Chapter Twenty-One

Helen Louise Charmichael—sixty-seven years old, widowed, arthritic, overworked, and cranky—was about as frail and innocent as Naya freaking Harper. Olivia eyed Baroona’s mayor and the Grand Hotel’s dark overlord from behind the desk in the derelict medical clinic and added her notes to the outdated folder she’d found in the dusty filing cabinet out in reception. The files, to her surprise, weren’t that prehistoric, yet the clinic’s reception area, toilets, and examination rooms could’ve served as a museum for modern medicine.

Helen’s ancient chair groaned as she leaned back and rested her hands on her regal belly. Baroona’s matriarch suddenly looked a lot healthier than she had half an hour ago when she’d complained about everything from vertigo to dementia. “So what do you think?”

Olivia ignored the true meaning of Helen’s question and shrugged. “I think you’ll outlive us all, Ms. Charmichael.”

“Thank you, that’s a relief.” The gold and diamonds weighing down Helen’s hands glinted in the flickering light thrown out by the office’s insect-encrusted strip lights. Baroona’s benevolent dictator waved her away with an embarrassed chuckle that was as fake as her lumbago. “Please, call me Helen. We’re all family out here.”

Olivia hid her smile behind Helen’s file as she eyed the shifty old battle-ax.

Helen casually swept the room and sighed dramatically. “Do you think our clinic can be saved, Doc?”

Olivia still had no freaking idea what the hell she was doing sitting in Baroona’s long vacant doctor’s chair. Nor could she explain why she’d spent the afternoon seeing patients when she should’ve been enjoying what remained of her vacation. Getting people to do things they’d rather not do was just one of this conniving yet lovable woman’s superpowers. “The place could use a cleanup, a paint job, new equipment, new examination beds, a computer and phone system, a nurse, a receptionist, and a doctor, but other than that you’re good to go.”

Helen allowed Olivia’s words to echo through the empty office while nodding and surveying the outdated decor and turn-of-the-century equipment. Olivia knew damned well what was hiding behind Helen’s overly made-up eyes, and that was exactly what made the old girl so dangerous.

Olivia still wasn’t sure what role her sister and Naya had played in the plot to lure her into town, but she was going to find out. Helen had magically appeared at Wingarra that morning looking as desperate as a woman in complete control of her world and everyone in it could possibly look. The old warhorse had hobbled out of her rusted four-wheel drive and all but dropped to her knees in an attempt to guilt Olivia into heading back to Baroona to check out the derelict medical clinic and provide the lowdown on what it’d take to get the place up and running.

Helen’s eyes widened as she clutched a hand to her ample chest. “So it’s possible the hardworking, loving, and desperate members of this community could once again access regular health care?”

Olivia was used to state-of-the-art emergency rooms and had no idea how expensive the equipment they needed was, yet what Baroona’s mayor lacked in constituents and funding, she more than made up for with determination and cunning. But life had turned Olivia into a warrior, and no matter how romantic the what ifs Helen tried implanting into her brain, there was no way in hell she was uprooting her life. Either with or without a certain lawyer cum stockman.

Helen had scrutinized Olivia the entire time her question hung in the musty office air. Baroona’s mayor was undoubtedly lying in wait for Olivia to stumble over one of the trip wires the old girl had set with all the finesse of Wingarra’s horror movie–size spiders. Olivia nodded but made sure to remove all enthusiasm from the gesture. “I’m amazed a town this size doesn’t already have a full-time clinic.”

Olivia collated the files sitting on the desk into alphabetical order ready for refiling and fought the urge to elaborate on her dismay. Close to a thousand people lived out here without regular access to health care. Dealing with emergencies would’ve been difficult enough despite the flying doctor magicians. But what about the day-to-day things city folk took for granted? Antibiotics, family planning, basic pediatrics…hell, just having a health professional to talk to. If Olivia had been in Helen’s steel-capped work boots she’d have not only tried sweet talking doctors into staying, she would’ve probably taken them hostage.

Helen held her gaze a few more seconds before pushing back her chair. “I’m so sorry you got stuck here so long, Doc. I have no idea how they knew you were coming in this afternoon.”

Yeah, right. Olivia hadn’t been able to prove it, yet there was no doubt the woman disguised in the bordello-themed fairy godmother disguise sitting in front of her had roped enough of the town in on her guilt trip to put on one hell of a performance. Mrs. Hardy and her bum knee had led the charge past the closed sign hanging in the clinic’s grimy window. Before long the previously deserted reception area had filled with people seeking medical and spiritual healing. Olivia couldn’t help grinning back. Helen was relentless and had a heart big enough to care for an entire town.

With a weak sigh that was as fake as her constant apologies, Helen straightened and smoothed her canary-yellow Four X T-shirt. “We can organize a working bee or two to brighten up the place. And I’m pretty sure we can scrounge up enough money to buy some secondhand equipment. We’ve also got a half dozen people with both admin and bush-nursing experience who’d jump at the chance of part-time work. So all we really need is a full-time doctor.”

And there it was, the punch line to the joke that had lasted the entire afternoon. Olivia had steeled herself for it. With every home-baked cake and pie, with every donation she’d collected for the Royal Flying Doctor Service, with every grateful hug, vigorous handshake, and teary-eyed thank-you, she’d hardened her resolve and tempered the satisfaction of helping decent people with the same cold, hard reality she’d used to survive emergency room shifts. No matter how skilled a healer she was, no matter how much of her life she devoted to helping others, and no matter how much she wanted to, she couldn’t save everyone. Making long-term decisions with short-term emotions would hurt a hell of a lot more people than just herself. And that didn’t even take into account the logistical minefield lying between L.A. and Baroona, least of which was she wasn’t even considered a freaking doctor down here.

She dragged in a deep breath, clamped her fingers together in front of her, and prepared to deliver the polite yet firm response she’d been refining all afternoon. Only to have her throat clamp around the words and her mind drift back to the Big House, the family who’d practically adopted her, the man who’d turned her inside out, and the sister she’d be hugging good-bye for God knew how long in just a few days.

“I strongly advise you not to sign anything this shifty old woman shoves in front of you.” Jarrah strode through reception and leaned in the doorway before glaring at Helen.

Helen didn’t even flinch while effortlessly slipping into her fairy godmother disguise. “Your girl was just helping me figure out what was needed to get this place going again.”

Olivia couldn’t help smiling at Helen’s unapologetic grin. Yet the your girl Helen had casually thrown into the deflection snuck through Olivia’s guard and caught her square on the chin. When had she become his girl, and more importantly, why had her stomach melted at the thought? The woman was diabolical and therefore the perfect person to run this crazy town.

Helen stabbed an arthritic finger at him. “Plus, you’ve been stuffing around for the last few weeks, and we’ve only got a few days left to show her the perks of Outback doctoring before she gets bored with you and flies back to La-La Land.”

There were so many emotions churning inside her, but boredom definitely wasn’t one. She seriously doubted it ever would because the more she got to know him the more intriguing and terrifying he became.

Jarrah forced a chuckle while scanning the examination room. “You mean perks such as the heat, dust, flies, isolation, ancient facilities, shit pay, busy-body patients, and being on call twenty-four-seven?”

Helen waved Jarrah away with a disgusted huff. “Ignore him, honey. He’s just too stubborn to admit he should’ve moved back here years ago.”

Olivia closed Helen’s folder and stacked it neatly on top of the pile already sitting on the desk while forcing herself to be grateful for the three days she had left. There’d be plenty of time for Ben and Jerry’s Peanut Buttah Cookie Core ice cream and Pretty Woman pity parties when she returned to her real life. Now wasn’t the time for feeling sorry for herself and getting all weepy. And if she couldn’t brighten her mood by mauling the man leaning in the doorway looking all sweaty and sexy as hell, teasing him would have to do. “I’m no expert, but I’m guessing all it’d take was the price of a used super car and this place would be up and running in no time.”

Jarrah loved that stupid Aston Martin almost as much as he cherished his weather-beaten Akubra and the luxurious life waiting for him back in Brisbane. His sly grin never faltered as he shrugged and glanced between Helen and her. “So I guess all this place needs then is a doctor.”

Olivia was playing with fire, but taunting him was almost as much fun as kissing him. “Helen just mentioned you’ll be taking over as mayor. You probably should start using your”—she paused and slowly ran her gaze over every filthy inch of him before clearing her throat—“resources to lure a talented doctor down here.”

The air seemed to get sucked from the room as Olivia’s challenge echoed through the silence. Helen had felt it. And there was no doubt Jarrah had experienced the same disturbance in the Force. But neither of the professional manipulators acknowledged the foot she’d firmly lodged down her throat.

“So it’s settled then.” Helen shoved out of her chair with the exuberance of a break-dancer. “You leave lonely L.A. and all those plastic reality TV stars to live down here with your big sister and begin a fulfilling career you obviously love.” Helen spun on Jarrah. “You give up that fake life you’re living in the city, move back home where you belong, and start looking after the people you were destined to watch over.” With a wave of her hand, Helen fixed both of them in her sights and raised one enhanced eyebrow. “You two get the chance to turn that lust crackling between you into something more permanent. This town gets a damn fine doctor and the second-best mayor in its history. And I finally get to take the break I deserve. Everyone wins.” Helen waved her hand in the air as she barreled toward the door. “I’ll let you two kids work out the details. No need to thank me. I’m a problem-solver, it’s what I do.”

After blowing her a kiss and smacking one on Jarrah’s frozen face, Helen spun out of the clinic while the debris from her reign of terror clattered around them.

Endless seconds dragged by as Olivia fidgeted in her chair, rearranged the already collated files, and did everything other than return the gaze of the man staring at her. Had his thoughts wandered off into the same alternate reality as hers, or was he scrambling to figure out just how quickly he could ditch the crazy doctor he was flinging around and return to the real world?

He ground out a curse and sighed. “I’m sorry you got dragged into this. I came as soon as I heard you were abducted.”

Guilt joined the emotional cocktail swirling in her stomach. He sounded dead on his feet, yet he’d come galloping into town to rescue her from the clutches of a supervillain. Only to be thrown under a voluptuous bus by the woman he’d tried to save.

She snatched up the files and hugged them to her chest before she’d even realized what she’d done. With each heartbeat, realization settled over and soothed the ache in her chest. The manila folders, hand-scribbled notes, dog-eared charts, and printouts weren’t files; they weren’t numbers in a patient database. They were real people, people she’d helped, people who’d become friends. Desperate for a distraction, she jerked out of her chair and rounded the desk. “I must be suffering Stockholm syndrome, because I was a willing hostage.”

He shot out his arm and trapped her in the office before she could escape into reception. “You planning on looking at me anytime soon?”

His scent washed over her as she sucked in a breath and skidded to a stop. Sweat, dust, leather, denim…she breathed him in and slowly lifted her gaze to his. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have encouraged her. You must be sick of everyone’s meddling.”

He didn’t move, yet his eyes swallowed her whole. “I don’t know. It’s kind of nice being needed.” He shrugged but didn’t lower his arm. “So, what do you think?”

“About what?” She knew damn well what, and she needed time to drag herself out of his eyes and think.

He raised an eyebrow and leaned in until all that separated them was the sweat glistening on his forehead and the dirt caked into his stubble. She stared helplessly back as the high-definition future she’d been marching toward for so long flickered in the depths of his eyes before slowly being replaced by a hazy image of what could be.

A sister she’d never have to say good-bye to. A crazy family she hadn’t realized she’d craved so badly. A thriving practice in a vibrant Outback town where she knew everyone’s name. A converted machinery shed of her very own on the banks of the Big Pond. And endless magical days and even more enchanted nights with a man who satisfied every addiction she’d ever had and created a few more along the way.

The very same man who’d eventually realize that making major life decisions based on a few lust-filled weeks with someone he barely knew was about as smart as giving up his playboy lifestyle to spend his days alternating between sweating his ass off on horseback and running an Outback town. A protective man she cared way too much for to hurt chasing a fairy tale even she hadn’t even dreamed of until a few days ago.

She rose up on her toes and pecked his chin. “I was thinking that since this isn’t technically a doctor’s office. And I’m here purely in an unofficial capacity. That they’d be no harm in throwing you down onto the floor and fucking your brains out.”

For a terrifying instant she feared he’d call her on her deflection. Instead of forcing the discussion they’d been avoiding for weeks, he grinned and did some pecking of his own. “If I didn’t smell like a herd of cattle and have half the desert sticking to my body, I’d lock the door and let you do whatever the hell you wanted with me.”

She couldn’t deny the faintest hint of bovine in the air, but that only turned her on even more and confirmed just how far and hard she’d fallen. She locked her gaze on his and slowly flicked his lips with her tongue before licking a trail along his jaw to his ear where she savored the dust and sweat clinging to his skin.

“Lock the door, cowboy.”