Christmas at Coorah Creek (Choc Lit) Read Online Free

her.
    ‘Katie? Is everything all right?’ Surely nothing had happened at the garage to send her running away?
    ‘Oh, hello Scott.’ The girl seemed pleased to see him. ‘I’m heading for the hospital, which I’m told is just down this road.’
    ‘The hospital?’ Scott’s first thought was since when had Coorah Creek boasted a hospital? His second was – why was she looking for a doctor? Surely the old man …
    ‘Are you all right?’ he asked.
    ‘Yes,’ she said. A small frown creased her forehead, and then faded as she suddenly grinned. ‘No. No. I’m fine. I’m going to work there.’
    ‘Of course, you said you were a nurse.’
    ‘That’s right. One who should have known enough about heat stroke and dehydration to carry water.’ As she spoke, she raised her hand. There was a new, large and almost full bottle of water in it. ‘Anyway Ed, I think that was his name … the man at the garage … said it was a short walk down here to the hospital. I’m expected. So I thought I would walk.’
    Scott felt a small surge of relief. If she couldn’t remember the mechanic’s name, then she had definitely not made the connection between them. But no doubt she would in the not too distant future.
    ‘I passed what I think may be the hospital just back there a bit,’ Scott said. ‘I’ll give you a lift. It’s far too hot to walk.’
    He felt her hesitation. She was feeling a bit lost. A long way from home. He understood how that felt.
    ‘Get in,’ he said. ‘I’ve already towed you in from the highway, what does another half a mile matter?’
    Her smile was very appealing. Slightly crooked, but it lit her blue eyes as well.
    ‘Thank you,’ she said as she slid into the passenger’s seat. ‘You’re right. It is far too hot to walk. I’ve had more than enough sun for one day.’
    He cast a sideways glance at her. Her fair skin was already looking far too pink. He hoped she would be careful. The outback sun would be tough on her. And maybe just not the sun …
    ‘So why Coorah Creek?’ he asked as he turned the car again.
    ‘I came to Australia for a working holiday,’ she said. ‘I was so sick of the cold weather and the rain. This was the first job I found.’
    ‘You won’t have any problem with cold wet weather here,’ Scott said as he slipped the car back into gear.

    Katie had to agree with him. She had never been so hot in all her life. Not even on that holiday in Spain. She was drenched with sweat just from walking a short distance from the garage where her car was being worked on by the shabby mechanic. Her feet hurt, because open-toed sandals were just not the right footwear for a place like this. Her skin felt flushed and burnt, and she was about to meet her new boss. Or at least, that was what she was expecting to do. She had e-mailed him to let him know to expect her this afternoon. But so far very little of this trip had turned out the way she planned it.
    She hadn’t seen much of Coorah Creek, but what she had seen wasn’t quite what she’d had in mind. It was so small! And very quiet. Dry as well as hot. Most of the houses she’d seen were very old and shabby and rather than the red brick of her homeland, they were made of wood. The centre of the town, if that was what it could be called, was tiny, with just a handful of shops. It was such a long long way from Oxford Street and there were certainly no Christmas lights to be seen. The shops did look a bit more prosperous than the garage . That made her hope that her first impressions might be wrong.
    Scott, however, had been a pleasant surprise. She cast a quick sideways glance at him. He looked to be in his mid-twenties. About the same age as her. He had a kind face. Not exactly handsome, but not unattractive. His hair was non-descript brown. His eyes were non-descript brown. His skin was tanned, and the hands gripping the steering wheel looked strong and competent. She liked that. The way he had dashed off after dropping her