Chapter one
Sophia
Therewasastrangerin her barn, and he was watching her.
Sophia set down the bucket of water and turned back to the barn door, but he was gone, almost like he hadn’t been there in the first place.
But she knew he’d been there.
Sophia didn’t like strangers. She didn’t like anyone watching her, whether she knew them or not, but strangers made her eyes twitch and a chill run down her spine.
She turned back to her goats and put the bucket of water inside the pen, water sloshing as she set it down.
“Are you ready for me to go to town?” she asked the goats as she tied the bucket to the fence. Hopefully tying it would prevent them from knocking it over before she came back.
Although Ivy had a way of knocking over just about everything, whether it was tied down or not. But maybe this time she would come back from town to a full bucket of water and not a puddle on the floor.
Mollie came bounding over and rubbed her head against Sophia’s hand. Sophia smiled and rubbed the little goat’s chin.
Mollie was her favorite. The goats technically weren’t hers—they belonged to Lord and Lady Rendon, or more specifically, their young daughter Liliana. But since Liliana did nothing but play with them on occasion, they were effectively Sophia’s goats.
Even though Liliana had named the other three babies, Sophia had named Mollie, and she loved the little goat with all her heart.
“I’ll be back to check on you later,” she told Mollie. She was going to go to town, spend some time at the café with her friends, and avoid any strange men.
Sophia grabbed her shawl from where she’d put it on the hook by the door and started walking to town. As she walked through the gates of the manor, she looked back at it and smiled. Her new home had been wonderful to her. Such a difference from when she lived with Lady Manning. The freedom was intoxicating, and she couldn’t ever imagine going back to her old home, if it could even be called that.
The last thing she wanted was a strange man hovering around it.
The short walk to town felt longer than usual, her senses on high alert as she watched for any strangers along the path. She listened to the birds singing and took in the bright colors of fall as she watched and listened for anyone who might be following her.
The orange and red hues of the trees were so different from the spring flowers that had begun to bloom shortly after she arrived in the Northlands—but it was still beautiful.
The town came into sight as she crested a hill. She quickened her pace and made her way to the center of town, where her friend Thea owned the café.
When she opened the café door, a bell rang out. Sophia took a deep breath as she entered the café that felt like a second home to her.
There was a fire crackling in the fireplace, and the air smelled of warm, comforting foods. It wasn’t easy to tell what Thea was cooking, but whatever it was, it was sure to be delicious.
Sophia scanned the café until she found Ginger, the resident cat of the Cozy Cat Café, and wandered over to scratch under her chin for a moment. Ginger started purring almost immediately, and after a moment, Sophia gave her a pat on the head and made her way to the counter.
Thea waited with a smile, her face lighting up when Sophia approached. Today she wore a green apron that set off her dark brown skin. Sophia inspected it as she approached. Was that a kitten embroidered on the top?
It was.
“Hello,” Thea said warmly. “How are you today?”
“I’m well,” Sophia said. She was still uneasy over the stranger, though being here had washed away most of the anxiety. This place was a soothing balm for her soul.
Thea narrowed her eyes, her fingers drumming a rhythm against the counter. “What happened?”
Sophia shrugged her shoulders, her feet fidgeting. “Nothing much.”
Thea reached out to place her hand over Sophia’s. “I can tell something’s not right.”
Sophia wasn’t used to having someone be concerned for her feelings. It was nice, even if she didn’t want to answer the question.
She chewed on her bottom lip as the bell over the door rang again. Their friend Dietrich walked in, conveniently saving her from having to answer.
