by S. E. Smith
“This was my parents’ room.” A quiet voice spoke behind Lily, making her jump.
Lily twirled around, a hand going to her throat, “Oh. You are very good at that, you know.”
“At what?” Allen asked huskily. He had been watching Lily for several minutes from the doorway. He enjoyed watching her framed against the windows overlooking the mountains he loved so much. He could picture her naked in the tub with her long hair unbraided hanging down to her waist. Her naked body reflected in all the mirrors. He had grown hard just thinking about it.
“Sneaking up on me and scaring me!” Lily said with a teasing smile before turning to look out the windows again. “Isn’t it beautiful? I could live in this room alone.”
Allen came up behind Lily unable to resist the desire to touch her. “Yes, absolutely beautiful.” He murmured softly. Allen closed his eyes for a moment as Lily’s arousing scent swept through his body nearly overwhelming him. He clenched his fists close to his sides in an effort to stop himself from dragging her down to the floor and taking her right there.
“Oh, well. This isn’t getting the house clean.” Lily said nervously as she moved a step away. “Why don’t you go out and see the new horses? Harold and Brad said they would take me out riding. I told them I’d go in a few days after I got settled in and knew my way around the house a little better. I’m really excited. I haven’t been riding in years.” Lily started to move around Allen but he reached out wrapping his large hand around her arm stopping her from leaving.
“I’ll take you riding.” Allen growled softly. “I don’t want you around those two.”
Lily looked into Allen’s dark brown eyes. For a moment she lost herself in a dream, a dream she knew could never exist for her. With a sad smile, Lily reached up with her free hand and laid it on Allen’s cheek, “You don’t have to worry about them. I’m not interested in developing a relationship with anyone. That’s not what I’m here for.”
“What are you here for, Lily?” Allen whispered.
“To be your housekeeper as long as you need me.” Lily dropped her hand and pulled away from Allen heading out the door. “Now, if I don’t want to lose my job I’d better get dinner going or you’ll have grounds to dismiss me.”
Allen watched as Lily walked out of the door. She didn’t hear Allen murmur softly, “Never, Lily. I have a feeling I’m always going to need you.”
The next few days fell into a pattern of Allen getting up early and having breakfast with Lily and some of the other men. Harold and Brad were always in attendance during meals much to Allen’s aggravation. They didn’t say anything flirty to Lily but Allen grew more and more restless as he watched them watching her as she moved around the kitchen or laughed at something someone said. He didn’t like the way they stared at her ass when she bent over to get something out of the oven or refrigerator. He definitely didn’t like the way they stared at her breasts like they were imagining feasting on them instead of the food she had just set in front of them. He could tell they were impatient to get her alone. He also knew if they ever did he would beat the bloody hell out of them both.
After breakfast, Lily would chase him outside on the pretense of having him check on the chickens for her or to go see a new horse or some other excuse. Lunch was the same but the evenings were his favorite. He discovered Lily loved to hide in the den curled up with a good book. She loved to read and after the second night he had discovered her in there she had started reading to him. He loved to sit and listen to her. It had been a little over a week since she had come and he realized he hadn’t had or wanted a drink. What amazed him even more was he hadn’t had any nightmares since she arrived. This was a first for him in over eight months. Some evenings they would just talk, or more like, he would talk. Lily was always asking him questions about the ranch; what it was like when he was growing up, how the ranch had changed over the years, what his parents and brothers were like, the questions were never ending. He fell asleep each night thinking about her and woke excited at the idea of seeing her.
Chapter 5
“Hey, boss man.” Ed said as he pulled up outside the line shack. It had been a rough drive even for the four wheel drive pickup but he knew Caleb had to be running low on supplies. Pulling a box of can goods out of the passenger seat he made his way toward the open door. Caleb nodded as Ed walked through. “When you coming home?”
“Depends on what you brought.” Caleb said turning away to throw another log in the old wood stove. “Why you ask?”
Ed shrugged, “Just thought you would prefer some of your new housekeeper’s good home cooking instead of this can stuff. She sent you a present.”
Caleb frowned, “What new housekeeper? Where’s Maggie?” Caleb took the small cooler from Ed. Opening it, he was almost knocked over by the delicious smells coming from it. “Shit. What did she fix? This smells like heaven.” Pulling out three containers, he opened one to find a thick beef stew, the next one had corn bread, and the last had a big pile of brownies. He could barely contain the drool from dripping down his chin. He was sick to death of can soup and beans.
Pulling a big spoon out of the bottom of the cooler he took a bite of the still hot stew groaning as it hit his taste buds. “Damn but that’s good.”
Ed smiled. “Yeah, Lily is a damn good cook. Her chocolate chip cookies should be outlawed. She’s fattening Allen up pretty good. Haven’t seen the boy eat so much in years.”
Caleb’s head jerked up in surprise, “Allen’s eating?”
“Yeah. Even he couldn’t resist Lily’s famous hot roast beef sandwiches. He’s been working with Harold and Brad with some of the new horses we got in too. They can’t do much with the weather outside so they have the big barn set up for training the horses’ commands and stuff. Lily keeps him pretty busy too around the house fixing things.”
“Who the hell is Lily, who hired her, and when did she start?” Caleb asked around a mouthful of corn bread. Damn, it even had butter melted in it the way he liked.
“Lily’s the new housekeeper Maggie hired before she headed back to Florida a little over a week ago. She runs a tight ship and doesn’t let Allen get away with much. Heard her threaten him with the back side of a broom if he didn’t get out from under her feet yesterday. Never thought I’d see Allen move so fast again. I guess the threat of a mouthful of broom bristles was enough though.” Ed said before snatching one of the warm brownies off the plate.
Caleb bit back a growl. Those were his damn brownies and he wasn’t sharing. Hell, it had been years since he had had any. Pulling the plate closer to him, he shot a warning glare at Ed.
“You find anything while you were up here?” Ed asked with a grin.
“Found some tracks but the snow keeps covering them up. It looks like they are coming in from the National Forest.” Caleb’s eyes closed as he sunk his teeth into the warm brownie. Oh, hell, that was heaven. He looked across at Ed and wondered why he had a shit-eating grin on his face.
“Well, guess I’d better be getting back. Lily was making chocolate peanut butter pies for dessert tonight and oven roasted chicken with all the fixings. I don’t want to miss it.” Ed stood up, put his hat on and pulled out his gloves. “When you planning on coming back to the homestead? Just in case Allen asks.”
“Today. I’ll be home before it gets dark.” Caleb was not a masochist. He was ready for a hot shower, soft bed, and more of the delicious food he had just eaten. Hell, he might even kiss the new housekeeper if her pies were as good as the brownies. He didn’t give a damn what she looked like.
Ed just nodded before heading out to the truck. Caleb didn’t see the grin spread across the old man’s face.
Caleb shut the door of the shack and looked around the small dingy interior. Yeah, he was ready for his own bed. Pulling out his duffle bag, he stuffed the few clothes he had brought with him into it. He put the can goods in the cabinets and put out the fire in the old wood stove. He made sure everything was secure and neat before he walk
ed out to the pickup truck. He threw his few belongs in the front seat and started the engine to warm it up. Backing up the truck to the horse trailer, he hitched it then went into the small lean-to containing two stalls.
Opening it, he pulled his horse, Buck, out, “Let’s go home, boy. You can sleep in a nice warm barn tonight.” The gelding flicked his tail back and forth and nodded his head up and down like he was agreeing with the idea.
Caleb munched on brownies on the drive home. He was worried about how Allen was doing. From what he could gather from Ed, Allen was actually out of his room and moving around. How the new housekeeper had accomplished such a miracle in less than a week when he, Ethan and Maggie had been trying for six months was beyond him. He wiped a few crumbs from the beard on his face. Grimacing, he couldn’t wait to get a hot shower and a shave. He had never liked having hair on his face. He grinned when he thought about Allen. Hell, he looked like Grizzly Adams. The stuff made him itch personally. He wondered if Allen had shaved yet and gotten a haircut. He was beginning to look like a damn castaway.
He pulled in front of the barn two hours later. He had to go slow pulling the trailer and even then it had been hazardous. He slid out of the truck and walked around the back to unload Buck at the same time Brad came out of the barn.
“Hey, boss man. Welcome back. I’ll take care of Buck and the truck and trailer for you if you want.” Brad had already undone the back gate of the trailer and was walking Buck backwards out of it.
“Thanks. I could use a hot shower and a shave.” Caleb said pulling his duffle bag out of the front seat.
“Just be sure to take your boots off before you track through the house. Lily will open a can of whip ass on you if you muddy up her floors. She clobbered Harold last night with a wet mop in the ass when he forgot.” Brad said with a big grin.
Caleb raised his hand in acknowledgement before he headed toward the back door and kitchen entrance. Dropping his duffle bag by the door to the basement he went up the back stairs heading for his room. He paused outside of Allen’s room when he heard laughing. Moving closer, he pressed his ear to the door.
“Come here you little rascal. You are going to be in so much trouble.” A soft, sexy, feminine voice said. “Oh, you are such a bad boy.”
Caleb could barely suppress a groan. It had been over a year since he had had sex and now his brother was doing it in the middle of the day. Hell, if he had known Allen was going to rebound so well he wouldn’t have wasted his energy on worrying about him. Pushing away from the door he hurried to his room and a hot shower. Shit, he better make it a cold one instead from the hard on he had in his pants. He wondered if Allen’s friend would be interested in a threesome. For the first time, he was actually interested in someone Allen was, at least if the voice that had given him the hard on was any indication. It had always been their hope they would find a woman who would want to be with them, all three of them. So far, it had remained a fruitless dream. It seemed his, Ethan, and Allen’s tastes in women differed dramatically. Ethan like the tall, willowy type, Allen liked the biker babes, and he, well, he wanted a country girl with an edge. What did they say, a lady outside the bedroom but a whore in it. Sighing, Caleb finished shaving and showering. As he dressed he wondered if Allen and his lady friend were done. He would like to catch a glimpse of her to see if the sight of her affected him as bad as her voice did.
Lily was just putting the finishing touches on Allen’s bedroom. Allen and Clive had gone into town earlier and she wanted to be done before Allen returned. She had wanted to surprise him by getting it ready for him. He belonged back in his old room. She had washed and cleaned everything. She had had a little help which is why it took a little longer than she expected. When she had gone out to the barn early this morning she had heard a little meowing sound coming from behind the chicken coup. She had found a little kitten about six weeks old shivering in the cold. Unable to resist, she had scooped the little kitten up into her arms and carried him in with her. She had bathed him and snuggled him close into her jacket. Later she brought him upstairs with her and closed the door to Allen’s room so he wouldn’t get out. She couldn’t help but laughed as he ran, played and explored everything in the bedroom while she cleaned. Now, she stood back and smiled. It was ready. She had made a few changes, adding a few personal touches; a couple of throw pillows on the bed, a book they had enjoyed together on the night stand, fresh flowers she had picked up yesterday at the grocery store in a vase on the dresser.
“Come here you little bugger.” Lily called scooping the kitten into her arms snuggling with him before sliding him inside her jacket again. “Now, you be quiet. I don’t know how the men will feel about having another little man in the house with them.”
Lily had her head down and wasn’t looking where she was going as she opened the bedroom door. She was more concerned with the little kitten snuggling up to her so it was a surprise when she ran right into a pair of hard, muscular arms and a broad chest.
“Oh, I’m so sorry. I should have been watching where I was going.” Lily exclaimed startled. She looked up into the darkest eyes she had ever seen. They were like melted dark chocolate. She sighed. She loved dark chocolate, she thought wistfully.
Caleb couldn’t resist listening at the door to see if his brother was finished horsing around. The last thing he had expected was to feel the soft, warm, sweet smelling body of a woman coming out of it straight into his arms. Looking down, he was mesmerized by the deepest, bluest eyes he had ever seen. His arms tightened automatically when he felt her trying to move away. He was lost in a haze of desire that was almost overwhelming.
Lily wiggled trying to put some distance between them. Blushing a bright pink when she felt the hard bulge in the front of his pants, Lily nervously licked her lips whispering, “Uh, you can let go of me. I’m sorry for running into you.” Glancing at the door of the bedroom to make sure it was closed all the way, Lily pulled away from the man holding her and back peddled until she was far enough away to hurry down the front staircase. “I have to go.”
Lily was blushing furiously as she hurried down the stairs. Oh my, she thought, she hadn’t realized Caleb was so – everything. She had seen pictures of him on the walls in Allen’s room. They had not done him justice. He was over six and a half feet of pure male. His black hair and dark chocolate eyes were enough to cause any woman’s pulse to increase. Add to that his firm lips, hard muscles, and his scent! It was far more powerful than when she had cradled his pillow to her. She could feel the heat burning between her legs at the thought of being wrapped in his arms again. Wow, was all Lily could think as she hurried to turn off the timer in the kitchen. She moved into her bedroom off the kitchen and pulled the sleeping kitten out of her jacket and laid him on a small blanket she had found in the basement.
“Now, you be a good boy and sleep while I finish up dinner. After dinner I’ll come play with you some more.” Lily kissed the top of the kitten’s head. She gently closed the door to her bedroom.
Pulling on a pair of oven mitts, she set the roasted chicken on the top of the stove to cool a little and put in a big pan of yeast rolls. She expected Allen and Clive should be back any time. Clive was supposed to pick up his wife and bring her to dinner tonight which was why Lily had set the dining room table for dinner tonight instead of the kitchen table where they normally ate. She had just enough time to start the wash for the dirty clothes Caleb had brought back before the men came in. She had almost tripped over it when she had come into the kitchen. Humming softly, she grabbed the bag and headed down the stairs.
Caleb stared in disbelief as the most beautiful woman he had ever met hurried down the front staircase. Glaring at his brother’s door he didn’t know if he should bang on the door until Allen answered who the hell she was, ask Allen if he crazy for letting her out of his sight, or if he should consider her fair game and go after her. He made up his mind he didn’t care what she was to his brother after a moment. He was staking his claim on he
r. Now all he needed to do was find out where she had run off too. He searched the kitchen and living room first looking for her. Going down the hallway he checked the office and den letting out a frustrated expletive when he didn’t find her. He was heading towards the living room and front door he saw his brother coming down the stairs.
“Hey, you are home. I saw your truck outside and was looking for you.” Allen said with a grin.
Caleb looked at his brother like he had never seen him before. If he hadn’t known any better he would swear it was a different man standing in front of him. Gone was the long shaggy beard and matted hair. Gone were the glazed eyes from the whiskey and the mouth tight with anger. The biggest thing Caleb noticed that was missing was the haunted look in Allen’s eyes. He could see the little brother he had grown up with.
“Yeah, I’m home.” Caleb grunted past his shock. “Where is she?”
“Where’s who?” Allen asked watching Caleb with a weary expression.
“The girl you were banging upstairs.” Caleb replied impatiently. He didn’t want to take a chance of the girl disappearing for good.