Page 31 of The Dairy Farmer's Daughter

She wanted to keep her budding new relationship with Justin private—for a little while longer at least. She wanted to revel in their love bubble as long as she could without having to think about what might happen tomorrow.

The café was bustling with the breakfast crowd. Tourists often came up for a hearty meal of bacon and eggs or pancakes before touring the working dairy farm.

The guides were as entertaining as they were informative, and guests were often so happy by the end of the tour that they’d stop by the shop and fill a cooler bag or two of Emerald Hills produce. They’d buy milk, yogurt and cheese to take away with them, and share the stories and experiences they’d enjoyed with their family and friends.

Freya made her way to her office, a small little room near the kitchen, where she shut the door and opened her laptop. She had advertising campaigns to review, videos to edit, and mediareleases to send off. All the jobs she should get done, instead of daydreaming about Justin and their incredible lovemaking.

She was roused two hours later by a rapping on the door and looked up as Greer walked in with a steaming cup of coffee.

"Good morning." Greer gave her a wink and handed her the cup, which Freya sipped gratefully.

"Thank you. I really needed a caffeine hit."

Greer sank into the couch opposite. "Late night?" She quirked an eyebrow at her sister.

Freya peeked at her from behind the cup while trying to hide her smile.

"That good, huh?"

Freya nodded. The idea of spending every night in Justin’s bed—sharing life’s delights and challenges—took root.

"I'm so jealous. I miss being in love." Greer's voice was lined with despair. She hid it well, but Freya knew her sister better than anyone. "So, when are you going to see him again?"

"We're meeting for lunch."

"Overnight visits, then a lunch date? It’s getting serious."

"Hopefully." Freya's phone pinged beside her and she smiled when she saw Justin's name on the screen.

Her expression fell, and her stomach clenched, as she read his message.

"Is that him? What's wrong?" Greer asked.

"He has to cancel lunch. Apparently, he's got a meeting with his lawyer."

"Maybe they're working on the lease agreement. I know how keen Dad is to take it on."

Freya hoped that was the reason. It would be great for Emerald Hills to run Boyd's farm—hell, it would be great for Maleny. Keeping farms in the community meant keeping local jobs and opportunities. Plus, Justin would still have a link to them—a reason to visit and check in on things.

But her gut told her it was something else. “I have a bad feeling.”

“I’m sure it will be okay.” Her sister walked around the desk and hugged her. “He’ll probably call you later with good news.”

Freya smiled at her, hoping she was right.

Greer headed back to the kitchen to prepare for the lunch rush, and Freya tried to concentrate on her work. The potential for disappointment and the niggling sensation that something was wrong kept her preoccupied.

What if he was having second thoughts? Or regretted their night together?

What if he was one of those guys who lost interest in a girl after sleeping with them?

She didn't think he was that kind of man. Nothing he had said or done had made her think he was anything less than honourable. Normally she was a good judge of character and could tell if a person was being honest or not.

She had always had such a good feeling about Justin.

Why did he suddenly need to meet with his lawyer? Especially when he had been so eager to be with her that morning? Surely the leasing paperwork could wait.

What could possibly have changed?

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