Her Outback Rescuer. Marion Lennox

      ‘My sister was in a car crash twelve months ago,’ she told him baldly, not trying to conceal the emotion she still felt. ‘Her husband was drink-driving and Rachel was seven months pregnant. She broke her pelvis and lost her baby. Her marriage ended. She’s a trained geologist but her pregnancy and accident meant she lost her job. She’s spiralled into depression and I was desperate to do something to distract her. We’ve decided to move to Darwin and somehow I managed to talk her into taking the trip on this train first. But Buster has been with us since childhood. We couldn’t come without him.’

      She glanced down at the little dog and her smile returned, just like that. Buster did that for her. ‘Buster’s our one true thing,’ she said. ‘He’s old and placid and no trouble to anyone. So…’

      ‘There are kennels and carrier companies to fly animals.’

      ‘There are,’ she agreed. ‘But you try talking Rachel into using them. We’ve both ached to see Uluru. Rachel’s research means she should see these places. This train’s been a dream for a long, long time, but she won’t leave Buster to do it.’

      ‘So you gambled.’

      ‘Yes,’ she said and tilted her chin. ‘And it’s worth it. Rachel’s smiled this trip, and her smile’s reached her eyes for the first time since she lost the baby. Even if we get thrown off now, it’s still been worth it.’

      ‘I doubt they’ll throw you off.’

      ‘We’re budget passengers. Of course they’ll throw us off.’

      He fell silent, watching her with those cool blue eyes. He was weighing her story, she thought. Weighing her?

      ‘And you came to me why?’ he asked at last.

      ‘You and your grandmother are the only people I know on the train.’

      ‘You don’t know us.’

      ‘Dame Maud knows me.’

      ‘Maud’s asleep.’

      She stared down at her pink flip-flops and tried to make herself think. Tried to figure a way out of this mess that didn’t involve this guy.

      Tried to figure why she’d ever run to him in the first place.

      A knock sounded on the door and she jumped.

      ‘Yes?’ Hugo sounded wary—as well he might.

      ‘Mr Thurston, we need to speak to you.’

      We. Uh oh. Amy’s heart sank. It was the Platinum butler’s voice but we meant a deputation. She must have been seen.

      Criminal sighted fleeing carriage in pink pyjamas, carrying dog-sized purse.

      When all else failed, face the music. She squared her shoulders and turned towards the door but, before she could take a step, Hugo had scooped Buster up and opened the inner door to the bedroom beyond. ‘Don’t move,’ he hissed.

      ‘Give us a moment, gentlemen,’ he called, and disappeared. She heard an urgent murmur from within, and then he was back, without dog.

      Don’t move? She’d have to be stupid to move. Whatever was happening, whatever he intended, she wasn’t getting in his way.

      She watched, stunned, as he upended her purse, brushing out stray dog hairs. He thrust a book inside and a couple of magazines as well, manoeuvring them so they made the purse bulge.

      ‘Sit,’ he told her, and she didn’t have a choice, for he put his hands on her shoulders and forced her downward.

      She sat.

      For one millisecond he gazed down at her, his eyes a question. Then he seemed to answer himself. He undid a couple more buttons of his shirt. A wicked grin flickered beneath the set purpose of his gaze and, before she could stop him, he’d flicked open the top buttons of her pyjama top as well. He exposed cleavage. He exposed enough cleavage to make her almost indecent!

      ‘Wh…’

      ‘Hush,’ he said, and then more firmly, ‘hush, my lady of the night. You need to look…’ He stood back and looked at her, considering. ‘I know how you need to look.’

      He stooped and placed his mouth on hers.

      He kissed her.