Lillian's Light Horseman (7 page)

She walked a little way before she realized with a sinking dread that in her distraction with the joey she’d lost the track she’d been following. Wandering desperately in search of the trail, she tried to quell her rising panic. If she couldn’t find it, she’d be hopelessly lost. She could kick herself for having been so careless. She remembered that it was too easy to become lost in the outback. There were very few unique landmarks and the vast expanse of space made losing one’s way a very real possibility.

An hour later, she had to concede that it was a hopeless task. By the height of the sun and the diminishing daylight, she judged the time to be at least four p.m. Her only hope was to stay where she was and try to ride out the night. She was concerned about the cool winter evening ahead but with no matches, she had no way to light a fire. She walked to a nearby tree and collected some foliage and underbrush to pile into a makeshift pillow then sat to wait. She didn’t expect anyone to find her quickly and she pushed to the back of her mind the possibility that she might not be found at all. Mrs. Thompson would notice her absence at dinner and raise the alarm. She could only sit, wait and try her best not to panic.

* * * *

William returned from mustering the sheep in time for dinner at six p.m. He cleaned up in the yard under the water pump and entered the kitchen to find a distraught Mrs. Thompson pacing by the slow-combustion stove.

“Mr. Cartwright, thank God you’ve come home this evening,” she cried, wringing her hands in worry.

William’s first thought was of the children but before he could voice his concern, the housekeeper anticipated him.

“The children are fine,” she assured him quickly. “It’s Miss Hamilton!”

William froze in place as a cold fear gripped him. “What’s happened?” he demanded.

“She went for a walk earlier today, just after lunch, and she’s not been seen since!”

The fear that had initially struck him took root and spread throughout his body. All manner of things rushed through his mind, not the least of which was the fact that Lillian was out alone, at night in winter and there were literally thousands of acres in which she could be.

Galvanized into action, William instructed Mrs. Thompson to organize food packages while he rushed to the Jackeroo and station hand quarters to round up the men.

Half an hour later, he sat astride Victory, his stock horse, and addressed the men, explaining the situation as Mrs. Thompson passed around food packages of beef jerky, biscuits and cheese.

He organized the men into two groups to head in different directions. Adoni, his good friend and one of the best Aboriginal trackers he knew, would ride with him.

“If you find anything, organize one of you to locate the others. You all know the direction in which we are each heading and you all know this land like the back of your hand. Remember, Miss Hamilton is on foot, so she can’t have traveled too far.”

The men gave him a salute in acknowledgment of their orders and turned their horses’ heads in the direction of the search.

Fear gnawed at William’s gut. Already the evening temperature had started to drop dramatically from that of the day. He knew that Lillian wouldn’t have any warm clothing, nor would she have matches to light a fire, so it was imperative that they find her quickly. The dark would make it difficult for Adoni, but he was an excellent tracker, and William had faith that the man would soon pick up her trail.

He and Adoni gave the horses their heads and whipped them into a gallop as they sped across the nearest paddock toward the outer, larger enclosures where they would start their search.

* * * *

The evening cold relentlessly seeped into Lillian’s bones. She’d tried to keep active by jumping up and down and maintaining her blood flow but she’d started to tire. It was too dark to keep wandering about. Besides, if there
were
people searching for her, she didn’t want to run the risk of going in circles and walking back on herself, which would only confuse matters. No, she had to have faith that someone would find her soon. She started to shiver—hard, racking shudders that sent her teeth chattering noisily.

In the distance, she heard an owl hoot, a lonely, haunting sound in the absolute blackness that did nothing to quell her nerves.

She squinted and tried to peer into the inky depths that surrounded her and added shudders of fear to those of cold, as a low howl rent the night. She’d heard stories of dingoes and how they sometimes attacked humans. Her predicament suddenly presented another, more sinister element.

“Oh God, please help me,” she prayed fervently, wrapping her arms about her bended knees and rocking back and forth in an effort to ward off her rising panic.

* * * *

William and Adoni had been riding hard for over an hour. They’d stopped a couple of times for the tracker to search the earth for signs of Lillian. Half an hour earlier, he’d found a footprint and signs of crushed undergrowth. Lillian had obviously been following a trail, but what had possessed her to wander from it, William had no idea. Adoni was walking his horse, stopping frequently to study the ground for clues of Lillian’s movements while William held aloft the hurricane lamp to cast light on his search area. William willed himself to remain patient and allow the tracker to do his thing. He knew that Adoni would not be rushed and William wouldn’t want to risk losing her trail by trying to hurry.

His concern was growing by the minute as the evening temperature dropped to what he reckoned to be forty degrees Fahrenheit. Adoni had picked up the tracks of dingoes not far behind those of Lillian. The wild dogs could be stalking her. They’d been known to do such things and, like any wild predator, they possessed a sixth sense where vulnerable prey was concerned—particularly if they were traveling in a pack.

He waited impatiently for Adoni to indicate the way forward and urged his steed into a canter when the tracker gesticulated urgently. A moment later, a high-pitched scream pierced the night, a sound so full of terror that it raised the hairs on the back of William’s neck.

“Fuck!” he shouted, urging Victory into a gallop and racing toward the sound. He prayed with everything in his being that he wasn’t too late.

* * * *

Lillian prayed for rescue or daylight—whichever came first. The profound darkness and utter isolation was alarming and heightening her panic level to the extreme. She took deep breaths and gave herself a pep talk, willing herself not to overreact. She strained her ears for any sounds, any noises to indicate that someone might be on their way to her rescue, and that’s when she heard it—the frantic scrabbling in the underbrush nearby. She snapped her head around, searching for the cause, and saw them—four pairs of glowing yellow eyes, creating a menacing spectacle in the blackness.

Her heart stuttered in fear when she realized the eyes belonged to dingoes. Her blood ran cold and she screamed—a long, terrifying sound that sent roosting birds screeching into the night sky. Through her anxiety and dread, she heard the thunder of hoof beats heading in her direction then the loud crack of a rifle shot. She turned desperately in the direction of the horses and caught the unmistakable cry of William’s voice.

“Lillian!”

She managed to stumble into a standing position as William’s horse galloped toward her.

“William!” she screamed.

He reined his horse in hard and vaulted from the saddle. She ran into his embrace, sobbing in relief as she felt him band his strong arms around her protectively. He hugged her to him quickly before gently pushing her back to run his hands up and down her body, checking for injuries.

“My God, you’re frozen,” he said into her hair, encircling her once more in his arms.

The adrenaline left her body and shock started to set in. She slumped against him, her teeth chattering uncontrollably as shivers racked through her.

William spoke to Adoni above Lillian’s head. “I won’t be able to take Miss Hamilton back to the homestead yet. Find the others and tell them that she’s suffering from shock and exposure. I’ll build a fire and we’ll shelter here until she’s well enough to travel.”

Adoni gave a brief nod of acknowledgment and set off at a gallop to meet up with the others.

“The d-dogs,” she stammered between chattering teeth.

“The commotion and my rifle shot have scared them off for the time being,” William soothed, wrapping her in his oilskin coat. “The fire will ensure they keep their distance. I need to get you warm before you die of hypothermia.”

He unslung his .303 rifle from his shoulder and rummaged through a saddlebag then passed Lillian a blanket. “Here, wrap this around you while I light a fire.”

She draped the rough wool about her shoulders gratefully and watched William set about collecting kindling and branches for a fire. He finally set the wood alight and blew gently until the flames took hold.

He sat, tugged Lillian down into his lap and enfolded her in his arms. She tried to stop shivering but she still felt so cold. She continued to shudder and William pulled her tighter against his body, rubbing her arms briskly.

“Oh, Lillian,” he sighed heavily into her hair. “I was so worried about you. We could tell that you were following the trail but then we saw that you left it and wandered into the bush. What were you thinking?”

“I was following a joey. I just lost track of my surroundings. I know it was silly and stupid of me. I just wasn’t thinking. I’m so sorry for all the trouble I’ve caused you,” she sobbed into his chest.

“Hush now. The only trouble was to my peace of mind. I was going insane with worry. I think the men were quite thrilled with the opportunity to perform a search and rescue. This is the most excitement they’ve had in a while. You definitely know how to shake things up,” he said in a mock stern voice, trying for levity.

“I was so scared,” she whispered. “Well, I wasn’t doing too badly until the dogs came.” She shuddered at the memory. “Until then, it was just the cold and dark, but the thought of what those dogs could do to me frightened me more than anything.”

“It’s over now and you’re safe. Try not to think about it,” he crooned against her ear as he rocked her gently.

Gradually, she started to feel better and the shivers racking her body began to subside.

William deposited her gently beside him and moved to get supplies from the saddlebag. “I’m going to brew some tea. You need to drink something warm and sweet.”

A few minutes later, the water finished boiling. He put tea leaves into a mug then added a few teaspoons of sugar. “Here, drink this. It will make you feel better,” he said handing her the mug of tea before making one of his own.

Lillian took the tea gratefully and wrapped her fingers around the hot cup to inject some warmth into them.

William studied Lillian in the firelight as she sipped her tea and was relieved to see some color returning to her cheeks. The blanket lay draped around her shoulders and she clutched it to her with one hand while she tipped the mug to her lips with the other. Her disheveled hair fell in tangled ringlets around her face and shoulders, the firelight highlighting the brilliant auburn of her tresses. Her green eyes were wide and ringed with dark smudges. His gaze drifted to her full lips, made redder from the warmth of the tea, and he imagined kissing her, imagined taking that pouty mouth and nibbling on it until she moaned.

He gave himself a mental shake and gulped the remainder of his brew, anxious to change his train of thoughts and distract himself.

“How are you feeling?” he asked.

“Much better now, thank you. Although I can’t seem to totally shake this cold feeling.”

“The temperature is low, particularly with nothing to protect you.” He fingered the fabric of her dress. “This might be adequate for the day but will not keep you warm during an outback winter night.”

She nodded, put her tea to one side and crossed her arms around herself in an obvious bid for additional warmth.

William couldn’t stand to see her suffer and he couldn’t deny himself the feel of her body any longer. He needed to reassure himself that she was here with him and in one piece.

“Come here,” he ordered softly, opening his arms in invitation.

She hesitated briefly before she scuttled over and into his waiting embrace. He tugged her onto his lap and circled his arms around her, relishing the feel of her lush body against his.

After a moment, she relaxed against him, her head falling back on his shoulder as she sighed deeply. He kissed the top of her head and massaged her arms in order to assist the blood flow to her limbs. Her slender back was pressed against his chest and he felt her shudders start to abate until eventually they stopped completely.

“Better?” he asked softly against her ear.

“Much, thank you.” Her voice was low with fatigue.

That husky voice and the fact that her gorgeously rounded backside was currently perched in his lap sent him wild with need for her. He couldn’t seem to stop his rising erection. He tried desperately to think of something else but his cock was growing harder by the second. He moved restlessly in an attempt to relieve some of his discomfort.

“Am I too heavy?” Lillian asked, mistaking his agitation and trying to struggle out of his lap.

“Not at all.” He grasped her around the shoulders to stay her retreat. “Your proximity is just making things a little…uncomfortable.”

She wriggled her bottom then gasped as realization obviously dawned.

“I’m sorry, my sweet,” he mumbled into her hair. “It seems to have a mind of its own.”

He knew he should release her, understood that it was the right thing to do, but her scent combined with her curvaceous body pressing so close to him was like a drug, making him heady with lust for her. He’d thought, after her father’s revelations all those years ago, that he’d never see Lillian again, let alone have the opportunity to hold her so close. Now feelings of fear and possessiveness had suddenly hijacked his common sense.