Chapter One
Raven drove her cherry-red Porsche around the corner into Bankton's main street and slammed on the brakes.
There was a bull in the middle of the road.
An actual, literal bull. Brown, enormous, and chewing something with the placid expression of someone who had nowhere to be and all the time in the world to get there.
"You have got to be bloody kidding me," Raven muttered.
She honked the horn. The sound echoed off the stone cottages lining the narrow street. The bull didn't even blink. Just kept chewing, staring at her through the windscreen.
Raven honked again, longer this time, leaning on the horn until her palm hurt.
"Perfect," Raven said to no one. "Absolutely perfect. Welcome to the bloody countryside."
This was supposed to be quiet. Peaceful. The escape she desperately needed. The countryside, where she could finally think, finally breathe, finally figure out what the hell she was going to do with her life now that everything had fallen spectacularly apart.
Instead, there was livestock blocking the high street like some kind of rural nightmare.
She was beginning to suspect this entire plan had been a terrible idea.
Her phone sat in the cupholder, face down, powered off. She'd stopped looking at it somewhere around Oxford, after the notifications had become too much to bear. Messages from people she hadn't spoken to in years, suddenly very concerned about her wellbeing. Comments from strangers who felt entitled to opinions about her relationship status. Articles with headlines that made her want to throw her phone out the window.
Raven's Ex Marries Sound Engineer in Surprise Vegas Ceremony!
Inside Alissa Stone's Surprise Wedding: Why Raven Wasn't Invited
Is This the End for Krimson Kisses?
That last one was probably accurate. Hard to have a band when your bassist/girlfriend had married someone else and the rest of the group couldn’t bring themselves to tell you about it.
She peeped her horn again and with a placid snort, the bull finally began to lumber off toward… well, toward wherever it was that bulls went. Farms, Raven thought, most probably.
The village center, if it could be called that, consisted of a triangular green, a pub, a post office, a general store, a small cafe and bookshop, and what appeared to be a community hall. A hand-painted sign announced:Bankton Players Present:but the rest of the sign was empty, so she assumed whoever the Bankton Players were, they were on holiday. Preferably permanently.
Raven drove past without slowing down.
The estate agent had told her that the cottage was "just outside the village center, very peaceful, very private." What she hadn't mentioned was that "just outside" meant down another impossibly narrow lane that made Raven's car feel about three feet too wide.
The cottage appeared around a bend, and Raven pulled into the small gravel drive to be greeted by the sight of a woman standing by the front door.
The estate agent. Had to be. In her fifties, wearing a sensible jacket and holding a clipboard. Raven cut the engine and climbed out of the car, every muscle protesting the movement.
"Ms… Raven." The woman's smile was professional and just slightly too enthusiastic. "Welcome to Bankton."
"Mmm," was all Raven said as she climbed out of the car.
"Wonderful, wonderful. Now, let me show you around. It's such a lovely property, I'm sure you'll…"
"I don't need a tour," Raven interrupted. "Just the keys."
The woman’s smile flickered but held firm. "Of course, of course. Well, the keys are right here." She held up a key ring with far too many keys on it. "This is for the front door, this one's for the back, this is the shed, and this little one is for the post box, though I'm not sure why it locks."
"Great. Thanks." Raven took the keys.
"Now, you'll find the cottage has everything you need. There's a lovely sitting room with original beams, a fully equipped kitchen, two bedrooms upstairs, one with an ensuite, and the most charming garden. The previous tenant kept it beautifully. You'll find everyone here is very friendly. Your nearest neighbor is Annabelle Swift at Primrose Cottage, she’s a lovely girl, teaches at the primary school. She's very—"
"I'm not here to make friends," Raven said flatly. "I'm here to work."
