Read Online Down Among the Dead Men (Entangled Ignite) by Claire Baxter - Free Book Online Page A

her a glass. “What’s happened to your eyes? They look painful.”
    “They are painful. I got caught in the dust storm this morning.”
    “Ouch.” Steve stared at her. “How did you get caught? Where were you when it hit? It sure was a doozy.”
    “I was out on the opal fields.”
    “Why? Do you have a mine?”
    “A claim.” She gave him a smug smile. “The locals call them claims, not mines.”
    “I’ll remember that. Thanks.”
    “I don’t have a claim, but my uncle does. I just wanted to see what it was like.”
    “Were you on your own?”
    “No, with a friend.” She frowned. She didn’t see what that had to do with anything. He was asking a lot of questions without telling her anything about himself. “What are you doing in town, Steve?”
    “Just passing through. You were going to tell me what you’re doing here.”
    She blew out a breath. Hadn’t taken him long to turn the conversation back to her. “My father needed to go away on business, so he asked me to come and stay with my sister. As it happened, I’d been thinking about writing a book on opal mining, so it offered a good opportunity to do some research, and I was happy to agree. I’m afraid that’s the whole story, and it wasn’t so long after all.”
    “Interesting, though.”
    She tilted her head. “Which way were you traveling when you decided to take a side trip to Minagoona?”
    “I was heading for Alice Springs. I needed to get out of Adelaide for a while. Stress at work, you know?”
    “Oh? What type of work?”
    He gave a small shrug. “Banking. Financial services. Nothing exciting.”
    She relaxed. Steve seemed harmless and she wouldn’t be surprised if banking was boring, which would explain why he asked so many questions.
    “Same again?” she asked as she gathered their glasses. When he nodded, she headed for the bar and waited for Brenda to finish serving a group of miners.
    “I’ve been waiting for a chance to catch you alone,” Dale said from behind her.
    Her pulse kicked up a notch. His words of that morning replayed in her head. He liked her. She liked him, too, there was no doubt about that. Each time she saw him, the pull she felt toward him became stronger.
    She half turned as he leaned on the bar next to her. She checked over her shoulder before asking, “Do you have news?”
    “I do, as it happens.” He paused, staring into her face. “Do you have any eye drops?”
    Her eyes must look bad, what with both Steve and Dale both commenting on them. “No. But never mind that, tell me what you know.”
    He lowered his voice. “Have you met Miriam at the store?”
    “No, but I plan to do some shopping tomorrow, so I expect I’ll meet her then.”
    “More shopping? Max bought up half the store the other day.”
    “Not that type of shopping. I believe in fresh food. The store does get fresh food delivered, right?”
    “Not any day that ends in a ‘y.’”
    “Really?”
    “No, of course it gets fresh food.”
    “Right. So, I’ll be meeting Miriam tomorrow. What were you going to say about her? I can’t stand here chatting for too long.” She tilted her head in Steve’s direction. “I’d better get back. Steve’s new in town, but he’s definitely not Chet. Max doesn’t recognize him at all.”
    Dale’s smile faded as he gazed at Steve. “Why are you having a drink with him?”
    “I’ve been giving him the third degree.” Although he’d questioned her as much, if not more.
    His eyes blazed as he said, “Who is he? What’s he doing here?”
    “Holiday, he says. He’s in banking, so I guess he needs it.” Was Dale…jealous? Or just concerned about her? “I’ll be careful.”
    “You’d better.” He stared at her, his eyes intense.
    Jealous, she decided. Her skin prickled. There was an undeniable thread of attraction developing between them, and she wasn’t sure she wanted to resist it. She trusted him in a way she couldn’t bring herself to trust anyone else. She caught sight