Page 47 of The Farmer Has a Wife

Yes, there was business involved, but they seemed to be doing just fine on that front.

And yes, Danni was younger than she was. And freer. And more care-free. But then, it wasn’t that many years. She was hardly a crone now. She was a healthy woman with a healthy sexual appetite that just happened to have been buried for a wee while. And now, well, now it…

“Eleanor!”

She looked up in surprise to see Elizabeth stepping over a pile of discarded wooden beams and looking deeply unimpressed.

“I have been trying to reach you for hours,” Elizabeth said, stepping over a paint tin and holding up her phone.

Eleanor patted her pockets, suddenly realizing that she had absolutely no idea where her phone was. “I must have left it somewhere,” she said. “The damn thing’s under a dust-sheet or something.”

Elizabeth sighed and slid her phone into her pocket. “We havea problem.”

“Just the one?” Eleanor asked.

“What?”

“Nothing,” said Eleanor. “Do go on.”

“The investor made another move.”

Eleanor straightened up, her mind very much focused now. “What kind of move?”

“The kind where he tries to bribe me.”

“What?” She felt frozen.

Elizabeth pulled a letter out of her bag and handed it over. Eleanor scanned the words quickly, her temper rising with each line. The investor’s solicitor was offering a generous ‘consulting fee’ if Elizabeth would advise Eleanor to reconsider selling the house. She seethed. This was underhanded, infuriating, and insulting.

“Absolutely not,” she snapped, handing the letter back to Elizabeth. “And this is crossing the line.”

“I’d like to agree,” Elizabeth said, pocketing the letter. “However, legally, it stops just short of crossing the line. Unfortunately. There’s no direct bribe offered, even though both you and I know that’s exactly what this is.”

“I don’t care who this person is, they’re not getting my home.”

Elizabeth nodded, but her expression remained grim. “You do realize this means that they’re getting desperate. And desperate people don’t stop.”

“I don’t see what we can do without knowing who this person is,” Eleanor said. “Other than continually saying no.”

“You should step up security on the house,” Elizabeth said. “Make sure there’s someone around here at night, just in case anyone decides to do anything untoward.”

“I’ll talk to Samson about it,” said Elizabeth. “Whoever this is, they’re not going to win.”

BY THE TIME Eleanor got back to the farm, the sun was already beginning to set. She found Danni at the kitchen table, going through bills methodically and paying each one on herlaptop before moving on.

“Decided to come back, have you?” Danni said, eyes on her computer screen.

Eleanor ignored that. “Ah, the romance of farming,” she said instead.

Danni looked at her and then grinned. “It’s not all muck and mud, you know. Paperwork’s the bane of my existence. Although at least there’s money in the accounts for the bills, thanks to you.”

Eleanor pulled out a chair and sat down. “And I have a house, thanks to you. So we’re even on that front. Speaking of the house, the investor contacted my solicitor today.”

“Elizabeth?” Danni said. “About what?”

Quickly, Eleanor explained what had happened, telling Danni exactly what was in the letter. With every word, Danni’s expression darkened. By the time Eleanor had finished, she was practically scowling and had a face like thunder.

“He tried to bribe Elizabeth?” Danni repeated. “Come on, that has to be illegal, right? Can’t we get him arrested or something?”

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