What would you do if you knew you might be running out of time?
Heather Penney understands loss in a way most people never will. She watched her mother slowly lose control of her body to Motor Neurone Disease. First the ability to walk, then to use her hands, then to speak. Within five years, her vibrant, determined mother was completely paralysed, dependent on life support just to breathe.
Now Heather carries a secret that could change everything: preliminary blood tests suggest she might carry the same mutated gene. The same disease that stole her mother could be lurking in her own DNA.
So when she arrives in the tiny gold mining town of Wongan Creek to investigate a guardianship case, she’s already decided: no relationships, no children, no risk of passing this curse to the next generation. She’ll do her job, move on, and keep her heart safely locked away.
Then she meets Travis Bailey and his nine-year-old niece Casey. And suddenly, playing it safe becomes the hardest thing she’s ever done.
A Woman Who Knows About Fighting
Heather’s story starts where most nightmares begin: at sixteen, pregnant and kicked out of home by her Irish immigrant parents. Her mother gave baby Heather up for adoption because she had no choice. It took six years of scraping, struggling, and fighting before she could come back for her daughter.
Those years taught Heather’s mother something important: you fight for the people you love, no matter what it costs.
Heather learned the same lesson, just from the other side. She spent six years in foster care waiting for someone to choose her. When her mother finally came back, Heather learned what unconditional love looked like. A woman working herself to exhaustion to give her daughter the life she deserved, even when her own body was betraying her.
Now Heather works as a social worker, fighting for families who need someone in their corner. She knows what it’s like to be vulnerable, to need help, to be judged by a system that doesn’t always understand. That’s what makes her good at her job.
That’s also what makes her dangerous to herself when it comes to Travis Bailey.
The Case That Changes Everything
It should have been routine: visit the canola farmer, assess his guardianship of his orphaned niece, file the report, move on. Simple. Professional. Safe. But nothing about Travis Bailey is simple.
There’s the way he cares for old Harry next door, even though the Alzheimer’s means Harry barely remembers him from one day to the next. There’s how he shows up at the school, grease still on his cheek from fixing the tractor, because Casey’s smile matters more than a clean shirt. There’s the pain in his eyes when he talks about his twin sister’s suspicious death. Pain that mirrors her own losses.
And then there’s Casey, with her gap-toothed grin and trusting heart, asking if Heather can stay for dinner. Asking if she likes princess bedding. Asking, without words, if maybe she could be the mother Casey’s been missing.
Rule number one of social work: Don’t let your heart rule your head.
Heather’s breaking that rule daily.
When the Town Bully Strikes
Just when Heather thinks she can keep things professional, Zac Bannister enters the picture. The same man Travis suspects murdered his sister. Zac’s filed for custody of Casey, backed by his wealthy, powerful grandfather who owns half of Wongan Creek.
The same Zac who’s now turned his predatory attention to Heather herself.
Suddenly this isn’t just about a guardianship assessment. It’s about justice delayed, secrets buried too long, and a little girl caught in the crossfire. It’s about a man who’s already lost too much facing the possibility of losing everything that matters.
And it’s about a woman who swore she’d never let anyone close, discovering that some battles are worth fighting. Even if your future isn’t guaranteed.
The Question That Changes Everything
When you’re not sure how much time you have, do you play it safe and keep your heart locked away? Or do you take the chance on a farmer with dirt under his fingernails and a niece who’s already picked out your room in the farmhouse?
Heather came to Wongan Creek to escape her memories of Darwin, to build experience before moving on to the next temporary assignment. She promised herself: no relationships, no roots, no risk of becoming a burden when (if) the disease comes for her too.
But Casey doesn’t care about Heather’s five-year plan. Harry calls her by her grandmother’s name and lights up when she visits. The CWA ladies have adopted her as one of their own. And Travis… Travis looks at her like she’s worth staying for.
Tomorrow isn’t promised to anyone, so we might as well love fiercely while we can.
Why You Need This 99c Love Story
Whispers at Wongan Creek isn’t just about whether Heather carries the gene or not. It’s about:
- Courage in the face of uncertainty: Living fully when you can’t see the future
- Found family: The people who choose you when blood relatives fail
- Justice for the voiceless: Fighting for truth when everyone wants you to move on
- Second chances: At love, at belonging, at having a place to call home
- Professional ethics vs. the heart: What happens when following the rules means breaking your heart
- Legacy: What we leave behind when we’re brave enough to love
Heather Penney is the woman who spent six years in foster care learning that love is conditional. She’s the daughter who held her mother’s hand through the darkest journey imaginable. She’s the social worker who fights for families because she knows what it’s like to need someone fighting for you.
And she’s the woman brave enough to ask: If I only have limited time, shouldn’t I spend it loving the people worth loving?
For Less Than a Cup of Coffee
For just 99 cents, you’ll discover why readers are falling in love with Heather’s journey from playing it safe to risking everything. You’ll meet the farmer who makes her believe in tomorrows, the niece who steals her heart, and the small-town community that shows her what home really means.
Sometimes the bravest thing you can do is choose love anyway. Even when you’re scared. Especially when you’re scared.
Ready to meet the woman who discovers that life is too short to waste on what-ifs?
Grab your 99c copy of Whispers at Wongan Creek today and find out what happens when a woman who’s been running from love meets a man worth stopping for (and a mystery that refuses to stay buried).
Because love doesn’t wait for guarantees. It just asks if you’re brave enough to try.
Genre: Rural Romance | Romantic Suspense
Setting: Wongan Creek, Western Australia
Heat Level: Steamy with heart
Perfect for fans of: Fiona McArthur, Alissa Callen, and Rachael Johns
Trigger warnings: This book handles Motor Neurone Disease, grief, genetic testing anxiety, and mentions of sexual assault (not on-page) with sensitivity and care.
Promise: While Heather’s journey involves facing her fears about MND, this story ultimately celebrates hope, courage, and choosing love even in uncertainty. Prepare for tears, but also for hope.
#WonganCreekWednesday #MeetHeather #CourageousLove #RuralRomance #99cBookDeal #AussieAuthors #MotorNeuroneAwareness