Free Stirred with Love by Marcie Steele Page A

all she’d be met with was a stony silence. The look that said, ‘don’t bother talking to me.’ The body language that said, ‘keep well clear, I don’t want to know you at the moment.’
    With a grave sigh, she pulled the door shut, picked up the last three carrier bags and slung a faded red rucksack over her shoulder, nearly knocking herself off balance in the process.
    ‘I can’t believe you’re taking all this baggage,’ said Louise as she struggled to wheel a bulging suitcase down the short driveway.
    Kate was taking more baggage than Louise realised – emotional baggage. She frowned, shoving a carrier bag full of Rosie’s toys onto the back seat of her car. Rosie was strapped into the passenger seat but still insisted on taking a look. With well practiced patience, Kate untangled her and sat her straight again.
    ‘Now, be patient,’ she stroked Rosie’s head reassuringly and gave her a rubber bone to play with. Maybe that would keep her quiet for some of the journey.
    Stretching up to full height, Kate turned back again, this time to stare at the house. Now the day had come for her to leave and well, she was ready to go, but her feet were reluctant to move.
    ‘Are you okay?’ Louise asked her.
    Kate shook her head. ‘I’m scared.’
    ‘Don’t be. It’ll be exciting.’
    ‘But I’m excited too.’
    Louise gave Kate a hug. ‘You’ll be fine.’
    Kate pulled back from Louise with a feeling of remorse, wishing that she wasn’t leaving her behind too. ‘I hope so. You take good care of that husband of yours. Don’t wear him out too soon.’
    ‘I won’t. And we’ll call and see you as soon as you’ve settled in.’
    ‘You mean once all the mess has gone and the place is looking decent?’
    Louise grinned. ‘Yep, you got it. When all the hard work has finished.’
    ‘Well, toodle-pip then.’
    Kate finally got into her car and started the engine. She forced herself not to look through the rear view mirror until she had turned out of Marble Close. Her stomach seemed to helter-skelter around. She wasn’t sure if it was due to nerves, or happiness, or merely the fact that she hadn’t eaten anything for breakfast and had only nibbled at a light lunch. Still, she had plenty of chocolate supplies in the glove box and it was only an hour and a half’s drive to Somerley at the most.
    Pushing all feelings of doubt clearly away and wondering instead what the future would bring for her, with Rosie still securely fastened up by her side, Kate focused on the road ahead and sped off towards their new home.
     
    ‘Here we are then.’ Kate placed Rosie onto the floor two hours later and watched as she proceeded to sniff every inch of her new surroundings. Kate was so thankful that Lily had agreed to let her stay here, if only for a trial period of a month. She knew Rosie would win her over, especially as Lily had shown her a photo of a dog long passed away.
    The double bedroom Lily had shown Kate to was at the back of the building. Kate pushed up a thick net curtain, mentally changing it to a lighter roman blind, and nosed at her surroundings. The window overlooked a cobble-stoned alleyway, with properties, mostly boarded up, behind. Not a very pleasant view but still, she didn’t intend on spending too much time in this room. Throwing Rosie’s cushion onto the bed squashed up against the wall, she wondered what Chloe would be like as she unzipped her suitcase. Lily had told her she was eighteen. She hoped they’d get on well. Fourteen years was quite an age gap.
    She didn’t have long to wait because Chloe appeared in the doorway twenty minutes later. Instantly, Kate saw how her presence would lighten up any dreary room. Oh, the joys of being eighteen, she envied, taking in the spiral curls, long legs in skinny jeans, ballet pumps and the white vest underneath an oversized red t-shirt with a slashed neck.
    ‘Hi.’ Chloe smiled. She shrugged her right shoulder and her holdall slithered to the