Loving Grumpy Tom

When a city doctor returns to her small town, she finds her first love has become a possessive alpha who’s spent sixteen years ensuring their second chance would burn twice as hot as the first – and this time, he’s not letting her run.

👉🏻 This is a short story, a 1–2 hour read.

Lisa Powell thought she’d left Albury Creek behind sixteen years ago, trading small-town life for the bright lights of a medical career in the city. But when her grandmother’s accident brings her back, she finds more than just jacaranda-lined streets waiting for her. Tom Mitchell, owner of the Creekside Pub and the boy she left behind, hasn’t moved on – and neither has her heart.

But how can she face the man whose heart she broke, especially when he still looks at her like she’s his whole world?

Between morning coffees, small-town gossip, and the weight of sixteen years’ worth of unspoken words, Lisa and Tom must decide if some loves are worth a second chance.

A story about love, forgiveness, and finding your place in the world – even if it’s right where you left it. It can be read as a standalone or as part of the Albury Creek series.