The House at the Bottom of the Hill (37 page)
Read The House at the Bottom of the Hill Online
Authors: Jennie Jones
Lots of hands shot up but Charlotte couldn’t count or see properly for the tears filling her eyes. She blinked them away but more formed as fast as the first ran down her cheeks.
Daniel’s footsteps sounded behind her on the veranda floorboards. The scent of him surrounded her and his presence pierced the bubble of nerves in her heart. Coffee berries and love. A cocktail of joy.
‘And those against?’ she asked the crowd, her voice cracking. If even one hand went up she would not have achieved her goal.
Nobody moved. She waited, scanning the group. Waiting for one perturbed, argumentative townsperson to raise their hand and tell her she wasn’t wanted.
‘There’s no need for another call, sweetheart.’
Charlotte stepped back and leaned against the length of Daniel. Not for support but to feel the love of him, the strength of him, the warmth of him and the happiness he gave her. Happiness she wanted to cast down Main Street with outstretched arms and share with the people in her life.
She had a life. She’d found it all by herself. She’d messed up and she’d made mistakes but so had everyone else and the gathering in front of her and Daniel were smiling at them.
‘I found it,’ she said softly to Daniel. ‘I’ve got a life.’
‘Yeah.’ Daniel curled his arms around her and pulled her against him. He tilted her face to his with his fingertips and kissed her. ‘Looks like you’re home, Red.’
F
irstly, my praise and heartfelt thanks to Kate Cuthbert, Escape Publishing, and also to the wonderful team at Harlequin Australia.
A writer writes with an almost hunter-gatherer instinct, foraging for words and chasing the tale. When she finishes the draft, she sends it to special and trustworthy people for opinions and feedback long before the story goes to her publisher. Without the keen, often humorous and always superb feedback from author friends Lily Malone and Juanita Kees, this story might not have reached the publisher at all.
Thanks again to Romance Writers of Australia and all the wonderful people I now call writing friends. Special thanks to my readers—without you, I’d be writing for myself which wouldn’t be quite as much fun.
Never last, merely the finest—to my home team. John and Liz, you’re the best. The very best.
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ISBN: 9780857992185
Title: The House at the Bottom of the Hill
Copyright © 2015 by Jennie Jones
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All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention.
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