He pulled her to a stop, turned her to face him, and, lowering his head, he gently kissed her.

She responded, winding her arms around his neck, returning his kiss, which became more pa.s.sionate.

'Beth, I'm so glad we met!'

'I am too, Francis. I feel the same way.' Kissing again, they moved to the cane lounge.

Their kissing grew more pa.s.sionate and Francis felt a familiar stirring in his body.

He found Beth's b.r.e.a.s.t.s. Her nipples were aroused. Gently, he caressed her. She snuggled close to him.

Suddenly, they heard voices approaching, Francis looked up. 'd.a.m.n!' He swore. 'That's Kathy and Tammi.'

Beth sat up and tidied herself.

Kathy and Tammi ran up the steps.

'Oh... Hi, sorry... Have we interrupted something?' Tammi giggled.

'No, Tam,' Francis mumbled. 'Why're you home so early anyway?'

'You know who went dragging and I couldn't be bothered with it,' Kathy replied for them both and they went inside.

'I think we should go in too, Francis.' Beth said softly, giving him a knowing look.

'I suppose so.' He sighed, disappointed and frustrated.

He parked his car and got out to lean against the bonnet.

He tossed his burning cigarette into the bushes and climbed back into his car, a sinister smirk on his face.

'It won't take long for the wind to get that goin'.'

'Better p.i.s.s off from here, I think,' he said aloud. He reversed his car and drove back over the b.u.mpy track that led out onto the gap road.

Harvey stayed at the Weir cabin long after Ellie had left to go back to the valley. He couldn't face Mary after having just made love with Ellie.

He sat drinking whiskey and thinking about his good times with the lovely Ellie, then his life at Jindera with Mary.

'h.e.l.l, something has to give. Life can't go on like this. I'll ask Mary again, get her in a good mood. I have to b.u.t.ter her up somehow,' he thought as he swirled the whiskey around the gla.s.s. Harvey consumed quite an amount of whiskey before he locked the cabin and left to drive to Jindera.

He drove cautiously along the gap road. He knew he had drunk far too much and that he shouldn't be driving.

's.h.i.t!' He cursed. 'Surely I'm not that p.i.s.sed. I can't be seein' things!' He pulled to the side of the road and stopped the car.

'It's a f.u.c.kin' fire!'

The dry bushland that grew in abundance alongside the gap road was well alight and the flames were growing bigger by the minute.

'b.l.o.o.d.y h.e.l.l... I've gotta get help!' Harvey spun the car around. Sobered somewhat, he drove as fast as he dared to the bottom of the gap road where there were several homes.

He blasted his car horn as he drove up a driveway. A sleepy-eyed man opened the front door. He was instantly awake when Harvey shouted to him about the fire.

Lights snapped on at Kia-Ora. The sirens screamed along Urana Road. The phone shrilled; Sam's voice on the other end told them the Gap was on fire.

Karl pulled overalls on and raced outside to get the water tanker Arthur had parked at Kia-Ora when he moved. Driving it up to the house, Digger and Francis climbed in with him and they roared off, leaving Ellie, Win and the girls with Hazel and Ted.

'Please G.o.d, keep them safe.' Win prayed quietly.

Kathy and Tammi put their arms around her to comfort her. Beth stood with Ellie, her eyes widening with fear.

The glow of the bushfire could be seen growing bigger and brighter. The sky had come alive with vibrant hues, ribbons of smoke among starbursts and showers of light.

'Houses are all around there. Oh, I hope they get it under control before there's a tragedy.' Ellie's voice was husky with emotion.

The fire had a strong hold and the bush was burning fiercely. Every truck the bushfire brigade owned sped towards the Jindera Gap.

Local farmers and residents from Hamilton Valley headed out, armed with knapsacks or drove their own water tankers. Many had purchased water tankers and firefighting equipment since the firebug started his rampage.

The smell of burning gum trees drifted through the air. Karl drove the water tanker as fast as it would go. They had to prevent the fire spreading any further a major disaster would occur if this happened.

They went up Centaur Road, right into Flinders Lane, down a slight hill across the dry creek bed and out onto the gap road. The tanker rocked slightly as Karl turned left onto the winding road.

'Take it easy, mate,' Digger shouted as the tanker steadied. 'Don't forget we're full of water!'

'Yeah, I know. We've gotta get out there a fast as we can, Dig.'

'b.l.o.o.d.y h.e.l.l, we know, but we won't be any good to anyone dead!' Francis said, hanging onto the dashboard, sitting between Dig and Karl.

'Don't worry, Francis, we'll get there in one piece,' Karl yelled above the drone of the engine.

More fire engines roared up behind them, lights flashing and sirens screaming. The smoke thickened the closer they came to the fire. It had burned up the embankment alongside the gap road. The flames leapt high and grasped onto trees to dance along their branches and jump to the adjoining trees.

Even with the headlights on, visibility was poor with the smoke so dense.

'Look out...!' Digger shouted.

Karl put his foot on the brake. 's.h.i.t... Hold on!' He swung the wheel to avoid hitting a cow that had clambered up the embankment and onto the road.

'Hang on!' Karl yelled. 'We're goin' over'

The water tanker rocked and skidded sideways. Karl fought to correct it but it was out of control. Nothing could stop it now. The water in the tank had surged forward when Karl tried to avoid the cow. The force from the weight of the water and braking hard had sent the heavy tanker out of control.

As if in slow motion, the tanker slid sideways, skidding in the gravel on the roadside. Slowly, slowly, it rocked, tipped and finally disappeared over the steep embankment on the side of the gap road.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN.

'My G.o.d, it looks just like the whole area is on fire. The sky's glowing! The fire must be raging out of control... Please don't let anyone get hurt.' Win was talking aloud as she watched from the back veranda of Kia-Ora.

The gap fire was lighting up the night sky. The reflections through the smoky haze gave off an eerie selection of shapes that appeared chilling and sinister.

Ellie put her arms around Win's shoulders and squeezed her tightly. The younger girls huddled on the steps with Hazel. All they could do was watch and wait.

'Mum, I don't like this. It looks really bad.' Tammi wiped her face with a hanky.

Win reached out to her. She went to her mother and cuddled against her shoulder.

'I know darling... Even the hills fire didn't look as treacherous as this one... We can only pray, love... Pray!'

The women felt helpless. Their men had gone to face a raging inferno and all they could do was wait and pray for their safe return.

So they did exactly that... They prayed long and hard.

As the water tanker came to rest against a burning tree, Francis cried out in pain.

He was squashed under the dashboard and his head felt as if it was about to split in two. He had to think for a moment. Quickly, his senses came to him. He glanced up to see Karl slumped in an awkward position over the steering wheel. Blood was oozing freely from a nasty looking wound on his forehead. Francis looked in the other direction. The pa.s.senger door was open. Digger was nowhere in sight!

'Dig?' Francis clutched his head and slowly struggled from under the dashboard. 'Digger!' he shouted as he managed to get out and attempted to stand beside the crumpled truck.

He could hear men shouting from somewhere nearby but his vision was blurred from the blinding headache and the thick smoke wasn't helping. It was impossible to see where they were.

'I have to get Karl out! ...s.h.i.t... The fire's coming straight for the truck! ...Dig, help ...Digger! Help... Help... Someone... Help!' Panic-stricken, he shouted desperately.

Francis was shouting as loud as he could. The roar of the approaching flames seemed to s.n.a.t.c.h his voice and devour it as quickly as it did the bush.

'I've got to get Karl out ...I've got to!' Francis was on the verge of hysteria.

He went to Karl's side of the truck. He tried the door but somehow he had known it wasn't going to budge. Karl was groaning and Francis could see he was bleeding heavily from his forehead. 'Karl...'

'Francis?' A voice drifted from the smoke filled scrub.

'Over here... Over here!' Francis shouted frantically. Digger staggered out of the scrub.

'Dig... Dig, thank f.u.c.k you're ok! Help me get Karl out, quick!'

Before Francis could finish, Digger bellowed. 'Get goin'. Hurry!' He dragged Francis away from the truck towards the steep embankment.

'Wha... Wha... What the f.u.c.k... We gotta get Karl.' Francis struggled to free himself from Digger's grip.

'Fire!' Was all that Dig managed to reply. His face was a mask of pure terror.

'Dig... Karl... He's in the b.l.o.o.d.y truck... We have to get him out... He's hurt badly!'

Digger looked wild-eyed at Francis. Slowly, realization began to register on his face.

'Karl! Oh f.u.c.k! Karl.' He lurched back to the truck. The fire was rapidly closing in on them.

Francis was close behind him. Then firemen with knapsacks came hurtling down the embankment. Digger and Francis shouted at them to get Karl out of the truck. The words had barely left their mouths when the fire leapt towards the truck. The men rushed to the burning truck. Fighting flames and intense heat, they managed to pull Karl's limp body from the cabin. They carried him to the foot of the embankment as an ambulance screeched to a stop at the top. One of the firemen had called them on his radio when he saw the truck go over.

'Karl... Cobber... Oh G.o.d! Look at him!' Digger dropped to his knees beside Karl's limp body and broke down in tears.

Francis also knelt by Karl's side, a shocked expression on his face.

Ambulance officers quickly checked Karl's condition then turned to Digger and Francis.

'Come on now, you blokes need attention too. Your mate looks worse than he is. We'll get him to hospital and he'll be alright.'

The ambulance officer was trying to pacify them, even though he could see Karl was in a bad way. 'Lucky you got him out when you did. Look at the truck now... He was lucky... b.l.o.o.d.y oath, he was lucky!'

The truck was now completely engulfed in flames. The firemen shouted for them to get down and cover their heads. The shouted instructions had no sooner left their mouths when the truck's fuel tank exploded with a mighty roar. Flames flew into the air and the ground rocked beneath them. One of the ambulance officers had thrown himself on top of the injured Karl. Francis and Digger were both knocked off their feet but luckily hadn't suffered any further injuries. The firemen helped Digger and Francis up the steep embankment and the ambulance officers carried Karl on a stretcher.

They rushed Karl to emergency at the Base Hospital while another ambulance transported Dig and Francis.

The Gap fire was spreading fast.

Sirens screamed along Urana Road. Ellie and Win sat together on the back steps of Kia-Ora. They had insisted the girls go to bed and get some rest. Even though they knew this was impossible.

'That's an ambulance going along Urana Road, Win. There's another one following and they look to be in a mighty big hurry!'

'Oh no...' Win's voice trailed away.

The ambulance officers lowered the stretcher from the ambulance as doctors and nurses rushed to meet them. The officers gave the staff a run down.

'We've stopped the bleeding from the head wound, but he's got facial burns and his arms are burned badly as well.'

Dig and Francis arrived in emergency only minutes after Karl. Digger insisted he could walk in. Francis was transported in a wheelchair. He was deathly white and his head throbbed. Being knocked unconscious in the accident, he was now in a state of shock.

Digger had a thorough examination. Miraculously, he had survived relatively unscathed apart from a badly grazed arm and thigh which was a result of being thrown from the truck when it plummeted down the embankment.

He was able to go to Francis' bedside. Dig placed his hand on Francis' shoulder.

'Hey, little mate. How's things?' he asked gently.