Escape to Oakbrook Farm: A wonderfully uplifting romantic comedy (Hope Cove Book 2)

by Hannah Ellis

  “No, no, no!” Josie said quietly as Pixie jumped the fence. It didn’t even seem possible for such a small dog to make such a jump, but she made it look easy. Josie stopped for a moment, glancing at the house to make sure Annette hadn’t seen. Then she ordered Macy and Charlie to stay put and took off at a run after Pixie. There was no way in the world she’d catch her at the speed she was going. Josie felt like she was about to have a heart attack after two minutes, and she was sure she was about to lose the dog from sight.

  In the valley, she hopped the stepping-stones over the little stream but lost her footing and ending up with soaking wet feet. She carried on regardless. At the top of the next hill, she had to stop to catch her breath.

  Pixie was nowhere to be seen. Had she really lost a dog? It was only her first day of looking after dogs and she’d lost one. She straightened up and scanned the area. There were fields stretched out to one side, and she could just about make out the village in the distance. Trees were dotted around the place and one direction led to a wooded area. She hoped Pixie hadn’t gone that way.

  Cupping her hands around her mouth, she called out to Pixie, although she wasn’t really expecting it to have any effect. She had to do something. The last place she’d seen Pixie was at the stream, so she walked quickly back there and then jogged beside the water, calling out and scanning the area as she went.

  Before long, she came to Sam’s house and contemplated asking him for help. He knew the area, and he probably knew the dog too; he might know where to look. It would be embarrassing, though, admitting to him that she’d lost a dog. Plus she looked a complete state. Her hair had come loose from her ponytail and she had mud splatters up her legs. She was still struggling to catch her breath too. It didn’t really matter, though – it was just Sam, and who cares what he thought? She did, she admitted to herself reluctantly.

  Josie was about to turn around and go back the way she’d come when she saw movement by the garage at the back of the house. Sam stepped out. He had the Road Runner of dogs in his arms. Josie wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry. She was so relieved.

  “Did you lose something?” Sam called.

  She headed over to him, pulling her hair into a fresh ponytail as she went. “She’s so fast,” Josie said. “I opened the door to the kennel and she took off. And you should’ve seen her jump the fence!”

  “Pixie’s a little rascal. Didn’t Annette warn you?”

  Josie thought back to when she was leaving the house. Annette definitely shouted something to her. “She might have done.” She stroked the little dog in Sam’s arms and quickly became aware of her proximity to him. She was a sweaty mess after her spontaneous run.

  “You okay?” he asked when she took a step back. “You look a bit red.”

  She inhaled deeply. “It’s more exercise than I was expecting this morning.”

  “Come in and have a drink,” he said.

  “I probably shouldn’t …” she stammered as Sam wandered to the back door. “I think I’ll just take Pixie home. Don’t take the dog inside anyway, she’ll be all wet and dirty …”

  “It’s fine,” he said, then turned and caught the panic in her eyes. “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing. But I can sit out here for a drink.” She gestured at the patio table.

  “Why don’t you want to come inside?” he asked with a raised eyebrow.

  Her shoulders drooped as she sighed. “If I tell you, you’ll tease me.”

  “I promise not to tease.” He managed to keep a straight face but his eyes sparkled.

  Josie’s gaze dropped to her shoes. “The blue ones don’t show the dirt … but they’re not really waterproof.” She lifted up onto her toes and then squelched back down again.

  “Nope,” Sam said, barely suppressing a smirk. “They’re definitely not waterproof. I’ll bring you a glass of water out!” First, he went into the garage and found some string to tie Pixie up.

  Josie baulked when he went to secure her to the table leg. “I’ve seen how that dogs moves. You should attach her to something fixed down or you might lose your table!”

  Sam dipped his eyebrows and chuckled before tying the dog to the outside tap. “Better?”

  “Hope so.” Josie took a seat. “Or she takes out the whole wall. We’ll see!”

  Pixie lay down and closed her eyes, apparently worn out after her little adventure. Sam fetched two glasses of water and sat down with Josie.

  “I’m curious as to how you think I’d tease you,” he said, smirking. “Did you think I’d remind you how I suggested you’d need waterproof boots around here?”

  “I didn’t know I was going to be chasing a dog through a stream!”

  “It’s probably something you should always assume,” he said.

  “Hey!” Josie straightened a leg to kick him, and he tapped her soggy foot away with his. “I’m not going to lose a dog again. This was just a drill. Practising what to do if I lose a dog.”

  Sam broke into a full laugh. “Really?” he said. “Well at least now you know what to do … Run through the stream to Sam’s house to ask for help!”

  “I wasn’t coming to ask for help,” she said. “I followed Pixie straight here.”

  “You were quite a way behind her!”

  She grumbled. “I knew you’d tease me.”

  “Sometimes it’s really hard not to. What is this, your first official day of work? And you lost a dog?”

  “No!” she said. “I haven’t lost a dog. The dog’s right there. We had a morning run, that’s all. And technically it’s my second day of work since the dogs arrived yesterday.”

  Sam didn’t comment further, just sat looking quietly amused.

  “Fine,” Josie said after a moment. “I lost a dog already. I can’t believe I did that. Don’t tell Annette, will you?”

  “Annette wouldn’t care,” he said. “And like you said, the dog isn’t lost. She’s right there. No harm done.”

  Josie sighed, embarrassed. Was this going to be another job she couldn’t manage to keep? Surely she wouldn’t last long if she kept losing dogs. It was a depressing thought. She was enjoying life at Oakbrook much more than she’d expected.

  She stood abruptly. “I better get back, I suppose.”

  “Are you sure? I can get you a coffee if you want …”

  “No, thanks.” She wriggled her feet in her squelchy shoes. “I need to go and dry off. I’ve got to walk the other dogs too. Wish me luck with that. Hopefully I won’t lose any more dogs today.” She meant to sound bright and breezy, but somehow it came out quite the opposite.

  She felt Sam’s eyes on her as she untied Pixie and nudged her awake.

  “It’s a new job,” he said. “Any new job takes time to get used to everything.”

  “I know.” Again, she didn’t manage the breezy tone she aimed for.

  “Don’t worry about today. Pixie’s always full of mischief.”

  “Thanks for catching her,” she said quietly as she led Pixie down the garden.

  “You know, I had bacon for breakfast,” Sam called after her. “I bet Pixie smelled it. It’s probably all my fault she ran away.”

  Josie smiled, but her eyes involuntarily filled with tears, and she focussed on Pixie so Sam wouldn’t see. “I’ll see you later,” she called over her shoulder.

  Her feet squelched in her shoes as she marched wearily back to Oakbrook. She really wanted to be good at this job, and she felt like she was failing already. It was embarrassing that Sam had been witness to her incompetence. And then he was so sweet to try and reassure her.

  It was a fairly stark contrast to Jack, who hadn’t called her all week and apparently hadn’t even noticed that she hadn’t come home for the weekend.

  Chapter 19

  It was late afternoon when Sam arrived to collect Josie. The drive over to Hope Cove was pleasant. He didn't mention the lost dog incident and Josie was grateful. Conversation was easy and came in waves. Josie spent much of the journey lost
in thought. She’d intended to call Jack in the afternoon, tell him that things were over – and for good this time. The day had got away from her, though, and she knew it wasn’t going to be a quick five-minute conversation. She’d nipped to the shops to get a few things for Annette and then walked the dogs and fed them.

  She’d spent far too much time deciding what to wear for the visit to Lizzie and Max. In the end, she’d pulled on a pair of denim shorts and an old favourite T-shirt. Who was she trying to impress anyway? Well, Sam, obviously, but she shouldn’t be. Waiting for him to collect her had felt like waiting to go on a first date. She was excited and nervous, but then felt guilty for her feelings. She really should have found the time to call Jack.

  “I love this place.” Sam broke her thoughts as they pulled up outside Seaside Cottage.

  She hopped out of his van and took a deep breath. The sea air was wonderful. “Me too,” she said.

  Lizzie opened the door when they were halfway up the front path. She greeted them happily and gave them both a big hug before ushering them through the cramped hallway and into the kitchen.

  “Beer?” She opened the fridge and handed them a bottle each without waiting for an answer.

  “Max showed me photos of the honeymoon,” Josie said. “It looked amazing.”

  Lizzie pulled salad items from the fridge with her back to them. When Josie caught Sam’s eye, he looked pointedly at his beer, then nodded at Lizzie with raised eyebrows. Josie couldn’t help but be amused by his little mime act. He was still convinced Lizzie was pregnant. When Lizzie turned around, Sam smiled sweetly, revealing a dimple that Josie had never noticed before.

  “I wanted to show you the photos myself,” Lizzie said. “I bet Max just let you skim through them with no explanation.”

  “They seemed fairly self-explanatory,” Josie said. “Gorgeous beaches, wonderful sunsets, great food, happy couple, the usual honeymoon stuff …”

  Lizzie whipped a tea towel in Josie’s direction, and she giggled as she jumped out of the way, almost crashing into Sam.

  He reached a hand to steady her. “Where is Max?”

  “He bought a new barbecue.” Lizzie nodded in the direction of the back door. “The honeymoon is officially over and he has a new love in his life. He’s been playing around with it for ages.”

  “I better go and check out his new toy.” Sam wandered out into the back garden, and they heard him and Max exchange greetings.

  Josie slumped into a chair and rested her head on the kitchen table.

  “What’s wrong?” Lizzie asked.

  She lifted her head. “It feels like a date.”

  Lizzie frowned and shook her head in confusion.

  “Me and Sam coming over here to hang out with you guys. It feels like a double date. Which would be fine if I didn’t have a boyfriend.”

  Lizzie sat opposite her. “I’m confused. You’re going to have to get me up to speed. Last I heard, you and Jack were giving it another go and you were pretending the kiss with Sam never happened …”

  “Except I can’t stop thinking about kissing Sam.” Josie let out a fake sob and buried her head in her arms. Her head shot quickly back up. “I can’t get Sam out of my head. I haven’t spoken to Jack all week. The only time I think about Jack is when I’m feeling guilty for all the time I spend thinking about Sam—” She stopped abruptly as Sam appeared in the doorway.

  “The cook needs a beer.” He crossed the kitchen and grabbed a bottle from the fridge. If he’d heard the conversation, he did a good job of pretending he hadn’t. Josie was bright red when he smiled at them and went back outside.

  “Oh my God,” Josie mouthed at Lizzie.

  Lizzie pressed her lips together in an attempt not to laugh. Crossing the kitchen, she closed the window above the sink.

  “Did he hear?” Josie whispered.

  Lizzie made a poor attempt at hiding her amusement. “They’re sitting right outside the window.”

  With a groan, Josie buried her head again.

  “I was going to ask if Sam knows how you feel, but I guess if he didn’t before, he does now!” Lizzie moved back to the sink and started washing the salad. “Are you going to split up with Jack then?”

  “Yes.” Josie went to help Lizzie, reaching for a knife to chop vegetables. “I shouldn’t have got back together with him after the wedding. It just seemed easier to keep plodding along as we were. I think we fell into just being friends and flatmates at some point, and neither of us wanted to admit it was really over.”

  “It’s probably for the best.”

  Josie stopped chopping the cucumber and glared at Lizzie. “Don’t start Jack-bashing.”

  “I’m not! I don’t have a problem with Jack. I’m not sure why he always thought I didn’t like him.”

  “Probably because you looked down your nose at him.” Josie resumed chopping. “And he never noticed you do that to everyone.”

  “I do not,” Lizzie insisted. “I don’t mean to, anyway!”

  ***

  Josie pretended her declaration of feelings for Sam hadn’t happened and soon got over her embarrassment. The four of them sat together on the patio, eating, drinking and chatting. It was all very relaxed.

  “We should go down to the beach to watch the sunset,” Lizzie suggested as the sky became streaked with orange. When they began to move in that direction, Lizzie muttered something about tidying away the dinner things. She glared at Max as she said she’d catch them up. Max dutifully hung back to help. They weren’t particularly subtle about leaving Sam and Josie alone.

  The trouble was, Josie didn’t want to be alone with him. At least not before she’d sorted things out with Jack. It was a stunning view, though. At the end of the garden there was an old wooden door through the high hedge. It led out onto the coastal path, and beyond that to a beautiful sandy cove. They stopped together on the dusty path. The grass lining it was dotted with purple wildflowers and was a beautiful sight in itself. It was slightly overshadowed by the craggy coastline, which stretched out in either direction. Then there was the little sandy beach which led the way to the sea. The sun sat on the horizon, gloriously throwing out reds and oranges across the sky and spilling down to sparkle on the surface of the water.

  “Wow,” Josie whispered.

  She followed Sam halfway down the lonely beach, all the while resisting the urge to slip her hand into his. When they sat side by side in the sand, she tried to focus on the breathtaking view and the wonderful smell of seaweed and salt, but her senses seemed to be only interested in Sam.

  She wanted to lean closer and inhale the scent of him, feel his body against hers, gaze into his eyes and taste his lips on hers …

  “Are you okay?” His voice snapped her from her trance, and he looked at her with concern.

  “Yes.” She swallowed hard. “I was just thinking I should get back soon and check on Annette.”

  What she really needed was to get back and call Jack.

  Chapter 20

  The drive back to Oakbrook was uncomfortable. All Josie could think about was taking Sam’s hand or running a hand through his hair. The desire to touch him was becoming overwhelming, and being in such close proximity was tortuous.

  Annette was already in bed when she crept into the house. After lavishing some attention on the dogs, Josie retrieved her phone from the bottom of her bag. There were two missed calls from Jack from earlier in the evening. Her phone had been on silent and she hadn’t checked it. Jack finally missed her then.

  It was late, but she knew he’d still be up. She just hoped he wasn’t in the pub. He answered after the first ring and sounded cheerful as he greeted her.

  “I thought you’d be back on Friday,” he said lightly. “You could’ve called me.”

  “And you could’ve called me,” she snapped, suddenly angry. “You didn’t bother calling me all week!”

  “So I take it you’re not coming back this weekend?” He ignored her irritation.

  �
��No. I’m working.”

  “That’s fine. It would just have been useful to know. How’s everything there then? Getting busier, I take it?”

  She sighed. “Does it bother you at all, not seeing me? Do you even care when I’ll be coming back to Oxford?”

  “Of course I do,” he said. “I was just about to ask …”

  “I really don’t think this is working any more, Jack. Us, I mean.”

  “Oh, come on. We’ll be fine. We always are.”

  “Do you even love me?”

  “Are you serious? Of course I do!”

  Josie bit her bottom lip. She loved him too. In a way. “Are you in love with me?”

  He wasn’t so quick to answer that one.

  “I’m going to take that as a no.”

  “We should talk in person,” Jack said.

  “I’m not sure when I’ll be back next. And I don’t think we need to talk in person. It’s been over for a while, really, hasn’t it?”

  She heard his sigh, imagined him shaking his head as he searched for the right thing to say.

  “Neither of us makes any effort,” she said gently. “I don’t want to keep going like this.”

  “I can make more effort,” he said quickly. “Why don’t you let me know when you have some time off and we can talk in person …”

  “I don’t think I have much more to say.”

  “Do you remember that time I tried to break up with you on the phone and you said only face-to-face break-ups count?”

  She couldn’t help but smile at his cheeky tone and of the memory of him calling her to say he was going to have to break up with her because she’d left dirty pots in the sink. Since she spent so much time telling him off for not tidying up after himself, he thought it was hysterical to turn the tables.

  “That wasn’t a real break-up,” she said. “You were just messing around.”

  “Yeah, but still, it’s a good rule.”