Leonard has definitely gotten Penny's interest now, but not in a way he hoped. Sheldon is amazed by how concerned Penny is over his welfare.

Sheldon looked over the selection of green onions and carefully selected twelve. He had not made his Meemaw's hobo stew in a long time. Penny, like himself, was from farm country. Maybe she would enjoy it. The last time he had made it, Raj and Howard had enjoyed it as well. Being lactose intolerant, Leonard had not eaten any, since cream was a primary ingredient of the thick broth.

He looked over at Penny, talking to a woman selling fresh honey. She looked up just then and winked at him cheekily. Heat flooded his cheeks and he quickly looked down. Honestly! That woman was such a tease, he thought to himself. She seemed to spend most of her time trying to make him blush.

"Hey, Sugar," Penny laughed as she slipped her arm through his and looked at the selection of onions on the table. "I hope you like fresh honey. I just bought ten jars."

He looked down at her as she began to steer them toward another stall. "Ten? That would seem an excessive amount."

Penny shrugged. "She made me a good deal. Only $3 a jar if I took all ten. Considering the price of pure honey in the supermarkets, it was a steal. Besides, she was sweet. I figured I would send a jar with you, one with sweet little Raj, some for Howie and Aunt Edith, and send some to my friends Stacy and Joe."

Sheldon picked up some asparagus and added it to his basket before handing the gentleman some money. "Penny, have you ever eaten hobo stew?"

She nodded as she accepted a sample of farmers cheese from the lady beside her. "Yep. My mamaw used to make it when it was cold out."

He glanced at her before leading the way back to the car. "I was thinking of making some tonight. Would you like to join me?"

Penny smiled at him teasingly. "Sheldon Cooper, are you asking me on a date?"

He blushed a deep red. "No! I mean, I also intend to invite Howard and Raj. Not a date. Just a meal. With friends. Not a date," he stammered quickly.

She patted his arm comfortingly. "I was teasing, sugar. Don't have a stroke. Now, let's get this stuff home. I have to go to the gym."

They got into the car and buckled up. Sheldon stared at her for a few minutes, his brow creased in concentration. "Penny, may I ask you a personal question?"

She nodded as she navigated back onto the highway. "Sure. No promises that I'll answer, but you can ask."

Sheldon nodded to acknowledge her stipulation. "I have continually had a sense of recognition whenever I see you. Is it possible we have met before?"

Penny laughed and winked at him. "Do you watch much pro wrestling?"

Sheldon frowned slightly and nodded. "I am from Texas. My brother and father are huge fans. I have watched my fair share."

Penny grinned at him and he frowned. He studied her carefully for several seconds before it clicked in his mind. He gasped aloud. "You're Missy Dangerous!"

Penny giggled and nodded. "You've seen some of my matches."

Sheldon nodded, a faint pink tinge coloring his cheeks. "I have only seen seven of your matches. I only watch wrestling when I am visiting my family in Galveston. I am not really a fan of sports."

She pouted a little bit and looked over at him. "Does that mean you're not my biggest fan?" He squirmed a bit and tried to find a way to tell her he found wrestling pedantic. Penny suddenly laughed. "I'm teasing, sugar. It doesn't matter if you were a fan. Yeah, I used to be a pro wrestler. Now I'm a trainer."

He looked at her curiously. "For other wrestlers?"

Penny nodded as she changed lanes. "Yep. I'm helping to develop some new talent for a small promotion in San Bernardino. They really want to push their women's division. Not as some sort of sexy lingerie league, either. They want real wrestlers. So, I screened a couple dozen wrestlers, and chose five to train."

Sheldon was silent for a few seconds. He looked over at Penny, curiosity making his eyes brighter. "Why do you no longer wrestle?"

"Eleven concussions, eighteen broken bones, arthritis in my knees, back and hips, and two fractured vertebrae over the course of 10 years," Penny said with a shrug. "Injuries build up, and I can't do some of the moves I used to do anymore. When it takes 30 seconds to recover from a moonsault, it's time to hang it up in the ring."

"You've been wrestling for ten years? I assumed you were in your mid twenties."

She nodded as she pulled into the Wolowitz driveway. "I am. I began wrestling training when I was 14. I had my first professional match when I was 17, but I had already spent 3 years in the ring taking bumps and getting knocked around."

"Your parents let you wrestle so young?" he asked with a frown as they got out of the car.

Penny nodded. "It was mostly my mom and me. My parents divorced when I was a kid. Dad has a farm outside Omaha. My sister, her idiot husband and their five kids live there. Mom was a firm believer in empowerment and feminism, and she thought me learning wrestling was a great idea." Penny grinned, her voice becoming higher pitched as she imitated her mom. "Penelope, wrestling has always been a man's world. It's about time we women took our place in it."

Penny paused in front of the door. "Truthfully though, I think my mom secretly liked watching the muscle men in tiny briefs. Especially Sting or Curt Henning."

Sheldon shook his head at her. "Your childhood wasn't very different from mine."

Penny sat down on the porch swing. "Your mom wanted you to be a beacon of light for all women's lib, too?" she teased.

He rolled his eyes at her, hiding the amused smile she had a talent for bringing out of him. "My parents are divorced as well. My father has a cattle ranch outside Corpus Christi where my brother and his wife and their three kids live. My mother lives in Galveston with my sister. My mom is very religious, and she never went further than high school, but she has always encouraged me to excel. She did not understand my interests, but she always told me to be the best I could be."

Penny leaned her head on her palm, her elbow on the back of the swing. "She sounds like a wonderful mother," she said gently.

Sheldon gave her a wry look. "Did you miss the religious part?"

The front door opened and Howard looked out at them. "Hey. I thought I heard talking." He stepped out onto the porch and perched on the railing. "How was the farmer's market?"

"Awesome," Penny said as she stood and hugged Howard. Sheldon watched her lean against the rail beside Howard with a slight bit of unhappiness. That feeling increased when Howard draped an arm across her shoulders. "I got everything I was looking for, and a few things I didn't know I wanted until I saw them."

Sheldon stood and cleared his throat. "I, too, purchased a few things. I was wondering if you and Raj would like to join me this evening for hobo stew. Penny has already graciously agreed to come."

Howard licked his lips. "Oh man! That stuff is incredible. I can't wait!"

Penny frowned and looked at her watch. "Hey. I thought you were going to some movie marathon. Weren't you going to be gone all afternoon?"

Howard snorted. "Yeah, until Leonard hit his head and Raj had to take him to the hospital."

"How'd he do that?" Penny asked casually. "Not that I'm complaining, karma can be a real bitch."

"He fell," Howard said simply. "So, what's the plan for the rest of the morning? Anyone up for kite fighting?"

Penny shook her head. "Can't. I've got those apartments I wanted to check out today." She raised up and stepped forward to hug Sheldon with one arm. "Thanks for the trip this morning. I should put this stuff away and head out. Need a ride home?"

"I can take him," Howard offered before Sheldon could reply. "What do you say, Sheldon? Kite fighting?"

Sheldon nodded. "That would be acceptable. I will need to go home and put the main ingredients into the slow cooker, but we can go to the park for a few hours."

Penny waved bye and stepped into the house. "Aunt Edith?! I'm back!" she called out.

"Penny? I was getting worried," Mrs. Wolowitz yelled back. "I was afraid that man you took out had killed you and left you in a ditch!"

Penny closed the door with a mischievous grin. "He tried to take advantage of me, but I maced him."

"Good for you, sweetheart! Men cannot be trusted!" Mrs. Wolowitz yelled loudly.

Howard sighed and rolled his eyes. "Let's go," he said quietly.

Sheldon followed Howard to his mom's Cadillac and before long they were on their way to Los Robles. After a few minutes he looked over at Howard. "Howard, I have a query."

Howard sighed and glanced at his friend. "Why can't you just ask a question like normal people?"

He glared at Howard for a second before refocusing on his inquiry. "Penny has informed me several times that she is intent on us becoming friends. Am I correct in my suspicion that she is pursuing me?"

Howard shrugged slightly. "I don't know. She likes you, obviously. With Penny it's hard to tell. Why? Are you interested?"

Sheldon snorted with derision. "Of course not. I am a man of science. I have no interest or need for romance."

Howard glanced at Sheldon again in time to see the twitch above his left eye. Howard bit the inside of his cheek to keep from smiling. This was an interesting development.