The Outback Bridal Rescue by Emma Darcy Page A

giving him pleasure? He’d never had loving parents. It was good that Evelyn added to his sense of being home here at Gundamurra.
    Megan wanted him to come back.
    He’d said he would.

    She hoped her blatantly wanton behaviour last night would not cause him to reconsider. If he thought she expected a continuing affair with him…
    The bottom-line truth was she did want it.
    But did he?
    Somehow she had to make him feel free to choose. Her heart cringed at the thought of him nursing any sense of obligation towards her, especial y in a sexual sense.
    This was very much on her mind when the time of departure came. Jessie and Emily weren’t leaving until after lunch, so they and their husbands had joined her on the front verandah to say their farewel s to the others.
    Everyone hugged and kissed. The Land Rover set off for the airstrip where Johnny’s Cessna was waiting for them, ready to fly them back to Sydney. Megan waited for the dust to settle in the vehicle’s wake before setting off with Johnny, who seemed perfectly relaxed, amiably chatting to her sisters.
    Charm, she thought, wishing she knew what it was papering over today.
    ‘Time to go,’ he final y said, shook hands with the men, kissed her sisters’ cheeks, then caught Megan’s hand to lead her down the steps.
    He kept possession of it, his strong fingers tightly enveloping hers as they began their walk together. Megan made no attempt to extract them from his hold. She didn’t even care if it was a big-brotherly link. It was good to feel his touch again, good that he wanted to touch her.
    What she had to project now was dignity and grace.

    Never mind that her insides were churning with the need to hang on to this man. He was under contract to finish his movie. Begging him to stay was not an option, anyway.
    ‘Megan…you will use the money,’ he said forceful y, his tone strained with uncertainty.
    Why would he doubt it? Because of having sex with her last night? Did he think that might have somehow tainted his investment? That her pride would stop her from using it?
    ‘Yes, I wil , Johnny,’ she assured him. ‘Gundamurra needs it,’ she added to put everything in its proper perspective.
    ‘Right!’ he agreed, relief obvious.
    He cared about Gundamurra. That, at least, they had in common. But would he come back? They had walked past most of the buildings before Megan screwed up the necessary courage to say, ‘I don’t want you to feel bad about last night, Johnny. It’s nothing for you to worry about.’
    ‘Nothing?’ He repeated the word as though it was intensely offensive.
    Megan inwardly cringed. The last thing she wanted was to sound scornful of what he’d given her. Her mind whirled, seeking ways to fix his impression. ‘I just meant…it was good for me.’
    ‘But this is the cut-off line,’ he muttered derisively.
    She tried again. ‘You’re leaving. I don’t want you to be concerned about it. That’s al .’
    ‘Over and done with.’
    ‘I hope it was good for you, too,’ she rushed out, hating the way he was bringing down the curtain when she desperately wanted him to keep caring about her.
    His fingers almost crushed hers before he realised what he was doing and relaxed his grip. ‘Wil you e-mail me?
    Give me reports on how things are going here? I want to know, Megan,’ he said tersely.
    If it was a test for how she real y felt about continuing a relationship with him, Megan was only too happy to comply with what he required. ‘Yes, I wil ,’ she said firmly.
    ‘Good!’ Again he squeezed her hand, but not as tightly as before.
    Her head was almost giddy with relief. He was inviting her to have regular contact with him…if he replied to her e-mails. She couldn’t real y count on that. Once he was back to making his movie, caught up in such a different world over there…but he couldn’t completely forget her. Even if he got involved with another woman, making love to her would trigger memories…wouldn’t it?
    Her