And she had wanted him, willed him to kiss her, to touch her … It had been a long, long time since anyone had come to him with such desire. For just a few moments he had lost all sense of himself. It was as if she had dissolved into his very being.

Thank God they had been interrupted.

He shook his head, trying to clear it of these conflicting and unwanted emotions. He looked at the house. The kitchen lay in darkness but a faint thread of light escaped the curtains in Adelaide’s bedroom.

The incident with Adelaide had been a reaction to the day’s events, nothing more. They had been thrown together in a tense situation. That had been all, but would she see it that way?

Caleb returned to his vigil beside the injured man, and as he sat watching Geordie’s restless sleep, he made a decision. He couldn’t stay in Maiden’s Creek. He had allowed himself to be drawn into the affairs of this little town and had started to care about the people he met, something he had avoided for the last seven years; when he’d started to feel that loss of control, he had simply moved on. If he stayed now, he would never regain that independence. He needed space and time to think through how to avoid the threads of familiarity that were even now circling his heart.

As another hot day dawned, Adelaide stood at the kitchen table humming as she cut into a fresh loaf of bread. The back door was open and she could hear Netty’s voice coming from Mick’s shed. She smiled and touched her lips as if the memory of that stolen kiss still lingered. What would she say to Caleb when he came in for breakfast? Would he look at her as he had last night, with hunger in his eyes? The thought sent a pleasurable tingle down her spine.

Netty returned to the kitchen, shutting the door behind her and setting a tray down on the table. ‘Was that you singing?’ she asked.

Adelaide smiled. ‘Is it a crime to sing?’

‘It is when you do it,’ Netty said.

Adelaide opened her mouth to protest but had to admit the truth of that statement. She loved music, had once played the piano with consummate skill, but she could not hold a note.

‘How’s Geordie?’

Netty sat down and buttered a slice of bread. ‘No fever. That’s a mercy. And he ate a good breakfast, but he’s in a deal of pain.’

Adelaide glanced at the back door. ‘Is Caleb still sitting with him? Will he join us for breakfast?’

Netty set the half-eaten bread down on her plate. ‘He’s gone,’ she said. ‘Woke me at first light and told me to fetch Bowen for the care of the man.’

Adelaide stared at her. ‘Gone?’