Outback Wives Wanted!: Wedding at Wangaree Valley / Bride at Briar's Ridge / Cattle Rancher, Secret Son

The car could catch fire at any minute. It would explode. Too gruesome a death! One to be avoided at all costs. There was nothing else for it but to carry the semi-conscious man up the slope. To Guy’s immense relief, Alan Callaghan roused himself, then made a definite effort to stand on his own two feet.

“I’ve got you, Alan!” Guy cried. “We have to get up the slope as quickly as we can.”

Just as he had done once before, Guy slung his arm around the big man, half pulling, half dragging him up the slope, which mercifully wasn’t steep.

Oh, Dad—Dad, what’s to become of you? Alana shook her head, her nerves raw. Was this an attempted suicide? Or had her father simply lost control of the vehicle when he’d skidded on the gravel? Going on the strength of the petrol fumes, she was terrified he and Guy wouldn’t make it up the slope until it was too late. And she was in danger herself, standing so close to the lip. But she couldn’t bring herself to move away.

I can’t face life without these two.

If anything bad happened now it would break her. There had been so many losses, her spirit would simply call it quits.

“There’s a rug in the boot,” Guy called to her. “Be quick, Alana. Get it and drape it over the back seat. I’ll put your father there. We can get him to hospital much faster than waiting for the ambulance.”

Alana ran.

Less than a few minutes after that, with Guy’s car speeding back towards the town, the Callaghan’s car exploded. It went up in a solid wall of orange flame, with sections of buckled steel flying like missiles through the sulphurous air.

CHAPTER SEVEN

THEY were sitting in the waiting room, hoping for news of Alan Callaghan’s condition.

Alana knew she would have been locked into a dark world if Guy hadn’t been with her. His strong, calm presence lent her tremendous support. He was, in fact, holding her hand. She didn’t know when he had taken it, but she wasn’t going to let go. Some time in the future, when her father had made it, she was going to thank Guy for saving her father’s life. It had been a very brave thing to do. Not everyone would have taken such a risk. Most people would have been thinking, quite naturally, of their own survival. Now her mind was dulled with shock, replaying the incident over and over, trying to fathom what had been in her father’s mind. She was leaning against Guy, her head resting on his shoulder, but she was no longer fully conscious of what she was doing.

“Lana?”

They both looked up as Kieran, with a visibly upset Buddy in tow, came into the waiting room. News of the crash had travelled with the speed of lightning. It had reached the Mangan farm in no time at all.

Alana stood up, throwing herself into her brother’s arms. They closed around her powerfully, conveying the state Kieran was in, but there was a faintly bitter edge to his voice. “What’s all this about, Lana?” he asked, his handsome face pinched. “Was it an accident, or Dad deciding to call it a day?”

She could only murmur helplessly, “I don’t know. I don’t know.”

“Well, the police will soon sort it out,” Kieran said grimly. “God, I’ll have to stop Buddy blubbing. It’s really getting to me.”

Alana looked towards the sobbing youngster. “He loves Dad.”

“Well, I love Dad too, but I’m fed up with all this. What was in Dad’s mind? Doesn’t he care about us at all? Doesn’t he care how we would feel afterwards?”

Clearly Kieran thought it was a failed suicide attempt.

Guy, on the other hand, was by no means sure of that. He decided to intervene. Alana looked pale enough to faint. “It could well have been an accident, Kieran,” he said, joining them.

“Or Dad determined on taking his last ride,” Kieran said in a choked voice. “We can’t thank you enough, Guy. You’re a hero.”

“Forget that!” Guy brushed all mention of heroism aside. “I did what you would have done in the same circumstances.”

“You’re a hero in my book,” Kieran repeated firmly, suddenly turning on the weeping Buddy. “For goodness’ sake, Buddy, quit it!” It was obvious he was in no mood to listen to Buddy’s choking sobs, which had started the very minute they got the news.

Guy twisted about to get an arm around Buddy’s slight shoulders. “You’ve got to be strong now, Buddy. Think you can do it?”

“I’m a bit of a mess right now, Mr Radcliffe,” Buddy said pitifully.

“We all are, Buddy. But we mustn’t slip into despair.”

Buddy rolled his eyes. “You were willin’ to go down to a rolled car that was threatenin’ to blow up! I call that mighty brave.”

Incredibly brave, Alana thought.

“It wasn’t about bravery, Buddy,” Guy said, finding being labelled brave a burden. “It was doing what had to be done. Now, let’s forget it.”

I’ll never forget it! Alana thought.

Minutes later Simon and Rose hurried in, both showing their concern. “When we first heard there had been an accident Simon nearly went off his head,” Rose confided to Alana quietly. “We had absolutely no idea at that point it was your father. Simon thought it was you. Maybe there’s a lesson to be learned in that. He loves you, Lana. Only you.”

Alana looked into Rose’s blue eyes. “He’s there for me, Rosie as I’ll always be there for him. Oh, look—” her gaze went past her cousin “—it’s Dr Pitman.”

They all rose to their feet. They all knew Bill Pitman, who was in his early fifties and had a shock of pure white hair. He was the hospital’s cardiologist and head of the emergency team.

“Okay,” Pitman announced briskly, but with sympathy and understanding. “Alan has had a heart attack. It was that which caused him to lose consciousness at the wheel. Our immediate goal has been to ease his pain and discomfort. Now we have to clear the blocked coronary artery and restore bloodflow to the heart.” He turned to Guy. “Only you acting so quickly, getting him to the hospital in time, Guy, after pulling him out of the car, has ensured his survival. I won’t beat about the bush. Alan is a sick man. We all know he hasn’t been looking after himself. I’m going to keep him here for a day or so. I want to run more tests. He’ll need bypass surgery, so be prepared for that.”

“Can we see him?” Alana asked, experiencing a degree of relief that it had been an accident and not attempted suicide.

“For a moment only.” Bill Pitman smiled gently. “You and Kieran. Your father is groggy. He needs to be kept quiet.”

“Of course.” Guy, who had saved Alan Callaghan’s life, nodded his head on behalf of the rest of them.

The fact it had been an accident made quite a difference, Guy thought. He could see the relief neither Alana nor Kieran was able to keep out of their faces. Bypass surgery had a high success rate. With the proper care Alan Callaghan had many more years of life left. What he had to do was make huge change to his lifestyle. That was if he really wanted to live.

Alan Callaghan’s quadruple bypass was scheduled for ten days’ time. He was sent home on medication. There was no question of his touching alcohol. Alana was certain he’d make no attempt to, even when no one was around. Not that he was left on his own for any length of time. Kieran was managing the farm almost single-handedly. She devoted her time to her father watching him like a hawk, and when she took a short break Buddy, who had moved into the house from the cottage, was at hand.

“A man’s never alone for five minutes!” Alan Callaghan pretended to growl. “Can’t even go to the lavatory on my own.” It was true Buddy followed him there, on sentry duty outside the door.

The Wine Festival Dinner-Dance was to take place on the Saturday night, but Alana had no thought of going. She had to be home with her father. She was going to be extremely nervous until he had his operation, and stood over him while he took his medication. Simon came over frequently—mostly to see Alana, but genuinely concerned for her father’s health.

“Surely Buddy can watch your dad for a few hours?” he suggested. “He looks all right to me. In fact much better.” That at least was true.

“There will be other dinner-dances, Simon,” she said. “Take Rose. You and she have been spending a bit of time together, I hear.”

“Bless her. She’s been a big help when I’m really busy,” Simon said quite fondly. “It’s just as you said. There’s a lot more to Rose than meets the eye.”

“Gosh, I would have thought what meets the eye was good enough for most guys,” Alana said. “Maybe Rose is having a calming influence on you? As for me—one part of me is really sorry I’m missing out, the other knows where love and duty lie.”

But her father when he found out, wouldn’t hear of her missing out on the big night. “Alana, I won’t sleep until you tell me you’re going. I’m as right as rain, my girl. Haven’t you been noticing how much better I am? Would you deprive your father of the pleasure of seeing you all dressed up and winning The Naming? Think about it. I’d be far happier seeing you go off to the ball than seeing you sitting home with me. I can watch some television. Buddy will keep me company. Buddy’s perfectly capable of keeping an eye on me. As if I need it! I can’t have you worrying yourself sick about me. I want you to go.”

Alana had a problem. She didn’t have a dress.

Kieran worked close to the homestead while Alana took a quick trip into town. There were two excellent boutiques. Maybe she could find something to fit her budget?

She was coming out of the first boutique, having tried on several lovely but too expensive garments, intending to move on to another shop to check out what they had in stock, when a well-bred but severe-sounding voice hailed her.