by Anne Fraser
‘Thank you so much.’ Relief rushed across Megan’s father’s face. ‘Come on, Megs, we have to catch this plane.’ He caught his daughter’s hand and urged her to walk back to the car.
Meg started to walk away and then turned back, calling, ‘Can I email the clinic and ask you to send me photos?’
Mia nodded and waved, still rather bewildered by the last few minutes.
Just as she turned to go back into the clinic, Flynn’s truck pulled up. He swung out of the vehicle, and walked toward her, a wide smile on his face.
The now familiar streak of delight she experienced every time she saw him spun through her, weaving its promise of magical times.
His arm slid around her waist as his lips stole a kiss. ‘Hello. What have you got there?’ He stared down at the bundle in her arms.
‘A joey.’
‘So I see. They need to be kept tucked up like they’re still in the pouch.’ His tanned fingers nestled the windcheater warmly around the tiny marsupial. ‘Ah, night feeds, twice-daily oiling, pouch changing and weighing.’ He looked up and grinned. ‘I think you just became a mother.’
A mother. Her head spun as her blood rushed to her feet. The two simple words sliced through her with stinging intensity, bringing her real world thundering back. The real world she’d kept at bay these last few weeks with Flynn.
She would never be able to be a mother.
‘Hey, you OK? You’ve gone all pale.’ His fingers stroked her face.
She nodded, taking a moment to find her voice, not wanting him to guess. ‘I’m fine.’ She forced the muscles of her face to smile. ‘It’s just the surprise of it all. I’ve no idea how to care for this little guy.’
‘No problem. I’ve raised a joey before and I’m happy to help. We’ve got infant formula and I’m sure you’ve got something to make a baby sling tucked away in that magic cupboard of yours. The one that produces all sorts of wild and wonderful things.’
He winked at her, his eyes crinkling with a wonderfully, caring smile, tinged with heat. ‘I’ll even share the night feeds with you if you bake me some of that wonderful bread of yours.’
This is what it would be like if you had a child with Flynn.
The wound on her heart tore wide open. She could never have a child. She could never risk passing on the awful mutant gene on chromosome seventeen. Never, ever.
Take one day at a time. Don’t think further than today. With strength she hadn’t known she had, she pushed her pain back down deep, sealing it away and covering it with teasing. ‘I think some fresh bread could be arranged if you do the three a.m. shift.’
‘Three a.m.?’ His brows rose to his hairline in mock effrontery. ‘I was thinking more like midnight.’
‘I guess it depends how much you really want that bread.’ Still protecting the joey, she leaned in and captured his mouth with hers, her tongue quickly stealing his taste and giving some of her own.
His eyes darkened and he cleared his throat. ‘Three a.m. will be just fine.’
She laughed. ‘I thought you’d see it my way.’
His hand tightened on her waist and he steered her toward the clinic. ‘Come on, this is going to be fun.’
CHAPTER NINE
RAIN pounded the windows, running down the glass in huge streams, faster than the wipers could clear the windscreen. The wet had finally arrived and at three o’clock every day the heavens opened, the rain bucketing down hard and fast for an hour and then stopping as abruptly as it had started.
Flynn ran the short distance from the truck to Mia’s back door, but he arrived sopping wet. He kicked off his boots and grabbed a towel from the pile Mia had put by the door. ‘Anyone home?’
‘I’m inhere.’ Mia’s voice called from the living room.
He followed the melodic sound and saw her before she saw him. Semi-reclining on the couch with her long, golden legs fully stretched out, she had the pouch nestled against her chest and was feeding ‘Joe’, the bottle tilted confidently in her hand. Joe’s little mouth was sucking overtime, his small cheeks moving inwards while Mia gazed down at him, her expression soft and full of affection.
An image of her holding a baby rocked through him. His baby. He waited for the feeling of abject horror to scald him. It didn’t come.
‘Oh, hi, you’re back early.’ Mia looked up and smiled but then a frown formed three creases on the bridge of her nose. ‘Tell me you didn’t land in this rain.’
‘I keep telling you that planes are safer than cars but, no, I got in just ahead of the rain.’ He leaned over and kissed her. ‘How’s our boy?’
‘He’s doing fine and he’s grown so much in the three days since you last saw him. And he loves it when I hang his pouch on the door and he can watch the world go by.’
‘Excellent. He’ll be ready to have some time out of the pouch soon.’ He chucked the joey under the chin. ‘Ah, kids, they grow up so fast.’
‘You sound like a father.’ Mia put the now empty bottle on the coffee-table and stood up. She headed into the bathroom and helped Joe toilet before she returned to the couch with the little marsupial curled up in his sling pouch, his feet sticking up around his head.
She looked like a serene mother, at one with her role as a nurturer.
Flynn rested his thigh on the top of the couch and ran his hand through Mia’s hair, having missed touching her for the last two nights. ‘Have you thought about it?’
She glanced up at him, her blue eyes vivid and questioning. ‘Thought about what?’
‘About being a mother.’
She seemed to shudder under his hand and he heard a soft gasp.
‘As I don’t plan to get married, I guess that means I’m not going to have children.’
His fingers traced her ear. ‘Many women do it on their own.’
‘I’m not many women.’ She gave him a penetrating look. ‘And I think both of us know what it’s like, missing one parent in the “growing-up” stakes. I wouldn’t wish that on a child.’
‘True.’ But sadness curled around his heart. ‘I think it’s a shame you won’t rethink the marriage thing. You have so much to offer and you’d make a great mother.’
Her brows rose high and her eyes widened in surprise. Then she blinked and cleared her throat. ‘I could say the same thing about you.’
He grinned and deliberately misconstrued her comment. ‘I’d never be a great mother.’
Her mouth flattened and she pushed Joe’s pouch into his arms. ‘Ha-ha. You know I meant you rethinking the marriage thing. Brooke was one woman.’ She stood up and walked around to him, her hand resting gently on his forearm. ‘I know she hurt you but there are women out there who can make you happy, but you’ll never know if you stay on Kirra. You need to get out there and meet them.’
Why was she pushing this? ‘I have no desire or need to leave Kirra.’ No desire to leave you. The idea socked him hard. The last couple of months had been the most content he’d ever been and he wanted to hold onto that.
He didn’t want to spend time talking about what Mia thought was best for him. He didn’t want her pushing him back to the mainland and the dating scene.
I don’t expect you to marry me, I don’t expect or want anything from you. Mia’s words reinforced his plans. There was no reason for things to change. In fact, he just wanted things to stay exactly the way they were. Easy, relaxed and spectacularly sexy.
He slung Joe’s sling across his chest so the joey rested against his hip. ‘Come on. The rain’s easing. Let’s take Joe and go for a drive to North Point. We can park and watch the sun set.’
She stood in front of him, beautiful and vibrant with an unreadable expression. Then she smiled and stepped into his arms. ‘I’m not sure how I feel about making out in front of an impressionable joey.’
‘I’ll pack him a mask.’ He pulled her close and kissed her.
Mia watched Flynn as they drove toward North Point. She could gaze at him for hours, watching how the tendons on his h
ands rippled over his knuckles, how his innate strength radiated along his jaw, and how his eyes sparkled every time he looked at her.
She wanted to bottle the feeling that sizzled inside her when he smiled so she could keep it for ever. Keep it with her when she left. Or when he left. She knew they were on borrowed time. But she wanted to die knowing he was happy and settled. She wanted him to find a woman to love but each time she brought up the subject he resisted.
And why was he asking her about having children? They were having an affair, pure and simple.
Except it was far from simple.
She’d noticed he’d recently been doing day trips to Burra and Mugur whenever it was possible and reducing the number of nights he was away. His razor and toothbrush were in her bathroom cabinet and she doubted he had many clothes left in his own wardrobe. He hadn’t slept at his place in weeks.
Not that she minded. She loved going to sleep in the security of his arms every night. He was the first person she thought of when she woke up and the last person she thought of when she closed her eyes at night.
I think it’s a shame you won’t rethink the marriage thing. His words unsettled her. Surely he wasn’t rethinking the idea of an affair, thinking about making it something more permanent?
You’re over thinking this. Just take it one day at a time.
Flynn slung his arm over her shoulder, drawing her closer. ‘You’re very quiet.’
She shuffled across the bench seat, her shoulder resting under his. ‘I’m just admiring the view.’
He glanced at her, slightly bemused. ‘It’s just scrub. We haven’t got to the coast yet.’
She rested her hand on his thigh. ‘I’m talking about you.’
Heat surged through him as his blood pounded faster. Her touch did that do him every, single time. He could never get enough of it.
She sighed. ‘I do enjoy North Point but do you know what I really miss?’
‘What?’
‘I miss strolling along the beach at sunset, trailing my feet through the water.’
He grimaced. ‘At the best of times it’s not safe but at this time of year the crocodiles are really territorial and will attack without warning. Plus they’re on the move too because the wet gives them a lot more waterways to traverse than the dry.’
She shivered. ‘Watching the sunset from the top of the cliff is just fine.’
He grinned. ‘I thought you’d agree with me.’ He took a left turn and slowed as he drove through a small community.
The road was raised over three huge drains that diverted a creek under the road. The coffee-brown, muddy, wet-season waters poured through the drains and back into the creek.
‘Oh, no, look at that.’ Mia pointed through the windscreen. The children of the community were using the drain overflow as a waterslide and diving pool. ‘Heaven knows what sort of diseases they’re going to pick up from that. Gastro at the very least.’
He braked and pulled over. ‘I’ll tell them to get out.’
Mia reached for the door handle and smiled. ‘I’ll do it. It’s your turn to give Joe a pit stop so he doesn’t soil his pouch.’
He laughed. ‘Fair enough.’
The squeals of delighted kids riding the natural waterslide drifted in the air as Mia walked over to them.
Flynn gently removed Joe from the pouch and squatted down over the red dirt and stimulated his cloacal area with a damp tissue.
Joe happily obliged and urinated and defecated neatly. Flynn gave him a quick rub behind the ears and returned him to the pouch, suspending him from the interior hook that hung from the handle over the door.
He heard Mia talking to the children, her voice cheerful and laughing.
Planning to head over to her, he walked around the back of the truck just as a child jumped from the road into the waterhole.
He shielded his eyes against the low sun and had taken three steps when he caught sight of a long, rough, olive coloured log sliding out of the large drain.
He started. That didn’t seem right. A log that size would surely have been caught and stuck further up in the drains. He did a double-take and caught the flash of yellow menacing eyes.
‘Crocodile,’ Flynn yelled as loudly as he could.
At the same moment Mia screamed. ‘Yirrikipayi! Get out of the water now!’
The children frantically scrambled up the muddy sides of the creek but one little girl froze, staring straight at the crocodile.
Flynn raced back to the truck, frantically fitting the key into the lock of the gun box. ‘Come on, open.’
Mia scooped up two discarded cans and threw them at the reptile.
The lock opened and Flynn grabbed the gun, and immediately started running back toward the creek.
The crocodile’s tail flicked slowly back and forth, its back humped and rising out of the water. One nostril flared.
Mia darted a quick look at Flynn as he approached. A look identical to the one she’d given him seconds before she’d thrown herself out of the truck and into the path of Joel and his gun. His inhaled breath stalled, trapped in his throat. He knew with horrendous clarity what she planned to do.
‘Mia, no!’
But his shouted plea did nothing and his heart threatened to stop.
She leapt into the water between the child and the beast, catching the child under the arms and throwing her to safety.
Mia’s rapid movements would provoke the crocodile to attack. Flynn raised his gun, he had to save her.
I love her.
He had to save the woman he loved as much as life itself. She had to live so he could tell her how much he loved her.
Breathing hard against his fear, he gripped the gun firmly, as much to steady it as to keep his hands from shaking. He lined up the sights, praying he could hit the beast and disorient it. Praying he would completely miss Mia.
He had to get this right.
The brown water suddenly churned white and the crocodile lunged just as Mia hurled herself sideways. Its jaw missed her torso, instead clamping down on her left arm. It immediately started to roll, intending to pull her down under the water and drown her.
Her scream of terror rent the air as she plunged her fingers into its eyes.
Now! Flynn pulled the trigger, aiming for the crocodile’s hips, the sound of the gun deafening but not loud enough to silence Mia’s scream.
The bullet hit its back and the crocodile thrashed, its jaw slackening.
Mia flung herself onto the bank, her arms and legs slipping in the mud as she struggled for purchase.
The reptile swam toward her and jumped for her legs.
Flynn aimed for its head and fired.
The bullet hit the side of the head and it fell back into the water with a loud splash, its three-metre length slowly sinking.
Thank you. Thank you. Relief poured through him but adrenaline kept him centred because the battle wasn’t over yet. Her arm looked like a mangled mess.
He ran to Mia, pulling her away from the creek bank, pulling her into his arms. ‘I thought I’d lost you.’ His hands ran all over her, checking her, as if touching made him believe she was still alive.insidious feeling that the bobbed up and down, her teeth chattering so hard she couldn’t talk.
His palms cradled her face, forcing her to look at him. ‘Don’t ever do anything like that to me again, do you hear me?’ He kissed her forehead and held her tight. ‘I couldn’t bear to lose you, Mia.’
Blank, sky-blue eyes stared up at him, devoid of emotion. Devoid of the vital life force he associated so much with Mia. Dread tore at him. He’d just rescued the woman he loved from the jaws of a crocodile, but for a split second he had an insidious feeling that the prehistoric beast wasn’t their biggest predator.
He pulled off his shirt, ripping it into long strips while he gave himself a shake, cross that he would listen to crazy intuition that was completely wrong. The look in her eyes was just shock. The same thing had happened after Joel.
People came running from everywhere, having heard the shots and the cries. Robbo’s police vehicle pulled up and the policeman jumped out.
‘I shot a three-metre salty, Robbo. You can charge me later. Check the kids and look after Joe for me. Right now I’ve got to get Mia to the clinic.’
The stunned policeman shook his head. ‘No charge, Flynn. Self-defence, mate. You look after Mia. I’ll look after this mob.’ He jerked his head to the gathering crowd.
Mia’s lacerated arm hung limply by her side, bleeding and floppy, the humerus obviously broken. Flynn wrapped the cotton lengths firmly around the lacerated skin, creating a makeshift compression bandage. He was second-guessing the extent of the damage. He was certain of muscle and tendon injuries and there was a high chance the crocodile’s teeth could have punctured an artery or vein, causing internal bleeding.
Mia stayed silent, her eyes following his every move. With the last piece of his shirt he created a collar and cuff sling. ‘I’m taking you to the clinic now. You’re going to be fine, sweetheart.’
She nodded but remained silent, her expression vacant.
Fear clawed at him as he swung her into his arms, carrying her to the truck. Where was his vibrant Mia? It was like she’d disappeared and left a shell behind. He tucked a towel around her shivering body before closing the door and running around to the driver’s side, not wanting to leave her alone for a second.
She hadn’t spoken a word since the attack and he was frantic to examine her. Frantic to get her to Darwin and under the care of a plastic surgeon. With one hand holding her right hand and the other gripping the steering-wheel, he gunned the engine and sped down the gravel road.
Mia felt Flynn’s strong arms lifting her out of the truck. She let her head lie on his shoulder, feeling his heart beating under her chest, feeling his arms secure around her. Trying to focus on that and push away the image of jagged teeth and yellow eyes.
Flynn had saved her life.
Her wonderful crocodile hunter, the man she loved, had killed the prey that had threatened her. But he can’t kill the other prey.
