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

Chapter 13

CHAPTER 13

A fter 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."

He paused to look out on the narrow river. It was flowing steadily over rocks and through reeds. "I've never seen a platypus before."

"They're so cute. They dive and splash around—it’s fun to watch."

"Where are we going now?" he asked as they walked back up to street.

"To the supermarket. I noticed you need a few things."

A short stroll later, they walked in through the open, welcoming doors of the independent supermarket. As usual, it was a hive of activity, the checkouts busy and lots of people pushing trolleys up and down aisles.

"I don't think I need milk," he said when she paused in front of the fridge.

"I know. I just wanted to show you what they stock." She pointed to the display of milk in various-sized containers with the familiar Emerald Hills logo displayed on them. “Milk from your cows goes into every bottle that we sell. It goes into the cream, the yogurt, and the cheese." She paused. "You can find Emerald Hills products everywhere as far as Toowoomba, the Gold Coast and Rockhampton. People all over south-east Queensland consume milk made right here in Maleny. From Boyd's animals. You should be proud of that; I sure am." She turned slightly to show him where the yogurts and cheeses were kept. "The strawberry yogurt is my favourite."

She handed him a single-serve tub, which he accepted and stared at the Emerald Hills logo of jagged hills and a cartoon cow.

"My mother designed the logo. It was supposed to be a joke, but we decided it captured the essence of what our business is all about. From our family to yours—that's our core value."

"It's really good. I didn't know your mum was an artist."

Freya thought of the times she had caught her mother drawing on serviettes and edges of the newspaper. "She likes to dabble, but she doesn't get a lot of time to pursue it."

They walked slowly through the aisles, and Freya pointed out other local produce, including strawberries, pineapples, macadamia nuts, and a wide variety of meat. Justin stopped to read labels and put various things in his trolley.

As they loaded their products on to the checkout conveyor, Freya chatted to Margie, their cashier. It wouldn't take long for news of their outing to become widespread knowledge around town. People had already seen them together plenty the last few days, not to mention at the pub. Tongues would be wagging, but she didn't care. The more time she spent with Justin, the more her feelings for him grew.

Of course, that would make it harder when it came time for him to leave. Would they be able to make a long-distance relationship work? Would he even want to try?

She pushed the thoughts away. She needed to focus on the present, not the what-ifs. They were together now, and that was all that mattered.

He was facing a big decision, and she knew it would be a hard one to make. She could only hope that during this week, he would fall in love with the farm, the community, and maybe just a little bit with her.