Bali Escape with the Single Dad, page 1
Bali Escape with the Single Dad
Rachel Armstrong
www.romance.com.au
Bali Escape with the Single Dad
Rachel Armstrong
From witnessing mountaintop sunrises to exploring the depths of the ocean, can Mia and Aiden discover their hearts’ true desires and form a family together?
Mia has arrived in Bali for a solo holiday — her tentative first steps into the world after her mother’s death. With an abundance of adventure at her fingertips, Mia is seeking courage to try new things while she chooses a new career path. She wants to do something meaningful and with purpose, and romance is far from her mind.
Single dad Aiden has been gifted a holiday — without his beloved daughter — to help him find joy again after his divorce. Alone in Bali, Aiden needs to remember how to have fun again so he can be a happy father. But haunted by the pain in his past, Aiden doesn’t plan to fall in love again.
When the two shy Australians meet on a sunrise volcano hike, they discover the value in a holiday friendship. But as Bali helps Mia face her fears and brings Aiden his forgotten happiness, the walls around their hearts begin to crumble.
About Rachel Armstrong
RACHEL ARMSTRONG has always loved making up stories and has never wanted to be anything but an author. She writes contemporary romantic fiction ranging from rural to suspense. Rachel enjoys creating epic feel-good stories and has a weakness for an adventurous holiday escape. Helping her characters find their happily-ever-after is her life’s joy.
Rachel lives in Townsville, Queensland, with her border collie, Jacob, where she helps people live their best lives as an exercise physiologist. In her spare time, she is either reading on her treadmill or plotting out her next novel while grooving at Zumba. Rachel’s a keen traveller and has enjoyed many holidays exploring historic London, flying through the Grand Canyon, and hiking volcanos in Bali.
Rachel enjoys connecting with readers and fellow writers through Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and on her website.
Acknowledgements
I had the best time writing Bali Escape with the Single Dad as not only did I love creating Mia, Aiden, and Ella, I also had the chance to relive my Bali holiday and share my experiences through my new characters’ eyes. Their holiday is exactly my holiday, though I wasn’t lucky enough to meet and fall in love with a gorgeous, loving vet like Mia. So, I’d like to thank everyone who made my holiday so memorable, including my Mount Batur driver, Eka, the Brazilian boys I hiked the volcano with, and the guide who dragged me up the gravelly slope to catch the sunrise.
Thank you to the five Singaporeans who lunched with me at Seawalker, and to the mahouts who cared for the beautiful elephants. Thank you, Pati, Fajar, and Melanie for your trunk hugs and for giving me the best day ever at your cool Ubud jungle home. Thank you to Marco and Triton for your dolphin kisses and stellar tricks, and thank you to the guides for convincing me to jump into a pool with stingrays. You all made my holiday an epic adventure that I will never forget, and I’m glad I could capture you all in Mia and Aiden’s story. But thank you most of all to Lolo, a friend who I did meet in Bali, for keeping me company and sharing some laughs, for helping me navigate the local culture, and for enjoying a fun day at Waterbom with me. Our backwards exit down the waterslide and tumble into the water made it into this book!
When I visited Bali in 2015, I never thought I’d capture the memories in a romance novel years later, so I thank myself for my meticulous journalling and photography, which allowed me to look back and share my experience so vividly. But I also couldn’t have completed this book without the help of my friends. Thank you, Deeanna West, for your insight on life as a vet and for creating Mia’s horses. I truly value our friendship. Thank you to my Townsville support crew and Jill Staunton for your ongoing support. Thank you to Romance Writers of Australia for being the best tribe of writers to lean on for advice and guidance. And thank you to the New Jersey Romance Writers for awarding Bali Escape with the Single Dad first place in the 2021 Put Your Heart in a Book contest!
As always, Mum and Ian, you are always there for me and I can’t thank you enough for your support and encouragement. I love you both so much and am so grateful to have you on this journey with me.
Thank you to everyone at Harlequin Australia and to Suzanne O’Sullivan for publishing Bali! You have made yet another dream of mine come true and I love working with you all. Thank you to my editor Brooke Halliwell for your work on polishing this story, to the design team for the beautiful cover, and everyone else who helped bring this story together.
Last but not least, thank you, dear reader, for reading this book and going on another emotional adventure with me. I hope you enjoyed your exciting holiday in Bali!
For Deeanna West
Because you are my friend
In Memory of Timmy Joe
As promised, you will live forever in my books
Contents
About Rachel Armstrong
Acknowledgements
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Epilogue
Chapter 1
Mia Jones sat in the open-aired resort lobby with her backpack clenched in her lap and her legs dancing an excited jig. It was two am and she should be tired, but she wasn’t. Adrenaline pumped through her veins. She could hardly believe she was in Bali, let alone about to hike a volcano!
No other soul occupied the beautiful lobby except for the concierge running the twenty-four-hour check-in counter. Mia glued her gaze to the entrance as she waited for her driver. There was no public transport in Bali, so all tours included hotel pickup. Mia had arrived on the Indonesian island at three am the previous night and after being the only person on her tour yesterday afternoon, she hoped she wasn’t about to spend another day alone. Not that she wasn’t content with her own company. She’d come to Bali by herself and had enjoyed her time exploring the Royal Temple of Mengwi, seeing playful monkeys at the Sacred Monkey Forest, and marvelling in the beautiful Sunset Temple at Tanah Lot.
But a girl could find herself too alone.
A Balinese man entered the lobby. Mia stood as he approached her and held out a sheet of paper.
‘Amelia Jones?’ he asked, pointing to where her name was printed on his list, above three others. Yay!
‘Yes, that’s me.’ She read his name badge—Eka.
‘Good. We wait here for the others.’
His gaze moved past her and Mia stepped aside as Eka extended his list again. She shrugged into her backpack and turned to see a man approaching them. A tall, dark haired, gorgeous man with the bluest eyes she’d ever seen.
‘You going to Mount Batur?’ Eka asked. ‘Your name?’
‘Yep. I’m Aiden,’ he said in an unmistakable Australian accent.
Mia’s heart both leapt and dropped at the same time. While her shyness might prevent her from talking much with her tour mates, she’d hoped to meet people from a country different to her own. Then again, Australia was massive and she’d only lived in one tiny dot on the map. Aiden could be from anywhere.
His gaze landed on hers and the corners of his mouth curved. ‘Morning.’
A blush crept into her cheeks and she had to stop herself from awkwardly shifting her feet. ‘Hi,’ she said, gripping the straps of her backpack.
Aiden turned as two young men strolled into the lobby. Eka checked off their names and while they greeted him in English, they chatted with each other in a foreign language as they all followed Eka out into the warm summer’s night and climbed into the minivan. Mia slipped into the first row while her Australian companion settled into the seat behind her. Eka drove away from the hotel and they began their two-hour drive to Mount Batur, located on the opposite side of Bali from their hotel in Kuta.
Mia pulled out her phone and opened a game, wanting to keep her mind occupied for the fear of falling asleep. Not that she was likely to with the excitement coursing through her veins. She was about to see a real volcano!
Mia had to stop herself from grinning like a loon. They didn’t have volcanos in Australia, but she’d always been fascinated by their ferocious beauty. This sunrise trek to the peak of Mount Batur had been the major drawcard for her choosing Bali as her first solo overseas adventure. Everyone back home always talked about Bali—the beaches and the cheap beer—but she’d never understood the appeal. She didn’t drink alcohol and she was terrified of the ocean. So when direct flights to Bali had been announced from a city near her home in North Queensland, she hadn’t been as fussed as her twenty-five-year-old peers. Until she’d taken a closer look and realised there was much more to Bali than everyone her age raved about.
Hiking volcanos, riding elephants, and the cheap spa treatments—that was more her style. So she’d treated herself to a pre-Christmas break.
Behind her, Aiden cleared his throat. Mia peeked up from her game to see him shuffling in his seat. His eyes were closed. At the back of the van, the other two men were still talking. Eka had the radio on low.
She glanced back at her phone and sighed as her heart clenched with pain she feared would never go away. This trip was her chance to have fun while she decided what to do with the rest of her life. Since high school, she’d be
Now though, Tabitha Jones was gone and Mia was emerging from her grief. It was time she achieved her own dreams. The first being to hike a volcano while considering the possibility of studying geology at university. It wasn’t just volcanos that fascinated her, but all of Mother Nature’s weapons. She’d experienced floods, droughts, and cyclones in North Queensland. She loved collecting rocks, fossils, and had marvelled at the displays in many natural history museums during her travels. Trekking around the world as a geologist had to be more fun than her current job at the bank, surely!
But while that fantasy filled her with hope, doubt still gripped her heart. The problem was, she didn’t know what she wanted to study. She wanted to go to university and pursue a career she was passionate about. She just wasn’t sure which of her passions was the right path.
But she had time. Right now, she had a week of adventure, fun, and self-discovery ahead of her. A week to try new things and be brave.
She swallowed a laugh. Yeah right. Be brave? When had she ever been brave in her life?
***
Aiden Knight had planned to sleep on the long drive to Mount Batur, except the gorgeous blonde sitting in front of him proved to be an unnerving distraction. Almost an hour had passed and he’d barely been able to take his eyes off her, let alone sleep. But he continued to try because he wasn’t interested in talking to anyone. He wasn’t interested in anything, which said a lot about his current state-of-mind. It was none too pleasant.
Sighing, he wriggled in his seat. Not long ago, he’d had everything he’d wanted. Then he’d lost it. Now, he was a divorced single dad who’d been forced into a holiday—without his daughter—in order to find himself again.
Settling his head against the cool window, Aiden stared out into the darkness. Ten nights in Bali was supposed to give him the chance to experience adventure and love life again. He didn’t blame his parents for the idea. Their hearts were in the right place and their gift had been kind, but he still wished they would have let him bring Ella. He ached for missing her as they’d never been apart for more than a night.
But rather than think about his daughter and the pain inside him, he turned his gaze back to the young blonde woman. She sat askew in her seat, giving him a good view of her profile. She sure was pretty with delicate features and soft flowing hair in a ponytail. When she’d said ‘hi’ in the lobby, there’d been no mistaking her Australian accent. Aiden wasn’t surprised, as Aussies frequently visited Bali, but she looked quite young to be travelling on her own. She couldn’t be much more than twenty. Where were her friends?
He swallowed a laugh. Where were his?
She glanced up and her gaze met his. Aiden’s heart leapt. Caught watching her, he couldn’t pretend to be sleeping. She smiled softly and instinct had him returning the gesture.
‘Hey,’ she whispered.
‘Hello.’
She paused, pressing her full pink lips together. Her eyes clouded and he received the impression that she was as introverted as he. Aiden hadn’t planned to meet people while in Bali. He preferred his solitude. But part of him wanted to talk to this girl, so he said the first thing that came to mind. ‘You’re from Australia?’
‘Yeah. A little town in North Queensland. What about you?’
He smiled at how she’d brushed over the name of her town as though he wouldn’t know it. ‘I’m a North Queenslander too. Grew up in Cairns, but upgraded to Townsville for uni. I’m still there.’
Her eyes widened and she turned in her seat, her smile broadening. ‘Really? I’m from Charters Towers!’
A laugh bubbled inside his chest, but he didn’t release it. Charters Towers was located an hour and a half west of Townsville. ‘Wow. They say it’s a small world.’
‘Yeah, they do.’ She extended her hand. ‘I’m Mia.’
He took her hand, ignoring the tingle of heat that scorched his palm. ‘Aiden. Nice to meet you.’
He dropped his hand and sat straighter in his seat. He doubted he’d sleep now, not when he had Mia to talk to, which was weird as he didn’t like talking to strangers. ‘What brings you to Bali, Mia?’
‘Honestly? The fact Townsville started direct flights.’
He raised his eyebrows. ‘Really?’
‘Yep. I’ve never understood the appeal of Bali because I hear a lot of stories about people coming for the nightlife. But I don’t like clubbing and I don’t drink alcohol.’
He nodded, understanding that. ‘Fair enough.’
‘But then I did a bit of research, saw beautiful pictures of temples and how cheap the spas were. I went to the monkey forest yesterday and will be going to the elephant sanctuary while I’m here too. I’ve never seen an elephant, so I’m keen for that.’
Aiden nodded. He wouldn’t mind seeing elephants himself.
‘But this,’ she continued, ‘was my major drawcard.’
‘This? Mount Batur?’
‘Yep. I love volcanos.’
Aiden laughed. ‘Really?’
She nodded, her enthusiasm palpable. ‘Yep. I’ve been fascinated with them ever since I was a little girl. I’ve always wanted to visit Pompeii and maybe Hawaii to see Kilauea in action. One of my greatest disappointments was not seeing Mount Fuji on a school trip to Japan.’
He blinked. ‘You didn’t see Mount Fuji?’
She shook her head, her lip curling. ‘Nope. Apparently, it wasn’t important enough. The trip was still fun though and I’m sure one of the many mountains we passed was a volcano. Japan has so many, so the odds are good. But I wouldn’t know for sure.’
Aiden couldn’t get past why anyone would go to Japan and not see Mount Fuji. It was Japan’s national icon and located just outside Tokyo. It wasn’t like going to Australia and not seeing Uluru, which was isolated in the central outback and thousands of kilometres from any major city.
‘I guess. Although, that does suck about Fuji. Did you know you can climb it too?’
She nodded. ‘It is so on my bucket list.’
Aiden thought he might put it on his too. Not that he had a bucket list, but he liked adventure, the great outdoors, and hiking. That’s why he’d signed up for this tour despite its ungodly hour. It’s also why he got on well with his former brother-in-law, who was a more serious hiker. John had climbed Mount Fuji and said it’d been an amazing experience, but Aiden doubted he’d ever do it himself. Not until Ella was old enough to go with him.
‘So, this isn’t your first trip overseas then?’
She shook her head. ‘I don’t think I’d have had the courage to come here by myself if it was. That trip to Japan was ten years ago now.’ Aiden blinked. She must be older than she looked. ‘And while I’d love to go back, I’ve been to New Zealand and the US twice since then. New York, and then the west coast.’
‘New York?’ Now that was a place he wanted to visit for one very specific reason. ‘That would’ve been fun.’
‘Oh, it was. It was on my mum’s bucket list. She wanted to see the Grand Canyon, so we went to L.A. and Vegas. But she always dreamed of soaking up Broadway—’
Aiden’s heart leapt. He straightened in his seat. ‘Broadway!’
Mia’s eyes lit up like he imagined those Broadway signs did. ‘Mum loved musicals.’
His hand flew to his chest. ‘I love musicals.’
Mia laughed. ‘They’re fantastic, aren’t they?’
‘Hell yeah. I’d kill to spend a week or so seeing everything on Broadway. Or West End. I’ve just never gotten there since going to university and starting work and then…’ He stopped himself before he mentioned his disastrous marriage. ‘Life got in the way of my dreams, I suppose. I’ve only managed to see shows when they come to Australia.’ He and his ex-wife had seen many considering it’d been a love they’d shared. ‘What did you see on Broadway?’
‘Everything!’
And Aiden lived vicariously as Mia told him all about her trip to New York City. She really had seen everything—new shows in short seasons as well as the long-running masterpieces. A tiny bit of envy shivered though him, but the good kind as he couldn’t believe he was talking to a woman about musicals at three am somewhere in rural Bali of all places.
