I spend a few days harvesting and running into town for last minute fittings for my suit and errands for the wedding. Our stress levels have skyrocketed this week, only because there is so much to do besides the wedding plans.

Luckily Dad comes and takes over with the harvesting of the crop so that I can concentrate on what I need to for our big day on Saturday. Only two more days and she’ll be mine forever. I’ll be counting hours soon.

Milly comes running up to meet me as I open the car door after pulling up to the house.

“Daddy, my dress is soooo pretty. I look like a princess. Wanna see?” She asks excitedly.

“I’m not allowed to see until Saturday, remember? It’s going to be a big surprise for me to see how gorgeous you look.” I tell him, lifting her up onto my shoulders. I know she loves this.

“Hey pretty lady.” I call as I see Haven standing on the back porch with a worried look. As she turns to me the look changes to one of relief.

“Oh thank god. I couldn’t find her anywhere.” She says, leaning in for a kiss and she holds Amelia’s hand in her small one.

“Milly. You know the rules. You need to tell Haven if you go outside. It can be dangerous. There may be snakes.”

“Sorry Daddy. Sorry Haven. I just wanted to tell Daddy about my dress. I’m gonna be pretty, aren’t I Haven?”

“Yes you are Baby. You’ll be the star of the show.” I tell her with a laugh.

“Don’t think that’s how it’s supposed to be. I think the one in the white dress is the star.”

“Haha. I think the man in the suit beside her will definitely outshine the girl in the dress.” I tell him as we walk inside and he lowers Milly to the floor.

“Huh. I promised Dad I’ll take over on the harvester for the rest of the day. If I can knock out most of it now it’ll mean less for him to do while we’re away. So don’t hold dinner for me but I have my phone and the two-way if you need me for anything.” He says, as he tucks a stray strand of hair behind my ear. “Do you want me to ask Dad to stay with you guys tonight? Not sure how late I’ll be and I’m positive he’d be happy to keep you company.”

“No please don’t. Miss Amelia and I are going to have a girls’ night tonight. We have Frozen to watch on TV and we’re going to paint nails and make ourselves pretty for Saturday.”

“Don’t know if it’s possible to make yourselves even more beautiful but who am I to object to something like that? I’ll tell Dad to go home and sleep then.” He says, leaning in for a long, lingering kiss, as though he can’t bear to leave us.

“Lock the door after me and make sure you have one of the dogs inside with you.”

“Yes master. Now go. Your poor dad has been out there all day. Send him in for some food before he leaves.”

“Will do. Love you. Love you too Miss Milly.”

“Lub you too Daddy.”

After his father leaves, we set about having our girls’ night in. I run a bath for Milly, sprinkling in bath bubbles liberally. She loves a bubble bath. When she’s done I get in and have a soak in some bath oil, making my skin sheen. We watch Frozen as we paint our nails and put on our face masks. And laugh at each other as the clay dries and trying not to speak, in case we crack it. When we’re both de-masked and our nails are shining and skin soft from lotion we decide to call it a day. I put Milly to bed and lay in mine, going over the last minute things to do list. Our parents are going to have Amelia so we can have a proper honeymoon. After much discussion we’ve decided on a simple honeymoon at a lovely villa in Bali. We have it all to ourselves so we can spend all day in our pool or go out shopping or to eat if we want. It’s only three hours from Perth so if Milly needs us for any reason we could come back earlier. We thought about taking her with us, but at four, she’s constant work and I want Dalton to relax and do nothing for two weeks. We’ll both miss her like crazy but she’ll be spoiled by her Grandparents while we’re away.

Drifting off to sleep I hear a noise outside and expect to feel Dalton slide in behind me as darkness overtakes me.

The dog barking is annoying. Why is the dog barking at three am? I slowly drift up to consciousness and look around the room. Nothing looks out of place, but the bloody dog won’t shut up. Pulling on my robe I slowly get up, still more asleep than awake and decide that he probably needs to go outside to pee. I slowly walk down the hall and realize I must have left a light on in the lounge room. Frowning, I walk that way, as that’s where the dog’s barking. Just as I’m about to open the door he grabs the sleeve of my dressing gown and pulls my hand away. I’m about to rebuke him when I realize the light isn’t coming from the lamps we had on. This light is brighter and smoke begins to drift under the door.

Suddenly I’m running.

I need to get Milly out of here.

The house is on fire.

I make it to her bedroom and yank her covers off. I try to open her window but it’ll only open six inches or so. It’s been nailed for security. Damn.

I bundle her up in her quilt as she slowly opens her eyes, wondering what I’m doing.

“Come on Baby. We need to get out of here. I know you’re tired but we’ll sleep after, okay?” I tell her as her eyes finally open. I clutch her to me tightly and run to the door. I race into our bedroom to check that window as I leave her on the bed for a moment. Locked. Damn! Trust Dalton to be so security conscious. He’s put nails in the frame so that the windows can only open a small amount. Large enough to let the breeze in but not enough for anyone to get through.

I scoop Milly back into my arms and run quickly down the hallway. The front door opens into the lounge room so that’s not happening but if I can make it past the doorway I can hopefully get out the back door. Smoke fills the house as something crashes and explodes in the lounge room. Just as I’m about to run past the doorway to the kitchen the door explodes outwards and flames leap out into the hallway. I cover Milly with her quilt, looking for an escape route. Finding none now that the hallway is impassable I retreat to the bathroom, slamming the door closed and filling the bath as quickly as I can, lowering Milly into the cool water as she protests. I climb in behind her hoping that this is enough to save us. I watch tendrils of smoke curl under the door, praying with everything I have, that someone can come save us. Maybe Dalton’s seen the flames and is on his way right now. But Dalton was going up to the top paddocks to do the harvesting, so chances are that he can’t see the house from where he is. I grabbed my mobile phone from the bedside table and I frantically ring his mobile as thick choking smoke begins to fill the room. I hear walls or ceilings crashing down and the heat is radiating, feeling hot even though there are no flames yet. The large bathroom has only one window in it and it’s a sliding one. I can see the key still in the lock and jump out of the water quickly, turning the key to unlock the window. It’s fairly low down so as soon as it’s unlocked I grab Milly and shove her through the opening, yelling at her to run out to the grass, away from the house. I’m about to climb through the window when I hesitate, seeing headlights in the distance.

Dalton!

In that brief moment of hesitation, the door crashes in behind me and flames lick at the ceiling instantly. The choking black smoke is making it hard to breathe and my eyes stream with tears. The open window’s in front of me but I can’t see it. I use my hands to feel around but somehow when I turned around I wasn’t facing the window again. I can faintly hear my name as the car stops, but the roaring of flames around me makes it almost impossible to hear who it is. I try to yell at Dalton and all I succeed in doing is taking in a lung full of smoke. I choke as I try to cough it out. I’m unable to move as the coughing continues and drop to the ground seeking cleaner air. Even there I don’t find relief. The bathroom is rapidly becoming an inferno and I try again to make out the open window as flames lick the walls and the heat almost paralyses me. For one brief moment I let myself give up and drop back down to the floor. I can’t breathe, can’t see and can’t move. I can smell my hair singeing as the flames reach me. I decide it’s now or never. If I can’t find the window now I may as well lay down and die.

I slide my hand upwards, wary of touching flames as I do. Slowly I inch it further till I finally find the window frame. With one last burst of energy I throw myself up and over the edge and hope that I miss the flames and breaking glass.

I land with a thud, conscious of the scorching heat behind me as I leap to my feet and start running. I can’t see where I’m going, I can barely breathe because of the coughing but I smack into a hard body and I know I’m safe. I know these arms that wrap around me. I can’t see him but I know it’s him.

“Milly??” I whisper between bouts of coughing.

“She’s fine. She’s okay. You saved her.” He tells me, his voice breaking on the last few words.

He scoops me up and walks quickly to the car, placing me in the passenger side of the ute.

“I’ve called an ambulance and the Fire Brigade but I don’t want to waste time waiting for them. I’ll drive in and meet them half way. You need to be looked at. Are you burned? Cut?” He asks as he throws Milly up beside me and climbs into the driver’s seat. We meet the Ambulance and he quickly transfers me onto the small stretcher, promising me that he’ll follow in the car.

“The house!” I whisper hoarsely, trying to tell him to go back and save it.

“Not much left of it and right now it can burn to the ground so long as my girls are safe. That’s all that matters.”

“Mum” I manage to croak as they close the door, hiding him from view.

“Don’t worry I’ll call them.” He shouts as the Ambulance takes off.

“Geez Babe. You scared ten years’ growth out of me.” He says leaning down to plant a quick kiss on my lips. His eyes run over my face, checking to see I’m okay. I’ve only just had a chance to wash the soot from it after I was examined. They decided to keep me overnight in case I need to be intubated. The severe smoke inhalation has lowered my oxygen levels in my blood so I have nasal cannula feeding me oxygen to help clear the soot from my lungs. If this doesn’t work by the morning they’ll go ahead with the intubation and maybe try to wash out my lungs. It’s likely I’ll have to go to Perth for the procedure and there’s no way that’s gonna happen the day before my wedding.

Holy Shit! It’s the day before my wedding!

I’m getting married tomorrow.

I need to get out of here.

“Milly?” I whisper but it’s followed by wracking coughs.

As it subsides, Dalton sits beside me on the bed, takes my hand in his and raises it to his lips.

“She’s fine. She’s with Mum and Dad.” He tells me and instantly the relief floods through my body. “You have a few minor burns on your back and a few cuts on your feet from being barefoot in there and severe smoke inhalation. Milly is fine. You saved her life Babe. I’ll never be able to thank you enough.” His eyes fill with tears and I reach up my trembling hand to gently wipe them away before they fall.

I shake my head in denial, trying to make him see that he doesn’t need to thank me. She’s my daughter and I would do anything to keep her safe.

“House?” I ask, bringing on another coughing fit.

“It’s gone. Nothing left. The police suspect arson and the Arson squad from Perth are coming up today to assess it. See if there are any clues as to who did it.”

Tears well in my eyes and I feel them drop to my cheeks for the house that had been in his family for generations and was going to be our family home.

“I’m sorry” I say, between coughs.

“No.” He says sharply. “Don’t be. Some bastard did this intending to hurt you and our little girl. I hope I find him before the Police do so I can deal with him in my own way.”

I give him a small smile and look up into his glassy eyes. “I almost lost you.” He whispers as he leans in for another quick kiss.

“Nooo.” I manage to say. “Wasn’t going anywhere.”

“I love you so much. When I came over the hill and saw the house on fire, all I could think about was making sure you both were safe. Milly was waiting by the barn, well away from the house and she was screaming at me that you were in the bathroom and I had to get you. My heart dropped to my boots and I started running like never before. When I saw you fall through that window and get up, I think it stopped altogether for a while.”

I grab his hand and squeeze it gently.

“Never been so scared in my whole life Babe. Thank God you’re okay.”

“Wedding.” I say after a sip of iced water.

“Who cares? If we have to cancel it then we will. You getting better is all that matters.” He gently runs his hand down my cheek tracing the tracks my tears made.

“Mum here?” I manage to croak.

“Yeah. Your mum and dad, Sarah and Micah and my mum. All here waiting to make sure I’m not lying to them and you’re still alive and unhurt.” His attempt at a joke fails as tears well in his eyes again. “Oh God I’m so sorry Haven. I should never have left you alone like that. I should have waited till morning and sent you into town before I started on the top paddocks. I’m so, so sorry. I should have been there. I should have been there for you and Milly.”

His tears spill over and I reach out to wipe them away.

“I’m okay.” I whisper to reassure him.

Standing up he swipes at his eyes and sniffs loudly. “I know. I’ll let the others come in before they riot, okay?”

Soon the room’s full of my loved ones, crowding around. Mum and Sarah’ve been crying. They both have puffy red eyes and Mum can’t stop touching me, like she has to make sure I’m really here.

“Do you remember anything Love?” She asks gently.

I shake my head.

“The police will want to speak with you once you’re better.” Dad tells me quietly.

I nod. I know they will but I have no idea what to tell them. I didn’t see anyone. I have no way of knowing who it is that’s stalking me. No idea who it could be who wants me dead.