rich diamond mine on his land. The location had been lost when he vanished without a trace. The belief that Des’s ancestor’s spirit guarded the site had kept the indigenous people from revealing what they knew about the mine’s location. As boys, Blake and his siblings had tried without success to find the mine, eventually giving up and deciding there was no substance to the legend.
Max wasn’t so easily convinced and had made no secret of wanting to find the mine. First, he had to claim ownership of Diamond Downs, and that wasn’t going to happen while Blake had breath in his body to prevent it.
He steered the car into the airport parking lot, cut the engine and swiveled toward Nigel. “Your stop, Wylie.”
The other man ignored him and looked at Jo. “Last chance to change your mind.”
Against his better judgment, Blake decided to do the gentlemanly thing. “I’ll give you two a few minutes to say your farewells.”
He stepped out of the car and closed the door. He tried not to listen but overheard when Jo’s voice rose in protest. Evidently she was still resisting Wylie’s entreaties to return to Perth with him. After a couple of minutes, the other man slammed out of the car and headed for the terminal without a backward glance. Jo got out more slowly, her gaze troubled.
Blake couldn’t help himself. “Is the love affair still on?”
“I’m not in love with Nigel, not that it’s any concern of yours.”
Blake was surprised by the sunburst of satisfaction blooming through him. If she’d been his woman, nothing could have made him walk away. He resisted the childish urge to yell “and stay out” after Wylie, instead switching his focus back to Jo.
As his gaze collided with hers, he felt a slam of sexual awareness unlike anything he’d experienced in a long time. His breath whooshed out and he felt his knees flex, if not exactly buckle. Suddenly, working with her didn’t seem like such a bright idea. He might not have liked Wylie, but at least he’d served as a buffer zone between them.
Now there was only the two of them and a lot of time alone in the bush ahead.
“What now?” she asked, sounding strained.
He shrugged off the urge to hold her and soothe away some of the strain. “Now we meet Cade’s flight.”
“Cade Thatcher, your youngest foster brother,” she supplied.
His brows winged upward. “You’ve done your homework.”
“A good journalist does,” she said. “And despite what you think of me, I am a good journalist.”
“I never said you weren’t. Only that you’re a novice in the outback. From what I’ve read of your articles, they’re well researched and written.”
She hadn’t expected the endorsement, he saw from the surprised look she gave him. The pleasure lighting her gaze sparked an answering surge in him. He was really going to have to watch himself around her.
Between the scars he carried from his past love life, and his foster father’s troubles, Blake didn’t need any more complications in his life right now. That certainty sharpened his tone as he said, “Let’s get inside out of the heat.”
Heat was on Jo’s mind, too, but not in the way Blake meant, she decided as they approached the terminal. Through the glass, she saw Nigel standing at the check-in desk. He saw her but he didn’t react. His parting words had convinced her he accepted it was over between them. Shouldn’t she feel upset instead of relieved, as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders?
Later would do to examine that, she decided as a tall, raven-haired man spotted Blake and strode out of the terminal to meet them. He was almost rail-thin and moved with the unconscious grace of a man at home in his body, as he gave Blake a back-thumping greeting. “About time you got here.”
“Jo Francis, meet my no-manners foster brother, Cade Thatcher.”
Cade’s smile broadened. “Jo Francis? You’re a writer with Australian Scene Weekly, aren’t you?”
She nodded, finally placing him. “And you’re the wildlife photographer.”
“I was.”
He didn’t say what he was doing now, and she didn’t feel she could ask at first meeting. Blake grabbed the other man’s well-worn leather bag. “Car’s this way.”
In the parking lot, Cade regarded the vehicle with interest. “What happened to your Jeep?”
Blake put Cade’s bag into the back seat, then held the front passenger door for Jo. “This is Jo’s rental car. Andy’s using the Jeep. Jo’s staying on Diamond Downs on a writing assignment for the next month.”
Cade climbed into the back. “Are you coming to Tom’s wake tonight, Jo?”
“I thought it was an engagement party.” Then she caught on and smiled. “Looks like it.”
Cade nodded. “The more, the merrier. I haven’t met the bride yet, but I hear she’s beautiful and royal to boot. She should soon straighten Tom out.” Then he grew serious. “How’s Des?”
Blake steered the car onto the highway. “Not good. He’s moved up the waiting list for a transplant but the way things are at home, he’s not keen on having the operation even if a donor heart becomes available.”
Cade rested his forearms on the seat back between her and Blake. “Can’t say I blame him. He values his independence.”
A trait he’d passed on to his foster sons and natural daughter, she’d already noticed. She couldn’t imagine Blake willingly depending on anyone. “Is Max Horvath the reason Des doesn’t want to be away from Diamond Downs?”
Cade’s fingers drummed a tattoo on the seat back. “You’ve heard about him?”
She nodded and Blake said, “We think Max put Eddy Gilgai up to feeding a big croc to lure it closer to Jo’s camp. Earlier today, it attacked the man she was with.”
“Is he okay?”
“He wasn’t harmed, but he’s on his way back to Perth right now.”
A taut smile ghosted over Cade’s features. “Do you plan on following him?”
“I’m staying,” she said, her tone daring either man to argue. “My assignment is to report on what it’s like to survive in the outback, not to turn tail at the first sign of danger.”
“Brave lady,” Cade murmured, sounding impressed. “You must tell me more about this assignment. Maybe I can help.”
Blake’s irritation flared into full-blown jealousy. “I’ve agreed to show Jo the ropes. She doesn’t need two guides.”
Cade withdrew to the back seat, symbolically conceding the turf to his older brother. Amusement rang in his voice as he said, “I knew I should have caught an earlier flight.”
“I still have to clear the change with my editor,” Jo said, sensing the unspoken communication between
