Page 16 of Daydreams at the Farm on Muddypuddle Lane
But despite her mother’s thinly veiled attempt to get her to go back home, Maisie wasn’t ready to leave just yet. And she didn’t know when she would be.
The following evening Maisie skipped downstairs, excitement fluttering in her tummy. Adam would be calling for her any minute and she was looking forward to it.
She found Dulcie in the sitting room, curled on the sofa, watching TV.
Maisie announced, ‘I’ve got the hens in, and the goats are in the barn. I’ve also emptied the dishwasher and folded the laundry. I’ll iron it in the morning.’
‘Thanks, Maisie, I—’ Dulcie stopped. ‘You’re all dressed up. Are you going somewhere?’
‘I’m having a drink with Adam. That’s okay, isn’t it?’
Dulcie frowned. ‘I suppose. When was this arranged?’
‘Sunday,’ Maisie mumbled.
‘Why haven’t you said anything before now?’
Maisie wasn’t entirely sure, although she suspected it might be because she guessed that her sister wouldn’t approve. When Nikki had spent a couple of weeks on the farm last summer, she had bagged herself a fella and was now living with him in his cottage in Picklewick. Maybe Dulcie thought that if Maisie got her feeteven further under the farm’s table, she wouldn’t want to leave either.
Her mother’s words from yesterday flashed into her head, and she realised that she should have told Dulcie about her date sooner; so much for her resolution to behave more responsibly.
‘I wasn’t sure whether it would go ahead,’ she said, aware that her answer was flimsy. Dulcie opened her mouth to reply, but the rumble of an engine saved Maisie’s bacon. ‘Gotta go. I won’t be late!’ she cried. ‘Bye!’ Then she was out of the door and hurrying across the yard.
The van rolled to a halt, and as it came to a stop she opened the passenger door and jumped in. Her heart was thumping and her mouth was dry, but Maisie wasn’t sure whether that was due to Dulcie’s obvious disapproval, or because she hadforgotten just how good-looking Adam was and how much she was attracted to him.
‘Hi.’ His voice was soft.
‘Hi.’ Maisie felt unaccountably shy.
‘You look lovely.’
‘Thank you.’
‘I thought we’d go to The Black Horse. Is that okay with you?’
She nodded; she had a suspicion that anywhere with Adam would be okay with her, and as they drove into the village Maisie wondered why she had agreed to go on a date with him, aside from the obvious – his good looks – and that he seemed to be a nice guy. She was flattered he had asked her out, but was going on a date with him a knee-jerkreaction? Although she didn’t go out witheveryguy who asked, she often said yes rather than no. Which was probably why few of them tempted her into going on a second one.
She used to be more picky, but after being swayed by a handsome face or a smooth-talking personality and discovering that more often than not there was little substance behind the polished exterior, she had been casting her net a little wider recently. Unfortunately, she still only managed to catch frogs. Either her taste in men was appalling, or there was a distinct lack of ‘good ones’ out there. Or they were already spoken for.
She had yet to decide whether Adam was a frog or not, but she was dismayed with herself for going out for a drink with thefirst man who asked her since she had decided to give dating a miss for a while.
Maisie Fairfax, she scolded silently,you’ve got no self-control.But he was gorgeous, and she defied any woman to say otherwise. Anyway, one date was hardly the same as going steady, was it?
Maisie hoped none of these thoughts were reflected in her face, but she worried that they might be, because he didn’t say another word to her until he edged the van into a space in the pub’s car park.
However, once they were seated and the drinks had been bought, the conversation began to flow.
‘Do you still want to know what I do?’ he asked when he had taken a sip of his pint.
‘Only if you want to tell me. Or I can carry on imagining you lassoing cows.’
‘I’ve never lassoed a cow. A horse yes, but not a cow.’
Maisie raised an eyebrow, encouraging him to expand on the comment.
‘I used to go riding at the stables near your sister’s farm.’
‘Ah, so you know Petra?’
