Wanted: Outback Wife. Ally Blake
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THE BRIDES OF BELLA LUCIA
A family torn apart by secrets, reunited by marriage
When William Valentine returned from the war, as a testament to his love for his beautiful Italian wife, Lucia, he opened the first Bella Lucia restaurant in London. The future looked bright, and William had, he thought, the perfect family.
Now William is nearly ninety, and not long for this world, but he has three top London restaurants with prime spots throughout Knightsbridge and the West End. He has two sons, John and Robert, and grown-up grandchildren on both sides of the Atlantic who are poised to take this small gastronomic success story into the twenty-first century.
But when William dies, and the family fight to control the destiny of the Bella Lucia business, they discover a multitude of long-buried secrets, scandals, the threat of financial ruin and, ultimately, two great loves they hadn’t even dreamed of: the love of a lifelong partner, and the love of a family reunited….
Wanted: Outback Wife by Ally Blake
Wanted: Outback Wife
Ally Blake
MILLS & BOON
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THE BRIDES OF BELLA LUCIA
A family torn apart by secrets, reunited by marriage
First there was double the excitement as we met twins Rebecca and Rachel Valentine
Having the Frenchman’s Baby, Rebecca Winters Coming Home to the Cowboy, Patricia Thayer
Then we joined Emma Valentine as she got a royal welcome this September
The Rebel Prince, Raye Morgan
Now, take a trip to the Outback and meet Louise Valentine’s long-lost sister, Jodie
Wanted: Outback Wife, Ally Blake
On cold November nights catch up with newcomer Daniel Valentine
Married Under the Mistletoe, Linda Goodnight
Snuggle up with sexy Jack Valentine over Christmas
Crazy About the Boss, Teresa Southwick
In the New Year join Melissa as she heads off to a desert kingdom
The Nanny and the Sheikh, Barbara McMahon
And don’t miss the thrilling end to the Valentine saga in February
The Valentine Bride, Liz Fielding
To my Sirens–Hulda, Nic, Ola, and Trish–for being the best listeners, huggers, and champions a girl could ever want. Smoochy kisses.
CONTENTS
CHAPTER ONE
HAPPY hour at The Cave was drawing to a close, but Jodie didn’t mind at all.
She had used up every second of employment her working visa had allowed so now her final weeks in Melbourne were hers to do with as she pleased. And it pleased her to sit on a bar stool twirling a daisy-shaped earring she had made from scratch earlier that day, sharing a bottle of red wine that someone else had paid for, and enjoying every last second that she wasn’t in London.
‘Where’s Mandy?’ her housemate Lisa asked. ‘I have to start work in eight minutes and those customers who haven’t booked a table won’t turn themselves away.’
‘Beach Street is back on in less than three minutes,’ Louise added, her clipped London accent so obvious amongst the neighbouring Aussie strine. ‘No matter how exiting Mandy’s big surprise, after the break Angelo is about to find out that Cait was once married to his brother, so her announcement will be nothing but white noise to me.’
‘She’ll be here,’ Jodie said chirpily. The fact that Louise, the half-sister she had never even known existed until two weeks before, had turned up on her doorstep amidst her own family drama wasn’t lost on Jodie. But she began throwing pretzel chunks at Louise, who was glancing at the overhead television every few seconds, all the same.
‘If you do that one more time, Jodie,’ Louise warned, ‘when the next ad break comes along I will retaliate.’
Jodie grinned, but she stopped throwing pretzels at Louise and threw one into her mouth instead, amazed anew that this tall, cool, sophisticated, blonde product of the infamous restaurant family, the Valentines of London, was related to her—mousy little Jodie Simpson.
It was obvious Louise got the glamour goods from their shared mother, whereas Jodie wasn’t sure what she had acquired from Patricia except a lifelong pain in the neck. But thankfully all that was back in London, far far away from friends and fun on this fine Melbourne evening.
‘I’ve got it!’ Mandy cried out, rushing in as fast as her pencil-thin power skirt and two-inch heels would allow. She waved a piece of paper high above her head.
‘If that’s a doctor’s certificate telling you rotten Jake has finally given you something only penicillin will cure, I don’t want to know about it,’ Lisa called back.
‘Funny,’ Mandy said. ‘Now leave my love life out of this; this magical piece of paper is all about Jodie’s.’
‘My love life?’