Red Hot by Cheryl Alldis, Leonie Alldis Page A

I’d love that.’ She smiled at him, thinking again how good looking he was.
    As they drove along, Eddie pointed out pieces of the scenery, telling her information that went with it and she realised that he was actually very intelligent.
    ‘People have got you all wrong, Eddie Chancellor,’
she thought
. ‘They don’t know you at all!’
    She was so lost in her thoughts that she jumped when Eddie tapped her on the hand. ‘Um, what?’ she asked, confused for a minute. ‘Sorry, I was a million miles away.’
    ‘You sure were. Hope I wasn’t boring you?’
    ‘Oh, no, definitely not. Quite the opposite, I was thinking what an intelligent person you are, actually.’
    Eddie chuckled. ‘Well don’t spread that around will ya, no one’d believe ya anyway.’
    When they finally drove up Centaur Road, Eddie pulled over in the gravel on the side of the hill just before Kia-Ora.
    ‘I think I should let you get out here, Kathy. Your Dad would be hoppin’ mad if he saw you with me. You okay with that?’
    ‘Yes, thanks Eddie. He’d ground me forever. Still, I’ve really had a great afternoon. I loved every minute!’ She turned and gave him a warm smile. ‘Thanks so much for taking me.’
    Eddie would have liked to grab her and smother that beautiful mouth with his, but he held himself in check.
    ‘Well, I’d like to do it again sometime soon,’ he said softly.
    Kathy felt her heart flutter. She really liked this bad boy of the valley.
    ‘I’d like that too, Eddie Chancellor.’ She got out of his car, turned and waved as she started the short walk home.
    Eddie watched until she disappeared over the hill and then he turned the car around and drove off down Centaur Road.

CHAPTER FOUR
    Kathy was finding it hard to get off to sleep, being keyed up about her afternoon with Eddie. She was very happy that she had gone out with him but, at the same time, she felt guilty going behind her parents’ backs. Everyone was of the opinion he was no good and not worth the time of day. Kathy now felt that she knew differently. She had seen a completely different Eddie to the one that everyone else described. Tossing and turning, sleep evaded her, and she decided to get up.
    Quietly, she went downstairs to the kitchen. ‘Hmmm hot Milo might help me get to sleep,’ she whispered. She was filling the kettle when she sensed that something wasn’t right. ‘Stop it stupid
,
’
she whispered again
.
‘You’re scaring yourself.’
    But she still couldn’t shake the feeling of unease. Then she heard it… crackling!
    Leaning across the sink, she pulled back the blind of the window, her eyes widened in shock. For a moment, she was rooted to the spot. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Kathy felt the colour drain from her face. She had to raise the alarm… and quickly!
    ‘Oh… oh… quick… quick… The old toilet’s on fire!
’
    The Mason’s old wooden outhouse, overgrown with creeping ivy, was well alight and burning fiercely in close proximity to Ted and Hazel’s cottage and the hayshed. Kathy’s heart dropped to her stomach.
    Kathy dropped the kettle she was about to fill and panic took over.
    She quickly ran up the stairs, yelling at the top of her voice, ‘Dad, Uncle Karl! There’s a fire outside, come quickly!’
    She burst into her parent’s bedroom ‘Dad… Dad… the old toilet, it’s on fire!’
    Woken so abruptly, it took Digger a few seconds to get his wits about him.
    ‘What tha hell? Ya sure?’ he muttered, rubbing his face in an effort to wake up.
    ‘Course I’m sure. It’s well and truly alight! C’mon… hurry!’
    Win was already out of bed and pulling on her dressing gown.
    ‘Dig, hurry, quickly!’ Win clearly was in a panic.
    Karl, having heard the commotion, ran past the door in his pyjamas. ‘Fuckin’ hell, Dig, quick… Ted’s cottage could go up… and the hayshed!’
    ‘I’ll phone the fire brigade,’ Win called after them as they all rushed downstairs.
    Ted had the