Welcome to Teaser Tuesday, the series where you get sneak peeks at new and past releases, and works-in-progress from me and my writing buddies.

Today I’m chuffed to host on the blog two-time romantic book of the year (Ruby) finalist Juanita Kees. You may remember Juanita from her previous visit, when we had a lovely excerpt from her Ruby finalist rural romance Home to Bindarra Creek.

Today, Juanita is back with her new release Secrets at Wongan Creek. If you follow the amazon charts, this book has been whupping some serious butt lately. And no wonder. Readers fell in love with the first of the Wongan Creek Stories with Whispers at Wongan Creek and can’t wait for more. And SECRETS! Gotta love a book with secrets.

If you’re a fan of rural romance – and who isn’t? – then these books are for you. Here’s Juanita to tell you more.

Hi Cathryn 😊, thanks for having me on Teaser Tuesday. Hello readers.

Today I’d like to introduce you to two very special characters, Harley and Tameka. Oh, and Loki, the Catahoula Leopard Dog, who launched his way into the story unexpectedly, and became a hero in his own right.

When I started writing this book, I knew exactly who my hero would be, but the heroine remained a bit of a mystery until she was ready to tell her story. Soon it became clear that still waters really do run deep in Wongan Creek.

Tameka is a young woman struggling to hold onto her heritage while she battles archaic farming methods and a father who rules with an iron fist. Torn from Harley’s arms following a clash between their families, she’s had to learn to love him from afar. For his safety and her own.

When spray drift from Tameka’s herbicides ruins his crop, Harley has no choice but to confront the woman he’s loved his whole life and can’t have. She’s unreachable, distant, withdrawn … until an unexpected chain of events throws everything she’s ever known into question: her past, her family, her life. She and Harley have one small chance to seize happiness … if they are able to rise from the ashes and claim it.

Secrets at Wongan Creek follows on from Whispers at Wongan Creek, but can be read as a standalone story.

Harley pushed through the open gate in the fence between their farms. A pang of regret nudged Tameka’s heart. She missed the days when he’d come through that gate for reasons that didn’t cause a scowl on his face. When they’d been on speaking terms—on kissing terms—except on Derby Day. Back in the years when the competition between her and Harley had been about who could climb the highest in the old gum tree down by the creek or who could sow a row faster.

The only purpose the gate served these days was when Loki nosed it open to chase the birds out of the trees around the dam, or like today, kill and bury his rope for resurrection later.

‘I’ll come down and weld that bloody gate shut.’ He stopped with his boots inches from hers, and she could smell the remnants of his shower soap and toothpaste as he called, ‘Loki, heel!’

Loki obeyed, his ice-blue gaze full of apology as he leant against Harley’s leg and begged for an ear scratch.

A pang of regret filled her heart at the way Harley stood so close, his body heat warming her personal space. There’d been a time when she could reach out and tug at his beanie or steal his scarf. Or lean up against him and kiss the spots of colour the cold morning put in his cheeks.

‘Might be best.’ She raised her eyes from his mouth to his face and caught the grim expression there, her heart sinking at the annoyance in his eyes. ‘Who stole your sunshine and rainbows this morning? I’m the one with the churned-up field.’

He whipped off his beanie, shoved it in his jacket pocket and blew out a warm, angry breath that tickled her face.

‘That’d be you, Tameka.’ He reached inside his puffer jacket, his arm brushing across her chest, and pulled out a cutting with wilted leaves. ‘Looks like we’re even over Loki’s mess because your infernal preference for phenoxies has destroyed almost my entire crop on this side of the fence line.’

Wasn’t that fab? A must-read and with lovely dogs! Grab your copy of Secrets at Wongan Creek today from:

amazon.com | amazon.com.au | amazon.co.uk

Kobo | iBooks | Google Play | Nook

If you’d like to learn more about Juanita and her gorgeous books, please visit her website. You can also connect via Facebook and Twitter using @JuanitaKees