Free Novels 01 Blue Skies by Fleur McDonald Page B

beside her, the rain falling from his wide-brimmed hat onto his coat. It made a dripping noise that Amanda found comforting. Familiar.
    ‘I’d like to get Amanda to hospital now,’ Jeff said.
    ‘I’m not going,’ Amanda said firmly. ‘I want to stay until they find Dad.’ She turned to Adrian for support.
    ‘Wouldn’t it be a good idea to be looked over by the doctors, Mandy?’
    ‘No, I’m not going.’ She pulled the blanket tighter around her shoulders and looked at Jeff stubbornly, daring him to drag her into the ambulance.
    ‘Well I can’t force you to go. I recommend that you do. You really should be checked for concussion and hypothermia.’
    Amanda just shook her head while Adrian smiled knowingly. ‘You won’t win with this one, Jeff. You may as well be on your way. I’ll look after her. C’mon then, Miss Independent, let’s get you back to the house and warmed up. I’ll stay with you until we hear some news.’
    Not wanting to leave the river’s edge, Amanda resisted at first, but after much coaxing she finally climbed into Adrian’s ute. Mingus jumped onto her lap and she put her arms around the dog.
    ‘Why hasn’t he been found yet?’ asked Amanda.
    ‘There’re lots of nooks and crannies to look in and it’s harder in the dark. They’re looking in the river now, Mandy. It looks like there were scuff marks right on the river’s edge. He could’ve fallen in.’ Adrian brought the car to a stop. It was quiet except for the rain gently hitting the roof of the car. He turned to face her and gently brushed her hair back from her face. ‘You need to be prepared for the possibility that they might not find him, Mandy. Not alive.’

Chapter 15
Winter 1935
    Michael reread his mother’s letter with growing horror. Grace? On her way to Esperance? How was that possible?
‘The growing threats towards her are unacceptable. You of all people would understand the unease and fear that she is experiencing. I am entrusting her to you. A marriage would be pleasing to your father and I, and would ensure the continuance of your annual allowance.Your loving mother, Elizabeth.’
What about Kathleen? How would she receive this news? Michael ran his hands over his face. Oh, he loved Grace, there was no question of that; in fact, they had been betrothed before he left England. She was from a well-to-do family, similar to his own. They were from neighbouring farms in Suffolk and had attended weekly hunts with their families from a young age. However, in his haste to leave England, he hadn’t said goodbye to Grace and had just assumed he would never see her again. His life on Kyleena was a far cry from what she was used to. And Grace’s arrival would put an end to his dreams of a life with Kathleen – but oh, how he wanted her! Yet the simple truth was that he couldn’t do without the money that came to him every month. He put down the letter with a sigh, knowing that he didn’t really have a choice.
    Kathleen stared at Michael in shock, unable to believe what he had just told her. ‘Too busy developing Kyleena to see her anymore.’ After a few minutes, she nodded, her face pale, and said she understood. Then she turned and walked into the boarding house without a backward glance, her shaking hands hidden in her pockets.
When she was sure he was gone, Kathleen ran from the house to sit weeping on the hill overlooking the Esperance bay. To be cast aside so easily after a year of courting was . . . well, there were not words to describe it.
Through her tears she noticed a man walking towards her. Her heart leapt with anticipation, until she realised it was only Bernard Spenser. The miner had had some luck in the Kalgoorlie goldfields and had been flashing his find around in the boarding house for the last three weeks. Kathleen knew he was awaiting the arrival of his sister today and she would be pleased to see the back of him. She had often observed him watching her when he thought she wasn’t