Page 14

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

ROZ

I pulled up in front of a white weatherboard cottage. Olivia leaned against the blue picket fence, looking effortlessly cool in a knee-length red floral dress and white sneakers, her wavy hair tied in a low ponytail. She raised a hand in greeting.

My stomach dropped. In retrospect, my standard gym gear—black tights and a racer back top—perhaps wasn’t the best outfit for going undercover to explore the local venues on a gorgeous spring day. I had a sinking suspicion that the other patrons would be dressed more like Olivia and less like gym junkies.

I sighed and turned off the ignition. Olivia’s eyes trailed up and down my body as I stepped out of the car holding my backpack, no doubt judging my clothing choices.

“Not a word,” I said, lifting a finger. “You were the one who insisted on cycling.”

“I didn’t say anything,” Olivia replied, her lips twitching.

Two bikes leaned against the fence next to her. One was black and sleek, and the other was burnt orange with a wicker basket decorated with fake flowers. No prizes for guessing which one was Olivia’s.

I eyed the bikes with trepidation. “I hope the saying that you never forget how to ride a bike is true,” I muttered under my breath. I hadn’t ridden a real bike since I was a kid. But surely the hundreds of hours I’d spent in spin class had to count for something?

“Here’s your bike,” Olivia said, pulling the black bike off the fence and handing it to me. A helmet hung from one of the handles.

“Thanks.” My hand brushed her fingers as I grabbed the bike, leaving a trail of warmth on my skin.

I shoved on the helmet, pulled my backpack over my shoulders and studied the bike. How was it possible that my entire five-foot-eight body was meant to balance on those two wheels? My stomach clenched. l should have insisted on driving. What was I thinking?

“Is everything okay?” Olivia clipped her pink helmet under her chin. “You do know how to ride a bike, don’t you?”

“Of course I do.” I threw my leg over the bike. Ouch. A pain shot from my groin down my thigh. I winced.

Olivia gracefully jumped onto her bike and started to pedal down the road. She made it look so easy, so effortless.

I placed my feet on the pedals and pushed. The bike wobbled. My stomach swooped as it fell sideways. I yelped, shooting my leg out to steady myself.

Olivia stopped and twisted around. “Are you okay?”

“I’m just a little out of practice,” I snapped. God, I hate being bad at things.

Olivia raised her eyebrows but shrugged and set off again. I put my feet back on the pedals. I tried not to think about the fact that my entire body was defying gravity by balancing on two thin wheels. Pretend I’m back at my spin class. I hummed a techno track under my breath, pumping my legs in time, and was suddenly speeding ahead of Olivia .

“Hey,” Olivia yelled, “this isn’t the Tour de France! We’re just out for a leisurely Sunday bike ride. I don’t want to get all sweaty.”

Olivia had a point. Not only that, but I had no idea where we were going. I slowed my pace, letting Olivia take the lead. I exhaled. I seemed to have found my balance and no longer had to go at spin-class speed to stay upright.

After a few minutes of cycling through the side streets of Sapphire Springs, Olivia disappeared off the road.

Grumbling under my breath, I twisted the bike handles to follow her. My heart lurched as the bike skidded onto a dirt path. I gripped the handles tightly, just managing to regain control.

After a few minutes adjusting to the bumpy surface, I peeled my eyes off the ground in front of me and looked around. Green pines and cedars lined the path. Chirping birds flitted between the trees. There was only a smattering of fluffy white clouds in the deep-blue sky. I inhaled a big lungful of fresh air and blew it out again. This was a lot more pleasant than a darkened spin studio.

Olivia slowed her pace so we were pedaling side-by-side. I shot a glance at her. Wisps of hair escaped out of her helmet, dark against her pink cheeks. My heart picked up pace. It’s just the cycling. Nothing to do with Olivia.

“You know, you should really talk to somebody about having the path extended to Red Tractor Farm,” Olivia said. “It’d only be another mile or two, and I think it would attract even more business, especially if you add a taproom. The path is very popular with the tourists in summer.”

I frowned. It wasn’t a bad idea. “Perhaps.”

We continued cycling in silence until a driveway leading up to a white building came into view.

Olivia leaped off her bike and leaned it against a tree.

I pedaled backward to brake. My stomach flipped. The bike kept hurtling forward, toward a large white sign with a cow on it.

Oh god. Panic flooded my nervous system, sending my blood pumping.

The brakes weren’t working. The sign loomed closer.

“You need to use the handbrake!” Olivia yelled.

I squeezed the levers on the handlebars just as the bike collided into the sign. My body jerked forward. For a second, I looked straight into the cow’s beady eyes, and then I was falling through the air. I closed my eyes and braced myself for impact. But the painfully hard landing I’d expected was not forthcoming. Had I landed on a strategically placed futon or something? An unpleasantly sweet scent tickled my noise. My eyelids fluttered open. Purple flowers framed Olivia’s concerned face, which was peering down at me.

“Are you okay? Thank goodness you landed on the violets and not a rock. Hopefully they cushioned your fall.”

“I’m fine,” I said abruptly, still reeling from the shock. “The foot brakes weren’t working.” I glared at the bike that was laying next to me.

Olivia frowned. “Adult bikes don’t usually have foot brakes.”

Heat rushed up my neck. How embarrassing . I grabbed her outstretched hand and stood up, brushing dirt off my black leggings.

“A dairy?” I asked, inspecting the large white sign for damage. Thankfully, it seemed to have survived the impact unscathed, as had the bike. The violets I’d landed on were, however, looking worse for wear. Not that I was bothered by the demise of the flowers. Their scent lingered on me. I narrowed my eyes at them.

“Don’t worry, the violets should bounce back,” Olivia said.

“I’m not worried.” I wrinkled my nose, which seemed to have been irritated by something—most likely those damn violets.

“And yes, it’s a dairy,” Olivia continued. “I’ve had a craving for their quark.”

I picked up my bike, balancing it against Olivia’s. What the hell was quark? The purpose of this trip was to research my competitors, not eat bizarre-sounding dairy products.

Olivia swung her handbag over her shoulder. “But I didn’t just bring you here to buy incredible cheese. As I’m sure you know, they also have a large wedding venue in the old creamery building.”

“Yes, I remember,” I said, even though my recollection was hazy.

I rubbed my nose, which was still decidedly itchy, and then followed Olivia as she bounced up a brick path toward a white-washed stone cottage. Her dress highlighted her curves, the fabric belt clinging to her waist before the skirt flared out at her hips, ending at her knees. My eyes dropped to her slender calves.

“I signed us up for a tour of the dairy so you can get a good feel for the place.” Olivia turned to me.

Heat rushed up my face as I yanked my gaze from her legs. “Oh. Thank you.” That was… nice of Olivia. Don’t take it personally. She’s just looking out for Sapphire Blooms.

We entered the cottage which had been converted into a small store and café. Olivia walked to the counter.

“Hi, Will.”

A middle-aged man with short red hair and a large bushy red beard grinned at her. “Hi, Olivia! You here for more quark?”

“Well, yes. But we’re also here for a farm tour. This is my… This is Roz.”

Will, looking down at a piece of paper, didn’t seem to notice Olivia’s stumble. We hadn’t discussed whether we’d pretend to be a couple while on our field trip. I frowned. Yet another thing I hadn’t thought through fully. You need to step up your game, Roz.

“Oh, great. Yep, we’ve got you down. No one else has signed up today, so it’s just the two of you.” Will clapped his hands. “ Should we get started?”

“Sounds fantastic.” Olivia twisted on her feet to follow Will.

Will led us past tractors, the milking parlor and large concrete tower silos for storing feed as he explained the workings of a dairy farm. It was surprisingly interesting. That was probably a good thing. I was a farmer now, after all. When we reached the cows grazing in the pastures, I kept a safe distance from their powerful hooves.

On the way back, Will led us to a barn. “And now we’ve come to the most popular part of the tour.”

An enormous black-and-white cow munched on hay in the middle of the barn. I looked around, my eyebrows pinched. The cow appeared to be roaming freely. Will strode up to her and stroked her back.

“This is Clara. She’s a gorgeous girl. Roz, would you like to have the first go?”

“First go?” I asked, eyeing Clara’s gigantic barrel-like torso and muscular legs.

Will gestured to a small wooden stool next to Clara’s swollen pink udders. I took a step back. Oh god. He wants me to milk this bovine monstrosity?

“Oh, no, I don’t think that will be necessary,” I said, clutching the straps of my backpack. “Unless Olivia wants to try it, I’m happy to skip this part of the tour.”

Olivia turned to me. “Now that you’re a farm owner, you really need to learn how to milk a cow. That’s, like, farm ownership 101.”

Will’s eyebrows shot up and his face broke into a grin. “Oh, are you the Roslyn who bought Red Tractor Farm? It’s great to meet you. I’ve been meaning to pop over and say hi.”

I gritted my teeth for a moment before giving Will a polite smile. So much for covert field research .

“It’s a pleasure to meet you too,” I said, trying to focus on Will’s face and not on Clara’s giant nostrils.

“So, would you like to sit down?” Will asked.

My gaze shifted to Olivia. “Why don’t you go first?”

“No, no,” Olivia said, waving her hand. “I’ve done it before.”

Goddamnit . Now Will knew who I was, for the sake of my pride I had to go through with it. I wanted him to take me seriously.

“Sure!” I said with forced enthusiasm, avoiding eye contact with Clara’s sharp, unblinking dark-brown eyes that were fixed on me.

I took a step toward the tiny wooden stool. Clara stepped back.

“I don’t think she likes me.” I rubbed my nose.

“Clara likes everyone. The only thing that bothers her is loud noises, but that shouldn’t be an issue.” Will caressed Clara’s back.

“Hmm, okay.” I slowly moved closer to Clara. She glared at me and let out a loud moo. I stopped still and looked at Will.

He frowned. “Huh. That’s unusual. She can probably sense that you’re nervous. You just need to relax.”

Just relax. So helpful. My pulse increased.

I continued forward and then cautiously lowered myself onto the tiny wood stool. I eyed Clara’s large black hooves, which were far too close for my liking.

Will handed me a warm, wet cloth. “Okay, so first you wipe down her teats.”

I took the cloth and stared at the large, fleshy pink teats hanging off Clara’s veiny, balloon-like udder.

Holding my breath, I carefully wiped them down. To my amazement, Clara didn’t react.

“Good work. Now, put these gloves on”—Will handed me some disposable gloves—“hold the closest teat like this”—he held up his hand, demonstrating the correct grip—“and then squeeze and pull down at the same time, aiming for the bucket.”

I pulled on the gloves.

“Sorry, Clara,” I muttered as I grabbed a teat and followed Will’s instructions. As much as I wasn’t a fan of cows, I knew I personally wouldn’t appreciate someone tugging my breasts in this undignified manner. Heat prickled my neck as I sensed Olivia watching me massaging Clara’s nipple.

Milk shot out of the teat and into the bucket. It was surprisingly satisfying.

“Good work,” Will said. “Keep going.”

I fell into a rhythm, and before long, the stainless steel bucket was almost full.

“That should be enough now,” Will said.

As I relaxed my grip on Clara’s teat, my nose became unbearably itchy. I wiggled it to no avail. Suddenly, the urge to sneeze overpowered me.

I tensed, trying to hold it in.

“Aaaaaachooo.” My entire body jolted.

Clara bucked. Her hind legs kicked the pail of milk, sending its contents toward me. I shut my eyes just as the warm, sweet-smelling liquid made impact with my face and chest.

I sat in shock, my eyes firmly closed, as the milk dripped down my face and soaked into my clothes.

My jaw tightened. I knew this was a terrible idea.

“Shit!” Will exclaimed. “Olivia, can you grab that cloth over there?”

A furious stomping noise made me flinch.

Will’s voice dropped to a more soothing tone. “Hey, Clara. It’s okay, girl.”

A cloth was shoved into my hands. Once I’d wiped my face as best I could, I opened my eyes, stood up and looked down. I was drenched. The rich, creamy, slightly sweet scent permeated the air around me.

At least Clara was now secured by a rope in the corner of the barn.

Will turned his attention to me. “I’ll run and get you another towel.”

“Well, that sneeze was quite something,” Olivia said, one eyebrow raised. “I’m pretty sure it startled cows from New Jersey to Albany.”

I glared at Olivia through milky eyelashes before wiping my face again. “I have a powerful sneeze.” I winced at the defensive tone in my voice.

Olivia’s lips twitched and suddenly a laugh threatened to erupt from my mouth. I pressed my lips firmly together and glared at her. God, she was infuriating.

“Here you are,” Will said as he jogged back into the barn with two towels.

As I patted myself down, Olivia turned to Will. “Is it okay if we look inside the event space before we leave? Roz is thinking of building one herself and wanted to see what else is around.”

I shot daggers at Olivia. What the hell was she thinking?

“Of course,” Will said smiling, apparently unperturbed by the prospect of more competition. “Are you okay now, Roz?”

“Yes. Thank you,” I said, glancing down at the wet towels in my hand.

“Just leave the towels on the table. I’ll get them later.”

We followed Will out of the barn toward a much larger barn that was painted blue with white trimmings. My feet squelched in my shoes as I walked.

“This is an 1840 Dutch dairy barn that we repurposed as a wedding venue. It fits around two hundred people,” Will said.

“It’s gorgeous,” I said as he swung open the large barn door, revealing rustic wooden beams and a soaring ceiling. “If you don’t mind me asking, do you get many bookings?”

Will grinned. “Yep, we’re booked out pretty much all year, except winter.”

We wandered around the barn, the smell of sweet milk following me.

“If you don’t have any more questions, we can head back to the store now and do a milk and cheese tasting,” Will said.

I held back a shudder—the last thing I felt like was dairy when my clothes still clung to my skin with it—and plastered a smile on my face. After Will had been so friendly, I didn’t want to come across as ungrateful. “That sounds great.”

Five minutes later we were back at the store, sitting at one of the small wooden tables next to a window overlooking the front lawn. Our bikes were still where we’d left them, leaning against the tree near the path.

“First, we’ll do a milk tasting.” Will appeared holding two wooden paddles with three shot glasses of milk balanced on each one. “We have cow, goat and sheep’s milk. Now, if you’re at all competitive”—he eyed me—“and I’m sensing you are, can you guess which is which?”

I stared at the shot glasses, my stomach turning.

“Sounds fun!” Olivia snatched up the first shot glass. “Are you ready, Roz?”

“Sure.” I swallowed.

I reached out for the glass and raised it to my mouth. A strong, tangy scent hit me. I winced but forced myself to take a tentative sip.

“It’s all very fresh. Just out of the udder this morning,” Will said.

I spluttered, nearly spitting out the milk, before forcing myself to gulp it down. I threw back the rest of the shot glass. If I did it fast enough, perhaps it would circumvent my tastebuds.

“Wow! You downed that like it was a tequila shot,” Olivia said, grinning.

“So, what do you think that one was?” Will asked.

“It was more strongly flavored than normal milk. Goat?” I used all my willpower not to wrinkle my nose.

“Olivia?” Will asked.

Olivia pursed her lips for a moment. “I’m going with sheep.”

Will nodded, tilting his head. “Interesting.”

“So, who got it right?” Olivia asked.

“We’ll wait until the end for the big reveal.” Will grinned. “Now, if you ladies keep going with milk tasting, I’ll get the cheese ready.” He disappeared into a room behind the counter.

I stared at the two remaining shot glasses of milk, trying to hype myself up. Sweat pricked my armpits as my stomach roiled. Oh god.

“I don’t think I can do it,” I muttered under my breath.

“Do what?” Olivia asked, her brows furrowed.

“Drink any more milk. I’m going to be sick.”

Olivia stared at me. “Well, don’t, then. Just tell Will.”

“I don’t want to offend him.”

Olivia rolled her eyes. “He’ll be fine. But if you’re worried…” She grabbed the two remaining shot glasses off my paddle.

“What are you do?—”

Olivia threw one in her mouth, swallowed, and then did the same with the other one. She placed them back on the paddle. I breathed out. Oh, thank god.

“There.” She grinned. “Problem solved.”

Before I’d had a chance to respond, Will reappeared holding a wooden platter with cheese. I didn’t dare inspect it too closely in case it increased my nausea.

“Wow, Roz, you really polished that off! What do you think?”

“Um, the second one was sheep’s milk and the third one cow’s?” I guessed wildly.

“Very interesting.” Will turned to Olivia.

Olivia downed her remaining shot glasses. “I think the second one was cow’s milk and the other one was goat’s.”

Will grinned. “Good work, Roz. You got them all right!”

Pride welled up in me. That was complete luck, you idiot.

“There’s no prize, I’m afraid, just the glory,” Will continued, looking at me. “Although, you’re welcome to another glass of milk if you’d like.”

My stomach flipped. “Oh, no thanks. But what a kind offer.”

“No problem. Here’s your cheese tasting.” Will placed the platter in front of us. “I’ll leave you two to enjoy.”

“I can’t believe you won,” Olivia muttered as Will walked away.

I smirked. It appeared Olivia had a competitive streak as well.

My eyes dropped to the platter and my smirk vanished. Will had provided us with generous servings of eight different cheeses, including some very pungent soft ones. Bile rose in my throat.

“Are you okay?” Olivia asked. “You’re looking very pale. And a little clammy.”

“I’m not sure if I can eat the cheese either. The smell, from the milk, it’s all over me, and it’s making me feel…” I gripped my stomach.

“Okay, okay,” Olivia said, letting out a dramatic sigh. “I guess I’ll just have to take one for the team and eat all of this delicious cheese myself.”

Within minutes, Olivia had almost demolished the platter.

“Are you sure you don’t want to try this one?” She pointed to a creamy, off-white cheese in a small bowl.

I shook my head. “Definitely not. What is it?”

“It’s quark.” Olivia spread the cheese on a piece of bread. Despite my newfound dislike of dairy, I couldn’t help watching as she placed it into her mouth, leaving a smear on her upper lip. I wanted to reach out and gently wipe it off with my thumb. I resisted.

Olivia let out a guttural moan as she swallowed the bread and my stomach clenched. I frowned. It must be because you’ve gone off cheese. There’s no other plausible explanation.

Olivia fixed me with her gaze, and I froze. Shit. Did she catch me staring at her?

“Can I ask you something?” She dabbed her lip with a napkin.

“You can ask. Whether I’ll answer is another matter,” I said, feeling slightly more inclined toward Olivia after she’d helped me out by eating all the dairy.

“Why did your mom think we were dating?”

Heat swept up my cheeks. “Oh.” I took a sip of water. “She’d been pressuring me to date so to stop her, I said I’d met someone at Pryde. She asked me what their name was, and I… I said yours. I never thought our paths would cross again.”

Olivia nodded slowly. “I see. That makes sense.”

I cleared my throat. “Thank you for, uh, drinking all my milk. And eating my cheese.” Two sentences I never thought I’d say.

Olivia laughed, a warm peal that did something strange to my insides. It’s just the milk . Then why did it feel sort of… good?

“That’s okay,” she said. “How are we doing on time?” She pulled out her phone, her face brightening. “Oh great! My sister-in-law, who’s an event planner, said there’s a real lack of larger venues in the area—between two hundred fifty or three hundred—but there’s definitely demand for it. She’s just emailed me exactly how many people her company has had to turn away because of space constraints. If you decide on having a bigger space to corner that end of the market, I thought the numbers might be helpful for your business plan to Fred. I’ll forward it on to you.”

“Thank you. That does sound helpful. And please thank Jenny as well.” I cautiously took a sip of water. I’d have to look into the costs of building a larger venue. “So, does this mean you told your friends about our, er, arrangement?”

“Yeah.” Olivia tucked a stray curl behind her ear.

I raised an eyebrow. “What did they say?”

“They think we’re crazy.”

“I don’t blame them,” I replied.

“I know.” Olivia grimaced. “Are you ready to head off now? If you want to stay and sample some more of Will’s dairy delicacies, I completely understand.” Her eyes twinkled and again my stomach whirled. It didn’t feel like nausea, despite the churning dairy.

“Ha ha. No, I’m all good.” I stood, ready to escape into the fresh air, and grabbed my backpack from the floor.

We thanked Will again and walked back to the bikes. Olivia placed the large container of quark she’d purchased into a cooler bag in her basket.

“So, what’s next on the itinerary?” I asked as I threw my leg over my bike. “Please tell me it doesn’t involve any dairy.”

Olivia laughed as she started to pedal. “Nope! Next stop, Terry’s Apple Orchards and then Rosedale Estate Winery.”

I exhaled. Apples and wine—that I could handle.

“Are you coming or not?” Olivia called, cycling surprisingly fast for someone who had just eaten their body weight in dairy.

I sighed and began pedaling after her, trying to escape the sickly sweet scent of dairy lingering in the air.