Featured book this week (and the last featured book for 2015) is
Close to Home by Pamela Cook

There’s an excerpt to read too…

A captivating story that shows that the only thing harder than letting go is moving on.

Orphaned at 13 Charlie Anderson has been on her own for over half her life. Not that she minds – she has her work as a vet and most days that’s enough. Most days. But when she’s sent to a small town on the New South Wales south coast to investigate a possible outbreak of the deadly hendra virus, Charlie finds herself torn between the haunting memories of her past, her dedication to her job and her attraction to a handsome local.

Travelling to Naringup means coming face to face with what is left of her dysfunctional family – her cousin Emma, who begged Charlie not to leave all those years ago, and her aunt Hazel, who let he go without a backwards glance. But it also means relying on the kindness of strangers, and when she meets local park ranger Joel Drummond, opening her heart to the possibility of something more …

As tensions in the country town rise, can Charlie reconcile the past and find herself a new future in a town she left so long ago?

Excerpt from Close to Home by Pamela Cook

Pamela is sharing the scene where Charlie meets Joel…

The Centennial was a lot busier than she’d expected. Being a teenager when she’d lived here, she’d only peeked in the doorway as she was wandering past, and all she remembered was a few of the local men huddled around the bar while a commentator called the races from a too-loud television. Now that same bar had been converted into a stylish lounge area with comfy-looking armchairs arranged around coffee tables and abstract artworks hanging on mocha-coloured walls. The purr of conversation filled the room, backed by the soothing tones of mellow jazz. Hmm, very inviting. Might even grab a drink here later, she thought, but first things first. Food.

She followed the signs to the dining room, headed straight to the counter, ordered herself a medium-rare sirloin and found a small table in the corner. The bar was at the far end of the room, so she draped her jacket across the back of the chair and wandered over to order a glass of red. There was a long table just to the left filled with a bunch of guys who looked like they were in for a big night. The noise they were making and the assortment of empty beer glasses on the table told Charlie they’d made an early start. She smiled – it reminded her of her uni days in the city, playing sculling games at the bar down by the ovals, staggering back to the college at god knows what time and waking up with a head that refused to lift itself off the pillow.

‘After you.’ A friendly voice brought her back from her reverie and she turned to see a pair of clear blue eyes beaming at her.

‘Sorry?’ she said, shuffling back slightly.

The owner of the eyes nodded towards the burly barman standing opposite them. ‘I thought you might like to order your drink.’ He held an empty jug in each hand. One of the party boys.

‘Oh, sorry, I was just daydreaming.’

‘What would you like, love?’ the barman asked.

‘A glass of shiraz, please.’ Charlie gave an awkward smile, conscious of the stranger beside her, who seemed to be waiting for her to continue speaking.

‘Looks like you lot are in for a big night,’ she said, gesturing towards the table.

‘Looks that way,’ he grinned. ‘Bucks night.’

‘Yours?’ she asked, immediately kicking herself for getting into a conversation at all when she’d planned on lying low. He laughed and shook his head. ‘No. Mate of mine, the one at the head of the table who looks like he’s about to keel over any minute.’

Charlie followed his eyes to the man in question, who had a half-full glass of beer precariously balanced on his head. ‘I see what you mean. Hope the wedding’s not tomorrow.’

The barman reappeared with her wine.
‘Next weekend. Gives him a full week to recover.’

‘Was that his fiancée’s idea?’

‘Sure was.’ He passed the jugs across the counter. ‘Two more, thanks, Andy.’ He turned back to Charlie, who didn’t quite understand why she was still standing at the bar. ‘You just in town for the weekend?’

‘Yeah,’ she lied. Probably better not to give any details about the reason for her visit. Too many questions.

‘That’s a shame. Well, hope you enjoy it.’ Picking up the amber-filled jugs, he headed back towards his mates.

‘About time, Drummo!’ Charlie heard one of them yell as she started towards her own table. She found herself swallowing another smile as she sat and sipped at the wine. After school she’d always gravitated towards men as friends rather than women. They were so much less complicated than her own sex, much less likely to have an agenda – apart from the obvious one – and often more fun to be around. Over the years she’d cultivated an easy sense of camaraderie with most of her male vet colleagues. She and Chris had worked together for years before their relationship morphed into something else when they’d both drunk far too much alcohol at a farewell dinner one night. After that it seemed logical to take the next step and let their friendship develop into a full-blown relationship, but Charlie realised too late that he was far more committed than she was ever going to be and that’s when things went sour.

A waitress appeared, swapping a plate for the table number, leaving Charlie with a buffalo-sized steak and a mountain of salad. Tucking in, she watched the men at the far table. Boys will be boys, she thought, as the groom attempted to climb onto his chair, balancing a full glass of beer on his head, much to the delight of his audience, who clapped and cheered when it inevitably toppled and spilt down the front of his pants. She found herself laughing out loud just as the man from the bar – the one they’d called Drummo – looked over and caught her eye. Charlie’s cheeks warmed and she focused her concentration back on her meal, careful not to look interested in the proceedings again. Once she’d eaten what she could and finished the shiraz, she slipped into her coat and headed back to the motel, glad to be out in the cool night air and away from the noise.

As she walked the few blocks in the dark a tide of melancholy swelled inside her. Maybe the antics of the guys in the pub had made her nostalgic for her lost youth, or maybe the mention of a wedding had stirred up some deep hidden regret over her break-up with Chris. It hadn’t helped to learn he was getting married only a year after they’d split, or that he was soon to become a father. But then again, Charlie told herself, she’d been the one to end things. Maybe it was just being here in Naringup again, the place itself dredging up all the feelings she’d battled against in her teens.

How was it you could be in a bar – or a house – full of people and still feel so desperately alone?

Close to Home is available in eBook and paperback from good retailers.
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Read more about Pamela and her books on MEET PAMELA COOK

 

 

 

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