A LONG WAY FOR LOVE

Disclaimer I do not own the characters in this story. I wish the people who did would use them and create new series. I have just borrowed the characters.

A/N this is set in a different location. Much of this story is a tour as I have been asked so often what it is like here. So I am giving you some areas and incidents that may give you an idea. I hope you enjoy this journey.

I thank Rhonda, Audrey and my friend Catherine for trying to edit this story into a readable way. Thank you.

But I have decided not to go with edits and post it as I wrote it. Or it will never see the light of day. Please do not bother to grump at me about grammar nor sentence structure. I know some of it will be awfully wrong. It is just a different type of story.

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"When a dream takes hold of you, what can you do? You can run with it, let it run your life, or let it go and think for the rest of your life about what might have been."
-Patch Adams

Chapter 1

Three American friends were lazily resting on the catamaran in the Whitsundays Islands, off the shore of the island resort where they were employed. They were in Australia on an extended working holiday, they had a two year working visa. Their starting point had been the Great Barrier Reef in North Queensland. They'd all been lucky enough to obtain jobs at the same holiday resort.

Sully was the expedition leader. He had acquired his dive masters certificate and so was able to take groups diving or snorkelling on the beautiful coral reef. Tourists could gaze in awe at all the exotic corals of different colours and which were actually living creatures, that lived in the warm tropical northern waters off the coast. He had joined two others old school friends to escape his extreme sadness.

Jake had declined as he had begun going steady with a young woman named Teresa. Robert E was not available either at the moment: work commitments were very demanding as there were few black smiths available in Colorado Springs and horses needed to be shod. It was now a famous equestrian region.

So he was here with Hank and Cloud Dancing, this was Hank's idea of fun and adventure, like going out West in old times. Hank was employed as a bar manager for the season and CD as a masseur and traditional therapist, using his time-honoured ways of meditation and relaxation on the scores of tourists who arrived looking for adventure and excitement. He was a Cheyenne Indian and his grandfather had taught him many of the old ways when he was younger. These now came in very handy, he had also studied some other therapies and combined them to make him a well sought after therapist.

Tourists arrived looking jaded and in a couple of days they began to unwind and were able to relax.

Hank and CD had decided to go for a swim but Sully had declined.

His arm was thrown over his eyes blocking out the bright sunshine as he lay on the taught base between the two hulls, his thoughts miles away. He had on his board shorts but no top over his tanned chest. He was not wearing his usual wet suit for his day off. When Hank and CD boarded the catamaran and flicked water all over him. His heated skin swiftly cooled with the cold droplets bringing him quickly back to the present.

Hank laughed at the bemused look on his friend's face. CD was concerned as Sully had a tendency to isolate himself when he was feeling low and despondent over the tragic deaths of his wife and unborn child two and a half years before.

"What ya' thinking Sully?" Hank teased.

'Nothin'," was the crisp reply.

"Come on! Ya' looked like ya' had the world on ya' shoulders there a minute ago." Hank continued ignoring the urgent looks CD was sending to back off.

Sully drew quiet again not wanting to tell them where his thoughts had been. He was confused, muddled and out of sorts. The reason had been the auburn haired young woman he had in his snorkelling group two days before. He had been told by the other two about the scrumptious young woman from America who was staying at the resort. Hank was amazed that all she drank was lemonade and that she made only short visits to the bar at the pool. CD said she could hardly relax when he was massaging her, and added that she appeared to have a lot issues and didn't talk at all.

...

Sully had not been interested until she had stepped over the side of the boat to go snorkelling. Her beautiful hair was so long and silky, its colour reflected by the sun's golden rays that he had been tempted to reach out and touch it. They had, made brief eye contact and he felt even more drawn to her. She had dropped her eyes so quickly he wondered what she had thought. Time had been of the essence as normally the group consisted of even numbers so Sully as instructor did not need to buddy with anyone on a trip. Being there to oversee everyone's safety was his priority. That day though was different he had couples and she was the only single person so he had no option but buddy her, and accompany her into the clear blue ocean. The law of the sea is the buddy system, you looked after that person and they looked out for you.

She was dressed in a bikini that suited her slight frame without being too revealing, and the colour suited her. She had begun to get a slight tan so she had obviously spent a little time out in the bright Queensland sunshine. After instructing the group on the do's and don'ts and checking the clients understood the way to breath through the snorkel and face mask, he indicated they enter the water as he walked up to her.

"The name is Sully," He said as he approached her.

"Yes I know you said so in your introduction." She replied, thinking. "Oh! no another man intent on a holiday fling." A feeling of annoyance had started rising in her already, as she had had to deal with the obnoxious American bar tender, so she forgot her manners by not telling him her name.

"Have ya' got a hair band for ya' hair?" he enquired.

"No! I wont need one." She sharply replied.

Sully just shrugged his shoulders turning to check on the others. "Fine just stay close as I have you and all the others to keep an eye on." he snapped back knowing the currents would make her beautiful hair a nuisance in the water and stop her seeing the amazing corals and fishes she had paid to see.

The group entered the pristine warm water, blue as a piece of turquoise and clear like the sky even from the boat you could see the magic world below. Sully had instructed them they could swim out about one hundred and fifty metres from the boat but to keep it is sight. The head count was eleven, so he had told the crew and deck hands on the tourist cabin cruiser to be smart and keep counting since that there had been a couple of times where people had been left behind.

Their other equipment consisted of the large flippers that propelled them through the water rapidly. Sully was always surfacing trying to count heads. Then descending again, about half an hour into the dive, as he descended again, he could not locate his buddy and immediately his heart rate soared. Becoming angry at her he finally spotted her as her hair was floating around her head like strands of gossamer, making her look more like a mermaid in some sailors tales or a Siren of Greek mythology. Those were dangerous creatures, portrayed as seductress who lured nearby sailors with their enchanting music and voices to shipwreck on the rocky coast of their island. Jason and the Argonauts and the quest for the Golden Fleece sailing into the unknown came to Sully's mind. Swimming towards her he removed the spare hair band from his wrist he had for his own long hair and began gathering her hair gently together so he could attach the band at the back of her head in a pony tail. Wondering what it would be to brush her long beautiful hair. Looking at her he saw her huge eyes magnified in the face mask and was totally fascinated that her eyes reflected different colours. She in turn enthralled at the blue of Sully's eyes the colour of the sea that surrounded them. They were mesmerized by the look of each other drawn in by an invisible thread.

Suddenly a reef shark glided by and alerted Sully to become more vigilant again. Reef sharks were not considered dangerous, but as tour guide it was his responsibility to keep the group safe. Once he had assuaged his concern he was went back to the young woman. Still looking at her he grabbed the hand she was extending out to the waving sea weed and a small clown fish and propelled the two of them quickly out of the way. Just at that moment a Moray eel flashed out mouth gaping for a meal before disappearing back under the rock ledge to her right.

Sully had told them Moray Eels relied on camouflage and smell to catch its food as it had relatively poor eyesight. It lay in crevices and waited for its next meal to swim past. To assist with hiding even the inside of its mouth is coloured to fit in with its surroundings. This also allows the moray to lie waiting with its mouth open to give little warning to the unsuspecting prey. Sully had said on the boat before entering the water to be aware and that they loved to eat fingers.

Scared at how close the encounter had been and the possibility of serious damage to her hand she involuntary hugged Sully before she was suddenly aware of her actions letting him go abruptly she began swimming back towards the boat. Sully although momentarily shocked had enjoyed the swift encounter. He briefly surfaced and watched as she climbed aboard marveling again at her petite figure, before his attention was drawn back to the rest of the party. His thoughts on what had occurred just for a few brief seconds and why? He chastised himself severely but admitting it had felt so good to feel appreciated and being held by a woman once again. After another fifteen minutes he indicated it was time to go back. Aboard everyone was talking excitedly about their experience and what they had seen, comparing the marvels of this unique coast. Sully watched the young woman who sat at the back her chin resting on her drawn up knees she was hugging deliberately avoiding looking up at him or entering in the animated discussion. It was obvious that her thoughts were miles away or maybe as confused as his own.

As he peeled his wet suit off his shoulders exposing his broad shoulders and chest to the sun, droplets of water sparkling on the hairs there as he shook his hair out and transferred the hair band to his wrist. She looked up at that moment and then quickly away blushing. He stood with wet feet and the top of his suit hung from his slim hips the arms hanging loosely from his waist making a growing puddle around him as he toweled himself dry.

Looking at the manifesto he discovered her name was Miss Michaela Quinn from Boston. There were no other details.

That day they had lunch on a secluded beach were the crew had prepared a barbeque for the tourists of sea food prawns, crays, fish, salads and breads. For afters a large array of tropical fruits pawpaw, mangos, durians that smelt fowl and tasted divine. The platters were laden with all types of delicious foods enticing them to eat as the fresh sea air certainly increased their appetites.

The group were taken from the boat by dingy to the beach Michaela had not moved from her position and Sully was a little concerned. So he moved forward to invite her to join them for lunch.

"Ya' ready to join us for lunch?" He asked.

She jumped so deep in thought you would have sworn he had hit her. "Sorry?" she said looking up at him her cheeks flushing a bright pink as if she had been thinking about something she had wanted to hide from him.

"Lunch." he said indicating the others waiting in the dingy.

"Not hungry." She said looking at the others and then dropping her eyes to the deck at the thin wooden planks.

"Ya gotta eat if ya' wanna go snorkellin' again this afternoon." He said allowing no argument still observing her fascinated by her stubbornness.

Sighing loudly she rose and brushed past him just touching him and joined the others going into shore. Both felt the static electrical volt touch both of them at the slight contact. She still had on the bikini but had tied a sarong around her waist that was as becoming on her the colours of burnt orange and green.

He had discarded the wet suit all together and was dressed in board shorts and a T shirt for lunch. Sully watched her and the more he did the more he felt drawn to her. She did not join the others but took a plate of salads and went and sat with her back towards a rock looking out on the view of the sea.

Not wanting to get too friendly he stayed away and ate his meal talking with the others and with hooded eyes, continually watched her. What was it about her that drew him like a piece of metal to a magnet? He had not been aware she was watching him as well pretending her interest in the scene in front of her.

"Your mad." She chastised herself, "Just because he has a nice body you're drooling like a puppy." Deciding it would be a relief to be leaving to begin her new post, not soon enough.

The afternoon had been a game of cat and mouse as both tried to be distracted from each other looking at what the reef had to offer. Late afternoon they arrived back at the dock and disembarked and went their separate ways. Before she did she said to Sully, "Thank you for saving my hands I would not be able to work if they became injured."

"No worries." he replied as he watched her walking away down the pier, wondering why she was so concerned about her hands and what her job could be?

Her hair was still held in the ponytail he had put it in with his spare hair band.

...

Sully remained quiet with Hank and CD looking at each other. It was obvious something was troubling him. Sully had been having these moments frequently straight after Abagail had died but they had become less frequent over the past six months and the friends thought a change of scenery would help him. But this minute it was like the whole scenario was beginning once again. The friends looked on with concern.

Shifting the boom the friends sped the cat back to the island as the evening began to draw in over the distant horizon the fiery colours fitting in perfectly to Sully's mood.

...

Over the next week Sully had rarely seen her other than a glimpse every so often. It was if she was deliberately going out of her way to avoid seeing him. Not that he tried to hard either to get her attention feeling it was better this way, after all he was an employee and she was on holiday. He even felt like he was being disloyal to his deceased wife Abagail to even be thinking of her.

Even if he had seen her to talk to what on earth was he to say to her? Finally rising early one morning he sat cross legged as CD had shown him out in a secluded part of the grounds he considered his own space when she came into view toting a suit case and headed to the reception. The realization she was leaving dawning on him. He watched as the resort service car drove up and picked her up and headed to the small runway were the single *prop plane stood to take passengers to and from the mainland.

He watched as the aircraft zoomed over the island headed to the coast. His heart felt heavy, as if some part of it was aboard the plane and flying away and he wondered why? Could it be because he'd never see her again? After all what did he care he was still in mourning for his wife and especially baby Hanna as he had named his unborn child.

But care he knew he did, now he'd never see her again.

*Propeller