No Ocean Deep

Chapter One

Mephisto stalked along the deck of the Seawolf like the silent killer he knew himself to be. The big black cat had the scent of his prey in his nostrils and he was intent on seeing the hunt through, wherever it took him. He padded down the length of the big yacht, delicately picking his way over and around the deck fittings and coiled sheets until he came to the flat transom at the stern. He sat for a few moments, taking long, deep sniffs of the sea air. There it was again. Fish. Not the fish swimming around in the dark depths under the boat. That was a background smell he was well familiar with. No, this much closer, much stronger, much more tempting.

A low purr began in the back of the big feline’s throat and gold eyes blinked in a way that would have looked sleepy if it weren’t for the gently twitching tail signaling another thought process altogether.

Mephisto came from a long line of ships’ cats. He recognized the smell of the ocean on the soft, warm breeze that drifted through the boat’s rigging. There was another tang there though, and he was determined to track down its source. He lifted a front leg and carefully licked his paw, then reached behind his ear and brushed forward, washing his face as he contemplated his next move.

It was a clear night and the boat was anchored in calm waters. Mephisto looked up into a wide, black vista sprinkled with stars. There was no illumination on board, save for the yacht’s riding lights, but he didn’t need any. Cat sight was a wonderful thing. He sniffed again. And so was a cat’s sense of smell.

He stood again and gracefully meandered around to the port side where a gentle tapping was intriguing his senses. There he found the yacht’s dinghy bumping against the hull as it drifted on the changing tide, its tethering rope afloat. Mephisto’s purr deepened as the fascinating odor strengthened. Whatever was producing the delicious aroma was in the dinghy.

A bobbing dinghy and a proximate ocean were no obstacle to any self-respecting feline and Mephisto didn’t give it a second thought, coiling his back legs and springing into the smaller vessel with barely a sound. He tiptoed around the bits and pieces of equipment in the bottom of the dinghy, following his nose to a large plastic bucket, with a conveniently loose lid. From it emanated the smell of heaven, at least for a cat.

Mephisto stood on his hind legs, front paws worrying away at the lid until it slid off with a satisfying thud. He looked over the edge and discovered the source of the happy smell – fish heads, lots of lovely, odorous, rank fish heads.

“Riiiiiaaaaaaaaaaaaaoww,” purred the cat, stretching out with one paw to try and hook himself a head. His weight was too much for the bucket, however, and it tipped, dowsing the feline, and the bottom of the dinghy, with a wet and rotting load. Delighted, Mephisto hunched down and rubbed up against the mess, eventually giving in to his baser instincts and rolling around in it, purring loudly.

Oh yes, Mephisto was a happy cat.

The two women slept peacefully in each other’s arms in the luxurious, but windowless cabin. Outside, the sun was crawling its way over the horizon, but in the cool darkness inside the two lovers were oblivious, safe in the warmth they generated themselves.

The taller woman lay on her side, long ebony hair splayed across the pillow, her shorter companion spooned into her lap, blonde head tucked under her chin. Both looked like they had slept together for years, belying the short duration of their relationship. Passion had kept them awake much of the night, and now their sleep was deep and dreamless and contented. When a four-footed visitor padded into the cabin, leaping silently onto the bed and settling into a spare corner of the bed, they slept on … at least for a while.

Before too long something began to irritate the nasal passages of both women, though it was the dark-haired one who stirred first. Her nose twitched once, then twice before sleepy eyes blinked open, revealing brilliant blue orbs visible even in the gloom.

“Cadie?” she murmured, letting her eyes close again once she could find nothing else that would be causing the unique aroma.

The blonde in her arms wriggled slightly, snuggling back against her lover’s stomach. She patted the hands clasped around her stomach reassuringly and didn’t even bother to open her eyes.

“Mmmmmmmmm?” she mumbled.

“Darling, you know I love you, right?” came the whispered question.

“Mhmmmm, yes I do,” the blonde replied, barely awake enough not to slur her words.

“And you know that I love every single part of you too, right?” the half-asleep dark-haired woman persisted. “Even the nasty bits that make my eyes water.”

There was a pause and the blonde’s green eyes flicked open as her brain finally connected her lover’s rambling conversation with the acrid odor that was still burning into her sinuses.

“Jo…”

“And you know I adore you right? Even though that was the nastiest, smelliest, rankest…”

The blonde reached back and slapped her lover lightly on the thigh.

“Not nice, Jo-Jo. Don’t blame me for your own smells, sweetheart.” She snuggled in again, closing her eyes and hoping the aroma would dissipate soon so she could fall back asleep.

There was another pause, and then it was a pair of blue eyes which slid open again, baffled.

“But I didn’t,” she said plaintively.

“Didn’t what, love?” came the blonde’s sleepy response, the conversation almost forgotten.

“Fart.”

The green-eyed woman sighed deeply and turned in her lover’s arms, entwining herself around the long body in front of her. She burrowed her face gently into the woman’s neck and kissed her there softly.

“Okay,” she whispered, just wishing the smell would go away.

“No really,” Jo insisted, now curious about just what was causing the stink. “I didn’t.” She lifted her head off the pillow, ignoring the grumbles that provoked from the woman in her arms. “Shhhhhh,” she murmured as she tried to pick out details in the gloom. She could just make out her cat’s silhouette as he cleaned himself contentedly on the corner of the bed. “Mephyyyyyy,” she growled, suddenly suspicious of the smug look on the feline’s face.

She untangled herself from the blonde’s warm embrace and sat up, leaning down to get a closer look at the cat. Her nose left her in no further doubt about the source of the stench and, as her eyes got used to the dim light, she could make out unmentionably gross globs of… something… stuck to the black cat’s fur.

“You malodorous little bugger,” she muttered. “What the hell have you been rolling in?” She crawled closer to the smelly feline. “Get out of here you bastard,” she growled, batting the boy-cat on the rump. He flicked out a claw which she narrowly avoided before she managed to tip him off the bed. Complaining bitterly, Mephisto stalked from the room, the tall, naked woman following him just far enough to close the cabin door behind him.

“Come back to bed,” murmured a sleepy voice from the double bunk.

“Hang on, love,” she replied quietly. “Gotta change the sheet, or we’re gonna be living with that pong for days.” She pulled open a cabinet near the berth’s tiny head and pulled out a fresh top sheet. Quickly she reached over and snagged the corner of the soiled sheet, grimacing as another wave of the noxious fumes hit her in the face. She yanked the linen off the bed, a move which revealed a delectably nude figure curled in the center of the bed. Jo smiled as she realized her lover hadn’t moved a muscle and was probably already deeply asleep again.

She bundled the dirty sheet into a ball, stuffed it into a plastic bag then dropped it into the laundry basket. A quick trip to the head to wash her hands followed before she threw the new sheet over the bed, and the lovely, naked form of her partner.

My partner, she thought with a sleepy smile as she clambered back into the bunk, snuggling in behind the blonde again. That’s gonna take a bit of getting used to. She pulled the smaller woman close once more and kissed the back of her blonde head. But I like it. A lot.

“Mmmmmmmm,” came the contented mumble from her companion, who tangled her fingers into Jo’s.

“Ssssshhhh. Go back to sleep, sweetheart. It’s way early.”

“’k.”

The sun was high over the gently rocking yacht when Cadie woke for the second time. She and Jo had shifted in each other’s arms as they slept and her eyes blinked open to the sight of her partner’s angular profile just inches away. The American was tucked into the crook of Jo’s arm, her leg thrown over the Australian’s hips.

Cadie chuckled quietly.

Since when did I become a limpet, she wondered, allowing her fingers to trace lazy circles on Jo’s firm, velvety stomach. Cadie watched as her lover slept on, a contented half-smile on her lips. What are you dreaming of, my love?

She carefully raised herself up on her elbow, not wanting to disturb Jo, whose eyes were twitching beneath their lids as she worked her way through some dreamscape. Cadie found herself mesmerized by the sight.

It's hard to believe I've only known her six weeks, Cadie thought as she continued to caress Jo's belly. It feels like I've known her forever. She thought back over the events that had overtaken them since the day they had first met. It's been a complete whirlwind, she thought. It's been wonderful to have these couple of days to ourselves, finally.

Cadie took a deep breath and reviewed her life, smiling as her lover shifted in her sleep, moving closer to the American's warmth.

Six weeks ago I was in a long-term relationship with a US senator - a woman I can't even imagine being with now. She laughed in quiet amazement. And now I'm on a yacht in the middle of the Great Barrier Reef with someone who... She groaned softly, closing her eyes against the delicious tingle as the woman in question nuzzled her breast. Cadie opened her eyes again and looked down at Jo. Someone I utterly adore.

As if meeting and turning each other's lives upside down hadn't been enough, Jo and Cadie had endured a series of dramas that had ended with the tall Australian inheriting a thriving yacht charter company. The past two weeks had been a never-ending series of business meetings juggled with keeping happy the tourists who already had bookings with the firm.

It's been great fun, Cadie decided. But, boy, do we need this time to ourselves. She was pleased to see sleep had smoothed out the tension in her lover's face, taking years off her age. Cadie brushed aside a disobedient lock of black hair that was hiding Jo's face from her, and then planted a tender kiss on the older woman's temple.

These are the first few days we’ve had to ourselves since Ron’s funeral, she thought, smiling at the memory of Jo’s boss and mentor who had succumbed to a heart attack three weeks’ earlier. We'd better make the most of them. Things aren't going to get any simpler for us any time soon.

Cadie let herself slide slowly back down into the warm nest of Jo's embrace. We have so many loose ends to tidy up before life settles down for us, she thought sleepily, letting herself drift off again. She smiled against the soft, black hair. But that’s okay. She yawned. We’ll work it out.

Jo groaned and stretched, working out the kinks in her long, lean body as she woke up slowly. She was alone in the bed, though she could still feel Cadie’s warmth in the sheets next to her.

So she hasn’t been up very long, Jo thought with a smile. Her nose told her just what her lover was up to, tantalizing cooking smells wafting in from the galley. She rolled out of bed and stood up, reaching for the one-piece swimsuit she had left draped over the arm of the chair.

“Jo-Jo… breakfast is ready,” Cadie called out.

“On my way,” she answered as she stepped into the suit and pulled it up, adding a t-shirt over the top. She wandered out of the cabin and had to smile at the pretty picture her lover made.

Cadie had her shoulder blade-length blonde hair pulled back in a loose ponytail as she wandered around the yacht's large galley. She was naked except for one of Jo's loud Hawaiian-style shirts she'd thrown on and neglected to button up. The effect was rather enchanting, Jo thought.

"Good morning, gorgeous," Cadie said cheerfully, not looking up from her task.

"Hello," Jo replied as she walked around the galley's counter and came up behind her partner. She slid her arms around the smaller woman's waist and rested her chin on her shoulder. "Damn, that smells good."

"Well, with a little luck, it will taste pretty good too," said the American, as she concentrated on flipping the fried eggs without breaking the yolks. Bacon sizzled in the other corner of the fry-pan and there was French toast, mushrooms and sausage links. "Think I've made enough?"

Jo laughed quietly.

"Honey, I think you've made enough for a small army." She squeezed the blonde gently. "But I'm starving so I'm sure I'll do it justice."

This was the first time Cadie had cooked her anything, Jo suddenly realized. In the two weeks since Cadie had left her ex-partner Naomi at Sydney International Airport and returned to the Whitsundays, they had been in perpetual motion. Jo had been juggling two jobs - trying to get a grip on running a thriving business and her duties as skipper of the Seawolf, one of the company’s two 50-foot yachts. Cadie had been filling in for Jo’s regular crew members, Paul and Jenny, who were still on their honeymoon, while trying to maintain her own business. As a literary agent, with most of her clients based in the US, that was proving to be a logistical challenge.

As a result, most of their meals had been snatch-and-grab affairs eaten on the run. In the evenings they had been too tired to do anything other than drop into one of the many restaurants dotted around Airlie Beach and the island resorts.

Cadie slid their food onto warmed plates and together they wandered over to the cabin’s dining area, sitting down opposite each other across the narrow table.

“You do realize this is about the only thing I can cook, don’t you?” Cadie said, suddenly self-conscious about her culinary skills, or lack of them. She glanced up at Jo who was tucking enthusiastically into the hot breakfast.

“Tastes great, hon,” Jo replied, concentrating on a crispy strip of bacon that was eluding her fork. She finally managed to skewer it and happily popped it into her mouth. She looked up, noticing her companion’s silence. “So Naomi was the cook in the household, huh?” She tried to imagine the arrogant and obnoxious Republican Senator for Illinois making nice with pots and pans. “Somehow I just can’t see that.”

Cadie didn’t meet her eyes, preferring to move her food around on its plate with her fork.

“Um, no. She didn’t do the cooking. She could barely make herself a cup of coffee, actually. We had a housekeeper. Consuela.”

“Ah. Makes sense. You were both busy people.” Jo continued to watch the blonde playing with her food. “Sweetheart?” She reached out and captured one of Cadie’s hands with her own. “What’s wrong?”

Cadie dropped her fork and placed her other hand on top of Jo’s, lifting her eyes to meet the concerned blue gaze across from her.

“I guess I’m a little embarrassed,” she muttered.

“About not doing much cooking?” Jo asked, a little puzzled.

“Yeah, kind of,” Cadie replied. She tried to express just what was troubling her. “I guess I’m uncomfortable about the privileged life I’ve led. Mom and Dad were always well off and when I was growing up we always had a cook and a maid. And then when Naomi climbed up the political ranks – well, we never had to struggle financially and we were busy so having a housekeeper made sense. I never had to learn how to do more than throw a fried breakfast together.” She was disconcerted to find herself blushing.

Jo squeezed her hand reassuringly.

“And why is that anything to be embarrassed about, darling? You can’t help the circumstances you were born into. And having a busy, successful career is a good thing.”

“I know… it’s just…” She held Jo’s gaze for long seconds, finally smiling at the love and acceptance she saw there. “I think it’s left me sorely lacking in some of life’s more useful skills.”

Jo grinned.

“Well, if this is as bad as your cooking gets, then I don’t think you’re lacking at all,” she said with a laugh. “Don’t worry about it, love. There’s going to be plenty of opportunity for you to experiment. And I make a very good guinea pig.” She gave Cadie’s hand another squeeze before she withdrew it and resumed eating. “Honestly, if anyone should be embarrassed about money, it’s me. At least you came by yours honestly.” Now who’s feeling insecure, Jo-Jo, she told herself.

Cadie studied her companion as the dark-haired beauty continued with her breakfast. She knew Jo had plenty of money in the bank – more than plenty, in fact. And it was true that most of it was ill-gotten gains, payment for Jo’s previous life as a drug dealer’s bodyguard in the Sydney underworld. But she also knew that apart from investing the money wisely in the intervening five years, Jo had hardly touched that money, guilt stopping her from enjoying the spoils of her criminal past.

“You know what I think?” Cadie said, making a decision.

Clear blue eyes looked up at her and smiled.

“What?”

“I think we should let go of all that stuff. The past, I mean,” she hastened to explain. She slid around the semi-circular couch until she was next to Jo and hooked her hand around the taller woman’s elbow. “You and I have led such bizarre lives, Jo-Jo. Have you noticed that?”

Jo laughed.

“You only just work that out, my love?” she teased, ducking her head and claiming a gentle kiss. Cadie returned it, reveling in the tingling connection between them.

“Mmmmmm, nice,” she whispered. “And no, I didn’t just work that out. But I guess it’s only just starting to sink in. Everything’s happened so quickly. It feels like one minute I was schmoozing with lobbyists at Naomi’s last fundraiser and the next I’m head over heels in love with a beautiful yacht skipper in the middle of the Great Barrier Reef. What’s more, she’s got a dark and mysterious past, a wicked knack with handguns and as an added bonus …” Cadie slowed down as she saw the serious, slightly unnerved expression on her lover’s face. “As an added bonus,” she repeated more quietly. “She’s in love with me too.”

Jo nodded slowly, as she put her knife and fork down.

“Yes, she is,” she murmured. She reached out and brushed a finger along Cadie’s jaw-line. “Having second thoughts, Arcadia?” she asked calmly, trying to still the butterflies in her own stomach.

Damn Cadie, when are you going to learn that she’s terrified of the effect her past might have on how you feel about her? Cadie kicked herself mentally.

“Not for even a millisecond, Jossandra,” she said aloud, capturing Jo’s long fingers and tangling them with her own. “You are the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

A hesitant grin creased the Australian’s face.

“I am?”

Cadie smiled back and leaned forward again seeking another kiss which was willingly given. For several long, pleasant seconds they explored each other, a gentle wash of passion sweeping away any other concerns.

“You are,” Cadie answered on an irregular breath as they broke apart briefly.

“C’mere,” Jo growled as she wrapped her arms around the younger woman’s waist and pulled her closer. This time the kiss was deeper and lasted longer. Jo slid her hands inside Cadie’s shirt, trailing fingertips along the blonde’s bare skin. She felt her ribs expand as she inhaled sharply at the touch.

“Goddess, Jo,” Cadie gasped, suddenly wishing they were somewhere other than the narrow space between the cabin’s table and the hull.

“Mmmmmm?” Jo replied. She smiled against Cadie’s neck, loving her partner’s responsiveness to her touch. “So tell me, Miss Jones, what would you like to spend today doing?”

Cadie giggled.

“You mean apart from ravishing you?”

“Mhmmmmm.” Jo nibbled at the soft spot just below Cadie’s ear.

The blonde groaned again.

“Well, you could ravish me,” she said, laughing weakly.

Jo chuckled.

“Sounds like a full day,” she said wryly. Cadie’s barely clothed body was warm and soft against hers and the thought of spending a day in bed was very tempting.

Very.

Cadie ducked her head and placed a kiss on the Jo’s neck, leaving a trail of goose-bumps as her lips brushed the soft skin.

“Tell you what,” the blonde murmured between kisses. “Why don’t we… mmmm… finish breakfast… and then… we can figure out… what to do next… mmmm…” She had made her way along the taller woman’s collarbone and Jo threw her head back, savoring each and every touch. Cadie backed off, enjoying the look of quiet arousal on her lover’s face. “Your breakfast is getting cold, Jo-Jo,” she teased.

“It’s about the only thing that is,” the dark-haired woman murmured.

Cadie laughed and gently patted Jo’s stomach.

“Come on, skipper. Let’s eat, before we completely lose track of what we’re doing.”

It just doesn’t get any more gorgeous than this, thought Cadie as she stretched out on the cowling of the Seawolf’s cabin a few hours later. It was another perfect day in tropical far north Queensland. The sun blazed out of a cloudless blue sky and the yacht bobbed gently on a calm jewel-green ocean. They were anchored on the fringe of a small reef close to the outer edge of the Barrier Reef. If Cadie listened really closely she could hear the muffled roar of the open ocean away to the east. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, loving the scents of the sea and exposed coral. Mmmmmm perfect.

On an impulse Jo had decided on this trip just after lunch yesterday when there finally appeared to be a break in Cheswick Marine’s need to have her around constantly. She had arrived back at her Shute Harbor home to find Cadie knee-deep in an online conversation with one of her stable of authors, and more than ready to take an extended break.

While she had wrapped up her business, Jo had collected the boy-cat and a couple of boxes of supplies and loaded up the Jeep. Together they’d packed enough clothes for a few days on the water and headed back down to the company’s marina, where the Seawolf waited for them.

Jo had picked a small lagoon she called Horsehead Reef that wasn’t marked on any of the tourist maps and they’d headed for this little piece of paradise, reaching it by sunset. Dinner on deck was followed by moonlight skinny dipping, a unique experience Cadie had found sinfully enjoyable.

Lately, every day is a brand new experience, she thought, grinning at the memory of the warm water sliding over her bare skin. The reef had glittered in the silver glow of the moon, phosphorescence shimmering off the tips of the slight chop. The night creatures had flashed and darted below her and it had all felt like …

Like heaven, she sighed.

Cadie pulled herself up into a sitting position, raising her face to the sun and just savoring the warmth and peace. After a few minutes she opened her eyes again and reached for her laptop, flicking it on and waiting for it to boot. She had some research to do and outstanding emails that needed a reply.

“Awwwwww, shit.”

Cadie looked up from the screen as a string of distinctly Australian curses continued to float up from the stern of the Seawolf. The blonde was sitting cross-legged, the small computer balanced on her knees. One glance at her lover, who was standing on the flat transom at the very rear of the yacht, told her Jo was less than impressed.

“What’s up, love?” she asked, watching as Jo hauled on the dinghy’s tethering line, pulling it towards her.

“I think I just found the source of the Stink from Hell,” Jo replied. Sure enough, another wave of the all too familiar stench wafted up from the bottom of the dinghy as she drew it closer. “Geez, that’s awful,” she grimaced. Fish heads didn’t smell great at the best of times, but after several hours in the late summer sun, the rotting mess was bordering on the unspeakable. Jo sighed.

“M’gonna have to wash this out,” she grumbled. She looked up at Cadie who was grinning back at her. “You laugh now, but I’m going to need your help to get this thing out of the water,” Jo warned.

“Ewww.” Cadie put down the laptop and uncurled, pushing herself to her feet. “I guess that means no snorkeling for a while, huh?” she asked as she made her way aft and stepped down onto the transom.

Jo nodded.

“Probably not a good idea, no,” she agreed. “The bities are gonna come from miles away when they smell this stuff in the water.” She glanced at the blonde. “Sorry about that.”

Cadie smiled at her lover.

“It’s okay, sweetheart. I’m sure we’ll find other things to do,” she teased as she leaned in for a quick kiss.

“Well, yeah,” Jo replied, kissing her back. “There’s all that paperwork you needed to catch up on and there’s that patch I need to put in the spare mainsail, and …” She yelped as Cadie reached around and slapped her backside playfully. Jo grinned down at a pair of twinkling green eyes. “Or we could snuggle some more.”

“Mmmmmm.”

They had spent most of the morning in bed after breakfast had devolved into more teasing and touching. Eventually they had given in to it and retreated to the comfort of the double bunk. Cadie reached up and brushed Jo’s cheek with her fingertips.

“You know, only you and I could even contemplate sex with that smell in our nostrils,” she murmured.

“So let’s get it cleaned up,” Jo decided quickly, grinning at Cadie.

“Mhmmmm.”

Jo unclipped the boat hook from its holders and swung the six-foot pole out over the dinghy.

“First off, we need that,” she muttered as she hooked the handle of the upturned fish bucket, lifting it up and out onto the transom.

“Yuck,” said Cadie, wrinkling up her nose.

“Oh yeah.” Jo gingerly moved close enough to pick up the bucket and tip its rancid contents over the side. Then she crouched down and rinsed it out with seawater. “Now we need to empty out the dinghy without swamping it. If it fills up with water it’ll be too heavy for us.”

“Okay,” Cadie said uncertainly, eyeing the long length of the aluminum tender as Jo tugged on the rope, pulling it closer. They both crouched down, each gripping one end of the little vessel.

“Ready?” Cadie nodded. “One, two … three!” On three they yanked the dinghy up and onto the edge of the transom, dumping the spoiled fish remains into the ocean. “Good thing the yacht’s as big as it is or we’d never be able to do this,” Jo muttered, grateful that the transom was wider than the length of the dinghy. “You got it?” she asked.

Cadie braced herself and nodded as Jo tentatively let go of the balancing boat long enough to refill the bucket with seawater. She began sluicing out the bottom as Cadie held it steady.

“Okay, that ought to do it.” Jo put down the bucket and rejoined Cadie. Together they slid the dinghy back into the water. “Good job.” The tall woman grinned at her lover who was watching the activity where Jo had dumped the fish.

“Wow, look at that,” the blonde said pointing. As predicted, fish were coming from all directions, including a couple of long-jawed barracuda with impressive rows of razor-sharp teeth. Mephisto appeared from nowhere and crouched on the edge of the transom in a pose of pure feline alertness, his eyes glistening at the feast swimming just out of reach.

“Careful Mephy,” Cadie warned.

“One of these days he’s going to find himself part of the food chain,” chuckled Jo, leaning against the rail next to Cadie as they watched. “Nature at work.” She slid an arm around the shorter woman’s shoulders and kissed the side of her head. “Thanks for the help.”

Cadie smiled up at her.

“No problem, sweetie,” she replied. A small reef shark joined the feeding frenzy and Cadie watched, fascinated. “I’ve never seen one up close before,” she said, admiring the sleek creature’s aerodynamic lines and dominant presence. “It’s beautiful.”

Jo smiled.

“Mhmmmm. Sharks are so misrepresented,” she said, settling her elbows on the rail and leaning her shoulder against Cadie’s. “When I first came up here, I was as misinformed as everybody else. Any time I was in the water, I figured every shark I saw was out to get me.” Cadie nodded. “But they’re just doing their thing, trying to survive. Most times, when they do bite, it’s because they’ve misidentified you, or like now, they’re in a feeding frenzy.”

The shark below them cut through the pack of smaller fish, seemingly not picky about whether it captured alive or dead prey.

“I’m guessing that right now would not be a good time to try and pat him on the nose.” Cadie grinned.

“Um, no,” Jo agreed wryly. She glanced at the blonde’s smiling face, noting that the tension lines that had been normal for Cadie in the last few weeks of her relationship with Naomi were now completely gone. The result was lovely. “Do you have any idea how beautiful you are?” she asked quietly, unsurprised to see a very becoming blush rising on her lover’s cheeks.

Eyes close to the color of the ocean they floated on turned to Jo, one blonde eyebrow rising. Cadie cleared her throat self-consciously.

“Where did that come from?” she asked, bumping Jo with her shoulder gently. Her dark-haired companion shrugged nonchalantly.

“Just telling you what I see,” she answered with a smile.

Their relationship was still in its infancy, Cadie knew, and they were learning new things about each other every day. One of the most pleasant surprises had been discovering just how romantic her new lover could be. Now that they were free of Naomi’s presence and her obligations as yacht skipper, Jo thought nothing of saying exactly what was in her heart. It was in stark contrast to the first few weeks they had known each other and it was impossibly endearing.

Cadie reached up and gently swept the errant lock of black hair off her lover’s face. Then she planted the tenderest of kisses on Jo’s cheek, provoking a soft smile from the older woman.

“What was that for?” the skipper asked.

“That was for knowing just how to melt my heart, Miss Madison,” she whispered close to Jo’s ear. The soft words and warm breath on her skin sent tingles down Jo’s spine.

Mmmm, magic, she thought as she turned to face Cadie. They kissed, a long, slow exploration that left them both gently enervated by the time they broke off.

“Unless you want to spend the afternoon in bed as well as the morning, we’d better find something else to do,” Jo grinned.

“Mmmm, goddess that sounds tempting,” replied the blonde. “But you’re probably right.” She nibbled on Jo’s bottom lip teasingly. “Can we go walk the reef?”

“You bet,” the skipper answered. “Maybe we’ll find a few things to supplement dinner with. It might work off some this energy too.” She smiled.

“Mmmm, don’t count on it,” Cadie laughed. “I’m enjoying being alone with you when we haven’t got 17 other things to think about. I’m going to make the most of it.”

Jo laughed.

“Easy, tiger,” she said. “We’ve got all weekend.”

“I know,” Cadie replied. She looked up into gorgeous blue eyes and suddenly felt herself wanting to explain something. “The last couple of weeks have been kind of strange, Jo-Jo,” she said softly. “Everything happened in such a rush for us, and since then it’s been go, go, go.” She cupped the angular cheek above her with the palm of her hand. “I want to get to know you all over again. My heart knows you, and god knows my body has more than a half-clue.” She grinned up at Jo who matched it with one of her own. “But now I feel the need to talk and talk and talk. Does that make sense?”

Jo nodded, taking the blonde’s hand and squeezing it.

“I’m sorry. I keep forgetting how different all this is for you,” the skipper said softly. “You’ve changed my life, but yours has been changed, turned upside down and flung to the opposite side of the planet. It must feel very weird for you.”

Cadie shook her head slowly, giving her lover a reassuring smile.

“Actually one of the ways I know that I’ve made the right decision is that I feel completely at home here,” she said. “Everyone’s been very welcoming and being with you has been … is … the most perfect feeling I’ve ever known.”

A charmed smile was her answer.

“That’s mutual, my love,” came the murmured response. For a few long, pleasant seconds they just swam in each other’s gaze before Jo cleared her throat. “How about a walk on the reef, then lunch?”

“Yes, please.”

Jo couldn’t remember the last time she had felt so contented. Her belly was full, the ocean was calm and tranquil, and her lover was snuggled up against her. The late afternoon sun was warming their backs as she and Cadie wound down from an energetic day spent exploring the small coral atoll nearby.

Jo yawned. She was curled on her right side, resting her head on her hand, her back against the deck cowling in the bow of the Seawolf. Cadie sat cross-legged in front of her and was resting against the tall woman's stomach. The blonde had her computer in her lap and she was trawling through website after website.

Jo found herself fascinated by a long thin scar that ran the length of the back of Cadie’s upper right arm. She trailed a finger tip down the faint white line, chuckling when it produced the slightest of shivers from her blonde companion.

“Ah, you’ve found my one blemish,” Cadie said wryly, as she tried to focus on the computer screen despite the rather pleasant tingles Jo’s touch triggered.

“How did you get this?” Jo asked as leaned forward to kiss the scar.

“Ice skating on the lagoon at Tenney Park, when I was a kid,” Cadie replied. She turned from the computer and brushed her fingers across Jo’s cheek. “I’m guessing that ice and snow haven’t figured too much in your life.” She grinned.

Jo thought about it for a moment.

“I’ve never seen snow, actually,” she said, looking up into wide green eyes. “Well, that’s not so unusual, honey. We don’t exactly get a lot of it here.” She shrugged. “When I was living in Sydney I sometimes thought about going up into the Snowy Mountains for some skiing, but I never seemed to get around to it. Apart from Tasmania, way down south, that’s about the only place to see snow. And the only ice I’ve seen is in my scotch.”

Cadie laughed.

“I’m really looking forward to showing you my hometown,” she said softly. “Especially in winter. It’s going to blow your mind.” She hesitated when Jo’s face took on a slightly grim expression. “What’s wrong, love?”

Jo sighed.

“I think the chances of your government letting me into the US with my criminal record are really, really remote,” she said honestly, meeting Cadie’s somber gaze. “It’s not like I can hide it, or play it down.” She lowered her eyes again, suddenly ashamed. “I was what I was. And there’s no way they’re going to just shrug their shoulders and say ‘okay, come on in, Miss ex-Assassin’.”

Cadie slid her fingers under the dark-haired woman’s jaw and tilted her chin up, forcing the blue eyes to look at her.

“Your record was expunged,” she said quietly. “That has to count for something.”

Jo shook her head slowly.

“No,” she corrected. “I was given immunity from prosecution for turning those guys in, but nobody’s pretending I never did the things I did. I killed people, Cadie. For a living.” Her eyes were fierce now, darkened by her emotions. “There’s no getting away from it, and it’s there for all to see. And if something happens, and I reoffend...”

“That’s not going to happen,” Cadie soothed, cupping Jo’s cheek. “We’ll figure something out, sweetheart. Perhaps Ken can help us out.”

Detective Superintendent Ken Harding. Jo smiled at the thought of the big Sydney cop she’d surrendered to all those years ago when all the killing had become too much. Harding was, in many ways, a complete caricature – overweight, balding, crude and rough around the edges. But he had a soft spot for her, Jo knew. And he’d come to her rescue a few weeks ago when he’d helped take down one of her old Sydney cronies who had come seeking a little revenge. Yeah, maybe old Ken can help, she thought affectionately.

“He certainly can’t hurt,” she said aloud, mustering a smile for Cadie. “Tell me more about... what was it...? Tenney Park?” she asked. “Is it in Madison?”

Cadie grinned.

“Mhmmmm. It’s a lagoon with a big island in the middle and seating for outdoor concerts and picnics and stuff. And in winter the lagoon freezes over and the kids go wild.”

“And you went a little too wild, huh?”

Cadie felt herself blushing despite the teasing smile on her lover’s face.

“I was a pretty decent athlete back then.” She put the laptop down on the deck and turned towards Jo, leaning her elbow on the supine woman’s hip. “Part of that was because of Sebastian,” Cadie murmured.

“Your brother.”

“Mhmmmm. After he died… well, he had been into everything, y’know?” Jo nodded as she listened. “Football, hockey, track...”

“All-American boy, huh?” Jo said, watching the memories of childhood and a now-distant grief cross her partner’s face.

“Oh yeah …” Cadie answered softly. “Anyway … I kind of picked up where he left off, I guess.” She smiled. “So playing pick-up games of hockey on Tenney Park lagoon was pretty much my preferred winter activity.”

Jo chuckled.

“Somebody get a little rough with you?”

Cadie snorted.

“Nope. I just zigged when I should have zagged and slid into a tree branch. Broke my arm in two places."

“Ouch.”

“Big time.”

Mephisto sauntered across the deck and draped himself over Jo’s shoulder and arm.

“Don’t mind me, boycat,” the skipper said dryly. “Feel free to use me as your personal cushion.”

“Riaaaaaaaoooooooooow.”

“Oh shut up.”

Cadie felt a peaceful sense of happiness settle over her. However quickly their relationship had snuck up on them both, however drastically their lives had changed, she felt completely blessed to be here with this beautiful woman. On a yacht. With a cat. She laughed and scratched the feline between his ears, an action which produced one of the most blissful expressions she had ever seen.

She glanced down at her lover, whose half-lidded blue eyes watched her avidly, a tiny smile gracing the full lips.

Except perhaps for that blissful expression.

“Penny for your thoughts,” Cadie said softly.

The tiny smile grew wider.

“I love you.”

Oh my.

Cadie felt a warm ball of… it’s mush, that’s what it is, she thought happily… spreading through her gut. When did I start to crave her, she wondered. The idea of her has always been in my mind, I know that now. Naomi never did fill that need.

“I love you too,” she answered. They basked in each other for a few more seconds before Jo laughed a low rumble of amusement that sent Mephisto scurrying away.

Jo turned her attention to the laptop.

“I thought you said you couldn’t connect to the internet out here,” she asked, noting that Cadie had been surfing the Australian government’s Department of Immigration website.

“I can’t,” the blonde confirmed. “I downloaded these sites to my hard drive yesterday before we left.”

“Ahhh, okay.” Jo flicked through a series of hyperlinks. “So what have you been able to figure out about your visa?”

Cadie sighed. She wished she had good news to tell her lover, but so far her research had yielded some pretty depressing results. She pulled herself upright and sat cross-legged.

“Well,” she began. “You know I’m here on a standard, three-month visa, right?”

“Mhmmmm,” Jo answered. “And you’ve got about six weeks to run on that.”

“Yes. The good news there is I can apply for a three-month extension.”

“Okay,” Jo said cautiously. “That’s a good thing, right?” She pushed herself up off the deck and turned around, sitting with her back against the cowling. Cadie smiled and took the opportunity to stay close, sliding between Jo’s knees and leaning back against her lover’s solid frame.

“It’s a good thing,” she said as she settled back, sighing contentedly as strong arms encircled her waist and held her close. “Mmmmmm, nice.” Warm breath tickled her ear.

“Yes you are,” Jo burred. She captured Cadie’s lobe gently between her teeth and nibbled it playfully. The blonde groaned and dropped her head back onto the taller woman’s shoulder.

“You are so wicked,” Cadie murmured, pressing even closer.

"Mhmmmmm, and I'm beginning to think you quite enjoy that," Jo whispered back, loving the way Cadie's body responded unconsciously to her touch.

Cadie's answer was to turn her head slightly so she could claim Jo's wandering lips in a soul-deep kiss that left them both breathless.

"Mmmmmm, what were we talking about?" Jo sighed a few minutes later.

"I have no idea," the blonde replied, happy just to be cradled in Jo's arms as the sun set behind them.

The skipper pressed her lips against Cadie's hair and gazed out across the gold-flecked sea.

Only one thing could make this more perfect that it already is, Jo thought.

"I want you here permanently, Cadie," she said quietly. "I don't think you having to shuttle between here and the States is going to work for very long. It's not fair on you." She smiled as Cadie snuggled closer, burying her face against the taller woman's neck. "So, as long as you want to be here with me, I think we should do everything we can to make sure you can stay without all that hassle."

Cadie took a few seconds just to let the words sink in.

It’s so different from being with Naomi, she reflected. I can’t remember the last time she told me she loved me just because that’s what she was feeling. There was always an ulterior motive with her. She looked up at her new lover’s profile, the setting sun throwing her face into shadows. There was still enough light to catch the pale blue of her irises, though. With Jo it’s real, Cadie realized. There’s no pretence, no artifice. She says what’s in her heart, not what she thinks I want to hear.

“I want to be here with you, Jo-Jo,” she said softly. Those blue eyes looked down at her, and Cadie caught her breath at what she saw there. “More than anything in the world.” She sighed. “I just don’t think it’s going to be as easy as we want it to be.”

A dark brow quirked at her.

“I thought I just had to sponsor you,” Jo said seriously. “You know, I guarantee to cover whatever debts you might incur in the first couple of years, that sort of thing.”

Cadie shook her head.

“Not that simple I’m afraid.” She sat up again and pulled the computer towards her, flicking through the pages she had downloaded until she came to the relevant set of information. “See, according to this, there’s two ways of immigrating to Australia.” She pulled the laptop up and rested it on her knees, making it easier for Jo to see. “There’s a skilled program and there’s a family program.”

Jo’s brow furrowed.

“Meaning what?”

“Well, the skilled program means if you are in an occupation that’s listed as being crucial to Australia’s economy then you have an excellent chance of being accepted.”

Jo looked at her.

“And is literary agent on the list?”

Cadie shook her head.

“Not even anything close, as far as I can see,” she said.

“So what about the family program?”

“That’s a little more hopeful, but it’s still not simple.” She clicked through a couple more pages. “Here we go,” she murmured. “A spouse or fiancée or de facto can sponsor someone as an immigrant. It doesn’t specifically include same-sex couples.” She thought about that a moment. “Of course, it doesn’t specifically exclude them either. But there are other conditions.”

“Like what?”

Cadie looked at Jo.

“For a start we have to have been together for a minimum of 12 months,” she said quietly.

“Ah.”

They smiled wistfully at each other.

“Sometimes I have a hard time believing we’ve only been together a few weeks,” Cadie whispered. She reached for Jo, brushing her cheek with the pad of her thumb. “But somehow I don’t think the immigration officials are going to buy the ‘but we’ve been together forever in our hearts’ line.”

Jo sighed and shook her head slowly. She didn’t think she could trust her voice so she took a moment to just rest her forehead against Cadie’s.

“There are exceptions,” the blonde whispered after a few seconds. “We don’t have to actually live together for 12 months, but we do have to prove we’ve been in a committed, sharing relationship for at least that time.”

Jo blinked at her from close range.

“So that means …” She thought about it some more. “That means, even if you have to keep going back to the States every few months for a while, as long as we can prove that we’re still in contact and still together … then, after a year, we will meet the criteria?”

Cadie leaned closer and kissed the soft lips in front of her.

“Yes, I think so.”

She was rewarded with a stellar grin that transformed the somber mood of the moment.

“So what the hell are we worried about?”

Jo balanced herself on the Seawolf’s bowsprit. The narrow railing encompassed the big yacht’s pointed nose and if she shuffled herself out far enough, Jo was hanging out over the cool, clear ocean. She wrapped her legs around the snub end of the rail and let the slightly chilled pre-dawn air settle around her. Away to the east the horizon was just beginning to be tinged by pink, the mist from the breakers that crashed on the edge of the outer reef creating a hazy layer that diffused the rising sun's rays.

Jo let herself relax into her deep breathing exercises as she watched the slowly spreading colors. It had been quite a while since she practiced her early morning meditation routine, she realized. What with one thing and another, every minute of sleep had been precious.

She grinned to herself. And of course there is the fact that Cadie and I can't keep our hands of each other, she admitted. Can't say I mind too much about that.

But this morning she had woken before dawn and her body had shown every sign of wanting to be up and about. Cadie was deeply asleep against her side. Somehow she had managed to untangle herself from the blonde's unconscious grasp without waking her and had tiptoed out of the cabin.

Slowly she inhaled and exhaled, listening to her breath. Jo closed her eyes, reaching out with her other senses to experience the sunrise - the gentle slap of water against the Seawolf's hull, the distant roar of the breakers, the clinking of the rigging against the mast as the breeze disturbed them.

She took another deep breath, this time concentrating on the smells of the ocean, tangy and full of life. She started the meditation techniques, imagining the breeze blowing through her rather than around her.

Bit by bit she felt herself relaxing, her consciousness spreading outwards as if her molecules were scattering with the wind. She let herself drift with it, sensing the growing warmth of the sun.

Cadie rolled towards her lover, disappointed to find an empty space in the sheets where the Jo's lanky frame should have been.

"Jo-Jo?" she mumbled, pushing herself up and blinking sleepily at the obviously empty cabin. "Where did you go?" The door to the head was open and Jo was clearly not in there. Cadie slumped back into the bedclothes.

She’s probably just getting a drink of water, or something. Contented with that solution for the time being, she allowed herself to hover between wakefulness and slumber.

Unknown minutes later, and with no sign of her bedmate, Cadie came awake again. This time there was a little gnawing worm of anxiety in her gut as she let her eyes adjust to the cabin’s lack of illumination. She couldn’t see much and could hear even less. There was no movement either in the main cabin or up on deck.

Well, it’s a boat. It’s not like she could go far, she chastised herself. Unless she fell overboard. She thought about that for a few seconds and dismissed it. For god’s sake, Arcadia, would you relax? Impatient with herself she punched her pillow, fluffing it up and thumping back down into it. And then another thought occurred to her. Maybe she needed some time to herself.

“In the middle of the night?” she wondered aloud. The small clock on the bedside table mocked her. “Okay, so it’s not the middle of the night,” she muttered. “But near enough to it, damn it.”

Cadie clutched the pillow to her and curled up on her side in the middle of the bed, suddenly feeling irrationally insecure.

Am I crowding her, she wondered. She’s been alone so long, perhaps having me around has been a little too much, too soon. She gnawed at her bottom lip, giving it some more thought for a few minutes. She hasn’t given any sign that she’s unhappy, though, she conceded. And I’ve never yet seen her manage to keep anything like that hidden … so …

She made up her mind to get over the insecurity and rolled up out of the bed, reaching for her cutoff denim shorts and a t-shirt. A couple of minutes later she stepped up into the Seawolf’s cockpit.

“Oh wow,” she murmured, taking in the gentle pinks and oranges that suffused the sky. A warm, furry body bumped around Cadie’s calves, weaving back and forth between her legs. “Hello boycat,” she said quietly. “How about we find your mom, hey?”

One good thing about staying on a yacht, she reflected. You don’t have to go too far to find somebody. She quickly spotted Jo and smiled at the precarious spot she’d picked to watch the sunrise. As Cadie walked closer she could hear her lover humming in a low monotone. Meditating, she realized, surprised. I swear I learn something new about her every day.

Rather than disturbing Jo, Cadie soundlessly dropped to the deck, resting her back against the mast.

Might as well enjoy the sunrise as well, she thought, her eyes firmly on Jo, who was silhouetted against the golden background of the sky.

Jo reached the end of her meditation routine and let herself return to consciousness slowly. She blinked a few times, smiling at the sun as it climbed a few degrees up off the horizon.

Mmmmmm that felt good. I needed that, she thought contentedly as she stretched. Her spine popped and crackled and even that felt good. She twisted around, swinging her legs over the bowsprit rail and sliding back onto the deck in one smooth movement. The sight that greeted her there brought her up short.

Cadie was sound asleep, slumped against the mast, her face turned to the sun, blonde hair framing a blissful expression. Mephisto was draped bonelessly across the woman’s lap, also dead to the world.

Jo chuckled, totally enchanted by the scenario.

“Well, isn’t that just the prettiest picture of the morning so far,” she murmured, tiptoeing closer. Slowly she lowered herself to the deck, stretching out on her side next to Cadie, resting her head on her hand. With her other hand she reached out and tickled Mephy’s belly, making his tail twitch. The fluffy tip brushed across Cadie’s thigh and the blonde woke up to a pair of twinkling blue eyes and a broad grin.

“Wh… b… Jesus,” she muttered.

“And good morning to you too, sweetheart,” Jo said, beaming up at her.

Cadie groaned and rubbed the back of her neck, where she’d developed a crick.

“I didn’t mean to fall asleep,” she grumbled.

Jo pushed herself up, placing one hand on either side of Cadie’s lap, ducking her head for a kiss.

“Don’t worry about it,” she said after they had thoroughly greeted each other. Jo smiled again. “You looked so peaceful sitting there, I didn’t want to disturb you.”

“S’funny,” Cadie murmured. “That’s exactly what I was thinking when I first came up to find you.” She ran her thumb over Jo’s lips, tracing the gentle smile she found there.

“Didn’t mean to wake you,” the dark-haired woman said quietly, charmed by the way the sea-green eyes in front of her followed the movements of her mouth as she spoke.

“Mmmmmm, I just missed you,” Cadie answered. “And then I started to wonder if I wasn’t crowding you, and you’d gone off to find some space for yourself.” That produced a raised eyebrow. “And then I gave myself a hard time for that, because I know you would have said something if that was the case.” She waited for the nod before she continued. “And then I just decided to get up and come find you,” she concluded.

Jo wrapped her arm around Cadie’s waist then rolled onto her back, pulling the smaller woman down on top of her as Mephisto scurried off to find a new place to snooze.

“I’m not feeling the least bit crowded actually,” Jo said as Cadie’s compact frame settled against her.

“Does that surprise you?” the blonde asked.

“A little,” Jo admitted. “I’ve never lived with anyone before, so I guess I was expecting it would be something I’d have to get used to. But it really has been easy.” She beamed up at her lover who nodded at her.

“So it doesn’t drive you nuts that I’m not as tidy as you are?”

Jo laughed.

“You’re not untidy, love,” she reassured. “I’m just a bit of a neat freak, is all.”

It was Cadie’s turn to chuckle.

“Have you always been like that, or is it because you spend so much time on boats?” she wondered.

Jo thought about it.

“I think I’ve always been like that,” she decided. “I can remember, back home, my mother used to joke that my bedroom was ‘unnatural’.” She grinned. “I always had to have everything in its place, y’know?” Cadie nodded and smiled back at her. Jo shrugged. “I just like being organized, I think. It’s the way my mind works.”

Cadie kissed her softly.

“I love the way your mind works,” she murmured against Jo’s lips.

“Mmmmmm, this is a good thing.”

They occupied themselves for a few minutes just kissing and nibbling, hands touching and exploring in a slow and gentle reawakening.

“Do you miss them?” Cadie asked finally.

Jo looked where her hands were resting, and squeezed the perfect handfuls gently.

“Constantly,” she grinned.

“Tch, not them, silly,” Cadie giggled.

Jo watched the faint blush making its way up the blonde’s neck to her face, highlighting her light brows. Gorgeous.

“You are so beautiful,” she murmured, smiling as her words heightened the effect of the blush.

“You are so biased,” Cadie demurred.

“Yes I am,” the dark-haired woman agreed. “But that doesn’t make you any less beautiful.”

Cadie’s heart melted. How did I get this lucky, she wondered.

“You didn’t answer the question,” she whispered.

“What question? Oh … do I miss my parents, you mean?” Jo’s gaze drifted from Cadie’s face to somewhere over her shoulder.

The blonde watched the emotions flicking across her partner’s face. Jo hadn’t seen her parents in about 15 years, she knew. Not since she had sneaked away from their farm in the west of New South Wales as a troubled teenager and headed for the temptations of Sydney. They had talked over the phone a few times, but Cadie knew it had been at least a year since their last contact.

Jo sighed.

“I guess I do, kind of, yeah,” she admitted. “I don’t … it’s been so long. I don’t know who they are any more, and for sure I’m a completely different person from the kid they knew.” Her eyes flicked back to Cadie’s. “And I guess I feel guilty as well. The longer it goes on, the easier it is to stay away.”

Cadie absorbed that, wondering just how true that was, or if Jo was avoiding the issue. I’d like to meet her parents, she thought. But unless she’s comfortable with the concept, I’m not going to push it.

Jo had her hands behind her head, eyes closed.

“I’d like them to meet you, though,” she said suddenly. Cadie smiled quietly, watching the older woman’s face carefully. “Maybe with you around, they’ll see that I’m not such a waste of time.”

Awwwwww Jo-Jo, don’t do that to yourself.

Cadie pushed Jo’s fringe away from her eyes.

“Why do you think that’s how they see you?” she asked gently.

She watched Jo swallow. Blue eyes blinked repeatedly.

“Because they’ve never asked me to come home,” came the bleak response.

“Ohhh, Jo-Jo.” Cadie leaned closer, wrapping her arms around her soulmate’s waist. She felt Jo bury her face against her neck and she planted a soft kiss against the black hair. “I don’t think it’s about them thinking you’re a waste of time, sweetheart,” she whispered. “I think, when you ran away, they were hurt and scared and angry because they didn’t understand. But I also think they wanted you to have what you wanted - which was to be anywhere but the farm.” She felt Jo go very still in her arms, just listening. Softly, softly, Arcadia. “Maybe staying silent was their way of letting you go. And as time went on, like you said, it got more and more difficult to ask for what they really wanted. To see you. To ask you to come home.”

Jo sniffled slightly, and wiped her face on Cadie’s t-shirt, provoking a smile from the blonde.

“D-do you want to meet them?” Very quiet.

“I’d like to very much, yes,” Cadie answered honestly. “But I understand how difficult that will be for you, sweetheart. And I’m in no hurry.”

Jo pulled back a little and Cadie kissed a stray tear from her cheek.

“I… uh… maybe we could start with a phone call?” she asked uncertainly.

Cadie laughed softly, kissing Jo’s lips.

“Yes, hon. We can do that.”

Chapter Two

It was silent in the darkened office. The figure slumped in the mahogany leather chair gazed through the large window at the cityscape outside. Bustling traffic around Union Station was evidence of rush hour, the imposing building glistening against the night sky as cars and people swirled around it. The shadowed form looked down on the organized chaos of a Washington DC late winter’s evening. Her mind was a long way from the city though, and her mood was dark and uncertain.

Senator Naomi Silverberg, the junior Republican senator for Illinois, was deeply depressed, and that was always a dangerous state for her. But she felt she had good cause to be in a foul temper. Thanks to a drunken, ill thought out evening on the tiles at the Australian island resort she had been visiting, Silverberg’s face had been plastered all over the Australian media. It hadn’t taken long for the good news to filter across the Pacific and she had been recalled by the party to Washington. She had arrived home to be greeted by a hostile press, and an even less friendly meeting with the GOP’s higher echelons.

She’d also returned without her partner, and that too had set tongues wagging. Her long-term relationship with Arcadia had been one of the cornerstones on which her successful political career had been built. So far the cover story they’d concocted to explain Cadie’s absence had held with the press, but the time was rapidly approaching for her partner to stop this nonsense and come home.

The party leadership was not happy with her, Naomi knew. Most were slightly to the right of Genghis Khan to begin with, and had grudgingly supported her career only when the power of the pink dollar had been pointed out to them. It was no secret that many Republicans had been waiting for any opportunity to take her down a few notches. And they had. Resoundingly. She had been carpeted, keelhauled and hung out to dry. It would be a long climb back.

Bells began ringing through the office building. Up on the wall of the office, just below the clock, a series of lights blinked into life. Behind her a door opened, admitting a member of her staff. In his early 30s, neat, bespectacled and earnest, Jason Samuels was one half of the senator’s public relations team. He and his partner, Toby McIntyre, had been with the politician in Australia. They had watched Silverberg’s relationship with her partner unravel in the face of the unquestionable chemistry between Cadie and the yacht skipper they had met there. And since their return to the US they had witnessed the steady breakdown of the senator’s personality.

Silverberg had always been an abrasive character, but despite her flaws she had never failed to do her job as a politician. Jason wasn’t sure that was the truth any more. She was even more emotionally erratic, had skipped important meetings and brushed off lobbyists she wouldn’t have dreamed of ignoring a few months ago. And lately … well, lately she’d had a gleam in her eye that just didn’t look quite sane.

He shook that last thought away as nonsensical. She’s just tired and angry and defensive, he decided.

Jason approached cautiously, casting a glance up at the lights which indicated a vote in the Senate Chamber, and the time left for Naomi to make the quick trip over to the Capitol to cast her vote. The silhouette in the chair hadn’t moved, however.

“Vote’s on, senator,” Jason said quietly. “You’ve got about 10 minutes.”

There was no movement from over by the window and he waited. Lately she had been hard to predict and he no longer knew when he could push her and when it was best to leave her be. After almost 10 years working for her, that was unnerving.

She’s never been the most affable of people, he acknowledged. But since we came back from Australia … He let that thought go unfinished as he stepped forward and placed a file of documents on the large oak desk the senator sat behind.

“Get me the phone number of Cheswick Marine,” came a husky voice from behind the high back of the leather chair.

Ahhh. Now at least I know where her mind is, he thought.

“I’ll have it for you when you come back from the Chamber,” he answered carefully.

“Get it now,” she growled.

Jason sighed. Don’t get on a jag now, Nay, please, he thought.

“You don’t have time to call now, senator,” he said patiently.

“Get it NOW!” The senator spun the chair around to him and he was faced with sparking brown eyes that brooked no further argument.

“Yes ma’am,” he muttered, turning on his heel and walking back out to the aides’ room. He closed the door behind him and caught the eye of his partner, who was tucked behind a plain wooden desk in the far corner of the crowded room.

“Problem?” Toby asked, noting Jason’s harried expression as he weaved his way through the other desks towards him. The two men looked disconcertingly alike, though Toby was the slightly taller of the two.

“She wants the phone number of the yacht charter company,” Jason answered, dropping his voice so they couldn’t be overheard by the receptionist and the other three aides in the room.

“Shit. Now?” Toby asked, glancing down at his watch. “She’s never gonna make that goddamn vote, and then we’ll have the Sergeant-at-Arms on our ass.”

Jason nodded.

“I know,” he said, quickly flicking through the Rolodex on Toby’s desk. “Here it is.” He yanked the card from the file just as the office door behind them slammed open and the stocky politician stalked out. As she drew level with the two men she reached out a hand and Jason wordlessly placed the card against her palm.

“What am I voting on?” she asked gruffly, tucking the card in her pocket.

“Child Protection Bill,” Toby replied.

“Yea or nay?” She straightened her jacket, and then twisted her skirt slightly, realigning it.

The two men looked at each other.

“You’re in favor of it,” Jason said dryly.

“Fine,” she muttered. Without another word she stepped out into the hallway, joining the steady stream of politicians and aides making for the Capitol.

Toby and Jason looked at each other, mutual concern in their eyes.

“Is it time to go home yet?” Jason asked plaintively.

Jo broke the surface and spat the snorkel’s mouthpiece out as she trod water between the Seawolf and the small coral reef to her left. Cadie was in front of her, about 20 feet away, face down as she took in the colorful vista below. Jo wasn’t sure just what had made her stick her head up, but she reached up and flipped the mask off her face as she looked around. There it was again – a distant rumbling that had her blinking up at the unblemished blue sky.

Thunder? She swiveled around to the southwest, where the mainland was just over the horizon. Sure enough a line of thick, black thunderheads was gathering, and if the weather patterns followed their usual course, the storm would be rolling towards them. Oh yeah.

“Seawolf, Seawolf, this is Shute Harbor Coastguard. Come in.”

The radio crackled and spat in reaction to a distant bolt of lightning, before the voice returned.

“Seawolf, Seawolf, this is Shute Harbor. Please respond.”

Jo cursed softly and struck out for the short metal ladder hanging over the port side of the yacht. She tossed the snorkel and mask on board before she climbed up, ignoring the large puddles of water she splattered over the deck. Quickly she ducked down the companionway, flipping the radio handset off its clip.

“Shute Harbor, Shute Harbor, this is Seawolf. Come in.”

“That you, Jo-Jo? You had me worried there for a bit.” She smiled as she recognized the man’s voice.

“Yeah, Mike, it’s me. Sorry, mate, I was in the water. I bet you’re about to tell me there’s a storm coming.”

“You got it,” came the static-distorted response. “And it’s supposed to be a beauty, too. They’re predicting hail with high winds.”

Shit. “Okay, thanks Mike. Is it moving northeast?”

“Yeah. Let us know what you decide to do, eh?”

Jo held down the transmitter button again.

“Will do, Shute Harbor. Seawolf out.” She replaced the handset and stood, hands on hips for a few seconds, contemplating her options. “Bugger,” she muttered as she climbed the steps up to the cockpit. A glance over her shoulder told her the line of storms had already advanced noticeably. Jo walked to the side, looking for her partner. The American had moved closer to the reef, oblivious to the approaching weather. The skipper cupped her hands around her mouth and called out.

“Cadie!”

Immediately the blonde head lifted, turning towards the sound.

“Hey!” Cadie answered. “What are you doing up there?” She grinned.

Jo smiled back and pointed towards the storm front. Cadie followed the line of her hand, her eyes widening at the sight of the threatening sky. Straight away she began swimming back to the yacht. The skipper walked over to the ladder and reached down to help her lover up.

“I guess we’ve got to get moving, huh?” Cadie asked as Jo handed her a towel, picking up one for herself at the same time.

They stood together, drying off in the last of the sunlight.

“Well, we’ve got a few options,” Jo replied. “We could stay put and just ride it out. Or we can head out to sea and try to outflank it on the open water. Or we could head for the nearest port.”

“Which would be?”

“Hayman,” Jo said, naming the northernmost island resort in the Whitsunday chain.

“Can we get there in time?” Cadie asked, pulling a pair of cutoff denim shorts up over her swimsuit.

“Probably not, no,” Jo said bluntly. “It’s still our best plan, though, I think.” Truth be told, the Seawolf was a little too big for just two crew members, especially when one of them was as inexperienced as Cadie. Not that Jo doubted the younger woman’s abilities. She had learned a lot in the short weeks since she had first come onboard, plus she was fit and strong for her size. But taking on the open ocean in the middle of a storm in a large, under-crewed yacht was something even Jo thought twice about. “If we’re going to get caught in a storm I’d rather do it in the Passage than out at sea,” she said aloud, watching Cadie’s face for her reaction.

“Sounds good to me, skipper,” the blonde answered confidently, utterly sure of her partner’s judgment. “Hayman it is. And maybe,” her green eyes sparkled, “maybe we could even coax dinner out of Mama Rosa.”

Jo grinned. Rosa Palmieri was an old friend. She and her family lived and worked at the Hayman Island resort and they had happily adopted Cadie as one of their own. Mama Rosa was a traditional Italian cook, prone to producing gargantuan meals that were truly legendary.

“Now that does sound like a plan,” Jo said. “God, my mouth is already watering.” Cadie stepped closer, using her towel to brush the last of the water from the taller woman’s shoulders. “Hello, Miss Jones,” Jo burred, amazed as always by her body’s visceral response to her partner’s proximity.

“Hello,” Cadie answered with a quiet smile. She stood up on tiptoe and softly kissed the corner of Jo’s mouth. “Oh captain, my captain,” she whispered.

“Oh shut up,” Jo murmured back before she pulled the blonde closer and renewed the contact. Storm? What storm?

For long, leisurely seconds Jo put the thought of the oncoming thunderstorm firmly in the back of her mind, preferring to concentrate on the luscious feel of the soft lips on hers. Cadie had wrapped her arms around her neck and the tall skipper gladly lifted her closer as the kiss deepened.

When they broke apart it was with a mutual sigh.

“Ready to do some sailing?” Jo murmured.

“You bet. What do you need me to do?” Cadie answered softly, feeling Jo kissing her forehead gently.

“Find the boycat and shut him below decks,” the skipper replied. “Last thing we need is him wet and miserable.” Cadie felt the grin against her skin and chuckled.

“Okay,” she agreed, pulling back and looking up into blue eyes.

“Then give Shute Harbor a call? Let them know we’re heading to Hayman.”

Cadie nodded and moved away.

“I’ll dig out the wet weather gear as well,” she said. “I have a feeling we’re going to need it.”

“Oh yeah,” Jo muttered.

Twenty minutes later they were under sail, tacking into a hefty breeze coming off the front of the storm’s wall cloud. They had picked their way through the maze of small reefs using the yacht’s motor, but once in deep water Jo had hoisted the large mainsail and the smaller foresail and they had pointed towards Hayman Island, due west from them.

Cadie was at the helm, the wind whipping her blonde hair back from her face as they raced towards the oncoming storm front. Jo finished trimming the mainsail, winding hard on the geared winch until she had the rigging taut. There was no rain yet, but she grabbed one of the yellow slickers Cadie had brought up from below and pulled it on, grimacing at the clammy feel of the plastic against her sweaty skin. She picked her way aft to the helm and handed Cadie the other waterproof jacket.

“Thanks,” said the blonde, stepping back so Jo could take the wheel while she put it on. “How long do you think it’s going to take us?” she asked.

Jo glanced down at the gauge that clocked the boat’s speed. They were nudging 10 knots, about as fast as they could go without risking the rigging. They listed to starboard by about 20 degrees and so far the yacht was cutting nicely through the moderate chop.

“Probably about another hour,” she calculated. “We’re lucky we weren’t further north or we’d be beating right into the wind. At least we’ve got a bit of a favorable angle this way.” She handed the helm back to the blonde, sliding in behind Cadie and wrapping her arms around her waist.

“I know this isn’t the best weather in the world,” Cadie said. “But I’m really enjoying this.” She looked over her shoulder and caught the feral grin on her lover’s face. “You are too, aren’t you, skipper?”

“Oh yeah,” Jo answered happily, squeezing Cadie gently. “I’m glad you love doing this. I find it pretty hard to imagine not being able to get out here every now and then.”

“Mmmmmm well, you don’t need to worry about that,” Cadie replied. She adjusted their heading a little, pointing them more directly at Hayman, which was now visible on the horizon. They were almost under the lip of the dark wall cloud and the atmosphere was rich with ozone. Both women looked up.

“Wow,” said Cadie. The clouds were low enough that she felt she could almost reach out and touch them. Behind the leading edge lightning crackled sporadically, illuminating an impenetrable blanket of rain that was fast approaching. But it was the cloud formation immediately overhead that gave Cadie goose-bumps. Ragged tendrils hung down and she could see that there was a slow rotation to their movements. Unconsciously she gripped the wheel even tighter, grateful for the long arms around her waist and the solid frame behind her.

“You okay?” Jo asked, her breath a welcome warmth against her ear.

“Yeah, she’s just bucking a little,” Cadie grunted, wrestling the helm as the yacht labored through a bigger than average wave. “Jo, you know I was raised in the Midwest, right?” Cadie said as she flicked her eyes to their course and then back up to the swirling cloud.

“Yeah,” the skipper replied, her own eyes also fixated on the menacing formation above them.

“You ever heard of Tornado Alley?”

Jo tore her eyes away and looked down at her partner’s anxious face.

“Sure,” she answered.

“Well, in my part of the world, if you see clouds doing that,” she pointed at a rotating mass hanging from the bottom of the advancing front, “you move the hell away in the opposite direction.”

Jo nodded, understanding her partner’s anxiety.

“Tornados are a pretty rare thing in this part of the world, love,” she reassured, fascinated by the activity above them. “Besides which, we’re so far under it now, any direction we go is away from it.” She grinned.

“Oh thanks,” Cadie snorted. “That’s reassuring.”

Large drops of rain began to splosh onto the deck and both women flipped up the hoods on their wet weather gear.

"Keep your fingers crossed that we don't get hit by hail," Jo muttered close to Cadie's ear.

"Wonderful."

Jo spotted a bullet of faster-moving air rippling across the water and she scooted past Cadie.

“Bear away!” she yelled as she dove for the winches, trying to bleed some air out of the taut sails. Cadie didn’t ask questions, just swung the yacht starboard until the wind was coming from directly behind her. She held the Seawolf steady while Jo reefed the mainsail, reducing the big boat’s sail area and lessening the risk of damage to the rigging in the blustery winds. “Okay!” the skipper shouted, waving. The blonde leaned her weight against the wheel, fighting the inertia. Slowly the nose turned to port again and the sails refilled. Now the yacht felt more manageable, less inclined to fight Cadie’s control.

“How’s that?” Jo asked as she came back to the helm, wiping the water from her face.

“Better,” Cadie acknowledged even as she kept her focus firmly on their final destination, the safe haven of Hayman Island’s sheltered marina. She shook the rain out of her eyes.

“We’re gonna make it, love,” Jo said, blinking happily at her through the downpour. Cadie couldn’t help grinning back.

“You’re loving every minute of this aren’t you?” she yelled.

“Oh yeah! Woooohooooooooooooooooooo!”

Naomi slammed the phone down, the sound reverberating around the empty office. It was late and she was alone, the rest of her staff having left for the night. She had just tried calling Cheswick Marine but had gotten nothing but a busy tone, a frustrating beginning to her quest to contact her ex-partner.

No. Not my ex-anything, she thought grimly, feeling the burning anger gnawing at her gut. My partner. My goddamn, lying, cheating, slut of a partner. For the first few weeks after she'd returned without Cadie, it had been easy for the senator to carry on as usual. But as the time approached for the blonde to come home and the press started to ask difficult questions, Naomi had found it harder and harder to contain her anger.

She placed her forehead on the back of her hands as they rested on the heavy oak desktop.

She’s not going to get away with humiliating me like this, Naomi thought. Nobody jeopardizes my career and my happiness this way. All I need to do is get her back here, then I can make her see that this is where she belongs. There isn’t anything she needs that I can’t give her.

She lifted her head again and reached for the phone.

“And there isn’t going to be anything that tall bitch can do about it,” she muttered. But first we try the easy way, she thought.

The senator flipped over the card with Cheswick Marine’s number on it and redialed. This time she heard the double ring tones of the Australian phone system and then someone picked up.

“Cheswick Marine,” said a cheery female voice with a broad accent.

“This is Senator Naomi Silberberg,” the American answered. “Please give me a phone number for Arcadia Jones.”

There was a pause as the woman on the other end of the phone processed the abrupt request.

“I’m sorry, Senator,” she finally replied. “Cadie is out on the water at the moment and out of contact.”

“Don’t give me that,” Naomi growled. “I’ve been on that boat. I know that they’re never out of contact. They have a cell phone. They have a radio. Now give me the goddamned number.”

But Doris Simmons, faithful office manager of Cheswick Marine was not going to budge – not when it came to company policy, and certainly not when it came to the well-being and happiness of her boss and her boss’ partner.

“There’s nothing I can do, Senator,” Doris insisted, her voice firm and unyielding. “It’s not company policy to give out cell phone numbers of our employees. The best I can do is take your number and pass the message on.”

Naomi closed her eyes against the rising frustration and fury building in her head.

“Fine,” she grunted through clenched teeth. “You tell Arcadia to contact me, urgently, in Washington DC. I’m sure if she thinks hard enough, she will remember the numbers.” She crashed the receiver into the cradle, jamming her finger in the process.

“Fuck.” She sucked the offended digit. “Fuck, fuck, FUCK!!” Finally she let the anger out, sweeping her arm across the desktop, knocking phone, rolodex, diary and pens flying onto the floor.

Cadie peeled off the rain slicker and slumped onto the sofa in the main cabin. Jo took the wet weather gear from her as she passed into their berth, where she hung the damp garments in the head to dry out. When she walked back out Cadie’s eyes were closed, her head resting against the back of the sofa.

“You okay, sweetheart?” Jo asked quietly, settling into the seat opposite.

Cadie grinned and lifted her head, looking at her damp and wind-tossed lover affectionately.

“I’m great,” she said. “Just pooped. My arms are killing me.”

Jo nodded and reached out with a long leg, bumping Cadie’s knee with her bare foot.

“I’m not surprised. You just did a whole lot of hard, physical work, my love. This is a big yacht, and you’re…”

“I’m what?” Cadie asked sharply, raising a challenging eyebrow. “So small?” Her mouth quirked into a wry smile.

“Noooo,” Jo retorted. She dropped onto the floor and slid between Cadie’s legs, wrapping her arms around the blonde’s waist. “If you’d let me finish, brat, you would’ve heard me say that you’re not used to manhandling something as big as 50-foot yacht in a thunderstorm.” She kissed the tip of Cadie’s nose. “The first time I had to do it I strained my rib cartilage. Couldn’t lift my arms above my shoulders for a month.”

“Wow, really?” Cadie smirked. “I’m impressed with myself.” She leaned down and kissed Jo softly. “That was fun. Can we do it again?”

Jo groaned.

“Seawolf, Seawolf, this is Cheswick Marine,” crackled the radio.

Jo pushed herself up.

“Did we switch off the cell phone?” she asked, surprised to hear Doris’ voice on the two-way.

“Yeah, the storm knocked out the network anyway,” Cadie replied, reaching for the phone, which she’d left in the recess on the cabin table.

“Cheswick, this is Seawolf,” Jo said into the handset. “What’s up Doris?”

“Hi Jo-Jo,” came the office manager’s voice. “Trouble, I think, skipper.” Cadie walked over and leaned against the taller woman, listening to the conversation. “Senator Silverberg called in, wanting to talk to Cadie.”

Ah shit, thought Jo, feeling the blonde stiffen against her. She wrapped an arm protectively around her partner’s shoulders. Cadie reached up and took the handset from her.

“Did she say what she wanted Doris?” she asked her voice quiet and uncertain.

“Hi Cadie. No, not really. She said it was urgent and that you should call her in Washington.”

Cadie didn’t seem to know what to say to that, so Jo gently took the handset back and keyed the transmitter.

“Thanks Doris. You did the right thing. How did you guys survive the storm?” Cadie burrowed deeper into her embrace and Jo held her close.

“Oh, no problems. Bit of wind and water, that was about it. How about you?”

“We’re fine. Do me a favor and call Mike at the Coastguard? Let him know we made it to Hayman okay.”

“Will do. You’ll be back here tomorrow, yes?”

“Yeah, sometime in the afternoon. Thanks for letting us know, Doris. Seawolf out.”

The contact broke and Jo freed up her other hand, wrapping it around Cadie.

“This sucks, Jo-Jo,” came a muffled voice.

“I know love, but it was bound to happen sometime. She was never just going to let you go.”

Cadie nodded against her chest.

“I know, but why did it have to be this weekend?”

“Do you want to call her back?” Jo asked. She slid her hand up and scratched the back of Cadie’s neck comfortingly.

“Unnnnnnnnghhhh that feels good,” the blonde muttered against her shirt. “No, I don’t want to call her back, but I guess I don’t really have much choice. She said it was urgent.”

Jo felt supremely skeptical about that. Her brief experience with the obnoxious politician had taught her that Naomi did nothing that wasn’t guaranteed to benefit herself. But she also knew Cadie had a lot of loose ends left in the US.

“What time is it in Washington, right now?” she asked quietly.

Cadie glanced at her watch. It was almost 5pm.

“Um.” She did a quick calculation of time differences in her head. “Coming up to 2am.”

“So let it go for now,” Jo said, looking down into a pair of anxious green eyes and smiling. “Let’s go enjoy an evening with Rosa and the family and then maybe tomorrow morning we can kill two birds with one stone. You can call the senator and I’ll call my parents.” She blew out a ragged breath at the thought.

“Oh boy,” Cadie murmured. “Sounds like the morning from hell.” She managed a weak smile.

“All the more reason to keep our strength up with Rosa’s cooking,” Jo answered, mustering a grin from somewhere.

“God, that sounds wonderful,” the blonde groaned. “Let’s go.”

Maggie Madison straightened up and pushed her hands into the small of her back, wincing as she stretched out muscles that had been hunched over the flower bed for the past hour. She adored to work in the garden but her beloved plot was a shadow of its former self thanks to the drought. The truth was they couldn't spare the water for the flowers, not when there were cattle and sheep dying out on the property. She sighed and brushed a strand of her long, grey hair away from her face with a gloved hand.

These days she only really had time to spend an hour or so in the garden at the end of the day and even that wasn't enough to save a lot of her favorites from withering in the dust. Maggie poked at one forlorn specimen with her trowel, loosening up the crumbling soil before adding a handful of fertilizer and a cup of precious water.

It was late in the day and thankfully the sting of the heat was less now as the sun dipped lower over the modest homestead. She had dinner on the go and was just waiting for her husband and the two jackaroos they employed to come home from whatever far-flung paddock they had worked today.

She put the finishing touches on the last of the struggling plants, then pushed herself up off her knees with a groan.

"I'm getting too old for this," she murmured, wincing as the arthritis in her left knee made its presence known. Away to the west she could see a dust cloud trailing up from a gap in the trees she knew to be the main track up to the house.

"That'll be them," she decided, pulling her gardening gloves off and stuffing them in the back pocket of her jeans. She walked through the homestead’s back door and on into the large, airy kitchen. Before too long she was assembling the evening meal, laying the food out on the wide wooden table in the centre of the room. The sound of the truck pulling up out front, followed by boots on the floorboards told her the men were home.

“Wash up before you come in my kitchen,” she called out, hearing the footsteps immediately divert to the two bathrooms in the house. A couple of minutes later her husband walked into the kitchen.

“G’day darl,” said the familiar voice.

Maggie smiled as she turned from the stovetop and accepted his light kiss on the cheek.

“H’lo love,” she replied as she spooned vegetables onto a plate. “How was your day?”

“Pretty bloody grim,” he said wearily. He tossed his wide-brimmed felt hat onto the hook on the door and sat down on the nearest chair. “We went out to the No.2 bore up in the back paddock. Had to pull three carcasses out of the trough.”

Maggie walked over and slid a plateful of food in front of him.

“Ewes?” she asked quietly, noting the dark circles under her husband’s grey eyes.

He nodded.

“Two lambs orphaned,” he replied. “Damn near dead themselves. But we brought them back. Hughie’s gonna hand rear them till they’re weaned.”

As he spoke two other men walked into the room. The first was Hughie, a young aboriginal man in his early 20s. He’d been working for the Madisons since he’d left school at 15 and Maggie was very fond of him. Maybe it was because he was quiet and reliable, or maybe it was just that he worked hard and had stuck by her and David even when the drought had bitten deep and they’d had to pay him less. She smiled at the young man and got a shy grin back.

Maggie hadn’t made her mind up about the other man yet. Jack Collingwood was lean, tall and carried a constant scowl. He’d only been with them a few months and her husband seemed to think he was a good worker, but there was something about him that made Maggie’s skin crawl. And she suspected that away from the big house, Jack was less than gentle with his younger coworker.

And if I ever catch him at that, he’ll hear about it, she thought to herself as she prepared plates of food for the two men.

“Evening, missus,” Jack muttered as he followed Hughie into the room.

“Jack,” she acknowledged. “Are you two going to eat with us tonight?”

“No thanks,” he replied. “We want to get those two lambs settled and fed, don’t we Hughie, mate?” He roughly clipped the younger man’s shoulder in a playful gesture but Maggie didn’t miss the slight wince on Hughie’s face.

“All right,” she said quietly. She placed covers over the two plates she’d made up for them and handed them over along with two sets of cutlery. “There you go, fellas. Have a good evening.”

“Thanks missus,” Jack said gruffly, taking his plate and walking out the back door towards the worker’s cottage 50 yards away from the main house.

“Thanks Miz Maggie,” Hughie said quietly, smiling at her as he took the plate from her hands.

“Hang on, Hugh,” she said, touching his arm to stop him leaving. She reached over to the fruit bowl on the table and took out an apple and an orange, placing them in his other hand. “For afters,” she said.

A big grin creased his face, and she brushed his cheek gently with her knuckles.

“Go on,” she said. “Make sure those lambs get enough milk, okay.”

“Yes, missus. No worries.” He beamed at her and then followed Jack out the back door and into the rapidly descending darkness.

“You spoil that boy,” growled her husband from his seat at the dining table. She put together her own dinner and then sat down opposite him.

“He works hard, David, and we’re his only family. He deserves to be spoiled every now and then. I just wish we could do more for him.”

David grunted his response, concentrating instead on his food. Maggie watched him, noting his stooped posture, and the bone weariness that colored every movement and gesture.

He’s aged so much over the last couple of years, she realized. His large, weather-beaten hands still fascinated her, as they always had, and she smiled as an incongruous memory of his hands touching her floated through her consciousness. Where did that come from, she wondered.

“David,” she said tentatively.

“Mmmm?” he responded, not looking up from his dinner plate.

“Next week is Jossandra’s birthday.” His hands stilled for a couple of seconds and then resumed cutting up his steak. “I was thinking maybe we could send her a card this year.”

He swallowed a mouthful of food and glanced up at her.

“You do what you want,” he muttered, stabbing a baby potato with his fork and shoving it in his mouth.

Maggie sighed. It was always the same with him when it came to their daughter. He’d never gotten over her abrupt departure, never forgiven her for leaving them in the dark for so long. And after the heart attack debilitated him to the point of not being able to run the farm the way he wanted to, she had found it hard to forgive Jossandra as well.

But she had found a way. Mothers always do, she thought. She’s my daughter and whatever she’s become – and god knows, I have no real idea what that is – I love her, and always will.

She watched her husband for a while longer.

He loves her too. If he didn’t it wouldn’t still bother him like it does, 15 years on. I just wish there was a way of getting them both to see that there’s love there. She chewed on a mouthful, wondering just what her wayward daughter was up to these days. I haven't spoken to her since the Christmas before last, she realized sadly.

"We could even call her for her birthday," she said wistfully, pushing her food around on the plate.

David dropped his knife and fork noisily onto the now-empty plate and stood slowly. He took the dishes over to the sink and silently began washing them. Maggie watched the hunched shoulders of the man she had loved all her life, aching for him.

"Why would she want to hear from us?" he said so quietly she almost didn’t hear it.

Slowly Maggie stood up and carried her plate over to the sink, dropping it into the warm, soapy water and wrapping her arms around her husband's slim waist. She rested her cheek on his shoulder blade, breathing in the dusty, familiar scent of him.

"I think we should do it for us, Dave," she replied softly. "She's an adult." He snorted. "All right, she's always been an adult, even when she was a kid." She smiled against his shirt. "My point is, if we want to talk to her, we should call her. I'm tired of treading on eggshells around her, wondering if she wants to hear from us or not. I want her to hear from us."

The man continued washing the dishes, letting the soap suds drain off a plate before carefully slotting it into the holder next to the sink.

"I need to run into town tomorrow morning," he said gruffly. "Best give me a list of things you want. Won't get a chance to get back in there for a few weeks. Too much to do around here."

Maggie closed her eyes. She knew him well enough to know that he was talking around the conversation because it just hurt too much to do anything else.

"All right, love," she said, giving him one last squeeze before she moved away. A soapy hand stopped her and she turned back to a pair of grey eyes that gentled as she met them.

"Call her for her birthday," he said. "If I'm here, I'll say g'day too."

She kissed him, loving him all over again.

"Jo-Jo!! Let me have it, pleeeeeeeeeeeeeease!!" The young girl reached up on tip-toes, straining to take the piece of paper out of the tall skipper's outstretched hand. "Give it back, you rat-fink, or I'm never speaking to you again!"

Cadie watched, amused, from the dining table, where the remains of a sumptuous meal were scattered about. The blonde was stuffed to the gills with good food and wine, leaving her with a contented feeling and a rather pleasant light buzz.

Her lover was teasing the youngest member of the Palmieri household, 12-year-old Sophie, a precocious moppet with long lashes and brown puppy-dog eyes. She usually managed to have Jo completely at her mercy, but tonight the skipper had caught the youngster with, of all things, a clumsily-written love letter from a boy at school.

"Joooooooooo, don't be mean, you big horrid lump," squealed Sophie, bouncing up and down on the spot in an effort to reach the errant love note.

"Darling, don't tease," Cadie chided, giggling as Sophie attempted to climb up Jo's sturdy frame. "Try to remember what it was like to be young and in love."

Twelve-year-old eyes widened in horror.

"I am NOT in love with him," Sophie protested, releasing Jo and approaching Cadie instead. "I don’t even LIKE him. He's the one who wrote me the stupid letter. I couldn't care less if he fell off the face of the earth." She flounced into the closest chair, folding her arms and sticking out her bottom lip in an impossibly adorable pout.

Jo chuckled and caught Cadie's sparkling green eyes, reading their expression as a plea to give the kid a break. She wandered over to the youngster and knelt down in front of her, holding out the crumpled piece of paper.

"Sorry, Soph," Jo said contritely.

"You're mean."

"I am, you're quite right," the skipper agreed solemnly.

"I hate you."

"You have every reason to."

The girl looked up into smiling blue eyes and immediately melted.

Nice to know it's not just me, Cadie thought, watching the scene with amusement.

"Forgive me?" Jo begged, for once out-flirting the girl.

"Okay," Sophie nodded. "But only if you promise to take me sailing."

"You got it, sweetie."

The girl jumped forward, wrapping her arms around the dark-haired woman and hugging her enthusiastically.

"I don't really hate you," she declared.

"Well, that's good to know," Jo said with a grin.

At that moment, Sophie’s mother, Rosa, came in bearing three large bowls of lemon gelato and a wide smile.

“Ah, i miei bimbi,” she said as she distributed the sweet dessert. “Enjoy, enjoy. This will be the perfect finish to the meal, I think. It will clean your palette.”

“Mmmmmm Rosa, dinner was fantastic. Thank you,” said Cadie, dipping her spoon into the gelato.

“Yeah, thanks Rosa,” Jo added as she scoffed down the treat.

“I love to feed you, you know that, mia cara, so of course, you are very welcome.” She sat down next to Cadie at the dinner table, while Jo flopped down on the floor in front of Sophie.

“Cadie?” the girl piped up between mouthfuls. “When are you and Jo going to get married like Paul and Jenny?”

Jo spluttered and coughed on a half-inhaled mouthful and Sophie leaned forward to pat her on the back.

“Sophia!” Rosa chastised. “You should not be asking such personal questions, like that. It is very rude.” She wagged a finger at her youngest child.

“Sorry, mama,” the girl said.

“It is not me you should be apologizing to,” Rose replied.

“Sorry, Cadie. Sorry, Jo-Jo.”

“It’s okay, Sophie,” said Cadie. Jo was still speechlessly trying to catch her breath and coughing. “And I think we’ve decided on a long engagement.” She looked at her red-faced lover who nodded in confirmation and waved a hand helplessly.

“Why?” said the incorrigible child.

“Sophia!”

Cadie laughed and patted the outraged parent on the hand.

“It’s okay Rosa, honestly,” she said. Cadie had come to adore the Palmieri family, and Sophie in particular, in the short time she’d known them. They had not just accepted her and her quick-firing relationship with Jo, but they had actively welcomed and adopted her. It wasn’t hard to see how they had become her lover’s foster family. Cadie had no problem answering personal questions from the inquisitive girl. “Sophie, it’s going to take a while before I’m eligible to live here permanently. So we decided we’d wait until then before we have a commitment ceremony.”

Sophie seemed to consider that thoughtfully.

“I guess you don’t want to get married and then have to leave again, huh?”

Jo, by now recovered and able to breathe normally again, smiled up at the girl from her seat on the floor.

“Exactly,” she nodded.

Sophie sighed dramatically.

“It’s so romaaaaaaaaaaantic,” she said, flouncing back in the chair, the back of her hand against her forehead.

“This from the girl who almost vomited the first time she saw us kiss,” teased Jo as she slapped the 12-year-old lightly on the knee.

“Oh, I’ve matured since then,” Sophie replied haughtily.

The three adults in the room exchanged amused and tolerant looks, before Mama Rosa stood and wandered over to her progeny.

“I am thinking you are not mature enough yet to stay up any longer, Miss Sophia,” her mother said. “Bed for you, la mia piccola ragazza.”

“No way!” the youngster protested. “I want to stay up until Jo-Jo and Cadie leave.” The pout reappeared.

The lovers looked at each other, silently acknowledging their mutual decision.

“We’re leaving now, sweetie,” said Jo. She pushed herself to her feet and looked down at the grumpy pre-teen. “We’ve got a busy morning tomorrow and then we have to get the Seawolf back to Shute. So we need to get our beauty sleep.”

Sophie looked knowingly at her hero.

“Yeah suuuuuuuuuuuuuure,” she said, cheekiness written all over her face. “We know why you’re reaaaaaaaaaaaaally going to bed so early.”

“Sophia! Abbastanza!” The girl’s mother exploded, while Jo and Cadie laughed heartily. Rosa grabbed the back of Sophie’s shirt and bodily lifted the girl to her feet. “Bed! Now!”

“Okay, okay,” Sophie grumbled. “I’m so tired of everybody else having all the fun.” She turned to walk away from the adults, but was stopped by Jo’s hand on her shoulder, spinning her back around. The skipper tipped the girl’s chin up and leaned down till they were almost nose to nose.

“Just think how much fun you’ve got ahead of you, munchkin,” she said. “Now where’s that smile?”

Big, brown eyes with gorgeous long eyelashes gazed up at her adoringly. Slowly a smile spread across Sophie’s face before she flung her arms around Jo’s neck and hugged her.

“G’night, Jo-Jo,” she said, her mood once more sunny.

“’Night, bug.”

Sophie let the tall woman go and moved to Cadie. Relatively new acquaintances, they had not yet been overly demonstrative with each other, but the 12-year-old wasn’t in the mood to be inhibited, and she threw herself enthusiastically at the American. Cadie chuckled and wrapped her up in a close, warm hug.

“See ya next time, Cadie,” Sophie whispered.

“You bet, kiddo.”

And then Sophie was gone in a tangle of arms and legs.

“La mia dea!” exclaimed her exasperated mother. “I am sorry for her bad manners. I am thinking that – how do you say – all heck is about to break loose with that one.” She rolled her eyes.

Cadie laughed.

“Ah, puberty, I remember it well,” Jo said dryly. She slid an arm around her partner’s shoulders and smiled at their hostess. “Thanks again for a lovely evening Rosa.”

The older woman reached out, cupping Jo’s cheek with one hand and Cadie’s with the other.

“Look at you two. You are so beautiful, how can I not love you and feed you till you burst.” She smiled beatifically. “I am just sorry Roberto and Antonio were not here to see you.” She patted their cheeks and let them go. “Fishing. I do not understand the attraction.”

They laughed as they walked down the hall together, then Jo and Cadie each took a cheek, planting goodnight kisses on Rosa, before waving and setting off down the hill towards the marina.

“Nice night,” Jo murmured as they wandered along, arms wrapped round each other.

“Mhmmmm. They’re good people. Rosa gave me her recipe for those cannelloni you love so much.” Cadie smiled up at the taller woman. “I guess now I have to learn to cook.”

“Wow.” Jo looked surprised and pleased. “Those recipes are like state secrets. She must really like you, sweetheart.”

“I really like her,” said the blonde. “You know that I don’t have a problem being on the other side of the planet from my parents, because I’m with you, but having Rosa and the family be so welcoming has made it a lot easier.” She felt Jo’s grip tighten slightly.

“I’m asking a lot of you, aren’t I?” the skipper asked quietly, as they walked through the resort grounds.

“It’s nothing that I don’t want to give, Jo-Jo,” Cadie replied. “There isn’t anywhere I’d rather be.”

Wow, thought Jo. How did I get this lucky? “You know, there’s only one thing that could make this evening even better than it already is,” she said.

“Hmmm, let’s see,” Cadie pondered. “Would it be chocolate?”

“Noooooooooo,” Jo teased.

“Would it be… a long, cold glass of beer?”

“No it would not.”

Cadie laughed low and knowing, sure of where her lover’s mind was going, but enjoying the long and meandering road they were taking to get there.

“Well, perhaps you’d rather show me, than tell me about it,” she said as they stepped onto the wooden jetty that included the Seawolf’s berth.

“I could do that,” Jo mused. “Of course, there would need to be some audience participation, or it’s just not going to be the same.”

Jo let her go long enough to allow Cadie to walk out onto the yacht’s gangplank first, then followed close behind.

“Audience participation, huh?” Cadie said as she stepped down into the cockpit. “Does this mean I get to watch, and then join in?” She backed down the companionway, her eyes naturally sliding down the long length of Jo’s body as the taller woman followed her below decks. Cadie took her lover’s hand and pulled her into the cabin.

“Looks to me like you’d rather start first,” Jo said, grinning as a look of lusty determination settled on Cadie’s face as the blonde began undoing the skipper’s shirt buttons.

“Are you complaining?” Cadie slid her hands inside the now open shirt and leaned forward, kissing the soft skin she found between Jo’s breasts. Jo gasped and caught her breath at the explosion of sensation from such a small gesture.

“Uhhhhh no, no, I’m not complaining,” she murmured. She reached for Cadie, cupping her cheek and tilting the blonde’s head back. Ducking down, Jo parted her lover’s lips with her own, probing gently with the tip of her tongue. The response was immediate and they deepened the kiss, opening each other with tender ease.

Mid-kiss, Jo bent her knees, wrapped her arms around Cadie and lifted her, walking them to the bed and lowering the blonde down into the soft sheets.

“Mmmmmm, is this the audience participation bit?” Cadie sighed as she pulled Jo closer.

“I think it just might be,” Jo whispered. She pushed Cadie’s t-shirt up and, with her mouth, began a sensual assault upon the velvety skin of the blonde’s stomach, drawing a low, growling response. Cadie raised her hips and Jo took the hint, hooking her fingers under the waistband of her partner’s shorts and pulling them down.

Cadie felt a sense of urgency, sudden and overwhelming. She wanted – no, needed - nothing more than to feel Jo against her skin, intimately, deeply. She groaned again as Jo’s tongue trailed lower. And quickly. Quickly would be good, too.

It was the end of conscious thought. Jo’s touch was unendingly relentless, in the best possible way. The teasing and the wash of sensations became Cadie’s total focus and she gave herself up to it.

I want to spend the rest of my life doing this, Jo thought, letting her own body get caught up in the rhythms of the connection between them. There is nothing better than this.

“Let’s get this over with,” Jo muttered. She and Cadie were snuggled together in bed and they had just woken after … After a wonderful night, the skipper thought as they lay tangled in their warm nest. But now we have to face our respective demons.

Cadie reached over to the small table on her side of the double bunk and picked up Jo’s cell phone. They both looked at the small handset glumly while Cadie turned it over and over in her hand.

“You want to go first?” the blonde murmured.

“Hell, no,” Jo snorted. “Do you?”

“Hell, no.”

More turning. More staring.

“We could wait until we get home,” said Jo hopefully. “We’d save money using the land line.”

Cadie looked at her skeptically.

“Weak, Jo-Jo.”

Jo shrugged.

“Eh, I gave it a shot.” She quirked an eyebrow at her lover. “Your turn.”

More turning. More staring.

“We could make love instead.”

Jo laughed.

“Oh, you’re good. And as tempting as that sounds …” She kissed the blonde softly. Then did it again because it felt so good. “Mmmmmm,” she whispered. “As tempting as that most definitely is, my love, I don’t think it’s going to do either of us any good to keep putting this off.”

Cadie nibbled at the dark-haired woman’s neck teasingly.

“Damn. I thought I had you there for a minute,” she murmured against the soft skin.

Jo smiled.

“You’ve always got me,” she replied, tickling fingertips lightly against Cadie’s ribcage, chuckling as the smaller woman squirmed. “Ah-hah, a sensitive spot, huh?” She reached out again to continue the torture but Cadie was too quick for her.

“Oh, no you don’t.” The blonde wriggled away and then flipped Jo over, straddling her hips and effectively pinning her to the bed. She grabbed the older woman’s wrists and pressed them into the pillows. “Tickle me, will ya?” She grinned down at her lover, rubbing noses with Jo.

“Mmmm, I think I like this,” Jo said teasingly, arching her back and pressing her hips up to meet Cadie’s warmth. The sensation tore a gasp from the blonde’s lips and Jo laughed wickedly. “Just when you think you’re in control,” she murmured, then bucked, throwing Cadie off and quickly reversing their position. “You’re not.”

“Oooooooo,” purred the blonde who suddenly found herself in a very vulnerable position. Jo leaned over her and she liked what she saw in the sparkling blue eyes that were now at very close quarters. There was just one problem. Cadie winced at the sharp pain in her lower back. “Jo-Jo.”

“Mmmmmm?” Gentle teeth nibbled at her collarbone.

“I’m lying on the phone.”

Jo sighed. She had the distinct feeling this particular bout of distraction wasn’t going to get them anywhere other than right back looking at that damn phone. She fished around under Cadie’s backside until she came up with the offending gadget.

“No getting away from it, is there?” Cadie said quietly.

“I don’t think so, love, no.” Jo rolled away from her and sat up, resting back against the wall of the cabin. Cadie turned onto her side and supported her head on her hand.

“Rock, paper, scissors,” the blonde said.

“Excuse me?”

“You know,” Cadie replied. “The kid’s game? Rock, paper, scissors.” She made the hand gestures that went with each word.

“Ah yes.” Jo tossed the cell phone up in the air and caught it again. “Play you for it,” she said. “Loser calls first.”

“Okay.” Cadie pushed herself up and swung around until she was sitting cross-legged in front of Jo. Both women extended a clenched fist. “Ready?” Jo nodded. “One, two, three.”

A rock and a piece of paper. Jo reached out and wrapped her open hand around Cadie’s fist.

“Damn,” Cadie muttered. “Two out of three?” she asked hopefully.

“Sorry, love.” Jo pulled her close and wrapped her up with long strong arms, then handed her the phone. “I’ll be right here with you.”

Cadie crawled between the taller woman’s legs and nestled against Jo’s bulk. She sighed and took a deep breath.

“Here goes,” she muttered, as she punched in the number for Naomi’s Washington apartment.

It was 4 o’clock on Sunday afternoon in DC, and the Wizards were taking their usual beating. This time, though, it was at the hands of the Chicago Bulls, a situation that, for once, gave the senator from Illinois a modicum of pleasure. The Bulls were 11 points up with a quarter to play and Naomi was lounging in her recliner, a bowl of peanuts balanced on one arm, and a lukewarm beer in her other hand.

“Pass the ball, you goddamn moron,” she growled, pinging a peanut at the large-screen television on the wall. “Jesus Christ, pass it!”

Naomi was edgy. She had muttered and ranted to herself for most of her waking moments since she had tried to contact Cadie. Most of her day had been spent sitting near the phone, getting ready for her conversation with her wayward partner, going over and over what she would say in her mind. A casual observer would have taken in some very interesting facts about the politician. Her appearance, for one. She was disheveled, the casual clothes she wore weren’t particularly clean, and there were dark circles under her eyes.

The luxurious apartment was a mess. Old newspapers, clothes and dirty dishes were dotted about and the senator’s chair was surrounded by little piles of more of the same. The maid usually came once a week, but after two weeks of trying to deal with Naomi’s crap and bad temper, she’d quit. Not that the senator had really noticed the chaos as her mind became more and more focused on just one thing.

Cadie's going to come back to me, she brooded as the Bulls turned the ball over and gave up an easy lay-up. She drained the last of the warm beer, crumpled the can and dropped it on the floor to the side of the chair. She's going to come back to me, or... or...

The truth was the senator didn’t yet have a plan for what she would do if words couldn't persuade her partner to come back home.

But I will come up with something, she thought grimly. Because nobody walks out on me. And as for that goddamned Australian - nobody takes my property before I'm well and truly finished with it.

The phone rang.

Cadie bit her lip as she waited for the line to connect. Jo had her wrapped up safe and warm and she burrowed in closer, unwilling to brave this phone call alone. Electronic beeps echoed the numbers she had dialed and then there was one ring before the line was picked up.

"Hello?"

Damn, she must have been sitting on the phone, Cadie thought, instinctively wincing at the ragged sound to the senator's deep voice.

"Hello Naomi," she answered quietly.

"Arcadia." There was an awkward silence while both women waited for the other to start the conversation.

"You asked me to call, urgently," Cadie eventually said, wanting to get this little chat over and done with. "Are you okay?"

The senator snorted.

"Of course I'm all right. I just want to know when you're coming home."

Well, straight to the point then, Cadie thought wryly. She knew Jo was close enough to hear Naomi's half of the conversation and she looked up into concerned blue eyes.

"I'll be flying back into Madison in about five weeks' time," she said cautiously. "There are a lot of loose ends I need to sort out with the agency and the bank accounts for the business. And I still have to go through all the stuff you sent from the Chicago house to Mom and Dad’s place."

Stony silence from the other end of the connection.

"Don't let her freak you out," Jo whispered against her right ear, and Cadie snuggled even closer.

"When are you going to stop this nonsense?" came the low growl from Washington. "You can't honestly believe that you have a future with that Australian bitch."

Cadie decided to ignore the insult to her lover, instead opting to push to the heart of the matter.

"Leave Jo out of this, Naomi," she said quickly. "This has nothing to do with her and everything to do with you and me."

"Bullshit," was the quick-fire response. "We were just fine until she interfered."

Cadie sighed. This was a crucial point if Naomi was ever going to understand why she had left her. But she knew just how pig-headed the senator could be when it came to facing her responsibilities.

"Naomi, listen to me," she said quietly. "I would have left you anyway." She let the statement hang out there, giving it a chance to sink into her ex-partner's brain. "I was thinking about it before we came to Australia, and the fact is, it was only a matter of time."

More silence. Cadie felt Jo's arms tightening around her, followed by the soft touch of a reassuring kiss against her temple.

"That's not true," Naomi finally said.

"It is true. There was a lot wrong with our relationship before Jo came along, Naomi. And you need to understand that I am not your partner any more. I'm sorry if that hurts, and I'm sorry if it damages your career. But I can't squeeze myself back into that box you made for me. And I can't change how I feel about Jo, and how I don't feel about you anymore."

Jo felt her lover shaking. It was the first time Cadie had managed to articulate her exact feelings to Naomi and Jo knew it was taking a lot of effort to keep herself together. Hang in there, love, she projected, squeezing the blonde a little tighter.

Cadie waited for Naomi's response, wondering if any of this was sinking in. What she got was a complete surprise.

"Come home. Please. I need you." The voice was raw and tired and contained a touch of something that Cadie didn’t think she'd ever heard before from the older woman.

Jo winced and held her breath. There's a moment of truth buried in here somewhere, she thought. Naomi's playing the pity card. Let's hope Cadie sees it for what it is. She closed her eyes and rested her cheek against the blonde head.

Cynthia Jones hadn't raised a fool for a daughter, but she had raised a tender heart and for several long seconds Cadie just absorbed the shock of hearing Naomi beg for anything.

But then her brain kicked back into gear and she took a deep breath.

"I'm sorry, Naomi, but I'm not buying it. You've never needed me for anything a maid or secretary couldn’t do just as well." She paused, wondering at the anger that was welling up in her. "It just took me far too long to see that."

She could almost hear Naomi’s teeth grinding.

“Is that your last word?”

Cadie exhaled a long, slow breath.

“Yes, it is.”

There was a click, and then a disconnected signal. Cadie dropped the phone from her ear and tilted her head back to look up at Jo.

“She hung up on me,” she murmured, not surprised by Naomi’s abrupt response to the conversation. Jo kissed her softly, comfortingly.

“Blessing in disguise, sweetheart,” the taller woman said quietly. “She didn’t seem any saner than the last time I saw her.”

“Mmmmmm,” Cadie said noncommittally. She preferred not to speculate too much on the state of her ex-partner’s state of mind.

Naomi replaced the phone’s handset slowly and let her gaze wander back to the television, where the Bulls had surrendered their lead and were in the process of folding, like a cheap accordion, in the dying minutes of the game. For some reason it was that, rather than the last words of her partner which drove a wedge into the small crack in Naomi’s temper.

She picked the phone up and hurled it at the screen, snarling as it bounced impotently off the glass.

“How could you lose it, you incompetent MORONS!” she yelled. “How could you …” Frustration clenched and unclenched her fists, rage wanting to escape, but not knowing how. “How could you … how could SHE LEAVE ME!!” she screamed at the ceiling. Her throat hurt.

“Where’s the phone?” she muttered, the germ of an idea beginning to form in her mind. She slid out of the chair and scrabbled forwards on her knees, picking up the scattered pieces of the phone. Once they were reassembled, she dialed Toby and Jason’s number. It rang repeatedly. “Come on, come on, goddamn it.”

“This is Toby,” came a breathless response eventually.

“It’s me,” Naomi said bluntly. “Who do we know in Customs?”

Chapter Three

“So I guess it’s my turn, huh?” Jo said quietly as they continued to snuggle, the cell phone lying between them.

“Well, it’s still pretty early,” Cadie replied, patting Jo’s chest comfortingly. “Maybe you should wait a little while yet.”

Jo chuckled softly.

“Honey, for one thing they’re an hour ahead of us, so it’s after 8am down there. And Dad will have been out in the paddock for about three hours already.” She glanced down at the blonde and kissed her softly. “They’ll be up and about, don’t worry.”

“Okay,” Cadie replied. She let her eyes drift closed and just floated in the warm nest created by Jo’s arms. Then a thought occurred to her and she was very much awake again. “Jo-Jo?”

“Mmmmmm?”

“They do know you’re gay, right?”

What a good question, the skipper thought glumly.

“We’ve only ever talked about it once,” she replied. “And that wasn’t so much a talk as a shouting match.” She felt Cadie’s arms tighten around her. “I told them after Phil died,” she said. Cadie remembered Jo telling her about the childhood friend who had killed himself when his father found out he was gay. “Mum fell apart and Dad yelled an awful lot. And a month later I left home.” Jo swallowed around the lump in her throat. “So, to answer your question… they know that I thought I was gay when I was 17. Whether they think it was just something I grew out of or not, is a very good question.”

Cadie felt the tension in the long body next to her and she slid her hand under Jo’s t-shirt. With gentle fingertips she began a soothing pattern of caresses across the firm stomach. The effect was almost immediate as her lover’s eyes closed and the tautness began to bleed away.

“So I’m going to come as a bit of a shock, then,” she said, smiling as Jo’s eyes flew open and then focused intently on her.

“They take us together or not at all, love,” Jo answered, setting her jaw stubbornly.

Cadie smiled.

“Thank you. But sweetheart it might not come to that. My guess is they’re going to be so glad to hear from you that they’re not gonna care too much who you show up with.”

A fierce blue gaze held her and Cadie felt the tension returning to the muscles under her fingertips.

“I want them to care, Cadie. You’re my partner. They’re going to accept you and treat you with respect or we’re going to be out of there.” Growing anxiety and belligerence washed off Jo in waves and Cadie knew she had to do something about it.

Can’t let her call them when she’s feeling this uptight, she thought. Quickly she straddled her lover’s hips, placing her hands on the taller woman’s shoulders and leaning forward till they were just inches apart.

“Jo, breathe,” she said gently. “Think about this from their perspective for a moment. How many times have they heard from you in the last 15 years?”

Jo swallowed and tried to concentrate on the calm green eyes in front of her.

“Five… maybe six times,” she muttered.

“Okay… so basically, they don’t really know you at all, right?” Jo nodded slowly. “All they remember is the 17-year-old you were. So you’re starting with a clean slate in many ways. They haven’t got a clue what to expect.”

“They have tendency to talk to me like I’m still 17,” Jo said. “And that’s the last thing I want.”

Cadie cupped Jo’s cheek with her hand, soothing away the anxiety with a slow caress of her thumb.

“So take things gently with them,” she said. “If you call them anticipating a confrontation, chances are you’ll get one.”

That brought a wry smile from her lover.

“Honey and vinegar, huh?”

Cadie grinned.

“Exactly.” She kissed the corner of Jo’s mouth teasingly. “And the bottom line is, sweetheart, you don’t know them any better than they know you. You could be in for a pleasant surprise.”

Jo shrugged.

“I doubt that, but I guess you’re right,” she replied. She sighed and picked the cell phone up, nibbling at her bottom lip nervously.

“Want me to leave you alone for a bit?” Cadie asked.

“No way,” Jo insisted quickly, drawing a grin from her lover. “I’m going to need cuddling, one way or another.”

“I can do that,” Cadie said confidently. She slid back a little, then leaned forward till her cheek rested on Jo’s breast. “Go ahead, sweetheart, I’ll be right here.”

Jo took a deep breath as she keyed through the cell phone’s directory listing until she came to her the entry for her parent’s home number.

“Okay, here goes,” she muttered, pushing dial.

Several rings later, Cadie stirred, lifting her head to look up at Jo.

"They're not home?" she whispered.

Jo smiled.

"It's a big place sweetheart... ah, here we go."

A breathless voice came on the other end of the line.

"Hello?"

Jo swallowed at the familiar, yet barely remembered tones.

"Um, hi Mum," she said.

There was a pause while Maggie digested those three words.

"J-Jossandra? Oh, Josie, is that really you?"

"Yeah, Mum, it's me," Jo replied, unaware of the tiny smile that touched the corners of her mouth. "Did I catch you away from the house?" she asked, desperate for any kind of small talk.

"I was just down at the cottage changing the bed linen," Maggie said, trying to catch her breath. "Your father put up one of those bells on the outside of the house though, so I can hear the phone."

Cadie watched, fascinated at the play of emotions across her lover's face as Jo and her mother felt their way through the first stages of the long overdue phone call. Suddenly Cadie could see the teenager in Jo's angular features.

If she was standing up, she'd be shuffling her feet, Cadie thought with a smile. I'm glad she got up the courage to do this. She needs more family around her. The blonde snuggled close again, resting her cheek on Jo's breast as she listened to the conversation.

"So how are things down on the farm, Mum?" Jo asked.

"Oh not so bad, love. Not so bad." Jo could hear her mother dragging one of the wooden kitchen chairs across the floor and her exhalation as she sat down.

I can see that kitchen, she thought wistfully. I bet it hasn’t changed a bit.

"The drought's been pretty bad and money's a bit of worry, but there's nothing new in that," her mother said.

Jo frowned. Maybe now I can start helping them with that, she thought.

"How's Dad?" she asked.

Maggie sighed.

"He's all right," her mother said softly. "We're all getting older, though, Josie," she laughed, trying to make light of things. "He hired a new jackaroo a few months ago, and that's taken some of the load off him a bit."

"That's good," Jo replied.

"Tell me about you," Maggie said. "It's been forever since we talked. Are you still up in the islands?"

"Yeah," Jo answered. "Quite a lot's happened lately, actually." She looked down into sparkling green eyes and grinned.

"Oh really? Good things, I hope."

"Some of them very good, yes," Jo said quietly. "Do you remember Ron Cheswick, the guy who owned the charter company?"

"Oh yes," Maggie replied.

"Well, he died about a month ago."

"That doesn't sound like a good thing, love. I'm sorry to hear that."

Cadie slid further up until she was tucked just under Jo's chin.

"Yeah, he was a good bloke," Jo murmured, grateful to have the solid warmth of Cadie in her arms. "Um, the good news from that was that he left me the company."

There was a gasp and another lengthy silence as her mother absorbed that news.

"Josie, that's fantastic," Maggie finally responded. "What a great opportunity for you. That must be a dream come true."

"So far, so good," Jo said. "Um, there's something else too," she ventured. "I've... um... met someone."

Maggie was having trouble taking in the last few minutes. Hearing from her wandering daughter hard on the heels of her conversation with David the night before had been shock enough. But then to get more momentous news out of Jossandra in five minutes than she'd heard in five years was making her head reel.

She pushed her grey hair off her face and tried to focus on what her daughter was saying.

"You met someone?" Someone? What does that mean? Memories of arguments with the rebellious teenager Jo had been resurfaced and Maggie's heart started pounding. She's not that kid anymore. So don’t let those memories influence your response to her now. She’s an adult. Treat her like one, and accept what’s coming. "Someone special, love?"

There was a pause and it occurred to Maggie that the 'someone special' might be in fairly close proximity. She smiled, suddenly delighted that her independent offspring had found love.

"Yes, someone very special." Another pause. "She's right here, actually."

Ahhh. Maggie closed her eyes and tried to still the doubts and fears that welled up. So it wasn’t just a phase. She spent half a second wrestling a generation’s worth of prejudice. I don’t care, she decided. Once she recognized the phone call for what it was – a real chance to get to know her daughter again – acceptance came easily. She’s my daughter and she’s talking to me, at last. And she’s happy, by the sound of it.

“That’s wonderful, Josie,” she answered, fighting back the tears. “I’m so happy for you.”

“W-would you like to say hello?”

Oh my goodness.

“Um … of course, yes, all right,” Maggie stammered, wondering if her brain was going to explode from the influx of new information.

“Go ahead, she wants to say hello,” Jo whispered as she covered the mouthpiece of the cell phone with her hand.

Cadie’s eyes widened and she backed away a little.

“You don’t think it’s a little soon, Jo-Jo?” she hesitated. “She didn’t know I existed until a minute ago.”

Jo grinned at her mischievously.

“Come on, you’ll be fine. She doesn’t bite.”

Cadie raised a skeptical eyebrow.

“And you know this, how?” she muttered, taking the phone from her lover and settling back against her chuckling form. “You are so going to make this up to me.” She took a deep breath and summoned up her best campaign manner. “Hello, Mrs. Madison, this is Cadie,” she said cheerily.

Maggie gasped.

“Oh you’re American. I wasn’t expecting that,” she said, wondering at the gentle, cultured accent of her daughter’s… goodness, what do I call her… friend? - so different from Jo’s rich, low tones. “Heavens, that wasn’t very polite of me, was it?”

Cadie laughed gently.

“That’s all right, I don’t think any of us were expecting this conversation to go quite the way it has,” she replied, already liking the older woman’s open approach.

“Well, that’s certainly true,” Maggie agreed readily. “It’s amazing, really. Jo’s father and I were just saying last night that we were going to call her on her birthday.” She paused. “You do know it’s her birthday on Wednesday?”

She heard another chuckle down the line.

“I sure do, though she keeps insisting it’s no big deal and we should just forget about it.”

Maggie snorted.

“Don’t you believe that for a minute. Why, when she was a girl …” Her voice trailed away as she remembered just how long ago that was, and just how little she knew her own daughter these days. “Well …” She cleared her throat. “Anyway. It’s good to know that Josie has found someone nice. You sound lovely.”

This time it was Cadie’s turn to be embarrassed.

“Uh, thank you. Please finish what you were going to say. I’d love to hear about Josie’s childhood.” She yelped and Maggie suspected the American had just been poked.

The older woman chuckled.

“She’s giving you a hard time, isn’t she?” she asked, charmed by the easy laughter she could hear from both women. “Is it because you want to hear baby stories, or because you called her Josie?”

“Both, I think,” Cadie giggled.

“Well, suffice to say, she very much anticipated her birthdays when she was little. I’m sure there’s a bit of that still inside her. Give her a hug for me on the day, won’t you?”

She could almost hear the grin.

“Oh, I will certainly do that,” Cadie answered. “It was so nice to finally say hello to someone I’ve heard so much about. I’m going to hand you back to Josie – yow! To Jo, now. Bye, Mrs. Madison.”

“Bye, dear,” Maggie said. She felt somewhat dazed and rubbed her hand over her face. She could hear rustling and subdued whispers on the other end of the line.

“Hi Mum,” said Jo a few seconds later.

“Hello, love,” her mother replied quietly. “It sounds like you’ve found yourself someone very special.”

“Oh yes,” Jo breathed. “Very.” There was another pause. “Look, Mum, we were kind of thinking of coming for a visit. Cadie wants to meet you, and I ..” Maggie waited, hearing the catch in her daughter’s voice. “I’d like to come home, Mum.”

Oh my. She’s not sure if she’s welcome, Maggie suddenly realized. As if there was any question of that.

“Yes Josie. You come home any time you want, love, and stay as long as you want. And bring whoever you want.” She was crying now, tears streaming unnoticed down her tanned and lined cheek. “You’re always welcome here, love. If we haven’t made that clear before, let me make it clear now. Come home. Please.”

Cadie watched as the emotion of the moment swamped Jo. They had been giggling and teasing their way through the conversation with her lover's mother so far, but suddenly things had become very serious.

In a good way I think, Cadie decided as Jo struggled to regain her composure. The dark-haired woman's throat was working hard but no sound was coming out. Jo rubbed at her eyes with the back of her hand before Cadie took pity on her and took the phone back again.

"Hold on, sweetheart," she whispered as Jo buried her face against the blonde's neck. With one arm Cadie held her close as she juggled the phone in the other.

"Mrs. Madison? It's me again," she said calmly.

"Did Josie hear what I said?" Maggie replied anxiously.

"Yes ma'am, she sure did. I think it's just overwhelmed her a little bit right now." Cadie gently kissed the dark head.

"Oh dear, I hope I haven't scared her off."

The American laughed softly.

"No, I don't think so. Quite the reverse I suspect." Jo didn’t show any signs of emerging from the safe nest of Cadie's embrace and was taking deep, hitching breaths. "Um, we were thinking of coming to see you this weekend," Cadie continued. "Would that be okay?"

"More than okay," came the quick response. "Wonderful. Josie's father is going to be so pleased."

Finally, Jo got herself back together, wiping her eyes as she gestured for the phone. She had been totally disconcerted by her emotional reaction to her mother’s invitation, but it wasn’t fair to leave the details to Cadie. She took a deep breath as the blonde handed the phone back to her.

"Mum? If we can get ourselves to the air strip at Pemble, can someone pick us up?" she asked, aware that her voice sounded raw.

"Of course. Just let us know when, exactly, and one or other of us will be there." There was a pause as her mother registered the emotions she was hearing. “Are you all right?”

"Yeah, Mum, I’ll be right. Is Dad going to be okay with all this?" Jo closed her eyes when Cadie pressed a tender kiss against her temple.

"Don't you worry about your father, Jossandra," Maggie replied firmly. "I'll sort him out right enough. And to be honest, I think he's going to be really chuffed to see you."

"Okay Mum,” Jo said, deciding now was not the time to challenge that opinion. She knows him a lot better than I do, after all. “I'll give you a call when we have more idea about when we'll get there."

"Rightio, love. Talk to you then.” Jo heard her mother clear her throat. “It’s been so good to hear your voice, Josie. Thank you for calling.”

“I figured it was about time,” Jo answered quietly. “Look, Mum, I …”

“Shhhhhh, love, don’t worry about it now. We’re going to have plenty of time to talk, I’m sure. And I can’t wait to meet your girl.”

Jo caught herself grinning. My girl. Yeah.

“Okay, Mum. Bye for now."

Jo hung up the call and dropped her head back against the wall of the cabin in sheer relief.

"Wow," she murmured.

Cadie sat back on her heels, still straddling Jo’s thighs. She smiled.

“You weren’t expecting that, were you?”

One blue peeked out from under its lid.

“No, I wasn’t,” Jo replied. She lifted her head up and looked directly at Cadie. “Sorry I lost it there for a bit. It’s just a bit… um…”

“Sshhh, I know,” Cadie soothed. “I think I like your mother already. She’s got your voice.” She paused, remembering. “Only with about 20 more years’ hard work in it.”

Jo thought about that.

“She and Dad do the hardest work there is, I reckon,” she said quietly. “Trying to make a living on the land has never been easy, but this drought makes it a million times harder.” She frowned and Cadie knew there were all kinds of plans and schemes swirling in the dark head.

She gets the cutest little furrow on her brow when she’s trying to work out how to get something done, the blonde recognized.

“You want to help them out, don’t you?” she asked, smiling as Jo raised an eyebrow at her.

“Yeah, I do. We can afford to, I think. Is that okay with you?” Jo reached out and slid her hands around Cadie’s hips, pulling the shorter woman down till she was resting on her chest again.

Cadie felt a warm glow spreading through her.

She said ‘we’, she thought giddily. I don’t care about the money – there could be a buck-50 in that account and I could care less. But in 12 years with Naomi, she never once even considered asking me what I thought about decisions like this. Cadie wrapped her arms around her lover’s waist and squeezed possessively.

“I’m more than okay with that,” she replied happily. “Thank you for asking.”

Cadie felt the kiss against the top of her head.

“Did you think I wouldn’t ask?” Jo rumbled, soft and low.

Cadie lifted her head and kissed the full, coral lips so close.

“I’m just not used to being included in those sorts of decisions, sweetheart,” she replied huskily when they broke apart. “I wanted to make sure you know I appreciate it.”

“Cadie.” Jo tilted the blonde’s head up with a gentle fingertip under her chin. “I’m not Naomi.”

“Thank god,” Cadie murmured, provoking a broad grin from her lover.

“Agreed. My point was just that you and I are nothing like you and her. I don’t ever want us to get to that place where you and Naomi were. Not talking, not sharing, not trying anymore. If I ever look like neglecting you – neglecting us – the way she did, I want you to hit me with something large and blunt.”

Cadie considered that.

“Hmmmmm, like a small tree?”

“Exactly like a small tree.”

Cadie looked at her solemnly.

"I can do that."

“Good.”

Cadie nuzzled Jo’s neck, loving the feel of the taller woman’s pulse against her lips. She nibbled a teasing line up to her jaw then trailed the tip of her tongue across the soft skin to Jo’s ear.

“God, I love the feel of you,” Jo whispered hoarsely. Their faces were barely touching, cheeks brushing together in the finest of contacts. She could feel the rising heat between them, and her hands moved restlessly across the soft skin of Cadie’s back. The blonde licked at her earlobe with the delicate tip of her tongue, drawing the sensitive flesh into her mouth. Jo groaned as Cadie bit down gently. “You’re making me ache, Arcadia.”

“Mmmmmm,” Cadie growled. “I like the sound of that.”

“I like the sound of you.” Jo knew they were in danger of spending yet another morning lazing around in bed, indulging themselves in each other’s bodies. And loving it, she thought, happily letting the sensations wash through her. It never failed to amaze her when her body reacted so powerfully to Cadie’s touch and closeness. “I don’t ever want to stop touching you,” she murmured. “Or stop being touched by you.”

Cadie responded by moving even closer. They were belly to belly, breast to breast, soul to soul.

“Josie, huh?” the blonde teased, her mouth against Jo’s ear. “Does that make me your pussycat?”

Jo smiled, burying her face in the soft, fair hair.

“You’re certainly purring loudly enough,” she answered. She felt rather than heard Cadie’s laughter. Jo took the chance and found a way to slide her right hand between them. Her fingertips found the soft, wet spot they were searching for and Cadie gasped, shuddering against her.

“Ohhh god, Jo,” the blonde groaned. “If I wasn’t purring before, I certainly … a-am … n-now.” Any ability Cadie had to form coherent sentences drifted away on a current of pure sensuality as Jo’s fingers teased and circled, flicked and stroked. She pressed down with her hips, undulating against Jo’s hand and wrist. The passion had risen fast, the speed and strength of it leaving her speechless.

Jo avidly watched the look of utter skin-hunger on her lover’s flushed face. Cadie was almost in her own world, moving as her body demanded, using Jo.

In the best possible meaning of the word, Jo thought. She felt liquidly lustful herself, desire sitting low in her belly. The combination of Cadie’s heat and wetness, the pressure of her own hand wedged between them both, and her lover’s movements and sounds was delicious. Not enough to push her over the edge but … she was surprised to hear a groan that wasn’t Cadie’s, recognizing her own voice, ragged with craving.

She wrapped her free arm around Cadie’s hips, pulling the blonde closer as she arched up, counter-pointing the smaller woman’s movements.

“J-Jo,” Cadie crooned.

“Tell me what you want, darling,” Jo urged.

Cadie responded by pressing herself upright, back arched, hands splayed across Jo’s chest.

“Y... you know w... what I want,” she groaned.

Jo smiled.

“Mmmmmm, yes I do,” she murmured. She waited, watching Cadie’s rhythms, feeling her desire’s ebb and flow. And then, just as anticipation hovered on the brink of frustration, she gave Cadie what she needed, pressing deep, filling and stroking.

Cadie threw her head back, Jo’s name spilling from her lips, over and over. Movements once smooth and purposeful were suddenly mindless and reactive. Jo thrust and coaxed, nuzzled and soothed, continuing to touch and tease Cadie’s trigger points.

So beautiful, so sexy, Jo thought as the younger woman slumped forward, fair hair spilling across Jo’s breasts as the energy drained out of her.

“Oh. My. God.”

Jo chuckled. She left her right hand where it was, relishing the aftershocks and quivers that surrounded her fingers. She brought her left hand to Cadie’s head, tenderly pushing perspiration-dampened locks away from her face.

“You okay, angel?” Jo whispered.

“Oh. My. God.” Cadie felt like butter. Soft, pliable, melted butter. She couldn’t have moved if her life depended on it. “I wonder if anyone will notice if we spend the rest of our lives in this position,” she muttered, kissing the damp skin above Jo’s heart.

“You’re going to make a hell of a lump under my shirt,” Jo mused. “Sailing’s going to be interesting. I’ll have to remember which hand to grind with, and which hand to … um …” She wiggled the fingers of her right hand playfully, grinning when Cadie twitched spasmodically. “Wouldn’t want to get them the wrong way round.”

Cadie laughed weakly, her fingers scratching lightly across Jo’s sides.

“You are the most awesome lover, Jossandra,” Cadie murmured. I feel like I’ve been turned inside out.

“You are the most awesome inspiration,” Jo replied, kissing the top of the fair head.

Cadie mustered the strength to lift her head and she gazed up into hooded, blue eyes.

“Are you okay?” she asked, reading barely held back arousal in her lover’s expression.

Jo exhaled slowly.

“I’m about seven steps beyond okay and one step short of nuclear fission,” she explained, just failing to stop the broad, sensual grin. “I think if you touched me right now, I’d probably explode.”

“Oooo, I think I’m intrigued,” Cadie drawled. “I guess this means I have to let you go, huh?” She squeezed Jo’s fingers.

“Mmmmmm.” The movement sent tingles through Jo she couldn’t even begin to describe. “Keep doing that, woman, and neither of us will have to move a muscle,” she growled.

“Well, maybe one or two, sweetheart.”

Jo groaned.

Jo walked the length of Seawolf’s huge boom, pulling the sail cover tight around the furled mainsail and clipping it shut buckle by buckle. They were anchored at one of Cheswick Marine’s buoys in Shute Harbor, having just arrived from Hayman Island about 20 minutes earlier. Cadie was below decks cleaning out the main cabin and galley while Jo made sure everything was shipshape up here. Seawolf was due out again the next morning with a boatload of tourists and it wouldn’t do to have the big boat looking less than pristine.

It was mid-afternoon. Jo had meant to be back here a little earlier than this but somehow the morning had just drifted away on a tide of love-making and pillow talk. She grinned to herself. Can’t think of a better reason to be late.

Jo looked around at the arresting scenery of the deep-water harbor and sighed contentedly. Shute was surrounded by high, lush green hills that came right down to the water, which was a dark, rich blue. Yachts and motor cruisers were dotted across the expanse of the port, leaving only the main channel out to the islands free of anchorages. Summer was coming to a close and the place was just starting to wind up for the main thrust of the tourist season, when the numbers of boats in the harbor would close to double.

It had been a good off-season for Cheswick Marine. Both boats, the Seawolf and the Beowulf, had operated almost constantly with just a few quiet weeks across the summer. And they’d come at convenient moments, Jo thought. The company was in relatively good shape, for which she silently thanked Ron Cheswick. But in another month or so things would start to get interesting. If we’re going to get away for a break, now’s the time. She neatly coiled a rope around itself as she contemplated the next couple of months. It’s going to get busy here just at the time when Cadie has to go back to the States, she realized with a frown. Damn it.

She was shaken out of her reverie by sounds of movement from below. She glanced aft in time to see Cadie emerge up the companionway with a large plastic bag in tow.

“How did we manage to collect so much garbage in three days?” the American griped as she tugged at the bag. Jo wandered back to give her a hand, dropping casually down into the cockpit.

“Beats me sweetheart,” she said with a shrug. “I didn’t think we’d done anything except swim, eat and f-.” She was silenced by Cadie’s hand across her mouth and a pair of sparkling green eyes that widened in mock outrage. Jo grinned against the warm skin pressed to her lips. But the hand soon withdrew when she flicked her tongue out and licked it.

“Ewwwwwwwww, gross Jo-Jo,” Cadie yelped. She wiped the hand on her shorts and then leaned in for a kiss. “You gonna give me a hand with this?”

“You bet.” Together they hefted the bag into the dinghy, ready for the short trip to the Cheswick Marine jetty and office. “Any more down there?” Jo asked.

“Nope,” Cadie replied. “Just our bags and the boycat.”

Jo raised an eyebrow.

“How’d you go getting him in the cage?”

Cadie put her hands on her hips and grinned up at Jo.

“Funnily enough he just let me pick him up and put him in. Purring like a fool.” She laughed at the look of astonishment on the tall skipper’s face. Jo had suffered many a wound trying to get the boycat to do what he didn’t want to do. “Face it, Jo-Jo, he prefers blondes.”

Her dark-haired lover snorted.

“Can’t blame him for that. God knows, I can’t say no to you either.”

“Oh hush.”

They smiled happily at each other for long seconds, knowing exactly what the other was thinking. Their self-absorption was broken by a shout from the jetty.

“Hey skipper!”

They turned towards the sound and the sight of a familiar tall man waving at them from just outside the Cheswick office.

“They’re back!” Cadie said with delight, recognizing the man as Seawolf’s regular crewman, Paul. A moment later Paul’s new wife, Jenny stepped out of the office and waved at them.

Jo grinned and waved back.

“Come on, let’s go say hello,” she said. They both scooted down the companionway into the main cabin, making a beeline for the double berth where their bags were waiting for them.

“Does Paul know yet?” Cadie asked, as she stuffed clothes into her bag. Paul had taken the exam for his Master’s ticket a couple of days after the wedding and before he and Jenny had disappeared on their honeymoon. He’d passed with flying colors and Jo had the official piece of paper sitting on her desk just waiting to give him the good news.

“Nope,” the skipper smirked. “I can’t wait to tell him. It’s gonna make it much easier for us to get away too, knowing I can leave him with the Seawolf.”

Cadie nodded.

“Little does he know he’s gonna be skippering that bunch of Japanese around from tomorrow morning.” She chuckled. “Are you going to go out with them for a couple of days?”

“Probably,” Jo answered. She double-checked the cabin, making sure they’d picked up all their personal belongings. “Just until Josh is settled in and Paul’s ready to go it alone.” Josh was Jo’s young next-door neighbor who had just come on board as an employee of Cheswick Marine. She was hoping the teenager would bond with Paul and Jenny to form a good, working crew.

“I’m glad he’s part of the family now,” Cadie said. Josh had been caught up in the drama last month when Jo’s criminal past had come back to haunt them all. He had been held hostage by an old acquaintance of the skipper’s and had needed rescuing by the former assassin. It had been scary for them all, but the young man seemed to have recovered well.

“Me too,” Jo muttered. “We ready to go?”

Cadie zipped up the sports bag and patted it.

“You bet.”

Jo picked up the cat cage, trying to ignore the plaintive meowing from the big black cat inside. She was stopped by a hand on her elbow and turned to face her smiling partner.

“Thank you for a lovely few days, Jo-Jo,” Cadie said quietly, letting her eyes convey the depth of her feeling for the tall skipper.

Jo felt herself melting from the inside.

“We needed it, huh?” she answered, brushing Cadie’s cheek with tender fingertips. Cadie nodded. “Thank you, sweetheart.”

“Riaaaaaaowwwwwwwwwwwwwww.”

They both laughed.

“Come on, gorgeous,” Jo chuckled. “Let’s get the monster home.”

Half an hour later the four reunited friends were sprawled on the deck of Jo’s house, high above Shute Harbor. Mephisto was roaming about rediscovering his home territory. Cadie and Jen were engrossed in a discussion about the merits of Fiji as a honeymoon destination while Jo and Paul were going over the plans for the tourist group they would take out on Seawolf the next day. Every now and then the tall blond man would stare dazedly at the Master’s ticket Jo had presented him with down at the Cheswick Marine office.

“Feels pretty good, hey mate?” Jo said as she swigged another mouthful of cold beer. The dazed and happy look on her friend’s face had been worth the wait. He deserves this, she thought. They both do.

“It feel sensational, skipper,” Paul said, grinning at her. “Can’t believe I nailed it on the first attempt.” He shook his head. “How good am I?” They both laughed.

“Oh you’re good. They’ll be calling you skipper tomorrow.”

“Holy shit,” he murmured, all the implications of his promotion starting to hit home.

Jo laughed again.

“Drink your beer mate,” she said. “You’re going to be too busy to worry.”

He drained his stubby.

“So what’s the plan, Jo-Jo? Three skippers, two boats. You just going to rotate us for a while?”

Jen and Cadie looked up at the turn in the conversation and Jo caught the blonde’s eye.

“Maybe for a while, sure,” she replied. “Cadie and I are going to go visit my parents for a couple of weeks, maybe three. So until we get back from there things will run pretty much as normal. After that …” She shrugged. “If things are going well I’m thinking of getting a third boat.”

“Wow, skip,” said Jen. “That’s a lot of outlay.” The brunette kicked off her shoes and placed her feet up on the top rail of the balcony.

“Yeah, it is, but ABC Charters are looking to lease out a couple of their yachts. So that might be a cheaper option.”

Paul looked puzzled.

“Okay, so they’re biggest company around and they’re trying to get rid of some boats. But we’re flat out booked for the winter, aren’t we?” Jo nodded, smiling slightly behind her beer. “So what are they doing wrong?”

“I think it’s more what you guys are doing right,” Cadie said as she got up to refresh her and Jen’s drinks. She still hesitated to talk as if she was a part of the company, even though everyone connected with Cheswick had accepted her presence wholeheartedly. She casually brushed Jo’s shoulder as she passed, and the dark-haired woman snagged her hand. Cadie bent down and placed a kiss on the top of Jo’s head before moving on into the house.

“She’s right,” Jo said. “The big ones are being too impersonal, I think. They’re booking big groups, sending them out after a few hours instruction and leaving the loopies to their own devices. And I’m not convinced that’s the way to give them the most fun for their dollars. We’ve been much more hands-on lately. Like we were with Cadie’s group.”

“Boy that was fun,” Paul muttered, remembering the antics of Senator Silverberg and her cronies. “No offence, Cades,” he said apologetically as the blonde came back out with fresh drinks for everyone.

“None taken, Paulie,” Cadie laughed. “You don’t need to apologize for being honest. We were pains in the ass.”

“Well, some of you were,” Jenny said, patting Cadie’s thigh sympathetically. “Anyway, it seems to be working, Jo-Jo,” Jenny said. “Now all Paul and I need is somewhere to live, and all will be right with my world.”

“I take it Paul’s bachelor pad is just not cutting it,” Cadie laughed.

“Not even close,” the brunette replied.

“Hey,” objected her husband. “It’s not that bad.” The three women looked at him like he’d suddenly grown an extra head. “Okay, okay so it is that bad.” They all grinned at him. “And anyway, the lease runs out this weekend.”

Jo and Cadie exchanged another look and the skipper nodded, giving her partner the go-ahead.

“Stay here,” Cadie said simply. Paul and Jenny looked at her and she shrugged. “You’d be doing us a favor. We need someone to feed the boycat while we’re away and you guys need somewhere to live till you find your own place.”

The newlyweds beamed from ear to ear.

“Thanks guys,” said Paul, slapping Jo’s knee with the back of his hand lightly.

“No worries, mate,” she replied. “Like my friend here said, you’ll be doing us a good turn.”

“Sounds like a plan, skip,” said Jenny.

They fell into a companionable silence as they gazed out over the islands. The sun began to set behind them and the gathering dusk turned the greens to purples.

Pretty damn good ending to a fine day, Jo thought to herself, watching the gold-tinged light touch Cadie’s face. As she watched, the blonde turned towards her and broke into the most beautiful smile Jo had ever seen. I take it back, the skipper thought. It’s the perfect ending.

Cadie was beginning to think this was the longest week in history. Though perhaps it’s running a close second to the week after Naomi got arrested on Hamilton Island, she thought grimly as she tossed a sheaf of papers on to the desk. It was Friday afternoon, and she and Jo were supposed to be leaving for Jo’s parents’ place the next morning. But so far the week had been one crisis after another and they were struggling to get through them.

One of Cadie’s stable of authors was having problems with her publisher. Normally Cadie would be acting as a buffer zone for the writer, but being half a world away was proving to be a little problematic. Not that she would have been doing face-to-face meetings anyway, but the time difference was proving to be a little mind-boggling for all concerned. Especially for the author, who had been sending plaintive emails all week.

The blonde sighed and pulled her reading glasses off, rubbing the bridge of her nose tiredly. She had a headache she wouldn’t wish on her worst enemy and her neck and shoulders were stiff from a day spent hunched over her laptop. She kept meaning to transfer all her stuff over to Jo’s desktop, but so far she just hadn’t had a chance.

Cadie’s week had started out just fine after three peaceful days off with Jo, but it had been all downhill since then. Jo had gone out with Paul and Jenny on the Seawolf as planned. But she’d ended up skippering the Beowulf for the last few days of its tour when Frank, Cheswick’s third skipper, had gone down with appendicitis. Cadie hadn’t seen her partner since Tuesday morning, though they had talked every night by phone. They were both beyond grumpy thanks to the enforced separation.

How the hell are we gonna survive when I have to go back to Madison, Cadie wondered glumly. It’s not just that, though. It feels like everything that could go wrong has gone wrong.

She tossed her glasses onto the contact book she had open on the desk and uncurled herself, twisting and stretching in her chair. From where she sat she had a panoramic view of Whitsunday Passage.

She’s out there somewhere. Probably having a bunch more fun than me.

Cadie started when Mephisto leapt up onto the desk in front of her. The big black cat settled his haunches between her and the laptop’s keyboard, his head at eye level. Looking like a sleepy-eyed sphinx, he gazed at her implacably, purring gently. She smiled at him wanly.

“Hello boycat,” she murmured, reaching up to scratch under his chin. He stretched his neck, giving her more access, and closed his eyes blissfully, the purr intensifying. Cadie chuckled. “You like that don’t you, huh? When do you think your mom is gonna be home?” She leaned in to the cat and he reciprocated, bumping her nose with his forehead gently.

Jo had thought she’d be home about lunch time, but obviously something had slowed the Beowulf down. Cadie glanced down at her watch. Just after five.

“You want some food, Mephy?” she asked. In reply, the cat meeped at her, stood up then stepped forward, placing his front paws on the blonde’s chest. “Oh I see. You want a cuddle and then some food, huh?” She pulled him forward and he settled on her shoulder, curling and uncurling his claws into the fabric of her shirt. For a few minutes Cadie just enjoyed the contact, burying her face in the soft fur at his neck while the feline purred on.

God, what is up with me? she wondered. “What do you think Mephy, am I going nuts?” she said aloud. The boycat nudged her with his nose. “Maybe it’s just because this is the longest we’ve been apart since I came back here.” She shuffled the papers on the desk with her left hand. “Or maybe it’s just that everything I’ve touched this week has turned to horse poop.” She frowned, turning her mind back to the logistical nightmare the agency was in danger of becoming.

Troublesome authors weren’t the only problem Cadie was having as she tried to operate her business from a distance. Cash flow was a huge obstacle.

Basically there isn’t any, she mused. She had managed to let all her contacts – both publishers and authors – know that from now on they should send their payments to her parents’ address in Madison. Her mother was doing a good job of getting that money into the business’ account, but getting it out again in Australia was proving to be a little more difficult. For the time being Jo was supporting them both, and although the skipper had absolutely no problem with that, Cadie most certainly did.

“That’s it, Mephy,” she muttered. “That’s what’s been bugging me.” She sighed, glad in one way to have identified the nagging grumpiness that had been gnawing away at her.

Starting her own business hadn’t been about financial independence in the beginning. It had been a way to establish and maintain her own identity separate from the public persona of her ex-partner. But as the business had grown and become successful, Cadie had come to appreciate being able to have complete control of her own money. It gave her the chance to crawl out from under Naomi’s imposing shadow once in a while. And now…

Now, I don’t like the feeling of being dependent on anyone. Even Jo. She scratched Mephisto’s back absentmindedly. I know she can more than afford to support me, and she keeps saying what’s hers is mine but … But that’s easy to say from her position. She sighed again. On the other hand there isn’t a damn thing I can do about it right now. It’s just one of the many things I need to sort out when I go back to the States.

“I hate not being able to pay my share, and it’s as simple as that,” she told the cat. She felt a twinge of cramp low in her belly and grimaced. “Yeah and that’s not helping either,” she griped. Mephisto stuck a wet nose in her ear and snuffled, almost provoking a smile from the blonde. “Thank you. Come on, let’s get you fed.”

The cat picked up on the magic word and pushed himself up and off Cadie’s shoulder, making her wince as his back claws dug in a little. She stood and followed him into the kitchen where she found him circling his empty dish, meowing.

“Okay, okay.” She plucked the bag of kibble from the top of the fridge and poured a good-sized handful into the bowl, watching as the feline began eating with relish. “Go slow, boycat. You’re gonna give yourself indigestion.”

Cadie lifted the bag back into its spot and wandered back to the desk. She knew there was no point trying to contact her clients by phone at this hour, with most of the continental US well into its night time. Instead she sat down and started composing an email to the publisher. “Time to get nasty,” she murmured, focusing on her task.

Anyone looking for Jo Madison at that moment would have been greeted by a pair of long legs, a toned backside and a string of curse words that would have done a submariner proud. The Cheswick Marine boss was head down in the engine compartment of the Beowulf, trying to fix the knocking that had been grinding on her last nerve as the big yacht had plowed its way towards Shute Harbor. Jo had wanted to be home hours ago, but the weather had let her down, becalming them halfway home from Hayman Island.

It had been a long, irritating journey back to port. The boatload of German tourists hadn’t shown much enthusiasm during the whole trip as far as Jo could see and had been grudging in their thanks at journey’s end.

Of course their seasickness probably didn’t help, Jo realized as she grappled with a stubborn bolt. You can’t help bad luck. She’d found the source of the rattling and was pleased it would be a relatively easy thing to fix. If I can just get this wrench to grip onto this goddamn bolt. No such luck though, as the tool slipped yet again.

“Goddamn it,” she fumed. Hanging upside down in the cramped compartment wasn’t doing much for her headache either. With a grimy hand she flicked her loose ponytail out of the way for the millionth time. She squirmed around to get a better angle and finally succeeded in slotting the wrench into place. “Okay,” she muttered. “Now as long as it grips, we might actually get somewhere.”

Jo gritted her teeth and applied pressure. The wrench bit into the worn facets of the bolt head and she twisted harder, straining against the stubborn metal. When it finally gave it was sudden and violent, catapulting Jo’s hand against the surrounding engine components. Her knuckles barked on a sharp edge, gouging out hunks of skin and drawing blood.

“Fuck!” she yelped, only just managing to hang on to the wrench. “Fuck, fuck, bollocks and fuck!” Quickly she replaced the offending bolt and tightened the new component. She continued to curse under her breath as sweat and grease combined to add even further sting to the wounds on the backs of her knuckles.

Finally she was done. Jo didn’t waste any time squirming back into an upright position and she slammed the lid of the engine compartment down angrily.

“Fucking goddamn piece of crap,” she growled, trying to ignore the fact that she was bleeding on the deck.

“You right, boss?” said Roy, one of the crewmen on Beowulf.

She sighed as she reached to her back pocket and pulled out the piece of rag she’d been using to try and keep her hands clean.

“I’ll live,” she muttered. “Do me a favor and tie this for me will ya?” The man approached and grabbed the corners of the rag, tying it around her injured hand.

“You need to get something clean on that soon, skipper,” he said as he tightened the knot. Jo winced.

“I know,” she answered. “I’m heading home now anyway, so it can wait till then. Thanks, Roy.”

“No worries. I’ll run you over to the marina.”

Five minutes later Jo was walking back along the Cheswick Marine pier, heading for her car. She had deliberately avoided going in to the company’s office, knowing Doris, the office manager, would have a million little things for her to do before she disappeared for a few weeks.

Not the most responsible attitude, Jo-Jo, she admitted. But her mood was foul enough to make her willing to be a little irresponsible.

“Jo!” The tall skipper came to a halt, growling under her breath. “Jo, I need your signature on a few things before you go,” said Doris, leaning out of the small demountable that was Cheswick’s office. “Don’t you dare leave yet.”

Jo’s head dropped.

“All I want is shower, a beer and a cuddle. And not necessarily in that order,” she muttered, as she spun on her heel and headed back. “Is that too much to ask?”

Cadie slammed the phone down. It had been Naomi, she knew. Not that her ex-partner ever said anything, but the cold, heavy silence on the other end of the line was very, very familiar. Several times a day since Monday’s conversation with the senator Cadie had answered the phone only to find a chilling presence and not much else.

How the hell did she get the number here, Cadie thought, not for the first time. So far, the blonde hadn’t told Jo about the calls, preferring to have that conversation face to face. And changing the number isn’t going to help. She found this one, she’ll find the new one. Damn her.

Cadie’s head lifted at the sound of car tires on gravel. Finally, she thought, a faint smile crossing her lips. Even the impending arrival of her lover wasn’t doing much to penetrate the headache now bordering on titanic, however. As the front door opened, revealing a tall, dark and very welcome figure, the phone rang again. Damn it, Naomi, not now.

Cadie snatched the phone of the cradle, her temper finally snapping.

“What the hell is it you want, Naomi?” she yelled into the mouthpiece.

“Uh, Miss Jones, it’s John Jacobs,” came the hesitant reply.

Cadie slapped her hand over her mouth in consternation.

“God, I’m sorry John,” she said quickly. “I thought you were someone else.” She felt herself flush with embarrassment as she looked up at and caught stormy blue eyes looking at her. “Jo’s just walked in. Hang on; I’ll get her for you.”

Naomi’s been calling here? Why the hell didn’t she tell me? Jo took the phone from Cadie, trying not to let her irritation show. “Hello, John,” she said. “What can I do for you?”

Cadie covered her eyes with her palms, feeling the heat from her blush. Damn it. Damn you Naomi. She rubbed her face distractedly and moved into the kitchen, deciding to make a start on dinner while Jo talked with her attorney. The blonde started to put a salad together, forcefully dicing a couple of tomatoes, taking out some of her frustration.

It wasn’t long before she heard Jo saying goodbye to John. The tall skipper walked towards her and placed her hands on top of the counter casually.

“Naomi’s been calling, huh?” she asked gruffly.

“And hello to you too,” Cadie said testily. She tossed the quartered tomatoes into the salad bowl and reached for the small lettuce she’d pulled out of the fridge. “I don’t know for sure if it’s her,” she conceded. “A few times a day since Monday I’ve picked it up but there’s just been silence.”

“And you think it’s been her?” Jo asked, her frayed temper just about worn through. “Why didn’t you tell me before?”

“Well, who else would it be, Jo?” Cadie retorted, chopping the lettuce viciously, an action not lost on her partner.

“Given my history? I can think of about 20 people off-hand,” said Jo sarcastically.

“And I didn’t tell you because you were in the middle of the ocean and could do precisely nothing about it. Believe it or not, I thought you might appreciate not being bugged by something like that.” Slice, dice, hack.

Jo watched the massacre of the salad continue. What’s got her so fired up? she wondered. She looks like she’s had as bad a week as I have.

“Um, I was thinking we might go out for dinner,” she suggested tentatively.

Cadie groaned and dropped the knife onto the chopping board. More money she’d be spending on me. Part of her knew she was making more of it than she should, but her foul mood was in full swing now.

“I’d really rather not,” she replied.

Jo rubbed her eyes tiredly.

“I just don’t have the energy to cook tonight,” she muttered, wishing Cadie would quit arguing so they could just get on with it.

“I’ll cook, all right?” Cadie retorted, exasperated with the conversation. “Believe it or not I think I probably can throw together one meal.”

Jo put her hands on her hips and glared at her partner.

“I never suggested you couldn’t, Cadie,” she said. “I just thought it might be easier for both of us if we went out.”

“Well, it wouldn’t be easier for me.”

“Fine.” I’ve had enough of this conversation, the skipper thought. She backed away, hands up palm outwards in a surrendering gesture. “You do what you like, okay? I’m going to get a shower.”

For the first time Cadie noticed the grimy blue bandanna wrapped around Jo’s knuckles.

“What did you do to your hand?” she asked.

“Nothing,” Jo replied bluntly. She turned away and stalked into the main bathroom, slamming the door behind her.

Cadie picked the knife up again, jamming the point into the wooden chopping board and resting her hand on the hilt.

“Well, that’s just great, Arcadia. Well done,” she muttered to herself. “She’s your one ally on this side of the planet, you love her to death, and you just treated her like a kicking post.” She sighed.

Jo stood under the hot water. She leaned forward, forearm against the shower wall, forehead resting on her arm, eyes closed. She hadn’t even bothered to strip off the makeshift bandage on her hand and now the deep graze was stinging like a son of a bitch.

What the hell are you doing? she berated herself. Don’t you dare take out your bad mood on her, damn it. She doesn’t deserve that. No matter how foul her mood may be. She pressed her fingers against the bridge of her nose. And you can just take that half-insecure, half-jealous thought about Naomi and shove it somewhere deep and dark, Jossandra. Clearly she doesn’t want to hear from the senator. That’s got to be part of her bad mood. So just can it, will ya?

The water felt so good against her skin. Jo let the heat begin to bleed away her tension, feeling the muscles in her back unwind. She started when she heard the bathroom door ease open. A glance over revealed a blonde head and a pair of sheepish green eyes.

“Can I come in?” Cadie asked quietly.

Jo nodded.

“Of course,” she replied. “You don’t have to ask.”

“Well, you don’t usually shut the door, so I figured you wanted some privacy. And I don’t blame you frankly,” Cadie said as she eased inside and sat down on the toilet lid.

For a while they were both silent. Cadie stared at her feet miserably and Jo started to soap herself up.

“I’m sorry Jo-Jo,” Cadie said finally. She breathed in the steamy atmosphere of the bathroom. She wished she could rewind the last half hour or so and start again.

“I’m sorry too, sweetheart,” Jo replied. She finished rinsing the shampoo from her long hair and stepped out of the glass cubicle. Without waiting for her to dry off, Cadie stepped forward and wrapped her arms around the tall, wet woman. Grinning, Jo reciprocated, pulling the blonde close. “You’re gonna be soaked, darling.”

“Don’t care,” Cadie muttered, relishing the solid, damp warmth she pressed against. “Can we start again please?” She lifted her head and looked up into watery blue eyes.

“That would be wonderful,” Jo agreed, placing a kiss on her lover’s forehead.

“Let me look at that hand?” Cadie asked, pulling Jo towards the sink. The taller woman sat down on the edge of the bathtub and held out the offended appendage. Cadie eased the wet bandana off and winced at the sight of the ugly gouges on the backs of Jo’s knuckles. “You’ve been battling engine parts again, haven’t you?”

“Yeah. Damn wrench slipped,” Jo mumbled. She watched as Cadie opened the bathroom’s medicine cabinet behind the mirror and extracted a bottle of mercurochrome and some cotton buds. “This is gonna hurt, huh?”

“It’s probably gonna sting some, yeah. Sorry love,” Cadie said quietly, dipping a cotton bud into the bottle. Carefully she began dabbing the yellow antiseptic onto each wound, making sure she got every piece of dirt and grease out. Typically Jo sat stoically still, not even the glimmer of a wince touching her face. Cadie glanced up at her. “You’re being very brave.”

“Weellllllllll,” Jo drawled. “I wouldn’t want to go against my image as a big, bad, tough girl, now would I?” At that moment Cadie hit a particularly raw spot and she flinched. “Ow.”

Cadie chuckled.

“Tough girl, huh?" she teased. “Well, hold still just a bit longer, Tough Girl, and we’ll have you all fixed up.”

Jo looked at the blonde affectionately, knowing they still had some talking to do.

“Can I ask you something?” she asked quietly. A blonde eyebrow lifted in affirmation. “Are you really too tired to go out to dinner tonight, or is there some other reason you don’t want to go.”

Cadie’s hands stilled momentarily before resuming their cleaning task. She sighed.

“I’m having a bit of trouble with the whole money situation,” she said quietly, not meeting Jo’s somewhat surprised gaze.

“Tell me.”

Cadie dropped the cotton bud into the small rubbish bin under the sink and sat back down on the toilet lid. She clasped her hands in front of her as she leaned her elbows on her thighs. Jo watched a range of emotions cross the face she loved. She reached for a towel and began drying herself while Cadie thought about her response.

“Before I started the agency I never thought about money and the power it has,” the blonde mused. “I had a trust fund that I could access once I’d graduated college and Naomi was in much the same boat. Plus she was earning good money. While I was working as part of her campaign team, we just lived on what she was making. If there was anything else I wanted, I used the trust fund.”

Jo listened as she finished toweling off. She walked to the door and unhooked the bathrobe hanging on the hook, sliding into its warm softness. Then she crouched down in front of Cadie and cupped her hands around the blonde’s.

“I used the rest of the trust to start the agency,” Cadie continued. “And then, when the business started to bring in money, I discovered something really neat.” She looked up into inquisitive blue eyes. “I liked having my own financial independence.” Jo nodded and smiled. “And not just because of the extra cash either. For the first time I felt like I could look Naomi in the eye. As an equal.” She focused on Jo’s long fingers which were chafing against hers gently. “That sounds pretty pathetic doesn’t it?” she whispered. “Needing money to feel like an equal.”

Jo bent down and kissed Cadie’s thumbs softly.

“We all have our crutches, sweetheart,” she answered. “That certain something that gives us self-confidence, or at least the appearance of self-confidence, until we can find it in ourselves.” She lowered her eyes. “With me it was a gun.” She swallowed then found Cadie’s eyes again. “Took me a long time to figure out I could be just who I wanted to be without that little friend strapped to my hip.”

Cadie looked at her soberly.

“Talk about perspective,” she said wryly. “Here am I worried about a few dollars.”

Jo shook her head and squeezed the blonde’s hands.

“No. Don’t do that. Don’t minimize what you’re feeling, okay? You can’t access your money and having me pay for everything is pushing your buttons, right?”

Cadie nodded.

“I keep telling myself it’s only temporary. I keep telling myself you can afford it and that you don’t mind.” She met Jo’s grin with one of her own. “Okay, that you actually quite enjoy it,” she conceded. “But even when I tell myself those things, somehow the whole concept just puts me back in a place I don’t want to be. And it scares me.”

Jo thought about that for a bit.

“Okay. I understand that. But the bottom line is there’s not too much we can do about it now except do our best to get through the next few weeks.”

Cadie nodded.

“I know. I’ll figure my way around it, honest.” She smiled softly at her lover. “And talking about it has helped.”

“Good.” Jo patted her knee and pushed herself upright, pulling Cadie up with her. “So, apart from money, troublesome authors and Senator Stalker, is there anything else I can actually help with?”

Cadie stood on tiptoe and kissed Jo lightly.

“You helped sweetheart. You help just by being here. Now, tell me about your bad mood.”

Jo shrugged.

“Seasick Germans, noisy engine, sore knuckles,” she said succinctly. “And I hate being away from you.” Cadie burrowed against her, her face buried in the warmth of the robe.

“I do know that feeling,” came the muffled reply from somewhere between her breasts. Then a pair of sparkling green eyes looked up at her. “I’m glad you’re home, Jo-Jo.”

“I’m glad to be home,” Jo whispered. She dropped a gentle kiss into the blonde hair. “I’ve got an idea,” she said a few moments later. “How about we cook dinner together?”

A brilliant grin greeted that suggestion.

“That’s the best idea I’ve heard all week,” Cadie said.

Jo leaned back against the soft leather of the sofa and sipped at her glass of red wine. The evening, thankfully, had been delightfully peaceful. They had talked a lot more, smoothing over the rough edges of what had essentially been their first argument. Dinner had segued into a warmly sensual session of cuddling and kissing interspersed with a lot of gentle laughter. Jo swept her long, black hair back from her face and lifted her feet up onto the coffee table. Cadie had disappeared into the bedroom momentarily, leaving the skipper to her own thoughts.

Mmmmmm. I’m so glad we worked our way through that. She took another sip, swirling the warm, fruity liquid around in her mouth before swallowing. I was worried. I don’t like not being on the same wavelength with her.

Cadie walked back into the room, carrying something behind her back. Jo stifled a grin.

“Jo?” The blonde came to a halt on the other side of the coffee table.

“Yeeeeeeeessss?”

“You know how Wednesday was your birthday, but because we were both having such busy, crappy weeks, you decided we’d just forget about it?”

“Mhmmmm.”

“And you know how I agreed with you?”

“Mhmmmm.”

Cadie stepped around the table and sat down next to her lover. Slowly she brought her hands around and handed Jo a long, thin package.

“I lied.”

Jo’s face was a picture. Cadie smiled at the childlike glee that shone out of the older woman as she gingerly took the package from her.

“Y’know, you weren’t supposed to do this,” Jo admonished.

Cadie shrugged.

“I know. And I know we’ve just had a whole argument based around money, but, um …” She was disconcerted to find herself blushing. “Well, I still had a little of the prize money that we won during Hamilton Island Race Week, so I thought I would spend it on my favorite girl.”

Jo raised an elegant brow at that, even as she started plucking at the corners of the wrapping paper. She could count the number of birthdays she had celebrated after she left home on the fingers of one hand. Most of her friends here in the islands didn’t even know when it was. And apart from a few phone calls from her parents over the last five years, she really had never marked the day. Somehow, this is a lot different. Jo carefully lifted the corners of the paper, painstakingly peeling back the scotch tape.

“You haven’t done a lot of this, have you?” Cadie asked quietly, suddenly putting together what she knew about Jo’s past and the grin of delight on her partner’s face.

Jo looked up as she slid a finger along the longest edge of the paper.

“No,” she said quietly. “Not since I was pretty small.” Finally, she slid the grey velvet jewelry case out of the paper and eased it open. “Oh, Cadie,” she breathed. Delicately she picked up the fine gold chain. Hanging from it was a small filigreed locket. “Sweetheart, it’s beautiful.”

Cadie beamed.

“I didn’t put anything in it,” she said, showing Jo how to open it. “I thought you could choose the photo you wanted.”

Jo leaned across and placed a gentle kiss on the blonde’s cheek.

“Thank you, darling,” she whispered. “I know just which picture I’m going to put in there.” She nuzzled Cadie’s neck.

“Mmmmmm.” Cadie tilted her head, giving her lover more access, totally unable to say no to the languid sensuality washing over her. “Which one?” she murmured.

“Which one what?” Jo replied as she nibbled the soft skin so close.

Cadie giggled.

“Photograph, Jo-Jo, photograph.” She grinned as Jo pulled back.

“The one Frank took of you at the wedding,” the dark-haired woman said softly.

“Ah. You liked that one.”

“Mhmmmm.” For long seconds they gazed at each other, blue eyes and green sparking off each other. Jo held the locket up. “Help me put this on?”

Cadie took the chain and reached behind Jo’s neck, manipulating the clasp until it closed securely. The locket hung perfectly, nestled at the base of Jo’s throat. She nodded in satisfaction.

“It suits your coloring,” she said.

“It’s gorgeous, Arcadia. Just like you.”

Cadie quirked an eyebrow at the singular expression on Jo’s face. I think I like what’s on her mind, she thought, tingling at the prospect.

“Happy birthday, sweetheart,” she whispered as Jo wrapped arms around her waist and bore her gently backwards till they were lying full-length along the sofa. Very blue eyes twinkled at her at close proximity. “I’m in so much trouble, aren’t I?”

“Oh yeah,” Jo burred, silencing any further conversation by brushing her lips lightly over Cadie’s.

“Oh yeah,” Cadie breathed, slipping a hand into the dark locks and pulling her beloved closer.

Chapter Four

“You’ve never roasted marshmallows over an open fire?” Cadie asked incredulously, staring at the dark-haired figure sitting across the campfire from her. “You, my Outdoor Queen, have never stuck a marshmallow on a stick?”

“Um, no,” Jo admitted with a wry smile.

“Weellllllllll, then you’re in for an education,” said the American as she gleefully produced a packet of the sweet treats from under her sweatshirt.

Jo watched, amused, as her partner set about the business of raising her blood sugar by several notches. When they’d changed their minds about flying out to the station, opting instead to drive from Brisbane onward, Cadie had been the first to admit that camping had never been her thing. But the thought of seeing the Australian countryside up close and personal had intrigued the American. And now she’s really getting into the swing of things, Jo thought happily.

“Here you go,” Cadie said, handing Jo a long, straight stick she’d cleaned of dirt and debris, and a handful of marshmallows. “Just stick it on the point and hold it close to the flames. Not right in it though, or you’ll be chewing charcoal.” The blonde grinned, her nose wrinkling endearingly.

That’s guaranteed to turn me into … well, a marshmallow, Jo chuckled. “Rightio then, here we go,” she said, more than happy to indulge Cadie’s infectious, upbeat mood. She skewered a marshmallow and reached out with the stick, watching as the sugary surface of the sweet began to bubble and caramelize.

Cadie popped a melty morsel into her mouth and rolled her eyes in exaggerated ecstasy.

“Good?” Jo asked, not really needing an answer to know her lover was in heaven.

“Mphmghmm,” came the muffled reply, followed by a happy sigh. “Yours is probably about done, sweetheart.”

Jo plucked the marshmallow gingerly from the end of the stick and dropped it onto her tongue. Wow, she thought. That’s… really, really… sweet. She giggled. “I think I like it,” she said around the mouthful.

“I thought you might,” Cadie laughed, her eyes sparkling.

A well-timed, but purely coincidental phone call from an old friend had caused Jo to suggest a change in travel plans earlier in the week. They’d set off early on Saturday, catching a flight to Brisbane, the Queensland capital, that had seen them sitting on Rita and Brian’s back patio, cold glasses of wine in hand, by mid-afternoon.

It was great to see them, Jo reflected as she stuck another marshmallow on the end of her stick and placed it in the fire again. Rita – a gorgeous brunette who shared Jo’s sense of humor and taste for red wine – had been a Cheswick employee when Jo had joined the company over five years ago. She and Brian had more or less adopted her in those early days when she was trying find her feet and rebuild her life, and they’d done it without asking too many questions or expecting too much of her. Their offer to lend Jo and Cadie their truck, loaded up with more camping gear than they’d probably need, was typical of her friends’ generosity. Good people.

After a very pleasant afternoon and evening spent in excellent company, Jo and Cadie had hit the road late on Sunday morning, driving west from Brisbane before ducking south and crossing the border into New South Wales. They’d driven most of the day, covering about 310 miles as they pushed further west till they’d come to Moree late in the day. Cadie had shared the driving with her, Jo confident in her ability to handle the unfamiliar conditions. Not to mention driving on the wrong side of the road. But she dealt with that really well, Jo thought with a smile. It had been fun to watch the American’s eyes growing wider as the countryside became harsher and drier. And flatter.

They’d had an easier day today, putting another 260 miles behind them before they hit the small mining and agricultural town of Bourke, known as the Gateway to the Outback. They’d arrived by early afternoon and had done some shopping at the local RM Williams outlet.

Jo grinned at Cadie, resplendent in her new cream-colored moleskins and elastic-sided tan boots. She’d only just been persuaded to take off her Akubra stockman’s hat and Driza-bone oilskin riding coat to eat dinner. Jo chuckled. It had been great fun outfitting the blonde like a fair dinkum Aussie bushman.

“What’s so funny?” Cadie said, loving the twinkle she could see in Jo’s eyes.

“Just enjoying watching you have fun,” the dark-haired woman replied.

Shopping completed, they had found their way through the small town till they’d reached the campground on the banks of the Darling River. After setting up the tent and getting a fire started, Jo had fashioned a tasty meal from the steaks and vegetables they’d bought earlier. It had been a very pleasant evening.

“I am having fun,” Cadie declared. “This is one big country, Jo-Jo. I never really realized that before now. It’s hard to believe that there can be the islands and the reef and all that and just a couple of days’ drive away it’s like this.” She swept her arm around, taking in the flat, dry landscape beyond the ring of their campfire’s light.

“Yeah, it’s big,” Jo agreed. “But this is where it really starts to get different. There’s an Aussie saying – going out the back of Bourke – it means going out where there’s nothing and nobody.” She popped another marshmallow into her mouth.

“So we’re really on the edge of the desert here?” Cadie asked.

Jo waggled a hand at her.

“Not desert in the sense of dunes and oases, and camels and all that,” she replied after she finished her mouthful. “But in terms of arable land – stuff that can actually be farmed in some way – we’re heading into country that’s as hard as it gets. There’s nothing too glamorous about working the land out here,” she said wryly.

“So I shouldn’t expect much in the way of green grass and contented cows then,” Cadie said, thinking of the rich dairy farms of her home state of Wisconsin.

“Er, no,” Jo confirmed, smiling across the fire at her. “From what Mum was saying on the phone, they’re in the middle of a drought too, so things are tougher than normal.” It occurred to her that Cadie deserved a bit of a warning. “Um, sweetheart?” A blonde eyebrow lifted, waiting. “Things can get a bit harsh out here,” Jo continued, hesitantly. “Especially in a drought. Animals die, and sometimes the farmers are the ones that have to do the killing.” She looked steadily at Cadie, not wanting to sugarcoat reality.

Cadie nodded, swallowing slightly.

“Okay,” she said carefully. “I’m not sure how I feel about that, but I understand it’s part of the way things are out here.”

“Well, I’m not sure either,” Jo agreed. “It’s been a very, very long time since I was here. I hope I’m exaggerating how bad it could be.” She sighed and mustered a smile for her partner. “Whatever happens, it’s going to be different, and there’s always an element of fun in that, right?”

Cadie stood and moved around to Jo’s side of the fire, dropping down and winding her arm through her lover’s.

“I’m having a ball, honey,” she reassured. “And whatever happens, happens. As long as we’re together, I’m happy.”

Jo leaned in and kissed her forehead softly.

“Ditto,” she replied. “Here, have a marshmallow.” She dropped a sticky finger-full on to Cadie’s bottom lip, watching as the blonde opened and drew the morsel into her mouth.

“Mmmmmm, thank you,” Cadie mumbled. “Tastes almost as good as you.”

“Tease.”

“Yeah, and you love it.”

“Yes, I do.”

Jo came awake slowly, the unfamiliar sounds of their surroundings prodding her up from a rather pleasant dream involving chocolate-covered strawberries and a certain blonde American. Pale blue eyes blinked in the grey pre-dawn light as she slowly adjusted. Tucked under her chin was a warm, limpet-like figure. Jo smiled into the lightening dark, charmed by the small sounds of protestation Cadie made when she half-sensed Jo’s wakefulness. The taller woman wondered briefly what it was that had woken her when the magpie took up its morning song again, warbling high above the tent.

It was colder than Jo had expected and she sent out a silent thank you to Rita and Brian, who had insisted she and Cadie borrow their alpine-rated double sleeping bag as well.

Cadie snuggled closer and Jo took a few minutes to just revel in the sleepy sense of contentment she felt whenever the younger woman was close by. She cast her mind back to her previous lovers, and wondered at herself.

I always hated actually sleeping with other people, she remembered. That skin on skin thing, all night long, just drove me nuts. She glanced down at the blonde head whose warm breath was tickling the skin of her throat. So what is it about this that I just can’t get enough? Jo sighed happily. Well, love, obviously, she answered herself. But I’ve seen plenty of people in love who don’t do this night after night. Unconscious fingertips began a gentle movement across her ribs and Jo smiled into the gloom.

“Mmmmmm,” came the drowsy greeting as Cadie drifted.

“Good morning sleepyhead,” Jo said quietly, squeezing the blonde gently. “How do you feel about breakfast?”

“Mmmmmm, orgasmic,” Cadie muttered. “Want me to call room service?”

Jo chuckled. As much fun as Cadie was having discovering the joys of camping, she was missing her creature comforts just a little.

“No room service darl, but I can promise you hot food and a cup of tea. How does that sound?”

Cadie whimpered as she clutched at Jo’s t-shirt.

“Zat mean I have to let you go?”

“Mhmmmm. But the good news is, you get to stay snuggled in here till it’s ready. How about that?”

Green eyes flickered open for the first time and they looked at her with pathetic gratitude.

“I adore you.”

A low, rumbling laugh was her answer. Carefully Jo extracted herself from Cadie’s grasp, unzipping the front of the sleeping bag and crawling out before the blonde gathered the warm material around herself again. The tent was a standard two-person model, wide enough only for the double air mattress and not much in the way of head room. Even sitting on the ground sheet to pull on her sweatpants, the top of Jo’s dark head brushed against the roof. A thick pair of socks was next before the skipper pulled a sweatshirt on over her t-shirt and slid her feet into her unlaced hiking boots. A quick search in her overnight bag revealed a towel, soap, shampoo and toothbrush. Jo unzipped the tent’s fly screen and pushed aside the flaps before crawling out into the cool morning air.

Mmmmmm, lovely morning, she reflected as she walked to the ablutions block. The campground was pretty much deserted and she had the spartan concrete building to herself. Always a bonus when it comes to public bathrooms, she mused. She stepped into one of the shower cubicles and turned on the hot water, letting the steam warm her as she stripped off. She tempered it with some cold just as she stepped under the high-pressure jet.

It was the smell of gently frying bacon that finally drew Cadie out of the warm nest of the sleeping bag.

How do vegetarians resist that? Cadie sat up and blinked at her surroundings. It was still quite cool and she grabbed the sweatshirt Jo had discarded after her shower, pulling it over her head. It smelled wonderfully of her partner’s unique scent, combined with clean cotton and soap. Yum.

Cadie finished dressing, grabbed her toiletries bag and towel and crawled outside the tent. The view brought her up short.

“Ohhh,” she gasped. They were camped on a gentle curve of the Darling River. The early morning mist still hung over the grey-green water and a flock of large white birds swooped lazily over the river’s course, the air crisp and clean. On the opposite bank tall, ghostly gum trees emerged from the light fog but there wasn’t a breath of wind to disturb their olive-green leaves. It was a tableau out of a watercolor painting. “Gosh, Jo, this is gorgeous,” she breathed.

Jo looked up from where she was crouched in front of the small fire, looking around at what had the blonde so entranced.

“Yep it sure is,” she murmured. “Did you sleep okay?” She turned back to the fire and poked at the sausages and bacon sizzling away in the frying pan she had balanced on the coals.

Cadie tore her eyes from the landscape and looked at her lover. Jo’s dark hair draped over her shoulders as she leaned over the cooking food. Cadie watched as a long-fingered hand absently pushed an errant lock back behind her ear. The t-shirt showed off Jo’s finely-muscled arms to good effect and the sweatpants were stretched over firm thighs as she settled on her haunches. Cadie sighed happily.

It’s 6am, I’m not awake yet and I have crusty crud in the corners of my eyes, but looking at her still makes me twittery. An inquiring brow quirked in her direction as Jo’s question went unanswered. Wakie, wakie Arcadia.

“Uh, sorry. Did you ask me something?” She shrugged. “You distracted me.”

Jo snorted but smiled up at her lover.

“I asked if you slept okay.”

Cadie walked over and sat on the large log that lay on the ground on one side of the fireplace.

“Actually I did, thanks,” she answered. Green eyes met blue across the column of smoke. “As long as I have you for a pillow, darling, I’m pretty sure I could sleep anywhere.” Interesting how even something as simple as that can make her blush, Cadie thought as she watched the tinge of color touch Jo’s cheeks.

“Well, that’s good to know,” her lover answered huskily.

“Have I got time for a shower?”

“Yep. I’ll have this lot.” Jo indicated the bacon and eggs that were just about done to perfection. “And I’ll have yours hot and ready for you when you get back.”

Cadie grinned.

“I like this kind of room service,” she said cheekily as she swung her legs over the log and headed for the ablutions block.

Jo tilted her head and watched as the blonde sauntered off.

“Damn, I love watching you leave,” she called out, provoking a laugh and a jaunty addition to Cadie’s natural gait. Jo groaned. “Tease,” she muttered, happily tipping her breakfast onto a waiting plate.

“Show me again where we are and where we’re going?” Cadie said an hour later. She had finished washing the breakfast dishes while Jo packed up the tent and sleeping bag, loading the equipment into the back of the truck.

“Sure.” Jo pulled out the map from a pocket on the spare wheel cover and spread it out on the picnic table next to their campsite. She pinned down the edges with a ketchup bottle and her Swiss Army knife. Cadie came up beside her, tucking herself under Jo’s left arm. “Okay, we’re here.” Jo jabbed a finger on Bourke. “See this triangle?” A long finger traced the blue spidery line of the Darling River, southwest to Wilcannia, then east to Cobar and north again to Bourke.

“Yep,” Cadie replied.

“Well, Coonyabby is just about in the middle of it,” Jo said. She pointed at a bare patch in the center of the triangle.

Cadie leaned forward and looked more carefully at the map.

“Um, sweetheart? There are no roads leading to the station.”

Jo chuckled. “None marked on the map that’s for sure,” she agreed. “No more bitumen for us, kiddo.”

Cadie blinked at her quizzically. “Bitumen?”

“Um…” Jo searched her limited lexicon of American phrases for the appropriate equivalent. “Asphalt?”

“Ah, thank you.” Cadie nodded.

Jo pointed at the faint unfilled-in lines following the course of the Darling.

“That’s an unsealed road from Bourke to Wilcannia,” she explained. “But we’re gonna stop at Louth.” She flicked a fingertip at the tiny town about 60 miles southwest of where they were. “We turn left and there’s another unsealed road that runs to Cobar. But we’re only going about halfway along it. Hopefully we should find Mum and Dad’s mailbox somewhere along there. They’ve got a dirt track running from the road to the homestead.”

Cadie stepped back and put her hands on her hips.

“The words ‘somewhere’ and ‘hopefully’ are not generating a lot of confidence in me, Miss Madison,” she mock scolded, provoking a laugh from her partner, who started refolding the map.

“Well, it’s been a while since I had to find the place, Miss Jones. And we’ve got my cell phone so we’ll be fine.” She tossed the map in the blonde’s direction, chuckling as Cadie juggled it before dropping it back in its pocket. “If we have trouble finding the track to the homestead, I’ll call Mum and she’ll come and get us.” A small flicker of something crossed Jo’s face, catching Cadie’s eye.

She’s nervous, the blonde realized.

“I’m looking forward to meeting her, Jo-Jo,” she said carefully.

“So am I,” Jo replied dryly.

“Is that how it feels?” Cadie asked. “Like you’re meeting her for the first time?”

Jo sat down on the picnic table, her feet resting on the bench. She fiddled with her Swiss Army knife, opening and closing each tool as she thought about her reply. The silence was just long enough to make Cadie believe she wasn’t going to answer, when Jo cleared her throat.

“Kind of, I guess,” she murmured, not meeting her partner’s eyes. “To be honest, I’m more worried about Dad than Mum.”

Cadie watched as the emotions passed across Jo’s face, tugging at the corners of her mouth and eyes. She walked over and stood in front of Jo, resting her hands on the taller woman’s denim-clad knees. She didn’t say anything, but just offered comfort through the small strokes of her fingers as Jo continued to wrestle with her thoughts.

“I feel really guilty, Cadie,” she eventually said, so quietly that the blonde almost didn’t catch what she was saying.

“For leaving the way you did?” Cadie asked.

Jo nodded. “Yes, but not just for that,” she replied hoarsely. Now she lifted her eyes and met Cadie’s. “The farm’s been in the family for 130 years. Passed down from father to child. Dad wants so much to be able to continue that tradition. Or at least,” she corrected herself. “That’s what he wanted when I was a teenager. He was always trying to teach me everything he could about running the place. But that wasn’t what I wanted.”

Cadie reached out and cupped her lover’s cheek with a gentle palm.

“You were just a kid, Jo-Jo,” she said. “You couldn’t be expected to know what you wanted at that age – that was a lot of pressure to put you under.”

Jo leaned into the touch for a moment, closing her eyes and savoring the contact. When she opened them again Cadie saw the baby blues were awash with tears.

“But that hasn’t changed,” Jo whispered. “I still don’t want to run the farm. Which means when Dad stops being able to run the place, that’ll be the end of the tradition. They’ll have to sell up. All that blood, sweat and toil for nothing.” Her voice cracked on the last word and Cadie stepped forward, wrapping the tall, dark streak of misery up in a hug.

“Jo-Jo, sweetheart,” she soothed, rocking them both gently back and forth. “I think you’re beating yourself up a little prematurely.” Jo’s arms tightened around her waist. “Who knows what either one of them is thinking? When was the last time you had a significant conversation with your father?”

Jo said nothing but shook her head against Cadie’s shoulder and sniffled. Cadie decided that meant it had been a very long time.

“Okay then,” she said. “So basically, we have no idea what they’re thinking is on the subject. So maybe they’ll surprise us.” She remembered her first phone call with Maggie Madison. “Again.”

Jo pulled back enough to be able to wipe her eyes with the back of her hand.

“It’s not just that, though,” she muttered. “There’s the whole …” she indicated the two of them. “Us thing.” She looked up quizzically at the blonde. “Why aren’t you more nervous about meeting them?”

Cadie smiled softly at her older, but in this sense, infinitely less experienced, lover.

“Probably because I’ve done it before,” she answered calmly. “Once you’ve met Naomi’s parents, trust me, you can survive anything.” She grinned wryly at Jo, relieved to see a spark of humor return to the dark-haired woman’s face.

“Tough, huh?”

Cadie rolled her eyes.

“Oh my god. You have no idea. If you’d ever met her mother you would know exactly where Naomi got that mean streak.”

Jo chuckled, somehow vaguely satisfied to know that no matter how bad she thought her relationship with her parents might be, somewhere Naomi was having it tougher.

“Besides,” Cadie continued. “I’ve yet to see anything in you that would suggest your parents are anything but good people.”

A flash of confusion caused Jo’s eyes to narrow.

“How can you say that, knowing my history like you do?” she asked incredulously.

Cadie leaned forward slightly and brushed her lips across her lover’s. “Sweetheart, there’s a dark streak in you, no question.” She put a finger against the soft lips just inches from her own, as Jo started to speak. “But you have it so tightly under control, you’re so wary of it, that I end up feeling totally protected by it.” She smiled at the look of wonder on Jo’s face. “You don’t believe that, do you?”

Jo shook her head silently.

Cadie thought about how to explain herself a little better. “The only time I’ve ever seen your dark side has been when you’ve been defending me, or someone else you care about.” She looked at Jo adoringly. “Do you have any idea how safe that makes me feel?” The dark head shook again.

“When you were living that life in Sydney, did you feel like you had any choice about what you were doing?” Cadie asked gently.

Jo bowed her head again, and Cadie could almost feel the shame radiating out from the older woman.

“I killed people, Arcadia. It shouldn’t have mattered how I felt about my circumstances. I should have made the choice not to do something like that.” Why are we having this discussion now? Here, in the middle of nowhere. Jo felt a wave of self-hatred wash through her.

Gentle fingers gripped her chin, forcing her to look into fierce green eyes at close proximity.

“It’s done, Jo. You did the right thing in the end, and you’ve been working your ass off to do the right thing ever since, including what you did to save Josh just a couple of months ago. Maybe it’s time to start forgiving yourself.”

Blue eyes blinked at her helplessly.

“I can’t Cadie. There isn’t anything I can do to make up for taking those lives. Maybe that’s what’s scaring me the most about seeing Mum and Dad again,” Jo said huskily. “Maybe it’s their forgiveness I need.” She swallowed hard. “And I’m not sure they’ll be able to give me that, once they know the truth.”

Oh my love, Cadie thought. She pulled Jo close again wanting nothing more than to ease her lover’s anxiety. “I understand,” she whispered close to Jo’s ear. “You really feel like you have to tell them everything?”

Jo sighed against her neck, the warm breath soft on her skin.

“I don’t see any way it can be avoided, do you?” Jo murmured. “Fifteen years have gone by since they last saw me. They’re bound to be curious, and I don’t want to lie. I shouldn’t lie to them, should I?”

Cadie rested her chin on top of the dark head as she gazed out over the river. “Maybe you won’t have to tell them the details,” she said gently. “Just saying you made mistakes and you want to put them behind you might be enough.”

“Cadie?”

“Yes, love?”

“Do… do you forgive me?”

It was like someone slid a long, thin dagger of ache into her heart, hearing the level of hurt in her lover’s question. Cadie placed a kiss into the soft, black hair.

“From the second I saw you I didn’t give a damn what you’d done before, Jo-Jo.” She cast her mind back to their early conversations on the Seawolf – the reluctance of the tall skipper to reveal anything of her mysterious past. “I never saw you as anything other than what you are. A good person. So yes, I forgave you. Long ago.”

Jo held on to her even tighter and Cadie realized that the adult in her arms was feeling very much like a child at the moment. She couldn’t help smiling at the concept and was unsurprised by the sudden sense of protectiveness she felt.

“Whatever happens, Jo-Jo, we’ll get through it together, I promise,” she said. “Whatever you want to do, or tell them, I’ll back you up.”

Jo pulled back again, managing to find a smile from somewhere.

“Have I mentioned today that I love you?” she asked.

“Nope,” Cadie replied, using the bottom of her shirt to wipe the tears from Jo’s cheeks.

“Well, I do.”

The blonde kissed her again, this time applying the full force of her feelings for the skipper as she sought to soothe away the rough edges. Jo responded in kind, drawing Cadie closer. Their tongues met in a tender, but intense exploration that made them both forget just where they were.

But not for long.

“Well, well, well and just what do we have here?”

Cadie stepped back from Jo’s embrace with a startled gasp. The man had come from nowhere, it seemed, stepping out from behind the truck. He was short and stocky with a beer gut that hung over the grimy pair of work shorts he wore. His blue singlet was sweat-stained. Jo recognized him as the truck driver who had parked his rig further down the river late the night before.

“Don’t let me stop you ladies,” he said with a gap-toothed grin. He sauntered closer and sat down on the end of the log near their fireplace. “There’s nothing revs my engine more than the sight of two good-looking sheilas going at it.” He reached down and adjusted himself lewdly. “Tell you what, how about fifty bucks for you continue the show?”

Cadie moved a little closer to Jo, who stood slightly in front of her, putting herself between the blonde and the bastard.

“Shit, Toto, I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore,” the American muttered under her breath, just loud enough for Jo to hear. The tall woman snorted quietly.

“Why don’t you just get lost, mate,” Jo said in the direction of the truckie.

“Now, now, gorgeous, no need to be like that,” he chastised her. “You two looked like you were enjoying yourselves. Don’t be selfish about it. Share it around a little.” He leered at them and Cadie felt a jolt of nausea as his eyes raked up and down her body. “Play your cards right, girls, and you could get yourselves some cash and a taste of the best dick in the central west.” He stood up and sauntered closer, one hand still gripping his crotch.

“Cadie,” Jo growled, her voice low and dangerous.

“Yes.”

“Get in the truck.”

Cadie felt, rather than saw, Jo’s fingers manipulating the Swiss Army knife, flicking its longest blade out.

“I’m not leaving you out here alone,” she muttered.

Jo thought about arguing, but the implacable presence at her back didn’t waver and instead she just accepted the fact that from now on she had a sidekick. Somehow the concept made her smile, and she closed the knife and slid it back into her pocket.

I don’t need a knife to deal with this moron, she told herself.

“Back off, mate,” she warned the man.

“Or what?” He was close enough that Jo could see the sweat-matted black hair on his shoulders. Worse, she could smell him, and he was no bed of roses.

“Look, you’re barking up the wrong tree, all right?” Why am I even trying to reason with this guy? He’s got the IQ of a cowpat and the stench to match. “If you were the last dick on the planet neither of us would be interested, so why not just be on your way and we’ll be on ours.” She felt Cadie’s hand on the small of her back and together they turned to walk away from the man.

But ego or rank stupidity nudged the idiot on. He reached out and grabbed Jo’s left elbow, yanking her back around to face him.

Oh, you shouldn’t have done that, buddy, Cadie thought, resigning herself to a non-diplomatic solution. She felt the heightened tension in Jo’s body under her hand, a faint vibration that thrummed. The blonde almost thought she could hear it.

“Where d’ya think you’re going?” Mr. Smelly said.

Jo went very still, her eyes narrowing to ice-blue slivers. She felt the darkness inside slither up from the depths of her personality, and for once, she let it.

“Let go of me.” Her voice was almost a purr now, deep and threatening.

Mr. Smelly, oblivious to all but his twitching testosterone levels, persisted.

“All right, look, 75 bucks each. You won’t regret it.” He yanked on Jo’s arm one more time.

I’ve had enough of this, Jo decided. She clenched her right fist and snapped her arm through in a short-arm jab that was so blindingly fast Mr. Smelly never saw it coming. He certainly felt it though as the jolt rocked him backwards, his nose splattering with a squelching sound the tall woman found deeply satisfying. He was on his backside in the dust before Jo had uncurled her fingers.

“You fucking dyke bitch!!” he yelped, both hands reaching for his blood-spattered face. “You’ll fucking pay for that!”

Jo dipped a hand in her pocket and came up with a half-dollar piece, which she flipped with her thumb in the direction of the man writhing in the dirt. It hit him on the forehead.

“There’s 50 cents, mate. Give someone a call who gives a rat’s arse.” She turned to Cadie, who was standing calmly behind her, just the tiniest smile on her face. “Let’s get out of here,” Jo muttered, shaking out her smarting hand.

“Right behind you,” Cadie replied quietly. Jo stalked off to pick up the last of their gear. Cadie tucked her hands in her back pockets and stood watching Mr. Smelly, her head cocked to one side. He looks like a bug trying to get back on its legs after its been tipped over, she thought dispassionately. She sniffed. A stink bug.

The man scrambled on to his hands and knees, blood dripping onto the dirt from his shattered nose. Cadie turned back to the picnic table, scooped up her Akubra and jammed it on her head.

“You haven’t seen the last of me, bitch!” Mr. Smelly whimpered. Cadie stopped in her tracks. In two strides she was standing next to him.

“You’re the one who hassled us, mister. Not the other way around,” she said pleasantly. She lifted her left boot and placed it on the point of his shoulder. With one gentle nudge he fell over again, sprawling in the dust.

“Cades!” Jo shouted, opening the driver’s side door. “Let’s go!”

Cadie gave the injured man one last glance and then she moved away again. She clambered into the front passenger seat of the truck as Jo started the engine and dropped it into first gear. They pulled out of the campsite as Mr. Smelly managed to push himself to his feet. He picked up a nearby rock and pinged it at the retreating vehicle, bouncing it off the roof.

“Fucking bitches!”

The rock made a sharp metallic sound as it ricocheted off the truck and both women rolled their eyes. Cadie leaned against the door, resting her arm along the back of the bench seat as she watched her partner. Jo concentrated on getting them out onto the main road through Bourke, looking left and right.

“See what I mean?” Cadie said.

“Huh?” Jo let the cattle truck pass before turning right onto the road to Louth and Wilcannia.

“Protected,” Cadie explained, waiting for blue eyes to turn to her before beaming at her partner.

Jo snorted.

“You could have handled him perfectly well without me, sweetheart,” she countered. “I just happened to be closest to him.”

Cadie raised an eyebrow. “Not to start with Jo-Jo. You moved between us.” She smiled at the blush that rose on Jo’s angular cheeks. “Face it. You’re naturally heroic.”

“Awww quit it, will ya?” Jo squirmed in her seat.

The blonde chuckled but decided to take pity on her self-conscious friend.

“Think he’ll come after us?” she asked, looking around at the stores and pubs they were passing on the outskirts of town.

Jo shrugged.

“Who knows. Depends if he’s going our way, I guess.” She glanced at Cadie who was absorbed in taking in her unfamiliar surroundings. “By the way, there’s something else Brian lent us for the trip.” Cadie turned to look at her. “There’s a metal box just behind our seats here.” She reached back and tapped the box in question.

“Do I want to know what’s in there?” Cadie asked as she shifted round to take a look.

“It’s his two hunting rifles and some ammo,” Jo said quietly, catching the blonde’s eye and shrugging. “I know. But I wasn’t going to argue with him, and I guess they’re insurance.”

“Don’t you need a license to have a gun here?”

Jo nodded.

“Yep. But I don’t plan on either using ’em or advertising the fact that we’ve got ’em.” They caught up to the cattle truck and Jo hung back, trying to avoid the cloud of dust that trailed behind the huge vehicle. “Do you know how to use one?”

Cadie took off her hat and ran a hand through her hair.

“My dad does a lot of hunting,” she said. “Because there were guns in the house he made sure we knew how to use them properly, how to load them and handle them safely. But I’ve never fired one.”

“Okay.”

They left the last of Bourke behind them and Cadie glanced around at the landscape. It was breathtaking and not anything she had ever experienced before. The unsealed road stretched straight in front of them away to a shimmering horizon. Yellows and reds dominated, even the olive-green of the low scrubby bushes giving way to the ever-present dust. The sky was the most brilliant shade of blue Cadie had ever seen, rivaling even the tint of her favorite pair of eyes.

“Wow, Jo, this is amazing,” she murmured. “Just beautiful.”

Jo blinked. Even though it had been 15 years since she’d walked away from this kind of countryside, it was starkly familiar to her. She’d always thought of her home territory as nothing but flat, boring, harsh land. Seeing it through Cadie’s eyes was proving to be illuminating.

“I guess it is,” she replied. “It’s looking way drier than usual though.” She frowned. “Guess mum wasn’t kidding about the drought.”

Thankfully, the cattle truck had taken another route once they’d left Bourke and Jo kicked the truck into top gear. Even though the road was essentially a well-made dirt track, the going was smooth. If there had been any significant recent rainfall it would have been a mess of ruts and rough edges, but the dry weather had compacted the surface into dusty concrete. The road was wide enough for two lanes, but only just.

“How long till we get to Louth?” Cadie asked.

“Just over an hour, probably,” Jo answered. “Goddess willing and the creeks don’t rise.” She smiled at her partner.

“Not much chance of that,” Cadie said, looking up at the cloudless sky.

“Jo! Pull over! Please?”

The dark-haired woman chuckled at the delighted note in her partner’s voice. Carefully she applied the brake and pulled the big four-wheel drive over onto the soft edge of the track. They came to a halt in a cloud of red dust. Cadie’s eye had been caught by a flock of emus that had been running alongside them for half a mile or so, giving Jo a nervous breakdown hoping they wouldn’t try to cross the road. Instead they’d slowed and Jo was totally unsurprised at the American’s request to stop with them.

They were just north of Louth, the small cluster of buildings laughingly called a town where they would turn off to head for Coonyabby.

“I need to get my camera out,” Cadie said excitedly. “I guess it’s buried in my bag somewhere, huh?” She looked over her shoulder at the bags and camping equipment piled high in the back of the truck.

“Yeah,” Jo said. “But dig it out. It doesn’t look like these guys are going anywhere in a hurry.”

They both climbed out, Cadie rushing to the back of the truck and opening the tailgate. She clambered up and ducked under the roof line, disappearing amongst the bags and boxes. Jo wandered around to the passenger side, watching the large birds milling around. She leaned back against the vehicle, one leg bent, the foot against the tire, her hands jammed in her pockets.

The emus were on the other side of a light wire fence that ran along the road, marking the boundary of someone’s property. Jo dug back into her memory, trying to remember the geography of the area and who lived where.

“This might even be the edge of Phil’s parents’ place,” she muttered, remembering riding the boundaries on horseback with her childhood friend. “Then again I might be wrong.” All the properties around here looked pretty much like the others, after all. It bothered her a little that she couldn’t remember exactly.

“Did you say something, sweetheart?” Cadie was still scrabbling around deep in the inner recesses of their luggage.

“Nah,” Jo said, lifting her voice a little. “I was just talking to these silly birds out here.” She chuckled at the emus. The biggest of them probably topped her six-foot frame by a good half a foot or so, but what they gained in height, the big flightless dumb idiots lacked in brain. Emus were known to try and run through an obstacle rather than figure out a way to walk around. “Not more than one brain cell between the whole flock,” Jo murmured. “Having any luck back there?”

“No, damn it.” Jo grinned at the sounds of frustrated American. “Maybe I put it in your bag?” Renewed activity ensued and Jo laughed at the whirlwind of destruction that was her determined partner.

Her giggles trailed away as she caught sight of a trail of dust approaching from the north. They hadn’t seen another vehicle in either direction since they’d left Bourke and Jo suddenly had a bad feeling she wasn’t going to be too happy to see this one. She walked slowly to the rear of the truck, unconsciously putting herself between Cadie, who was still rooting around in the gear, and whatever was coming. The dust cloud drew closer and now she could hear the rumble of the big semi-trailer as it bore down on them.

“Great. Just great,” Jo grumbled, recognizing the rig as belonging to Mr. Smelly. “This guy’s too dumb to know when he’s had his arse kicked.” She glanced over her shoulder quickly, making sure Cadie was still buried in the back of the truck. “Cadie?”

“Yeah?”

“Stay where you are, okay?”

“Huh?”

“Just stay where you are.”

Cadie heard the tone in her lover’s voice and didn’t argue, though she did squirm around so she could see what was going on. Jo was between her and the approaching rig but she didn’t need more than a glance to fathom what was happening.

“Wonderful,” she griped. She tucked herself back out of sight.

Jo stood casually in the blazing sun. She assumed her best bad-ass attitude and placed her hands on her denim-clad hips. The battered black Akubra sat low over her eyes and the sleeveless checked work-shirt showed off her tan and her lithe, muscled arms.

“You are such a poser, Madison,” she muttered to herself. She grinned anyway, allowing herself feel the rush of knowing just how intimidating she looked. It felt good. Very, very good.

The rig eased to a halt, the dust settling around it as air brakes squealed and hissed. Jo held herself still, waiting to see what the congenital idiot behind the wheel would do next. She didn’t have to wait long. Mr. Smelly opened his door and jumped down to the ground. He’d come prepared, hefting a large crowbar in his right hand. He walked towards Jo, slapping the end of the iron bar into his left hand rhythmically. The damage Jo had already inflicted on him was painfully obvious. There were bloodstains on his grubby singlet and his broken nose was bent between two rapidly blackening eyes.

“Fancy meeting you here,” Jo said, keeping any hint of interest out of her voice.

“Shut up, bitch.” Mr. Smelly stopped about 15 feet away from her.

She let a slow, dangerous, sexy smile touch her lips. “Nice. Do you kiss your mother with that mouth?”

The hairy freak took a step forward, brandishing the crowbar like it was a baseball bat.

“Is that a crack about my mother?”

Jo rolled her eyes and sighed.

“My god, you really are from the shallow end of the gene pool, aren’t you, mate?”

“Huh?”

“Get lost, ya buffoon.”

Enraged, the still-bloody man charged her, lifting the crowbar above his head and letting out a wild yell. Unfortunately he hadn’t allowed for Jo’s greater height, not to mention the gulf between their IQs, mobility and strength. The tall woman saw the telegraphed blow before it was little more than a spark between the man’s ears. She blocked the blow with one simple movement, grabbing the crowbar as it swung towards her shoulder. Then she shoved back, catching the man in the midriff with his end of the iron rod, knocking him on his backside for the second time that morning.

“You take a long time to learn a lesson, don’t you?” Jo pointed out. Her hand was stinging from the crowbar, but there was no way she was going to let him know that. Mr. Smelly scrambled to his feet, still grasping the makeshift weapon. “Isn’t getting beaten up by a woman once a day enough for you?” She knew she wasn’t doing much to placate the big bag of shit, but she was taking a kind of perverse pleasure in watching the man make a complete fool of himself, over and over. She grinned again.

Once more he came at her, this time swinging the crowbar from side to side. But before Jo could do anything about it, she heard the unmistakable sound of the bolt action on a hunting rifle behind her right shoulder.

Oh boy, Jo thought. I wonder if she’s loaded it.

Mr. Smelly stopped in his tracks, his bloodshot eyes widening at the sight of the diminutive blonde standing on the tailgate of the truck, a large Winchester tucked up against her right shoulder. Its muzzle looked big and black and menacing to him.

“Why don’t you just take your ugly, fat butt back to your rig, mister, and be on your way?” Jo had to smile. Somehow the words and Cadie’s cultured Midwest accent just didn’t go together.

“You bitches are insane!” the man yelled. “You can’t just pull a gun on a bloke.”

“This from the imbecile who just tried to take my head off with a crowbar,” Jo answered, one eyebrow raised as she folded her arms casually across her chest.

He stepped forward again. This time Cadie shifted her aim and fired, the bullet kicking up the dust a foot to the right of the man’s feet. She winced at the thump of the recoil, surprised by its force. Not gonna let him know that, she decided, resetting her feet determinedly.

Guess she loaded it, Jo thought, impressed by her partner’s accuracy. Not bad for someone who’s never fired a gun before. She didn’t flinch or move a muscle. God knows what she’ll hit next time, she chuckled internally.

Mr. Smelly was dancing around like some kind of enraged lunatic.

“You bitches! You goddamn, motherfucking, dyke bitches! Who do you think you are?”

“We’re the motherfucking dyke bitches kicking your ass for the second time today,” Cadie called out. Jo still hadn’t turned to look at her lover, but she knew the rifle was still trained on the man. “Go on. Get out of here, before your luck with my aim runs out.”

“Did I mention that she’s actually the one with the hair-trigger temper?” Jo said cheerfully, leaning forward slightly and hitching a thumb in her partner’s direction.

Finally, the message seemed to get through. Mr. Smelly dropped the crowbar and backed up towards his rig, his hands raised above his head. He stumbled when he ran into the massive bull-bar in front of the radiator grill, but then he sidled to the driver’s side door before clambering up. Cadie kept the gun on him the whole way, even as he fired up the big semi-trailer, pulled out onto the road and passed them, heading south.

Jo swiveled on her heel to watch him leave then completed the turn, gazing up at her partner. Damn if that’s not the sexiest thing I’ve seen in … well since the last time she looked sexy. Jo grinned up at the blonde, who finally lowered her guard, shouldering the heavy rifle.

“Think you’ve found your calling, Thelma?” Jo said in her best imitation southern US accent.

Cadie picked up the cue, green eyes sparkling.

“Maybe, Louise, maybe. The call of the wild.” She beamed down at the dark-haired woman. “Y’know, I know it’s crazy, but I just feel like I’ve got a knack for this shit.” Cadie jumped down and sauntered over to her lover.

“I believe you do,” Jo murmured. She slid a hand into Cadie’s silky fair hair and around to the back of her neck, pulling her closer. Jo ducked her head and brushed her lips against Cadie’s. The blonde lowered the rifle, keeping it well clear of their bodies as she melted against Jo’s tall frame. The long fingers in her hair set her scalp tingling and Jo’s strong arm around her waist made her feel safe and supported. The kiss deepened, their tongues exploring and teasing as the women gave in to the knee-weakening passion that welled up in them. Jo broke off first, humming her pleasure on a ragged exhale of air. “Mmmmmm.”

Cadie looked up into the desire-darkened blue eyes and smiled dreamily. “They didn’t do that in the movie.”

Jo kissed the corner of her mouth lightly, tempting her with just the tip of her tongue. “They should have,” the dark woman purred.

“No argument from me, gorgeous.”

They lost themselves for a few more seconds, drinking in each other’s warmth.

“Um, Jo-Jo?” She’s the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.

“Mmmmmm?” Please don’t let this be a dream.

“I have a loaded, deadly weapon in my hand and it’s…”

“Making you uncomfortable? Scaring you?”

“Getting heavy.” Cadie grinned.

A fine, dark brow lifted.

“Well, I think I can do something about that,” Jo drawled. She placed a hand on the rifle’s stock and took it out of Cadie’s grip. Quickly she unloaded it, her expert handling of the piece not lost on the blonde.

“You’ve done that before,” she stated, looking up into hooded eyes.

“Many times,” Jo said bluntly. She flashed Cadie a quick smile. “But not where you think. Out here, guns are just part of life on the farm. I was shooting cans off the old stump in the back garden when I was 4.” She took a long look at the Winchester. “This one’s a bit flashier than the ones I shot back then, though.” Carefully she placed it on the truck’s tailgate. “I’m afraid you scared off the emus.”

Cadie looked around, disappointed to find no trace of the flock.

“Damn,” she said. “Guess they recognized a lucky shot when they saw one, huh?”

Jo laughed.

“I guess so.” She vaulted up onto the tailgate and replaced the rifle and bullets in their metal box. “Come on, Calamity, let’s hit the road.” She extracted herself and jumped down into the dust.

“What’s your hurry, Louise?” Cadie teased, reverting to her best Oklahoma accent.

“No hurry,” Jo answered. “I just want to put distance between us and the scene of our last GODDAMNED CRIME!!”

“Woooooooohooooooooooooooooooo!”

“So, can I expect that kind of behavior from all the males of the species out here?” Cadie asked once they were settled back into the drive and their adrenalin levels had flattened out.

Jo clasped her hands on top of the steering wheel, the big truck not needing much help to stay on the straight and narrow track. She considered her reply.

“Well,” she answered. “On the one hand, I think our friend there was from the lower end of the evolutionary ladder.” Cadie snorted her agreement. “On the other hand we are smack bang in the middle of Ocker Central.”

Cadie turned to look at her. “Ocker?”

“Uh, yeah. Um, ocker is Australian for redneck,” Jo replied.

“Ahhh. No more public make out sessions, huh?” The blonde grinned at her lover who flashed her a smile.

“The good news is we’re not exactly going to be out in public from now on, sweetheart,” Jo said. “We’re gonna be on 60,000 acres of private land in a couple of hours.”

“Cool. What’s the bad news?”

Jo smiled, a little grimly.

“The bad news is I have no idea how my parents, and whoever else is working on Coonyabby these days, are going to react. For all I know we’re walking into a den of homophobes.”

“Hmmmmm.” Cadie glanced around at the passing landscape. “And I guess I can’t pull a gun on your parents, huh?”

Jo laughed, letting her partner’s lighthearted response ease some of the tension that was balling up in her guts.

“No, hon, somehow I don’t think that would go down well. Hell, I don’t even know if we’re gonna get to sleep in the same bed.”

Cadie swung her head around quickly. “Jo, I’m not sleeping away from you. They’ll just have to get over it.”

Jo raised her hand in a placating gesture.

“I know, I know. And I’m not going to let them pull any ‘while you’re sleeping under our roof you’ll live by our rules’ bullshit. We’ve got the camping gear. If they can’t deal with us sleeping together then we’ll go camp under the stars.” Apprehension welled up again and she tempered it with a little anger. “Screw ‘em.”

A gentle hand came to rest on her thigh and she felt the reassuring squeeze.

“Easy, skipper,” Cadie soothed. “You know your mother better than I do …”

“Not much,” Jo murmured. Another squeeze.

“You know what I mean. Anyway, all I meant was that in the brief conversations I’ve had with her, she hasn’t struck me as the type to get uptight about that.” She thought about it a little more. “Of course, she might think twice when she hears us in the middle of the night.”

Jo’s head whipped round and shocked blue eyes widened. Cadie was alarmed to see the color draining out of her lover’s face even as she gripped the steering wheel tighter.

“Honey, I was kidding. Relax.” Jo didn’t say anything, just gazed ahead up the long, straight road. Oh boy. Cadie unclipped her seatbelt and sidled across the bench seat until she was up against Jo’s side. She could feel the tension thrumming through Jo’s body. “Sweetheart, it’s okay.”

“I-I never even thought about that,” Jo whispered, trying to concentrate on driving even as her brain was flying in a million different directions. "Cadie, I don't think I can... I mean, not with them..." She shuddered involuntarily.

Cadie smiled. There were parts of her more than capable lover that were still so adolescent it was like watching a kid grow up before her very eyes. She patted Jo's belly.

"Pull over, love, before you drive us into the desert," she said calmly.

Jo sighed and did as the blonde requested, bringing them to a halt in a convenient byway. Cadie let them sit for a minute or so until she saw the panic start to abate in Jo's eyes.

"Sorry, I had a bit of a moment there," Jo muttered.

Cadie kissed her on the cheek softly.

"It's okay. You're running headfirst into a bunch of issues you've never had to think about before, huh?"

Jo rested her arm across Cadie's shoulders, pulling the blonde closer.

"I guess so. It just never occurred to me."

"What, that we'd be sleeping together in close proximity to your parents?" Cadie rested her cheek against Jo's shoulder and slid her hand under her shirt, trailing fingertips over tense stomach muscles. "Sweetheart, sex is not a requirement." She laughed softly. "We don't have to do anything you're not comfortable with. And believe it or not I can go a couple of weeks without it."

Jo could feel the blonde's grin and it flicked a switch in her head. Get over it, Jo-Jo, ya big coward. You're 33, not 13.

She unclipped her seatbelt and turned slightly so she could duck her head and capture Cadie's lips in a soft, sensual kiss. Cadie moaned faintly into her mouth and Jo met the sound with one of her own. Playfully she nibbled the blonde's bottom lip then gasped as Cadie turned the tables, using a hand through Jo's dark locks to pull her closer and intensify the contact.

Jo gently nudged her backwards until they were stretched along the narrow bench seat. She ignored the discomfort of the steering wheel digging into her thigh, concentrating instead on the entirely too sexy movements of the woman under her.

"You can't be comfortable," she murmured, knowing Jo's lanky form was tangled around the wheel and the gear stick.

"I'm just perfect," Jo burred, the sound turning to a whimper as Cadie explored the edges of her ear with her tongue.

The next several minutes were spent in a happy reconnaissance of each other's bodies, neither woman pushing the moment past the point of low burn.

"Mmmmmm, Jo-Jo?" It was a gasp more than a question, as Jo's fingers found a particularly sensitive spot.

"Yes?" the skipper breathed.

"I think the logistics of this are going to get the better of us."

"I know, but God, I'm having fun trying."

The words rumbled down Cadie's spine like a hum of electricity.

"You are driving me crazy. You know that, right?"

In answer, Jo nuzzled the curve of her breast one last time before pushing herself upright.

“Are you sure?” she asked, smiling as she pulled her partner up as well.

“Am I sure about what?”

“Are you sure you can go a couple of weeks without sex?”

Cadie laughed as she rearranged her fetchingly mussed hair. “Sex I can live without, darling,” she said. “Doing without making love with you is another question altogether.”

They giggled their way around another kiss as Jo fumbled for the ignition key. Before long she had the truck fired up and they were on their way again.

“We’re taking a lot of detours on this trip,” Cadie observed, happily settling her hormones into an undercurrent of tingles.

“Only way to travel,” her lover purred around a feral, wildcat grin.

Maggie stood, hands on hips, at the threshold of what used to be her daughter’s bedroom. For several years they had kept it exactly as Jo had left it. But as time had gone by and they needed it, the room had gradually become a storage space. Over the past few days Maggie had been emptying it out and restoring Jo’s belongings to their proper place. As she stood at the door a flood of memories washed over her and she sighed, wondering if she would ever be able to think of that time without the hurt.

Posters of pop stars and athletes lined the walls, faces from 15 years ago lined up like a museum display. Teenage knickknacks were scattered around – models her detail-driven daughter had put together from kits – planes mostly, but some yachts. There were schoolbooks and in one corner, an enormous pile of albums and singles, all on vinyl, and an old portable record player. Books packed the shelves along the walls.

Maggie had to smile. When Jo wasn’t helping her father out in one of the far flung paddocks, she was most often to be found in here, playing music, reading or tinkering with whatever gadget had caught her attention.

“She always did live inside her head,” Maggie muttered to herself as she walked into the room for one last look before Jo’s arrival. She glanced at the bed. It was a double, Jo’s tall frame having outgrown the confines of a single bed before she was 15. “I hope there’s enough room for the two of them in here.” Maggie placed her fingers against her right temple in a bid to chase away the headache that was gnawing away at her last nerve. Don’t want to think about that too much, do you, girl?

She’d spent most of the last week in the dual task of placating her husband and trying to get her own head around the reappearance of her daughter with girlfriend in tow. David Madison had been shocked into silence by the news that Jo was gay, involved and about to land on their doorstep. Maggie knew it had stirred up a lot of long-buried hurts for her husband, but there had been no way around telling him the news.

I wasn’t going to let this chance to reconnect with Josie go by, she thought as she straightened the quilt cover on the bed. David had spent most of the last few days as far away from the house as he could get, starting his days early and not coming home till after dark. Doing his own thinking, I expect. Living in his head, just like his daughter. She smiled quietly to herself. I wonder if they realize how alike they are. I wish he would talk more.

She'd tried to persuade her husband to stay close by the house today, but he was determined to carry on as if there was nothing special about the day.

Our daughter's coming home. The thought still brought Maggie up short. Slowly she eased herself down onto the edge of the bed. The butterflies in her stomach were more like hummingbirds. Why am I nervous? she wondered. She's my own flesh and blood. She flicked at a speck of fluff on the cover.

Maggie sighed.

The truth is it's not me or her I'm worried about. It's David.

The first year after Jo's disappearance had been a terrifying mix of uncertainty and stress that had taken a tremendous toll on them both. With no word from their daughter their lives had become an endless stream of phone calls to police, hospitals and government officials. Not knowing if Jossandra was alive or dead had been a nightmare neither of them could escape.

Maggie stood up and walked out into her kitchen. Three steps took her to the sink and its big window overlooking the garden and the track up to the house from the road.

We dealt with it so differently, she remembered. I threw myself into finding Josie and David… She swallowed. David didn’t seem to change much on the outside, but inside the stress was eating him alive. The heart attack had hit him while he was out on the far north boundary of the property. Pure luck and blind cussedness had kept him alive until the Royal Flying Doctors Service had been able to reach him.

“Everything changed after that,” Maggie murmured, her eyes still on the dirt road that would soon bring her daughter home. David had needed bypass surgery and a long recuperation. They’d had to employ more men and a temporary station manager until he was back on his feet and ready to work again. It had almost cost them the farm, with only an understanding bank manager, a rare member of his species, between them and going under.

And just as things had started to improve, Josie had called them out of the blue one Sunday afternoon. Relief and shock had quickly been followed by anger, at least from David. She had never seen him so pale and shaky. It had crossed her mind that he was close to another coronary.

A lot of years have passed since then, Maggie thought. We’ve all changed, and no doubt Josie has, more than anyone. She turned away from the window and leaned back against the counter. I just hope we can all handle the consequences.

Chapter Five

“That’s the one,” Jo said quietly as they approached the next mailbox.

Cadie pulled the truck over, sliding to a halt about 10 feet from the battered green object.

“No offence, sweetheart, but how do you know? It looks like all the others we’ve passed.”

Jo didn’t answer. Instead she opened the passenger side door and dropped to the ground, her boots kicking up a puff of dust. She walked slowly over to the mailbox and placed one hand on top of its metallic surface as she gazed up the track to the unseen homestead.

Cadie wasn’t surprised by her lover’s silence. Jo had been quiet since they’d turned off the main road to Wilcannia onto the dirt track that had brought them to this point. They’d passed three or four other mailboxes without a word from the tall skipper, but this one had brought her up short. Cadie switched off the engine and climbed down. Slowly she walked over to Jo, placing a comforting hand on the dark-haired woman’s back.

“That’s how I know,” Jo murmured, nodding at the side of the mailbox. ‘Madison’ was neatly printed in uniform white letters. But underneath, in a sprawling, childish hand was written ‘and Jo’.

“Ohhh,” Cadie gasped, noticing the words for the first time. She grinned up at her lover. “I’m guessing you were about 10 when you did that.”

“Eight and a half,” Jo replied, mustering a small smile of her own. “Phil was with me when I did that.” Cadie wrapped her arm around her waist and Jo settled her own arm across the blonde’s shoulders. “We were out for a ride and I brought a little pot of whitewash with me. I think I was trying to tell the world I existed.”

“Ride – as in horses?”

“Yep. We’ve got quarter horses. Or at least we did then.” She turned to look up the track leading to the homestead. “I can’t believe how dry it is,” she muttered. “I don’t ever remember it being like this.” They gazed around at the landscape, its harsh lines and dry colors shimmering in the oppressive heat.

“I don’t know how anyone can make a living out of this land,” Cadie said quietly, impressed by the stark beauty of it all.

“You don’t make a living out of this land,” Jo replied grimly. “You just survive off it. And wait for the next rain and the wool prices to go up.”

Cadie looked up into Jo’s face, watching the tensions and anxiety flickering across the uniquely angular features. She patted the taut stomach under her hand gently.

“Come on skipper,” she said. “Let’s go get the most nerve-wracking bit over and done with, eh?”

Jo looked down at the blonde, her expression softening as she met the love in Cadie’s eyes.

“Okay,” she replied softly. “I think I can do that.”

Cadie’s face broke out into an affectionate smile, full of confidence. “I know you can, sweetheart.”

Jo kissed her then, immeasurably glad to have Cadie along for the ride. “I would never have had the guts to do this without you. You know that, right?” she whispered as they broke the kiss.

“I’m glad I can help,” Cadie replied, reaching up to hug Jo close.

“You do.”

They separated, Cadie heading back to the driver’s side. Jo began to walk to the truck but hesitated when the memory of another family ritual resurfaced. She turned back to the mailbox, returning to it and gingerly lifting the lid. Memories of close encounters with redback spiders tickled her senses and she looked inside before carefully reaching in. As expected there were at least two of the nasty bities in residence.

“Good to know some things haven’t changed,” Jo chuckled. She plucked out the small pile of letters and closed the lid again, leaving the spiders to their dark, hot little world.

Jo settled back into her seat and closed the car door.

“Family rule,” she said in answer to Cadie’s quizzical look. “If anyone’s close to the mailbox, bring in the mail. Otherwise it can sit in there for weeks.” She smiled faintly. Cadie patted her thigh and turned over the ignition, directing the truck onto the rough dirt track.

“How far from the homestead are we?” she asked as she carefully negotiated around a fallen log.

“About 15 minutes.”

David Madison sat back on his haunches and wiped the sweat from his tanned forehead with the back of his hand, the rough work glove scraping against his skin. He looked up into the cloudless sky and tried to judge the position of the sun.

Just after noon, he decided. Scattered around him were the pieces of the bore pump he’d spent the morning disassembling. So far, he’d found not a damn thing wrong with it, but that was all right. He’d come out here because it was about as far as he could get from the homestead and still be able to get back just after dark. Jack and Hughie, he’d sent in the other direction, knowing there were some boundary fences that needed four hands to fix.

David’s mouth was parched and he could feel his sweat-soaked work shirt sticking to his back. Slowly he pushed himself up off his knees and walked back to his four-wheeled ATV. Clipped onto its back tray were a large water cooler and a thermos bag full of cold roast lamb sandwiches. David pulled his gloves off and stuffed them in the back pocket of his jeans then he dropped his Akubra onto the tray.

Coward. He poured himself a cupful of ice-cold water, downing it three big gulps before filling the cup again. Stubborn, useless coward. David drank deeply again. Leaving Maggie to do the meeting and greeting on her own. He pulled a handful of sandwiches out of the bag and sat down on the ground, leaning back against the ATV’s big grooved wheel. The bread was fresh and the cold meat tender and juicy. She’s a good old girl. I don’t deserve her, honest to God I don’t.

All week long he’d been dreading this day. And when push came to shove he preferred to put off the inevitable for as long as possible. So he’d come out here on the pretext of needing to do some repairs. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to see Josie.

God knows, I’ve been dreaming of this day for 15 years, he admitted to himself, picking up another sandwich. My baby’s coming home. He bit down on the sandwich, viciously ripping away a mouthful. Except she’s not my baby anymore. She’s … He chewed thoughtfully for a few minutes. I don’t know what she is. Not anybody I know anymore. Not normal, that’s for sure.

He and Maggie had argued just last night about it. The sleeping arrangements. David could not for the life of him see how they could allow Josie and her … her … “Jesus, I don’t even know the word for it,” he muttered aloud. Anyway. He wasn’t happy about them sleeping together in his home. But Maggie had insisted.

“We’re going to make them both welcome, David,” she’d argued. “And I don’t care what you have to say about it. Josie is what she is, and I don’t care what that is anymore. This other woman seems very nice. If she’s a part of Josie’s life, and makes her happy, then so be it.”

So be it. Maggie had spoken and that was that. David stretched his legs out and crossed them at the ankles. He gazed out at the mess he’d made of the water pump. Whole thing’s a mess, he thought morosely. I guess I should be like Maggie. But I just can’t get my head around … around any of it.

He’d long ago let go of the anger in his life. The drawn-out recuperation from the heart attack had taken care of that. Anger at Jossandra for the way she’d left. Anger at the banks. Anger at the Americans for their lamb tariff. Anger at the goddamned weather. None of it mattered anymore, he knew that. All that matters is putting food on the table for Maggie and I and paying the bills, he thought. It had become his mantra.

What did we do wrong? he wondered. She couldn’t wait to get away from us. She had no problem staying away from us. And now she’s… she’s… Quickly he pushed himself up off the ground, tired of the circular debate going on in his head. Fix the damn pump. Just fix the damn pump.

The object of David’s frustration felt like her stomach had turned itself inside out and switched places with her lung. Jo fidgeted in the seat while Cadie drove.

“There it is,” Jo pointed out. Cadie lifted an eyebrow. It was rather difficult to miss the homestead, it being the only thing over about four feet tall as far as the eye could see. She didn’t comment, however, recognizing that her partner was wound tighter than the wire fence that ran alongside the track. Instead she patted Jo’s thigh and turned the truck into the gap in the fence. They rattled over the cattle grill and across the bare patch of dusty ground between them and the neat white one-storey home. Cadie pulled up and applied the parking brake. She looked around, taking in her lover’s childhood home.

Apart from the main house, set 50 yards to the left, near a stand of forlorn gum trees, was a smaller cottage that Cadie guessed was for the workers. Behind that again was a collection of ramshackle buildings, including a large shed and what she guessed were stables. Around the main house was a white fence and beyond it a garden.

Cadie brought her gaze back to her lover. Wide blue eyes blinked at the scenery, focused on the dark and open doorway in the middle of the homestead’s wall.

“You okay, sweetheart?” Cadie murmured, squeezing the dark-haired woman’s knee reassuringly.

“Scared shitless,” came the curt reply.

Maggie Madison gripped the edge of the kitchen sink so hard her knuckles turned white. She had watched the four-wheel drive approach from the northeast and now she knew the moment had arrived. A blonde sat behind the wheel of the stationery vehicle and the tall figure next to her could only be …

My daughter.

Maggie’s heart just about tripped over itself in the effort to escape her chest. For long seconds she just watched. The two women were talking, Josie’s gaze swinging from the blonde to the house.

“Get out there, Maggie,” she told herself. She dropped the tea towel onto the draining board and smoothed her hands down over her denim-covered thighs. Damn, I’m nervous, she realized, looking down at fingers that were visibly shaking. With a deep breath she steadied herself and stepped out into the brilliant sunshine.

“It’s going to be just fine sweetheart,” Cadie said soothingly.

“I don’t know how this is going to turn out, Cadie,” Jo replied, looking at her lover with honestly scared eyes.

“Whatever happens we’ll get through it together. Just be yourself. That’s all they’re going to want from you.”

Jo’s eyes softened.

“How did you get to be so wise, kid?” she asked, managing to find a grin from somewhere.

“About 15 years’ more experience with parents than you, Grandma,” Cadie replied. “I’d kiss you now, but I think that might truly freak your mother out at this point.” She nodded in the direction of the house, where she had noticed a tall figure walking towards them.

Jo’s head snapped forward.

“Oh god,” she said faintly.

Cadie gave her one last pat before Jo opened the door and climbed out of the truck. Her palms were damp as she clenched and unclenched her hands. Tentatively, she stepped forward, disconcerted to find her legs unsteady. Her only consolation was that the woman coming towards her looked equally unsure of herself. Please god, don’t let me throw up on her.

Maggie drank in the sight of the tall woman approaching her. She grew up beautiful, she thought. My gangly, clumsy teenager grew up into a beauty. Brilliant blue eyes gazed back at her as they came to a halt just outside arm’s reach of each other.

For a few endless seconds neither knew what to say. Jo tried to match the elegant, gray-haired woman who shared her facial features with the memories of her youth. The face was the same – more tanned and more lined, certainly – but unquestionably it was her mother. A surge of something very familiar and warm caught Jo by surprise.

“H-hello Mum,” she said hesitantly, a smile playing across her lips. Then just as quickly, it was chased away by her uncertainty.

Maggie’s hands flew to her mouth as the emotions rose up and engulfed her. She had seen the fleeting smile, the youthful insecurity that swept over her daughter’s face and it brought a sharp sense of recognition. She couldn’t form coherent words, the ache in her throat too tight and jagged.

Jo raised a hand, half-reaching for her mother, knowing that the older woman was close to tears. But she felt awkward, unsure of what her parent wanted or needed.

“Mum, it’s o-okay,” she said instead, startled to find her own voice strangled.

“Oh Josie.” Maggie stepped forward quickly, wrapping her arms around her daughter’s shoulders and pulling her close. Tears came hot and fast as she held the warm and well-known body against herself. “Oh Josie, baby, welcome home.”

Jo stiffened and gasped, the words curling around her heart like a soothing balm. She hadn’t been held by her mother in … so long. Gradually she relaxed into the hug, returning it gingerly even as she absorbed her mother’s scent – clean and sun-warmed, with a trace of the lavender soap she’d always used. Jo felt her own tears now as they drifted down her cheeks.

“M-mum, I’m s-so s-sorry,” she managed around hitching breaths. Immediately she felt her mother’s hands changing to a soothing movement on her hair.

“Sshhh, babygirl. None of that matters now. You’re home, that’s all I care about. You’re home.”

Home. Jo closed her eyes and let the warmth of her mother’s welcome wash over her. I’m home.

Cadie watched the family reunion from her seat behind the truck’s steering wheel. Although she couldn’t hear what was being said and Jo had her back to the blonde, Maggie Madison’s emotions were clearly written on her face. Cadie exhaled on a long, ragged breath as it became obvious that her lover’s reception was more than welcoming.

Both women were crying, she knew. Although she could tell Jo had been surprised by her mother’s hug, Cadie was pleased to see her lover not only accepting it but returning it in kind.

“Thank god,” she murmured, her own stomach releasing some of the knot that had formed. Still got the father to get through, but this is a good start. She felt tears sting her own eyes and quickly she wiped them away. Come on Jones, she urged herself. Time to meet the in-laws. Jo had left the small pile of mail on the seat next to her and Cadie scooped it up as she opened the car door. She walked around to the front of the truck and leaned back against the bull-bar, just waiting.

Maggie pulled back a little from the hug and took her daughter’s tear-streaked face between her hands. With long thumbs she brushed the tears away. Over Josie’s shoulder she could see the pretty blonde standing quietly, head bowed.

“Are you going to introduce me to your girl, Josie?” she asked, her heart warmed by the look of joy and wonder that flicked through her tall offspring’s blue eyes. Maggie smiled. “I can’t wait to meet her.”

“I-I was worried that … that you …” Jo was silenced by her mother’s fingers against her lips. Maggie’s eyes, paler than her own, but just as intense when they wanted to be, held nothing but acceptance and curiosity.

“Don’t you worry about that,” her mother reassured. “I can already see she makes you happy. That’s all I care about, Josie.” She tipped Jo’s head down and kissed her forehead softly. “Now, come on, introduce us.”

She was treated to Jo’s trademark killer grin before the younger woman turned to look at her partner.

Cadie’s eyes lifted from the dirt to meet Jo’s as her lover reached out with her right hand. Relieved, Cadie took the proffered hand and moved to her side. She was somewhat surprised when Jo wrapped her arm around her shoulders, pulling her close to place a kiss in her hair. She wasn’t about to argue though and slid her arm around her partner’s waist, patting Jo’s belly reassuringly with her other hand.

Maggie watched the scenario with a tiny smile. I thought this would be so hard to see, but I was wrong, she thought. It’s obvious how good they are for each other. They balance. Green eyes looked up at her from under the blonde’s unruly fringe with a quiet intelligence that impressed Maggie. This one has depths, she decided.

Well, now I know what Jo will look like in 20 years or so, Cadie thought, meeting the pale blue gaze as they sized each other up. Maggie was every bit as beautiful as her daughter, though a lifetime spent working in a harsh landscape had added weather-beaten lines of experience to the familiar features. Something to look forward to, Cadie decided, smiling tentatively at her future mother-in-law.

“Mum, this is Cadie,” Jo said simply, meeting her mother’s eyes.

Cadie reached out with a hand. “It’s great to finally meet you, Mrs. Madison,” she said, widening her smile into a friendly grin. Maggie took her hand and firmly pulled her closer. Within seconds she had wrapped Cadie up in a warm and welcoming hug. The blonde found herself chuckling as she returned the embrace, liking the older woman already.

“You must call me Maggie,” she insisted, letting the American go, although she kept hold of her hands. “Welcome to Coonyabby.”

“Thank you, Maggie,” Cadie said, ducking her head in gracious acknowledgement. “Jo’s told me so much about it, I’m really looking forward to exploring.”

Maggie glanced around at the countryside she was so familiar with. “I’m afraid it’s not as pretty as it can be right now,” she replied. “This drought’s been hard on the grass and flowers.”

“It’s still beautiful country,” Cadie murmured. She was aware of Jo’s warmth at her back, could almost feel the edginess in her lover’s demeanor. Cadie remembered the mail and handed it to Maggie. “Jo-Jo remembered to pick this up on our way in,” she said with a smile.

“Ah, thank you,” the older woman replied, glancing cursorily at the stack of letters. “Bills, mostly, I’m sure.” She looked up, seeing her daughter’s nervousness over Cadie’s left shoulder. I think we all need to relax a little, she thought. “Well, I don’t know about you two, but I could certainly go a cup of tea.” Both women smiled in agreement. “Josie, blossom, why don’t you bring the truck around to the side of the house and bring your bags inside?”

Cadie turned to her lover. “Blossom?” she mouthed, tossing Jo the keys to the truck. Jo flushed despite the twinkle in the blonde’s eye.

“Oh great. Thanks Mum. Give her teasing material, why don’t you?” Some things never change.

Maggie dismissed it with a poo-pooing wave of her hand. “Something tells me this one doesn’t need much encouragement on that score. Now go do.” She took Cadie’s hand again and pulled her in the direction of the homestead. “I’ll have a cup brewing for you.”

Cadie looked back over her shoulder at Jo, flinging her a helplessly apologetic look. Jo just snorted and flashed her lover a happy grin, letting her know it was more than all right.

“I’m beginning to feel like John F Kennedy,” she muttered to herself as she watched her mother dragging her girlfriend away. “I’m the woman who accompanied Arcadia Jones to Coonyabby.” The thought made her giggle and she felt almost light-headed with relief as she climbed up into the truck and turned the key in the ignition. Now all we have to do is convince Dad.

The kitchen was cool, a blessed relief from the relentless sun and airless heat outside. Cadie sank gratefully down onto one of the wooden chairs that surrounded the central table. Maggie bustled around her, putting together cups and saucers while the kettle heated on top of the stove. Cadie looked around, taking in all the details of the room. Everything had a vaguely 1970s feel about it and although the fittings and appliances were elderly, all were obviously well-cared for and sparkling. It was kind of comforting, she decided. It feels like home.

Being left alone with Maggie this early on in their visit was slightly awkward, but it only took one look at the older woman's all-consuming interest in the bottom of a tea cup to tell Cadie that she wasn't alone in feeling that way. She's probably a lot more nervous than I am, the blonde realized.

"This is a lovely room, Maggie," she said, hoping to find a way of putting them both more at ease. It won her a slightly distracted smile in reply.

"Thank you," Maggie replied. "It hasn’t changed much over the years, but it's always served us pretty well." They lapsed into silence again before the kettle began to whistle and steam. Maggie quickly lifted it off the heat, trickling the boiling water over the leaves. "How do you take your tea, Cadie?"

"Just black with one sugar, thanks," she replied.

Both women listened to the sounds of Jo pulling the truck up to the side of the house and then slamming doors as she extracted their luggage from the back. Maggie placed Cadie’s tea in front of the blonde and sat down next to her at the table.

“So,” the older woman said tentatively. “How did you and Josie meet?”

Cadie smiled. It was the obvious question and did at least put them on fairly safe ground.

“I was with a group which chartered a yacht from her company for three weeks. She was our skipper.” Cadie beamed, the happy memories of their first hesitant steps towards romance obvious on her face.

“Ahhh, and you just couldn’t resist each other?” Maggie found herself smiling back at the blonde, her happiness infectious. She decided to ignore the incredulous little voice inside her head that couldn’t quite believe she was having this conversation.

Cadie blushed under the inquisitive blue gaze that was so like her partner’s.

“Something like that,” she replied. “It was a little more complicated.” She felt her color increase even further as Maggie’s look intensified. “I was, um, with someone, when we first met.” Cadie held her breath, waiting to see what the response was to that.

Maggie absorbed the news, stirring a spoonful of sugar slowly into her tea, her eyes on the swirling liquid. Finally she looked up, catching the faint hint of anxiety in the American’s green eyes. She smiled gently.

“Love’s a complicated thing,” she said, reaching across to pat Cadie’s forearm.

The blonde nodded and breathed again. “Yes, it can be,” she agreed. Okay, that’s that little hurdle out of the way, she thought with relief.

They were interrupted by the arrival of Jo at the back door. The tall woman had Cadie’s large sports bag in one hand and her own backpack slung over her left shoulder. She turned sideways to negotiate the narrow doorway and then came to a sudden halt just inside the familiar room. Cadie smiled at the look of shocked wonder on her lover’s face. This could be the first in a long series of those looks, the blonde realized.

Jo felt like she had stepped into a time warp. Apart from the appearance of the kitchen – she swept her eyes around the room she had grown up in – it was the smells which brought the memories flooding back.

“You’ve been baking,” she murmured as her mother stood and handed her a cup of tea. Maggie raised an eyebrow and patted her cheek softly.

“I’m always baking, love,” her mother answered. She chuckled as she watched Jo sniffing the air speculatively.

“Bread,” Jo guessed. “And …” she sniffed again. “Chocolate cake?” Cadie giggled at the look of childish hopefulness that lit up Jo’s face. Maggie nodded and her daughter grinned triumphantly. “Oh, Cadie, you haven’t eaten until you’ve tasted Mum’s chocolate cake,” she stated.

“Good?” Cadie asked, playing along.

Jo dropped the bags long enough to take a sip of her tea. Dead milky and two sugars, she thought. Just the way I like it. Trust Mum to remember that.

“Not just good. Heavenly.”

“Tch, you’re exaggerating, Josie,” Maggie demurred. She moved over to the sink and began washing out her teacup.

“I’m not,” Jo disagreed. She put her mug down on the table and picked up the bags again, exchanging a meaningful look with Cadie as she did so. “Where am I taking these bags, Mum?” she asked.

Maggie turned around and leaned back against the sink as she dried her hands on a tea towel. “I’ve put you both in your old room,” she said quietly. “I hope the bed’s big enough.”

Brownie points for you Mrs. M, Cadie thought as Jo’s eyebrows lifted up under her fringe.

“Um, okay then,” Jo murmured. She winked at Cadie as she hefted the bags again and headed out of the kitchen and down the hallway that ran down the middle of the house.

Maggie watched her go, a tiny smile playing across her lips. Her eyes drifted away and caught the pale green gaze of the petite American leaning on her kitchen table.

“Thank you,” Cadie said softly. “That was worrying her.”

Maggie fiddled with the tea towel, tying the cloth into a knot in front of her.

“I’m not going to pretend that I’m entirely comfortable with it Cadie,” she admitted. “But it’s more important to me to see her happy.” She glanced up and gave the blonde a frank look. “And you make her happy.”

“The feeling is mutual.”

“Cadie!” Jo’s voice sounded vaguely startled and Cadie jumped up. She scurried down the corridor and found her partner standing in the doorway to a small bedroom. The blonde put her hands on the taller woman’s hips and peeked around her into the room.

“Wow,” Cadie murmured.

“Oh yeah.” Jo sounded shaky and Cadie nudged her forward until she could walk around and into the space.

Jo’s bedroom was almost like a museum piece – an exhibit on childhood. Cadie wandered the edges taking in the minutiae of her soulmate’s youth. A wooden shelf held a collection of crystal and porcelain animals. Some were exquisite, but most bore the telltale signs of being well-played with. A china cow balanced on three legs, a horse was missing a tail. At the other end of the shelf were a large number of Matchbox model cars of all varieties. Cadie grinned at them, picking up a sports model with opening doors. My girl the tomboy, she thought.

A higher shelf was piled with books – Cynthia Harnett, Rosemary Sutcliffe and a wide range of science fiction and fantasy – Asimov, Heinlein, and Donaldson. A battered, well-thumbed copy of Lord of the Rings held prized position.

As she moved around the outskirts of the room, Cadie continued to pick up items, learning something new about Jo from each one. Stuffed toys, a crystal radio set, posters of Bjorn Borg, Martina Navratilova and television cops Cagney and Lacey lined the walls.

Jo sat down on the edge of the bed. Her emotions were rubbed raw and close to the surface as she watched Cadie exploring. I can’t believe they kept all this stuff, she thought. How could they have stood to look at it all after I left the way I did?

She must have had the most bemused expression on her face because when Cadie turned around to look at Jo, the blonde chuckled and walked over. She crouched down between Jo’s feet, placing her hands on her partner’s knees.

“How are you doing?” Cadie asked, smiling up into uncertain eyes.

“Um, I think my brain is dribbling out my ears,” Jo muttered, provoking a gentle laugh from the blonde.

“I think I like who you were when you lived in this room, Jo-Jo,” she said.

Blue eyes finally focused on her. “You can tell that just from the things in here?” Jo asked.

“Mhmmmm.”

“I was a rat-bag, Cadie.”

The blonde stood up and let Jo pull her close for a hug. She stroked the long, dark hair as Jo buried her face in Cadie’s shirt.

“You were a teenager, sweetheart. A smart, curious teenager.”

A muffled snort was her reply and Cadie ducked her head to drop a kiss on the top of Jo’s head. “Mmmmmm, that feels good,” Jo said as she wrapped the blonde up tighter.

Maggie found them like that, the sight stopping her in her tracks at the entrance to the bedroom. Neither woman had heard her approach and she spent a few seconds absorbing the reality of a type of relationship with which she’d had utterly no experience.

How can people think of this as a bad thing? she pondered. Look at the love and support they give each other. Everybody should be so lucky.

She leaned against the doorjamb and cleared her throat quietly, disappointed to see the two young women move apart quickly. “You don’t have to do that, you know,” she said matter-of-factly. “I was just thinking what a lovely sight you make.”

Jo rubbed her face, trying to dispel the blush she knew was coloring her cheeks.

“Sorry, Mum. This just takes a bit of getting used to.” She glanced up at her partner who had moved over to the large stack of vinyl music albums and singles in one corner. “At least it does for me. Cadie is an old hand at the parental thing.”

Maggie stepped into the room and sat down next to her daughter.

“Your parents know about… um… you? And Jo?” she asked Cadie, who sat down next to the pile and began sifting through the treasure trove of 1980s music.

“Oh yes,” she replied. “They’ve known since I was in college. I think I was 20 when I told them.”

Maggie leaned back on her hands, unconsciously mirroring Jo’s posture. Two peas in a pod, Cadie thought, smiling quietly to herself. The apple certainly didn’t fall too far from the tree in this family.

“How did they take it?” Maggie asked tentatively.

Cadie leaned back against the wall and crossed her legs at the ankles. She thought about it before answering.

“Bear in mind that my home town has a large, and pretty vocal gay and lesbian community and my parents were both born and bred there,” she explained. “So they certainly weren’t unaware.” Maggie nodded. “Even so, I guess you’re never prepared for it to be one of your own children,” Cadie continued. “But by the time I was coming out, Mom and Dad had already figured out that having me alive and healthy was the most important thing.”

Maggie sensed there was more to that story than she was getting. But perhaps now isn’t the time to be digging any deeper, she decided. I’m sure there are going to be plenty of opportunities to learn more about this young lady.

“You’re going to find us awfully backward out here, then,” she said aloud. “I’m embarrassed to say that you’re the first … gay person … I’ve ever known.”

Jo nudged her mother’s shoulder.

“You’ve known me for over 30 years, Mum,” she reminded her. “And there was Phil.”

Maggie blushed.

“I’m sorry. I think it’s still a little hard for me to think of you … that way.” She shrugged apologetically.

Cadie watched quietly from the corner. Mother and daughter were looking at each other like they both had a lot to say but couldn’t quite see a way to start the conversation. Time to leave them be, Arcadia, she decided. She pushed herself up from the floor, dropping the handful of 45s she’d been looking at back onto the pile.

“I’m going to do a little exploring,” she announced as she walked to the door. Jo grabbed her hand and squeezed it gently as she passed. Cadie deliberately leaned down and brushed a light kiss across her partner’s lips. “Be back soon.”

“Okay, love,” Jo murmured. Cadie was almost out the door when another thought occurred to her. “Sweetheart?”

The blonde looked back in.

“Don’t go out of sight of the house for now? It’s easy to get disoriented out there if you don’t know your way around.”

Cadie grinned.

“Aye, aye skipper,” she agreed.

“Oh shut up,” Jo retorted, laughing at the retreating back.

"Skipper?" Maggie raised a surprised eyebrow at her daughter who blushed under the scrutiny.

"S'just a nickname my crew members use when we're working," Jo explained shyly.

Maggie shook her head wonderingly. "This is a lot to absorb, Josie. Last time I saw you, you were just a kid. And now you've got all this responsibility, your own business." She nodded her head in the direction Cadie had disappeared. "A partner."

Jo grinned, happy to latch on to a subject she was comfortable discussing, even if her mother wasn't.

"She's great isn't she?"

Maggie took in the sparkle in Jo's eyes and the undisguised happiness in her smile.

"She's lovely," she agreed readily. Hesitantly she reached up and cupped the beautiful, and familiar, face in her hands. "I feel like I've missed so much of your life, Josie."

Jo nodded. Maggie’s hands dropped away and Jo’s gaze dropped with them. She suddenly found the fading pattern in the worn rug fascinating. "You have, Mum. And that's my fault. I did the wrong thing by you and Dad leaving the way I did and I wouldn’t blame either of you if couldn’t forgive me for that."

She was silenced by warm fingers on her lips.

"Now you just cut that out, young lady," her mother said sternly. "You were just a baby. And this is a hard life for kids out here. You got impatient and wanted to get on with your life. We always understood that."

Jo looked at her incredulously.

"You can't honestly believe that what I did was acceptable, Mum," she exclaimed.

"I never said we thought you did the right thing," Maggie corrected. "But we always understood why you did what you did."

Jo still looked skeptical.

"I hurt you both."

Maggie nodded slowly, wondering just how far she should push. "Yes you did. You scared us and hurt us and angered us." She bit her lip as she watched Jo wince. Don't stop now, Maggie, she thought. This is a chance to start over with her. Clear the air. "But if you think that means we don't forgive you, then you need to think again."

Jo blinked, not quite comprehending what she was hearing. In her wildest dreams she couldn’t have imagined her mother would be calmly sitting next to her, forgiving her within an hour of seeing her again. She felt tears sting her eyes once more and tried to squelch them.

Maggie smiled at her dumbstruck offspring.

"Is that so hard to believe, bloss?" she asked, brushing an errant tear from Jo's cheek with the pad of her thumb.

Jo struggled to speak around the lump in her throat. She nodded instead, swallowing down more tears.

"Josie, you're my daughter. I can forgive you anything."

God, I wish that were really true, Jo thought, closing her eyes against the urge to tell her mother every terrible crime she'd ever committed. She felt fingertips brush against her cheek. For now, it's enough - a blessing - that she forgives my leaving. She opened her eyes to find Maggie calmly waiting. I am so lucky.

“Does Dad feel the same way?” she asked, searching her mother’s face for any clues about her father.

Maggie sighed. “That’s a very complicated question to answer, love.” Regret swept across Jo’s face and she hastily put her arm around her daughter’s shoulders, pulling her close. “No, no, I don’t mean he doesn’t forgive you. Of course he does. He adores you, Josie. He always has, always will.”

Jo breathed in the memory-laden scent of her mother’s clothes and soap. Still the same stuff she used to use. Lavender. She felt a sudden childish urge to bury herself in Maggie’s embrace. The older woman sensed the hesitation and made the decision for her, wrapping her up in an all-encompassing hug, her cheek resting on the top of the dark head. Why did I ever want to leave this? “You have to understand that everything your father is – everything he values – is wrapped up in this place,” Maggie continued. “Of course he hoped you would want to take over running the property when he retired, but he also knew there was every chance you wouldn’t want to. And he knew that before you left.”

Jo listened quietly, the rumble of her mother’s rich alto vibrating against her cheek. She could also feel Maggie’s heartbeat, slow and steady, calming.

“When you left, and Dad had his heart attack, we nearly lost this place.” Maggie felt Jo hold her breath and knew her words were hurting. Get it out there, Maggie. “Your father had a lot of anger, but it wasn’t all about you, Josie. It was a lot of things – frustration with the banks, wool prices, the weather … all of it. But it all got focused on you because you were the one thing Dad felt he could have some influence over. But you proved him wrong on that when you left the way you did.”

“God, I am so sorry,” Jo whispered hoarsely.

“Shhhhhh. We all made mistakes, love. Your father blamed himself a lot and probably I blamed myself. But there were some positives to come out of it, especially once we’d heard from you and knew you were okay.”

“Positives?”

Maggie turned her head and kissed the top of her daughter’s head. “Oh yes. For a start your father learned to delegate some of the work around here. That’s something I’d been nagging him about for years. More importantly, it made him realize that there might be a life beyond this station.”

Jo lifted her head and looked at her mother.

“Beyond … you mean?”

Maggie nodded. “I mean we’re not getting any younger Josie. And this place isn’t getting any easier, or, god knows, any more profitable to run. Your father was born here, was brought up to believe this farm was everything. When you left, he found out there are more important things than working day in, day out for not much reward.” She smiled wearily. “Believe it or not, that’s probably going to be a good thing in the long run.”

Jo pulled away and flopped backwards down onto the bed. She couldn’t help smiling as she found herself gazing up at the fluorescent stars and planets stickers she'd attached to the ceiling sometime in her dim, dark, past. And now for the 64 million dollar question.

"And how does he feel about me being gay, Mum?" she asked quietly.

Maggie sighed. I wish I knew. From the time I told him to this moment, he hasn’t said one word about it.

"Well, you know your father, Josie. He doesn't exactly talk a lot about what he's thinking or feeling. And it's only been a week." She didn’t know what else to say, so instead she just rested a hand on her daughter's thigh, listening to the wheels in Jo's brain spinning.

"In other words he's not too keen on the concept and doesn’t know how to say so without getting pissed off about it," Jo theorized. Suddenly there was a hard ball of apprehension in the pit of her stomach.

"I'm not going to lie to you, bloss," Maggie replied. "I don't know how he's going to react. You're both probably going to have to be very patient with him. He's an old-fashioned man."

Jo snorted, memories of beating her teenage head against her father's intractability suddenly very fresh in her mind.

"Where is he?"

"The north-west back paddock, fixing a bore pump," Maggie replied.

Jo pushed herself up and grinned rakishly at her mother.

"Did it really need fixing?"

Maggie just laughed and patted Jo's knee.

"It's good to have you home, kiddo."

Cadie scooped her Akubra off the kitchen table and jammed it on her head as she stepped out of the homestead's back door. The heat hit her full on as she walked into the sunlight. To her left was a large water tank nestled against the wall, its sides covered in ivy. Cadie walked around the tank and out the gate in the white fence that surrounded the garden. The contrast was immediate as her booted feet scuffed through the orange dust that covered the hard-packed earth.

The blonde stood for a moment, circling in one spot as she sized up her options. To the west of the homestead lay a couple of worker's cottages, and beyond them again, other buildings that included a stable and a wire pen which looked to be currently uninhabited. Cadie decided the lure of saying hello to some animals had the most appeal.

She tried not to be too anxious about the conversation going on in the house. Somehow I don't think Maggie is going to be biggest problem, she mused as her footsteps took her along the well-worn path past the cottages. I wonder when Mr. Madison will be home.

The stables were dilapidated, but serviceable, and Cadie guessed that buildings had to be close to collapse before any precious resources were spent fixing them. As she approached, three horses meandered towards her from different parts of the stable corral. Two were chestnuts and one, the mare, a palomino. Cadie climbed up onto the top rail of the metal fence and swung her legs over. She settled herself onto the rail as the two chestnuts approached. Both wuffled against her legs, the young colt reaching higher to nudge against the blonde’s shoulder.

“Hello there,” she said softly, rubbing the back of her hand against the soft sensitive end of the colt’s nose. “Aren’t you a handsome boy?” The other chestnut, an older male, picked at her shoelaces. “Yes, hello, so are you.” Cadie chuckled as the pair vied for her attention, while the mare – she guessed the pale golden beauty was mother to the two boys – hung back cautiously. The horses looked well-fed and cared for despite the hard times Cadie knew the Madisons were living through. Somehow that made her feel less anxious about Jo’s father. He treats animals well, that has to be a good thing, she thought.

“I’m sorry, guys, I didn’t think to bring you any treats,” she said as the two young horses nudged and nuzzled her in a quest for food. “Tomorrow, I promise.” Cadie reached out and stroked both animals between the eyes. Reluctantly, the pair moved away and Cadie found herself eye-to-eye with the gorgeous palomino.

“Hello, beautiful,” she murmured. The mare whickered softly and cautiously walked forward until she was within arm’s reach of the blonde. Cadie resisted the urge to touch, though, preferring to let the mare get comfortable with her first. Large, caramel eyes blinked at her, sizing her up. “Are you going to say hello?” Cadie kept her voice low and gentle.

The mare snuffled tentatively against her thigh, then, seemingly satisfied, moved one step closer and gently head butted Cadie’s shoulder.

“Well, hello to you too, madam,” she answered, offering an upturned palm for the horse to mouth. Cadie grinned, loving the smell and feel of the large animal. “I wonder if you were around when Jo-Jo was a kid.” The mare was definitely old enough, she thought, taking in the mature lines and experienced twinkle in the brown eyes. “Bet you could tell me a story or two.”

The mare huffed against her shirt in response and Cadie laughed gently.

“Yeah, I’m sure.” She rested her cheek against the big horse’s muzzle, breathing in the unmistakable horse smells. The mare tolerated her touch patiently and Cadie closed her eyes for a few moments. It’s been a long day. And still a way to go.

Cadie spent a solid half-hour visiting with the horses. She had jumped down into the corral and walked towards the stable, her new-found friends meandering after her hopefully. The interior of the building was clean, if a little rough and each stall had fresh feed and water, confirming her previous feeling that the animals had high priority.

She had found a curry-comb hanging on a nail and pulled it down, immediately attracting the mare who whickered softly and tossed her head.

“Oh ho, are you trying to tell me something, madam?” she laughed as the horse nudged at her, lipping the comb in her hand. “Okay, okay, I can take a hint.”

Slowly Cadie began working the comb over the pale, smooth coat, the action bringing back a lot of memories. Her childhood had been filled with days spent doing just exactly this. The private boarding school in which she had spent her teenage years had a stable of five horses and Cadie had spent many a happy hour in equine company. She hadn’t ridden in a long time but the prospect of going out with Jo some time in the next few days was definitely something to be relished.

“How does that feel, hmmmmm?” she murmured as the mare stood quietly for her. She worked her way down the tall, strong back, following the lines of muscle and sinew. When Cadie was done she patted the mare’s neck gently and got a friendly snuffle in return. “Better?” The horse nodded. “Yeah, I thought so.”

Cadie walked back outside, the mare happily following. Soon the two geldings fell into step behind their mother as Cadie wandered down the middle of the dusty corral.

“What do you think guys?” she asked, turning and stopping in front of the horses. “Think I’ve given Jo-Jo enough time to thrash things out with her mom?” The four-footed trio was predictably silent on the matter and Cadie looked around pensively, lost in her own thoughts. She tucked her hands into her back pockets and stood casually in the red dust. She was anxious about Jo, she was aware. “Got to let them do the talking though,” she muttered to herself. With a quick shake of her head she made her decision, heading for the metal fence and clambering back up and over. She glanced back at the horses and gave them a grin. “Don’t worry, I’ll be back,” she called out. “And I’ll bring treats next time, I promise.”

Cadie walked towards the workers cottages, past a small stand of tall, gnarled gum trees that provided a meager amount of shade. For the first time she noticed a dog curled up in the cool gloom at the base of the largest tree. Curious, and always a sucker for an animal, Cadie turned her footsteps towards the dog. She was brought up short when the blue kelpie uncurled himself in a flash and came charging out at her, barking loudly and teeth bared.

“Whooooooaaaaaa!” yelped Cadie. She knew enough not to run, but found herself backpedaling anyway in the face of the small bundle of ferocity. The dog barreled to a halt, front legs stiff, hackles raised. He growled loudly enough for a dog twice his size and Cadie held her hands out in front of her, palms up.

It didn’t do much to soothe the beast, however, and Cadie was beginning to wonder how she was going to retreat without suffering a savaging.

“That’s a workin’ dog, girlie, not for pettin’,” came a gravelly voice from behind her right shoulder. Cadie glanced that way quickly, not wanting to lose eye contact with the angry dog for too long. A wiry, bowlegged man sauntered towards her from the cottage, wiping his hands on an oily rag, which he proceeded to tuck into the back pocket of his soiled jeans.

Is this David Madison? Cadie wondered, not seeing any resemblance to Jo in the hard-bitten man coming her way.

“Do you think you could call him off?” Cadie asked. The dog hadn’t moved from his aggressive stance and every time Cadie tried to move one way or the other, he shifted to block her path.

“He’s just a big coward, nothin’ to worry about,” the man said bluntly. “Just give ’im a kick and he’ll bugger off.”

Cadie shook her head, hoping like hell this abrupt man wasn’t her father-in-law.

“I’d rather not, actually,” she muttered, disconcerted by the dog’s behavior. Usually she had the best of relationships with animals but she’d never encountered a dog as tense as this one. But that doesn’t mean I’m going to kick him just to get my way.

“Tch, what’s the matter with you, girl?” the man muttered. He stepped between Cadie and the dog and swung out viciously with a booted foot before she could protest. The point of his toe caught the dog on the shoulder and the canine crumpled into a yelping heap. “G’on, get out of here, ya bastard!” the man shouted. He pulled his leg back for another swing at the whimpering, cowering dog, but he hadn’t counted on a certain feisty blonde.

“You asshole!” Cadie yelled as she grabbed the man’s drawn-back foot and twisted hard. She caught him with all his momentum moving forward and the maneuver flipped him over into the dirt where he sprawled awkwardly.

“What the bloody hell do you think you’re doing, woman?”

Jo and her mother emerged arm in arm from her bedroom and headed back to the kitchen.

“Want to help me get dinner on?” Maggie asked, smiling at her daughter.

“Sure,” Jo replied amiably. “What do you need me to do?”

Her mother unhooked her arm from Jo’s elbow and headed for one of the drawers set into the counter near the sink. She opened it and pulled out a potato peeler. With a grin she tossed it at Jo.

“Spuds,” she said.

Jo caught the peeler and laughed. “Some things never change,” she said. “You keeping them in the same place as usual?”

“Bottom of the pantry, yes,” Maggie confirmed.

“How many for dinner?”

“Six,” she replied. “We four, plus Jack and Hughie.”

Jo straightened from where she had bent down to pull the potatoes out from the sack under the bottom shelf of the pantry.

“Hughie?” She cast her mind back, trying to figure out why that name sounded so familiar. “You don’t mean that little aboriginal kid who used to come out on the weekends with his dad?”

Maggie chuckled. “That little kid is 23 now, Josie,” she said as she pulled out pots and pans from one of the cupboards. “You remember his mum died when he was just a baby?” Jo nodded. “Well, his father finally drank himself to death when Hughie was about 15. Your dad ran into Hughie in town one day and the kid looked half-starved. He’s worked out here with us ever since.”

“Wow,” Jo murmured. She bent down again and scooped more potatoes out. “My brain is spinning out a bit,” she admitted. “Everything seems the same – I mean look.” She pointed at a large, gaily colored metal tin, sitting on the pantry shelf. “You’re still using the same tin I used to raid for biscuits when I was a kid.” She ran her fingers over the horses and dogs that covered the cool surface, then pried the lid off. Jo laughed when she saw the contents. Tim Tams. She still keeps the Tim Tams in here. She fished out one of the chocolate covered treats.

“Same biscuits,” her mother laughed from across the room as she watched Jo happily crunching.

“Mmmmmm. That’s what I’m talking about,” she said around a sweet mouthful. “So much has happened to all of us. But it looks like nothing has changed.” She used her shirt to carry the potatoes over to the sink and tipped them out onto the draining board.

“Except for my grey hairs,” Maggie said.

Jo looked over at the familiar long ponytail, which was indeed streaked more grey than ebony. She smiled.

“It suits you.”

Maggie snorted. “Looking old suits me? Thanks,” she said dryly.

“You don’t look old,” Jo protested as she started to wash the dirt off the potatoes. “You look…” The hairs on the back of Jo’s neck stood up suddenly and she was moving towards the back door, even before Maggie could open her mouth to ask what was wrong.

“What the…?” Maggie dried her hands off on a tea-towel before following her running daughter out the door.

Jo emerged into the sunlight at a sprint. One part of her brain told her that she’d heard Cadie yell, but her legs told her that she’d started moving before that. What’s up with that? she wondered, even as she vaulted the garden fence and headed for the two figures near the cottages. Uh-oh.

“What the bloody hell do you think you’re doing, woman?” the man on the ground was yelling as Cadie stood over him. The blonde was balling and unballing her fists in barely controlled fury as Jo came to a skidding halt next to her.

“What happened?” she asked breathlessly, taking in the angry man and the whimpering dog.

“This asshole – please God, don’t make it be her father – kicked the dog just to get him out of the way,” Cadie shouted, adrenaline still coursing through her body and making her shake with anger. “How would you like it, you piece of...” She felt a strong arm slide around her waist and pull her back a little.

“Easy, Tonto,” a deep, rich voice murmured in her ear. “He’s not gonna do any more damage today.”

Cadie let out a long ragged breath, realizing Jo was right and she was in danger of acting as big an ass as the man had. “Okay,” she breathed. She placed her hand on top of the one Jo had wrapped around her. “You can let me go now.”

She could almost feel Jo smiling. The strong hand under hers patted her belly gently and then Cadie felt it withdraw. The blonde decided to ignore the man completely and instead she walked over to the dog, which had taken the opportunity to crawl painfully back into the shade of the tree. Cadie approached slowly, murmuring quiet words of reassurance. This time the dog showed no signs of aggression, just whimpering as the woman came within reaching distance.

“It’s okay sweetie, I just want to make sure you’re okay,” she said quietly, extending a hand, palm up, for the dog to sniff. He did, eventually giving her fingers a tentative lick of acceptance. “Okay, that’s the way,” she crooned. Gently she probed the dog’s shoulder, carefully stretching out the leg and moving it through the full range of motion. “Nothing broken, boy,” she reassured him, looking into big brown eyes that were now all trust and doggy faith. “Friends, huh?” She scratched his ears and gave him one last pat before she pushed herself up and turned away.

Jo watched her lover’s gentle ministrations with a soft smile. She is such a tender heart, she thought affectionately. Her smile faded as she turned her gaze back on the man. He scrambled to his feet and brushed the dust off his jeans. Jo felt her mother come up behind her.

“Who are you?” she asked the man.

He ignored the question, looking instead from daughter to mother and back again. “No need for me to ask you that,” he muttered.

“Jo this is Jack Collingwood, our foreman,” Maggie said, her hackles once again on edge thanks to the rat-faced man she’d long ago decided she didn’t like. “Jack this is my daughter, Jossandra.”

“I’d say nice to meet you, but I’m not so sure,” Jo said bluntly. “Do you usually go around kicking animals, Mr. Collingwood?”

The man’s face reddened again, flushed with anger and humiliation. “The bastard was having a go at the young lady, there,” he objected. “Someone had to do something.”

Cadie stepped back into the conversation. “He was just protecting his territory from a stranger. That’s only natural. All you had to do was call him off.”

“That beast don’t listen to me, girl. A swift kick’s all he understands.”

Jo leaned forward to make a point. “Then you don’t have him too well trained, do you?” she said. “Perhaps you need to rethink your methods.”

Collingwood stepped forward one pace, getting up in Jo’s face.

“Who do you think you are?” he growled.

“That’s enough!” Maggie intervened, letting the rarely-used authority she held over Jack show in her tone. “Jack, where’s Hughie?”

Collingwood flicked a glance in Maggie’s direction, taking in her glowering look and hands on hips posture. Damn her, she’ll be telling the boss all about this, he realized. He backed off a step from the tall young woman in front of him. You haven’t heard the last from me, bitch. “He’s feeding the orphaned lambs,” he growled out loud.

“Perhaps you’d better go help him,” Maggie suggested pointedly. “Dinner will be in a couple of hours.”

Without another word Collingwood nodded and stepped away, holding Jo’s steely gaze for long seconds before he turned his back on them and headed towards the sheep pen.

Jo let her breath out slowly. She looked at her mother.

“Charming.”

Maggie snorted. “I’ve never liked that man,” she agreed. “But your father says he’s a good worker and he can rely on him.” She shrugged her shoulders. “It’s hard to find men willing to work these days.”

Jo nodded.

“I’m sorry, Maggie,” Cadie said quietly. “I didn’t mean to cause any trouble.”

Jo’s mother smiled and stepped forward, hooking her arm through Cadie’s as they started to walk back toward the homestead.

“Don’t you worry about it, dearie,” she said breezily. “I like a woman who stands up for herself and stray animals. To be honest, I’ve been wanting to knock that idiot on his backside from the moment I met him.”

They all laughed and Jo fell in behind her mother and her partner, raising an eyebrow at the rapport the two women had already developed. I’m in trouble here, she thought wryly. The best kind of trouble.

Chapter Six

Hughie sat cross-legged on the floor of the lambing shed where the small group of orphaned lambs was being housed until they were weaned and strong enough to return to the paddock. The rangy young man had his long legs tucked under him as he cradled one tiny creature in the crook of his elbow. In his other hand he held a baby’s bottle filled to the brim with warm formula. The lamb struggled a little until Hughie could get the teat into its mouth. The flood of nourishment quieted the lamb as it hungrily sucked the liquid down.

The peace didn’t last long, however, as the wooden door of the shed slammed open. Jack Collingwood stalked in, muttering under his breath. Hughie had seen the man’s temper often enough to know to keep silent and try to stay invisible.

“Those fuckin’ bitches. Who do they think they are?” Collingwood spat. Hughie shifted backwards, resting his back against the wall to clear space for the angry foreman’s temper tantrum. “Been here five fuckin’ minutes and already telling a bloke what to do.”

Hughie watched Collingwood warily, keeping his opinions to himself. He hadn’t seen what had gotten the older man so riled, but he knew enough to realize it must have been Miss Josie and her friend who had caused the commotion. He wouldn’t call the Missus that word, that's for sure, he thought to himself.

A glance down at the lamb told him the animal had settled back into suckling and Hughie turned his attention back to Collingwood. It had been just yesterday that the foreman had clipped him across the face, leaving a tender lump under Hughie's left eye, and he wasn’t about to let the bad-tempered bastard out of his sight. Not when he's in this kind of mood. Hughie had lived in a white man’s world long enough to know that the Madisons were good people. It was worth putting up with the Collingwoods of the world to stay with them. Besides, he owed them.

Collingwood stumped over to the Styrofoam cooler filled with iced water that Hughie had brought back in from the paddock. Roughly he yanked off the lid, carelessly splashing the precious fluid into a cup and over the upturned barrel on which the cooler rested.

“Not gonna let them get away with that bullshit,” he muttered after slaking his thirst, rotating the cup in his fingers as he considered his next move.

The lamb drained the last of the formula from the bottle and Hughie shifted, pushing himself up to his feet. Collingwood swung around on him, as if noticing him for the first time.

“What are you up to, blackie?" he snarled.

Hughie ignored the racial epithet. He’d heard it so many times in his short, impoverished life it was hardly worth thinking about. He tried not to look like Jack’s question was the stupidest inquiry in the world, given he was holding a lamb in one arm and a feeding bottle in the other.

“Just feeding the orphans, boss,” he murmured as he bent over the pen's rail and gently placed the sleepy lamb back on the ground. It tottered over to one of its mates and flopped down into a drowsy pile.

“You'd better keep your mouth shut, boy, or I'll kick your arse from here to breakfast,” Collingwood threatened.

“I don't know nothin', boss,” Hughie replied.

“That's right, you don't. And just you make sure you keep it that way.” Collingwood threw his empty cup at the younger man. Hughie caught it effortlessly, ignoring the flying drops of cold water that splashed over him. Gentle brown eyes watched the foreman leave again.

“That white fella's got a hard fall comin',” Hughie muttered to the lambs. “Bad time comin' for him, I reckon.”

The pile of dozing lambs didn't disagree.

David Madison swung the ATV into the shed and killed the engine. It was late afternoon and he knew he was just a few minutes away from being face to face with his daughter again. His stomach was in knots – butterflies didn’t even come close to describing the sensation.

I have no idea what's going to happen when I see her, he acknowledged to himself. I just don't want a scene, that's all. Not in front of strangers. Not in front of the men. Jesus, not in front of anyone.

He climbed off the four-wheeler and lifted his knapsack over his shoulder. He was sweaty and covered in dust, not to mention the scraped knuckles that were par for the course when he was working around the machines. He hung the ATV's keys on a nail near the door of the shed and stepped out into the late afternoon sun. As always, the sight of the homestead touched something deep in him. The impending sunset was casting a golden glow over the white house, and lent the farm buildings and red earth an oil painting quality that never ceased to intrigue him. For a few seconds David stood and took it all in. The deep crow's feet at the corners of his grey eyes crinkled as he smiled slightly.

This is home, he told himself. Always has been. Always will be. He scuffed his boots against a wooden fence paling, knocking the excess dust off his trousers. Even if I can't be here, this'll always be home. His father, his grandfather and his great-grandfather had worked this land. It's never made us rich, he thought. But it's never broken us either.

Until now, maybe.

He sighed deeply, consigning the never-ending problem of how to squeeze money from his land into the darker recesses of his mind. More immediate things to worry about right now, he realized. Wearily he trudged towards the homestead, steeling himself for… for God only knows what.

Jo could feel the tension winding tighter and tighter inside her gut as the afternoon began to slip into evening. The time since Cadie’s confrontation with Jack Collingwood had passed very pleasantly. They had been helping her mother, laughing and chatting as they had prepared the last meal of the day.

Mum’s been just great, Jo thought as she ran a tea-towel over the pan she had just washed. I didn’t give her enough credit. She lowered the pan rack that was suspended from the ceiling and hung the pot back on its hook. This trip was definitely a good idea, she thought for the first time since she and Cadie had first called her mother. God, was it only 10 days ago? Jo shook her head in wonder. Why did I wait so long? She looked across the kitchen to where her mother and Cadie were laughing over some reminiscence of Jo’s childhood. The blonde looked happy and comfortable. That’s why, Jo acknowledged, affection for her partner warming her nervous stomach as she hoisted the rack back up to the ceiling. I needed that support behind me.

Cadie laughed at something Maggie told her and caught Jo’s eye, bringing her back to the moment.

“You rode an emu?” Cadie asked, her eyes wide and incredulous. Jo felt herself flushing.

“Well… I mean… um, yes,” she admitted, grinning sheepishly. “The really hard part was catching him in the first place.”

“How did you manage that, Josie?” Maggie wondered. “You never did explain it to me.”

Jo’s eyes narrowed. “You’re enjoying this, aren’t you, mother?”

“Thoroughly,” Maggie confirmed, crossing her arms and leaning back against the counter as she waited for her squirming daughter’s reply. She smiled, knowing that despite the blush, Jo was becoming more and more comfortable with being home. And that’s a very good thing.

“I don’t remember how we caught it,” Jo dissembled. “Phil was with me,” she explained to Cadie.

“You had Phil wave his arms in front of it, and you lassoed it with a bit of old rope,” came a deep voice from the hallway.

Jo’s heart stopped, then tripped over itself to catch up, sucking the breath out of her in a rush. She turned her head and was met by a cool grey gaze that faltered and flicked away after a couple of seconds.

Maggie held her breath. Beside her Cadie did the same.

Jo was experiencing a weird sense of disorientation. The man standing in the doorway was her father, she knew. Those eyes couldn’t belong to anyone else. But he was a far cry from the tall, strong man who had dominated her childhood memories for so long.

He’s gotten so old, she thought sadly, taking in the stooped set of the shoulders, the almost-white at the temples and the deep sun bronzed wrinkles that lined his face. Did I do that?

My God, she’s the image of her mother at the same age, David realized. Beautiful. A pang of something like regret made him wince. All those years I could’ve known her, gone.

“H... hello, Dad,” Jo husked.

“Hello, Josie,” he replied, meeting her eyes briefly before they swung away again, taking in Cadie’s presence. Hesitantly, Jo stepped towards him, but stopped when he quickly moved away.

“I’m, uh, just going to get washed up for supper,” he muttered. With a brief nod of acknowledgement he turned away and disappeared back down the corridor.

Jo turned anxious eyes on her mother. Maggie raised her hands in a calming gesture.

“It’s okay, love,” she said. “You’ve got to give him a bit of time.”

Jo nodded then hung her head, disconcerted to find tears filling her eyes. She buried her hands in her pockets, at a loss to know how to feel or what to do.

Cadie let out the breath she had been holding and walked over to her partner. Carefully she slid her arms around the taller woman’s waist and ducked her head to try and meet Jo’s eyes. She found them squeezed shut and the slightest hint of a tear glistening on the long, black lashes. Awwwwww.

“C’mon baby,” she murmured, coaxing Jo into relaxing a little in her arms. Gradually Jo did, until her cheek rested against Cadie’s temple. “That wasn’t so bad Jo-Jo,” the blonde soothed. “You just took each other by surprise that’s all. Your mom’s right. It’s gonna be okay.”

Jo sniffled slightly. “You think?”

“Mhmmmm. Now, come on. He’ll be back soon.” Cadie was vaguely aware of Maggie walking out of the kitchen in the general direction of the bathroom. “And I think you freaked him out as much as he did you.”

Jo chuckled tearily. “Yeah, I guess I did, huh?”

Maggie closed the bathroom door, and leaned back against it. The room was filled with steam from David’s shower and she could just see his wiry form behind the glass door of the cubicle. Her husband was leaning forward, hands on the wall, letting the hot water pound on the back of his neck.

“You all right, love?” she asked.

David snorted, but stood up, rubbing his face with one hand.

“Yeah, darl, I’m fine,” he muttered. “Glad that was you coming in. Anybody else and it would’ve killed me.”

Maggie chuckled softly and pushed herself upright. She walked over to the towel rail and lifted the large fluffy towel off, unfolding it. David opened the door to the shower cubicle and stepped towards her, letting his wife wrap the soft material around his waist and tucking it in. Maggie leaned a little further forward and kissed him lightly.

“You should be used to me walking in on you, by now,” she said quietly, patting him on the chest, her fingers grazing the long, thin scar that ran the length of his breastbone.

“Uh-huh.” David watched his wife as she walked slowly around the bathroom gathering her thoughts. He knew her well enough to know that if he kept quiet and let her think, she’d soon enough be telling him what was what.

“You know your daughter is terrified, don’t you?” she eventually said. David stopped drying his hair and stared at Maggie. “And don’t stand there and tell me you’re not a little scared as well, David Madison.” She frowned at him, trying to find the words for what she was feeling.

“I can’t just pretend everything is okay, Maggie,” he replied gruffly.

“It could be if we let it be,” she retorted. “What’s past is past.”

David pointed in the general direction of the kitchen. “And if you haven’t noticed, wife, there’s another person out there. Another woman. Our daughter is … she’s …” Maggie stepped forward, silencing his frustration with one touch of her hand.

“Is that really what’s bothering you, David?” she asked, gazing into grey eyes that had never changed in all the years she’d known him.

“It doesn’t help,” he replied.

She smiled at him. “Just be around them for a while, love. You’ll find out what I’ve found out in just one afternoon.”

“And what’s that?”

“You’ll see, if you just let yourself look.” She patted his chest again. “Anyway, believe it or not, that’s not actually why I came in to see you.” His eyebrow lifted inquiringly. Maggie sighed and stepped away, allowing him to finish drying off. “It’s Jack.”

“Ah.” David didn’t really want to hear this. Maggie had been negative about the foreman from the moment he’d stepped onto the property. But the man was a good worker and they were few and far between.

“Cadie caught him kicking one of the dogs today,” Maggie went on. “And Hughie’s got a mouse the size of an egg under his eye.”

That brought David up short.

“I’ll deal with it,” he said bluntly.

Maggie knew enough to know that was all the conversation she was going to get on that subject. She also knew that when her husband said he would deal with something, it would be dealt with.

“Thank you.” She watched him pulling on clean clothes. “Don’t forget your tablets, love,” she reminded him as she headed out the door.

“I won’t.”

Much to Jo's relief, Maggie and Cadie kept up an almost endless stream of cheerful conversation through dinner. Her mother was full of eager questions for the American, curious about her family background and home town of Madison, Wisconsin. Maggie had decided to keep dinner to just the four of them, taking out covered plates to Hughie and Jack in the cottage. Jo kept one ear on the chatter while she watched her father.

The taciturn man concentrated hard on his plate of roast beef and vegetables. She found her eyes drawn, as they always had been, to his hands. They were large, weather-beaten mitts, with broad, flat fingers and gnarled knuckles, sporting a few fresh grazes. Jo looked down at her own hands and the slowly-healing scrapes from her own brush with the Beowulf's engine barely a week ago. She flexed her hand, curling and uncurling a fist.

Guess we have some things in common, she thought.

There was a pause in the talk while Maggie and Cadie paused long enough to eat.

“Got your own business going, eh?” David said out of the blue. He held his knife and fork casually as his forearms rested on the table. His grey eyes locked on to hers briefly.

“Um, yeah,” Jo replied. “Got a couple of yachts running charters pretty much all year round these days.”

He nodded. “Making money for you?”

Jo looked at him. He'd gone back to sawing at his meat.

“So far, so good,” she answered, unconsciously matching his blunt tone. “I've only been the owner a month or so, so it's a case of suck it and see.” She felt Cadie's hand squeeze her thigh gently in reassurance.

“Jo's got some ideas for expanding though, don't you?" the blonde said proudly.

“Yeah, I do... maybe another boat.”

David flicked a look at her again.

“Tricky thing, expansion,” he said gruffly. “Can't do it too soon.”

Jo nodded, agreeing with him. “Well, I don't have any immediate ideas to go spending a lot of money,” she said. “We've got a pretty busy winter season coming up. We'll get through that and then see what the off-season looks like before we make any decisions.”

David chewed thoughtfully. “Good business to be in these days,” he said. “Tourism.”

Jo caught her mother's eye, not missing the gleam. Guess she’s just pleased we’re actually having a conversation, Jo thought. “Yeah it's certainly taking off up there,” she replied out loud. “And as long as we can keep giving better service than our competitors, we should do all right.”

Cadie gave her partner's leg another pat before withdrawing her hand and continuing with her meal.

“This beef is lovely and tender, Maggie,” she said.

“Thank you,” Jo's mother replied. “It was one of our own beasts.”

Of course it was, Cadie thought wryly, suddenly reminded that she was at the sharp end of the food chain. It’s not like they were going to trot down to the supermarket and buy a frozen roast. Why do that when you can just go out and slaughter your own? For some reason the mouthful she’d just bitten off became a little harder to swallow at that thought.

Maggie read the American's mind and she smiled kindly.

“Don’t worry, I promise I won't subject you to anything too bloodthirsty,” she said, the twinkle in her eye bringing a grin to Cadie's face.

“Thanks,” the blonde replied. “I'm not used to my food having a face.”

David snorted. “You're out in the real world now,” he muttered.

“You're right,” Cadie agreed, not really knowing whether the older man was criticizing her or not. She hadn't been able to get much of a sense of how he felt about her. So far he'd barely given her a glance.

Jo came to the rescue.

“What are your plans tomorrow, Dad?" she asked. “And whatever they are, can we tag along?”

David cleaned off his plate with a slice of bread, resting his knife and fork down while he munched at the gravy-soaked morsel.

“One of the bores at the top end needs servicing,” he said. “Thought I'd head up there with Hughie and clean it out.”

Jo turned to Cadie and smiled at her partner.

“You up for that?” she asked.

Cadie grinned. “You bet,” she replied enthusiastically.

“Means getting up before dawn,” David muttered.

“No problem,” Cadie replied with a smile. “We're usually up pretty early most mornings anyway.”

Maggie raised an eyebrow in disbelief.

“My daughter makes a habit of waking up early? My daughter, who could barely be rousted out of bed before midday on the weekends?” She laughed. “The times really have changed.”

“You'd be surprised,” Cadie said, trying not to sound like she was rushing to her partner's defense. “She's out there most mornings, meditating with the sunrise.”

That caught David's attention, she noticed, even as she was aware of the fetching blush coloring Jo's cheeks.

“Cadie ...” Jo began to hush her.

“Meditating?” David exclaimed, for once holding his daughter's gaze for more than a passing second. “Don't tell me you've turned into one of those hairy-legs-and-sandals types more worried about saving the whales than making a living?”

Ooooh, guess I hit a raw nerve, Cadie thought.

Jo was silent for a few seconds, unsurprised at her father's vehement response to any suggestion of anything approaching spiritual or intangible.

“It's not that, Dad,” she answered quietly. “Don't worry, I'm not about to start telling you should be putting pink ribbons on the ’roos instead of shooting them. Meditating's just what I do to relax myself before the day starts.” She decided not to try and explain the Buddhist philosophies that had found a place in her spiritual values lately. “It's great.” She grinned cheekily at her parent. “You should try it one day.” As if.

David snorted and noisily dropped his knife and fork onto his plate. He stood up and carried his utensils over to the sink, where he dropped them in to the water with a splash.

“No thanks,” he muttered. “Is there any pudding, love?” he asked his wife.

Grateful for a chance to ease a little of the steadily growing tension, Maggie jumped to her feet and headed for the refrigerator.

“There sure is,” she answered. “Complete with birthday candles, what's more.”

Jo groaned. “Aw, Mum, you didn't have to do that.”

“Oh hush.” Maggie lifted the enormous chocolate cake off the fridge shelf and placed it in the middle of the table. She fished a box of matches from her pocket and struck one, lighting the six candles with it.

“Six?” asked Cadie.

“Yes,” Jo murmured. “Three long ones for each decade, and three short ones for each extra year.” She looked up at her mother and caught Maggie with the glimmer of a tear in her eye. “I remember.”

David returned to his seat. “Sorry we couldn't actually say it on the day, Josie,” he said, using his daughter's pet name for the first time since they had arrived. “Happy birthday.”

“Thanks Dad.” Jo was disconcerted to hear her voice cracking, but then it had been a very long time since she’s heard her father talking to her with any affection in his tone. Wow.

Cadie pulled off her t-shirt and extended the movement into a long, luxurious stretch that popped her spine back into place and tugged at muscles that felt like they hadn’t rested in days.

“Ugh,” she winced, relaxing back into her normal posture. Cadie half-expected a teasing zinger from her partner, but Jo was silently pensive, lying on her back on her childhood bed. The blonde dropped her t-shirt on the chair and rubbed her face wearily. It’s been a very long day, she thought. She watched Jo cover her eyes with her right arm, the exhaustion evident in every angle of her body.

Cadie pulled on the old baseball shirt she wore on the rare occasions she and Jo didn’t sleep nude. She slowly walked to the bedside and leaned one knee on the edge of the narrow mattress. It’s gonna be a tight squeeze, she thought, barely concealing the small smile that recognition provoked. Pity it’s so hot, but I’m sure we’ll survive. The air was still and full of dry heat even now, four hours after sunset.

Cadie slid onto the bed, lying on her side with her head propped on her hand, just watching Jo.

“It’s been a day, huh?” she murmured.

Jo snorted quietly. “Oh yeah,” she whispered hoarsely.

“You okay sweetheart?” Cadie reached out and slid her hand under Jo’s t-shirt, gently caressing the muscular yet velvety stomach beneath. She’s wound up tight, still, she realized, feeling the abs twitch and contract at her touch.

“I’m whipped,” Jo replied. “Inside and out.”

“Mhmmmm.”

The rest of the evening had passed relatively uneventfully, although David had lapsed back into his apparently usual taciturn manner once the birthday celebrations were over.

Maybe that's just the way he is, Cadie pondered. She looked down at Jo who had dropped her arm and was staring up at the ceiling, lost in her own thoughts. Before she could open her mouth to ask the question, Jo piped up.

“Don't take Dad's grumpiness personally,” she said. “He's like that with everyone when he first meets them. I used to think he was just rude, but I think I've figured out he's shy.”

Cadie cocked an eyebrow at her lover.

“How did you know I was thinking about that?” she asked.

Jo smiled wearily.

“You looked like you were fretting on something, and given how well you're already getting on with Mum, I figured it had to be Dad who was bothering you.”

Cadie leaned down and gently kissed the older woman.

“Clever girl,” she murmured against the soft lips. “He's bothering you too, I think.”

Jo nodded slowly.

“To be honest, they both are. Did you notice? Not one question about my life before I moved to the Whitsundays. They're either both pathologically non-curious, or that shit-scared of what they might find out.”

Cadie thought about that. Both options were possible she supposed. Though what she had already seen of Maggie told her the woman was as curious about the world as her daughter. But there was a third option Jo hadn't considered, she was sure.

“Could be they just don't need to know, love,” she suggested. She let go of her partner long enough to reach up to the wall control for the ceiling fan, turning the rickety old appliance up a notch. Then she slid under the thin top sheet.

Jo turned onto her side, gazing down at her lover.

“You really think that's possible?” she asked quietly. “I mean, if I was them, I'd be desperate to know.”

Cadie brushed fingertips across Jo's cheek, marveling at the high planes and angles that somehow combined to create a beautiful face.

“Would you really, though?” the blonde replied. “I mean, think about it. If your daughter had gone away a child and come back a woman who was to all intents and purposes happy and successful, would it really matter to you how she'd gotten there?”

“It would matter if I thought she'd got there by being a criminal, by doing wrong things,” Jo persisted stubbornly.

“Honey, you're biased.” Cadie smiled at Jo's confused expression. “You know those things about yourself and so it colors your perception of how you would react in their position.”

Jo rolled over on to her back again. “I'm too tired to be thinking such deep and convoluted thoughts,” she grumbled.

Cadie chuckled, knowing that was as close to a concession as she was likely to get. “It's day one, sweetheart,” she said, snuggling into the crook of Jo's arm and throwing her leg over the taller woman's hip. “I'm sure they'll come up with a few curly questions over the next couple of weeks.”

Jo didn't reply and Cadie glanced up into a face that was already relaxed into deep sleep.

“Well, goodnight to you too, darlin',” she whispered.

“Jack!” David Madison walked towards the machinery shed, where his foreman and Hughie were readying the ute and two ATVs for the day's work in the top paddock. It wasn't yet dawn and the air was crisply cool with a light dew. It was far and away David's favorite time of the day.

Collingwood and Hughie looked up as their boss stalked towards them with the rolling gait characteristic of a man who had spent the greater part of his life in the saddle. Coonyabby had all the modern conveniences of a 21st century farm, but given a choice David would much rather be on horseback. As stations got bigger in an effort to stay economically viable, motorized transport was the only real option.

“Mornin' boss,” Collingwood said with mock cheerfulness. It didn't take a genius to interpret the look on Madison's face. Those bitches have been yappin’ in his ear, that’s for certain, he thought sourly.

“Hughie, do me a favor, mate, and go pick up the packed lunches from Maggie. She’s in the kitchen. Give me and Jack a minute.” David smiled tightly at the young man, who tugged the brim of his Akubra in acknowledgement.

“No worries, boss,” he answered quietly before slipping out of the barn. David turned back to Collingwood who was shuffling from foot to foot.

“Not gonna beat around the bush, Jack. You’re a good worker and I appreciate that. But I don’t like you as a man.” He pinned the foreman with a steely grey gaze until Collingwood’s muddy brown eyes dropped to his boots. “I hear, or see, one more sign that you’ve raised a hand, or a boot, to Hughie or any of the animals, I’ll sack your arse and kick it from here to Wilcannia. You hearing me?”

Jack scowled at him, the flush of anger starkly evident on his otherwise pale and pinched face.

“Someone’s been telling you tales, boss,” he growled.

“Are you calling my wife and my daughter liars?” David barked, his patience just about worn thin even after this briefest of confrontations. Jack had the good sense to say nothing. “I think you should just shut your mouth, keep your fists and feet to yourself and consider yourself warned.” David cocked his head to one side, challenging the man to take him on again. “You hearing me now, Jack?”

Collingwood spared him one more filthy look before bowing his head again.

“I hear you, boss.”

“Good.”

Maggie approached the closed door to her daughter's bedroom with a large degree of trepidation. The sun wasn't up yet, but she knew David would be champing at the bit to get moving and would have little patience if the two women dallied. She balanced the tray loaded with two plates piled high with bacon, fried eggs and toast in one hand as she raised her fist to knock on the door. Instead she found herself biting her lip as she hesitated before disturbing the occupants.

What if they're0..? she pondered. “Tch, come on Maggie, it's 4.30 in the morning. After the day they had yesterday it would be a miracle if they were awake, let alone doing anything else,” she chastised herself quietly. Still the persistent voice in her head nagged away at her. It's a small bed. They're still going to be... in close contact.

“What are you, Maggie? A mother or a mouse?” With one deep breath she took her courage in both hands and knocked softly. Leaning forward she strained to hear any response but there was only silence. “Nothing ventured, nothing gained,” she muttered as she slowly turned the doorknob and stepped into the darkened room.

As she had expected from the silence that greeted her knock, both women were deeply asleep. They were wrapped around each like sleepy puppies, tangled and contented. Maggie slid the tray of hot food on to the desk which ran along one wall of the crowded room. She turned back to the sleeping women and leaned against the desktop's edge, just watching them.

Cadie was on her side, facing Maggie, and Jo was spooned up behind her, arms thrown around the smaller woman and one leg hooked over the blonde's thigh. They had kicked off the thin top sheet at some point during the night. Maggie had expected the sight of the two lovers to bother her on some level. Instead she found herself smiling at them, warmed by the deep connection between them, obvious even in slumber.

Maybe I should get David in here to have a look before they wake up, she thought to herself. If he can't see the innate goodness in this love just by looking at it, then he's more blind than I think. She swept her eyes down the long length of her daughter's bare legs, and the slightly suggestive way Cadie's t-shirt had twisted and ridden up during the night. Then again, why give him another heart attack.

Her eyes ranged back up the two bodies lying in front of her until her gaze was met by a sleepy pair of blinking green eyes.

“Good morning,” Maggie said hesitantly as she pushed herself upright. “I’m sorry, Cadie, I didn’t mean to startle you. I did knock, but you were both out to it.”

Cadie lifted a hand and rubbed her face blearily. “S’okay,” she murmured. “I guess it’s time to get up, huh?” She yawned.

“If you want to catch David before he heads out into the great brown yonder, yes,” Maggie replied. “I’ve put some breakfast together for you both.”

“Mmmmmm, I can smell it. Thanks.” She smiled up at her mother-in-law, wondering how she was dealing with the sight of her daughter wrapped half-naked around another woman. “I guess that means rousting Miss Coma 2003, huh?”

“I’m awake,” came the muffled rumble behind Cadie’s right shoulder, where Jo’s face was snuggled. “I’m just too embarrassed to open my eyes and face a parental unit in this position.”

Cadie raised an eyebrow, meeting her mother-in-law's amused look. She could feel the heat of Jo's blush between her shoulder blades and she gently patted her partner's hands. They twitched slightly against Cadie's belly in reply.

“If I can deal with it, Josie-love, so can you,” Maggie pointed out.

Jo groaned and slowly rolled away from her warm nest tucked in behind her smaller partner. “Okay, okay,” she muttered.

“I'll leave you two to your breakfast,” Maggie said diplomatically, heading back to the door. “But don't be too long about it or your father will be away without you.” With that she exited, leaving the two scantily-clad women blinking at each other in the dim light of pre-dawn.

“Your mom is so cool,” Cadie finally decided. A muffled groan was all the response she got as Jo slumped back onto the pillow. Cadie laughed. “Come on, Stretch,” she said, patting her lover's long, naked thigh. “Let's get the day started or we'll never live it down.”

Half an hour and several rashers of bacon later, the pair walked out of the house and into the cool dawn air, beating a path to the machinery shed. Jo could see Jack Collingwood and another man working on the engine of one of the ATVs. Something about the lean figure struck her as familiar. And, then again...

“Wow, that must be Hughie,” she said wonderingly as Cadie came up by her elbow.

“Who's Hughie?” the blonde asked, adjusting the straps of the small backpack she carried. Maggie had loaded it up with sandwiches, drinks and sunscreen for the day ahead.

“This little Aboriginal kid who used to hang around a lot,” Jo replied. They walked closer and she could now see that the young man was probably going to best her own six-foot height by at least a couple of inches once he stood upright. “I guess he grew up.” They drew closer and she called out. “Hughie!”

The dark-skinned man looked up and broke into a wide grin. He raised a hand in greeting and then began walking towards them, ignoring the scowl he was getting from Collingwood.

“Damn, Hughie, look at you,” Jo exclaimed, opening her arms wide and pulling the bashful man into an all-encompassing hug. “If it wasn't for the dopey way you wear that hat, I wouldn't have recognized you.”

“’lo, Miss Josie,” Hughie replied, pulling away from the hug and dipping his head shyly.

“Hey, didn’t we have a conversation a long time ago about you dropping the ‘Miss’?” Jo chided him gently, grinning all the way. “Just because you haven’t seen me for 15 years, there’s no need to go formal on me.”

Even with his coloring, it was possible to see the blush reaching all the way to the tips of Hughie’s ears. “Yes, Mi..., uh, yes, Josie,” he mumbled happily.

“That’s the way, mate,” Jo laughed. She turned to Cadie who had been watching the scene from a step or two back. “Hughie, I want you to meet my partner, Cadie.”

Cadie stepped forward and extended a hand, surprised to find the large, brown one that wrapped around it more soft and gentle than she’d expected from a man who worked with his hands all day.

“Hello, Hughie. It’s nice to meet you.”

If it was possible for the young man to blush harder, he did, the blonde’s sparkling green eyes and sunny smile charming him utterly.

“N... nice m... meetin’ you, M... miss C-Cadie,” he stuttered.

Cadie chuckled kindly. “Same rule applies for me, Hughie,” she said. “Just call me Cadie. I also answer to ‘hey, you’.” She grinned up at him, an action guaranteed to scramble his already besotted senses.

“Oh, I’d n-never do th... that, Mi..., uh Cadie,” he said hastily, even as he continued to hang on to her hand and avert his eyes.

Smitten, Jo thought, rolling her eyes good-humoredly. “Is there anybody on this farm you haven’t charmed instantly?” she teased her partner aloud, contributing even further to the man’s flustered state.

“Hughie!” He startled at the sharp yell, dropping Cadie’s hand immediately before he turned back to its source. Jack Collingwood beckoned to him. “Come and help me finish this, boy, or we won’t be going anywhere today.”

“Oh, I think I can come up with one I haven’t charmed,” Cadie muttered darkly as she watched Hughie hurrying back to his task. She wondered briefly if calling a black man ‘boy’ had the same unpleasant connotations here as it did back in the US. “I don’t think I like that man, Jo-Jo,” she said out loud, making a mental note to ask Jo later, when they had more time to themselves.

Her partner grunted her agreement, watching the way the two men interacted. Collingwood was as dismissive of the Aborigine as he would have been of a dog. The thought made Jo’s blood boil.

“And I bet I can guess where Hughie got that lump under his eye, too,” she murmured. “I wonder if Dad knows.”

“He knows,” came a growl from behind her. Jo swung round.

“Uh, hi Dad,” she said.

“Morning,” her father said gruffly. “Don’t you be concerning yourself with Jack, all right? I’ve already put him on notice. I’ll not have him kicking dogs, or mistreating Hughie. But he’s a good worker, and I need him.”

Jo raised her hands in concession. “It’s your call, Dad. No argument from me,” she said, wishing she could break through her parent’s standoffishness just for a moment or two.

“Come on, then. We’re wasting the best part of the day.” David stumped off towards the vehicles. Jo sighed.

“Do you think he’s ever gone let a glimmer of sunlight out?” she asked quietly. Cadie slipped her arm around her tall lover’s waist, waiting until Jo draped an arm across her shoulder before they started walking towards the others.

“Give him some time, love,” Cadie answered, happy to see that it hadn’t occurred to Jo to be uncomfortable with public displays of affection, at least so far. “I’m sure he’s just trying to figure it all out for himself.”

“I hope so.”

“Well, would you look at that,” Jack Collingwood muttered. “Bold as brass.”

Hughie looked up from the ATV’s engine, wondering what had his bad-tempered boss muttering this time. All he could see was Miss Josie and Miss Cadie – she pretty, eh? – walking their way, arms wrapped around each other. Hughie couldn’t see anything that would get Jack so messed up. He shrugged noncommittally and went back to working on the engine.

“Fuckin’ perverts. Look at ‘em, Hughie. Bold as brass,” he repeated. He spat on the ground as the pair walked past.

Hughie was spared from any further rumblings from Collingwood by David Madison.

“You got that thing back together yet?” asked his boss.

Hughie tightened the last bolt and dropped the engine cover back down. “Yeah, boss. He running real good now, for sure.”

“Okay then,” David accepted. “Let’s go. You two take the ATVs and when we hit Ingham Creek one of you head to the north boundary, and the other one go to the east fence. We’ll meet you at the top corner. All right?” David turned to the two women, trying not to let his discomfort with their easy affection show on his face. “You two come with me in the ute.”

Jo and Cadie exchanged a look. “Okay,” Jo said, unsure if she was happy about being in close quarters with her father for the next hour or so. What the hell are we gonna talk about?

They bounced along a dirt trail between stands of low scrubby bushes. Ahead of them the two men on the ATVs flanked either side of the trail, staying out of the ruts made by the larger vehicle on innumerable earlier trips. The ute’s air-conditioning unit was working overtime keeping the interior cool. The dust trails from the ATVs meant opening a window was not an option. David sat silently behind the wheel, negotiating the rough track at full speed thanks to years of practice and an intimate knowledge of the pitfalls of the dirt thoroughfare.

Cadie, as the smallest, sat between David and Jo, who was pressed against the left-hand door. The blonde wasn’t exactly comfortable in the confined space, well aware that her thigh was up against her father-in-law’s, but there hadn’t been a lot of choice.

Maybe we should have just sat in the back, she pondered. But then, that wouldn’t have gotten these two any closer to having a conversation, would it? Not that they’ve been exactly talkative anyway.

She glanced left at her lover’s profile, noting the tense ripple of muscles at the corner of Jo’s jaw. Grinding her teeth, Cadie realized. Oh yeah, she’s calm. A glance right revealed something that made her grin in reflex. David’s jaw was working just as hard as his daughter’s. Great, it’s genetic. She stifled a giggle.

Jo was aware that her partner was amused by something and turned to raise an enquiring eyebrow. Cadie just patted her thigh and smiled quietly as she shook her head.

Fine, Jo thought grumpily. Don’t tell me. She sighed. God, I wish I knew what to say to make everything all right with him, she thought, glancing over Cadie’s head to her father. I can’t even work out what it is that’s bugging him so much. Is it the past? She felt Cadie’s fingers slowly, and unconsciously, tracing a pattern on her thigh. Or is it the present? As no answer popped magically into existence she turned her eyes back to their path through the trees and tried to figure out where they were exactly. Hazy, 15-year-old memories started to coalesce. Coming up on Ingham Creek, she realized.

“Hughie and Jack going boundary riding once we hit the creek?” she asked her father.

“Yep,” he said succinctly. “We’ll cover a lot more ground if we split up and we haven’t looked at the fences at this end for a while.”

As he finished talking, Cadie could see they were approaching an intersection of sorts. Jack looked back over his shoulder at them and waved his right hand before splitting off and taking another track that led away to the left of them. A few seconds later Hughie did the same before steering his ATV to the right. David raised a hand in acknowledgement before gunning the ute forward along the original track.

Jo saw the slightly confused look on her partner’s face.

“We’re heading for the northeast corner of the property,” she explained. “Hughie and Jack are going to the fence lines north and east of us and they’ll meet us in the middle at the Top End Bore.”

“Ah, okay, thanks,” Cadie said, smiling at Jo. “They’ll fix any holes in the fence on the way, right?”

“That’s the theory,” David muttered. “If they come across anything too big for one bloke to fix, we’ll get to it on the way back.”

“Is there a problem at the bore that needs fixing?” Cadie asked.

“Not that I know of,” David replied. “But we haven’t been up here in a bit and it’ll need a good clean out and a bit of maintenance no doubt.”

“Good thing I brought my Swiss Army knife then,” Cadie said dryly. Both Madisons stared at her. “Kidding, kidding.”

They pulled into a wide, barren stretch of red earth where the two fence lines converged. David swung the ute around in a wide arc, pulling to a halt in a cloud of dust. After an hour of being bumped and jostled at high speed, Cadie was just grateful to be in one piece as she and Jo tumbled out of the truck. Jo stretched her long frame skywards, working the kinks out after being folded into the cramped quarters of the ute's cabin. Cadie turned in a slow circle, taking in the harsh environment.

To her right was a strange metallic contraption that seemed to be a jerry-rigged collection of pipes and motors. Water spurted intermittently from one rust-colored pipe into a long metal trough that ran for 30 feet along the line of the northern fence. Except things weren't quite going to plan. Something was blocking the trough and water was backed up towards the pump, spilling over the side and puddling uselessly on the brown, hard-packed earth.

“Ah, bugger,” muttered David as he walked around from the driver's side of the ute. “Wonder how long it's been like this?”

Jo had walked over to the trough and she stood grimly, looking down at whatever was blocking the flow of water. “Yeah, you're not going to like this either, Dad,” she said. He stalked over to join her, cursing as he caught sight of the sheep carcass sprawled in the trough.

“Can you two clear that out, and I'll get to work on stripping back the pump,” David asked. “It'll need recalibrating after that. God knows how long it’s been choking on itself.”

Jo grunted her assent to the task and took a quick glance at her partner, who was standing uncertainly a few paces away and had yet to see the none-too-pleasant sight. Let’s see if I can pull it out myself, she decided as she stepped up on to the edge of the trough.

A fully-grown sheep is a hefty beast at the best of times but water-logged and semi-bloated, the animal was a considerable weight to move. Thank God it was shorn not so long ago, Jo thought as she wrapped her hands around the sheep's back legs. With a grunt she tried to straighten her back, yanking the dead weight slightly in the right direction.

“Jo, wait,” Cadie exclaimed as she watched her partner straining. Carefully she stepped up onto the side of the trough, wincing slightly as smell wafted up from the disturbed corpse.

“It's okay, I can do this,” Jo protested.

“Don't be crazy. I can see how heavy that is. If you go hurting yourself on day one, the rest of the vacation isn't going to be much fun, is it?” Cadie smiled thinly at her partner as she put her hands on her hips. “And besides, Jo Madison, I'm no shrinking flower to be protected. I can handle it, okay? Or have you forgotten the fish guts?”

Jo grinned at her, feeling an interesting sense of pride welling up. “I remember. Okay, then. If you grab the front end maybe together we can swing it up and out,” she said.

They stood at opposite ends of the dead sheep, one foot on each rail of the trough. Together they bent down and grabbed a leg in each hand. Cadie tried to ignore the way her stomach flip-flopped at the greasy feel of the water.

“Here we go... one, two, THREE!”

The two women hauled the sheep up, dripping water all over their feet and jeans. Then, with one combined grunt, they swung the carcass over the edge of the trough and dropped it with a squelch.

David sat on his haunches behind the pump, surreptitiously watching the two women deal with their nasty chore. Despite his best intentions, he found himself quietly impressed by the little American. She hadn't flinched at handling the carcass, even though Jo had been more than prepared to do the job herself. Cadie's got a bit of ticker, he decided as he began the laborious task of shutting the pump down.

“You want us to bury it, Dad?” Jo asked, looking back over her shoulder at the older man.

“Better,” he replied. “None of the animals will come for a drink if we leave it to rot.”

“Rightio,” his daughter agreed.

She's not doing too badly either, David conceded. You can take the girl out of the bush, but you can't take the bush out of the girl. For the first time since Josie had come home he allowed a little pride in his wayward daughter to surface as he watched her dragging the carcass over to a nearby tree. She's remembered the soil'll be softer over there, he realized. Cadie was pulling shovels out of the back of the ute.

Not sure I'll ever be comfortable with this, he thought as he refocused on dismantling the bore head in front of him. But I've got to find a way to get past it.

Jo let the sheep’s back legs drop with a grunt once she’d yanked it into the shade under the tree. Something about the carcass didn’t look right to her. Not that any dead animal looks right, she conceded. Jo’s brow furrowed as she tried to figure out what was bugging her about it. It certainly wasn’t the first time she’d seen one of her family’s livestock dead in a paddock. Although it has been a while, she conceded.

The sheep had been in the trough a couple of days, she figured. Tentatively, she reached out and rubbed her fingers through the animal’s short regrowth of wool. Nothing unusual, apart from the stark reality of a half-starved beast, evident in the ribs she could easily feel through the cold skin. She tried not to think about it too much.

Finding nothing, she stood again and turned the sheep over. Frowning, she crouched down and began another search.

“What are you doing?” Cadie asked. There was something unnerving about watching her partner probing and prodding the carcass. Guess she’s used to dead bodies. Cadie mentally slapped herself. Get off that. But a part of her brain couldn’t help going to that dark place Jo had once inhabited.

“Something’s not right,” Jo muttered. And then her fingers found what they were looking for, near the beast’s temple. Immersion in the water had removed all traces of blood, but what Jo was feeling was unmistakable, and something she was all too familiar with. “Dad!”

David looked up from his task. “Yeah?”

“This sheep’s been shot.”

“What?” David dropped his spanner and stalked over to where Jo was crouched over the carcass.

“Take a look for yourself,” she said, shuffling around out of his way. “Just behind the left eye.”

Cadie also moved in for a closer look.

David grabbed the sheep's head unceremoniously, poking about with hands that were long used to dealing with the unpleasant realities of life on a farm.

“Bugger me,” he cursed as his senses confirmed Jo's theory.

“Why would anyone do that?” Cadie asked. “Was it injured in some way, or nearly dead from starvation?”

David looked up sharply at that.

“Haven't had to shoot any of my animals so far, young lady, and I don't ever intend things to get that bad.”

Cadie was taken aback by the man's vehemence. Guess I hit a nerve. Again. “I d-didn't mean any offence,” she said quickly. “I just thought that was what happened when the animals got too sick to eat and drink properly.”

“It is. But not around here,” David reiterated. “And not without me giving the say so.”

“Ease up, Dad,” Jo said quietly but firmly, frowning at her father. “Cadie didn't know and there's no point in getting angry with her about it.”

“It's okay, Jo,” Cadie murmured.

“No, she's right. I'm sorry Cadie,” David said wearily. “I'm just pretty pissed off about this. Bloody sheep are worth too much, even in this weather, to go shooting them for no apparent reason. I want to know who did this, so I can kick his arse from here to Coober Pedy.” He took his hat off and ran his hand through his thick, graying hair in frustration.

“How far are we from the road?” Jo asked, her memories of the lay of the land still vague.

David pursed his lips and shrugged his shoulders. “Five miles maybe, as the crow flies. But there's no track. If anyone came from that direction they'd have to be pretty determined.”

Jo pushed herself up and dusted off her jeans.

“What's the alternative?” she asked. “Either someone came off the road to do it, or your neighbors got the urge to destroy your property.” She nodded in the direction of the northern fence, which separated the Madison land from their immediate neighbors. With a jolt she realized that farm belonged to Phil’s parents. Or, at least, it did. And knowing Phil’s parents like she did – or had done – that theory was out.

David looked up at his daughter, knowing her logic made sense.

“Alternatively, Hughie or Jack did it,” Jo continued.

“Not Hughie,” David said emphatically. “Boy doesn't have a malicious bone in his body. Last time we lost a lamb I found him in tears over it.”

Cadie and Jo exchanged a look, both knowing just what the other was thinking. We know exactly who is inclined to that kind of maliciousness, Cadie thought, seeing her partner's startling blue eyes narrow as she reached the same conclusion.

David stood up and looked at the two women, finding it easy to read their minds. “Why would Jack want to kill sheep?” he asked. “This was done a few days ago so it certainly can't be anything to do with that barney he had with you yesterday,” he said, nodding at Cadie.

Neither of them had an answer for that.

“I still think someone could have come off the road,” Jo said, not really wanting to believe that one of her father's employees would want to waste livestock. “Kids larking about maybe.”

Her father looked skeptical.

“Well, nothing we can do about it now, except bury it where it won't stink and keep our eyes open for anything else,” David said.

Cadie leaned on her shovel and wiped a filthy hand across her brow. Jo was filling in the last of the hole they'd dug for the dead sheep, but it had taken them close to two hours to get the task completed.

“It has to be over a hundred degrees,” the American said breathlessly. She couldn’t believe she could sweat so much.

“At least,” Jo grunted, heaving a last shovel-load of dirt onto the pile. “Make sure you drink plenty of water.”

Cadie put down her shovel and dug into the backpack, pulling out a large thermos of cold water.

“Pot, meet kettle,” she said, handing the thermos to Jo. “You first.”

Jo didn't argue. Her throat felt dry and rough from the ever-present dust and her shirt was plastered to her back with perspiration. She twisted off the lid of the thermos and drank deeply before handing it back to her partner.

“Your turn, Tonto.”

Cadie relished the feel of the cold liquid trickling down into her stomach. There was another thermos in the backpack and once she had drunk her fill from the first, she pulled it out. The blonde jammed her hat on her head before stepping out of the shade of the tree and walking towards Jo's father who was in the last stages of reassembling the bore head. As she approached she heard the rumble of the pump engine re-engaging. Water spurted out of the outlet pipe and splashed into the trough.

David pushed himself up off his haunches and rested his hands in the small of his back, arching stiffly. Cadie wordlessly handed him the full thermos.

“Thanks,” he said.

“You fixed it,” Cadie said, more to start a conversation than anything.

“Not much wrong with it in the end,” he said. “Does them good to get stripped back every now and then, though. Just so you can see what's what and what's going to need replacing soon.”

Cadie nodded, seeing the logic of that. They get out here so infrequently, it's better to be safe than sorry, she reasoned. She watched David draining the thermos with long, noisy gulps.

“I thought there'd be more animals here,” she said.

“Not with the dead'un around,” David explained. “That would've kept them away no matter how thirsty they were. Another good reason to clear the carcass right away.” He nodded in the general direction of the scrub away to the south of their position. “The sound of the pump will pull them back in soon.”

Almost before he had finished speaking there was movement from that direction and a handful of sheep pushed through into the clearing around the trough. Cadie grinned at David who shrugged his shoulders with a tiny quirk of his lips that could almost have been interpreted as a smile.

“Told you so,” he said. “In this weather, they're never too far away from water.”

More sheep came out of the scrub, ambling their way to the trough where they jostled for position. They were followed by a cow and calf.

David grunted in satisfaction. “Good,” he said. “Haven't seen that poddy in a couple of weeks. Was beginning to think we'd lost her.”

“Poddy?” Cadie asked. She thought she'd misheard him, David's propensity for barely moving his lips when he spoke added a touch of adventure to trying to interpret his brief utterances.

“The calf,” he explained. “We call 'em poddies out here.”

Cadie filed that one away in her in-built glossary of Australian terms. David walked over to the calf, crooning softly at it as he ran a hand over its withers, carefully inspecting. Cadie watched as she walked back to where Jo was loading the shovels back in to the ute.

“I didn't realize there were cattle on the station,” Cadie said. “I thought it was just sheep.”

“It pays to diversify when you can,” Jo said. “Dad's always run a small herd ... just 50 head or so. Not sure what he's got these days, though.”

“He seems to be opening up a little, sweetheart,” Cadie whispered as she leaned close. “It might be as good a time as any to have a real conversation with him.”

Blue eyes met green and Jo nodded slightly.

“Could be,” she murmured.

“Have you ever ridden one of these things?” Jo asked Cadie, indicating one of the ATVs. They’d eaten lunch as they’d waited for Hughie, and then Jack, to arrive in the clearing. Now they were helping the men load the equipment back into the ute.

“No,” Cadie replied, looking over the sturdy little vehicle’s controls. “But I’ve ridden a motorbike a couple of times. Is it much different from that?”

Jo shook her head. “Easier actually,” she replied. “These have got an automatic transmission, so there’s none of that fiddly gear changing to do.” She looked over at her father. David was talking with Hughie and Jack about some repairs that needed doing along the northern fence line which required more than one pair of hands. “Dad,” she called out. “Do you need Cadie and me to come with you?”

The older man shook his head. “Don’t think so,” he said. “You want to take the ATVs and head back home, love?” The endearment provoked a raised eyebrow from his daughter.

That’s a first, Jo thought. Somehow, as much as she wanted her father’s acceptance and affection, it kept surprising her when she caught glimpses of it.

“Yeah, that’s what I was thinking,” she said aloud.

“S’fine with me,” he replied. “You got a cell phone with you?”

Jo felt for the instrument clipped to her hip. “Yep,” she replied.

“Okay,” he said, closing the back of the ute and clipping it in place. “Call and let your mother know what we’re doing, eh?”

“No worries.”

“Um, Jo,” Cadie said uncertainly. “I’m not sure I can learn to handle this thing that quickly.”

Jo flashed her a broad grin that was full of confidence and love.

“Sure you can,” she disagreed happily. “Piece of cake. Hop on.”

Cadie smiled up at her lover, feeling Jo’s faith in her settle around her like a favorite old jacket. Impulsively, she reached up and cupped the taller woman’s cheek with a gentle palm.

“Have I told you lately that I adore you?” she said quietly.

“Mmmmmm, yes. But don’t let that stop you from telling me again,” Jo teased. She let Cadie’s hand draw her closer and then tenderly brushed her lips over the blonde’s. “We’re scandalizing the men,” she whispered, aware of three pairs of eyes burning into her back. It didn’t stop her from enjoying the feel of Cadie’s soft cheek against hers, though.

“Too bad,” Cadie murmured. “If they don’t like it they can kiss my a-… ” She was silenced by her lover’s mouth kissing her soundly. When they parted they were both grinning wildly. “You are so bad,” Cadie chuckled.

“Me?” Jo protested innocently. “You started it.”

Cadie let her eyes flick over to the three men who were hurriedly moving around the ute in a flurry of activity. For an instant she caught her father-in-law’s eye but his glance slid away almost immediately. Hmmmmm, she thought. Wish I knew what he was thinking.

“Did Dad just throw up on his boots?” Jo asked quietly, watching the frown crease the blonde’s brow. She preferred not to look back at her father, unwilling to see the disgust on her parent’s face, if that was indeed his reaction.

“No, love,” Cadie reassured her. “I’m not really sure what he’s thinking actually.” With a quick shake of her head she dismissed the thought from her head. She patted her lover’s hip and flashed her a quick smile. “Come on, skipper. Teach me how to use this thing.” She turned from Jo and threw a leg over the ATV’s saddle, lowering herself down on the wide, comfortable seat and settling her feet on the rests.

“Okay,” Jo said, moving to show Cadie the controls. “Throttle is just like a bike – twist the handgrip here.” She demonstrated. “Brakes, front and back, squeeze both hands. Take a tip from me; don’t hit the front ones too hard on their own.” She grinned, remembering a childhood accident that had sent her flying over the handlebars.

“There’s a story behind that smile, I’m thinking,” Cadie said.

Jo sniggered. “Oh yeah. I missed the roo with the bike, but found the tree with my head.”

Cadie winced. “Ouch. Is that how you got this?” She gently fingered the tiny scar at the corner of Jo’s left eyebrow.

“Uh… no, actually,” Jo muttered, her mood suddenly darkening at the memory of that particular hurt. A flick knife and soon-to-be-ex drug addict had done that, she remembered with a flinch.

Uh-oh, Cadie thought. One of these days I’m going to remember the life she’s led. “Come back, sweetheart,” she soothed, placing a calming hand on Jo’s belly. Blue eyes gone cold flicked to hers, and then warmed perceptibly. “I’m sorry,” Cadie said. “I didn’t mean to dredge that up.”

Jo smiled thinly. “Not your fault, love,” she replied. “I wish all my scars were just childhood accidents. It’s one of the consequences of the life I chose to live.”

“Stop it, Jo,” Cadie urged. “That life is gone now. It’s over.”

Jo looked down into green eyes that loved her totally, openly. Not for the first time, Jo felt the wonder of that warming her guts, like Cadie’s hand was warming the skin of her stomach through the thin cotton shirt she was wearing.

“I don’t deserve you,” she whispered.

Cadie looked up into a face full of vulnerability and honesty. “Bullshit,” she said bluntly. Then she broke into a crooked grin. “Now, come on. Show me how to start this thing and let’s get going.”

“Bossy little thing, aren’t ya?” Jo ruffled her companion’s hair, grateful both for Cadie’s faith and her willingness to leave Jo’s insecurities alone for the time being. I wonder if Mum would help me do something special for Cadie tonight, she pondered.

“And you love it,” Cadie said, gunning the ATV and taking off with a roar and a cloud of dust.

“Mum, is the Swinging Tree waterhole still running?” Jo asked Maggie later in the afternoon. She had just finished her shower and decided to enlist her mother’s help while Cadie was taking her turn.

Maggie looked up at her from the kitchen table where she had been working on the station’s books.

“I think so, love,” she replied. She tried to remember the last time she had been out to the waterhole, one of Jo’s favorite childhood haunts. “You remember what it was like,” she continued. “That’s always one of the last places to dry up. I’m sure there’s still some water in it.”

Jo hummed pensively. “I hope there’s still some flow through it,” she said. “Not much fun to swim in it if it’s gone stagnant.”

Maggie smiled at her daughter, who somehow looked younger with her wet fringe plastered against her forehead, and her bare feet slapping against the cool tile of the kitchen floor as she moved around, getting herself a drink.

“Only one way to find out, bloss,” she said practically. “Unless you want to give your father a call. But I don’t think he’s been out there in the last couple of weeks or so, anyway.” David and the two jackaroos hadn’t arrived home from their trip along the northern fence line yet, even though the afternoon was crawling towards sunset. Maggie watched Jo holding the fridge door open, studying the contents critically. “What have you got in mind, Josie?” There’s definitely something going on in that head, and I’m betting it’s got something to do with the full moon, and that pretty young blonde in the bathroom.

Jo gave up fridge inspection, closing the door and sitting down opposite her mother. Casually she lifted a long leg and draped it over the corner of the kitchen table, leaning back until the chair rocked on one leg. Maggie had to fight to contain the chuckle the very familiar posture provoked.

“It’s a full moon tonight,” Jo said.

Bingo, thought her mother smugly. “Yeeeeeeeessss,” she drawled.

“Whaaaaaaaat?” Jo answered with a drawl of her own.

“And, don’t tell me, you want to take Cadie out to the waterhole and have yourselves a romantic, moonlit picnic?” Maggie grinned at the look of undisguised surprise on her daughter’s face.

“I can’t be that predictable,” Jo complained. “And I know I didn’t make a habit of it when I was 17.”

Maggie just put on her most innocent face. “Let’s just say it’s genetic.” Jo thought about that for a few seconds before the realization dawned on her. She blushed furiously and her mother laughed out loud at her discomfort. “Relax, Josie. I swear, sometimes your generation thinks it invented sex.” She pushed herself up and walked into the kitchen’s large, well-stocked pantry. “Now then, let’s see what we can come up with for your picnic.”

Chapter Seven

The horses picked their way through the trees and bushes as the sun dropped low towards the shimmering horizon. The moon, full and silver, was already up, beginning its climb as Jo and Cadie let the horses find their own way towards the waterhole. Jo and the palomino mare, Tilly, had enjoyed a happy reunion at the stables, though there was an element of wistfulness to the tall woman’s mood. Cadie could have sworn the gentle old mare had a twinkle in her caramel eyes as Jo had crooned softly to the horse, forehead to forehead with her four-legged friend. In the end, on Maggie’s advice, they’d left Tilly to pick at her fresh basket of hay and saddled the two younger horses. The colts had proven to be placid and sure-footed; a relief to Cadie who didn’t like to think about how many years it had been since she’d tested her ability to stay in the saddle.

Now they were picking their way along a barely-visible track that wound through scrubby trees and low brush. The light was eerie, the golden sunset and pastel hues gradually giving way to the silvery glow of moonlight. The two women hadn’t spoken much since they’d saddled the horses and set off, content just to absorb the peaceful surroundings along the way. Both had backpacks on filled with a picnic dinner Maggie had somehow magicked from nowhere. There were also a cold bottle of wine and two glasses buried in Jo’s pack.

Cadie watched her lover as Jo’s horse took her slightly in the lead. The blonde was fascinated by her partner’s ability to adapt to whichever environment she found herself in, seamlessly blending in.

Just a few weeks ago I was thinking that I had never seen anyone more at home on the ocean than she looked onboard Seawolf, Cadie thought. And now look at her. She watched Jo’s easy posture in the saddle and the happy smile just touching the corners of her mouth. You’d never know she hadn’t been here for the past 15 years.

“Penny for your thoughts,” Jo said, curious about the expression on her partner’s face, an interesting mixture of query and delight.

Cadie laughed gently. “I was thinking about that day out on Seawolf, during Hamilton Island Race Week, when you were standing on the edge of the cockpit, looking like Captain Ahab,” she said with a grin.

Jo’s eyebrow almost disappeared up into her hairline.

“What made you think of that?” she asked.

Cadie shrugged. “Looking at you then I couldn’t imagine you anywhere else but out on the ocean,” she replied.

Jo kneed the colt gently, sidestepping him around until they were facing Cadie and her mount, even as they kept moving along the track.

“And now?”

Cadie grinned.

“And now, I can’t imagine you anywhere but on a horse in the middle of the outback. How do you do that?”

Jo’s pearly white teeth glistened in the moonlight, and it was her turn to shrug.

“Beats me, sweetheart,” she answered. “If anything, this is where I should feel most at home, but I’ve never really thought about it. I’ve always made my home wherever I was.”

Their eyes locked and Cadie already knew where this conversation was going.

“And now?” she asked quietly, waiting while Jo brought the colt around beside hers.

“And now you’re my home,” Jo said calmly, acknowledging the truth of that for the first time.

“And you’re mine.”

For the next few minutes they rode side by side, hands clasped across the space between the two horses.

By the time the sun had dropped below the horizon they came upon a picturesque oasis in the middle of the dustbowl through which they had been traveling. Two of the three creeks which crisscrossed the Madisons’ land came together here, forming a small waterhole. Jo was pleased to see there was still water flowing through the little billabong despite the ravages of the drought around them.

“You beauty,” she exclaimed as she slid off her horse’s back and walked to the top of the small rise that formed the bank of the waterhole. “This place always was the last thing to dry up.” She looked back over her shoulder and grinned at Cadie who had dismounted and was leading both horses by the reins.

“Oh, sweetheart, it’s gorgeous,” Cadie gasped as she reached the top of the bank. Surprisingly, the water flowing through the waterhole looked crystal clear and deep. Maybe it’s just the moonlight, Cadie thought. The billabong was ringed by gums, their bark silver-grey and fluorescent. Thick, green grass had managed to eke out an existence close to the water.

It was there that Jo began to unload the bags and backpacks. She unsaddled her horse and stripped off the blanket underneath, spreading it on a level patch of grass overlooking the waterhole.

“Do we need to hobble the horses?” Cadie asked as she handed Jo her backpack.

“Nope. They won’t go far away from the water. Just tie their reins up so they don’t get tangled, and they should be right.”

A few minutes later they were sprawled on the blanket, tantalizing packages of food sitting between them. Cadie handed Jo a paper plate and a knife and fork before she started to pull the lids off the various containers. Soon potato salad, cold roast beef, ham, freshly baked crusty bread, and homemade pate were laid out.

“Have I mentioned lately how much I love your mom?” Cadie said, her mouth watering even as her stomach rumbled ominously.

Jo laughed.

“You love anyone who feeds you, sweetheart,” she giggled.

Mock outrage sent Cadie’s eyebrows on a trip north. “I think you have me confused with your cat, Miss Madison,” she said haughtily. Delicately she spooned a few mouthfuls of potato salad on to her plate, not an easy task given her nose was high in the air. Eventually, she too burst into giggles as one spoonful missed the plate altogether.

“Klutz,” Jo teased.

Cadie carefully maneuvered her half-laden spoon around until she had it poised to launch its load in Jo’s direction. Again she raised her eyebrows, this time in challenge.

“You wouldn’t,” Jo growled. Cadie said nothing, but pulled the bowl of the spoon back even further. “In this light your aim’s going to suck anyway,” Jo warned. “So it’s going to be a complete waste of good potato salad.”

Cadie again stayed silent but let a slow, slightly feral smile spread across her lips. She raised the laden spoon higher and then let fly. The glob of creamy potato sailed through the air, seemingly in slow motion, splattering across Jo’s cheek with a very satisfying squelch. She waited for the inevitable reaction from her partner, but for several seconds there was a heavily pregnant pause. Uh-oh, she thought. There’s no way she’s gonna let me get away with that. Better get my running shoes on.

Jo’s eyes had closed automatically as the incoming missile approached and now she slowly opened them, even as she tentatively licked away the mess with the tip of her tongue. She took a deep breath and decided that two could play that game.

“You know, that’s not bad,” she said, tasting the tangy dressing her mother always used on the potato salad. “And, in any other circumstances, I’d let bygones be bygones so we don’t waste any more of this delicious food.” She deliberately kept her voice low and calm, the effect of which was to give Cadie chills. Jo slowly reached out for the container of potato salad. For the first time she met Cadie’s eyes, and she chuckled internally at the look of wide-eyed apprehension she saw there. “However, on this occasion,” she grinned wickedly, a glob of potato salad dripping from her chin, “I just don’t think I can let it go.”

“Jo-Jo,” Cadie said, raising a warning hand. “Don’t do anything I might regret, okay?” She started to backpedal, pushing herself away from Jo, towards the far edge of the blanket.

“Oh, I think it’s a little late for that, don’t you?” Jo drawled, even as she let her long fingers dip into the salad bowl. Quickly she grabbed a handful and lunged across the other dishes towards Cadie.

The blonde squealed and scrabbled backwards, but she wasn’t quick enough to move out of range of her partner’s long limbs. Jo launched herself, leading with the handful of potato salad, laughing wildly as she managed to grab Cadie, mashing the sloppy mess into her lover’s face.

Cadie howled in outrage and twisted under Jo’s oncoming weight, trying to get a purchase on the long body that would give her some kind of advantage. Before long the women were rolling and wrestling in the soft grass on the verge of the waterhole, giggling and squealing and tickling.

Breathless, they finally exhausted themselves and each other and they lay on their backs, side by side, gazing up at the stars. Cadie laughed. “Oh, I needed that, thank you,” she said, panting.

“You started it,” Jo pointed out, turning her head and grinning at the blonde.

“I couldn’t resist,” Cadie replied, rolling on to her side and sliding her leg over Jo’s hips. She snuggled in close, resting her cheek on the dark hair splashed across Jo’s chest. Jo’s arm curled around her shoulders and pulled her in closer. Cadie tilted her face up and extended her tongue to lick the remnants of potato salad off Jo’s chin. “Mmmm, tasty,” she murmured.

“Yes you are,” Jo growled in response as she rolled them both over in the grass until she was holding herself above Cadie.

“Oh my,” the blonde breathed, gazing up into silvered blue eyes that glinted in the moonlight. Jo’s face was silhouetted against the star-laden night sky and she exuded barely restrained energy that gave Cadie chills to be close to. “Good thing we didn’t bring any hot food,” she murmured as Jo leant down and nuzzled her neck.

“Mmmm,” Jo burred against her skin. “I want you, Arcadia,” she whispered.

Cadie groaned, low and throaty. “What is it with you and the outdoors, Jossandra?” she murmured back, sliding her hands around till she could tuck her fingers inside Jo’s jeans back pockets.

“It’s the fresh air,” came the breathy, deep response close to her ear. Cadie felt the goose bumps rise on her arms. Jo’s lips caressed along the line of her jaw and the blonde tipped her chin up in reflex, giving her lover access to her neck. Jo obliged, sliding the silky tip of her tongue down, until she nuzzled sensually in the hollow at the base of the blonde's throat. Cadie felt Jo’s long, sure fingers slide under the cotton of her shirt, brushing teasingly against the skin of her stomach.

“Ohh, Jo,” she gasped.

“Mmmm?”

“I want you too.” She felt Jo smile against the curve of her breast.

“I know.” Fingers brushed against the telltale response of Cadie’s nipple.

The blonde laughed throatily. “Dead giveaway, huh?”

Jo cupped Cadie’s breast gently, the pad of her thumb teasing and encouraging. “Hardly dead, my love,” she said softly. “Very much alive and well.”

Cadie closed her eyes against the sensation, absorbing the jolting tingle that followed every movement of Jo’s fingers.

“God, sometimes I think all I need is the sound of your voice,” she muttered. She felt Jo chuckle above her.

“Oh really?” Jo drawled. “Want me to stop touching?” She stilled her fingers, grinning as she saw Cadie’s eyes fly open.

“God, no!” the blonde exclaimed. Jo laughed out loud, a rumbling that sent vibrations through them both, even as she let her fingers continue their roaming exploration. “I just meant your voice does things to me I can’t even begin to describe,” Cadie explained.

Just to be contrary, Jo didn’t reply, preferring to use her mouth for other things.

“Oh myyy,” Cadie gasped, feeling the warm wetness around her breast as Jo suckled her through the thin fabric of her t-shirt. “Very good thing,” she breathed, “about the hot,” she swallowed, “food thing…”

“Mhmm,” Jo hummed. She lifted herself off Cadie’s breast and reached up, finding the blonde’s willing mouth with her own. The world contracted around them, and the two women lost themselves, happily, in the easy sensuality of their love under the full moon and watching stars.

Mmmm, we need to do this kind of thing more often, Jo thought drowsily as she watched Cadie crouch at the edge of the water. The blonde was rinsing out the plastic containers in which Jo’s mother had stored their food. The moonlight was strong and bright, giving them plenty of light, and Jo enjoyed the view of her lover’s profile through half-lidded eyes. Gorgeous, inside and out. How did I get so lucky?

They had made love under the stars, oblivious to the ants and the mosquitoes and the other distractions to being outdoors. It had been slow and gentle and altogether delicious. Then they had fallen upon the food like a couple of half-starved kids. Jo chuckled. Anyone would think we hadn’t eaten in a week.

Cadie stood and shook the excess water off the containers before she walked back to where Jo lay sprawled on the horse blanket.

“You look very languid, sweetheart,” the American said with a smile. She dropped down onto her knees next to the backpacks and stored the containers inside.

Jo leant on one elbow. “I feel pretty good,” she observed. “Funny that.”

Cadie laughed softly. “Me too. Must be the company, huh?”

“I guess so.”

They smiled at each other for a few seconds, reveling in the warmth between them.

“This light is so eerie,” Cadie said as she broke Jo’s gaze to look around at the silvery scenery. Unconsciously she rubbed her arms, the cool night air raising goose bumps on her skin.

“Cold, darling?” Jo asked.

Cadie turned back to her and nodded. “Mhmm, a little. It’s a pity we can’t light a fire.”

Jo nodded. “I know, but it’s just too risky. Even if there wasn’t a total fire ban, the way the wind is blowing it would carry sparks back into the trees and that would be that. This place is a tinderbox at the moment.”

Cadie looked around at the idyllic scene the waterhole and its surrounds presented. “Hard to believe from this little patch,” she said. “But I guess you’re right.” She looked down at the circle of smoldering mosquito coils Jo had set up around their picnic area. “Are these safe?”

“Yeah, I think so.” Jo smiled at her partner, who was hugging herself against the chill. “Why don’t you come snuggle?” she suggested. “That’ll keep us both warm.”

Cadie chuckled. “Y’know, for an old ex-assassin, you sure are a cuddle hound,” she teased, even as she crawled closer and happily curled up in the crook of Jo’s arm.

Something old and rotten in Jo almost bit back at the reference to the dark past she would much rather forget, but she had learned that with Arcadia Jones she was safe from any judgment. God knows, I’ve hurt people for saying less than that, she conceded to herself. Things have certainly changed. She looked down at the blonde head resting on her shoulder, the soft puff of Cadie’s breath warming her skin. Safe as houses.

“I love you,” she whispered against the silky hair.

Cadie tipped her head back and blinked curiously at her partner. “I love you, too, Jo-Jo. What brought that on?”

Jo shrugged. “Felt it, so I said it.” Her standard response to that inquiry, Cadie had learned.

“Mmmm,” the blonde pondered. “Somehow I don’t think so, Jossandra. Something else triggered that one.” She reached under Jo’s shirt and playfully tickled her ribcage, making the taller woman squirm. “Spill it, skipper.”

“Okay, okay,” Jo laughed. “It was what you said about me being an old assassin.”

Cadie sat up quickly, apology written all over her face. “Oh, honey, I didn’t mea-”

“Sshhh.” Jo placed a gentle finger against Cadie’s lips, silencing her. “I know you didn’t and that’s my point. If anyone else had said that to me, especially a few years ago … well, I don’t know what I would have done exactly, but it wouldn’t have been pretty.” Cadie looked at her with gentle understanding, a look so intense it made Jo lower her eyes. “And I just realized that there isn’t any part of me that I don’t want to share with you. And that’s because you make me feel safe.” She lifted her eyes and met Cadie’s gaze again. “That’s new for me.”

Cadie nodded. “I know. And I’m glad I can give you that. You deserve it.”

She opened her mouth to say more but the sharp retort of a gunshot cracked the air. Cadie ducked down instinctively as the horses, startled from their grass-picking further down the watercourse, whinnied and shied away into the scrub behind them. Jo was on her feet before Cadie had a chance to draw breath.

“Was that what I think it was?” the blonde asked as she scrambled up to stand next to Jo.

“Sshhh,” Jo urged, and then nodded wordlessly. She leaned close to Cadie’s ear and whispered. “Hunting rifle, and close by. Stay here – I’m going to go see what I can find.” She made to move away but was pulled up short by Cadie’s hand on her elbow.

“No way,” Cadie hissed. “I’m staying with you, Jo-Jo.”

“I can move faster and quieter without you,” Jo snapped, her mind already tracking the shooter.

“Hey!” Cadie yanked on the tall woman’s arm again, forcing Jo to look down at her. The blonde summoned her fiercest frown and waited until Jo’s eyes acknowledged her. “I’m going with you. I’m not staying here alone with some gun-toting idiot stumbling around in the dark.”

“All right,” Jo muttered. “But stay close.” Cadie let go of her elbow, her expression still showing signs of hurt and annoyance. Fix this, Madison. She didn’t deserve to be snarled at. Jo reached out and cupped the blonde’s cheek gently. “I’m sorry.”

Cadie smiled at her, her forgiveness instant. “Come on, let’s go find out who’s shooting.”

“And at what,” Jo murmured.

The two women skirted the edge of the waterhole, Jo deliberately leading them through the longer grass in the hopes of keeping their footsteps as silent as possible. She had a fair idea where the sound had come from but her sense of direction was considerably sharpened when another gunshot rang out. Both women dropped to their haunches, Cadie wrapping a hand around Jo’s elbow.

“This way,” the old ex-assassin hissed. Together they picked their way through the scrub, Cadie instinctively making sure her feet followed in Jo’s footsteps almost exactly.

The tall woman was bristling with … something, Cadie thought, but I can’t put my finger on the right word for it. One look at her lover told her that something ingrained was coursing through Jo’s bloodstream right now. Ice-chip blue eyes were narrowed and sweeping left and right for signs of trouble. Jo moved silently and swiftly, trusting that Cadie would keep up. She did, but the blonde was breathing hard by the time they came to a sudden halt at the edge of a small clearing. Jo waved her hand, telling Cadie to get down.

The American crawled forward on her elbows until she was side-by-side with Jo. “Who is it?” she whispered.

Jo sighed. “Collingwood, predictably,” she muttered. “Though why is a very good question.”

Cadie wriggled until she could see through the tiny gap in the foliage that Jo was looking through. What she saw sickened her. A lean figure, silhouetted in the moonlight, stood over what could only be the carcass of a sheep. Another lay close by. Cadie swallowed back the nausea.

“We’ve got to do something, Jo.” She turned to look at her lover’s grim profile. “What’s the plan?”

“I’m working on it,” Jo murmured, her eyes still flicking around the clearing, absorbing the lay of the land.

For long seconds they watched as Collingwood nudged the corpses with his foot.

“Hey, Jo?” Cadie whispered, an idea forming in her brain.

“What?”

“Remember the snake?”

Jo looked at her, puzzled. “What snake?”

Cadie crawled closer so she could put her mouth close to Jo’s ear. “The snake up in the islands, remember? The taipan?”

Jo did remember, suddenly. She had been with Cadie and two other members of the group of Americans she had been chaperoning around the islands. They had been on a hike up one of the islands when they had come across the taipan in the middle of the track. Jo had moved around the venomous nasty, coming up behind it while Cadie and the men kept its attention focused on them, and she’d been able to trap it with a stick, while the Americans had got past. She chuckled quietly. “Honey, that’s not gonna work here.”

“Why not?”

Jo shifted slightly, pulling the blonde against her and brushing her lips against her earlobe. “Gun-toting idiot, remember?” she whispered. “Unlike that snake, this guy is stupid, and can’t see what he’s shooting at. That’s a dangerous mixture.” Cadie growled under her breath, and Jo smiled. “Part of it’s a good idea though, love,” she conceded. “We do need to split his focus.” She felt Cadie smile.

“So, what’s the plan?”

Jo chuckled at her partner’s bizarre taste for this kind of adventure. “I created a monster, showing you where that rifle was the other day, didn’t I?” she teased.

Cadie leaned in, the smirk evident on her face even as she kept her voice low. “You’ve awakened my dark side.”

“Yeah, well, just keep Arcadia the Conqueror in check for a bit, will ya, while I try and figure out what to do with this idiot.” She softened her words with a friendly tickle of Cadie’s ribs.

She needn’t have worried. The blonde was more than willing to admit that Jo was the one with all the experience and know-how in this kind of situation, and she happily lay alongside her partner as they both gazed out into the clearing. Collingwood was circling the two sheep carcasses slowly, almost as if he didn’t believe the animals were dead.

Pretty hard to miss a standing target like a poor, dumb sheep, Jo thought grimly. She felt a slow, burning anger in her guts at the actions of the man her father trusted to help him run the station. What the hell is going on here? She listened as Collingwood cocked the gun again, and she wondered if perhaps the man wasn’t half-aware of their presence.

“Does he know we’re here?” Cadie whispered close to Jo’s ear.

“Not us specifically, but he might think there’s something else worth shooting,” she replied. “Stay here,” she decided. “I’m going to circle around until I’m opposite this position.”

“And then what?”

Jo’s brow furrowed. “By the time I’m round there, I’ll have figured that out.”

“Yeah, but-”

“Just follow my lead, okay?” And with that Jo was gone, slinking away into the shadows before Cadie could raise any further objections.

“Right. Just follow your lead. I can do that,” the blonde muttered. She bit her lip as she lost track of her elusive lover and glanced back through the small break in the foliage. Collingwood was crouched near one of the sheep now, his rifle resting across his thighs as he smoked a cigarette, its red tip glowing. Cadie waited, knowing that once Jo was in position, something was going to happen. God knows what, she pondered. But it isn’t going to be dull.

Jo moved through the dry underbrush with a stealth that came to her automatically. While her body took care of business, avoiding sticks underfoot and tree branches overhead, her brain went into overdrive, finding a way to deal with Collingwood without getting herself, Cadie or any other animals shot in the process. She tried to picture a scenario in which the man wouldn’t react first and think second, but no matter which plan formulated the outcome was always a risky one. By the time Jo had reached the place she’d pinpointed earlier as being opposite Cadie’s position, she was quite frustrated by her lack of any idea. Collingwood seemed totally unconcerned, smoking in the moonlight like he had all night to accomplish his task.

Whatever the hell that is, Jo thought. Okay, now what, Madison? Cadie’s sitting there waiting for some grand plan to unfold, and if you don’t come up with something shortly, she’s likely to go all gung-ho on you and take matters into her own hands. She couldn’t help grinning. There was something surprising, but downright sexy about the diminutive blonde’s newfound taste for excitement. Concentrate, would you? Jo berated herself. This isn’t a game. That idiot out there’s got a gun.

Jo growled under her breath and shifted slightly as she tried to get a bead on the man sitting in a pool of moonlight in the middle of the clearing. As she moved, her foot kicked against a baseball-sized rock. Jo looked down at the stone and laughed softly. It can’t be that simple, can it?

She dug her fingers under the rock and pulled it out of the dirt, hefting it in the palm of her hand. Well, if nothing else, it’ll certainly get his attention, she concluded. Slowly Jo stood up and moved to a patch of relatively clear ground, where she could move her arms freely. Collingwood had his back to her and had very kindly removed his Akubra, making the back of his skull a tempting target.

Jo sized up the distance between them, allowing for some depth perception errors due to the moonlight, and then slowly drew her arm back. She unleashed the throw and held her breath as the rock whizzed through the still air, smacking into Collingwood’s skull with a sickening thud. He slid bonelessly to the ground without a sound and Jo stepped out into the clearing.

“That’s it?” came a plaintive shout from the other side of the clearing. Cadie emerged into the moonlight, her hands on her hips. “That was the grand plan?”

Jo stood over the unconscious man and shrugged nonchalantly. “I thought it had a certain simple elegance,” she said casually, grinning at the blonde.

“Uh-huh,” Cadie said skeptically. “And I guess it had nothing to do with the fact that you couldn’t come up with anything better?”

“I didn’t need anything better,” Jo argued. “Look.” She gestured at the unconscious man, whose cigarette still dangled from his lips. “Mission accomplished.”

“Yeah,” Cadie admitted grudgingly, finding it hard to resist the confident grin on her partner’s face. “But I didn’t get to do anything,” she pouted.

Jo chuckled. “Sure you did,” she said teasingly. “You were my inspiration, darling.” She beamed at her shorter lover.

“Oh, you are so full of shit, Jo Madison,” Cadie replied, but she couldn’t stop smiling. She glanced down at Collingwood. “Sure he’s just unconscious?”

Jo knelt down behind the man and felt for his neck pulse point. “Alive and well,” she concluded. “Relatively speaking.” Carefully she slid the rifle out of Collingwood’s grasp and stood again as she unloaded the weapon, tossing the bullets into the bush.

“So what now?” Cadie asked. “How are we going to get him home?”

Jo nudged Collingwood with the toe of her boot. “I am so tempted to just tie his feet together and drag him behind the horses.” She sighed. “But I guess we can’t do that.”

Cadie smirked. “Tempting,” she agreed. She looked up at Jo. “Um, do we even have any rope?”

Jo nodded. “We do, if we can find the horses,” she answered. “I’m beginning to wish we had hobbled them after all.” She raised her fingers to her mouth and blew, a sharp piercing whistle echoing around the clearing. “That always used to work for Tilly, but I don’t know if these two have been trained the same way.”

She needn’t have worried. Half a minute later, both colts trotted into the clearing, trailing their reins and wuffling breathily.

“Pretty cool,” Cadie murmured, capturing her horse’s reins while Jo pulled a coiled-up length of rope from where it hung around her saddle horn. She knelt down by Collingwood again and proceeded to tie his hands behind his back, leaving a long section of rope free.

“Give me a hand?” she asked as she moved to shift the dead weight of the man’s body. Between the two of them they managed to sling Collingwood over the saddle of Jo’s horse, his head hanging down one side, and his feet down the other.

“Not the most dignified position in the world,” Cadie said.

“Who cares?” Jo muttered. “This guy’s an arsehole, Cadie.”

“No argument from me, love.”

Jo grabbed her colt’s reins and reached out with her other hand to take Cadie’s hand. “Come on, love, we’ve got a picnic to finish before he wakes up.”

Cadie grinned up at her. “Now, that sounds like a plan.”

It was close to midnight when they finally made it back into the homestead compound. Collingwood had come to about an hour after Jo felled him with the rock, and he had whinged and moaned as he hung over the back of the horse. Jo finally relented when she and Cadie were ready to head back, and she'd tied the rope off around her saddle horn and let the man walk in front of them as they sauntered home.

Collingwood had remained stubbornly and sullenly silent throughout, and neither woman pushed it. As they came in range of the homestead, Cadie was surprised to see the lights on.

“I thought they'd be in bed by now,” she said as both women slid down from their saddles.

“Well, we're about three hours later than we said we'd be and they may well have heard the gunfire,” Jo reasoned, unsurprised to see her mother bustling out of the kitchen door. Jo busied herself with the saddlebags, finding herself unaccountably grumpy and out of sorts. Maybe it’s this damn headache, she decided. Or maybe I’m just really pissed off with Collingwood. She glanced at the stone-faced man, who looked close to exhausted, and felt the low burn of anger deep in her chest. Ya think?

Maggie peered through the gloom. “Where on earth have you two been? We heard shots.”

Jo and Cadie exchanged a look, the taller woman's face saying ‘see, I told you so’.

“We ran into a little trouble, Maggie,” Cadie explained.

“I'm beginning to think you attract trouble almost as much as my daughter does,” Maggie said with a slight smile as she stood with her hands on her hips. “Well, you both look like you're in one piece and the horses are fine. So what kind of trouble was it?”

Jo hauled on the rope and dragged Collingwood into the pool of yellow light spilling out from the kitchen. He stumbled and fell to his knees in front of the family matriarch, who scowled at him.

“Why does this not surprise me?” Maggie muttered. She looked up at her daughter. “What happened?”

Just then David Madison walked out of the house and Jo waited until her father had absorbed the scene.

“Caught him shooting sheep away to the north of the billabong,” Jo replied succinctly. “They weren't hurt or dying, so we figure he’s just doing it for fun. Didn’t seem acceptable to me.” She shrugged.

“You were right,” David growled. He reached down and pulled Collingwood's head back with a rough hand, ignoring the copious amounts of slowly drying blood in the man’s thin hair. Jo couldn’t remember seeing her father ever being so physical with another human being. She watched as David bent over, getting right up into Collingwood's face.

“What's the story, Jack?” he said. “Wasn’t it enough that I trusted you with this place? Why are you killing my stock?”

“I'm not saying a word,” Collingwood spat back. “So you can shove it, Madison. You and your bitch wife and bitch spawn.”

Cadie leaned forward and put her mouth close to the man's ear. “What about me, Jack? Don't forget how much you and I enjoy each other's company.”

“Fuck you, you Seppo bitch!” he shouted.

Cadie straightened up and looked at Jo. “Doesn’t have a great vocabulary does he? Not much imagination.”

David shoved Collingwood away in disgust. “If you haven’t already figured it out, Jack, you're fired. Not only that, but I'm calling the police out here, right now. So you can tell it to them.”

“Fuck you.”

David pulled his hand back to strike his former employee, but Maggie put a restraining hand on his arm.

“Don’t, love,” she murmured. “It doesn’t do anyone any good, least of all you.”

For long seconds her husband just looked at her, cool grey eyes sparking. But then he relaxed noticeably, and Maggie patted his arm. “I'll call the police,” she said as she turned and walked back into the house.

Cadie woke to the sound of groaning from the warm lump curled up next to her.

“Jo-Jo?” she mumbled blearily as she rolled over to seek out the source of the noise. “What’s up, sweetheart?”

Jo moaned piteously again. “Did someone get the number of that buffalo herd?” she grumbled. “I feel like I was caught underfoot.”

Cadie pulled back the covers which, she realized, were damp and cool. “Honey, you’re soaking,” she gasped. Quickly she placed the back of her hand against Jo’s forehead. “And you’re burning up.” She looked more closely at the pale, clammy face. “I knew you were feeling less than great when we got home last night. Why didn’t you say something?” Why didn’t I make her say something, damn it.

Bloodshot blue eyes blinked at her. “It was the middle of the damn night.” Jo shrugged and coughed dryly. “Just started sweating like a horse and I couldn’t breathe properly.”

“Tch, you should have woken me up, love,” Cadie chastised.

“Why? So you could say exactly what you’re saying now, only three hours earlier?” Jo complained. “I decided to let at least one of us get some sleep.” She sniffed pathetically. “I feel like poo.”

Cadie smiled down at her suffering lover. “Yeah, you pretty much look like it too,” she said. She leaned down and touched her lips to Jo’s forehead. “You’re running a fever.”

Jo shivered and hunkered down further into the bedclothes. “No shit, Sherlock. What was your first clue?”

“Oooo, and grumpy with it,” Cadie said tolerantly, forgiving Jo her bad temper. “If you’d said something last night perhaps we could have gotten some aspirin and vitamin C inside you. But no, you had to play the strong, silent type.” She smiled gently, knowing that getting annoyed with a sick woman was a waste of energy.

Jo started to object but a series of wracking coughs reduced her to a shuddering mess.

“Okay, stay there. I’m going for some maternal aid,” Cadie decided. “And some dry bedclothes.” Long fingers wrapped themselves around her forearm before she could roll out of bed, however.

“Don’t leave me,” said a small, hoarse voice which melted Cadie’s heart.

Awww. Big and tough on the outside, marshmallow on the inside. You’ve got to love that. “Ssshh sweetheart. You can’t lie in these sheets any longer. It’s just going to make you worse. I promise I won’t be gone long, honestly.”

Jo looked up at her from under long, dark lashes. “And then will you get back into bed with me?”

Cadie leaned down again for another reassuring kiss. “I promise.”

“Okay then.”

Jo released her and Cadie slipped out of the bed. She pulled on a pair of sweatpants before she ventured out into the house. It was about an hour after daybreak and she knew David would already be out in the paddock. Their phone call to the police the night before had resulted in Jack Collingwood being hauled away in a paddy wagon for a night in the Louth lock-up. The police were planning on questioning him later in the day, Cadie knew. She could hear Maggie moving around in the kitchen and it was there she headed.

“Morning, Cadie. How are you?” Jo’s mother said cheerily.

“Hi, Maggie. Um, I’m fine, but I think Jo’s in need of some TLC. She’s managed to brew the cold from hell overnight.”

Maggie frowned. “Really? That’s not like her,” she replied quietly. “I can count the number of times she was sick as a kid on the fingers of one hand.”

“Tell me about it,” Cadie answered. “She spends half her life soaked to the skin up in the islands and never even sniffles. I’ve had two colds since February.” She smiled up at her mother-in-law. “But right now, she's running a temperature and the bed sheets are soaked. I’d really like to get some fresh ones on so she can try and get some sleep.”

Maggie nodded and smiled back at the blonde. “Tell you what, you’ll find fresh sheets in the linen closet outside the bathroom. While you’re getting her comfortable I’ll put some of my world famous chicken soup on to simmer.” Maggie turned away and then remembered something else. “Is she coughing?”

Cadie nodded. “Just starting to,” she replied. “Pretty dry so far.”

“Hmm, well, when she was a girl she used to love having Vicks Vaporub rubbed on her chest on the rare occasions when she felt like that. It cleared her sinuses and kept her warm and happy.” The older woman grinned at Cadie, a distinct twinkle brightening her eye. “I think you’d better take care of that, though.”

Cadie’s eyebrows shot up almost into her bangs and she could feel the heat of the blush spreading over her neck and face. “Um, yes, you’re probably right,” she mumbled, unable, for the moment, to meet Maggie’s amused gaze.

“Tch, I don’t know, you young people. You’re so easily embarrassed.” The older woman chuckled. “You’ll find a jar of Vicks in the bathroom cabinet, behind the mirror.”

“Uh, okay.” Cadie rubbed her face as she walked down the narrow hallway, trying to dispel the blush. Funny how I keep telling Jo there’s nothing to be self-conscious around her parents, but Maggie can turn me inside out so easily. Soon she was heading back to the bedroom, Vicks and clean sheets in hand. Jo hadn’t moved and was sweating drowsily. Cadie deposited her load on the chair and sat down on the edge of the bed. She reached out a gentle hand and stroked a lock of lank hair from Jo’s forehead.

“Sweetheart.” Blue eyes blinked open. “I’ve got clean sheets and Vicks Vaporub, and your mother has chicken soup brewing. I need you to get up for a bit so I can change the sheets.”

“Okay.”

Once she had Jo settled in the armchair, her shivering body wrapped in a light blanket, Cadie quickly set about changing the sheets. Jo watched with bleary eyes.

“Guess I’m not going in to town with you and Dad, then,” she muttered. They had been planning to head for the Louth police station to get the latest news on Collingwood.

“Nope,” Cadie said bluntly, as she tucked the bottom sheet in at the base of the bed. “You’re not going anywhere, my love. Not until your fever’s broken, at least.”

Jo scowled. “I wanted to watch that arsehole get his just desserts.”

“I know, love, but I’m sure his butt is gonna get kicked whether we’re there or not,” Cadie said, smiling at her passive partner as she changed the pillow cases.

“I think you should still go,” Jo replied.

Cadie thought about that. A few hours alone with a pissed David Madison. She smiled to herself. an do that. "Okay, sweetheart. I’ll try and remember all the details so you feel like you were there.”

Jo managed a weak smile. “Thank you.”

Cadie patted the mattress in satisfaction. “Okay, that’s done.” She walked over to the chest of drawers where she and Jo had stored their clothes and pulled out fresh t-shirt and cotton boxers. “Come on, let’s get you into something clean.”

Jo stuck her bottom lip out in a child-like pout that almost made Cadie giggle, it was so cute.

“Vicks first?”

“Vicks second, clothes first,” Cadie insisted. She helped Jo stand and together they got her out of her drenched nightclothes and into the cool, clean cotton. “Better?”

“Much,” Jo agreed as she crawled back into the fresh sheets. Cadie picked up the small jar of ointment and sat down next Jo. She unscrewed the lid and dipped her fingers in, coating them with the slippery, aromatic cream. Jo lifted the edge of the t-shirt and Cadie slid her hands underneath, rubbing the ointment over Jo’s upper chest.

“I think you’re enjoying this,” Jo observed, a tiny smile touching the corners of her mouth.

“Looking after you, or rubbing your chest?” Cadie asked mischievously.

“Yes,” Jo replied.

Cadie grinned. “You’re right,” she agreed. “You’re so good at looking after yourself that I don’t often get the chance to pamper you.” She withdrew her hands and patted Jo on the arm. “How does that feel?”

Jo closed her eyes and let the warmth from the menthol and eucalyptus oil soak in. The sharp aroma immediately cleared her head a little and she sighed softly. “Better,” she said hoarsely. “Thanks.”

“No thanks necessary, love,” Cadie replied. She leaned down and kissed Jo’s fevered brow. Still hot as hell, she realized. Just then there was a light tapping on the door. Good timing. “Come on in.”

Maggie pushed open the door and stepped inside. In one hand she held a liter-sized bottle of spring water, and in the other she carried a large bowl of steaming soup.

“Luckily I keep a few tubs of this stuff frozen for just such an emergency,” she said cheerily. She looked down at her suffering daughter. “Well, Josie, looks like you’re not going anywhere for a while.”

Jo scowled at her mother. “Not my fault,” she grumbled.

“I wasn’t attributing blame,” her mother chipped back. She placed the bottle of water on the bedside table. “You ready for some soup, sunshine?”

“Not hungry.”

Maggie sighed and looked at Cadie, who shrugged.

“She’s been a really good patient so far,” the blonde said.

“That won’t last,” mother and daughter said together, provoking a laugh from Cadie.

“Here you go,” Maggie said as she handed the soup bowl and spoon to the American. “Maybe you can persuade her to get a few mouthfuls down.” She smiled knowingly at her daughter’s partner. “I have a feeling you can get her to do almost anything.”

For the second time in less than an hour Cadie felt the flush of a blush across her skin. “Tch, Maggie. How do you do that?” she complained.

“It’s a mother thing,” came a croaky retort from the bed. “Get used to it.”

Maggie leaned down and kissed her daughter’s cheek. “Be good, Josie.” She straightened. “I’ve got some baking to do,” she said to Cadie. “David should be back in a couple of hours if you’re still interested in going into town with him.”

Cadie nodded. “Mhmm,” she replied. “Tall, dark and diseased here wants me to go watch Jack’s rear end get a kicking.”

“Hey!” Jo grumbled. “I’m still in the room, y’know.”

Cadie and her mother-in-law exchanged amused glances. “I’ll leave you to it,” Maggie said cheerily. “Yell if you need something.” And with that, she left, closing the bedroom door behind her.

Maggie withdrew the metal skewer, satisfied that the freshly-baked loaf of bread was done to perfection. She wrapped it in greaseproof paper and slid the loaf into the bread bin sitting on the counter. She looked up when she heard the familiar sound of David’s truck pulling into the yard.

He looks pretty fresh considering he was up all night and has just driven an hour each way, Maggie decided. David walked slowly towards the house, his suit jacket slung over his shoulder and his hands buried in his trouser pockets. She smiled quietly. He still scrubs up pretty well for an old fella.

“Hello, love,” she greeted him as he walked in the kitchen door. He dropped his jacket over the back of a convenient chair and kissed her. “How was the service?”

David sighed. April 25 was always a day of mixed emotions for him. It was Anzac Day, a day for commemorating Australia and New Zealand’s war dead and those who had survived their times in battle. As a Vietnam veteran, David had always taken part in the services and marches whenever he could, even through the awful times in the 70s when he was more likely to have been spat upon than cheered. These days taking part was a more pleasant affair. Even as the numbers thinned among the ranks, it was always heartening to see the large groups of young people who took part in the day’s activities.

After the dramas of getting Jack Collingwood arrested, David had opted out of sleep and instead had made the long drive down to Cobar to take part in the dawn service at the small town’s war memorial. It was an annual pilgrimage for him, a chance to catch up with other veterans who were normally scattered widely around the region.

“Not too many of us left,” he said in response to Maggie’s query. “Remember Scoby Jackson?” A member of David’s platoon in Vietnam. Maggie nodded. “He’s gone,” David said sadly. “His wife was there. Said the cancer came back about six months ago.”

Maggie reached out and took her husband’s hand, squeezing it gently. “I’m sorry, love.” He shrugged fatalistically.

“That’s the way it goes,” he murmured.

Maggie watched as he eased himself into the chair and reached for an apple from the fruit bowl on the table in front of him. She had never enjoyed Anzac Day. She knew it was something David needed, a connection to friends and comrades and memories that she would never be able to share. That wasn’t what bothered her about it though. It was the sadness she could see draping itself around her husband’s shoulders as he sat munching the apple, his eyes faraway in some memory of Scoby Jackson. Sometimes, Maggie thought, I just wish he could let all that go.

“You’re back earlier than I thought you would be,” she said.

David nodded. “Thought I’d come back and pick up Josie, and then we could go to the two-up game at the Louth pub,” he said, smiling up at her. “Y’know, like we used to do when she was a kid.”

Maggie smiled back, hating the fact that she was about to disappoint him. “It’s a lovely thought, sweetheart, but unfortunately Jo’s sick.”

He frowned, concern warring with disappointment on his face. “Sick? What’s wrong? Is she okay?” He stood up and she stepped forward, placing a reassuring hand on his chest.

“She’s got a bad cold and is running a temperature, but she’s getting some sleep and Cadie is looking after her.”

David relaxed a little. “Not like Josie to get sick like that,” he muttered, wondering now if he could be bothered going back up the road to Louth, though he did want to drop in at the police station to see what the news was about that bastard Collingwood. And I suppose I’ll have to start looking for a new foreman, he thought glumly. He reached up and loosened his tie, then sat back down again.

“That’s what I said,” Maggie replied. “But the poor baby’s all wrung out and feverish so she’s not going anywhere today.” One glance at her husband’s face told her he was now in two minds about going to the game. “Here’s an idea,” she said. “Why don’t you take Cadie?”

David scowled. “She’s American,” he muttered.

Maggie put her hands on her hips. “And your point is what exactly?” She sat down in the chair next to him. “David, it’s not like they don’t have days like Anzac Day as well. They’ve fought in wars too.”

David grunted. “Yeah, when it suited them.”

Maggie reached over and slapped his thigh. “Oh stop that. You know better,” she said, wondering if this wasn’t part of the reason David was so uncomfortable around Cadie.

Her husband squirmed in his seat. “Yes, I do, but some of the older blokes might not be too friendly around a Yank, Maggie. You know they’re all pretty set in their ways. I don’t want to spend all my time looking out for her.”

Maggie patted his thigh again. “I think you’re underestimating Cadie, love,” she said. “She’s not helpless, y’know. She can look after herself and from what I can gather, she’s more than capable of holding up her end of the conversation.” She held her husband’s gaze. “And taking her will make her feel like part of the family,” she said pointedly.

David scowled again. “All right, all right. I’ll take her.” He pointed a finger at his wife. “But don’t expect me to be telling anyone that she and Jo are …” He hesitated. “… what they are.”

Maggie rolled her eyes at him. “Do you usually go around discussing your daughter’s sleeping arrangements, David?” she said. “It’s not even going to come up. Leave all that to Cadie.”

“All right, all right.”

Maggie let herself into the bedroom after her knock brought no response. One glance at the scenario in the bed told her why and brought a gentle smile to her face. Cadie had climbed back into bed with Jo and was fast asleep as she leaned against the wall behind the bed, her partner’s dark head cradled on her belly. The blonde’s arms were wrapped securely around Jo’s shoulders in a protective embrace. Maggie chuckled softly and sat down on the edge of the bed. She reached out and patted Cadie’s forearm.

“Cadie. Wake up, sweetie.”

Green eyes blinked open immediately. “Oh, hi.” Cadie grinned sheepishly. “Guess I needed some more sleep too, huh?”

“I guess so. If you still want to go in to town with David, though, you’d better get up now.”

Cadie nodded. “Yep, I do.” She glanced down at the still sleeping woman in her arms. “Do you mind keeping an eye on her, for me? She’s still really hot.”

“Don’t you worry about that, now,” Maggie said, patting her arm again. “I’m not going far from the house today. We’ll be right.”

Jo stirred, mumbling softly in her sleep, and Cadie took the opportunity to slide out from underneath. “Where you going?” Jo muttered without opening her eyes.

“Sshhh, sweetheart, go back to sleep. Your mom’s going to be around while I go with your dad, okay?”

“’k,” Jo replied, barely waking at all.

Maggie moved out of the way, allowing Cadie to clamber out of the bed.

“Listen, this trip into town’s more than just a visit to the police station,” she said as the blonde moved around, gathering clothes together. Cadie looked at her inquiringly. “Today’s Anzac Day,” Maggie explained. A blank look from the American made her smile. “It’s the day all the war veterans get together, and walk in parades and sit around in the pubs and reminisce.”

“Ahhh.” Cadie nodded in understanding. “Like our Veterans Day.” She pulled on her moleskins and zipped them up, before reaching for the shirt she’d chosen. “Are these clothes going to be okay, then?” she asked, suddenly wondering if she shouldn’t be finding something less casual to wear.

“They’re fine,” Maggie confirmed. “David’s already been to the dawn service, and now he wants to go to the Louth pub and catch up with some old mates, play some two-up.”

“Two-up?"

Maggie grinned. “You’ll see.”

Cadie nodded, accepting that. A sudden flash of insight made her look up at Maggie sharply. “Jo used to spend the day with him, didn’t she?”

“Yes,” Maggie replied, quietly impressed with the American’s ability to cut to the chase.

“So I’m daughter by proxy for the day.” Cadie met Maggie’s steady gaze again. “Oh boy.”

Her mother-in-law laughed. “Don’t worry. He really is a teddy bear. And he likes you.” Cadie raised a surprised eyebrow. “Trust me, I can tell.”

It took about 15 minutes for Cadie to screw up the courage to start a conversation with the silent man behind the wheel. David had given her a brusque nod in greeting before pulling on his suit jacket and waiting for her to climb in the passenger side, but his utterances had been few and far between.

“So,” she said eventually. “Tell me about Anzac Day.”

Grey eyes flicked over her and then away again. “What do you want to know?” David said gruffly.

“Well,” Cadie replied carefully. She shifted slightly so she was turned more towards him. “Why is it today? April 25, I mean.”

David took a deep breath and bit back a retort. Figures this kind of history doesn’t make an impact in America, he thought. Not her fault though, and at least she’s interested.

“April 25, 1915,” he said. “That’s the day Australian and New Zealand forces landed on the beach at Gallipoli.” He looked quickly at Cadie who kept her face impassive. “That’s on the Turkish peninsula at the entrance to the Black Sea.” She nodded understanding. “Trouble is the British commanders got it wrong and the landing took place too far north. The Turks were sitting at the top of the cliffs waiting for the Aussies and when our blokes landed they were pretty much cut down. Eventually they managed to dig in at the foot of the cliffs. Nine months later they were withdrawn, without making any significant advances. There were 26,000 Aussie casualties, 7500 Kiwis.”

Cadie let the hot, dry wind from the open window wash over her for a moment. “Sounds like it was a terrible, pointless war,” she said quietly.

“It was,” David said bluntly. “But a lot of people think it was the making of us.”

“How do you mean?”

David rested his elbow on the edge of the window, his fingers pressed against his temple. “Up until then, we’d pretty much followed around after England, doing whatever they wanted, whenever they wanted. I mean, that’s why we were fighting in World War I in the first place, after all,” he explained. “But after Gallipoli we were a lot more skeptical about being at their beck and call. It was the start of our independence as a nation, I guess.”

Cadie nodded slowly. “Thanks for explaining.”

“No worries.”

Cadie did a quick sum in her head. “I guess there aren’t too many Gallipoli veterans left,” she said.

“None,” David replied. “Last one died last year. There’s only a handful of Great War vets left as well.” He looked at her again. “You’re going to meet one this morning.”

Cadie grinned. “Cool.”

Maggie startled slightly as the phone jangled next to her. “I’ve got to figure out how to turn that bloody thing down,” she muttered as she turned away from the computer screen. She had been working on the station’s accounts and, despite her grumbling about the discordant sound, she was grateful for any excuse not to keep looking at the grim figures. “Hello,” she said after lifting the receiver off the hook.

“Mrs. Madison? Uh, g’day. It’s Ken Harding here.” The gruff voice of the Sydney-based policeman surprised Maggie.

“Oh, Detective Harding,” she said, smiling to herself. “Hello to you, too. How are you?”

“Fair to middling, thanks,” replied Harding. He was sitting at his desk in a seedy corner of NSW police headquarters on Charles Street. It was a public holiday, but Harding, himself a Vietnam veteran, preferred to avoid the Anzac Day rituals for a chance to catch up on some paperwork. “Thanks for the Christmas card, by the way. Sorry I didn’t get around to sending one back.”

Maggie swiveled her chair around till she was facing out onto her back garden. “That’s all right, Ken,” she answered. “We know how busy you get, especially at that time of year.” Aware of her daughter’s presence in the bedroom, just a short walk away, she lowered her voice, even though she knew Jo was more than likely still asleep. “What can we do for you today?”

“Just checking in really, Maggie,” the cop said. “Haven’t talked to you in a while so I thought I’d see how things are going, see if you had any questions about Jo.”

Maggie grinned. “Well, actually, I’ve got some news for you, for once,” she said, a little smugly. “Jo is here.”

There was a suitable silence on the other end of the phone as Harding absorbed that totally unexpected piece of information. Bugger me, he thought. Madison finally got up the nerve to go home. “That’s great news, Maggie,” he said.

“We’re pretty happy about it,” Maggie confirmed. “Cadie is here too.”

Harding wrapped his pudgy, nicotine-stained fingers around his coffee cup and spun the mug idly in his hand. “Yeah?” Jesus, one surprise after another. She went home and she told ’em she’s a dyke. Gutsy.. “She’s a feisty one, that one. She beaten anyone up yet?”

Maggie laughed. “Yes, actually,” she replied, thinking of the American’s run-in with Jack Collingwood. “She’s lovely.”

Harding smiled, his memories of the fierce little blonde fond ones. “Yeah, she’s not bad,” he understated. He cleared his throat awkwardly, suddenly feeling like he didn’t quite know what he was doing in this conversation. “Does Jo know yet … well … you know?” He hesitated to spell out the extent of his relationship with Jo’s parents.

“Not yet,” Maggie replied, hearing a quiet note in the policeman’s voice that she hadn’t heard before.

“Fair enough,” Harding murmured. He felt vaguely disoriented, as if the natural order of things in his world had been tilted strangely. He had been so used to Jo Madison’s self-imposed isolation and the sense of duty he felt towards her parents, that now … Well, if she’s back in the family fold, then I guess they won’t need me anymore, he thought glumly.

“I hope this doesn’t mean we won’t be hearing from you any more, Ken,” Maggie said, as if she could read his mind. “You know David and I will always consider you a friend of the family. I don’t know what we would have done without knowing you were there to help when we needed it.”

Harding swallowed around the lump that had suddenly developed in his throat. “Awww, you know I was just doing my job, Maggie,” he said huskily.

“Rubbish,” Maggie retorted. “You know damn well you went above and beyond what you needed to do for the job.”

Five years ago, when Jo had turned herself in, Ken Harding had been the Madisons’ contact with the police. He had planned on offering protection for her parents as part of the package in exchange for her testimony. But when the ex-assassin had turned down any form of police help, Harding had taken it upon himself to contact the Madisons and put them out of their misery as to Jo’s safety and whereabouts. Over the years, since he was keeping tabs on Jo anyway, Harding had become the Madisons’ only link to their wayward daughter.

And, along the way, he had been the one to tell them what Jo’s ‘job’ in Sydney had been. He knew it was something for which Jo would probably never forgive him, but at the time it had seemed the right thing to do. He’d also made sure to tell them just what good Jo had done by turning on her former cohorts. The lives she’d saved. The Madisons had rewarded him with friendship and gratitude.

“Did you decide to let her tell you herself?” the detective asked tentatively.

Maggie studied the line of ants marching along the sun-warmed windowsill. “Not necessarily,” she answered. “It’s been difficult to know how to bring it up, and to be honest, there hasn’t been much chance yet. Now,” she went on briskly, “when are you going to come out and visit?”

Harding tried to imagine himself out in the bush without ready access to a McDonald’s and fresh packs of Winnie Blues and just couldn’t see it. But there was something deeply appealing about getting away from the city and spending time with the Madisons. It touched something in him that had never gotten a lot of attention over the years – a sense of family.

“I’d like that,” he heard himself say. “Not sure when I can get away, though.”

Maggie wouldn’t hear anything of it. “Well, then it’s time you looked into it, Ken. There’s a side of beef walking around my back paddock that’s got your name on it.”

Cadie contemplated the silent figure sitting next to her. She was desperately curious about David Madison’s own military history but she knew better than to just blunder in with a bunch of clueless questions. She had been a politician’s wife long enough to know that Vietnam vets were not always happy to talk about their war service. She watched as a tiny smile creased the corner of her father-in-law’s mouth.

“It’s okay, Cadie, you can ask,” he said wryly. She grinned.

“Thanks. Maggie said you were in Vietnam.”

He nodded. “Yep. Shot at and shat upon,” he said quietly. Cadie waited, knowing that if she let him talk, he just might. “I was with 6RAR.” He glanced at her. “That’s a regiment.”

“I figured,” Cadie smiled.

“Served in Phuoc Toy province in ’66 and ’67. You ever heard of the Battle of Long Tan?” he asked, not expecting any answer other than a negative.

Cadie thought about it for a moment. Naomi had served on a couple of house committees for veterans affairs and Cadie had gone along with her ex-partner to several functions. Naomi had never been interested in the details, but for Cadie, talking to the veterans and hearing their individual stories had been something she had greatly treasured. More than one of those functions had featured visiting Australians and Cadie dug around in her memory banks. She smiled when she realized she did know what David was talking about.

“Didn’t the President give out some honor to the Aussies for that?” she said, ridiculously pleased with herself when she saw David’s double-take.

Maggie was right, David thought, impressed despite himself. She can handle herself. “Yeah, he did,” he confirmed aloud. “A Presidential Unit Citation from Lyndon Johnson to Delta Company of 6RAR.” He looked at Cadie thoughtfully, even as he continued to steer the truck along the road. They were nearing the outskirts of Louth and his attention was divided as he dodged a rheumy old cattle dog that was meandering across the highway. “That was my company,” he said.

“So you were right in the middle of that battle, huh?”

He shrugged and swung the truck onto the main street of Louth. “There were three platoons involved. It was 11 Platoon that made contact with the Vietcong first and they got hit hard. Then it was 10 Platoon who went in from one side and tried to help them out. I was in 12 Platoon. We were held back in reserve and then sent in from the other direction. We were the ones who eventually extracted what was left of 11.” He went silent and Cadie could see his throat working hard.

“This all happened in one night, didn’t it?” she recalled.

He nodded wordlessly, and then took a deep breath. “Yeah. The 11 Platoon survivors stayed with us, but we had to leave the dead and wounded out in the field overnight. Then the next morning we went in and pulled them out. Seventeen dead, and some 20-odd wounded. All good mates. All young – 20 or 21. A couple were 19 or so.”

Cadie shook her head in wonder. “I can’t even begin to imagine what that must have been like,” she said quietly.

“You don’t want to know,” David muttered.

She watched as a whole range of emotions swept across his lean, lined face. The telltale rippling at the corner of his jaw told her he was grinding his teeth.

“Do you still dream about it?” she asked. His head snapped round and she felt the full blast of his cool, grey gaze. Oooo, may have pushed a little too hard on that one, Jones. But it didn’t take long for his eyes to soften.

“Yeah, I do,” he muttered. “But don’t tell Maggie.” He grinned suddenly. “She’ll have me taking those damn herbal concoctions again and I can’t stand the taste of those buggers.”

Cadie chuckled. “My lips are sealed,” she promised. “But I think it’s a fair bet she already knows.”

“Yeah, probably. But as long as I don’t say anything she won’t push it.”

“Well, now I know where Jo gets it,” the blonde said, shaking her head.

“Gets what?” David asked, eyebrows raised.

“Damn-fool stubborn nothing-hurts-so-don’t-expect-me-to-say-ow stoicism,” Cadie shot back, her own eyes twinkling. “Jo just about has to be bleeding on the floor before she’ll admit she’s hurting.”

“So I guess she’s pretty crook if she’s laid up in bed this morning, then?” David asked.

Cadie smiled, her brain now automatically flipping through its growing lexicon of Australian phrases. Crook is sick. “Mhmm. I’ll give her credit, though. She’s been a good patient so far.” She folded her arms and looked pensively out the windscreen.

David snorted. “That won’t last,” he said. “Wait till she gets bored.”

“Oh, boy.”

Jo padded out into the kitchen. She had pulled on a pair of sweatpants and yet another fresh t-shirt and was wrapped in a blanket. Waking up about 20 minutes earlier, she had felt a little better, although disappointed to be alone. It hadn’t taken long for her ‘restless’ gene to kick in and she had gathered herself up to go in search of company.

The kitchen was empty and Jo figured her mother was probably somewhere in her flower garden. Barefoot, she shuffled out the back door, trailing a corner of the blanket in the dust behind her.

“Hi, Mum,” she said hoarsely, as she spotted her mother on her knees in a corner of the flower bed.

“Tch, Josie, what are you doing out of bed?” Maggie pushed herself to her feet and walked to where her daughter was standing. Jo was swaying slightly, as if unsure of her balance. “You should be horizontal, love. You’ve gone all pale.”

“Yeah, I’m just deciding that you’re probably right,” Jo replied glumly. Her bottom lip slipped out in a fair imitation of a pout. “I got lonely.”

Maggie took her daughter’s arm and led her to a folding deckchair that sat in the middle of the lawn. “Here, sit down before you fall down.” She helped Jo lower herself into the comfortable hammock-like seat, tucking the blanket in around her shoulders.

“Cadie went with Dad, huh?” Jo asked. It was a nice feeling, the sunlight on her face and her mother looking after her. Warm and fuzzy.

“Mhmm. You don’t remember her leaving?”

Jo frowned, trying to think. She had a vague memory of Cadie saying she wouldn’t be long, but other than that, the morning was a bit of a blur. “Not really.” She snuggled down further into the blanket. “Cadie okay with spending the day with Dad?” She knew how much Anzac Day meant to her father, and she just hoped the blonde wasn’t going to be overwhelmed by the experience. Lassitude again swept through her before she could give it too much more thought, however.

“I think she’ll be just fine.” Maggie watched as her daughter’s eyelids began to droop and she smiled affectionately. I give her about 10 more seconds and she’ll be fast asleep again, she thought. Gently she brushed a lock of sweaty hair from Jo’s forehead. Such a life you’ve led, my girl. I hope you can tell us about it yourself one day. Sure enough, Jo’s eyes closed and Maggie backed away slowly before returning to her task in the rose bushes. She turned the soil over with her trowel, mulling through all she knew about the young woman’s history. Some of it still hurt to think about, even though her gut told her Jo was no longer that person. I’ll bet my last dollar you’re scared to tell us because you think we’re going to reject you somehow. She glanced over, smiling again at the figure sleeping soundly in the sunlight. Going to have to convince you otherwise, kiddo.

Cadie stepped inside the circle of men and felt the butterflies skitter across the lining of her stomach. She was half-aware of her father-in-law just beyond the circle of faces, watching her from where he leant against the bar, cold beer in hand. They had been at the pub a couple of hours and Cadie had met all the old-timers of the town, including one World War I veteran and a handful of David’s Vietnam compadres. He’d introduced her as a friend of Jo’s and she hadn’t seen any reason to elaborate on that. One or two of the men had baulked at her accent but she’d shown plenty of interest in their history and medals, the result of which was she had managed to charm just about everyone in the smoke-filled bar.

The two-up game, illegal on every other day of the year except Anzac Day, had been in full swing for about an hour. Cadie had watched long enough to get a handle on the rules, such as they were, and it hadn’t been long before her new friends had urged her into the middle of the pit.

“Place your bets, gentlemen,” yelled the pit boss. Cadie pulled out her wallet and extracted a five-dollar bill, handing it to him as he passed. He gave her a short, flat, wooden stick on which lay two large pennies, one head-side up, the other tail-side up. All she had to do was toss the coins in the air, using the paddle. As the tosser, she automatically bet on two heads coming up. Everyone else in the circle could either bet with her, banking on two heads, or against her, banking on two tails. If the coins landed different sides up, she got to throw again.

Cadie waited while all the bets and side bets were negotiated and laid. A nod from the pit boss gave her the all-clear and she stepped into the center of the circle and flipped the coins up into the air. Whoops and calls came from the ring of men around her, urging the coins to fall their way. As they clinked metallically to the floor, silence descended. The pit boss stepped forward.

“Heads it is!” he shouted and a roar went up from the majority of the surrounding men, most of whom had backed Cadie’s hand.

“Good on ya, lass,” said one old-timer close to Cadie’s shoulder. “I’ll be riding on your coat-tails, never you mind.” Cadie grinned at him as the pit boss gave her a handful of cash and the paddle for another toss, before making his way around the ring again. Winnings were doled out and further bets laid as a crowd began to gather beyond the inner ring of participants.

Well, it’s not the most complicated game in the world, Cadie thought happily. But it’s a lot of fun. Her next throw ended in a split result, which meant nothing except to serve to raise the tension levels.

Cadie could hear the chatter and banter around her increase. A quick glance over in David’s direction told her that she was doing all right, as her father-in-law nodded and raised his beer glass in acknowledgement. The gap in the crowd closed quickly, however, and Cadie turned her attention back to the game at hand.

Twenty minutes later the blonde was the toast of Louth. Happy punters pocketed fistfuls of cash while the losers consoled themselves with another round of cold beer. Cadie sauntered over to David, feeling somewhat impressed with herself.

“I did okay, for an American, huh?” she said smugly, not surprised to see the patented Madison expression of skepticism on the older man’s face.

“It’s a game of chance, ya know,” he said gruffly, taking another mouthful of ale. “It’s not like there’s any real skill involved.”

Cadie opened her mouth to retort when the man who had been acting as the pit boss tapped David on the shoulder.

“Here ya go, Dave,” he said, handing David a wad of cash. He grinned in Cadie’s direction. “You want to hang on to this one, mate, she’s a dab hand. And I reckon she’s got a bit of a lucky streak about her.” He tipped his hat at the blonde. “Come back and visit us again, lass, you’re good for business.” And with that he walked away.

Cadie raised a sardonic eyebrow at David who cleared his throat as he tucked the money into his back pocket. Neither said a word as he caught her clear green-eyed gaze and held it. Finally, he admitted defeat, letting his face relax into a grin that dropped years off his lined features. Cadie chuckled, relieved that a barrier seemed to have disappeared between them. It’s about time, she decided.

“Come on, girl,” David said, downing the last of his beer. “They’re expecting us at the police station.”

“You are kidding me?” Jo’s mouth dropped open in astonishment. She was trying to figure out if this whole conversation was part of some weird fever-driven delusion because she couldn’t quite fathom what it was her father was telling her.

“Nope. Fair dinkum,” David confirmed.

All four of them were in the Madisons’ living room. Cadie and David had just arrived home after spending the afternoon watching the police grill the Madisons’ sheep-killing ex-foreman, Jack Collingwood.

Jo was curled in a corner of the couch, wrapped in a blanket and surrounded by a ring of used tissues and various packets of medication. After her nap in the garden she had moved in here where at least the cable television helped her stave off the bouts of restless boredom that had threatened to drive her crazy between sneezing jags. Stuffed in the head and still with a high temperature, she felt crappy, but at least the sneezing had held off long enough to hear the news from Cadie and her father.

“Let me see if I’ve got this right,” she muttered stuffily. “Collingwood was working for a loans officer from the bank?” Jo looked at Cadie for confirmation.

“Apparently,” the blonde nodded. “The idea was to try and put your parents out of business, so they’d default on their mortgage.” She shrugged. “Brownie points for the loans officer, I guess.”

“That, and the bank’d make more money, in the short term, by selling off the defaulted property than by waiting for me to pay off the damn mortgage,” David growled.

Jo snorted derisively, or tried to. All she really managed was to make herself go deaf in her left ear. “Well, if that isn’t the stupidest damn scheme I’ve ever heard,” she said, shaking her head. “One sheep at a time? With something as obvious as a shotgun? Did he think you wouldn’t notice?”

Maggie moved from her spot near the door and came and sat on the arm of the sofa by Jo’s shoulder. She smiled as she felt her daughter shift slightly so she was leaning back against her thigh.

“I always suspected Jack wasn’t just a slimy character. Now I know he’s a complete idiot as well,” Maggie said quietly.

“So what now, Dad?” Jo asked, looking over at where her father lounged wearily in his armchair. “You’re not gonna let them get away with it, are you?”

“No fear of that, Josie,” he mused. “They’ll both be charged and I’ll make sure it goes through to the right conclusion. And, what’s more, there’ll be an investigation at the bank. I dare say this isn’t the first time this kind of thing has been tried, and they’ll want to see how far up it goes.”

Cadie felt something nudging at her thigh and she looked down to see Jo’s foot begging for attention. “You should be wearing socks,” she murmured, feeling the cool of Jo’s skin against the palm of her hand when she wrapped her fingers around the foot.

“My feet are the least of my worries right now, love.” Jo replied as she reached for yet another tissue. “So, are you going to be compensated for the sheep you’ve lost?” she asked her father.

“Yeah,” he grunted. “Not that it will make much difference.” He turned away from his daughter’s intense, if bloodshot, gaze. “If it doesn’t rain soon, I’ll have to start shooting the buggers myself.” He pushed himself up and stalked out of the room, leaving a pregnant silence behind him.

“Is that true, Mum?” Jo asked quietly, looking up and over her left shoulder into her mother’s face. Maggie’s answering look didn’t waver.

“Pretty much,” she replied. “But not to worry, love. Rain has to come sometime and it takes more than a bit of sunshine to beat your father. We’ll survive.”

Cadie could feel the tension in Jo. “At least we can help out for the next few weeks, until you guys find a new foreman,” she said hopefully. Maggie smiled back at her kindly.

“That you can,” Maggie said, nodding. “But first we’d better get this one healthy.” She patted Jo’s shoulder before standing up and moving towards the door. “And we can start that by getting some food inside her. Time to get dinner on.”

Cadie waited till they were alone before she locked eyes with her partner. “You want to help them out with some money, don’t you?” she asked softly.

“Yeah, I do,” Jo admitted. “But that means …” She let the sentence hang.

“That means pretty much telling them everything,” Cadie finished for her. Jo nodded and they held each other’s gaze for long, telling seconds.

“God help me,” Jo muttered.

Chapter Eight

“Tell me again why we’re still working for this woman?” Toby McIntyre looked up at his partner who sat across the wide desk from him. Jason looked back from behind his laptop, his round rimless glasses endearingly crooked.

“I think you’re asking the wrong guy, right now, love.” Jason answered wearily. “I don’t have a clue. All I know is this week’s been way too long.”

Toby sighed and removed his own glasses before rubbing the bridge of his nose tiredly. “This whole damn year’s been too long,” he muttered.

Even now, deep on a Saturday night, in the privacy of their own home, the two PR men couldn’t escape the idiosyncrasies of their unstable boss. Right now they were working on putting a positive spin on Senator Naomi Silverberg’s latest indiscretion, a none-too-sober rant in the senate chamber on gay rights that had done little to further the cause. They weren’t having a lot of luck.

Jason shut down his laptop and closed it. “Well, I don’t think we’re going to get much more accomplished tonight. Let’s give it a rest, eh?”

Toby blinked at him through bloodshot eyes. “No argument from me,” he murmured. There was a minute or so of pensive silence as both men just sat, lost in their own thoughts, too weary to do anything else.

“You think it’s time to get out, don’t you?” Jason finally asked, looking his partner in the eye. Toby gnawed on his bottom lip for a while before answering.

“I know we always said we were in this for the long haul,” he replied quietly. Jason nodded. “But I think Naomi’s lost it. And I don’t just mean her usual rant and recover cycle. I mean I think she seriously is having some kind of breakdown. And whether she recovers from that or not, her career isn’t going to be so easy to save.” He paused and got up from his stool, taking his empty coffee cup over to the sink and washing it out. “And to be honest, I’m not sure I’ve got it in me to try anymore.”

Jason sighed. He could hear the hurt and disappointment in his partner’s voice. Toby had been the one who had involved them with Naomi in the first place, convinced by her charisma and commitment that they were on to a winner. Toby had been a true believer. And Jason knew how much this was hurting him.

“I know we said all those things,” Jason said. “But she’s not the person we first met anymore. Maybe it’s time we start thinking about our own reputation first, instead of hers.” He met the older man’s eyes, knowing that it wasn’t anything his partner particularly wanted to hear. Then again, he started this conversation.

Toby nodded slowly. “Yeah, that’s pretty much what I’ve been thinking,” he agreed, moving back to the table and wrapping Jason up in a hug from behind. “You think she’s gone too far this time?”

Jason reached up and placed his hands over his lover’s forearms. “Oh yeah. She was drunk when she gave that speech, yesterday, Tobes. And everyone knew it. Did you see the look on the Leader’s face? I thought he was going to stroke out. Forget about the contents of the speech – it was drivel, but that’s not the point. She was slurring and swaying. Being drunk and disorderly 9000 miles away is one thing. Doing it right here, in the senate chamber to boot, is another thing altogether.”

Toby rested his chin on Jason’s head and sighed deeply. “I know. I think I’m just in denial.”

“The bottom line is our reputation is going down the crapper with hers,” Jason said, more harshly than he had intended. He felt Toby flinch and patted his arm gently. “It’s salvageable, love. But I think we need to cut our losses now.”

There was silence from behind him and he turned to face Toby as he felt him pull away. Jason watched as his partner leaned back on the kitchen counter, studying his feet.

“She’s going to go ballistic when we tell her,” Toby murmured.

Good, we’ve made the decision to go, then, Jason thought with relief. “Yeah, but we can’t be worrying about her anymore.”

“I know. To be honest, it’s not us, or her for that matter, that I’m worried about.” They locked eyes.

“Cadie,” Jason said and Toby nodded.

“She has to come back here some time,” Toby pointed out. “Even if she’s going to stay with Jo long-term, and live in Australia, she can’t start that process there, on the visa she’s on at the moment. And Naomi’s already got her buddies in Customs keeping an eye out for her. I don’t think that can be a good thing, do you?”

Jason’s brow furrowed. “You don’t honestly think she’d do anything to hurt Cadie do you? Physically, I mean.”

Toby shrugged. “All I know is she hates Jo enough to do almost anything,” he replied. “No, I can’t imagine her physically hurting Cadie.” He folded his arms across his chest. “But can I imagine her doing almost anything to hurt Jo? You bet.”

“And the quickest, surest way to hurt Jo…” Jason left the thought unfinished.

“Mhmm.” Toby nodded.

“So what do we do?”

Toby made a decision and stood upright. “Quit. And then track Cadie down and warn her.”

Jo kicked the trail-bike into top gear and gunned the tough little machine along the dirt track. The engine kicked up throatily and she laughed into the wind, relishing the speed. She flicked a glance to her right and was unsurprised to see her partner matching her on the other side of the paddock. Cadie was leaning over the handlebars, a fierce look of concentration on her face as her bike slid and bumped over the rough track.

Between them was a stray calf which had become separated from its mother and the rest of the herd. The beast was lolloping up the centre of the paddock, all legs and stubborn determination as it ploughed through the foot-tall scrubby grass and bushes. Jo gunned the bike again, drawing level with the calf’s shoulder. A crackling in her headset drew her attention.

“What do we do now?” came Cadie’s voice, slightly breathless and distorted in Jo’s ear.

“Get in front of it and cut it off, hopefully,” Jo replied. She was about to suggest they keep pace with it until they were closer to the clearing at the end of the paddock, but Cadie was already in action. Another look to her right told Jo that the blonde was already pulling ahead of the calf and was looking for a chance to duck in front of it. “Cadie! Wait!” Jo yelled, but it was too late.

The American ducked her head and twisted the throttle hard, barely hanging on as the bike jumped forward. She was loving every minute of this chase and although she’d only learned to ride a few days before, she was relishing the feel of the power between her legs. The back wheel slipped and shimmied as it fought for traction in the dirt and Cadie felt her heart skip as she wrestled the bike back under her control. Okay, now to cut this calf off in its tracks, she decided. She was vaguely aware of Jo yelling in her ear, but her heart was pounding too loudly and the adrenalin was pumping too fast. Cadie was having a ball.

She pulled further ahead of the calf and saw her chance, ducking off the track and into the grass as she raced towards the center of the paddock. The ground was much rougher here, hidden rocks and dead branches making the bike jolt and shudder under her.

“Damn it, Cadie, slow down!” Jo yelled into the headset, watching the American fighting to keep the bike upright as she careered across the paddock. “Trouble magnet. She is a fair dinkum trouble magnet,” she muttered to herself. With a sigh she put her head down and pushed her bike faster, deciding her best chance of averting a disaster would be to back Cadie up. One in, all in.

Cadie didn't see the fallen, dead tree until it was too late. She yelped as the front wheel of the bike clipped the log and before she could react her world was turned upside down. Jo watched in shock as her blonde partner went base over apex across the bike’s handlebars, disappearing into the long grass with a dusty thud.

“Cadie!” Jo slid her bike to a shuddering halt, leaping off in one smooth, swift motion. Three long strides took her to where the American was lying on her back. Jo dropped down to her knees by Cadie’s hips. “Sweetheart, are you all right?” she asked anxiously. She reached out, quickly running her hands over Cadie’s legs, checking for breaks.

“Ow,” Cadie said plaintively, her eyes squeezed shut.

“What hurts, baby? No, don’t try to move,” she said as Cadie attempted to sit up. “Just tell me where it hurts.”

Cadie sighed loudly. “Just my pride I think, love,” she replied. “Though my tailbone is smarting a bit.”

Jo smiled. “Yeah, well, I’m not surprised. You came down from quite a height.” She finished her quick inspection, satisfied that at worst Cadie had suffered bumps and bruises. “Can you sit up?”

Cadie took Jo’s hands and gingerly pulled herself upright, wincing as strained ligaments and battered joints straightened themselves out.

“Dizzy?” Jo asked quietly, wondering if Cadie had hit her head.

“No, just a bit embarrassed,” Cadie replied wryly. “Did you get the number of that truck that hit me?”

Jo laughed. “I was trying to tell you to wait till we got down to the end of the paddock, but you were having too much fun, I think.” She grinned lopsidedly at her partner, who met her smile with a sheepish one of her own.

“Yeah, I was. Sorry about that.”

Jo shrugged. “No skin off my butt, darling.”

“Oh hardy, har, har.” Cadie looked over at her bike, its wheels still spinning as it lay on the ground. She grimaced. “Did I completely trash it?” she asked anxiously.

Jo pushed herself up and stepped over to the machine, brushing her palm over the back wheel to stop it spinning, the roughness of the tread scrubbing against her skin. She picked the bike up, straightening the handlebars. The front wheel was bent, and she thought it was unridable, but nothing that couldn’t be fixed later.

“Nah,” she said casually. “But it isn’t going anywhere for right now.” She turned at the sound of giggling to find the calf, now calm and stationary, nuzzling the top of Cadie’s head. Jo laughed so hard she doubled over.

“Get off me, ya big idiot,” Cadie protested, even though she was almost helpless with laughter herself. The final indignity came when a long, soft, wet cow tongue slobbered up the side of her face. “Ewwwwwwwww. Jo, get this thing off me.”

Jo staggered over to her bike, her giggles still making it hard for her to walk. She unhooked the length of rope she had brought along expressly for this purpose and began fashioning a lasso. Meanwhile Cadie had managed to extricate herself from the calf’s attentions and was dusting herself off.

“Ugh,” she muttered, wiping the slime from her cheek. “That was gross.”

“But cute,” Jo agreed, slipping the lasso over the now-compliant beast’s head.

“Ugh, if you say so.” Jo handed her the rope with another grin, but decided discretion was the better part of valor on this occasion. “Come on, Pedro,” Cadie said, tugging the calf towards Jo’s bike, which the taller woman was pulling up off the ground.

“Pedro?”

“Sure. Pedro the bull.”

Jo laughed again. “She’s gonna have a hard time living up to that name, love.”

“Huh?” Cadie bent down and looked for the relevant pieces of anatomy and found them missing. “Oh. Sorry, Daisy.”

Jo chuckled as she threw her leg over the bike’s saddle. “Come on, Calamity Jane, let’s get this happy wanderer back to her mum.” She patted the pillion seat behind her. “Climb aboard.”

“Oooo I think I’m going to enjoy this,” Cadie decided as she slid into position. There wasn’t a lot of room and she was wedged tightly against the warmth of Jo’s back and rear end.

“Got enough room back there, love?” Jo asked.

“Nope. And loving it,” Cadie promptly replied. “What are we going to do about my bike?” she asked.

“It’ll be fine where it is for the night,” Jo said as she gunned the bike into life. “It’s not like it’s going to rain or anything.” She raised her voice above the growl of the engine. “Hughie can pick it up in the ute tomorrow.”

Cadie handed the rope back to Jo and settled her arms around her lover’s waist while Jo tied the rope off to the handlebars. As usual she was loving being this close to her soulmate and she took the opportunity to plant a kiss on the back of Jo’s earlobe, provoking a smile from the taller woman.

“What was that for?”

“Proximity,” Cadie said pragmatically. “Is Daisy going to be okay being dragged along by us?”

“Yeah, sure,” Jo answered easily. “We’re not going to go too fast and besides,” she gestured towards the passive calf, “she doesn’t look like she wants to do anything but follow us home.” She looked back over her shoulder at the pair of green eyes blinking steadily back at her. “Ready?”

Cadie patted Jo’s stomach. “Lead on, McDuff.”

“Mmmm, stick a fork in me, I’m done,” Jo purred as she rolled onto her back in the cool grass of her parents’ back garden. She dropped her now denuded paper plate beside her and tucked her hands behind her head, contentedly. Her belly was full, the stars were out and her family was all around her. Never thought I’d ever experience that again, she reflected as she gazed up into the clear black sky. And that’s all down to Cadie. Jo glanced over to her partner, unsurprised to see the compact American making her way through an enormous bowl of Maggie Madison’s homemade apple crumble, doused in hot custard. Jo chuckled, a sound which caught Cadie’s attention.

“Yeah, you look like you’re done, Jo-Jo,” Cadie mumbled around a mouthful of the sweet treat. “It’s a good thing we’ve been working hard these past few weeks or I’d be the size of a house by now.” She grinned at her mother-in-law who was lounging in the deckchair. “There’s no way I’m leaving without a whole book full of your recipes, Maggie. This is sensational.” She took another spoonful of crumble.

“Thank you,” Maggie said as she smiled fondly back at the blonde whose appetite seemed to be outstripped only by her metabolism. “When do you think you’ll have to go back?”

It was a question they’d all been avoiding for a week or so. The three weeks since Jack Collingwood’s arrest had been busy and enjoyable ones for them all. Cadie and Jo had mucked in around the property, more than making up for Jack’s departure and giving David time to advertise and interview prospective new station managers.

Without a lot of success, Maggie thought glumly. And they can’t stay forever. The question hung in the air for a few seconds before Jo cleared her throat.

“Well, I can’t really stay away from Cheswick Marine much longer,” she said quietly. “We’re about to get into the really busy season.”

“Northern hemisphere summer,” Cadie murmured.

“Mhmm,” Jo confirmed. “And Cadie’s visa runs out in,” she looked across at the blonde, “when is it? Soon?”

Cadie did a quick calculation in her head, the result taking her by surprise. “Thirteen days,” she said quietly.

Jo did a double-take, startled by Cadie’s answer. Where the hell did that time go? “Really?” Her heart sank when Cadie nodded, their eyes meeting in a quiet acknowledgement of the reality of the situation. “Damn.”

Maggie watched the silent interplay between her daughter and daughter-in-law. For the first time she realized that, despite the seemingly perfect match of their two personalities, the couple still had obstacles to overcome.

“How long will it be before you can come back, Cadie?” she asked quietly.

The American held Jo’s gaze for a few more seconds before she turned and smiled gently at Maggie. “A few weeks, at least,” she said. “I have some work I have to do to make my business run a little more efficiently from here, including making some changes to bank accounts and things like that. Then, of course, there are still some loose ends to be tied up with my ex.” She dropped her eyes, suddenly wishing she never had to deal with Naomi Silverberg again.

“Do you really have to see her?” Jo asked. She regretted the question immediately as Cadie’s green eyes flicked her way again. A conversation better had in private, Jo-Jo, you idiot, she chastised herself. “Forget I asked that,” she said.

“No, it’s okay,” Cadie said, reaching out and patting her partner’s knee reassuringly. It hadn’t taken her long to figure out that Maggie was the last person on the planet to make judgments and she didn’t have a problem talking about Naomi in front of her. Even if Jo does, she acknowledged. And it won’t do her any harm to let her parents in a little more. “I’m not even sure I will have to see her, Jo,” she said aloud. “First I have to figure out just what she pulled out of the Chicago house and sent to Mom and Dad. If there’s anything still there that I need, I’ll have to go and retrieve it. She might be in DC, with any luck.”

There was a pause as David walked back into the circle of conversation. He’d been scraping down the barbecue plate after cooking them all a lavish main course of steak, sausages, and lamb chops. Now he wandered over to his chair, a plate of apple crumble in one hand and a cold glass of white wine in the other.

“Who might be in DC?” he asked as he sat down.

“Cadie’s ex-girlfriend,” Maggie said. “If you’re going to wander away, love, you’re going to miss half the conversation.” She tucked her arm into his elbow and rested her head against his shoulder.

“Ah well, someone has to do the tidying up around here,” he replied mellowly. He glanced at Cadie. “Your ex is the politician, right?”

Cadie nodded, ignoring the snort of derision coming from the long, tall body next to her on the grass. “That’s right,” she said. “A senator.”

David looked almost impressed. Almost. “Pretty important person, huh,” he said between mouthfuls of crumble.

“She thinks so,” Cadie replied quietly. “Or she did. I don’t really know what she thinks now.” She felt Jo’s hand against the small of her back, circling in slow, reassuring movements against her skin.

“Josie, are you going to go back with Cadie?” Maggie asked. She thought she knew the answer to that already, but for three weeks she had been waiting for an opportunity to finally talk to her daughter – really talk to her – and so far, this looked like the best chance.

Cadie felt Jo’s hand momentarily stop its movement and she slipped her own hand to the inside of the taller woman’s knee. With a gentle squeeze she did some reassuring of her own.

“Um, I can’t really, Mum,” Jo muttered. “Bad time to leave the business.”

David and Maggie looked at each other. Unspoken between them was a conversation they had had many times since Jo and Cadie had arrived. How to broach the subject of Jo’s past... how to tell her that they already knew, that it was okay. David knew his wife was burning to keep this conversation going and he nodded at the raised eyebrow she quirked in his direction.

“It’s survived all right without you for the last three weeks, Josie-love. I’m sure it could manage a few more,” she said, taking her cue from her husband and pressing on. “You’ve obviously got good people looking after things for you.”

Jo cleared her throat, obviously uncomfortable. Cadie swallowed around the lump she felt in her own throat, sensing that there was a certain inevitability to this conversation. Need to make her feel safe, she realized. Turning slightly in Jo’s arms she leaned and put her mouth close to her lover’s ear.

“Whatever their reaction, my love, we can get through it,” she whispered, feeling Jo pressing against her. “And don’t underestimate them. My gut says trust them.”

Jo pulled back far enough to look into Cadie’s eyes. “I’m scared,” she whispered back.

“I know,” Cadie replied. “But we can do this.”

Jo blinked, feeling the knot in her stomach tighten and twist. She knew this moment had been coming for days, weeks even. For three weeks she had ducked and weaved around it, even though a large part of her wanted very much to get this conversation over and done with. But now the moment had come, she found herself trembling. Cadie’s fingers wrapped warmly around her own and squeezed gently. Jo took one last look into loving green eyes and breathed in deeply.

“Mum, I can’t go to the United States because I have a criminal record,” she said. Two sets of parental eyes looked at her steadily. “And I’m not talking about petty stuff,” she continued shakily. “There are things on my record that would make any Customs officer stop me at the gate, without a second’s hesitation.” She dropped her eyes, a flush of shame coloring her cheeks. “And rightly so, probably,” she muttered softly. Cadie’s thumb chafed the back of her hand slowly.

Cadie looked at her parents-in-law. They were calm and Maggie even smiled slightly as they watched Jo struggling. I’m missing something here, Cadie thought. They’re almost reacting as if they al- … She gasped, realization hitting her like a baseball bat between the eyes. They already know. Son of a-

“Do you want to tell us more about it, Josie?” Maggie asked quietly. She wanted so desperately to have this conversation done with. Fear and shame had held her daughter back from them for too long as it was. They’d come too far in the past few weeks to let ancient history keep them apart now. But a hand on her arm stopped her from pushing further.

David wasn’t sure he could stand this much longer. His daughter was suffering. She was stumbling and stuttering over her words, and there was pain written all over her face. He leaned forward towards her, resting his elbows on his knees.

“Enough, Maggie,” David said softly. He turned back to Jo and reached out with his left hand, waiting until she hesitantly took it, her fingers almost shy in his larger, callused palm.

Jo couldn’t remember the last time her father had ever held her hand. His skin was rough, but familiar, and she felt a wash of safety rush over her with a warmth that was almost startling. She blinked up into grey eyes that were steady and calm.

“Josie, we know,” her father said simply.

Confused, she tilted her head, trying to figure out what he was saying. “You know what?” she finally asked.

“Everything,” Maggie replied.

“We know about your record, and the things you did in Sydney,” her father continued. “Terrible things you did,” he conceded, gripping his daughter’s hand tighter when his words prompted her to try and withdraw. “But you made good, Josie. Tried your best to make up for what you did.”

“I can’t ever do that,” Jo half-sobbed, hoarsely. Cadie held her other hand fiercely. “Not ever. No matter what I do the rest of my life.” Tears made her voice ragged, its harshness making them all wince.

Maggie couldn’t stand it any longer. She slipped down out of her chair onto her knees in the grass in front of Jo. With both hands she cupped the tortured face before her and held it steadily.

“Josie, stop. Don’t do this to yourself. Please.”

“You know?” Jo’s eyes widened, as if her father’s words were only just sinking in. “How can you possibly know?”

“When you turned yourself in to the police… well, Ken Harding made it his business to tell us what was going on,” Maggie explained, knowing that on some levels Jo would find the policeman’s actions a betrayal.

“Harding?” It was all getting a bit much for Jo.

“Yes, love.” Maggie smiled softly at the younger woman’s confusion. “He’s become quite a good friend to us.”

Cadie shook her head in wonder. “He never let on,” she murmured. Jo had no idea what to think or what to feel. On the one hand she was angry with Harding for going where he had had no business going. On the other hand, he’s done me a favor, she realized. They’ve had time to absorb this and come to some kind of peace about it. How, I have no idea.

Maggie kept her hands around Jo’s face, gently stroking at the trail of tears with the pads of her thumbs. “It’s okay, sweetheart,” she whispered. “I promise you, it’s okay.”

Over her mother’s shoulder Jo saw David nod and it was like someone broke open the dam of fear and uncertainty that had blocked her emotions for so long. A strangled sob forced its way out of her and soon the cries came bubbling up. Maggie gathered her in, wrapping long arms around Jo until finally her daughter gave in and collapsed into her embrace.

Cadie let go of Jo’s hand long enough to let Maggie take over the comforting. The American felt her own tears well up and she placed a hand over her mouth, trying to stay quiet. She watched as David reached over his wife’s shoulder and gently ran his fingers through Jo’s unruly fringe.

Thank God, Cadie thought. Thank God.

Maggie closed her eyes as she held her child close against her chest. Sobs wracked Jo’s body, her breath coming in long, hitching gasps as she cried. Maggie heard herself making the soothing sounds of comfort only a mother seems to know. Memories flooded her consciousness, other times when a much younger Jossandra had needed her this way. A lost puppy when she was four, a broken arm when she eight. Maggie’s eyes opened again. And when Phil killed himself. That was the beginning of the end. She felt Jo’s arms squeeze tighter around her waist. And this is the end of the new beginning, she realized. Now we can really start to be a family again. “I’m sorry,” Jo kept saying, over and over. “I’m so sorry.”

“What are you sorry for, love?” Maggie asked quietly. She could feel David behind her shoulder, his calm presence rock steady even as his fingers continued to lightly stroke Jo’s head.

“I never meant for all that to happen,” Jo moaned. “I never meant to become that person. I just… I just…”

“Sshhh… it’s all right. It’s all done and over with now,” her mother soothed.

“But that’s just it, it’s not done with,” Jo insisted. “Not in my head. Not ever.”

“And maybe that’s just something you’re meant to live with, Josie,” Maggie argued. “But that’s not a reason to shut people out or isolate yourself. And it’s no reason to be afraid of your father and me.”

“We’re not going to lose you again,” David said firmly. “I don’t like what you did, Josie, not one bit of it. I’ll admit to that and it’s something you and I are going to have to learn to deal with. But we’re going to do that together. And nothing you can tell me, nothing you can do will ever separate me from my love for you. Do you understand that?”

Jo blinked at her father, her blue eyes wide and moist with tears that threatened to spill over again. “I didn’t,” she admitted. “But I’m trying to understand it now.”

David nodded. “I know. And perhaps the only thing that will make it clear for you is time. But we’ve got plenty of that now.” He cupped her cheek with his rough palm. “Thank you for coming home again.”

Jo turned her head slightly, tilting it in Cadie’s direction. “I can’t take credit for that, Dad,” she said hoarsely. “Without Cadie’s encouragement I can’t say that I would have.”

David nodded and looked calmly at Cadie. The blonde was still fighting her own tears, her hand covering her mouth. “Are you all right, little one?” he asked.

Cadie sniffled and took a deep breath. “Y-yes, I think so,” she replied, a little nonplussed by the term of endearment, something she hadn’t heard from David before. “I just don’t like to see her hurting.” She nodded in Jo’s direction. “It gives me a stomachache.”

David smiled kindly, his grey eyes twinkling as if he recognized the feeling somewhere deep inside. “I think it’s a good thing that we had this conversation, though,” he replied. “Don’t you?”

“Oh yes,” Cadie agreed. “It’s been a long time coming.”

“That it has,” David murmured. He looked at his family. Jo had stopped crying and was leaning wearily against her mother. Maggie looked happier than he could remember seeing her in a long time. Mothers and their daughters. He smiled at the picture. For the first time in… well, years… he felt like something was going right. “Who wants another drink?” He grinned as hesitant chuckles broke out from the three women in his life.

“Make mine a double,” Jo muttered.

“How does it feel?” Cadie whispered. Jo’s ebony hair was splayed across the American’s bare chest and Cadie could feel her partner’s warm breath against the skin of her neck.

“Mmmm,” Jo rumbled. “Feels pretty good to me,” she replied, letting her fingers slide under the sheet and across the silky surface of Cadie’s stomach. They were both naked, something they hadn’t made a habit of in the three weeks they had been at Coonyabby. But for some reason, tonight they had both opted for skin, though they hadn’t talked about it at all. Cadie chuckled.

“You know that wasn’t what I was talking about, wicked woman,” she murmured happily.

“I know,” Jo burred close to her ear. “But you didn’t really expect me to resist, did you?” Cadie shivered as Jo’s rich alto tingled its way down her spine. They were both a little drunk, she knew, but she was rather hoping that would loosen the inhibitions that had kept their more amorous activities to a minimum during their stay in Jo’s childhood bedroom. Not that we’ve exactly been abstaining, she thought with a grin as Jo continued to nuzzle her neck. We’ve just indulged Jo’s taste for the outdoors a little more than usual.

“What are you purring about?” Jo slid her leg across Cadie’s thighs, relishing the way their bodies just melded together.

“I was remembering our little adventure in the barn yesterday,” Cadie replied. She turned her head and buried her nose in Jo’s hair, breathing deeply of her partner’s faint, but uniquely gorgeous scent. They had indulged themselves in what could only be described as a laughter-filled roll in the hay during the afternoon, taking advantage of the fact Jo’s parents were out of hearing range. Mmmmm. Jo laughed quietly. It had been a delicious interlude that had led into a quite extraordinary evening. Can’t believe it’s all out in the open now, she thought with relief.

“You haven’t answered my question.” She was brought back to the present by her lover’s gentle reminder.

“It feels a little surreal,” Jo replied after a brief pause to collect her thoughts. She lifted herself up a little and rested her chin on Cadie’s chest, looking up into the gentle green eyes trained on her. “I feel a lot lighter,” she admitted, smiling back when Cadie’s face broke into an unrestrained grin. “Yeah, I know, I should have talked to them a long time ago.”

“That’s not what I was thinking,” Cadie replied, shaking her head. “You couldn’t tell them until you were ready to, and you haven’t been ready to. So second-guessing yourself doesn’t serve any purpose.” Cadie looked down at Jo, whose expression had turned pensive. “Are you angry with Detective Harding?”

Blue eyes swung back into focus. “Yes,” Jo answered honestly. “But how can I be, really?” She rolled away from Cadie, onto her back. “He made it so much easier for me … and for them too, I guess.” She turned her head to look at the blonde. “Know what I mean?”

Cadie nodded. “He took away your right to tell who you wanted, when you wanted,” she said softly. “On the other hand, he probably saved your parents five years of worrying. And allowed them to get to a place where they could accept you back into their lives without a hesitation.”

Jo grinned.

“So I guess I owe him another carton of cigarettes and a case of Johnny Walker,” she said happily.”

“At least,” Cadie agreed.

“They really didn’t hesitate, did they?” The wonder of it was still something Jo was coming to terms with. She had a childlike look of amazement on her face that was obvious even in the dim glow of the candles that were scattered around the room.

“Not even for a nanosecond,” Cadie confirmed. She pushed herself up on one elbow, and looked down at her dark-haired lover. “They’re a wonderful pair, Jo-Jo,” she said.

Jo looked up at her. “Yes, they are.” She reached up and pushed a lock of pale hair out of Cadie’s eyes. “Thank you for bringing me back to them,” she said simply.

“I think you would have made it back to them, without me,” Cadie answered.

Jo shook her head. “Thank god I never have to do anything without you again,” she murmured. She slid her hand around to the back of Cadie’s neck and gently pulled her down into a long, slow kiss that held a lot of promise. Cadie felt a languid tingle begin somewhere south of her waist. It could have been the kissing or it could have been the sensual explorations of Jo’s hands as they brushed across the skin of her shoulders and lower back.

“Mmm, I want to make love to you, Jossandra,” Cadie growled softly against her lover’s earlobe. She lifted herself up until she had a hand on either side of Jo’s torso, and then she pushed herself up until she could look directly down into the shadowed face below her. “Will you let me?”

Jo was already beyond the point of being able to deny Cadie anything. Her general lightness of being seemed to extend to any inhibitions she had previously held about being in her childhood bed, with her parents a few feet away behind a wall.

“Yes, my love, I will,” she whispered.

It was only a soft cry, but it was enough to pull Maggie from a light sleep. She had startled at first but when the sound came again, this time it provoked nothing but a soft smile.

Well, it’s about time, she thought even as David snuggled closer against her back. Not that she was fooling herself that her daughter and daughter-in-law had been leading a chaste life of late. One look at them when they had come back from the barn yesterday had confirmed that. They had both been flushed and giggling. Not to mention the fact they were covered in hay stalks, she remembered with another smile.

“What are you chuckling about?” David mumbled against her shoulder, his rough hands warm and familiar against her stomach. Another small cry from the other side of the wall interrupted Maggie’s reply and grey eyes blinked open in the darkness. “What the hell is-”

“You don’t want to know, darling, trust me,” his wife replied softly, patting his hands.

“Huh? What do you mean?” She looked back over her shoulder at him, lifting a knowing eyebrow as she waited for him to connect the dots. Finally the light dawned. “Oh, for god’s sake, I didn’t need to know that.” He grimaced and buried his face in her hair.

“I think it’s wonderful,” Maggie said, amused by his squeamishness. “They finally feel comfortable here, David. Don’t you think that’s a good thing?”

“I’m not listening,” he mumbled. “My brain is dribbling out my ears as we speak.”

A soft echo of an invocation to something divine floated through the wall, and even the usually unembarrassable Maggie blushed.

“Seems to run in the family,” David muttered, provoking a wave of giggles from his wife.

Cadie was relieved that Jo was so lost in the moment that she hadn’t heard the unmistakable sounds of her mother laughing on the other side of the wall between the two bedrooms. That would seriously blow the mood, she thought as she gently coaxed her partner down from the high she’d reached.

Finally blue eyes blinked at her from under half-closed lids.

“Hi, sweetheart,” Cadie whispered, smiling as Jo wrapped long arms around her and pulled her closer.

“Damn woman, you are awesome,” Jo sighed blissfully. Cadie chuckled against her neck.

“You’re inspiring, sweetheart,” Cadie replied.

“Mmm, well, you’re inspiring me to return the favor,” her lover answered, using her greater body mass to flip them over until she was leaning over the blonde.

“Ooooo, goodie.”

This time the groan was higher-pitched, longer-lasting and much less articulate. David raised an eyebrow which his wife could barely see in the gloom.

“Impressive,” he said.

Even in the dark Maggie recognized the gleam in his eyes. “Seems that runs in the family too,” she murmured.

“Is that a challenge?” her husband asked.

“More an invitation.”

“Hmmmm.”

“Good morning,” Cadie said with a smile when she walked out into the kitchen. Jo had already left with her father, allowing the American to grab another couple of hours sleep. I guess a couple of hours are better than none, she thought, barely suppressing a well-satisfied grin. And there are definitely worse reasons for losing sleep.

Maggie looked up at her daughter-in-law’s entrance, noticing the half-formed smirk on the American’s sunny face. Can’t blame her for that. And it’s not like you don’t have your own reasons for smiling, Maggie Madison.

“Morning,” she happily returned. The two women caught each other’s eye and flushed simultaneously. “Tch, look at us,” Maggie muttered. “Blushing like a couple of schoolgirls.”

Cadie chuckled. “Well, you have to admit, it’s not the most usual of situations,” she said, grinning as she watched Maggie push a lock of her hair behind her ear in a self-conscious gesture that Cadie recognized.

“True,” the older woman agreed. “I thought David was going to have an epileptic fit.” She grinned at Cadie.

“He obviously got over it,” Cadie quipped, laughing when Maggie covered her face with her hands in mortification. “Too late to get embarrassed now, Maggie.”

“Yes, I suppose it is, really.” She lifted the sizzling frying pan, showing Cadie the bacon and eggs. “Breakfast?”

“Mmmmm, yes please,” Cadie replied. “For some strange reason, I’m ravenous.”

Maggie snorted. “Fancy that.”

Cadie accepted the warm plate of food and sat down at the kitchen table, waiting while Maggie assembled her own breakfast and joined her. They chewed in companionable silence for a while before Cadie put down her fork.

“Jo and I figured out that we need to start heading back tomorrow,” she said quietly. She watched as Maggie slowly finished her mouthful and then put down her fork. “I know we've got another couple of weeks really till I need to go, but there are a lot of things we need to get squared away before we can leave again.” Maggie raised an eyebrow and Cadie continued. “Jo's going to come as far as Sydney with me.”

Maggie smiled. “Putting off the inevitable as long as possible, eh?” she said kindly. Cadie nodded silently, dropping her eyes against a sudden, and surprising, threat of tears. The older woman reached over and patted her hand. “It's okay, sweetie, I understand,” she said. There was another pause as both women contemplated the girls’ imminent departure. Cadie’s hand turned in Maggie’s larger one and returned the reassuring squeeze. “We've been delighted that you could both stay as long as you have. We've had a great visit.”

Cadie looked up again and broke into a wobbly smile. “We sure have,” she agreed. “Thank you for making me feel like part of the family. I’ve really appreciated that.”

“Tch, you are part of the family Cadie,” Maggie said firmly. “Even the Neanderthal I’m married to can see that.” She grinned.

“He’s been lovely,” Cadie replied, remembering David’s unexpected affection for her the night before. “And I don’t think he’s a Neanderthal at all,” she said. “It’s been an awful lot to absorb for him, I think.”

Maggie nodded. “That’s true. It took him a bit longer than I would have liked but I think he’s with the program now.” That provoked a laugh from Cadie. “The Maggie Madison Diversity Acceptance Program.” She grinned as the American spluttered around a mouthful of bacon. “Try not to choke, sweetie. That would be really hard to explain to Josie.”

David glanced across at his silent daughter. They’d barely said a word to each other since grabbing a quick bacon sandwich each and heading out for the back lots of the property. He wasn’t too concerned though. As far as he could figure out the silence wasn’t about last night’s revelations, but more about fatigue. David stifled a yawn. God knows, neither of us got much in the way of sleep, he thought. Boy, I hope that doesn’t come up in conversation. Somehow he doubted that it would. I like knowing we can be honest with each other from now on, though, he decided. It’s a good feeling. He stifled a grin as he caught Jo’s head drooping and he deliberately dipped the ute into a pothole, jolting them both.

“Ow, shit,” Jo yelped as her temple hit the metal stanchion of the ute’s door none too gently. “What did we hit?” she asked, looking at her father. “And what are you grinning about?” She rubbed at the sore spot.

“You wouldn’t have been falling asleep there would ya now, Josie?” David asked. “Expect you to be looking out for things we need to fix, not taking a nap.” He tried to sound severe, but he was just in too good a mood.

“I wasn’t asleep,” Jo denied. She grinned back at him. “I was just resting my eyes for a second.”

“Riiight.”

“No, really.”

“Resting them pretty well, then. They were snoring.”

“I was NOT snoring,” Jo yelled. She glared at the older man for a few seconds but neither of them could keep up the pretence any longer. Laughter exploded out of them both and David reached across and shoved his daughter’s shoulder playfully. Wow, he’s in a good mood, she thought. “So what’s got you all blissy?” she asked cheekily.

David shrugged. “It’s a beautiful morning, we don’t have a hell of a lot of work we need to do out here and,” he turned his head and looked deliberately into the blue eyes gazing back at him. “I have my daughter back.” He smiled, facing the front again as he guided the ute around a fallen tree.

Jo dropped her eyes. “Well, unfortunately, we pretty much figured out that we need to start heading back, probably tomorrow,” she said quietly.

“That’s not what I meant,” David answered.

Jo felt herself blushing. “I know,” she muttered. There was a pregnant pause as she thought about the previous evening. Such a simple conversation, really, she thought. But look at the effect it’s already had. She glanced over at her father again. Maybe now I can talk to him about money and he might actually listen.

Her train of thought was interrupted by their arrival at the day’s destination, a small, derelict storage shed that was in dire need of rebuilding. Jo sighed, knowing that her father was likely to push pretty hard to get the job done. She mentally rolled up her sleeves.

“Come on, girl,” David said gruffly as he opened his door and slid out of the truck. “Work to be done.”

Naomi slowly swirled the scotch in her glass, watching the ice cubes clink together as the amber liquid washed around them. It was her fourth scotch of the evening, not that she was counting. The alcohol hadn’t come close to touching the cold knot of fury in her stomach, however. It was just one more thing that was driving the senator to distraction.

A long, tedious day in her DC office had ended with an infuriating conversation with her public relations staff, Jason and Toby. Ex-staff, she reminded herself. Treacherous bastards. She knocked back the last of the drink in one angry gulp before reaching again for the half-empty scotch bottle balanced precariously on the arm of her chair. She poured another, this time turning a double into a triple.

Naomi looked around the darkened apartment. Her housekeeper had handed in her notice the week before and already the place was beginning to look like a bomb had hit it. Treacherous bitch. Over by the front door, the remains of a crystal vase – she vaguely recalled it being a present from Cadie’s mother – lay scattered on the carpet, the remnants of her conversation with Jason and Toby. It had missed them by inches.

“What is it with everyone?” Naomi muttered, tilting her glass and taking another swallow. The harsh heat of the scotch burned its way down her throat and settled in the pit of her stomach. Instead of the calming effect she was hoping for, a rolling ball of nausea made her wince. Everybody’s leaving me, she thought morosely. Self-pity welled up in her momentarily but was soon replaced by another wave of anger and resentment. Fuck them. Fuck them all.

She stood and carried her glass over to the big bay window that looked out on the city streets. I don’t need a goddamn single one of them. New people, that’s what I need around me. New people and new plans. She took another drink. Except Cadie. She’s the only thing I want back. She smiled grimly as the plan she had been hatching for weeks formed itself in her mind once more. The details had been lovingly crafted through many sleepless nights and the time was rapidly approaching when she could actually make it happen.

And then Cadie will be back here, where she belongs, Naomi thought, a tiny kernel of anticipation warming through the nausea. That’s all it will take. Once she’s back here and away from that Australian bitch, she’ll see that she made a mistake and that she really belongs here. “She’ll see.”

A giggle escaped, its sound hollow and eerie in the empty room. “She’ll see.”

“Cadie!” Maggie leaned out the back door of the homestead, hoping her voice would carry to the stables. She was in the middle of a marathon baking session and didn’t feel inclined to leave her scone mixture while she traipsed down to the barn. She held still for a moment, listening for a response from the American, but none was forthcoming. “Damn it,” she muttered.

She picked up the phone again. “I’m sorry, but Cadie’s not within shouting range at the moment. Can I take a message?”

The man on the other end of the phone cleared his throat hesitantly. “Um, yes please,” he said, his American accent curling around the words intriguingly. “Could you ask her to call Toby Maguire at home, please? She has my number, I’m sure.”

Maggie wrote the name down. “Is it urgent?” she asked, conscious of the long-distance call and the time difference.

There was a long pause as if the man couldn’t quite decide. “No, not urgent exactly,” he said finally. “But she needn’t worry about waiting till its morning here. She can call any time.”

Sounds pretty urgent to me, Maggie thought. “Okay, well, I’ll get her to call you as soon as she gets back to the house,” she replied.

“Thanks,” Toby said.

“No worries.” The line went dead and Maggie pondered the latest development in her daughters’ lives. “Hmmm.” She went back to her baking and began kneading the ball of dough that was sitting on the wooden countertop. “Maybe I should go and find Cadie,” she muttered to herself.

The woman in question was knee-deep in horse manure at that moment. Cadie wielded the shovel enthusiastically as she mucked out the stables. Tilly and the two colts looked over their stall doors at the blonde who was dancing as she worked to the tune blaring from the small radio which rested on the top of the rail. It was late afternoon and after a day spent helping Maggie around the house, Cadie had volunteered to do one of the Hughie’s chores. The young Aborigine was out working on his own today, she knew, and would appreciate one less thing to do when he got back to the homestead.

“Wide open spaces,” she warbled, totally unconcerned that she was making the Dixie Chicks sound distinctly ordinary. Singing was not one of Cadie’s fortes, unlike her more musical partner, but that didn’t stop her, usually. Certainly not when there were only three horses to complain. Not that they were. She glanced over at the equines who gazed back at her placidly. “Pretty good, huh, guys?” she asked them rhetorically.

“Well, I’ve heard worse,” Tilly replied, startling the American no end. Cadie turned and grinned at her mother-in-law.

“You scared me out of about five years’ growth,” she said, provoking a chuckle from the older woman, who leaned on the doorpost of the stable.

“I guess that’s happened to you quite a few times, huh?” Maggie quipped, looking the petite blonde up and down.

Cadie’s eyes widened. “Was that a short joke?” she said, affecting mock outrage. “Boy, it’s not enough I get it from the younger one, now I have to put up with it from the older version as well?” She threw her hands in the air, breaking into a grin when she heard Maggie laugh.

“Sorry about that, shortie. No wonder you couldn’t hear me yelling,” Maggie said, reaching for the radio and turning it down.

“Oh, sorry,” Cadie said, abashed. “I got a bit carried away.”

“Mhmm.” Maggie smiled kindly at the blonde, loving the girl’s enthusiasm. “You just had a phone call from America,” she said. Cadie looked startled, as if it was the last thing in the world she expected. Interesting.

“My mother?” Cadie asked.

“Nope. A man called Toby Maguire,” Maggie replied, taking in the blonde’s reaction.

“Ah.” Cadie’s eyes took on a faraway look for a few seconds and then she refocused on Jo’s mother. “Sorry. Um, he’s my ex-partner’s PR guy,” she explained. “And whatever he’s calling for, it can’t be good news.”

“Oh dear,” Maggie responded. “He said it wasn’t necessarily urgent, but could you call him at home as soon as you can.”

Cadie sighed. This can’t be good, she thought. If it was a social call he would have just waited till we got back to Shute Harbor. And if he wanted to book another holiday he would have gone ahead and done that with Doris. Damn.

Maggie watched the range of emotions crossing Cadie’s expressive face.

“My guess is, Naomi’s gone and done something stupid and irrational,” Cadie muttered. “And the bad news is, he wouldn’t be bothering me with that unless it had some repercussions for Jo and I.”

“Ah,” Maggie replied noncommittally. “But she’s an awfully long way away, Cadie. What can she really do?”

Cadie leaned the shovel against the wall of the stable and pulled off the rubber work boots she had worn to clean out the stalls. There was no easy answer to that question. She really had no idea anymore just how far Naomi would go or how many strings she would, or could, pull.

“That is the sixty-four million dollar question,” she murmured.

Jo handed the hammer back to her father and watched him lovingly wrap it in an old rag and tuck it back into its proper place in the toolbox. He’s always been like that, she thought. So particular about his tools. She thought about her own habits when she was onboard Seawolf, recognizing for the first time the little traits she’d obviously inherited. No wonder Cadie keeps smirking at me like she’s got some secret, she realized, smiling at the thought. She’s seeing me through my parents for the first time. It was a minor revelation and she took a few seconds to look more closely at her father who was now wiping off his calloused hands.

They’d worked like demons through the morning, skipping lunch to get the barn back into a usable state. Jo was sore in places she’d forgotten she had muscles. They really could have used Hughie’s help with it but she was glad, in the end, that her father had opted to send the young man out on his own. It’ll make it easier for me to talk to Dad, she decided.

Wearily, she dropped down into the dirt and leaned against the side of the ute, grateful for the meager shade the vehicle provided. It was mid-afternoon and the sun was still wickedly hot. Her father eased down beside her and handed her a foil-wrapped package of sandwiches and a cold can he’d retrieved from the esky, a foam cooler tucked into a corner of the ute’s tray.

“There you go,” he said, cracking open the seal on his own soda with a satisfying whoosh of air.

“Thanks.” Jo swallowed long, cool draughts of the liquid, the first few mouthfuls barely touching the sides. “Mmm, that’s better,” she said with sigh as she took the edge off her thirst.

“We’ve done well there,” David said, nodding towards the barn. “Didn’t think we’d be as far along as we’ve gotten. Thanks for your help.”

Jo glanced at him quickly, then went back to her sandwich. “You don’t have to thank me, Dad,” she said. “It’s been fun. The whole visit has been fun, actually.”

He nodded silently, preferring to chew rather than talk. Jo hesitated, knowing that now was probably her best, last chance to talk with her father candidly about the state of the property. But she was also acutely aware that she was, in effect, a Johnny-come-lately, and telling her father how to run the farm was akin to teaching a grandmother to suck eggs. Not that she wanted to tell him how to run it, exactly.

“Dad?”

“Hmmm?” David was still looking over the barn between mouthfuls, figuring what, if anything, still needed to be done before they headed back to the homestead.

“Can I ask you something personal?” She watched as his eyes flicked quickly back to hers and he paled slightly. Jo raised a hand in quick reassurance. “Not personal, exactly,” she said hastily. God, I hope he doesn’t think I wanted to talk about… ugh, m’just not going there. “I mean, can I ask you about Coonyabby?”

David relaxed visibly and he shrugged. “Sure,” he answered. “Ask away.”

“Okay.” Jo thought carefully about how to approach this. “I know things have been pretty tough around here the last few years, what with the drought and all.”

Her father shrugged again. “Nothing much changes out here on the land, Josie, you know that,” he answered. “If it’s not a drought then it’s a flood. If it’s not a flood it’s the salinity. If it’s not salinity it’s erosion. There’s always something out here making it tough.”

Jo nodded. It was a familiar refrain that she’d heard from her father and his fellow farmers all through her childhood. “But I mean, it’s been tougher than usual though, hasn’t it?”

David looked at his daughter. He had a fair inkling of where she was going with this and he swallowed the urge to let his pride do his talking for him. Don’t get all up on your high horse with her now, mate.

“Yeah this has been a rough one,” he conceded. He could see she was trying to ask him outright just what the financial bottom line was, and he decided to put her out of her misery. “We’re not making money, that’s for sure,” he admitted. “Haven’t been for a long time.” He screwed up the foil that had been wrapped around his sandwiches and flicked it from hand to hand. “Last year I had to refinance just to keep the stock in feed through the winter.” That had been tough to swallow.

Jo listened in silence. Nothing she was hearing was surprising her any. She only had to look around Coonyabby to know that her parents were barely keeping their heads above water.

“Cadie and I have been talking a lot about this,” she started. “We’ve… um… we’ve got quite a bit of money put away and… well… basically, Dad,” she took a deep breath and ploughed on, “basically, we want to help, any way we can.” Jo saw her father open his mouth to respond and she rushed on. “We can afford it and it would mean a lot to us both… it would mean a lot to me… if you’d let us.”

David smiled. For once… finally… he just let his daughter’s good intentions override their history. She’s got a lot of her mother in her, he thought, watching the anxious blue eyes across from him.

“I can’t let you do that, Josie,” he replied quietly, stilling her response with a touch of his hand on her thigh. “It’s not that I don’t appreciate the offer. I do. But you’d be throwing good money after bad. And I’m not going to let you do that when you’ve got your own business and future to look after.”

“Dad, it’s not going to jeopardize any of that,” Jo insisted. “We can afford it. Really.” She shifted around so she could face him. “I could understand if you have a lot of questions about where I got that kind of money, and that’s okay. I’ll answer ’em.” She dropped her eyes again, the old shame welling up for a moment. “But I figure it’s time that money was put to a good use instead of burning a hole in my conscience like it has been doing.” She met her father’s eyes again. “Let me help, Dad. I owe you that much at least.” Long seconds ticked by as they let the truth of that pass between them.”

Finally David broke the silence.

“That’s not the point, love,” he said quietly. “The fact is, your mother and I have been doing a lot of thinking as well.” He took a deep breath and expelled it in a long, pensive sigh as he looked around at the harsh, beautiful landscape. “This place has been home for us for a very long time, but we can’t make it work anymore. And neither of us is getting any younger.”

Jo looked at him quizzically. Where’s he going with this, she wondered.

“I’m almost 62,” he continued. He laughed at the look of surprise on Jo’s face. “Come off it,” he said. “You can’t tell me I don’t look a day over 70.” He grinned.

She shook her head. “I just never really thought about it before,” she said. “I don’t think of you as being that …” She hesitated.

“Old, love. The word is old.” He patted her thigh again. “Well, that’s the truth of it, and at some point I have to start thinking about how your mother and I are going to live when I’m too old to work this place.” He looked at Jo. “And the truth of that is it’s not too far away. And we don’t have any savings to speak of. We’ve poured everything into this place for 40 years.”

“That’s why Cadie and I want to help,” Jo said again.

David shook his head. “That’s not going to work, Josie,” he said. “There’s more debt here than your average third-world nation, and no amount of cash is going to bring rain, or make sure that another drought doesn’t come again in 10 years when we’re even less able to survive it.”

Jo looked puzzled. “So what’s the answer?”

David sighed again and turned back to the landscape. Blood, sweat and tears I’ve poured into this place, he thought sadly. Bugger the cash. Blood, sweat and tears. But that’s not enough anymore. Maggie deserves better. So do I.

“It’s time to sell up, Josie,” he said softly, a faraway look in his eye.

“Sell up?” Cadie looked at Maggie incredulously. It had never occurred to her, nor Jo either she suspected, that leaving Coonyabby was an option for the Madisons. Maggie had said it matter-of-factly as they had begun preparing the evening meal. Almost as if it was as everyday as peeling the potatoes. Cadie stood dumbstruck, a knife in one hand and a half-denuded potato in the other. She had started this conversation with a view to making the suggestion that she and Jo help the station survive the drought, but Maggie had turned it on its ear. The blonde wondered briefly if David was doing the same to her partner. “Things are that bad?”

Maggie shrugged. “Not yet,” she said. “But we’re getting too old to fight this battle constantly, year in, year out.”

“But that’s not true,” Cadie protested. “You’re both so full of energy. Surely …” She stopped at the tolerant look on her mother-in-law’s face. “You guys have been thinking about this for a long time, huh?”

Maggie nodded. “Yes. Since the last time we had some decent rain. David said at the time that he didn’t know when the next lot would come and that maybe it was time we started thinking about how we were going to live for the next 30 years.” She finished peeling the potato she was working on and cut it deftly into quarters before dropping the pieces into the roasting pan where they snuggled against the leg of lamb that was on the menu for the evening. “We’re at the point now where if we sell up we’ll have enough to pay off all the debts and have a bit left over to set ourselves up. Then we can both settle in and do some of the other things we like to do when we get the chance.”

Cadie tilted her head to one side, taking in all that Maggie was telling her. “It’s not worth hanging on a bit longer?” she asked.

“No,” Maggie said with a sigh as she looked out the back window over her beloved garden. “Now’s the right time to sell. If we waited another season and no rain came we’d be beyond the point where we could make any profit at all by selling. It’s now or never, really.”

Cadie nodded, understanding that Maggie and David had made a considered decision. “It has to feel kind of weird though,” she pondered. “Leaving after all this time.”

Maggie looked at the petite blonde, liking her more with each passing minute. “More so for David than me,” she said with a quiet smile. “He was born in that bedroom over there.” She nodded in the direction of the room she and David slept in. “So was his father. So was Josie for that matter.” She tucked the last of the potatoes into the pan and opened the oven door, bending down to slide the roast inside. “It was different for me,” she continued as she straightened up. “I wasn’t born to it like he was.”

“It’s still home, though,” Cadie said softly, watching as the older woman moved around the kitchen.

“Yes,” Maggie admitted. “But I’m not a sentimentalist like David. I’m more the wherever-I-lay-my-hat-that’s-my-home kind of person.” She filled the kettle with water and placed it on the stovetop. “But it was his idea to sell. I never would have suggested it. That’s when I knew that it really was time to leave.”

Cadie reached up into the cupboard above the counter, pulling down two coffee mugs and handing them to Maggie.

“I’m glad I got to come out here and see Coonyabby,” she said. It made her a little sad to think this place would pass out of the family’s hands. “I wish it didn’t have to be the last time.”

“Me too, love,” Maggie said. Her voice cracked on the last word and Cadie moved closer, placing a gentle hand on the older woman’s shoulder. Disconcerted, Maggie wiped away her tears with an impatient hand. “See, not a sentimental bone in my body,” she laughed tearily.

Cadie laughed along with her, knowing that tomorrow’s departure was going to be infinitely more emotional than she had expected it to be, for them all. I wonder how Jo-Jo is doing with all this?

“Where will you go?” Jo asked quietly. They were all seated around Maggie’s dining room table, the family matriarch having decided that Jo and Cadie’s last meal at Coonyabby should be a more formal affair. Hughie had joined them too, though he had stayed largely silent through the continuing discussion about the decision to sell the property.

It was the question Jo had been avoiding since her father had told her of his decision that afternoon. Asking it meant she had conceded defeat and was accepting her parents’ judgment that life on the land was no longer a going concern. I hate the thought of them leaving, but it’s their decision, not mine. I gave up any right to have a say in this a long, long time ago. She had even, at one point during dinner, offered to buy the property outright, keeping it in the family by hook or by crook. But her father had shaken his head and said no, again.

“Josie, buying the land doesn’t solve the problem,” he had said. “Keeping the stock fed and healthy, maintaining the equipment, staying ahead of the weather – those are the things that suck the money away. Look, I appreciate the offer, believe me, but all you would be doing is saddling yourselves with a lifetime of debt. For every good year, you’ll have three bad ones that will bleed you dry. And I’m not going to let you do that.”

It had been David’s last word on the subject and Jo had lapsed into silence for a while, letting Cadie and Maggie drive the conversation while she sorted through her emotions. In a way it was weird how she felt so strongly about wanting to keep Coonyabby in the family. After all, I couldn’t wait to leave it when I was 17, she had thought glumly. And it’s not like I gave much thought to ever coming back to it. But she was willing to admit to herself that those had been bad decisions on her part. The last three weeks out here have been great. I’ve really enjoyed rediscovering the place. A piece of self-realization floated to the front of her consciousness. Maybe that’s it. Maybe I’m just pissed off that I don’t get to indulge myself with it for any longer.

That’s when she accepted that her parents’ decision was made and that it was for the best.

She shook herself back into the conversation. “So, where will you go?”

Maggie took another sip of port and put her glass down. “Well, we haven’t really settled on that yet, to be honest,” she replied, looking at her husband. They’d talked around a few ideas, to be sure, but having Jo and Cadie in their lives for the last three weeks had given them one or two more suggestions.

“Sydney?” Jo asked, hoping like hell that wasn’t going to be the answer. She loathed the big city and didn’t relish the thought of having to visit it on anything like a regular basis.

“No fear,” David replied quickly. “Can’t stand the place. I’d rather crawl under a rock and die.”

Jo sniggered, understanding her father’s sentiments exactly, but for completely different reasons. “So, what’s the plan, then?”

The two elder Madisons looked at each other for a few seconds, obviously having an unspoken conversation, until finally David shrugged his shoulders. Maggie laughed quietly. “Up to me then, I guess,” she murmured. She looked her daughter in the eye. “I want you to answer this question honestly, okay? Because we know that it’s only been a few weeks and the last thing we want to do is make you feel … well, crowded, I guess.”

Cadie could immediately see where this was going and the thought, frankly, delighted her. She reached out with her right hand and squeezed Jo’s knee, hoping that her partner would see things the same way. Maggie hesitated, suddenly uncertain about how her wayward daughter would receive their suggestion.

“Come on, Mum, spit it out,” Jo urged. She liked the feel of Cadie’s gentle grip on her leg, though she had no clue why the blonde was seeking to reassure her.

“Okay, well. How would you feel about your Dad and me moving up to the Whitsundays?” The words spilled out in a hurry as Maggie’s eagerness to see Jo’s reaction took over.

Elegant dark brows rose quickly as Jo absorbed that piece of news. “Really?” she finally blurted, the beginnings of a 1000-watt grin touching the corners of her mouth. Good girl, Cadie thought happily. I knew you’d like this idea. “Mum, I think that’s a fantastic idea.” Jo turned to her father who was smiling behind his cup of coffee. “You’re gonna love it up there, Dad, honestly,” she enthused.

David took another mouthful of coffee before putting his mug down and grinning at his daughter. “We’ve had our eye on a five-acre lot somewhere out the back of Airlie Beach,” he explained. “Some place called Cannon Valley.”

“Yes!” Jo exclaimed. “It’s inland, between Airlie and Proserpine,” she replied, naming the small sugar cane-growing community an hour’s drive west of her home. “Are you going to farm it?”

Maggie chuckled. “We’re not sure yet, sweetheart,” she said. “We really only started thinking about it seriously a week ago. When it became obvious that you didn’t find your old parental units too obnoxious.” She smiled winningly.

“Oh, stop it,” Jo scoffed. She turned to look at Cadie, unsurprised to see green eyes sparkling back it her in obvious happiness. “Good idea, huh?”

“Oh yeah,” Cadie affirmed. She looked over at Hughie, who was sitting silently at the opposite corner of the table. He seemed unconcerned about the recent developments going on around him. But then he usually does take things in his stride, she realized. “What about you, Hughie?” the American asked. “What are you going to do?”

The others fell silent, realizing that the young Aborigine’s life was likely to change as much, if not more, than anyone’s. It was the one thing that had troubled Maggie the most about their decision.

“Not sure, Miss,” Hughie said, flashing the blonde a sunny smile. “Just go where there’s work, I reckon.”

“You know you can come with us,” Maggie said quietly. She had tried to have this very conversation with Hughie a few days’ earlier, but he’d steadfastly refused to give it much thought, let alone come to any firm decision. It shouldn’t have surprised her, as that had always been his nature, just to go with the flow, but it hadn’t helped ease her anxiety.

“I know,” he answered.

Jo’s mind was running at about a thousand miles an hour. “Have you ever seen the ocean, Hughie?” she asked, the germ of an idea forming.

He shook his shaggy head slowly from side to side. “No, Miss Josie. Don’t reckon I know what that much water could look like.”

Jo grinned back at him. “Would you like to see it?” A look of wonder came over Hughie’s wide open face. He nodded mutely. “So, why don’t you stick with Mum and Dad and come and work for me on the boats, when they don’t need you on their land?”

“Oh, Jo-Jo, that’s a great idea,” Cadie exclaimed. “Hughie, you’ll love it up there, I promise.”

“I reckon I might like that,” he said.

“Sounds like a plan to me,” Jo replied firmly. She looked at her father. “So, how do you think you might like cane farming, Dad?” She grinned.

“Oh, I don’t think I’ll be taking it too seriously, Josie,” he answered. “My days of worrying about yields and irrigation and all that are coming to an end, thankfully. It’ll be more of a hobby farm, if anything, and I expect Hughie will be able to do a lot of it, eh, mate?” He nodded at Hughie and received a confirming grin in return.

“You don’t really hate it that much, do you?” Cadie asked, not believing for one moment that the elder Madison felt anything other than a passion for the land.

“I don’t hate it all,” he admitted. “I’m just ready to take things easy. I reckon we’ve earned it.” He looked at Maggie and smiled when she tucked her hand into his weather-beaten one under the table. “Don’t you think?”

“I think,” his wife agreed.

“Cadie.” Jo nudged her deeply-sleeping partner. It was still dark and Jo wanted to get up and out of the house before the sun came up. “Cadie, darling, wake up.” She nudged a little more insistently.

“Aww, just 10 more minutes, Mom, and then I’ll get up, I promise,” the American mumbled, even as she nuzzled deeper into Jo’s arms. The dark-haired woman smiled affectionately at the blonde.

She really is utterly gorgeous, Jo acknowledged. Long, blonde eyelashes fluttered and, even in the gloom, Jo could make out the green of Cadie’s irises as she blinked awake. “Good morning, sweetie,” she whispered.

“Morning?” Cadie grumbled sleepily. “Jo-Jo, it’s still dark. Why are we awake?”

“I thought you might like to watch our last sunrise at Coonyabby,” Jo replied quietly.

Tch, Arcadia, when are you going to learn that this place means more to her than she’s ever going to let on, Cadie chastised herself. She’s about to say goodbye to her home. Again. “Yes, love,” she said aloud, pushing herself up on an elbow and leaning in to kiss Jo softly. “I really want to see the sunrise.”

Jo grinned up at her. “I love you, y’know.”

Cadie chuckled softly and patted her lover’s stomach affectionately. “I know. So, come on, lazybones, where are we going?”

“Not far,” Jo replied as she pulled aside the sheet and clambered out of bed. “In fact…” She grabbed the flashlight from the bedside table and walked over to the desk on the other side of the room. Flicking on the beam, she illuminated the ceiling above the desk, revealing a small panel that obviously led to the roof space.

“Ahhah,” said Cadie. “Why do I get the feeling we’re about to make use of a childhood haunt?”

Jo waggled an elegant eyebrow at her. “Because you know me too well?” She looked at Cadie’s naked form. “Gorgeous as you are in the flesh, my love, you’re gonna need to put something on. It’s gonna be cool out there.”

“You too.”

Together they hastily pulled on some clothes, Cadie opting for a pair of leggings and a sweatshirt, while Jo reached for her sweatpants and a t-shirt.

“Ready?” she asked a couple of minutes later.

“Lead on, McDuff,” Cadie replied.

Jo climbed up onto the desk and reached up, nudging the panel aside. Dust sprinkled down on her and she blinked and shook her head. “Ugh. S’been a while since anyone’s shifted this,” she muttered. “Hand me the torch, love?” She waited until Cadie placed the flashlight in her hand before she pushed the panel the rest of the way. “Hopefully there’s nothing living up here.”

“Like what?” Cadie asked as she watched her partner readying to hoist herself up into the roof.

“Possums, maybe,” Jo replied. She balanced the flashlight on the edge of the ceiling, the light bouncing eerily off the inside of the roof. “Snakes.” Her hands found a purchase and she sprang up, using her upper body strength to lever herself up and through the opening. Cadie watched as Jo’s long legs slithered up and disappeared from view momentarily. There was much scrabbling and scraping before Jo’s face reappeared in the opening. “All clear,” she said, smiling down at the American.

Cadie climbed onto the desk and looked up. “Don’t think I’m tall enough to do your trick, sweetheart,” she said ruefully.

“That’s why the universe provided you with me, darling,” Jo replied cheekily. She reached down with one long arm. “Come on, shortie. Between the two of us we should be able to get you up here.”

“Brat.”

A few dusty, scrambling minutes later they were up on the roof. Jo settled herself on the sloping corrugated iron, and braced her feet firmly as she pulled Cadie down till she was sitting between the skipper’s legs.

“Comfortable?” Jo asked, amused by Cadie’s squirming.

The American snuggled back against her taller partner’s shoulder and sighed contentedly. “I am now,” she said softly, turning her head and kissing Jo just under the line of her jaw. “This was a good idea, Jo-Jo. Though I’m not even going to try and understand why your roof has a removable panel in it.”

Jo grinned. “When I was about 12, Mum decided she wanted to put a sunroof in, in the bathroom. They got half the work done and then she changed her mind.” She chuckled throatily. “Let’s just say I saw an opportunity for some fun and found a way to bypass the repairs.”

Cadie laughed softly. “I wish I’d known you then,” she said. “I bet we would have had some fun.” Jo smiled and nodded. “Doesn’t it leak when it rains?” Jo raised an amused eyebrow.

“Darling, we’ve been here three weeks. Have you seen one cloud?”

“Hmmm, good point.”

“Mhmm.” Jo looked away to the east, where a thin line of pinks and oranges was beginning to emerge along the horizon, outlining the stark silhouettes of the trees. Somewhere, a lone, early-rising kookaburra let loose with a string of warbling laughs.

“S’beautiful,” Cadie whispered. She placed her hands on Jo’s thighs, feeling the warmth through the fabric of her sweatpants. “You’re going to miss this place, aren’t you?”

There was a pause as Jo took it all in. “Silly, isn’t it?” she finally replied, sighing deeply. “I didn’t miss it enough to come back here for 15 years. Now I’ve only been here five minutes and I hate the fact I’m going to lose it again.”

Cadie patted her thighs softly. “Not silly at all, love,” she answered. “I’ve only been here five minutes as well, and I’m certainly going to miss it.” She tilted her head back and watched Jo’s profile, its distinctive angles and unique beauty turned golden by the rising sun. Gorgeous. “I like the thought of your parents coming north, though,” she said aloud. “It’s going to be great to have them close by.”

Jo grunted noncommittally, but the tiny smile said plenty and Cadie chuckled softly.

“Dad said they would bring the horses and dogs with them, so that’s good,” Jo said. “I didn’t like the idea of selling them off with the sheep and cattle.”

“Mhmm, I know.” The rim of the sun broke above the horizon’s haze and both women stared silently at the lightening sky for a few moments of contentment. “Thank you for bringing me here, Jo-Jo,” Cadie whispered.

“My pleasure, love.”

Chapter Nine

“Did you ever call Toby back?”

Cadie’s head snapped around at the question, which had come out of the blue. Or rather, out of the damp, drizzling grey. They were onboard the Seawolf, battling their way up Whitsunday Passage against a stiff breeze and a rain squall. Below decks, a small group of Japanese tourists were trying to enjoy Jenny’s seafood lunch, a challenge, given the rather rough ride. Jo and Cadie were braving the weather on deck. The women had been back from their Coonyabby adventure about three days and had only had a day at home before picking up this group, which had been a week into a two-week cruise when their skipper had fallen ill.

“Where did that come from?” the American asked, her eyebrow rising at the non sequitur.

Jo grinned from under the hood of her wet-weather gear and shrugged. “Who knows?” Perched as she was on the port rail, her right foot and hand keeping the wheel on a steady heading, she looked, and felt, like a half-drowned rat. “My mind was just wandering all over the place, and that thought popped in to my brain.”

“I love the way your mind works,” Cadie said with an affectionate smile. She tucked herself under Jo's sheltering arm and they endured the drizzling rain together for a few comfortable minutes. Cadie watched a long, slow drip of cool water hang and then drop from the edge of her raincoat's hood.

“So did you?” Jo asked eventually.

Cadie sighed. “Too much to ask that you would forget that question, huh?” she said, a little grumpily. The truth was she had been avoiding any thoughts of Toby, Naomi, or the United States in general since the senator's PR manager had called, and she didn’t really want to start now.

“Sorry, love,” Jo murmured. She could hear the note of annoyance in her partner's voice and she already regretted bringing the matter up again. But she was also curious. With a twist of her wrist she adjusted the Seawolf's position as they continued to beat into the wind. Then she glanced down at her shorter lover, and squeezed her shoulder in reassurance.

Tired eyes, more grey than green in the overcast conditions, looked back up at her. “No, it’s okay, Jo-Jo,” Cadie said, summoning a smile from somewhere. “Take no notice of me. I'm just a grumpy bitch today.”

Jo smiled back at her and kissed her damp forehead softly. “No worries, sweetheart,” she said. “It's just not like you to not return someone's call, so I guess that's why it was nagging away at the back of my brain.”

“Yeah, I know. I just couldn’t imagine that he was calling for anything other than bad news,” she admitted. “And, to be honest, I just don't want to go there.” She glanced up at Jo's puzzled look. “In my head I mean, not to the US.” She thought about that. “Well, actually I don’t want to go there either, but that's not how I meant it.” Jesus, get to the damn point, Arcadia.

“I know,” Jo said softly. The thought of saying goodbye to the blonde, even if it was only for a few weeks, bothered the hell out of the skipper. But she didn’t want to make a big deal out of it since she figured that would only make Cadie feel worse.

“And I guess I also decided that if it was urgent, he would call back,” Cadie continued. She looked a little sheepish at Jo's slightly amused, if tolerant, look. “Yeah, yeah, I know. I'm just making excuses. It's not like we've been easy to catch lately.”

When Jo had decided to fill in for the sick skipper herself, Cadie had opted to come along for the ride, and to help out where needed. And, although they'd been within reach of cell phones and the boat's radio, they hadn’t necessarily been easy to contact.

“He could just be ringing to say g'day, y'know,” Jo said calmly. Inside she knew that was unlikely. Although Jason and Toby obviously had a lot of affection for Cadie – after all, Jason had even helped the blonde make her getaway from the senator at Sydney Airport all those weeks ago – Jo didn’t think Toby would go to the trouble of tracking her down out at Coonyabby, just to say hello.

“I doubt it,” Cadie muttered, confirming Jo's private opinion. The blonde snuggled closer, and Jo was more than happy to accommodate her. She reached inside Cadie's wet-weather gear and wiggled her fingers under layers of clothing until she found the warm softness of her lover's stomach. Jo let her fingertips slide in comforting circles and was unsurprised to feel the compact body pressed against her begin to relax.

“Oh, I love you,” Cadie purred, resting her head against the tall skipper's solid, if damp, shoulder. “Mmmmm, I'm giving you an hour to stop that.”

Jo chuckled, appreciating her partner's tactile nature. Before Cadie had sailed into her life Jo had not known what it was like to express her feelings through touch. Sex she was familiar – more than familiar – with. And violence, absolutely. But gently affectionate, intimate touch? That hadn’t been anything she'd ever had a chance to learn. Cadie's tendency to touch her whenever they were talking privately, and sometimes in public, had been a revelation. She had decided she liked it. A lot.

“When will we be home?” Cadie asked.

“Tomorrow morning,” Jo replied. “This mob,” she tilted her head in the direction of the companionway, where warm, golden light was shining up from the main cabin, “has a plane to catch in the early afternoon. We'll give 'em a night in Blue Pearl Bay tonight, then head back to Shute Harbor at dawn.”

“Sounds good,” Cadie murmured. Jo's light touch on her belly was setting off the gentlest of tingles and she was rather looking forward to getting her home. “When we get home, can we spend a few days in bed?” She grinned up into Jo's rain-soaked face and laughed as a damp, but elegant eyebrow disappeared up almost to the skipper's hairline.

“Something on your mind?” Jo drawled, a smile playing across her lips.

“You,” Cadie answered bluntly. “And warm, dry sheets ... and a boycat.”

Jo laughed. “What on earth do you want to do with him?” she asked, giggling.

“Well,” Cadie replied speculatively. “That really loud purr he has could come in really ha-” A long-fingered hand muffled the end of her sentence, and she took the opportunity to lick Jo's palm with the tip of her lingering tongue.

“Ooooo, wicked woman,” Jo murmured. She took her hand away and ducked her head, taking advantage of their solitude on deck to claim Cadie's lips in a searing kiss that made them both forget the rain, the wind, or Toby's call. They shifted so their bodies were more in contact and deepened the kiss.

Jenny wandered up on deck, seeking a momentary escape from the constant chatter of the Japanese tourists. She'd pulled on a wet-weather poncho and her deck shoes before she stepped out of the warmth of the cabin and up on to the wet deck. It was situation normal to expect Cadie and Jo to be huddled together in the cockpit, but she could almost see the steam rising from the damp twosome.

Recently married herself, Jenny could certainly empathize with Jo and Cadie’s need to be close. She cleared her throat loudly and then laughed when the pair barely blinked, let alone interrupted their kissing.

Jo felt Cadie begin to pull away when she heard Jenny’s cough, but a gentle squeeze from the lanky Australian let the blonde know that they were being interrupted by a friend and not a tourist. Cadie relaxed against her once again and Jo reveled in the kiss, bringing it to a long, leisurely and altogether satisfying conclusion.

“Mmmm,” Cadie purred as she rested her head on her lover’s shoulder, her back still to the main cockpit. “Hello, Jen.”

“Hiya.” The deckhand moved towards them, shrugging herself deeper into her wet-weather jacket. “You two are the only people on the planet I know who actually would rather stand out here in the rain than be down in the warm.”

Jo grinned at her friend, even as she felt Cadie shifting around so she was tucked in the crook of the Australian’s arm. “Someone’s got to drive this thing, Jen,” the skipper said.

“And someone’s got to keep the skipper company,” the blonde tagged on.

Jenny shook her head in mock exasperation. “You two are something to see, you know that, right?” she said, grinning at the pair who looked blissfully happy despite the persistent rain dripping into everyone’s eyes.

“Is there a problem with that?” Jo asked, one eyebrow tilting upwards damply.

“Nope. Not a damn thing,” Jenny replied. “It’s just cute, that’s all.”

“Cute?” Cadie stifled a giggle at the sharp tone to Jo’s reply. “I’ve never been cute in my life Jennifer,” the skipper growled. But the deckhand wasn’t in the least bit fooled.

“Yeah, well, you’ve sure got it nailed now, skipper.”

Cadie’s soothing hand on her belly reminded Jo that she was being tweaked and she relaxed, grinning back at the brunette. “Ahhh, what can I tell you, Jen? It must be love.” She felt Cadie snuggle closer. “Either that or the incredibly adorable blonde under my arm is increasing my cute potential exponentially.”

“Ooh, big words, Jo-Jo,” Cadie teased.

“I took my smart pill this morning.”

“I see that.”

Jenny threw up her hands in surrender. “Oh, stop it, you two, you’re going to make me puke,” she laughed.

“What’s happening below?” Jo asked.

“Not a lot,” replied her crew member. “I think they’re pretty much sailed out. Ready to go home.”

“They’re not the only ones,” Cadie murmured as she stifled a yawn. “I don’t feel like I’ve even had time to unpack since we got back from Coonyabby.”

“We haven’t,” Jo said bluntly.

“And I guess it won’t be long before you have to be packing again, huh Cadie?” Jenny said.

Bummer, Cadie thought. Thanks, Jen, like I needed reminding. “Yeah, I guess so,” the blonde muttered. She tucked her head against Jo’s shoulder, seeking reassurance. And she got it, the skipper’s strong arm pulling her closer and squeezing.

“Sorry,” Jen said hastily, realizing her mistake. “Didn’t mean to blow the mood.”

“S’okay,” Jo said quietly. “We’ve got to think about it some time.”

“When do you have to go back, Cadie?”

The American sighed heavily. “Ten days,” she replied. Ten very short days.

Three very short days. Jo sighed. She leaned on the top rail of the verandah, gazing out over the lush, green forest that surrounded the house, and beyond to the rich colors of Whitsunday Passage and the islands. Three very short days and it already feels like we’ve been saying goodbye for a week. Jo sighed again. It left a cold knot in her stomach thinking about Cadie being gone for a few weeks. I just want to get this over and done with, so we can get on with the rest of our lives.

It had been a busy week for them both. Jo had been flat-out at the Cheswick Marine office, catching up on all the paperwork that had accumulated during their vacation at Coonyabby. She had discovered that as a company manager, she made a damn good yacht skipper, but she had also dug deep and found she very much relished the challenge of learning new skills. The week had taken its toll, however.

“Hi,” came a soft, familiar, and very welcome voice from behind Jo’s right shoulder. The tall skipper smiled in reflex. “You look like you could use this,” said the blonde, handing Jo a tall, icy-cold glass of white wine as she moved to stand beside her partner.

“Thanks.” Jo took a sip and purred as the cold liquid slid down her throat. “I don’t mind admitting, I’m flogged,” she said. Come to think of it, she doesn’t look too perky either, Jo thought, taking in Cadie’s weary expression and the dark circles under her eyes. “Didn’t we just have a vacation?” Jo asked wryly.

“Mhmm.” Cadie turned and leaned her back against the rail, looking up into Jo’s face. “We did and it was lovely,” she said, a small smile playing across her lips. “I think we’ve just hit the wall the last few days.”

Jo leaned down and brushed her lips across Cadie’s, tasting the wine there.

“Mmm, that was nice. What brought that on?” Cadie teased.

“Nothing much,” Jo replied. “Felt it, so I did it.” She took another mouthful of wine and looked out to sea. The sun was beginning to set behind them and the gorgeous gold and yellow tones of the fading light cast a surreal glow across the water. “Besides, it’s hard to look at that,” Jo nodded at the view, “without wanting to acknowledge it. Kissing the closest beautiful thing seemed to be a reasonable way to do that.” She grinned at the charmed expression on the American’s face.

“My, my, Jo-Jo, you can be such a romantic.” Cadie rested a hand on Jo’s upper arm and stood on tiptoes to return the favor, lingering over the delicious contact. “I do adore you.”

Blue eyes blinked at her. “And I you, sweetheart.”

They pulled apart again and stood in comfortable silence, just drinking their wine and watching the ever-changing landscape before them. Finally, Jo turned back to her lover, smiling at the sun-kissed profile.

“Did you get your flights booked?” she asked, quietly acknowledging the undercurrent that had colored their interactions all week long.

“Yes,” Cadie sighed. She had hated doing it and the travel consultant had looked at her somewhat askance when Cadie had expressed irritation over the details. “I’m afraid I pretty much bit Samantha’s head off in the process, though.”

“Who’s Samantha?” Jo asked.

“Travel agent,” Cadie replied. “She kept wanting to know if I wanted to go via San Francisco or LA, or what airline, or whatever.” She looked up and locked eyes with Jo, warmed by the understanding she saw there. “I told her I didn’t much care if I went over the North Pole, as long as I got a return ticket.”

Jo chuckled and wrapped her arm around the shorter woman’s waist. “How long do you think you’re going to need to be gone?” she asked quietly.

“I booked the return flight for three weeks from Wednesday,” Cadie answered as she leaned against Jo’s shoulder. “I figured that would give me enough time to clean out the rest of my stuff, get it either to Mom and Dad’s place in Madison, or ship it here, plus a little extra time to visit long enough to keep them satisfied.”

Jo nodded. “Makes sense.” Three very short days, followed by three very long weeks. She grimaced. This sucks.

“Sucks doesn’t it?” Cadie said. She looked puzzled when Jo laughed out loud. “What did I say?”

Jo ducked her head and kissed the blonde hair. “You literally took the words right out of my mouth, sweetheart, that’s all.” She grinned down at her partner and then sobered again. “And yes, it does suck. Mightily.”

The phone rang inside the house and Cadie groaned inwardly. Jo had been at everyone’s beck and call all day and she had planned a quiet, romantic evening.

If people would just leave her alone for two minutes, the American thought grumpily.

“I’ll get it,” Jo murmured. She let go of Cadie and turned back inside before the blonde could object, stepping through into the air conditioning. One of these days I’m going to unplug this damn thing, she thought absently as she picked up the receiver. “Hello, this is Jo.”

“Madison. It’s Ken Harding.” The cop’s familiar growl was a surprise and there was a pause as Jo adjusted. Finding out that Harding had been in contact with her parents almost from the moment she had turned herself in had been a shock. In effect, he had told her mother and father a bunch of personal history that, by rights, should have been hers to tell, or keep to herself, as she chose it. That choice had been taken away from her by a combination of circumstances.

I’m still angry with him, Jo realized. Then again, he probably did me a huge favor.

“Hello Ken,” she said quietly. His breath, which he had obviously been holding, came out in a rush.

“Thought for a moment you were going to hang up on me,” he said gruffly.

“Maybe I should have,” Jo answered. A wry smile touched her lips, unseen by the policeman but noticed by Cadie, who had followed her into the living area. “Ken,” she mouthed.

“I know you’re probably pretty pissed off with me, yeah?” Harding continued. “Bottom line is, I made a judgment call and I think it was the right one.” Jo could almost hear his rugged, probably unshaven, jaw sticking stubbornly out.

“Relax, will ya,” she said. “Sometimes I think you forget what I used to do for a living. If I was really angry with you, you’d know about it already.” She was tweaking him and it probably wasn’t fair, but she couldn’t let him get off completely scot-free.

On the other end of the line, in his seedy studio apartment in Sydney’s inner city, Ken Harding rocked back on his heels. He could never work out when Madison was joking and when she was seriously threatening him, but the memory of what she used to be was still cold and clear in his mind.

“Uh, look, I’m sorry, okay,” he muttered, trying not to sound like his testicles had just retracted what felt like several inches.

Her laugh surprised him.

“Harding, for Christ’s sake,” Jo admonished. “It was a joke.” She laughed again and then turned serious. “Look, I’m not going to tell you that I was entirely happy with what you did,” she admitted. “But in the end you saved me from one of the scariest conversations I could imagine. It worked out fine, Ken. Forget it.”

There was another pause before the cop finally let it go.

“Okay,” he said. “It’s forgotten.”

“Good. Now, is that why you called?” Jo watched as Cadie walked into the kitchen and began making fine adjustments to the dinner she was cooking for them.

“No, actually,” Harding said, the business-like tone returning to his voice. “I have good news and bad news.”

“Oh great,” Jo growled. “Just what I need. Okay, tell me the bad news first.”

Cadie looked up sharply, wondering just what was coming next. Please don’t let it be something that hurts her, she silently begged the universe. The time at Coonyabby had been a healing period for Jo and her parents, but Cadie knew there was still an underlying fragility to her lover’s self-confident outer appearance. If nothing else, the almost desperate way Jo unconsciously clung to her when they were sleeping was evidence enough. Cadie sliced a couple of tomatoes for the salad as she listened to Jo’s half of the conversation.

“Well, the bad news is I need you down here on Thursday,” Ken said. “Marco di Santo’s court case has come up and he’s fit enough to go on trial.”

Jo felt her skin go cold. Marco di Santo. The right-hand man of her former drug lord boss. The one who had slipped through the fingers of the law when she had turned State’s evidence. The one who had come back for her five years later. The one she had practically castrated and would have killed if it hadn’t been for Cadie’s intervention.

“He’s back on his feet, huh?” she said around the lump in her throat.

Harding chuckled humorlessly. “Yeah, he’s walking again. Got a bit of a girlie limp about him, but he’s walking. More importantly, he’s talking, though he sounds pretty rough.”

Jo closed her eyes and winced against the memory of the feeling of the garrote cutting deep into the henchman’s neck. Her face only relaxed when she felt Cadie move close and slide under her arm, a reassuring hand on Jo’s belly.

“So what was the good news?” Jo asked hoarsely.

“I’m probably only going to need you to be available on Thursday and Friday,” Harding replied. “God willing and the creeks don’t rise; he should be locked up for good by the weekend.”

“What about Josh?” she asked. The young man, a neighbor who had been house and cat-sitting for Jo while she had been at sea with Cadie’s touring group of Americans, had been taken hostage by di Santo in a successful bid to get Jo to come to him. Josh had been beaten and badly shaken by the encounter, and she knew he would have to testify.

“The judge agreed to let him testify by video,” she heard Ken say. “It’s already done. No worries there at all.”

Jo breathed a sigh of relief. Although she had talked with Josh several times since and he seemed fine with her, she doubted his parents would ever let him anywhere the house – at least not alone – again. It made her sad, because he was a good guy.

“That’s great,” she murmured. “I’m glad he doesn’t have to go through all that.” She looked down at Cadie and saw a question there. Quickly she dropped a kiss onto the end of the blonde’s pert nose, and then she dropped the phone’s receiver away from her mouth. “Josh doesn’t have to testify in person,” she quickly explained.

“But you do?” Cadie asked.

“Mhmm.” Harding was talking again. “Sorry, Ken, say that again. I was just explaining things to Cadie.”

“No worries, mate. I was just saying that I’ve organized you a plane ticket. You can pick it up from Hamilton Island airport – the Qantas desk – on Wednesday afternoon. Your flight’s at 4pm.”

\ Jo thought about it some and then made a decision.

“Can I make a change to that?” she asked. “It’s just that Cadie’s flying out to the States that day. I’d like to swap my flight to hers down to Sydney so I can see her off.”

Jo heard Harding rustling around with bits of paper. “Yeah, I can do that. What flight’s she on?”

“Hang on, I’ll let her tell you,” Jo replied, handing the phone to her partner with a grim smile.

Cadie took it and patted Jo’s arm as the taller woman moved into the kitchen. “Hello, Ken,” she said into the phone.

“G’day,” the policeman said. He had a lot of time for the American, having learned from experience that Cadie was a pistol. She had shown a lot of guts that afternoon they’d come after Jo and di Santo.

“How are you?” she asked, amazed, as always, that Harding and her partner seemed to maintain a rapport without ever asking those kind of questions.

“Ah, not bad, you know,” he replied. “Still plugging on. How about you?”

She smiled, recognizing the man’s awkwardness around her. “I’m good thanks,” Cadie replied gently. “You need to know what flight I’m on?”

“Yeah, please.”

Jo watched as the blonde continued to talk to Harding. Absentmindedly, she stirred the spaghetti sauce that was bubbling away on the stovetop. Cadie said goodbye to the cop eventually, hanging up the phone.

“So…”

“So, I guess we’re going to Sydney,” Jo replied. She tapped the wooden spoon she had been using to stir the spaghetti sauce on the chopping board. If there was one thing Jo was sure of right now, it was that the last place on the planet she wanted to go to, was Sydney. Her stomach knotted at the thought. “At least I get to see you on to the plane for LA.” She smiled wanly at Cadie.

“Mhmm, and believe me, I’m happy about that,” the blonde answered as she walked over and wrapped her arms around Jo’s waist from behind. She took a second to drop a kiss on the taller woman’s shoulder before resting her cheek against the strong back. “Well, maybe happy is the wrong word. I don’t think I’m ‘happy’ about any of this.” Jo grunted her agreement. “Least of all the fact that I’m going to miss the trial. I really wanted to be there for you during that.”

Jo patted Cadie’s hands in reassurance. “Don’t worry about that, love. I’ve been there, done that. I’ll survive.”

Cadie thought about that. She knew enough about that Jo’s past to remember that she had testified against a lot of big-time crime lords.

“Sweetheart?”

Jo shifted slightly, maneuvering slowly around Cadie’s embrace as she spooned the pasta and sauce out on to two plates. “Mmm?”

“Those times that you’ve testified before … will this be as bad as that?”

Jo stilled for a few seconds as she considered her answer and Cadie took the opportunity to slide to her side. Warm, green eyes blinked up at her and she couldn’t help but smile back.

“I don’t expect so,” she replied, ducking her head to brush her lips against the soft ones waiting for her. “Mmm, god, you taste good.” They indulged themselves for a few more, blissful seconds. “In those cases I was the only witness,” Jo continued. Cadie tipped her head to the side as she listened, a gesture the Australian found hopelessly endearing. “All the pressure was on me, and all the risk. I was pretty much the prosecution’s entire case.” She sprinkled some parmesan cheese on the plates. “This time it’s a bit different, I guess.”

“Because of Josh?”

Jo nodded. “Yes. And because the cops themselves were witnesses to the last bits of it.” Images of that nightmare afternoon, and di Santo’s blood on her hands, flashed across her memory, causing her to blink rapidly. Cadie saw her lover’s reaction and she reached out, cupping Jo’s cheek with a gentle hand. A shiver went through the taller woman and Jo smiled wryly at the blonde and leant into the soothing touch.

“I was there for that as well,” Cadie reminded her. “Why haven’t I been called as a witness?”

Jo shrugged. “My guess would be Ken is just doing us a favor by having the prosecution keep you out of it. With his testimony and that of a few of his men, he probably thinks he doesn’t need to have you involved.” Cadie’s fingers were still stroking her cheek softly, and she closed her eyes, letting the sensation wash over her.

Cadie watched the emotions sweeping across Jo’s face. The dark-haired woman was usually a closed book to other people. Not hostile-looking so much as hard to read. But whether it was because Cadie had learned to read Jo better, or Jo’s trust in her allowed the Australian to show more, every twitch and flicker was like a neon sign to the blonde.

She’s as wound-up as hell, Cadie realized. “Come on, love. Let’s eat.” She picked up the two plates and wandered over to the dining table. Jo sighed deeply then followed. Soon they were eating together, enjoying each other’s company as quiet music wafted through the house. It wasn’t long before Jo was doing more food redistribution than eating, however. Cadie watched as the skipper chased a pile of pasta around the plate with her fork. If it wasn’t so worrying, it would be adorable, she thought.

“So…” she hesitated again.

“So.” Jo nodded, knowing she wasn’t being the most communicative of dinner companions but at a loss to know how to unblock whatever was jamming her up inside.

“I could hazard a guess and suggest that Sydney’s not your favorite place to spend a few days,” Cadie said quietly.

“And you’d be spot on,” Jo admitted. “Apart from the bad memories…” She swallowed, surprised by the knot of emotion in her throat. Cadie squeezed her knee gently. “Apart from those, I know that it’s likely I’ll… um… revert… a little, once I’m there.” She turned and looked Cadie in the eye, for the first time in a long while. “And that scares me.”

A tiny, cold sliver of… something… she refused to call it fear… trickled through Cadie’s gut. I’ll be goddamned if I’ll let her see that, though, she decided. Her instinct told her it wasn’t fear of Jo, but fear for her.

“It’s a self-defense mechanism, Jo-Jo,” she murmured. “I’d be worried if you didn’t feel that.” Blue eyes blinked at her, trying to understand what Cadie was suggesting. “Do you think you’re going to be in any danger down there?” she asked, her mouth suddenly dry.

Jo shrugged. “I don’t have any friends in that city, that’s for sure,” she muttered.

“Except for Ken,” Cadie pointed out.

The dark head dipped in acknowledgement. “Apart from Ken,” she admitted.

“And he’ll be looking out for you, right?”

A flash of something hard and angry flickered in Jo’s eyes for a moment. “He doesn’t need to look out for me,” she snapped, wishing she could take the words – and the tone – back as soon as she let them go. “Damn it.” Long fingers pinched at the bridge of her nose. “I-I’m sorry, love. I didn’t mean that the way it sounded.”

Cadie’s hand, which had never left Jo’s knee, squeezed again and the blonde smiled gently. “Sure you did,” she said quietly. “And it’s okay. You can look after yourself. That’s what Sydney taught you. I don’t think you should beat yourself up for self-protection.”

Jo snorted in self-deprecation. “As long as I don’t beat anyone else up in the process, huh?”

There was a silence as Cadie waited for Jo to look at her again. When blue eyes finally met hers, she made sure her gaze didn’t waver.

“That’s not what was I was thinking, Jossandra,” she said quietly, but firmly. “I just meant that back then you had to look after yourself and it became habit. I don’t think it’s surprising that being back there would kick that habit into gear.” She caught Jo’s chin as the older woman made to turn away again. Tenderly she pulled her focus back. “Don’t put words in my mouth, sweetheart.”

As quickly as the hardness had appeared it vanished, replaced by welling tears and a slightly wobbling chin. Jo was confused by her wildly swinging emotions but beyond that she just felt about two years old.

“I’m sorry.”

Cadie smiled again. “It’s okay. God knows, neither of us is too happy about the timing of any of this. It couldn’t be worse.”

Jo leaned forward, resting her forehead on Cadie’s shoulder. The American slipped her fingers into the long, black hair that cascaded over her chest. It was silky and soft to the touch.

“I wish I could just say my piece in court, watch that arsehole get locked up and then get on the next plane and come after you,” Jo said miserably.

“So do I, angel. So do I.” Cadie rested her cheek against Jo’s head, breathing in the scent of her shampoo. “There’s no possibility of that, is there?” she asked tentatively. “I mean, your record has been expunged, right?” It occurred to her that she didn’t really know what that meant. “So why won’t they let you into the States?”

“Expunged is a bit of a misnomer,” Jo admitted. “Because it doesn’t mean I didn’t do those things, Cadie. It doesn’t mean my record doesn’t exist anymore. It just means there’s a big, stinking note on it that says I did the right thing in the end. What I did is still there for all to see.” She sniffled slightly.

Cadie held her partner close. She could tell Jo was over the worst of the urge to burst into tears, but the hug was a welcome one for them both and neither felt like letting go.

“You’d think after 12 years with a US senator that I could pull a few strings somewhere,” Cadie grumbled.

That produced a chuckle from Jo, who finally pushed herself upright again and slumped back in her chair. “Yeah, well. Somehow I think Naomi is the last person to ask for some help in that area, my love,” she said, smiling affectionately at the blonde.

“Can’t think why,” Cadie muttered.

“Something to do with me stealing her wife away from her, I think.” The women looked at each other, both mentally reviewing the events of the last few months. “Somehow I don’t think I’m on Naomi’s Christmas card list,” Jo opined.

“Perhaps not.” Cadie quirked an amused eyebrow at the skipper, happy to see that Jo seemed to have regained some semblance of good humor. “Would you want her to help, even if she was of a mind to?”

Jo laughed again, knowing that Cadie had her pegged, well and truly.

“No, and you know it.”

They resumed eating and a few more minutes passed in companionable silence. Finally, Cadie came to the only reasonable conclusion possible under the circumstances.

“So I guess we just have to suck it up and get through the next few weeks as best we can,” she said softly.

Jo took a mouthful of wine and swirled it around her tongue before swallowing.

“Yup. I’m going to miss you.” The last was said so quietly, Cadie almost thought she had imagined it. Their fingers tangled across the table. “So much.”

Cadie had an inkling that there was a touch of insecurity lurking behind her lover’s relatively calm exterior. She squeezed Jo’s fingers.

“And I will miss you horribly too,” she said. “Jo-Jo, you know I’m going to try and make this trip as quick as possible, don’t you? Because, God knows, I don’t want to be away from you any longer than I have to be.”

Jo nodded slowly. “I know. I just don’t want Naomi hassling you. And I really wanted to be there with you to back you up.”

I really do need to call Toby back, Cadie reflected, wondering, not for the first time, if the man’s call had been related to Naomi’s state of mind. “Jo, don’t worry about that,” she said aloud, opting to push that pessimistic prospect to one side for now. “I handled Naomi for 12 years – I can handle her for another three weeks. And, besides, I’m not going to give her much chance. The Senate’s in session and she has to be in DC most of the time I’m going to be there. All I need is a couple of days to clear the rest of my stuff out of the Chicago house and then I’ll be safely up at Mom and Dad’s in Madison. She’s not going to come within 50 miles of me, I promise.”

Jo turned their hands around so she could stroke Cadie’s palm with her thumb. “Promise me you’ll call if you need to talk things out?” she asked.

“Darling, I’ll be calling you a million times a day, if I get the chance,” Cadie laughed. “Do you really think I could last more than half a day without talking to you?” Affectionately she ruffled Jo’s hair. “Silly girl.”

“Hi Toby. Sorry to call so late.”

“Cadie! That’s okay, sweetie. You know we’re a couple of night owls anyway. Wow, it’s great to hear from you,” the former PR man said happily. “I was beginning to think you were never going to return my call. What have you been up to?”

Cadie sank down into the leather armchair, glad that the man didn’t seem too put out by the lateness of the call. It was close to midnight in Washington DC, she knew, but she had wanted to wait until Jo had left for the day before calling.

“Sorry about that,” she murmured, hooking one leg over the arm of the chair. “It was difficult to call from Jo’s parents’ place and since then we’ve just been incredibly busy.” It was a lie, and she knew it, but she also knew Toby well enough to know he wouldn’t push the point.

“It’s okay,” Toby replied. “I’m just glad to hear your voice. How’s Jo?”

Cadie smiled in reflex at the mention of her lover’s name. “She’s great, actually. Since we last spoke, she inherited the yacht business from her boss and now she’s kind of queen of her own country. She’s like a kid in a candy store.”

“Excellent!” She could hear talking in the background and then Toby obviously turned his head away from the receiver. “It’s Cadie.” More talking. “Jay says hello,” he said.

“Say hi back,” Cadie said amiably. She waited while Toby passed the message on to his partner. “So what’s new with you guys? Or were you just calling for a chat,” she teased.

There was a momentary pause.

“Well, uh, actually we do have some news,” Toby continued quietly. “We’ve left Naomi.”

Wow. Cadie knew better than most how devoted Toby and Jason had been to the senator in the early days. “Seems to be catching,” she muttered. “What brought that on?”

Toby sighed. On the one hand, he did want to warn Cadie about just how nuts Naomi had been lately. On the other hand, he was well aware that despite their breakup, Cadie was big-hearted enough to still care about her former long-time partner.

“Things have been a little crazy lately,” he said carefully.

Cadie felt the beginnings of a headache nagging away behind her eyes and she pinched the bridge of her nose in a bid to keep it at bay.

“Crazy busy, or crazy as in insane?” she asked.

“Well, insane would be a little strong, I think,” he replied. “But Naomi’s certainly been a little …” He nibbled on his bottom lip as he tried to think of the right words. “Unstable, I guess.”

Great, Cadie thought. Unstable enough to drive away her two most loyal staff. She exhaled slowly. And me, of course. “My fault,” she said quietly.

“No, don’t do that, Cadie,” Toby said hastily. “You did what you had to do. We know that. God knows, she wasn’t exactly giving anyone or anything more than a second’s thought towards the end there. We still think you did the right thing. It’s just …”

Cadie waited, letting the older man find the words for whatever it was he was trying to say. Not sure I want to hear it though, she admitted glumly.

“It’s just that she really fell apart without you,” he finally said, reluctantly. “And there’s a lot of other pressure on her too. After that whole house party fiasco on Hamilton Island, the press was just merciless when we got home.” Naomi and two friends had been ‘detained overnight’ by the Australian police after being caught in the middle of an alcohol-soaked house party on the tropical island, the culmination of a big week of sailing and revelry. “And of course the GOP went nuts and they’ve been riding her ever since.”

Cadie swallowed around the knot of tension she felt in her stomach. She hated how easily the old, familiar guilt had settled over her. Damn it, I’m entitled to a happy life, she told herself.

“What else happened?” she asked hoarsely.

“Lots of little things,” he acknowledged. “She threw an ashtray at the housekeeper, who then quit, of course. There was the afternoon she was stand-up drunk in the Senate chamber.” Cadie winced. “And … well, there’s the threats.”

“Threats?” Cadie felt a prickling at the back of her neck.

“Yeah.” She heard Toby swallowing. “The last thing she asked me to do was to hook her up with a contact in the Customs Service. That’s pretty much when Jason and I decided we didn’t want to be working for her anymore.”

Cadie couldn’t quite see the connection. “Um, maybe I’m just dense this morning, Toby, but I don’t get it. Why is that a problem?”

“Honey, we’re pretty sure she’s trying keep track of you any way she can. She wants to know when you come back into the country.”

The blonde shifted in her seat. She gazed out on the glorious view over the Whitsundays and tried to reconnect with the way her former partner’s mind worked.

“You don’t think maybe there was some other reason she wanted to talk to Customs?” she asked hopefully. “I mean, maybe a constituent had a problem or a question, and she was just looking for answers.”

Toby snorted. “Not to be too blunt or anything, sweetie, but if it was a constituent thing, we would have heard about it first. And if there were answers to be found, she would have had us find them for her. Personal attention is not the good Senator’s style.”

Ain’t that the truth, Cadie thought ruefully. “Yeah, I know. So, you think she wants to know when I’m back in town, huh?”

There was a pause, and Cadie almost repeated herself, thinking that perhaps they’d been cut off or Toby had somehow not heard the question. Before she could say anything else, though, the ex-PR man spoke up.

“Cadie, I think it’s more than that,” he said quietly. “I think she means to do a lot more than just keep track of you.”

He can’t be serious. “Toby, come on, what exactly are you trying to say? You don’t honestly think she means me any harm?” Cadie still found it hard to believe that despite all they had been through, Naomi could mean to hurt her.

“Oh Cadie, I don’t really know,” Toby replied, a note of frustration evident in his tone. “I know she’s been nuts lately. I mean, really. Throwing things, drinking 24/7. And …” He hesitated again. “She’s been smoking weed as well. I know that for sure.” Cadie said nothing, trying to digest the information. “I know it doesn’t sound very dangerous, or threatening, but she’s pissed, honey. And if she doesn’t mean you harm, then I’ll bet my last buck she’d do almost anything to hurt Jo.”

The light dawned. “Ahhh. And, of course, the quickest way to hurt Jo is …”

“… Is to hurt you, yes,” Toby finished.

Cadie found herself suddenly short of breath. The possibility that Naomi had actually slipped into a mental state that would allow her to act so irrationally was a new and very uncomfortable thought. My fault, she couldn’t help thinking. My goddamned fault.

“Jesus,” she muttered, rubbing again at that pounding spot between her eyes.

“I’m sorry, Cadie,” Toby half-whispered. “I thought you should know.”

“It’s okay, honestly. I’m glad you told me,” she replied, wondering what the hell she was supposed to do with the information now that she had it.

“Are you going to tell Jo?” she heard Toby ask.

Sixty-four million dollar question. “I honestly don’t know, Tobes,” she answered. “I’m going to have to think that one through a little more.”

“Mhmm, I understand, sweetie.” Again, she heard Jason talking in the background. “Hang on, someone else wants to say hello.” There was a scrambling sound as the phone changed hands.

“Hey you,” came Jason’s cheerful greeting.

“Hey yourself,” Cadie replied, letting the man’s good mood push her own grim thoughts down, even if it was just for a few seconds. “So, now that you’re a free man, what are your plans?”

He laughed. “Free, my ass. Toby’s got me roped into some Caribbean cruise next week. If I had my way we’d be pounding the Senate looking for a new job.”

“Somehow, I find that hard to believe,” Cadie retorted, knowing damn well that Jason, in particular, had taken to sailing like a duck to water, and was more than likely the instigator of their new vacation plans.

“You know me too well, Miss Jones,” Jason replied playfully. “Actually, I don’t think we have a clue what we’re going to do once we’re back from the cruise, but frankly, I could care less right now.”

Cadie smiled. “Well, you two have certainly earned a break,” she said. “Who knows, maybe I’ve done you a favor by driving Naomi insane.” She meant the words lightheartedly, but there was an edge to them that Jason certainly didn’t miss.

“Hey, sweetie, don’t do that,” he chastised gently. “Remember what I said to you back in Sydney Airport that day?”

She smiled. The chaos of the day when she had left Naomi floundering in the middle of a gaggle of journalists had become a little blurry. “Remind me?”

“I told you that you deserved better. I was right then and it’s still right now. If Naomi’s brain is dribbling out of her ears because of it, then I can only think that that’s her problem to deal with.” He paused to let her absorb his words. “You know what, Cadie? Jo was the best damn thing that’s happened to you in a very long time.”

The headache receded just a little. “No argument from me,” Cadie agreed quietly.

“So quit beating yourself up for letting that happen. You deserved it too.” He sounded vehement. “And Naomi, well, she can just kiss my rock-hard ass.”

That made Cadie laugh out loud and Jason readily joined in.

“Hey don’t laugh, it IS rock-hard.”

“I don’t doubt it, Jase, honestly,” Cadie chortled. “It just provoked a mental image that was too priceless for words.” She grinned into the phone.

“Ewww, I don’t even want to go there,” he said. “Hey, Toby’s fallen asleep on my shoulder here, so we’re gonna call it a night, okay?”

“Okay. Thanks again for the warning, Jason.”

“Cadie, sweetie. You know that we’re here if you need us, right? Any trouble from the Senator, you give us a call and we’ll come get you, okay?” She could hear the very real affection in his voice.

“Thanks. You two take care, okay? And I’ll call you once I’m back in Madison.”

“You bet. G’night.”

“’Night, Jason.”

Cadie hung up the phone and sat for a few minutes more, just contemplating the clouds scudding across the sky, their shadows sweeping across the islands below her. She glanced down at the approach of Mephisto, and smiled when the big, black feline leapt up into her lap and settled in for a snooze.

“Hi, handsome boy,” the blonde said softly as she ran her fingers through his long fur. “So, what do you think? Do we need to give Jo one more thing to worry about? Or are Toby and Jason making a mountain out of a molehill?”

Sleepy, gold eyes blinked up at her and the cat offered no solution, preferring to knead her thigh with his front paws.

“Thanks. That’s a big help.”

Jo rested her forehead miserably against the cool glass of the big-paned terminal window. Outside, in front of her, was the big, grey-domed nose of the 747. She was slightly above the level of the cockpit and from her vantage point she could easily see the captain and his co-pilot going through their pre-flight checks. Not that that cheered Jo up in the least. Part of her mind was willing there to be some minor technical problem that would delay the flight indefinitely.

I couldn’t get that lucky, Jo decided. She and Cadie had already said their goodbyes, the blonde walking backwards slowly down the ramp way, her eyes locked on Jo’s until she had disappeared around the bend. Jo had been left feeling very much alone amongst the milling crowd of still-boarding passengers and family members. Eventually, she had made her way to the window.

It’s not that much different from the last time I said goodbye to her, she thought morosely. That day sucked too. Memories of standing on the deck of the Seawolf as Cadie’s water taxi receded into the distance floated at the front of her mind even as the big plane in front of her began to be pushed back from the gate. The plane slid backwards, turning away from the low terminal building before the tug disengaged from its front landing gear and drove away. Before long the big jet was taxiing forward under its own steam, the rumble of its engines felt more than heard by Jo as she pressed her forehead against the glass.

At least I could see her that time. She tried to imagine where Cadie was, knowing that the American had a window seat somewhere between the wings and the rear of plane. For a moment Jo let herself believe she could see a familiar face in the one of the tiny windows, but the reality was she couldn’t see any details at all. Jo reached up to the patch of condensation her breath had formed on the glass, and absentmindedly drew a tiny heart in the mist. This time I know she’s coming back.

A niggling doubt surfaced. I do know she’s coming back, right? The little voice of insecurity – the same one that had made her so afraid of talking with her parents, the one that had stopped her from telling Cadie the truth about her past right from the word go – piped up again now, like a worn out old recording spinning around in her mind. I mean, this isn’t just a nice way of telling me it’s over, right? Jo dug her hands deep into her jeans pockets, hunching her shoulders as the plane disappeared behind a line of buildings, its giant tailfin just visible above the roofline.

Her fingers came up against a piece of paper at the bottom of her left pocket and she pulled it out, puzzled at its presence. Carefully she unfolded it and found it covered in an instantly recognizable handwriting. Jo smiled.

Darling (it read), I know right now you’re feeling at least as miserable as I am. The saving grace for me is that I have a lot of traveling to do before I can sit down and really process the fact that I’m so far away from you. And if I know you – (do I completely, yet? – maybe not) – you’re already in the middle of that, and feeling a bit blue.

Jo smiled again. The note was so characteristic of her partner’s tendency to dissect her own emotions and those of the ones she loved that it was strangely reassuring.

I want you to know (the note continued) that you are the most important thing in my life. In a few weeks we can laugh and joke about how it wasn’t that hard being apart from such a short time, but right now I know that it hurts and that in some ways it’s scary, too. (Oh you do know me so well, my love, Jo thought). Listen, Jo-Jo, because this is important. I am coming back and when I do, we can really get started on building this life we both seem to want so much. I love you with all my heart, sweet Jossandra. Don’t ever forget that. Soon I will be home again, I promise. Kisses, your Cadie.

Jo sighed. That woman can reduce me to mush in the space of a paragraph and a half, I swear. She felt a little embarrassed about the doubts she had been wallowing in just a few minutes earlier. Honest to god, I don’t know what I ever did to deserve her, she thought ruefully.

A deepening rumble intensified from somewhere in the distance and Jo quickly looked up again, just in time to see the United Airlines jumbo heave itself upwards in the way only a huge 747 could. Jo didn’t mind flying herself, and she knew Cadie wasn’t bothered by it, but there was still something death-defying about the giant metal creature lurching skywards.

“Get up there, you bastard. Go,” Jo muttered, urging the plane on. Finally, after what seemed like forever, the plane broke the shackles of gravity and suddenly became graceful, soaring as its landing gear lifted and tucked away. “Bye, sweetheart,” Jo whispered, her eyes stinging. “See you soon."

Cadie closed her eyes as she felt the kick of the engines at her back. The plane lumbered forward, gathering speed as it rumbled over the runway. There was always that moment where she wondered if they were going to make it safely into the air. Three hundred-odd people hung in mid-air for a few seconds before Cadie felt herself relax into her chair.

She glanced around at her fellow travelers, jam-packed into the crowded coach section. She had opted not to use the return section of the business-class ticket she and Naomi had used to get to Australia in the first place. Somehow, it just hadn't felt right. Instead she'd bought a brand new, coach-class ticket.

Cadie was sitting in a window seat on the left-hand side of the plane. The man next to her had already settled in for the 14-hour leg to Los Angeles, turning away from Cadie and tilting his seat back as he pulled a sleeping mask over his eyes. Great. He's going to sleep for 14 hours and I'm going to be trapped in this space. Cadie sighed. I should have asked for an aisle seat. Live and learn. The blonde decided she was far too awake to try and sleep and instead she reached for the airline’s monthly magazine in the seat pocket in front of her.

The truth was she was just looking for a distraction. Despite her words in the note she had sneaked into Jo’s pocket as they had hugged their goodbyes, Cadie was by no means calm about walking away from her partner, even if it was for a relatively short time.

They had flown down from Hamilton Island that morning, both loaded with enough luggage to see them through their respective journeys. They had transferred from the domestic terminal to Sydney’s international terminal and had spent the few hours before Cadie’s flight sitting in the various passenger lounges and coffee shops of the airport.

The American had spent a lot of time debating the merits of telling Jo about her phone call with Toby and it was over a cup of coffee that she had finally decided to break the news.

“He thinks what?” Jo had snapped her head around upon hearing Toby’s theories about Naomi’s latest mind games. “You’re kidding, right?”

“Um, no,” Cadie had muttered, wondering if perhaps keeping quiet might not have been the best option after all. She stirred a teaspoon of sugar into her coffee, not meeting Jo’s intense blue gaze. “He thinks she’s going to be tracking me, though he’s not really sure what she intends to do about it.”

“For god’s sake, Cadie, what do you think she’s going to do about it?” Jo had exclaimed, exasperated. “She’s nuts. I wouldn’t put anything past her.” She dropped her spoon onto the table and it clattered against Cadie’s mug. “That’s it, you’re not going. Come on.” She made to stand up. “Let’s go cancel your ticket and get your luggage back.”

If the expression on Jo’s face hadn’t been so fierce, Cadie would have found her lover’s gesture comical. Instead she reached out and gently took Jo’s hand, pulling her back down in to her seat.

“Jo, sweetheart, let’s be rational about this,” she had said, smiling at her disturbed partner. “What exactly is it that you think she can do?” She had squeezed Jo’s long fingers. “It’s not like she can kidnap me and sell me into white slavery.” The words were accompanied by a wide smile and she watched as Jo visibly relaxed a little.

“Honey, that bitch is not rational, honestly,” Jo had replied, still perturbed beyond belief by Cadie’s news, despite the light spin the blonde was putting on it. “I don’t think she knows right from wrong anymore.”

Cadie had nodded, knowing that if what Toby and Jason had told her was accurate, her 12 years’ experience dealing with Naomi might not be enough for whatever had happened inside the senator’s psyche in the last few months. But she had decided not to voice those doubts to her agitated friend across the table.

“I’m sure she’s gonna try and put on a show for the media,” she had told Jo. “You know, like she did the last couple of days here.” She watched as Jo tilted her head as she listened, concentrating on Cadie’s words. “I’m almost positive that she may try and force me into playing the dutiful, returning, soon-to-be-pregnant wife.”

Jo had snorted, remembering Naomi’s desperate and, to Jo’s mind at least, almost hilarious attempt to keep Cadie by her side by announcing to the waiting media that they were planning on becoming parents as soon as they returned to the United States. Cadie had gazumped that idea by telling the journalists that if she was going to spend the rest of the year making babies, then she was going to extend her Australian vacation for a while longer, in preparation.

“Anyone who can come up with that as a blackmail attempt can come up with just about anything to keep you in the country,” Jo had muttered, taking a sip of her now almost cold coffee.

Cadie had watched the dark-haired woman, trying to figure out a way to reassure her.

“The bottom line is, I have to go sweetheart,” she had finally said. “My visa runs out in two days and I know you’d rather do this whole immigration thing the legal way.” Cadie had ducked her head to try and catch Jo’s rather elusive gaze. “Right?”

“Yeah, yeah,” Jo had grumbled. “But I don’t have to goddamn well like it, do I?” The Australian had glared at Cadie again, provoking an affectionate chuckle from the blonde.

“No, you don’t have to like it, darling.”

“I swear, if that lunatic lays a hand on you, Cadie, I’m coming after her with the biggest stick I can lay my hands on. I’ll beat the crap out of her.” Jo had, momentarily at least, allowed the angry, dark young woman she had used to be emerge through her eyes and Cadie watched it happen, fascinated. It wasn’t anything she hadn’t seen before, of course but it was only her innate trust in Jo’s control that allowed her to observe it calmly.

“I love you, Jo,” she had said quietly. Immediately the fiery intensity of Jo’s expression had softened into something much more benign and beloved.

“I love you too,” Jo had husked. “You’re going to tell me that you can handle Naomi, and that I shouldn’t worry about it, aren’t you?”

Cadie had nodded, smiling across at her lover. “Yes.”

Jo had sighed, admitting defeat and resigning herself to a few weeks of tortured worry. “Okay.”

And now here we are, Cadie thought as the banking of the plane as it turned to head across the Pacific brought her back to the present moment. I’m getting further and further away from Jo and closer and closer to who knows what. A knot tightened in her stomach at the thought of whatever she was flying towards. This is ridiculous, she decided. I can’t spend the next 24 hours worrying away at this or I’m going to be a wreck. She thought about the long, draining trip ahead. Or more of a wreck than I’m already going to be anyway.

Jo sat glumly in the back of the taxi. Detective Harding had booked her into a decent hotel in the heart of the city, not far from the criminal court complex. She had barked the name at the taxi driver and left the rest up to him. Right now the last thing she wanted to do was take in the sights of Sydney, a city that held so many dark and unwanted memories for her. But it was hard not to find herself recognizing landmarks – a nightclub still operating, a restaurant where she’d spent many a night by her former boss’s side – and the further towards the centre of the city they got, the more familiar the landscape was becoming.

At least Ken had the good sense to find a hotel away from King’s Cross, she thought. It would have been too much to find herself in the middle of her old haunts. Too many nightmares waiting for me there, she realized.

Instead she let her mind wander back to Cadie. A glance down at her watch told her that only a couple of hours had passed since her lover’s flight had departed.

Probably drinking a nice glass of champagne and watching a movie, Jo imagined. Wish I was with her. Maybe one day we can make that trip together. That might be nice. I’d like to see where she grew up.

The headline on the front page of the newspaper lying on the seat next to her blared its message. DIMARCO TRIAL BEGINS TOMORROW.

And maybe pigs will fly too, the ex-assassin thought grimly.

Chapter Ten

Helena Jones stood calmly in the arrivals area of Dane County Airport. Despite its small size, Madison’s only airport was a busy portal, serving the state capital more than adequately. Even at this hour of the night – Helena glanced down at her watch and noted that it was just after 11pm – people were still streaming in and out of the terminal, most of them coming on and off the small commuter flights from Minneapolis, Milwaukee and Chicago. The petite and elegant woman stayed still as passengers milled around her, preferring to keep her eyes fixed on the small door that opened out onto the tarmac.

It had been four months since she had seen her only daughter. That had been a Christmas visit cut short when some urgent business had unexpectedly taken Cadie and Naomi back to Washington.

There's been an awful lot of water under the bridge since then, Helena thought. She had known for a long time, of course, that all was not entirely well in her daughter's relationship with the senator. Cadie had kept most of it to herself, but it didn’t take much for a mother to know when things were not quite right. A long, and well overdue, phone call from Cadie when she had made her escape from Naomi in Sydney, had filled in all the details.

Since then Helena had had the chance to speak a few times, briefly, with the woman who had stolen her daughter's heart, and had found herself quietly impressed with Jo.

Not that that would be difficult after Naomi, she ruefully admitted. Naomi had always been utterly charming whenever she had been in their home here in Madison, but Helena had seen enough of the senator in her own environment to know there was a mean streak there that had developed more of an edge over the years.

Jo, she wasn’t yet entirely sure of. The Australian had sounded very pleasant on the phone, if shy and reluctant to talk about herself. Her daughter was head over heels in love, that much was obvious, but there was also a much quieter sense of happiness in Cadie when they had talked on the phone, that pleased her mother very much.

Cadie had called home, sounding tired and a little sad, once her plane had landed in Los Angeles. She was due any minute on the shuttle from Minneapolis. Helena moved to one side slightly so she could see around the large, farmer-type walking towards her from the tarmac. She was rewarded with the sight of her daughter's compact frame coming through the door, a backpack hanging from one shoulder and a light sweater over her other arm.

Cadie caught sight of her mother and broke into a broad smile, dropping all her load on the floor before walking into Helena's open-armed embrace.

"Hi Mom,” Cadie said, trying hard to keep the weariness out of her voice. She had forgotten just how draining the trip from Sydney would be and it felt like about three days since she had had any kind of decent sleep. Let alone a meal that had any flavor to it at all.

“Hello darling,” her mother replied, happily squeezing Cadie in a gentle hug before they stepped back for a good look at each other. The two women were more or less the same height and resembled each other enough that there was no doubt to anyone walking past that they were related. The only real differences were in hair color – Helena’s was a refined silver-grey throughout – and build, Cadie having muscles in all the right places, while her mother tended to be more willowy. "My, look at you, so brown,” Helena said, brushing a lock of blonde hair off Cadie’s tanned face. “You look wonderful, dear.”

Cadie grinned at her ever-elegant mother, who didn’t have a hair out of place, and was wearing a beautifully turned-out pantsuit. “Well, I feel like I’ve been dragged through a bush backwards. I can’t wait to get out of these clothes.” She rubbed her face wearily and glanced at the older woman again. “You, on the other hand, look fabulous, Mom,” she said. “Sorry I'm late. We got held up on the ground in Minneapolis.”

“That's okay. I've been having fun watching people.”

Cadie smiled. Her mother had always been the quiet observer of people, finding amusement in the quirks of strangers.

“Thanks for coming and picking me up,” she said, as she picked up her backpack again. Her mother wrapped an arm around her shoulder and she reciprocated, sliding her own arm around Helena's waist as they walked towards the baggage claim area. “It was lovely to know there was going to be a friendly face at the end of all this traveling.”

“Well, of course, darling. I wasn’t going to make you catch a cab to the house, after all.” Helena smiled at Cadie, the mirror image of her own eyes glinting back at her. “You must be exhausted.”

Cadie shrugged. “Actually I just feel kind of discombobulated. It's weird to hear all these American accents again.” They reached the baggage carousel assigned to her flight and she put down her bag again. “I was just getting used to hearing nothing but Australian sounds.”

Helena laughed gently, sensing that there was more than a touch of, if not loneliness, then a certain pining in Cadie's manner.

“I suspect part of that is just because you're missing Jo,” Helena said, chuckling quietly at her daughter's startled response.

“Gee, Mom, nothing like cutting to the chase,” Cadie replied.

Helena shrugged. “I think we know each well enough not to beat around the bush, don't you?”

Cadie didn’t reply, but squeezed her mother again in a silent acknowledgement. It felt good to be around someone warm and familiar. A siren sounded somewhere and the red light on the wall above the carousel began flashing. Machinery ground and the belt jolted into motion.

“The good news is my bag was probably one of the last ones on the plane,” Cadie said. “So, in theory it should be one of the first ones off.” Several bags pushed through the rubber strips at the start of the beltline, none of them Cadie's.

“Nice theory,” Helena murmured, provoking a snort from Cadie. “What's your plan, Arcadia?” she continued. “How long are you going to be with us?”

Cadie stifled a yawn. She kept one eye on the conveyor belt as she thought about her answer.

“Well, I thought I'd spend a few days with you and Dad, while I get over the jetlag and get my sleeping patterns back to at least functional. And then, I guess, I'd better drive down to the Chicago house and pick up the rest of my stuff.” Can’t say I'm looking forward to that, she thought glumly. “That's mine,” she said, grabbing her one piece of wayward luggage as it drifted past.

“I left everything Naomi sent up when she first got back in boxes in the basement,” Helena said. She grabbed one side of the handle of Cadie's bag, and the blonde got on the other side. “I thought it best that you go through them, but at first glance it looks like she just threw in whatever she could reach easily.”

Cadie sighed as they began walking towards the main exit and the car lot. “Why doesn’t that surprise me?” she muttered. “I'd be amazed if Naomi even knew what was mine and what was hers.”

Helena kept silent, knowing that trashing Naomi was probably not the best idea at the moment. However acrimonious their parting had been, Cadie and the senator had spent a lot of years together, and Helena knew better than most that that added up to a lot of mixed feelings.

Cadie shivered, surprised by the cool bite to the wind as they walked outside the terminal.

“I forgot it can still be a bit cold in April,” she said wryly. They stopped long enough for her to pull on her sweater.

“It was a late winter, remember?” Helena said. “No snow at Christmas and then it all starting coming down in early January.”

“That’s right,” Cadie murmured, remembering the heavy snowfalls just before they had left for Australia. “I guess three months in the sun can make me forget Midwest winters.”

“Mmmm sounds lovely,” Helena said. “I must persuade your father to take me out there one of these winters.”

Cadie laughed and picked up her side of the bag again. “Well, now you have the perfect excuse. You know you can always come and stay with Jo and I.” She grinned. “And, it looks like her parents are going to move up there as well.”

They reached the car and Helena handed Cadie the keys. She watched as the blonde opened the trunk and lifted her luggage up. “This really is what you want, isn’t it?” she asked quietly. Cadie nodded, finding tears suddenly very close to the surface. Her mother saved her from actually having to string a sentence together by kissing her on the cheek softly. “It’s okay, sweetheart. It’s actually wonderful to see that look in your eyes again. It’s been a while.”

Cadie smiled wanly. “It has,” she finally managed.

“Come on. Let’s get you home.” Helena glanced knowingly at the blonde. “So you can give Jo a call.”

Jo rubbed wearily at her eyes. So far she had done nothing but sit on the hard, wooden bench outside Criminal Court 1. She hadn’t been called since the committal proceedings had begun at 10am and she had a sinking feeling the rest of the day was going to be more of the same. From what she could gather from Harding’s sporadic updates, the hearing was so far mired in legal argument, largely over the preliminary decision to allow Josh to testify by video.

“We could’ve had him testify and be done with it by now, for all this arguing,” she had grumbled at the time. Harding had just shrugged his shoulders and gone back inside the courtroom, leaving Jo to her own devices.

This afternoon doesn’t seem much different, Jo pondered. Same old lawyers in the same old wigs and robes, talking the same old crap. She sighed and looked at her watch. Just after three. Can’t imagine they’re going to go much longer. Judges don’t like to be late home for dinner, after all. She grimaced ruefully as she leaned back against the wall, her arms crossed. Should’ve brought a good book.

She felt a rhythmic vibration on her hip and dug into her trouser pocket to retrieve her cell phone, flipping it open.

“Madison.”

“Yep, that’s where I am.” Cadie’s soft, welcome tones were like an instant shot of muscle relaxant for the tall, tense Australian.

“Hiya, gorgeous,” Jo breathed. She let her head drop back against the wall. “Damn, it’s good to hear your voice.”

“Mmmm, likewise. Where are you?”

“Sitting outside court like a shag on rock. Just like I have been all day long.”

She heard Cadie sigh. “They haven’t called you yet, huh?”

“Nope. Don’t think they will today either.” Jo glanced left as someone opened the courtroom door from the inside and walked through. But it turned out to be just a reporter, notepad and pen in hand, and she turned her attention back to the phone. “Where are you, more to the point?”

Cadie laughed quietly and Jo absorbed every second of it. “Well, I think I’m at Mom and Dad’s place, but as my brain dribbled out of my ears about 10 hours ago, I can’t be certain.”

Jo looked up at the drab ceiling of the corridor and let herself smile at Cadie’s weary humor.

“I’m glad you got there safely, sweetheart.” She remembered what time it was where Cadie was. “And go to bed, for crying out loud.”

“I will. I just wanted … I just needed to talk to you.”

Awwwwww. “I’m glad you did. I needed to hear you talk to me.” Jo heard Cadie shifting her position, and tried to imagine her lover’s face. “I think I’ve figured out that I really hate being out of contact with you.”

“Oh yeah,” Cadie agreed. “I’m ready to get some sleep, hopefully start to feel human again, and get all this housekeeping done so I can come home again as soon as possible.”

Mmmm, music to my ears, Jo thought. “Just in time to get jetlagged again, huh?” she said out loud.

“I won’t care if it’s you I’m using as a pillow, darling,” Cadie replied, her smile almost audible through the phone line.

Jo chuckled. “And who are you using as a pillow tonight?” she teased.

There was a pause and a sound of something that could well have been bedclothes being pulled back.

“Winnie the Pooh, actually,” Cadie finally replied, provoking a more solid laugh from her partner.

“Fair enough,” Jo conceded. “Call me in your morning?”

“That’ll be pretty late in your night, won’t it?”

“I don’t care,” Jo said, her voice suddenly rough with tears. “Please?”

“Of course, okay,” Cadie answered, and Jo could hear that her lover wasn’t so far from crying herself. “I miss you, Jo-Jo.”

“I’m right here, love,” Jo replied, trying to be reassuring. Somehow, saying that from a distance of 9000 miles, no matter how good the quality of the phone line, just didn’t wash. “I miss you, too.”

There were a few seconds of silence before Cadie yawned. “I guess everything will be a bit better in the morning, huh?” she finally said, fatigue making her sound somehow much younger to Jo’s ears.

“Most things usually are, darling,” Jo agreed, charmed. “Wrap me around you, and sleep deep, okay?”

“Always,” Cadie murmured sleepily. “’Night.”

“G’night sweetheart.”

Jo could feel the cloak slip over her personality even as she stalked into the courtroom and down the centre aisle towards the witness box. She had contemplated willing it not to happen, but as soon as she had stepped inside and seen the all too familiar faces lined up on both sides, she knew she might as well just let it.

I should have known there was no point fighting it, she thought grimly.

It was Friday morning and, surprisingly, Jo had found herself called to the stand almost immediately. There had been a strange sense of satisfaction for her at the semi-audible gasp when she had walked into the room. Even those who knew nothing about her history – and she supposed there were a few of them – were impressed by the figure she cut.

And the weird thing is, I knew that would happen or I wouldn’t have chosen this outfit. I wanted it to happen, apparently, she thought as she walked forward. She was all in black – black leather pants and boots, black turtleneck and a mid-thigh length leather jacket added to her usually imposing stature. It was a color she had pretty much avoided since leaving Sydney, but today had been different. Jo knew damn well she was making an impression. With her long hair, and startling blue eyes, it wasn't too difficult to live up to the reputation she obviously still had.

A quick glance left and right told her there were many in the room who, if they didn’t want her dead, then they certainly wanted a piece of her. Marco di Santo, of course, sat at the defendant's table, looking sullen and ... she half-smiled ... twisted. I guess being castrated will do that to a fella.

Behind him were a row of henchmen, most of whom were known to Jo. In her day they had been minor thugs, just soldiers on the street. Now, she guessed, with di Santo at the top of the tree, these were the yes-men who kept him safe and supplied him with whatever was his drug of choice these days. He used to be a coke-freak, she remembered. One look at his haggard features told her his time in the prison hospital had been less than friendly to his habit, though. They must have kept a 24-hour guard on him.

Jo stepped up into the wooden witness box and settled herself into the chair. She kept her face cold and closed as she took in the details of the courtroom. She was damned if she was going to give anyone in the room, least of all the rows of hungry reporters she could see behind the prosecutor's desk, anything.

Technically, of course, this wasn’t a trial, just a committal hearing. The prosecution would be trying to convince the judge that there was enough evidence with which to go to trial. And the defense would have its chance to get the whole thing thrown out. That was where Jo came in, she knew.

The courtroom made an interesting sight. All the lawyers were bewigged and robed. The judge beside her was even more so, his robes red and draped in silk, unlike the lawyers, who were in plain black. His wig hung down below his shoulders, and his tiny half-glasses perched on the end of what was a rather florid nose. Too much red wine and gin chasers. The clerk of the court approached.

“Please place your left hand on the Bible,” he said, the radio mike attached to his lapel carrying his words to the rest of the room. “Raise your right hand. Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help you God?”

Oh, I wish Cadie were here, Jo thought. “I do,” she said aloud.

“Please state your name for the record.” She smiled as he omitted the requirement for stating her address as well.

I'm still getting some protection, then. Good to know. Not that it did me much good when this goose came calling, Jo thought, looking at di Santo briefly. “Jossandra Christie Madison,” she said quietly, trusting the microphone perched on the edge of the witness box would catch her words.

The clerk moved away and there was a pause in proceedings as the lead prosecutor shuffled his papers and gathered his thoughts.

Jo knew, because she had been well briefed by the lawyer and by Harding, that more hinged on her testimony than just the charges stemming from the attack on her home and Josh. Di Santo had been one of the few who had slipped through the net when Jo had first turned state's evidence five years earlier. The police had tried many times to bring charges against him, but he had evaded them each time. The home invasion against Jo had been just what they needed to get him into court. And now she would have the opportunity to bear witness to a number of incidents that they hoped would help put di Santo away for a long time.

Jo swallowed and moistened her lips as the prosecutor cleared his throat and looked up at her.

“Miss Madison, could you please tell the court about your association with Marco di Santo, the defendant. How long have you known him?”

“I've known him about 15 years.”

“What was the nature of your relationship?”

“I worked for Tony Martin as his bodyguard. Mr. di Santo was Tony's second in charge. He ran the King’s Cross Martial Arts School, the protection rackets associated with it, and the numbers games for Tony.”

“Tony Martin, as in the Tony Martin who you helped put in prison five years ago on three counts of murder and …” He shuffled his papers again, finding the relevant page. “And five counts of dealing in illegal substances?”

“Yes. That Tony Martin.” Jo could hear the coldness in her own voice and hardly recognized herself. I guess that woman’s never going to leave me.

The defense counsel, a small, slightly sweaty man with a number of nervous affectations, rose quickly from his chair.

“Objection, your Honor. This witness is offering nothing but hearsay regarding issues that have nothing to do with the matter before this court. She is a paid informant, whose best interests are served by fabricating evidence against my client.”

The prosecutor almost snorted his derision.

“Miss Madison is a material witness in this case, your Honor. It will be shown that it was her home which the defendant invaded, her house-sitter who was held hostage. In fact, it was Miss Madison who detained the defendant long enough for the police to arrive. By detailing her history with the defendant we intend to establish a pattern to his behavior that will prove he had ample motivation and the methodology for the attack on Miss Madison.”

Jo watched the interchange calmly, almost amused by the game-playing. The judge removed his spectacles deliberately, and gazed sternly at both attorneys.

“The objection is over-ruled. This witness’s history with the Department of Public Prosecutions is irrelevant. She is the alleged victim in this case. But I will remind the prosecution to stay focused on this case. I will not tolerate any straying from the path …” He glanced at the defense brief again. “From either side.”

The prosecutor turned back to Jo.

“Are you being paid for your testimony today, Miss Madison?” he asked.

“No, I am not.”

“Could you tell us in your own words about the events of February 10, this year?”

Jo nodded and shifted slightly in her chair.

“I was working as a yacht skipper in the Whitsunday Islands,” Jo replied carefully. “My next-door neighbor, Josh Matthews, was house-sitting for me, as I was going to be away for about three weeks. On February 10, I received a phone call from Marco di Santo.”

The prosecutor stepped out from behind his desk and walked slowly towards her, hooking his thumbs under the edge of his robe in a rather pompous fashion.

“And what did Mr. di Santo say to you?” he asked. Jo watched a thin bead of sweat trickle from under the man’s wig, across his temple and down the side of his jaw.

“He said he was at my house, that he had Josh, and that if I didn’t come to him straight away he would make Josh a lot less pretty,” she answered.

“And what did you take to be his meaning?”

Again the defense counsel piped up. “Objection, your Honor. She’s testifying about the inner workings of my client’s mind, which, unless she’s some kind of telepath, is impossible for her to know.”

“Over-ruled,” the judge said curtly.

Jo smiled wryly, and, with a nod from the prosecutor, continued. “He meant that he would, at the very least, cut Josh, if not kill him.”

There was another pause as the prosecutor turned away from her slightly before he asked her the next question.

”Did your previous experience with Mr. di Santo suggest that he would carry out his threat?”

Jo almost laughed.

“I knew he would,” she said.

The lawyer walked over to the far corner of his desk, where an easel stood. It held a large, rectangular card which was covered with a light cloth.

“Miss Madison, do you recognize this?” Quickly he whisked the cloth away, revealing a full-color, blown-up photograph.

At first Jo struggled to make out anything recognizable in the mess of reds and blues and flesh tones. In the time it took for her eyes to adjust and for her brain to be able to distinguish the figure into something that made sense, Jo felt her world telescope in on itself. It took all her famous self-control not to suck in a deep and noisy breath. Instead she ground her teeth together. The photo was all too familiar. It was the girl Marco di Santo had shot and beaten to death in a Sydney back alley after he had king-hit Jo into oblivion – the girl who had changed Jo's life. The girl she had been sent there to kill. Jo swallowed.

“Yes, I recognize it,” she said, her voice a deathly calm, cold whisper.

“What is it?” The prosecutor was in his element now, loving the drama of this line of questioning, and he didn’t much care what it was doing to the former assassin.

Jo had a moment of dizziness, backed by a wave of nausea that threatened to double her over. Instead, she folded her hands over each other and gripped tightly until her fingernails dug into the skin. And now I'm very glad Cadie isn’t here to see this.

“It's the body of a girl called Shannon, who was a drug addict and a casual employee of Tony Martin's,” she said. “She had cheated Tony out of a few dollars and he had sent me to kill her.” The frankness of those words chilled her, and she felt the eyes of the entire courtroom riveted on her. Jo flinched and looked down at her hands, wondering at the tiny semi-circles of blood where her fingernails had cut. “I couldn’t do it, but before I could let her go, di Santo ambushed us both.”

The prosecutor walked back towards her, forcing her to look up at him before he continued.

“Was this the first time you had witnessed the defendant in such an act of violence?”

Jo smiled wryly. “No. He made a habit of it.”

“Objection, your Honor. Relevance?” The defense counsel had leapt to his feet once again. “I’m at a loss to know just what this has to do with the events of February 10.”

The prosecutor sighed dramatically. He’d played tennis with the defense counsel two days earlier and they were, in fact, good friends. But all was fair in love and court and he was enjoying his moment in the sun.

“It goes to establishing a pattern of behavior, milord,” he said patiently.

The judge chewed the end of the arm of his half-glasses contemplatively. “I’ll allow it,” he said finally. “But please get to the point, Mr. Roberts. I don’t have a lot of patience for these sort of histrionics.”

Old bugger’s probably got a late golf game lined up, Jo reasoned. Her hands were still shaking from the shock of the photograph, and she was finding it hard to tear her eyes away from it. All those nightmares. As bad as they were, they never matched the reality, she thought, staring into the lifeless eyes of the girl crumpled on the damp roadway. In the corner of the photograph was a man’s shod foot, and with a burst of remembrance, Jo realized it was Harding’s. She turned to look at the detective, who was sitting two rows behind the prosecution. Sympathetic eyes met her own.

The prosecutor was talking again.

“Let’s go back, shall we Miss Madison, to February 10 this year,” he said. “After you received the call from Mr. di Santo, what did you do?”

Back on relatively safe ground, Jo stuck to the facts of her rescue of Josh and the arrest of di Santo. By mutual agreement between herself, the prosecutor and Harding, the only thing she left out of her account of the events was Cadie’s involvement. She was brutally honest about her own part in the tale, right down to the violence she had committed on di Santo as they had waited for the police to arrive.

By the end of the prosecutor’s questions, Jo felt drained and sickened by the whole thing. But she knew there was no easy escape. The defense counsel had to have his turn. With a curt, “your witness”, the lead prosecutor sat down and left Jo to deal with the cross-examination.

The defense counsel stepped forward and looked at Jo carefully, allowing a few seconds of silence before he began.

“Miss Madison, let’s go back to that alley in King’s Cross, for a moment, shall we?” He gestured toward the still-exposed photograph on the easel. “Did you actually see my client kill this girl?”

“He had pistol-whipped me and I was unconscious, so no, I did not,” Jo replied, experienced enough at these games to know how to maximize her case even when the defense was making a relevant point.

“So, you just assumed that my client had done the deed?”

“Given that he had threatened to before he hit me …”

“A simple yes or no answer is all that is required, Miss Madison.”

Jo sighed. “Yes.”

“I see,” said the lawyer. “Was there anyone else in the alley, anyone who could corroborate your story?”

“No, there was not.”

He turned away from her and returned to his desk. “So, we have only your word – the word of a hardened criminal, a killer in your own right, in fact – that it was my client, and not you, who killed that girl?” He pointed at the photograph again.

“Yes, that’s all you have,” Jo admitted.

He changed tack, this time going on the offence. “When the police arrived at your house in Shute Harbor on February 10, they found my client on his knees and you were standing over him with a garrote around his neck. Is that correct?”

Jo nodded. “More or less.”

“And once again, we only have your word for it that you were acting in self-defense. Correct?”

“You have Josh Matthews’ word that he was held hostage,” Jo said.

“Well, I have my own theory about that, Miss Madison,” he said, somewhat smugly. “Would you like to hear it?”

“Objection,” called the prosecutor. “Are we here to talk about evidence, or my learned friend’s, no doubt rich, fantasy life?”

“Get to the point Mr. Barclay,” the judge said, the note of impatience clear in his tone.

“Certainly, milord,” replied the defense counsel agreeably. “I put it to you, Miss Madison that my client is an old acquaintance of yours, and he arrived in Shute Harbor to visit you, found you absent, called you and when you arrived home, you got in to an argument. I put it to you that Josh Matthews got caught up in the middle of it all and hysteria, combined with his youth and loyalty to you, convinced him to give the fanciful testimony we saw yesterday. I put it to you that what the police actually saw on February 10 was you brutalizing a man with whom you’d had a long and antagonistic relationship.” He looked at Jo and smiled. “How am I doing?”

Jo shrugged. “This is your fantasy, not mine,” she answered. “That’s not how it happened.”

“Mmmmm, so you say,” he replied. “Once again, all we have is the word of a woman who has killed many times, and is here today as part of an immunity deal with the prosecution. It’s not a lot to go on, really, is it?” Abruptly he sat down, dismissing Jo with a wave of his hand.

“Do you have anything else for this witness, Mr. Roberts?” the judge asked the prosecutor. There was a pause before he replied.

“Just one question, milord,” the prosecutor said, standing. He leant forward, his hands pressing on the table in front of him. “Miss Madison, are you here today as part of the immunity deal you struck with the Department of Public Prosecutions five years ago?”

Jo considered the question carefully. Would she be here if she hadn’t had that previous relationship with the police? She thought about what di Santo had done to Josh and, she supposed, to her. Damn right I would be, she concluded.

“That deal covered criminal acts I had committed prior to that time. And I believe at the end of the three trials that resulted from me turning state’s evidence, that I signed a piece of paper that allowed me and the DPP to go our separate ways,” she replied, with a half-smile. “There has been no new deal struck. I’m here as someone whose home was invaded by that man…” She pointed at di Santo. “And whose house-sitter was held hostage. That’s all.”

The prosecutor nodded in satisfaction. “No more questions, milord,” he said, as he flicked the tails of his robe from under himself as he sat down. “The witness is dismissed,” the judge instructed.

S’funny how such an evil place can look so pretty. Jo leaned against the a/c-cooled glass, gazing out over Darling Harbor and the other sights of Sydney. The bridge, the Opera House, all the tall city buildings were lit in various shades and styles. It was a beautiful sight from high in the hotel, but it left Jo cold.

She was naked, having just crawled out of bed after a fruitless few hours of attempting to sleep. I’m sure I’m making somebody’s night, she thought. They’d need a pretty good set of binoculars, though. Jo was sitting on the narrow window ledge, side-on to the window, her legs outstretched and slightly bent, her hands wrapped around her knees. Her forehead was pressed against the glass as she looked down on the city.

Ken Harding had wanted her to have dinner with him after they were done in court for the day, but Jo had declined, the pounding headache behind her eyes claiming all her focus.

I’ll make it up to him over the weekend, she had reasoned on her way back to the hotel. I just can’t face company tonight.

The day had ended on another downer, with Jo informed by the prosecution that she could be called again on Monday and to make herself available, condemning her to a whole weekend in the city she loathed. She had spent the early part of the evening half-heartedly picking at her room-service meal and making her way down a bottle of red wine. It hadn’t done her headache much good, but it had at least taken the edge off the churning in her guts.

Her mind was another thing, of course. The moment Jo had climbed in to bed and closed her eyes, she had known it was going to be futile. Her brain was running at a million miles an hour, with the picture of the dead and mutilated girl swirling around like some kind of sick, perverted slide show.

Jo sighed, the condensation from her breath forming a misty cloud on the cool glass. She knew Sydney was one of the world’s great cities, but right now all she could see were the bad memories. She swore the damp stench of that alley was still in her nostrils.

Of course, I could just be losing my mind. Jo slid a fingertip through the condensation, idly drawing a meandering line, her eyes focused on the running lights of a boat out on the harbor. Wouldn’t be the first time.

The phone rang, its modulated tone harsh against the quiet in the room. Jo knew it could only be one person at this hour and she slid off the window ledge with an enormous sense of relief. Her blood pressure dropped 20 points even as she reached for the phone.

Cadie curled onto her side and snuggled deep into the bedclothes as she tucked the phone under her chin and listened to the ring tone. It was still early in Wisconsin but Cadie knew it was past midnight in Sydney and she was probably waking her lover up. Something told her Jo wouldn’t mind even if she did, though. Finally, it was picked up.

“Hello.”

One word told Cadie so much. She’s really down, the American realized. Must have been a bad day in court.

“Hello, gorgeous,” she replied, matching the soft tones of her partner. She heard Jo exhale slowly, followed by a low groan, as if the tall woman had just relaxed totally. “Did I wake you?”

Jo laughed with gentle irony. “I wish,” she answered. “No. I couldn’t sleep and was sitting by the window. Guess I got a little stiff.”

Hmmm. “Where are you now?”

“On the bed. How about you?”

“In the bed. Care to join me?” Cadie smiled to herself, knowing Jo would find that hard to resist. She was rewarded by another soft chuckle from the Australian.

“Sure.” Cadie could hear Jo rearranging herself and the bedclothes. “Okay, I’m in bed,” Jo said redundantly. Her voice now sounded much closer, and a whole bunch more intimate.

Like she’s right here with her mouth close to my ear, Cadie thought, noticing the tingle that image produced. Nice. She forced her mind back to her lover’s mental state. She’s not saying a lot, which says a lot, she thought.

“What are you wearing?” Jo said, out of the blue.

Then again I could be completely wrong, Cadie thought with surprise. “Um, you wouldn’t believe me if I told you,” she answered quietly, glancing down at the pajamas she was wearing.

“Tell me,” Jo’s voice quietly urged.

Cadie laughed softly. “Okay. An old pair of pajamas I haven’t worn since I was sixteen,” she replied.

“And what impossibly cute motif do they have?”

Cadie felt herself blushing. “Um, would you believe lots of little pink panthers?” Jo’s answering laugh rumbled seductively in her ear and Cadie shivered despite the warmth of both the blankets and from the sun peeking through the half-drawn curtains of her childhood bedroom. Mmm, I’m sure seduction is the last thing on her mind, though, the blonde reasoned. “Tell me about your day?”

Jo sighed. Cadie waited as the silence lengthened until she thought her partner wasn’t going to answer at all. But then a very quiet, small voice piped up.

“It sucked.”

No kidding, my love. “I thought so,” Cadie said aloud. “What happened?”

“Some of my history came back to bite me in the arse,” Jo replied.

“But weren’t you expecting that? I mean, the whole reason di Santo came after you in the first place was because of your history with him.”

“Yes, but …” Jo hesitated. “I guess I wasn’t expecting it to be quite as hard as it was,” she said eventually. “They … um …” She sighed again. “Do you remember me telling you about the girl in the alley? The last person I was sent to …” Cadie heard the words stop dead in Jo’s throat.

“Yes, of course,” she murmured.

“That came up,” Jo said hoarsely, and Cadie could hear the tears much closer to the surface now. “Complete with full color pictures of the …”

“Oh, Jo-Jo, I’m sorry.” Cadie wished more than anything in the world that she could wrap her arms around her lover. But all she could do was listen to Jo sniffling.

“S’okay. It just was a bit of a surprise. I guess I should have known all that stuff would come up, especially given the briefing the prosecutor gave me, but …” Jo sniffed again. “But I guess I’ve just been avoiding thinking about it at all. My own stupid fault, really.”

“Shhh. Don’t do that to yourself, Jo. I wish I could have been there for you.” Cadie ran her hand through her hair, frustrated at feeling so helpless and far away. “God, my timing really sucked on this, didn’t it?”

“Not your fault, love,” Jo murmured. “S’just the way things worked out. And you couldn’t have done anything to change things today, even if you had been here.” Her voice sounded grim and weary. “I would still have had to have been that … that … person that I was back then, and I still would have had to look at that picture and remember the way she felt in my hands … and the end of my gun barrel.”

Cadie swallowed around the sudden lump in her throat.

“You’re not that person any more, love,” she said quietly.

“No?” Jo replied, a trace of bitterness in her tone. “It sure felt like it today. All the old cronies were there. And the reporters. I was good copy.”

Cadie knew, suddenly, exactly why Jo sounded so exhausted.

“Jo, don’t you see that it’s all an act these days? That’s why it takes so much out of you and leaves you feeling like a limp dishrag. You have to put on that persona to survive in that environment. But it’s an act, darling. And it takes a lot of effort. That’s not who you really are inside.”

There was a long pause while Jo digested her words.

“I… I used to be able to push aside everything else I was feeling,” she said finally.

“And now you can’t.”

“And now I can’t.”

“I’m glad,” Cadie whispered.

“I miss you … wish you were here.”

“I’m right here, angel.” Now it’s time to distract her, Cadie decided. “So, what are you wearing?” she asked, dropping her own voice down to a more intimate level. There was a pause as she suspected Jo was absorbing the abrupt change in subject, not to mention tone. Cadie held her breath, wondering if she had completely misjudged the situation. It wasn’t long before she got her answer.

“Naked as the day I was born, darling,” Jo burred in the low register that was guaranteed to send tingles up and down the length of Cadie’s spine.

“Mmmm. So I guess if I turned around so I was facing you …” Cadie paused as she did turn over onto her opposite side, even though she had no way of knowing, really, which way Jo was positioned. “I guess if I did that, then I could just slide my hand up your side until I can cup your breast in the palm of my hand.” The catch in Jo’s breath was audible and deeply arousing to Cadie. “And of course, once I’m there I might as well explore a little bit.”

“E-explore?”

Cadie smiled, hearing the beginnings of desire and intrigue in Jo’s tiny hesitation.

“Mhmm. I can just brush my thumb across your nipple, for example.” A low groan curled through the phone line, so close, Cadie almost felt Jo’s breath on her skin.

“Arcadia?”

“Mmmmm?”

“Are you trying to seduce me, over the phone?”

“That’s the general idea, yes. Is that okay?” There was another pause, and for a moment Cadie thought perhaps she’d hit upon a sensitive spot in her lover’s otherwise robust sexual psyche.

“Um, very much okay, I think,” Jo finally replied. “I’m not really sure … I don’t think I’ve ever … um …”

“Had phone sex before?” Life is full of surprises, Cadie thought.

“Um, no.” Jo cleared her throat. “What do we… I mean, how do we…?

Cadie chuckled lightly. “Well, for a start, get comfortable.” She heard Jo sigh again and tried to imagine the long, naked form of her lover, sprawled across the bed.

“Isn’t this going to cost you a fortune?” Jo murmured.

“Nope. It’s Mom and Dad’s phone,” Cadie reminded her. “And trust me, they won’t notice, and if they do, they won’t mind.”

“Oh, god, don’t mention parents,” Jo groaned, provoking a laugh from Cadie.

“Don’t worry, my love, I’m going to distract you with far more interesting thoughts,” she said wickedly.

Jo gulped. “Um, okay. So, what do we do?”

“Close your eyes.” Cadie shifted slightly so she could tuck the phone between her cheek and the pillow. She closed her own eyes, blocking out the view of her childhood bedroom and toys, not to mention the presence of her parents on the other side of the wall. Instead she focused on the picture of Jo in her head. “Now really concentrate on my voice,” she said, almost whispering. “Jo-Jo, I want you to do something for me.” There was another sharp intake of breath from her partner.

“Anything, you know that,” Jo murmured.

“Let your hands be my hands.”

“Oh, myyy.”

Jo’s orgasm, when it hit, was not only an intense physical release but an emotional explosion. As her body shuddered and shivered in response to Cadie’s touch and words, all the tensions and worries of the day erupted in a disconcerting flood of feeling. She sobbed, tears flowing freely even as the last throes of the achingly deep climax ebbed away. Jo could hear soothing, calming words from Cadie, but her heart was beating so fast and hard that she thought it was going to burst out of her chest.

“Shhh, sweetheart, it’s all right,” Cadie murmured, close and tender. “Feel my arms wrapped around you?”

“Y-yes,” Jo stammered, and she was almost certain she could feel the American’s reassuring presence. Well, damn, that was certainly unique. So intense. She let out a long, ragged breath as she finally got to the point where she could formulate a rational sentence. “Y... you kn... know that I love you more than I’ve ever loved anyone, r... right?”

Cadie laughed gently. “Yes, I think I know that, love.”

“And you’ve made me so happy, Cadie. I’ve never been so happy, ever, in my life.” Jo sniffled again and wiped her nose with the back of her free hand. “So, c-can you explain why it is that I’ve done more crying since I met you than in my entire decade of being a hard case. Not to mention the five years since then. How is that possible?” She could hear Cadie shifting position, sighing as she found a new, comfortable way of lying.

“I think it goes back to what we were talking about before,” Cadie said finally. “You built up a lot of layers of self-defense. You needed every damn one of them from what I can work out.”

“S’true,” Jo acknowledged. “And I guess I don’t need them around you, right?”

“Mhmm. Actually, I think there’s a bunch of people you don’t need them with, but I’m the first one you’ve felt safe enough to let your guard down with, so far. And at the moment I think you’re rubbed raw by everything.”

Jo nodded silently, realizing belatedly that Cadie couldn’t see her response. “You’re right. I am a bit.”

“And I’ve been a bit of a … um …” Jo heard Cadie struggling for the right words.

“Lightning rod,” Jo murmured.

“Well, that’s probably as close as anything, yes,” Cadie acknowledged. “Sorry, sweet pea.”

Jo laughed softly. “Don’t be sorry. You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me.” She grunted slightly as a small aftershock reminded her of their love’s more physical manifestations. “And if the last half-hour is any indication, I may never let you out of the bedroom.” She sighed dreamily. “That was awesome.”

“It sounded wonderful, darling,” the American said, her own voice still a little rough with barely-suppressed desire. “You are the sexiest woman on the planet. You know that, right?”

Somehow Jo found the breath to laugh. “All your doing, my love,” she replied. “My hands were your hands, remember?”

“Not to mention my tongue,” Cadie drawled.

“Mmm, quite,” Jo breathed. “God, woman, I don’t think I can move. You’ve paralyzed me.”

“Well, the lovely thing about phone sex is that as long as your voice is audible, you can still work miracles,” Cadie replied.

Jo chuckled, relishing the fact that she felt more relaxed and stress-free than she had in days. “Is that a gentle hint, sweetheart?”

“Mmm, I want your hands all over my body, Jossandra,” was Cadie’s answer, and Jo could hear every ounce of desire in her tone.

“Then close your eyes, and let your hands be my hands.”

“Ohhh.”

“Are you sure you don’t want us to come with you?” Stephen Jones asked his daughter as he watched her loading empty, folded packing cases into the trunk of the rental car. He knew better than most that Cadie was more than capable of handling things, but something about her being alone in the Chicago house bothered him. Maybe it was because he had spent the last two days hearing about the dissolution of Cadie’s relationship with the senator and Naomi’s subsequent descent into instability.

Cadie looked up at her father where he stood on the bottom step of winding pathway up to the front door. In the four months since she had last seen him, he seemed to have aged. His tall, thin frame was more stooped than she remembered, she was sure. He also looked worried.

Probably with good reason, she thought grimly, though the last thing she wanted to do was to admit that there might be a real cause for her parents’ concern. “No thanks, Dad,” she said aloud, smiling up at him. “Naomi’s not going to be there, so there won’t be any distractions. I’m just going to pack up my stuff and get the heck out of there.”

“Are you sure she’s not going to be there?” Stephen asked.

Cadie thought about that. She knew the US Senate schedule, and she was certain it was in session. Besides, she hadn’t told Naomi she was coming. But if Toby and Jason were right, she probably does know, she realized. If I tell him that, though, I’ll be hard-pressed to stop him coming, with his hunting rifle in tow, if I know him. She had called the boys once she had recovered from the jetlag, but they were away on their Caribbean cruise and not due back until the following weekend. Cadie had also called the Chicago house with no result, not even from the housekeeper – a sure sign that Naomi had closed up the house for the duration of the Senate session and headed back to DC.

“I’m sure, Dad. Senate’s in session and she can’t afford to be missing any votes. Not with the way she damaged her reputation while we were in Australia,” she said as she dropped her overnight bag on top of the packing cases and closed the trunk. Besides coming to Chicago would entail a little effort on her part, and God knows, that’s just not Naomi.

“All right then,” her father conceded. “You know where we are if you need us.”

Cadie stepped up to him and placed her hands on his shoulders, reaching up on tiptoes to kiss him lightly on the cheek. “Thanks Dad.”

“Drive safely,” he reminded her. “Have you got enough change for the tolls? Have you got your cell phone?”

Cadie laughed and patted him on the chest. “Yes, I have enough change. No, I don’t have my cell phone. That’s at the house where I left it before we went to Australia.”

“Then take mine,” he persisted.

“Dad,” she answered, mock sternly, hands on hips. “Don’t worry so much, okay? It’s not that long since I did the drive to Chicago.” She walked back to the car and opened the driver’s side door. “I’ll give you a call once I’ve reached the house, okay? Besides, you need your cell phone tomorrow.”

“All right, but make sure you call,” Stephen said gruffly, sticking his hands in his pockets. Cadie waved as she drove away, the sight of him in her rearview mirror a comforting and familiar one.

It was about 4pm on Sunday and Madison was at its springtime best. The sky was clear and blue and there was a touch of warmth about the sun even though it was making its way down to the horizon. Before long Cadie had wound her way through the flowering suburbs and onto the beltline skirting the southern side of the city. Traffic was light, thankfully, and soon she swung the car onto I-90 heading south. As she settled in for the drive Cadie started to plan just how she would get things done.

She would have preferred to have left that morning and spent only one night at the house, but her parents had organized a family barbeque at lunchtime and Cadie hadn’t had the heart to make them change their plans. Anyway, it had been fun catching up with all the cousins and aunts and uncles. And by mid-afternoon she had been too antsy to hang around until the next morning to leave.

Looks like I’m going to make good time, she thought as she looked around at the traffic, or lack of it. I should make it to the house by 7pm or so. I can probably get a bit done tonight, and then I’ll have the whole day tomorrow to do the rest. One more night in the house should do it and I can be back in Madison before lunch on Tuesday. Perfect.

She hadn’t yet figured out exactly how she felt about it all. The Chicago house had been something of which both she and Naomi had been very proud. It was in an old part of the city and they’d spent a lot of time and money renovating it and making it exactly what they both wanted. Saying goodbye to it, finally and forever, wasn’t necessarily something Cadie felt happy about.

M’losing a lot, she considered. A lot of pieces of history. She thought about Naomi’s extended family, including nephews and nieces of whom she was really quite fond. A lot of people.

She contemplated that as she dodged around a slow-moving car that refused to move out of the middle lane of the highway.

Then again, look at what I’m gaining. A vision of Jo’s face filled her mind’s eye and she couldn’t help smiling. More love than I’ve ever known and no strings attached. No game-playing, no politics, no bullshit neediness and the kind of equality in a relationship I’ve always craved. All wrapped up in a drop-dead gorgeous package. Cadie overtook a UPS semi-trailer and ducked back into the slower lane once she had passed. Not that that’s important, her thought process continued. A lovely bonus, admittedly. She grinned to herself. But it’s Jo and that feeling of safety that I get when I’m with her that I love. I never had that with Naomi, not even in the early days. I never quite knew what she was thinking. So I guess I can live with what I’m losing, because what I’m gaining is more important to me. I don’t think I really believed that until I got back here.

She rested her left elbow on the windowsill and let the wind whip through her hair as she pushed the car just above the speed limit.

I can’t wait to get the next couple of days over and done with, though.

Jo sat across the small table from Ken Harding and tried not to think too much about the big man’s eating habits. They were sharing a late breakfast in a café across the road from the court complex and Jo winced as she watched the detective plowing his way through a plate of bacon and eggs like a man who hadn’t eaten in a month. She contemplated starting a conversation but the thought of him trying to talk with his mouth full almost put her off the croissants and black coffee in front of her.

She had spent most of the weekend inside the hotel, making use of its swimming pool and gymnasium to ward off boredom and lethargy. The thought of being out and about in the city, particularly when her former colleagues knew she was in town, didn’t seem all that sensible, even if she had wanted to. The highlight of her weekend had been the twice-daily phone calls with Cadie.

Breakfast with Harding had been her concession to turning down his dinner invitation on Friday.

“You not hungry?” Harding finally said around a mouthful of fried egg as he watched Jo pick at a corner of her croissant.

“Yeah, I’m okay,” she replied, giving him a half-smile. “Just got a lot on my mind, that’s all.”

Harding slurped at his cup of coffee and looked at her over its rim. “Don’t worry about it,” he said casually before diving in for another noisy mouthful. “They’ll be done with you today for sure. You’ll probably be home by tonight.”

“Trouble is, I don’t want to be home,” Jo muttered, not really intending for him to hear. She glanced up in time to watch Harding drip a glob of egg yolk on to his tie and she winced again. He was oblivious, noisily chewing on another forkful of bacon. Jo twirled her coffee cup absentmindedly with the fingers of her right hand. “Ken, can you find something out for me?”

Harding stopped eating long enough to look at his breakfast companion more carefully. She looks buggered, he realized, noticing the dark circles under her eyes for the first time. Missing that little American sheila, I bet. Jo had told him about Cadie’s trip when he had wondered why she hadn’t hung around for the court case.

“If I can,” he said aloud, putting his knife and fork down. “What’s up?”

Jo gazed into the depths of her coffee for a few more seconds before she looked up, almost as if she’d made an important decision, just that second.

“You know Cadie’s in the US, right?” she asked, continuing on when she saw Harding’s answering nod. “If I wanted to go over there to join her, what would it take?” He hesitated and she rushed on. “I mean, I guess I’ve kind of just assumed that with my criminal record, that they wouldn’t let me in the country, but … I don’t know … I guess I just wondered if you knew for sure.”

Harding blinked at her, surprised that she was turning to him for the information.

“Um … no, I don’t know for sure, not off the top of my head,” he answered gruffly. “I can find out though, if you give me a few hours.”

Jo brightened considerably. “Can you? That would be fantastic. I just want to know for sure, if you know what I mean. If I can go, then I think I want to.”

Harding cleared his throat, unnerved by the look on Jo’s face. Even though he’d seen quite a bit of her since they’d reconnected earlier in the year, he still expected to see that hard, cold expression that had been so characteristic of her persona during her killing years. Seeing her oscillate from lonely depression through to quiet hopefulness in the space of a few seconds was more of a surprise than he cared to admit. Hard to believe it’s the same woman sometimes, he thought.

“Yeah, well, they probably won’t need me for more than a few minutes in court today,” he said. “Then I can make some phone calls for you, see what the go is.”

“Thanks Ken,” Jo said quietly, smiling across at him. The day was looking up.

Cadie slung her overnight bag over her shoulder and tucked a few packing cases under her other arm. It was well after dark and the large house in front of her was completely unlit. She juggled her house keys in her free hand, using the light from the car’s interior to help her find the key that would open the front door. Finally she had it and she made her way up the path to the imposing portal. She was a little disconcerted that the movement-sensitive security lighting hadn’t come on when she’d pulled into the driveway.

I guess Naomi disconnected it last time she was here, she thought. Either that, or something’s tripped the circuit off. Maybe a power surge or a blackout or something. God, I hope the power’s not still out. A tiny shiver went through her at the thought and she drove it to the back of her mind as she inserted the key in the lock and turned it.

She pushed the door open and stepped inside the darkened foyer. With one hand she fumbled for the light switch, her heart sinking when no illumination was forthcoming.

“Fuck.” The hairs on the back of Cadie’s neck stood up and she fought the urge to back out of the house as quickly as she had come in. “Don’t panic,” she muttered. “It’s just an empty, dark house. You always said you knew it like the back of your hand. Here’s your chance to prove it.” Her voice sounded hollow and amplified in the large foyer, and somehow she found it reassuring.

She blinked, letting her eyes adjust to the dark. Gradually she began to be able to make out shapes in the gloom.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck.” She thought hard about the layout of the foyer and reached out with her right hand. There was the small antique table, just where she had expected it to be.

“Okay. Let’s see if I know this place well enough to find the emergency supplies in the pantry.”

Cadie moved forward slowly, using her hands as advance scouts. She made her way down the corridor, towards the kitchen, pleased to find her eyes adjusting even more as she progressed. The living room opened out on her right, and she was aware of the deep, dark space beyond the open doorway, but she didn’t care to look too closely. She stubbed her toe once on the porcelain cat she had forgotten was sitting at the foot of the stairs, but it wasn’t too long before she wrapped her hand around the doorknob of the pantry.

It was even darker inside the spacious cupboard, but Cadie thought she had a pretty good idea where to find what she was looking for. She crouched down, relieved to find the box of emergency supplies exactly where she expected it to be.

“Okay, flashlight, flashlight, where are you?” she muttered as she dug around in the box. “God damn it!” The big, black torch was nowhere within touch. “Shit!” Another wave of panic set Cadie’s heart racing and she felt the heavy darkness all around pressing down on her. “Get a grip, Arcadia, for God’s sake.” She took a deep breath and reached into the box again, forcing her brain to run through the list of what else was supposed to be in there.

“Ahhh,” she breathed, as her hand closed around a smaller box she knew contained candles. “Now we’re talking. Matches, matches, matches – yes! Matches. Thank you, Jesus.”

Cadie felt almost chirpy as she struck a match and put it to the wick of a brand new candle. For the time being she didn’t care about the wax dripping on the floor, or finding something to stand the candle on, she just wanted light. The warm, yellow glow flickered, then grew, and Cadie slid down onto the floor, leaning her back against the open pantry door. She forced herself to breathe more evenly.

“Okay. So… this isn’t so bad,” she said to herself. “It’s just an empty, dark house. Nothing to be freaked out about.” She laughed, but the sound of it echoing off the walls only weirded her out further, so she cut it off mid-chuckle. “Ugh.”

A drop of melted wax fell on to the back of her hand and Cadie hissed at the sting. Pushing herself up she went in search of a saucer to stand the candle on. The kitchen was basically clean but there was a fine layer of dust over every horizontal surface.

I’m guessing Naomi hasn’t been here since she first got back from Australia, she thought as she dripped a pool of wax into the middle of a small plate. Can’t say that surprises me. Cadie dropped the rest of the candles on the countertop and went about setting a few more onto plates. Might as well throw a little light on the subject.

A few minutes later she had three candles burning cheerily and she picked them up, making her way back along the hall to the living room. One she placed on the side table in the corridor. Cadie stood on the threshold of the spacious room, the candlelight penetrating only so far. All the furniture was draped with sheets and all she could make out were lumps and bumps amongst the silhouettes.

Might as well start here as anywhere, she reasoned as she took a step forward.

“Hello, Arcadia.”

Chapter Eleven

Ken Harding sat in the outer waiting room of the police commissioner's office, flicking through a six-month-old magazine while he waited for the boss to see him. Harding was a mildly ambitious man but the officer behind the big teak doors, the man he had gone through Police Academy with, had him well beaten on that particular score. Not that Harding cared that the man was more ambitious than he. He respected the Commissioner and got on well with him, but that didn’t mean John Stiles was about to grant him any favors. Especially this one.

Finally the door opened and the Commissioner's full head of grey hair poked out.

Another area he wins hands down, Harding thought absently as he pushed himself up out of the fake leather chair.

“Harding! Good to see you. Come on in,” said Stiles, gesturing the big detective into his inner sanctum. “Haven’t talked to you in a while. How's the di Santo thing going?”

“Yeah good, Commissioner,” Harding replied. “Don't think there's any chance they won't put him up for trial.”

“Good, good. That's what we like to hear.” Stiles settled himself into his seat and looked over at Harding. “So what I can I do for you this morning?”

Harding cleared his throat and shifted in his place. “D'you remember Jo Madison, Commissioner?”

His commanding officer nodded slowly. “One of your pet projects,” he replied. “Yes, I remember her. She put away a lot of big names a few years ago. We had her on some kind of immunity deal, didn't we?”

“Yes, sir. And you helped me out a few months ago, getting an acquaintance of hers out of a spot of trouble up on Hamilton Island.”

A flicker of recognition crossed the Commissioner's face. “Was that her? Hadn’t connected the two matters until then but, yes, I remember. So what trouble is she in now?”

Harding shook his head. “None, sir. In fact she's helping us with the di Santo thing. Actually she's asked for a bit of information on a personal matter, and I thought I'd go straight to the top for the answer.”

The Commissioner's eyebrows climbed towards his hairline. “A personal matter? Like what?”

Harding coughed again. “Well, sir, she wants to get to the United States to help out a friend, and with her record, she might need a little assistance doing that.”

Stiles' brow furrowed. “That's something she'll have to fight with the Americans about, Harding. And I can tell you now, they won't like the idea at all. You know they’re hypersensitive about security matters these days. There’s not much chance they’re going to let a known criminal in voluntarily.”

“That's where I thought we could put in a good word, sir. With the consulate,” Harding persisted. “Maybe guarantee her return here, or something.”

The Commissioner looked decidedly uncomfortable. “By we, you mean me, I assume?” Harding had the good grace to blush a little, but he nodded anyway. “Jesus, Harding, that’s a bit of a political time bomb if it goes pear-shaped. How can we guarantee that she won’t go walkabout? She's not exactly trustworthy, is she?” The senior officer glared at the detective for a few seconds before he stood up and walked to the window, where he gazed out on the city landscape.

Harding swallowed and dropped his eyes as he thought about his response. He knew that whatever he said now would tell the Commissioner a lot about just how personally involved with Madison he really was. He wasn’t sure that was necessarily something he wanted to let John Stiles know. It never paid to have feelings on the job. Then again, this was Madison they were talking about. I always was a sucker for those baby blues.

“I can guarantee it, sir,” he said quietly. “Personally. I've gotten to know her bit over the years and I can guarantee that if she says she's coming back, then she's coming back.”

Stiles looked at him and let the silence stretch to a few seconds. “Ken, you've never tried to trade on the fact that we were classmates before. I don’t care about that Hamilton Island thing – that was nothing.” He waved that away with a dismissive hand gesture. “I’ve always respected you for not trying it on that way. So why are you breaking the habit of a lifetime now?” He turned back around to face Harding, leaning his backside on the windowsill and folding his arms.

Harding blinked and took a deep breath. “I like her, sir,” he said quietly. “Yeah, I know what she’s done, and I know what it looks like. But, frankly, she's done a lot for us. Apart from the arseholes she helped us put away five years ago, she's also going to be the final nail in di Santo's coffin, God willing.”

“You're surely not suggesting that we owe a known criminal – a murderer, what's more – anything at all?”

“I'm saying that she helped us and walked away, refusing our protection – saving us a bunch of money, if nothing else – and that she's kept her nose clean and now is doing more to put away a bloke we've been chasing down for years.” Ken cleared his throat again. “And, the bottom line is, I trust her, sir.”

The Commissioner ran his hand through his hair and sighed. “You’re asking an awful lot, Harding,” he growled.

“I know, sir.” And you’re never gonna let me forget are ya, you bastard.

“All right, Ken. But if she lets us down, it'll be you, not me, who pays the price. I’ll never let you forget it.”

“Yes sir, I understand.”

Stiles took another few seconds to look at the detective before he nodded decisively.

“Right then. Sit tight and let me make a few phone calls.”

“I find there is sufficient evidence to commit Mr. Marco di Santo to trial on this matter,” intoned the judge. “He will be remanded in custody until his next appearance on…” He glanced down at his diary. “September 12. Court dismissed.” He banged his gavel down and rose creakily from his chair, the entire room rising with him.

Thank Christ that's over with, Jo thought as she slumped back into her seat once the old man had departed the room. Guess I get to do it all again in September, but at least by then Cadie will home and it will all be a bit easier to deal with. She thought about the prospect of her lover seeing more graphic evidence of her own seamy past and fought down the urge to panic. Come on, get a grip. She knows the worst by now, and she hasn’t run from it, so I guess she'll deal with that as well, Jo decided.

The prosecutor interrupted her thoughts when he turned to her and leaned over the low wooden railing that separated his desk from the public gallery. He reached out with a hand and she shook it, obligingly.

"Good job, Miss Madison,” he said, smiling. “I trust we can count on you again during the trial?”

Jo nodded. “I'd rather like to see him put away, Mr. Roberts, so yes, I'll be here if you need me,” she said.

"We'll be in touch as the time approaches,” he replied, dropping his papers into the battered leather briefcase in his other hand. Without another word he clicked the case shut and exited down the center aisle of the courtroom.

“And goodbye to you, too,” Jo murmured. She looked around the rapidly emptying room, but Harding was nowhere to be seen. Jo rather hoped he was on a scouting mission for her. Her eye was caught by the sight of two policemen flanking di Santo as they handcuffed him and led him away. He cast an evil glance in her direction as he went and Jo flashed him the tiniest of waves.

“See you in September, you son of a bitch,” she muttered under her breath.

Harding walked back in and slid in to the row behind Jo. He leaned forward and rested his forearms on the wooden back of the bench on which she was sitting. Jo rested back and looked at him sideways.

“You missed the decision,” she said quietly.

"Yeah, well, I assumed they'd come to the right conclusion,” he answered.

“They did.”

Harding snorted. “Of course they did. Obvious as balls on a dog that he had to go to trial. Sometimes I think we waste too much time on giving these arseholes their so-called rights.”

Jo chuckled. “There speaks a man who's always been on the right side of the law,” she said, smiling at the big policeman. Harding looked even more disheveled than usual, she thought. His tie was askance and sweat trickled down the side of his face. One of these days, I swear, he's going to drop dead where he stands, Jo thought affectionately. “What have you been up to, Detective?”

Harding wiped his brow with a rather grey-looking handkerchief he fished out of his jacket's breast pocket before he answered. He stuffed it back and looked right at her.

“Running around on your behalf, actually,” he said smugly. "So, if we could figure out how to get you to the US, when would you want to go?”

Jo looked at him and raised an eyebrow in surprise and hope. "Are you serious?”

“M'not making any promises, okay?” he said hastily. “But I’ve managed to get us an appointment with some senior boffin over at the US Consulate General. You up for it?”

Jo’s heart skipped a beat. “Yes, of course,” she said, trying to contain the leap of hope. Probably won’t come to anything, so just calm down, she told herself. “When?”

“Soon as we can get there,” Harding said bluntly.

“How the hell did you manage that, Ken?” she asked wonderingly. “Did you sell your soul for it?”

Harding sported a rare grin, an expression that took years off his age and made Jo match it with one of her own in pure reflex. He touched the side of his nose with one meaty finger and winked.

“Can’t say too much,” he said playfully. “Come on, let’s get moving, or we’ll never get through the fucking traffic.”

“Lead on,” Jo said.

“Jesus Christ, Naomi. You scared me half to death.” Cadie hurriedly crouched down to pick up the sputtering candle that she had dropped, before it burned the carpet. “What the hell kind of bullshit was that to pull?” She felt a deep anger rising up in her chest at the thought that her ex-partner had deliberately set out to scare her.

Naomi sat as still as a rock in the sheet-draped chair across the room from the door. In her hand was the flashlight Cadie had been looking for, its light casting her face with an eerie glow that put Cadie in mind of a grotesque Halloween pumpkin lantern.

“No bullshit, Arcadia,” the senator murmured. “I had the power disconnected once I realized I had no idea when you would be home. I’ve only been here a couple of hours myself, so I haven’t had time to do anything about it.”

Cadie put the righted candle on the nearest flat surface and set about lighting a few more, placing them around the room.

“You could have said something when I first got here, instead of sitting there like some kind of malevolent toad.” Ease up, Cadie. Don’t let your temper get the better of you. She slammed a candle down hard, endangering the plate it was balanced on, the adrenalin still coursing through her system. Fuck her.

“I was asleep,” Naomi said calmly. “I’m sorry if I startled you.”

Asleep my ass. I made enough noise coming in here to wake the dead. Cadie whirled on her. “Startled me? Jesus, Naomi. How would you have felt if it had been the other way around?” She slumped down into one of the other armchairs and ran her hand through her hair in exasperation. Her heart was still pounding like a son of a bitch. “Jesus.”

A low, laugh came from across the room. Cadie would have almost described the sound as creepy if she hadn’t been trying desperately hard to minimize the panic Naomi’s stunt had generated.

“You can’t honestly say you weren’t expecting me to show up,” Naomi said softly. “You’re my partner, this is our house and I knew you would come here eventually.”

Cadie looked at her sharply. Naomi had switched the flashlight off, now that the room was at least semi-adequately lit by candles.

“Yes, Naomi, just how did you know I would be coming here tonight? I mean, I know that you were informed when I landed in the country, but I only really decided this morning that I would be driving down today. Besides, aren’t you supposed to be in the Senate?”

Naomi shrugged. “I’m sure the world will keep turning without me for a few days,” she replied mildly. “You may find this hard to believe, but I do still have friends in Madison. Friends who know how badly I want to patch things up with you and who did me the favor of letting me know your movements.”

Cadie was appalled. “You’ve had someone watching the house?” she asked, incredulous. Naomi chose not to reply, but an almost feral smile creased her face. “Unbelievable,” Cadie exclaimed. “I’d heard you were pretty much losing it, Naomi, but now I’m starting to actually believe it.”

The senator showed few signs of emotion, but her hands balled into fists on the arms of the chair in which she was sitting. “I don’t know what else you expected me to do. You don’t accept my phone calls, you don’t reply to my emails, and you certainly don’t initiate any contact with me, let alone have the courtesy to tell me when you would be coming to my home.”

Cadie snorted. “Your home? A couple of minutes ago it was ‘our home’.”

“What do you want from me, Cadie?” Naomi snarled, the first indication of her true emotions. “I want to talk to you. I doubted if you would meet with me voluntarily, so I made sure that we would cross paths. You can’t blame me for that.”

“And you left the power disconnected just for effect, I suppose?” Cadie snapped back. “Thought it might be amusing?”

“Surpriiise…” Naomi said, letting another feral grin wipe the anger from her face.

For the second time in just a few minutes, Cadie felt a tendril of fear curl its way around her intestines. This was different, though. It wasn’t the shock, this time. This time it was the cold, stark knowledge that her ex-partner was not someone with whom she wanted to tangle. Not now and not ever again.

Cadie said nothing, but sat back in her chair and watched the senator warily.

One thing’s for sure, she’s not going to just let me wander around packing up my stuff. She crossed her legs and folded her arms, preferring to let Naomi make the next move. Instinct tells me I should just walk out now and drive back to Madison, but somehow I don’t think she’s going to let me get away with that, either.

“I was thinking that once we sort all this out between us, that we should redecorate the house,” Naomi said contemplatively, looking around as if seeing the place for the first time. “It’s been about five years since we did this room, hasn’t it? What do you think, darling?”

I think you’re nuts. “Mom and Dad are expecting me to call, or they’re going to worry,” Cadie said out loud. “Or have you disconnected the phone as well?”

“Feel free.” Naomi gestured at the telephone which sat on a nearby coffee table. “But I don’t think there’s much point in making a fuss, do you? I’m sure you don’t want them rushing down the highway for no reason.” She smiled again. “After all, you’re perfectly safe, here with me.”

The two forlorn figures leaning on the bar looked like some kind of bizarre comedy double act. Both leaned with their chin on their hand. Both held a half-drunk glass of something smooth and amber in their other hand. Both gazed ahead soulfully, blinking mindlessly at their own reflections in the mirror that ran the length of the back of the hotel bar. And both sighed intermittently between sips.

“Well, we tried,” Jo said glumly.

“Yeah, we did. M’sorry we couldn’t do more than that,” Ken replied, his words slurring just a little.

“Hey, mate, you got us in there in the first place. S’not your fault that little pipsqueak wasn’t going to give in no matter we said.” Jo took another swig of scotch.

Ken turned slightly to look at his drinking companion. “He was a knob wasn’t he? Damned if we didn’t nearly persuade him. Bastard.”

Jo glanced at him. “Would you really have come with me, Kenny?”

He gave her a lopsided grin. “Sure. Fuck knows I deserve a holiday and as long as you’d knocked me out for the flight I’d’ve had fun, m’sure. Just can’t stand fucking planes.”

“Well, you should try women instead.” Jo guffawed at her own pun, though it was lost on Harding, who looked nothing but puzzled. “S’a joke, Joyce,” Jo muttered.

“Jesus, you must be drunk if you thought that was funny,” Ken complained.

They had gone straight from the US Consulate to an early, and largely liquid, dinner, and then back to the bar at Jo’s hotel. It wasn’t late, particularly, but the day’s events were catching up with both of them.

“The depressing thing is I think I’m actually starting to sober up,” Jo said mournfully. “Damn, you know I was sure we had him when you suggested you’d go with me and I’d report in to the local authorities every second day.”

“I should’ve said every day, god damn it,” Harding muttered. “I knew it wasn’t gonna work the minute the words came out of my mouth.” He sighed loudly. “So what are you gonna do now?”

Jo shrugged. “Nothing, I guess. It was just an idea I had ‘cos m’missing her like crazy. Guess I’m just gonna have to stop being a big cry-baby and wait it out till she gets home.” She drained the last of the scotch. “M’just a big old mushball, huh?”

Harding snorted. “Yeah, that’s you all right.” He gestured at the bartender and waited while the man refilled his shot glass. Jo waved him away, covering her own glass with her hand. “You worried about that cute little sheila of yours going back to her girlfriend?”

Piercing blue eyes suddenly regained their focus and pinned him to the closest wall. “No, Harding, m’not worried about that,” Jo said coolly. Was she? Fuck sake, of course not. And quit breaking Ken’s balls.

“Oh yeah, you’re a big mushball,” Ken muttered, a half-smile playing across his lips. “Take it easy, okay? I was just asking.”

“Yeah, I know. Sorry. S’just the thought of that bitch makes me want to resurrect that nice little garrote of mine.” An evil twinkle winked back at Harding and reminded him of just who he was sitting next to.

“I’m sorry I didn’t get to meet her,” Ken sniggered.

“You didn’t miss much. Try to imagine a cane toad, only with less personality.”

“Bleugh, no thanks.”

Jo leaned her elbow back on the bar. “I had a fabulous dream about her the other night,” she said.

Harding looked at the beautiful woman out of the corner of his eye. “You’re dreaming about your girlfriend’s girlfriend?” he asked. “Kinky.”

Jo slapped him across the shoulder. “Not that kind of dream, you old pervert,” she chided him. “No, we were all on this beach up in the islands. Can’t figure out which one,” she said, getting distracted. “Anyway, Naomi was giving Cadie grief about something and I was walking towards them, and I was dragging an anchor by its chain. Naomi said something that just really pissed me off – can’t remember what – and I started swinging the anchor round and round above my head.” Ken laughed, because he could see where this was going. “Shut up. I let it go and it sailed through the air in slow motion and – splat! – it nailed the bitch on the back of the head and shoved her face down in the sand. Just like Wile E. Coyote and that damn rock.” She smiled dreamily at the memory.

“And the best thing was the sound,” she continued. “It was just like when you take a swing at a cane toad with a seven-iron.”

This time Ken almost choked on a mouthful of scotch, he laughed so hard. “That’s the second time you’ve mentioned cane toads in the last 10 minutes,” he said. “Is this some kind of fetish you only develop when you’re half-cut?”

“Not a fetish,” Jo mumbled. “S’just the image I get when I think of that bitch.”

“Fair enough.”

“You gonna be all right to get home, mate?” Jo asked as she clambered off her barstool. “I think I’m about done for the night.”

“Yeah, I’ll be right. I’ll just whistle up a patrol car. They can drop me off.”

She looked at the big man affectionately. “The perks of rank, eh?”

“Yeah, something like that. M’gonna finish my drink first, though.”

“Fair enough.” Jo felt a wash of gratitude for the older man. Whatever his motivations, Harding had proven himself to be a good friend. On impulse she leaned forward and dropped a kiss on his florid cheek. “Thanks for everything, Ken,” she murmured before she turned on her heel and exited the bar, heading for her room.

Harding sat stunned for a few seconds before he lifted a hand and touched the spot she had kissed with nerveless fingers. “I’ll be damned,” he muttered. “She kissed me.” He looked down at the almost empty glass in front of him. “That calls for a drink.”

Jo was dreaming again. The images were jumbled and nonsensical but they were pleasant enough, thankfully. Somewhere in the dreamscape a phone was ringing, loudly and persistently. Ringing and ringing and ringing.

Ugh. Jo reached out blindly and fumbled for the phone. She almost dropped it before she managed to get it to her ear.

“Yeah, hello,” she grumbled.

“Is that Jo Madison?”

Female. American. Not Cadie. Can only be one of two choices and I’d recognize a cane toad if I heard one.

“Hello, Mrs. Jones. Yes, this is Jo.” A sliver of fear washed through Jo, the sudden wave of adrenalin cutting through the residue of fatigue and hangover. Why would Cadie’s mother be calling me, when Cadie’s … “What’s wrong? Is Cadie all right?” Panic tasted bad, she realized.

“Yes, yes, she’s fine,” Cadie’s mother replied. “At least … well, at least, we think she is. I’m actually calling to see what you think.”

Confused and still befuddled by sleep, Jo sat on the edge of the bed and rubbed her face with her free hand. Come on, Madison, get your brain working. “Okay,” she said.

“Cadie called us a few hours ago. She’s at the Chicago house.”

“Oookay.”

“So is Naomi.”

Jo’s heart sank and the hairs on the back of her neck stood up. She swallowed. “She told you that?”

“Oh yes,” Helena said. “She also said everything was fine and that she didn’t need us to drive down to be with her.”

Jo thought about that. “And you don’t believe her?” She could just imagine the intimidating figure of the senator listening in on that call. Don’t panic her mother, Jo. No matter what you’re feeling.

There was a pause on the other end of the phone. “Well, she sounded very tense. I don’t think she was happy about things at all.”

I bet. Jo felt slightly sick. On the one hand, her first instinct was to send in the local reinforcements as quickly as possible. Especially as even if I could get on a plane right now, I won’t be there for another 24 hours. She felt renewed anger at the pigheaded US Consulate official. Damn him. On the other hand, she knew Cadie would consider that she was perfectly capable of handling Naomi without any interference from her parents. Or me, for that matter. Look at how Cadie handled herself at the airport. That took a cool head and some quick thinking. She bounced up off the bed and began pacing. On the third hand, you know damn well that bitch will do almost anything to get Cadie back.

“I’m not really sure what to tell you, Mrs. Jones,” Jo said quietly, forcing her own sense of uneasiness down deep, where she hoped it wouldn’t show. “I think if Cadie had needed you there, she would have found a way to tell you exactly that. It could be that this will be a good opportunity for them to finally tie up all the loose ends.” Right. And it could be a good opportunity for Naomi to start getting nasty when she finally realizes Cadie isn’t going back.

The older woman sighed. “Yes, I suppose you’re right. I just keep thinking of all the stories Cadie has been telling us about Naomi’s behavior lately.”

Jo had a quick flash of Naomi’s hand pulled back to strike Cadie in the watch-house of the Hamilton Island police station. “Yes, I know what you mean,” she murmured. “I wish I was there.” M’going. I don’t care what it takes anymore. But how?

“I wish you were, too,” Cadie’s mother said. “Cadie’s told me a lot about … well, about how you make her feel safe.” Jo felt herself blushing and she rubbed her face again. “I’ll be very glad when Naomi is out of her life for good, because somehow I don’t think she’s ever made Cadie feel that.”

The solution came to Jo in a cold flash, stopping her mid-pace. She made a quick decision, a calm settling over her as she sat back down on the bed.

“Look, how about this as a compromise,” she said aloud. “I’ll get there as soon as I can. That gives Cadie just over a day to deal with Naomi. Hopefully, she’ll be just fine.” Hopefully.

“Thank you, Jo.” The relief in Helena Jones’ voice was obvious. “It’s always a fine line between letting your children make their own mistakes and keeping them too sheltered from the world. I want to race down that highway, but if we do, and everything’s fine, Cadie won’t thank us for it. But we’re so worried for her.”

Jo heard a world of pain and memories in that statement and she remembered the grief in Cadie’s eyes as she had told Jo about the death of her older brother, Sebastian. No wonder her mother’s torn about this, she thought. Keep it calm and normal.

“It’s okay,” she murmured, thinking that perhaps she might get to like Cadie’s mother, very much. “Um, could you tell me the address of the Chicago house, please?”

“Oh yes, of course. Do you have a pen?”

Jo reached for the hotel stationary and pen sitting on the bedside table. “Yep. Go ahead.”

Helena gave the Australian the address. “Jo, there’s a chance Cadie may be back here by the time you arrive in Chicago,” she said. “I mean, there’s just no way of knowing really.”

“Yeah, I know,” Jo replied. “That’s okay. I was thinking of flying over to surprise Cadie, anyway.” Of course, I still have to run a few gauntlets before then, but why burden her with the details.

“Oh, really? It will be lovely to finally get to meet you,” said Helena, oblivious to the dark thoughts running through the mind of her daughter’s lover. “I think Cadie’s missing you, really quite badly.”

Jo smiled to herself. “Well, that’s mutual,” she replied. “Thanks for calling, Mrs. Jones. And I’ll see you in a couple of days, hopefully.”

“Yes, hopefully. Goodbye, Jo. Safe travels.”

“Bye.”

Jo sat for several minutes after she hung up, her head bowed, her hands clasped in front of her, her elbows on her knees. She knew there was now only one way of getting herself to the US in short order.

And that means resurrecting an old friend, she thought grimly. And finding one or two others as well. Somewhere in this god damned city.

Finally she stood, her decisions made and nothing for it but to get it all done. Calmly she walked around the room, pulling on clothes and gathering together her money and her attitude. By the time the tall, black-clad, ice-chip-eyed figure strode out of the door, she was, more or less, her old self.

Time to go a-hunting.

It had been a very long night. Cadie rubbed her eyes wearily as she tried to focus on the vase she was wrapping in newspaper. She and Naomi had been hammering away at the same issues, all night long, talking around and around the fact that Cadie wasn’t coming back to the senator and that was that.

Naomi’s emotions had ranged from depression to fury and back again, cycling several times through the night. The only constant had been the glass of bourbon Naomi had kept by her side. The alcohol had kept her by turns aggressive and blurry, but nothing had seemed to penetrate Naomi’s unwavering belief that Jo was the cause of all the world’s troubles and that eventually Cadie would see reason and come home for good.

Eventually the politician had passed out in the same armchair Cadie had found her in. Cadie’s first thought had been to forget about salvaging her belongings and just get the hell back to Madison. But then fatigue, combined with a low-burning anger at the senator’s antics had convinced her to stick it out.

Why the hell should I let her intimidate me out of the things that are rightfully mine, she had thought, setting her chin even as she watched the older woman snoring where she was slumped. God damn her.

And so Cadie had spent the few hours since dawn quietly moving around the house gathering up her belongings. She felt anxious and exhausted, not the least of which was because the one chance she had had to call Jo, there had been no reply from either the Australian’s cell phone or the hotel room. Cadie knew it was now well into the wee hours of Tuesday morning, Sydney time, so she was loathe to try the numbers again, in case she interrupted her partner’s no doubt badly needed sleep. I wonder where she is.

Cadie finished filling one of the packing boxes and she carried it, quietly, to the front door. She put the box down to open the door and breathed in the sweet, crisp spring air of early morning.

Maybe I’m just being too stubborn for my own good, she thought as she picked the box up again and began the walk out to her car. I’ve got the essentials in this box – my business and personal documents, jewelry, clothes. Maybe I should just get out of here now while I have the chance.

Before she could follow that train of thought to its logical conclusion, however, she rounded the large bushes that shielded the driveway from the house.

Leaning against her car were two large men in black suits. One was reading a newspaper, the other watched Cadie as she came to an abrupt halt at the top of the driveway. She recognized the goons as members of the security team Naomi regularly used when she was campaigning.

“Morning, Miss Jones,” said the man who had been watching her. His colleague folded his newspaper into neat sections and tucked it under his arm. “Going somewhere?”

Shit. “If I said yes, would you let me?” Cadie asked.

The goon shrugged. “You know how it is, Miss Jones,” he said wryly. “We’re just here to make sure you and the senator have all the privacy you need.”

Riiiiight. “All I want to do right now, Mr., um, Smith, isn’t it?” The goon grinned and nodded at her. “All I want to do now, Mr. Smith, is put this box in that car.” Cadie nodded in the direction of their seat. “Would that be all right by you, do you think?” The sarcasm fairly oozed from every word, and she knew it probably wasn’t the smartest attitude to take, but now she was really pissed, and somewhat intimidated, but Cadie was goddamned if she was going to let them see that.

“Certainly, Miss,” Smith said agreeably. He stood upright and watched as Cadie unlocked the trunk and dropped the box inside. She slammed the lid shut and walked back around to where the two bodyguards stood.

“You won’t mind if I hang on to these,” Cadie said, dangling the car keys in front of them as she began to walk past the men back towards the house.

“Not at all, Miss.”

“Fuck you,” Cadie muttered as she climbed the driveway. Well, that’s just great. A house full of drunken bitches and a yard full of hit men. How much worse can this get?

She walked back inside, following the trail of loud and destructive sounds into the kitchen. Naomi had come to with a vengeance and was throwing pots and pans around in a fit of temper. The stocky woman was bouncing off the counters and cupboards like an irate pinball, cursing a blue streak.

It just got worse.

The wind whipped around the dark figure as she strode silently along the grimy sidewalks of King’s Cross. Even though it was just after 3am there were still people on the streets, as the dance clubs and strip joints began spewing their drunken, happy clientele. There was, however, something about the woman that made them all get out of her way, with those that were too inebriated to notice pulled out of her path by their more sober, aware friends.

Jo’s demeanor was every bit that of someone who ruled the streets and knew it. Cold, hard, pale blue eyes took in her environment, old landmarks tweaking her memories and her sense of direction. She glared balefully at anyone unfortunate enough to step across her path. And for the first time in over five years, she felt naked without her weapons.

Jo walked through the eastern end of the nightclub district and into an even seedier part of town. Warehouses and adult entertainment dominated the scene here and the eyes that met her own were less inclined to be intimidated. More than one pair flashed surprised signs of recognition, but Jo ignored them all as she continued to search for her target.

Finally one alleyway in particular caught her attention and she ducked into it, pacing down its length until she came to a darkened doorway. It was the quintessential gangster movie scene, and Jo would have smiled at the irony if she hadn’t felt quite so nauseous. Instead she pounded twice on the heavy door, unsurprised when the tiny sliding peephole at eye level snapped open almost instantaneously.

Jo said nothing, just fixed the beady eyes peering out at her with an intense stare.

“Holy fuck!” came the hoarse greeting and the sliding panel slammed shut again.

“Open the door, Vincent,” Jo growled, letting her voice take on its most menacing timbre.

“I’m not in that business anymore, okay?” came the muffled and vaguely tremulous response.

Why do I find that hard to believe? Jo wondered. “Open the door, before I break it down and wring your silly neck,” she said aloud.

There was a loud groan and another curse from behind the door and an obvious moment of hesitation in which Jo thought she was actually going to have to break down the door. But then she heard a sigh and a series of bolts being thrown.

The door swung open just wide enough for her to slide through and it slammed behind her quickly.

“Heard you were in town. Saw you on the telly. Didn’t expect to hear from you though.” The shadowy figure behind the door paused as if weighing up his own words. “Not since you turned rat.”

Jo’s long, strong fingers were around his neck and she had him slammed against the wall almost before the word was out of his mouth. She leaned close, ignoring his bad breath and oily skin, as she squeezed his throat steadily.

“You’re a fine one to be calling someone rat, Vincent,” she snarled. “They don’t call you Vincent the Weasel for nothing.”

The wizened little man ignored her words – it certainly wasn’t the first time he’d ever been insulted, let alone threatened – but his hands came up to hers, trying to break her grip.

“You’re crazy for showing up on the streets, Madison,” he gasped. “They’re out for your hide, you know that, right?” His eyes widened as he realized something. “Jesus Christ, how did you get here? Tell me you didn’t just walk down here like some fucking tourist?” Jo’s feral grin answered that question for him. “Fuck, Madison, if they saw you, they’ll come right here to find you. Jesus!” Sweat broke out on his forehead.

“Then you’d better get to work, hadn’t you?” Jo muttered. “Because the quicker you finish what I want done, the sooner I’ll be out of your way.” She let go of him. His feet hit the ground and he slumped against the wall, rubbing his neck ruefully.

“I told you, I don’t..." He stopped catching her glare and deciding against any further prevarication. “What do you need?”

“Passport, driver’s license, birth certificate.” Back in her criminal days she’d had a set of fake documents – hell, more than one set – but she had given them up when she had turned herself in to the police. She pointed a finger at him. “And nothing shoddy, Vincent. Your best work.”

He grinned, regaining some of his confidence. “S’gonna cost ya, Madison.”

“Don’t worry about that,” she snapped. “Get the work done the way I want it and this is yours.” Jo pulled a hefty roll of notes out of an inside pocket in her coat, long enough for him to absorb its size. She tucked it back out of sight and lifted an elegant dark brow at the man. “Fair enough?”

“Fair enough,” he agreed. “When do you need them by?”

Jo glanced at her watch. “You’ve got five hours,” she replied grimly.

“You’re not serious?”

Jo nailed him with her most intense and intimidating glare. “Do I look like someone who’s joking, Vincent?”

“Okay, okay. Let me get my shit together here.”

They had moved through to a dingy looking room at the end of the passage. Old, yellowed wallpaper was peeling from the walls, which were stained with damp. Jo sniffed, wrinkling her nose at the dank and slightly rotten smell. Nothing much had changed here, at least. Still the same grubby little weasel he always was, she thought.

The man in question came back into the room, carrying a large camera and tripod, as well as a canvas bag, which he dumped on the large wooden table in the middle of the room.

“Need to take your picture,” he grunted as he carefully set the photographic equipment down. He indicated the far wall which, although hardly clean, was at least free of dogs playing pool and not so tasteful nude pin-ups.

Jo sat down on a battered wooden chair, trying not to think about her surroundings or what she was doing. Doesn’t pay to think, Jo-Jo. Not too much. Not right now. She forced down a lump of panic which threatened to send her running out on the streets. Just wish I could think of another way of doing this.

It wasn’t that Jo was scared of getting caught, she realized. She had spent many years traveling all over Australia, and the world for that matter, as Tony’s bodyguard, and she had never done it under her own name. She knew how easy it was to do. It would scare Joe Public silly to know how easy it is, she thought wryly as she watched Vincent setting up his gear.

No, what was freaking her out was, first and foremost, what Cadie was going through. Those possibilities were rattling through her brain at the rate of knots. And then there was what she might have to do once she had arrived in Chicago. And what that might do to me. And her. Hell, us.

“Are you gonna smile for the camera, or are ya just gonna sit there scowlin’,” Vincent said, chancing his luck now that he was out of arm’s reach of the tall woman.

“Just take the fucking picture,” Jo muttered.

The counterfeiter didn’t waste any further time, taking her picture as soon as she turned square-on the camera. He immediately began pulling blank passport templates, licenses and certificates out of the canvas bag. Jo stayed where she was, content to grab what rest she could for the time being. God knows, I’m not gonna get much in the way of sleep for a while.

“You gonna breathe down my neck, or give me some room to move?” Vincent asked testily, throwing a glance her way as he bent over his work.

Jo crossed her legs at the ankles and clasped her hands in her lap. “You’ve just finished telling me how dangerous it is for me out there on the streets. Why would I go out there if I don’t need to?” she replied, letting a small, cold smile play across her lips. “Besides, I think you work better with supervision.” It had occurred to her that this particular weasel could easily turn rat for the right price.

Vincent glared at her for a few long seconds, and then shrugged, turning back to the long night’s work he had ahead of him. “Suit yourself, Madison.”

“Thanks. I will.”

“Idiot,” Cadie muttered. “What the hell was I thinking?” She watched Naomi warily as the senator’s temper tantrum blew over, and she finally came to rest, leaning against the countertop. I should have known better than to think I could get away with just coming down here and quietly cleaning my stuff out. I should have come down here with three attorneys, a bodyguard, Mom and Dad and an attack dog. And Jo for good measure. Goddamn it.

“I guess it’s pointless me asking what all that was about?” she said quietly, as Naomi sighed heavily and turned to face her.

“I wanted some breakfast, but there’s nothing here to eat,” the senator said grumpily.

Cadie folded her arms and leaned against the doorjamb. “You didn’t really think this through, did you, Naomi?” she asked. “I guess you figured that by now I’d be happily back in your life and you could leave it to me to figure out how to feed you.”

Naomi, for once, looked unhappy. Actually, she just looks hung-over, Cadie thought.

“You’re right, I didn’t really think about it,” the politician admitted, rather surprisingly. “I just thought that once I had you away from that… from Jo… then I could convince you to stay.” She paused, running a hand through her closely-cropped salt and pepper hair. “I didn’t really know what else to do, to be honest.”

Cadie looked at her suspiciously, not quite believing the senator’s vulnerable act hard on the heels of her temper tantrum.

“It’s true,” Naomi said, seeing the look of disbelief on Cadie’s face. “You just left me there at Sydney Airport, looking like an idiot in front of the press, and since then you’ve refused to talk to me. So what choice did I have?” She broke out what Cadie was sure was supposed to be a charming smile, but it felt nothing but chilling to the blonde. “All I want is a chance to show you that we can fix our relationship and that it’s worth trying.”

“Naomi, you have two goons out there stopping me from getting in my car to leave, you cut off the power to deliberately scare me, but somehow you expect me to believe that you didn’t really have a plan for this little confinement you’ve got going here.” Cadie snorted and pushed herself off the doorframe. Somewhere in here I know there’s got to be coffee, she decided. And God knows I need one. “What exactly do you think is going to happen now?”

Cadie opened up the one cupboard Naomi hadn’t ransacked and found the coffee.

“Let’s get real shall we?” She pulled down two mugs and began putting together beverages for herself and her ex-partner. “You’re acting like a criminal, Naomi, not someone who’s trying to win me over. Do you really think you’d get away with hurting me, or kidnapping me, or whatever it is you think is going to happen if I don’t agree to come back willingly?”

“I’m not going to do either of those things,” Naomi replied quietly.

“Then why do you need the reinforcements out in the driveway?” Cadie asked as she scooped teaspoonfuls of coffee into the cups. The sudden presence of Naomi close behind her made the hairs on the back of Cadie’s neck stand on end, but before she could move away, the senator had a strong arm wrapped around her waist.

“I just wanted some time alone with you, with no interruptions,” Naomi whispered, her breath hot and damp on the back of Cadie’s neck. “Is that so much to ask after 12 years of marriage? Don’t you think that history demands that we at least talk?”

“Let go of me,” Cadie answered hoarsely, her hands frozen, wrapped around the coffee mugs.

“Come on, Cadie, give me break here,” Naomi replied, not releasing Cadie for even a second. “Don’t you remember how good this used to be between us? I used to be able to do this …” She leaned forward and kissed the nape of Cadie’s neck. “And we’d spend hours in heaven, just enjoying each other.”

Cadie swallowed. She did indeed remember how it had been, but the shivers of revulsion radiating out from the spot Naomi had kissed told her that those days were long gone.

“I’m not that naïve young woman anymore, Naomi, and you’re certainly not the same woman I married 12 years ago.”

Naomi moved even closer. “Give us a chance. How can you just walk away without giving us a chance? Don’t you miss this?” She kissed the same spot again and Cadie found herself hard-pressed not to laugh outright.

“Don’t flatter yourself,” she said, trying to keep her voice steady. “You have a very selective memory, Naomi. Things have been less than ideal between us for a very long time. Including the sex. Don’t kid yourself that you can do anything to me sexually that could change my mind about leaving you.”

Cadie felt the mood change very quickly as Naomi tightened her grip around her waist. The sudden shift from sweet and vulnerable to pure menace was breathtaking and palpable. Damn, she’s all over the place. What the hell is coming next?

“Perhaps that Australian bitch has turned you on to some weird stuff,” Naomi growled, her mouth close to Cadie’s left ear. Her left hand began roaming down the outside of Cadie’s thigh. “Well, don’t you worry. I can match anything that whore did to you. I can make you feel better than she ever could.”

“Naomi, let go of me,” Cadie urged one more time. “Please. I don’t want to hurt you.”

The senator laughed harshly and pressed Cadie hard up against the edge of the counter. It was the last straw for the blonde. She grabbed the closest coffee mug and swung it back over her shoulder, slamming it into Naomi’s nose and forehead.

“Aaarghh!” Naomi reeled backwards, letting go of Cadie long enough to cover her face with her hands. “God damn you! Jesus!”

Cadie swung around and stepped out of arm’s reach of the politician. “I asked you to let go of me, Naomi,” she said grimly, watching a dribble of blood drip through her ex-partner’s fingers. “You lost the right to touch me like that a long time ago.”

“Fuck you,” Naomi snarled. “I lost the right as soon as you started creaming for that criminal.”

Cadie’s temper, already frayed by being manhandled, bubbled past its boiling point.

“No!” she shouted. “You lost that right a long time before that. That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you for months. You lost that right when you stopped treating me like a partner and started treating me like a secretary. You lost that right when you started abusing drugs and alcohol.”

With every word and increase in her anger, Cadie stepped forward until she was right up in Naomi’s face.

“You lost that right when you started screwing every bimbo that would bat her eyes at you. I’m nothing but a good-luck charm to you. Don’t you …” She jabbed Naomi in the chest with an angry finger. “… DARE … talk to me about the rights and wrongs of our god DAMNED relationship.”

Cadie was so focused on holding Naomi’s attention, she didn’t see the blow coming. The back of the senator’s hand caught her across the cheek, hard enough to leave a stinging red mark. Hard enough to send Cadie tumbling to the kitchen floor.

Naomi laughed coldly and shook out her hand as she watched Cadie pick herself up off the floor.

“You’re never going to convince me that Jo Madison isn’t the cause of all this trouble, Arcadia,” she said bluntly. “So why don’t you just stop making excuses for the fact that you just can’t control your slutty little disposition?”

Cadie pulled herself up using the kitchen counter. I can’t believe I didn’t see that coming, her stunned mind admonished. I can’t believe I’m still here, putting up with this shit. Well, no more. That’s it. Victim impersonation now over. She turned to face Naomi, who still smirked with self-satisfaction despite the blood oozing from the bridge of her nose.

Cadie walked towards the phone extension on the wall and picked up the receiver, quickly dialing 911.

“I should have done this a long time ago.”

Jo slid her carry-on bag into the overhead bin and closed the lid with a quiet click. She glanced around the business-class cabin at her fellow passengers. Not surprisingly, the 747 was packed to the rafters and she congratulated herself again for deciding to spend the extra money on an upgrade. Being packed into coach would not be my idea of fun right now.

She was in dire need of some sleep. After spending the rest of the night watching Vincent do his thing, Jo had cabbed it back to the hotel to pack, check out and undergo a quick change of clothes. The deadly vision in black had been replaced by a typical tourist, dressed in t-shirt, jeans and sneakers. Her hair was pulled back in a loose ponytail and Jo looked a long way from the intimidating presence she had been in Vincent’s dingy living room.

Jo eased her long frame into the seat, giving a polite nod to the man next to her. People were still boarding the plane, forming a long and somewhat disgruntled queue down the aisle as flight attendants moved around trying to get everyone seated. Jo was content to let the masses do their thing before she tried to get herself organized for the leg to Los Angeles.

You can always tell the ones who’ve never been on an international flight before, Jo mused, as she watched the faces of the boarding passengers. They always look so stunned to see the amount of room they have to live in for the next 14 hours. She stifled a grin and lifted her feet up onto the bulkhead in front of her. It was worth putting up with having the movie screen three feet away to get that little bit of extra leg room.

She let her head rest back and she closed her eyes, letting the last few hours catch up with her. She had money, false documents that had so far made getting on the plane a piece of cake, and tickets all the way through to Chicago. All she had to do now was survive Customs and Immigration in LA, avoid any law enforcement entanglements and she would soon be wherever Cadie was.

Hopefully in time to help, she thought as a yawn blocked out all other considerations. Hopefully…

Maybe I should have had Vincent make me up a fake US passport while he was at it, Jo thought ruefully as she watched the queue of American citizens moving steadily forward. Nah, I’d never get away with the accent.

The line she was in, packed with non-Americans, crawled forward another foot as it snaked through a series of roped-off twists and turns that led to three Customs and Immigration officers.

Half as many officers for twice as many non-citizens, she noted. Why does this not surprise me? Ahhh, the privileges of citizenship. She smiled wryly to herself as tensions continued to climb around her. Grumbling in three languages – what a waste of energy.

Jo preferred to keep herself quiet and self-contained, knowing that the biggest test of her false documents was about to start. In fact, has already started, she realized as she looked around, noting the extra Customs officers standing around the periphery of the crowd, just watching the passengers. And probably won’t stop till we’re out of the arrivals hall at least. Just stay cool, Madison.

Finally she found herself standing in front of a Customs officer, handing over her passport and smiling at the man’s weary greeting.

“G’day,” she said.

The man flicked through the pages of the passport until he found what he was looking for – the departure and visa waiver stamps that told him Jo was a legitimate visitor. Like I’d be standing here waiting for him to catch me if I didn’t have those things.

“What’s the purpose of your visit to the US, Miss, er, Markson?” the officer asked, flicking his eyes from her picture in the front of the little book up to her face.

Jo shrugged. “I’ve got friends in Chicago. M’just paying them a visit,” she answered casually. “Haven’t seen them in a couple of years.”

“How long will you be staying?”

“About three weeks – just under,” Jo replied.

He turned to his computer screen and studied it for several seconds before he typed in a few characters. He tucked Jo’s immigration cards back into the passport and handed them back to her.

“Thanks. Have a good day,” he said, his thoughts already turned towards the next person in the queue.

“Thanks. You too,” Jo murmured as she took the passport from him and picked her bag up. She moved out into the main corridor and turned right, following the signs to the baggage claim and yet another long line of people.

One down, seven thousand to go.

Chapter Twelve

Cadie felt something cold and hard press against the back of her neck. At the same time, a hand reached over her shoulder and hung up the phone.

“You’re not going to do that,” came the low snarl by her ear.

Cadie swallowed. There was no mistaking the feel of the gun’s muzzle at the base of her skull. She could smell its metallic tang. Nerveless fingers allowed Naomi to take the phone away and replace it on its rocker.

“You can’t be serious, Naomi,” Cadie muttered, her mouth dry.

“About hurting you? Probably not,” Naomi agreed. “But then you can never be sure, can you?”

“Not anymore, no,” Cadie replied. Stupid, Cadie, real stupid. Turning down her father’s offer to come with her was looking more and more rash as the minutes ticked by. Then again, maybe she’s just nuts enough to have pulled a gun on both of us. Naomi yanked her backwards and pushed Cadie back down the hallway and into the lounge.

“Sit down,” Naomi said harshly, shoving Cadie down into one of the big leather armchairs, before she returned to the chair in which the blonde had first found her.

“So, now what?” Cadie watched as Naomi rested the gun across her lap. The senator rubbed her eyes roughly with the hand that wasn’t wrapped around the pistol’s grip and trigger. “You’ve lost your mind, you know that, right?”

“Shut up!” Naomi shouted. Cadie could see a fine beading of sweat on the older woman’s upper lip. “Just shut up and give me a chance to think.”

She doesn’t have the faintest clue what she’s doing, Cadie realized. She thought it would be all over by now – that I’d’ve agreed to come back to her by now. It seemed ludicrous to Cadie that a sane adult could even think that was a possibility. I’ve had enough of this. With a decisive movement, Cadie pushed herself up out of the chair and strode across the room towards her ex-partner.

“Give me the gun, Naomi,” she said softly as she approached with her hand outstretched. Immediately the barrel swung towards her and she stopped dead in her tracks.

“Get away from me,” Naomi said, her voice breaking on the last word. “Just get back.”

“You’re not going to shoot me,” Cadie said, her tone calm, confident and firm. She didn’t move any closer, however, all too aware of the muzzle of the gun as it trembled in Naomi’s shaking hand. “You didn’t come here with any intention of shooting me, Naomi. Let’s just put the gun away and talk some more.”

“There isn’t any more to say,” came the response. Naomi’s eyes were wild, flicking from side to side. “You’ve made it clear that there isn’t anything that will change your mind. So just sit down and shut UP! Let me THINK!”

Cadie ignored the thundering request and instead, stepped forward again. She refused to let herself believe that Naomi would pull the trigger. Instead the politician surprised her once again, swinging the gun barrel around and pressing it against her own temple.

“Stop, Cadie,” Naomi whispered as she stared at her former lover. “Just stop, or I swear, I will do it.”

Cadie sucked a breath in so sharply she felt her ribs twinge. “Come on, Naomi. Don’t do this.”

“Sit… down…”

Cadie backed up slowly, her hands raised in a supplicating gesture. She stopped only when she felt the chair against the back of her knees and she sat down. “Okay, okay.”

Naomi pressed the muzzle harder against her temple and Cadie could see the metal edges leaving an imprint in on her skin. Cadie winced, suddenly at a loss as to what to do. This was a side of Naomi she had never seen before, and while her instincts told her it was just another bluff, a nagging doubt pounded away in the back of her brain.

I can’t risk that she’s not bluffing. As many times as Cadie had wished Naomi out of her life over the past few months, she didn’t want the woman dead. She didn’t even want the woman hurt, if she could avoid it. And if she is going to hurt herself, I really don’t want to watch it happen. Cadie took in the wild-eyed woman in front of her seeing the first signs of despair, rather than anger in the older woman’s gestures and expressions. Somehow I get the feeling I’m finally seeing how she really feels about all this. Cadie’s heart sank. It’s going to be a very long day.

Jo walked along the concourse of Terminal C of Chicago’s O’Hare airport. She had never been to the Windy City before, though she had seen her fair share of LA and New York.

Impressive, she thought as she followed the crowd towards the center of the long, high-ceilinged building. Shops and boutiques, food stores and newsstands lined the walkways and Jo shunned the moving pathways, preferring to make her way under her own steam. Her backpack was slung over her right shoulder as she followed the signs towards the baggage claim area.

Jo had changed just before landing in Chicago, happy to shrug off the t-shirt she had worn for the past 24 hours. She had exchanged it for a long-sleeved cotton shirt that could’ve used an iron, but she was just grateful to be in something clean. Her stomach growled as she strode along the concourse and she contemplated the various cuisines on offer. She stopped outside a McDonald’s, smiling wryly at the all too familiar menu and atmosphere.

The faces and accents may be different, but the junk food remains the same, she thought, hesitating about joining the hungry masses queued up in front of the cash registers. She glanced down at her watch and tried to reconcile the time of day with the fatigue gnawing at the edges of her consciousness. Screw it. I can eat later, she decided, turning again and rejoining the flow of commuters hurrying for the escalators. I just want to get to Cadie.

Two minutes later she was leaning on the rail of a moving sidewalk, gazing up at the tendrils of twisted, colored neon lights that spanned across the ceiling of the long tunnel between the two terminals. Tinkling music followed the pattern of lights and provided a backdrop to the automated warning messages that piped up as she approached the end of each stretch of moving walkway. It was weirdly soothing, in a tacky, flashy kind of way.

Any other time I’d find this pretty, Jo contemplated as she waited to reach the end of the long tunnel. Right now it’s just flat-out bizarre. She shook her head abruptly, trying to make the creeping sense of disorientation she felt disappear. It didn’t work but she didn’t have a chance to think twice about it before she needed to pick up her carry-on bag and step off the walkway.

Another climb up a long, steep escalator and Jo was confronted by another busy concourse… and a dinosaur skeleton. It caught her flat-footed and for several seconds she just stood, staring.

“I’ve been through some bizarre wormhole and ended up in the British Museum by mistake,” she muttered. “This week is just getting weirder and weirder, I swear.” She turned and followed the signs to the baggage claim area and waited patiently by the carousel. She cast her eyes about, taking in the security staff dotted about the large room. Jo had enough experience to know that she couldn’t relax yet. Not till I’m out of this airport. It occurred to her that she might not be heading into fair weather, even beyond the limits of the airport precinct. A flash of concern for Cadie knotted her guts. Worry about that when you get there, Madison.

Her leather bag appeared from the bowels of wherever the luggage was processed and she quickly hooked it, hefting it clear of the others. She gave the rental car booths a quick glance, but dismissed them without too much thought, reasoning that it was a lot less hassle to just find herself a cab.

Easier said than done, she thought as she caught sight of the long line-up waiting at the taxi stand. “Damn it.”

A red-capped Skycap appeared at her elbow. “Anything I can help you with, ma’am? Maybe carry your bags for you?”

Jo looked at him, noting that he was barely old enough to shave, if he was a day. But he obviously knew what he was doing, as he had spotted her hesitation and had decided she was an easy mark.

“Can you find me a cab I don’t have to line up for?” she asked, raising a dark eyebrow as he broke into the cheekiest of grins.

“I can probably go one better than that,” he said confidently, reaching for a cell phone clipped to his hip. “Just give me a minute?”

Jo nodded, aware that she was probably about to be fleeced, but also willing to spend a little more if it meant getting out of the crowds and on the road towards Cadie. The Skycap stepped away from her by a few yards and spoke quietly into the phone. Jo watched as he negotiated with whoever was on the other end of the line and she chuckled quietly to herself. Private enterprise at work. Finally he finished and walked back towards her, a smile plastered across his face.

“Follow me, ma’am,” he said, beckoning her in the direction of a side door. He picked up her bags, and Jo decided to humor him, a quick look at the taxi stand telling her there was very little progress being made there.

They stepped outside into what was a brilliantly clear and crisp Chicago morning. Jo breathed deeply, happy to be out of air-conditioning for the first time in days. Her young escort put her bags on the curb and stepped out into the roadway, looking left and right. Jo took a moment to take in her surroundings.

“What’s your name?” she asked.

“Geoff,” the Skycap replied cheerily. “And this …” He indicated an approaching minivan. “Is Maurice.” He waved the vehicle into the curb. The driver in question – an older black man who smiled politely – alighted and picked up her bags, taking them to the rear of the van. “He’ll take you anywhere in the city for a pre-arranged flat fee.”

Maurice returned, rubbing his hands together against the cool morning air. “Where can I take you, ma’am?”

Jo reached into her jeans pocket and pulled out the crumpled piece of paper upon which she had scribbled Cadie’s address. She showed it to the driver and he smiled in recognition.

“No problem. I can take you straight there for $30.”

Jo looked at Skycap Geoff and he shrugged, grinning broadly.

“I swear you won’t do better in a cab, ma’am,” he said winningly. “Maurice knows all the shortcuts.”

Jo snorted skeptically but knew he was probably right. “And I’m sure you won’t do too badly out of the deal either,” she said wryly, handing the young man a five-dollar bill. He took the money and tipped his cap to her.

“Have a wonderful stay in Chicago, ma’am,” he said, before turning on his heel and whistling his way back inside the terminal.

Jo turned to her new escort and shrugged at him. “Lead on, Maurice,” she murmured before she climbed into the back of the minivan.

“That’s the place, ma’am,” Maurice said as they approached the impressively big home at the top of the steeply inclined driveway. The driver glanced over his shoulder at the tall and brooding Australian in the seat behind him.

Jo had said very little on the trip out from O’Hare, preferring the solitude of her own thoughts. She didn’t know quite what she was driving into and wanted to be ready for any and all possibilities. About 10 minutes into the drive she had called the number of the senator’s Chicago house but it had gone unanswered. So, either Cadie has been and gone and is on her way back to Madison, or … Jo didn’t much like where that thought process went.

For a brief, dark moment she had entertained a tiny doubt about Cadie’s intentions. But the thought of the feisty little blonde going back to Naomi after everything the senator had put her through… Not to mention the fact that I trust her, and she’s given no indication that she’s not happy with me, Jo reminded herself. Well, it was just too ludicrous a thought to give any credence to for more than about a nanosecond.

Jo had her share of insecurities… And God knows, Cadie’s seen most of them by now, she allowed… but her faith in Cadie’s ability to know what was best for herself was damn near unshakable. If she’s gone back to Naomi I’ll eat my hat, coat and that old, scabby pair of ugg boots hiding in the back of my closet, Jo decided.

She looked out at the senator’s house sitting high at the top end of the cul-de-sac. None of that makes me feel any better about what might be going on in there, however, Jo decided.

“Maurice, do me a favor? Just drive past slowly and then take a turn around the block,” she said quietly. No sense rushing in where an armed police escort would fear to tread, she contemplated. Maurice nodded and did as he was told, swinging the mini-van in a wide arc around the top of the dead-end street.

Jo didn’t move from her spot, but turned her head and calmly cast an experienced eye over the landscape. What she saw did not please her. Perched on the hood of a late-model sedan was a black-suited goon and he was in animated conversation with someone who could pass as his twin brother, if clothing and attitude were the only criteria.

Hired muscle, Jo assessed. She turned away as Maurice straightened the mini-van up and headed back out to the main road. And not very attentive muscle at that. They didn’t even give us a second glance.

“Okay, Maurice, pull over,” Jo said when they were back around the corner and out of sight of the senator’s house. Once they had come to a halt, she fished inside her jacket pocket and pulled out thirty dollars and an additional one hundred dollar bill. “Thanks for everything you’ve done so far,” she said, handing Maurice the thirty. “And this…” She waved the C-spot. “Is up for grabs if you’re willing to go the extra mile for me.” Jo smiled at him winningly, a grin few on the planet could resist.

“You bet,” he answered immediately. “Name it.”

“Piece of cake, really,” she said casually. “Wait here with my bags for an hour, and then come up to that house we just drove past, and the hundred is yours. Fair enough?”

Maurice nodded. “Fair enough,” he agreed.

“Good on you.” Jo patted his shoulder and moved for the door. “See you in an hour.”

She turned into the cul-de-sac and began the walk back to the bottom of Naomi’s driveway.

Okay, Madison. No weapons, other than my fists. But I’m here illegally, so let’s try like hell not to draw any attention to ourselves, eh? Last thing we want here is anyone calling the police when they see a fight in their neighbor’s drive. Let’s just play it cool.

“M’not sure I like this, Jim,” Mr. ‘Smith’ said to his colleague. He reached up and loosened his tie as his partner refolded his newspaper.

“Yeah, I know,” ‘Not-Smith’ replied. “I was talking to Rod Makersley... you know, that guy we met after that Stone Temple Pilots concert? The tour manager?” Smith nodded in recognition. “They’re looking for more roadies for the tour they’re starting next month. I was thinking of applying.”

Smith shrugged. “S’gotta be better than this.” He jerked his head in the direction of the house behind them. “You know we’re effectively holding her hostage, dontcha?”

“Yeah,” Not-Smith muttered. “Press would have a field day if they knew.”

“Gentlemen,” Jo called out as she climbed the steep, concrete drive. The two men immediately stopped their conversation. Smith slid off the hood and together they began to walk towards her, shoulder-to-shoulder.

“Can we help you, miss?” said Smith’, who was on the right.

“You certainly can,” Jo drawled. “Would this happen to be Naomi Silverberg’s house?”

“Who wants to know?” said Not-Smith.

Oookay, play it that way then. “Nobody really,” Jo said, smiling politely at the two goons. “I’m just a friend of Cadie’s, come to pay a visit. I heard she was back in town.”

“They’re not seeing visitors today,” said Smith. He had his hand buried in his coat pocket, a stance that had Jo up on the balls of her feet.

Don’t make a scene, you bastard. Jo reached into her own pocket, where she felt the large roll of cash she had brought with her. Hmmmm, could it be that simple, she wondered.

Both men had stiffened when she had gone for the pocket and Jo quickly raised both hands to show she was unarmed. Her right fist now held the bankroll.

“Look, fellas, this doesn’t have to be complicated,” she said. “We all know what’s going on here. The senator is in there trying to talk Miss Jones into coming back to her, and I’m here to make sure that all that happens is talking. And you…” She pointed at the two big men. “Are being paid a lot of money to stop me. Is that a reasonably accurate assessment of the situation?” She grinned at them amiably and was pleased when Smith took the bait and grinned back.

“I’d say so, yes,” he replied, folding his arms across his chest and leaning back against the rental car’s trunk. His partner noticeably relaxed as well, and Jo decided it was time to take the plunge.

“Whatever she’s paying you, I’ll double it,” she said quickly, suddenly becoming very serious indeed. It caught the two bodyguards by surprise and they both gaped at her for a few seconds. Finally Smith regained the power of speech.

“You’re Jo Madison aren’t you?” he asked. Jo looked him squarely in the eye and nodded solemnly. “Thought so. You don’t seriously think we’re going to just walk away from this gig just because you wave a lot of cash in front of us, do you?”

Jo looked down at her feet and nudged a small stone away with the toe of her sneaker.

“How long have you worked for the senator?” she asked, looking up at him again.

“We don’t work for her full-time,” Smith replied, sharing a glance with his colleague. “She just uses us on and off.”

“So, on a job by job basis?”

“When she’s in Chicago, yes,” said Smith. “We’ve been doing it for about five years now.”

In for a penny, in for a pound, Jo thought, taking a deep breath. “Ah, so you’ve gotten to know her pretty well, then,” she said. Both men suddenly seemed a little uncomfortable, she thought, as she watched them exchanging looks again. “I mean, you’ll have noticed the changes in her personality the last few years.”

Smith hedged his bets one more time. “Don’t know what you’re talking about,” he muttered.

Jo snorted. “Come on, fellas. If you’re anything like her other employees, you’re beginning to wonder whether it’s worth working for the big-shot senator any more. She’s losing it, and you know it. Or did you think Toby and Jason left because they got a better offer?”

Smith and Not-Smith shuffled their feet and looked at each other again, their previous conversation replaying in their minds. Despite the money the senator had given them for this particular escorting job, neither of them were particularly comfortable with the idea of keeping Cadie as an unwilling resident. It was just the latest in what had been a series of weird briefs from the politician.

Jo waited, sensing that she was on the brink of an unlikely victory. She began counting bills off the roll in her hand, making sure the men could see exactly how much she was offering.

“Double, eh?”

“That’s what I said.”

There was another pause before the duo made their decision. Jo smiled quietly to herself.

“Done,” said Smith.

“Good,” Jo replied. “Name your price.”

Smith did and Jo didn’t even blink as she handed over the cash. Mission accomplished, no blood spilled, and no authorities alerted. The two ex-bodyguards pocketed the money and sauntered down the driveway towards their own vehicle.

“Pleasure doing business with you, Miss Madison,” Smith said, tugging his forelock in acknowledgement as he walked past Jo.

“And you.” She watched them as they reached the bottom of the drive and climbed into their black sedan. They drove off without a backward look. “Hurdle number 17 successfully negotiated. Now for the really …”

A gunshot split the crisp air with shocking clarity. For a stunned millisecond, Jo was motionless, caught like a butterfly on the sharp end of a pin as her brain tried to process what she had just heard. A small flock of starlings rippled out of a nearby tree, seemingly in slow motion. The time splinter passed and Jo jerked into movement, her head snapping around and her legs powering her forward and up the remaining incline of the driveway.

Before she could even gather her thoughts into a coherent sentence, Jo was through the heavy front door and heading towards the unmistakable sounds of the struggle from somewhere to her right.

Jo rounded the corner of the entrance to the living room and barely slowed down at the sight of the tableau before her. All she could see was the trail of blood down the side of Cadie’s face as the small blonde grappled with Naomi. Cadie’s hands gripped the senator’s left wrist and held it and the smoking gun clasped in Naomi’s hand, high above their heads. The two women were at close quarters, nose-to-nose, struggling in a do-or-die wrestle for control. Naomi was screaming like a banshee, her eyes wild and manic.

Jo launched herself at the pair, knocking Cadie out of the way when she slammed into the side of the senator’s stocky form. Her momentum took them both down onto the carpet, the gun spinning out of Naomi’s hand and clattering into the stone fireplace on the far side of the room. Cadie stumbled backwards, falling down and slamming into the armchair, the wind knocked out of her.

There was no time for Jo to do anything other than try and contain the whirling dervish that Naomi became. Despite being taller than the senator, and despite ending up on top of her, Jo had her hands full as Naomi squirmed and fought to get free.

“You goddamned bitch,” Naomi screamed, the spittle flying from the corners of her mouth. “Fuck you! Goddamn and fuck YOU!!”

Cadie sucked in a deep breath, hardly believing that it was really Jo wrestling with Naomi. She could feel something warm and wet trickling down the side of her face and somehow knew she was bleeding. Her ears were ringing from the close retort of the gun.

“Jesus,” she breathed hoarsely. “Jesus, Jo, what are you doing here?”

“Owwww, fuck!” Jo exclaimed as Naomi’s flailing arm caught her across the bridge of her nose. The senator was still yelling and squealing like a stuck pig as Jo tried to pin her arms to the carpet.

Cadie came to her senses and scrambled to her feet, intending to retrieve the gun.

“No!” Jo yelled. “Don’t touch it!” Don’t want anyone’s fingerprints but Naomi’s on that thing, she thought. She grunted with renewed effort as Naomi twisted under her in an attempt to gain purchase.

Cadie stopped mid-step, her brain still several miles behind the events of the last few minutes. Jo’s here. How the hell can she be here? “I’ll call the police,” she muttered, changing direction and heading for the phone.

Jo finally managed to get a grip on Naomi’s pummeling fists and she pinned them to the carpet with her full body weight. God damn, she’s strong. Then again, being totally fucked in the head will do that for someone. Then Cadie’s words sank in and Jo snapped her head around in alarm.

“No!” she shouted again. “Don’t call them. Don’t call anyone. Just let me get her under control and then I can think.” Naomi’s screams had turned to sobs now and Jo realized the anger was dissolving into a full-blown, emotional meltdown. Jesus.

“Why?” Cadie couldn’t see why Jo wouldn’t want to call the authorities. The situation was way beyond anything they could handle alone, surely.

Jo looked up at her lover and their eyes locked for the first time. She felt the flow of warmth between them, unmistakable, even under these bizarre circumstances.

“I can’t explain right now,” Jo said, indicating Naomi with a tilt of her head. “Just trust me. Okay?” She held Cadie’s gaze for a moment longer and the blonde nodded with a small, tight smile.

“Okay.”

Naomi was almost completely still now, but she was sobbing helplessly. Cadie sat down heavily in the armchair, the shock of the situation and how close she had come to being seriously hurt finally hitting her. She reached up a tentative hand and touched the blood that trailed from her cheek. Holy crap. Cadie watched as Jo shifted her own position so she could more easily control Naomi should the senator get rambunctious again.

“Cadie, you’re hurt,” Jo said, concern and a need to be close to her lover warring with her need to keep the slippery senator subdued.

“I… I’m o-okay,” Cadie mumbled. “It’s just a scratch.”

Jo felt a sudden wave of nausea sweep through her. That was close. So close. And I was too late to stop it. Jesus. She sent out a silent thank you to the universe for keeping Cadie relatively safe.

“N-now what?” Cadie stammered. She was full of questions, not the least of which was how the hell Jo had managed to get herself here at just the right moment. But the warning look on her lover’s face made her bite her tongue.

“I don’t know,” Jo muttered. “I’m thinking about it.” She was still half-reclined over Naomi’s back, pinning the stocky senator face down on the shag-pile carpet. Despite the woman’s relative stillness, Jo didn’t trust her to stay that way if she let her go.

As if to prove the point, Naomi erupted again in a renewed burst of manic energy. Jo yelped as the back of senator’s head impacted the point of her chin and she narrowly avoided biting her tongue. Naomi snarled and arched her back, attempting to tip Jo off. The Australian, who wasn’t as heavy as the senator, but outdid her in the power and reach departments, clung on tenaciously.

“God damn it,” Jo muttered. She could feel her own temper fraying and she had to consciously resist the urge to knock the senator into next week. “For Christ’s sake, Cadie, what the hell were you thinking?” A political elbow jabbed up at her. “Keep still, you maniac or I swear to God I will …” Finally, she managed to pin Naomi’s hands. “Lie STILL, damn you. I don’t want to hurt you.”

“What do you mean, what was I thinking?” Cadie asked, bristling at the question, even though it was one she’d asked herself several times in the past two days.

“Coming down here on your own, is what I mean,” Jo snapped. She’d had just about enough of the wriggling ball of poison under her, and although she was aware she was probably taking out her irritation on her partner, she just couldn’t seem to help it. “I mean, Jesus, your parents offered.”

“How do you know that?” Cadie responded sharply, feeling the sting of Jo’s words. “In fact, how did you know to come at all?”

“Look, can we talk about this later?” Jo answered. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed but I’ve got a bit of a handful, right now.”

The handful in question renewed her struggle. “You MOTHERFUCKER!” Naomi screamed.

Cadie decided to ignore the hurt Jo’s words had caused, for now, the present situation needing all their attention. “Jo, if the gunshot doesn’t bring police running in this neighborhood, then her screaming will.”

“I know, I know.” Jo grunted as Naomi elbow caught her in the midriff. An idea occurred to her. “Does she have a therapist? Here in town, I mean?”

Cadie’s eyes widened. “Yes. Yes, she does. Dr Salinger. And she’s on this side of city as well.”

“Call her,” Jo said bluntly. “Explain what’s happened…” She glanced up at her lover. “More or less. And get her over here.”

Cadie nodded and reached for the phone.

“Wait, Cadie,” Jo said suddenly. “I’ve changed my mind about the gun. If she thinks you’ve been shot, isn’t she required by law to report it?”

Cadie thought about it. “I don’t know for sure,” she hesitated. “But I would guess so, yes.”

“Okay.” Jo let go of Naomi’s left hand long enough to yank a handkerchief out of her own back pocket. “Use this to pick it up and hide it.” Cadie took the piece of material and walked over to the fireplace, while Jo craned her neck to see if she could spot where the bullet that had grazed her lover had ended up. Finally, she spotted it, buried high in the opposite wall. No need to worry about that right now, she decided. I’ll pull that out later, when this is all sorted.

Cadie gingerly wrapped the firearm in the handkerchief and picked it up. It shocked her that the barrel was still warm and she swallowed, knowing just how lucky she was. She didn’t want to think about that right now. Nor did she want to think about how far Naomi had fallen. Or who was responsible for that. Instead, she wrapped the gun in the handkerchief and stuffed it under the cushion of the chair she had been sitting in. Once it was safely hidden away she reached once more for the telephone.

Fifteen minutes and a few more bruises for Jo later, there was a knock on the door. Cadie ran for it, opening the heavy portal to reveal a willowy redhead, carrying a medical bag.

“Dr Salinger.”

“Arcadia.” The psychiatrist frowned. “I didn’t know you were back in town. What’s going on? Your phone call didn’t exactly make a lot of sense.”

Cadie nodded. “Come in, please.” She led the tall doctor down the corridor to the entrance to the living room. “I came back to clean out my stuff and Naomi was here,” the blonde said as she walked. “She’s been violent towards me, and then she threatened to kill herself.” Cadie nodded in the direction of Jo and Naomi, who were still sprawled together on the floor. Jo was breathing heavily from the effort of keeping the senator subdued. “I was lucky,” Cadie murmured. “My friend turned up at just the right moment.”

The doctor reached out and took Cadie’s chin in her hand, turning the blonde’s head slightly so she could get a better look at the scrape on her cheek. “What happened here?”

Cadie swallowed. “She scratched me,” she said quietly.

Salinger looked her patient’s ex-partner in the eye for a few seconds, finding nothing in the determined green eyes to make her doubt Cadie’s story. “Mmm.” She decided to take the blonde at face value and turned back to the bizarre scene on the floor. “Hello,” she said to Jo, who just nodded, preferring not to let her accent identify her any more than was necessary. “Okay, let’s see what we’ve got here.”

The psychiatrist walked over to Naomi and dropped to her knees by the senator’s head, carefully placing her bag down, just out of reach. Cadie moved back over to her chair and sat down, silently watching.

“Hello, Naomi.” Salinger looked carefully at her patient. They hadn’t seen each other since a few days after the politician had arrived back from Australia, without Cadie. Naomi had been livid and spitting venom during the two-hour session they had had together at that time. But that didn’t prepare Roxanne Salinger for the physical changes in the senator.

Naomi’s face was florid, partly, Salinger was sure, from the tall and, her brain acknowledged, thoroughly gorgeous woman who was practically sitting on Naomi’s back. But there was spittle in the corners of the senator’s mouth, and her eyes were wild and bloodshot. She had been clenching her fists so hard that her fingernails had left little crescents of blood on her palms.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” Naomi hissed, more drool dripping from her mouth.

“I came because Cadie called me and said you needed some help,” Salinger said calmly. “Why don’t we talk about that?”

“Why don’t you go fuck yourself?”

Jo found herself suppressing a wry smile. Frankly, she almost agreed with Naomi. There’s a first, she thought solemnly. Quit talking, Doc, and just dope her up with something so I can get off her.

“Naomi. Do you remember what happened here this morning?” The doctor persisted, knowing that she had to make some attempt at assessing the woman’s mental state.

“I know that everyone’s screwing me over ... as fucking usual,” Naomi snarled. “I just wanted to talk to her. Just wanted to talk. Put it right. Go back … go back to the way it was.” Suddenly, Jo felt all the fight go out of the woman she had pinned down. Naomi started sobbing, her breath coming in huge, wracking gasps.

Cadie dropped her head, feeling like a big pile of horse crap. I did everything wrong here. This whole trip was a mistake.

“I think you can get off her now,” Dr Salinger said softly, looking at Jo. Crystal blue eyes blinked back at her, hesitating. “Really.”

Jo backed off, pushing herself up off Naomi and off the floor. She stood, twisting a little to work the kinks out of her back. There was no way she was going to relax, though. I don’t think this doctor has a vague clue what this nutcase is capable of.

But Naomi was past the point of violence now. Instead she curled into fetal position on her side, crying. Not small, contained crying, either. Big, loud, hysterical tears.

The psychiatrist sat back on her heels, watching her patient. There wouldn’t be any talking to the senator while she was in this state, she knew. Salinger reached for her bag, opening it and withdrawing a syringe.

“What are you going to do?” Cadie asked hoarsely. The tone of her voice caught Jo’s attention and she looked across at her lover. Cadie looked haggard, close to exhaustion and Jo cursed herself.

You were hard on her, before, you idiot, she thought. She’s been through enough the last couple of days without you coming down on her.

“I’m going to sedate her, and then I’m going to take her to a rehabilitation clinic,” Dr Salinger replied as she filled the syringe with a clear fluid from a small vial.

“Rehabilitation clinic?” Cadie asked. “She’s been taking drugs.” A statement, not a question.

The doctor finished filling the syringe and reached over to the senator, lifting the sleeve of her polo shirt. Carefully she inserted the needle, smoothly and steadily injecting the fluid into Naomi’s bloodstream. Almost immediately, the older woman’s sounds quieted, though she continued to cry.

“You know that under doctor/patient confidentiality, I can’t discuss the details of Naomi’s case with anyone, not even you,” she said. Cadie nodded, understanding. “But I will say that I think a rehab clinic is the best place for her to be right now.”

“Fair enough. Doesn’t she have to agree to it, first?” Cadie murmured.

“Yes.” Salinger looked down at her patient. “But I don’t think that’s going to be much of a problem.” She reached out and stroked Naomi’s hair away from her forehead. “Naomi.” Watery, brown eyes blinked at her. “I want to take you to clinic where we can get you some rest and some treatment. Do you think you’re ready to do that?”

There was a pause and Cadie swallowed as Naomi’s eyes tracked to her, as if she was seeking Cadie’s advice. The blonde just nodded, hoping that, one last time, Naomi would listen.

“Yes, I’m ready,” Naomi whispered hoarsely.

“Good girl,” her therapist said, patting Naomi’s shoulder gently. “I’ll make the arrangements.” Salinger pushed herself to her feet and pulled out a cell phone, talking as she walked out of the room, leaving Jo and Cadie looking at each other over the prone and now almost unconscious Naomi.

“I’m sorry,” Jo said quietly. Cadie just shook her head.

“Don’t,” she husked. “Not now.”

Dr Salinger stepped back into the room. “The paramedics will be here shortly,” she said. Out of her pocket she pulled a business card and handed it to Cadie. “That’s where we’re taking her. I know that you’re probably not going to come visit, but perhaps you could let her people know where she is.”

Cadie took the card and nodded. “Thanks.” She looked up at the redhead. “Thanks for coming over.”

Salinger sighed. “That’s okay,” she replied. “You did the right thing calling me. To be honest, I’ve been half-expecting this. You coming back was just the trigger.”

“It was a mistake,” Cadie said quietly.

“Don’t beat yourself up for it,” the psychiatrist answered. “You didn’t really have any way of knowing just how far she would go.”

“Thought you couldn’t discuss the details with anyone,” Jo growled from across the room. Accent be damned.

“You’re Jo Madison,” the doctor said, suddenly putting the pieces together. Jo said nothing. “You’re right. I did say that. But that doesn’t mean I have to be a complete asshole, Miss Madison.”

The conversation was brought to a halt by the arrival of the paramedics. Cadie watched forlornly as the two men and the psychiatrist talked together in low voices before they knelt by Naomi’s side again. For a few moments, all Cadie could see of the senator was her left hand, complete with the wedding ring Cadie had slid onto it almost 13 years earlier. Where did she go, that woman?

It had been a perfect fall day, Cadie remembered. Not a cloud in the sky and she had decided to celebrate the moment by skipping classes to take in a rally down in the quadrangle. The student elections were only a couple of weeks away and the campaigning had reached a fever pitch. Cadie had decided it was time to get more involved, at least as much as it took to inform herself about the issues, and she had happily settled on the grass to take in the speeches.

She remembered clearly her first sight of Naomi Silverberg. The brunette had been thinner then, still stocky of build, but it was stockiness borne of a muscular athleticism that only years of campaigning had turned to fat. Naomi was wearing tattered jeans, a simple white t-shirt and a tweed jacket. The notes for her speech were rolled up in her right hand. It was the grin on her face that had really caught Cadie’s eye, however.

The moment she had stepped onto the stage, Naomi had had the complete attention of the crowd. Conversations stilled and Cadie had been suddenly aware of an intense sense of anticipation all around her. Oooooooo. Naomi’s grin spoke of a self-knowledge and confidence in her ability to control the crowd’s emotions. And it was a gorgeous smile.

The speech itself had been nothing special in terms of content. Pretty standard Republican-slanted fare, Cadie remembered thinking. But Naomi had delivered it with more than a dash of panache. Either she’s been doing this for years, or she’s a born leader, Cadie had thought. Naomi had read the audience perfectly, injecting light notes into her speech where they were needed, but looking the crowd in the eye and nailing them with the serious issues when they were the most open to hearing them.

Brilliant, Cadie had thought, and just like that she had made the decision to volunteer for Silverberg’s campaign. Once the speeches were done, Cadie had walked up to the podium and waited until Naomi had worked her way free of a small crowd of students wanting her attention.

“Ms Silverberg?” Cadie had called out, and immediately the student politician had turned, training intelligent, open brown eyes on her.

“Please, call me Naomi,” she had said with a smile as she took Cadie’s smaller hand in her own and squeezed it gently. Cadie was immediately struck by the woman’s charisma. It had been obvious onstage, but that could have been a performance, she had reasoned. Up close and personal, it was obvious Naomi was just naturally magnetic.

“I’m Cadie,” she had replied. Naomi was holding her gaze and smiling at her, clearly interested in the young blonde with the sparkling green eyes. “I enjoyed your speech.”

Naomi had shrugged. “I’m glad,” she said. “But did it make you think?”

Cadie had grinned back, wondering if now was the time to be totally honest. “You didn’t surprise me any,” she said. “But you obviously know how to make a crowd see things your way.”

That had provoked a laugh from the politician and Cadie had decided she liked to hear that laugh. It was warm and totally unforced.

“Well, I guess that’s half the battle,” Naomi had replied, still chuckling. She hadn’t let go of Cadie’s hand yet either. “Though, the real question is, did I leave you wanting more?”

The irrepressible smile had widened and Cadie had had the sudden realization that she was being flirted with. At 18, Cadie was inexperienced, but she knew enough to know how things were with herself. And the wash of Naomi’s warm and appraising gaze had been a very pleasant surprise.

“Um, yes, I guess you did,” she had replied, disconcerted by how flustered she felt. “Actually, I was thinking of volunteering for your campaign.”

Naomi had placed her other hand over the top of Cadie’s, effectively keeping her firmly, but gently, at close quarters.

“That’s fantastic,” she had said gently, and Cadie had been struck by just how much she believed that Naomi meant it with every ounce of her being. “Tell you what; me and a bunch of friends are going for pizza right about now – sort of a post-mortem, if you will.” She grinned again. “We could use some feedback from a member of the audience. Why don’t you come along and you can figure out if we’re your kind of people.”

Cadie remembered feeling that she already had no doubt about that.

“And keeping me close would be an added bonus,” she said cheekily, correctly interpreting that there was at least some ulterior motive in Naomi’s suggestion.

“There is that,” Naomi had readily agreed, taking her hand more firmly and drawing her away towards her circle of friends. “Come on, we’ll have some fun.”

The sound of the two paramedics grunting as they lifted Naomi onto a gurney brought Cadie sharply back to the present. She was surprised to feel tears on her cheeks, and the sight of Naomi’s older, wearier, but so familiar features did nothing to stem the flow.

Where did she go?

The paramedics wheeled the gurney out, the doctor walking behind. Within minutes, Jo and Cadie were watching the ambulance driving away, the psychiatrist’s Mercedes following.

“Well, that’s that,” Cadie muttered absently, as she turned from the front door and walked back into the living room. Jo waited a while longer, hardly believing that Senator Naomi Silverberg had just disappeared out of their lives. Hopefully for good. She felt a pang of what could have been guilt, but it lasted for a fleeting second. Couldn’t have happened to a bigger bitch, she finally decided before she followed Cadie back inside.

She walked in to the room to find Cadie back in the chair, looking very small and lost. The blonde was sniffling, a sound that immediately tugged at Jo’s heartstrings. Awwwwwwwwwww, shit.

Jo walked over and knelt down between Cadie’s legs, placing her hands gently on the blonde’s thighs.

“Talk to me,” she said softly.

Cadie shook her head, scattering tears. “It’s nothing you want to hear,” she whispered.

“I might surprise you,” Jo replied, ducking her head to try and catch Cadie’s eye.

Cadie struggled to find the words. “I feel so sorry for her,” she finally said, shrugging her shoulders, knowing that it was hard for anyone else to understand that perspective.

Jo pulled her into a hug and Cadie nestled in, adoring the feel of the Australian’s long, strong arms around her. Keeping her safe.

“Unless I’m totally misinterpreting what I saw, she’s just tried to kill you, love,” Jo pointed out carefully. She knew that no matter how hard she tried, she would never see Naomi the same way Cadie did.

“I know. That’s what’s throwing me. She … Jo, I loved her once. I still care about her.”

“I know,” Jo replied. “I’m guessing you’ve been swamped with memories the last few days, right?” She felt Cadie nod. “Were you tempted?” The last came out in a hoarse whisper.

Cadie pushed herself back and looked Jo in the eye. “Tempted? To go back to her, you mean?” Jo nodded and Cadie’s eyebrows shot up. “You’re kidding, right? Jo, I was remembering how it used to be, but having a gun held to my head was a pretty strong reminder of how much Naomi’s changed.”

Jo breathed out slowly, and caught herself blushing at her own show of insecurity. “Okay, I can see that,” she said wryly.

“Good.” Cadie returned to her position, nestled under Jo’s chin. “She’s sick, Jo.”

“Mhmm, yes she is.” argument there.

“I guess I’m just finding it hard to believe that the two Naomi’s I know are the same woman. Sometimes I almost wish I couldn’t remember how it used to be.”

Jo kissed the top of the blonde head. “Don’t do that,” she said. “It would be good to give her credit for being human once.”

“Mmmmmm.” Cadie closed her eyes and just let Jo cradle her.

“I’m sorry I yelled at you,” Jo murmured.

“No, you were right,” Cadie said, her voice cracking. “I was an idiot to come alone. Dad even offered me his cell phone and I turned that down. What the hell was I thinking?”

“Sweetheart, you thought Naomi was on the other side of the country. And I’m the last person on the planet to criticize you for trying not to rely too much on your parents.” She smiled at the irony. “I just wish I could have gotten here earlier. It might have saved you this.” She brushed a tentative fingertip across Cadie’s cheek, tracing the edge of the scrape the bullet had left. Jo swallowed, suddenly uncomfortably aware of just how close her partner had come to being seriously hurt. Or worse.

Cadie reached up and took Jo’s hand. For the first time since Jo had appeared, like magic … less than an hour ago, she thought wonderingly … she fully absorbed the fact that her lover was actually here. In the flesh. With a surge of relief she pulled back again and cupped Jo’s now-smiling face in her hands.

“You’re here. You’re really here,” she whispered.

“Yes, I’m here,” Jo replied. “God, it feels good to hold you.”

“Me too.”

Cadie gazed at Jo, a tentative smile creeping on to her face. “How did you manage it? Did Ken help you?”

Jo’s eyes dropped and she suddenly felt uncertain and more than a little sheepish. “I’m … um … not exactly here legally,” she whispered. She glanced up and saw nothing but love in Cadie’s sea-green eyes. “That’s why I didn’t want to say too much while Naomi and the doctor were around. And why I didn’t want to get the police involved. I’ve got to keep a very low profile. I’m, uh, not here on my real passport.”

Cadie leaned forward again and brushed her lips across Jo’s. “I adore you,” she whispered. “You risked that for me?”

Jo felt a lump the size of Coonyabby in her throat. “I’d do anything for you.”

Cadie’s heart melted and she went back for a second kiss. This one was slower and delicious as they reacquainted themselves with each other. By the time it was done, both were breathing raggedly and their faces were flushed.

“You do say the most wonderful things sometimes, Jo-Jo,” Cadie sighed.

“Mmm, and sometimes I say the stupidest things in the world,” Jo said gruffly, remembering how she had snapped at Cadie earlier.

“Shhh,” Cadie replied, putting a gentle finger on Jo’s lips, which were impossibly soft. “It’s okay. Naomi’s gone now.” Really gone.

“So what would you like to do now?” Jo asked. Cadie sat back in the chair and squeezed her lover with her knees. She exhaled soft and low as she thought about the possibilities the day held.

“Well, I guess we can pack up the rest of my stuff.”

“Mhmm, sounds like a plan, Stan.”

“And then we could head north and you can meet my parents.”

Jo’s eyes widened, her face a picture of shock and consternation.

“Oh my god.”

Jo dug the long-nosed pliers carefully into the small hole high up in the wall of the living room. She was balanced on a stepladder, one hand pressed against the wall and the other manipulating the pliers. Her tongue poked, rather endearingly, Cadie thought, from the corner of her mouth as she concentrated on her task.

“You found it, then?” Cadie asked, chuckling when Jo jumped. The blonde had been outside, loading some more of her things into the rental car and Jo had obviously not heard her come back in. Cadie stepped forward quickly to steady the ladder as her partner recovered.

“Jesus, woman, you startled me,” Jo exclaimed. “I nearly had the damn thing, too.”

“Sorry, love,” Cadie replied. She looked up and watched as Jo carefully extracted the crumpled bullet fragment from the hole.

“Got it,” Jo said, somewhat redundantly.

“Just out of curiosity,” Cadie began. “Why do we need it? I mean, Naomi shot it, Naomi loaded the gun, presumably, and I don’t think she’s going to announce either of those things to the police. So why are we worrying about pulling it out of the wall?”

Jo climbed slowly back down the ladder and they both took a few moments to study the bullet as it sat in the palm of the taller woman’s hand.

Jo shrugged. “I don’t know really,” she finally said. “I’d suggest keeping it as a souvenir but the last thing we’d want is for it to set off some damn metal detector between here and Sydney.” She grinned at Cadie. “Maybe we should just put it down to me being a neat freak?”

Her partner smiled back but then turned serious again. “Let’s leave it with Mom and Dad,” she suggested suddenly. Jo met her gaze and raised an inquiring eyebrow. “The bottom line is, we don’t really know how she’s going to be feeling about you and I, even if this rehab clinic does her some good,” Cadie explained. “There weren’t any witnesses today. If she wanted to say I’d shot at her, she could. But, if we’ve got the bullet – which, presumably, she loaded into the gun – at least we have a chance of proving it was the other way around.” Her uncertainty turned the last part of the sentence into a question. Jo nodded and smiled at her.

“Spot on,” Jo murmured. “Okay, then. We’ll leave it with your parents.” She looked at her partner again. “You realize that means telling them pretty much what happened?”

“Yeah, I know. They’re not going to be happy.”

Jo wrapped an arm around Cadie’s shoulder and pulled her in for a quick hug. “They’ll be okay. You’re safe and Naomi’s in the nuthouse. That’s all they need to remember.” Cadie squeezed her back and both women enjoyed the contact for a few seconds before they separated with a quick smile.

Jo bent down and extracted Naomi’s pistol from where Cadie had hidden it under a seat cushion. She unwrapped it from the handkerchief and studied it carefully. It was similar to a million other guns she had seen and handled in her former life, and nothing about it was extraordinary.

“Does Naomi usually keep a gun in the house?” she asked casually. “Or did she bring this with her just for this trip?”

Cadie looked more closely at the gun. Unlike Jo, she’d never had more than a passing interest in firearms and had only ever fired rifles. She had no idea if this was Naomi’s only gun.

“There’s only way to find out,” she concluded. “Come on.”

Jo followed her across the hallway and into a spacious study that was lined with dark wood panels. It was cluttered with books and papers, but like everything else in the house, there was a thin layer of dust covering all. Cadie walked over to the large oak desk and sat down in the leather chair. She reached under the desktop.

“Naomi kept it in a secret panel under here somewhere,” she said as she fumbled around. “Aaaah.” There was a satisfying click and a panel slid out. Inside was a felt-lined shelf, empty except for the faint outline of a handgun on the material, and a box of bullets. “Bingo.”

“Well, that answers that question,” Jo said. Before she could think about what to do next, however, the front door bell rang.

“What if that’s the police?” Cadie whispered, her face a picture of alarm. Jo’s eyes widened for an instant but then she slapped her forehead.

“Jesus, that’ll be Maurice. I completely forgot about him.”

Blonde eyebrows rose.

“Who is Maurice?”

Jo grinned at her. “My driver. I promised him a hundred dollars to show up in an hour with my luggage. I guess the hour’s up.”

“That’s a hell of a tip, Jo-Jo. Want me to go pay him?”

Jo shook her head. “No, I’ll do it.” She handed the gun, still wrapped in the handkerchief, back to Cadie. “Slide that back into its place in the drawer – but don’t touch the metal at all, okay?” she said. “Then wrap this –” She tipped the crushed bullet out of her palm and on to the desktop. “In the handkerchief.”

Cadie handled the gun gingerly. “You’re sure?” She looked glumly at the gun and Jo leaned down and kissed her softly on the forehead.

“Cheer up, sweetheart. It’s almost all over and then we can go home,” she whispered. Cadie leaned against her for a few moments.

“I do love you, you know.”

Jo smiled and kissed her again. “I know. Be back in a minute.” With one last pat of Cadie’s shoulder she turned and headed for the front door.

Cadie watched her go and then turned back to the task at hand. Gingerly she slid the gun onto the felt and nudged it into place with the handkerchief. Then she picked up the spent shell, again using the material to keep her own fingerprints off the metal. She tucked the little package into her jeans pocket.

She was about to go find Jo, when a thought occurred to her that made her sit back down. A stack of Naomi’s personalized stationery caught her attention and she slid a blank page towards her. After all, my fingerprints should be all over this house, she reasoned. I lived here for seven years, God knows. Cadie lifted Naomi’s fountain pen out of the desk set … I gave that to her three Christmases ago … and began writing.

Naomi,

I hope the time in the rehabilitation clinic does you good. Believe it or not, I do actually care about you. Enough to wish you well in the future, at least.

In case you’re wondering, neither Jo nor I touched the gun – yours are the only fingerprints on it. And, yes, we have the remains of the bullet you fired at me. Yours are the only prints on that as well, along with a few scraps of my DNA, I’m sure.

We had a lot of good times together over the years, but those times are long gone. They were gone well before I ever met Jo – one day you’ll see that for the truth it is, and accept your share of the responsibility for it.

But I don’t want to hear from you again, Naomi. I hope you’ll understand that the bullet is my guarantee of that. Look after yourself, and your career. Those are things that make you happy, and I do want you to be happy. But leave me, and Jo, out of it.

Take care, and goodbye.

Arcadia

Jo peeked through the peephole, relieved to see that it was indeed Maurice who had rung the front door bell. She opened the door and grinned at him. “Hello, Maurice.”

“Oh, thank goodness, ma’am. I was beginning to think something was seriously wrong,” said the driver, relief written on his face. “I saw an ambulance leaving and didn’t know what to do.”

Jo stepped outside, picking up one of her bags as she walked past him. “No worries, mate, you did exactly the right thing,” she said reassuringly. “Give me a hand with the other bag, will you?”

Together they loaded Jo’s gear into Cadie’s car before she handed him the promised cash.

“Thanks,” she said, grinning and shaking his hand.

“You sure everything’s all right, ma’am?” Maurice said, more than happy with his profit on the day, but eager to be of whatever further service was needed.

“Everything’s great,” Jo answered, and for the first time since she had arrived in the country, she actually felt like that was the truth. “A friend of ours just had a bit of a nasty turn, that’s all. She’ll be fine.”

“Well, that’s good to hear, that’s for sure,” he said, enthusiastically pumping her hand. He reached into his pocket and gave her a battered business card which had seen better days. “And the next time you’re in Chicago and need someone to drive you around, you just call my number.”

Jo took it happily. “I’ll certainly do that, Maurice. If I ever get out of this country and back again without being arrested or shot at, it will be you I call.” She grinned at the uncertain look on his face. “I’m joking, mate, honestly.”

“Uh, yes ma’am,” he muttered, suddenly not so sure that she was joking at all. “Well, safe travels to you.”

“And you.”

An hour later the car was packed with everything of Cadie’s they could find. Cadie pulled the front door closed and backed away, looking up at the big house. Jo leaned against the hood of the car, watching her friend say goodbye to a lot of memories.

Cadie patted the head of the ceramic dragon sitting by the doorstep. Bye, Albert. I’d like to think there are a lot more fond memories of this place than just you, but I’m struggling to remember many of them right now. She turned and headed towards where Jo was waiting, and Cadie felt the smile coming to her own face. I’d much rather look forward than back. Check out how gorgeous my future is.

“Ready to go?” Jo asked quietly as Cadie came towards her.

“Absolutely,” Cadie answered firmly. “It’s time to go home.”

Chapter Thirteen

Australia Day weekend… eight months later… somewhere in the Whitsundays…

The three long, sleek yachts were moored together, side by side, pontoon-style in the middle of the lagoon. On the portside was the Beowulf, in the middle was Cheswick Marine’s flagship, the Seawolf, and on the starboard side, resplendent in a fresh coat of paint, was the newly-christened Lobo, the latest addition to the fleet.

The sea was calm, and the sun had just dipped below the mountains on the mainland away to the west. The clear blue sky of a summer’s day was giving way to a glorious speckling of starlight and the scene was a picture of paradise. If it hadn’t been for the raucous music booming from the Seawolf’s sound system, and the tantalizing smell of barbecuing meat, not to mention the sights and sounds of a party in full swing, it could have been mistaken for a scene from a painting.

It was Saturday night, the first evening of the traditional Australia Day long weekend, and a party was indeed in progress. Revelers were spread across the decks of the three yachts, while others walked on the nearby coral reef, its wonders almost exposed by the low tide. The air was muggy, though as the sun descended, a gentle sea breeze came off the breaking waves to the east of the atoll, where the open ocean lapped up against the edge of the Great Barrier Reef.

Away from the yachts, but tethered to the Seawolf by a 100 feet or so of floating rope, bobbed an aluminum dinghy. Its two occupants lay along its towel-covered bottom in a contented tangle of suntanned arms and legs. Both women were scantily clad; Jo in a lightning blue one-piece swimsuit that emphasized the length of her lean, but muscular legs; Cadie wore a sea-green bikini that brought out the color of her eyes.

Not that either woman was particularly concerned with clothing just at that moment. In fact they were more engaged in removing it, or at least, getting inside it.

Jo’s hand slid under Cadie’s bikini top, cupping her breast gently. The move elicited a low moan from the blonde as she kissed Jo deeply, their tongues teasing. She arched up against her lover and her own hand found purchase under the high-cut leg of Jo’s swimsuit.

“God, you feel fantastic,” Jo murmured huskily, her alto deepened further by desire. The sound, and feel of her breath, brushing against Cadie’s ear, sent tremors down the smaller woman’s spine and she buried her face against the soft skin of Jo’s neck, trembling slightly. “Are you cold, sweetheart?” Jo asked, wrapping her arm more tightly around Cadie.

“Not even slightly,” Cadie replied softly, brushing her lips against Jo’s pulse-point, loving the fluttering response she felt there. “You’re just doing very wicked things to my nervous system, darling.”

Jo smiled and ducked her face, pressing her nose into the silky, blonde locks tucked up against her. She let her lover’s unique scent – Cadie’s apricot shampoo, mingled with sunscreen and ocean – wash through her senses. Happiness smells like this, she thought.

“I want to make love to you,” she whispered, adoring the little gasp her suggestion drew from Cadie.

“I can tell,” Cadie responded, brushing the palm of her hand across Jo’s lycra-covered and attentive breasts. “Can we be seen from the boats?” she asked. Not that I really care at this point. The way she makes me feel, Steve Irwin and his film crew could be turning us into a documentary and I wouldn’t care enough to say ‘crikey’.

Jo pushed herself up on one elbow and lifted her head so she could see over the gunwale of the dinghy.

“No, we’ve drifted quite a way away,” she said. She turned back and looked down at Cadie. The setting sun was turning the American’s hair red-gold, and her now deeply-tanned skin almost glowed in the low light. “You are so beautiful,” she whispered, a look of wonder on her face.

Cadie felt the heat of a blush rising up her neck and across her cheeks, on top of the flush of desire Jo had already provoked. Even now, almost a year into their relationship, it never failed to floor her when Jo said something romantic out of the blue like that. She reached up and drew a gentle finger across the high plane of the Jo’s cheekbone. Sparkling blue eyes, darkened by the fading light, blinked at her.

“Back at you, Aussie,” she murmured.

Jo’s left hand, already wrapped around Cadie’s back, deftly unhooked the blonde’s bikini top, releasing her breasts to the warm, tropical air. Jo groaned softly at the sight and ducked her head, gently enfolding a waiting nipple in a warm, wet mouth.

“Oh, Jo.” Cadie’s hand slipped into the dark hair splayed across her chest and pulled Jo closer still. There was something nurturing in the action, quite apart from how completely turned on she felt. She just wanted to hold Jo in her arms, like this, forever.

Jo didn’t give her much time to savor the moment, however, as her lips continued to tease and tug at her breasts relentlessly. Cadie didn’t mind in the least. She sighed happily and arched against Jo’s solid frame as her lover’s hand strayed down the length of Cadie’s torso. “Yes, angel,” she whispered, urging.

Jo needed little in the way of encouragement. Her fingers found the waistband of Cadie’s bikini bottom and dipped beneath it, finding soft curls already damp with anticipation.

Somehow Cadie had the presence of mind to reach up and slide the straps of Jo’s swimsuit down, off her shoulders, leaving her breasts exposed and ripe for Cadie to do some teasing of her own.

They knew each other well enough now for their sense of timing and rhythm to be almost automatic and Cadie’s fingers found the sensitive nubs of Jo’s nipples just as her lover’s honed unerringly in on Cadie’s center. The effect was a simultaneous meltdown as both women gave in to their instincts, letting their bodies take over. The rest of the world faded out as they lost themselves and found each other in the gently rocking motions of love on the ocean.

“Oh, yes.”

Maggie Madison smiled as she watched the dinghy ducking and bobbing suspiciously, away in the distance. A few minutes earlier she had noticed her daughter’s distinctive head pop up for a couple of seconds, and it didn’t take much imagination to draw an accurate conclusion about just what was going on in that little boat. Maggie turned away and tapped Helena Jones lightly on the shoulder.

“Don’t look now, but I think I’ve found Jo and Cadie,” she said, grinning at Cadie’s mother. The Jones’ had arrived for their first Australian holiday two weeks earlier and had been staying with Maggie and David in their new home just inland from Shute Harbor. The two couples had gotten on like a house on fire from the word go, and Maggie and Helen were already the best of friends.

“Oh, good. Where are they? I want to ask Cadie about the arrangements for tomorrow,” Helena said, swinging around to look at Maggie. The older woman cocked her head over her shoulder in the general direction of the dinghy.

“I wouldn’t look too closely, though,” Maggie chuckled.

“Oh dear.” Helena looked a little nonplussed as Maggie’s meaning became perfectly clear, the dinghy rocking more emphatically than the calm surface of the surrounding ocean could possibly cause. “Don’t tell the men,” she said, smiling back at Maggie. “I believe it would be too much for Stephen’s blood pressure.”

Maggie laughed heartily, knowing that David would have a similar reaction if he thought about it too much.

“Don’t think there’s too much danger of that,” she said, nodding in the direction of the two elders of the family, who were standing on either side of a portable barbeque set up in the main cockpit of the Seawolf. The men were obviously engaged in an animated discussion about something. “They look like they’re talking about politics.”

“Or football,” Helena agreed. A distant yelp from the direction of the dinghy silenced them and the mothers stared at each other for a moment, eyes wide.

“Cadie,” they said simultaneously, and then dissolved into gales of laughter.

“Maybe I’d better go and turn the music up before Jo…” Maggie was interrupted by a lower-pitched moan that drifted across the still water.

“Too late.” Helena chuckled. She was far more conservative than her laidback Australian counterpart, she knew, but there was just something about the atmosphere here, and about the way Jo and Cadie were together that made her comfortable. They’re so right together, she conceded. I could never say that about Cadie and Naomi. I would never have been able to think about them doing … she glanced out at the dinghy, which seemed to have stilled now. They’re perfect together.

“Well, that seems to have come to a satisfactory conclusion,” Maggie said, practically. “Um … so to speak.” She grinned again at Helena. Taking it pretty well, considering, she thought. “Why do I get the feeling that you never had to deal with this kind of thing when Naomi was around?”

Helena took a sip of her champagne and turned to lean back against the Beowulf’s rail, shoulder to shoulder with Maggie. She shook her head.

“The more distance we all have from that woman, the more I can see that Cadie was really kept in her shell by that relationship,” she said. “I like the way Jo brings out Cadie’s…” She paused, looking for the right words.

“Sexier side?” Maggie prompted, mischievously.

“That too,” Helena agreed, smiling.

“Whatever happened to the senator?”

Helena sighed. It really had been rather sad in the end. However much she had come to dislike Naomi, she had been rather fond of her once.

“Well, it turns out the nervous breakdown was the best thing that could have happened to her,” she said. “The way she was behaving, from what I can gather, she probably was heading for censure, which would have been the end of any political career for her. As it was she just resigned from the Senate on medical grounds.”

“What’s she doing now?” Maggie asked.

“Not much of anything, I think,” Helena replied. “Hard to believe she’s not planning something, though.”

“Ah well. From what Jo was telling me, it’s not likely she’ll ever bother Cadie again.”

Helena smiled, thinking of the spent shell that was safely locked in her husband’s safety deposit box back in Madison.

“No, I don’t think we’ll be hearing from her,” she said quietly. “Those daughters of ours are pretty smart.”

“They certainly make a good team,” Maggie agreed. “They’ve both come a long way.”

Helena looked quizzically at her companion. There’s definitely more to the Jo Madison story than I know about yet, she decided. “One day will you tell me just how far?” she asked quietly.

Maggie looked at her with a coolly assessing gaze, before she nodded slightly. “One day,” she promised.

“Oh my,” Jo breathed as she sagged down, resting her weight, as gently as she could, on Cadie. “You are something else, you know that, right?”

Cadie’s breath came in ragged gasps. “I … I didn’t do anything.” She wrapped her arms around Jo, pulling her close until the dark head was tucked securely under her chin. Their hearts tripped along rapidly, strongly enough that she could feel them both pounding as Jo and Cadie lay, chest to chest.

“You did plenty,” Jo replied between kisses against Cadie’s collarbone.

It was completely dark now, but for the half-moon which was climbing its way above the horizon and the myriad of bright stars sprinkled across the wide, black sky. Cadie felt more alive than she could ever remember. The sounds of the party drifted across the water and she sighed deeply.

“I wish we could stay out here all night,” she sighed.

Jo chuckled. “Honey, this party was our idea, remember?” she said softly. “We like these people.”

Cadie laughed. “I know. I just love being out here with you.” She felt the warm breeze against her sweat-dampened skin and trailed her fingers down Jo’s naked back. “I especially love being out here naked with you.” Jo grinned against her neck, tickling slightly.

“You love being naked with me wherever we are.”

Hard to argue with that. “True.”

Jo licked up a drop of sweat from between Cadie’s breasts with the tip of her tongue. “I suppose we do have to get back to the party,” she murmured.

How does she do that, Cadie wondered, appreciating the ripple of tingles Jo’s tiniest touch produced. “I suppose we must,” she replied.

Jo’s mouth traveled further south, following an imaginary trail down the center of Cadie’s belly. “I mean, we are the hosts, after all.”

Cadie groaned and shifted her position slightly, giving Jo more room to do… whatever it is she’s going… to… do… ohhhhhh… “Mhmm.”

Jo kissed the inside of Cadie’s thigh, her lips trailing across the tanned, soft skin. “Not that another half an hour or so would matter, I guess,” she whispered.

“N... no… ohhhhhhhhhh…”

“Let’s swim back,” Jo whispered, 29 minutes later.

Cadie chuckled. “Swim? Honey I can barely lift my head off the bottom of the boat, let alone swim. You’ve worn me out.” She grinned up at her lover, whose eyes glittered like the stars she was now silhouetted against.

“Well, okay,” Jo said casually. “But as soon as everyone sees me dragging us back in, they’re gonna know what we’ve been up to.”

“What’s the matter? Can’t handle a little teasing from a boatload of people who would love to catch us in the act?”

Jo snorted. “Okay, okay, you got me.” She nibbled Cadie’s chin delicately. “Swim back with me?” she persisted. “It’ll cool us off and maybe we can sneak back onboard, take ‘em all by surprise. It might be fun.”

Cadie patted Jo’s upper arm affectionately. “Okay, love.” She pushed herself up into a sitting position, surprised to see how far away from the yachts they had drifted. One look over the side of the dinghy and she had second thoughts.

“Um, Jo?”

“Yeeeeeeeeeessss?” came the low rumble from the bottom of the boat.

“The water’s pitch black. I’m not sure I’ve got the nerve to swim back.”

Jo sat up.

“You know this water, Cades,” she said calmly. “We’ve swum here a thousand times. It’s only about 30 feet deep, clear and safe. No bities, other than the hermit crabs running along the bottom. And they’re not gonna come out tonight, even at the sight of your loveliness swimming above them.” She grinned.

Cadie bit her lip uncertainly. “It’s just … I don’t like not being able to see what’s coming at me.”

“Tell you what. You hold on to the rope with one hand and my hand with the other and we’ll be back on the Seawolf before you know it.” She took Cadie’s smaller hand in her own and squeezed reassuringly.

Cadie hesitated a second longer but then nodded. “Okay.”

Jo grinned and slipped over the side of the dinghy, almost silently. Cadie took a deep breath and followed her, surprised to feel how warm the water still was.

“Come on,” Jo whispered, pulling her around to the tethering rope. Once she could feel its roughness against her palm, Cadie felt better and was able to think rather than panic about the dark water around her. She felt Jo’s arm snake around her waist, her partner’s solid frame, warm and safe against her.

“See, it’s not so scary,” Jo burred, close to Cadie’s ear. “Take a look down below, it might surprise you.”

Cadie looked at her and Jo nodded, urging her to give it a try. “Okay, what the hell.” She sucked in a breath and ducked her head under the water. They hadn’t brought any masks with them, so when she opened her eyes she had to blink several times against the stinging saltwater. All around her phosphorescence shimmered and danced, catching the moving edges of silver fish, the tethering rope and coral outcrops.

Cadie popped up, gasping for air, a grin from ear to ear.

“It’s beautiful,” she exclaimed. “Why haven’t we done this before?”

Jo laughed, a low, sexy growl that Cadie adored. “We just never got around to it before. Come on, let’s follow the rope.”

Together they made their way hand-over-hand along the line, back to three boatloads of their friends and families.

“How much longer do you think you can stay out there, Jo Madison?” Maggie muttered.

“Out where, Mum?” Maggie jumped six inches in the air and clutched a hand to her heart.

“Damn you, girl, you scared me out of 10 years’ growth,” she yelped, spinning around and facing Jo. Two pairs of blue eyes glared at each other, Jo’s holding a touch of innocent inquiry that was irritating in the extreme to her mother. “Oh, don’t give me that look. I know exactly what you’ve been up to,” Maggie said with mock severity, planting her hands on her hips.

“Why, Mother, whatever do you mean?” Jo said archly, raising an eyebrow as she handed her parental unit a fresh glass of champagne. “I’ve been down below, helping Jenny with the food and drinks."

“Riiiiiight,” said Maggie. “And taking a shower and changing clothes as well.” She pointed at Jo’s wet hair and freshly pressed shorts and polo shirt.

“S’been a long day. I felt like putting something clean on,” Jo shrugged. The women eyed each other for a few more seconds then both burst out laughing.

“You are so busted,” Maggie said, wiping away a tear.

“I am so happy,” Jo murmured, surprising even herself with the comment.

“Oh, Josie.” Her mother stepped forward and took her daughter’s face in her hands. “I can see that you are,” she said, tears welling up in her eyes again. “And I am so happy for you, darling.”

Jo rested her hands on her mother’s forearms, and grinned through her own tears. “Thanks,” she husked. A familiar warm presence made itself known just behind her and Jo felt, rather than heard, Cadie’s approach.

“Hello, you two,” the American said softly. Maggie removed her left hand from Jo’s cheek long enough to place it against the side of Cadie’s face instead.

“Hello, sweetheart,” Maggie said, smiling tearily at the woman she’d come to think of as her other daughter. She patted both warm cheeks one last time and moved back a little.

“I… um… thought we might get this show on the road,” Cadie said, looking from Jo to her mother and back again. I missed something here, but I don’t think it was a bad thing, she decided.

Jo cleared her throat and looked up at Cadie through lowered eyelashes. “Good idea,” she agreed. “Want to do the honors?”

“Your boats, skipper. Your show.”

Jo shook her head and wrapped an arm around Cadie’s shoulders. “Nope. Our show,” she said, planting a kiss on the blonde’s temple. “Come on.”

Together they climbed up onto the roof of the Seawolf’s cockpit. Jo bent down and banged on the fiberglass with the flat of her hand, trying to attract the attention of whoever was below decks.

“Hey! Turn it down, will ya?” she shouted. Almost immediately the pounding rhythms of the rock music ceased. It also had the effect of drawing the attention of everyone spread across the decks of the three yachts. All faces turned towards Jo and Cadie. Jo straightened up and looked at all her friends.

Paul and Jenny were here, of course. They were still living with Jo and Cadie, the two couples finding that they enjoyed each other’s company. Paul had gained his master’s ticket, so now he was skipper of the Lobo. The four of them were often at sea at different times, an ideal way not to get sick of the sight of each other.

The Palmieri clan was also here. Rosa and Roberto had their hands full keeping track of the, now, not so little Sophie, who was growing into a quite gorgeous young lady. Even Tony had managed to find time off from his duty’s on Hayman Island to come party.

All of the Cheswick employees were onboard, of course, including the newest members of the team, who would be Paul’s crew on board the Lobo. Doris was sitting in the stern of the Seawolf, and she raised her glass to Jo, even as her boss waited for the conversations to still around her.

Jo searched the happy crowd for one face in particular, and finally found it. Ken Harding, dressed in an outrageously loud Hawaiian-style shirt and, of all things, purple board shorts, stood, beer in hand, with her father and the Joneses. Jo grinned at the big cop, delighted that he had been able to get the time off, and had made the trip north for the weekend’s celebrations.

Cadie tucked herself up under Jo’s arm and watched her lover’s face avidly. There was such happiness there, and the sight of it made Cadie feel wonderful. Look at her, she thought. Surrounded by everyone she loves. And letting them love her. I’m so proud of her. Cadie stood on tiptoes and kissed her Jo’s cheek softly. It caught the taller woman by surprise and Jo looked at her enquiringly.

“Just felt like doing that,” Cadie answered the unasked question.

“Cut it out, you two,” came a raucous voice from somewhere on the Beowulf. “You’ve already been at it all afternoon!”

Laughter rippled around the yachts and Cadie buried her blushing face against Jo’s shoulder.

“Wouldn’t you, if you had the chance?” Jo quipped, regaining control of the situation.

“Too right!” That from several voices.

Jo laughed. “All right, all right. Settle down, you lot. We’ve got some announcements to make.”

“Well, hurry up, can’t you? It’s a pretty dry argument down this end.” That voice floated up from the bow of the Lobo. More laughter.

“Hang on,” piped up Jen. “I can solve that problem.” The brunette ducked down below but quickly reappeared hefting a carton of what Jo guessed was ice-cold beer. “Here you go.” The carton was soon being passed overhead to the poor, parched souls who had gone almost an hour without a fresh drink.

“Is everybody happy now?” Jo called out wryly.

“Thanks mate,” came the reply.

“Right then. Finally.” Jo felt Cadie shaking with laughter and she took another moment to look down at the blonde, whose sparkling green eyes were gorgeous to behold. Everyone’s going to know just exactly how you feel about her in a few minutes, Jo-Jo, she thought. As if they can’t already tell. Cadie looked up at her and Jo kissed her softly on the lips, just for good measure. I’m so damn proud she chose me.

“Okay,” Jo murmured, taking one last look into those sea-green eyes and getting all the confirmation she needed before she turned back to the crowd. “Welcome to the annual Cheswick Marine Australia Day Party Weekend.” She grinned as the cheers answered her. “We do this every year, as you know, but this year, we’ve got a few bonus celebrations for you.”

“Great, another excuse for a party,” yelled one reveler.

“Exactly right,” Jo replied. “I want to welcome all the new crew members. As you can see, the Lobo’s had a new coat of paint and she’ll be ferrying her first boatload of tourists around next week. That’s one extra reason to celebrate.” Applause.

“The second reason to celebrate is a little more personal to Cadie and me.” Jo looked at the blonde and reached out a hand, which Cadie took. “As of 11am yesterday, when the mail arrived, Cadie is now a permanent resident of Australia.” No matter how hard they tried neither woman could keep the grins off their faces as a resounding cheer went up from the assembled masses. Somewhere, someone started a chorus of Waltzing Matilda, and soon everyone was singing along.

“Welcome to the country, Cades!” Paul yelled once the song was done, raising his half-empty stubby of beer in her direction.

“Thanks, mate,” Cadie replied, trying on her best Aussie accent for the first time in public. Jo winced.

“Ah, let’s work on that one later, shall we sweetheart?” she said, softening the sting with a 1000-watt grin.

“Ooooo, personal tutoring,” Cadie replied cheekily, eliciting another roar of approval from the crowd.

“While we’re on the subject, I want to introduce you all to someone.” Jo pointed in Harding’s direction. “The big fella over there in the incredibly ugly shirt.” She waited until Ken waved a reluctant hand at all the partygoers. “That’s Ken. He’s the one who pulled a few strings so we could get all the paperwork done in just eight months. Thanks, mate.”

Harding lifted his beer and acknowledged the cheers around him.

“One more announcement, folks, and then you can get back to some serious partying,” Jo called out. Her stomach did a double back-flip and she caught her mother’s eye for a moment, receiving a nod of encouragement. Cadie squeezed her hand gently. “You all have until 3pm tomorrow to sober up,” she said, grinning at the puzzled looks on the faces of her friends. “Because at 3pm tomorrow, Cadie and I are going to get married.”

Jo smoothed her hands across her belly and thighs, settling the cool white linen pants into some sort of order. She looked at herself in the cabin’s mirror and frowned critically. Tucked into the pants was a white tank top. A linen Asian-style jacket lay across the bed, waiting for her to put it on. Jo’s long, black hair was loose and she pulled it back with one hand, debating whether or not to put it into a ponytail.

“What do you think, Mephy?” she asked of the big black cat, who was curled contentedly on a corner of the bed, his tail flicking from side to side.

“Leave it down. It looks beautiful.”

Jo turned to see Helena Jones leaning on the doorjamb. Cadie’s mother was looking elegant as always, in neatly pressed khaki shorts and polo shirt. Jo smiled and let her hair down.

“Hello,” she said.

“Can I come in?” Helena asked.

“Of course.”

Helena crossed the floor of the cabin and sat down on the bed as she watched Jo continue to get ready. Jo picked up the jacket and slipped it on, pulling her hair up and out so it spilled across the white material.

“See what I mean? Gorgeous.”

Jo smiled shyly at Helena’s reflection, and felt the blush color her skin. She turned as she fiddled with the buttons on the jacket. “Should I leave this open or do it up?” she asked.

“Oh, open, definitely.” Helena stood up and walked over the Jo. She reached up and adjusted the collar of the jacket, which had caught and folded over when Jo pulled it on. “There you go.”

Jo waited patiently as Helena continued to fuss with her clothes. She has something she wants to say, she reasoned. I hope it’s not ‘keep your hands off my daughter’. Nah.

Helena looked up into patient, blue eyes that held more than a touch of tolerant laughter in their twinkle. She laughed at herself and patted Jo’s shoulder before backing off a little.

“What am I fussing about?” she said wryly. “You look great and you don’t need me to tell you so.”

“It’s okay,” Jo said quietly.

Helena looked up at her and Jo recognized the look, not the least because Cadie had very much inherited her mother’s eyes.

“We haven’t had a chance to really get to know each other, Jo,” Helena said. “You were only in Madison a few days before you left and, even though we’ve talked a lot on the phone, nothing beats getting to know someone in person.”

Oh boy, where’s she going with this, Jo wondered, her stomach tightening suddenly.

Helena saw the slightly panicked look on Jo’s face and rushed to reassure her. “Oh, Jo, don’t worry.” She chuckled. “I was about to tell you that even though we haven’t had a lot of time together, I knew the minute I met you that you and Cadie were perfectly matched.”

Jo grinned. “Really?”

“Oh yes. I’ve never seen Cadie so… relaxed… and contented. She doesn’t have to be anything other than herself when she’s with you, Jo. And that’s more than Naomi could ever do for her.”

Jo felt the last vestiges of insecurity over Cadie’s ex-partner falling away. “I think I’ve always known that we had something she and Naomi never did,” she said softly. “And of course, Cadie has said so. But thank you for confirming it.”

Helena moved forward again and touched her palm gently to Jo’s cheek.

“Don’t you ever worry about that, Jo,” she said, equally quietly. “She adores you. And, truth be told, so do Stephen and I.” She smiled at Jo’s renewed blush. “We have no doubts at all that the two of you will make each other very happy.”

Jo exhaled slowly. She had been strangely calm about meeting Cadie’s parents, she remembered. Mainly, she suspected, because that day had been so bizarre, meeting her future in-laws had seemed like a doddle in comparison.

They hadn’t warned Cadie’s parents that Jo was coming home with her. In the end, it had just been easier to pile everything in the car and drive up to Madison as quickly as they could. Cadie found she had loved showing Jo all the sights – not that that particular stretch of I90 provided much in the way of picturesque scenery – but Jo had seemed interested and plied her with questions. By the time they were pulling in to the driveway of Cadie’s childhood home, both of them were happy and relaxed despite the events of the day.

Or maybe because of them, Jo had thought at the time. It’s such a relief to be out from under Naomi’s dark cloud.

Stephen and Helena came down the driveway to meet them and Jo had hung back a little, knowing that their primary concern would be making sure Cadie was all right. She climbed out of the car and waited while her partner and her parents reassured themselves that all was well.

“And who is this?” Stephen Jones had asked finally, turning with a smile to the tall, dark-haired and attractive stranger waiting on the car’s passenger side. He had an inkling, from the descriptions his daughter had given him. But he didn’t want to assume.

Cadie grinned over her shoulder at her lover and stepped back from Helena’s hug. “Mom, Dad, this is Jo,” she had said simply, pride and love shining from her eyes. “She arrived out of the blue, at just the right moment. As usual.”

“Well, you can thank your mother for that,” Jo had drawled as she stepped forward and grasped Stephen’s offered hand in a firm grip. “It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Jones,” she said, looking the tall man in the eye.

“Please, call me Stephen,” Cadie’s father had replied, already impressed by the cool calm of his daughter’s friend. “And thank you. If Cadie says you arrived at the right moment, I can only assume that you saved her from considerable amounts of trouble.”

Jo glanced Cadie’s way and smiled slightly. “She was doing pretty well on her own, I think,” she had replied.

Cadie snorted. “You are such a liar.” She turned to her mother and smiled. “The truth is Naomi was being a little difficult and Jo stopped her.” Helena reached up and brushed a finger along the scrape on Cadie’s jaw.

“I want to hear all the details,” she had said firmly. “But first.” Helena walked over to Jo and wrapped the slightly surprised woman in a warm hug. “I want to welcome you to the family, Jo.”

Jo had found herself confronted by a very familiar pair of eyes and was charmed.

“Um, thank you,” she had replied. “I’m very glad to be here.”

Helena’s voice brought Jo back to the present.

“We know you haven’t planned a honeymoon,” the older woman was saying. “So, Stephen and I thought we’d … well, hopefully we haven’t been too presumptuous.” Helena held out an envelope. “We checked with your office manager … Doris, right?” Jo nodded and took the envelope. “To make sure you had enough time to take a week off. Go on, open it up.”

Jo started to, lifting the flap and peering inside. It looked like an accommodation voucher and when she saw the name on the letterhead her eyebrows lifted. “Wow, Helena, that’s very generous. Thank you.”

Helena patted her hand gently. “Don’t mention it. Now, we spoke to your friend Bill, and he’s going to fly you both up there in his helicopter tonight.” She grinned at her soon to be daughter-in-law. “After some celebrations, of course.”

Jo laughed. “That’ll kill Bill. Having to stay sober till he gets back here.” She clutched the envelope to her chest and smiled at Helena. “Thank you. This means a lot.”

Helena nodded. “It means a lot to us to be able to do it for you, Jo. Naomi never really let us do this kind of thing. I feel more involved in Cadie’s life now, even though she’s on the other side of the world, than I ever did when she was with the senator.”

Jo didn’t say anything, just pulled the older woman into a hug, a move which surprised Helena, but pleased her more than she could say.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

Across the companionway, in the other double berth, Cadie was also dressing. Her outfit matched Jo’s except, instead of pants and a tank top, she wore a long sundress under her jacket. She was putting the finishing touches on her makeup when the knock came at the door.

“Come in,” she said, not looking away from the mirror as she applied her mascara. Cadie heard someone enter. “I won’t be a minute,” she called out.

“No worries,” came the surprisingly deep response. Cadie smiled at herself as she screwed the lid back on the mascara tube. She had half-expected a visit from one of the four parental units on board, but David Madison was probably the one she had least expected to come through the door.

Cadie rounded the corner and found the elder Madison standing uncomfortably in front of the bed, his hands buried deep in the pockets of his shorts. Cadie grinned. He’s so cute when he’s flustered. “Hello.”

David looked up at the blonde’s approach and he found himself even more tongue-tied than usual. “G’day,” he said, finally. “Gosh, Cadie you look terrific … just … you just look terrific.”

Cadie beamed at him. “Thank you.” She waited while David obviously tried to gather his thoughts together into cogent sentences. Finally he just sighed and sat down on the edge of the bed.

“I had a whole bunch of stuff I wanted to say to you,” he said. “But, you know me. I’m not too good when it gets down to talking.”

Cadie smiled and sat down next to him, taking his calloused right hand between her own and chafing it gently. “You do just fine,” she said. “Besides there’s some stuff I wanted to say to you too.”

“Yeah?”

“Mhmm. Like, I wanted to say thank you for making me part of your family. For making me feel like I had a second set of parents. It’s made leaving home a lot easier, knowing that I had another family here to welcome me.”

In the five months since he and Maggie had sold Coonyabby and moved up here, David had had the chance to get to know his daughter’s partner a lot better. But she never failed to surprise him with her open and warm personality. He cleared his throat.

“You’re always welcome, Cadie,” he said gruffly, placing his other hand on top of hers. “That’s one of the things I wanted to say.” He looked down and then felt Cadie bumping him with her shoulder, encouraging him to continue. Sea-green eyes met his when he looked back up again. “You gave me my daughter back.”

Cadie felt tears stinging her eyes and she saw just a hint of the same in David’s. She shook her head slowly. “I think she would have come back to you anyway,” she said. “She wanted to so badly.”

“You made her feel like she could do it, though,” David insisted.

Cadie conceded the point, shrugging slightly and smiling. “I love her,” she said softly. “That makes everything possible. For both of us.”

David nodded. After a few seconds silence, he dug into his pocket and pulled out a small jewelry case. “We, uh … we wanted to give you both something to mark the day,” he said. “We know you picked out your wedding rings, but these …” He opened the case carefully, exposing two rings. One was a woman’s engagement ring, an emerald slightly darker than Cadie’s eyes, set on a simple rose-gold band. The other was a man’s signet ring, though it was slender enough to look good on a woman. “These we thought you could wear as well as the wedding rings,” David continued. “My father gave them to us when we were married,” he explained.

“Oh, David.”

“If they don’t fit, we can always get them resized,” he said hastily, aware he was just filling air in an effort not to be embarrassed.

“They’re beautiful.” Cadie picked out the signet ring and looked more closely at it. Inscribed on the gold shield was one word – Madison. She glanced up at David, who was watching her closely. “Do you mind if I choose this one?” she asked.

David was surprised, but he could suddenly see the symmetry of her choice. “Of course not,” he replied. Part of the family. Nice.

Cadie put the ring back in its case, next to its partner and closed the lid carefully. “Please thank Maggie for me,” she said, and she reached up and kissed her father-in-law on the cheek.

“No worries,” David said hoarsely.

Jo felt about 50 pairs of eyes boring into her. Which wasn’t surprising, considering she was currently the center of attention. All the partygoers had crowded around the cockpit of the Seawolf, though some, by necessity, had spilled onto the other boats. Jo stood with Paul, and the marriage celebrant, Marilyn, as they waited for Cadie.

“Nervous?” Paul asked, a grin splitting his face from side to side.

Jo was about to answer him when she spotted the look on his face. “Oh, you’re loving this aren’t you?” she said, slapping his shoulder affectionately.

“You bet,” the tall man agreed. “How often do we get to see Jo Madison, monarch of the seas, flustered?”

“I am not flustered,” Jo objected, pushing a lock of her hair back behind her ear. “I just want to get started, that’s all.”

“Well, here’s your chance, skipper,” Paul said, nodding in the direction of the companionway. Cadie emerged into the sunshine and Jo immediately forgot about every other person onboard.

Perfect. She looks just perfect, Jo thought, as she reached out and took Cadie’s offered hand. Gently she pulled the blonde closer and Cadie smiled up at Jo.

“Hello,” she said softly.

“Hello,” Jo replied. “You are beautiful.”

The low voice curled around Cadie’s senses and magically settled her nerves. She felt herself blushing under Jo’s frank appraisal. “Likewise, darling,” she whispered back. “Are you ready for this?”

“Oh, yes,” came Jo’s reply, with no hesitation. “Marry me.”

“Happily,” Cadie answered.

They turned together to face Marilyn, who had watched the quiet exchange with a knowing smile. The murmuring around the central group settled into an expectant silence. Jo felt Cadie’s hand squeeze hers and she changed her grip, entwining their fingers as they waited for the celebrant to begin.

“Welcome everyone, to this very special celebration for our friends, Jo and Cadie,” Marilyn began. “They have chosen a variation on the traditional hand-fasting ceremony to express their love and commitment to each other. It is very much a ceremony of their own design, but incorporates symbols which have been passed down through centuries of similar rituals.”

Between Marilyn and Jo and Cadie was a small round table. On it were two candles, each one lit, and one larger, much taller candle, which was still unlit. In front of the candles was a long, wide, purple ribbon, on which sat the two wedding rings.

“Jo, Cadie, please take the wedding rings.” The women reached forward and took their own gold bands, holding them in the palms of their upturned hands. “We have come together here in celebration of the joining together of Jo and Cadie,” Marilyn continued, lifting her voice so all on board could hear. “There are many things to say about marriage. Much wisdom concerning the joining together of two souls has come our way through all paths of belief, and from many cultures. With each union, more knowledge is gained and more wisdom gathered. Though we are unable to give all of this knowledge to these two, who stand before us, we can hope to leave with them the knowledge love’s strengths and the anticipation of the wisdom that comes with time. The law of life is love unto all beings. Without love, life is nothing, without love, death has no redemption.”

The celebrant paused for breath and Jo felt the quiet peace around her. She glanced at Cadie and found an expression of utter contentment on her partner’s face. Like an angel, Jo thought, drinking in the love that shone from Cadie. At that moment the blonde looked her way and smiled.

Cadie let the happiness well up inside her. She and Jo had spent many hours searching for the right words for their marriage ceremony, and when they had finally found a combination they both loved, all their nerves had dropped away. Instead there was nothing but anticipation. And now, feeling their friends and family becoming absorbed in the words and the meanings behind them – it felt perfect to Cadie.

“Marriage is a bond to be entered into only after considerable thought and reflection,” Marilyn continued. She looked up and beyond the immediate circle of Jo, Cadie and their parents. “Jo tells me that she had known Cadie about three weeks when she asked her to marry her.” There were grins all around the yacht. “But after watching these two over the past 10 months or so, I think I can safely theorize that they have done most of their reflection over the course of many lifetimes together.”

There were agreeing murmurs and ‘hear, hears’ from the watching crowd and both Cadie and Jo blushed.

“As with any aspect of life, marriage has its cycles, its ups and its downs, its trials and its triumphs. With full understanding of this, Jo and Cadie have come here today to be joined as one.

“Others would ask, at this time, who gives the bride in marriage, but, as a woman is not property to be bought and sold, given and taken, I ask simply if they come of their own will and if they have their families’ blessing.”

Marilyn turned to Cadie.

“Cadie, is it true that you come of your own free will and accord?”

“Yes, it is true,” she replied, with a quick smile at Jo.

“With whom do you come and whose blessings accompany you?” the celebrant asked.

Stephen and Helena stepped forward slightly and stood behind Cadie’s left shoulder.

“She comes with us, her parents,” said Stephen. “And she is accompanied by all of her family's blessings,” said Helena.

Marilyn turned to Jo.

“And you, Jossandra, is it true that you come of your own free will and accord?”

Jo tried to speak but emotion clogged her voice, suddenly. She cleared her throat and then replied.

“Yes, it is true,” she husked.

“And with whom do you come and whose blessings accompany you?”

This time it was David and Maggie who stepped forward to stand behind their daughter’s right shoulder. Jo held her breath for a moment, realizing that this was the ultimate acceptance back into the family she had abandoned so long ago. Cadie squeezed her hand gently.

“She comes with us, her parents,” said David, in a clear, strong voice. “And she is accompanied by all of her family's blessings.” Maggie’s voice wavered with emotion, but there was no mistaking her happiness. Jo exhaled softly.

“Jo, Cadie, please face each other and join your left hands.” Marilyn waited as the two women did so, their eyes locked on each other. “Above you are the stars, below you is the water, and below that again, are the stones. As time passes, remember ... Like a stone should your love be firm. Like a star should your love be constant. Like water should your love be fluid and adaptable. Let the powers of the mind and of the intellect guide you in your marriage. Let the strength of your wills bind you together. Let the power of love and desire make you happy, and the strength of your dedication make you inseparable.

“Be close, but not too close. Possess one another, yet be understanding. Have patience with one another, for storms will come, but they will pass quickly. Be free in giving affection and warmth. Have no fear and let not the ways of the unenlightened give you unease, for your gods are with you always.”

Jo heard a small sniffle from somewhere behind her and a quick glance told her that Helena was dabbing at her eyes as Stephen wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

“We’re making your mother cry,” she whispered conspiratorially.

A twinkling green gaze smiled back at her. “Yours too,” came the answering whisper.

“Jo,” Marilyn continued. “I have not the right to bind you to Cadie. Only you have this right. If it is your wish, say so at this time and place your ring in her hand.”

Jo’s voice was steadier this time.

“It is my wish.” She gave Cadie the ring they had selected for Jo.

“Cadie, if it is your wish for Jo to be bound to you, place the ring on her finger.”

Cadie changed her grip on Jo’s left hand and gently slid the gold band into place on her lover’s ring finger. She ducked her head and kissed it.

“Cadie, I have not the right to bind you to Jo. Only you have this right. If it is your wish, say so at this time and place your ring in her hand.”

“Oh, it’s my wish.”

A soft chuckle broke out among the crowd at Cadie’s tone and Jo grinned as she took the ring.

“Jo, if it is your wish for Cadie to be bound to you, place the ring on her finger.”

Jo did so, doing as Cadie had done and kissing the band softly once it was in place.

“Jo and Cadie have written their own vows, which they will now exchange,” Marilyn said, stepping back a little and letting the two women have the floor.

They had decided earlier that Jo would go first, but now that the moment had come, she was completely tongue-tied. Their left hands were still clasped and Cadie pulled them closer till she could kiss Jo’s knuckles.

“Want me to go first?” she whispered.

Jo cleared her throat and then shook her head. “No. I’m okay.”

“Time to ‘fess up, Jo-Jo,” came a playful call from the back of the crowd, breaking the tension.

“Quiet in the cheap seats,” Jo retorted, grinning at her friends.

“Aye, aye skipper.”

“Oh, shut up.” It was a welcome relief and reminded Jo that she was surrounded by people who loved her. She took a deep breath and turned back to Cadie, drawn in once more by the warmth shining from those sea-green eyes.

“There are an awful lot of things I’ve done in my life that I’m not proud of,” she said quietly. Immediately, the murmuring and laughter around them settled back into attentive silence. “I never felt like I deserved to be loved the way you love me. But when you arrived in my life it was like you laid me bare. I couldn’t resist you.” She smiled at the slowly rising blush that colored Cadie’s cheeks. “You have taught me so much about trusting again. About recognizing true love. About letting myself be loved.” A tear slipped from Cadie’s right eye and Jo reached up and gently caught it with the pad of her thumb. “I have some promises to make to you.

“You already know that I will love you forever.” They smiled at each other. “But there is more to this than that, isn’t there?” Cadie nodded. “I promise to listen to you closely, and speak to you honestly. I promise not to expect perfection from you, nor to demean you, or take you for granted. I will hold your welfare equal to or greater than my own, and I vow to put our relationship first, above all things. And I will thank you in my heart every day, for giving me back my life.”

Cadie couldn’t speak for several seconds after Jo finished. They hadn’t shared their vows with each other before the ceremony and Jo’s had come as a revelation. She knows exactly what’s important to me, Cadie thought. She reached up and touched Jo’s cheek, smiling tearily.

“You’re welcome, my love,” Cadie said softly. “My turn, I guess.” Jo nodded.

Cadie took a deep breath. “When I met you I was in a very bad place,” she began. “I had lost sight of so many things in my life – I didn’t really know who I was anymore, or where I was meant to be going. And then you appeared, like magic.” She smiled, the joy radiating out from her. “You are my beacon, Jo. You led me home.” Now it was Cadie’s turn to brush a tear from Jo’s cheek. “I have promises to make to you, too. I promise to treat you, always, with loving respect. I promise to mend my own mistakes, and forgive easily. I promise to defend and support you. I will walk beside you on our path, but I will not try to choose for you, nor ask you to make my decisions for me. And I will also thank you in my heart every day, for giving me back my freedom.” Her voice cracked on the last word, and her own tears spilled over once again.

There was hardly a dry eye on board the three yachts, and the sound of quiet sniffling came from every direction. Jo and Cadie leaned towards each other until their foreheads touched, and they basked in their connection.

Even Marilyn, a veteran of touching moments, was forced to wipe her eyes before continuing. She leaned forward and picked up the purple ribbon. Jo and Cadie turned back towards the celebrant and reached out with their clasped hands. Marilyn draped the ribbon over their hands.

“I bind Jo and Cadie to the vows that they each have made.” She wrapped the ribbon around their hands three times. “However, this binding is not tied, so that neither is restricted by the other, and the binding is only enforced by both their wills.”

With their free hands, Cadie and Jo picked up their respective lit candles.

"Your separate lives are symbolized by the separate candles you now bear,” Marilyn said. “As you join their flames to make one flame, know that at that moment you are willingly joining your lives forever. Is this what you wish?"

“It is,” Jo and Cadie said together.

“Then so be it.”

They tipped their individual candles together until the flames merged and then lowered it down to light the big candle in the middle of the table. As the wick flickered into life, they both spoke.

“Heart to thee, soul to thee, body to thee.” They replaced their individual candles and turned to each other. “Now and forever.”

As they kissed, finally, their hands still bound, applause and cheers broke out around them. But Jo and Cadie were largely oblivious, lost in the depths of their connection. Not even the meowing of a large black cat as he wove between their feet and bumped against their shins, could distract them from their own, private, celebration.

Jo closed her eyes and let her head fall back as the heat of the newly-risen sun began to sink into her bones. Behind her, at the top of wooden steps she was sprawled across, was a luxurious cabin. It was raised on stilts above the still, clear waters of a large lagoon, which lapped, tantalizingly, at the bottom step. In front of Jo there was nothing but empty sea and the shimmering sun.

Jo felt wickedly contented. Tired, but contented, she thought. She and Cadie had arrived at the resort late the night before and by mutual consent they had done little more than collapse into bed and fall asleep in each other’s arms. Plenty of time for exploring our little world here, Jo had decided as she drifted off.

She leaned back on her elbows, which rested on the deck. With one hand she pushed her sunglasses back up her nose, the sunlight glinting on the ring her parents had given her. Jo gazed at it. That was a pleasant surprise, she thought. I’ve always loved this ring. Cadie had produced the small jewelry box as they were climbing into bed and Jo had thought it absolutely fitting that Cadie had chosen the signet ring. She fingered the emerald setting of her mother’s ring absently. And now I have a constant reminder of Cadie’s eyes, even when she’s not with me. Jo smiled.

Cadie emerged from sleep slowly and rolled towards Jo’s expected warmth. The realization that there was an empty space in the bed brought her fully awake. It took a few seconds of blinking at the unfamiliar surroundings for her to remember just where she was. The thought brought a small smile to her face.

Cadie sat up in bed and looked around the small, but luxurious apartment. Everything was open plan, the large bed dominating this part of the space, the walls lined with bookshelves filled with classic literature. To her right was the living area, comfortable seats sitting on a glass panel in the floor that allowed the occupants to watch the wildlife swimming under the cabin. A large plasma screen television nestled against the far wall and beyond that again was a large, well-appointed bathroom that included a huge bath that overlooked the lagoon.

Mmmmmm, my parents rock, Cadie decided as she took in her surroundings. I’d heard about this place but I never thought we’d get the chance to come up here. It had taken over an hour in Bill’s chopper to reach the exclusive resort which was north of the Whitsundays and priced to exclude all but the world’s rich and famous.

Cadie stretched and caught sight of a familiar dark head and torso poking up above the level of the decking outside. The bedroom and its decking were shielded from the other cabins sprinkled around the lagoon by two large rattan dividers, affording this side of the hut complete privacy. Cadie therefore had no qualms about slipping out of bed and padding, naked, out onto the deck.

She slid in behind Jo, spreading her legs on either side of her partner’s long torso. Jo’s hair was up in a loose bun and Cadie took the opportunity to kiss the nape of her neck softly.

“Hello wife,” Jo purred, dropping her head back until it rested on Cadie’s shoulder.

“Mmmm, I like how that sounds,” Cadie whispered, dropping more kisses on any exposed skin she could find.

“Me too,” Jo agreed.

Cadie’s arms wrapped around Jo’s waist and her hands traveled north, cupping Jo’s breasts playfully. “Aren’t you rather overdressed, wife?” she murmured close to her partner’s ear, even as one hand slid under the strap of Jo’s swimsuit and slipped it off her shoulder.

Jo shivered involuntarily even as she laughed softly. “Probably,” she answered. “I didn’t really think about it to be honest. I just got up and put the suit on.” She reached up and kissed Cadie’s cheek. “I’m more than happy to take it off for you, though,” she burred.

Cadie chuckled, recognizing the tone of Jo’s voice for what it was, a blatant come-on. Grinning, she decided a little more teasing was in order.

“Oh, I don’t know, I could go for some breakfast,” she said playfully, as her fingers continued to tease Jo. “By the way, how do we get food?” she asked. “We don’t seem to have a kitchen.”

Jo was finding Cadie’s wandering fingers incredibly distracting and she groaned. “Um, we just call room service, and a little man comes out in a boat from the main island,” she finally said, trying to ignore the wide grin on Cadie’s face. “You are a wicked, wicked woman.”

“And you love it,” Cadie confirmed.

“No question.” Jo wriggled out of Cadie's grip and stood up. She turned to face her partner and Cadie was treated to a silhouetted vision as the rising sun formed a halo around Jo's lean and shapely figure. The blonde leaned back on her elbows.

“You are beautiful,” she said breathlessly, gazing up at Jo, whose features were in shadow, though her smile was evident.

“Mmmm, you're biased.”

“And you're still beautiful,” Cadie retorted, long used to Jo's strategies for deflecting compliments.

Jo continued to smile as she reached up and let her hair down, allowing it to spill across her shoulders. Cadie sucked in a long, slow breath, loving every minute of the show her lover was putting on. Jo slipped the other strap off her shoulder and wriggled seductively out of her swimsuit, letting it pool around her feet. Cadie groaned.

“You know,” Jo said casually as she dropped to her knees between Cadie's legs. “That privacy thing could come in very handy.” She leaned forward, sliding her body over the blonde's torso. “If we wanted to, we could make love, right here, on the deck.”

Cadie felt the tingles from the tips of her toes to the top of her head as Jo ducked down and began dropping slow, sensuous kisses across her neck and breasts.

“We could do that,” she murmured, wrapping her legs around Jo's hips and pulling her closer. “But I know for a fact that that big bed in there is a lot softer and easier on the bones than this.”

Jo's mouth claimed hers in a searing kiss that made Cadie forget everything but the heat they were generating, quite apart from the sunshine beating down on them both. Her hand slid up into Jo's hair, tangling in the long, silky locks. Jo moved against her and soon they were rocking and sliding together in a sweaty, sensual tangle of limbs.

“Then again,” Cadie gasped once Jo's lips found another target. “We do have a week. I guess... oh... uh, I guess we could make love on every square inch of this place if we w-wanted to.” She arched as Jo teased a particularly sensitive spot. “God, woman.”

A throaty chuckle came from somewhere south of Cadie's navel.

“Jo, darling, we're going to get sunburned in the most wicked ... p-places,” Cadie reasoned dreamily. Not that she was feeling in the least bit rational at that moment. Far from it. In fact... a surge of passion claimed her and Cadie felt herself slipping into a blissful oblivion.

Jo made a decision and took a firmer grip on Cadie's body, using her powerful legs to push them both upright. She paused for a few seconds to regain her balance as they threatened to topple backwards into the ocean, but then she surged up and forward, walking them across the deck and through the open sliding glass door, into the cool shade of the bedroom.

Cadie kissed her deeply as Jo carried her inside. Her skin felt like it was on fire and all she wanted was to fall into bed and ravish this gloriously sexy woman until they had exhausted themselves. Jo turned so her back was to the bed and then dropped slowly. Cadie had a vague sense of just how strong her new wife was and then suddenly she was astride those slim hips and gazing down into impossibly blue eyes.

They were both breathing heavily and for a few seconds they gazed at each other.

“I don’t ever want to stop feeling like this,” Jo whispered.

“We don’t ever have to, Jo-Jo,” Cadie replied as she rested on her hands. Jo’s hair was splayed across the pillow and Cadie didn’t think she had ever seen anything as entrancing. “We can do this forever. I’m yours forever.”

Nothing will ever beat this feeling, Jo thought, mesmerized by the deep love shining out of Cadie’s eyes. Nothing. “And I’m yours, my love. Now and forever.”

“Now and forever.”