Secrets in Sandy Bay: Sandy Bay Series, #1

By Emily Hussey

It was late on Friday afternoon, but was that any excuse?
 

Property Manager Maddie's heart sinks when she realises that she has given Alex Isherwood the wrong keys to his rental cottage. It's already dark and the weather is foul and promising to get worse. There's no other option – she has to drive out to Seaspray Cottage and sort out this mess.
 

Give him the keys – that was all she had to do.  So how was it that an hour later, she was sitting in front of an open fire, minus her own clothes, and sharing a meal with a man who didn't take 'No' for an answer? The tempest outside was nothing to the storm that was stirred up inside the cottage.
 

With a shared history in the town, they had a few things in common, but didn't know how much. It's amazing how tightly held some secrets can be, even in a small town where everyone knows everything. Maddie's world disintegrates as the secrets of her past are revealed.

An intriguing novella.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Winsome Books
• Release date: Oct 13, 2018
• ISBN: 9781540148612

Emily Hussey

Emily Hussey splits her time between work in Melbourne CBD and her home in Adelaide, South Australia. She has lived in several Australian cities, and spent a few years living in Alice Springs, the setting for the Red Centre series. While there, she also obtained her private pilot’s licence, providing the technical background for Kathy Sullivan’s flying exploits in the Centralian region. Although all of the characters in these stories are fictional, facets are recognisable in many of the people who still live there today. She enjoys the short story format, and has been published in local anthologies. Those stories are in varied genres, getting to know people and the world as seen through their eyes. She is authorised as a marriage celebrant by the Australian Attorney-General, and has married couples in many different locations, ranging from private gardens, to beaches to caves or rural locations. Many of her clients remain friends to this day.

Book preview

Secrets in Sandy Bay

A Coastal Romance

Emily Hussey

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Winsome Books

Copyright

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law.

Copyright © 2018 Emily Hussey

Cover Images: Deposit Photos Photographer Hay Dmitriy

Published by Winsome Books 2018

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A division of Winsome Enterprises Pty Ltd

Adelaide, South Australia

Also by Emily Hussey

The Red Centre Series

Journey to the Heart (Prequel)

The Red Heart

Trust Your Heart

Follow Your Heart

Stand-alone Titles

Ambition and Passion

Maison Angelique

Harrow Series

Wild Spirit (Prequel)

Wild Destiny

Wild Tempest

Wild Fire

Sandy Bay Series

Secrets in Sandy Bay (Prequel)

Escape to Sandy Bay

Return to Sandy Bay

Contents

1.Chapter 1

2.Chapter 2

3.Chapter 3

4.Chapter 4

5.Escape to Sandy Bay

6.The Letters

7.Five Minutes of your time

8.Author Emily Hussey

Chapter 1

FOR THE SECOND time, Maddie opened the office door and looked out. Not for long. The weather was foul and the challenging gust of wind was icy. Dark clouds threatened the sky and smothered the remaining daylight. The storm was coming. The smell of impending rain gave it away, even if the sky didn’t. She retreated inside, hugging her coat tighter. The smallest of frowns betrayed her annoyance.

Professional Coastal Rentals usually closed at five and that was thirty-five minutes ago. Where are you? I want to get home. She slipped her shoes off, massaging the balls of her feet before reluctantly putting them back on. They ached from a day in shoes better suited to a session on the catwalk than a day in the office. Anticipating a quiet day in the agency, Maddie had thought it an ideal time to wear in the new shoes. It had seemed like a good idea that morning, but walking was becoming a challenge. At least she hadn't needed to do any rental inspections.

She looked at her watch for the umpteenth time, thinking of the evening she had planned. She wanted a quiet night in front of the fire with some chocolate while watching the Friday night episode of Poldark. Aiden Turner, the actor with the swarthy good looks, was positively swoon-worthy. She had part of a bottle of red wine left after opening it the previous evening, and that would go down well too.

I’ll give this woman five more minutes, and then I’m going. The weather is getting nastier by the minute and I want to get home before the worst of it hits.

Sandy Bay was a coastal town, popular during summer months and holiday periods, but quieter now. Many local shops and restaurants closed during the down time but there were still some visitors. Professional Coastal Rentals looked after holiday rentals. Even in winter, the coastal retreat was popular, and there was something mesmeric about watching a grey and turbulent sea. She never tired of it.

Maddie reviewed the booking details still displayed on the computer screen. If there was a mobile number, she could call the tenant. Alex Isherwood was the woman’s name. Maddie had taken the call from a clipped business-like woman who promised the key would be picked up by five. It was annoying. If Madam Isherwood had said she might be late, Maddie would have left the key in the metre box at the cottage. Finding the box in the dark wouldn’t be easy though. Night closed in so early now.

The door burst open, bringing with it a gust of cold plus the figure of a man, wrapped in a trench coat and looking damp and dishevelled.

Sorry to keep you waiting. I’m here to pick up the keys for Seaspray Cottage. He rubbed his hands together as he spoke, fighting the chill. His cheeks were a shade of wind-whipped red. Maddie looked at him in surprise.

I thought Alex Isherwood was staying in the cottage by herself?

He is. Do you have the keys?

But I took the booking myself and it was definitely from a woman; Alexandra Isherwood.

"My PA booked it on my behalf— for Alexander Isherwood. If you don’t mind, it’s been a long drive at the end of a long and tiring week. If I can have the keys, I’ll be off."

He held out his hand. Looking at the extended palm, Maddie wondered what it was he did for a living. Not manual work. Nice hands though.

The keys?

An eyebrow lifted in sardonic query.

Yes, of course. Maddie dropped her eyes and hoped that she didn’t look as embarrassed as she felt. Here’s the paperwork and a map showing the way to Seaspray Cottage. There is a box at the front door of the office in which you can leave the keys at the end of your booking. Enjoy your stay in Sandy Bay, Mr. Isherwood.

At the door he paused, filling the space before turning to nod at her and disappearing into the night. Maddie stared at the closed door in contemplation. Some people have presence with a capital ‘P’ and Alex Isherwood was one of them. Enough. Get a move on girl. She busied herself