Woo Hoo! Outback Desire has just hit the listings on Amazon Au.
As always, this novel is set on the edge of the Outback where the luxury of shopping at one's whim isn't something people do.
The nearest town is two hours away. A trip taken weekly but mostly monthly is the normal. With one café, one pub, and a few other stores there is not much to choose from.
Strangers are very few, so when a stranger knocks on Maddie's door it changes her life forever.
Here's an excerpt to whet your appetite.
Excerpt.
Six
months later, Maddie stood on the back veranda of the Kelson property. A
sprawling one thousand four hundred and twenty acres, with an existing two
thousand head of cattle. Half of the property had been left to her and Peter, an
inheritance she received from her late grandmother at twenty-one. Adrian had received
a considerable sum of money.
The expanse of
hills and mountains in the distance were breathtaking as the colours of orange,
reds and lemons above reflected over the land.
Maddie let out
a sigh and propped her elbows on the timber railing. She hadn’t heard from
Adrian lately, which was perhaps a good thing. He was always on her back about
selling, and she wondered when he’d make a show. He’d turn up at the most
awkward of times.
The last six
months had been a struggle, but she wasn’t going to admit that to Adrian. She
insisted she could do the work and run the property just the way her
grandmother, Grace Kelson, had. To Maddie’s disappointment, she’d failed
miserably. With a heavy heart, she walked indoors to make a cup of tea. She
thought of the times the two-storey home had been renovated. A lot of the
original timber was replaced by local hardwood and softwood. With bay windows
on the top level, surrounded by shrubs and remnants of flower beds, the house
held that cosy homely feeling plus two stone chimneys added charm.
The kitchen was
light and airy, with a wide benchtop situated in the centre of the room,
backdropped by an enormous stainless-steel oven and cooktop. Pots and pans
dangled from steel hooks above the oven, and Maddie smiled, recalling the times
she’d helped her grandmother bake.
As she carried
her tea to the dining table, a noise sounded from the front of the house.
Placing her cup down, she peered through the lounge room window at a large dark
grey vehicle with a red and black stripe along the bottom of the doors, pulling
up on the opposite side of the house fence. She screwed up her face. She wasn’t
expecting any visitors. When a male exited the vehicle, her breath lodged in
her throat.
She waited until
his knock sounded throughout the house before swinging the door open. Her right
hand remained over the door handle as he stood beside the veranda railing, and
she braced herself.
‘Can I help
you?’
‘My name’s James
Anderson. I’m the new jackaroo.’ He had an accent that wasn’t common out this
way.
Maddie
squinted. ‘I think you have the wrong property.’ She ran her gaze over his
solid chest, which was covered by an almost new blue singlet shirt, before
checking out his strong arms. Even his fingernails were cut short and well-groomed.
He sparkled with cleanliness.
‘No, mam. This
is the Kelson property, isn’t it?’ He pushed a hand through his thick dark wavy
hair, which tipped his collar. It was the kind of hair a woman would love to
run her fingers through.
‘Hello. I’ve
got the right place, haven’t I?’ His dark brows lifted, and his lips twitched.
Maddie realised
her mind had drifted, and her cheeks warmed. ‘I’m sorry. Yes. I’m Maddie
Thompson, the owner.’
‘Your husband
organised it all. I can assure you I know the work. I can handle horses and
cattle well. I used to live on a cattle property.’
‘Are you
saying, Peter, my husband hired you?’
‘Yes, mam. Is
he about?’
Maddie opened
her mouth, but not a sound followed. She drew in a slow breath. She wasn’t
about to tell him that there was only her grandfather and herself on the
property.
‘You can call
me Maddie. I need to see some identification.’
‘Forgive me. Living
all the way out here, you wouldn’t get many visitors.’ He dug around in the
back pocket of his hardly worn jeans and withdrew a black leather wallet before
handing over his driver’s licence. ‘Here you go.’
After giving it
a quick inspection, she looked up. ‘Thank you. I’m not sure about having
another worker.’
‘What?’ He
shuffled his feet.
‘Peter didn’t
say anything about hiring. I’m sorry. Even if he did, we aren’t in that
position at present.’
‘I didn’t drive
all this way to turn around and head back to Queensland.’
She tightened her
grip over the door handle. ‘I can’t help you. I realise you’ve driven a long
way, but it’s impossible.’
‘Hang on a
minute. Impossible, you say.’ His dark brows hooded sea-green eyes. Eyes that
glinted against the light, giving them a certain sex appeal.
Enjoy. :) x
