Wooing the Farmer
Page 11
She shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Stop this. When she was alone, it was easier to think logically and rationalize her attraction to Penny. But seeing her this morning just overwhelmed all her rationale.
Something had gone wrong in her brain.
“Quade?” Penny said, trying to get her attention again.
“What? Sorry,” Quade said.
Penny narrowed her eyes. “Is everything all right, Quade. You seem a little…distracted.”
“No, no, I’m fine.” Quade rubbed her hands together over-enthusiastically. “We ready to go?”
Penny lifted her camera from her bag. “I was asking you if minded me filming.”
“No, go ahead. I promised to show you the real country for your vlogs. So on you go.”
“Great,” Penny said.
This was the best idea. She was going to get some great material, and Quade had been more than popular with her followers.
Penny set her camera to record and filmed herself first. “Hi, friends, Penny here. I’m at the start of a new country adventure, and I want to bring you along with me. Today I’m going to visit a friend’s farm, and I think you’ll all be pleased to see whose farm it is.”
Penny turned her camera on Quade and said, “Yes, Sexy Farmer is taking me on my adventure. Say hi.”
“Hi,” Quade said awkwardly.
“Isn’t she adorable, friends? Oh, and no forgetting the other star of the show, Princess, who’s made her own new friend.” She twisted in her seat, so she could get a shot of the dogs in the back seat. “Meet Princess’s new friend, Dougal. Dougal belongs to Sexy Farmer. Isn’t he sweet?”
Penny stopped recording and laid the camera in her lap. Quade started the engine and pulled out.
“See, that wasn’t so bad, was it?” Penny said.
“No, you’re so confident talking to that thing.” Quade pointed to the camera.
“It’s just what I do. I love it,” Penny replied.
“Why Sexy Farmer?” Quade said.
Penny grinned. “Does it annoy you?”
“No, just a bit strange. I’m nothing approaching sexy,” Quade said as they drove down the hill to her farm.
“Of course you are. You’re a big hunky farmer, and my followers are drooling over you. Besides, I don’t want them to know your name. It gives you some privacy.”
And some part of you that’s just mine.
* * *
As soon as they arrived at the farmhouse, Penny jumped out and started taking still pictures of the house and fields surrounding it.
“This place is beautiful. It’s so…authentic,” Penny said.
Quade let the dogs out the back and walked over to her. “It’s what?”
“Authentic.” Penny beamed.
Quade raised an eyebrow. “Well, it would be. It’s real.”
Penny rolled her eyes. “No, it’s unchanged, unaffected by modern life.”
“Hmm,” Quade said.
Penny put her hands on her hips and gave her an indignant look. Unfortunately, in those tight shorts it just made her look all the more sexy. “What does hmm mean, exactly?”
“Well, unaffected could mean shabby.”
To Quade’s surprise, Penny grinned and gave her a playful shove. “You know I didn’t meant that. Where to first?”
Penny was really different today. She seemed to have let go of some of the stubbornness and was excited and light-hearted.
“Why don’t we take the quad out to see the cattle,” Quade suggested.
“A quad bike?” Penny said with concern.
“Don’t worry. It’s a two-seater, quite safe. Stay here a minute.”
Penny watched Quade jog off to a wooden hut by the side of the farmhouse, and a few minutes later, what was more like a red buggy than a quad came driving out.
Dougal jumped about excitedly. He clearly liked going for a ride. Penny opened her bag and said to Princess, “Jump in, Princess. This is dangerous for you.”
Quade pulled up beside her and said, “Would you like a ride?”
Penny smiled. Quade did look really sexy behind the wheel of this thing.
“If you promise not to kill me.” Penny slid into the bucket seat.
Quade laughed softly and said, “I think I might be hanged, drawn, and quartered if I killed a Huntingdon-Stewart.”
Penny gasped when Quade reached over her, and their bodies touched.
Quade must have felt her stiffen, because she lifted the seat belt and said, with panic in her voice, “I was just buckling you in. I’m sorry.”
“No, no. I’m sorry. I’m just not used to being so cl—Can we just forget about it, start again?” Penny said.
“Yes. Hold onto Princess tightly.” Quade whistled, and Dougal jumped into the back.
Penny held Princess with one hand, grasped her hat with the other, and squealed as the quad sprang to life and started to move.
“Don’t panic. It’s perfectly safe,” Quade said.
“How far away are they?” Penny couldn’t see anything but an expanse of grass, and Axedale Hall in the distance.
“Not far. Just around this bend. They usually congregate around the old oak tree. Gives them a nice bit of shade.”
Penny had to raise her voice to be heard over the noise of the quad. “They aren’t dangerous, are they?”
“Not at all. Aberdeen Angus are known for their tame temperament,” Quade said.
Penny noticed the way Quade talked with pride when she spoke about her animals. She obviously cared about them.
“Aberdeen Angus? I think I’ve cooked with that beef.”
They drove over a bump, and Penny got a fright.
“They’re a well-respected Scottish breed. Fantastic animals,” Quade said.
Penny spotted a group of men over by the side of the field. They turned around and Quade raised her hand to them.
“Who are they?” Penny asked.
“My farmhands.”
“Oh.”
They turned a bend and she saw the tree Quade had been talking about. “There’s hundreds of them.”
Quade smiled and shook her head. “No, just the one hundred. I have a bull too, but he’s in a separate field with a few steers to keep him company.”
Penny was lost. “Stop, you’re talking farmer-speak. What’s a steer?”
“A castrated male. It makes them less aggressive. For a small farm like this, one bull is enough, and Boris is definitely more than enough for us.” Quade smiled proudly when she said that.
Penny did a double take. “Boris?”
“Yeah, he’s quite the personality, and very good at what he does, so we keep him in another field when his services are not needed.”
“His services?” Penny laughed. “How romantic. I hope you don’t talk like that to the ladies you entertain.”
Quade smiled tensely and red rose to her cheeks. She was embarrassed. How sweet.
Could she really be that sweet?
Quade slowed the quad as they got nearer to the herd and finally stopped. The cattle mooed loudly when they saw her.
“Stay there and I’ll help you out.” Quade jumped off, then walked around. Dougal followed suit. “Let Princess out of that bag. She’ll be fine now.”
Penny opened the bag and Quade lifted Princess down to Dougal. They immediately ran around together. Quade then offered her hand to Penny. Penny stared at her hand.
Why did Penny seem so tense? Quade had noticed that before, especially in the quad when she helped with her seat belt.
Didn’t Penny trust her? She thought about taking her hand away but somehow knew she had to try to get Penny to take her hand. She kept her hand out and held Penny’s gaze.
Penny’s hand had a slight tremble as it moved to hers, and then when she clasped it, Penny held it tight and let out a breath, as if she’d overcome something. What that was, Quade didn’t know.
When she first met Penny, her friends had advised her to offer help, not just bulldoze i
n and give it. Maybe this was the same. She just had to keep offering kindness, and her touch.
“Let me introduce you,” Quade said.
Penny kept gripping her hand. “Are you sure it’s safe?”
Quade gave her a reassuring smile. “Yes, trust me. They love nothing more than a back rub and ear scratch. They won’t hurt you.”
“Back rub?” Penny said with surprise.
“Yeah, come on.” Quade led them over to the tree. The dogs entertained themselves chasing each other.
One of the cows walked forward a few steps, and Penny jumped behind Quade. “It’s really big. The don’t look that big in pictures.”
“They’re perfectly docile. Look.” Quade stroked the animal’s neck. “You see? Come and talk to him.”
Penny edged forward and patted him gingerly. “What kind is he?”
“This is a young steer,” Quade said while she scratched its ear.
Penny started to relax and smile. “They are quite gentle, aren’t they?”
“Told you. Look around this whole space.” Quade indicated with her arm. Penny turned and followed Quade’s direction. “They graze here, free range, and over at the other side of the field is one of my barns where they can take shelter, with lots of straw and everything they need.”
“This certainly is organic farming. You really are doing it right. Can I film here?” Penny asked.
“Yeah, go ahead.” Quade’s chest puffed out with that compliment. “We are inspected every year to keep up standards, or we don’t get a license renewed.”
When Penny got her camera set, she turned to Quade and said, “Quade, I’m sorry I made assumptions about your farm when I first met you.”
“That’s all right. You didn’t know me,” Quade said generously.
Penny looked her straight in the eye and said, “No, really. All this, everything you do, is what I believe in.” Penny looked down. She hesitated for a second and then touched Quade’s hand. “Thank you for showing me this.”
* * *
Penny swept the video camera around so she could get a panoramic shot of Quade’s garden. After a hair-raising run in the quad back up to the farmhouse, Quade led her through the side gate to her garden.
“It’s wonderful,” Penny said.
The garden was split into large beds with flowers, plants, and vegetables. Quade clearly put a lot of work into this.
Quade’s face beamed with pride as it had done with her animals. “Thanks, let me show you the vegetable patch.”
Quade was so different from anyone she had met or socialized with. Many of her acquaintances used the buzzwords clean eating and insisted on organic produce, but like her purchased them at their local expensive supermarket or deli. None of them knew the hard work, sweat, and pride that went into its production. But Quade knew.
Quade crouched down by the side of the vegetable patch, and Penny laughed as Princess sat by her feet.
“She really likes you,” Penny said.
“I could say the same thing about you and Dougal, Penny.” Quade indicated to her side, where she was surprised to see Dougal trotting along beside her.
“You’re a sweet boy.” Penny ruffled his head and joined Quade by the vegetable patch. “You know, I just realized something.”
“What?” Quade asked.
“Everyone else I know insists on calling me Pen, but you call me Penny. Why?”
“You told me your name was Penny, so that’s who you are to me,” Quade said.
There was a tenderness in Quade’s words, a tenderness that made her breathing more rapid and, unusually for her, made her open up. Just like when they were in the cattle fields, she took Quade’s hand, and she didn’t feel threatened or scared. Then she sought out the touch of her hand again.
“My family calls me Little Pen.”
Quade nodded sympathetically. “And you don’t like that?”
“No,” Penny said. “They don’t mean to, but it makes me feel like the little girl who can’t take care of herself.”
Why was she telling Quade this? No one knew that. Something about this big, strong, unpolished, down-to-earth farmer made her feel safe. Every night when she went to bed, she never felt as safe as she did the night Quade stayed with her.
“I’ll never think of you that way. You’re Penny, a strong, successful businesswoman.”
It meant so much for Quade to say that to her. She saw her as a woman, not a girl with a condition.
“Everyone calls you by your last name. Can I call you something that no one else does?” Penny asked.
“Sam?” Quade replied.
Penny smiled and shook her head. “Sammy.”
Quade widened her eyes. “You’re right. No one calls me that, but I’d be happy if you did.”
Something passed between them then. Penny didn’t know what it was and couldn’t explain it, but it felt like she had stepped over a barrier, probably of her own creation.
“Show me your veggies then.”
Quade gazed back at her with a more than friendly smile. “Okay. In this bed I have cabbage, Brussels sprouts, carrots”—Quade pointed to the next bed along—“then potatoes, onions, greens, kale, and runner beans along the wall.”
Penny’s eyes widened. “Kale? You’ve just said a clean eating vlogger’s magic word.”
“Really? I never thought about growing it until the farmers’ collective suggested it. They always sell out at the farmers’ market. Come and I’ll show you.”
They walked over to the next bed and Quade pulled out some kale from the ground. “We’ll make up a basket of veg for you to take home.”
Penny reverently touched the kale with dirt clinging to the bottom. “Vegetables fresh out of the ground and straight into the cooking pot? You’re giving me shivers of pleasure.”
As they had done earlier in the day, Quade’s cheeks went adorably pink.
“I know what I could do. A video making a recipe only from ingredients from your garden. It’s perfect! Everyone would love it,” Penny said.
“I told you I would give you inspiration, didn’t I?” Quade said.
Penny smiled and her eyes sparkled. “You do, Sammy. You do.”
Quade stood up quickly and brushed down her jeans. “We better get you inside for a cup of tea before my purple carrots tip you over the edge.”
Penny gasped. “Purple carrots?”
* * *
Quade poured the tea and carried it over to the table.
“It’s a perfect country kitchen. Much bigger than mine at the cottage,” Penny said.
Quade gave her the tea and said with a hint of amusement in her voice, “Authentic?”
Penny laughed. “Exactly.”
“It needs decorating, but white is all I’ve ever gone for. I wouldn’t know what other colours to choose.”
Quade looked over at Dougal’s bed and saw that Dougal and Princess were curled up together. She indicated for Penny to look over.
“Aww, they’re sharing a bed. Isn’t that the cutest? I don’t think I’ve ever seen Princess as happy since she’s come to the country. I think she was a sheepdog in a previous life.”
“Dougal is glad to have her too,” Quade said.
“How long have you lived here alone?” Penny asked.
“Five years. I was brought up by my aunt and uncle. My aunt died twelve years ago, a heart attack, and my uncle went five years ago to a stroke.”
“I’m sorry.” Penny surprised her by covering her hand with hers. “Have you never met anyone you wanted to make a home with here?”
Quade looked down into her mug of tea and tapped her fingers on the side. “There aren’t many lesbians to choose from in a small village.”
Penny furrowed her brow. “But what about the nearest town? There must be a gay bar, or go to London.”
“Finn is always trying to convince me to go to a club in London,” Quade said.
“Why don’t you go? Don’t you want to meet someone?”
Penny felt like that question was pointed at her, and she panicked. Quade was looking for a wife. She couldn’t be that to anyone, although she had gone further with Quade that she ever had with any date.
“Who knows. What about a dating app?” Penny suggested.
Quade picked up her phone and then dropped it back down. “Are you kidding? I can make a call on this thing, and that’s it.”
Penny picked up Quade’s phone. “An iPhone? You don’t look the type for an iPhone.”
“I’m not. Harry got them for the estate management team. I’m not good with computers.”
“Wait,” Penny said, “you’ve got my app. It’s the only one you have.”
Quade looked a little embarrassed. “Uh, yeah. Riley put it on for me. I wanted to understand what you did.”
That touched Penny. Even when she was being cold and pushing Sammy away, she was interested in what she did. She looked up at her and said, “You’ve never asked about my family.”
Quade took a sip of tea. “I supposed everyone asked you that, and it probably annoyed you.”
“Why?” Penny asked.
“Because you want to be your own woman. Not your surname.”
Penny felt another chip of ice crack and melt from her heart. How did she know that? How could she know her so well after such a short time? Connecting like this with someone was not only strange for her, it was unheard of.
“You’re very perceptive, Sammy.”
“Not really, you just have to listen. So many people talk and don’t listen these days.”
Penny had an idea. “Would you mind if I put some of the social media apps on your phone? Just so you can see what I do?”
Quade smiled. “I’d like that.”
Penny’s fingers started to fly across the screen, and as she set up some of the apps, she started to talk. “I don’t want you to get the wrong idea. My family are the best. I love them so much. There’s my mum and dad, my brother, my sister, then I come last. The baby in more ways than one. They’ve always babied me, for the best of intentions. They’re always frightened I’ll get hurt because of my condition.”