If you’d asked me a year ago what I would be doing for my birthday I never would have guessed it would have entailed standing in the middle of a dirt filled paddock attempting to catch a chicken. But here I am, out in the middle of nowhere, sweat dripping down my back and ruining my ‘kind of like Kate Spade’ wedge heels.

“How can a one-legged chicken be so fast?” I complained, skidding to a halt in a rather large chicken poop.

“Cottonball’s had some practice,” replied Wally, my neighbour and new BFF. “The girls have full mobility and in order for him to fulfil his Rooster duties, he needs to catch ‘em.” Wally grinned, his false teeth glinting in the mid-morning sunlight as he swiped his hand across his wrinkled brow, sunshine and mischief radiating from his eyes.

“Lucky I knitted a Nike tick on the back of Ethel’s jumper then. She might stand a chance at getting away from him.”

When I had inherited the farm from my great aunt Matilda, I’d had no idea how to look after the menagerie of animals that she had collected. I was out of my comfort zone, with no idea what I was doing. It didn’t help that every single one of the animals was special in their own unique way.

Thankfully I had Wally to help me navigate this new life.

“I’m going to keep Cottonball on this side of the coop,” explained Wally. “Ethel’s coming your way. Catch her and then we can begin.”

I stepped to the right, blocking her path and clicked my fingers. “Hello Ethel. Ready for your new jumper?”

She stopped dead in her tracks, her eyes wide as she looked me up and down.

Buck, buck.

“I promise you’re going to love it.” I held up my creation for her to see. “You’ll look so fabulous Cotton ball won’t be able to keep his eyes off you.”

Actually, that may not be the best way to sell my wares to her.

Obviously agreeing with my thoughts, she darted to the left and scooted past me.

“What are you doin’?” Wally called.

“Well, she was a bit quicker than I imagined. But don’t worry, I’ve got this.” I hoped.

As I spun on my heel, Ethel ducked towards the back of the coop, where she snuggled in alongside Daisy.

“Yes, Daisy does look great in her jumper, but you’re going to look even better.” I smiled as I stepped towards her, my arms outstretched.

Buck, buck, buck.

“That’s my girl,” I cooed, as Wally moved in behind me.

“Just round her up and then you can grab her,” he advised.

“How do I do that?”

“Easy. Keep walking towards her and give her nowhere to go.”

Hmmm, he did make that sound easy.

“Come on,” I continued, advancing on her. “This will only take a minute, and once you have it on, you’ll be safe from the weather.”

Buck, buck, buck.

Ethel crowed as she took off running, straight between my legs.

Wally scrunched his nose and rubbed the back of his neck. “You need to look serious. Tell her who’s boss.”

“I thought that’s what I was doing. Ethel,” I called, turning once again to face her. “Please. I’m trying to help you.”

Taking Wally’s advice, I strode towards her, my arms once again outstretched. She was busy plucking at one of her few remaining feathers, giving me the advantage. Swooping in I clutched her in my arms, rejoicing in my victory.

However, she had other ideas. Flapping her wings, I lost my grip as she fluttered to the ground, before running to the opposite end of the pen.

Sprinting after her, I ducked and weaved, the two of us doing a dance of who was going to win this game.

Ethel however, had the upper hand because she knew the pen a heck of a lot better than I did, taking full advantage of every dollop of chicken poop, and leading me straight into disaster.

As I lunged towards her, she darted to the left, my foot hit the leftovers of Cottonball’s breakfast, and I skidded to my knee, chicken poop smearing its way up my leg.

“Urgh.”

Just when I thought that my day couldn’t get any worse, Noah strode towards us, whistling a tune. My heart missed an entire series of beats, as my eyes connected with his baby blues.

Okay, I had a tiny crush on Noah, but with the way his jeans sat low on his hips, the occasional glimpse I caught of his toned abdomen, accompanied with a smile that could stop you in your tracks, I wondered who could blame me?

Noah pushed open the gate and sauntered inside, a slight sheen glistening on his golden skin. His smile was at full wattage as he kneeled in front of Ethel and clicked his tongue.

“Good morning, gorgeous,” he cooed.

Ethel spun her head towards him, clucked and immediately jumped into his arms.

Humph.

Well, I guess, who could blame her?

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Matilda’s Wish
Genre: Romantic Mystery
Release: April 2021
Purchase Link

Keep your wishes close . . . and your secrets even closer

Tilly Lockhart is out of luck, out of money and up to her eyeballs in debt. But just when she thought that fate had it in for her, she inherits a farm from her great aunt Matilda-a woman she never knew existed. The only catch? She must spend one year on her aunt’s farm Dun Roamin’ before she can sell up and save her flailing business.

Faced with two thousand acres of land and a menagerie of neurotic animals, this city slicker must enlist the help of the farm’s sexy co-owner Noah in order to survive this new life and uncover why her aunt left it all to her.

But just when her heart is opening to small-town life, an unexpected fire uncovers Dun Roamin’s deadly mystery. As threads of past sins unravel, secrets are revealed, danger builds, and threats for Tilly to leave things alone and go home grow more deadly with every passing day.

With her newfound friends by her side, can Tilly learn the truth that great aunt Matilda was hiding? Can she find inner strength to protect what she’s grown to love? Or will she lose everything, including her life?

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About the Author
Beth Prentice is the USA Today Bestselling Author of the Westport Mysteries. Killer Unleashed, her GHP debut novel, received a bronze medal in the 2016 Readers Favorite International Book Awards.

Beth was born in Manchester England but now live on the beautiful Sunshine Coast in Queensland Australia where every day is a good one. I’m the lucky mother of two children, and along with my ever-patient husband I’m the proud owner and foster mum of four dogs, a cat, three birds and two guinea pigs.

All comments are welcomed.