One small townâ¦
Whoever said a broken heart was the end of the world had never met Milla Brady! In desperate need of a distraction, she sets her sights on reviving her parentsâ bakery. But when a tall, handsome blast from the past turns up, Millaâs calm feathers are distinctly ruffled!
One big miracle!
Ed Cavanaugh could only watch when his brother walked all over Millaâs dreamsâhe always knew she deserved better. So, seeing her looking beautiful and content, he promises not to leave Bellaroo Creek until he tells her what he wanted to say all those years agoâ¦.
Three brave women, three strong men⦠and one town on the brink
Bellaroo Creek in the Australian Outback is a town in need of rescue! So the arrival of three single women and a few adorable kids is exactly the injection of life it needs. Are the town and its ruggedly gorgeous cattlemen prepared for the adventure ahead?
One town, three heart-warming romances to cherish forever!
THE CATTLEMANâS READY-MADE FAMILY
by Michelle Douglas
MIRACLE IN BELLAROO CREEK
by Barbara Hannay
PATCHWORK FAMILY IN THE OUTBACK
by Soraya Lane
Dear Reader,
You might be surprised to hear that Australia is one of the most urbanized countries in the world. Ninety percent of our population live in cities scattered around the nationâs coastlines, and yet, historically, we owe our existence and success to the rural areas inland, where wheat, sheep and cattle have been farmed since early settlementâand where huge mineral deposits are also mined.
I guess itâs no surprise that city dwellers love visiting our country towns with their tree-lined streets and close-knit communities and slower-paced living. Iâm sure many visitors dream of going back to a less stressful, less complicated way of life, just as Milla (and subsequently Ed) have done in this story.
In Australia, we worry when we hear that these towns, that were once our countryâs heartbeat, are dying from decreasing populations. Save the Town initiatives are popping up all over Australia and we wish them the same success that Bellaroo Creek achieved.
Iâm hugely grateful to Michelle Douglas and Soraya Lane for the wonderful brainstorming email chats we had while coming up with this trilogy. Their continued inspiration during the writing process was invaluable.
I hope you enjoy visiting Bellaroo Creek.
Warmest wishes,
Barbara
Reading and writing have always been a big part of BARBARA HANNAYâs life. She wrote her first short story at the age of eight for the Browniesâ writerâs badge. It was about a girl who was devastated when her family had to move from the city to the Australian Outback.
Since then, a love of both city and country lifestyles has been a continuing theme in Barbaraâs books and in her life. Although she has mostly lived in cities, now that her family has grown up and sheâs a full-time writer sheâs enjoying a country lifestyle.
Barbara and her husband live on a misty hillside in Far North Queenslandâs Atherton Tableland. When sheâs not lost in the world of her stories sheâs enjoying farmersâ markets, gardening clubs and writing groups, or preparing for visits from family and friends.
Barbara records her country life in her blog, Barbwired, and her website is: www.barbarahannay.com.
To the town of Malanda, which doesnât need saving, and to Deb Healy at the bakery for showing me how beautiful bread is created every day.
CHAPTER ONE
Boutique business opportunity at Bellaroo Creek
Former bakery offered at nominal or deferred rental to help revitalise the townâs retail business.
Bellaroo Council, in support of the Regional Recovery Programme, is calling for expressions of interest to occupy and redevelop Lot 3 Wattle Street on a lease or freehold arrangement. Some bakery equipment is included in the assets.
Enquiries/business plan to J. P. Elliot CEO Bellaroo Council, 23 Wattle Street.
MILLA SAT ON the edge of the hospital bed, a cup of tea and sandwich untouched beside her.
It was over. Sheâd lost her baby, and any minute now the nice nurse would pop back to tell her she was free to go.
Go where? Back to the lonely motel room?
From down the hospital corridor the sounds of laughter drifted, along with the happy chatter of cheery visitors. Other patientsâ visitors. Milla looked around her room, bare of cards or flowers, grapes or teddy bears. Her parents were away on a Mediterranean cruise and she hadnât told anyone else that she was back in Australia.
Her Aussie friends still thought she was living the high life as the wife of a mega-rich Californian and she hadnât been ready to confess the truth about her spectacularly failed marriage. Besides, the few of her friends who lived in Sydney were party girls, and, being pregnant, Milla hadnât been in party mode. Sheâd been waiting till the next scan to announce the news about her baby.