Bridgerton Ranch

Chapter 1- First Impression

Penelope Featherington walked apprehensively under a giant ranch sign that read "Bridgerton Ranch".

Am I really about to go live and work on a farm?

She took in the large wooden house down a dirt driveway and smiled fondly. It looked like an actual house, the kind that she used to see in magazines as a kid. It was unlike the dumps that she grew up in.
Her father had been addicted to gambling, and it seemed as if they moved every six months to avoid any unpleasant run ins with his loan sharks.

Penelope had tried to stay positive, and used her experiences as a motivation to go to college and make something of herself. She became a nurse, paid her dues, and had worked at a prestigious hospital for five years. As rewarding as the work had been, Penelope had longed for a more calm, nine to five job.
The moment she saw the advertisement for a home care nurse in the paper, she knew that she had been sent a sign.

"In search of a kind, patient, and empathetic nurse to provide in home care for woman with Parkinson's.

Must be able to cook meals for family of four, cooking/baking experience preferred."

After speaking with the woman's son, she knew in her heart that Bridgerton Ranch was where she needed to be. Lucky for her, Benedict Bridgerton agreed.

Penelope continued towards the large house in a daze. The Bridgerton property was huge, green pastures as far as the eye could see. Penelope was sure that she had never seen a more beautiful place in her entire life.

She stopped short when she saw a pasture with horses in it. A huge smile spread across her face as she stared in disbelief.

All her life, she had lived in cities, and the only animals she ever saw were dogs, cats, and pidgins. Seeing horses in person was nothing short of magical.

Unable to help herself, she set her luggage down and walked towards the beautiful creatures. They were grazing and paid her little mind, allowing her to observe them at ease.

One horse in particular caught her attention, a large black horse with a spot of white on its face.

"Hello there," She whispered softly. "You are lovely." Unsure of what to do, she reached her hand out, allowing the horse to smell her. Once she was fairly sure that the horse would not bite her, she began to run her hand across the giant animal's body, learning what she could. The horses tail was not soft, but coarse, and the rest the horse was much softer than she had imaged horses to be.

"What in the blazin' hell do you think you're doin'?" An angry voice cried. Penelope found herself being yanked by the arm and into a wall of a man dressed in jeans and a Carhart jacket. She looked up, into a pair of deep blue eyes, burning with fury.

"I, I just wanted," His thick eyebrows raised in question as she sputtered on like an idiot. He growled and pulled her back, putting space between them and the horse.

"Who are you?" He demanded. "And why are you creeping up on my horse?" The angry man had a surprisingly youthful face despite his gruffness. He was so muscular, tall, and handsome, that she could hardly make herself breathe. Dumbstruck, she tried to reply. He watched her stutter like an idiot, only adding to her inability to speak.

"I only wanted to see the horses," She choked out. "I've never seen one up close." His eyes suddenly softened a bit, as he took her in. Penelope's throat went dry as she got a better look at him.

"Penelope?" A friendly voice called out, pulling her from the trance. A shorter man with a kind smile walked out from the barn.

"Welcome! I'm Ben, we spoke on the phone." A sense of relief flowed through Penelope as he took her attention away from the huge fuming man.

"Hello, Ben, it's nice to meet you." She smiled back at him. His face was older than the other, and his smile was bright and his eyes warm. Penelope decided that she liked him right then and there. He shook her hand gently, putting her at a much needed ease.

"I see that you have met Colin." Penelope looked back at the giant.

"Somewhat." The man named Colin folded his massive arms.

"What is she doing here?" He asked. Her cheeks flushed immediately. Ben cleared his throat, his demeanor radiating discomfort.

"Colin, we talked about this." He said in a quiet voice.

"Did we?" The man asked. Ben turned back to me and smiled.

"Penelope, please excuse us for one moment."

"Of course." She stepped away from them and turned her attention back to the beautiful horse. Ben led Colin closer to the barn in what seemed to be an attempt at privacy. Colin looked back at her, making sure that she stayed away from the horse.

"Who is she?" He demanded, obviously not caring if he was heard or not.

"Mom needs help, Col." Ben replied in a softer voice.

"We take care of her just fine." He spat back. His older brother sighed, shaking his head.

"We can't do it all. I don't know about you, but I am not comfortable with assisting mom with bathing. If Dad was still here,"

"Dad left!" Colin growled. Ben seemed to wince.

"I know that," He replied. "And with Anthony in town running the bank, we need more help."

"What about Eloise?" Colin demanded.

"She's about to leave for college! We worked too damn hard to get her into school to push it off any longer."

Colin kicked at a rock like a child throwing a fit. Benedict watched in amusement at its little brother's tantrum.

"Look," He offered. "Let's give her a trial period and if it doesn't work out, it doesn't work out."

Colin shook his head in defeat.

"Alright fine, but keep her away from me! I got chores to do and the last thing that I need is some city girl getting into trouble!"

Benedict crossed his heart and smiled. Rolling his eyes, he walked back to where Penelope stood.

"You'll have to forgive Colin, he was raised in a barn." Penelope laughed softly as she watched the younger Bridgerton storm off across the field.

"Come, let me show you around and introduce you to mom." Benedict took her luggage and nodded towards the house. She smiled at him and followed, glancing back at Colin only to find him looking back at her too.