3. Chapter Two
Chapter Two
Lachlan
Lachlan squinted against the bright sun reflecting off the scattered clouds above as he held out Beth’s backpack. The color had returned to her face. She must feel better already.
The wind tousled her bangs, and from where he stood, he could now appreciate the full effect of this firecracker of a lady. Cute, khaki shorts stopped just above her knee, matching his Navy colors. But not one of his female colleagues had Beth’s figure. The Navy women were usually stocky, tall, and broad-shouldered. Beth had slender legs and a feminine frame. He averted his gaze from her attractive features and focused on the zip dangling from her bag. He wouldn’t repeat the mistake of an overseas attachment. It just didn’t work. No point starting something he couldn’t finish. His contract had another two years before he could consider settling down.
When Beth took the backpack, her smile reached her eyes for the first time. “Thanks.” She swung it over her shoulder and glanced around them, the crowds moving on. “Where’s Waldo?”
He grinned at the phrase. His sidekick may not be wearing a striped red and white shirt like the cartoon character, but with his height and uniform, they wouldn’t have trouble finding Wally. Asian tourists mingled nearby, adjusting hats, and one held an umbrella despite the blue sky and bright sunshine. Perhaps their skin darkened easily.
Farther down the jetty’s wooden planks, Wally positioned for a selfie with two female tourists. Lachlan shook his head. Not even five minutes had passed. Wally sure had a way with the ladies and used his uniform to full advantage. A day on the island may not be as relaxing as Lachlan had hoped. He strode toward the scene, leaving Beth to follow.
A giant Quokka cut-out, the size of a person, stood at the end of the jetty. Wally and a blonde huddled around the fake Quokka while the other woman snapped photos.
“Hey, buddy. We gotta go.” Lachlan called a few feet away.
The lady with the camera turned and gawked at him. She puckered her red-painted lips, said something in Swedish, and took some snaps of him. He froze, not sure if he should smile or protest. Someone ploughed into his back. A soft yelp behind him. Beth.
He turned. Beth rubbed her button nose, her thin eyebrows angled inward.
“Sorry about that.” He offered a puppy-eyed apology.
She craned her neck, peeked past him, and scowled with a huff. Wally lived up to her first impressions. Hopefully, Beth saw that Lachlan wasn’t cut from the same cloth.
Wally spoke in broken English. “My friend. Lachlan. He found woman on boat already.” He pointed to Beth then to his chest. “Me not taken. Me single.”
Lachlan cringed as Beth’s eyes went wide. Red flashed across her face, and the lines on her forehead deepened.
“What?” She growled under her breath.
“Don’t listen to him,” he whispered. Lachlan turned to Wally and glared. “Cut it out, Wally. You’re with me today. Let’s make a move.”
“I am.” He grinned at the Swedish blondes. “Can they come with us?”
“No.” Lachlan and Beth spoke at the same time. A double “no.” Beth might help with keeping Wally in line today.
“Double standards.” Wally’s accent drawled.
“You know why. Do I have to spell it out for you? Embarrass you in front of your new friends?”
“The ladies don’t understand English well, anyway.” He smirked, then frowned. “Okay, I’ll go with you.” He had no choice.
Wally’s shoulders slumped as he faced the women. “Mean boss. Say I must go. No fun.”
The blondes sighed. “Ohhh.” They stared at Lachlan with a scowl and muttered gibberish. Next, the ladies threw their arms around Wally and kissed his cheeks. Boy—women all over the guy. Didn’t they see right through him? At least Beth had. He dared not look at her expression about now. She’d be ticked.
Wally sauntered over like a sulky overgrown toddler sent to the naughty mat. How had he gotten into the Navy? Everything seemed like a game to him. For Lachlan, serving his country gripped his focus and gave him purpose. Yes, he needed a break now and then, and he would enjoy the time at port. But they certainly had different ideas on how to go about that.
He patted Wally on the back. “Cheer up, buddy. We’ll have some safe fun that won’t get you deeper in trouble with the Sergeant. I’ll give an accurate report when we get back regarding your behavior. I won’t lie to save your butt. You need to get back in favor with your team captain, or Simmons will make things harder for you back on the ship.”
The twenty-three-year-old sailor gave a half-grin, half-frown. “He’ll have a long list of jobs for me as it is. Can’t a guy have fun for once?”
“Getting into brawls isn’t the kind of entertainment the sergeant approves. The Aussie men don’t like us sailors. They think we’re just after their women.”
“Darn right, we are.”
“Not this sailor.” He moved his backpack from his left to his right hand. Shut up, Wally. Beth already despises you.
Wally huffed. “And you promise you’re not—”
“I’m not. Just because I have morals and respect women, doesn’t mean I don’t like them—” He lowered his voice, aware Beth stood beside him now. “In that way.” He cleared his throat. “Now, our guide here—” He gestured to Beth. “—has a mission for us today.” He turned to face her. “What’re our orders?”
Her smile returned but didn’t light up her aqua blue eyes this time. “There’s a Dome café on the island. Let’s grab a coffee, and I’ll go over my plan.”
“You have a plan?” He raised a brow.
“I will by the time we sit. I didn’t know I’d have two assistants.” She glanced at Wally with a twitch to her lips. “I’ll split our follow-up leads.”
Lachlan’s stomach dropped. “Aren’t you staying with us for the day?”
“Some of it. I figured we’d be more effective covering different parts of the island. Plus, you’d want to do some touristy things too. I’ll get to work while you have a look around.”
“We did bring our swim gear and rented a snorkel.” He gave a cautious smile. “Maybe you could join us. Have a break.”
She bit her bottom lip—a plump, kissable lip. He mentally slapped himself. Rein it in, Lachlan Peters. You’re thinking like Wally. Get a grip.
“I did bring my bathers. If it gets too hot, I may go in for a quick dip at one of the bays.”
“Great.” Or maybe not. Depending on what bathing suit she wore. Maybe a stupid idea, especially with Wally Walnut cracking his moves.
“Let’s grab that coffee.” She flicked her ponytail as she turned. He and Wally followed. Lachlan kept his gaze above Beth’s head, resisting the temptation to watch the sway of her hips. Being single at thirty had its setbacks. His past relationships only broke his heart. No point in dating until it could lead to marriage. That stage of life bobbed too far in the distant future.
BETH
Huddled in the café’s emerald green, leather booth with their lattes, Beth sprawled the Rottnest map across the table before her recruited assistants. A corner flapped, stirred by the swirling ceiling fans.
“Right-e-o.” Beth pointed with her index finger. “We are here.”
She glanced at Wally, who leaned into his palm with a glazed look about him.
At least Lachlan studied the map with interest. “Seems the first bus stop is only around the corner. The ferry’s video said there’s a ride every fifteen minutes.”
Beth wriggled forward, and the leather seat squeaked. “Yes. But I want to talk to the Fish ‘n Chip manager before we leave the central area. He posted about the Quokka situation on Facebook, and he may have some leads.” The counselor’s warm, brown eyes focused on her. She ignored the flutter in her belly. “Lachlan, can you go with Wally to have a casual chat with the general store staff? See if they’ll speculate about the reason for the decline in Quokkas.”
“Sure.”
Wally’s eyes lit up for a brief moment. “And we’ll stock up on snacks for the bus tour.”
“Oh, and I nearly forgot. The souvenir shop is next-door.” She smiled sheepishly at Lachlan and retrieved a twenty dollar note from her bag. “You can buy yourself a shirt. Are you allowed out of uniform?”
“Our commanding officer said while we’re in Fremantle, he prefers us to wear the NWU. But on the island, we can change into casual clothes.”
Wally gave a sly grin. “Lachlan can’t kiss a woman if he’s in uniform. So, you better send him to get that shirt, so you both have something to remember each other by.”
Lachlan gave a nervous laugh. “Quit the jokes, Wally. She doesn’t find it funny.”
“I wasn’t joking.”
Beth crossed her arms and squinted at Wally. “I won’t be kissing any sailors, that’s for sure.” She handed the note to Lachlan. “But I owe you this money.”
Lachlan held up a hand, but she insisted. “Please, take it.”
“All right.” His words stretched, emphasizing his accent, and he took the cash.
Was that a shade of pink over his tanned cheeks?
Beth stood with her takeaway cup in hand. “I’ll get a head start and meet you at the bus stop in thirty minutes.”
Bethany paced the pathway near the bus stop. The guys were taking their time. Hopefully, that meant they’d had more success than her. Wally’s annoying company might be worth a lead. She shook her head. Without him, she might feel strange hanging around Lachlan alone, a man she knew little about. The counselor title didn’t mean he’d become a glorified saint. Her ex-boyfriend had proved that.
A small Catholic church sat on the hill opposite her. She strolled over, scuffing leaves from the shady pavement. Ravens squawked from the pine trees that towered around her. A light aircraft rumbled in the distance.
Beth kneeled, extracted her Nikon from her bag, and zoomed in on the bells above. Focusing through the lens, she took several shots. The Tuscany-colored building must be at least a hundred years old. The stained-glass windows still glowed a kaleidoscope of color.
“There you are!” Lachlan’s voice came from across the way.
She swiveled, found him framed in the circle of her lens. An aqua shirt stretched across his muscled chest. Irrationally, she held the shutter button, taking a burst of photos as he strode toward her. What had come over her? She lowered the camera, flicked to view mode, and admired the model shots. A sigh escaped her lips. He looked even better out of uniform in shorts and a shirt.
She tilted her head. “Didn’t they have your size?”
“Only one large left in my favorite color.” He tugged at the cotton near the Rottnest logo. “The rest were medium or small.” Lachlan stood before her now.
She flicked her gaze away from his chest. “You look . . . good. Blue suits you.” She cleared her throat as Wally joined them. “So, any luck?”
Wally held out a business card. “Tim, the general store manager, believes littering is killing the Quokkas. Tourists’ toxic food scraps. The animals can’t cope with all the additives.”
Beth twisted her lips to one side and frowned. “But the Islanders have increased the clean-up efforts, and there’s no change in the number of sick Quokkas reported each week.”
Wally shrugged. “Call him. He’s happy to speak with you.”
“Did you tell him about me?” She placed a hand on her hip. “What I’m reporting for the newspaper?”
He blinked like a teenager in trouble with the teacher. “Wasn’t I allowed to say that?”
She huffed. “It doesn’t help for the word to get out. My colleague has already traveled here, and she suspects there’s more going on.” She slowed her speech. “That’s why we are undercover, Wally.” Beth crossed her arms. “How did you get into the Navy, anyhow?”
He tapped his nose. “It’s not what you know. It’s who you know.”
Lachlan smirked. “That about explains it.” He met Beth’s glance. An apology graced his features.
She breathed in deeply and released the built-up tension from her shoulders. “Have any of you seen a Quokka yet? They are nocturnal, but when I came here years ago, they were all over the place, scabbing food from the visitors.”
“Nope. Not one,” Wally said.
“The sign says not to feed the Quokkas.” Lachlan scrunched his forehead.
“True. But people pretend to offer them food so they can get close and take a selfie with one.”
“I have some crisps in my bag.” This from Wally. The name suited him so well. Didn’t he take note of what the local said—additives?
“I’ve brought something more appealing for the little creatures.” She swung her camera behind her back. “First, we need to find one. Keep a lookout among the shrubbery. They sleep in the shade.” She marched toward the bus stop, and the men followed.