'I've always dreamed of owning my own farm,' Holly thought as she looked down the road at her Uncle Hector's home. She left her parents' home three days ago when her father forbade her from being a farmer. It's not that he didn't love her; he just had some old ideals where a woman stayed home to take care of the family and the man was a breadwinner.
She didn't want that kind of life, so she called up her uncle Hector and decided to leave. She probably should have told her parents where she was going, but she knew that they would try to stop her if she did. So she left, with only her dear Uncle Hector knowing her secret.
They pulled up to Uncle Hector's farm and he pointed off into the distance, "There is an old farm house down the road that used to belong to your grandfather. Do you remember it?" he asked.
Holly nodded and replied, "Of course, some of my fondest memories were times were there. How has it fared over the years?"
Hector frowned and answered, "Not well, I am afraid. When grand pa became sick, grand pa tried to hide the fact that he was sick and needed assistance with the farm. By the time he finally admitted it, your father and I tried to help him, but it was just too much for us to handle. Your father had a family to care for and I had my own farm to run. It is pretty run down now."
"Don't worry Uncle Hector, I will fix it!" Holly said with determination.
Hector smiled and replied, "I know you will. You have your grandfather's spirit. But, I want you to remember that deal we made, I will help you get started and keep your secret, but eventually you have to tell your parents where you are. They are probably worried sick about you right now."
Holly nodded and replied, "I promise. I don't want to scare them, I just want to follow my dream. One of my favorite memories was picking strawberries with mama."
Hector helped her off the wagon and said, "I will bring you to your pawpaw's farm tomorrow. I have a few last-minute details to sort out. Afterwards, we can go out to dinner. It will also be a good way to introduce you to the town folks."
…
Holly nervously looked at herself in the mirror, she left her home in a hurry. So, the only clothing she had was an orange and red plaid dress and a pair of overalls. She wished she had something nicer to wear to meet the town folks, but this would have to do. She braided her hair and threw on a straw hat before meeting her Uncle outside his home.
When they arrived at the restaurant, Holly looked around the room, there was a woman sweeping, while a man cooked someone's dinner. An older man who she recognized as her grandfather's best friend Marco waved to her. The older man walked over and sat with them at the table. "Look at you, Holly! You are so grown up. Are you here to stay for a while?"
A blond man with a cowboy hat stepped through the door and distracted her for a moment. He was surrounded by girls and he was gorgeous... she turned her attention back to Marco and remembered his question, "I am taking over my grandpas farm. I can't wait to get my hands dirty."
The gorgeous blond with his gaggle of women walked up to the table and asked, "What is a delicate flower like you doing in Westown? You are much too beautiful to be from around these parts. Where are you from?" Before she could say anything, the blonde saw a friend walk in and waved him over, "Hey Ford, over here."
The man named Ford was wearing a purple shirt with a white lab coat. He was also very handsome, but in a different way. He seemed looked quiet and intelligent. Wayne yelled to him, "Ford, come meet the new filly in town!"
Ford walked up with a blank expression on his face and replied, "Clearly Wayne, we need to get your eyes checked." Ford bowed out of respect and continued, "Regardless Miss…I didn't catch your name. But, it's nice to meet you."
Holly smiled and answered, "My name is Holly. I am taking over my grandpa's farm."
Ford looked her over skeptically, "You seem a bit scrawny to be running a farm by yourself. You will probably struggle until you build up muscle mass and endurance. However, feel free to drop in my clinic if you ever get ill on the job. My prices are fair."
She felt mildly insulted, but she sensed he wasn't much of a people's person, so she let it slide, "Thank you for the offer."
The doctor nodded and Wayne tipped his hat, "We will see you later beautiful. Try not to miss us," he said as he left with a wink. As they moved to another table, Holly overheard Ford ask, "Was all that really necessary Wayne?"
Wayne lowered his voice and she could no longer hear him.
…
Wayne and Ford were walking towards the clinic for an evening cup of decaf. Ford poured them each a cup and asked, "Why did you introduce me to that girl tonight?"
"She is going to be one of your patients now," Wayne explained.
Ford gave him a look of disbelief and replied, "If that was why, you never would have made that kind of spectacle at the Garden Grill."
Wayne smiled and replied, "You're right, she is just a beautiful new girl in town. I talked to her uncle the other day, he was planning her arrival, and he just happened to mention that she is single."
Ford rubbed the bridge of his nose and said, "I've told you this a thousand times, I am married to my job. I don't have time to worry about women."
"All I hear right now are excuses. But if you aren't interested in her, I might take her out one night," Wayne replied.
…
Holly was growing tired so she finished her meal and bid her uncle good night. She made her way towards the exit and waved goodbye to the new friends she made that night. Carrie and Brad the owners of the Garden Grill gave her a free meal to celebrate her arrival. Brad mentioned a few places nearby that were great for fishing and mining. Once she finished setting up her first garden, she was determined to go out and explore.
…
The next morning, she found her uncle setting up the wagon. Today was the day! She ran outside excitedly and hopped in the wagon.
A few miles down the road, Grandpa's home came into view, but it was much more run down than she remembered. The paint had all peeled off the exterior of the home and the front porch was so old it creaked. As Holly stepped into the home, she realized that it was not much better. The paint on the inside was all flaked away as well and there was very little furniture. Only a bed, table, book case, and a few storage chests were indoors. There wasn't even a kitchen or bathroom!
Now that she thought back, her grandpa always used to roast veggies, wieners, and stuff around a campfire when she came in town. She always thought he did it because he liked smores. But she now knew that was his only way to cook.
"Well, how do you like it?" Hector asked.
Holly faked a smile and said, "It's great Uncle, thank you."
Uncle Hector saw past her smile and replied, "You know, the next town over there is a guy name Ludas who does home renovations. After you get a little money rolling in, maybe he can help you fix it up."
"That would be wonderful," Holly said with a little more enthusiasm.
"Alright then, I have brought you a few packs of seeds and a few farming tools to help you get started. They are in your tool chest, whenever you are ready. There is also a little money for food until you get on your feet." Hector said as he started towards the door.
Holly turned around and ran to give him a hug before he left. "Thank you, Uncle Hector," she said.
…
Holly grabbed her tools and started to head out her home when she saw Dr. Ford walking towards her home. She waved and walked up to greet him, "Good morning Dr. Ford, what brings you here today?" she asked.
"I came to ask if you know anything about these?" Ford said as he pulled out an animal trap.
Holly blinked in surprise and replied, "What about them?"
Ford stiffened and said, "I have found them in various places across town and I was wondering if they were yours? If they are, I wanted to ask you to take them down. We have children in this town and I don't want to see them get hurt."
Holly shook her head and replied, "Well, they aren't mine, but I will try to keep my eyes open for them. I don't want to see anyone get hurt either. I can't imagine who would be cruel enough to use such a device. It has teeth for God's sake."
Ford nodded and thanked her before he left.
…
Holly dusted her hands off. It was late in the afternoon after she finished planting all the seeds. She quickly watered them and went to a nearby pond to clean herself up. She looked around to make sure no one was near before she striped her clothes off and stepped into the pond. The water was cool on her achy muscles. Her eyes were closed, taking in the soothing feeling when she heard something move. She opened her eyes and saw a man with blue hair staring at her.
She shrieked and grabbed her dress from the side of the pond to cover herself. "Who the hell are you, and what are you doing here?!"
The man with blue hair stumbled backwards slightly and said, "I'm here to see you… I mean…What I mean is, your Uncle told me that you needed your home renovated. Oh my god, I didn't mean to come at a time like this though…I'm so sorry."
"Fine, you know where the house is. Go there and I will meet you when I am decent," she replied looking annoyed.
"I will see you there," he said as he hurried away.
…
When she was fully dressed, she walked back to the farm to find the man with blue hair evaluating her home. He appeared to have gotten over their awkward encounter, but she was still feeling shaky. Despite this feeling she put up an act and asked, "Alright, who are you? And, what needs to be done?"
He had jotted down some notes and said, "The name is Ludas, I am a carpenter from Lulukoko Village. For now, we are going to need to do two upgrades. The first one will be a kitchen. I am assuming it is getting expensive buying your meals at the restaurant?" She nodded and he continued, "The second upgrade will have a…" his face turned red, "…a bathroom and a closet. I can do more upgrades after that, but for now these are the most necessary."
Ludas looked at her and could tell that she was embarrassed, "Look, I know that we met under strange conditions, and I would like to redeem myself. I hope that we can look past this and become friends. How about I give you a discount on your first upgrade. It will be 5000G. I can get it done today even, if you would like."
Holly shook her head, "I don't have the money today, but I should have enough in a couple weeks. How about we talk about it then?"
Ludas nodded, "That will be fine. And once again, I am very sorry…"
"Let's just forget it ever happened," Holly concluded.
Ludas nodded and said, "Alright, See ya later."
…
The next morning, holly took care of her plants and went over to check out some of the run-down farm buildings. There was a barn and a chicken house. They were actually in decent condition; however they were small and only large enough to hold one animal in each of them. It wasn't much, but it would be large enough to get her started.
She then walked into town, hoping to get a bite to eat. Unfortunately, she was about to bite off more than she could chew. She entered the Garden Grill and was greeted by Uncle Hector, Brad, and Wayne warning her, "Get out while you still can."
Carrie walked in at that moment, "Oh great, Holly come try my new pastry I made."
"Too late," brad mumbled.
Carrie gave him a dirty look and asked, "What was that dear?"
"Nothing sweet heart, I am just so excited to try your new poison….I mean pastry," Brad replied with great insincerity.
Hesitantly, Holly sat next to Wayne. Carrie placed a plate in front of her and said, "Dig in sweetie, I can't wait to see your face!"
Holly picked up her fork and saw that the other three were waiting on her to try, 'traitors,' she thought to herself, 'maybe they are just exaggerating.'
She took a bite and her face turned green as she swallowed, "It taste…remarkable. One must certainly remark on it." She forced herself to eat another bite, but she simply couldn't take it, "In a completely unrelated note, I am not feeling very well. Can one of you guys bring me to the doctor?"
"I'll do it," all of the guys at the table screamed.
Wayne ran out the door with her before the other guys could leave. He let out a huge breath and said, "let's go."
…
Ford was watering his garden at the clinic when he saw Wayne making his way up towards the clinic with Holly. She looked extremely pale and weak. Ford placed down his watering can and said, "Get her inside." When he followed them in, he asked them what happened. Wayne explained the whole story and Ford irritably said, "You let her take another bite! You know Carrie's cooking is lethal!"
He then grabbed a few herbs and started to grind them with his mortar and petal. He turned towards the two and said, "For future reference Holly, if you see Carrie anywhere near a stove, run. Hector and Brad will probably be here too within a few minutes. He poured the mixture into a pot of water and waited for it to come to a boil."
Holly laid down on the bed, feeling dizzy and mumbled, "The cake actually burned on the way down."
"What type of cake was it supposed to be?" Ford asked.
Wayne's face paled and he replied, "Peppermint."
Ford shook his head, "Carrie is a nice girl, but I wonder where her brain is some days. I am willing to bet that she put peppers and mints in the cake, instead of peppermint. How the hell did she end up marrying a chef?"
Ford chuckled slightly as he heard Holly mumble, "As a means of survival."
"That would be the most logical explanation." he commented. He poured her a coffee cup of the mixture and handed it to her, "Here, this should fix you up in no time.' At that moment, Brad and Hector arrived and he said, "Come on guys, I made enough for you too."
…
Holly still felt uncomfortable when she left, but the burning pain in her stomach started to calm. She went to bed early that night, hoping that she would be well by morning.
…
The next morning Holly heard knock on her door. She went to answer it and saw Carrie holding a wicker basket on her doorstep. Carrie looked upset so Holly immediately invited her in. "What brings you all the way out here Carrie?" Holly asked as she closed the door behind her.
"Oh Holly, I am just so upset that I got you sick yesterday. My husband told me what happened and how you were trying to be polite by eating my cake. I didn't mean to make you sick. I just never felt like I was a good wife, because I can't cook," Carrie explained.
Holly smiled and replied, "It's fine Carrie. I feel much better now, and there is more to being a wife that cooking. I can tell that you truly love Brad unconditionally and he feels the same way about you. That's what matters."
Carrie smiled and said, "Thank you, Holly. Your good heart will make a man very happy one day. I brought some cookies and milk to repay you for your kindness."
"Oh, That's REALLY not necessary," Holly countered
Carrie started to laugh and replied, "Don't worry, Brad made them. Not me."
Holly smiled and accepted the basket, "Would you like to join me then?"
Carrie shook her head no and answered, "I have to get back to the restaurant. But thank you for being so kind."
As Carrie exited, Holly noticed someone else in the distance, "Dr. Ford, how nice it is to see you. Would you like to come in?"
"Thank you, but it would be improper for me to enter a lady's home without another person present. I just came to see if you are feeling better," Ford explained.
Holly smiled, "I am feeling much better, thanks to you. Are you sure you don't want to come in, Brad sent over some cookies?"
"No, Thank you. Since you are doing well, I will be on my way. I need to find some wild herbs for my medicines anyway." Ford replied.
…
As Ford left the walked back toward the city, he noticed a bush had moved. "Alright Wayne, come out," he said knowingly.
Wayne on command came out of the bush, "I knew you liked her," he said.
Ford rolled his eyes, "That's preposterous, I was just checking up on her. After all, she was really sick yesterday."
Wayne wagged his finger and teased, "Since when did you do house calls?"
"Since always," Ford said, "Now drop it. I have more important things to do than fret about a woman."
"Unfortunately, I have some mail to deliver, so I will drop it…For now…" Wayne replied.
…