Page 5

Story: A Country Quandary

Ronnie pulled her fingers through her hair, a small crease in her brow. “What about Jonty? Isn’t he around?” Their cousin Jonty lived in the same village as his mum.

“Apparently, he doesn’t have the time. Lots of work on or something.”

“Okay, so how many animals are we talking about?”

Kitty shifted in her seat. “Quite a few. There’s her cat, of course, plus she has a few goats, some chickens, a sheep, and, ahem, a donkey.”

“A donkey?” Ronnie scoffed. “Oh, Kitty, really? You can’t cope with anything bigger than your average spaniel!”

“I know,” she said gloomily. “Donkeys aren’t the same as horses, though, are they?” Kitty had a long history with horses. Hated them. And what’s more, they hated her.

“I think donkeys have bigger teeth,” Ronnie said, laughing.

Kitty’s eyes widened, and a shiver ran through her body as she recalled long-buried memories of her time in riding school. The countless falls and bites she’d received still haunted her dreams, but her mum insisted that she continue lessons. She was intent on finding Kitty a hobby.

“What did she say when you told her no?”

“I didn’t exactly,” Kitty said, chewing her bottom lip.

“Are you mad? Are you sure you’re quite the right person to help her? No offence, darling, but you spent most of your teenage years with your nose in a book, and by the look of your skin tone, you’ve rarely seen daylight for the last five years. What on earth makes Julia think you’d be any use looking after a bunch of farm animals?”

Wow, thanks for the vote of confidence, Sis.

Although Kitty conceded Ronnie had a point, she didn’t like anyone questioning her competence.

“I think you’ll find I’m pretty adaptable,” she said, arms folding in front of her body.

“But you’re such a neat freak! You hate mess, and I know for a fact you have an aversion to mud.”

Again, Kitty had to agree. She’d been the only kid on the street who’d brought wet wipes to the park.Ronnie was hitting her stride and climbed out of bed to get sparkling water from the minibar. The pale sun from the window hit her skin, and her cheeks glowed peaches and cream.

“Can you imagine how you’ll cope mucking out a bunch of goats or wading elbow-deep in chicken poo?”

The thought of a stinky chicken coop sent a shudder through Kitty. But, as far as she was concerned, her sister had thrown down the gauntlet. She’d show Ronnie she could handle life in the country. Hadn’t she spent plenty of time at her aunt’s house growing up? And the thought of whiling away a few months in a sleepy village, with pleasant company and time to lick her wounds, sounded appealing. Besides, it was only a matter of time before she’d return to her real life—away from anything with big teeth.

“I think I’ll be just fine, thanks,” Kitty said, her jaw set tight.

Ronnie raised her eyebrows. “When do they need you by? We still have all the drunk and disorderly stuff to do while I have the chance.”

“Well, we better make a start,” said Kitty, grabbing a towel from under one of Ronnie’s bags. “I said I’d be there tomorrow.”

Ronnie tipped back the bottle of water, drinking the entire thing before eyeing her sister up and down with a smirk on her face.

“I just hope Aunt Julia has a substantial supply of sexy young men waiting for you.”

4

KITTY

Kitty droveinto Tottenbridge late the next afternoon, just as a tempestuous thunderstorm blew over. A vivid rainbow, ignited by the blazing sun, tattooed the slate grey sky. She followed the gentle bend at the end of High Street and approached a charming, thatched-roof pub.

As a youngster, she’d spent many happy hours at The Five Bob. She’d sipped lemonade and caught tadpoles in the pond at the back of the old coaching inn. Nostalgia swept over her as she pulled into the gravelled carpark, heartened to see the words “Off Licence” chalked onto a blackboard outside.Perfect. She could get her aunt a bottle of something nice to thank her for the invitation to stay.

After parking, Kitty ducked through a small doorway into the pub. The interior was dark and cool, a pleasure after the muggy air outside. Sturdy oak beams supported a nest of edges and corners, sucking in the light filtering in through the tiny windows. Kitty’s pumps tapped on the flagstone floor as she crossed the room, and a deep voice sounded out from somewhere low down behind the bar.

“I’ll be with you in a second.”

The voice was smooth and husky. Intriguing. Kitty stood on tiptoes and peered over the oak slab of the bar. Two perfectly formed butt cheeks appeared in the shadows as their owner bent over. He wore tight black trousers that left little to the imagination.