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I found her hand in the dark and pulled it up to my lips for a quick kiss. “I have no doubt in my heart or my mind. Say any length of time, Rosie, and I’ll wait.”
Rosie’s breath hitched. “Three years.”
“Whatever you want, Rosie. Whatever you need. Done deal.”
* * *
Someone roughly shook my shoulder and startled me awake. The gloom was blasted by LED light of a head torch.
“Wakey, wakey, little brother,” the head torch trilled.
“Bloody hell, Ryan. Thank god.”
As other brigade members cheered outside, Rosie stirred from her sleep as something squirmed against my stomach. The wombat joey. I tried to speak and croaked instead. Ryan handed me a water bottle to my lips, and I guzzled greedily before letting out a sigh.
He also handed me a head torch as Rosie sat up beside me.
That’s when I noticed Ryan dangling into the burrow.
“Benji’s got my legs so I don’t fall in,” he said matter-of-factly. “Just hanging around to see if you guys want to get out of here. Good to see you, Rosie. Anyone injured? Or just sleepy?”
“I had a nap?” Rosie asked, incredulous. “Hi, Ryan. I am glad to see you.”
“Probably shock, exhaustion, and nowhere to go,” I said with a yawn. “No injuries. We’ve got a wombat joey though who lost his mum.”
“Guess that wombat briefing for the rural fire brigade meeting came in mighty handy,” Ryan deadpanned and then saw the joey. “Did not expect to see you cradling this little fella after your headbutt encounter at home.”
I grimaced. “Neither did I, brother.”
The wombat joey squirmed some more, waking Rosie. Ryan held out another water bottle, and I took it, holding it to her mouth. She took several gulps, water dripping down the side of her mouth.
“We made it,” Rosie croaked, finding my hand and gripping it tight.
“Did you contain the fire before it reached my ute and the Zanetti’s four wheeler?”
“Easily contained on the fire break. It’s out now. Too damn cold. It was finding you two that took a while.”
Turned out we’d been holed up for two hours.
“Righto, time to move, I reckon,” Ryan said. “Need a boost?”
“Nah, we’re good,” I groaned, shifting my legs. My butt had gone to sleep with pins and needles. “You okay?” I asked Rosie.
She gave me a small smile, her eyes shining. “I’m fine. More than fine.”
Ryan called out over his shoulder. “Reverse me out, Benji!”
A few seconds later, a rope tumbled down, a welcome sight to help my cramped limbs to climb out.
“You go first,” I said to Rosie. “I’ll hand the joey to you once you’re out and then I’ll come out.”
Rosie leant in and kissed me on the cheek. “You’re my hero, Thomas Turner.”
My heart seized and I swear I stopped breathing. “I love you, Rosalba Zanetti.”
“Come on, you two! Get moving!” Ryan’s timing was impeccable, as usual.
“Just wait a sec,” Rosie called, shuffling over to the rope, her legs stiff and shaky. “I fell in love with you four years ago, Tom Turner. And I don’t think I ever stopped. Even when I hated you.”
