Stealing Luca's Heart by Ellie Lyons

they were passing. It was a picture of a car attached to an open parachute.
    Ally caught Gabi’s grin in the rearview mirror. She leaned over and peeked out her window down the long drop into a canyon. Forcing her mouth to close, she shifted to the far side of her seat.
    “This is part of a larger canyon called Silver Fern Canyon that’s part of our property,” Simone explained, looking back. Simone glanced down at her fingers on the back of her seat. “Don’t worry, love, the Jeep is four-wheel drive, so even if two tires go over the cliff, we still have the other two to roll us out.”
    She slowly nodded, not sure if that was a joke, but said a silent prayer of thanks when the Jeep turned the corner, leaving the canyon road behind.
    “Almost there,” Simone announced.
    Ally had seen photos of New Zealand farms, but the images didn’t do justice to the scenery surrounding her. They had driven into a wide valley situated between two mountain ranges. All around were lush green rolling hills climbing gradually up the mountains. Sheep paddocks filled the fields along the road. Looking ahead, Ally imagined that this corridor through the mountains could go on indefinitely.
    Now she understood the pride this kiwi family had in their land. Knowing that they owned everything she could see and beyond left her speechless.
    They were passing hundreds of sheep, so many she couldn’t even estimate their numbers. The Jeep stopped at a one-lane bridge to let a man on a four-wheeler cross first. As he passed them, Ally admired the Border collie on the back. The man had a wide-brimmed sun hat tied under his chin.
    The winding road meandered out of the canyon and climbed into a small forest. It soon opened up again to showcase a lovely expansive modern home. More modern than she would have expected to see. As the Jeep slowed, she could see that the house was elevated on the rise to enjoy the best view of the entire valley.
    Gabi rounded the corner on the circular dirt drive and stopped in front of the sidewalk leading up to the house. “Home, sweet home.”
    Ally surveyed the two-story home with its cedar beams and layered rock trim in varying shades of black and gray. It appeared to have been built recently. There were also six peacocks walking lazily toward the backyard.
    “This is the main house,” Simone said. “You look surprised, Ally. Is something wrong?”
    “Your home is beautiful. I guess it’s a contrast to what I was expecting. I know you’ve had this land for generations, so I was assuming you’d have a home that looked older, more colonial. What type of rock is that?” she asked, pointing to the thin, neatly layered rocks forming columns in front of the front door.
    “It’s schist, pretty common to this area. You sound like you have an interest in building.”
    “More of a hobby, I suppose. I’ve been updating my own house.”
    The trio walked slowly up the sidewalk, admiring the home.
    “We built this concrete house ten years ago when Luca was beginning to make noises about not living with his parents anymore,” Simone explained. “So, we let the boys build or live wherever they wanted on the property, and we built the new house for us, with enough room for guests. It’s a little deceiving from the front. The house sprawls off in a few directions in the back.”
    By this time they had all made their way up the stone steps.
    Simone pushed open the wooden front door, stepping inside. “I’ll give you a tour and then leave you so you can catch your breath.”
    “Hang on. Ally, this is where I say see ya,” Gabi said, hanging back on the steps. “I would love to show you where I work tomorrow morning, if that suits you?”
    She nodded. “That sounds great.”
    “Remember, I sell fun for a living, so we’ll have a good time,” Gabi said, winking.
    “That you will,” Simone commented.
    “You really don’t have to entertain me,” she said. “I can just wander around, count the sheep…”