her. He was a man of honour, of morals and ethics, and she not only trusted him but knew he’d keep her safe, that he wouldn’t hurt her.

  As they crossed the front garden, Jasmine asked to be let down, remembering she still had to give Ethel her nighttime bottle.

  ‘I won’t come in,’ Henry said at the front door.

  ‘Tea? Coffee?’

  He smiled and took her hand in his. ‘Not tonight but thanks for the offer.’ He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it. ‘I think you need an early night.’