Read Getting Away : A New Adult Romance Story (Young Adult Romance Books "Swanson Sisters Series" : Book 1) for Free Online

the chickens, check out the garden, whatever …’
     
    Sophie thought for about ten seconds, ‘Why don’t I make lunch for you both?
     
    ‘Go right ahead Sophie. What a great idea. Help yourself to whatever you can find in the kitchen.’
     
    Sophie did exactly that. It had been a while since she had done any serious cooking, but cooking for wonderful people was a lot different to cooking because you were forced to. She decided on a hearty casserole with vegetables from the garden, homemade bread, followed by apple crumble and custard. A feast and it didn’t take too long to have it underway.
     
    She loved the kitchen. It was a big, comfortable farmhouse kitchen, built for cooking and enjoying hearty meals, with a huge wood stove that would be brilliant in the winter. She took a wander through the rest of the house and loved the rambling way it had been built. The rooms were huge and they all opened onto a verandah that wrapped around the entire house.
     
    Jack was right. There was plenty of room if she did decide to move out here after her exams. The house needed people and she couldn’t imagine how Ben had been rattling around on his own for years. One of the best things about big houses was that maintaining privacy was easy and she knew she would always need that.
     
    It was only a half hour drive from town too so she could do her extra year and then work in the music faculty after that. Half an hour wasn’t a big deal when it came to driving home after concerts or band gigs either, come to that. She would be able to do her own thing and so would Jack.
     
    ‘Hey something smells great,’ called out Ben as he and Jack took their boots off on the back porch.
     
    ‘I didn’t know you could cook, Sophie. This is awesome.’
     
    ‘Well it’s amazing how much fun cooking is when you have appreciative folks to eat it. I love your stove Ben. It was perfect for the bread to rise.’
     
    They helped themselves to the delicious casserole and it was while Jack and Ben were having a second helping that a car pulled up outside the house. Before Ben could go out to see who it was, footsteps could be heard on the verandah and then in the hallway.
     
    ‘Who the heck is this?’ said a tall man in an expensive suit as he came through into the kitchen. ‘All very cozy …’
    Jack stood up but Ben waved for him to sit down again. ‘This is my son Jason. It’s been a long time since you set foot on the property, son.’
     
    ‘I won’t be here long. Are you ready to sell up yet? I have a buyer and you’ll be able to go and live in town.’
     
    ‘The farm is not going to be sold anytime soon, Jason. You might have noticed a few improvements as you came in and I’m pleased to let you know that we’ll have everything fully operational again in a couple of months.’
     
    ‘Who is ‘we’? Jason snarled.
     
    Ben introduced Sophie and Jack.
     
    ‘Jack is working for me and we’re getting the farm back in shape. I’ve never felt so good about anything for a long time.’
     
    ‘But I have a buyer.’
     
    ‘My farm is not yours to sell, Jason.’
     
    ‘This place has been going broke for years. Times have changed in case you hadn’t noticed.’
     
    ‘Jack here is just finishing off his degree in Natural Resources and knows all about modern land management, so I think we’ll do fine.’
     
    ‘You just can’t come onto this property and take it over. It’s not yours.’
     
    ‘One thing’s for certain Jason, it sure as heck is isn’t going to be yours, ever. Now I think you should leave.’
     
    ‘But I’m going to inherit it. I want to sell it now and invest in a property development deal.’
     
    For a grown man, he sounded remarkably surly.
     
    Ben’s voice turned hard.
     
    ‘Goodbye Jason. You will never have this farm and it will never be sold. Do you understand? I’ve a mind to deed the farm to Jack here, seeing as he loves the land and works like a dervish to look after