The Mills & Boon Ultimate Christmas Collection. Kate Hardy

or an afternoon coffee break. “Where do you come from, Kai? Which part of Australia?” It struck me I could now walk and talk simultaneously up the mountain without my lungs burning.

      He jogged up ahead, then spun to face me. “I’m from Bondi, a beachside city, which is always full of tourists. The faces always change with the seasons, but I’m betting that doesn’t happen here.”

      “Why’d you leave?” My calf muscles began to protest as the climb steepened.

      With hands on hips, he considered the question. “The coastline is beautiful, and Australian beaches are the best. Bright white sand, and the whole surf culture… But it wasn’t enough. I figured I’d pack up and see a bit of the world. Maybe I’d stumble on something that made sense to me. I’ve always felt like there was something more for me than surfing all morning and fixing up other people’s homes in the afternoon.”

      “Have you found that mysterious something?”

      He laughed. “I’m still searching.”

      “And what do you think it is? Money? Waves? Lifestyle?”

      He took an age to answer but finally said, “I think it’s a feeling.”

      “A feeling?” I mused about what he could mean, ready to tease him, but then I realized we were both similar really…

      I went to prod for details when something stopped me. Something was amiss, and it took me a good minute to comprehend it was the smell of smoke in the air. My heart stopped as I turned to face Cedarwood. Plumes of thick black smoke rose from the roof into the lilac sky. “Oh my God, Kai! It’s on fire!”

      I skidded forward to get a better look, but from our vantage point we couldn’t see the front of the lodge, or whether everyone was out of harm’s way. My heart raced and my breath grew short as fear seized me. This was my place. My life. Everything I had, all of my dreams were tied to the lodge and… I froze. Micah. Isla. The team.

      “Quick…” Kai grabbed my clammy hand to steady me as my body turned liquid, seemingly unable to hold me up. “We have to get down there. We have to make sure everyone is OK.”

      “Yes!” I had to calm myself and get down there fast.

      Running and skidding down the mountain, brambles ripped at my jacket and scratched my skin. But I couldn’t stop. I couldn’t stop until I knew Micah was OK. I couldn’t lose him. He was like my brother. He knew me inside and out. I couldn’t face this world without him and for some reason I had this overwhelming sense he was the person in danger. He’d protect Isla, I knew he would.

      The descent was interminable, as my heart thundered in my chest. Cedarwood seemed to glow bright in the sky and, watching the dancing flames, my mind went to Isla and my blood ran cold. She’d be reliving her worst nightmare. I had to get to her. We tumbled to the bottom, muddy and red-faced, the acrid stench of the fire growing stronger as we neared the lodge. Kai was just ahead of me and I motioned for him to go on. The closer I got to the lodge the more my fear choked me.

      Breathless, I finally came to the front of the lodge, where a few men stood, eyes wide with shock watching orange flames lick the roof. “Where’s Micah? And Isla?” I asked, my voice sharp and shrill with panic as I looked around, desperate for any sign of them. Kai ran around the side of the lodge calling up to see if anyone was inside.

      Then, through the smoke, I saw them sitting on the grass out of harm’s way. I scrambled over, my eyes stinging.

      Micah was wrapped in a blanket, his face black with soot. Isla had a protective arm around him, her features lined with worry. Breathless, fearful, and about to sob, I fell at their feet. “Micah! Micah, oh my God, are you OK?” All I wanted to do was hug him, know he was safe, sure that no matter what happened to Cedarwood I would still have Micah. And beautiful Isla with her scared eyes, and ravaged heart.

      He nodded and clutched my hands, giving me a reassuring smile. “I’m fine.” Despite his assurance his hands shook and I held on tighter.

      “Isla…” I turned to her, aware of how much this fire would have affected her.

      She shook her head, as if to say don’t mention it, so I stayed mute, while I tried to discreetly check Micah for any injuries. Was he burned? His hair was now cropped close to his head in messy tufts, but aside from that and black soot coating his skin, I couldn’t see anything else.

      A wail of sirens rang out. Fire engines careened into the driveway, followed closely by an ambulance. “Did you inhale much smoke, Micah?” While I was concerned about the lodge, seeing Micah’s charred hair and blackened face scared me silly and all I could think of was his safety and that of everyone here.

      “A little, but I got out quick. I’m really OK, Clio, but I’ve got some bad news.”

      “Shush, Micah. Let’s worry about all of that later.” I knew he meant the lodge, and the fact we’d have to start over, but right then all I cared about was them.

      I turned to Isla again, unable to shake the feeling she was reliving a past nightmare all over again. “Are you really OK?”

      She nodded, biting her lip against the tears that threatened to flow. “I’m fine. Everyone is. I couldn’t find him, and I wanted to go in, but I… something stopped me, and it was like my feet were made of lead.”

      I wrapped my arms around her and whispered. “He got out. He’s OK.”

      She swatted at her face with the back of her hand and nodded.

      “Can you help him to the ambulance?” She needed to feel like she was helping, that she was there for him, or so I figured. I silently thanked the universe she hadn’t raced into the lodge after him. Who knew what might have happened?

      Her face pale with worry, she led him to the paramedic who was busy pulling supplies from the ambulance.

      The paramedic sat Micah down and asked quick-fire questions, assessing him and dabbing on ointment, fixing on an oxygen mask. Firefighters lined up before running into Cedarwood, hoses clasped tight.

      “Don’t worry.” Kai appeared, slightly breathless, at my side. “We’ll fix it.” I didn’t know if he meant the lodge, my stuttering heart, or what.

      I shivered, chilled to the bone despite the crackle and heat of the fire the firemen were frantically hosing down, bringing it slowly under control. Would it all go up? My dreams, gone in one big puff of smoke? Kai inched over and wrapped an arm around me. “You’re shaking.”

      “Do they know where it started? How?”

      “The ballroom,” Kai said.

      The ballroom! I sniffled, trying desperately to hide the shock clawing at me. “Is everyone else accounted for?”

      Kai nodded. “Everyone’s fine. Joe the carpenter was the only other person inside when it happened. We think it was the same downlights that shorted out before; they were set too close to the insulation. And when the electrician fixed the wiring, the heat from the lights set fire to the padding. We’ll have to check once it’s out. But Micah saved the room, pretty much, Clio. He got up there fast with a fire extinguisher and managed to put most of it out. Without his quick actions the whole place would have gone up. Joe got out, but when Micah didn’t follow he went back in, and found him. He’d been overcome with smoke by then.”

      “He could have died in there.” I shuddered at the thought. Micah would have been thinking only of me and Cedarwood, of the hopes I’d pinned on the place, and not his own life.

      How close to disaster we’d come.

      A fireman walked over and removed his mask. “It looks worse than it is,” he said. “The room has sustained a lot of damage, and the floor above it, but it’s mostly cosmetic. Close call, but your friend managed to keep it at bay.”

      I tried to respond but my voice caught. I tried to compose myself to speak. “Thank…” I swallowed hard as the actualization