way back into the hall. Sarah hesitated, momentarily struggling against her usual tendency to worry about what others might expect of her. Were her parents or teachers looking for her?
But another glimpse into Reid’s eyes and she threw caution to the wind. They poured their cups of tea and helped themselves to milk, sugar and biscuits from the big kitchen pantry, and took their feast back outside to sit for a little longer in the starlight.
Reid told her about his own boarding school days and the year he’d spent adventuring overseas in Scotland and Europe. And he told her about his family’s property, Southern Cross, over to the north in the Star Valley.
The conversation was exceedingly proper and safe and polite, but for Sarah it was incredibly thrilling. It was more than a little flattering to receive what appeared to be sincere and rapt attention from an older, super-attractive man.
She feared he might try to crack unfunny jokes that she would have to laugh at, or that he would spoil things by getting sleazy—trying something on—but he didn’t. Not once.
‘Sarah Rossiter, is that you?’
A shrill, all too familiar voice split the night air behind them.
Startled, Sarah spun around to see the bulky shape of the Deputy Headmistress silhouetted in the light of the kitchen doorway.
Oh, crumbs. She sprang guiltily to her feet. ‘Yes, Miss Gresham.’
‘Good heavens, girl. What on earth—?’ The Deputy gasped and huffed and made a fair imitation of frothing at the mouth. ‘What are you doing out here?’
Damn. Sarah knew she was about to blacken her exemplary school record. Now, at the eleventh hour.
But, before she could stammer an inadequate reply, Reid stepped forward.
‘Miss Gresham, this is my fault. I have to confess to luring Miss Rossiter away from the hall for a well-earned cup of tea.’
‘But—but—’ the Deputy spluttered.
‘And please allow me to congratulate you on your splendid Speech Night. I know you were entirely responsible for organising it. It ran without a hitch.’
Talk about smooth. Within moments Reid had enchanted Miss Gresham the way he’d enchanted Ellen, the cook.
And, starry-eyed, Sarah tumbled heart-first in love with him.
She saw him often over the next four years, while she was at university. They wrote to each other and they got together whenever they could—during her holidays, or whenever Reid found an excuse to get away from Southern Cross and to come down to Townsville.
Every time Sarah saw him she fell a little more heavily in love. And she suspected that Reid was in love with her too. There was plenty of evidence of attraction whenever he kissed her. They didn’t make love, but things got pretty steamy at times.
She knew why they hadn’t ‘gone the whole way’. Reid told her more than once that she was talented and had so much to offer the world that he didn’t want to tie her down or hold her back. It was rubbish of course, but it didn’t matter how many times she protested, he insisted that she should be free to fully enjoy university life—which included dating other guys.
Reluctantly she accepted that there was some wisdom in this and she went out with several nice enough fellows. It was all very pleasant, but none of the other men ever measured up to Reid.
Then, in her final year, when she came home for the July break, Reid telephoned to say that he was coming over to Wirralong the next day, to visit her.
In a fever of excitement, she dressed in a new pale blue linen shirt and hipster jeans and she stood waiting on the front steps of the homestead, watching for the first cloud of dust that marked the progress of his vehicle along the bush track.
It was a beautiful day—North Queensland at its winter best—a day of high, wide blue skies and air as clear and sparkling as champagne.
When Reid drew close Sarah tore across the lawn and waited at the front gate, then swung it open for him. Through the dusty windscreen she saw the white flash of his smile. Oh, gosh. She was so smitten her insides somersaulted with excitement.
He parked beneath a tamarind tree and her heart went crazy as he climbed out. They hadn’t seen each other since Easter and now they stood grinning like kids on their first trip to the circus.
Reid seemed taller than she remembered—more gorgeous than ever. He was wearing a dark blue T-shirt and blue jeans. His dark hair probably needed cutting, but she rather liked it curling a little at the ends. He looked so, so handsome. So sexy.
‘Hi,’ he said, and his smile lit up his eyes, his whole face.
‘Hi.’
‘I’m not too late, am I? I hope I haven’t held up lunch.’
She shook her head. ‘Mum and Dad have already eaten, but I’ve packed a picnic lunch for us to take up the river.’
‘A picnic?’ He looked surprised—but pleasantly so.
‘Are you hungry?’
‘Ravenous.’
‘I’m afraid it will be a little while before we get there.’
He grinned. ‘Cancel the ravenous remark. I can easily wait.’
‘Good.’ She drew a hasty breath. ‘Everything’s ready.’
She was rather proud of the way she handled her father’s old utility truck through the difficult terrain of Anvil Gully and Retreat Creek. If Reid was impressed by her driving he didn’t say so, but he seemed relaxed.
About half an hour later they emerged on top of a high bank on the edge of the Burdekin River.
She felt a little nervous again as they got out and Reid stood beside her. Would he wonder why she’d brought him so far?
Tall, broad-shouldered, strong limbed, Reid seemed part of the rugged wild beauty of the outback. He stood with his thumbs hooked loosely through his belt, looking out at the view of the wide full river and the tall limestone cliffs that guarded it.
From up here it was like looking out from a castle keep. ‘What do you think, Reid?’
‘It’s fantastic. I’ve never seen this stretch of the river before.’
Satisfied, she turned to get the picnic things from the back of the ute, but he reached out with one hand and caught her waist, pulling her in to him. Her heart thundered wildly as he kissed her. Then he released her and smiled.
‘I’ve missed you, Sarah.’
‘Yeah, me too.’
An exquisite shiver trembled through her as he lifted a hand to touch her face, and his eyes feasted on every detail of her features. His thumb brushed her brow, her cheek, her chin.
And then she heard a soft throaty growl and his arms were around her again, hauling her closer, kissing her hungrily now. Backing up against the side of the ute, he pulled her against him so that her feet left the ground and the hard evidence of his desire jutted into her. Electrified, she wound her arms around his neck, returning his kisses as she crushed her eager body against his. A tight coil of longing wound low inside her and her breasts grew tight as heat pooled between her thighs.
Would this be the long awaited day? The day Reid stopped thinking of her as a talented girl and saw that she was a passionate woman, desperately in love?
When he let her go her face was flushed and he smiled self-consciously. ‘Hmm, I must have been hungrier than I thought. Perhaps you’d better show me this lunch of yours.’
They were both sizzling with the heady bliss of being alone together for the first time in ages. Sarah could feel the chemistry arcing between them as they spread her tartan rug in the shade of leafy green quinine trees and Burdekin plums.
She