For the first time, Cassie noticed a quad bike abandoned near a group of shrubby wattles at the edge of the gully. ‘You came in the troop carrier?’
‘Yes. Jordan’s been working out here for the last couple of days, so he left the tractor here and rode back and forth on the quad.’ She laughed, a painful sound. ‘It was that damned tree. He was worried it might fall, so he was getting ready to bring it down. Clearing the ground.’
Another vehicle was raising a dust cloud on the track, and Cassie shot a glance at Celie.
The woman nodded. ‘It’s Morgan.’
The cruiser pulled up beside the troop carrier and Doctor Cavanaugh jumped out, bringing a large first aid kit with him. ‘In the gully?’
Relieved of their duty for the moment, they followed him down into the gully, keeping well back from the spreading tree with the tractor at its heart.
Cassie winced at the sight of Shayne’s legs sprawled under the tractor. The sound of digging was followed by a metallic scrape. Sliding the jack under some part of the tractor. The tree shivered and Cassie swallowed. The enormity of the danger pummelled her in the chest, and she dropped to her knees. ‘He could die.’
Celie crouched beside her, draping an arm over her shoulders. ‘They know what they’re doing. Shayne is a volunteer firefighter with the Rural Fire Brigade. He’ll be as careful as possible.’
‘But Jordan’s his cousin. He might take risks he wouldn’t otherwise consider.’
Morgan had crawled in beside Shayne and Cassie gulped down some more air. They hadn’t even hesitated to risk their lives for the other man. They didn’t even know if he would survive. ‘Is Jordan conscious?’
Celie sniffed and Cassie saw the tears creeping down, smudging the film of dirt she hadn’t entirely eradicated with her quick wash. ‘In and out. Conscious enough to order me away. Told me our children didn’t deserve to be orphans.’
He thought it was that bad. Jordan hadn’t struck her as a pessimist, so he mustn’t like his chances. The sound of a siren pushed through the silence of the gully. ‘They’re here.’
Celie shot to her feet and ran up the escarpment, waving vigorously at the top. It wasn’t just the ambulance. A couple of truckloads of SES workers descended on the scene. Ropes and cables were attached, and Cassie waited for Shayne to appear again. Morgan emerged to consult with the paramedics before they took his place. ‘Why isn’t Shayne coming out?’
A stranger stopped to look at her. ‘He’s got to stay. If he moves, the car jacks could shift, and the tractor will move and there’ll be nothing that’ll save Jordan Taite from being crushed.’
A rumble had all the men running as the tree settled further onto the tractor. There was a hush until one paramedic emerged, thumbs up. ‘Ready to go.’
Cassie couldn’t see how they planned on doing it but there were trucks at the top edge of the gully with cables connected and they started to wind them back. The tree shuddered and shifted, swinging to one side as the cables tightened.
It looked impossible; the men underneath were so vulnerable. There was a massive cracking noise as a large branch broke away, falling on the far side of the tractor. It seemed to loosen up something, and the tree lifted. The second paramedic dived back in, dragging the stretcher.
There were tense moments when everyone seemed to hold their breath. Jordan was pulled out on the stretcher, rushed by a team of the SES workers who helped carry him up the escarpment, vanishing in the direction of the ambulance. Celie must have gone too, because all that were left were the doctor and the rest of the SES contingent. They were squatting around the gap close to the spot where the tractor teetered.
Shayne was still in there, invisible behind the mess of the tree branches shifting and swaying. The surge of adrenaline that spiked when she expected to see him emerge trickled away, leaving her drained. She forced herself to stay upright, peering through the ring of men in overalls. He couldn’t die. Fate couldn’t strike again when things were looking so promising.
There seemed to be an argument happening and she watched with trepidation as they readjusted ropes and cables. From the tense atmosphere, something was worrying them, and she pressed her palms onto her belly. He had to be alright. His family couldn’t lose any more. He was about to be a father. She couldn’t lose another person she loved.
The breath stalled in her throat. She couldn’t love him. Mustn’t love him. Not now when he could be taken from her. She blinked away the moisture gathering on her lashes. Couldn’t, wouldn’t. More fool her. That boat had sailed long ago, when he’d taken her hand at the fashion parade and a link had been forged, long before there was a question of making a family.
A shout forced her to open her eyes as the men dragged a limp body from the tangle of branches. The tree shifted again and there was a metallic scream as the tractor crumpled under the weight.
Cassie kept her eyes fixed on the group. The man was being carried away from the snapping, growling monster as the tree consumed the tractor with its massive bulk.
Shayne. He was safe, but was he injured? Her chest hurt from the galloping rhythm of her panicked heart. Doctor Cavanaugh was leaning over him where they’d laid him on the ground, clear of the carnage.
She struggled to her feet and one man, the one who’d spoken to her before, came and helped. ‘Are you alright?’
‘Just very pregnant. How is Shayne?’
‘He’ll be good. Got a nasty cramp from being stuck under the effin’ tractor for so long, holding the jacks in place.’
Blood rushed from her head and she swayed. The guy gripped her arm and yelled something, but there was a buzzing in her ears.
It was Shayne appearing suddenly who caught her, bracing himself awkwardly in front of her and favouring one leg. ‘Hold on, my girl.’
‘I thought you were going to die.’ She wiped clammy hands on her shirt. Her pulse was still throbbing way too fast, and she couldn’t stop shaking.