Emerald Fire by Sandra Marton

Author:Sandra Marton
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2012-02-15T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER SEVEN

THEY HAD been traveling through the rainforest for hours before Slade held up his hand.

‘If you hear the Mali-Mali,’ Brionny panted, ‘I don’t want to know about it.’

‘Stuart— I think I know where we are!’

She would have laughed, but she didn’t have the energy. ‘So do I. We’re smack in the middle of a big blank space on the map.’

‘I read something about a mining company that came in here a few years ago.’

‘So?’

‘So, our luck may be improving.’

This time she did laugh. ‘From what, McClintoch? Desperate to just plain awful?’

Slade pushed a tendril of damp hair back from her smudged face. ‘Can you hang in a little longer?’

As if there were a choice, she thought. ‘Sure,’ she said, and followed after him, deeper into the jungle.

Miles later, she came staggering around a bend and stumbled into him.

‘Slade,’ she moaned, ‘I can’t go another step. Don’t you think the Mali-Mali must have given up by now? If they were still after us, they’d have—’

‘Listen!’

‘Listen to what? I don’t…’ Brionny frowned. ‘What is that?’

‘Water,’ Slade said, grinning like a schoolboy. ‘Running water. If I’m right, it’s a branch of the river.’

‘Here?’ It was too much to hope for. ‘But—but it can’t be.’

‘That mining report mentioned a tributary that’s supposed to cut through the forest somewhere in this vicinity.’ Slade took her hand and they moved forward. ‘It’s not on the map so I wouldn’t have wasted time searching for it, but going this distance cross-country may have put us right in line for—’

‘Oh, Slade—look!’ Ahead, a brown stream arrowed between sloping banks of dense vegetation. And tucked snugly against the nearest bank was a small, tin-roofed structure. ‘A house!’ Laughter bubbled from Brionny’s throat. She turned and went spinning into Slade’s arms. ‘That means people, and a radio, and a boat—’

He shook his head. ‘Don’t expect miracles, sweetheart. It’s probably just an old supply shed.’

Her face fell a little, but she kept smiling. ‘It’s still a miracle. The river, and a roof over our heads for the night—we can stay the night, can’t we?’

He hadn’t planned on it. Sunset was still hours away. If he worked fast, there was time to cut down some saplings, lash them together to form a raft—but how much further could he push Brionny? She’d already shown more courage and stamina than any woman he’d ever known.

She was probably right. If the Mali-Mali hadn’t caught up to them by now, surely it meant they’d given up.

He smiled. ‘OK. We’ll get a good night’s rest. First thing tomorrow morning, we’ll build ourselves a raft.’

‘A raft.’ She sighed happily. ‘And then, Italpa.’

‘Yeah. We’re almost home free,’ Slade said, with just a shade more conviction than he felt. He put his hand under her chin, dipped his head, and brushed his mouth over hers. ‘To success.’

Their eyes met, and something deep inside his gut knotted. Slowly, he bent to her again, giving her time to make the choice—and she did. Brionny gave a little sigh, tilted her head back, and offered him her lips.

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