Page 33 of The Dairy Farmer's Daughter

She placed her warm hand over his and pressed against it, her eyes closed. "This doesn't have to be the end …"

He wanted to believe her. Maybe he would have if only she'd looked him in the eye when she said it.

He knew he should drop his hand, walk away, and leave her to get on with her life. But he was caught, held by a need he wished didn’t exist. "I'm sorry. I really am."

She let go of his hand and took two swaying steps backwards. "So am I."

And with those simple words, his heart broke.

CHAPTER 12

Freya spent the night tossing and turning. Her head churned with thoughts of deceit and betrayal. But the more she thought about it, the more she came to see Justin’s point of view.

As much as she didn't want another housing development taking over the precious farmland still had left in town, she could see that the responsibility of owning a farm was not something Justin wanted. And leasing it out certainly wouldn’t make the same amount of money as a sale.

Freya was nothing if not determined though, so she spent the cold, early hours of the morning staring up at the ceiling, formulating a plan.

If Justin was going to sell, she was going to make him see exactly what he would be giving up, and how it would affect the town she loved.

After the morning milking, she ran to her car, threw her things into the back, and drove as fast as she could over to Justin's farm. If he had already left, then there would be no chance for her plan to work.

She let out a loud sigh as she drove over the rise and saw his car parked in front of the house. She pulled up beside it and climbed out of her car.

Leaves and grass, still wet from the early morning fog, glistened in the sparse sunlight. A huge cobweb adorning a bush sparkled, as if made from silver thread, and a kookaburra burst into his signature laugh from a tree close by.

Finding the door open, she let herself in, calling out a hello when she didn't see him.

"Freya?" Justin appeared from the hallway door wearing only a towel haphazardly wrapped around his hips. His chest and abdomen gleamed with water, and his hair was still damp.

Heat rose through her body as she drank him in—his dark silky hair, the line of his jaw with a five o'clock shadow, and the natural curve of his sensual lips. Lips that had loved her only yesterday.

"Sorry, I shouldn't have barged in." She half turned, unsure what to do.

He moved towards her and touched her arm. "Are you okay? What are you doing here?"

She met his eyes. "I'm sorry about yesterday, I was so rude." She swallowed. "I get it now. Farming doesn't mean the same to you as it does to me, and that's okay."

His lips curled in a smile as he stepped closer. She became acutely aware of his closeness, his size, his smell, and most of all, his understanding.

"I was so scared. I thought I'd lost you." He reached out and stroked her hair.

She let her eyes close briefly at his touch. "I don't want you to go." Opening her eyes, she let herself get swallowed up in the depths of his eyes. "I'd like to show you why your farm is so important to the community, and to me. Then if you still want to sell, that's your decision."

His hand stilled, and his body tensed. "Then what? If I decide to sell, that's it for us?"

She put her hands on his bare chest. "No, it doesn't have to be. I mean, I'll respect whatever decision you make."

"I have to go back to Brisbane. I have work and an apartment." He raked a hand through his damp hair.

“Please, can you just stay for a week? That's all I ask."

He took her hands in his, meeting her eyes with a look that was so full of hope and determination, it took her breath away. "It's a good thing I own my own business. I'll need to check in with work, but I'll give you a week. At least some of that time needs to be spent working though."

Her voice brightened, and she knew she would have accommodated anything he asked. "We can find time to work. All we need are our laptops and Wi-Fi."

She ran her hands up and around his neck, revelling in the feeling. Then she kissed him. It was a soft, gentle kiss. It started slowly and built with heat and desire. She felt his hands move across her back and down her spine, until they were cupping her bottom. The towel between them dropped and his uncovered manhood pressed against her.

He pulled back and gave her a smouldering look that was so intense, she practically melted right there and then.

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