The Marriage Bargain - my latest short story included is set in the picturesque Yarra Valley wine district in Australia where boutique wines are their specialty.
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The Marriage Bargain images of the beautiful people who were an inspiration. Photobucket and Pinterest.
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Truth, Love and Lies by Maggie-Ann Smith. Copyright by Maggie-Ann Smith - All Rights Reserved
Blurb, A twist of fate or was it her inner eye which sees a better future, a solution to bring Brianna Ward home to Cutters Bay to confront her past.
Chapter One
A blustery ocean squall tugged at Brianna Ward’s coat sending a shiver down her spine the moment she stepped from the bus onto the concrete stop out front of Cutters Bay General Store.
She was home.
Home to where her nightmares began.
A shudder racked her body.
It would be so darn easy to jump on the bus and return to Melbourne. She gripped the handle of her handbag until it dug into her fingers and straightened her spine, turning her back on the picturesque backdrop that was Cutters Bay. Hauling her thick woollen coat in close, she followed her fellow passengers to wait for the luggage to be unloaded.
‘Bree. Brianna?’
She froze mid-step, her pulse thumped. Her chest tightened. It seemed forever since she’d heard that deep husky tone. A voice so familiar, so heartbreakingly familiar.
With a slow deep breath she turned to face Joshua Halton, the town bad boy, the one person who hadn’t treated her like scum in this God forsaken place.
Memories of hot summers spent long ago on the beach near Gran’s cottage filled her head; the same memories had kept her going in her empty life away from him.
She snapped her gaping mouth shut and stared at her childhood sweetheart who had grown into a gorgeous man.
‘Hi, Josh.’
His incredible blue, blue eyes sucked her in, pinning her with their haunting sadness.
‘You haven’t changed a bit, Bree.’
Her breath quickened at his slow easy smile. Get a grip, you’re no longer the infatuated teen.
She rolled her eyes. ‘Thanks. You look pretty good yourself. No sign of the bad boy?’ What an understatement. Josh’s stylish Italian suit sat with perfection on his wide shoulders, combined with his silk tie and hand-stitched leather shoes. He presented a man who’d made it.
He shrugged. ‘Life has a way of changing you especially when the people you love and trust let you down.’
Chapter One
A blustery ocean squall tugged at Brianna Ward’s coat sending a shiver down her spine the moment she stepped from the bus onto the concrete stop out front of Cutters Bay General Store.
She was home.
Home to where her nightmares began.
A shudder racked her body.
It would be so darn easy to jump on the bus and return to Melbourne. She gripped the handle of her handbag until it dug into her fingers and straightened her spine, turning her back on the picturesque backdrop that was Cutters Bay. Hauling her thick woollen coat in close, she followed her fellow passengers to wait for the luggage to be unloaded.
‘Bree. Brianna?’
She froze mid-step, her pulse thumped. Her chest tightened. It seemed forever since she’d heard that deep husky tone. A voice so familiar, so heartbreakingly familiar.
With a slow deep breath she turned to face Joshua Halton, the town bad boy, the one person who hadn’t treated her like scum in this God forsaken place.
Memories of hot summers spent long ago on the beach near Gran’s cottage filled her head; the same memories had kept her going in her empty life away from him.
She snapped her gaping mouth shut and stared at her childhood sweetheart who had grown into a gorgeous man.
‘Hi, Josh.’
His incredible blue, blue eyes sucked her in, pinning her with their haunting sadness.
‘You haven’t changed a bit, Bree.’
Her breath quickened at his slow easy smile. Get a grip, you’re no longer the infatuated teen.
She rolled her eyes. ‘Thanks. You look pretty good yourself. No sign of the bad boy?’ What an understatement. Josh’s stylish Italian suit sat with perfection on his wide shoulders, combined with his silk tie and hand-stitched leather shoes. He presented a man who’d made it.
He shrugged. ‘Life has a way of changing you especially when the people you love and trust let you down.’