by Jenny Frame
Annie said, “Sorry, we’ve been banished from the drawing room, so Bridge doesn’t see Finn’s wedding suit. They’re waiting for you, Quade.”
Quade sighed. “Okay, I’ll go.”
Penny reached for her hand. “You’ll look very handsome. It’ll be fine.”
Quade had confessed to Penny over the last week how she was dreading getting trussed up in a suit. It wasn’t her style at all. Harry and Finn wore suits with ease, but Quade found even ties strangled her. Penny had calmed her by reminding her she was doing this for her friend, and it was good to put yourself out for friends.
Quade kissed her on the cheek and whispered, “I want to finish this sometime later.”
“So would I,” Penny whispered back.
Penny couldn’t help but gaze at Quade as she ascended the stairs out of the kitchen.
“There is the look of a love-struck woman,” Bridge said.
“How are things going with you and Quade?” Annie asked.
Bridge nudged her and said, “Most of the internet thinks they’re a loved-up couple.”
Penny was a little embarrassed, but it was a new feeling to share things like this with friends. Olivia knew some things about her life, but not all.
She was coming to realize that this little community’s fondness for Quade was whipping her up in a romantic haze. They all wanted Quade to be happy, and she only hoped that she never let Quade or them down.
“All my followers are swept up in their romantic notions for me, and those that aren’t would like to have Quade for themselves.”
Penny walked over to the kitchen table and continued to set up her knives and utensils.
Bridge sat on the edge of the table. “Well, it might be because you’re posting pictures of you two together all the time.”
Bridge turned to Annie. “You know, I heard our Quade has spent every evening over at Northwood Cottage.”
Annie smiled. “Oh, really. That’s a good sign.”
Penny shook her head. These women were determined for a happy ending to their love story. Was that what she and Quade were having? A smile crept on her face. Yes, yes, they were.
“She comes over for dinner,” Penny said. “I’m wooing her, and she’s courting me, we’ve decided.”
Bridget winked at her. “Good girl. You’ll be fine. Take it slow and you’ll wind up where you want to be.”
“So,” Annie said. “Can we watch you record?”
“Absolutely, but if you’re here, we need to get a selfie to post.” Penny picked up her phone, gathered Annie and Bridge around her, and held up the camera. “Say cheese.”
“Cheese,” they both replied.
Afterwards Penny edited the picture quickly and got ready to post it on Instagram.
“I’ll say, fun and games with Lady Annie and…” She looked over at Bridge and said,
“I think since we’ve got Sexy Farmer, we’ll call you Sexy Vicar.”
Bridget laughed. “Oh, do please.”
* * *
Quade and Harry were sitting on the couch watching Finn getting fitted by Harry’s tailor, and waiting for their own turns. Quade had to admit that Finn looked great in her wedding suit. It was what Finn called steampunk, a kind of exaggerated Victorian suit, Quade would have said. It was black with a deep red waistcoat, and of course Finn’s signature top hat.
“She really pulls off the top hat thing, doesn’t she?” Quade said to Harry.
Harry chuckled. “Yes, she certainly cuts a dash. So, how are you and Pen coming along? Any movement on that front?”
“Yeah, well, I have dinner with her every night. She loves to cook for me, and I’m courting her, taking it slow, you know?”
“I do,” Harry said. “Annie courted me and I never even realized until I nearly lost her. If it’s Pen you want, don’t hesitate like I did.”
“You did?” Quade said.
Harry nodded. “I ran away in fear, and Annie was packing to leave for another posting. If I hadn’t convinced her that I wanted to change my life, I would have been heartbroken.”
“I didn’t know that.” Quade had only seen Annie and Harry’s romance from the outside and had assumed that after Annie melted her heart, their love story was a smooth journey, not a rocky road.
Quade wouldn’t let that happen to her. She wanted Penny and would go as slow as it took to win her heart.
“I’m going to do anything to keep her in my life. She wanted to make a video of my workday. A day-in-the-life sort of thing. Do you mind if we film my job up here?”
Harry smiled and patted her leg. “Of course not. Have fun and win her heart, Quade.”
Finn jumped down from the box she was standing on and gave a bow. “I’m ready for my greatest show ever. Who’s next?”
Quade nudged Harry. “You go, mate.”
She wanted to put off wearing the suit as long as possible.
* * *
Penny made her way to the drawing room. Annie said this was one of the many drawing rooms, music rooms, writing rooms, and every other room under the sun in Axedale Hall. Penny’s family home was a mansion in Mayfair, but nothing to the sheer scale of Axedale Hall. She wondered how Harry, Annie, and Riley didn’t get lost here.
She opened the large doors to the drawing room and peeked her head around. The normally good-natured Quade was standing on a raised platform and had a frown on her face. The poor tailor was trying to adjust the jacket with great difficulty. Quade shifted and fidgeted the whole time.
“Ms. McQuade. If you could please stay still.”
Quade pulled at her collar and tie and said with frustration, “It’s Quade, and how can I keep still when you keep poking me?”
Before the situation got any worse, Penny said, “Mr. Havers? Lady Annie has tea ready for you in the kitchen. Why don’t you take a break?”
Mr. Havers sighed and nodded. “Thank you, miss.”
When he left, Quade jumped down from the box, opened her collar, and pulled her tie loose. “Bloody man.”
Penny walked over to her. “What’s wrong, Sammy?”
“Have you been sent to make me behave?”
She said that more sharply than Penny had heard Quade speak before. “Now, now. I came because I wanted to see your lovely suit.”
“It’s not lovely. I hate being trussed up like this. I feel like I can’t breathe.” Quade put her hands over her face and rubbed it vigorously.
Penny followed her instincts and slipped her hands inside Quade’s jacket and round her waist. “Now look at me. What’s really bothering you?”
Quade hands fell and went to Penny’s waist quite naturally. “It’s just not me. You should have seen Finn and Harry—they look like they were born to wear these stupid things.”
Penny remembered Bridget’s advice to use her feminine wiles to woo her. Maybe they could also be used to calm her down or distract. She was a novice at this, but she’d give it a try.
Penny placed the flat of her hand on Quade’s chest. “Sammy, I know it’s not you, and you don’t like it, but this is something you are doing for your best friend. We talked about it.”
Quade let out a long breath. “I know. I really tried, but look at me.”
She started to trace her fingernails over the crisp white shirt. “I think you look rather dashing, actually.”
“You do?” Quade’s tone of voice changed.
Penny grasped Quade’s loose tie lightly. “Yes. I know it’s not you, but I for one will be so happy to dance with you at the wedding looking so sexy.”
“You will?”
She pulled on the tie and pulled Quade closer. Quade’s eyes became alive and her breathing deepened. Penny could hear Quade’s breath shorten, and see the rapid rise and fall of her chest. She felt powerful having this sort of effect on Quade. The anxiety she once had now gave way to excitement, want, and aching for Quade’s lips.
Penny realized Quade was allowing her to come to her, always wanting Penny to make that choic
e. Why had she taken so long to do this?
Nothing made more sense than falling into Quade’s deep blue eyes and feeling the warmth of her lips. Her eyes closed, and their lips met without the fanfare or trepidation she had always worried about, but just quite naturally.
Quade’s lips were gentle, soft, and heart-meltingly sweet. She felt Quade’s hands slowly and softly cup her cheeks, and the tip of her tongue trace her upper lip. That one small touch made Penny’s knees weaken, and a small moan escaped her throat.
Just when she thought Quade might deepen the kiss, she pulled back and smiled at her.
“Thank you, sweetheart,” Quade said.
Penny, still a little dazed, said, “What for?”
Quade caressed her cheek. “For trusting me, for believing in me, and for making me feel better.”
“Can I bring back Mr. Havers then?” Penny asked.
“In a few minutes.” Quade grinned and moved back in to kiss her.
Chapter Seventeen
Quade stood outside Northwood Cottage waiting on Penny coming out. Today Penny was shadowing her for a day-in-the-life vlog.
They decided it would hold Quade’s work back too much to follow her from half past five in the morning at the farm. So they started by following Quade’s midmorning work up at Axedale and would finish on the farm.
Since their first kiss the other day, they had spent every moment they could together, exploring their new-found closeness, and strengthening their bond and trust. Bridget had been right about patience and time. Penny had relaxed more and more, and their intimacy deepened, as well as their kisses, every day.
As much as their kissing and touching made Quade ache for more, ache to touch and kiss Penny’s body, she was in no rush to get there. She was enjoying this old-fashioned courtship. Penny was not a woman you wanted to rush. You wanted to savour every look, touch, and kiss you were fortunate enough to have bestowed on you.
Her gaze was drawn to the Ferrari that had sat in its slumber since Penny arrived. It had puzzled her why Penny owned something she couldn’t use. Her thoughts were interrupted by the cottage door opening and Princess’s barking. Then of course Dougal’s loud barks started. Quade got out of the car and lifted Princess up into her arms.
“Good morning, beautiful girl.”
Penny walked over and said, “Are you talking to me or my dog?”
Quade looked up and her heart thudded as it always did when she saw Penny. She put Princess down next to Dougal and leaned in to kiss Penny. “Both.”
“That’s all right then. How do I look for a mucky day in the country?” Penny spun around and Quade’s eyes went to Penny’s gorgeous looking bottom in tight jeans.
She had warned Penny to wear something sensible, and Penny’s version of sensible was jeans with sparkles and diamanté, and Quade started to laugh when she looked down at Penny’s feet and saw her wellington boots of choice were white and pink with a large unicorn print.
“You look beautiful, and as near country as you could ever get, Penny. Especially those boots.”
Penny beamed a smile and waggled her hips. “I was saving them for a special occasion.”
Quade put her arms around Penny’s waist and pulled her in close. “I’m honoured then.”
Penny put her bag down on the ground, wrapped her arms around Quade’s neck, and kissed her. “Good morning, Sammy.”
Quade couldn’t resist slipping her hands from Penny’s waist to her pert bottom. “I love you in these jeans.”
Penny gave her a quick kiss. “Thank you, Sexy Farmer. You know, I’m getting bombarded with questions from my followers about us. And my subscriber numbers have gone through the roof.”
“Really?” Quade said.
“They’re fascinated by us—are they or aren’t they?”
“And what have you told them?” Quade asked.
Penny gave her the sweetest smile. “Nothing. I’ve told them nothing. This is just ours.”
In their little bubble of Axedale, Penny was safe to explore her new-found love life, her special relationship with Quade. She was frightened that if the real world crept in, things would change.
Quade kissed her nose. “That’s a nice thing to say. Are you ready to go?”
“Yes.” Penny picked up her bag and pulled out her camera. “Would you mind doing one more little thing for me, Sammy?”
“Anything.”
Penny rummaged around in her bag and brought out two clip-on microphone packs. “I promise I won’t post anything before you approve it, but it will really help with the recording.”
“I trust you. Of course I will.”
“Great.” Penny wired Quade up and put the pack in her back pocket. “Let’s go.”
* * *
The Land Rover pulled in to the stable block behind Axedale, and Quade brought it to a halt.
“So who works here?” Penny held the camera in front of Quade.
“There’s about one hundred staff who work at Axedale. The majority are outdoor staff, and then the house and hospitality staff who work for Lady Annie. The outdoor staff are based in this office and are sent out to do their particular jobs.”
They got out and Quade led Penny with her camera into the office. The guys were sitting around have a morning cuppa.
“Morning, boys. I’ve got Ms. Penny with me today. She wants to see how we do things.”
“Hi, boys. Nice to meet you,” Penny said.
All the men’s eyes went wide, not quite believing this beautiful woman from the magazine was right before their eyes.
Young Will said shyly, “Hello, miss.”
Then the rest found the courage to greet her.
Quade laughed to herself. They had plenty to say when Penny was just a picture in a magazine, but now they were like frightened rabbits.
“Everyone got their assignments for today?” Quade asked.
They all nodded.
“Andy, take some people and check on the deer herd later. Make sure they’re all in good health.”
“Will do,” Andy replied.
“Great,” Quade said. “We’re going to feed the alpacas. See you later.”
They got back into the Land Rover and drove up to the alpaca enclosure, and Quade got out the feed bucket. Leaving the dogs in the truck for the moment, Penny followed Quade over to the pen. She whistled the same way she did for her cattle.
“Do they understand commands?” Penny asked.
“I’m not sure, since I’m not an expert on them, but I try to treat them as I do my cattle. It’s all I know.”
Penny laid her head on Quade’s shoulder. “You’re so sweet.”
“I’m not,” Quade said, showing her embarrassment.
Penny giggled. “Of course you are. Right, I’m going to film you feeding them. On you go.”
Quade took the bucket over to the feeding station, and the alpacas all followed her.
“They’re so goofy!” Penny shouted.
Quade spread out the feed and scratched one of the friendliest ones behind the ears. “I know. Just wait till the pot-bellied pigs arrive. It’ll be even sillier around here.”
The ringing of Quade’s phone silenced her. She saw it was Tom ringing her from the farm. “Hello? Tom?”
Tom explained that one of the cows had gone into labour, and it was taking too long. Quade hung up quickly and hurried over to Penny. “We have to go now.”
“What’s wrong, Sammy?”
She explained about the cow. “Tom thinks she may be in trouble.”
“Well, let’s go,” Penny said.
* * *
Penny had never seen Quade so worried, so concerned. She truly did care for her animals. They drove at breakneck speed back to the farm and hurried out of the truck. “Penny, will you put the dogs in the house?”
“Yes, on you go,” Penny said.
Quade ran up to the barn and disappeared through the door.
“Dougal, Princess? Come on and we’ll get you inside.�
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Once Penny settled the dogs, she made her way up to the barn. She was unsure if she should just walk in. Deciding to take a chance, she pushed open the barn door and saw the cow pacing around with a heavy looking udder area, making the cow equivalent of moaning noises. Quade had her arm around the suffering animal, stroking her neck and trying to calm her.
Tom, Quade’s farmhand, was standing a few paces back.
“Come on, girl. You’ll be all right. We’ll look after you.”
Penny didn’t want to spook the animal, so she walked to the hay bales that were stacked from low to high and sat down, trying to get out of the way.
Quade said a few words to Tom and walked back to talk to her.
“How is she?” Penny asked.
Quade rubbed the back of her head. “Her confinement’s taking too long, but the vet’s on his way. I can get Tom to take you home. We could be here a while.”
“No,” Penny said quickly. “I mean, unless you want me to go?”
Quade gave her a tense smile. “I’d like you to stay, but it might be difficult for you to watch.”
“I’m tougher than I look.” Penny smiled.
Quade leaned down and kissed her cheek. “I know you are.”
* * *
Penny had never watched anything more scary or beautiful. For the longest time, Quade and Tom were worried and tense, and Penny was caught up in those feelings too. She sensed that Quade would be devastated if she lost one of her animals this way.
The tension was so palpable that Penny had to stop herself from biting her precious nails. She gradually moved from the hay bales at the back up to where Quade was standing. She stood with her arm around Quade, trying to give her comfort, while the vet tried his best to help the cow and the unborn calf.
As the birth progressed, Penny found herself gripping Quade more tightly. “Will she be all right? She sounds like she’s in a lot of pain.”
“I hope so. She’s in the best hands.” Quade put both arms around Penny and kissed her head.
Five minutes later, Penny watched in awe as a big calf was born onto the straw. “It’s here, it’s here.”