by Annie Seaton
Table of Contents
Dedication
Glossary of Aussie terms
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Find your Bliss with these great releases… No Cowboy Required
Back in the Rancher’s Arms
The Cowboy’s Homecoming Surprise
The Bookworm and the Beast
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.
Copyright © 2018 by Annie Seaton. All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce, distribute, or transmit in any form or by any means. For information regarding subsidiary rights, please contact the Publisher.
Entangled Publishing, LLC
2614 South Timberline Road
Suite 105, PMB 159
Fort Collins, CO 80525
[email protected]
Bliss is an imprint of Entangled Publishing, LLC.
Edited by Erin Molta
Cover design by April Martinez
Cover photography from iStock and Shutterstock
ISBN 978-1-64063-502-9
Manufactured in the United States of America
First Edition May 2018
To my three gorgeous grandchildren: Benny, Charlotte, and Charlie.
Follow your dreams.
Glossary of Aussie terms
Billy: a tin with a lid and a wire handle used for boiling water, making tea, etc. over an open fire.
Bore: a bore is where you find groundwater that has been accessed by drilling into underground water storages called aquifers.
CWA: (Country Women’s Association) The CWA is the largest women’s organisation in Australia and aims to improve conditions for country women and children.
Dam: a reservoir used as a water supply.
Esky: a portable insulated container for keeping food or drink cool.
Fair dinkum: fair or true
Farm stay: paid accommodation on a farm
Flat chat: at full speed, going as fast as you possibly can.
Jack Robinson: fast or quick
Jaffle Iron: a device for making toasted sandwiches over an open fire, consisting of two hinged metal plates on a long handle.
Milk bar: a corner shop that sells milkshakes and other refreshments.
Paddock: small field
Pajero: A type of four-wheel drive vehicle.
Pikelets: a thin kind of crumpet
Prickle: a short, pointed outgrowth on a plant; a small thorn.
Pilliga Scrub: is a forest of some 3,000 km2 of semi-arid woodland in temperate north-central New South Wales, Australia.
Rissole: A slang abbreviation for RSL.
Rouseabout: an unskilled labourer or odd jobber on a farm, especially in a shearing shed.
RSL: The Returned and Services League, Australia (RSL) is a support organisation for men and women who have served or are serving in the Defence Force and provides a social club in communities.
Smoko: a rest from work for a tea or coffee break.
Swag: In Australia, a “swag” is a portable “sleeping unit.” A small tent with a mattress included made from heavy duty canvas.
Ute: a utility vehicle; a pickup in Australia or New Zealand.
Prologue
Two years earlier
Sebastian Richards put down his camera and pulled the buzzing phone from his pocket. “You can take a break, kids.” He forced a smile to his face as he gestured to the mother of the small children he was shooting for the department store catalogue. The little boy poked his tongue at Sebastian as he ran past, and he thanked his lucky stars for the call that had interrupted the photo shoot from hell. The little fiend’s sister aimed a kick at Seb’s ankles and stood there and stared at him.
God, I love kids, but I sure hate working with them.
He was so preoccupied watching for the kicking feet of the child from hell, he didn’t look at the screen before he pressed answer. “Seb Richards.”
His blood ran cold as he listened to the voice on the other end.
The last person he expected to call him. He turned away from the small girl, not caring if he got kicked to kingdom come. It would be preferable to talking to his grandmother.
“Sebastian.”
“Hello, Gran.”
“I want you all to come home.”
“All who?”
“Don’t be smart, boy. You and your cousins.”
“Sorry, Gran. I’m at work. I’ll call you back.” He disconnected before she could reply and shoved the phone back into his pocket.
“Sorry, Mrs Armitage. That was…er, business. I have to go. Take your kids out for some lunch, and we’ll meet back here at two o’clock.”
He grabbed his camera and tripod and ran down the stairs. If he was quick he could get to the office on the next floor before the old bat called Lucy.
But he was too late. Gran had already rung not only Lucy but their other two cousins, as well.
Lucy stared at him, her brow wrinkled and her eyes full of worry. “Do you want to travel back with me?”
“What? Back to the Pilliga Scrub? Come on, Lucy, you’re not seriously considering going home?”
No, not home. It wasn’t home. And it hadn’t been for a long time.
He shook his head. In the old days when they’d all lived in the small country town of Spring Downs—family holidays, Christmas, and many a weekend had been spent out of town at Gran and Pop’s farm. The whole family would pack up and head to the farm—the three sisters and his three cousins—but it wasn’t home anymore.
“You’re not really going back to Spring Downs, are you?” he asked.
“Yes, and you have to come. Gran said Jemmy and Liam have already agreed.”
Sebastian’s eyes were wide. “What? You mean Mr.-High-Achiever-the-world-famous-journalist, is coming home from London? No way! Not only will I come up and see that but I’ll eat my hat and run around the paddock stark bollocky naked if Liam comes home.”
“I’ll hold you to that,” she said quietly. “Gran was sure he was coming. So now the three of us have said yes, and if you agree that’ll make all four of us.”
“Damnation, bloody hell, and bollocks.” Sebastian’s voice was cross, but he couldn’t help it. “I don’t want to.”
“You sound like the whining six-year-old you used to be.” Lucy reached out and touched his arm. “Come on, Seb. I don’t think Gran’s real well. But she won’t say what’s wrong unless we’re all there. So get yourself on your bike and get out there.”
“All right. I know I’m being difficult, but damn it, I’d rather step into a nest of vipers than in front the old bat.”
“I honestly don’t k
now what’s got into you, Seb. Gran is a sweetheart.”
“All right, all right. I said I’ll go out there. But I won’t be staying.”
Chapter One
The present
Sebastian leaned his head back on the soft black leather headrest and closed his eyes. The comforting drone of the engines soothed the strange restlessness that had filled him ever since he’d boarded the plane in Rome. Choosing to travel business class from Europe might have been an extravagance, but hey, he’d worked hard for the past two years. His destination was a long way from the luxury apartment he’d shared in Florence. Spending some of his savings on making the long flight back to Sydney more comfortable had been a no-brainer. If he had to spend time back at the farm, he would have a comfortable trip getting there.
How long would he be there?
A few months?
A few years?
Sebastian still hadn’t got his head around the fact that he was going home.
A long while.
The rest of my life?
Spring Downs was good enough for his cousins, and now it was time for him to do the right thing by his family. Since Gran had called them all home two years back, Lucy, Liam, and Jemima had taken their turns and gone home to Spring Downs to look after their grandparents’ farm. One by one they’d decided to settle in the Pilliga Scrub where they’d grown up. And when he’d come home to the Outback for a visit—not that it had been very often—their contentment had surprised him.
Maybe he was even a little bit jealous. If the truth be known, watching the three people he was closest to fall in love and settle happily with their respective partners had left him a little bit hollow and lonely. And that was way out of character for him
“Love-’em-and-leave-’em Seb” was the nickname given to him by his colleagues in the business. Somehow, Liam had gotten wind of that nickname back home, probably from Lucy when Seb and Lucy had worked together at the advertising agency in Sydney. Of course, it had gone through the family, and Gran had shaken her head and tutted about it when he’d visited.
So he had a reputation as a bit of a playboy. Let them think what they liked. He enjoyed life, and he knew he could make a go of whatever the Outback threw at him.
But he hadn’t gone home very often. He knew he was a disappointment to his family but that was their problem, not his. Gran kept going on about how lucky he was.
What a great life Seb has.
“Sebastian has an easy job,” she told everyone. Clicking away and taking photos was a breeze compared to the hot dry work in the paddocks at Prickle Creek Farm. “He is so lucky,” Gran would say, “not to mention they pay him a ridiculous amount of money to swan around the world.”
Well, it was time to come home and prove that he could work as hard as the rest of the family.
Sebastian shook his head and reached for the glass of fizzy water that the air steward placed on the tray beside him. Whoever would have thought that a graphic designer, a journalist, and an international supermodel would be happy and settled in a small farming region on the edge of the Outback? Now a freelance photographer would be joining them.
It was time to see what coming home to Spring Downs would do for him.
No one knew the grief he’d carried inside since his mother had been killed in a car accident. No one knew how much he longed for the vast open plains of the Pilliga Scrub…sometimes.
Maybe it was time to settle down to real work. A bitter smile tugged at Sebastian’s lips.
Gran’s words, not mine.
…
Isabella Romano caught the eye of the female steward as she walked up the aisle towards the service area at the back of the economy section. “Excuse me? May I have some more water please?”
“I’ll be back in a moment,” the steward replied with a smile.
As Isabella waited, she took the opportunity to move farther to the right. Closer to the armrest of the aisle seat, and as far away as she could get from her fellow passenger. Ever since she’d reboarded the plane after the brief refueling stopover in Singapore, the guy sitting beside her had talked nonstop. Even putting the earphones in and trying to watch a movie hadn’t worked. Whenever she tried looking at the screen, he’d touch her wrist to get her attention back. He was driving her crazy.
Harmless but a pain in the arse.
She’d heard all about his trip to China. How much he’d hated the food. How he’d hated the crowds. And then he’d started on how much he’d hated his job and wasn’t looking forward to going home. He leaned closer and the stale smell of his clothes almost made her gag. She bit her lip as his long, greasy hair brushed her shoulder when he settled in his seat.
“And my boss sucks, too,” he added.
“Maybe you could take another vacation,” Isabella had said politely, inching as far towards the aisle as she could.
And then he’d started on about how he’d used all his leave up and couldn’t afford it, anyway.
She deserved a medal. Four hours into the flight and he hadn’t shut up for one minute.
Four hours down, three hours and twelve minutes to go.
“Thank you.” Isabella took the plastic cup from the steward and sipped at it. She tried to ignore the conversation coming from her left. Sadly, she’d already sussed out the plane, and there wasn’t a spare seat to be had.
“So tell me all about yourself. I think we’re going to be friends,” the creepy guy said. “I still don’t even know your name. Let’s go out for a drink tonight in Sydney.”
What?
The hide of him! For all he knew she could be catching a connecting flight as soon as they landed. She considered using that as an excuse, and then she straightened in her seat and gave him a cool look.
“I’m not staying long enough in Australia to become friends with anyone.”
God, I’m an idiot. Don’t engage in conversation. Don’t tell him anything.
Why do I find it so hard to be rude to anyone? This guy was certainly overstepping the boundaries of polite behaviour, and he didn’t deserve a response at all, let alone a polite one.
But of course he pounced on her words, and she spent the next three hours avoiding even more personal questions.
Eventually, he began to really creep her out.
As they prepared for landing, he pulled out a pen and scrawled his number on the back of the napkin that he’d already wiped across his mouth.
Ugh.
If they hadn’t been so close to landing, she would have begged the steward to find her another seat, even though she’d walked the length of the plane a couple more times and it was full.
Finally, the fasten seat belt light stayed on, and those wonderful words, “prepare the cabin for landing” came over the loudspeaker.
Chapter Two
“Sebastian!”
Seb turned around as he heard his name over the hubbub of noise in the queue to passport control. Before he could blink, a small body slammed into his. All he got was a fleeting look at wide dark eyes, lush red lips, and a tangle of black curly hair before a pair of arms wound tightly around his neck.
“Kiss me, quick. Please help me,” a husky voice demanded a second before warm, soft lips pressed against his. “As if you can’t bear to let me go.”
Who am I to argue with such a request? The voice and the quick glimpse of the face were familiar. It was someone he knew, and as he returned the kiss, he tried to remember where he’d seen her pretty face before.
In a bar in Sydney? At the office?
Without breaking the lip-lock, he managed to slide his camera bag down beside his feet. The mystery woman bent with him as he leaned, and the firm arms didn’t leave his neck when he straightened again.
“Don’t stop. Please.” Those soft lips were warm and welcoming as she pressed her mouth even more firmly against his. “Keep kissing me.” All at once Sebastian realised that the woman’s voice was shaking and surprise jolted through him. Whoever she was, she wasn’t crazy, or p
laying games; she was plain scared. A sweet, lemony fragrance surrounded him as he put his arms around a tiny waist. His hands brushed against some sort of silky material, but he could still feel the soft curves beneath it. Sebastian couldn’t help the smile that tipped his lips. He went to pull back to look at her to see who he was actually kissing.
“No, no. Don’t stop yet.” The lilt of her accent was tugging at his memory. Someone from Italy?
“Okay. It might be a moot point, but at least tell me who I’m kissing.” His words were muffled against her lips.
He felt her lips lift in a smile against his. His nerve endings tingled as she lifted her hands and wound her fingers in his hair to hold his head firmly against hers. Not that he wanted to go anywhere.
“Bella.”
Closing his eyes, he tried to remember a Bella from his past. “Bella who?”
“Lucy’s friend. Isabella from Spring Downs High School.”
“Bella? Isabella Romano?” Sebastian frowned as the lips vibrated against his. He’d never had such a long conversation during a kiss before.
“Yes.”
She tasted minty and fresh.
It must have been at least ten years since he’d last seen Bella. He and Lucy had been in high school when she’d moved to Spring Downs. Lucy had held down a part-time job for one summer at the milk bar that Isabella’s father owned.
Con’s Milk Bar. He’d never found a milkshake that tasted as good as Con’s.
“Come on, mate. You’re holding up the queue.” The impatient demand came from behind them. Sebastian lifted his head a fraction and looked ahead to the electronic passport control booth. He had been so absorbed in the unexpected kiss, he hadn’t noticed the queue move forward, and now there was a huge gap between them and the person about to step into the booth. It was their turn next.
The short, fat guy with long, greasy hair standing behind them glared at him.
“Please don’t stop,” Isabella whispered, pulling his head down again. “Make it look as though you’ve missed me. Really, really missed me.”
She was crazy.
“Sorry, sweetheart. It’s our turn to go through passport control. You’ll have to let me go,” Sebastian said, his lips still against hers.