Black Mountain
Authors: Kate Loveday
Kate Loveday
Black Mountain
Kate Loveday
An adventure set in the Australian rainforest, where the race is on to discover a precious plantâand an even rarer kind of attraction.
Elly Cooper's friend Jackson has gone missingâalong with a journal that contains her dead father's lifelong work and the recipe for a product he described as the âfountain of youth', potentially worth millions.
But the main ingredient is a rare plant found only in the Daintree Rainforest in Queensland. And only her father knew where to find it.
Elly enlists the aid of ex-policeman Mitchell Beaumont to help her find Jackson, the journal and the plant. But someone else is on the trail of the precious plant, and it seems they'll stop at nothingâeven murderâto get what they want.
It's a race against time in the tropical heat as Elly and Mitchell battle the perils of the rainforestâand the feelings growing between them.
Kate Loveday grew up in the seaside suburbs of Adelaide, South Australia with a love of books and always wanted to write. Her career has included publication of travel articles and short stories, as well as full length novels. She previously worked in real estate and building, as an office manager, and finally as a natural beauty therapist, running her own natural therapy business with husband Peter for many years.
In 1988, Kate and Peter moved to Sydney for business reasons and, after thirteen years in that city, they spent three years caravanning around Australia, spending much of that time in Far North Queensland, an area which she came to love, before settling in the mid-north coast of NSW. However, after years of being separated from family, the pull of blood ties became too strong to resist and they returned to Adelaide.
When not writing, Kate enjoys reading, listening to music, good food and wine, and âhanging out' with family and friends. She takes part in writing groups, as well as being the financial manager of a Community Association.
My thanks must go to Kate Cuthbert, Escape Publishing editor, for her time, her support, and her advice, and to Brooke Moody for her skilful editing, and to all the team at Escape Publishing.
For my husband Peter, with love and thanks
for all his help and support
and for always being there for me
Contents
Bestselling Titles by Escape Publishingâ¦
It was late on Friday afternoon as Eloise Cooper scanned the new arrivals hurrying through the entrance doors at Cairns airport before swinging her gaze back to the crowd milling around near the Qantas counter. She frowned uncertainly as she checked her watch for maybe the hundredth time.
âIf Jackson's not here soon he's going to miss the flight,' she told her companions. âI wonder what can be keeping him.'
âAre you sure you got the flight right, Elly?' asked her friend Gai.
âOf course I'm sure,' Elly snapped, worry making her words come out sharper than she intended.
Tim, Gai's boyfriend and the other member of the waiting trio, was also looking around. âI suppose you've tried ringing his mobile?'
âYes, and it's turned off or out of range.'
Shrugging, Tim reached for the handle of the bag sitting at his feet. âWell, it's time we joined the queue. So, unless we
all
want to miss the flight, we'd better move along.'
At that moment Elly's phone beeped. Hurriedly fishing it out of her bag she checked the screen. âA message from him,' she told them as she pressed the button.
âHave been re-rostered due to crew illness. About to leave for Fiji,' she read aloud. âGo ahead without me. See you at hotel in Brisbane Sat night.'
âOh no!' Clicking off the phone she shoved it back into her bag with a wry twist to her lips. âWouldn't you know it? This is not a good omen for our weekend away.'
âNever mind, Elly,' Tim told her soothingly, âI suppose it's all part of his job. It's what can happen when you date an airline pilot.'
âMaybe he's standing you up,' Gai teased.
Elly grimaced, but it was Tim who replied, looking at Elly and taking in her petite, trim figure, the swing of sleek black hair that framed her even-featured face, and her big brown eyes.
âHuh! Not likely,' he said. âNow let's get moving.'
Gai wrinkled her nose. âI guess it's the end of the upgrade Jackson promised us.'
â'Fraid so.' Elly nodded. âAnd the priority check-in,' she added as they moved to join the long queue snaking towards the counter, cases trailing behind them.
Looking out the window as they left the ground behind them and rose swiftly into the air, Elly tried to push her disappointment away. She was sure their trip was meant to mark the beginning of something more serious in her relationship with Jackson, and she felt they were both ready for it to happen over this weekend.
Elly had never been short of an escort when planning an outing with Gai, the pert and bubbly blond who was her long time friend, and her new boyfriend Tim, but there had been no-one special in her life recently, not since the painful ending of an engagement three years ago. However, after meeting Jackson a few weeks ago she had begun to wonder if that might change. Being an airline pilot with Qantas undoubtedly added a touch of glamour to his charm. Well-travelled, and with a fund of amusing stories, he made an entertaining companion. But it was his sincerity that impressed her most. He made no demands on her whilst obviously enjoying her company.
Their first meeting had been accidental. They had bumped into each otherâquite literallyâat the City Library in Cairns, when Elly was there doing some research. She had rounded the end of an aisle with an armful of books and collided with a man coming around the corner from the opposite direction. Gasping, she staggered from the impact, and two of the books slipped from her grasp and fell to the floor. An arm reached out and steadied her with a firm grip, and she looked up into a pair of very blue eyes full of concern.
âOh! I'm so sorry! Are you all right?'
Regaining her balance, Elly nodded. âYes. I'm afraid I wasn't looking where I was going.'
âNo, no. It was my fault. I should have taken more care.'
âIt's all right.'
She bent to pick the books up but he was there before her, bending to retrieve them.
Holding them out to her, he hesitated. âYou're all loaded up there.' His voice held concern. âLet me carry these for you. Are you heading for a table?'
âYes I am, just over there.' Elly indicated the tables and chairs near the window and moved towards them, the stranger following. Placing the books she was carrying onto the table she turned and stretched out her hands for the other two books. âThank you.'
âI say, I'm so terribly sorry,' he said as he handed them over. âI hope I didn't hurt you.'
He looked so concerned that Elly smiled reassuringly at him.
âNo, not at all. I'm quite all right.'
âWell, that's a relief.' His face lit up, giving him a boyish look, and Elly noticed he was really quite good looking. Thirtyish, tall and tanned, with finely chiselled features and fair, floppy hair, he looked as if he would be at home on Bondi Beach. A surf lifesaver perhaps? Except that his American accent made that unlikely.
He hesitated, standing there and looking at the four books she had been carrying. âYou must be going to do a lot of research, with all those books.'
âWell, no, not really, I'm not sure which of these I need. I'm just going to check them out and choose one or two to take home, and put the rest back.'
âI see, well, look, how about you let me buy you a coffee when you've chosen your books. To make up for nearly knocking you over.' He paused for a second. âI'm Jackson Lee, by the way.' He held out his hand.
âEloise Cooper.' As she shook his hand she decided to accept his invitation. âThank you, I'd like that.'
Over coffee she had learnt he was Canadian, not American. âBorn and bred in Toronto, Ontario,' he told her, where his parents and brother and sister still lived âin the old family home.' He was an airline pilot with Qantas, and had flown with Delta Airlines before coming to Australia.
She told him she had been working in a beauty salon in Cairns for the last year to gain experience in the beauty industry. By the time they finished their second cup of coffee he asked her to go to dinner with him and she agreed. Over dinner she found herself telling him how her father, Rob, had died last year and her mother, Beth, continued to manage their mango farm on the Tablelands, where they also grew plants for both therapeutic and cosmetic products. That was how it started and their friendship had grown as the weeks passed.
That was six weeks ago and she had been seeing him regularly since, as often as his roster allowed, since his work often took him away for a day or more at a time. Gai and Tim met and liked him, and they sometimes went out together as a foursome.
They hadn't been to bed together ⦠yet. But she had thought that might be about to change.
Over the last two weeks they had spent several evenings at home in her apartment, watching movies or listening to music, and the last time, a week ago, he had made it clear that he would like to stay the night, but caution had prevented her from taking the final step.
After he left she berated herself for being so hesitant. It wasn't that she didn't find him attractive because she did. Was she falling in love with him? She wasn't sure.
When he slid his arm around her as they sat on the couch, and then pulled her into a passionate embrace, she had felt desire flaring inside her. But she had pushed him away, excusing herself by saying that, as she was tired, and he had an early morning start the next day, they should really call it a night.
His disappointment was plain, so when he called her from Darwin two days later and suggested they make it a foursome for a weekend away in Brisbane she readily agreed, and he told her he would make the bookings. Which he confirmed he had done when they all met for coffee the next day. It was all settled, and Elly was looking forward to it, sure it would resolve her feelingsâone way or the other.
Dusk was drawing in when they arrived in Brisbane and, after collecting their bags, they piled into a taxi and were driven to the Casino Towers Hotel in the heart of the city. Elly was relieved to find the bookings for their rooms were all in order, and as soon as they arrived their luggage was placed on a trolley and whisked away, and they were shown to their rooms on the twenty-fifth floor.
Elly found that the room Jackson had booked for them had, as well as the main bedroom with a king-sized bed, a small sitting room with a sofa bed. Ah, so Jackson was giving her the option of choosing whether they slept together or not, rather than just assuming they would. It gave her a little warm feeling of approval. This was another example of the thoughtfulness he had always shown, and she appreciated it.