Chapter 5

“Quite right,” she tapped her phone as it rang and lifted it to her ear, “hello you, to what do I owe the pleasure of this call?”

Ulrika tuned out as the conversation continued but she did catch Amelia saying, “all right, I’m kind of busy right now, I have to run my niece and her horse back to the stables,” she eyed Ulrika.

“Hang on,” she spoke again.

“Ulrika, could you possibly run her back?”

“Of course,” she glanced in the direction of her car, “I can tow a trailer.”

“Grand,” she returned to the call, “all right, I can drop in for a few hours, okay, I’ll see you soon,” she ended the call.

“Are you sure it’s okay?”

“I’ve got a perfectly good car,” she replied, “I was almost going to volunteer today but you had already hooked up the trailer to your car.”

“How do you feel about her?”

“I,” she stopped and Amelia inclined her head.

“She’s not a child and I know which way she swings.”

“Was she the friend you were talking about that day in the office?”

“Maybe,” Amelia replied, “or maybe not but you haven’t answered my question.”

“Yes, I like her,” she finally replied.

“Well that’s gotta be a good thing,” Amelia smiled, “and she’s not a child either. I’m so glad she got rid of that little shit Jason.”

Ulrika had nothing to say to that as she finished her hot dog and by then Joanne had joined them, she had a mischievous look in her eyes as she sat down.

“Guess who’s been spreading rumours about my ex?”

“Gee, is that a real question?” Amelia rolled her eyes.

“His best friend is here and I couldn’t resist a crack about the size of his cock.”

“Do you mind not mentioning cocks in front of my daughter?” Amelia smirked.

“Sorry, it wasn’t that big anyway,” she glanced down as her phone rang but didn’t answer it, a full minute went past before a text came through and she giggled as she read it.

“It’s from Jason,” she grinned and started tapping out a message, “penis extensions sweetie,” she glanced at her aunt, “sorry, my bad.”

“You’re your mother’s daughter all right,” she rolled her eyes.

Joanne leaned back and fluffed out her hair, “she taught me well. Can we go soon?”

“Ask Ulrika, she’s taking you home,” Amelia replied.

“Oh aye?” Joanne stared at her, “so you’re my last dance? Cool,” she glanced down at her phone as it beeped again, “and you’re blocked, Jason,” she tapped her phone a couple of times, “and now you’re deleted.”

“Are you ready to go, missy?”

“Aye,” she straightened up and nudged her glasses, “can we go to Marks first?”

“This’ll cost me,” she winked at Ulrika, “all right, come on let’s hook up this trailer,” she nodded at Ulrika, “then we’ll go to Perth.”

Joanne followed at a discreet distance as she carried on a text conversation with her girlfriends, by the sounds of things it was amusing because she giggled a couple of times while Ulrika helped to attach the trailer onto her Toyota Land Cruiser.

“One of my old boyfriends used to own one of these,” Amelia commented off-handedly, “I lived in Australia for a few years and these beasts were the workhorses of the bush.”

“I really like it,” Ulrika replied, “even though it’s like a brick but if someone runs into the back of you then they’re the one’s calling for a tow truck and I can just keep driving,” she pointed the tow bar, “that thing went right through some guy’s plastic grille and into the radiator.”

“So, not your fault.”

“No,” she grinned, “you shouldn’t text and drive. The stupid thing was, he tried to pay for the damage to my car but I just told him to forget about it and fix his own car.”

“Well that’s it then,” Amelia turned to Joanne and gave her a brief hug, “see ya later weasel.”

A few moments later she left with Nina and Ulrika turned to the small pen where some of the horses had been put. About half the team had already gone home.

“Let’s do it,” Joanne grinned, “put the horse in, you thought I meant something else.”

Ulrika didn’t reply to that as she opened the horse trailer, leaving Joanne to fetch her horse but the sense of anticipation was becoming overwhelming. How long had it been since she’d been with a woman, but even if she let this go further, was it a good idea?

The thought remained with her all the way back to The Bothy and to make it worse, Joanne wasn’t very talkative either. She seemed caught between her phone and the view out the window. She was intrigued by the spartan nature of the interior though.

“How do you find your way without a GPS navigator?”

“I use my phone,” she pointed to the phone sitting in a cradle, “that works most of the time.”

“How do you think we went today?” Joanne asked her.

“I think we went well, judging by what Amelia said but we’ll see.”

Little more was said on the way home and indeed Joanne seemed to become more reserved and almost nervous as Ulrika pulled up outside the stables and after that they were both kept fairly busy tending to their horses but about half an hour later Joanne approached her.

“Do you fancy coming in for a bit?”

“Sure thing,” she shrugged.

Joanne glanced over at Ulrika as she sat down next to her on the couch and offered her a smile as she set the drinks down. The older woman had opted for a wine instead of just coffee because she needed to wind down. She’d been looking forward to this day almost as much as she dreaded it, all her energies had gone into training the team, although in retrospect she’d just started building the team.

“Thanks,” she picked up the glass, “but it’s only one, I still have to drive home.”

“Of course,” Joanne smiled coyly, “I’d never get you drunk and take advantage of you.”

Ulrika’s lips twitched in a slight smile as she sipped the wine.

“I can’t say that would be a bad thing.”

“Oh, aye?” Joanne poked her leg playfully, “so I’m in with a chance then.”

“Maybe,” she took another sip, “so, how did you find today?” Ulrika changed the subject.

“I was nervous at first,” she replied, “but after the first minute it just felt like a rehearsal, but I didn’t think so many people would be applauding.”

“You deserved it,” she set the glass down, “you all did well.”

“I think my head just got bigger today,” she took a mouthful of wine.

“Don’t worry, I’ll bring you down to earth,” Ulrika nudged her.

“Gee, thanks,” she rolled her eyes and then sank back into the couch and stared at the ceiling, “teach me some Swedish?”

“Swedish?” Ulrika stared at her, “why do you want to learn Swedish?”

“I like a challenge,” she nudged her leg again, “how do you say, I like you?”

“Jag gillar dig,” she replied.

To her surprise, Joanne repeated it almost perfectly and so she threw out a slight alteration, which basically translated to I like you a lot.

“Jag tycker jätte mycket om dig,” Joanne repeated the phrase.

“Huh,” Ulrika picked up her wine.

“What did I just say?” Joanne stared at her, “it wisnae something rude, was it?”

“I like you a lot,” she translated.

“Me too,” Joanne giggled, “how do you say that in Swedish?”

“Jag också,” Ulrika replied, “också means also and jag means I or me. Your aunt is right about you,” she settled back into the couch.

“Why? What did she say about me?”

“She said you’re a natural mimic, I thought it was just the horse riding techniques I was teaching you but it seems to be languages as well.”

“It doesn’t mean I’m fluent.”

“I didn’t say that,” she drained the glass, “but you are able to pronounce the words properly, some Swedish words are hard to pronounce.”

“Sju hundra sjuttiosju,” Ulrika leaned glanced at her.

“It sounds like you’re clearing your throat, what is that supposed to mean?”

“Seven hundred and seventy seven,” she leaned forward to put the empty wineglass on the table, “it’s a Swedish tongue twister.”

Joanne’s attempt to repeat the words brought a smile to Ulrika’s lips and as she leaned on her knees the younger woman tried again. She was slightly better the second time but it didn’t sound quite the same.

“It’s a tongue twister all right,” Joanne took another sip and closed her eyes. Ulrika was just about to stand up when Joanne grabbed her leg firmly and with her eyes still closed repeated the phrase slowly.

“You got it,” Ulrika patted her hand gently.

Joanne’s eyes flickered open and she managed a tired smile as she said it once more but a little faster this time.

“You’ve got natural talent, maybe I should teach you some Swedish.”

“It’s a place I’ve wanted to visit for a while but my mum always wants to go to Barcelona or Greece. One time we did go to Croatia but mum is obsessed with lying on the beach and I never go on holiday with dad.”

“Because he takes his office with him, he could be in some beachside hotel but all he does is sit on his computer or phone and deal with clients.”

“Are your parents still married?”

“Now there’s a complicated topic,” she grimaced, “officially they’re still married but unofficially they’re fucking other people. Mum agrees to it because it’s the only way to keep the peace, there’s property settlements to sort out but she’s been told more than once by her lawyer that it’s only a matter of time before she has to do something.”

“Why does it all come down to money?” Ulrika mused, “it was kind of similar to my parents, mum knew she had to do something but the property settlement was a minefield. She’s moving up to my flat because she decided to practically give him the house in Buckinghamshire and take a transfer to the Edinburgh consulate.”

“I wish my mum would do something about her situation.”

“We can wish all we want,” Ulrika glanced over at her, “but in the end we can only change our own lives, it’s not up to you to save or end your parents’ marriage.”

“Amen to that,” she rubbed the small of her back.

“So, what does your mum do?”

“She’s a schoolteacher,” she replied, “my dad’s an investment banker, he can’t take a holiday without taking his mobile office with him. At least mum can take a break and just chill out, dad is always working even when he’s not working.”

Ulrika didn’t reply as Joanne kept rubbing her back.

“I like the feel of this, kind of like satin but kind of rough.”

“It’s sateen,” she replied, “I don’t normally wear it to these kinds of events but I wasn’t brushing Thor down today or any other horse so it was okay.”

“Sateen,” she murmured, “it’s so smooth.”

Ulrika almost stood up but instead she stayed in the same position, allowing Joanne to keep rubbing her back. It was almost hypnotic to just sit there and let it happen, and yet she still felt the need to do something to discourage her.

“Why?” Joanne asked her.

“Your aunt will be home soon.”

Joanne giggled at that.

“What you just said,” she replied, “she was talking to Jerry, he’s some guy she’s been fucking for months now. Uncle David has his girlfriends down south and she has her boyfriends, it seems to just run in the family.”

“She’s got Nina with her though.”

“Jeremy has a daughter the same age, that’s how they got together. The girls will be playing in the back garden while Auntie Amelia and Jeremy play in the bedroom.”

“That’s almost creepy,” she winced, “what’s Jerry like?”

“He’s a few years younger than her, I’ve only met him once when he dropped his daughter off here, she always goes to his place. He has a house near Tillicoultry.”

“When will they be back?”

“Some time tonight,” she replied, “sometimes she even stays overnight, it’s not like Uncle David comes here a lot. His constituency is in the south and he’s got a flat in Kensington.”

“Is that even legal?”

“Now that’s another complicated topic,” she let her hand fall away, “he had to pay money back a few years ago when he was renovating the house in Buckinghamshire but then flipped his main residency to Kensington. He tried to claim it was an honest mistake but Uncle David can’t even spell honesty let alone tell you what it means.”

“He sounds like the kind of politician my mum hates.”

“She hates him too,” she replied, “it’s why she bought this place and kept it in her name.”

“So, who gets this place if she dies?”

“Your mum?” Ulrika glanced at her.

“Uh huh,” she swivelled to face her, “so this place is safe from him.”

“You’re just worried about your job,” she poked her belly playfully.

“Well, obviously but this is a good place. I’d hate to see some property developer get a hold of it, they’d probably build a couple of dozen overpriced homes.”

“My dad wanted to buy it,” she grinned, “auntie Amelia just stared at him and wanted to know who was tying his shoelaces, I laughed so hard I snorted Irn Bru out my nose.”

Ulrika’s eyes flickered as Joanne fingered the front of her blouse.

“I love the feel of this material,” their eyes met.

“I can see that, you keep on touching it.”

“No, I don’t mind,” Ulrika shifted slightly.

Joanne didn’t reply as she brought her hand up further until it was resting on her shoulder, Ulrika stared into her eyes and then a moment later Joanne’s grip tightened as she leaned over and kissed her lightly on the lips.

For a few seconds Ulrika didn’t respond as Joanne pulled back, the younger woman looked a little hesitant and her grip slackened.

“Sorry, I em,” she looked past her.

Ulrika blinked and then their eyes met again.

“You might have warned me,” she reached over and flicked at her hair, “and I should have read the signs better.”

“I was sending out signals,” Joanne conceded, “why do you think I dropped Jason?”

“For me?” Ulrika’s hand dropped to her shoulder, “I’m impressed.”

She leaned over and brushed her lips against Joanne’s, and was rewarded with an opening mouth as the younger woman responded in kind. Joanne shivered slightly and murmured something that was lost because their lips were still locked together and then Ulrika pulled back.

“That was different,” Joanne touched her own lips.

“Different in a nice way or a bad way?”

“A nice way,” she replied, “it’s sensual.”