“Ellie!” Bear called out.
“Oh right, I have the key. Come on,” she said.
When Daisy walked into the house, she was struck by wonder for a moment. Bear carried her suitcases up the staircase. She knew she should protest. After all, it was her stuff and he was being a bit high-handed. But she would have struggled to carry her suitcases upstairs. So, she took the opportunity to instead study the inside of the house with its gleaming wooden floors, high ceilings, and wainscoting.
“Like it?” Ellie asked.
“Like doesn’t even come close,” she whispered.
“Oh goody.” Ellie clapped her hands just like an excited toddler, surprising a smile out of Daisy.
“I’m glad it’s furnished, it’s huge.” How was she going to heat it? What would she do rattling around on her own in these big rooms? What was she thinking?
“I’m so glad you’re going to be living here, Daisy,” Ellie told her, taking her hand.
“You are?”
Ellie nodded. “I know it sounds silly, but the house was lonely and none of the other applicants felt right. Before I met Bear, my aunt was the only person in my life who cared about me. I don’t want to sell her house, but I also don’t want it sitting empty. Sometimes it feels like she’s looking out for me and when I saw your application, I think she guided me to you.”
She gaped at the other woman. Ellie blushed lightly. “You think I’m a total whack job, don’t you?”
“Who called you a whack job?” Bear rumbled as he walked down the stairs. He glared at Daisy who immediately stepped back, her hands held up.
“Not me, Mr. Big Bear,” Daisy said quickly, biting her lip as Bear stared at her incredulously.
Ellie giggled as she went bright pink. “I said it about myself,” Ellie finally told Bear, letting Daisy off the hook.
Bear just pointed at her with a stern look on his face. Ellie seemed to understand what he was silently saying and nodded, as she tried to stifle her giggles. Then he looked over at Daisy, shook his head and muttered something to himself as he headed back out the door. Presumably to cart in more of her stuff.
“I cannot believe I just said that,” Daisy groaned, placing both hands over her face in mortification. “I’m gonna go hide now. I can never see him or you ever again.”
Ellie tugged her hands away from her face, looking up at Daisy from her shorter height. “Well, that’s a shame seeing as I was going to invite you out to the ranch for a cookout.”
“You live on a ranch?” Daisy’s embarrassment faded slightly at that. She’d always loved animals. And she had plenty of authors she edited for who would love some more insight into the way a ranch worked.
“Uh-huh, Bear works at Sanctuary Ranch which is about an hour’s drive from here. We live on the ranch. It’s gorgeous and this weekend, we’re having a cookout. Would you like to come?”
Go to a cookout with a bunch of people she hadn’t met? That sounded like a form of hell.
You came here to settle down. Make friends. Meet people. Can’t do that staying at home.
Shit. Shit.
Be brave, Daisy.
“Daisy? You don’t have to be scared. I’ll be there. I’ll stay with you the entire time. I just thought it might be a good way for you to meet people. But if you’d rather not go—”
“No, no, I’d like to. Thank you. I’m just a bit shy around strangers.”
Ellie smiled. “You don’t have to worry, everyone on the ranch is awesome. I’ll give you directions out there.”
Bear walked in, carrying her laptop bag and a box of linen.
“I just need a piece of paper to write down the directions to the ranch,” Ellie said.
“Directions to the ranch?” Bear asked, sending first Ellie, then her, a look. And that look said he was none too happy about what he was hearing.
He didn’t want her there?