Frontier Wife Read online

  “What about him?”

  “He's lost.”

  “What!”

  “I think he came over to see you.”

  “Me?”

  “Yes, he got upset about kicking you yesterday. I went to have a lie down and he wandered off.” She started crying again.

  “Oh, for goodness sake, stop sniveling,” he said harshly, furious for liking the brief feel of her legs in the tight breeches as they had pushed up hard against him. Her breasts pressing into his chest had caused heat to fire his loins.

  One of the men brought her over a mug of warm tea, and she gulped it down in between explaining what happened.

  “I'll come with you and see where he left the track; sounds like he tried to take a short cut through the bush. Won't have gone far. You men keep on sorting the sheep; if I need help I'll come back.”

  “All right, boss.”

  “Where's your horse?”

  “I left him near the track. I made for the bush as soon as I saw the smoke. Hurry please. He's so little.”

  “Don't panic.” He lifted her on to his horse and swung up behind her.

  “You won't get through the bush, it's too thick, and you're going in the wrong direction.”

  “There are two or three different routes to the track from here, you just chose the roughest.”

  In a short time they came to where her horse was tethered. Adam helped her mount then followed her without speaking until they found the spot where the footprints petered out. He dismounted and inspected the ground.

  “He's gone through here.”

  She followed close on his heels, as he inspected the trail. “I can't see anything, are you sure he went this way?”

  “Yes, he's left a clear enough trail if you know what to look for. I suppose that wretched dog accompanied him?”

  “Yes. Jamie loves Touser, that's why he got so upset about yesterday.”

  “He fought for you. My shin is still sore from where he kicked it.”

  “Serves you right.”

  “Why is it,” he stopped so suddenly she crashed into him, “that you bring out the worst in me?”

  “Because I'm English.” She almost added, and we won't sell our property to you, but stopped on realizing he deliberately made conversation to take her mind off Jamie.

  As they journeyed deeper into the bush her worry intensified. If it got dark Jamie would be terrified.

  Red dust rose up in little puffs, and hung in front of them like a dirty curtain. Stunted bushes struggled for survival in the hungry, parched soil, and the ever present gum trees soared skywards, their green leaves coated in red/brown dust. Silence reigned supreme, except for an occasional bird call, and the noise from the dry grass and leaves crunched under Tommy’s scurrying feet.

  “What if we can't find him? He’s so little.”

  “Trust me, Tommy. We'll find him.” He sounded so adamant she believed him. Oh, God, she had to believe him if she valued her sanity.

  “Jamie!” Adam started calling out. Tommy, after a couple of attempts, stopped to conserve her strength. She felt hot and exhausted from the boiling sun as it poured down from a bright blue sky.

  Adam said nothing, but she sensed his impatience because she slowed him down.

  “Come on.” Exasperated, he grabbed her hand and dragged her after him. “If it gets dark we'll never find him in here. This is the roughest part of my station. Why didn't he keep to the track?”

  She tripped and fell to her knees and he cursed as he dragged her up. “Don't collapse on me now.”

  She swayed with fatigue by the time he stopped and handed her his canteen. “We'll rest here for a while.”

  “No, no, we have to keep going. I'll be all right. Leave me behind if I slow you down too much. You have to find Jamie, that's the most important thing. It doesn't matter about me.”

  His eyes narrowed. She looked so little and fragile this delicate English rose, yet she displayed a ton of courage, and he couldn't help admiring her for it.

  He turned his head away in case these thoughts and others he didn’t even dare admit to, showed in his eyes. “Where's David?”

  “He went to Wangaratta for the day with Jim Cavendish. Oh, Adam.” She picked up his tanned calloused hand and held it between her soft white ones. “What if we don't find him?”

  “We will.” He snatched his hand away from her gentle touch. “Let’s go.”

  “This country is so big, so harsh and cruel, he could be lost forever.” Her lips trembled and she blinked back tears. This would have to be her darkest hour. Without Jamie, life wouldn’t be worth living.

  Adam moved away before he weakened and pulled her into his arms and gave her the comfort she sought. Where the hell did the boy go?

  The tracks stood out clearly, but once night fell it would be impossible to continue searching for him. He didn't tell Tommy about the numerous disused mine shafts dotting the area. He couldn’t inflict extra worry on her, but they wouldn’t be able to risk blundering around once it got dark.

  “Jamie!” Was that a bark? He called again then stopped to listen. By God, yes. “Hurry, I can hear the dog.” He dragged Tommy after him and hope gave her the renewed strength to follow.

  They came to an area covered in scraggy bush and yellow dirt heaps. Touser bounded out to greet them yapping excitedly.

  “Down, boy, where's Jamie?” She cupped her hands around her mouth. “Jamie, Jamie!” Fear raised her voice until it became as strident as a fishwife’s.

  “Hell!” she heard Adam’s savage expletive and rushed towards him.

  “Tommy,” Jamie called out, but she couldn’t see him.

  “Careful, Tommy, this place is littered with mine shafts. Where are you, boy?”

  “Down here, Mr. Munro. I fell in and can't climb out.”

  “Are you all right?” She rushed over to where Adam peered through some broken bushes that covered a yawning hole.

  “I can't get out.”

  “Mongrels,” Adam snarled. “They trespass on my land digging for gold. Don't even have the decency to make the area safe after they've finished. It isn't deep, thank goodness. Only about six feet or so, but it's too narrow for me to climb down to get him.” As he pushed the bushes away Tommy leaned over and saw Jamie sitting in a deep hole.

  “Tommy, Tommy.” He climbed to his feet. “I can't get out. I want to go home.”

  “I know you do, darling. Adam will get you out in a minute. Are you hurt?”

  “No, but I can't get out.”

  “The opening is narrow, but it gets wider as it goes down. If I could somehow squeeze through I could pass him up to you.”

  “I'll go,” she volunteered without hesitation.

  “What!”

  “I'll go, I'm smaller than you. I could put him on my shoulders and you could reach down and get him.”

  “It could work.” He nibbled his lip thoughtfully. “But what about you? If I can't reach your hands you'll have to stay there until I go back for a rope.”

  “I don't care if I have to stay there all night, just get Jamie out. Worry about me later.”

  “Move back into the corner,” Adam instructed. “Tommy will come and get you, but you have to give her some room. Get away, you ugly mutt.” He pushed Touser away. “If you fall in, you'll be staying there.”

  Adam stretched out on his stomach. Tommy knelt down so she could grasp hold of his wrists. Once he lowered her into the hole, she only had to drop a couple of feet to the bottom.

  Jamie flung himself at her. “I knew you'd save me. Touser minded me, too.”

  “Yes he did, he’s a good dog. He's all right. Now, I'm going to squat down and you climb onto my shoulders. When I get to my feet you reach up and Adam will grab hold of your wrists and pull you out.”

  He was only small, yet he felt like a ton weight because of her exhaustion. Desperation gave her the strength to stand up. Adam's hands grasped Jamie's wrists and the crippling weight shifted. As Jamie’s legs
disappeared out of the hole she crumpled to the ground.

  “Are you all right?” Adam yelled.

  “Yes.” What a blatant lie. She verged on collapse, but wouldn’t admit it for a king’s ransom.

  “I'll just get him a drink, poor little fellow's exhausted.”

  “Touser's thirsty,” Jamie said.

  “All right, Touser, too.”

  Silence reigned for a short time. She closed her eyes. It felt hot, suffocating in this fetid hole. Something must have died recently by the stench. It’s like a grave, she thought on a shudder. If the dirt caved in on her from the top she would be entombed because Adam didn't even have a shovel with him.

  Pull yourself together woman. Your little brother is safe, that’s the main thing. Do you want to give Adam more ammunition to fuel his poor opinion of—as he so sneeringly puts it—the little English rose?

  “I don't care what he thinks of me,” she muttered, but deep down she did care. On pain of death she would never admit it, though.

  “Tommy, are you there?”

  “Of course I am. Where would I go?” She gave a cracked laugh, wondering why she didn’t go into hysterics.

  “Reach up and see if you can touch my hands.”

  She couldn't reach. Dear God. She couldn't reach him. Despite her earlier brave words, her stomach plummeted with dread.

  “We're about eight or ten inches short,” she said. “I need a box or something to stand on. Maybe there's something you could throw down to me, or perhaps we could build a step.”

  “I'm thinking, give me a minute. How hard is the ground down there?”

  “Like rock.” She ran her hand along the hard, packed earth wall of her would-be tomb. It felt rough against her fingertips. The few fine roots crisscrossing the area looked like threads of dirty brown cotton. The stench of a dead animal, or maybe her fear, fouled her nostrils. She was a body waiting to be buried in a grave without a coffin, if Adam couldn’t get her out.

  What if the walls collapsed? What if the stones hit her on the head? In biblical times crowds stoned women to death. She bit back on a hysterical laugh and fought to control the tremors shuddering through her body. She closed her eyes and gritted her teeth, in a desperate effort to stop bawling like a baby.

  “All right, your idea of a step might be best. Move to the far corner, and I'll throw some rocks in. We'll try with a small one first to make sure it drops straight down, and doesn't bounce off the floor or walls and injure you.”

  The sun stained the mountains red by the time Tommy's step grew high enough for Adam to grab hold of her wrists and drag her out. It must have taken tremendous power for him to have the strength to literally support the whole weight of her body. They collapsed in a tangled heap on the ground. Her arms felt as if they had been wrenched out of their sockets. Never had clean fresh air smelled so sweet.

  “Thank you for saving both of us.”

  He shrugged because he couldn't speak. She looked so dirty and battered; her pale skin as white and smooth as precious porcelain. Her big blue eyes swam with tears she valiantly tried to blink away. How could such a fragile little thing show so much heroism?

  “Here, take a swig from my canteen.” He shoved it at her to hide his turmoil.

  He did not want to feel admiration, sympathy or anything else, especially the anything else, for Tommy Lindsay. He planned to marry Sophia. She would make an ideal wife. If he gave her plenty of money to spend it would keep her happy. He couldn’t be bothered with emotional entanglements. It made a man vulnerable, a luxury he could not afford.

  Adam picked up Jamie and sat him on his shoulders, and with Touser trotting along beside them they made their way to where they left the horses. Tommy’s arms ached so much she let Adam lift her into the saddle. Did his hands linger on her waist for a little longer than necessary? She stared deep into his eyes. Blood rushed to her head, pounding in her ears like a platoon of drummers.

  “I’ll take Jamie up with me.” He broke the fraught silence between them.

  “Thank you.” What a relief, knowing she wouldn’t have to hold him. It took all her strength just to stay mounted.

  It was dark by the time they arrived home. David rushed out to greet them, and she let Adam tell him the story. Adam carried Jamie into the homestead, while David helped her inside.

  “You pair aren't safe to let loose, but thank God you’re all right.” He gave her arm a reassuring squeeze. “I've got the kettle on so I can make you a cup of tea, that's about the best I can offer, Munro. Thanks for what you did.”

  “Forget it. Your sister showed great fortitude. A lot of men couldn't have done what she did today.”

  Tommy, although slumped in a chair, made to rise. “I'll make the tea.”

  “No need, sis. I can make a brew, and fried eggs on toast, but that's about the extent of my culinary expertise, I'm afraid. Like some, Munro?”

  “I couldn't eat anything.” She pushed the strands of loosened hair behind her ears. “But a cup of tea would be a life saver.”

  “Just tea for me, too, thank you, then I'll be off.”

  Jamie came up to Adam and leaned against his knee. “You could stay the night if you're too tired to ride home.”

  “I'm all right, boy.” The child’s concern touched him, soothed the empty ache in his heart. Except for his mother, he couldn’t remember anyone ever worrying about his welfare.

  As soon as he drained his cup, Adam left with a brief goodbye. Tommy heard him talking to David out on the verandah. When her brother returned his cheeks were flushed.

  “Did you have words with Adam?”

  “Yes, he told me to keep better control over my family.”

  “What did you say?”

  “What could I say? You'll be the death of me one of these days, I swear.”

  She laughed. “You know, I don't think my arms will ever be the same again, they feel about six inches longer than before. I need a bath and so does Jamie, but I'm just too weary to bother tonight.”

  “Yes go to bed, you’re exhausted. I'm proud of what you did today. I'll help Jamie clean himself up.”

  Tommy wearily made her way to bed. She couldn’t remember ever feeling so exhausted. Every bone in her body ached, her arms throbbed and she felt as if her feet were encased in lead boots. Jamie was safe and Adam… She cherished the fleeting tenderness that had softened his eyes to a gentle dove gray as he lifted her on to her horse. Had he been concerned for her well-being? Or was he thinking of Sophia?

  Chapter Four

  The day of the steeplechase arrived.

  Whew it was hot. Tommy already felt like a wrung out rag. She heard David whistling and breaking out into song every now and again. He had trained Warrior night and morning; he even took him over the course on several occasions.

  She started slicing bread and paused midway through cutting the loaf. Two miles in extreme heat over hurdles. Could David and Warrior possibly endure it?

  What other alternative did they have? David’s hopes and aspirations depended on this race. If Warrior won, people would disregard Adam Munro’s edict and bring their mares over. If he didn’t win, they might be forced to pack up and leave. It was as simple as that.

  After they finished their midday meal, David left her to do the cleaning up while he went out to check on the stallion. Like a broody hen with one chick. The thought made her smile. It didn’t take much to make him happy.

  To beat the worst of the heat, the main event had been scheduled for half past four, which suited them, even though it would have been fun to enjoy the other race day festivities. David worried about going over early in case prolonged exposure to loud noise made the stallion nervous. Everything depended on Warrior winning this coveted event.

  “Tommy, Tommy.” Jamie rushed inside.

  “What is it?”

  “David got hurt, the wagon fell on him.”

  She dashed outside to find him leaning against the wagon, holding his arm and groaning.

&
nbsp; “What happened?”

  “I hurt my wrist. I was fixing the wheel when the stump slipped.” His face was white, his upper lip beaded with perspiration.

  “Can you make it inside?”

  “Yes, of all the fool things.” He muttered several swear words. “It's starting to swell already. Hurry, get some cold compresses. I won't be able to ride if it's too swollen.”

  In the kitchen, she applied a damp cloth to the swelling.

  “I don't think it's broken, but it hurts like the dickens. I have to ride in that race, it's our last chance.”

  “You won't be able to ride. Warrior's hard enough to hold at the best of times, but with only one hand…”

  “I have to race, I know he can win. I'll never be able to start up a stud without a few decent mares. Once everyone realizes what a champion Warrior is they’ll all want to use him.”

  For half an hour they worked on the hand, all to no avail, it still remained swollen and painful.

  “I'll have a go, even if I ride with one hand.”

  “You can't, it's too dangerous.”

  He looked so desperate her heart ached for him. His burning eyes provided the only color in his pale face. Bad enough riding with an injured leg, but with one hand practically useless it bordered on madness.

  “I'll ride Warrior,” she said.

  “What did you say?”

  “You heard me, David, I'll ride him.”

  “You can't. He's such a powerful horse you’d never be able to control him.”

  “At least I have two good hands.”

  “And two good legs.” He clenched his uninjured hand.

  “I’m an expert rider. It's the only way. Warrior must have his chance.”

  “They wouldn't let a woman ride, even if I’m crazy enough to agree.”

  “You saw the rules. Anything about the race being only for men?”

  “No.”

  “If there’s nothing in the rules saying a woman can ride, there won’t be any saying she can't.”

  “They wouldn't let you. Imagine Munro and the rest of the landed gentry entertaining such an idea. The moment they saw you wearing a skirt you'd be disqualified.”

  “Listen. I’ll dress as a man. By the time they find out, it will be too late. Tell Adam you injured your hand and got someone else to ride at the last minute.”