Outback Flames: Australian Rural Romantic Suspense (18 page)

Horror pricked
at her nerves. She dashed toward the hose, turned it on full and sprayed the
few smaller fires, and then attempted to extinguish a larger fire. A few
minutes of battling the smoke and flames, her eyes stung, and she reached up
and rubbed one eye with the ball of her fist. Her lungs burnt, and she began to
cough.

Pleased the
spot fires were out, she dashed into the house and shut the door, resting her
back against the timber, coughing against smoke filled lungs.

Oh God no.
What's going to happen to me, to us?
She walked up the stairs, and crept
into the spare room. Luke stirred, but didn't wake, and she left the room to
head down into the kitchen to try the landline.

It was dead.
She turned. The lights began to flicker and she spied the torch she'd sat on
the kitchen bench top. A few steps and she held it in her hand seconds before
everything went black.

She flicked on
the torch, and stumbled into the laundry, found another torch and placed it on
the coffee table. What else could she do? She couldn't prevent the dangerous
shudder thrumming through her body, as she made her way into the lounge room
and realised the television had also died. The power was out. With no power, no
phones, and if the fire grew closer to Montagreen, what hope did she have? What
hope did Luke have of surviving?

With the torch
in one hand, she rummaged around in a drawer for candles. She purchased the
fancy things while in Tamworth thinking she could use them for a fancy dinner
for her and Jordan.

After setting
two candles in a candelabrum, she walked up the stairs and sat it on a side
table next to where Luke slept. If he woke up and the house was in darkness he
might get a fright, and she didn't want him running scared outdoors and getting
lost.

Making her way
downstairs, light caught her attention and she ran the rest of the way toward
the window. A spot fire was metres from the veranda. She swung the front door
open, and blindly grabbed the hose as the torch light flickered in all
directions.

This fire was
the biggest and took several minutes to extinguish. Water was pumped from two
dams to the tanks when they emptied. She wondered when and if she'd run out of
water. Would the fire move closer, consuming the pumps as well?

A sliver of
fear shot up her spine, as she tried to survey the area through thick smoke.
Relieved there were no fires close by, she headed indoors, dropping the hose on
the doorstep.

Trying to keep
her tears at bay, she wondered what her family had thought knowing they were
trapped in the house, knowing they were about to be burnt...to...death. Her
body shook with involuntary muscle spasms and she thought she'd pass out. She
swallowed and got a hold of herself.

If she left
the house, the road could be blocked. What if they became stranded?

What could she
do? She recalled Jordan telling her to stay indoors, telling her not to leave
the house, although her first thought was to flee before the fire reached them.
She sucked back a shuddering breath, knowing she had to keep her wits about her
if she wanted to survive.

'Relax. Stay calm. I can do
this,' Zoe muttered, as she leaned against the front door. Taking a few moments
to steady her nerves, she shone the torch beam up the stairs.

'It's so dark.
Why are there candles burning in the hallway?'

Oh God no,
Luke. 'Um...it's okay, sweetie. There's a bit of a problem with the power, but
I think it'll be back on soon. I put the candles there so you could see when
you woke up.'

'I need a
drink of water.'

'Um. You go
back to bed and I'll bring some up.'

'Okay.
Thanks.'

 Making sure
he returned to the bedroom, with her heart hammering at express speed, she
dashed into the kitchen, grabbed a few bottles of water and ran upstairs.

'Here you go,'
she said, and passed a bottle of water to Luke.

He took a few
sips, and as she screwed the cap on the bottle he snuggled up and fell back to
sleep. Her shoulders dropped, and she covered him with the sheet before leaving
the room.

Zoe walked
into the main bathroom, and began to fill the bath tub. If the pumps get
damaged at least they'd have some water, to drink, or to use to douse any
flames. Unfortunately, it wouldn't last long.

As the tub
filled with water, she dashed into one of the front rooms, and pulled the heavy
curtain aside. Her mouth gaped. The flames were closing in and now several spot
fires flickered on the other side of the front fence. The sky was aglow with
red and yellow, as dark black clouds swirled about. Evil in appearance, a
doomsday picture consumed anything in its path. Was this the end? Was this the
end to a story gone wrong? Her story. She shuddered at the thought.

She went into
the bathroom and sat on the edge of the bath, turning off the taps when it was
full. She prayed, not for herself but for Jordan's son. He was just a kid.
Surely nothing bad would happen to him. Then she remembered Benjamin and a deep
ache hinged over her heart.

She walked
into the bedroom where Luke was sleeping and sat down onto an old armchair. Was
this really the end?

Candlelight
flickered through the doorway into the room and Zoe listened. She held her
breath, trying to hear the sounds of the devastation encroaching on the
property, but it was silent. Not daring to leave Luke's side she thought of
Jordan and wondered if he managed to protect Jade's property. Did he know the
fire was closing in around them, that Montagreen was also under threat?

Almost one
hour had passed, and her curiosity grew. She took a torch, went to the window
and eased the curtain aside. She squinted, and looked closer, peering around.
The angry golden glow had shrunk. She rushed down the stairs, headed toward one
of the back windows, and peered out. There wasn't a glow in sight. She
hesitated, unsure if she'd imagined something so inconceivable.

No...no...no.
It would have been impossible to imagine a firestorm so horrific, so huge like
the one she spotted. Following the light from the torch to the front door, she
dragged it open and shone the torch about, surprised to find the front yard in
darkness. She headed toward the end of the veranda. A golden glow lit up the
sky to the west. The wind had changed direction. She dropped her shoulders,
shuddering with disbelief. Tears of relief followed, as she stared at the last
remnants of the fire as the wind chased it down the mountain, away from
Montagreen.

As the
after-effects of shock set in, she went indoors and locked the door, wondering
how long it would be until the power was reconnected.

They were
safe, for now.

 Zoe didn't
dare sleep. Hours later, she blinked and jerked into awareness when a sound
filtered into awareness. She pushed up from the lounge, walked toward the window,
and almost dropped with exhaustion when she spotted Jordan in uniform climbing
from a fire truck. He strode toward the house and she grabbed the windowsill,
feeling as though she was about to fall.

A loud knock
resonated throughout the house, and using the wall for support, she stumbled to
the door and swung it open.

'Oh God Zoe.
You're okay. Hell, look at you.'

She managed a
forced grin, briefly looking down at her blackened clothes. Then she fell into
his open arms, and inhaled the acrid scent of smoke over his clothes, no doubt
a reflection of her own. She pulled back a little, and shone the torch upwards
over his dark face.

'You don't
look too good either. It's so good to see you Jordan. So...good.'

'Is Luke
okay?'

'Yes...he's
fine. It changed direction. It...changed direction. The fire...it changed
direction,' she blurted, under great sobbing upheavals, against his chest, into
his chest. Her hands clawed at his jacket, as she tried to get closer.

'I know.
Shush. It's okay.' His arms enclosed around her. 'It's okay now baby. It's all
okay. The guys are putting out spot fires. It'll be under control soon. Don't
worry.'

He dropped his
arms, and she stepped back, but he took her hand.

'Luke is
asleep upstairs.'

'You know
what? I pictured him asleep. He could sleep through anything.'

He grinned and
gathered her in his arms. 'I knew I could count on you.'

'Your parents.
Jade...are they okay?'

'All safe and
sound. Snuggled up at Mum’s for now.'

'So...the the
fire down that way?'

'It too
fizzled out, thanks to a firebreak Tony put in last year.'

'How did
you...was the road to Montagreen blocked?'

'I was going
nuts with concern thinking you'd get in your car and drive into town. Yes. The
road up this way is blocked, by now they'd have it cleared.'

She squinted,
looked at him. 'How did you get here?'

'There's a
fire trail. It's a bit rough. Your father put it in years ago. The fireys
maintain it from time to time. You father said there had to be more than
one-way in and one-way out. A person has to have choices.'

Zoe grinned at
the remembrance of her father. 'He was a man of riddles.'

'Those riddles
made sense as I grew older. We were too young to understand what they meant
back then. Can I see Luke?'

'Oh. Yes. Come
on.'

Together, they
walked upstairs and stopped beside the spare room. Jordan shone a torch over
his son who remained asleep. 'Yep. He's dead to the world. I always said he'd
sleep through a tornado.'

'Oh don't say
that. I wouldn't know what to do if a tornado hit.'

Jordan
grinned, and shot her a wink. 'I might build us a tornado shelter.'

'Us?'

'Yes. Us. Zoe,
I've thought long and hard about this. I was so worried about you, stressed to
the max, and I prayed with all my might you’d be safe. Thoughts of you consumed
me all night and the early hours of this morning. Will you marry me, Zoe
Montgomery?'

Her entire
body pricked with tingles of delight. She knew she could trust Jordan, knew
he'd never let her down, and she also knew she could take care of his son under
any circumstances.

'Yes. Jordan. I
will marry you. Remember when you said it to me that day? You said one day we
would marry.'

'And I meant
every word of it. I want to marry you soon.'

'We can run
Montagreen together.'

'I like that
idea.'

'We need to
find out about the house fire first. The one that killed my family.'

'I know, but
I'll be waiting with a gold ring on a red velvet cushion under the fig tree.'

'Dad. Dad. Is
that you?'

Jordan walked
into the room. 'Yeah matie. It's me. Are you okay?' He walked toward his son,
sat down on the bed and reached out, touching his shoulder, giving it a few
rubs.

'Are we going
home now?'

'No matie.
Sleep now. It's still early in the morning.'

'Night, Dad.'

'Night.

'Will you be
here when I wake up?'

'I wouldn't
want to be anywhere else son.'

He got up,
turned and walked to the door, reached out and hooked an arm around Zoe's
waist.

'Come here
you.'

She stepped
into his arms. 'Yes.'

'I need to
thank you...'

'Jordan.
Jordan. You up there?'

He glanced at
Zoe. 'Later.'

'Yes. Later.
Come on.'

They walked
down the stairs.

'The fire’s
contained.'

'Good to
hear.'

While Jordan
spoke with the other fire fighters, Zoe made her way to the lounge room window.

***

The fire truck
pulled away from the property and Zoe didn't think she could stand any longer.
A warm hand snaked around her waist from behind, and she felt the warmth of
Jordan's body against her back.

'Come on. You
need to sleep.' He took hold of her hand, and led her upstairs.

'I can't think
straight.'

'I know.
You're exhausted. A few hours’ sleep and you'll be fine.'

The bedroom
door was open, and they walked toward the bed.

'Shower. I
need to shower.'

He led her
into the ensuite, where he reached out. 'Come on. Arms in the air.'

She lifted her
arms, and he stripped her top over her shoulders, before reaching down and
undoing the zip on her jeans. When Zoe stripped off, she heard the shower
running and stepped into the refreshing water.

Jordan stepped
in behind her, and his hand rubbed soap over her back, down her legs. She could
scarcely keep her eyes open.

'I think you
should do the front. I might not be able to contain myself.'

Zoe took the
soap, and after washing her body, she turned.

'I can do your
back.'

'Are you
sure?'

He edged to
the side, and while she washed his back he craned his neck sideways kissing her
lightly on the cheek. 'Keep it up and we won't make it to the bed.'

Fatigued and
unsteady on her feet, she managed to step from the shower to reach for a towel.
She heard Jordan behind her, quickly dried herself as best as possible and
wrapped the towel around her body, tucking the edges in under her arms. As she
turned she noticed Jordan was dry and had slung a towel around his hips.

'Come on baby.
It's been a rough time for you.'

Jordan pulled
the covers back and Zoe wiggled over onto a sheet. She pulled the second sheet
over her, discarding the towel, and dropped her head onto a large soft pillow.

Jordan shook
his head. He'd never seen her so worn out. As soon as her head hit the pillow,
she was sound asleep. He took a few moments to admire the girl, now a woman,
with her cute bow lips, high cheekbones, and silky blonde hair fanning over the
pillow. He was a lucky guy. She was a treasure, his treasure, one that he
intended to take care of for the rest of his life.

He moved a lock
of hair from her eyes, and took a little more time revelling in the woman that
had never left his heart. A woman that took good care of his son. God he loved
her. Breaking from his trance, he rested back beside her.

***

Jordan woke
from a deep sleep. He glanced at the bedside clock. It registered almost eleven
in the morning. Something had woken him, and he couldn't distinguish what. He
peeped at Zoe, who snored peacefully, and he grinned.

Easing from
the bed, trying not to disturb her, he slipped on his pants and a shirt, and
grabbed his boots before exiting the room on tiptoes. He checked on Luke who
was also sound asleep and closed the door before he walked downstairs. The
obnoxious odour of smoke hung in the atmosphere and when he opened the front door,
the aftermath of early that morning confronted him.

God, he wished
it would rain. As he was about to head indoors, a sound startled him, and a
glimpse of a man and a woman entered his peripheral view. His spine stiffened,
and his instinct shot on guard while he sidled up along the wall, heading
toward the side of the house.

What in the
hell were they up to? But before he could do anything to stop them, he screamed
at the top of his lungs.

'No!' Jordan
watched helplessly as a Molotov cocktail bomb hurtled through one of the
bedroom windows. The woman glanced over, turned and ran in the opposite
direction. When she reached the fence line, she dropped something into the
brush. Orange flames devoured the dry grass.

Jordan swung
around and raced up the stairs and into Zoe's room. He reached down gave her
shoulder a few shakes. 'Zoe...Zoe wake up.' He grabbed his mobile phone on the
dresser, and punched in the digits. As he waited through the ring tone, he gave
Zoe another shake, but this time harder.

'Zoe, Zoe.'

'What's up?'
She reached up and rubbed one of her eyes.

'Arsonists.
Can you get Luke? I'll meet you at the bottom of the stairs.'

Zoe scrambled
from bed, fumbled about for some fresh clothes. While Jordan spoke on his
mobile, he headed toward the room where something had been thrown through the
window. Opening the door, he scanned the area, spotting a home-made bomb, one
that hadn't exploded.

He ran over,
grabbed it and tossed it in the direction from which it had arrived. A brief
glance through the window and he saw the woman running down the road. He spun
around, and high tailed it down stairs where Luke and Zoe were waiting.

'Stay by the
door. It's safe for now. Lock it when I leave, but don't move. I need to know
exactly where you are.'

Zoe nodded as
anxiety coursed through her body. Luke whimpered and clung to her leg.

'Jordan,
what's happened? Who are they?'

'Not sure as
yet. But I have an idea. Stay here.'

Jordan rushed
through the doorway, and Zoe closed it behind him.