Christmas In Ghost Gum Springs

By Nicole Flockton

She's a long way from home, and definitely not in the Christmas spirit...

Diana Jenkins' dream vacation has turned into a nightmare. First, her car breaks down in the middle of nowhere, Australia. Then she's rescued by a tall, blonde Aussie who won't take her back to Sydney, only to the blink–and–you'll–miss–it town of Ghost Gum Springs. Finally, the rental car company won't be able to deliver her a new car until after the holidays. So now she's hot, jet–lagged, and stuck in a small town just like the one she's trying to escape. Australian small towns won't be any different from Montana small towns, and Diana wants out.

A lover of all things Christmas, Connor Shetland is determined to bring the Christmas spirit to the small town of Ghost Gum Springs. Stepping away from his law career to run the local pub for three months is the best decision he's ever made, and now he's relaxed, cheerful, and ready to take on even the grinchiest of Scrooges. He just didn't expect Scrooge to be quite so attractive.

With Diana's mistrust of small town life and her plans thrown awry, Connor has his work cut out for him. But Christmas miracles never come easy, but they come to those who need them the most.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Australia
• Release date: Nov 1, 2018
• ISBN: 9781489269911

Nicole Flockton

USA Today Bestselling author Nicole Flockton writes sexy contemporary romances, seducing you one kiss at a time as you turn the pages. Nicole likes nothing better than taking characters and creating unique situations where they fight to find their true love.

Book preview

Chapter 1

Take a trip, her work colleagues said.

You’ve earned it.

Enjoy your newfound wealth and freedom.

Do all the things you haven’t been able to do over the last few years.

All great ideas that were of little comfort to Diana as she stood by the side of the road in the middle of nowhere with the scorching sun beating down on her back.

‘Oh yeah, go visit Australia and experience a warm summer instead of another Christmas under fifteen feet of snow. Maybe you’ll meet your very own Hugh Jackman.’

Fabulous idea. She’d rather be freezing under all that snow than where she was right now. What was the point in having an overflowing bank account when she couldn’t access it to pay for help? As for finding a Hugh Jackman—there was only one and he was taken. The chances of her finding her very own Hugh were slim, especially when she had no idea where the hell she was.

Diana kicked the tire of her useless rental car. Steam poured out from underneath the hood. How did she get stuck with a lemon of a car? Was this her dear old grandmother’s way of getting back at her for having the audacity to use some of the money she’d inherited? Probably, Grandma Mary-Lou was petty enough to somehow arrange for her car to break down from heaven. Or maybe it was from hell. Being vindictive seemed more of a devil emotion than a heavenly one.

For the tenth time since the car crapped itself, Diana wondered why she hadn’t decided to just stick to the city and not venture out into rural Australia. It definitely wasn’t like rural USA where there were many blink and you miss it towns dotted along the major state highways. Or at the very least large gas stations with a few fast food joints next to them. And to pile onto how crappy her day and life was, her cell phone had died so she couldn’t even call anyone for help.

Maybe sitting in the car would be better than standing out under the baking sun. Sure, she wanted to get a suntan, but she didn’t want to be fried like a chicken drumstick.

She opened the door and immediately closed it as a draft of hot air swept out to meet her. Nope, definitely not sitting in the car. Guaranteed heatstroke in there.

Diana gazed up and down the road again, wishing against all hope that a car would magically appear or a cowboy would come riding up on his horse and rescue her. She snorted at the thought. Did they even have cowboys in Australia? And since when did she believe in fairytales and Prince Charming coming to her rescue? She’d given up on that ideal when Grandma Mary-Lou threw away her book of fairytales—the only link she had to her parents—and replaced it with Emily Post’s etiquette book. Now that was fun bedtime reading. Diana firmly believed her grandmother hoped that if she instilled certain morals her granddaughter wouldn’t travel down the path her daughter had. Maybe if Grandma Mary-Lou had loved her daughter in the first place, her granddaughter wouldn’t be stuck in the middle of nowhere-Australia baking like a cake. She’d be home in the snow-capped mountains of Montana enjoying a family Christmas.

‘Hey, are you okay?’

Diana jumped, her heart racing a million miles a minute. Lost deep in her thoughts she hadn’t heard the purr of the car.

‘Do you need some help?’ The driver asked with a hint of laughter in his voice.

Hot, annoyed and scared out of her wits she raised her eyes to the sky, blinded by the bright yellow orb and spoke before thinking. ‘Do I look like I’m okay? I’m standing on the side of the road with steam and God knows what else pouring out of my rental. Of course, I need some help.’

He chuckled and she flashed him a look Grandma Mary-Lou had used on her many a time. A look that had scared the beejeezus out of Diana but rolled off this man like water off a duck’s back. ‘This really isn’t a funny situation.’

‘Look, why don’t you come and sit in my car. The air con is on and you look like you need cooling down.’

Diana didn’t know if she’d just been insulted or if this stranger was trying to be nice. It didn’t matter if it was an insult or not, getting out of the searing sun and into a cool car was beyond temptation.

Don’t let a man sweet talk you. I don’t want you ending up like your mother.

Diana faltered and stopped mid-step. It was like Grandma Mary-Lou’s ghost was sitting on her shoulder, warning her like she’d always done. During college Diana had managed to mute and ignore the voice. That first semester she’d partied hard and had done all the things her grandmother hoped she wouldn’t. Waking up in her room with no recollection as to how she’d got there had been the come to Jesus moment she’d needed. That as well as just scraping through on her end of semester exams. Come second semester, she’d quit the partying, buried her nose in the books and finished her degree. She’d even had a couple of serious relationships.

Now she was about to get into a stranger’s car, in the middle of nowhere, in a country that wasn’t her own. Maybe she should listen to Grandma Mary-Lou right now.

‘I know what you’re thinking,’ her stranger spoke as he got out of his car. She looked at him, like really looked at him, not the quick glance she’d given him at first.

Damn, he may not be Hugh Jackman, but he was mighty fine to look at. Tall, at least six foot, wearing a blue t-shirt that hugged his broad shoulders and defined the expanse of his wide chest, khaki shorts that finished just above his knee. His eyes were hidden behind mirrored sunglasses perched on a straight nose. One corner of his mouth was raised in a yeah-I-know-you’re-looking-at-me smile. It didn’t detract from its fullness, if anything his lips tempted her to step closer so she could trace them with her finger.

Diana jammed the brakes on her thoughts. The sun was messing with her, but she remembered his comment and the fact she hadn’t answered it yet annoyed her. Never in her life had she been struck dumb like she was at this moment. Pulling herself together, she straightened her shoulders and tapped her fingers on the fabric of her skirt. ‘So, big guy, what am I thinking?’

‘You’re wondering if it’s safe to get into a stranger’s car. In a strange country.’

‘How do you know this isn’t my home?’ she countered, surprised at how close to the mark he was.

‘Your accent is a big hint. Along with the fact you look like you don’t belong.’

The story of her life. She hadn’t belonged in her grandmother’s house. Hadn’t belonged in the town she’d grown up in. Hadn’t belonged at the school she’d taught at before she’d quit and come on this trip.

What she should do was march over to his car, slide into the driver’s side and zoom off down the road, leaving him in her heat infused dust. Only she wasn’t that petty, that had been her Grandma through and through. ‘Fine, you’ve got me, aren’t you a smarty pants?’

He threw back his head and laughed, the sound trickled down her spine making her wish they’d met in different circumstances. When she wasn’t covered in sweat and smelled like the gym at the high school she’d worked at.

‘How about this,’ he offered and closed the distance between them. ‘Hi, I’m Connor Shetland, you look like you’re having car trouble. Can I be of assistance?’

He stuck out his hand toward her. The manners instilled in her by Grandma Mary-Lou, the same ones she tried very hard to ignore, compelled her to grasp his hand. The second she did she wished she hadn’t. If she thought she was hot before, one simple touch had her flesh tingling as if lit by a thousand flames.

Diana pulled her hand away and almost rubbed her palm down the side of her skirt. She didn’t want him to think she was wiping away his touch, but she wanted to get rid of the sensation still lingering from their connection. Crap on a cracker, she really must be suffering a form of heatstroke to be having all these emotional highs and lows from a simple conversation.

Realising she was standing mute again she mentally slapped her cheeks and concentrated on the here and now. All she wanted was to get off the side of the road and the man in front of her was her way to the nearest town. Or back to the city.

‘Hi, Connor Shetland. I’m Diana Jenkins and you’re right, I’m having car trouble and would appreciate a ride back to the city.’

‘Pleasure to meet you, Diana. As for taking you back to the city …’ He paused and her heart sank,