Free Rescue Heat by Nina Hamilton

to elaborate.
    “I’m used to the ratio of men to women being weighed in the other direction. US service bars inevitably have too many men.” Matt waved a hand at the heaving crowd. “Shouldn’t some of these girls be at home, doing schoolwork?”
    “Young, brash and beautiful, that is Cairns’ girls,” Brigid smiled.
    Matt slowly savoured his beer as his companions caught up with each other. He realised that there had been very few opportunities in his life to watch two women become immersed in the details of each other’s lives. Nothing was too small to be discussed; upcoming holidays, places they had had dinner, great runs they had had. Matt surprisingly was not bored with their minute concerns, although he was sure that some of the juicy details were omitted because of his presence. No man in Brigid’s life was mentioned, and Matt listened hard.
    “Sorry Matt,” Brigid said. “It looks like the price of our protection is having to bear witness to our weekly catch up.”
    “It definitely beats sitting alone at the bar. Would you girls like a drink?”
    Matt wove his way back to the bar. A quick glance over his shoulder, saw Brigid and Jennifer laughing, heads together. Matt was amazed at how much softer Brigid appeared in female company. Gone were the professional reserve and barriers that kept the world at bay. Brigid’s warmth towards Jennifer was such that Matt couldn’t help an impulsive wish to be part of her intimate circle.
    When Matt got back to the table Brigid was quizzing Jennifer on the latest storm projections for the summer.
    “So is this year going to be the year of the super storm cell?”
    For Matt’s benefit, Brigid explained. “Jennifer is a cyclone expert which is why she’s here in the Far North. Luckily though, Cairns hasn’t been hit directly since we got here.”
    “The water’s warm which is a risk factor,” said Jennifer. “The current modelling is predicting that this cyclone season could be an active one. But it’s all guesswork until we see one of those monster storms on our radar screens.”
    Brigid looked over the table at Matt with a smile. “See? This is why I recruited Jennifer to be my best friend. She’s my personal early warning system for damaging winds and heavy rain.”
    “Yeah, well I’m only in the friendship for the free healthcare,” Jennifer said, as she bumped her shoulder against Brigid. “So Matt, seeing as we’re protecting you from the amorous advances of the wild Cairns women, what skills do you bring to the table?”
    Brigid widened her eyes as she pretended to consider the question. “He’s pretty good on the ropes. So if you lose your cat up a tree he could come in very handy.”
    “But I don’t have a cat and I can’t see your Moby getting up a tree,” Jennifer said with an exaggerated pout.
    “Come on Matt, new skills?”
    Matt made a show of flexing his muscles. “Well I can probably open a tough lid for you.”
    When both women laughed, Matt realised he enjoyed the women’s gentle teasing. After a decade-long career in the Armed Forces, he was used to more rigorous forms of hazing. Those men might have been his brothers-in-arms, but boy, they could be brutal; mainly in relation to each other’s sexual prowess.
    Finishing his second drink, Matt got up to leave. Enjoying Brigid’s company only emphasised no good would come of him becoming too comfortable in it. His lack of romantic interest in Jennifer, an attractive, intelligent woman, reinforced his determination to walk away. Looking across the table, he only had eyes for Brigid’s fiercer features.
    “Thanks for the sanctuary. But now I’ve seen the local colour, I better get home.”
    His hands-off policy extended to the social kiss on the cheek, so instead he raised his hand in farewell and headed out.

Chapter Eight
    Brigid climbed out of the chopper door as soon as it touched down on a dusty road, one hundred kilometres out of Cairns. A paramedic was waiting to