Unknown (18 page)

'I think it's time to take you home, Lizzie. I presume you've checked on Maude and everything is to your satisfaction?'

'Yes.'

'Then your chariot awaits.'

Exhausted
, Elizabeth hardly opened her eyes on the drive home. 'What a day,' she mumbled.

'You can say that again,' Mitch said on a laugh.

'What a day,' Elizabeth repeated as he pulled up outside her mother's dugout. She turned and smiled sleepily at him.

'Are you going to be able to make it inside?'

'Yep.'

'Yep? Is that the answer of a debutante?' Mitch chuckled and Elizabeth felt the rich sound wash over her like a comfortable blanket. 'Aw, Lizzie.' His smile disappeared. 'Don't look at me like that.'

'Like what?'

'All sleepy-eyed, mussed up and totally irresistible.' He reached out and brushed his fingers down her cheek, his other hand sifting through her hair. 'I can understand why you don't wear it down when you're working, Lizzie, but I've got to tell you...it feels like heaven when I run my fingers though it. All smooth and silky.'

Just like his voice. Elizabeth was finding it increasingly difficult to keep her eyelids from closing and when she gave in to the urge, the warmth and comfort of Mitch surrounding her,. she felt...safe.

'You're not allowed to kiss me,' she said sleepily.

'Hmm? Why not?'

'Because you were horrible to me this morning.'

He chuckled, the rich sound tingling around her. 'You deserved it.'

She opened her eyes and tried to glare at him but found she couldn't. Instead, she noted the darkness in his eyes, the passion bubbling just beneath the surface, and any annoyance she felt slipped seamlessly away. 'Perhaps we'll have to agree to disagree.'

'Perhaps.' His voice was filled with repressed desire and she allowed herself another smile as a feeling of feminine satisfaction settled over her. She was pleased the attraction that was so strong between them wasn't all one-sided. She was pleased that she could affect him just as much as he could affect her. She was pleased she didn't have the strength to fight him because the one thing she wanted most right at that second was to have Mitch's lips firmly on hers.

Thankfully, he obliged.

Elizabeth sighed, releasing all her pent-up tension and frustrations. It had been an emotional, involving day and it had begun and ended in Mitch's arms. The feel of his hand in her hair, the way his fingers caressed her cheek before slipping down to her neck to tilt her head just a fraction higher, the way his mouth was ever so gentle on her own yet still coaxing and demanding her response at the same time.

He was...amazing.

The way he made her feel was amazing and overwhelming and powerful and scary. She felt as though she could conquer the world, that she could do anything—even stand up to her father. She wanted to stay here for ever because she knew as soon as he left her tonight, she'd start doubting again. Here, with him, there was nothing except the two of them and the way they made each other feel. It was vital. It was important. It was real.

She pulled away and gazed into his eyes. 'Mitch.' His name was a breathless whisper.

Mitch looked down into her eyes, seeing the glazed look of wonderment and delight before he dragged in a deep breath and brought her closer, her head resting on his chest. 'Lizzie, I feel as though I've been hit by a truck.'

'That would hurt.'

'It does.' He laughed humourlessly and raked a hand through his hair. 'I can't seem to keep my hands off you, or my lips for that matter. When I think about you leaving at the end of your contract, my chest constricts and I find it difficult to breathe.'

Elizabeth listened to his heart beating, its rhythm slowly decreasing to a more sedate level. She knew exactly how he felt. She felt the same way, even more so since their talk this morning.

'Lizzie, I want you to marry me.'.

Elizabeth's eyes snapped open and she pushed herself up to stare at him.
'Pardon?'

'You heard. Marry me.'

'Marry you?'

'Yes, marry me.'

'But...' She stopped. 'But...' She shook her head, trying to make sense of things. 'But...where on earth did this come from? We hardly know each other.'

'You know me better than almost the entire township does. I've told you things I haven't told anyone else. You're... special to me, Lizzie, and I don't want to lose that.'

'Marriage?' Elizabeth couldn't help it. He couldn't have said anything that would shock and surprise her more. 'I think I'm beginning to understand that truck feeling. Marriage?'

He shrugged and reached out to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. 'I like having you around.'

His words were wonderful and she felt herself crumbling, but part of the reason she'd come here had been to find herself and the last thing she needed was to get lost in Mitch. 'You didn't this morning,' she pointed out.

'That was just a quarrel. We can sort things like that out with a snap of our fingers.' He snapped his fingers to prove it. 'Anyway, think about it.'

'Think about marrying you,' she stated, repeating the words in the hope that they'd filter into her brain.

'Yes.' He caressed her cheek again. 'I'll walk you to the door.' He climbed out of the ute and came around to her side, not surprised that she was too shell-shocked to open her own door.

'Thank you,' she muttered absent-mindedly and he smiled. Even at a time like this, her manners were still in place.

'Believe me, the pleasure is all mine, Lizzie.'

'You called me Elizabeth this morning.'

'I was cross with you.'

'Why?'

'Because sometimes you're too stubborn. Too wrapped up in the ways of the past. You're a smart woman, Lizzie, which is another thing I admire about you, but at times I'm surprised you can't see past the end of your nose.'

'What's that supposed to mean?' she asked indignantly as she unlocked the door.

He smiled and pulled her into his arms. 'Exactly.' He kissed her forehead. 'That's what you need to figure out.' Mitch bent his head and pressed his lips to hers once more, amazed at how he couldn't seem to get enough of her. She was a drug and he was addicted. 'Think about it, Lizzie. I won't push or pressure you but I would like the opportunity to take you out.'

'So you're declaring your intentions, then, sir?'

He smiled. 'I am. After asking you to marry me, I think you should have a clear indication of what those intentions are.'

Elizabeth kissed him and stepped back, opening the door. 'You
asked
me? Hmm. That's not the way I remember it.' Mitch frowned. 'You merely said you
wanted
me to marry you. So why don't I think about it and you think about it and you can take me out to dinner next Saturday—emergencies notwithstanding—and we'll talk some more?'

'Saturday? That's the end of next week?'

'Very good.' Elizabeth smiled sweetly as she shut the door.

Mitch stood where he was for a moment, unable to believe she'd just shut the door in his face. Then he smiled at the way she'd done what she'd wanted to do. Good for her. He drove to his own place and once there he switched on a light and headed for the kitchen. Pulling a ginger beer from the fridge, he leaned against the bench and thought. He'd asked Elizabeth to marry him!

No. Hang on a minute. What had she said? He hadn't
asked
her—and he realised belatedly that he hadn't. He'd only said that he
wanted
to marry her and right now he was really glad she hadn't asked why...although he knew the question would arise sooner rather than later.

He walked into the living room and stood staring at the picture of himself and his brother taken all those years ago. Mitch took a swig from the bottle and swallowed. 'So, what does she mean to you, bro'? Is she a ticket to the good life or do you really care about her?'

He stared at the photo for a long time before walking out the room to put his empty bottle in the recycle bin. Had he asked himself those same questions? What did she mean to
him?
Did he really care about her?

He knew the answer to the second one was yes. She
had
become important in his life and when they were together, regardless of whether it was underground digging for opal or working together to save a life, Mitch knew in the short time since she'd arrived in Coober Pedy he'd come to depend upon her enormously. He felt good whenever she was around and although they'd quarrelled today, he'd known that it wouldn't last very long. He "was the type of man whose anger cooled quickly. Well—he amended his thoughts—he hadn't been in the past but since Sonja's senseless death he'd come to learn that hanging onto anger didn't do anyone any good.

He'd watched Elizabeth that morning through the windows at the hospital as she'd hot-wired his ute and had been surprised at the rush of pleasure which had come from watching a desirable woman steal his car!

She'd been spontaneous and the look of sheer petrified pleasure which had been on her face as she'd driven off had been amazing. Once more his heart swelled with pride—not because he was concerned that Lizzie might turn into a thief but because she was finally starting to have confidence in herself and in her own abilities.

Of course, she was confident enough when it came to their patients but carrying that over into her private life was something completely different. Now she'd found it, he didn't want her to be hurt by it. Spontaneity certainly had its time and place but he knew she was smart enough to figure that out, but what of her new-found confidence? Would that help her to stand up to her father? Marcus? Would it eventually take her away from him?

That
was why he'd mentioned marriage tonight. He didn't want her to leave. He wanted her around. He felt alive when he was in her presence. He'd grown accustomed to her face.

Mitch walked through the dark tunnels towards his bedroom, running his hand along the wall for guidance in the pitch blackness. Is this where I am? In the dark? Is this why I mentioned marriage to Lizzie? Do I need someone to help me navigate the dark tunnels of my past? Am I just wanting her to marry me for my own personal gain? Am I as bad as Marcus?

He flicked on a light and kicked off his shoes before collapsing on the bed. He lay there, looking up at the ceiling, his hands behind his head.

Elizabeth Blakeny-Smith. What a mouthful. And she probably had several middle names as well. He couldn't believe there was still so much he didn't know about her, but one thing he did know was that since she'd arrived in town, since that first moment when he'd pressed his lips to hers, his life had started to make sense again and that hadn't happened in a long, long time. Lizzie might be looking to him to teach her how to have a bit of fun but little did she realise she'd jump-started his heart. He owed her a lot for that and if she accepted his marriage proposal...well, if she thought about what he'd said he
wanted
he corrected himself—then he would spend the rest of his life a very happy man.

Mitch knew there were risks, of course. He'd
lived
them. Sonja had been a risk and Sonja had been taken from him. He'd proposed to her, she'd accepted and still he was alone, but this time he was being careful. Although he was attracted to Lizzie and liked spending time with her, he was keeping his heart locked safely away.

He may have taken risks in the past but he'd also suffered rejection and he didn't want that to happen again. First his father, then his brother. Sonja and his mother had died, leaving him alone...and he hadn't liked it one bit.

Because of Sonja, he'd moved as far away as he could get from trees. Trees! He hadn't been able to look at one without being swamped with feelings of regret and remorse. It was ridiculous and he knew it...he also couldn't help it. That was the way he was and he'd accepted that, but now...now... If he gave his heart again and something went wrong, where would he have to move to then? Antarctica?

Locking his heart away was the only way he could think of to protect himself. He was a man who found it easy to give to others, to share with others, and since he'd been in Coober Pedy that was exactly what he'd done. No one judged him on his past and that had been liberating. It had helped him to heal.

Now...there was Lizzie.

He could share his life with her, help her to discover who she was, but that was as far as it would go. There was a lot in it for her, too, he rationalised. She would be able to stay here, close to her mother, where she appeared happy. Also, there was no denying the attraction between them. It was an attraction which he felt growing every time he saw her.

It made him even more determined to keep control over his heart. Otherwise he
would
end up falling in love with her and he couldn't do that. He needed firm control—and to clamp down on his jealousy.

Sheer jealousy—that's what it had been. It had ripped through him when he'd first realised that Lizzie's boyfriend back in England was his
brother
! What were the odds? His jealousy had only been further fuelled when she hadn't been able to answer his questions. What
did
she want? He could feel that she wanted him, that when she'd been in his arms their lips had locked in a passionate longing. She had desperately wanted him...and all he'd wanted had been for her to admit that.

Having Marcus in the equation only brought more questions, more doubt. Was she as attracted to his brother as she was to him? Now that she knew of the relationship, did she see similarities? He clenched his jaw as he mentally pictured her kissing Marcus.

'No.' The word was torn from him and he felt the green-eyed monster creeping up on him again. He couldn't let her go back to Marcus and that one thought was starting to plague him.