Chapter 29
A week after the guys returned from the North Pole, Leonard filed a leave of absence so he could spend some quality time with Penny and his daughter who is also in a school break. Catherine decided to go back to New Jersey two days after Leonard's return since she has been gone away from her store for too long. Penny also took several days off from her work and called the ranch to reserve a couple of days for them.
Sarah was so excited being back at the ranch as Amanda met up with them. Leonard and Penny was so happy seeing the child ride Bunny Rabbit again while Amanda carefully holds the animal so it won't bolt or jump. Penny took Cornflake out of the barn so that she and Leonard could ride together again. After riding all morning, they went back to the cabin to rest so they could fish at the lake later in the afternoon.
They were on their way to the lake as Sarah rode on the backseat.
"Daddy...thank you for bringing me and Penny back here!" Sarah said.
Leonard and Penny smiled. "You're welcome honey. You're my princess and I would do everything to make you happy." he said.
"That's right sweetie….and in a couple of days, we will go to the beach and spend a few days there." Penny said.
Sarah's face lit up. "Really!?….we will go to the beach?" she asked excitedly.
"Yes sweetie, we'll swim in the ocean, we'll build sand castles…" Penny said.
"Thank Penny for that honey….she's the one who wanted to go to the beach after I come back." he said.
"Thank you Penny….you're the best!" Sarah said.
"Aww!...thank you sweetie." Penny said, touched by the child's compliment.
"What about me?" Leonard asked his daughter.
"You're okay daddy!" Sarah smiled at him.
Leonard frowned. "So Penny is the best while I'm only okay?" he asked.
"Yes daddy….you're so okay!" the child said smiling at him. Leonard didn't respond and was slightly irritated until the two girls started laughing loud. "Daddy you should have seen your face!" Sarah teased him while Penny kept on laughing.
Leonard looked at Penny. "What have you been teaching my daughter?" he asked.
Penny shrugged her shoulders. "Nothing….just girl stuff. Right sweetie?" she said looking back at Sarah.
"She's right daddy….just girl stuff!" Sarah said while laughing. Leonard sighed and shook his head.
"Don't freak out honey….we're just teasing you." Penny said as she put her hand on his shoulder.
"Fine...you got me." he said as he parked the car a good distance away from the lake. They got out of the car as Penny held Sarah's hand towards the lake while Leonard followed them carrying their stuff. They chose a good spot along the edge of the lake as Penny and Sarah cast their line on the water. It didn't take long for them to start reeling-in their catch. They went back to the cabin after almost three hours of fishing, bringing-in almost ten pounds of fish with them. Penny chose to cook the fish with Sarah's help while Leonard rests on the couch.
Leonard prepared the table for as Penny finished cooking while Sarah washed her hands in the bathroom.
"This is delicious honey." Leonard said.
"Thank you….I looked up some recipes on Google." said Penny.
"Yeah these are great Penny." Sarah said happily munching on her food.
"Thanks sweetie….eat slowly so you won't choke alright?" Penny said. Sarah nodded as they continued eating.
Later that night, Sarah was already asleep on the bed while the couple was sitting on the couch drinking the wine that Penny brought with them.
"Thank you honey." Penny said as she leaned on Leonard's shoulder.
"For what?" he asked.
"For everything." she said. Leonard kissed her on the head.
"Hey….I've been cooped up in that ice box for two months and I thought of nothing else but being back with my girls." he said putting his arm around her shoulder.
"Me too….every time I look at Sarah, I'm reminded of you." said Penny.
"Well I'm here now and I'm not going anywhere." he said hugging her tighter.
Penny looked at him and smiled. "Good, because we still have a lot of catching up to do." she said.
"Uh what are you thinking?" he asked.
"Well….you remember the fireplace right?" she smiled at him.
"We might get caught." he said.
"We got away before didn't we?" she winked at him.
"Now I'm really worried what you taught my daughter while I was away." Leonard said.
"Will you stop freaking out….I didn't teach her anything." she continued "now where were we?" she asked as she wrapped her hand around his neck.
Leonard kissed her. "I'll go and get some blankets and pillows….but we have to be quiet." he said.
"I can't promise that." she teased him. Leonard sighed as he stood up to get a blanket and pillows so they could lie by the fireplace. He returned and spread the sheets on top of the rug while Penny propped the pillows for them. They snuggled as Leonard pulled the sheets over them. It didn't take long and they found themselves kissing and getting frisky, trying hard to stay quiet.
The next morning, Sarah asked them to take her back to Bunny Rabbit to ride again. This time, Sarah rode alone on the pony's back as Amanda tied the pony's harness to the horse she is riding. Amanda did this so that the pony would follow beside her horse and not run or jump. Sarah was so happy that she was able to 'ride on her own' while Leonard nervously watched along the fence. Sarah spent the whole morning riding on the pony's back until it was time for them to go home by midday.
"Daddy did you see how I can ride on my own now?" Sarah asked her father while they drive out of the ranch.
"I saw it honey….you were so great and I'm proud of you!" he said.
"He's right sweetie, you really did good out there." Penny said.
"I wish I have my own horse." Sarah said.
"Oh honey….as much as I want to, but we can't afford a horse much less own one….we need to have a big piece of land so it has room to run….we need a barn...we need to feed it….and hire a vet to care for it…" he said.
"Your father's right sweetie….owning a horse needs more money than owning a dog or a cat." Penny said.
"It's okay daddy….I understand. When I grow up and have my own money, I'm gonna buy a ranch and a lot of horses." Sarah said.
"That sounds like a great idea honey." Leonard said while looking at her daughter.
"Sweetie if you really like horses, you can be a veterinarian….you know...an animal doctor." Penny said.
"You're a doctor, right daddy?" asked Sarah.
"Yeah but I'm a Doctor of Physics….Veterinary is a different field of study than mine….it's a closer field of study to the one your aunt Bernie is doing." Leonard said.
"Really?….why is that daddy?" the child asked.
"Well your aunt Bernie is studying Microbiology...the study of tiny living things….but she started by studying biology which is the foundation of all medical sciences." Leonard said.
"He's right sweetie….it's like reading….you first learn the letter and then you learn the words to begin reading so you could understand all your other subjects in class like history, science, math…" Penny said.
"So it's like algebra?" Sarah asked.
"You're right honey….without algebra you cannot advance to higher mathematics like calculus, differential equations…" Leonard added "but you still have a long time to figure out what you want to do when you grow up" he added "right now I just want you to stay as my little princess, okay?" he said
"Okay daddy." Sarah said. They reached home and decided to rest since they still have to go to the beach the next day.
The next day, Leonard booked a room in a hotel along the beach for them to stay for three days. Penny brought the new bikini that she bought while Leonard was away. After checking-in the hotel and changing into their beachwear, they immediately went out and picked a good spot along the beach.
"I picked out this bikini just for you mister. Do you like it?" Penny whispered to Leonard as they held hands while Sarah ran in front of them towards the sand.
"I love it….I can't wait to take it off." Leonard teased her.
Penny smacked his arm lightly. "Hold your horses Hofstadter….we're in a public place." she said.
"Hey I think it's the one thing we're really getting good at." he said.
"What?" she asked.
"You know….sneaking around like a couple of guilty teenagers…" he smiled at her.
Penny laughed. "I know….makes it kinda exciting doesn't it?" she said. They reached a good spot and Leonard laid their beach towel and set up the umbrella for their shade. "Come here sweetie so I can put some sunscreen on you…..we don't want you burning up." she said as she applied the sunscreen on Sarah's arms, legs and back. "Honey you too…" Penny said as she helped Leonard take off his shirt so she could apply the sunscreen on him. Penny removed her beach kimono, revealing her new bikini and toned body. She laid on the beach towel. "Honey put some sunscreen on me please." she teased Leonard. Leonard took the bottle and started applying sunscreen all over Penny's body. "Hmmm….that's great honey….if you don't stop I might fall asleep right here." she said.
"Hey we have three days so you can sleep all you want." Leonard said while continuing to massage Penny's back.
"I wish we could stay here forever Leonard." she said
"I know….just seeing both of you happy is enough for me." he said while occasionally looking at his daughter building her sand castle.
"Besides the salon, what have you two been doing while I was away?" he asked.
"You know….just girl stuff….mostly just me hanging around in your place….sometimes I'll sleep in your room and Sarah will sneak out and sleep with me." Penny said.
"You slept in my room?" he asked.
"Yeah...three times I think….Oh and I gave one of my bags to Cathy….and they visited me at the store a couple of times." Penny said.
"Do you have kids dresses there?" he asked.
"No but the other girls at the store were so impressed at how smart Sarah was." Penny said.
"Hey before I forget….Sarah's principal arranged for her to take this test in a private school….I called them the other day and they agreed to meet with us." Leonard said.
"That's great honey!" Penny said.
"Yeah….is it okay if you come with us?….Sarah would like that." he said.
"Yeah sure." she said as she sat up and faced Leonard.
"Really?" he asked.
"Of course honey….this is important to you both." Penny said kissing his cheek.
"Thank you….it means a lot to me and my daughter." said Leonard as Sarah came back and pulled their hands.
"Come on Penny, daddy….let's build a sand castle!" Sarah said pulling the couple towards her pile of sand. The couple followed her.
"Let's team up sweetie while your father builds his own castle….we'll see who can build it better." Penny teased him.
"Oh you two will regret this." Leonard said as he began to build his castle. Penny and Sarah focused on their castle, piling and shaping the sand to their liking. Their castles were almost finished when Penny whispered something on Sarah's ear making the child giggle.
The child stood up. "I'll just get something to drink Penny." she said.
"Okay sweetie!" Penny said while finishing up their castle. Without warning, Sarah ran over Leonard's castle, kicking it and quickly returning to hide behind Penny as they both laughed hard.
"Hey that's not fair!" Leonard was surprised at his daughter's sneakiness.
The two girls continued to laugh. "You lost daddy. Your castle is just a pile of sand while ours is finished!" the child declared.
"Do you think so!?…" Leonard said standing up and running towards them. Penny quickly picked up Sarah to escape Leonard while laughing and giggling. They ran towards the water while Leonard chases them while splashing water on them. The girls teamed up and fought back against Leonard's water assault. Leonard carried his daughter and went to a deeper part of the water with Penny. Sarah put her arms around the couple as they played on the water.
"Okay...on the count of three we'll go under the water….one….two….three!" he said as they held their breaths going under the water surface.
"That was fun!….let's do that again daddy!" the child said. They did it several times until Leonard decided to go back to their spot on the beach. Leonard laid on the beach towel while Penny and Sarah sat on the other, drying and combing their hair. They stayed under the shade of their umbrella until eleven o'clock when the sun got too hot and decided to go back to the hotel to have lunch and rest for the day.
At the hotel, Leonard ordered room service while Penny and Sarah took their turns showering. Leonard then took a shower after the two girls were finished. Their food arrived and they ate by the window overlooking the coast.
"Are you having fun honey?" Leonard asked his daughter.
"Yes daddy….can I go to the pool after lunch?" Sarah said.
"Uh, probably later honey, I don't want you to get sunburn. Maybe around four o'clock." he said.
"Your father's right sweetie." Penny said.
"Okay. Can I watch TV after eating?" said Sarah.
"Sure honey." Leonard said.
After lunch, Sarah and Penny sat on the bed watching TV while Leonard laid himself beside Penny. He put his arm around Penny's waist as he slowly drifted off to sleep.
Later that night, Sarah was sleeping soundly as Leonard and Penny sat at the balcony, having a few beers.
Penny squeezed his hand. "Hey, are you thinking what I'm thinking?" she winked at him.
Leonard looked at her. "My daughter is right there." he said.
Penny smiled and whispered to him. "Honey, why do you think I let her do all those jumping and running around the pool huh?….I was tiring her out so she would be knocked out after dinner!" Penny said.
Leonard shook his head. "You are a bad girl!" he whispered back.
"Am I?….are you gonna punish me?" she said feeling Leonard's goosebumps.
"Do we do it in the bathroom?" he asked.
Penny smiled. "Come on...we'll lock the door just to be sure." she said. They went to the bathroom and Leonard laid a clean towel on the floor while Penny jumped on him as they begin kissing and undressing each other.
They spend the rest of their mini-vacation at the beach, the hotel's pool and sometimes just taking a walk along the coast. In the evening, they would take a stroll usually after dinner. Leonard would usually carry his daughter on their way back to the hotel when she gets sleepy. Leonard was amazed at how he and Penny were able to sneak around his daughter to have some 'alone time'. It has certainly added some spice to their relationship, making them closer to each other. They went home after spending three days at the beach, bringing with them a lot of happy memories, selfies and a nice tan.