The Mirrabrook Marriage. Barbara Hannay

‘You’ve gone to a lot of trouble.’

      ‘Yes.’ She smiled. ‘I’m all out to impress you.’ Then, to cover her embarrassment at being so obvious, she thrust the wine bottle and a corkscrew at him. ‘Here, make yourself useful.’

      While they picnicked they talked about safe topics like the cattle muster that Reid, his brother Kane and their father had just finished on Southern Cross, about beef prices and the lasting effects of the wet season.

      Alone in their remote haven of wilderness, they lay, resting back on their elbows and watching rafts of black ducks, teal and pelicans drift down the river. The water was so clear that even from this high bank they were able to see the darting shadows of black bream swimming.

      ‘You’re lucky to have a spot as beautiful as this on your property,’ Reid told her.

      ‘I imagine you must have some pretty views on Southern Cross, especially from the ranges looking back across the valley.’

      ‘They’re not bad. You should come out to our Cathedral Cave. The view from there is stunning.’

      ‘I’d like that.’

      When they’d eaten as much as they could, Sarah began to pack the picnic things away, but before she finished she paused and said somewhat obliquely, ‘I like Mirrabrook.’

      Surprised, he stared at her.

      ‘I’m thinking of applying for the teaching post there next year.’ She knew Reid had been expecting her to go off to teach in one of the big city schools to the south.

      He quickly swallowed a last mouthful of pie. ‘Are you sure you want to hide yourself away in a little one teacher school in the outback?’

      ‘I’m an outback girl, why shouldn’t I want to give something back? Too many young people are leaving the bush for the city.’

      ‘Yes, but—you—you’d have to deal with all those different year levels and there’d be no other teacher to help you find your feet.’

      Biting her lip, she looked down at the inch of wine in her glass. Was he trying to put her off? ‘It’ll be a challenge, but I think I could handle it. I’m going to be a good teacher.’

      ‘I’ll just bet you are.’

      She downed the wine quickly, set the glass back in the picnic basket, then looked up and saw the dark colour in Reid’s face. The strong emotion in his eyes stole her breath.

      ‘What are your chances of getting that post if you requested it?’ he asked.

      ‘Nothing’s guaranteed, but my good grades should help. Even if they don’t, I can’t imagine many people will be breaking their necks to teach in Mirrabrook.’

      ‘I don’t suppose so.’

      Bravely she added, ‘But I am.’

      ‘Breaking your neck to be in Mirrabrook?’

      She nodded shyly.

      ‘Sarah, it would be wonderful to have you close by.’

      Her heart leapt in a quicksilver of joy. ‘Well…a girl can hope.’

      ‘And so can a guy,’ he said softly.

      The look in his eyes made her skin feel too tight for her body. ‘Would you—um—like something else to eat?’

      ‘I’d like another taste of that delicious mouth of yours.’

      ‘Come and get it,’ she said softly.

      A cloud of heat rose through her, making her body flame with outrageous longing. Slowly, Reid leaned towards her, supporting his weight on his hands and knees. His movements were so measured the air seemed to tremble with tension.

      In a sensuous daze, Sarah let herself loll backwards till she lay on the rug. She tipped her head back and saw his face register surprise then a slow smile as he lowered his mouth over hers in an upside-down kiss.

      She had never imagined anything quite so sexy. Only their mouths touched as they adjusted lips, teeth and tongues to this totally new angle. They kissed in a series of sips and nibbles and sweeping strokes of their tongues. It was fun and yet, oh man, incredibly intimate. Their hunger mounted quickly.

      Reid moved from her mouth to sample her chin. With his knees near her head he leaned over her, kissing her throat, then he trailed on, down into the V of her shirt opening.

      Sarah’s fingers flew to undo her buttons. This was what she had to have. Reid’s loving. She was his. Body and soul. She was madly in love with him. No other man would ever mean what he meant to her and she had never given herself this way to anyone else. She wanted to be Reid’s. Now. Always.

      An astonishing kind of dark wildness overcame her. She needed him. And she felt a sense of panic that perhaps what she wanted most mightn’t happen. He might stop too soon.

      Perhaps Reid sensed her need, or perhaps, because he’d been waiting as long as she had, he was desperate too. They fought to shed clothes, helped each other to be rid of anything that prevented them from being together skin to skin. Burning skin to burning skin.

      Their kisses were fast, hot, hard. Their caresses became greedy, their movements almost savage, their bodies possessed by an urgency that was skyrocketing out of control.

      Then, without warning, Reid pulled away, and he looked upset.

      ‘What?’ she whispered, fighting panic. ‘What’s the matter?’

      ‘This is wrong. It’s too wild.’

      She felt suddenly cold. ‘I—I don’t mind.’

      ‘No, Sarah.’ His face was flushed. Angry? He was dragging in deep breaths as if struggling for control. ‘If we keep on like this I’ll hurt you.’

      ‘But I don’t want you to stop. I—I want you to make love to me.’

      Propped on one elbow beside her, he lifted her dark hair away from her eyes and traced a hand down the side of her face. His eyes were heavy-lidded with desire but he smiled just a little sadly.

      He nuzzled her ear. ‘Sweetheart, there’s no way I want to stop, but let’s take this a little easier. We’ve got all afternoon.’ Gently, he pressed his lips to the curve of her throat. ‘It’ll be even better slow.’ He kissed the dip above her collarbone. ‘I want this to be special for you. Have you any idea how special you are, Sarah?’

      She felt tears spill on to her cheeks. ‘They’re happy tears,’ she hastened to assure him. ‘It’s just that I’ve been wanting this for so long.’

      ‘Darling girl, so have I.’ He gave a rueful little laugh. ‘That’s another reason why I want to take it slowly, otherwise it’ll be all over before we get properly started.’ With the pad of his thumb he wiped the hot path of her tears.

      And then he began to kiss her again, slowly, lovingly, while his hands traced her skin with a feather-light touch.

      Later, she knew that he’d given her a beautiful gift. Every girl deserved to be made love to for the first time the way Reid made love on that sweet afternoon, with the background hum of bees in nearby wattle and mild winter sunshine spilling through overhead tree branches.

      She cried whenever she thought about it.

      She was crying now, all these years later, curled up in her chair in the study, clasping the old school programme to her heart.

      Oh, Reid, what went wrong?

      Tears streamed down her cheeks as she thought of what had followed—that wonderful first year after she’d come to teach in Mirrabrook, when she and Reid were blissfully in love and her world had been perfect.

      Throw the programme away. You’ve got to move on. You’ve got to forget.

      But she couldn’t do it. Not yet. She’d throw