by Hannah Ellis
Escape
to
Oakbrook Farm
(Hope Cove Book 2)
Hannah Ellis
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Text copyright © 2018 Hannah Ellis
All Rights Reserved
Cover design by Aimee Coveney
To Dua,
You deserve the world…
here’s a book instead.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Acknowledgements
Other books by Hannah Ellis
A note from the author.
Chapter 1
The best man was looking at Josie curiously. He was obviously about to strike up a conversation and she wished he wouldn’t. She’d had enough of making polite conversation with strangers at her sister’s wedding. Finally, she’d found an unoccupied bench and thought she’d get a few minutes to enjoy her champagne in peace. Sam had casually sidled over and she smiled benignly up at him. They’d never met before but she’d heard his name mentioned often.
On a normal day he was probably pretty average-looking, but his suit was cut perfectly and made him annoyingly easy on the eye. Annoyingly because she’d only split up with her boyfriend a few days earlier and was keen to project her negativity to men in general, rather than just her ex, Jack. It was difficult when they looked absolutely delicious and gazed at you with sparkling green eyes.
“I’m going to have to ask.” Sam took a seat beside her. “What’s with the shoes?”
“Excuse me?” she said, taken aback.
“Your shoes… Did you forget to pack them or what?”
“No.” Her tone was frosty. “My shoes are on my feet.”
He looked slightly awkward. “Those are the shoes you intended to wear today?”
“Yes. Why?”
“No reason.”
She glared at him. “If you have an issue with my shoes you may as well say it.”
“They don’t go with your dress.”
“They’re Converse,” she said. “They go with anything.”
His gaze roamed over the guests mingling in the hotel gardens. It was a lovely location on the Devon coast, very close to her sister’s house in Hope Cove. The cherry trees in the hotel gardens were in full bloom, creating an explosion of pink. It was quite a sight with the fallen petals making a delicate pink carpet.
“You’re wishing you never started this conversation, aren’t you?” Josie was amused by how uncomfortable he looked. Everyone else who’d commented on her footwear had said they looked cute and much comfier than high heels. Josie couldn’t stand wearing high heels and her sister, Lizzie, had eventually given in to her demands to wear her favourite trainers with the elegant silk bridesmaid dress.
“Not really.” Sam adjusted his tie, the same shade of teal as her dress. Then he glanced at his shiny black dress shoes. “I’m wishing I’d worn a pair of trainers. My feet are killing me.”
She beamed. “That was my argument. Why spend the day being uncomfortable just to follow convention?”
“It’s a good point, and one I wish I’d brought up earlier.”
“Go barefoot,” she suggested. “The beach is right down there. People go barefoot at beach weddings. You’ll probably start a trend. I’m sure everyone’s dying to take off their fancy shoes at this point.”
“You wouldn’t thank me for taking off my shoes and socks. People would pass out.”
“Keep them on then, please.” She felt self-conscious as his gaze shifted back to her feet. “They don’t look that bad, do they?”
“No. Just unusual. It’s quirky.”
An elderly lady wandered slowly over to them and Sam moved to let her sit between them. “Have you met my neighbour?” he asked Josie.
Annette smiled. “We’ve met before. At Lizzie and Max’s house.”
“The Boxing Day get-together.” Josie thought back. Things had been difficult with her and Jack then as well, and he’d backed out of making the trip with her at the last minute. He never had been keen to spend time with her family.
“We’re pretty much family now,” Annette said. “I’m Max’s aunt, you’re his sister-in-law. What does that make us?”
“I’m not really sure,” Josie said.
“Me neither.” Annette glanced downwards. “I’m very envious of your shoes. They look very comfy.”
“They are.” Josie cast a cheeky grin in Sam’s direction.
Annette patted his leg. “Get me a drink, will you? A tonic water. I’m parched.” There was a short silence while he moved away. “He’s lovely,” Annette said out of the side of her mouth. “Single too.”
Josie spluttered out a laugh.
“I’m just saying.” Annette shot her a sly smile. “In case you’re interested. Don’t say I said anything, though – he’s always telling me off for trying to set him up with women.”
“I thought I was special for a moment,” Josie said. “Now I find I’m just one more in a line of women you’re trying to set him up with…”
She chuckled. “He’s thirty-five; he needs to find someone. Max is finally settled. Just Sam now and then I can die happy.”
Josie’s smile slipped and she glanced away. “I was sorry to hear about Wendy.” Annette’s partner had passed away a couple of months earlier. She’d had a hip replacement that refused to heal and led to a host of complications. Pneumonia killed her in the end. Josie had heard all about it from Lizzie.
“Thank you,” she said quietly. “I’ve found today difficult, to be honest.”
“I’m sure.” Josie gently put a hand over Annette’s and gave it a quick squeeze as they watched the party.
Sam reappeared with a glass of tonic water for Annette a couple of minutes later. “We’re supposed to head inside,” he said. “The dancing is about to start.”
“I’ll find a spot to sit and watch,” Annette said, getting up.
Josie followed. “I’ll join you.”
“You’ll have to dance with Sam,” Annette told her. “It’s tradition – the bridesmaid and the best man…”
“I don’t think Josie l
ikes to stick to tradition,” Sam said, looking pointedly at her shoes.
“I just didn’t want my feet to hurt. I didn’t realise my footwear would cause quite such a stir.”
“If you’re worried about your feet hurting, maybe you shouldn’t dance with me! I can’t promise not to tread on them.”
Inside, the three of them found a table just in time to watch the first dance. A jazz band played and the atmosphere was smooth and sophisticated. Everything had been planned to perfection.
“Lizzie looks gorgeous, doesn’t she?” Annette said, pulling a tissue out of her handbag and wiping at her eyes.
Josie reached to pinch a tissue, nodding and trying not to let Sam catch her being so sentimental. What was it about the first dance at weddings that was so romantic? Lizzie looked radiant, and she and Max both beamed as they glided round the dance floor. They could easily be the happiest people in the world.
“Come on then.” Sam stood and reached for Josie’s hand as the song ended and another began.
“Okay,” she said with a sigh. She didn’t want to seem too keen, but secretly she was desperate to get on the dance floor. She caught a whiff of Sam’s aftershave when he pulled her close and closed her eyes as she breathed it in.
“Was Annette okay?” Sam asked. “She looked a bit tearful outside.”
“She was just saying how hard it was today, without Wendy.”
He looked in Annette’s direction, flashing her a smile. “They were together almost sixty years,” he said quietly. “I can’t get used to seeing Annette without Wendy. They were always inseparable.”
“It’s so sad.”
They were silent for a moment and Josie was aware of the feel of Sam’s hand on her back. He’d obviously been joking about being a bad dancer and she definitely didn’t need to worry about him stepping on her toes.
“Did Annette say anything embarrassing about me?” he asked. “She’s so keen to set me up with someone, I swear she’s going to start paying women to date me soon.”
“There was no money mentioned,” Josie said, grinning. “But she does seem concerned by your marital status.”
“I think it gives her sleepless nights,” he said. “I’m worried she’s going to take out an advert in the local paper. I’ll be in the classified section under Free To a Good Home.”
She laughed at his cheeky grin as they moved with the music. “What would the advert say?”
“Thirty-five-year-old male,” he said without pause. “Good-looking.” He raised an eyebrow and grinned. “Charming, healthy, owns his own home… albeit in the middle of nowhere surrounded by a load of gossips and next door to an eccentric old lesbian! She could probably leave that last bit out.”
“Sounds like she should be auctioning you off, not begging someone to take you…” The words came automatically and were quickly followed by a blush.
“That’s you and Annette who think I’m a catch then.”
“I’m not sure I said that.”
The song ended and he gazed at her with bright eyes. “It’s what I heard.”
Chapter 2
Lizzie looked exhausted when she came to say goodnight. “It’s lovely that you and Sam got on so well,” she remarked. “I was worried you’d spend all day moping over Jack.”
“He’s nice.” Josie’s attempt at flippancy would have been more effective if she hadn’t been grinning. She couldn’t help it, though. It had been an unexpectedly wonderful day. And she definitely had Sam to thank for that.
“Every time I looked over you were dancing with him,” Lizzie said. “I’m glad you had a good time.”
“It was a lovely day,” Josie said. That’s what you’re supposed to say about weddings, but it was true. “Annette is a lot of fun too.”
“Poor Annette.” Lizzie glanced around the room. “She’s having such a hard time. Where is she?”
“She went up to bed a while ago.”
“Lucky her. I’m worn out but I think it’ll take me another hour to say goodbye to everyone.”
“Get on with it then. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Josie kissed her sister goodnight, then stepped outside for some fresh air. It was a beautiful evening, and she gazed up at the starlit sky with the full moon shining brightly. The whole day had gone by without her dwelling on her breakup with Jack, but suddenly she felt gloomy. She was twenty-eight years old and had just split up with her boyfriend again. They’d split up four times in the past eighteen months, but they always ended up back together. She had no idea if it was over for good this time or not.
The other problem was that she was unemployed again. Her last job had only been a temporary position to cover maternity leave. It was a PA job in a small advertising company and she’d enjoyed it. They’d been happy with her too and would’ve kept her on if they could. It had been convenient since she’d never had any trouble getting time off for auditions. Acting had been her dream for a long time, although she was finally coming round to the fact that it probably wasn’t going to work out.
She wasn’t too worried about the job situation; she always managed to find something else. It just seemed like she had a lot of decisions to make. If her and Jack really were over, where was she going to live? She’d been living at his place in Oxford. She’d have to go and see him and either sort things out or pack up her things. Moving back with her parents would be fairly depressing.
“You okay?” Sam asked, appearing beside her.
“Yeah. Just miles away.” She looked down at his bare feet. His tie had disappeared too and he looked far more casual. “I see you took my advice about the shoes.”
“You made me dance too much. I’m in agony.”
“I didn’t make you do anything.” She automatically followed as he walked away, through the gardens. “Where are you going?”
“Down to the beach. I’m going to soak my feet! Do you want to come?”
She nodded and they continued through the gardens together and out onto the coastal path beyond. Sam winced and hopped along the stony path. The short way to the sandy cove was lit by white lights on short wooden posts. Josie inhaled the wonderfully salty air as Sam headed straight for the shoreline, rolling up his trouser legs and groaning when the water washed around his feet. “That’s amazing.” He looked content as he wandered through the gentle waves. “You okay? You’ve gone quiet on me.”
“I’m fine.” She dug the toe of her shoe absently into the sand. “Just tired. Weddings are emotionally draining.”
“All that romance in the air! It’s exhausting.”
She forced a smile but felt sad again. “In the last two weeks I’ve split up with my boyfriend and lost my job.” And also lost the filter between her thoughts and her mouth apparently. Why had she said that?
“Sorry.” An odd look flashed across his face but she struggled to read him.
“You already knew that, didn’t you?”
He made a decent attempt at looking confused.
“Oh no.” Josie’s shoulders drooped as she sighed. “Someone told you to keep an eye on me? Who was it? Lizzie? Or Max? He’s weirdly protective of me. Like he feels the need to do the whole big brother thing. I keep telling him a brother-in-law is different to an actual brother but he doesn’t listen.”
Sam smiled kindly. “They were both concerned.”
“That’s embarrassing. I’m so sorry. You didn’t have to be nice to me just because they told you I’m a charity case.”
“Between keeping an eye on you and looking after Annette I’ve had a terrible day.” His eyes sparkled mischievously. “Really awful.”
She couldn’t help but smile, even through her embarrassment. “Did you just dance with me because you felt sorry for me? I feel like an idiot now.”
“You don’t need to feel like an idiot.” He looked suddenly bashful. “I definitely wasn’t dancing with you out of charity.”
“Really? You promise?”
He looked right at her. “I spent all evening g
iving angry looks to anyone who seemed like they might try and cut in.” He paused. “And being incredibly grateful that you split up with your boyfriend last week. I mean, I’m sympathetic and everything. But selfishly very glad. Although my feet might not agree.”
Her head tilted to one side. “You’re very sweet.”
“Don’t say that.” He frowned and walked out of the water. “Women don’t like sweet guys. It’s an anti-compliment!”
“It’s not,” she insisted. “It’s definitely a compliment.”
“I’m not sure I believe you.”
When he approached, she took his hand and pulled him closer, automatically reaching her arms around his neck. His hands settled on her hips and the heat seeped through the thin fabric of her dress. After spending most of the evening dancing in that position it felt almost instinctive. Except now they were alone on a beach with no music and she was dying to kiss him.
It was the emotions of the wedding taking hold of her. She’d only split up with Jack a couple of days ago. Now she was about to kiss a stranger on the beach. Her fingers trailed over the smooth skin of his neck and she pulled him to her, closing her eyes as their lips met. The gentle kisses felt so natural, but she was surprised by the butterflies that fluttered in her stomach before taking flight over her whole body. She felt as light as air, and it took a moment for her to realise he’d lifted her off the ground.
“I don’t think I was supposed to kiss you,” he said, when he set her back down. His words tickled her cheek.
“What were your instructions?”
“I was supposed to make sure you didn’t sit in a corner looking miserable all day.”
“In that case,” she whispered, “I’d say it was a job well done.”
Chapter 3
The sun streamed obnoxiously into her hotel room the next morning, but Josie woke with a smile on her face nonetheless. From the window she could see straight out onto the beach and the exact spot where she’d kissed Sam the previous evening. Lizzie and Max’s wedding had turned out to be way more fun than she’d anticipated.
Her mood ebbed when her phone rang and she saw it was Jack. What did he want?