He sighed happily. “Thanks.”
I kissed his forehead again as the rain fell outside. “It was better than amazing. You’re better than amazing.”
He froze before he lifted his head to look at me. “So are you.”
His face was ethereal in the silver of the darkened room. I swallowed hard. “Tell me I’m not alone in what I feel.”
He studied my face, searching for what, I don’t know. “What do you feel?”
“That this is something special. That whatever this is shouldn’t end when you go back to Melbourne.”
His eyes bore into mine. “I don’t want this to end.”
“Me either.”
“Promise me we’ll work something out.”
Thunder boomed outside, lightning split the sky as the storm raged. Outside, a frenzy whipped around us. Yet I’d never felt more calm, more peace than I did in that moment. “I promise.” I fluttered my eyelashes on his cheek, making him smile.
“You’re the first person to ever give me butterfly kisses.”
“Really? But you’re a butterfly expert.”
He kissed me softly, lingering, but pulled away with a sigh as he settled his head on my chest. “I came to Tasmania in search of an elusive species. And I found it. But never in my wildest dreams did I expect to find you. And I believe I found a type of butterfly that exists only in my belly which only makes itself known when I think of you. Though sometimes they lodge in my throat when I see you and they make breathing somewhat difficult.”
I smiled at his way with words, tightened my hold on him and grinned at the ceiling. “Me too.”
With Lawson in my arms and the storm raging outside, my body sated and feeling more content than I could ever remember, I fell asleep with a happy heart and what could possibly be a permanent smile.
*
I woke to a panic. My phone was ringing, my pager was beeping, and Rosemary was barking. I sat up, grabbed my phone to see it wasn’t even five a.m. Lawson was now awake, sitting up beside me, looking confused and disoriented. I answered my phone.
It was my rural fire inspector, Tony Wells. His voice was loud and brusque.
“Jack! We’ve got a Category Three bushfire. She’s in Oxberry. 10k northeast of Scottsdale, but mate, she’s heading straight for you.”
CHAPTER TWELVE
Lawson
Jack shot out of bed. “Lawson, you need to get up. Get dressed. We need to leave.”
“Why? What’s happening?” I asked, getting out of bed. I rummaged through my bag and found some briefs and my jeans. I pulled on a shirt and found some socks.
Jack quickly dressed in long pants and a T-shirt. He pulled on his work boots. “There’s a bushfire. I have to go.”
“Where to?”
“RFS headquarters. In town.”
He was starting to scare me. “Where’s the fire?”
“Ten kilometres northeast of town. Oxberry Forest Reserve. Must have been a lightning strike.”
I stopped and stared at him. “Jack, the butterflies…”
He let his hands fall to his sides and gave me a sad smile. “Hopefully we’ll have it under control by the time it gets that close.”
I shook my head. “But Jack―”
“I need you to go into town. Scottsdale has a fire exclusion zone surrounded by kilometres of cultivated farmland. You’ll be safe there. Head straight for the community hall. It’s the town’s evacuation centre. That’s where everyone will be. I need you to go there. Take Rosemary. I don’t want her to freak out here by herself.”
All I could do was stare.
Jack came over to me and put his hands on my shoulders. “Can you do that?”
I nodded. “I’m scared.”
He gave me a quick hug and kissed the side of my head. “I know. But we’ll have it all sorted soon. You’ll be fine. Just stay in town with the others. The evac centre gets all the newest updates, so you’ll know everything as it happens. But if you want to leave for Launceston, go now.”
I shook my head. “No. I’ll go to the evacuation centre.” I knew his house was on the opposite side of town to the forest reserves, but I had to ask. “What about your house?”
“The house’ll be fine. Well, if the fires reach here, it means all of Scottsdale is gone, and if that happens, my house will be the least of my worries.”
“What about you?”
“I’ll be fine. I’ve done this a hundred times before.”
“Jack…”
He lifted my chin and kissed my lips. “I need to go.”
He gave me a butterfly kiss that stole my breath. His lip quirked in a smile before he went for the door, but I stopped him. “Jack. Be safe.”
He smiled at me. “Always.” Then he stopped and gave Rosemary a pat. “You stay with Lawson, okay sweetheart?” He gave me a final look. “Go find Remmy. She’ll be at the evac centre feeding people. It’s what she does.”
And with that, he was gone.
I stood there until I couldn’t hear his ute in the distance anymore, frozen to the spot. Rosemary whined at me and it kicked me into gear. I pulled on my boots, grabbed my jacket and my phone, waited for Rosemary to join me, and pulled the front door shut behind me.
“Come on, girl,” I said, calling for her to get into the Defender. I didn’t bother with the harness. I let her sit in the front passenger seat. I needed to keep her close. I threw the Defender into first gear and roared my way into town.
Scottsdale was well and truly up and awake, even though it was barely five thirty in the morning. Cars, trucks, and people were all out, and already there was a line of cars at the community centre. I slowed down, someone was directing traffic, but I didn’t stop.
I couldn’t.
I turned off the main street onto North Scottsdale Road and drove like a bat out of hell in the direction of the bushfire.
*
I drove by cars who flashed their lights at me, but I didn’t care. I couldn’t just sit there and do nothing. I’d finally found a species of butterfly never seen before, and I couldn’t allow it to be wiped off the face of the planet. Not without trying.
I barely slowed down to take the dirt road turn off, and I put my left hand out to brace Rosemary as she tried to keep her balance on the seat. “Almost there,” I told her.
As day broke, the clouds were still dark and heavy but the rain had stopped. I could see now why Jack was concerned about the roads after the deluge we got yesterday because they were in pretty bad shape.
The ride was bumpy and we jostled around a bit and slid in the mud, but I could handle it, and the Defender was made for this. I sped past the areas I’d searched the day before, took one corner too fast and slid across the slick muddy road. Instead of hitting the brakes, I accelerated and overcorrected through the turn and we fishtailed out of what could have been a hairy situation.
“It’s okay, we’re good,” I told Rosemary. Or myself. I wasn’t sure at this point. My heart was in my throat.
I went past the spot we’d had lunch yesterday and took the Defender onto the road where Jack had taken me. The trees were rain-heavy and scraped up the sides of the Defender, and when I came to the gate, I didn’t stop.