Return to Riversleigh

by Anne Ashby

  Table of Contents

  Excerpt

  Praise for Anne Ashby

  Return to Riversleigh

  Copyright

  Dedications

  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

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  A word about the author…

  Thank you for purchasing this publication of The Wild Rose Press, Inc.

  Shannon leapt up from her chair

  and stomped across to the window. Why did he have to spoil everything? She gripped the windowsill and leaned her head against the cold glass. Why does emotion have to infringe on such a great working rapport? If I’m going to keep working here, I have to do something fast.

  With no idea where Luke might be, but suspecting he’d be somewhere in the house with Amy, Shannon spun around and stormed down the hallway. She found him sitting in the lounge flicking through a farmers’ weekly magazine while Amy watched cartoons.

  He’s using television as a babysitter to limit his responsibilities. Shannon’s lips tightened even more at his lack of parental care. She marched in and stood between him and the television screen. Her fingers rolled into fists at the lazy, relaxed expression on his face as he looked up.

  “I told you the day I arrived here, Luke. I’ve come to work for you, not to provide you with some plaything whenever you might become bored. If you’re unwilling to accept this, you can have my resignation.”

  With a hasty glance toward his niece, Luke jumped to his feet. “Jeez, Shannon.” He rubbed an agitated hand around his neck. “It was only a kiss.”

  Only a kiss? More an earthquake under my feet.

  Her expression must have blackened as he thrust up a hand. “Okay, okay, whatever you say. I sure as hell don’t want your damned resignation.”

  Praise for Anne Ashby

  “THE CEO GETS HER MAN is an absorbing contemporary romance. I love reading about women in high level positions. I also love secrets in romances. This book has both.”

  ~Morgan Mandel, author

  ~*~

  “What I especially liked in THE CEO GETS HER MAN was that there was no outside interference in the relationship. I hated to close the cover on Jase and Debra. They were fun to be with for a couple of days.”

  ~Sheila, Twolips Reviews

  ~*~

  “Ms. Ashby has woven together a tale of dislike, distrust, secrets, and undeniable attraction and gives us the happily-ever-after ending in IMPOSSIBLE LIAISON.”

  ~SOMDReigel, Comfy Chair Books

  ~*~

  “TIME TO BURY THE PAST is a must-read book and I will be reading this beautiful story again and more from Ms. Ashby. She has some serious skills.”

  ~Tifferz and Her Sisterz Book Reviews

  ~*~

  “The paths her characters took in DEVON’S DREAM were distinctive as well as emotional. The sensuality was subtle yet dynamic. The scenery of New Zealand was brought into her story quite ingeniously.”

  ~Tina Pavlik, The Romance Studio

  ~*~

  "I find Ashby's writing style fresh and intriguing.”

  ~Brenda Talley, The Romance Studio

  Return to Riversleigh

  by

  Anne Ashby

  A Sequel to The CEO Gets Her Man

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales, is entirely coincidental.

  Return to Riversleigh

  COPYRIGHT © 2018 by Anne Ashby

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the author or The Wild Rose Press, Inc. except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

  Contact Information: info@thewildrosepress.com

  Cover Art by Tina Lynn Stout

  The Wild Rose Press, Inc.

  PO Box 708

  Adams Basin, NY 14410-0708

  Visit us at www.thewildrosepress.com

  Publishing History

  First Last Rose of Summer Edition, 2018

  Print ISBN 978-1-5092-1899-8

  Digital ISBN 978-1-5092-1900-1

  A Sequel to The CEO Gets Her Man

  Published in the United States of America

  Dedications

  In memory of Mike,

  who was taken from us

  before he could realize the exciting dreams

  he had for his farm.

  ~*~

  With everlasting gratitude to Maggie,

  without whose guidance I could never have

  achieved my dream of being a writer.

  She taught me, corrected me, encouraged me,

  and during the years we’ve worked together

  has become so much more than an editor.

  Thank you Maggie.

  Chapter One

  The adrenaline racing through Luke Prescott shot his head back and a burst of exhilarated laughter escaped his lips. The thick blade of his paddle eased the river kayak into the shallows as he turned to watch his companions negotiate the final phase of the grade-three rapids.

  Whipping the helmet from his head, he threw it onto the bank and shook out his long blond dreads, oblivious to the drips flying from their ends. This was living. If he reached a hundred, he’d never tire of pitting himself against nature.

  With the ease of long experience, the group was soon ashore, changed into dry clothing, and had their boats loaded onto a trailer. Enjoying huge slabs of bacon-and-egg pie their accompanying driver produced, they sprawled on the riverbank, cracking open a few cans of beer and reliving the journey.

  “Are you back in New Zealand for a while this time?” John, the driver, queried. “If you’re after a job…?”

  Luke grinned. He’d regularly kayaked with John’s company, but he had no intention of tying himself down, either here or anywhere else. Life was too short. “Sorry, mate. Just here doing the family commitment thing—you know, catching up with the siblings for Christmas—then I’m heading away again.”

  Another kayaker immediately offered Luke a place joining a group congregating in Idaho to do the Salmon River rafting course.

  Luke sat up, his interest tweaked. He’d rafted the Gauley in West Virginia just a couple of months ago. Although he’d obviously heard stories of the Idaho River, it was one he hadn’t managed to catch yet. “Sounds like fun. When are you thinking of starting?”

  Animated conversation followed as they discussed the forthcoming trip some of the group were planning. Luke soon lay back on the rough grass with a contented sigh. His next adventure was now programmed.

  A couple of weeks hanging out with his brothers and their families would be a piece of cake now he had something concrete to look forward to. He’d scheduled attending the world poker tour in Melbourne in January and then onto
Macau for February. Then he’d meet up with these guys in Idaho in April.

  He rolled over and propped up his chin on steepled fingers, his focus on the water rushing past the riverbank. That’s sorted out the next few months. He grinned. Hell, even being back on the family farm won’t faze me too much now.

  A twinge of guilt knocked at Luke but he sent it away. Gordon and Lindsay wouldn’t be surprised. Luke grinned again. His brothers knew him well. They expected nothing from him. Just as well, as he’d done nothing but let down anyone relying on him. They’d long ago accepted him for what he was, a wanderer.

  Luke lived wherever adventure took him.

  When his phone woke him much later that night it took him ham-fisted moments to locate and unlock it. His mouth, dry from a little too much alcohol during the evening, barely allowed a grunt to escape. He stumbled toward the bathroom and water but the words in his ear jerked him fully awake and tore his world to shreds.

  ****

  6 months later

  Luke paced the Riversleigh Resort’s foyer under the watchful gaze of the receptionist. He didn’t care what impression he might be making. He cursed and raked fingers around his neck, knocking his dreads aside. I suppose I should be cutting these off, too. He cursed again and marched across to the lifts only to turn back as soon as he reached them.

  Frustration had driven him here this morning. Maybe Jase McEwan could help him. Then again, maybe Jase will think I’m a complete idiot. He took another circuit across the foyer. If something doesn’t change soon my head will explode.

  Dissatisfaction tempered his whole existence these days. It was the same boring routine, every minute of every day. It was driving him out of his mind. He wasn’t cut out to be a farmer. He’d never wanted to be a farmer. Even as a young boy both he and his father had recognized his complete lack of interest in anything to do with cultivating the land.

  The time he spent with Jake and Amy didn’t help. He wasn’t cut out to be a father either. He cursed as he took another circuit across the foyer. Gordon naming him as his children’s guardian had been a colossal blunder. He’d never planned on being a parent. He was quickly proving to be useless in that role, too.

  He shoved his fists deep into his pockets. He’d tried. He’d really tried to accept the life now forced upon him. But fate had dealt him a preposterous hand. A hand he could no longer play out if he wanted to remain sane.

  Luke recognized he’d wound himself up tighter than a trampoline spring while waiting for Jase to return from taking his wife into Invercargill airport. Try as he might, he couldn’t control the tension clawing at his insides as his old school friend finally wandered through the foyer doors and approached the reception desk.

  After a quick word and some gesturing by the staff, Jase hurried to his side. “Luke.”

  Luke allowed the hug but shrank from the sympathy visible on his friend’s face.

  “It’s been ages. I’m sorry you’ve had to wait. Debra needed to go back to Wellington for a couple of days. How’s everything going?”

  He led a silent Luke into his office. “I guess things are still pretty rugged for everyone.” Jase waved Luke to a couch and settled into a nearby seat.

  Luke fell back into the couch and closed his eyes. “Yeah, but I guess we’re coping.”

  “How are the kids? Are they settled now they’ve had a chance to get to know you?”

  Luke shrugged. He couldn’t admit to anyone the kids remained scared stiff of him. Only a little less scared than I am of them. He still struggled with the knowledge Gordon and Alice had named him guardian should anything ever happen to them—like a milk tanker ramming into their car when its driver had a massive heart attack.

  Luke believed his niece and nephew would be better off with their other uncle in Dunedin, but Lindsay did already have four kids of his own. He supposed coping with little Vicki and their one-year-old triplets was enough of a job without adding two bereaved kids into the mix.

  He’d accepted he was stuck with his nephew and niece, or more precisely, they were stuck with him. Poor little buggers. He was trying. His fists clenched. Oh man, was he trying to be a decent father-figure, but he was failing miserably.

  Luke managed a smile as he and Jase continued talking, mostly about Luke’s transition from carefree wandering adventurer to stay-at-home farmer with two little kids.

  “So what brings you here?” Jase rested an ankle on his opposite knee. “I suspect you didn’t just drop by to pass the time of day.”

  Luke leapt to his feet and paced the confines of Jase’s office. His jaw tightened and he squeezed his eyes shut. Rolling his shoulders did nothing to ease his tension.

  The words burst from him. “Jeez, Jase, I’m going stir-crazy.” His hand scrubbed across his face, the sandpaper of his stubble reminding him he hadn’t bothered to shave this morning. “I’m no bloody farmer. Farming drives me to despair.” He turned to Jase with a deep breath. “I’ve tried, I’ve really tried, but I can’t pretend anymore. I’ve had it!”

  “Sit down, mate.” Jase grabbed his arm none too gently. “Sounds like you’re lucky to have your aunt and uncle living out there with you.”

  Luke grimaced. Without Rod and Marcia he’d have been right up the creek. While they didn’t live in the farmhouse, but in a nearby cottage, Rod ran the farm while Marcia cared for the kids. “You got that right. Without them I’d be completely sunk.”

  Luke idly stared at one of his knees as it bounced up and down. He took a couple of deep breaths and took the plunge. A plunge he hoped would capture Jase’s interest enough so he might seriously listen.

  “I’m stuck here, Jase. I accept that. There’s nothing I can do to change where I’m going to be spending the next twenty years of my life—in bloody boring Riversleigh.”

  He scrubbed a hand across his face. “I thought I’d escaped this hole, but…” He heaved a huge sigh. “I guess I should learn to be thankful for the years I did manage to keep away.”

  Jase’s raised eyebrows suggested he didn’t share Luke’s abhorrence for the area where they’d both grown up.

  “I’ve been giving something a lot of thought over the last few weeks, but I wanted to run it past someone else. Someone I trust who’ll tell me if I’m crazy even to consider it. Okay?” Luke leaned forward and eyeballed his friend. “I’ll handle the disappointment if you tell me it’s a stupid idea.”

  At Jase’s solemn nod of agreement, Luke launched into what he hoped would be a convincing outline of his future. “There’s a large area of virtually unproductive land on the farm. Gordon tried to develop a few hectares into pasture up at the tree line, but it’s only able to support a few sheep. I’ve an idea of using it differently.” He daren’t look at Jase. “I want to build some sort of recreation—”

  “What sort of recreation?”

  Luke’s head jerked up. Jase’s expression actually showed interest, not derision.

  “I haven’t considered that far ahead,” he hedged. “I didn’t want to get carried away before hearing what you thought. I figure I could do whatever I wanted. It wouldn’t take much to set up some bike courses, for instance. Cut a few tracks through the bush, then set up some sort of circuit. I could do the same for quads or motor bikes. Even consider four-wheel drive options.”

  “Sounds interesting.”

  Luke jumped up. Jase’s lack of criticism had released his pent-up dream. Striding around the office he spewed out many of the ideas floating inside his head over the last few weeks. He suggested horse treks, confidence courses with flying foxes, a fitness center with a difference, nature walks, zip lines.

  “Colac Bay has the surfing, of course, but with such a long beach it’d be perfect for some zippy little land yachts to sail around.”

  He flicked back a dread that had fallen across his face. “That’s just a start. I’ve seen many different adventure parks in my travels. Its more which things I’d develop first rather than what the place might involve.”

&n
bsp; Luke stopped. Stopped his agitated striding, stopped the words falling from his lips. Straightening his shoulders he mentally prepared himself for whatever reaction might be forthcoming.

  When Jase didn’t immediately respond, Luke sank onto the couch. “I know there’s a stack of adventure activities in Queenstown and around Central Otago, but there’s not much down this way. I’m not planning to encroach on anything already established in the area. My aim is to add to the horse trekking and jet boating, and the surfing ventures already in town. Do you think it could be a worthwhile venture? Could I attract people to come to such a place?”

  Still Jase didn’t answer. He just sat staring into space, tapping a finger against his chin.

  “I figured if I worked in some way with those other operators and your hotel…” Luke’s voice petered out. He swallowed, his gaze wandering aimlessly around the room as the muscles of his stomach clenched to hold down the sudden nausea.

  Jase wasn’t interested.

  Luke cursed under his breath. He’d been sure Jase would see the potential of the scheme he’d allowed himself to dream. “Hey, thanks for listening to me rave on, mate. I know you’re a busy man, I’ll get out of your hair now.”

  Before he could rise, Jase leaned forward and grasped his knee. “What would you expect from the hotel?”

  The thoughtful tone of Jase’s question sent exhilaration reminiscent of any of his previous adventures surging through Luke. His pulse hiked to an unbelievable level. He wanted to laugh, to shout out loud. Instead he quickly replied. “Nothing, nothing at all.”

  Jase’s frown forced more hurried words from his mouth. “If we worked together, maybe you could use the park as an added incentive for people to stay longer, rather than just pass through—somewhere a tourist might want to hang out for a day or so.”

  “And that would entice more than just the locals to the place, although my emphasis would have to be to provide entertainment for the locals. I’d be crazy to try something solely for tourists.”

  “How far have you gone with your plans?”

  Excitement rushed through Luke faster than a raging river roaring through a narrow canyon. “Nowhere,” he admitted. “They’re still just in my head.”