by Jenny Frame
Bridge smiled. “You’re part of the community now. We all look after each other. There’s three more baskets out in my car.
“What?” Penny said with surprise. “How did they know?”
Bridge laughed. “You can’t sneeze in the village without everyone knowing. Word spreads fast in a place like this.”
“It’s really so kind,” Penny said.
Bridge picked up the box of eggs. “I know a lot of these things you can’t eat, like the dairy, but trying to explain that to farming villagers would be like speaking in a foreign language. I can distribute some of the things around the old folk of the village.”
“I know. Quade can’t understand the concept of nut milk, no matter how I explain it.”
Bridge smiled and had a twinkle in her eye. “I hear our rugged farmer has been helping you a great deal. How are you now?”
Penny cradled her numb arm. It was slowly coming back to life, but slow was the operative word. “I’m doing okay. I’ll be good as new in a few days.” Penny smiled.
“And Quade?” Bridge said.
Penny sighed. “Yes, she’s insisted on helping. If I wasn’t in such a weakened state, I wouldn’t have let her.”
Bridge furrowed her brow. “Why?”
“Because I can take care of myself, Bridge. Would you like tea?”
Coming to the country was turning into the worst decision she had ever made. She was going to be suffocated with kindness.
* * *
Quade hurried back from Axedale, where she had been helping Mr. Stevens with some new plans for the estate. Lady Annie had the idea of introducing some new animals to the estate—alpacas, goats, pot-bellied pigs—a petting zoo of sorts to give the children who visited Axedale another interesting thing to do.
When alpacas had been mentioned, both Quade and Stevens had thought it was a joke and burst out laughing. They soon understood by the look on Annie’s face that alpacas were not a laughing matter.
Then there were the plans for medieval day. Harry and Riley wanted to host a day where families could enjoy the rich history of Axedale and the Knight family, but it took a lot of organizing. She should really be going back to the farm, but she hated the thought of Penny being on her own.
A little voice in the back of her mind was saying she was getting too involved in the life of someone she found attractive. The problem was, Penny was more than attractive. Penny had something inside her that was drawing Quade to her. A need that Penny tried so hard to cover up, something she’d seen in Penny’s eyes, when she woke after her fit, and this morning, when Quade walked into the bedroom. The need to feel safe, loved, secure.
Dougal started to bark when he realized where they were going. “Are you excited to see Princess? Good boy.”
When they pulled up at the cottage, Quade saw Bridge’s car there. Suddenly she felt embarrassed about the bunch of flowers she had in the back seat. Bridge would surely make some jokey remark. Quade had picked them from her own garden before she left for Axedale this morning.
She looked in the mirror. “Who are you trying to kid, mate?”
Bringing flowers was the worst idea ever. Quade let her head fall back against the headrest, feeling sorry for herself.
Dougal’s bark brought her out of it. “Okay, okay. We’ll go in.”
Quade got out of the car, gazed at the flowers in the back, and said, “What the hell. I’m not going to waste them.” She ran her fingers through her hair. “Come on, Dougal.”
When she got to the door, Quade knocked and popped her head around inside. “Hello, it’s only me.”
She saw a grinning Bridge and Penny sitting by the fire, drinking tea. Penny gave her a tense smile. Suddenly she felt out of place. Why had she come here?
Princess ran at her and Dougal and covered over the awkward feeling in the room. “Hi, pretty girl.” Quade made a fuss over Princess, and then she and Dougal ran to get her toys.
“I see Princess and Dougal are the best of friends,” Bridge said.
“Yeah, they took to each other straight away,” Quade said.
Quade walked to the couch and Bridge said with a mischievous look, “Are those flowers for me?”
Quade cleared her throat nervously. “Sorry, Vicar. They’re for Penny.”
Penny took them and said, “Thank you.”
“I picked them from my garden this morning,” Quade said.
Bridge winked at Quade. “Isn’t she the sweetest, as well as gorgeous.”
Quade looked down at her boots, feeling the heat burning in her cheeks.
There was another excruciatingly long silence before Bridge said, “Quade, can you help me with some food baskets from the car?”
“Of course.” Quade followed Bridge out to the car.
Bridge unlocked the car and started to speak, “So—”
Quade jumped in before she could ask anything about Penny. “How’s Finn’s tour going? I miss our chats at the pub.”
Bridge crossed her arms and leaned against the car. “Ah yes. Your little butch chats. Quite adorable. Yes, she’s doing well. Sell-out audiences, but we miss each other terribly.”
“At least you have the wedding to look forward to,” Quade said.
Bridge sighed. “Hmm. Who would have thought I’d get married?” She leaned into Quade and said, “If a supposed celibate vicar can fall in love with an atheist magician, then there’s hope for anyone, especially rugged farmers.”
“What do you mean?” Quade said. Surely Bridge couldn’t have noticed her attraction, although Harry had clocked it too.
Bridge gave Quade a gentle push. “Oh, come on, Quade. There was electricity in there. It was crackling.”
Quade pretended to laugh. “Don’t be daft, Bridge. She’s a Huntingdon-Stewart. We all studied her family in history class at school. Not to mention she’s this internet icon. People like that don’t look twice at small-time farmers.”
Bridge threw her hands up. “What tosh, Quade. We aren’t living in the nineteenth century. Class barriers don’t matter any more. Her father won’t call you to his study and pay you off or chase you with a shotgun. Don’t go looking for obstacles.”
“She doesn’t want even a friend, Bridge,” Quade said, exasperated. “You saw her in there? She’s as cold as ice.”
Bridge just smiled and leaned in to whisper in her ear, “Then melt her, my dear Sam McQuade. Melt her.”
* * *
While Bridge and Quade were outside, Penny went back to her dining table and the work she was trying to catch up with. She was so far behind in her scripting and recording of videos, not to mention her cookbook. Her epilepsy tried its best to hold her back in life, but she always came back fighting and more determined.
She was still holding the flowers that Quade had brought.
Penny had been given a lot of flowers in her life. In her circle, flowers were a kind of currency sent by PAs as a matter of course. They were always exquisite, perfectly picked, styled, and beautifully presented by the best florists in London, but they were nothing in comparison to these home-grown flowers, bunched roughly together and wrapped in brown paper, and tied with string.
She threw them down on the table and shouted with frustration, “Why do you have to be so adorable!”
“Sorry?” Quade said behind her.
Penny closed her eyes, realizing she’d been caught. She took a breath and turned around to see Quade holding two baskets of the villagers’ presents, looking absolutely gorgeous.
She definitely had to get some space and distance herself from Quade. She knew that a romance with the hunky Quade would force her to address problems that she had never found an answer to.
“Just something I saw on Twitter. You can put the basket on the couch.” Penny went back to pretending to look at her laptop, hoping that Quade would take the hint and go.
She could feel Quade’s eyes boring into her.
“How are you really? Arm any better?” Quade said.
Again, Penny never looked up and tapped her laptop keys randomly, with her good hand. “Yes, it’s getting much better.”
She could feel the silence and tension hanging in the air. This woman had seen her at her most vulnerable, when she was not in control of her body. She felt exposed in her presence.
“Don’t you think you should be resting?” Quade asked.
“No, I’ve rested enough,” Penny said firmly.
She heard Quade walking towards her, and Penny’s stomach tightened with tension.
“What are you doing?” Quade asked.
“Working, I’ve got a lot to catch up on.” Penny looked up and said, “Shouldn’t you be working?”
“No, I’ve left the boys in charge,” Quade said.
“The boys?” Penny questioned.
“Lady Harry got me some extra help with the farm when she asked me to become assistant estate manager.”
Penny looked back at her computer. “Oh yes, well, I mustn’t keep you.”
Quade sighed in frustration. It was like having a conversation with an icy brick wall. Last night they had talked openly and Penny seemed something approaching normal, but now she was back in her icy shell.
“What exactly is so urgent that you have to work so hard and not rest?” Quade said with a harsher tone than normal.
“I’ve got to write my blogs and send them to my guy who runs my website, and script videos, so that as soon as I’m able to shoot, I’m ready,” Penny replied while still concentrating on her screen.
A thought occurred to Quade. “What are your blogs and videos about?”
Penny sighed. “My new adventure in the country.”
Quade was now getting frustrated. “What adventure? You’ve set foot out of the door once, to meet Bridge and have tea at Axedale Hall. Why did you come to the country, Penny?”
Penny’s head snapped around. “Not that it’s any of your business, but I came here to de-stress, recover from my last medical problem, and make a country-inspired web series.”
“And how can you do all these things stuck in front of your laptop, inside the cottage? You should come out with Princess, Dougal, and me walking, explore the village, meet the people, or is all this just a gimmick for you? You might as well still be back in London.”
Penny stood up slowly from her chair, her face full of fury. “Please go.”
Quade closed her eyes and gave out an exasperated sigh. So much for melting Penny as Bridget had suggested. It looked like she had iced her up even more.
“Come on, Dougal. See you later, Princess.” She walked to the door and said before leaving, “If you need me, just call. I’m always just one call away.”
* * *
Penny shut up her laptop and looked over to Princess who was sleeping in front of the fire. “Let’s go to bed, Princess. This is a waste of time.”
She had been staring at her screen for most of the day, her mind filled with Quade’s parting words to her this afternoon.
Penny switched everything off downstairs and followed Princess upstairs to her room. Princess jumped onto the bed and got herself comfy. Penny looked over to the chair by the window, and it seemed empty, as did her bedroom. A few days ago her bedroom was her cocoon from the world, and the chair was just a chair, but now it felt empty.
“How can a chair feel empty?” Penny said with exasperation.
She opened up her wardrobe and took out her onesie. It was definitely a unicorn type of night. Once she was changed, which was tricky with one functioning hand and one that was slowly coming back to life, she picked up her iPad and checked her social media accounts.
She had posted comments and replied to questions today, as if she was having a simply wonderful time in the country. None of her followers or fans knew her condition had struck, and she’d actually been laid low in bed, needing someone to take care of her.
Quade had asked her if coming here was a gimmick. Was she right?
This wasn’t her idea, but her business partner’s. Olivia had pitched to Penny this idea of the city girl in the country, getting mud on her high heels and stumbling through a new environment. The stumbling, kooky, rich city girl had been her image from the first video she’d made, all those years ago.
She’d had no idea how to cook, but taught herself, and put her efforts on camera. Viewers liked it and her following grew. But she was a good cook now. She had grown up and was now a successful businesswoman, a businesswoman who was struggling to cope with epilepsy.
The world had no idea who she was. Her friends had no idea, her business partner, and even her family didn’t truly know her. Her fears, her daily struggles, her intimacy problems.
When her mother asked why she never seemed to have anyone in her life, she fudged it and said she had no time for relationships, but last night, when she was alone with Quade, Penny was sure Quade saw through the gimmick, the sham that was her life.
Penny opened her pictures on her phone and looked at the photo of Quade, as she had done many times since she’d taken it. There was something in Quade’s open, kind face, something in her eyes that drew her in.
She looked over to the empty chair, then back to the picture. “Princess, shall we text Quade and reach out the hand and paw of friendship?” Princess licked her hand and Penny said, “That’s what I thought. Maybe it can be different here. Maybe I can have a real friend.”
Penny typed quickly on her phone, Will you show me your world?
She didn’t normally wait nervously for a reply, but she did this time. Had she pushed Quade too far away?
Her phone finally beeped, and the text only had five words: You only had to ask.
Chapter Ten
They decided to wait until the end of the week, when Penny would be fully recovered. By the time Saturday came around, Penny was ready for her first excursion. Quade had been getting progressively nervous about their outing as the days went past.
When she’d left Northwood Cottage, Quade had no hope of making a friendship with Penny, but then later on that night came Penny’s text.
Will you show me your world?
That text had meant everything to her. She knew, deep down, Penny wanted people to rely on, friends who would support her—she could see it in her eyes—but Penny just didn’t know that you could lean on someone without being weak.
Quade had been gazing in her wardrobe for ages. She wanted to look nicer than her usual jeans, boots, and checked shirt, but she had little else. She was a farmer and had little need for fancier clothes.
She turned back to Dougal, who was lying on the bed. “I’m going to look like a country yokel compared to Penny. Mind you, fashion models would look plain next to Penny.”
Quade closed her eyes and smacked herself on the head. “Don’t say things like that.”
As much as she tried to quell her attraction to the difficult Penny, when she was lying in bed at night, she couldn’t stop her mind from wandering, and thinking about what-ifs. What if their hands brushed as they walked together, what if Penny stumbled and fell into her arms?
Quade sighed in exasperation. “Why did she have to be so beautiful, and gay?”
If Penny had been straight, she would have kept these thoughts out of her head. On second thought, she’d probably be attracted to her just as much.
The main problem wasn’t that Penny was so attractive, although she was utterly beautiful and feminine, but it was the sense that Penny yearned for someone to love her, to care for her, and Quade felt a deep need to be that person for her.
Quade scrubbed her face and then lifted her Sunday shirt and jeans out of the wardrobe.
“This is the best I can do.”
She dressed and styled her hair quickly, then both she and Dougal drove over to Northwood Cottage. As usual Dougal was overcome with excitement when he realized where they were going. When they arrived at the front of the house, Quade beeped the horn to let Penny know they were there.
She got out and walked to the door, but be
fore Quade got there, the cottage door opened and she stopped dead and lost all power of thought and speech. Penny was standing in the doorway, wearing vintage high-rise denim shorts with faded pink flowers on them, and on top a little pink T-shirt that showed her midriff, with the words I believe in Unicorns printed on it.
On her feet were a pair of pink wellington boots, with flowers matching her shorts, and on her head she wore a straw hat with a pink flower on it.
“Morning, Quade. Will we do for a day in the country?” Penny said.
Quade just couldn’t form words to reply. She didn’t think she’d ever seen such a beautiful woman in her life. Her legs in those shorts, and the way her tight little T-shirt clung over her breasts, made her mind turn to mush. Penny was femininity wrapped up in a fluffy pink package.
Quade’s stomach clenched, and her heart raced. Say something.
Penny frowned. “Is there something wrong, Quade?”
Quade averted her gaze to Princess who was sitting in her dog bag with matching pink boots and finally found something to say.
“I—I thought we agreed no dog boots, and no bag. Princess wants to run with Dougal.”
Penny sighed and let Princess out of the bag and took her boots off. “You couldn’t say something positive, could you?”
If only she knew what Quade really was thinking. Quade led her over to the car and opened the door for her. Once she and the dogs got in, Quade turned to Penny and said, “You look very nice today.”
Penny’s big smile was back. “Thank you. Where are you taking us?”
“My farm. I thought it would be a good place to start. There’s lots of things to see that might interest you.”
Penny winked at her. “I’m sure there’s lots of things at your farm that I’d be interested in.”
Was that flirting? Quade had little experience, but she suddenly felt hot, not to mention entranced by the intoxicating smell of Penny’s perfume. She had a flash of pressing lips to the curve of Penny’s neck and inhaling her scent.