White Ginger

Cover Copy

Sometimes finding a soulmate can be dangerous.

Dumped by her fiance and deemed too predictable, Amelie flees Brisbane for Hawaii, vowing to steer clear of men…where she fights an instant attraction to a sexy marine biologist who is busy waging war against a developer.

Arne is fighting a David and Goliath battle against an unscrupulous company whose resort will damage the reef protecting his small Kauai town. He recognizes his soul mate in Amelie, but his efforts to win her trust are thwarted when he becomes a target due to his anti-development stance.

Although being with Arne could be dangerous for Amelie, some attractions cannot be ignored. Will he overcome her resistance and win the battle against those trying to destroy their paradise?

CONTENT WARNING: Seductive locations and a smoldering hero.

A Lyrical Press Contemporary Romance

Highlight

He gazed at her sketch. She was good, really good. With bold, simple strokes, she’d captured more than he would have liked her to have seen in his face at this point in time, especially in his eyes. How perceptive she was.

As he contemplated her drawing, Amelie twisted neatly out of his arm. “Oh, no you don’t!” He laughed, dropping her sketch pad on the table. “You’re not getting away that easily.”

She darted as swiftly as one of the tropical reef fish, her long hair flicking out as she changed direction, sure-footed and laughing. As she raced around the end of the couch, he leaped over the back of it, grabbing her outflung arm and pulling her close. Her hands flew up, balancing against his chest.

“I think you owe me a modeling fee.” He grinned down at her.

“I don’t think I can afford to pay you,” she murmured, sounding breathless. Long dark lashes swept down to her cheeks and slowly up again. Sea-blue eyes met his.

“Then I’ll have to take my fee in kind.”

White Ginger

By Susanne Bellamy

Dedication

For Marie, who loved travel and romance and gorgeous heroes

Acknowledgements

What do you do when your other half is away for several weeks—write a romance! This story which might not have seen the light of day if not for my husband’s passion for trekking in Nepal. Thanks, darling, for the time to fill with thoughts of romance.

Family and friends inspired and encouraged stages of this journey.
 

So, thanks to my sisters, Marie-Ann and Gillian for sharing their romance novels with a young and impressionable baby sister, Mel for the challenge, however light-hearted, that saw me begin, Anna Campbell and Christine Wells for encouragement to join RWA (Australia) and enter my story in a competition, my husband and children for their belief in my ability to reach my goal and giving me the time to ‘scribble’, and Natalie for her optimistic ‘Why not us?’ attitude.
 

And Ann-Marie Smith—my wonderful editor with whom I found myself in constant and complete agreement. You rock!

Chapter 1

The 737 banked to the right and Amelie Mackenzie caught a glimpse of steep-sided gray mountain peaks and lush tropical green jungle surrounded by blue seas and white breakers. Vegetation gave way to tarmac and long warehouses. The plane descended, touching down with a light thump. “Eight out of ten for that landing,” she muttered, loosening her grip on the armrest.

“Aloha and welcome to Kauai. The temperature is eighty-two degrees and local time is 1.30 PM. Please ensure you take all your belongings with you. Thank you for flying Hawaiian Air.”

The general rush began. Passengers milled in the narrow aisles, trying to pull overstuffed hand luggage from overhead compartments. Twenty hours traveling from her home in Brisbane drained her patience and Amelie conspired with them in the rush to escape into fresh air and unrestricted space.

Through the tiny windows of the plane, she could see sunshine pouring down like a blessing. Perhaps this island paradise would be the balm her battered ego needed, bruised when Victor, her journalist fiancé, had walked out of her life almost six months ago. Exotic locations and brilliant colors would stimulate her creativity, as she sought to establish her name and her designs in the world of fashion fabrics. Her boss, Madeline Bronson, had encouraged her to take this break, knowing the pain Amelie had suffered when Victor had left. Bless Madeline for being pushy when it was needed, as a good friend sometimes had to be.

She descended the rear stairs of the plane and then crossed the hot tarmac. The bright colors and brilliant tropical sunshine enticed her into a sense of optimism. Unable to stop herself, she allowed a half smile to push back the shadows that haunted her as she walked over to the rental car counter

“I’m sorry we couldn’t get you the Subaru you requested, but we’ve replaced it with a reliable sedan, and a free week’s hire as compensation for the inconvenience,” said the blue jacket-clad woman behind the counter.

“I’m sure it will be fine,” Amelie replied, brushing a wayward strand of long, blond hair from her eyes. “But if I have any problems, is there a particular service center I should contact?” Her fingers played with her credit card a moment before she passed it across the counter. “It is a three month hire after all, and I believe some of the roads on the island are quite rough.”

“All of our vehicles are first-class.” Annoyance tainted the woman’s response. “Assistance details are included in the hire pouch, and here are the keys. You’ll find your vehicle in blue parking lot at G3. Go out the main door and turn right. Please feel free to contact us if you have any difficulties,” the woman said before she moved on to the next customer with a dismissive “Have a nice day.”

Amelie wheeled her suitcase behind her, squinting in the tropical brightness.

“Blue parking lot G3. She didn’t say it was out in the boondocks.”

Muttering a tired curse when her suitcase bumped her calf, she finally located the gray sedan. She stowed her case in the trunk, and then slid into the driver’s seat. Where was the GPS system she’d asked for? She heaved a sigh and searched the pocket beside the driver’s seat.

A map? Great.

She was definitely up for driving and navigating at the same time after twenty hours without sleep. She’d have words with the company’s owner if she weren’t so sleep deprived right now.

Driving the right-hand drive vehicle was like driving looking into a mirror. Carefully, she pulled out, reminding herself to keep to the wrong side of the road. Turning out of the airport, she automatically moved to the left, quickly pulling into the right lane as she saw a truck bearing down on her car.

Oh, Melie–concentrate, girl, or they’ll be scraping you off the road.

She blinked and shook her head and turned on the air-conditioning. Maybe a blast of cold air would keep her awake. Some of her newfound enthusiasm evaporated as she struggled to keep the underpowered car up to speed on the long winding climb. If it couldn’t handle a hill like this, how would it go off-road?

The airport and the city fell away behind her. Well, she would make every effort to get back into the swing of things, despite the car. She had three months. It would be plenty of time to create a solid portfolio of fabric patterns to send back to Madeline ready for the fashion industry’s major overseas convention later in the year. Sun, sea and sand would make for inspiring designs.

Her mind wandered as she drove along miles of green-fringed roads, often in the shadow of the volcano that towered above the land. Yet again, she questioned what she had done, or not done, to cause Victor to walk out of her apartment that night.

They had been an item for several months. Most of her friends in Brisbane were sure a wedding would be on the horizon before the year was out. Amelie had thought the same, especially when Victor talked about buying an apartment together overlooking the river at Kangaroo Point. His comments had revolved around the idea of them having a “retreat” all to themselves when he returned from his overseas assignments.

She’d thought he was ready to settle down, with her. That he’d be happy to put aside his career as a frontline war correspondent in Afghanistan and Iraq for an editorial position on the state’s main newspaper.

It turned out he wasn’t. He’d implied she was tying him down, clipping his wings; any of a dozen clichés sprang to her mind, language Victor would abhor. She didn’t think she had been too demanding of his time. In fact, she thought she had managed his frequent and sometimes lengthy absences well. And been very welcoming upon each of his returns from foreign shores.

“It’s not you, it’s me, babe. No one’s fault but I’m not ready to settle down.” That final night flashed vividly through her mind.

She cringed, remembering his–You’re a lovely woman and we’ve had some great times together and I hope we’ll remain good friends–speech. Then he’d walked out of her apartment, and Amelie’s world shattered. Numb, she could not work properly on the job she loved so much. Madeline had been understanding and kept her sanity functioning with simple repetitive jobs.

After weeks of unresolved soul searching and sleepless nights, Amelie figured she was finally getting over Victor when, unexpectedly, he contacted her. How could he? Did he think she’d just pick up where they left off? Go on as if nothing had happened?

“He’s coming back to Brisbane in a week’s time. Madeline, what do I do?”

“Men are such bastards sometimes. Don’t give him the satisfaction of knowing that you still miss him. Better still, don’t be here. Go away; get a complete change of scenery somewhere he won’t find you.”

Amelie had looked at her, bereft of speech for a moment before she nodded. “Yes, yes. That’s a good idea. I told him I didn’t know if I’d be in town when he arrived. Madeline, can you spare me for two, maybe three months?”

“What have you got in mind?”

“Hawaii.”

* * * *

With Madeline’s blessing, Amelie went straight to the travel agent. Her good friend, Sandra, pulled out all the stops to book Amelie on the next available flight to the Hawaiian islands and found her a cabin to rent in a remote corner of Kauai, less than a half hour’s drive from the town of Kaleialani.

Now, here she was driving through the green landscape beneath a welcoming tropical sun, ready to get on with her life. She wouldn’t give her heart easily again. If there was any heart left to give.

The rhythm of the car rolling along the tarred road changed when she turned onto a narrow road leading to the small community she’d chosen for her fresh start. Could she have chosen a more remote location from Australia? And yet, driving between green shadows of palms and lush forest was strangely familiar.

According to the email, the Realtor’s office was located on the harbor front. A salt-tanged breeze blew strands of hair across her eyes. She pushed open the half-glass door and the buzzer brought a young man with sun-streaked hair to the counter. He looked admiringly at her, his manner friendly and appreciative.