by Janet Gover
‘G’day Jack!’ The publican walked past, a tray of drinks in hand. ‘I think there’s a seat at the bar.’
There was, but only one. The crowd was mostly racegoers, but there were a few familiar faces.
‘Jack. We don’t see you in here so much these days,’ one of the locals greeted him.
‘That’s because he’s usually down at The Mineside,’ another offered with a leer and a wink. ‘I guess the food down there is better.’
‘In that case, I guess you won’t be wanting this steak then, Steve Doohan?’ Trish Warren walked into the room, two steaming plates in her hands. ‘You can go down the road any time.’
‘Aw, Trish, I was just teasing him.’ Steve looked suitably abashed
‘Teasing, eh.’ Trish put the plate down in front of him. ‘If I was dating two girls at the same time, I’d be careful about doing any teasing.’
Steve ducked his head as the men around him started to laugh. There wasn’t much went on in Coorah Creek that Trish Warren didn’t know about.
‘You pay no attention to that lot,’ she said to Jack, as she ducked behind the bar to pour him a beer. ‘They’re just jealous.’
‘There’s nothing to be jealous of,’ Jack said, as he reached for his wallet. ‘I’m just helping out. That’s all.’
‘Of course it is.’ Trish patted his hand. ‘And when she’s ready, Ellen will realise the reason why.’
Jack blinked. It seemed like just a few days ago that Trish was warning him to stay away from Ellen. Now she was matchmaking? There were some things he would never understand.
‘Now, speaking of helping,’ Trish continued, ‘there are some kegs need lifting in the cold room. I’d appreciate it if you could give Syd a hand with them. He’s pretty busy tonight.’ Like her husband, Trish would never admit to advancing years, but she was the practical one and not too proud to ask for help if she thought her man needed it.
‘Sure thing.’
‘And you can put that wallet away, Jack North. Can I fix you a steak?’
‘No thanks.’ Jack felt almost embarrassed as he said it. Not that Trish didn’t cook a fine steak, but he was looking forward to dinner later tonight down at The Mineside. The pub didn’t offer accommodation, but the town’s packed campsite was just a short walk away and business would be brisk.
‘Ellen’s working tonight, then,’ Trish guessed. ‘That pub’s likely to get a bit rowdy with the crowd from the campsite. I’ll tell Syd to get those kegs done right away then, so you can get down there.’
She set off back to the kitchen.
Jack took a deep drink from his glass, his thoughts as they so often were, on Ellen. She was quite something. Considering what he suspected had happened to her in the past, she had taken control of her new life with a strength that amazed him. She’d made a home for her children. Enrolled them in school and given them a new life. The reservation he’d had about her job at The Mineside had proved unfounded. She had somehow managed to turn that place around too. That pub was more popular than it had ever been, but somehow the rough edges had been smoothed away. There were fewer fights. Some of the miners had even started bringing their wives and girlfriends to the pub. Mind you, some of them hadn’t. Jack’s forehead creased into a frown. Some of them wanted to appear single at the bar, so they could flirt with Ellen. Not that she ever flirted back. Well, not seriously anyway.
There were times when he still saw a flash of fear in her eyes. She hid it well, but he knew she still carried the scars of her past. She kept the men at arm’s length because she wasn’t ready yet. Jack had to believe that one day the fear would vanish, and when it did, he wanted to be the man waiting for her.
‘G’day, Jack.’
‘Sarge,’ Jack said, as the policeman fronted up to the bar next to him. ‘Busy?’
‘Pretty much. Same as every year about this time.’ Sergeant Max Delaney wasn’t an outback man. He’d been raised on the coast, where the weather was kinder and the work of law enforcement a whole lot harder. He’d been assigned to the Creek four years ago and fitted right in. There was an art to policing a small town. A good outback copper knew when the law was perhaps less important than the community. There were times he had to be blind. And there were times he had to make his own rules. Max had sorted that out within a couple of months of his arrival. That wasn’t to say he was ever less than a cop. He was just the right sort of cop.
‘How’re things with you?’ the Sarge asked in a voice so casual that Jack knew there had to be a reason.
‘Not bad.’
‘I heard you’re spending a bit of time down at The Mineside.’
‘I guess I am.’
‘Well, you’re not the only one. I hear the food is pretty good these days.’ Max nodded his thanks to Syd who had placed his usual, a soda water, on the bar in front of him.
‘It is. You should drop by for a meal one night.’
‘I might just do that.’
‘In fact,’ Jack said in an offhand manner, his eyes on the half-empty glass of beer in his hand, ‘it’s likely to be a bit busy there this weekend. Maybe a bit rowdy, too. Strangers mostly… It might be worth dropping by.’
‘I was planning to keep a pretty good eye on the place,’ Max said, sipping his drink. Both men sat in silence for a minute before the policeman spoke again. ‘I’ve had a report in from the coast. To be on the look out for some missing persons.’
‘Oh, yeah?’ Jack forced his voice to remain calm and casual, despite the sudden pounding of his heart.
‘Yeah. Woman and two kids. Seems there’s a question of custody. Also a suggestion of stolen money.’
Jack turned to look at the man sitting next to him. One look at the policeman’s face told him everything he needed to know. The alert was about Ellen and the kids. The Sarge knew it and now so did he.
‘When she got here, there were bruises all over her arms. She was terrified. The kids too,’ Jack said in a quiet voice so none of the other men at the bar could hear.
The policeman’s face darkened. ‘That so?’
‘She just needs time to get on her feet,’ Jack said. ‘And she’s a great mother. Those kids need time with her to forget whatever happened before.’
The Sergeant didn’t say anything. He took another low slow drink of his soda water. As he put the glass back on the bar he turned to look at Jack. The two men’s eyes met and Jack could see the policeman was weighing up every word he’d said.
‘You know, these bulletins take a while to get to us out here,’ Max said. ‘And I am pretty busy what with the races and so forth. I might get a bit behind with some of my paperwork. But at some point, I am going to have to talk to her.’
Jack nodded.
‘Right. See you later.’ Calling his thanks to Syd for the drink, Max left.
The policeman’s words stayed with Jack as he hefted kegs for Syd in the cold room. He didn’t stay around after that. He left the noisy bar and still deep in thought, got into his car. He was planning to go The Mineside, but instead found himself driving towards the hospital where a single light was glowing through the office window.
‘I knew I’d find you here,’ he said to Sister Luke, as he walked into the office.
‘Well, with Adam and Jess down at Birdsville, I thought someone should man the phones,’ the nun said in her gentle voice. ‘Besides, the peace and quiet gives me a chance to catch up on paperwork.’ She gestured to the piles of paper spread across the narrow metal desk.
‘Have you heard from Adam or Jess?’
‘No. I imagine they are too busy to call home.’ Sister Luke folded her hands and leaned back into her chair. ‘Did you want to talk about something, Jack?’
Jack almost smiled. Sister Luke could see through anyone.
‘I was wondering, you must know about …
well …’ He picked up one of the many pens that littered the desk, twisting it around in his hands as he struggled to find the right words. ‘… helping women who have … you know … had a tough time.’
Sister Luke smiled a small, sad smile. ‘A little bit. I’ve seen it happen far too many times.’
‘Well, how does a woman get past something like that? Can she ever … well … you know… be with a man again?’
‘Oh, Jack.’ Sister Luke leaned forward to remove the pen and pat his hands gently. ‘It’s not easy for a woman who has been hurt to learn to trust again. But they can. It takes a lot of time … and good friends.’
‘How can I help her?’ He raised his eyes to look at Sister Luke’s lined face.
‘Just keep doing what you have been doing, Jack. Let her find herself again. Let her learn to like herself. Be her friend.’
Jack wanted to believe Sister Luke was right.
‘But what if … well. What if the man who hurt her is looking for her? If he went to the police and made accusations against her? The police will believe her, won’t they? They wouldn’t take the kids away?’
‘Jack.’ Sister Luke’s voice was suddenly sharp. ‘What’s happened?’
‘I was just talking to Max. There’s some sort of bulletin out for her as a missing person. And accusations too.’
‘Then she needs a lawyer.’
‘She can’t afford a lawyer,’ Jack said. ‘But I can help her with that, if she’ll let me.’
Sister Luke nodded. ‘But don’t expect anything, Jack. This may not end the way you want it to.’
‘I know,’ Jack said, his heart nearly breaking. ‘Just as long as she is safe and happy.’
‘Will that be enough for you?’
‘It might have to be.’
Sister Luke rose from the chair and came to rest a comforting hand on his shoulder. ‘You’re a good man, Jack North. Now, do you think you could do an old lady a favour and give me a lift home? It’s late and I’m tired.’
The sudden weakness in her voice dragged Jack away from his own problems. ‘Of course, Sister Luke.’
He leaped to his feet and led the way to his car. As he did, he took a careful look at Sister Luke’s face. This was the second time she’d wanted a lift home. Adam had mentioned he’d driven her home after the house-warming party. That was so unlike her. He’d been so caught up in his own problems, he hadn’t noticed how tired she looked. He’d have to talk to Adam when he got back and make sure the Sister wasn’t working too hard.
Jack dropped Sister Luke at her small house next to the town’s Catholic Church. The town had no priest. A visiting priest came by once a month to hold services in the church which Sister Luke cared for. Jack made a mental note to see if he could take some of that burden off her shoulders.
Without thinking, he then turned towards The Mineside. As he approached, it was pretty clear that this pub was also sharing the fruits of the weekend’s extra traffic. It looked crowded. Climbing the stairs to the front door, Jack guessed he wouldn’t find his usual table waiting for him. He opened the doors and walked into the bar. His eyes immediately found Ellen, who had just emerged from the kitchen carrying two big plates of food. Her face was flushed with the kitchen’s heat and her hair was a mess. She was so beautiful.
Ellen looked across the room and the smile that was his alone lit her face. Jack knew then that he could wait forever, if that’s what it took.
Chapter Sixteen
Adam lay in bed listening to Jess breathing.
She slept deeply. Every breath was almost a sigh … long and deep and soft. She was so close. He could almost feel the warmth of her body. He knew he could stretch across the gap that separated their two beds and touch her. He also knew her skin would be warm and soft.
It was a very long time since Adam had shared the night with another human being. He’d spent many a long night watching over his patients, willing them to take one more breath as he tried to heal them. But to share a night’s rest with another person – that was an intimacy he had long denied himself.
Women found him attractive and there had been a time he’d been glad to welcome them into his bed. When he was young, the pity in their eyes when they saw his scars mattered far less than the sex that would follow. But that had changed. The pity had become too hard to ignore. He began to avoid casual encounters. And a deeper relationship meant getting close to someone. Giving them the power to hurt him. He avoided those, too.
He had forgotten what it was like to share the gentlest hours of the day with someone else. To share one’s most vulnerable moments.
He hadn’t planned this, and his main thought was to get through the next few days without Jess discovering his secret. He just couldn’t stand the thought of pity in Jessica’s eyes.
But still, the desire was there. How could it not be? She was a beautiful woman. The image of her body, golden in the sunlight, was burned into his mind. He wanted to run his hands up those long shapely legs. Press his lips against the curves of her body. Feel her flesh against his. Feel the warmth of her breath …
Jess sighed and moved in her sleep. She gave a little moan.
Adam shifted uncomfortably in his bed. He kept his eyes firmly fixed on the faint line of light at the edge of the curtains that covered the window, wishing the sunrise would come. He had no business feeling like this. For so many reasons. He could never have a life with Jess. There were too many secrets he couldn’t share. And with Jess, it would be all or nothing.
Jess had her own secrets too. He didn’t know what they might be, but he knew that she had come to Coorah Creek to escape. To heal. Then she would leave the outback and go back to the life she deserved. Back to the bright lights. To the people who must be waiting for her. To the people who would be more to her than he ever could. An icy dagger slipped silently between Adam’s ribs and pierced his heart. He didn’t want her to leave. But he could give her no reason to stay.
Jess moved again, her even breathing broken by a short, sharp cry.
A nightmare. Adam recognised the signs. God knew Adam had survived more than his share of nightmares. As a boy he’d woken every night screaming into the darkness, the pain in his mind as real as the pain in his body. The nightmares had faded as the boy became a man, but still sometimes came to haunt his nights. What ghosts, he wondered, came to disturb Jessica’s sleep?
Another cry from the other bed caused Adam to turn his head. Jess thrashed her head from side to side.
All other thoughts fled before the wish to simply comfort her. Should he go to her? As a tortured child he had welcomed Sister Luke’s touch to ease his fears. Jess was no child, but Adam had no doubt that something tortured her. He wished he could go to her and put his arms around her. Make the pain go away.
With another cry, Jess suddenly sat up in bed, looking wildly around her.
Instinctively, Adam closed his eyes and feigned sleep.
After a few minutes, he heard Jess’s rapid breathing begin to slow. The bedclothes rustled as she got out of bed.
‘Adam?’ The whispered word was not to wake him, but rather to ask if he was awake. Adam didn’t reply. Jess didn’t need to see pity in his eyes either.
He heard her moving around the room in the darkness. There came the sound of running water from the bathroom, then finally the click of the room door as it opened – then closed again behind her.
Adam opened his eyes. The faint light of dawn seeped around the edges of the curtains. The bed next to his was rumpled and empty and cold. He was alone.
The sun was just beginning to peep above the horizon, and the light was soft and gentle. Despite this, Jess could hear noise and movement. Today would see the vast influx of people and horses for the races that would begin on Friday. Although she supposed everything was in place, there were still last minute prepa
rations going on, even this early in the day. Jess did not want company right now. She turned north, away from the activity and towards the airport.
Her Beechcraft was parked where she had left it, next to the other air ambulances. There were a few more planes parked around the airstrip. One or two had tents pitched under the wings. The sounds of light snores suggested the occupants slept more soundly than she had.
Jess walked round the aircraft, running her fingers lightly over the paint and performing the routine checks she did every morning. The routines always soothed her and made her feel in control of something – even if she could not control her nightmares.
You killed him. You killed my son!
She had thought the nightmares were fading. These weeks in Coorah Creek, sharing her life with Ellen and the kids; with Jack and Sister Luke … and most of all with Adam, had brought something very close to happiness. But last night the nightmares had returned. She was only glad that Adam had slept through them. She didn’t know what she would have done if he’d woken and asked her what was wrong. Adam was an important part of that tentative happiness she felt. Working with him was like a balm to her soul. Watching a baby being born. Helping the sick and injured. Even sharing stew around a campfire with the stockmen. The thought that something might rip apart those fragile feelings was more than she could bear.
She looked down at her hands. They were shaking ever so slightly. They hadn’t done that for a while. It must be the crowds. The knowledge that there were journalists and cameras here. She told herself firmly they were here for the races. Not for her. It was time she got past the fear.
She pulled the keys from her pocket and unlocked the plane. Spending a few minutes checking the interior steadied her hands, but did not make her more inclined to face other people. She climbed back down the aircraft stairs. The sun was above the horizon now; the day starting to feel hotter. Soon a new influx of aircraft would begin. In the town, there would be cars and buses and trucks of horses. There was no way she could avoid people. Nor could she forget what had happened. All she could do was try to ignore the past and look to the future.
