Vintage romance author Dorothy Cork’s hero Skye Bannerman came before titular hero Red Diamond and Sin Watermount of Breakers on the Beach, both of whom we have already visited. Skye owns an outback sheep station called Jounima, hence the title, The Red Plains of Jounima, and is described by the heroine as “exasperating.” Actually, he is sexy, impatient but enchanted by her giddiness, and solicitous of his younger brother to the point of creating a deception to divert a predatory actress who will lead the brother down a destructive path.
The heroine Pippa Shaw is a bit bubbleheaded but in an appealing way. She is excellent with young children, and her favorite phrase is, “Oh frabjous day.” Rushing outback to fulfill a party invitation she spontaneously accepted from people met casually at a fun fair, she doesn’t have a clue that her destination is a sheep station in the middle of nowhere. Of course there is no party and the ones who invited her don’t turn up either– only the formidable Skye Bannerman.
The love story is sensuous and warming, and another enjoyable aspect of The Red Plains of Jounima is a precocious but neglected little girl named Annabelle, who causes all manner of mischief with a runaway pony in the haunted locale of Redrock Gorge. Cork’s ability to stir emotion in the reader amazes me as I enjoy her novels over and over through the years.
Sounds like another good read, Flossie. I can see why you like this author!
I have most of her romance books. She later went on to publish short stories and poetry.