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she say
? I don’t go anywhere with you because it would be too much fun?
She didn’t want to like him any more than she already did. It was easier not to be around him – especially in his swimming shorts! It was bad enough in summer when he’d strip off his shirt and stand under the outside shower.
    â€˜What is it that you wanted to do before your dad had his accident?’ Jimmy pressed.
    Oh, God. The million-dollar question. Toni winced as her dreams flooded her mind. ‘Dad couldn’t help it. They had no other choice but to bring me home to help.’
    Now Jimmy turned to her intently. ‘That’s not what I asked, Toni.’
    Toni hated the way his jade eyes ate right through to the most fragile part of her.
    She glanced back to her sheep, the paddock opening up before them along the horizon. ‘I wanted to travel,’ she said at last. She’d never spoken about her desires to anyone before.
    â€˜So what’s wrong with starting that now?’ Jimmy stepped back, hands on his hips. ‘You can always take me along,’ he said with a wink.
    Toni laughed but that shimmer in his eyes was back. She’d always been able to read him, but now he seemed to be sending new messages.
    â€˜I’ll remember that next time I head to the sale yards,’ said Toni, as she slapped him playfully on his arm.
    â€˜Toni, you never know what life might be about to throw at you. Hey, it threw me in with three fanatical Sunnyvale girls.’
    For some reason Jimmy’s words rattled inside her mind and caused a tingle down her spine. Maybe this would be the year that brings about change for them all. The more she thought about it, the more she felt it was true. She breathed in deeply, the air tinged with dust and eucalyptus, but also something else. What did fate have in store for them all?

ALSO BY FIONA PALMER

    Indianna Wilson is a country girl through and through. She’ll do anything she can to save her beloved home from disappearing off the map – even if she has to die trying. She entices Troy Mitchell to her tiny outback town, with hopes that he can bring a breath of fresh air to the Saints football club and lift the wider farming community.
    He’s just the spark they need in Hyden, but it’s the fire that he ignites in Indi’s heart that takes her by surprise. She knows he’s feeling something too – why, then, does he insist on pushing her away?
    As the town rallies together and their fighting spirit returns, Indi and Troy discover that sometimes life offers up a second chance – you just have to be brave enough to take it.
'A moving and engaging story, told with warmth and humour.'
BOOK’D OUT
'Palmer's characterisation of the town's many colourful identities is delightful and will bring a smile to those who have experienced country life . . . With holiday season approaching, total immersion in
The Outback Heart
could just be the plan.'

WEST AUSTRALIAN
'A delightful piece of rural romance.'
BALLARAT COURIER

Jonelle Baxter is a young woman in a man's world – a tough, hardworking motor mechanic from an idyllic country family. But lately things in her perfect life have been changing, and her workshop isn't the only local business that's struggling.
    Daniel Tyler is new in town, posted from the city to manage the community bank. As he tries to rein in the spiralling debts of Bundara, he uncovers all sorts of personal dramas and challenges.
    The last thing Jonny and Dan need is an unwanted attraction to each other. She has enough problems just keeping her livelihood going and he's fighting pressures that stretch all the way to Perth. It's going to take more than a good drop of rain to break the drought and bring change in love and in life.
'A moving story that reveals the beauty of the bush and the resilience of rural communities during times of hardship.'
QUEENSLAND COUNTRY LIFE
'The writing is