Page 35 of The Dairy Farmer's Daughter

Her voice, combined with the view of these ancient rock mountains, lulled him into a strange, mystified state.

"Captain James Cook named them 'Glasshouse Mountains' in the 1700s because they reminded him of the glass furnaces in Yorkshire."

He forced his attention back to Freya, whose gaze seemed hazy, as though she too was caught up in their enchantment. She looked so lovely like that, so at one with her surroundings and the magical qualities they had. Or maybe it was Freya who was magical and projected it onto her surroundings. He was about to comment on it when a waiter came over to take their order.

Flustered, Justin grabbed the menu and quickly scoured it. There were plenty of gluten-free, paleo, vegan, and free-range options, but he settled on the good old cheeseburger with chips and an aioli dipping sauce.

"Are you sure you don't want to swap the aioli for tomato sauce?" Freya grinned at him, before ordering herself a caesar salad.

"No, I'll take a chance on the aioli." He reached for her hands and held them in his. She rubbed her thumb across his sensitive palm, and he felt his body relax.

"Tell me about your life in Brisbane. What's it like?"

He thought of his daily routine in the bustling city, crowds of people everywhere, the pollution and garbage. "It's a whole different world from this."

"I could never live somewhere I couldn't see the stars at night."

"But don't you want to go shopping, or to a nightclub sometimes?"

She grinned. “Of course, and I do. It's only a ninety-minute drive away; we're not in the middle of the outback, after all.”

“It kind of feels like it.”

“It’s great, isn't it? We're tucked away up here in our own little oasis. Sure, we have a thriving tourism industry, which"—she put her hand on her heart—"pays my bills, and I love it to pieces. But when the tourists go home and the weather cools down, it's just us locals left. We are the people who look after the land and nurture it for the next generation."

"Would you ever live anywhere else?"

She shrugged. "Maybe, but this will always be my home. My heart is here; so is my family. I want to raise my children here, on a farm with animals and wide open spaces." She looked at him wistfully, and he wished he had a fraction of her certainty about life.

"What do you want?" she asked in a lowered voice, so quiet he almost didn't hear her.

He squeezed her hand. He was only sure of one thing right now. "You."

CHAPTER 13

After a delicious meal, the pair drove back into town and parked on the main street. Freya took Justin’s hand and enjoyed the shiver of sensation that ran up her spine at his touch. She knew the main street of Maleny like the back of her hand. The store owners were friends, and she could always count on them for a quick chat or to lend a helping hand.

They crossed the road to Tesch Park, where the children’s playground was the centre of attention. Pre-schoolers played happily while their mums watched on, sipping coffee. But it was the library, still the heart of the community, that she wanted to show him, so they walked past the children and entered the old building.

"The library? Really?"

"Don't you like books?"

"I adore books, but I don't have a membership."

"Libraries are about more than just books." She gestured to the wall where large photographs of Maleny's history were on display. He stepped forward and studied them and she watched him, hoping he would feel the connection to the land, and to the history, like she did—like his father had.

"The butter factory? Butter used to be made here?"

"Yep, the building is still here. It's a vet surgery now." She led him past the stacks of books, and past the people sitting quietly reading at the tables, towards the back of the room where huge windows overlooked the river. Beautiful old trees lined the far side, and bushes helped to frame their view.

"This is the Obi Obi River. The pioneers had to build bridges to get over it. It's not very high now, because we haven't had a lot of rain, but when it does pour the river can be very dangerous."

He nodded at her and seemed to be taking in everything she said.

She led him outside and around the building, where a low pathway wound under the main road, right along the riverbank.

"There are platypuses in the river. If you come here at dusk, or very early morning, you can see them."

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