Page 6 of The Dairy Farmer's Daughter

"Nana gave me chocolate cake," he exclaimed and licked his lips. His mouth was smeared with chocolate, and Freya reached into her pocket and pulled out a handkerchief and started wiping it away.

Justin's heart sank. The child's resemblance to Freya was unmistakable and she had a tender, delicate way with him.

The boy looked up at Justin curiously. "Who are you?"

Freya bounced him on her knee. "This is Justin. He's Boyd's son."

"Sorry your dad died," the boy said before sliding off Freya's lap and giving Justin a quick hug. "He was nice."

Justin patted the boy's back, overcome by the affectionate gesture. "Thank you. What's your name?"

"Finn. I'm in grade one," he said, very seriously.

"Really? What's your favourite subject?"

Finn furrowed his brow and paused, deep in thought. "Lunch."

Freya laughed and pulled him over, so she could snuggle into the boy's neck. He giggled and squirmed before breaking free and running back around the house.

"Finn is my cousin’s son. His dad owns the local butchery."

Justin couldn't help the relief that swept through him. "So, he's not yours?"

She shook her head and smiled. "No. I'm so single I still live at home with my sister and parents."

His heart did a somersault and his adolescent crush took on a new level.

"You should come for dinner tonight. Mum's already cleared out Boyd's fridge."

"Thanks, but I'm going back to Brisbane after my appointment with the lawyer."

"How are you going to find time to go to the farm as well?"

"I'll organise someone to clean out Boyd's things. I don't plan on keeping the property."

Freya's face fell. "But you only just got here. You have to at least see the farm before you leave. It's where you were born." She turned pleading eyes on him. "Please, stay tonight and come to dinner."

He liked the way she didn't ask a lot of questions. She never referred to Boyd as his father either. It was a simple thing, but he appreciated it.

He gave a sigh of surrender. She made him feel warm and wanted with her interest and he hated to disappoint her. "Fine, okay. One night."

Her whole face lit up with her smile. "You won't regret it. Greer is a chef, and her pasta is amazing."

The delight on her face made his insides tumble, and he wondered if this was such a good idea. His life was in Brisbane. He didn't need any ties to Maleny. Not his father's property and certainly not this farm girl.

Even if she had managed to turn one of the worst days of his life into one of the best.

CHAPTER 3

Justin closed the file of paperwork in front of him and leaned back resolutely in his chair.

"So as you can see," the lawyer, Stephen Webster, said with a sombre expression, "the farm has potential. Boyd never wasted money and he always sought good advice. You are the only beneficiary, so the question now is will you keep it or get rid of it?"

In Justin's mind there was no choice. He didn't want to be a dairy farmer; he wouldn't know where to start. Maleny seemed a nice enough town to visit, maybe spend a long weekend, but he enjoyed the bustle of the city, the fine dining and plentiful entertainment. And his family was there. His mother, stepdad, brother and sister. "How quickly can we get it on the market?"

Boyd's lawyer was a plump man, nearing retirement age. He ran his hand over his bald freckled head. "I've already done some asking around and to be honest there's not much interest in a working dairy farm these days. Not when the price of milk is so low and the major supermarkets are keeping up this price war. Boyd had a good thing going with Emerald Hills. All his milk went to them." Stephen scratched his chin. "There are enoughemployees to keep it going as it is. I know the manager is a good man—you can trust him. Or there is the option to lease it out."

"Lease it out?" Justin leaned forward. "Do you mean the land?"

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