Black Diamonds Read Online Free

front of him?
    Don’t think about him anymore , she instructed herself. Get to work.
    There was a hitch to that. Jackie rested her elbows on the wooden tasting bar and stared at the front door, as if through sheer willpower she could conjure up some more customers to come through. Sundays were usually the busiest day at Paradise Truffle Farm, but today, it had been slow. Too slow. She’d insisted that Mia, who usually made the lunches and snacks, should go home early.
    What would she do if a huge, famous French truffle farm opened up nearby? They’d drive her out of business, fast.
    “ There’s a problem down here in the south west, from what I can gather. It all started too small …” An unmistakeable French voice reverberated in her ears.
    With determination she clenched her hands. She’d find a way to make Paradise Truffles stand out. Even if the Antoine Estate became the biggest truffiere in Australia, she’d give her new neighbour a run for his money.
    It wasn’t going to be easy. With a gusty sigh she wandered over to the switches by the front door and turned off the ceiling fans swirling gently above her. The day had begun to lose its scorching heat, and her dress was cool, a white pinafore cut like an apron, with a wide bib-like square front and thick straps crossed over her bare back, fastened with deep purple buttons. She could do without the fans for a while. The way her finances looked, she might have to do without a few other things in future as well. She’d been shocked when she’d studied the accounts; finances certainly hadn’t been her pa’s strong point. He’d always said he could handle it, though now she wasn’t sure. But she wouldn’t panic, not yet, not until she’d had a full report from Paradise Truffle Farm’s accountant, who’d promised her it wouldn’t be too much longer. Meanwhile, no news was good news.
    The telephone jangled, breaking into her thoughts.
    “Paradise Truffle Farm.”
    “ Bonjour .”
    Her mouth went dry. Bonjour ? Surely it wasn’t …
    “This is Xavier Antoine.”
    She swallowed hard. “Hello. It’s Jackie Riley speaking.”
    “ Bon . I was just checking you were there. I have some guests I’d like to bring around to you for a tasting and a tour of your farm.”
    “Some guests?”
    “ Oui . I will bring them now.”
    “But—”
    All she heard was a click. Infuriated, she took the phone from her ear and held it out in front of her. He hadn’t asked her if she was busy, told her who his guests were, or checked if she wanted to meet them. Even more infuriating was the way that once she’d hung up the phone, she found herself looking down at her pinafore, wondering if she should change her dress.
    No. She wasn’t going to change her clothes because Xavier Antoine, heir to an international truffle fortune, was paying a visit. Yet she couldn’t help checking her reflection in the mirror by the door and dabbing on some more lip gloss. As usual, she’d chewed off what she’d put on earlier. That was the only reason she was adding more cherry flavour to her lips. She snapped the lid shut.
    Back at the tasting bar, she lined up the truffle oils, salts, mustards, vinegars and pesto into their neat rows. They had no fresh truffles in January; of course, they wouldn’t be dug from the ground until June and July, in the Australian winter time. Even so, she experienced a familiar sense of pride as she looked at the bottles and jars on the counter. Their truffle products range wasn’t large, but she had always loved setting them out, with their simple brown and white labels. Arranging them had always been her special job with her father, yet even this task wasn’t helping to keep her mind from the forthcoming arrival of Xavier Antoine.
    With a tea towel she began to polish the bench top. She’d never met a man who could raise so many different emotions in her so fast. Their brief meeting had been like a roller coaster ride. Those wild emotions hadn’t