Chapter Four
I t wasn’t so much that Danni had imagined that owning a farm would be all fresh air and rolling fields and the deep satisfaction of a hard day’s work well done.
She’d grown up on a farm, after all, she knew the realities of life.
However, she hadn’t quite imagined it would be so much broken equipment, endless bills, and a constant state of mild panic.
She stood in the kitchen, the ancient kettle wheezing like it had personally plowed a hundred fields, stirring a cup of instant coffee that was more granules than water.
The animals were fed, cleaned out, and either scratching around in the dirt or out to pasture, and this was the first chance she’d had to get some desperately needed caffeine into her body.
The entire house smelled faintly of livestock, damp wool, and something suspiciously like burning toast, even though she was sure that she hadn’t made toast for weeks. She’d opened up all the windows when she came in to air the place out.
The spoon clattered in the cup as she stirred, and as much as she knew she should be thinking about a way to make some money fast, Danni found that she just kept coming back to her.
The woman from yesterday. The one with the fancy car and the crisp accent and the very punchable expression of absolute certainty that Danni was to blame for their little collision.
Eleanor Brewster.
Lady Eleanor Brewster, as she’d been so careful to write on her contact information. Like the Lady would help matters.
Danni huffed, leaning against the counter with her coffee cup in hand.
She knew Eleanor’s type. Rich, entitled.
She probably had a horse named something ridiculous, like Wellington or Bartholomew.
The kind of person who thought work meant signing documents in fancy offices with expensive pens.
The kind of person that Danni had no time for in the slightest.
Except.
Danni frowned into her coffee. Except she obviously did, didn’t she? Because here she was thinking about the damn woman.
The problem was, Eleanor had been attractive. Annoyingly so. That sleek blonde hair and those sharp cheekbones. Those green eyes like bottle glass. The way her generous mouth had curled in absolute disdain at the state of Danni’s jeans and flannel shirt.
She sighed.
She’d never been much for dating. It wasn’t like she had time for much other than working. Hell, she barely had time to shower most days. At least every third day, she just slammed on some extra deodorant and stuck a hat on.
Running a farm took every ounce of time and energy that Danni had. But she wasn’t dead. She had noticed Eleanor. And that was annoying. Infuriating, even.
A loud knock at the front door nearly made her spill her coffee.
Scowling, she stomped to the door, already assuming that it was Hector coming by to lecture her about her finances and choices again.
It was only as she was swinging the door open that she realized that Hector would never come to the front door.
No one would. Everyone knew that if you wanted attention in a farmhouse, the kitchen door was the one to knock on.
And by that point, it was too late. The door was already open.
Eleanor Brewster, sorry, Lady Eleanor Brewster, stood on the porch looking as out of place as a queen in a pigsty.
She was dressed immaculately, of course.
Cream-colored trousers and a tailored navy trench coat, a scarf slung over her shoulders that looked expensive enough to fund the next three rounds of tractor repairs.
Painted lips were pressed into a tight line and her expression screamed that she was not amused.
Danni blinked, hoping to dispel the vision, but it didn’t work. “Well, if it isn’t Her Royal Highness.”
Eleanor’s right eye twitched. “Charming, I’m sure. I’ve been attempting to reach you.”
“Have you?” asked Danni airily. “Well, there’s this new-fangled invention called the telephone, I’m not sure if you’ve heard of it?”
“Of course I’ve heard of it. And I’ve been ringing all morning. Apparently, your phone is disconnected.”
Ah. Danni had a sinking feeling in her stomach. “Probably just… a service issue.”
“Or perhaps,” Eleanor said coolly, and hitting the nail right on the head, “you haven’t paid your bill.”
Danni shifted her weight and crossed her arms, making a mental note to pay the damn phone bill. “What do you want, Princess?”
Eleanor inhaled sharply, clearly summoning all the patience her aristocratic bloodline had ever possessed. “For a start, I’d like you to pay for the damage to my car.”
Danni let herself stare for a long moment before laughing. “Oh, that’s sweet.”
“Excuse me?” Eleanor’s nostrils flared.
“You think I can afford to fix your fancy little car?” Danni said. “Lady, I can barely afford to fix my tractor. And, as you’ve pointed out, my phone bill hasn’t been paid for at least three months. Not to mention my brother’s tractor, that’s now dented thanks to your precious little sports car.”
Eleanor’s gaze darkened. “So what? You’re refusing to take responsibility?”
“Not at all,” Danni shrugged. “I’ll take responsibility if it was my fault. I just won’t be paying for it, that’s all.”
There was a long silence, during which Eleanor looked as if she was calculating whether or not she could have Danni executed. Danni found herself reminded of the Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland.
“You do realize,” Eleanor said icily, “that I could take legal action?”
“Go for it,” Danni said, leaning against the doorframe. “Not sure how much you’ll get out of me, though. My net worth right now is a couple of cows, far too many chickens, some stubborn sheep, and a fridge full of expired milk.”
For a second, Eleanor looked less angry. “Why do you have expired milk?” she asked curiously.
“Not the point.”
Eleanor let out a breath, pinching the bridge of her nose like she was developing a migraine just from being in Danni’s presence. “You crashed into me.”
“Debatable.”
“No, not debatable.”
Danni tilted her head. “Technically, I suppose we crashed into each other. Could’ve been either of our faults.”
Eleanor’s jaw tightened. “Oh, for—” She stopped herself, took a breath, and started again. “Fine. For the sake of argument, let us say that it was a mutual disaster. That still leaves us with the issue of my car being undrivable.”
“You drove it away yesterday,” Danni pointed out. “It’s parked in my farmyard right now.” She nodded to the car.
Eleanor glared. “I require some form of compensation.”
Rubbing the back of her neck, Danni sighed. “Look. I’d love to help. Really. But unless you want to be paid in eggs, expired milk, and vague promises, I’m fresh out of cash.”
“So you’re saying you’re completely broke?” Eleanor asked in disbelief.
“Not completely,” said Danni. “I’ve got about three pounds in my pocket. There’s almost always some spare change down the back of the couch, but I’m saving that for a rainy day.”
Eleanor gave her a long, assessing look, and Danni could see the moment that she realized that this wasn’t an act. The second that Eleanor knew that Danni was genuinely and completely skint.
Some of the fire in Eleanor’s eyes dimmed, replaced by something softer. She folded her arms. “You’re really struggling, aren’t you?”
Danni stiffened. “No more than usual.”
Rubbing her temples, Eleanor sighed. “You could sell up, most farmers around here have.”
“No,” said Danni immediately. “I’ve worked too hard for this.
No fancy investor is swooping in and turning it into a bloody golf course or whatever they’re planning.
” She stared at Eleanor suspiciously. “This isn’t a set-up, is it?
You haven’t been sent by them to try and bankrupt me so I have to sell? ”
“What?” asked Eleanor, looking honestly confused. “Them? Who’s them?”
“This mysterious investor that keeps trying to pressure me into selling. Offering good money too,” Danni said, not really sure why she was still talking.
Eleanor’s face changed. “Huh. Interesting.”
“Why do you care?” Danni asked.
Eleanor hesitated, just for a moment, before smoothing out her expression. “No reason. It’s probably nothing. Coincidence is all. And anyway, you’re not the only one with problems, you know. I do have… complications of my own.”
There was a moment during which Danni was very tempted to make a joke.
Something about struggling to decide which mansion to summer in, or whether to buy a bigger yacht or not.
But something in Eleanor’s eyes gave her pause.
For the first time since she’d met her, she saw something other than cold disapproval in those sharp green eyes.
Hesitation. Frustration. Maybe even a little uncertainty.
So perhaps she wasn’t the only one being backed into a corner.
Danni puffed out a sigh. “Alright, Princess. I can’t pay you. But maybe we can sort something out.”
“Like what?” asked Eleanor with a sniff.
Danni grinned and wiggled her eyebrows. “No idea, but wouldn’t it be fun to find out? ”
To her credit, Eleanor did not roll her eyes. But it looked like a very near thing. “Fine. But don’t think I’m going to let you off easy.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it, Princess,” Danni said with a smirk. She stood back, pulling the front door wide open. “Come on, then.”
“Come on?” Eleanor asked.
“I might be broke, but I’m not so broke that I can’t offer you a cup of tea.” She considered this for a second. “Well, as long as you don’t take milk.”
“Expired,” Eleanor said faintly. “I remember.”
“Get inside then,” Danni said. “We’ve things to discuss, I suppose.” Eleanor still hesitated. “I haven’t got the black plague or anything,” Danni said helpfully. “And there’s no sheep in the kitchen. Not today at least.”
And tentatively, Eleanor took her first step into the farmhouse.