Dear Reader,
When I start to write a book, I set out on a journey with my characters, never quite sure what lies around the corner or whether we’ll safely reach our destination.
I begin each of these adventures with a bunch of what-if questions, knowing that my desired destination is a happy ending for two people who are meant for each other.
But what if my characters have already tried marriage and failed? And what if there is a dearly loved vulnerable child involved? And vast distances? What if this couple have very passionate natures that have caused them to make serious mistakes in the past? What if there has been a complete communication breakdown?
Many of my stories have ended with happy marriages in the Outback, but what if, this time, one of my characters simply cannot face the unrelenting isolation, the hardship and the danger of life in remote Australia? These were the questions I began with when Erin Reilly and her son, Joey, met Luke Manning at Sydney airport.
Together with my characters, I took tentative steps into the mist, and over the weeks that followed this story emerged. I’m pleased to tell you that Erin and Luke proved to me once again that true love can find workable solutions to life’s biggest hurdles. But the process is never easy. It takes courage and compassion—from all of us.
I hope you enjoy their story.
Warmest wishes,
Barbara Hannay
“Erin,” Luke breathed in a husky whisper.
Aching need rose through her, blanking out sensible thoughts. She wanted Luke’s kiss, and her lips parted in breathless readiness.
He drew her into his embrace and his lips brushed her mouth in a tentative tease that sent flames licking deep. And then Luke settled his open mouth on hers and she sank helplessly into him—into his warm, soft, slow kiss.
Five years. Five long years of separation and loneliness. So long she’d waited. Too long.
“Erin,” he whispered again, making her name sound beautiful, mysterious and special.
She lifted her hands to his shoulders and they kissed deeply, tenderly, savoring each other, letting layer upon layer of memory unfold, so that this kiss felt like a part of every kiss they’d ever shared. Sweet. Hungry. Poignant. Fierce.
Everything about Luke felt so right. She’d known from the very first moment she’d seen him that his arms were created to hold her. His lips were designed for hers. How on earth had she lost him?
Claiming His Family
Barbara Hannay
Barbara Hannay’s first romance novel was published in 1999. She lives in northern Australia, a fascinating and beautiful location that provides a rich setting for many of her books. When she’s not writing, Barbara enjoys refreshing her imagination by traveling with her writer husband to explore exciting new overseas destinations, or to revisit the awe-inspiring mystery of the Australian Outback.
She loves to hear from readers and can be contacted via e-mail at [email protected]. Her Web site is www.barbarahannay.com.
CONTENTS
CHAPTER ONE
ERIN saw her ex-husband at the exact moment he saw her, at the very instant she emerged from Customs into the International Terminal at Sydney Airport. Their eyes met across the crowded sea of expectant faces, and she felt a jolt so savage she almost stumbled.
Luke Manning looked exactly as she remembered—a man who could never blend into a crowd. Wide-shouldered, long-legged and lean, with dark hair, prominent cheekbones and a mouth that could be brooding or good humoured by turns, Luke retained an air of inner confidence and calm that always set him apart.
But today there was something more. Despite the crowds that jostled him as they waved and called to loved ones, he gave an impression of remoteness, like the vast and lonely Australian Outback he loved.
Even at this distance his grey eyes could freeze her.
Erin drew a sharp breath. For a fleeting moment there had been a spark of excitement in Luke’s eyes, but then, just as suddenly, the light vanished to be replaced with chilling blankness. In the past she’d never seen such coldness in his face, but its appearance now was hardly surprising. What else could she expect? Five years ago she’d walked away from their marriage. She hadn’t seen him since.
Now she felt a flash of panic. Seeing Luke again was even harder than she’d feared.
She’d been schooling herself to feel nothing. Nothing. But all it had taken was that single icy glance from those too-familiar grey eyes and the wounds that were supposed to have healed were ripped open again.
Once again she felt the awful pain. This was what she’d dreaded, why she almost hadn’t come.
A small, impatient hand tugged at hers. ‘You said my dad would be here.’ Joey sounded anxious. ‘Can’t you see him yet?’
‘Yes, sweetheart, he’s here.’
Erin gave Joey’s hand a squeeze, more to reassure herself than her son. She tried to ignore the trembling in her stomach, the unwanted surge of anxiety shooting high, filling her throat.
Around them, the lines of fellow passengers were breaking up as weary travellers were enveloped by welcoming arms. Mere metres away, Luke Manning stood still, waiting.
Erin’s heart thudded. She had to remember that this meeting was not about her. Or Luke. They weren’t here to rake up the past. Neither of them wanted that. Their marriage was a closed book, finished for ever. They were meeting because of their son. This was for Joey, for his future.
She heard a sharp exclamation and felt Joey’s hand slip from hers. He’d seen his father.
Even though Luke wasn’t astride a stock horse or wearing an Akubra hat, he looked so like the photograph on Joey’s nightstand that his son couldn’t fail to recognise him.
‘Hey, Dad!’ Joey shrieked, and began to rush forward, but after three or four steps he stopped, overcome by shyness.
Erin, pushing