Barbara Hannay - The Blind Date Surprise

Dear Reader,

Welcome to Southern Cross, a vast Australian cattle property in the Star Valley and home to Reid, Kane and Annie McKinnon.

There really is a beautiful and remote Star Valley, and it’s situated to the north of Townsville, where I live. The Broken and Star Rivers flow through this district, and the cattle stations there have wonderful names like Starlight, Star bright and ZigZag. However, there are no towns in the valley, and although I have made Southern Cross station and the township of Mirrabrook as authentic as I can, they are entirely my creations.

I am thrilled to be bringing you three linked stories about the McKinnon family’s secrets. In this book, Annie leaves the Outback—for the bright city lights of Brisbane—to meet a man she’s met in an Internet chat group. Will she find her perfect man in the city?

Happy reading, and my warmest wishes,

Family secrets, Outback marriages!

Deep in the heart of the Outback, nestled in Star Valley, is the McKinnon family cattle station. Southern Cross Station is an oasis in the harsh Outback landscape, and a refuge to the McKinnon family—Kane, Reid and their sister, Annie. But it’s also full of secrets….

First is Kane’s story. He’s keeping a secret, but little does he know that by helping a friend he’ll also find a bride!

The Cattleman’s English Rose (#3841)

Then it’s Annie’s turn. How’s a young woman supposed to find love when the nearest eligible man lives miles away? Easy—she arranges a blind date on the Internet! But her date has a secret….

The Blind Date Surprise (#3845)

And lastly, Reid. He’s about to discover a secret that will change his whole life! Luckily his childhood sweetheart has just returned to Mirrabrook, and is happy to help him discover the mysteries of his past—and help him find love along the way.

The Mirrabrook Marriage (#3849)

The Blind Date Surprise

Barbara Hannay

www.millsandboon.co.uk

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Special thanks to Andrea and Gordon Smith,

my eyes and ears in Brisbane.

PROLOGUE PROLOGUE FROM the Ask Auntie page of the Mirrabrook Star. (Circulation 2,500, including Wallaby Flats): Ask Auntie, The loneliness of the outback is driving me crazy. I’m two hundred kilometres from the nearest cinema or nightclub and it’s so hard to meet guys. The few dates I’ve had have been spectacularly forgettable, but now I’ve met a wonderfully warm, funny and clever man over the Internet and I’m in love. I want to dash off to the city to meet him, but all my life I’ve been accused of being too hasty and impulsive, so I’m seeking guidance. What do you advise? Marooned in Mirrabrook. Dear Marooned in Mirrabrook, If you’re as lonely as you sound and your cyber-romance is going well, why shouldn’t you meet this man? I suspect you’re afraid of disappointment—that you fear you’ve fallen in love with the idea of the man, but you’re worried about the reality. Some tension is understandable, but if you’re looking for a long-term relationship you need real interaction with a real man. You need to meet him. Of course, a woman from the bush would be wise to approach an e-date in the city with some caution. Perhaps you could arrange for a double date with friends? If not, you should make sure you meet at a public venue and you should have a friend in the city who knows the time and location of your date and who can be reached at the touch of a button on your mobile phone. However, once these details are organised, go for it. Don’t believe the old cliché that good things come to those who wait. Good things come to people who want them so badly they can’t sit still… Good luck! Ask Auntie.

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CHAPTER TWELVE

FROM the Ask Auntie page of the Mirrabrook Star. (Circulation 2,500, including Wallaby Flats):

Ask Auntie,

The loneliness of the outback is driving me crazy. I’m two hundred kilometres from the nearest cinema or nightclub and it’s so hard to meet guys. The few dates I’ve had have been spectacularly forgettable, but now I’ve met a wonderfully warm, funny and clever man over the Internet and I’m in love. I want to dash off to the city to meet him, but all my life I’ve been accused of being too hasty and impulsive, so I’m seeking guidance. What do you advise?

Marooned in Mirrabrook.

Dear Marooned in Mirrabrook,

If you’re as lonely as you sound and your cyber-romance is going well, why shouldn’t you meet this man? I suspect you’re afraid of disappointment—that you fear you’ve fallen in love with the idea of the man, but you’re worried about the reality. Some tension is understandable, but if you’re looking for a long-term relationship you need real interaction with a real man. You need to meet him.

Of course, a woman from the bush would be wise to approach an e-date in the city with some caution. Perhaps you could arrange for a double date with friends? If not, you should make sure you meet at a public venue and you should have a friend in the city who knows the time and location of your date and who can be reached at the touch of a button on your mobile phone.

However, once these details are organised, go for it. Don’t believe the old cliché that good things come to those who wait. Good things come to people who want them so badly they can’t sit still…

Good luck!

Ask Auntie.

CRIKEY, pink jeans!

Annie McKinnon hated to guess what her brothers would say if they could see her. Come to think of it, what would anyone from her outback home town, Mirrabrook, say? She’d lived in blue denim jeans since she was three years old—ever since her brother, Kane, first lifted her on to the back of a stock horse.

Never pink. And never teamed with stilettos.

And yet here she was in the heart of the city, sashaying into the foyer of one of Brisbane’s swankiest hotels in killer heels, the sweetest little white silk camisole top, and low-rise jeans so baby-pink and slim she felt like a pop-star wannabe.

So this was where following your friends’ advice got you.

‘You’d better listen to Victoria,’ Melissa had said. ‘She’s our in-house fashionista and everyone at work takes her word as gospel.’

Victoria had been definite. ‘Annie, when it’s an e-date, you have to be super careful. You need to hit exactly the right note.’

And because Annie had known Melissa since boarding school, and because Victoria was Mel’s flatmate, and because both the girls were city born and bred, Annie had deferred to their finely honed understanding of ‘How Things Work in the City’.