The Dairy Farmer’s Daughter (Heart of the Hinterland #1)

Chapter 6

CHAPTER 6

J ustin chose the nicest dress shirt he could find in his father’s wardrobe and paired it with the least-faded jeans from the dresser. By the time he was ready to leave, he was twitching to see Freya again.

He couldn't stop thinking about her, the way she looked in the sunlight, her hands slid into her back pockets. How it made her breasts thrust against the thin fabric of her shirt and show the ridges of her lacy bra. The huskiness of her voice, the lowering of her eyes.

The Bunya Bar sat proudly on a rise overlooking the town. The double-storey Queenslander had a large balcony decorated with a variety of green hanging plants.

He followed the sound of music and laughter to the bar where men dressed in high-vis shirts were nursing beers and chatting with their mates. Families and groups sat at tables in the adjoining dining room. He continued exploring the maze of rooms until he spotted Nina at an outside bar, ordering drinks.

"Justin, you made it. I'm so glad." She embraced him warmly. It was a mother’s hug and reminded him of his own.

"I heard the parmy here was the best in Australia."

"It sure is, and the company's not too bad either. Now, what will you have?" She gestured to the bartender standing at the beer taps.

Justin ordered a locally brewed beer he had never heard of and chatted with Nina while they waited for their drinks.

"Freya said she took you to the factory today."

"Yes, those cheeses are amazing. Do you sell them anywhere in Brisbane?"

She grinned a smile so similar to her daughter's. "No, only on the Sunshine Coast at the moment, although Freya has big plans for Emerald Hills. She wants world domination."

"I bet."

She had the attitude and drive to achieve anything she set her mind to. It was one of the things he liked most about her.

Drinks in hand, he followed Nina to a large table outside surrounded by lush green bushes adorned with fairy lights.

He heard Freya laughing before he saw her, and when their eyes met, it was like everyone else melted into the background leaving just them together.

She waved him over, then stood and hugged him, kissing his cheek, igniting his skin in her wake. "I saved you a seat, just like I promised," she said, moving down the bench seat so he could sit next to her.

They sat close to each other, their arms and thighs touching. He took a gulp of beer, hoping it would numb his reaction to her. He was pleasantly surprised by the lager's fruity taste.

Nina raised her arms and demanded quiet as she introduced Justin to the table full of family and friends. Names were exchanged, and hands shaken, but it was hard to take it in with his brain full of Freya's scent and touch.

The man sitting on his left caught his attention and introduced himself as Shane. Justin shook his ring-adorned hand and tried not to stare at his long, dreadlocked beard which matched his long, dreadlocked hair.

"Are you enjoying Maleny?"

Justin nodded. "More than I expected. It's a great place."

"It is." Shane tipped his beer in Freya's direction. "And she's a great girl, so you better treat her right." Shane's voice broke into a chuckle ,and he slapped Justin on the back.

He could feel Freya's body heat drawing him in. His mouth went dry. When he looked over, she caught his glance, holding it with those amazing brown eyes of hers. The corners of her mouth curved just a little, causing thrilling tingles to course through his body.

Over deep conversations, they all ordered and ate their way through hearty servings of chicken parmigianas, salads, and hot, salty fries. By the time he was finished, Justin's stomach was full, and his sides were sore from laughter.

"How are you with trivia?" Freya leaned in close, and he caught a whiff of her perfume—a mixture of citrus and jasmine.

He gazed into her chocolate-coloured eyes and tried not to drown in their depths. "I'm okay. I do enjoy watching Millionaire Hot Seat ."

She rubbed her hands together. "You can be on my team then."

They joined up with Greer and Mark, and spoke in huddled whispers as the trivia questions were called out.

"What's the capital of Brazil?"

"Rio de Janeiro?" Greer shrugged.

"No, it's Brasilia," Justin said. "Trust me," he added, when Freya looked at him suspiciously.

"Who won the 2014 FIFA world cup?"

Everyone turned to look at Justin. "I'm not really that into sport, but I would guess either Germany or France."

"What about England?" Freya asked.

"No, they haven't won in years," Mark replied.

Greer tapped her pen against the paper. "Which one?"

"France. No, Germany," Justin said.

Justin felt quietly confident when the questions were finished, and the answers were called out.

"Brasilia! You were right." Freya clapped him on the shoulder.

"The winner of the 2014 FIFA world cup was ... Germany."

"Wow, good job!"

In the end they only had two answers wrong, but still beat everyone else.

"What do we win?" he asked Freya.

"A meat tray." She laughed. "Just what you always wanted."

The publican carried over a huge tray full of sausages, steak and mince and laid it on the table.

"Barbeque at our place tomorrow?" Mark suggested.

"I hope that means the men are cooking." Greer crossed her arms but smiled good-naturedly.

Freya wrapped herself around Justin's arm. "It'll be fun."

"You're intent on keeping me up here, aren’t you?”

"Is it working?" She fluttered her eyelashes.

How the hell was he supposed to resist when Freya looked at him like that? He had one hundred things he should have been doing back in Brisbane, but none of them appealed as much as being here with Freya. "I guess I could start packing up Boyd's things and go home Sunday."

"Yay." She kissed him ever so briefly on the lips and gazed into his eyes. "I'm not ready to let you go just yet."