The fact that Corey Tavener hadn't been home in eight years did seem to suggest that he was indeed the black sheep of the family, as his stepbrother Kurt kept telling Dale—and when she met Corey, Dale was inclined to agree that Kurt must be right. Yet why did everyone else in Karraparinka side with Corey? Perhaps the real root of the matter was a personal affair between the two stepbrothers. Was that one of the reasons why Corey suggested a mock engagement to him, to protect Dale against Opal Byson's malicious gossip? Just what had Dale got herself involved in?
Kerry Allyne was born in England, UK. Her early childhood was uneventful, she remembered, until her father came home one day and began talking about emigrating to Australia. When they eventually arrived in Australia, Kerry took to her new land with a passion. During the family's first years "down under," she explored as much of the country as she could, journeying northward into Queensland and out onto the Great Barrier Reef, and sometimes south through New South Wales into Victoria. As a adult she returned to England for a short time. A long working holiday enabled her to travel the world before returning to Australia where she met her engineer husband-to-be, and they had a couple of children. The family eventually moved to a rural area and she started to write. She used the people and countryside as inspiration for her romances. She was published by Mills & Boon from 1976 to 1994.
Dale Freeman was unaware that by accepting her Uncles’ offer of a position at their Club Hotel located in the Gulf country of northern Queensland that she would be placed in the middle of the long running family dispute of the Tavener’s Bridge Station owner. She was the girlfriend of one family member and engaged to marry his brother! The problem was she was unsure as to which brother she wanted; at least in the beginning!