Flight of the Jabiru (27 page)

“Yeah, I have. There's just one more I'm after, but he's proving hard to get. Maybe this will do it.” He paid Betty for the buffalo meat and then turned to leave.

Betty wasn't going to let him get away that quickly. “If you catch him, will you be moving on?”

“I'm not in any hurry to leave Shady Camp.”

“Really!” she asked in anticipation. “Why's that?”

“Word has gotten around that I'm doing fishing charters from here, so I might stick around a little while longer. You don't mind, do you?”

“No, I don't mind.” Betty was flatly disappointed. She'd hoped his reason would be far more romantic. “The fishermen come in here and spend money and they go to the pub, so you've been good for business.”

“I'm glad, Betty,” Rick said. “You've all been good to me.”

“We've enjoyed having you here, and you've been wonderful company for Lara. I'm actually grateful to you, and to Jerry, for keeping her company. This town isn't very exciting, especially for a beautiful young woman like Lara.”

“She seems happy enough here. I know she's enjoyed the challenge of getting the school up and running again.”

“Oh, I agree. I also think that there's a spark between Lara and Jerry. Haven't you noticed?”

“No, I can't say that I have.”

“Well, I have, and so have some of the other women.”

“Lara ... is a lot of fun. She's a very special woman.”

“Jerry would agree. I know for a fact that he's very attracted to her. I wouldn't be surprised if there's a wedding in Shady Camp in the near future.”

Rick looked at Betty with a blank expression and then he seemed to relax, as if discounting the idea.

His reaction annoyed Betty. She didn't like the fact that he was taking Lara's friendship for granted. She decided she'd definitely have to step it up. “I'm usually right about these things,” she insisted.

“Has he said he's going to propose to Lara?” Rick felt almost sorry for Jerry because he was certain that Lara didn't have romantic feelings for the doctor.

“Not in so many words, but I overheard him asking one of the women in town if she knew of any good jewelry stores in the city. He could only have had engagement rings in mind.”

“Not necessarily. He could've been just making conversation,” Rick said casually.

Betty's frustrations were growing. “I don't think so. I've known Jerry a long time. I'm certain he's very much in love with Lara. It's only a matter of time before she sees that and realizes he'd be a good catch.”

“Jerry is a good man, but I don't think that Lara has romantic feelings for him, Betty. Two people have to have that special connection for romance to blossom.”

“I agree,” Betty said, wondering why he wasn't applying this insight to himself and Lara. “I believe Jerry and Lara have that, Rick,” she said in a way that conveyed she might have inside knowledge.

“I think you are wrong, Betty,” Rick insisted, but a hint of uncertainty had crept into his tone.

Betty raised one brow, but didn't reply. This had the desired reaction.

“Has she said something?”

“She said she's fond of Jerry,” Betty said, which was only a slight exaggeration.

“That doesn't imply very much.”

“It was the way she said it. She's also said that she admires his dedication to people, and I know that's important to her. So I guess we'll have to wait and see what happens. I'm fairly certain that Jerry's planning something romantic in the very near future, quite possibly the proposal I mentioned. Don't say anything to Lara, though. I don't want to be responsible for ruining the surprise.”

“I won't,” Rick said with a hint of dejection. He was frowning when he left the store.

Betty smiled. “That should give him something to think about,” she said to herself.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

October 1941

After dismissing the children from school at two thirty, Lara made a cup of tea. In the afternoons, the back of the rectory was shaded by paperbark trees that formed the forest surrounding the clearing, also a large boab tree about twenty feet from the door, so it was a nice place to sit and mark spelling test papers. If there was a breeze, the leaves of the trees rustled like soft wind chimes. That sound, along with the symphony of noises from the abundant bird life and frogs in or around the billabong, was very soothing. But today there was no breeze. Even the birds, ducks, and geese were quiet. The air was oppressive, still, and swelteringly hot. Lara wished more than anything that she could take a dip in the inviting waters of the billabong. If only it were safe.

As Lara flicked through each child's spelling test, she felt a sense of pride for what she had achieved in such a short time. The children had made amazing progress, but more than that, they seemed to be enjoying the process of learning. Nothing could make a teacher happier than that. That day Joyce had come to the class and given a talk about plants. At first the children had seemed unenthusiastic, but when she got them potting cuttings she'd brought with her and suggested she'd give a prize for which plant grew the best, they quickly became interested. Joyce planned to visit every week for a month to see which plant was growing the best. Lara had the feeling she'd enjoyed herself as much as the students.

Jiana had walked home to the community with the Aboriginal students. Lara smiled when she thought of her assistant because her sense of purpose and growing self-esteem had become a real inspiration to the Aboriginal students, especially the adolescents. They'd come to expect a dismal future with little hope of positive change, but Jiana was demonstrating that things could be different. Lara had also seen their parents peering through the schoolroom windows. At first, they'd been curious. But then that curiosity had become awe when they saw what their children were achieving. It made them proud, which in turn made Lara feel positive. Being banished to Australia may have been a punishment, but at least she knew that she could make a real difference over the next two years.

Rick was cleaning fish on the deck of his boat, and feeding scraps to the two juvenile pelicans that had recently joined the bird community in the lagoon. He looked up and saw Lara sitting outside the rectory, her head bent over paperwork. Her gaze was always drawn to the billabong, looking for Rick on his boat, so she also happened to look up. He waved and smiled, and she returned his greeting. He then went back to cleaning fish and Lara continued marking papers, wishing things could've been different between them.

“Good afternoon, Lara,” Jerry said as he came around the side of the rectory.

“Jerry!” Lara was startled to see him. She thought he looked tired and was reminded of how hard he worked.

“Are you busy?” he asked.

Lara wondered if he was going to ask her to dine with him again and thought she might accept, instead of pining for Rick, who didn't see her as anything more than a friend. “I'm just marking a spelling test. Are you visiting a patient in town?”

“I stopped by to check whether anyone needed me, but Rizza and Billy are doing very well. I took a look at Charlie's ankle, which he apparently twisted going down the steps into Monty's air raid shelter. Other than that, everyone in town is fit and healthy. How are you?”

“Apart from wishing it would rain, I couldn't be better. I heard about what happened to Charlie in Monty's new underground cavern,” Lara said with a grin.

“Is that what he's calling it?” Jerry sat on the spare seat.

“Yes, it's popular as a new drinking spot for the local men because it's cool down there. Apparently when Charlie slipped, Kiwi almost toppled off his shoulder, so he latched onto Charlie's ear to save himself. I believe he made a bit of a mess of it. Betty said there was blood everywhere.”

“I was wondering how the top of his ear came to have a big scab on it, but when I enquired he brushed off my concerns. Come to think of it, he did look rather embarrassed.” Visualizing the incident, Jerry laughed. It was the first time that Lara had seen him so light-hearted since the day she met him on her kitchen floor. His upbeat mood relaxed her.

“Can you imagine the colorful language coming out of Kiwi at the time?” Lara asked.

“Yes, but I'll bet Kiwi heard a few words he'd never heard before from Charlie. A parrot bite on the ear would be excruciating. Ouch!”

Despite feeling sorry for Charlie, they both saw the comical side to the incident and laughed heartily.

Rick was watching with interest and he heard their laughter. Part of him felt disturbed, even envious. Another part felt happy for Lara. He realized Betty might be right. Lara and the doctor were becoming close.

Jerry sat with Lara talking for another fifteen minutes, while Rick watched, trying to gauge their body language. He could only see Jerry's profile, but he could see Lara's face and she was all smiles, and laughed at almost everything Jerry said. They both seemed far more relaxed together than Rick had ever observed before.

Rick was relieved when finally Jerry stood up and left Lara sitting alone. Jerry was going to check out Monty's Cavern, but they'd agreed to meet in the hotel for a drink at around four o'clock.

Lara finished marking the papers, which only took her another few minutes, and then went inside. She was putting the marked papers on her desk in the classroom when she heard a rumble of thunder, but dismissed it as another cruel promise of rain that wouldn't come. She went into the rectory and poured herself a glass of water. She planned to have a shower to freshen up before going to the hotel to meet Jerry.

Suddenly there was a thunderous roar overhead and it was followed by a drumming sound on the iron roof. It was deafening. Frightened, Lara looked out of the kitchen window to see water streaming from the high-pitched roof of the rectory.

“It's rain!” she cried excitedly, wishing she had someone to share her joy with. It was actually raining! For a few moments she stared out of the window in disbelief. She could see the surface of the billabong moving as it was pelted with rain that came down hard and straight, in enormous droplets. It was like nothing she'd ever seen before. It literally bounced on the decks of the boats at the jetty. It suddenly occurred to her that perhaps they were being hit by a cyclone and her mind flashed back to stories she'd heard of massive destruction. Should she be worried? But there was no wind, just blessed rain that she'd been waiting so long for.

Lara went to her open backdoor and saw sheets of water cascading off the lean-to. Luckily the ground sloped away from the back door or the rain might've washed inside. Slipping her sandals off, she stepped out into the rain and looked heavenward. After anticipating it for so long, it felt wonderful to have raindrops sting her face. She walked further out and then around to the front of the church, into the middle of the clearing. She was laughing with joyous delight. In seconds, her dress was soaked and sticking to her like a second skin, but rather than being uncomfortable, it felt amazingly cool. It was the first time since arriving in the Territory that she'd felt cool.

With her arms up in the air and her face heavenward, Lara reveled in the cool sensation of the rain washing over her. She spun around laughing with innocent joy. Her hair dripped with precious, glorious rivulets of rain. Her eyelashes sparkled with crystal-like droplets. The rain even tasted wonderful. The ground beneath her feet quickly became sodden as puddles formed everywhere. Mud squelched between her toes. It was a decadent sensation and liberating to be so connected to the earth. Lara couldn't help chuckling like a child. She then kicked up the puddles, sending water splashing into the air. She was even tempted to roll on the ground.

Suddenly she became aware that Rick had approached her. “Isn't the rain wonderful, Rick?” Lara cried. He was already soaked, too. His shirt was stuck to his torso and water was running over his face and hair.

“Are you in love with Jerry Quinlan?” he asked.

“What? Why would you ask me that?”

“Are you?”

“No, of course not,” Lara said, baffled by the question. “I like Jerry but...” She stopped herself short of saying I love you.

Rick frowned. “I'm not going to work for you anymore,” he said very seriously.

“What?” Lara dropped her arms to her side and stared at him, wondering what had happened to the humorous Rick who made her laugh all the time. She didn't recognize the man standing before her.

“I'm no longer working for you. I don't want to be in your employment anymore.”

Lara was stunned. The situation seemed surreal. “But ... what about the monster crocodile? You haven't caught him yet.”

“I still intend to catch him, but you don't need to pay me to do it.”

“That wouldn't be fair,” Lara said. Rick barely took any salary from her anyway, but giving him nothing didn't seem right.

“You are no longer my employer. Are we clear about that?”

Lara wondered what had brought about this change in him. She also wondered if it had anything to do with Jerry. “Have I done something to offend you, or has Jerry?”

“No, I just don't want to work for you anymore. Are we clear, Lara?”

“Alright,” she said, taken back by how intense he was. “But I don't understand what has changed.”

“Everything!” Rick took several strides, effectively closing the gap between them. Lara stood her ground, not sure of what to expect. He stopped right in front of her and then cupped her wet face in his hands and gazed into her eyes. Rather than anger, she saw intensity and moving tenderness.

Lara felt the passion welling in him and put her hands over his. She didn't understand what was happening, or why he was looking at her the way he was.

“God, you are so beautiful,” Rick whispered, his voice husky with emotion.

Because he'd never said anything like that before, Lara was speechless. She looked into his dark eyes, unable to believe what he was saying, or how he was touching her. Before she could comprehend anything his lips were moving over hers and his arms wrapped around her tightly. It was the moment she had waited for, longed for, and it was incredible, far more than she could ever have anticipated. She literally went limp in his strong arms.

Betty had run across to the hotel to find Colin because a leak had sprung in the roof over the counter in the store. She'd put a bucket on the counter, but it would soon fill at the rate the rain was falling, so she wanted Colin to plug the hole before they started losing stock.

“Of course he isn't here,” she muttered crossly when she found the bar was empty. “He's never around when I need him.” She had no intention of going out in the rain to rouse him from the bomb shelter.

Betty looked out into the rain, towards the billabong, and noticed Lara and Rick in the distance. Behind her, she heard Colin and Monty's voices as they came through the back door. She didn't turn around to see them because she was entranced by what she could see in the distance. The men were discussing water seeping into the bomb shelter, no surprise to Betty, and what they could do about it.

“Will you look at that?” Betty said, watching Rick and Lara with a satisfied smile. She was absolutely delighted and mentally congratulating herself for the small hand she had in making Rick realize that he could lose Lara if he didn't show his feelings.

“I've seen rain before,” Colin grumbled. He never enjoyed the wet season. Nothing dried out. Everything went moldy.

“Not the rain,” Betty snapped impatiently. “Look over there, in the distance. That's Lara and Rick.”

“What're they doing out in the rain? They'll get struck by lightning if they don't watch it.”

“What do you think they're doing? He's kissing her,” Betty snapped.

“Oh,” Colin said. “It's about time, but he's chosen a funny place to do it.”

Betty sighed in exasperation. “I think it's romantic,” she said.

“What's romantic about kissing in the rain?” Colin asked, taking a seat at the bar.

“I'm not surprised that you wouldn't know,” Betty snapped.

“Colin must've been romantic once,” Monty put in.

“Cause I was. I've got four kids, haven't I?” Colin said indignantly.

“I still don't know how that happened,” Betty mumbled.

“Poor Jerry,” Monty said.

“Why do you say that?” Betty asked.

“Lara was supposed to meet him here this afternoon. I think he was hoping it was going to be the start of something.”

“Lara's heart has belonged to Rick for quite some time,” Betty said. She turned to Colin: “Hurry back to the house. The roof is leaking and if we don't pay attention the shop will be submerged in no time at all.” Resolutely she turned to the door — and stood right in front of Jerry. It was obvious he'd heard her comment. He'd been making sure that Charlie made it safely up the steps from the bomb shelter, so he hadn't come into the bar with Colin and Monty. He was staring off into the distance, at the couple still wrapped in each others' arms.