Christmas at Coorah Creek (Choc Lit) (16 page)
Read Christmas at Coorah Creek (Choc Lit) Online
Authors: Janet Gover
‘I’ll be there,’ Ed said. ‘But if you change your mind, don’t hesitate to ask.’
Scott nodded.
‘And I’ve come to a decision about my own life,’ Ed continued. ‘I’ve been waiting all these years for something that is never going to happen and it’s time to stop.’
‘What are you going to do?’
‘I’m going to hire a lawyer. Maybe he can find your mother. Maybe not.
But either way it’s time I started living my life again. I’m not that old. Maybe there’s someone else out there for me
after all.’
On the other side of the main road, Katie appeared in the doorway of the town store. She was carrying a couple of plastic bags; supplies for their journey. She darted across to the front of the pub, where Trish Warren was waiting. The two women hugged.
A slow smile across Scott’s face as he watched them
‘You take good care of that girl,’ Ed said. ‘She is something special.’
‘I know. I think I finally understand what you said about falling in love with Mum right from the moment you met. It must run in the family.’
‘Scott. Catch.’
He responded by instinct and neatly caught the bottle of water Katie had tossed at him as she approached. Laughing, she held up a six pack of the clear liquid she had just purchased at the store.
‘Well – you’ve gained something from this whole experience,’ Scott joked.
‘Yes, I have,’ Katie pause long enough to plant a gentle kiss on his cheek before opening the door to stash the water on the back seat of the Prius.
‘All set?’ Ed asked.
‘Yes.’ Katie came around the car and enveloped Ed in a bear hug. ‘Thanks for everything.’
‘No. I have a lot to thank you for.’ Ed spoke softly as he returned her hug. ‘I’ll miss you both.’ He said something else too, but Scott couldn’t hear him.
Katie rubbed a damp eye and nodded as she stepped back.
‘Dad.’ There was a lump in Scott’s throat. He had never wanted to return to Coorah Creek – but now he was finding it hard to leave.
Ed stepped forward to hug his son.
‘I love you Dad,’ Scott whispered.
‘I love you too, son.’ The two men hugged for a few seconds more, and then stepped away from each other.
‘All right you two, time you were on your way.’ Ed ran a hand roughly over his face.
‘You know, just now Trish told me she knew of some puppies that were available,’ Katie said, trying to hide a sniff. ‘You should think about getting a new dog.’
‘No. I’m not really a dog person. That was all Scott’s fault.’ Ed smiled slowly. ‘I was thinking I might get a cat. Just don’t let Trish know. Okay?’
They both nodded and with a last long look around, Scott slid behind the wheel of his car. A few moments later, he turned the key and slowly, drew away from the garage.
He kept their speed down as they moved through the town. Scott looked at the place he’d grown up through new eyes.
‘You’re going to miss this place, you know,’ Katie said. ‘And your Dad.’
‘I know. Dad says he might come and visit in the English summer. After we’ve had time to settle down.’
‘Great. He whispered something to you … what?’
Scott cast a sideways glance at the beautiful woman beside him. ‘He told me to look after you.’
Katie smiled. ‘He told me the same thing.’
The town was starting to recede in the background. ‘It was good of Adam to let you go like this,’ Scott said. ‘I was expecting you’d have to wait longer.’
‘I think Jess convinced him it was for the best. They’ve already advertised for someone new.’
A road sign flashed past. Looking in his rear view mirror, Scott saw it was the town sign. Even in mirror image, he could read the words. Coming back to the Coorah Creek had changed his life for the better. He was setting out on a new adventure, but he would be back. Maybe one day Katie and he would bring their kids here. He’d like to show them the outback.
They drove for a little while each of them lost in their own thoughts. Then Scott let his speed drop and eased towards the side of the road.
‘What’s wrong?’ Katie asked.
‘Nothing.’ The car stopped. Scott got out and walked round to open Katie’s door. Looking confused she got out.
‘Do you remember this spot?’ he asked.
She looked around. ‘Was this where I broke down?’
‘More or less.’
‘Wow. She reached out to take his hand. ‘It wasn’t all that long ago.’
‘Officially it was last year.’
‘True, but a lot has changed in a very short time. I can hardly believe I’m going home.’
‘That we are going home.’
‘It’s a little scary,’ Katie said in a small voice. ‘This medical school thing. I’m still a little afraid of that.’
‘Don’t be. Ambition is a good thing. Reach for the stars. I am.’
‘What stars are you reaching for?’
He took her hand and kissed it. ‘I think you know. I
know I found something special on the side of this road that day. We haven’t known each other very long, but I think this is just a beginning for us. We can take this
as fast or a slow as you like … but I think I already know where our road is leading.’
Katie’s heart skipped a beat. ‘Be careful what you wish for,’ she said with a smile. ‘You might get it.’
Laughing, they got back into the car, and before he started the engine, Scott kissed her.
‘I love you,’ he said.
He started the engine and the car leaped forward. It quickly gathered speed and vanished into the silver heat haze shimmering across the thin strip of grey road.
About the Author
Janet lives in Surrey with her English husband but grew up in the Australian outback surrounded by books. She solved mysteries with Sherlock Holmes, explored jungles with Edgar Rice Burroughs and shot to the stars with Isaac Asimov and Ray Bradbury. After studying journalism at Queensland University she became a television journalist, first in Australia, then in Asia and Europe. During her career Janet saw and did a lot of unusual things. She met one Pope, at least three Prime Ministers, a few movie stars and a dolphin. Janet now works in television production and travels extensively with her job.
Janet’s first short story,
The Last Dragon
, was published in 2002. Since then she has published numerous short stories and six published novels.
Flight to Coorah Cree
k, Janet’s debut with Choc Lit, won the 2015 Aspen Gold award and was a finalist for the Romance Writers of Australia’s RUBY award. Janet’s Choc Lit novels include:
Flight to Coorah Creek, The
W
ild One, Bring Me Sunshine
and
Christmas at Coorah Creek.
www.facebook.com/janetgoverbooks
More Choc Lit
from Janet Gover
Flight to Coorah Creeek
Book 1 – Coorah Creek
Winner of the 2015 Aspen Gold Award and Finalist for the Romance Writers of Australia’s RUBY Award.
What happens when you can fly, but you just can’t hide?
Only Jessica Pearson knows the truth when the press portray her as the woman who betrayed her lover to escape prosecution. But will her new job flying an outback air ambulance help her sleep at night or atone for a lost life?
Doctor Adam Gilmore touches the lives of his patients, but his own scars mean he can never let a woman touch his heart.
Runaway Ellen Parkes wants to build a safe future for her two children. Without a man – not even one as gentle as Jack North.
In Coorah Creek, a town on the edge of nowhere, you’re judged by what you do, not what people say about you. But when the harshest judge is the one you see in the mirror, there’s nowhere left to hide.
Find out more and purchase on:
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The Wild One
Book 2 – Coorah Creek
Can four wounded souls find love?
Iraq war veteran Dan Mitchell once disobeyed an order – and it nearly destroyed him. Now a national park ranger in the Australian outback, he’s faced with another order he is unwilling to obey …
Photographer Rachel Quinn seeks out beauty in unlikely places. Her work comforted Dan in his darkest days. But Quinn knows darkness too – and Dan soon realises she needs his help as much as he needs hers.
Carrie Bryant was a talented jockey until a racing accident broke her nerve. Now Dan and Quinn need her expertise, but can she face her fear? And could horse breeder, Justin Fraser, a man fighting to save his own heritage, be the one to help put that fear to rest?
Sometimes, the wounds you can’t see are the hardest to heal…
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Bring Me Sunshine
Sometimes, you’ve just got to take the plunge …
When marine biologist, Jenny Payne, agrees to spend Christmas working on the Cape Adare cruise ship to escape a disastrous love affair, she envisions a few weeks of sunny climes, cocktails and bronzed men …
What she gets is an Antarctic expedition, extreme weather, and a couple of close shaves with death. And then there’s her fellow passengers; Vera, the eccentric, elderly crime writer and Lian, a young runaway in pursuit of forbidden love …
There’s also Kit Walker; the mysterious and handsome man who is renting the most luxurious cabin on the ship, but who nobody ever sees.
As the expedition progresses, Jenny finds herself becoming increasingly obsessed with the enigmatic Kit and the secrets he hides. Will she crack the code before the return journey or is she bound for another disappointment?
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