Outback Blaze Read online

‘Hey Rubes.’ Adam grinned the smile that had apparently once upon a time made him a finalist in Cleo magazine’s Bachelor of the Year and gave her a quick hug. He didn’t seem nervous at all.

  Ryan, who was perhaps even better looking than Adam but acted more aloof, nodded his greeting. ‘Are you taking the shots?’

  She shook her head and gestured behind to where Simone was taking practice shots with a tatty teddy bear. ‘She is. And thanks for doing this. I hope you don’t feel too exposed.’

  Ryan raised an eyebrow. ‘Ruby, you’re asking us to pose in our jocks. You don’t get much more exposed than that.’

  ‘Oh, I don’t know.’ Frankie appeared beside them. ‘We could ask you to go the full Monty.’

  Ruby shot her a warning glare. The last thing she needed was to scare off the models. Publicity had been hard to come by for the event until she’d come up with this scheme. Now she had newspapers all across the state promising to run an article. Subject to the photos, of course.

  Liam arrived next. Ruby welcomed him and then left Frankie to chat while she went to check if Simone was ready. Her palms were already clammy and she wasn’t the one having to undress, so she didn’t want to prolong this in case any of her boys backed out. She’d almost reached Simone when the door to the hall clanged shut and all eyes turned to the latecomer. Ruby tripped over her own feet and her body temperature skyrocketed.

  Drew Noble. The newest cop in town.

  What was he doing here? Not that she was complaining. No woman in her right mind would.

  With his sexy British accent, dark curly hair and sparkling eyes of the same colour, he’d caused quite a stir on arriving in the town. He was tall, well-built and had the kind of grin that gave the impression he could charm the pants off anyone if he put his mind to it. Despite his unruly hair and the motorbike which was his preferred form of transport, he didn’t seem as rough around the edges as many of the local lads, but he wore his masculinity as well as, if not better than, any local farmer. Ruby wasn’t ashamed to admit she was one of the more seriously affected. This was weird, all things considering. She’d been guilty of lying in bed plotting ways to attract his attention – speeding, shoplifting, littering on the main street were high contenders on the list but the truth was she’d never so much as had a parking fine. She should probably harbour some guilt over the thoughts she’d had about him, but that was hard when she was pleased to be finally feeling something towards a man again. Still, she’d never expected to see him here tonight.

  Suddenly her birthday had got a whole lot more exciting.

  She hung back while Frankie and the older women rushed over to fuss over their new recruit. He smiled at them but Ruby noted the look of bemusement in his dark eyes.

  ‘You didn’t tell me he was one of the models,’ Simone whispered.

  ‘I…I’m…I don’t know if he is. I was expecting O’Leary.’ She licked her lips, her mouth parched. Her gaze lingered on the way his jeans hung low on his hips and an intense awareness tingled down her spine in a way it hadn’t done in a long, long time.

  ‘The gods are smiling on us. This one will take much better photos. Come on, I can’t wait to get started.’ Simone started towards the group of men.

  Ruby, remembering she was supposed to be in charge here, followed. Although now Simone had put the thought of Drew in undies into her head she’d be lucky to be able to concoct another sensible sentence all night.

  ‘Where’s O’Leary?’ she asked, the moment she arrived next to Drew. It wasn’t the most polite of greetings but it beat fawning all over him.

  He shrugged – and when he shrugged, his T-shirt lifted as all his muscles clenched. Oh yeah. The gods were definitely smiling on them if they were going to get a peek at what was underneath his clothing. ‘I think he thought this would be a good opportunity for me to get involved in the community. You don’t mind, do you?’

  ‘Hell no,’ Simone wiped her hand across her brow. ‘Welcome.’ She tossed Ruby a look as if to ask what the hell she was playing at. Truth was no one would rather the lazy old sergeant over this guy.

  ‘Of course, we don’t mind.’ Ruby tucked her hair behind her ears, adjusted her flower clip, and smiled, all the while telling her body to get a grip. ‘We’re happy to have you. And now that you’re here, we might as well get started. Simone, over to you.’

  Simone wiggled her eyebrows at the row of men, half of whom stood with their arms folded across their chest as if nerves had suddenly descended on them. A few Adam’s apples swallowed as the men stood rigid under Simone’s gaze. ‘Right. I’m hoping to get individual shots tonight and we might do them first to get you all accustomed to the camera. And then we’ll go for the group shots. Time to get your gear off, guys.’

  While the men began to shrug out of their winter jackets, Drew spoke. ‘Hang on a sec!’ He looked sideways to where Ryan was already tugging down his jeans. ‘What the hell kind of meeting is this?’

  ‘Meeting?’ Simone’s brow furrowed.

  Ruby stepped forward. ‘Didn’t Sergeant O’Leary tell you? Tonight we’re taking publicity photos for the Undies Run. We want this year to be bigger and better than ever, with more entrants from outside the town. So, we’re making a poster of five local entrants – you lot,’ she gestured to the men in front of her, in various states of undress, ‘in your undies for publicity.’

  While heat flared in her cheeks at the thought of Drew near naked, his eyebrows shot up to ram into his hairline. ‘In our what?’

  Frankie, who sounded like she was fighting giggles, joined the discussion. ‘Your underwear, Constable Noble. That’s why it’s called an Undies Run.’

  ‘Is there a problem, officer?’ Dammit, Ruby hadn’t meant to call him that.

  ‘I’m sorry Ruby, but while I’m happy to help with the event, I draw the line at publicity.’

  ‘You’re not scared us Aussies will show you up?’ Ryan asked, obviously amused.

  Drew glared at him. ‘It’s got nothing to do with that.’

  ‘Oh come on, Drew, it’s for charity.’ Simone held up her camera. ‘And I promise I’ll be very gentle.’

  He smiled cynically. ‘I’m sure you would be, but the answer is still no.’

  While Ruby couldn’t understand why Drew could be self-conscious about getting his gear off, she hated confrontation and didn’t want him to feel uneasy or pushed into anything. ‘It’s fine, Drew. We appreciate you coming along, but it sounds like you were lured here without full knowledge. I’m sorry we wasted your time.’

  ‘I’m sorry too,’ he said, nodding once as he looked only at her. His dark gaze made her bones go weak. ‘I’ll do anything else I can to help with the organisation of the run, I promise. It sounds like a great event for a great cause.’

  Before anything else could be said on the matter, Simone’s mobile phone started blaring. Groaning, she dragged it out of her pocket, looked at the screen and then cursed ‘kids’ before answering. She turned and walked a few steps towards the stage. Everyone waited, eavesdropping on her heated conversation. Finally, she clicked off, sighed loudly and turned around.

  ‘Sorry folks, looks like I’ll have to pop out for a moment.’ She shoved her phone in her pocket. ‘Harriet has gone AWOL and Grace is stressing that some psycho will break into the house and murder her if she’s alone.’

  Drew raised his eyebrows and Simone rushed to placate him. ‘It’s okay, they’re both old enough to be left alone. Although when I find Harriet I’ll skin her alive. I didn’t give her permission to go out. I promise I won’t be more than five minutes.’

  ‘I can go and check on your daughter,’ Drew offered.

  ‘Ya sure? I only live two streets away and I’m sure Grace will feel much better if you have a quick look around and tell her the house is safe.’

  Drew chuckled. ‘Give me your address and then call Grace and let her know I’m on my way. I don’t want my arrival to freak her out even more.’

  ‘Thanks. You’re a lifesaver.’ Simone gave Drew her address and he escaped quickly, as if happy to have some legitimate way to help. While Simone gathered the other men to the front near the stage, Ruby frowned and stared at the door Drew had left through.

  Why had he been so adamantly against posing for the poster? Surely if Sergeant O’Leary had put him forward there was no legal problem with his involvement. And she’d already ruled out the idea of him being self-conscious about that body. Unless he had scars he didn’t want anyone to see.

  Shaking her head clear of such thoughts – she had other things to focus on – Ruby walked over to the stage. Ryan was already standing against the white backdrop, his dark tanned muscles dripping with desirability in simple black boxers. She swallowed at the bulge in his underwear and contemplated for a moment what it would be like to get close to him. There’d been no such bulges in her life for a while now and sometimes she wondered if there ever would be again.

  Ryan posed as if he’d done this a zillion times before and Simone was well pleased with the shots. Adam, who had done a number of photoshoots, was equally at ease. Liam took a little encouraging but caught on quickly. Together they made a pretty sight and Ruby couldn’t wait to see the finished product. If this didn’t get more interest in the event, she didn’t know what would.

  As if he’d timed his return on purpose, Drew showed up again just as Simone was finishing up. He had a sulky looking twelve-year-old girl by his side. Thankfully the guys had just covered up.

  Ruby went over to him. ‘Hi Drew. Hey Grace.’ She smiled at Simone’s daughter who she’d met a couple of times when helping out with the junior netball team. ‘Would you guys like a cupcake?’

  Grace’s eyes lit up. ‘Sure. Might as well have one last meal before Mum kills me.’


  Drew looked down at her. ‘Your mum is not going to kill you. And I for one was happy to have some company this evening.’

  Ruby tried to tame her smile. Drew was sweet with the girl, as he was with old ladies and speeding drivers alike. She got the feeling he could be real tough when the need arose and wouldn’t like to get on the wrong side of him, but this cop was certainly one of the good guys.

  As the three of them headed towards the kitchen, Grace walked a little ahead and Ruby said, ‘Thanks for checking on her. It would have held things up if Simone had to go.’

  ‘Not a problem.’ Drew smiled. ‘I just hope her older daughter is okay. It’s quite late to be out.’

  ‘I’m sure she’ll be fine. Those girls have done it tough; their dad died when they were little, but they know how to look after themselves. Simone’s made sure of it.’ As they arrived at the serving hatch, Ruby gestured to the cupcakes. ‘Take your pick,’ she told Drew.

  With a reserved smile, he leant forward and picked up a cake. ‘You made these?’

  She shook her head. ‘Baking isn’t my thing. I’m much better at main courses. They are Frankie’s art work.’

  Appearing at the mention of her name, Frankie grinned. ‘And it’s Ruby’s birthday so I used my special birthday cake recipe.’

  Having already taken a bite, Drew finished his mouthful, nodded approvingly and said, ‘Happy birthday. It’s mine too.’

  ‘Really?’ A strange warmth flooded through Ruby at the discovery of this small connection. ‘Well in that case, happy birthday to you, too.’

  Drew took another bite of the deadly chocolate cupcake. He’d surprised himself divulging such information but he’d never before met another person who shared his birth date. And there was something about Ruby that made him want to chat. She wasn’t like the other girls he’d met in town – most of them were loud and outgoing, but there was something reserved about her. And where Frankie and Simone seemed like they’d go all night trying to cajole him into posing semi-naked, Ruby had accepted his apology gracefully and stuck up for him. In fact, her support had nearly made him reconsider.

  But common sense prevailed. While it was highly unlikely anyone who saw the photo would recognise him or even care, he couldn’t take chances.

  ‘Thanks,’ he said as he swallowed the last mouthful. ‘Doesn’t mean much.’ Well, not anymore it didn’t. ‘You just have to remember to add another year when filling in futile online surveys.’

  Ruby laughed as the rest of the group joined them. Simone laid eyes on her daughter and glared, reminding Drew why he’d returned. ‘’Scuse me a moment,’ he said, going over to talk to Grace’s mother.

  He was halfway through explaining that he’d sat with Grace for a couple of hours because the poor girl was petrified and he didn’t want to bring her to the hall too soon, when one of the other blokes spoke loudly. ‘Is that smoke?’

  The conversations going on around Drew ceased as everyone sniffed the air. The older ladies who seemed to be hanging around for the sole purpose of making tea began checking the mammoth warming oven. ‘Nothing in here,’ one of them said.

  Adam, who’d noticed the smell first, dropped his cupcake and jogged towards the exit. As Drew followed, the town’s fire siren started screaming. He counted the rise and fall of the piercing sounds, but it didn’t shut down after the usual three rings. Having been in Bunyip Bay six weeks now, he’d heard the alarm system being tested on the first Monday of each month when the volunteer firefighters got together for their training meetings, but tonight was Tuesday and the smell of smoke in the open air was so strong that Drew knew this was no practice drill. They looked up and saw smoke licking the sky a couple of streets back, but not far enough away to be a bushfire.

  The blood moved faster in his veins and he got that awful twisting feeling in his gut. Something bad was in progress. Drew was already on his way to his car, Adam shouting to the others, when his phone began to vibrate against his hip. He yanked it from his pocket, saw ‘O’Leary’ on the screen and knew what his sergeant was going to say before he even answered.

  ‘There’s a fire at The Ag Store. Get yourself there now.’ O’Leary disconnected before Drew could reply.

  ‘What’s going on?’ Ruby spoke for the crowd of women who’d gathered just outside the hall. Drew noticed the other blokes had already gone.

  ‘There’s a fire,’ he told her. He hated being the bearer of bad news. Although he was much practised in it, this part of the job never got any easier. He only hoped the late hour of the evening and the fact the fire was in a business, not a house, meant that no one would be inside. He swallowed, before delivering the final blow, ‘It’s at your mum and dad’s shop, Ruby. It’s The Ag Store.’

  Chapter Two

  ‘I’ve got to go to them.’ Ruby looked around frantically, trying to work out where she’d left her keys. She couldn’t think over the sounds of the roaring siren, polluting what had been a beautifully calm winter’s night.

  She felt a gentle hand on her back and turned to see Frankie at her side.

  ‘Come on, Rubes, I’ll drive you.’

  Before Ruby could collect her thoughts, Grace ran up carrying Ruby’s handbag, which she’d obviously been instructed to fetch from inside. Frankie took it, dug her hand in and pulled out the car keys. Together, they ran for her four-wheel drive, knowing Simone and the other ladies would lock up the hall.

  Frankie drove without a care for the speed limit towards The Ag Store. She had to stop halfway there to let the volunteer firies in their big red engine pull out onto the road. Ruby held her hand firmly against her chest, hoping to regulate the beating of her heart as they followed the truck. Please don’t let them be too late.

  ‘My parents! I wonder if they know?’ The thought struck Ruby as Frankie turned into the street that housed The Ag Store, the local mechanic, the trucking company and a now deserted panel-beaters. For a split second, she prayed that it was one of the other businesses. Hadn’t she been through enough this year?

  Frankie reached out and patted her knee. ‘They’re already here.’ She parallel parked the four-wheel drive a good few hundred metres away from the store and Ruby recognised her parents’ car a few metres in front.

  Ruby yanked off her seatbelt and leapt out of the car before Frankie had killed the ignition. ‘Mum! Dad!’ she called as she ran towards her parents, the thick smoke combined with the shock making it an effort for her to breathe.

  She helped her mum out of the passenger side, the two of them clinging to each other as they trekked around the car to Ruby’s dad. Instinctively, Ruby reached out and draped one arm over her father. A tall, wiry man with an angular face and a graying goatee, Robert was a lot stronger than he looked, but tonight he didn’t give that impression at all. The three of them stood speechless as they watched their building glow from the inside out.

  ‘What the hell could have started this?’ her dad cried. He pulled away from Ruby and ran two hands through his hair. She watched as he doubled over and swore.

  Her mum’s grip tightened. ‘Let him be, love. This is a shock for all of us.’

  The local volunteer firefighters didn’t waste any time. Dressed in their bright yellow uniforms, they worked in perfect harmony shouting directions. Hoses were pulled off the back of both trucks and within seconds two big arcs of water ripped through the night sky, landing on the blazing building. Ruby felt utterly helpless, staring into the chaos and wondering how on earth this mess had begun.

  ‘I’m going to have to ask you all to step back a bit.’

  At the firm direction, Ruby looked up to see Drew with a roll of police tape in his hands as he and Mike cordoned off the area.

  ‘You three can stay,’ he said, gesturing to her and her parents, ‘but don’t get in the way of the emergency services and don’t do anything ridiculous.’ He looked at her father as he said this. It was only then Ruby noticed the crowd of people that had gathered around her, blocking the road and watching The Ag Store burn like it was some kind of blockbuster movie.

  Concerned faces littered the street. It looked as if half the town had come out in their pajamas and more were arriving with every second. Gasps of shock and horror echoed through the crowd as friends, customers and neighbours huddled together to watch. Ruby stared back at the faces – although she recognised many, they all seemed to blend into one group. Then she caught sight of a horrifying familiar face in the crowd. A wave of terror washed over her, bringing back memories she wished she didn’t have but when she went to scrutinise the faces again, she found the one she’d thought she’d seen actually belonged to a local. In the daylight he didn’t look anything like her ex, but tonight in the darkness, with her emotions in turmoil, his presence had returned to haunt her.