Where There Is Smoke by Elisabeth Rose

Author:Elisabeth Rose
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Escape Publishing

Chapter 11

Krista took Lola and her blanket and water bowl up to her bedroom when she’d secured all the doors and downstairs windows.

She very much doubted Moran would send anyone to rob the house in the night. He’d set a deadline and it had sounded very much as though he expected it to be kept. The fact that he’d come all the way out here to talk to Hugh must mean something, too—like a certain amount of respect. Surely he wouldn’t send his goons in early? Wasn’t there some of weird honour code going on in those organisations?

Lola settled down and went to sleep after licking Krista’s fingers as she stroked her.

Krista lay awake.

The man in the room two doors along occupied most of her thoughts. Far from her initial impression of a chunky, not particularly physically attractive man, he’d morphed into … what? Those clear blue eyes had immediately drilled right through the veneer of sophisticated confidence she’d spent her life cultivating and reached the messy core of self-doubt. It didn’t turn him off, which in itself amazed her; he recognised the problem and gave her advice on how to improve her life.

He defended her against attack from not only those two men but also Hugh, Gwen and those other people at her table. Why would he do that? She hardly knew him. And yet he knew more about her than her family did.

He was an extraordinary man. He was a healer of animals and also of people, but he struggled with his own family issues. Typically for a man, she suspected he buried them deep inside and tonight’s outburst would be something he’d regret.

He made her want to help him, too. How, she had no idea.

The thoughts muddled about in her head until …

‘Krista! Wake up.’

Her eyes sprang open before her brain locked into gear. ‘What? Who is it?’ Had she slept?

‘It’s Oliver. Get up. We have to go. The fire changed direction in the night.’

She sat up, blinking. Sunlight streamed through the window. ‘What time is it?’

‘Six-thirty. Get up. I’ve hooked the float to my car but we have to load the horses. I just hope my car can pull the load.’

‘Why not use Rod’s?’

‘I can’t afford to be without mine if this place goes up. Get Lola. She’s in the kitchen eating breakfast.’ He was already out the door his backpack on his shoulder.

Five minutes later Krista bounded downstairs. Thick grey smoke billowed on the horizon. The wind had picked up and blew briskly through the trees in the driveway. Charred leaves skittered across the gravel. She flung her bag in her car, put Lola carefully on the back seat and ran to the stables. Oliver was leading a horse out.

A yellow fire truck roared down the drive and came to a halt in a wave of dust. The horse danced about, backing away, tugging at the lead rope, but Oliver calmed it. A fireman jumped out and came across.

‘G’day mate. It’s a mandatory evacuation,’ he said.

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