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'Converted? From what?'

'From real beer to ginger beer.'

'You don't like real beer?'

'I don't drink alcohol.'

'There's a story there.'

'There always is.' He shrugged and sat on the lounge without further explanation. 'Take a load off.'

'Uh...' Elizabeth had also left her shoes by the front door and now felt strange, walking around in bare feet in front of him. 'I just want to see Maude first.'

'She's not here.'

'She's not?'

'No.'

'How do you know?'

'Because the door was locked.' He held up the spare key. 'I opened it.'

'You know where she keeps the spare key? You appear to be more...intimate with my mother than I'd previously thought.'

Mitch leaned back in the cushions and grinned. 'Are you implying something, Lizzie?'

'Stop calling me that and tell me what's going on.'

'Nothing's going on.' Mitch sat forward and took a swig of his drink. 'I swear. We're just friends. Well, we're kind of partners.'

'Partners!'

'In her opal mine,' he explained patiently. 'A few months after I arrived, she needed someone to invest and I was around, looking for a bit of adventure, and so we became partners— well, I'm a silent partner but she lets me have a pick and noodle every now and then.'

'Pick and noodle?' Elizabeth sank down onto the opposite side of the lounge as it was the only other place to sit, but she made sure she kept well away from Mitch.

'You use the pickaxe to work out a stream of opal from the rock and noodling is where you sift through the mullock heap to see if the miners have missed anything. You'll see the tourists doing it.' He drank another mouthful. 'Now, I do believe I was going to tell you some of the local folk tales.'

'Yes.' Elizabeth looked at the bottle before she lifted it to her lips and took a sip. The amber liquid slid down her throat, smooth, cool and very refreshing—just as he'd promised.

'The miners here are very particular about their claims. One evening, though, a miner had struck a good piece of opal and, exhausted, had left it and gone to the pub for a coldie. Well, he had a good skite about his find and—'

'I'm sorry. Skite?'

'Brag.'

'Oh.' She nodded. 'Please, continue.'

'Anyway, he
bragged
about his find and when he went back to the mine, it was gone.'

'Someone had stolen it?'

'Yes. Well, instead of getting the police involved, a group of men figured out who the thief was and in the middle of the night they grabbed him, broke his legs and his arms and then threw him down an abandoned shaft. Legend is his body was never found but it's that sort of story which keeps people honest.'

Elizabeth's mouth was wide open. 'Is this a true story?'

'Ah, who knows, Lizzie?' He shrugged and drank from his bottle.

'Elizabeth,' she said tiredly. 'Call me Elizabeth.'

'Why?'

'I beg your pardon?'

'Why? Why don't you like being called Lizzie?' He shifted on the cushions so he was facing her. His knee knocked hers and she shifted backwards.

'It's not my name.'

'It's a derivative of your name and it certainly suits you. Knocks some of those hard edges off. Elizabeth...well, it's so formal.'

'Precisely.' She looked at the bottle again before raising it to her lips.

'What's the matter? Drink doesn't taste nice?'

'No. The drink is fine. It's just...' She stopped, realising she'd sound stupid saying it.

'Just...' he prompted.

'Just that I've never drunk from a bottle before. My drinks have always been decanted.'

'Ah...the rough, tough, no-frills bottle. Do you approve?'

Elizabeth took another sip and swallowed, stalling for time. She realised the
double entendre
and wondered how important her answer was to him, whether he even cared that his near presence was creating havoc with her pulse. That the instant his knee had accidentally touched hers, her heart rate had started pounding at a faster rhythm.

She licked her lips. 'It's...different.' She cleared her throat. 'It even tastes a little different.'

'Hmm.' Mitch's gaze met hers and once more Elizabeth was mesmerised. He put his bottle on the table and leaned towards her, his gaze never wavering. Then, he took her bottle and put it next to his. 'Do you know your eyes sparkle vivid green when you're angry...or excited?' He brushed the backs of his fingers over her soft cheek and she gasped at the touch. 'It's rare and beautiful and I'm enthralled by it. I'll do anything to see that vivid flash—even if it means razzing you up.' His voice had dropped to a whisper and his mouth was drawing closer with every agonising moment.

She couldn't move. It was a physical and mental impossibility. She sat where she was, waiting, wanting and needing his mouth on hers. Her lips parted in anticipation and when his lips gently brushed across hers, her eyelids fluttered closed, concentrating totally on the sensations he was evoking.

What was she doing? She was letting a strange man kiss her—for the second time! Of course, the first time had been against her will...well, kind of...but this—she should put a stop to it. Stopping now would be the right thing to do. The proper thing to do. The correct thing to do. And Elizabeth always did the correct thing.

Why? a little voice inside her asked. Why did she always have to do the correct thing? Why couldn't she be reckless for once? Throw caution to the wind? She'd
wanted
Mitch to kiss her again. In fact, she'd been hard pressed not to think about it all day long, and now here he was, wanting to kiss
her.

Her heart rate increased, her adrenaline surged as she grabbed hold of her courage to live on the edge—just this once. She shifted slightly and was surprised when he started to draw back. 'No,' she whispered urgently, and reached up to touch his face.

He didn't move, didn't dare breathe as she gently rubbed her fingertips over his parted lips. The blue of his eyes was as intense as a bright morning sky. She shifted her hand and slid her fingers into his dark brown hair, urging his head down so their lips could meet once more.

This time she opened her mouth to him, matching the hunger he exuded, both of them eagerly taking from each other.

She felt wild, reckless and for the first time in her life...totally free.

It felt good.

It felt exhilarating.

It felt as though she was playing with fire and right at this moment she didn't care if she got burnt.

The
sound of the front door being opened penetrated the haze in Mitch's brain but he chose to ignore it. Ever since he'd pressed his lips to Elizabeth's the other night, he'd been wanting to do it over and over again, wanting to find out exactly who this woman was. She had hypnotic eyes, soft skin and the most delicious mouth, which begged to be kissed. Right now, she tasted like pure sweetness... mixed with ginger beer. It was a heady concoction.

She wasn't pulling away so obviously she didn't mind that her mother had walked into the house and was probably watching them with astonishment...or she hadn't realised it yet. Mitch knew, as much as he wanted to stay right where he was, he couldn't do it. He knew she would probably be embarrassed and that was the last thing he wanted.

Slowly, he drew away, noting the confusion as she looked at him.

'Mitch?' The question was hardly audible as her hand slowly slid from his hair to fall lifelessly into her lap. Her eyelids fluttered closed again as she sighed, relaxing into the cushions. How could this man make her feel this way, and why on earth had he stopped?

'Nice to see you're settling into Coober Pedy,' Maude said from the doorway.

Elizabeth's eyes snapped open and she spun her head round so fast she jarred her neck. She disregarded the pain as she shifted quickly in the cushions, desperately trying to sit up straight. 'Mum!' Embarrassment and shame flooded right through Elizabeth and, although she was desperate to see how Mitch was handling this situation, she dared not look at him.

She jolted to her feet and stepped away from the lounge. Hopefully, putting distance between herself and Mitch might
help her to get control of the situation. She looked at her mother and realised Maude was smiling.

'Jet lag's all gone, then? Don't let me interrupt. Carry on.' Maude closed the front door and headed into the kitchen. 'Did you leave me a coldie?'

'Sure did,' Mitch called out, and stood. He looked at Elizabeth. Her back was rigid, her eyes were as wide as saucers and he could tell she wasn't happy with the turn of events.

'Lizzie,' he said calmly, and reached for her hand.

She spun to face him. 'Don't call me that,' she said between clenched teeth. He grinned, which only infuriated her even more. 'And don't you dare laugh at me, Mitchell O'Neill.'

'I'm not laughing
at
you.'

'No. You're goading me, so you can see how brilliantly my green eyes shine.' With that, Elizabeth spun on her heel and stormed to her room, feeling completely humiliated.

Mitch stood and watched her, the smile slipping from his lips. He shoved his hands in his pockets and stared down at the floor. What had he done wrong? Sure, she might be a bit embarrassed but they were all adults.

'Has she gone to her room?' Maude asked quietly, and Mitch turned around.

'Yes.'

'Don't worry about her. Elizabeth isn't used to colouring outside the lines.' Maude sat on the lounge and sipped at her ginger beer. Mitch picked his up and took a swig. 'You've got to understand, Mitch, she's been raised in a very conservative manner. Australia, Coober Pedy—
you
—it's all a bit much for her to handle
at once.
Her
life
was confusing when she left England,
now
she'll probably see it as worse.' Maude sighed. 'If only I'd been able to get to her sooner.'

'Meaning?'

'If her father had let me have access.'

'She's a grown woman, Maude, and has been for over ten years.'

'I know and we've been in contact since she was seventeen years old, but only by letter. Then she went to medical school and did the rest of her training but if I'd been able to have her here with me, for holiday breaks and such, perhaps it would have made a difference. Perhaps she wouldn't be so afraid to try something new.'

Mitch listened and filed the information away. He liked what he'd seen of Elizabeth and he sensed there was more to her beneath the surface. If only she'd let him pick and noodle a little, maybe he'd strike it rich.

Mitch glanced at Maude to find his opal partner smiling. 'What?'

'So you like my daughter, eh?'

The smile came easily to Mitch's face. 'Is it obvious?'

'Should I be asking whether your intentions are honourable?'

He drank his drink, stalling. 'Probably not.'

Maude chuckled before she eyed him carefully. 'I feel as though I should warn you.' He raised a quizzical eyebrow and she continued. 'I feel like telling you not to play around and break her heart.'

'But?'

'I don't think you're the playing-around type.' Maude paused, looking closely at him. 'You haven't dated or been interested in anyone since you came to Coober Pedy. I've never heard you brag about your conquests, the way some other guys do, but most importantly I trust you because you've told me about Sonja and how much she meant to you. I take it as a compliment that you're interested in my daughter.'

Mitch finished his drink.

'Is she like Sonja?'

'Lizzie?' Mitch smiled sadly and placed the empty bottle on the table. 'No, she's quite different...but, then, I'm quite different from who I was back then. I can't explain it, Maude, but there's something about your Lizzie which has made a big impression on me and I've learnt over the years to follow my gut instinct.'

'It's nice to see you're not running away from it.'

'It's not easy. After that first kiss in the pub, I was more than ready to run.' He checked his watch. 'And right now I'm running away from this conversation. Tell Lizzie I'll pick her up tomorrow morning at seven o'clock.'

'So early?'

'We're having breakfast.'

'And she knows about this?'

'Not entirely but I think she'll enjoy it.'

Maude stood. 'I'll pass on the message.'

'Thanks—oh, and thanks for the drink.'

'Hey, no problems, partner.'

Mitch glanced in the direction of Elizabeth's bedroom before opening the front door. 'See ya.'

Maude waited until he was in his ute and reversing out the driveway. 'OK. You can come out now. He's gone.'

Elizabeth opened her door and peered around it, just in case her mother Was tricking her. She listened closely but, no, there was no conversation going on any more. Cautiously, she headed out and finally found her mother in the kitchen—all alone.

'You OK?' Maude glanced at her and then continued to dig around in the freezer.

'I'm fine. Thank you.'

'Want to talk about it?'

'No. Thank you.'

Maude laughed. 'So polite, my darling daughter.'

'Would you have me be otherwise?'

'Oh, Lizzie, I'm not criticising you, merely stating a fact. If you don't want to talk about Mitch, then that's fine with me. If, on the other hand, you change your mind—I'm a willing listener.'

'Would you like some help with tea?'

'Yes.' They worked in the kitchen side by side and before long sat down to eat. 'So, if you don't want to talk about Mitch, how about telling me what happened with your boyfriend in England?'

'Marcus?'

'Yes. Obviously things aren't going too well if you're kissing Mitch.'

'No. Things weren't going well at all—at least, not for me. He's one of the reasons I wanted to get away. I need time to think.'

'So where have you left things?'

'Marcus and Dad were strategically discussing our marriage. Marriage! I haven't even been asked yet. I told Marcus I wanted a break. I wanted time away by myself and that meant not having to stay in contact with him while I was here in Australia. He and Dad are as thick as thieves and sometimes I feel...' She trailed off, feeling as though she was whining. 'Never mind.'