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On her first full day at the ranch, Agatha emerged from the bathroom early in the morning with her hair curled. She was sporting a white floral skirt and a faded, slightly wrinkled t-shirt.
“You guys are up early,” she said, her eyes landing on Nicky and Rio. The two of them were sitting at the kitchen table, a plate of toast with various spreads, jams and preserves around it between them on the wooden surface.
“Morning, mama,” Nicky said, and Agatha leaned down to kiss his head. “Come eat with us. Rio says the nice farmer lady makes the jam herself.”
“Sharon, honey. Her name’s Sharon,” Agatha told him, taking a seat at the table. She took a slice of toast, put it down on the plate that had been laid out in front of her and began to butter it. Rio continued talking to Nicky and Agatha as the three of them ate, but her gaze kept drifting back to the other woman’s clothing as if something was off.
“What?” Agatha asked, suddenly self conscious.
Rio grinned her stupid grin again. “Nothing. Just… you’re going for a ‘farmer’s wife’ vibe, aren’t you?” Then, after another quick scan of Agatha’s outfit, “I like it.”
“Really? ‘Cause you’re looking at me like there’s a stain on my shirt.”
“No, no, you look really pretty. Scout’s honour,” she said, then did a vague salute that didn’t resemble anything Agatha had ever seen any girl scout troop do.
Agatha continued to eat, making small talk with Nicky and helping him guess which fruit each of the jams had come from. Once she was full on toast, she stood and headed over to the fridge. She grabbed the orange juice.
“Agatha?” Rio said from behind her, something in her seeming to relent slightly.
“Yeah?” Agatha asked, her hands shaking as she poured the juice into a glass.
“As cute as that skirt is on you, it’ll get in your way on the farm. It’s going to get dirty, too, and I know how much you hate mud.” Rio paused. “There are some old Levis in my room. You can borrow them, if you want.”
“That’s a good point. That’d be great, if I could, um, borrow them,” Agatha said with a nod.
“Keep the skirt for dinner tonight, though, okay? It’s pretty.”
And so they’d set off, Agatha wearing Rio’s jeans and the one pair of boots she’d packed for the trip. Agatha spent that morning being pulled around by Nicky and introduced to the various animals, as she smiled and cooed and laughed diligently and tried her hardest not to wince at the sheer amount of mud she was treading in.
“What’s your favourite animal here, mama?” Nicholas asked, shaking his hands off by the outdoor sink.
“I have to admit, Sandy the Shetland was pretty cute. What about yours?” Agatha replied.
“I really like the goats,” he giggled. “Rio, what’s your favourite?”
“I love all animals, carino. I don’t think I could pick a favourite.”
“ All animals?” Agatha asked doubtfully.
Rio nodded, clearly proud. “I even had a pet spider back in college.”
“Oh my gosh, you’re a lunatic.”
“And you’re still a priss.”
Agatha tried to protest, but she couldn’t deny that she’d been washing her hands for about a minute and a half now. She turned the tap off.
They spent a few more hours exploring the farm and the grounds surrounding it, then returned home to change for dinner. Agatha took a quick shower, sighing with relief as the murky water slipped down the drain, then changed into the skirt she’d wanted to wear that morning and applied a little makeup.
Rio smiled when she saw Agatha. “You look fantastic.”
“Come on, I always look fantastic.” She took a look at Rio’s clothing: a simple black sundress with a flannel shirt buttoned over it, and suppressed a smile. “Nicky, hon, you ready?”
“I’m ready.” The three of them trudged back through the mud in the evening sun, Nicky sitting on Rio’s shoulders, until they reached the farmhouse.
Mrs Davis opened the door with a smile. “It’s so lovely to see you three! When Rio told me you were joining me for dinner tonight I was so happy, you know? I hope you girls like white wine.”
“Wine sounds great. Do you make it yourself?”
“No, no, I buy it from the farmer’s market downtown. I try to go every Wednesday,” Sharon explained, leading them inside. There’s cider, too, if you’d prefer,”
“Tony’s?” Rio asked with a hopeful grin - a Rio grin, Agatha had dubbed it, the kind that spread slowly then shone so brightly it rivalled moonlight, fireflies glinting in her eyes and dancing in the pit of Agatha’s belly. Her smile widened when Mrs Davis nodded. “Oh my God, nobody makes apple cider like Tony’s. I can’t believe he’s still around.”
Dinner ended up being a generous serving of roast pork, along with potatoes and vegetables - despite his usual aversion, Nicky piled his plate high and shoveled forkful after forkful into his mouth. Agatha sipped her wine slowly, wiping her mouth self-consciously and glancing downwards every time the gorgeous, cider-drinking woman at the other end of the table stared back at her.
After three glasses of wine, a second helping of potatoes and approximately six hundred wide-eyed questions from Nicky to Rio (ranging from her favourite dinosaur to her brothers’ names), the conversation died down and the four of them sat back, full and sleepy.
“I normally go around the farm at about this time, saying goodnight to all the animals. I was wondering if Nicholas wanted to come with me?” Sharon asked.
His face lit up. “Yes! Can I, mama?”
Agatha laughed. “Sure. Just watch where you’re going, it’s dark out.” Then she turned to Mrs Davis. “Keep an eye on him, okay? Don’t let him run in the mud, he’s always tripping over. And make sure he wears his jacket.”
Sharon nodded with a smile, and led Nicky into the hall. Agatha, quickly knocking back the last of her drink, listened to the comforting plod of wellington boots and the excited buzz of her son’s voice. Then, when the front door creaked shut, she looked over at Rio.
“Hey, lunatic,” Agatha said with a grin.
“Hey, bumpkin. You alright?” Rio asked.
“I’m good. You have a pretty awesome taste in vacation spots.”
Another Rio-grin spread across her face. “You think so?”
“For sure. The company’s got something to do with it too, though. It’s been three days and Nicky basically worships you - it means a lot that you’re spending so much time with him,” Agatha said.
“Aw, it’s no trouble. He’s my little helper,” Rio said. “And he’s sweet as hell, you’ve clearly done a great job.”
“I try. What should we do while they’re gone?” Agatha asked, hoping Rio would dismiss her reddening cheeks as a side effect of the alcohol.
“Sneak another bottle of wine?” Rio suggested.
“I thought we were vacationing here to be one with nature, not to get wine-drunk.”
“I know which activity you’d prefer.”
And so the two women headed to Mrs Davis's oversized pantry, where Rio successfully found a bottle of red wine. She checked it was a cheaper label, not wanting to swipe the expensive stuff, then poured two glasses. Instead of leading Agatha back to the dining room, or to the two armchairs at the far end of the hallway, Rio began to head upstairs.
“Where are you…?” Agatha’s voice trailed off, as she relented and followed Rio’s lead.
“I wanna show you around! Sharon’s house is the coolest. She hasn’t cleared it out in at least twenty years, there’s crap here that I forgot even existed.” They emerged on the landing, and Rio led Agatha into what looked like a storage room, piled high with miscellaneous boxes, board games and unused furniture.
“Is that a karaoke machine?” Agatha grinned, cocking an eyebrow and gesturing at a short speaker with two mics strewn over it.
“Of course. The Davises used to host wedding receptions here - karaoke was a real hit.” Rio knelt down, examining the dusty machine. “It should still work.”
“I love karaoke, you know. I’m obsessed. I’ve seen doctors about it,” Agatha babbled, making some attempt at a joke.
The Rio grin made a dazzling return, and she stared up at Agatha from her spot on the floor, a strange twinkle in her eye. “Yeah? Care to duet, Harkness?”
“I’d love to, Vidal.”
They hauled the karaoke machine to an old rec room that had once been used for parties, and managed to get it plugged in and working. To Agatha’s delight, every song the small screen offered was from sometime before 1995.
“What are you thinking? Something fun - Madonna, Blondie? God, I used to love Blondie,” Agatha said.
“What about this?” Rio asked, flicking across until she found the song she was looking for. Eternal Flame - an old love ballad.
Agatha froze for a second. The song choice had to be a coincidence - a tipsy, sleepy oversight. Of course. She straightened up, took one of the microphones, and began to warble along, making Rio laugh in a way that made Agatha’s throat tighten.
Close your eyes, give me your hand, darling
Do you feel my heart beating?
Do you understand? Do you feel the same?
Am I only dreaming? Is this burning an eternal flame?
Agatha was a decent singer, really - she’d been in the school choir as a little girl, at her mother’s insistence, and she’d adopted an endearingly theatrical flair when it came to karaoke anthems. The same could not be said for Rio. She may have looked like a rock star, but that singing voice could only belong to a feral cat. She tried to get through her verse, giggling in her tipsy state, with Agatha snorting and laughing at every line she sang. They both crooned along to the words, attempting notes neither of them could hit. Despite the fact the song didn’t really correlate with their relationship (after all, there was no mention of a three-day, one-sided love affair), Agatha’s brain kept bending the lyrics’ meanings, altering them slightly so that they better described how she thought of Rio.
By the time the song came to a close, the overlap of Agatha’s pleasant voice with Rio’s gremlin-like rasp had left their heads throbbing, their eyes brimming with tears of laughter. Agatha took one look at Rio and began cackling all over again, resting her head on the other woman’s shoulder as she joined in.
“It-it’s not that funny!” Rio protested.
“You’re laughing harder than I am!” Agatha giggled, then took a sharp breath and looked up at Rio once again. This time, no laughing fit came. Rio was staring at her, her gaze soft, her brown eyes large and inquisitive. The heat of their sudden proximity made Agatha woozy.
“Tell me a secret,” Rio murmured, tugging gently on a strand of Agatha’s unkempt hair.
Agatha smiled, shyly. “I think I want Mrs Davis to be my new bestie.”
“Come on, who doesn’t?” Rio stepped a little closer, her breath warm against Agatha’s face, and she inhaled - allowing herself to breathe in the scent of Rio’s pleasantly herbal musk.
Agatha bit her lip, her blue eyes shining with courage. “Now you tell me a secret.”
“You’re cute in that skirt."
"C'mon, that's it?" Agatha asked with a smile, too breathless from their proximity to commit to the joke.
"...but I like you better in my clothes.” And then, Agatha’s entire body short-circuited. Rio leaned forward, warm and sweaty and real, bathed in golden lamplight, and pressed a soft kiss to Agatha’s lips. Agatha couldn’t help but moan quietly, the sound blending with the wetness of their mingling lips, as she guided Rio gently, continuing the kiss. Rio’s mouth tasted like a strange amalgamation of cider and wine, of course, but beneath that was the faintest hint of apricots and clove cigarettes. She leaned upwards on the heels of her feet, pushing the loose strands of Rio’s hair back, nipping gently at the woman’s bottom lip.
The door to the rec room creaked open slowly, and Agatha hurriedly sprung away, planting a firm distance between them. Sharon stood in the doorway with a sleeping Nicky in her arms, his face buried in the crook of her neck.
“Sharon, it’s-” Rio began, her eyes darting over to Agatha then away again, as her mind worked overtime to come up with some hasty excuse.
“Hey, that’s okay! I thought I heard karaoke - so nice to see that old machine getting some use again. Use it anytime,” she said with a soft, crinkled smile and a wave of the hand. “I’m just glad to see two gals being pals, you know?”
“Right,” Agatha said with a relieved smile, stepping forwards and taking Nicholas from Sharon’s arms. “How long has he been asleep, hm?”
“Oh, he got all the way to the horses before he drifted off,” Sharon said.
Agatha smiled. “He’s a trooper. I’m gonna head to the guesthouse and get him to bed. Thank you so much again for the meal, it was-” Rio slipped past her without another word, heading downstairs and, presumably, out of the farmhouse. “It was really sweet of you.”
"Really, it’s no problem. It’s great having somebody to cook for.”
“Well, you’ve got a great talent. It’s not easy to convince Nicky to eat anything but M&Ms,” she joked.
“You flatter me! Goodnight, Agatha. Tell Rio I hope she enjoyed the meal, all right?”
“I will. Goodnight, Sharon.” She headed off with Nicky in her arms, squinting as she trekked down the muddy path to the guesthouse. Rio walked ahead of them both, not turning around to make conversation or help with Nicky. Oh, well - she was probably just tired.
Agatha arrived in the guesthouse, wiped her shoes and set them aside, then started on Nicky. She gently removed each boot, then helped him out of his jacket.
“Mama?” he mumbled, his eyes flickering open.
“Hey, honey. It’s okay - let’s get you in some jammies and then you can go straight back to sleep, alright?”
“I wanna say goodnight to Rio first!” he protested sleepily.
Agatha paused, her lips parting with worry as she stared down the hallway at Rio’s door. She’d headed straight to her room when she came in, and Agatha got the impression that she wasn’t interested in speaking right now. “She’s tired, hon. You can talk to her all you want in the morning, okay? Maybe she’ll take you to explore the area around the ranch if you ask nicely.”
“Okay, mommy.”
“Now, come on. Toothbrush, bathroom, jammies then bed,” Agatha said gently, leading Nicky down the hall. She had the feeling an early night would do her good - she’d speak to Rio in the morning, maybe make her breakfast for a change, and help her figure out where they stood. After helping Nicky with his bedtime routine and tucking him in, Agatha hastily changed out of her skirt and tee, buttoning a pyjama shirt over her bralette. She went through the usual motions, washing her face and brushing her hair, then slipped into bed beside Nicky.
Agatha woke early the next morning, greeted by a persistent groan in her lower belly.
“Nicky, babe, scoot over. I have to pee,” she whispered, pressing a kiss to the younger boy’s head as he mercifully rolled over. She padded into the hallway and tried the bathroom door. To her dismay, it was locked. She cursed under her breath, then knocked quietly. “Rio, is that you?”
For a few seconds, there was no reply - then, Rio spoke, her voice muffled and oddly apathetic. “Yeah.”
“Morning, hon. You’re up so early ,” Agatha remarked, feeling slightly silly for talking to a closed door.
“I like to head out and see the animals first thing. That’s what I usually do.”
“Right. I just- don’t you want any breakfast first? I could whip up an awesome hangover cure.”
“No, thank you,” Rio replied. No expression was evident in her voice - Agatha had never heard her speak with such passivity. She exited the bathroom, walked past Agatha swiftly, pulled her coat and shoes on and left the guesthouse without another word, leaving Agatha blinking in the hallway. She cursed under her breath and dashed into the bathroom, deciding that this was a problem for a future, empty-bladdered Agatha.