… right …’ Kellie said, and nestled closer, her arms going around his trim taut middle, while her mind went to places she wasn’t sure it should be going.
For instance, she knew if she inched her fingers just a teeny bit closer she could touch his male outline, the unmistakably hard male outline of him she had felt on her little sensual slide down his body. Or if she nudged herself even closer against his back, her feminine mound would be able to feel the tautness of his buttocks …
‘Everything all right back there?’ Matt asked after a journey of about fifty metres.
‘Er … yes … fine … just fine …’ she answered, wriggling back a bit.
Within a few minutes Kellie could see the homestead in the distance, the colonial design with its wrap-around veranda and large rainwater tanks an iconic image of rural life on the land.
The effects of the longstanding drought, however, were clearly visible. The gardens surrounding both residences looked worn down by thirst and the various trees offering what they could in terms of shade had a thick coat of red dust on their leaves.
Matt brought the bike to a standstill near one of the large sheds a short distance from the homestead and Kellie dismounted even before he had turned off the engine.
‘How far behind will Spike be?’ she asked.
‘He’ll probably stop for a quick dip in the home paddock dam,’ he said, taking off his hat and brushing back his hair with his hand. ‘And speaking of water, let’s get you inside and rehydrated.’
Kellie followed him up the four well-worn steps to the front door, the cooler shade of the veranda an instant relief from the now fierce heat of the sun. Inside the house was even cooler, the long hallway with its polished timber floors and the smell of furniture polish and cedar making her feel as if she was stepping back in time to a previous era.
She looked around with interest as he led her to the kitchen. ‘Wow, this is such a lovely house, Matt,’ she said. ‘It must be, what, a hundred and fifty years old?’
‘Something like that,’ he said, handing her a tall glass of water he had poured from a covered jug in the fridge.
Kellie felt the brush of his fingers as she took the glass and, averting her gaze, took a few sips even though she felt like throwing her head back and downing the contents in one gulping swallow.
‘Help yourself to more water and feel free to make yourself tea or coffee,’ he said as he headed to the door. ‘Everything’s there on the bench near the kettle. I’m just going to have a quick shower before we head into town.’
‘Thanks,’ she said and once he had left the room she quickly refilled her glass and drank deeply.
Kellie heard the sound of water being lapped thirstily outside. She looked out of the window and was pleased to see Spike had made his way back and after his drink was making himself comfortable in the shade of the rainwater tank.
She wandered from the kitchen to the comfortable-looking sitting room across the hall, the sound of an ancient grandfather clock ticking yet again reminding her of how many generations of farmers had lived here.
Her gaze went to the mantel above the fireplace where there was a photograph of a young woman, the same woman she had caught a glimpse of in Matt’s wallet the day before. She picked up the frame and looked into the features of his late fiancée, her long ash-blonde hair, almond-shaped green eyes and wide happy smile marking her as a stunningly beautiful woman.
The floorboards creaked as Matt stepped into the room and Kellie turned around, suddenly feeling like a child who had been caught with their hand in the cookie jar. ‘I was just … um … having a look around,’ she said, still holding the photograph.
He walked across the room, took the frame from her hands and looked down at it for an infinitesimal moment, before turning and carefully setting it back on the mantel in exactly the same position. Kellie got the impression he thought she had deliberately desecrated his shrine for his fiancée. She could see the tension in his shoulders as he stood with his back to her, still looking at the photograph.
‘What was her name?’ she found herself asking.
‘Madeleine,’ he answered after a slight pause.
‘She was very beautiful,’ Kellie said, not sure what else to say to fill the awkward silence.
‘Yes …’ He turned around to look at her, his expression showing none of the emotion she could hear in his voice. ‘Yes, she was …’
The grandfather clock timed the next silence.
Kellie breathed in the clean scent of Matt, the tantalising combination of citrus-based shampoo and soap and aftershave activating all her senses. His dark brown hair was still wet, although it looked as if he had used his fingers rather than a comb to push it into place. His jaw was cleanly shaven now but it looked as if the razor had nicked him just below his chin on his neck. She could see the pinkish graze and she felt an almost uncontrollable urge to close the small distance between their bodies and salve the tiny wound with the tip of her tongue.
She ran her tongue over her parched lips instead, more than a little shocked at how she was reacting to him. She couldn’t remember a time when she had felt so physically aware of a man. Her whole body was on high alert, her skin tingling to feel more of his touch. She could still feel the warm imprint of his hands where they had rested on her waist earlier, the nerve endings still fizzing like thousands of champagne bubbles under her skin.
‘Matt, I was—Oh, sorry,’ a gruff male voice said from the door. ‘I didn’t know you had company.’
‘It’s all right, Bob,’ Matt said, turning to face the man. ‘This is Kellie Thorne, the new GP filling in for Tim Montgomery. Kellie, this is Bob Gardner, my manager.’
Kellie smiled and took the older man’s heavily calloused hand in hers. ‘I’m very pleased to meet you, Bob,’ she said with a bright and friendly smile.
‘Nice to meet you, Dr Thorne,’ Bob said. ‘My wife Eunice would like to meet you some time. She’s away at the moment, visiting our daughter in Cairns, but when she gets back I’m sure she’ll invite you over for a meal or something.’
‘I’ll look forward to it,’ Kellie said still smiling.
‘What did you want to talk to me about, Bob?’ Matt asked.
‘That heifer we were worried about has delivered her twin calves without any dramas,’ Bob said. ‘But I thought we should still get a couple of antibiotic injections from Jim Webber just in case she comes down with milk fever.’
‘Good idea,’ Matt said. ‘I’ll drop in on my way home from the clinic, unless you’re going to town.’
‘I’ve got to see about that pump part so I can get them then,’ Bob said. He turned again to Kellie and smiled. ‘I hope you settle in quickly, Dr Thorne, and enjoy your time with us. Lord knows, Matt here could do with the back-up. He works too hard but that’s life in the bush, I guess.’
‘I’m looking forward to helping out in any way I can,’ she said. ‘In fact, the sooner the better.’
‘Well
