Epilogue

“Stop leering at me. You’re creeping me out.” Olivia cursed and dropped her glare to the refurbished iMac sitting on the secondhand desk in Baroona’s freshly renovated medical clinic. “And if you say, ‘I told you so,’ I’m going to prescribe you a colonoscopy.”

Helen Louise Charmichael, former mayor of Baroona, leaned back in her chair and practically exploded with self-righteous satisfaction before craning her head back and peering into reception. “Lydia gone home?”

Olivia glanced at the time and instantly regretted it. “Yeah, like I should’ve done an hour ago.”

Helen pretended the life-threatening five o’clock appointment she’d pleaded for hadn’t been carefully orchestrated to get Olivia alone. “I love how the green livens up the place.” Helen shuddered. “I hated that brown-and-gray color scheme. Reminded me of a damned morgue.”

Olivia stared at her keyboard, not because she needed to look at the keys, but because she couldn’t stand Helen’s smug grin. What Helen lacked in tact, she more than made up for with interior-decorating skills. But there was no way in hell Olivia was admitting her new clinic looked as vibrant as it was welcoming and professional.

Olivia added the final notes of Helen’s fake checkup into the patient database she was still figuring out and shut down her iMac.

“Well, Ms. Charmichael, apart from a terminal case of meddling, you’ve got at least a few more years left to torture us.” Olivia pushed out of her chair and stretched her aching back. “Now, if you’ll get the hell out of my clinic, you conniving old busy body, I can get my man and drag my overworked and underpaid butt back home.”

Helen sprang from her chair with the energy of the recently resurrected and tackled her. Olivia held out as long as she could before cursing and wrapping her arms around the force of nature who’d manipulated her into a career she loved almost as much as her new life.

Olivia closed her eyes and squeezed harder. “You scared the shit out of us, you stubborn old cow. And if you don’t start taking it easy, I’m going to get my man to chain you to a rocking chair.”

“Let him fucking try.”

Helen’s indestructible spirit remained, but mortality had taken enough of a toll on her aging body to remind Olivia just how close Baroona had come to losing this treasure.

Helen hugged whatever life remained out of Olivia before smacking a kiss on her cheek and holding her out in front of her like a proud parent. “C’mon, you know you want to say it. Go on, it’ll put a smile on that beautiful big-city face of yours.”

Olivia had been chewing dust, wiping sweat, and swatting flies for almost three months and the damned locals still reminded her she was a big-city girl whenever they got the chance. She sighed and surrendered to the truth. “You were right.”

Helen angled her head and aimed an ear decorated with a pound of gold at her. “And.”

Olivia still couldn’t figure out what had drained her more: moving, earning her Aussie medical license, Outback doctoring, or catching up on all the socializing she’d missed while she’d been back in L.A. She cursed and nodded. “And we were wrong.”

Helen’s smile almost fractured the industrial strength makeup troweled onto her face as she dragged Olivia into another life-threatening hug.

“Let go of my girl, you old witch.”

A weary version of the voice she knew so well thundered through the examination room. Even after sharing a bed with him for months that damned voice still had her lady parts singing.

Her man had survived even more life-altering twists and turns than she had since he’d inhaled that red M&M. And she tumbled just a little bit more in love with Baroona’s future mayor with every bend in the road.

It’d taken a few tense months and more than a few heated Skype calls and urgent trans-Pacific flights before Harper & Mackay’s new associates had gotten up to speed, and he and Charlie had finally settled into their new roles. By the time Olivia had handed over her responsibilities, Jarrah had well and truly found his groove as the domestic god of her apartment and sex slave in her bed, shower, kitchen, and pretty much every other square foot of her once-wholesome abode. But the slow transition from the city to the Outback they’d meticulously planned took a vicious detour the day Naya had broken the news that Baroona’s unstoppable mayor had been stopped by a dodgy ticker.

Helen squeezed Olivia’s shoulders before rounding on Jarrah. “Did you get back to that useless dickhead Perkins and tell him he better grade that airstrip by Monday or we’ll find someone who can?”

Olivia couldn’t hide her grin. Her cowboy looked even more battered than she felt, which wasn’t surprising considering he spent his mornings getting remotely womanhandled by Charlie, his afternoons being abused by Helen, and his evenings defending himself from the merciless attacks of his less-than-sympathetic family. She hadn’t been completely innocent in his systematic destruction, either. Then again, he hadn’t complained too loudly when she’d kept him working well into the night in their loft hideaway above the barn.

Jarrah sucked in a breath to fire back only to have Helen cut him off. “And old man Adams, did you check out the building plans for his machinery sheds?”

Jarrah’s torso deflated just a little more. “Gave him the permit twenty minutes ago.”

“What about my darling old Fiona? Did you organize that adorable sister-in-law of yours and her magic hands to fix her ute like I promised her?”

Jarrah shot Olivia a look that had her biting back laughter before locking his gaze on Helen. “Yes. And you do realize you’re three years older than your ‘darling old Fiona’ and seven years older than ‘old man Adams’?”

Helen jabbed a crooked finger at Jarrah. “Don’t get smart with me, junior. The board votes at the end of the month, and you’re still on probation. So unless you check that smart mouth of yours, you could find yourself begging Maddie to let you clean out the stables and de-sludge the watering troughs for your next career.”

And just like that, the man who’d pretty much ruled every realm he’d chosen to invade emerged from beneath a fourteen-hour day’s worth of fatigue. He shoved off the doorframe and stalked forward. Helen staggered back into Olivia and tried raising her hands to ward him off.

Jarrah captured Helen in an embrace, spun her around, and dipped her à la Dancing With the Stars, before kissing her smack bang on her cherry-red lips. He maintained his attack until Helen released her death grip on his shoulders and hung limp in his arms before propping his boss back onto her work boots and tucking a stray lock of shocking-pink hair behind her ear.

Helen clutched her gaping mouth and staggered back before grabbing onto the examination table to steady herself. Long seconds passed before she blew out a breath and exchanged a knowing nod with Olivia. Olivia almost dislocated a rib in a desperate attempt to control her laughter and could only shrug. She was pretty sure she’d had the same reaction the first time Jarrah had planted one on her.

Helen’s wide eyes slid to Jarrah then back to Olivia before she slowly shook her head and pushed off the examination table. “Holy mother of God, your kids are going to be unstoppable.” And with nothing more than another dazed shake of her head, Helen picked up her handbag and staggered into reception and out onto Baroona’s Main Street.

Jarrah chuckled. “Much easier than arguing with her.”

The smile fell from Olivia’s mouth as she stared into reception and pretended not to notice the man studying her. The months it had taken to pack up their lives and move back to Wingarra had been one chaotic challenge after another with enough frequent flyer miles to ensure they wouldn’t pay for flights any time soon. Not that either of them was going anywhere.

When they hadn’t been handing over job responsibilities, storing, packing, and shipping stuff across oceans and deserts, selling apartments, and transplanting their entire lives, they’d been busting their asses setting up their new life together. They hadn’t even found a place to live, let alone finalize minor details such as marriage, kids, and happily ever afters.

She shook her head clear and turned to find Jarrah running his hands around the edge of her desk before lifting it up and down and rocking it back and forth.

Her anxiety morphed into something closer to annoyance. “What the hell are you doing?”

He let go of the desk and stared at her with all the seriousness of a surgeon who’d just lost a patient. “Just checking it’s strong enough to get started on those babies.”

…

Jarrah pretended to ignore the tension radiating off his girl as the silence swallowed his attempt to lighten the mood. Christ, even after everything he’d been through, he still had no freaking idea what he’d done to deserve her love.

“You…” Her voice trailed off as she slowly shook her head and shrugged. “You want to try for a family?”

They’d talked about kids, they’d talked about marriage, they’d talked about where they were going to live, and they’d discussed everything responsible couples in long-term relationships should. And they hadn’t slowed down enough to explore any of it.

Olivia becoming Baroona’s official doctor had been a no brainer. Helen had practically called a council meeting to kick off the clinic’s refurbishment as soon as his mother had spilled the beans about the two of them returning to Wingarra. Olivia had rejected Helen’s opening offer of a salary the United Nations would’ve classed as slave labor and negotiated a forty-hour week with an on-call allowance, an annual salary that bordered pathetic, with total autonomy to manage the clinic exactly the way she wanted and her patients needed.

Olivia couldn’t have cared less about the money and knew the job would be a twenty-four-hour, seven-day-a-week gig, but she’d used the dollars to distract Helen while sneaking what she’d really wanted into the deal. Olivia would report to the town council and abide by their rulings, but as far as anything health related went for Baroona, she’d call the shots. Helen had moaned her way through the weeklong email and Skype negotiations but had been seen skipping through town five minutes after Olivia had signed the contract.

He closed the distance between them and pulled his girl into his arms. “I want you.” He pecked her nose and dropped his forehead to hers. “I want to wake up beside you every morning and curl up around you each night. I want to build a home with you. I want to create and raise a family with you. I want to grow old, fat, and grumpy with you. I want to sit in a rocking chair on our veranda with you and listen to you complain about our grandkids leaving the screen door open. I want to love you until I return to the dust of my ancestors.”

He took full advantage of her stunned silence and kissed her until her rigid muscles melted and her fingers tangled in his hair. That all-too-familiar need deep inside him sparked to life and had him tightening his embrace before he forced himself to lean away. “But first we better get our arses home before that loving family of ours kills us for delaying dinner.”

“Again.” She grinned and pecked his lips before easing out of his embrace. “Meet you out front in five.” She returned to her desk only to stop and slowly turn to face him. “I really do love you, you know.”

He’d never get tired of hearing those words. “Thanks.”

Answering her glare with a wink, he escaped her office and snuck out into the cooling evening before she beat the crap out of him.

He leaned against the dented fender of his official mayoral ute and studied the town that had somehow become his responsibility.

The door to the clinic clicked shut behind him and tugged his wandering mind away from quarreling neighbors, lazy contractors, and Mrs. Henderson’s valuable, if slightly illegal, crop of medicinal marijuana. A gooey warmth pooled in his belly as two strong arms encircled his waist.

He trapped her hands against his stomach and leaned back into her kiss. “Ready, Doc?”

She nibbled his ear and inched her fingers lower. “Take me home, stud, or lose me forever.”

Home. The word not only had his groin smiling. When was the last time he’d ever truly felt at home? Even when he’d returned to Wingarra each year, his city life had always lurked in the shadows. But over the last few months, the nagging ache that had constantly reminded him he had somewhere else he needed to be had been replaced by a bone-deep serenity. He’d returned to the most important people in his world and was living where he wanted to be. After a lifetime wandering both sand and concrete deserts, he’d finally made it back home.

He angled his head back and kissed the woman who’d fulfilled dreams he’d been too stupid to even imagine. Now all that remained was giving the brave big-city girl the happily ever after she deserved.

…

The last rays of the setting sun bathed the Wishing Tree in fire as the Land Cruiser lurched and bounced along the river of dust leading Olivia and the man she loved home. Over the last eight months she’d questioned, pulled apart, and analyzed every facet of her life, yet she’d always known what home had meant. Home had nothing to do with walls and a roof, or where you slept. If you were lucky, home existed with the people you loved, and her magical journey had confirmed just how lucky she was.

They passed the Wishing Tree every morning on their way to their new jobs and every evening when they returned home, and she still couldn’t stop herself from remembering the first time she’d attacked her man. The hand she’d rested on his thigh somehow found its way to his groin while she reminisced.

With an agonized curse, he wrenched her hand free of his manhood and slapped it onto her lap before mashing the gas. “You’re killing me, woman. We’re already late.”

His pained expression had her laughing despite her disappointment. They hadn’t had a chance to reenact their first frantic dance with no pants beneath the Wishing Tree, but they had all the time in the world. She snuck her hand back onto his thigh and grinned as his fingers curled around hers.

She looked out her window to hide her smug smile and watched the last of the sun’s rays wash over the Wishing Tree. Drawing in the warm desert air buffeting her face, she closed her eyes and whispered a thank-you to the ancient custodians of this mythical land for the cowboy who’d invaded her world and ridden off into the sunset with her heart.

She was still secretly squeeing about the crazy path her life had taken when Wingarra emerged out of the desert. A warmth that had nothing to do with the residual heat of the day flowed through her as she imagined the pandemonium awaiting them in the dining room as the Harpers crowded around the dining table to eat, drink, and raise hell.

Jarrah had been uncharacteristically quiet on their journey, but she couldn’t blame the poor guy. Not only did he have to keep Charlie, Helen, and his family happy, he also had to take care of the entire town as well. Her unease grew when they idled through Wingarra’s courtyard, passed the stables, and clattered off into the desert.

He readjusted his grip on the steering wheel and offered her a cheeky grin that was almost as fake as his cocky chuckle. A yellow glow up ahead drew her attention from the lying sneak sitting beside her.

A fire flickered among a familiar nest of eucalypts that had images of a starlit night, a bottomless moonlit kaleidoscope pond, and a horny couple writhing and moaning on a blanket flashing through her mind. They hadn’t had a chance to relive that memorable night, either, and by the half dozen or so shadows rushing around among the trees, she doubted they were enjoying another naked night beneath the stars.

She stared at him as the Land Cruiser rattled to a stop just outside the football field–size oasis created by the magic pond and its eucalypt bodyguards. He refused to meet her gaze as he cranked open the driver’s door and slid from the cabin.

The shadows stilled and their excited chatter quieted as Jarrah opened her door and reached out. Sucking in a deep breath to quiet her racing heart, she grabbed hold of his hand and allowed him to lead her through the rock and tree wall encircling the pond. The huge forest shielded the setting sun and blanketed the sanctuary in an almost mystical half-light. She breathed in the water, the dust, and the eucalypt-scented breeze wafting through the trees and lifted her gaze to the sky. Caught between the sapphire day and diamond-studded night, the heavens were awash with streaks of ruby, citrine, and amber. The Dreamtime magic unfolding around her was so surreal it felt like the calloused fingers entwined with hers were the only things anchoring her to the ground.

With each hesitant step, the light from the fire burning beside the pond brightened until the flickering flames illuminated the smiling faces of the crazy yobbos that had somehow become her family. Instead of the relentless teasing and cursing she’d fallen in love with, her patchwork tribe remained ominously silent among the chirping cicadas, croaking frogs, and crackling flames.

Her raised eyebrows and pleading gaze only seemed to amuse her audience, yet no one spoke. In desperation, she turned to her sister only to find Abi wiping tears from her eyes and snuggling back into Ryder’s embrace. Even her huge teddy bear of a brother-in-law left her hanging as he simply tightened his embrace around her sister and grinned back.

Olivia yanked her hand free and turned on Jarrah only to have a cloud of exotically scented smoke envelop her. Waving the smoke away, she blinked back tears and looked around to find Naya floating toward her with a bouquet of smoldering branches held out in front of her.

Olivia froze and clutched her gaping mouth as she eyed Jarrah through her watery gaze.

Jarrah chuckled and shrugged as Naya bathed her in smoke before reverently placing the bouquet at her feet. “Last chance, Doc.”

Unable to get her mouth to work, Olivia stared numbly back into the shimmering eyes of her future and slowly nodded.

Naya gently pried Olivia’s hands from her mouth and pressed a kiss to each before clutching them to her chest. With a tenderness that almost shattered Olivia’s fragile grip on control, Naya dabbed away Olivia’s tears and captured her face in her hands. “Olivia Marie Biyani Williams, our Healer, welcome to our family, my daughter.”

Blinded by tears, Olivia released the ledge she clung to and fell into Naya’s open arms. Naya squeezed her and cooed in her ear before slowly turning her around and nudging her forward.

Olivia sniffed, snorted, and slapped away her tears only to find her cowboy kneeling before her with a glistening ring perched between his thumb and forefinger. Starbursts of crimson and gold danced across his face as he raised the single solitaire.

“Come walkabout with me forever.”

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