Riverboat Point (2 page)

“Who the hell are you?” he growled.

“None of your business. Get your dog and yourself off my property.”

The man's face relaxed into a confident smile. “Your property? You picked the wrong place to break into and tell that lie, sweetheart. This place belongs to my mate.”

“Jaxon?” she said ignoring the “sweetheart”.

His smile faltered.

She nodded at the keys still hanging from the lock. “They're my keys and I own half this place with my brother, Jaxon Smith.”

This time his smile showed relief. “Savannah?”

“Yes but …” She shuffled her feet. The dog snarled again.

“It's okay, Jasper. The lady's a friend.” He pushed the dog back and stepped inside, pulling the screen door closed between him and the animal. The dog barked.

“Sit, Jasper,” the man commanded and turned back to her with a smile. “I'm Ethan Daly,” he said. “Jaxon's neighbour. I've been expecting you. You're just not …”

Ethan put his head to one side and swept his dark brown eyes over her. Savannah felt naked. She wrapped her arms around her waist, ignoring his outstretched hand. He'd looked older out on the road. Now she thought he was a little older than her, perhaps not much more than thirty. The smile softened his features.

He grinned at her and used the hand to bat away a loose lock of dark hair that had fallen over his eyes. “You're not quite what I was expecting.” He glanced over her shoulder. “I thought I heard a scream.”

“I got a surprise. There's a mouse in the pantry.”

“More than one by the smell. I can give you a hand if you like?”

He went to step past her. She pressed a firm hand against his chest. He stopped.

She dropped her hand. “I don't need help,” she said.

His smile faded.

“Thanks anyway,” she added.

He made a move for the door.

“Do you know where my brother is?” she asked.

“Gone on a holiday.”

“A holiday?” That's not what he'd told her when he'd rung.

“I was expecting you days ago. Jaxon said you'd be up to take care of business.”

“Business?”

“The houseboat bookings mainly. His other customers know he's away.”

“Other customers?”

“His electrical business.” A small frown crossed Ethan's face. “You don't know much about your brother, do you? Maybe I should see some ID.”

Savannah drew herself up. “My brother's six foot – he got the tall gene. Blue eyes like mine, fair wavy hair – I dye mine – charming smile.”

“You dye that too?”

Savannah ignored his dig.

“Jaxon rang me two days ago,” she said. “He reckoned he needed my help urgently. I wasn't going to come at all but he sounded desperate and I'm … well, I'm between jobs.”

Ethan raised an eyebrow. The dog gave a small whine.

“I don't know why he only rang you recently. He's been gone for over a week.”

“A week?”

“Longer. I was beginning to worry. I know he's got a couple of bookings next week.”

“Bookings?” Savannah rubbed at her forehead. She had so many questions. Ethan was right to some extent. She knew her brother but nothing about his life since he'd moved to this isolated piece of river. “There must be some mix-up,” she said. “Are you sure you're his neighbour? Maybe I should be the one checking ID or perhaps ringing the police.”

Savannah stared him in the eye. He looked down.

Guilty, she thought.

He reached around and drew a wallet from his pocket. He flicked it open in front of her to reveal a wild-looking likeness to his face on a driver's licence with the same street address as Jaxon's.

“You can ring the police if you like but as I told you, Jaxon's on holidays. I don't think the police will want to go look for him.” He slipped the wallet back in his pocket. “I'll leave you to it. I'm just over the fence that way.” He jerked his thumb over his shoulder. “Give me a shout if you need anything.”

“I'll be fine,” Savannah said. She was already digging her phone from her pocket as Ethan let himself out. She tried not to notice the firm hug of his jeans. Damn it, he was a good-looking guy. And he was fit and well toned, as if he worked out. She'd felt the strength of his chest under her fingers when she'd stopped him from going further into the house.

With her spare hand she tugged the keys from the door and shut it firmly on the nosy neighbour. There would be no chance to find out what was under that shirt. She'd track down Jaxon and hightail it back to the city. She wasn't going to stay in this backwater any longer than she had to. She scrolled down the screen and selected Jaxon's number.

“She's here but I don't think she's going to go for it, mate.”

Ethan pressed the phone firmly to his ear as he flicked on the kettle. The voice on the other end of the phone was breaking up.

“Okay.” Ethan sighed. “I'll try, but don't blame me if it all blows up in your face.” The voice crackled and the call dropped out.

He tossed the handset onto the bench and busied himself making some breakfast. He hadn't wanted to be a part of his mate's plan. Normally Ethan liked to mind his own business. It had worked for him this last year and he'd never had any trouble. Jaxon's houseboat trade had brought a lot more people to this quiet patch of river. Ethan had hoped his friend would lose interest in it and concentrate on the electrical business. But Jaxon had wanted his sister's involvement, said she needed a change of pace.

Savannah Smith was not what Ethan had expected. She had the same angular features as her brother but the feisty temperament was a total reversal of her brother's easygoing persona. Jaxon had had his fingers burnt a few times with his trusting nature. Savannah wasn't going to have the wool pulled over her eyes easily.

It had been stupid blundering into the place thinking she'd broken in. A year ago that could have got him killed. He was getting soft. From the start he'd been on the back foot. He should have realised it was her when he found her parked up the road. The photo he'd been shown had her with longer black hair not the short white spikes she sported now, but those piercing blue eyes were the same and the cute little nose. He shook his head. She could be trouble and this could all blow up in Jaxon's face.

Ethan carried his bowl of cereal and his coffee out to the front deck and settled at the outside table. Jasper padded after him and flopped to the wooden floor. Ethan drew in a breath, closed his eyes then opened them again as he slowly exhaled. The river stretched out before him. The mist that had clung to it when he'd woken was all but gone. The water looked flat and serene, belying the strength of its flow. Shadows turned it to deep green close to his bank but over the other side was the grey-brown of water in full sun. Birds of varying descriptions flew, swam, fished and sang. It was going to be a glorious day on the river.

He thanked his lucky stars again for the day he'd found this place. He'd bought it just before his last deployment. Having a place to call home had helped him settle. The only thing that disturbed his patch of the river was the houseboats coming and going from next door. He twisted to look at his neighbour's river frontage, where he could see glimpses of deck and glass. Four of the tourist attractions were moored there. He was getting used to them.

Ethan finished his cereal and settled back to watch the water as he drank his coffee. The peace of his surroundings had helped him relax. Without realising it, life almost felt normal again. The broken sleep bothered him less often. He thought about the little white pills in the bathroom cabinet. Perhaps the day wasn't far off when he wouldn't need them.

A bang, followed by another loud thud and a muffled yell brought a low growl from Jasper.

“Easy boy,” Ethan said and reached down to ruffle the top of the dog's head. “Just our new neighbour chasing a few mice.”

Jaxon's shack was separated from Ethan's pole house by only a few metres and a boundary fence. Ethan was glad to discover a good bloke like Jaxon had bought the place next door. They got on well. It had only ever been the two of them in the ten or eleven months since Jaxon had moved in. Now there was Savannah.

Jaxon had said his sister was a city girl. Ethan had imagined a high-heeled, lipstick-wearing office type who'd be pestering him for help at every turn in case she broke a fingernail. He chuckled. Perhaps it wouldn't be so bad having Savannah next door while Jax was away. As long as she minded her own business he'd mind his and they'd get along fine.

“Mr Daly?”

Jasper growled.

Ethan put down his cup.

“Mr Daly!”

Jasper raced to the end of the deck, barking as he went.

“Damn!” Ethan pushed back his chair and strolled after him.

Savannah stood below on her side of the fence, waist high in weeds. Jaxon really should have cleaned them up before he'd gone. It was coming into snake season.

“Sit, Jasper,” Ethan said. He placed two hands on the railing and leaned forward. “We're not formal around here. You can call me Ethan.”

She put her hands on her hips, tipped back her head and locked her steely gaze on him.

Ethan held her stare. She certainly wasn't the retiring type. “What can I do for you?”

“I wondered if you knew anything about hot water?”

He tried not to smile. “Depends on what kind of hot water.”

“The kind that comes out of a tap when you turn it on. I don't seem to have any.”

“Jaxon probably turned it off before he left.”

“Off?”

“Saves electricity. There'll be a switch in the meter box under the carport. Would you like me to check it?”

“No.” She put up a hand. “No need. I'll find it, thanks.”

Ethan watched her wade through the long grass until she was out of sight around the corner of the shack. Then he allowed the grin to spread across his face. No, Jaxon's sister was certainly not what he'd been expecting. Damn Jaxon for involving him.

Ethan rubbed at the stubbly skin of his jaw, the smile dropping from his face. He went back to his coffee. He wanted as little to do with Jaxon's scheme as possible and that meant steering clear of his sister. He had promised to help if she had mechanical problems with the houseboats, that was all. Today he would work on his bike and maybe go fishing in the late afternoon, catch something for dinner.

Jasper sat up, ears pricked.

“Mr Daly?”

The dog growled. For a brief moment his deep brown eyes met Ethan's then he lowered himself to the deck and dropped his head on to his outstretched legs.

“Thanks for your support, mate,” Ethan said. He stepped around the dog and walked to the railing again. There she was, hands on hips, looking up at him with that piercing stare of hers.

“Ms Smith.” He raised his eyebrows.

“I found the switch but it doesn't seem to be working. Do you have any other ideas?”

“I'll come down.”

He turned, ignoring her protest. “Stay, Jasper,” he said as the dog got to his feet. “You only complicate matters.”

Ethan walked through his house and padded down the stairs, hoping he hadn't been wrong about Savannah. Perhaps she was going to be the needy type after all. There was no way he wanted any involvement with her, no matter that she had a pretty face and if her shape under the clothes was anything to go by, a toned body. He needed no complications in his life right now.

He met her under the carport, where she was studying the open meter box.

“It's on,” she said turning to look at him. Her eyes defied him to say otherwise but she didn't look too scary with a smudge of dirt on the tip of her nose.

“Yep,” he agreed. “It's on.” Annoyed now that his morning breakfast ritual had been disrupted.

“Well, it's not working.” Her hands were on her hips again.

“What do you mean?”

“There's no hot water. I've checked the kitchen, bathroom and laundry. All cold.”

He shook his head, not sure whether to smile or frown. “It's not instant,” he said. “It heats up overnight.”

“You're kidding?”

He stepped around her. “I can flick it over to heat now but it will take a while.”

“What kind of place doesn't have instant hot water?” she snapped.

“I gather you have gas at home?”

“Yes.”

“This is an old electric hot water service. It's set to heat at night when power's cheaper. Normally you wouldn't notice.” He shut the meter box and turned back to her. “It'll take an hour or so then you should switch it back to night rate.”

She glanced from Ethan to the meter box and back then let out a sigh.

He hesitated. For a moment she looked vulnerable. He felt bad about his churlish behaviour. It was obvious she didn't want to be here. This could well blow up in Jaxon's face.

“Thanks … Ethan.”

“No probs, Savannah.” He gave her the briefest of smiles. “Call me anytime,” he said, but not too enthusiastically.

He saw the steely look return to her eyes.

Good, he thought. Hopefully this had been a call for help out of desperation and she wouldn't do it again in a hurry.

Ethan returned to his house, disposed of the remains of the cold coffee and rinsed his few dishes. Keeping busy didn't banish the picture in his head of his new neighbour. His mobile phone rang. He tensed at the name that glowed on the screen and Savannah was forgotten in an instant. He thought about ignoring the call but it was such a rare occurrence perhaps there was something wrong.

He pressed accept and put the phone to his ear. “Mal,” he said, trying to inject a casual tone into his voice. “What's up?”

Savannah dumped her overnight bag in Jaxon's spare bedroom and shut the door on it. The mice appeared to be confined within the pantry but she wasn't going to give them any chance of getting into the room she was planning to sleep in.