Free Flight to Coorah Creek by Janet Gover Page A

Can’t you?’ Adam asked.
    â€˜There’s a lot to fix,’ Jack pointed out.
    Adam turned his head slowly, looking around the room. Jack was merely stating the blindingly obvious. Maybe this was a mistake. This house adjoining the hospital grounds was the official doctor’s residence. Adam had moved in here when he first arrived in the Creek, but quickly abandoned it to move into the hospital. He told people he liked to be closer to his patients, but the truth of the matter was that he didn’t like living alone in a house. Alone in a hospital was different. It was a place of work. A place of healing. A house was just empty and quiet … and lonely.
    He vaguely remembered the house as being quite an acceptable place to live. But that was then and this was now. In the past five years, he’d stripped it of a lot of its contents. Some had been put to use in the hospital. Some he’d given away to people in need. He hadn’t realised just how little remained.
    â€˜I guess I still pictured it like it was when I arrived.’
    Jack opened the door to the kitchen, raising a small dust storm as he did.
    â€˜She’s not going to be impressed.’
    Jack was right. Jess wouldn’t be at all pleased to hear him say this was her new home. Well, not if she saw it like this.
    â€˜How long is it going to take to fix it up?’
    â€˜That depends,’ Jack’s voice floated out from the kitchen. ‘Does she cook?’
    Frowning Adam followed him. ‘How should I know if she cooks …? Oh.’
    The kitchen was even worse than the living room. Under a thick cloud of dust, marks on the lino floor showed where the refrigerator had once rested.
    â€˜The cupboards would come up all right with some paint,’ Adam said doubtfully.
    It didn’t take long for them to inspect the rest of the house. Then Jack delivered his verdict.
    â€˜Doc, I can fix this but it’s going to take some money. And some time. There aren’t a lot of home decorating shops in the Creek.’
    â€˜Money we have.’ Or rather, the mining company did. ‘Time, however, is a bit of an issue. I don’t think our new pilot is all that keen on staying at the pub.’
    â€˜Then I had better get started. I think I have an idea that might help.’
    Adam left him to it. If anyone could make that house liveable, it was Jack. The man had a knack for finding things in unexpected places. Adam would put money on his having a refrigerator and some furniture lined up by the end of the day.
    Back in the hospital, Adam headed for the bathroom to wash off the accumulation of dust he had acquired during his visit to the house. He had an appointment this afternoon with a young couple expecting a baby. A clean shirt was in order too. He walked through the door into his quarters and felt the familiar sense of sanctuary. In this place he didn’t need to hide any part of himself. He had no fear of someone getting too close. This was his place. A room of books and music. A room for a man who didn’t need – or want – people.
    Adam took a clean shirt from the wardrobe. Like all his shirts, it was light, soft cotton and long-sleeved. As he always did, he rolled the sleeves up to his elbows. Then he set off for his office. He didn’t make it. Through the open front doors of the hospital, he saw Jess. She was standing outside, studying the building with some interest.
    Adam realised she couldn’t see him, standing as he was inside the dim hallway. Without the needs of his patient to occupy his thoughts, it was as if he were seeing her for the first time. She certainly made her T-shirt and blue jeans look good and he liked the way the short hair framed her face. Adam had been impressed by her skills as a pilot on their dangerous night landing. Outside the cockpit, she really was a lovely looking woman.
    What on earth could have brought her here? Coorah Creek was not the sort