by Maggie Mundy
Brett said he had a surprise for her this weekend. He had a mixed record when it came to surprises—the glow worms had been fantastic but the bush walk had been a bit crazy. She would be worried if they headed off down some dirt track, likely never to return to civilization again.
Simon had tried to get more information out of her about their relationship but she wasn’t saying anything. It felt wrong to talk to someone else about what she was doing with Brett. It was their business alone. When Simon was here, he would wheedle it out of her anyway. She would deal with that then. For now, she would get ready for another one of Brett’s ‘let’s discover Australia’ days.
Autumn was ready to go when the doorbell rang. Brett had said to pack an overnight bag.
Her heart beat that little bit faster every time she saw him, and the week had made the feeling grow stronger. She needed to be sensible or she would be crying on the plane all the way back to England.
“I just need to take Bluey over to Dorothy and we can be off.”
He was back within minutes and she jumped in the pickup. “So where are we going? Hopefully, you’re not going to throw me off a mountain.”
“I would never do that. We’re going to visit some caves.”
“I’ll give it a go but don’t want to get stuck in some tunnel underground.”
“You won’t. These are the world-famous Jenolan Caves. They are like cathedrals. Then this afternoon, we can go abseiling and I’ll chuck you off a cliff.”
Autumn stared at him, wide-eyed.
“Just kidding.”
The next hour was spent driving through the beautiful countryside around the Blue Mountains. The place was world-heritage listed and she could see why. It was sad to think some of it had burned in fires in the past. At least now they were in May, the weather was cooler and there was less chance of that. She wouldn’t be going home until next March and would have lived through an Australian summer by then. The cottage had an air-conditioner so she should be okay.
Brett chatted about some of the work he was doing and she talked about her paper. They were all safe topics of conversation. He pulled up at the caves and she had the jitters, like a little kid. When she was a teenager, she had gone on a school outing to the Cheddar Caves near Bristol in England, but she had a feeling these ones were going to be more impressive.
Jenolan Caves House was next to the caves and it looked decidedly posh. Brett went in to the reception and picked up the key to the chalet they were staying in. Autumn could get used to someone doing things like this for her. She insisted on paying half of everything though. He’d had enough expense with Bluey recently. They browsed the shops so she could grab some souvenirs and then had a light lunch.
Then they left their bags in the chalet and headed to the cave entrance. The one they were doing was called the Cathedral Chamber Cave and the number of steps was mind-boggling. She had a feeling her legs were going to kill her tomorrow. The place had adventure caving too but the idea of going through a small tunnel and her prosthesis getting stuck did not appeal to her.
The experience was so much more than she’d thought it would be. There were narrow walkways but they had rails, and the caverns and rock formations took her breath away. The two of them walked all the way down to the lake pool, though it was going to be a killer for her thighs on the way back. Brett kept checking she was okay and so far, she could reassure him he would not have to chuck her over his shoulder and carry her out.
They stopped on the retun journey in one cave and sat down to an afternoon tea of jam and scones. It was surreal to eat in such surroundings. Curtains of stalactites and columns rose all around her. She felt small in such grandeur.
They were on their way out and near the top when a man in front of her stopped and grabbed onto the rail. He was clutching his chest and his breathing appeared too rapid.
“My name’s, Autumn. I’m a doctor. Can you tell me what’s wrong?” Autumn asked.
“It’s my chest. The pain—I can’t breathe.”
“Brett. Can you help him? I need to get him out of the stairwell.”
Brett popped the man’s arm around his shoulder and almost carried him up the rest of the steps.
A woman grabbed Autumn’s arm. “It’s my husband. His name’s Paul,” she said through tears.
The room at the top had people from the tour meandering about, and Autumn directed Brett to follow her to the side of the area.
The guide stood by watching. “Can I do anything?”
“Clear the room and call an ambulance, and get the AED if you have one.”
In the better light, it was clear the man’s lips were changing color to blue as he became cyanosed. His legs gave out beneath him and his eyes rolled back in his head. He was losing consciousness. Paul was having a cardiac arrest as far as she could tell. He had no pulse and his breathing had ceased as well.
Autumn automatically started chest compressions. “Brett, let me know when I’m near thirty compressions and do two breaths. Are you okay with that?”
“Yes.”
Autumn kept going, wishing she had some drugs with her. The guide fitted the mobile defibrillator on the man’s chest and they stood clear while it checked his rhythm and shocked him. Then they were back to work again. The second shock worked and he was in sinus rhythm. He was breathing but still not responsive. His pulse was rapid and thready but detectable at least. For now, all she could do was observe and make sure he didn’t deteriorate.
His wife was crying but managed to give a medical history between sobs. Paul began to regain consciousness. He groaned and was obviously still in pain, but he appeared to be stabilizing. They had a reprieve—that was all they could hope for before he was able to be transported to hospital. Thankfully, the guide had shooed most people from the room. Autumn smiled at the sound of the ambulance sirens.
The paramedics arrived and took over. Autumn and Paul’s wife gave them all the information they had, and Paul was wheeled away on a stretcher. Now she could relax.
As they walked back to the chalet, Brett had gone quiet. “Are you okay? I’ve dealt with stuff like that before but know it can freak some people out.”
Brett unlocked the door and strolled inside. She followed him in, and he took her in his arms in a tight embrace. It wasn’t the reaction she had expected but she wasn’t complaining. When he moved back, he smiled at her.
“I’m fine. I do first-aid courses all the time but have never had to put it into action. You were incredible. So calm, and you just got on with it. That man would have died. He was only forty.” Brett shook his head. “Here he was, on a day out sightseeing with his wife. It’s scary how quickly everything could have changed.”
“I wouldn’t say he’s out of the woods yet. He’s still very ill but I hope he will survive. I’ll be honest, the odds are not in his favor. He probably has blocked cardiac arteries and will need major surgery.”
“I was so proud of you. Not that I had anything to do with your training.” He kissed her forehead. “I think we should go out and celebrate, and then I’m going to bring you back here and do wicked things to your body.”
“That sounds wonderful.” It was part of her job to save lives if she could but she would not turn down a reward like that.
The food and wine were delicious. The guide had told the manager what she had done, so the restaurant gave them a discount when they heard how she had saved the man’s life. She didn’t want to take it but they insisted.
When they returned to the chalet, Brett took his time to slowly undress her and then did a strip to some awful music on his phone. It made her laugh out loud and was the perfect, absolutely silly way to end the night. He then spent the next two hours finding every little place on her body that could send shivers of delight through her. When she finally climaxed, she had to fight to not let him know how she felt.
Telling herself not to fall in love with this man wasn’t working. If she couldn’t stop it, then she would at least keep
it to herself.
Chapter Ten
Brett was enjoying every moment he got to be with Autumn. That said, something wasn’t right between them. The last few days, she had seemed more distant. Had she changed her mind in the past two weeks since they had been away? He couldn’t live not knowing so he bought chocolates and headed around after work.
When he walked in, she shut her computer just that little bit too quickly. Was there something she didn’t want him to see? Hell, he should mind his own business. She had a right to her privacy. Just because he had access to her body did not mean he should know everything about her.
“Chocolates. You know they are my weakness. I’ll keep them till after we’ve eaten.”
Brett took her hand and led her to the couch. “Tell me to mind my own business, but I feel something isn’t right. Did I say or do something?”
“No. It’s not you. And you are right, there is something.” She bit her bottom lip and stared at her lap.
“Like I said, you don’t have to tell me what it is. Just let me help if I can.” He squeezed her hand to reassure her.
“You’re helping more than you know just being here.” Autumn glanced across at her computer.
“Did I interrupt something when I came in? Were you emailing someone?”
Autumn went quiet and took her hands back and wrapped them around her body. Eventually, she looked up at him wide-eyed. Was she scared? He hoped it was not of him.
“Remember I told you that I had been stalked when I was in London?”
“Yep. You said it was the guy who actually ran into you when your leg was injured. What does he have to do with it?”
“Can you get me a drink? I think I need one.”
Brett went and poured her a brandy. He helped himself to one as well. It was not like Autumn to get anxious like this. “Take your time.”
“The surgery was the easy part. The recovery and learning how to walk again was the hardest. My marriage had fallen apart so I couldn’t go there for help. My closest friend, Simon, was busy with his own life. Plus, he was living in the States at that time. His wife had just had twins and I didn’t want to bother him.” The glass shook as she lifted it to her mouth. She winced as the raw spirit went down. “Mum came down to London to stay for a while, but we fought and she went home. It was the first time in a long time my mother had showed she cared at all. I was resentful and sent her away.” Autumn shook her head and shrugged.
“Trust me, Autumn. I understand difficult families more than you know.”
She smiled but held her glass so tight he thought it might shatter.
“Kevin was the stalker’s name. He would come and help me at the physiotherapy sessions. He made me laugh and encouraged me when I wanted to give up. I was at one of those points in life when you need a friend. I thought he was doing it because he felt guilty he had run into me.”
“Something changed?”
“He lived with his mother. I know that isn’t so strange as a lot of people do these days to save. He took me to visit her and I sensed his contempt for everything she did. It was embarrassing to be there and I felt sorry for her.” Autumn took another deep breath. “You would have thought that would have been a warning sign but I didn’t see it. Then his mother died. She was sick but I was suspicious that he might have hastened her end. I couldn’t prove anything, but I distanced myself from him.”
“What the fuck? He killed his own mother?”
Autumn took another gulp of brandy. “I told him I was going back to work and he didn’t need to keep coming around. He didn’t take it well. He would watch my apartment and follow me. Then he broke in and got violent and smashed things up. That was when I took out a restraining order against him.”
“I’m glad to hear it. So why is this bothering you now on the other side of the world?”
Autumn stood and brought her computer over. She opened her emails and handed the laptop to Brett.
There were at least seven emails from this nutcase, some asking what she was doing and pretending they were still friends. Kevin had sent more emails with pictures of holiday homes around Australia. Some were in Queensland and Tasmania and there was even one in the Blue Mountains. It was as if he was trying to find out where she was by prodding her to reply.
“I want to hate him but to be honest, he’s mentally sick and needs counseling. I suggested it once and he said there was nothing wrong with him. I don’t know how he got my email address but I’ve blocked him.”
“I think you need to contact the UK police and let them know. I’m not sure about restraining orders in the UK, but here in Australia, any form of contact even on social media is breaking the order. This guy needs to be locked up.”
Autumn hugged him and then smiled. “Will you sit with me while I contact them? It will make me feel stronger.”
Brett nodded. She sent the emails and called the police contact she had in London. Autumn shook the whole time, but he held her hand or kept his arm around her as she dealt with everything.
When she was done, he held her tight. Eventually, they came apart, and she kissed him.
“It’s wonderful to know I have you here. For so long I’ve felt like I needed to deal with this on my own.”
“Not anymore and I now volunteer my services to be your bodyguard when you go home.”
“I’m sure it will all be sorted a long time before then. Now let’s eat. I’m starving and someone promised me chocolate.”
Autumn needed cheering up and Chance had come to the rescue. He had not seen his old schoolmate in years but the phone call last night had made him smile. Chance was doing a photoshoot in the Blue Mountains, of all places. All the models the company had used over the years would be there. He hoped his old friend would behave now he had a lady on his arm, but there were no guarantees. Autumn said she would go to the reception that was being held for the press.
Brett put on the one suit he owned and paraded in front of Bluey. His dog howled. Shit, do I look that bad? “What would you know? You think snakes are food.”
Brett headed next door and rang the bell.
Autumn answered and looked stylish as always in a beautiful dark red pantsuit.
“You’re stunning.” He meant every word. She always took his breath away.
“Thank you. I really appreciate you taking me out to cheer me up. Now, what did you tell your friend about me?”
“I just said you were my neighbor.”
“With benefits?”
“I never said that, but I think he might guess. He’s been around the tracks a few times.”
Half an hour later, they walked into the Katoomba Hotel where the press and models were gathered at the bar. In the past, Chance would have had a bevy of girls around him but tonight he had only one.
Brett went over and gave his old friend a hug. “Been a long time and your rear end is still making headlines,” Brett said.
“You’re just jealous because your butt never made the grade, compared to my high standards. That aside, I would like to introduce my lovely lady, Aubrey.”
Brett had to admit he’d thought Chance a player and that he would never find someone to put up with him. The way the two of them only had eyes for each other made Brett see his mate had found love. Damn, but love seemed to be a bloody elusive thing. He wished Autumn would gaze at him the way Aubrey looked at Chance.
Wishing would get him nowhere. He should just enjoy what he had while it lasted. “This is my friend, Autumn.”
“Hi, Autumn. I’m Aubrey. Shall we let these two guys catch up on their misspent youth while we talk? I need a break from the press.”
The two of them wandered off to settle on one of the bar couches while Chance pulled him aside. He hoped Autumn would speak well of him.
“She’s a looker. I’m impressed, and a doctor. Shall I tell her the truth about you?” Chance thumped him on the arm.
“Nope. You will keep all the secrets of our past under lock and key. But you can hav
e a beer with me instead.”
“You look different, mate. This one getting to you?”
Was he that obvious? Then again. He had been closer to Chance than his own brother growing up. “I think she is, but Autumn’s only here for a year. Then she’s going back to London.”
“Make it the best year she has ever had and she’ll be back for more.”
“I’m trying to keep her as happy as I can in that department.”
“How is the family? Tell me to eff-off if you don’t want to say.” Chance sipped his beer.
“Been down to Melbourne a few times and Mum is still having problems. They keep wanting me to go back. You understand how things are never the same when you try to return. The days of us having fun running naked across school sports fields are long gone.”
“That was fun back then, wasn’t it?” Chance laughed. “You know, the Blue Mountains suits you. No, actually it’s too pretty for you. Look, I know I’ve been a dick at times but let me give you some advice. When someone special comes along, don’t let them slip through your fingers by not telling them what you feel. I nearly did with my lovely lady.”
“I’ll try not to.” Brett clinked his beer glass with Chance.
The two of them chatted about the past for a bit longer. Did Brett really have a shot at something lasting with Autumn?
The evening went well, and Autumn and Aubrey seemed to be getting on along like long-lost friends. When he got in the pickup to drive them home, he was nervous about what Autumn would say. Chatting with Chance had made him realize he wanted to be more than ‘friends with benefits.’ Knowing his luck he would push it too far and lose what he had.
“That was a lovely evening, and Aubrey has invited me to go and visit them in the States.”
“I’m really glad you liked them.”
“Stop looking so scared. They both only had good things to say about you. By the way, his butt is good but yours is better.”
Brett smiled. He was still in the game.
