A country practice chris.., p.43
A Country Practice Christmas,
p.43
‘Piper, we need to talk about—’ The words died in his throat when he saw the windows at the front of the house were open. ‘Oh no.’
‘What’s wrong?’ Piper asked.
Emmett stared at the house. No, no, no. He ran for the door.
‘Emmett! What’s going on?’ Piper was close behind him as he ripped the front door open and slumped against it.
‘I didn’t close the damn windows.’ The Christmas tree he’d put up and placed the decorations on so painstakingly was lying on its side, broken in half, smashed baubles strewn across the living area. The tinsel he’d draped across the picture frames, doorways and curtain rods was torn, and the fairy lights were dangling in a way that was anything but how he’d left them. Even the presents he’d wrapped were now waterlogged, the paper torn at the corners. Devastation. All through the room and all through his heart. It was all ruined and Piper was standing in the middle of it.
‘There was a wreath on the door as well but it’s probably halfway across the Pacific by now.’ He glanced around. ‘Major? Major!’
The pattering of dog claws on the wooden floorboards preceded the dog’s arrival from down the hall. His tongue fell out the side of his mouth with the doggy grin he gave. Emmett gave him a pat before sending him to his mat near the back door to focus on Piper.
‘You put up a tree?’ she asked. Her voice held awe. ‘And Christmas decorations? For me?’
He nodded. ‘I wanted to give you the type of Christmas that you always gave me and my mum. I knew you did all those decorations. I wanted to do something for you because you’re so amazing, Piper. I want every day to be like Christmas for you. That’s what you deserve, and I want to be the man that gives it to you.’
Tears ran down her cheeks and he crossed the room to her in three quick strides. He cradled her head in his hands and used his thumbs to wipe away her tears, while his heart pounded away. Were they sad tears? Or happy ones? Was he too late?
She closed her eyes and tilted her face into one of his hands. ‘I love you. I have since I was eight years old.’
His heart was ready to burst, and he crushed his lips against hers in a brief but intense kiss. ‘I love you, too.’
Piper smiled broadly as more tears slipped from her eyes. Happy tears. He was sure of it. Her hands gripped onto his shoulders and her chin tilted up as she offered her lips. He wasn’t wasting it. Kissing her more tenderly this time, he savoured everything about her. The softness of her lips, the hint of bacon he could taste when his tongue nudged her lips apart to stroke hers, the way she fitted so perfectly in his arms as he wrapped them around her waist. She pushed her small body into his embrace and he wanted her closer. With his hands clutching her hips, he picked her up and her legs wrapped around his waist. She was impossibly close and he was impossibly hard. He walked towards his room but paused in the doorway. He pulled back to stare into the endless depths of her dark eyes. He could stare into them for the rest of his life.
‘I don’t want to rush you—’
‘Emmett.’ Her voice was breathy, which he found incredibly hot. ‘If you don’t take me in there, I’m going to combust right here.’
He chuckled. ‘We really can’t have that.’
The grip of her legs tightened as his lips found hers and he carried her into his room, kicking the door shut behind them.
Piper blinked slowly as she left the hold of sleep. A warm, strong body was encasing her, a steady heart was beating beneath her ear and lips were pressed against her head. Emmett. She couldn’t contain her smile. Best sex ever.
‘Good morning.’ His voice was so deep and gravelly.
‘Is it still morning?’ she asked, tilting her head to be able to look at his face. ‘Did you fall asleep too?’
‘I did, you wore me out.’ He grinned. ‘It’s only just still morning. Plenty of time for a few more rounds this afternoon, unless you want to open your Christmas presents?’
‘Mmm, presents are pretty enticing but I’m really happy staying right where I am.’ She shuffled up to press her lips to his, her leg wrapping around his. Before she knew it, Emmett had flipped her onto her back and was hovering over her. She ran her finger across the lips she’d just kissed, sighing at how kissable they were. ‘So, we’re really doing this? You and me?’
‘Yep. We’re really doing this. I love you.’
She closed her eyes and breathed in deeply, as if consuming his words into her being. She sensed him moving closer moments before he kissed her. God, she loved kissing this man.
A knock echoed through the house.
Emmett groaned and dropped his head down to the crook of her neck, his lips keeping busy.
‘Wasn’t that the door?’
He hummed a yes but kept kissing her neck, curling her toes.
‘Shouldn’t we answer it?’
He paused. ‘Or we could just pretend to not be home?’
‘It’s someone in the street. It’s a neighbourly thing to say Merry Christmas, you know.’
Piper wiggled out from beneath him, leaving him groaning into the pillow. She found her undies and a pair of Emmett’s sleep shorts then grabbed his soft T-shirt and pulled it over her head, loving the way the material swamped her. He rolled from the bed and found his shorts.
‘Quick access,’ she said with a wink as she headed for the door. Emmett chased after her, only reaching her as she turned the knob and whipped the door back.
Her smile froze on her face at the sight of her entire family standing on the front porch. Her mum, Jonathan, Carter and Indy.
‘Surprise!’ they exclaimed.
‘What are you all doing here?’ she spluttered. They were meant to be hundreds of kilometres away in Euronga at Indy and Carter’s property, Longview.
‘Being spontaneous,’ Maree said with a raised brow. ‘Christmas morning just wasn’t the same without you. Normally I get to see you at some point on Christmas Day and it was just wrong that you’re so far away. We know you’re working first thing tomorrow and will want to go to bed early but there’s plenty of afternoon left to celebrate together. And with Emmett here as well, it’ll be just like old times.’
‘I think they’ve already been celebrating,’ Indy said from where she was tucked into Carter’s side.
Piper tugged at the hem of Emmett’s shirt as he draped an arm across her shoulders.
Carter’s eyes narrowed on Emmett’s arm. ‘You two are a couple now?’
Emmett tugged Piper closer. ‘It’s new but we’re pretty damn happy.’
Her cheeks flamed and her insides turned to goo at his words. Yes, she was more than just pretty damn happy.
‘Not quite what I meant by “keep an eye out for her”,’ Carter said, and Indy elbowed him. A grin broke out on his face. ‘Best news of the day.’
Hugs were shared and Piper squeezed her big brother a little tighter than the others.
‘What the hell happened here?’ Jonathan asked as he moved further into the living room to examine the fallen tree.
‘This is what happens when storms come and windows are left open,’ Piper said.
‘You should’ve seen it before it hit,’ Emmett said, running his hand across his jaw. Piper clenched her thighs, remembering the feel of that stubble against every part of her. ‘I wish I’d taken a photo.’
Piper returned to his side and slipped her arm around his waist. ‘I like it just the way it is.’
‘I did notice the decorations in the main street are still standing,’ Maree said. ‘Seems a miracle, given the mess in here.’
Piper laughed. ‘Nowhere does Christmas like Rush Creek.’
Acknowledgements
The first and biggest thank you needs to go to my fellow ruro authors: Penelope Janu, Pamela Cook and Stella Quinn. It’s an absolute dream to have my name on a cover with all of yours and I’m so grateful for your support, advice and laughter as I navigated the challenge of writing a shorter story than ever before.
The next huge thank you is to the HQ dream team, starting with our wonderful publisher, Johanna Baker. Thank you for the opportunity to be part of this Christmas anthology and for your continued backing of my writing and stories. I love every moment of working with you! Thank you also to Julia Knapman, Kylie Mason and Annabel Adair for making our words sparkle as well as everyone involved in cover design, marketing, sales and publicity to get this book into the hands of readers.
A Rush Creek Christmas wouldn’t have been written without the inspiration that is my best friend, Steph, who many years ago ventured into a country town similar to Rush Creek as a graduate paramedic. I hope I’ve reflected your courage, kind heart and ability to remain calm in a crisis justly in the character of Stef. Thank you for all medical fact-checking, laughs and encouragement but above all thank you for your unwavering friendship. There are people who make the world a better place just by being in it and you are one of those people!
As always, I couldn’t have written this story without the support of my writing buddy, Emma Mugglestone, and the love of my home team: Jared, Isla and Max. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
ISBN: 9781038955883
TITLE: A COUNTRY PRACTICE CHRISTMAS
TITLE: THE CHRISTMAS CAKE WAR
Copyright © 2025 by Stella Quinn
First published as a paperback by HQBooks 2025
TITLE: THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS
Copyright © 2025 by Penelope Janu
First published as a paperback by HQBooks 2025
TITLE: THE GHOST OF CHRISTMAS PAST
Copyright © 2025 by Pamela Cook
First published as a paperback by HQBooks 2025
TITLE: A RUSH CREEK CHRISTMAS
Copyright © 2025 by Renae Black
First published as a paperback by HQBooks 2025
First published on Gadigal Country in Australia in 2025
by HQ Fiction
an imprint of HQ Books (ABN 47 001 180 918), a subsidiary of HarperCollins Publishers Australia Pty Limited (ABN 36 009 913 517).
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Stella Quinn, Penelope Janu, Pamela Cook, A Country Practice Christmas
