Call On Me by Angela Verdenius

been hanging onto his hand, refusing to let him
move an inch without her. It had amused him at first, but now it
was so natural, so much a part of it, and one he had to admit he
looked forward to.
    It wasn’t often
Ali Mackay turned to a man for protection, or admitted it, so he
felt privileged. And gallant. Okay, chivalry ran through his veins,
what could he say? His mother had ingrained it into him, it was as
natural as breathing. It didn’t mean he couldn’t tease the living
daylights out of Ali. “Did you hear that?”
    Immediately she
tensed. “What?”
    “Something…dragging?”
    “Really?”
Breath held, she glanced around.
    “The ripple of
water?”
    Her fingers
gripped him tighter.
    “Wait, there it
is again.” He angled his head to the side. “I think…yes, I do
believe…”
    “Yes?” She was
straining to hear.
    “It’s a
bunyip.”
    She was still
for all of three seconds before she released his hand and swivelled
to kick him in the side of the leg. “You jerk!”
    “Ow!” Hopping a
bit, he laughed.
    Shaking her
head, she kept walking. After another hop and a quick rub to the
sore spot on his leg, Ghost caught up easily with her.
    “I don’t know
why I come with you on these things,” she said.
    “Because you
love having the crap scared out of you.”
    “By a real
ghost, not a phony like you!”
    “Ohhh, nasty.
I’m not a phony.”
    “You write
trashy, scary books and go ghost hunting with no real
paraphernalia.”
    “Because
scientific equipment just kills the mood.” Finishing the last bite
of pie, Ghost rubbed his hand on his jeans. “You just have to have
faith.”
    “I have faith
in ghosts. It’s you I lack it in.”
    Catching her
hand, he tugged her into his side, grinning down at her when she
angled her head back to level an annoyed frown up at him. “Honey, I
promise I’ll be a good boy for the rest of the trip, okay?”
    “Huh.”
    “Since when
have I ever lied about that?”
    “Being a good
boy? Let me see – oh, I might run out of fingers. We’ll have to
stop so I can take off my shoes and socks and start counting on my
toes.”
    “And very cute
toes they are, too.”
    “Don’t think
complimenting my toes will get you off my shit list.”
    “I like your
tootsies. Always have done.” Grinning, he bumped his hip against
her. “Are you wearing red nail polish?”
    “Good grief,
have you developed a foot fetish?”
    “You didn’t
know?” Releasing her hand, he hooked his arm around her neck and
hugged her into his side, dropping a kiss on top of her hair.
“After all this time?”
    She scowled up
at him. “Serve you right if I stopped coming out on these
excursions with you.”
    “Where would be
the fun in that?” Certainly not for him, he rather suspected a lot
of the fun would disappear. But they’d had this conversation many
times, so he wasn’t worried that she’d carry through on her
threat.
    That and the
fact that she had slid her hand under his where it rested over the
front of her shoulder.
    Again he bumped
his hip against her. “Forgiven?”
    “You bloody owe
me, Ghost.”
    “Don’t I
always?”
    She
grunted.
    “Name it,
honey. Anything. What can I do to cool off your fury?”
    “You couldn’t
afford it, mate.”
    He eyed her
with interest. “Oh, really?”
    “Yeah.”
    “So you’re
going to be mad at me for the rest of this adventure?”
    “Now you do
sound like a Boy Scout.”
    “For not
wanting you to be mad at me?”
    “For using the
word ‘adventure’.”
    “But it is an
adventure. You, me, a possible ghost, a creepy story. Did I mention
you?”
    A faint smile
quirked her lips. “You’re lucky to have me.”
    He nodded.
“Abso-freakin’-lutely.”
    “Then I guess I
can forgive you. But you’re on notice.”
    “I’ve been on
notice a lot. Is this number five?”
    “One hundred
and forty eight. Not that I’m counting.”
    “Of course
not.”
    They continued
along the track, walking up the incline and coming over