Maid for the South Pole

  Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Free books

  Part 1

  Part 2

  Part 3

  Part 4

  Part 5

  Part 6

  Part 7

  Part 8

  Part 9

  Part 10

  Part 11

  Part 12

  Part 13

  Part 14

  Part 15

  Part 16

  Part 17

  Part 18

  Part 19

  Part 20

  Part 21

  Part 22

  Part 23

  Part 24

  Part 25

  Part 26

  Part 27

  Part 28

  Part 29

  Part 30

  Part 31

  Part 32

  Part 33

  Part 34

  Part 35

  Part 36

  Part 37

  Part 38

  Part 39

  Part 40

  Part 41

  Part 42

  Part 43

  Part 44

  Part 45

  Part 46

  Part 47

  Part 48

  Part 49

  Part 50

  Part 51

  Part 52

  Part 53

  Part 54

  Part 55

  Part 56

  Part 57

  Part 58

  Part 59

  Part 60

  Part 61

  Part 62

  Part 63

  Part 64

  Author's Note

  About the Author

  Maid for the South Pole

  Demelza Carlton

  Book 7 in the Romance Island Resort series

  Can you resist summer love in the snow with penguins?

  Hotel maid turned meteorologist Audra is determined to make her mark on the world without a man getting in her way. Seizing the chance to join an expedition to the South Pole, she thinks all her Christmases have come at once.

  Until she returns to the research station and meets her new roommate.

  When Jean-Pierre's wife broke his heart, he swore off women, vowing to spend his holidays in Antarctica for one final season. He didn't count on sharing a room with an Australian woman who hates him for something he can't even remember.

  Will the heat of a South Pole summer be enough to thaw two icy hearts?

  DEDICATION

  This one's for Opa, in the hope that he has enough time left to read this.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  Copyright © 2016 Demelza Carlton

  Lost Plot Press

  All rights reserved.

  Click here to get started – www.demelzacarlton.com

  ONE

  Nothing brought a smile to Jean's face like penguins. There was just something about them that could make anyone happy. Here on Heard Island, there were hundreds of them, waddling around Wharf Point without a care in the world. Triumph exploded in Jean's chest. He'd found them! Now, all he needed to do was find a high vantage point where he could see if there were any babies in the colony.

  A moss-covered mound looked to be the highest point on this part of the Azorella Peninsula, so Jean scrambled across the dark volcanic rock toward his own, personal grassy knoll. Once he reached the top, he'd see...

  The cushion plant beneath his feet compressed under his weight.

  Sinkhole.

  One word was all Jean had time to think before the fragile net gave way. Falling into darkness. One second. Two. Three? Was it eternity, or did it just feel that way?

  The impact jarred every bone in his body, forcing the breath from his lungs. He lifted his head to watch the cloud of condensation whoosh upwards, a smoke signal to mark his location, but there was no sky to be seen above. The traitorous bush had covered its trap, Jean realised. Damn Australian territory, even if it was part of Antarctica and not the Aussie mainland. Even the plants were trying to kill him.

  But he was a goddamn Canadian biologist, and not city-bred, either. He'd grown up next door to the Arctic and he wasn't about to be outsmarted by a plant on the wrong side of the world.

  Jean extended his arms, reaching for a wall or a rock or something else to haul himself up on. He couldn't have fallen that far. A couple of metres, maybe. No more than three.

  His fingers touched cool, smooth stone. Huh. He must've lost his glove on the way down. Just one, though – he still wore the other one. He ran his bare hand over the rock, looking for a ledge or bulge big enough to wrap his hand around to take his weight. He found a hole big enough to fit his whole hand inside, then another, and that was enough.

  Under his breath, he muttered, "One, two, thr...ungh!"

  The moment he put weight on his leg, pain knifed through him.

  Much like space, in a lava tube on Heard Island, no one could hear you scream.

  Breathing hard, Jean leaned on his other leg instead.

  This time, he didn't get to scream. The pain was so bad, it stole all of his senses as it knocked him out.

  TWO

  Audra had never been so exhausted in her life, so naturally, she wanted to dance on the ceiling. She wasn't sure how many people had actually seen the South Pole, but now she was one of them. It felt...exhilarating. Hence the need to dance as soon as she could shut the door of her tiny room, where no one would see. The buzzing in her blood was better than sex. Everyone had sex.

  Except...her room wasn't hers. Well, it was, but it was someone else's too. The vacant bunk she'd considered her reading lounge was now occupied by a girl with a round, smiling face. "Hi, hi! Finally we meet. I'm Shelley! You must be Audra. The guys told me it's your first trip and you've already seen the pole. Three winters I've spent here and my first expedition out there, I failed the medical and you got to go instead."

  "I'm sure there'll be others. Some of the equipment wasn't up to spec, so when the right stuff arrives next summer, a team will need to return." Audra couldn't keep the longing out of her tone. Of course she wanted to be part of it. Who wouldn't? But she was only covering Shelley's maternity leave, after all, and it looked like her time was up. "How's your little girl, anyway?"

  Now it was Shelley's turn to look wistful. "She said her first word the day before I left: Mum. It killed me to leave her, but Ross and I agreed that he'd get to be a stay-at-home dad with her while I went off to work. God, I hope he can handle it." She waved at their cramped room. "This'll seem like a holiday in comparison, though."

  They both laughed.

  "Sorry, you probably want a minute to yourself after all that time in the field. Video calls home and such. I'll go take a shower before the boys use all the water." Shelley grabbed her towel and slung it over her shoulder.

  "Watch out for the shower monitor. He's a big Russian bloke named Boris. If you try to take a shower even a second longer than three minutes, he'll bust in and carry you off for torture and whatever else Russians do to traitors. Apparently."

  Shelley's face fell. "You mean Bruce left? He's the best plumber on the continent!"

  Audra couldn't hide her smile. "No, but he did spend a whole day booming at me in a thick Russian accent until one of the other guys ratted him out. I've never forgotten to time my showers since."

  Shelley laughed and headed for the showers.

  Alone, Audra decided dancing was probably a bad idea, so she dusted off her laptop and woke it up. Calling ho
me could wait until tomorrow, but she could catch up on news and email in the meantime. Hundreds of unread emails awaited her, so she sighed and sat down to sort the spam from the...sixty-three emails from Jay? More?

  Huh. She hadn't heard a peep from him since she left Romance Island, and she never expected to, either. Well...okay, for the first week she'd kind of hoped, and maybe for the second one, too, especially after she'd sent him the photo of them together, and the third week...but by the time she'd boarded the Aurora Australis, she'd barely checked her email at all. And not because of the restricted internet access, either.

  So why on Earth was he sending her thrice-daily emails? Curiosity won and she opened the most recent one.

  WHY WON'T YOU ANSWER MY MESSAGES?

  Another:

  WE WERE MADE FOR EACH OTHER. WHERE ARE YOU?

  That popped up a lot, though the wording varied a bit, depending on the day.

  After the first couple dozen, Audra skimmed to the first one he'd sent.

  I'M HOME. WHERE ARE YOU, BABY? WHY AREN'T YOU HERE?

  Had he completely forgotten about her new job? The reason she was leaving the island? Maybe he was drunk. It still didn't explain why he thought she should be at the resort.

  Exasperated, Audra typed a response:

  "I'm at Davis as one of the Antarctic meteorology team this summer. I just got back from an expedition to Dome Argus and the South Pole. It was awesome, thanks for asking." She hit send and scrolled through her emails, looking for anything from her family and friends.

  Her laptop chimed, signalling that someone wanted to start a video call. Jay, who else?

  She hadn't had a shower in days and her hair had been mashed under an assortment of hats and hoods for weeks. One look at her would scare him off for life. Reluctantly, she allowed the call to connect.

  "Where the fuck are you really?"

  Jay Felix was all charm.

  Audra took a deep breath. She'd thought the soundproofing at the resort was bad. Here at Davis, if she raised her voice, the whole building would hear. "Hi, Jay. It's lovely to see you again. It's been months, I'm sure, though I gather you've been busy with your band's tour. I've been very busy, too. First training for my first Antarctic expedition, and then living and working out here for the summer. There are real penguins here, not just a jetty named after one. I must say, the jetty smells better, though."

  "Why aren't you here?" Judging by his slurred voice, sobriety had deserted him several hours ago.

  "I don't work at Romance Island Resort any more, remember?"

  "No. Was it because of me? Did you quit because of me? I told you I was coming back, babe. I own the hotel. Had to come back."

  He hadn't known? Then what had he meant that night when they'd... "That last night we spent together. When you answered the door, you said I was just in time and I'd left it until the last minute. You knew it was my last day and I was flying out to Hobart on Monday."

  "No, I fucking didn't. You never told me that!"

  Audra mulled this over. "So let me get this straight. You spent the night with me, made all sorts of promises you had no intention of keeping, then flew out the next morning to record your new album and go on tour. All the while, not saying a single thing to me. Not a word, a phone call, an email, nothing, until now, when you're demanding to know why I'm not waiting for you with open arms after you deserted me?"

  "I didn't desert you! I had to work!"

  "And who doesn't? When I got offered the chance of a lifetime, a stint in Antarctica, I took it. I'd have been crazy not to. Especially after dealing with VIPs who threw tantrums, painted the walls with ketchup, and slept with anything in a skirt." She'd never get the image of Jay and Penny out of her mind. It would scar her for life.

  "Ooh, is that your boyfriend? Hi, I'm Shelley, Audra's roommate." Shelley smiled and waved over Audra's shoulder before throwing herself on her bed. "Don't mind me."

  "Yes, I'm Audra's – " Jay began.

  Audra cut in, "No, he's not my boyfriend. Never was, never will be. He used to be my boss." Though it was on the tip of her tongue, she didn't add that he'd once been the bane of her existence. It didn't seem fair to kick a man when he was down.

  "What about all the time we spent together?" Jay exploded. "Are you honestly saying everything – the time, the incredible sex – meant nothing to you?"

  Audra heard Shelley laugh softly, then whisper an apology.

  "It was one night, Jay. One night that you made astonishingly clear meant nothing to you, when you climbed into a helicopter the morning after, then ignored me for months while wrapping yourself in different girls every night. Do you even remember how many? I mean, you did twenty, thirty shows at least, and I know for a fact that you took half a dozen girls back to your hotel room after the Perth concert. Add that all up and I don't need to be a statistician to know you've probably slept with over a hundred women, while you didn't even have time to send me an email saying hi." She drew in a deep, shaky breath. "If it weren't for the other girls, maybe I'd be interested if we were to meet again. But right now, if you showed up in the snow outside my door, I'd kick you right back to the boat that brought your sorry arse to Antarctica."

  His eyes got that kicked puppy look that a dog gets when...Audra had never kicked a puppy, but she figured hurt and betrayal and big, wide eyes would feature in there somewhere.

  "But...I could fly there now. We can talk about this. I could take you home and...I want to spend the rest of my life with you. How about it? A fresh start with just you and me. I'll marry you if that's what you want. No other women ever again. I swear." That same beseeching look she'd surrendered to before. Never again.

  "Jay, you barely know me. Normal people don't marry strangers. Especially not strangers who've slept with a hundred other people in less than six months!"

  "Please, baby, give me time to book a flight and – "

  Audra's heart nearly broke at the pain in his voice, but somehow she mentally sticky-taped it back together and said, "No. I ship out in a couple of days. Even if you did fly here, I'd be gone, on my way back to Melbourne to finish my training. I told you before, if you want a girl to love you, you have to be more than a rock star. Go back to the hotel library and do some more research. You'll see what happens to guys who cheat. They don't get the girl, that's for sure." She sighed. "I'm sure she's out there, Jay – the right girl for you. But I'm not her. So good night...and good luck." Before he could say anything, she ended the call and slammed her laptop closed.

  Shelley whispered, "Was that really Jay Felix?"

  Audra nodded.

  "And you used to work for him?"

  Another nod.

  Shelley cleared her throat. "He's always had a reputation for...well, you know. But I've always wondered if it was true or just something the girls made up. What's he like in bed?" In alarm, she added, "I'm only asking in the name of scientific inquiry, of course. Happily married and stored in this fridge and all."

  Audra smiled faintly. "Unbelievable."

  Shelley inhaled sharply. "I knew it! Wait, in a good way or a bad way?"

  "Both."

  They both laughed, but Audra's heart wasn't in it any more.

  Shelley was sensitive enough to stop. "He seems really into you, despite all his obvious failings. Is there any chance you and him might...you know...reconnect? In some way?"

  Audra shook her head. "If he grew up a bit, and maybe turned into a good man instead of a spoiled, selfish arsehole...maybe. But I think hell will freeze over first." She glanced out the window and noticed snow flurrying past the glass, dancing in an evening breeze that she'd never grow tired of watching.

  Unseen by anyone, her tears for Jay dropped onto the windowsill. One, two, three, four...the beats of a song that only her heart knew.

  "Audra?" The deep voice belonged to Bruce. "I need your help."

  Audra wiped her eyes. It was silly to cry over a rock star. Especially if someone needed her. "Mmm?"

  "You
need to pack your things. The Aurora Australis is here early. There was an emergency at Heard Island, so they detoured to pick up a man who was injured. The doctor's on standby at Casey, but they want someone with medical training to travel with him. Seeing as you're shipping out anyway, you just got volunteered."

  No time for tears. Audra had a job to do.

  THREE

  Freezing water lapping at his legs dragged Jean out of the darkness. He was already waist deep and it was rising. Darkness didn't help him work out where he was, until he remembered the cushion plant trying to kill him.

  He reached under the surface, feeling far enough down his legs to determine that they were both broken. Bits bent in ways that they shouldn't be capable of being bent.

  Up was out, then, if he couldn't use his legs to climb to the top of the sinkhole. That meant he'd have to follow the lava tube to wherever it went. Wherever the water had come in. Quickly, too, because he already couldn't feel his legs. That's because of the water temperature, he told himself, willing his mind away from what else that could mean. More bones broken than just his legs. If his back was broken and he couldn't walk again, there were other bits of his anatomy that wouldn't work, either.

  Dairine. She'd never forgive him if he came back and it was his fault they couldn't have kids. He'd promised to give her children.

  If he didn't make it home safely, she'd kill him.

  No. He'd never broken a promise to her yet, and this wouldn't be the first.

  Jean fought to keep his breathing steady. No panicking. He had to get home to Dairine, which meant getting out of this hole.

  The camp wasn't far. He'd seen the penguins from the shore, damn it, on the far side of Atlas Cove. All he had to do was get to where the geologists could see him from camp. He was wearing a standard issue, fire-engine red jacket, for fuck's sake. They couldn't miss him.

  Now to get out of this hole.

  Jean closed his eyes, trying to trace the sound of the waves. He rolled over onto his belly, propping himself up with his arms so his head was above water. Like a seal. He snorted. He wished there was a seal in the cave with him, to show him the way out.