Page 34 of The Dairy Farmer's Daughter

“Bloody hell.” His voice was thick with lust. “You should come with a warning.”

Freya felt a glow of pride.

After working up a sweat in the bedroom, Justin and Freya showered, dressed, and set up their laptops at the dining room table. Freya had had the foresight to pack hers before comingover. This was just another sign of how well she already knew him.

Justin watched her over the screen of his laptop. He loved looking at Freya, with her smooth, sun-kissed skin and thick blonde hair. He felt so lucky that she had chosen him to spend her time with. He didn't know what he had done to deserve it, but he was oh, so thankful.

She smiled, her eyes soft and lovely.

His heart flipped over.Shit. He needed to pull himself together. The sooner he finished his work, the sooner he could taste those sweet lips again.

For hours they banged away on their computers, every now and then sharing something of interest—a Facebook comment, or picture on Instagram. Finally, he leaned back in his chair and stretched his arms. The sun was shining, covering the pastures with its golden warmth.

"I think we deserve a break." Freya closed her laptop. "How about lunch and some sightseeing?"

He shot her a cheeky grin. "I'm all yours."

She pushed her chair back and came around to wrap her arms around him from behind. Her arms draped around his chest, her cheek against his. She smelt so good, felt so good, and with a single touch, she made him turn to mush.

It wasn’t fair that a woman could have this much pull on a man.

He pulled her onto his lap and kissed his way across her cheek to her ear where he nibbled at her lobe, before leaving it to kiss a trail down her neck. She felt too good in his arms, her curves moulding against him as she pressed closer and moaned against his mouth. That sound was his undoing.

When they finally left the house in search of food, Justin found himself seeing the world in a whole new light. The cows were grazing contentedly and chewing their cud, enjoying thefull sun after the cool night. It was peaceful and quiet. A perfect country setting.

Freya drove them out of town. Instead of heading to the main street, like he was expecting, she turned down Mountain View Road. The street was lined with a mix of old and new houses, many architecturally designed, with neatly pruned formal gardens. The houses on the left were built on downward-sloping blocks, and behind them he saw their magnificent view of the mountains and hills below.

Freya slowed and flicked the indicator before turning, taking them past a sign welcoming them to the Mary Cairncross Scenic Reserve. After parking the car, Freya took his hand, and they walked towards a very modern building which housed a café and other rooms.

"What is this place?" he asked, turning to take in the surrounding rainforest, playground, and wide open space where children kicked balls and cartwheeled on the soft grass.

"In the 1940s, three sisters gave this land to the council under the condition that the rainforest be preserved and never sold for residential or commercial purposes." She waved toward a sign directing them to a rainforest discovery centre. "This was redeveloped in the last few years. After we have a look, there's a beautiful trail we can walk."

He pulled her towards him with a gentle tug. "I thought we were getting lunch."

She pressed a kiss against his lips. "After our sightseeing. We have to work up an appetite."

"We already did." He ran his hands up and down her arms. "Twice."

"Trust me. You don't want to miss this." She took a step and waited for him to follow her.

They walked through the open doors of the Rainforest Discovery Centre, and Justin paused to take in the state-of-the-art interactive displays and exhibits, while Freya dropped coins into a donation box.

She showed him how cabinet drawers in the display opened, and peepholes revealed secrets of the bush. There was even an interactive movie which showed a rainforest setting in different weather conditions. As they sat watching a holograph of a wallaby grazing, he couldn't help but chuckle.

"What's so funny?" she asked.

"Is this your idea of a movie and a meal?"

She smiled and kissed him. "Welcome to Maleny."

Freya held onto his hand as they strolled through the bushwalk. She pointed out birds she heard and saw, including whipbirds, parrots, and the one bright yellow and black regent bowerbird.

When they returned to the café, his stomach was grumbling, and he happily sank into a chair at an outside table with a stunning view of the Glasshouse Mountains.

“Since you’re playing tour guide, tell me about the mountains," he said, grandly waving his hand towards the hills that rose abruptly from the otherwise flat terrain.

Freya had an encyclopaedic knowledge of the town's history, locals, and nature. She smiled at him and cleared her throat. "The highest hill is Mount Beerwah, but that funny-looking one"—she pointed in the direction of a rocky hill with a long, vertical spire-shaped peak—"that’s Mount Tibrogargan. They’re not actually hills, but remnants of volcanic activity that happened millions of years ago.”

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