A Farmer's Christmas Read online

  Lilliana Rose

  A Farmer’s Christmas

  By Lilliana Rose

  Copyright 2019 Lilliana Rose

  This book is a work of fiction. Names and characters are the product of the author’s imagination and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead is entirely coincidental.

  This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this eBook with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this eBook and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  This book has been written using US English, but the book’s story is set in Australia. Some euphemisms that form part of the Australian spoken word may be used. If you would like further explanation, or to discuss Australia, please do not hesitate to contact the author. Contact details have been provided, for your convenience, at the end of this book.

  Disclaimer: The material in this book contains graphic language and sexual content and is intended for mature audiences, ages 18 and older.

  Editing by Swish Design & Editing

  Book design by Swish Design & Editing

  Cover design by Kellie Dennis at Book Cover by Design

  Published by Infinity Dreaming

  Cover Image Copyright 2019

  City girl, Raven, took a chance, the biggest in her life, and moved to Ben’s alpaca farm after the Royal Show. Nearly three months later, she’s trying to adjust to life on a farm and living with Ben when they hardly know each other. To make the arrangement even more tricky, his mom also lives in the same house with them. Above all, she wasn’t prepared for the feeling of isolation that comes with living on the farm.

  Ben is enjoying finally being in a relationship, and better still, Raven is living with him. Life couldn’t be better, but he’s worried farm life might not be agreeing with her. The problem is his commitment to his farm sometimes has to come first. He always thought once he found his soul mate, things would be easy. It’s far from that. Will he step up to fight for what he’s always longed for?

  Christmas will be different for them both this year, more than they could ever imagine with bush fires threatening their livelihood. Will it be too easy for Raven to return to the city and her family? Or will she stand with Ben and fight for a future with him?

  Sometimes you need to fight for what matters in your life. No matter what.

  To Kimba,

  you daft dog, you!

  This book has been written using US English, but the book’s story is set in Australia. Some euphemisms that form part of the Australian spoken word may be used. If you would like further explanation, or to discuss Australia, please do not hesitate to contact the author. Contact details have been provided, for your convenience, at the end of this book.

  Bloody – This is an expletive used to intensify or emphasize.

  Ute – A utility vehicle or pick-up.

  Blurb

  Dedication

  Information and Dictionary

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Acknowledgments

  Connect With Me Online

  About the Author

  Friday, December 20th

  Laptop under her arm and an instant coffee in the other, Raven hipped the screen door and stepped outside to the morning. The earthy smell of animals and heat hit her nose. After nearly three months of living here, the country scents in the air still assaulted her senses.

  Will I ever get used to this?

  Ben reckoned she should’ve by now.

  She sighed. Ben. He’d been up and gone this morning well before she’d woken. She wasn’t sure how he managed to get out of the bed they shared without waking her. But he did. Every morning. He got up, without fail, to do the morning chores and whatever else that needed to be done. Now, there was the addition of harvesting to add to the workload.

  Raven had been completely naïve at what it meant not just to move to the country but also deciding to live with Ben, on his farm, with his mom, Janette.

  What was I thinking? She put her computer and coffee on the round wrought iron table under the veranda at the back of the old farm homestead. It wasn’t her brain she’d been thinking with, that’s for sure.

  They’d started seeing each other once a year, a fling, a few days of hot, passionate sex, and somehow a connection began to form between them. One that had led her right here to the country and living with him in what felt like the middle of nowhere. She certainly couldn’t see the neighboring farms from where she sat, only the sheds and land that stretched out as far as she could see, scattered with some trees. There was life out there. She’d even met some of the neighbors, so she had proof that she really wasn’t alone, but a feeling of loneliness constricted her chest, shortening her breath.

  Initially, the plan had been to rent a property in Keith, the nearest town to the farm. It had been the biggest risk she’d taken in her twenty-six years—to move from the city to the country. It had been rash. Exciting. Fun. Daring.

  Since she’d lost her job as a graphic designer in Adelaide, she’d decided to pursue her idea of running her own business sooner rather than later. Money was a lot tighter than she realized without a steady income while starting her own business. When Ben suggested she move in with him, she hastily agreed, thinking of how much money she would save and how much fun it would be to have more time with him. They did. To begin with. Then the harvest started, and she’d hardly seen him for the last six weeks.

  Raven fluffed the square cushion and put it back on the seat, ignoring that it was too big, and sat down. It wasn’t all bad. At least her office arrangement was inspiring.

  The backyard stretched out down a rolling hill, the grass green from the bore water near to the house. Then it slowly died out where the water didn’t quite reach, more so now that it was summer. It hadn’t rained for weeks. This was something she’d hadn’t noticed when living in the city. She saw the consequences more living here in the country.

  Maybe I’m adjusting more than I realize.

  A big orange tree stood proudly to her left, roots deep to reach the water table and survive the summer months. Its branches extended out randomly as it had been left to grow as it pleased over the years. Oranges left over from last season scattered rotting on the ground, the new fruit, small and green beginning to grow. Ben had explained to her that this was a summer orange tree which fruited in late January.

  An old shed stood to her right, the wooden paneling falling off, exposing the insides to the light of day, revealing dust and rusty, old farm machinery which hadn’t been used for decades.

  Rex, the motley colored cat, sauntered up to her and rubbed against her leg, wanting food even though she never had food with her in the morning.

  “Good try,” she said to him, reaching down, stroking his long body.

  Meow. His eyes looked up at her in hope for a scrap or two.

  “Not from me.”

  She opened her laptop and waited for it to boot up. For her, this was an early start to the day. It was just eight o’clock. She was already showered, dressed, and ready to work. Even though it was likely that the only persons she would see today were Janette, and hopefully Ben, unless he came in very late as he had done a few times, Raven had taken the
time to do her hair, tied it back into a messy bun, and wore long, loose linen pants with a flowing light pink sleeveless top. What she hadn’t bothered with was makeup. It had felt a little odd at first not putting on foundation, eye shadow, blush, and mascara, almost like she was stepping out showing her real self to the world, not that anyone was around to see or notice.

  For Raven, it might be early, but for life on the farm, this was considered a sleep-in. Ben’s mom, Janette, often reminded her of that. It wasn’t easy going back to living with a parent in the house. When in Adelaide, she rented with a friend and was independent. Having his mom around wasn’t something she had gotten used to yet, especially when she constantly reminded her that the day had begun hours ago.

  Raven checked the internet connection. It was good today. Another thing she’d not thought of was how unreliable the internet connection was out here in the middle of nowhere. Running her own business needed the internet, and she had anticipated that she could work anyway. Not quite.

  But today was looking like it would work out. She took a sip of her coffee and then checked her emails, hoping there was some interest from people needing a graphic designer. Setting up her own online graphic design business had been more difficult than she’d thought.

  The birds tweeted in the surrounding eucalyptus trees, inspiration took hold, and she put together a series of pre-made logos to upload on her website. Time melted away.

  “I asked if you want a cuppa?”

  Raven looked up blankly from her screen, her mind pulling ruefully from the creative space she’d been absorbed in.

  Janette stood there by the back door, holding open the screen door. “Cuppa?” She was wearing a summer dress—flowy dark green with flowers on it—something typical women her age wore.

  “I’m good, thank you,” Raven answered. She reminded herself that Janette meant well. The interruption wasn’t helpful. Her coffee sat mostly drunk, now cold.

  “Did you want some morning tea?”

  “I’m good.”

  “I meant a snack? It’s nearly eleven o’clock.”

  “I’ll be fine till lunch. I don’t want to put you out.” She tried to hide the frustration in her voice from the interruption. Every day was like this. Raven would be absorbed in working on a design on her computer, and low and behold, Janette would have something to say to her. She didn’t dare tell Ben this. It was getting harder to put up with, especially as Christmas approached, and Raven wondered what it was going to be like out here. She had considered going back to Adelaide for Christmas with her parents, but a week ago they’d informed her they had booked a mystery deal and were going to have their Christmas dinner somewhere else in Australia. She’d been mortified she had not been considered for Christmas this year, and when she told them as much, they simply responded assuming she’d have it on the farm with Ben and his family. She had, but now that things had changed and her nerves were wearing thin with Janette, the doubt was beginning to grow.

  “Just asking.” The door slammed closed as Janette went back inside, knocking Raven’s thoughts back to reality. She was just sitting on the veranda trying to get some designs completed.

  Raven suppressed a sigh as she looked at her computer and tried to focus back on the design she’d been working on. With no new orders this morning, she’d decided to work on pre-made designs to build on her portfolio. Christmas was a week away, and it wasn’t likely that she’d get any new clients. At least her existing ones were satisfied with the marketing packages she’d put together for them—Facebook banners, profile images for social media, images sized specifically for Instagram. This was thanks to her friend, Nettie, who was starting up her own vegan chocolate business. Then there was someone Nettie knew, Aaryahi, who needed rebranding for her jewelry-making business. It had been a start, and it meant for a little while she really thought her business in graphic design could actually make it. Now, she wasn’t so sure. But with Ben busy with the harvest, and she barely able to see him, usually as he flopped into bed late at night dead tired, Raven really didn’t know what else to do with her time. While she wanted to make a living and have her own income, so she could provide for herself here, maybe she had been too rash in deciding it would work for her out here. Was this what it was going to be like for Christmas? Lonely?

  Raven sat back in her chair and looked out. Life on the farm was great. Right now, she’d forgotten the earthy animal smell and, instead, breathed in the fresh country air taking in the view of the land. The birds singing were quietening as the day went on and the temperature was rising. Another hot day.

  Good thing I don’t mind the hot weather.

  There was no air conditioning in the old farmhouse, only a standing floor fan and a small rectangular window to open to let in the air. The heat was one thing that wasn’t getting to Raven.

  A fly buzzed passed her. Flies, on the other hand, were also getting on her nerves. She aimlessly swatted them away, and they continually buzzed around her. She refocused on her computer and the floral design logo she was hoping to finish today.

  She’d figured social media would’ve bridged the gap between life here on the farm and her old life in the city—it kind of did in a way. What Raven hadn’t realized was that it wasn’t at all a good replacement for the real face-to-face contact she was used to.

  Raven had taken to going into the township of Keith frequently to help break up her day and see other people instead of Janette and occasionally Ben. She’d been getting to know Ben’s sister, Anne, who was currently working at the local café, Beans. Once or twice she’d gotten a free coffee, which also helped her financially. Raven was all too aware of the cost of petrol from going into town and then for a coffee, just so she could get out of the house and escape for a few hours. Her gut churned tightly at the thought. It was a big indulgent when she wasn’t yet able to earn her way here on the farm. But at the same time, it was good for her mental health. She felt the familiar pull to go into Keith now, to take her laptop, sit at Bean at a table out front and watch the little bit of activity happening in the small town while she worked. If she were lucky and it wasn’t too busy in the afternoon, maybe Anne could sit and talk to her.

  “Here, I bought you some gingerbread biscuits and another coffee for you.” Janette placed them in front of her.

  “Thanks.” Raven pursed her lips tightly together. This was the issue, Janette ignoring her decisions and doing what she thought Raven needed as if she knew better than Raven.

  Raven stood up. “I have to go to Keith now, I’ll be back for dinner.” Then she shut her laptop and left, guilt stabbing at her belly.

  “But…”

  “I did say no when you asked,” said Raven, looking back over her shoulder before she let the screen door slam. In this moment, she had to get out of there.

  Ben gripped the steering wheel of the combine harvester in a relaxed manner as he completed yet another round of the paddock. There was nothing relaxing about how he felt as he kept his eyes on the stalks to ensure they went into the combine and weren’t missed.

  The air conditioning struggled to keep the cab cool, and Ben could feel sweat from sitting for so long. He knew it was working when he had to get out of the cab, the hot air blasting him as if Mother Nature had decided this area was her oven. If he didn’t need to get out, then he would’ve considered the air conditioning had stopped working hours ago.

  There was no way he was going to finish the harvest in the next week, meaning that after Christmas, it was going to be back to work. Today he was reaping the first of the wheat.

  The season had been average in this area, and the stalks were shorter than they should’ve been. Added to this, the crop had been ripe too long and was starting to droop from the strong winds that had ripped through here a week ago. It meant Ben had to set the combine low for the moving knives to catch the stalks of wheat. Any big bumps from rocks or potholes in the paddock could result in the combine hitting the ground and being damaged. He’d already ha
d a minor breakdown early in the season, and he didn’t want another to delay the harvest, not when he’d been working such long hours and sacrificing time with Raven to get the crop reaped.

  Getting started this morning had been difficult. Raven slept peacefully next to him, and the temptation to lay next to her until she woke and then indulge in some intimacy together had nearly stopped him from getting out of bed. Almost. Years of getting up early meant he kept the discipline. Plus, even if he weren’t going to finish harvest before Christmas this year, it still needed to be done. So many things could go wrong before the crop was reaped and delivered to the silos. He didn’t want to take any risks, not now that it looked like he was finally going to settle down. He needed an income to support a family, and if things went well, if there was a little extra money, he wanted to give it to Raven to do up parts of the old homestead.

  Ben began another round of the paddock. He hoped Raven wasn’t feeling rejected. He’d tried to tell her that the harvest was going to be tough, but how did he explain what it was like to a city girl? This was the only life he’d known. He didn’t mind not seeing other people during the day and working long hours by himself with his dog, Snipper, by his side. He tried to remember that when thinking of Raven and their future, he needed to come up with some options to help her feel more at home.

  It hadn’t been the easiest time of year to move to the farm. After the Royal Show in Adelaide, he had to get on the tractor to spray the crops against insect damage, then the weather turned, and the crops ripened enough to begin the harvest. He’d suggested she’d take up tennis, the only summer sport, come to think, the only sport, on offer right now. That hadn’t gone down well. Sports weren’t her thing. She needed to do something to meet the locals, but with that failure and the business of harvesting, Ben hadn’t made any more suggestions.