from?’
He smiled. ‘The moon? It just struck me, it’s full tonight. See?’ He pointed out towards the east.
Holly gasped at the orange globe rising above the tree line. ‘Oh! How beautiful.’ She got up.
‘Mmm…’ He took her hand and led her out onto the lawn.
Holly was transfixed as the moon rose, and in the process lost some of its orange radiance and shrunk abit. She shivered. Days out in the savannah might be hot, but the nights were very cold, and she hadn’t put on her jumper.
Brett put his arms around her. She couldn’t help herself, and she snuggled up to him.
‘Maybe this says it all,’ he murmured, and started to kiss her.
Her lips quivered, but it seemed to her that her senses would no longer be dictated by her mind. They clamoured for his touch; they were lit by the feel of him, tall and hard against her, and tantalized by the pure essence of man she was breathing in.
She loved the press of his fingers against her skin; she loved the way they explored the nape of her neck and behind her ears while he kept his other hand around her waist.
But a skerrick of common sense claimed her and she raised her hands to put them on his chest. ‘We ought to stop and think,’ she breathed. ‘This could be very dangerous.’
He lifted his head. ‘Why? It has nothing to do with anyone but us, and we couldn’t be in more agreement at the moment if we tried.’
Holly made a strange little sound in her throat. He stared down at her mouth in the moonlight and started to kiss her again.
She was almost carried away with delight when he stopped and raised his head to listen.
She came out of her enchanted trance with a start as she too heard footsteps. ‘Sarah,’ she breathed. ‘I’d forgotten about her. She must be feeling a bit better—hungry, maybe!’
‘We’ll go to your…’
‘No! I need to go and see if she’s OK.’ Holly stood on tiptoe and kissed him swiftly. ‘Thanks for listening.’ She sped off back towards the house.
Brett said something unrepeatable under his breath then looked down to see Bella sitting beside him. ‘Come to sympathize, old girl? Well, what would you say if I told you that Holly Harding could be the right one for me? She’s taken to Haywire as if she was born to it; she could be running the place, but of course it’s not only that. She’s becoming more and more desirable. But do I want a wife? It’s hard to put down roots without one. How good would I be with a wife, though?
Chapter Six
T HERE was a triple knock on Holly’s door before sunrise the next morning.
She’d been hovering on the edge of wakefulness for a while and she jerked upright, scrambled out of bed and went to open the door. ‘What? Who? Why?’ she breathed. ‘Has something happened?’
‘No.’ It was Brett dressed in jeans and a jacket. ‘Come and see the sunrise.’
‘But I’m not even dressed!’
‘Throw some warm clothes on, then; we haven’t got much time.’
She hesitated then shrugged. ‘OK.’
Ten minutes later she joined him in the ute.
She’d thrown on some slouchy trousers and a jacket and she was finger-plaiting her hair. They bumped over some rough ground for a few minutes then came to a lip in the ground, as far as she could see in the headlights.
Brett pulled up and switched the ute off. ‘Won’t be long now. Come and sit on the bonnet.
Holly did as she was bid, and slowly the rim of the horizon started to lighten. As it did the chill breeze that had seen her wrap her arms around herself dropped.With gathering speed, the darkness faded and she was looking down a long valley; all the colours of the land-scape—the burnt umber and olive greens, the forest greens and splashes of amber—started to come alive as the sun reached the horizon.
It was so beautiful in the crystal-clear cool air, and alive in every little detail. She found she was holding her breath as she watched a wedge-tail eagle planing the thermals. Then as the sun climbed higher, that
He smiled. ‘The moon? It just struck me, it’s full tonight. See?’ He pointed out towards the east.
Holly gasped at the orange globe rising above the tree line. ‘Oh! How beautiful.’ She got up.
‘Mmm…’ He took her hand and led her out onto the lawn.
Holly was transfixed as the moon rose, and in the process lost some of its orange radiance and shrunk abit. She shivered. Days out in the savannah might be hot, but the nights were very cold, and she hadn’t put on her jumper.
Brett put his arms around her. She couldn’t help herself, and she snuggled up to him.
‘Maybe this says it all,’ he murmured, and started to kiss her.
Her lips quivered, but it seemed to her that her senses would no longer be dictated by her mind. They clamoured for his touch; they were lit by the feel of him, tall and hard against her, and tantalized by the pure essence of man she was breathing in.
She loved the press of his fingers against her skin; she loved the way they explored the nape of her neck and behind her ears while he kept his other hand around her waist.
But a skerrick of common sense claimed her and she raised her hands to put them on his chest. ‘We ought to stop and think,’ she breathed. ‘This could be very dangerous.’
He lifted his head. ‘Why? It has nothing to do with anyone but us, and we couldn’t be in more agreement at the moment if we tried.’
Holly made a strange little sound in her throat. He stared down at her mouth in the moonlight and started to kiss her again.
She was almost carried away with delight when he stopped and raised his head to listen.
She came out of her enchanted trance with a start as she too heard footsteps. ‘Sarah,’ she breathed. ‘I’d forgotten about her. She must be feeling a bit better—hungry, maybe!’
‘We’ll go to your…’
‘No! I need to go and see if she’s OK.’ Holly stood on tiptoe and kissed him swiftly. ‘Thanks for listening.’ She sped off back towards the house.
Brett said something unrepeatable under his breath then looked down to see Bella sitting beside him. ‘Come to sympathize, old girl? Well, what would you say if I told you that Holly Harding could be the right one for me? She’s taken to Haywire as if she was born to it; she could be running the place, but of course it’s not only that. She’s becoming more and more desirable. But do I want a wife? It’s hard to put down roots without one. How good would I be with a wife, though?
Chapter Six
T HERE was a triple knock on Holly’s door before sunrise the next morning.
She’d been hovering on the edge of wakefulness for a while and she jerked upright, scrambled out of bed and went to open the door. ‘What? Who? Why?’ she breathed. ‘Has something happened?’
‘No.’ It was Brett dressed in jeans and a jacket. ‘Come and see the sunrise.’
‘But I’m not even dressed!’
‘Throw some warm clothes on, then; we haven’t got much time.’
She hesitated then shrugged. ‘OK.’
Ten minutes later she joined him in the ute.
She’d thrown on some slouchy trousers and a jacket and she was finger-plaiting her hair. They bumped over some rough ground for a few minutes then came to a lip in the ground, as far as she could see in the headlights.
Brett pulled up and switched the ute off. ‘Won’t be long now. Come and sit on the bonnet.
Holly did as she was bid, and slowly the rim of the horizon started to lighten. As it did the chill breeze that had seen her wrap her arms around herself dropped.With gathering speed, the darkness faded and she was looking down a long valley; all the colours of the land-scape—the burnt umber and olive greens, the forest greens and splashes of amber—started to come alive as the sun reached the horizon.
It was so beautiful in the crystal-clear cool air, and alive in every little detail. She found she was holding her breath as she watched a wedge-tail eagle planing the thermals. Then as the sun climbed higher, that
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