Looking for love? Or rather, a short story after that debacle with the love potion Gretchen brewed? If you haven’t read episode 0.5, ‘Troll Hunter: Witch for Hire’ then I suggest you sign up to the newsletter to score your free copy here.
All good? Keep scrolling for your bonus story.
Love Struck
Beth slowed on the path ahead of Milly and turned to waggle her eyebrows.
“He’s outside again.” She shifted a bucket of water to her other hip. “Shirtless.”
Milly’s heart skipped a beat, and she grinned, nodding at Beth to pick up the pace. In the small yard by the silversmith shop, a copper tub sat over a fire pit, the perfect place to spend the afternoon scrubbing sheets. She swung her own bucket to the ground and stole a glance at the man splitting logs with his back toward them.
“He is glorious.” Nat scrubbed a handful of linen over the washboard. “Let’s hope the sun keeps up the good work.”
Nat’s face dripped with sweat over the boiling tub but she didn’t seem to notice. The girls had volunteered to do the laundry and told their parents that the work would go quicker if they joined forces. Milly fancied the sheets had never been cleaner.
“Your turn for the next buckets.” Milly smirked at Nat. “You’ve had quite the eyeful already.”
Nat scoffed but dropped the sheets into the soapy water. Upending the fresh buckets into the tub, she gave Beth a sharp nudge in the ribs.
“It’s rude to stare, you know.”
“It doesn’t count if he can’t see us watching.” Beth fanned herself with a hand and fluttered her eyelids.
“And why do you suppose he keeps his back turned?”
The three girls turned to glare at Sara. Milly huffed and turned her nose in the air.
“Just because you don’t know handsome when you’re looking right at it doesn’t mean you should spoil our fun.”
Sara rolled her eyes and rubbed stained hands over her apron. She’d turned them down flat that morning when they’d stopped by with mounds of sheets. Insisted she would rather put up with the stench of the dye house than moon over the silversmith. A self-satisfied smile twitched at Sara’s lips and Milly spun around to see what she found so entertaining.
Gavin’s assistant Terry had come out with a tankard of ale. As Gavin dropped his wood splitter Terry ran a familiar hand over his glistening back which came to rest on his rump. The three girls hissed as one.
Gavin turned into Terry’s embrace, pushing aside the tankard and grabbing his jaw. He flashed a smile at the girls before locking lips with his beau and Milly’s heart plummeted.
“But he can’t be.”
Sara snickered behind her.
“And why did you think he doesn’t have a wife already? Waiting around for the likes of you lot?”
Milly averted her eyes and gulped.
“I think those sheets are done.” Sara nodded toward the tub. “Unless, of course, you’d like to offer to wash theirs?”
Milly’s lip curled and she looked to her friends in entreaty. Beth scooped the sodden linen into a basket and Nat overturned the water into the fire. Milly fetched the washboard and soap and groaned.
“It’s always the good ones.”
I’m glad Gavin got his HEA
And I’m sure those girls will find someone else to moon over in no time. To check out other Episode 0.5 bonus content check the episode page here.
