Her Galahad by Melissa James Page B

you lost your marbles? You're legally dead! How could you save her? You were in lockup, or with Belinda and Mikey, and she was gone, anyway. You barely had time to lose Beller in the past six years, let alone have a nice 'how're you going' pitstop with his wife!"
    "My wife."
    Sam blinked at the furious words. "Oh, yeah. So she is. Okay. Your wife." Then he laughed. "So, are you gonna fight Beller for her? You takin' her back?"
    "No!"
    Sam grinned. "Don't shoot me, I'm just the piano player."
    "Look, it's not like that anymore! I just want to make sure she's all right. I owe her that much. We want to find Emily, make sure she's safe and happy—then I want to try to do the same for Tess. She's got to break free of the Earldons and Beller." His eyes were bleak, somber. "It's time for justice—for all of us."
    "And for healing—and not just for Tessa. You need some yourself. This isn't just about revenge anymore." He squeezed Jirrah's shoulder. "You know what I'm saying. You're diseased, man. You haven't been right since before you left lockup. I know why, Jirrah—I understand—but it's got to stop, for the sake of more people than just you. You let 'em take away your belief in yourself, and if you don't have that, you can't help Tessa, or your family. Any of 'em." He hesitated. "Including Emily."
    Jirrah stared at Sam, arrested by the thoughtfulness of his tone, instead of the blunt blindsidedness he was famous for in the family. He was right. Somewhere along the line his pain had turned into a disease of soul; and not once, since Belinda's death, had he tried to find the cure.
    It was time to change. Time to heal. For his family's sake, for Tessa's sake—and his own. If he didn't, the Earldons and Beller would keep on winning … and their corruption would do worse than taint his spirit—it would destroy Tess.
    Slowly, he nodded.

----
    Chapter 7
    « ^ »
    T essa returned to the cabin against her will an hour later.
    She didn't want to do it. Every self-protective instinct she bad told her to run from this whole situation, from every reminder of her past; but she had to find Emily. She had to know her child was safe, out of Cameron's reach—and if she had to go to Sydney with Jirrah and hear the truth about her family's betrayal, so be it.
    But that didn't mean she had to like it.
    Jirrah was alone, busy tossing bags out the door onto the verandah. "We'd better get supplies in town if we're traveling off-road. We'll want to reach Burragawang by tonight if we can, and we can't afford to take main highways."
    Relieved he didn't start on any uncomfortable topics, she nodded. "We need fuel. I have an LPG tank in the van as well as unleaded petrol," she said, slinging the bags into the van. "We'll make it to Sydney if we fill both tanks."
    "Right. Give me that." He lifted the hefty sack she was struggling with, and threw it in. "Aaaargh." He winced, nursing his bandaged wrist.
    "I'll drive first shift today," she offered. "Your wrist needs a chance to rest."
    He smiled at her, his warm, masculine face lighting with its unconscious charm. "Much as my fragile male ego hates to admit it, you're right. Thanks."
    "I—sure, um, that's okay." Disgusted with herself, she turned away. Reduced to gibbering incoherence with one smile. How did he do that to her? Needing a distraction, she looked at the growing pile in the back of the van. "What is all this stuff?"
    He pointed at two cloth-wrapped bundles. "They're the kangaroo carvings. I have to take them to someone in Sydney . And that's camping gear. We might have to sleep on the road."
    "The back seats in the van flatten out to make beds."
    "I thought you'd be more comfortable if I slept in the tent." He stacked sleeping bags in the corner of the van near the door. "That'll do. We need to keep room for supplies."
    She could feel the intense heat in her cheek subsiding with his prosaic comment. "We should stock up the first-aid kit, too."
    "Good idea. You ready to go?"
    More than