I Can't Dance Alone

I Can’t Dance Alone MAGGIE BROWN Contents Synopsis Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22 Chapter 23 Chapter 24 Copyright © 2014 by Maggie Brown All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, without permission in writing from the author. Editor: Medora MacDougall Cover Designer: M&J PUBLISHER’S NOTE The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated. Synopsis When Sarah Phillips lands on top of Harriett Roberts in an overturned car it’s not an ideal first meeting. The overwhelming confusion she feels threatens her plans for a fresh start as a doctor in the Australian Outback. Veterinarian Harry Roberts doesn’t need some pretty city girl rocking her world. The Outback is no place for lightweights. One touch, one unguarded look. The future could be promising, if neither of them had a past. To my readers. May this book give you a few exciting hours to escape into another life. Enjoy! Chapter One “Fasten your seat belt, please.” Sarah opened her eyes, disoriented as the memories came flooding back. She took a breath of cold air, wrapping her arms tight. It had made sense to make a new life. However, doubts rolled in as she gazed out the window at the dawn that swallowed remnants of the grey night. The range of mountains far below took on faint arrays of pinks and mauves as the small plane banked in a steep curve, heading west. She sniffed, her temper frayed from lack of sleep. The trip from Melbourne was taking forever. Changing planes in Brisbane meant an overnight stay to catch the flight for Arrow Creek at five in the morning, an extra early hour to get to the airport. To make matters worse, the schedule included landings at two other towns on the way, which she hadn't noticed when she booked. “Is this your first time to western Queensland?” Sarah turned to the woman occupying the next seat. She looked like an old black-and-white photograph in the dim light of the plane. She suppressed the impulse to discourage conversation, for rudeness was against her nature. “Yes, the first time I’ve been anywhere this far west of the coast. “Where’s your home?” “Melbourne. Are you from Arrow Creek?” “My husband and I live on the Gold Coast. I’m Martha, by the way.” “Sarah.” “I’m going to mind the children while my daughter-in-law has her baby. It’ll be my twelfth grandchild.” Pride was there in the faded eyes as they drifted down to Sarah’s left hand on the book in her lap. “Not married, dear? A pretty thing like you?” Sarah raised an eyebrow, pushing aside the feeling she had “reject” tattooed on her forehead. “No. I was engaged. Not now.” She didn’t elaborate, conscious of the quizzical eyes staring. Nobody would leave her alone. She was sick of putting up with judgment from her family, let alone a stranger. She sighed—It was going to be a long flight. A soft “Oh” hissed from the woman before the plane provided a welcome diversion by descending for its first stop, lurching like a wounded albatross through a stratum of air pockets in the already hot sky. Twenty minutes later, they were in the air again. As her travelling companion prattled on, Sarah replied in monosyllables, getting more depressed by the minute. All she wanted was to be left alone to wallow in self-pity. “Do you have a job to go to?” "I'm the new Arrow Creek doctor." She smiled as the woman opened her mouth, then clamped it closed. Sarah pointedly flicked open her book, a light romance she’d bought at the airport. It hadn’t been a wise choice in her present state of mind. It only brought back memories of her engagement. She should have been happy—Craig was every woman’s fantasy, and he wanted her. Sarah had tried with him, really tried. He was the perfect, skilled and worldly lover, but something—no, everything—was missing. There always was. When she'd given back the ring a year ago, she wondered how anyone dared to take that final step into marriage. What was wrong with her? Thirty-three, and she couldn’t make any relationship work. But on the other hand, she reasoned, why should marriage be the beginning and end of her identity and achievements? Surely it all comes down to what she wanted in the future. At the next stop, Martha got off, and a young boy bounced into the seat beside her. On this leg, refreshments were served: a slightly stale fruit muffin with stewed tepid coffee. Sarah pined for her favourite coffee shop on Burke Street when she took a sip. To add insult to injury, the boy, after gulping every morsel of the muffin in his mouth, succumbed to the constant rocking of the plane and vomited it up as they descended to land at the Arrow Creek airport. She stood on the gangway blinking into the light, flicking away trailing curls from her face. They had a mind of their own in any breeze. She gave up years ago wishing for straight hair, resigned to the fact she had to put up with her mop of curly red hair. She surveyed the tiny airport as she brushed pieces of half-digested blueberries from her Louis Vuitton skirt. She'd flown back to the fifties in a time machine. A dilapidated weatherboard building, partially covered by a tired purple bougainvillea bush, was the only checkout point.