The Girl from Honeysuckle Farm / One Dance with the Cowboy: The Girl from Honeysuckle Farm / One Dance with the Cowboy

CHAPTER FOUR

PHINN was up and about long before Ash called for her the next day. She had tended to Ruby’s requirements earlier, and spent her time waiting for Ash in folding Ruby’s blankets and in getting the mare’s belongings together.

Turning Ruby out into the field for the last time, Phinn cleaned out her stall so that Geraldine would have nothing to complain over. But even though she felt sure Ruby’s new accommodation would be adequate, she still wanted to look it over before she moved her.

A little after nine Ash drove into the yard and found her waiting for him. He looked dreadfully tired, Phinn thought, as though his nights were long and tortuous.

‘Ready?’ he asked, pushing out a smile.

‘There’s rather a lot to cart over,’ she mentioned apologetically.

They had almost finished loading the pick-up when Geraldine Walton appeared, and Phinn introduced the two. ‘You manage the estate, I believe?’ Geraldine commented pleasantly, clearly having been in the area long enough to have picked up village gossip.

‘Something like that,’ Ash muttered, and hefted the last of Phinn’s cases into the back of the pick-up. ‘That it?’ he asked Phinn.

She smiled at him and, feeling that he had perhaps been a little off with Geraldine, smiled at her too. ‘I’ll be over for Ruby later,’ she confirmed.

‘She’ll be fine until then. No need to rush back. I’ll keep an eye on her,’ Geraldine promised.

A minute or so later and Ash was driving the pick-up out of the stableyard. Her job, Phinn realised, had begun. ‘Er—Ty gone back to London?’ she enquired—more to get Ash to start talking than because she had any particular interest in his brother.

But Ash took his glance from the road briefly to give her what she could only describe as a knowing look as he enquired, ‘Didn’t he phone you before he left?’

There was no reason why he should phone, as far as Phinn was aware, and she almost said as much—but that was before, on thinking about that knowing look, the most astonishing thought hit her! It couldn’t be—could it?

She tried to look at the situation from Ash’s angle. Given that she was unable to tell Ash that the real reason she was coming to live at the Hall was in order to keep an eye on him and, unbeknown to him, be his companion, did Ash think that there was more in his brother’s invitation for her to stay at the Hall than his gratitude after yesterday’s events?

She opened her mouth to tell Ash bluntly that there was nothing going on between her and his brother Ty, nor likely to be, but the moment had passed. Then she was glad she had said nothing; she had obviously got it wrong. In actual fact, when she thought of the glamorous females that Ty probably dated, she was doubly glad she had said nothing. Far better to keep her mouth shut than to make a fool of herself.

Ash drove straight to the stable. There were bits and pieces of packing cases outside, she noticed as they drove up. ‘I was supposed to have the stable empty before you got here, but I—er—got kind of sidetracked,’ Ash excused.

‘Well, with two of us I don’t suppose it will take us very long,’ Phinn said brightly, more concerned with having a look inside than anything else just then.

Taking into account that there were more packing cases inside, plus an old scrubbed kitchen table and other items which she guessed had come out of the Hall when it had been modernised, the stable was more than adequate—even to the water tap on one wall. Indeed, once she had got it all spruced up, brushed out, and with fresh straw put down, it would be little short of luxury for Ruby.

‘Roll your sleeves up time!’ she announced.

‘You don’t want to go into the house and check on your room first?’

Where she laid her head that night was immaterial to Phinn just then. Her first priority was to get Ruby settled. ‘I’m sure it will be fine,’ she answered. ‘Will you help?’

Reluctantly at first, Ash started bundling boxes out of the way. And then gradually he began to take over. ‘Leave that one,’ he ordered at one stage, when she tried to manhandle what had been some part of a kitchen cabinet. ‘I’ll move that.’ And later, ‘What we’re going to have to do is to take this lot down to the tip.’

Sacrilege! Phinn took out her phone and pressed out Mickie Yates’s number. With luck she’d get him before he went for lunch, and she needed to talk to him anyway.

She was in luck. He was home. ‘Mickie? Phinn Hawkins.’

‘I haven’t forgotten,’ he replied, a smile in his voice. ‘Three o’clock.’

‘Change of plan,’ she stated. ‘I’m—er—working and staying at the Hall for a while.’ She could feel Ash’s eyes on her, and felt awkward. ‘The thing is, we’re clearing out the stable for Ruby. Can you find homes for some kitchen units and the like that still have some life in them, do you think?’

‘Today?’

‘That would be good.’

‘An hour?’

‘That would be brilliant.’

‘See you, lovely girl.’

Putting her phone away after making the call, Phinn looked up to find that Ash was staring at her. ‘You’re working here?’ he enquired.

She went red. Grief—what was it about these Allardyce brothers? ‘Shut up—and help me move this,’ she ordered—and to her great delight, after a stunned moment she saw a half-grin break on Ash’s features. It seemed an age since she had last seen him smile.

She was delighted, but a moment or two later she distinctly heard him comment, ‘She blushes, and Ty says he’ll try and get back tonight…’ And then she heard him deliberately sing a snatch of ‘Love Is in the Air’.

‘Ash,’ she warned.

‘What?’ he asked.

What could she say? ‘Nothing,’ she replied.

‘Sorry,’ he apologized. ‘Am I treading all over your tender feelings?’

There was no answer to that either. ‘Now, where did I put that yard broom?’ she said instead, but knew then she had to believe that Ash thought that there might be something going on between her and his elder brother.

What? After only seeing her once? Though on second thought, how did she know that since Ty did not want Ash to know the real reason she was there, Ty had not instigated or at least allowed Ash to nurture such thoughts? He could quite truthfully have told Ash that, apart from the time she had called at the house with his camera, they had bumped into each other on a couple of other occasions and stopped for a chat.

That, ‘Get off my land!’ and a threat to summons her for trespass hardly constituted ‘a chat’ was neither here nor there. But it was plain Ash thought that there was more to Ty inviting her to live under his roof and offering to stable her horse than appeared on the surface. Hadn’t she herself asked Ty, ‘You think he’ll believe such philanthropy?’ Clearly Ash did not. What Ash had chosen to believe was that she was some kind of would-be girlfriend to his brother. And, bearing in mind that she could not tell Ash the truth, there was nothing she could do to disabuse him of the idea.

Having reached the conclusion that Ash was not so down as she had at first thought, she saw the more cheerful mood he had been in while they had been busy start to fall away once the stable was empty of impedimenta and Mickie Yates had called and carted everything away.

‘I think I’ll take a shortcut through the spinney and collect Ruby,’ Phinn said lightly. Straw was down; water was in the trough they had unearthed and scrubbed.

‘I’ll drive you there if you like?’ he offered, but she knew that his heart was not in it.

For a moment she wondered if the fact that Geraldine had the look of her cousin and it would upset him had anything to do with it. If so, perhaps it would be kinder not to trigger memories of Leanne should Geraldine be about.

‘No need,’ she answered gently. But, bearing in mind that he had seemed happier when working, she went on. ‘Though if you’re strolling down anywhere near the paddock you might check if it’s Ruby-friendly for me.’

Ash nodded and went on his way. By then Phinn was learning to trust Ty enough that if he thought the paddock was suitable for Ruby, there would be no stray barbed wire or plant-life dangerous to horses.

She was feeling sorely in need of a shower and a change of clothes, but Ruby still had to be Phinn’s first priority. She wanted her away from the other horses, and so went as quickly as she could to get her.

First she was met by Geraldine—a smiling Geraldine—who offered to supply her with hay and straw from her own supplies. ‘You can have it for the price I pay for it,’ she offered pleasantly.

Thanking her, feeling cheered, Phinn went looking for Ruby, and was instantly rewarded when Ruby spotted her straight away and came over to her as fast as she could. ‘Come on, darling,’ Phinn murmured to her softly. ‘Have I got a lovely surprise for you.’

Ruby did not have much of an appetite, and after staying with her for a while as she got used to her new surroundings, Phinn left her and went over to the house.

She went in though the kitchen door and at once saw Mrs Starkey, who was at the sink scrubbing new potatoes. She smiled when she saw her. ‘Come in, Phinn, come in. Your room’s all ready for you.’

‘I hope I haven’t put you to a lot of trouble?’ Phinn apologised.

‘None at all! It will be nice having you in the house,’ Mrs Starkey answered cheerfully, more than happy, it seemed, in her now streamlined kitchen. ‘Dinner’s usually about seven-thirty, but I’ve made you a sandwich to tide you over. Or you could have some soup, or a salad, or…’

‘A sandwich will do fine, Mrs Starkey. What I need most is a shower and a change of clothes.’

Mrs Starkey washed and dried her hands. ‘Come on, then. I’ll show you your room. Ashley came in earlier with your belongings and took them up for you. I hope it’s all right? I’ve had your cardboard boxes put in the storeroom, but…’

‘That’s lovely.’ Phinn thanked her, and as they climbed the winding staircase asked, ‘Where is Ash? Do you know?’

For a brief second or two the housekeeper lost her smile. ‘I think he’s taken himself off for a walk. He didn’t want anything to eat, and he barely touched his breakfast.’ She shook her head. ‘I don’t know,’ she said, more to herself than anything as they went along the landing.

Phinn was unsure what, if anything, to answer. But she was saved having to make a reply when Mrs Starkey halted at one of the bedroom doors.

‘Here we are,’ she said, opening the door and standing back for Phinn to go in. ‘I hope it’s to your liking.’

Liking! ‘Oh, Mrs Starkey, it’s lovely!’ she cried. And it was.

‘I’ll leave you to get settled in and have your shower.’ Mrs Starkey seemed as pleased as Phinn herself.

Phinn stood in the centre of the recently refurbished room and turned very slowly around. The huge, high-ceilinged, light and airy room, with its own modernised bathroom, was more of a bedsitting room than anything. One wall had been given over to built-in wardrobes, with a dressing table in between—far more wardrobe space than she would ever need, Phinn mused. And there was a padded stool in delicate cream and antique gold in front of the dressing table area that had a light above it.

The bed was a double bed, with a cream and antique gold bedcover. At the foot of the bed was a padded cream ottoman, and further in front of that a padded antique gold-coloured chaise longue. A small round table reposed to the side of it, and to the side of that stood a small matching padded chair.

Remembering her cold and draughty bedroom at Honeysuckle Farm, where she would have been returning today but for the turn of events, Phinn could only stare in wonder. She took another slow turn around again—and she had thought Ruby’s accommodation luxurious!

Feeling a little stunned, and thinking that she would not want to leave when her six months at Broadlands Hall were over, Phinn went to inspect the bathroom. She was not disappointed. There must be a snag, she pondered. And, stripping off, stepped into the shower—certain that the plumbing or some such would prove faulty.

It proved not faulty. The water was fine, as hot or not as she would have wished.

Refreshed from her shower, Phinn quickly dressed in some clean clothes and, with her thoughts on introducing Ruby to the paddock, swiftly left her room—she could unpack later. She went to the kitchen.

‘Tea or coffee?’ Mrs Starkey asked as soon as she saw her. And only then did Phinn realise that she felt quite parched.

‘Actually, I’d better go and see to Ruby. But I’ll have a glass of water,’ she answered. No time to wait for tea or coffee.

‘Juice?’ Mrs Starkey offered, and as Phinn glanced at the motherly woman she suddenly felt as if she had come home.

‘Juice would be lovely,’ she replied gratefully. And while she drank her juice she saw Mrs Starkey fold her sandwich up in a paper napkin.

‘Our John never used to have a moment to breathe either,’ she remarked, handing over the sandwich with a smile.

‘Thank you, Mrs Starkey,’ Phinn said, and had her empty glass taken out of her hand when she would have taken it over to the sink and washed it, and the sandwich pressed in its place.

Life was suddenly good. Phinn all at once realised that she was feeling the best she had felt since her father had died. Now, who did she thank for that? Ty, Ash, Mrs Starkey—or just the passage of time?

Whatever—just enjoy.

Another plus was that Ruby appeared a little hungry. Some of her special feed had gone anyway. Phinn took her down to the fenced-off paddock, checked she had water, and sat on the fence eating her sandwich while Ruby found her way around.

After a while Phinn got down from the fence. Ruby was not her only concern, but this was her first day, and apart from having to clear out the stables and make everything ready, Phinn had not got into any sort of pattern as yet. But she was mindful that she should be looking out for Ash.

Leaving Ruby, Phinn went looking for him. He had gone for a walk, Mrs Starkey had said. But that had been hours ago.

Phinn had gone some way, and was near to the pool when through the trees she caught a glimpse of something blue. If memory served, Ash had been wearing a blue shirt that morning. Should she leave him or keep him company?

The matter was solved when she recalled that she was being employed to keep Ash company. She went forward, making sufficient noise so as not to suddenly startle him. She found him sitting on the bank, his expression bleak, and her heart went out to him. How long had he been sitting there, staring at the water without really seeing anything but her cousin?

‘Can you believe this glorious weather?’ she asked, for something to say.

‘Get Ruby over okay?’ Ash roused himself to ask.

‘The paddock’s a dream!’

‘Good,’ he replied politely, and made no objection when she decided to sit down beside him.

Sitting down beside him was one thing. Now she had to think of something to talk about! ‘Are you really the estate manager?’ she asked, playing the companion role by ear.

‘It doesn’t need much managing,’ he replied.

‘You reckon?’

‘You know differently?’ he countered, and she sensed an interest—slight, but a spark of interest nevertheless.

‘No. Not really,’ she answered hurriedly. ‘Only…’

‘Only?’

‘Well, I couldn’t help noticing the other day when I was walking through Pixie End Wood that there are one or two trees that need taking out and new ones planting in their place.’

‘Where’s Pixie End Wood?’

Phinn worked on that spark of interest. ‘If I’m not too busy with Ruby tomorrow I’ll take you there, if you like?’

He nodded, but she knew his interest was waning. ‘How’s Leanne?’ he asked, totally unexpectedly.

Oh, Ash. Phinn knew, just as she knew that there was nothing she could do to help, that Ash was bleeding a little inside. ‘We’re not in contact,’ she replied. ‘It’s like that with relatives sometimes. You rarely ever see each other except for weddings and—’ She broke off, spears of sad memory still able to dart in unexpectedly and stop her in her tracks.

‘I’m sorry.’ Ash, like the normally thoughtful person he was, sensed what she had not been able to say. The last time Leanne had surfaced had been to attend Phinn’s father’s funeral. ‘Come on,’ he said, shaking off his apathy in the face of Phinn having a weak moment. ‘Let’s go and see how Ruby likes her new digs.’

By early evening Phinn was in her room again, wondering at her stroke of luck at being at Broadlands. Because her watch had stopped working she was having to guess at the time, but she thought it had been around six that evening when she and Ash had returned to the house. She had come straight to her room and begun finding homes for her belongings.

She had been surprised, however, when opening a drawer in her bedside table, to find an envelope with her name on it. When she had opened it, it had been to extract a cheque written and signed in Ty’s firm hand, for what she presumed was her first month’s wages.

She felt a little hot about the ears when, never having been paid in advance before, she wondered if Ty had guessed at the parlous state of her finances. The fact that the cheque was for more than she would have thought too made her realise the importance he gave to his brother’s welfare. In his view Ash needed a companion when Ty could not be there himself—and he was prepared to pay up-front for that cover.