a grip.
He thrust his hands in his pockets, out of the way of temptation. She was a blow-in and would be gone before the first dust storm hit town. His track record with keeping women around wasn’t flash. His mother had whinged and whined and then withdrawn into herself for ten years before she’d finally bolted and never returned. His fiancée hadn’t even got as far as the Outback before the call of the city had drawn her back. Why would Isabella Courtney with her high-class upbringing have anything to offer him?
She turned back to look at him and a slight blush bloomed in her cheeks. ‘I guess I should get on with why I came here. Is your father inside?’
‘Yes. Come this way.’
* * *
Izzy stepped into the cool interior of the homestead but it took her eyes a moment to adjust to the dim interior after the assault of the bright sunlight outside. A man who was an older version of Zach sat in an armchair in the sitting room off the long, wide hallway; a walking frame was positioned nearby. He had steel-grey hair at his temples and his skin was weathered by long periods in the sun but he was still a fine-looking man. He had the same aura of self-containment his son possessed, and a strong uncompromising jaw, although his cheeks were hollowed by recent weight loss. His mouth had a downward turn and his blue eyes had damson-coloured shadows beneath them, as if he had trouble sleeping.
‘Dad, Dr Courtney is here,’ Zach said.
‘Hello, Mr Fletcher.’ Izzy held out her hand but dropped it back by her side when Doug Fletcher rudely ignored it.
He turned his steely gaze to his son. ‘Why didn’t you tell me she was a bloody Pom?’
Zach tightened his mouth. ‘Because it has nothing to do with her ability as a medical practitioner.’
‘I don’t want any toffee-nosed Poms darkening my doorstep ever again. Do you hear me? Get her out of here.’
‘Mr Fletcher, I—’
‘You need to have regular check-ups and Dr Courtney is the only doctor in the region,’ Zach said. ‘You either see her or you see no one. I’m not driving three hundred kilometres each way to have your blood pressure checked every week.’
‘My blood pressure was fine until you brought her here!’ Doug snapped.
Izzy put a hand on Zach’s arm. ‘It’s all right, Sergeant Fletcher. I’ll come back some other time.’
Doug glared at her. ‘You’ll be trespassing if you do.’
‘Well, at least the cops won’t be far away to charge me, will they?’ she said.
Doug’s expression was as dark as thunder as he shuffled past them to exit the room. Izzy heard Zach release a long breath and turned to look at him. ‘I’m sorry. I don’t think I handled that very well.’
He raked a hand through his hair, leaving it sticking up at odd angles. ‘You’d think after twenty-three years he’d give it a break, wouldn’t you?’
‘Is that how long it’s been since your mother left?’
He gave her a grim look. ‘Yeah. I guess you twigged she was English.’
‘Peggy McLeod told me.’
He walked over to the open fireplace and kicked a gum nut back into the grate. His back and shoulders were so tense Izzy could see each muscle outlined by his close-fitting T-shirt. He rubbed the back of his neck before he turned back around to face her. ‘I’m worried about him.’
‘I can see that.’
‘I mean really worried.’
Izzy saw the haunted shadows in his eyes. ‘You think he’s depressed?’
‘Let’s put it this way, I don’t leave him alone for long periods. And I’ve taken all the guns over to a friend’s place.’
She felt her heart tighten at the thought of him having to keep a step ahead of his father all the time. The pressure on the loved ones of people struggling with depression was enormous. And Zach seemed to be doing it solo. ‘Has his mood dropped recently or has he been feeling low for a while?’
‘It’s been going down progressively since he came out of rehab.’ He let out another breath as he dragged his hand over his face. ‘Each day I seem to lose a little bit more of him.’
Izzy could just imagine the toll it was taking on him. He had so many responsibilities to shoulder, running his father’s property as well as his career as a cop. ‘Would he see someone in Sydney if I set up an appointment? I know it’s a long trip but surely it would be worth it to get him the help he needs.’
‘He won’t go back to the city, not after spending three months in hospital. He won’t even go as far as Bourke.’
‘Does he have any friends who could spend time with him?’ she asked. ‘It might help lift his mood to be more active socially.’
The look he threw her was derisive. ‘My father is not the tea-party type.’
‘What about Margie Green?’
His brows came together. ‘What about her?’
‘She’s a close friend, isn’t she? Or she was in the old days before your parents got together.’
His expression was guarded now; the drawbridge had come up again. ‘You seem to have gained a lot of inside information for the short time you’ve been in town.’
Izzy compressed her lips. ‘I can’t help it if people tell me stuff. I can assure you I don’t go looking for it.’
He curled his lip in a mocking manner. ‘I bet you don’t.’
She picked up her doctor’s bag from the floor with brisk efficiency. ‘I think it’s time I left. I’ve clearly outstayed my welcome.’
Izzy had marched to the front door before he caught up with her. ‘Dr Courtney.’ It was a command, not a request or even an apology. She drew in a tight breath and turned to face him. His expression still had that reserved unreadable quality to it but something about his eyes made her think he was not so much angry at her as at the situation he found himself in.
‘Yes?’
He held her gaze for a long moment without speaking. It was as if he was searching through a filing drawer in his brain for the right words.
‘Yes?’ Izzy prompted.
‘Don’t give up on him.’ He did that hair-scrape thing again. ‘He needs time.’
‘Will four weeks be long enough, do you think?’ she asked.
He gave her another measured look before he opened the screen door for her. ‘Let’s hope so.’
* * *
‘So, what did you call your new boyfriend I sent you?’ Hannah asked when she video-messaged Izzy a couple of nights later.
Izzy looked at the blow-up male doll she had propped up in one of the armchairs in the sitting room. ‘I’ve called him Max. He’s surprisingly good company for a man. He doesn’t hog the remote control and he doesn’t eat all the chocolate biscuits.’
Hannah giggled. ‘Have you slept with him?’
Izzy rolled her eyes. ‘Ha-ha. I’m enjoying having the bed to myself, thank you very much.’
‘So, no hot guys out in the bush?’
She hoped the webcam wasn’t picking up the colour of her warm cheeks. She hadn’t told Hannah about her case of mistaken identity with Zach Fletcher. She wasn’t sure why. Normally she told Hannah everything that was going on in her life...well, maybe not everything. She had never been the type of girl to tell all about dates and boyfriends. There were some things she liked to keep private. ‘I’m supposed to be using