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Just the simple thought of the man made her hackles rise. The way he walked, with that arrogant swagger. She was sure . he thought he was God's gift to women. Well, if that was his attitude, he had another think coming where she was concerned.

What annoyed her the most was every time she thought about him, she couldn't help recalling—with perfect clarity— the way his mouth had felt against hers. If she looked at it objectively, she could impartially say that it had been the best kiss she'd ever received.

His mouth had fitted perfectly over hers, had moved in harmony with hers, had evoked a response like no other from deep within her—and the kiss had lasted for less than a minute. Elizabeth closed her eyes, allowing herself to remember the way everything had happened.

Slow motion. From the moment he'd touched her, drawing her close, everything had seemed to slow down to a snail's pace. Every touch, every smell, every taste. She remembered absolutely everything about him and it irritated her.

'Liz?'

Elizabeth jumped out of her chair at the sound of her mother's voice. The mug she'd been holding flew through the air, its contents spilling over, the ground before it impacted with the hard earth, shattering into small pieces.

'Sorry, darling, I didn't mean to startle you.'

'Oh, no. Your beautiful mug.' Elizabeth had chosen the mug because of its unique blue-green colour. It reminded her of the opals she'd seen in the shops. 'I am so sorry, Mum.'

'Don't worry about it. The people who make them are friends of mine. They'll make me another one.' Elizabeth had bent down and was busy trying to pick up the pieces. 'Leave it, Lizzie. I'll get the broom. I don't want you cutting your hand, especially when it's your first day at work.'

'Ugh...don't remind me.' Elizabeth picked up the blanket and folded it. Maude disappeared and returned with a brush and dustpan to sweep up the mess.

'Nervous?'

Elizabeth slumped back into the chair. 'Yes.'

'Is it the medical side...or the personal side?'

'Definitely the latter. I'm not too good at meeting new people, making friends. It's not... Oh, you know, it's not my cup of tea. I'm quiet and reserved.'

'Shy,' Maude supplied.

'I prefer reserved.'

'It's your father's fault. He's dominated you so much throughout your life that you haven't had the chance to make your own mistakes, especially where friendships are concerned.'

'Was
he like that with you, too?'

Maude put the brush and dustpan aside and sat down in the chair beside her daughter. 'Yes.' She pulled the blanket off Elizabeth's lap and opened it out, spreading it over both of them. 'Don't worry too much about today. You're only here for six months and, believe me, the time will pass far too quickly. Use it, Liz. Use this time away from your father wisely. You've gone to extraordinary lengths to get here and you'd be a fool not to use it.'

'To find out who I really am, you mean?'

'Yes.'

'Is that what you did? Is that what Coober Pedy did for you?'

'Everyone comes here for a reason, dear. Everyone has their own story to tell. Whether they do or not is up to them but the locals respect their privacy.'

'What about Mitch?' Elizabeth couldn't deny she was curious about the man.

'He has his story, too.'

'Do you know it?'

'Some of it.' Maude shrugged. 'If he wants to tell me more, then I'm sure he will. Mitch and I are friends but that doesn't mean I need to know everything about him. Sometimes people come here because they want a change, either to them selves or just their surroundings. They don't want to be judged on past mistakes. A fresh slate.'

'A fresh slate,' Elizabeth echoed.

'Look.' Maude pointed to the sun which was starting to peek over the horizon. The colours of the land around them seemed to light up as though someone had just turned on a switch. Reds, oranges—even the browns seemed more bronze in the early morning light.

'It's breathtaking,' Elizabeth whispered.

Both women were quiet as dawn broke. Slowly noises started to filter through the air as the new day began. Elizabeth took in a deep breath and slowly let it out.

Soon she would see Mitch O'Neill again. At the thought, her traitorous body tensed and butterflies churned in the pit of her stomach.

Was it simply because she was nervous or was it because the man made her feel things she didn't know how to handle?

Maude dropped her off at the hospital and as Elizabeth watched her mother drive away she shook her head in wonderment. Her mother—the one-time debutante, the woman who had been married to one of the most influential men in all of England— was now an outback opal miner, and from what Elizabeth could see she was extremely happy.

She turned and headed into the hospital, her shoulders squared, her back straight, her chin raised and her eyes cool, calm and collected. There was no way Mitchell O'Neill was going to knock her off balance today.

'And here she Is.' The deep, masculine drawl surrounded her and she felt a tingle run through her body as he spoke. 'You're like a breath of English sunshine in a dry and dull desert,' Mitch said as he walked down the corridor to meet her. 'Welcome to Coober Pedy hospital.' He extended his hand to her and she shook it firmly before quickly letting go and stepping back. She glanced over his shoulder and noticed three staff members at the desk, all watching her with curiosity.

'No kisses this time, Dr O'Neill?' She raised a haughty eyebrow at him, hoping her tone tod attitude might put him in his place. Instead the man smiled and she felt her resolve slip a little.

'Not when I'm on duty, Lizzie, but the instant I finish my shift, I'd be more than happy to oblige. After all, I am considered the best catch in town.' His blue eyes twinkled with merriment and there was a hoot of laughter from the staff behind him.

'Your arrogance is overwhelming, Doctor.' Elizabeth lifted her chin slightly higher and forced herself to walk over to the desk. She needed to show him that she had control over this situation and not him. 'Hello. I'm Elizabeth Blakeny-Smith.' She held out her hand to the nurses who were sitting there.

'I'm Imogen. Let me take your handbag for you and I'll lock it up here in the desk.'

Elizabeth handed it over as the introductions continued.

'I'm Teena.'

'And I'm Ryan,' the man said. 'I saw you at the pub the other night when I came to pick up Pierre.'

'Oh, yes.' Elizabeth smiled politely as she shook his hand. 'I sincerely hope Pierre recovered without complication.'

'He was fine except for the hangover,' Ryan replied.

'And an ear-bashing "from his missus,' Mitch added. 'Previously, he's been banned from the bar and spent the night in the cell at the police station, but this was the first time he's been to hospital needing stitches and the man's only been here for about six months. Still, he knows his way around mines and mining equipment better than most people and out here that's saying a lot.'

'So I can expect to see him again?' Elizabeth asked.

'You can bet on it.' Mitch grinned.

'I see.' She raised an eyebrow, her tone humourless. "The same as when you bet on me the other night?'

His grin widened. 'Completely different. There was money involved on that bet.'

'I had heard that Australians will bet on almost anything.' Mitch and his staff chuckled. 'So there's truth to that statement?'

'Mostly,' he replied. 'Personally, I only bet when I know I can win.'

'Is that so? Well, as it appears I assisted you in winning your bet, I'll expect my share of the winnings by the end of the day.'

The nursing staff laughed and where Elizabeth expected Mitch to be put out, she discovered she was quite wrong. He laughed along with them.

'She's got you there,' Imogen stated.

Mitch shook his head. 'No, she doesn't. She
drank
her share of the winnings.'

'I beg your pardon?'

'The bottle of champagne?'

'Oh.' She felt a little silly but no one seemed to notice, least of all Mitch.

'Right. Now that the introductions are over...' Mitch rubbed his hands together. 'I guess I should show you around our humble hospital.' He led the way down the corridor, pointing out different parts of the hospital. 'X-ray is down there, the kitchen is over there and Emergency Theatre is around that away.' Mitch waved his arm in the air in a vague direction. 'It's not too hard to navigate. Nothing like the large hospital you've come from. Right, we have several visiting specialists who come here, usually on a monthly rotation, and those clinics are held at the community centre which is just out the back there.' He pointed to a door. 'The community centre was the original hospital so there's a lot of history in the place. As you probably know, because I'm sure you're the type of person who researches new environments, we are a twenty-bed hospital with quite a few set aside for paediatric cases.'

'Do you get a lot of children coming through?'

"The ratio between adults and children evens itself out but as you will see...' he walked onto the ward '...we have two young rascals with us now. Good morning, boys.' Mitch walked over and sat on the end of one of the beds. 'How was breakfast this morning?'

'Uh...OK,' one boy said. 'I wish we were allowed to have choc-pops instead of that bran stuff Sister made us eat.'

Mitch leaned closer and said in a conspiratorial whisper, 'I'll see what I can do.'

Both boys let out a whoop but as Imogen was coming onto the ward, Mitch made a display of quieting them down. 'Don't let her know,' he said and then, clearing his throat, turned to face the sister. 'Ready to begin, Imogen?'

'I doubt you need me here to get your work done, Mitch. I was merely coming to check you weren't up to any more of your conspiracies.'

Elizabeth's gaze encountered Mitch's and he winked at her. 'Oh, no, Imogen.' He smiled sweetly at the sister and Elizabeth found it hard to hide her own smile. 'I learned my lesson last time.'

'Was that the time you gave bubble gum to Wong and Simon?' one of the boys asked excitedly.

'Yes, it was,' Imogen replied as she shoved Mitch off the end of the bed and straightened the covers. 'Now, sit still, boys, and let Dr Mitch have a look at you.'

'First of all, I think we'd better introduce them to our new doctor.' Mitch walked over to Elizabeth's side and slung his arm across her shoulders. Elizabeth stiffened at his nearness, wishing he wouldn't touch her. For a whole five seconds her mind froze and all she "was conscious of was the heat of his body as the side of his hip and thigh pressed against her own leg.

'This is Dr Lizzie.'

'Elizabeth,' she correct. 'Dr Elizabeth.'

'My little sister's called Lizzie,' one boy said.

'Is she?' Elizabeth forced a smile, all the while trying not to grit her teeth and shift away from Mitch. A spicy, purely masculine scent wound itself around her and she knew her effort to try and break free could have been better. . Mitch gave her shoulder a little squeeze before he let go. She immediately stepped away.

'This is
Danny and Timmy.
Two best Mends who found themselves
in a
spot of trouble.'

'We got bitten by a red-back spider,' Danny announced proudly.

'Yeah. Both of us.' They both held out their arms for her to inspect.

'Thankfully, Steve-o—uh, he's one of the police officers here—found them only seconds after they'd been bitten and brought them in. We've had them in overnight to make sure everything's fine.'

'Yeah, and we get to miss school.'

'For today
and
tomorrow,' Timmy added, his brown eyes wide with delight. 'Dr Mitch said so.'

'All right,' Imogen said. 'Sit still so I can take your blood pressure and temperature.'

Mitch picked up Danny's chart, scanned it and handed it to Elizabeth. 'Take a look. We basically have kept up their fluids to ensure the antivenene was working. They need another blood test to confirm levels but both appear to be fine and on the road to recovery.'

Elizabeth perused the chart and nodded.

'Have you dealt with many poisonous insect bites back in England?'

'I've dealt with a snake bite and European wasp stings. Even though we're not as rough or tough, Dr O'Neill, we still have our share of drama.'

Mitch grinned at her and leaned a little closer, his voice lowered so only she could hear what he was saying. 'Do you think you're going to loosen up enough and call me by my first name while you're here?'

'What's the matter, Dr O'Neill? Am I the first woman to dismiss your boyish charms as nothing more than immaturity?'

Elizabeth watched him as she spoke and was surprised to see his blue eyes begin to twinkle with delight at her words— quite the opposite effect from the one she'd been hoping for.

'At least you admit I have boyish charms.' His grin was rakish and held a promise. 'I can see I'm going to have to change your mind about me...Lizzie.'

Elizabeth opened her mouth to say something, angry with him for getting under her skin—angrier still with herself for allowing him to—but Mitch was once more focused on the two boys.

When Imogen was finished, Elizabeth walked out with her, leaving Mitch behind with his patients, who were obviously more on his wavelength.

'Did he really give his patients bubble gum?' she asked.

Imogen surprised her by laughing. 'Yes, he did. I tell you.

those boys got that stuff everywhere. In their hair, in the sheets, on the beds. He's a terror is our Mitch, but the kids adore him.'

'So you really don't mind?'

'No. Of course not. We're very laid-back here, Lizzie.'

'Please—I prefer Elizabeth.'

Imogen smiled and nodded. 'I know Mitch was probably promising to bring those boys in some sugar-coated cereal and no doubt tomorrow I'll find that neither of them will want breakfast at all because Dr Mitch will have already been in to have an early morning sugar-fest with them.'

'But it's not right.'

'They're boys, Elizabeth. All three of them.' Imogen laughed. 'It's up to me to play the part of the dragon—the nurse who's in charge. The children here, all of them, love Dr Mitch and will do anything for him. That type of trust is hard to earn and even harder to keep. He's a good doctor and I, for one, don't ever want him to leave.'