by Tonya Kappes
“Don’t flatter yourself, darlin’.” The piece of hay went up and down between his lips in a sexy way that made me feel a little tingly. “The women I date have a little va-voom up top.”
He held my shirt up in the air.
“But that doesn’t mean you’re not sexy as hell.” The hunger from his eyes held my gaze. “And if you weren’t going to be my boss, I just might take you to bed.”
Silently I watched as he stood up and nonchalantly walked over to Comet and patted him on the nose before he disappeared between the trees.
“Shit, shit, shit.” I climbed out of the pond and quickly put my clothes back on.
I grabbed Comet and took off after Clay. I wasn’t sure what I was going to say to him, but I was going to give him a piece of my mind.
By the time I jumped back on Comet, Clay was already trotting off into the distance on one of the Lady B’s work horses. There was no sense in trying to catch up with him. I would have plenty of time to catch him doing something that he shouldn’t and fire his ass.
After all, just because he found my pond, it wasn’t reason enough to fire him. The Lady B was for the employees. Nothing was off limits but the private quarters.
When I got Comet back to the stall, I mucked it and fed him before I headed up to the house to see Momma. It was time for lunch. Unfortunately, I had lost my appetite. Food appetite.
I didn’t know what it was about Clay Preston, but he lit something in me that I never even knew I had. Secretly it sent an excitement through my body that he saw me naked.
My mind wandered all over the place as I drove the Gator to the house. Images of Clay on the side of the road, his ass, his muscles, his eyes watching me as I stood naked in the pond.
His hungry eyes.
Get it together, I warned myself when I got out of the Gator and headed toward the house. I wasn’t sure who was going to be there for lunch today and I didn’t want to look like some school girl who had a secret. I wasn’t good at hiding my feelings and Momma was good at reading them.
Laughter spilled out of the screen door into the back porch when I approached the steps of the kitchen, which were in the back of the house. Momma always had a crowd for her famous lunches, including the staff of the farm.
“You are just too much,” Momma said followed up by her cackle that I so loved to hear.
“Who is too much?” I asked as I stepped into the kitchen.
The smell of ham, bacon, and homemade bread circled my nose. It was Momma’s homemade Kentucky hot brown in the oven. No matter how many times I had tried to make her recipe, there was no one, and I mean no one that could make a Kentucky hot brown like her.
“Vivian.” Clay sat at the large marble-top bar and tipped his hat. “I was just getting to know your momma.”
“I was just leaving.” I turned around and pushed the screen door back open.
“Where are you going?” I heard Momma call after me, but I didn’t turn around until I heard heavy footsteps stomping down the back door steps.
“Who do you think you are?” I asked as Clay approached me right before I jumped back on the Gator.
“Who do you think you are?” he asked back. “I came here to do a job. Not feel. . .” He kicked his boot in the grass. “Damn!” He took his hat off and slammed it on the ground.
My heart hammered against my ribs. I was wildly aware of the sexual tension that hung between us. Something he obviously felt too.
“What? Not feel what?” I asked hoping he would just say something I wanted to hear.
“Not feel like you are going to be watching my every move. Every rope. Every step I take.” He grabbed his hat off the ground. His eyes hooded like a hawk.
“That won’t happen if you do your job.” I crossed my arms over my chest when I felt like his eyes were looking there.
“I think we got off on the wrong foot.” Clay held out his hand for me to shake. “I’m a good guy. I’ve never been to Kentucky. This whole hospitality thing is new to me.”
My flesh prickled when I shook his hand, sending shivers of delight throughout my body. Our eyes locked and our breathing became unison.
“I’m sorry for not letting you know I was at the pond.” His dark eyes framed his handsome face, making it hard for me to look away.
What is wrong with you? What did I expect him to say? That he wanted me? That he couldn’t think about anything other than my naked body?
“I shouldn’t have been skinny dipping.” I jerked my hand away and rubbed it against my other hand. “It’s just that no one has ever been back there and it’s sort of my place.”
“I didn’t mind you skinny dipping.” His brows rose in amusement but he quickly cleared his throat when he saw I wasn’t amused. “I hope we can start off on the right foot in the morning.”
He smiled when I glared at him. The sun beat down on his tan face; his ripped muscles under the white tee were apparent.
“Are you two going to eat these while they are hot?” Momma called out from the screen door.
“Shall we?” He stepped aside and gestured for me to walk ahead of him to the house.
Without a word, I walked, very much aware that he was behind me and maybe staring at my backside, since he had already seen my front.
Chapter Five
After lunch, Clay and I had gone our separate ways. In flesh. Unfortunately, he didn’t get out of my head. I put on my favorite radio station and unpacked until my stomach started growling and I realized it was already dinnertime.
The cottage was looking very cute and homey with the plaid slipcovers I had bought and put on the old sofas I had gotten a few years back from the Goodwill Store. And the beat-up accessories were perfect for the shabby-chic decorating style.
My phone buzzed from the kitchen table.
“Hello, Momma.” A smile crossed my face when I saw her name. “My stomach was just thinking about you.”
“This might be out of line, but I haven’t stopped thinking about you,” Clay whispered into the phone.
“Where is my momma?” I demanded to know. “Yes. It was out of line and I am your boss.”
“Are you giving me the job for sure, darlin’?” Clay laughed.
“Mr. Preston, this is not a joke. I will address you tomorrow morning at seven a.m. Now why do you have my momma’s phone?” I demanded.
“She asked me to use her phone to call you and let you know that dinner will be ready in about ten minutes.” His voice was low and sexy as hell.
“Are you going to be there?” I asked with a sarcastic tone as if I didn’t care, but the tug at my heart told me I might care a little bit.
“They invited me but if you’d rather. . .”
“No, you have to have someplace to eat.” I finished his sentence, giving him the okay to be there. “Tell Momma to leave the screen door unlocked.”
“Oh, wait!” He was urgent. “She said something about dining room or something.”
“Okay.” I hung up the phone knowing exactly what that meant.
When Momma said the dining room, it meant that someone special was coming to dinner and the Beidermans wanted to eat in the real dining room. The managers of the Lady B were invited to sit with them. My head had not been screwed on straight all day and I was sure someone had told me about tonight, only I didn’t hear them. Really hear them.
In the last couple months since I had taken my new position, I had been invited to two fancy dinners. Once was with Luvie’s old New York City roommate, Birdie, and her Sheikh boyfriend. The Sheikh was the one who owned Brilliance. We knew he was looking around for someone to break him, and Leonard let Brilliance stay at the Lady B free of charge until the Sheikh decided on what farm he was going to hire to work with his prized stallion.
In all hopes, we wanted him to pick us. Unfortunately, the decision had come down to the Lady B and the Infiniti Farms in Texas.
Whichever farm the Sheikh chose, it was going to bring in a lot more clients from the Middle East,
putting that farm on the map for all other horse owners. Unfortunately, Infiniti Farms was making quite a run for the bid. According to Leonard, the Lady B’s future was in the Sheikh’s hands.
In fact, I thought Brilliance was the perfect match for Clay. They were both large in stature and both gave off arrogance. In the morning, I had planned on making it to the barn before anyone to get the horse ready and see what Clay could do.
Brilliance was hard for me to work with and I had been with him since he was brought to the farm. If Clay were as good as his resume said, then he would have no problem at all.
I laughed thinking how Brilliance was going to toss Clay right off of his back.
After Clay and I hung up, I went to the closet and tried to find something that wasn’t too wrinkled. It was slim pickings since I had yet to unpack the iron and I didn’t have any idea which box it would’ve been in. Plus most of my clothes were work clothes.
Black was always a good choice and it seemed to go with my olive skin and brown hair. I grabbed the black tulle skirt from the hanger and a lightweight sleeveless black knit top. The top made the skirt a lot less formal, though I couldn’t resist the hot pink high-heels Luvie had bought for me back in New York City.
I told her I would never wear them and that they were far too expensive for my lifestyle, but she wouldn’t hear of it. I’m glad she didn’t, because I have worn them all over town to every single party.
There wasn’t any sense in messing with my hair. After my skinny dip experience, I was too shaken and so let it air dry causing long waves to flow down my back. I created a large side part and let it fall.
Makeup was never my strong suit, so I dabbed on some pink lip-gloss and a few swipes of mascara, just enough to create a pop with my eyes, and out the door I went.
The Gator was not an option because there was no way I wanted the special guests to see my lack of undergarments when the skirt went flying up in the air, so the old truck it was. If I got a little dust on me, I would be able to brush it off.
The mansion was lit up like the Eiffel tower. It was beautiful. Lucia Beiderman never spared any expense when it came to dinner parties. She’d had flamingos flown in for Luvie’s sixteenth birthday party. It was off-the-cuff ridiculous and Luvie hated it. I thoroughly loved it.
I parked the old truck in my usual spot in the back and walked the circular driveway to the front of the house. Lucia made it quite clear that she didn’t want Leonard parking any sort of farm equipment in the front of the house or near her precious fountain.
The white wicker furniture was strategically placed on the large veranda. The large black cushions where puffy and inviting for anyone who came to visit. Lucia loved to host the local women’s league or the members of the SPCA annual fund drive committee over for tea. There were large posts on each side with black curtains neatly tied around each one. They took place of a canopy in the evening to shield the bugs away or keep the late afternoon sun at bay.
Once up the steps, I turned around and took in the farm. This was the prettiest view. From the top step you could see the rolling hills, but nothing in between, including my secluded little pond that wasn’t so secluded anymore.
“Beautiful,” I whispered and closed my eyes, taking a deep breath.
There wasn’t anyone, not even Clay Preston, that could run me off from the Lady B. This was my home and I planned on keeping it that way.
The large glass doors were open and the light night breeze felt so good against my bare arms. It was almost a shame to waste a great night spending it around a table with a bunch of rich folks when I could be sitting near a fire pit with a cold beer in hand.
“Wow.” Luvie’s eyes widened when she greeted me in the foyer. She had two champagne flutes and handed me one. “You are going to need this.”
My eyes narrowed. Lucia was always up to something Luvie hated and tonight was probably no different. And I knew to keep my mouth shut and play stupid. Luvie and Lucia spent our entire high school life trying to play me against the other like I was a Beiderman sibling.
“For she’s a jolly good woman. For she’s a jolly good woman.” Singing accompanied me as I walked into the dining room to the group of people I considered my family all holding up champagne glasses in the air.
Luvie was singing behind me. A little confused, I looked at her. She grinned, tilted her head and toasted her glass toward me as the group broke out into a round of applause.
“We wanted to give you a congratulations party on your new position here at the Lady B.” Leonard and Lucia walked over, wrapping me in a group hug like the ones I had seem them do to Luvie so many times.
“Congratulations, baby.” Momma rushed over and took her rightful place.
Kids in school always liked to tease me about how me and my momma work for the Beidermans and do their work for them, like we were low-lifes, but I never felt that way.
Granted, I wore Luvie’s hand-me-downs, but her hand-me-downs were only-worn-once-downs and I was happy with that.
“I. . .” Tears heated the rims of my eyelids. “I’m not sure what to say.”
“You don’t have to say anything.” Gloria stood next to Charlie with a big smile. “We love you as if you were my own grandchild.”
“Thank you.” My heart warmed to see Gloria so happy with her hippie-tree-hugging tattooed boyfriend, Charlie, as he had his arms wrapped around her.
Lucia squeezed my hands. Her rings dug deep into my fingers. “We are so glad you are finally living here like you and Lillian should have years ago.”
I slid my eyes to Momma. She had always refused to live in the house no matter how much the Beidermans had begged or insisted.
“Oh no.” Momma waved her hands in the air. “I’m not living here. I like my little apartment just fine.”
Momma didn’t have a little apartment; she had a nice fifteen-hundred-square-foot apartment in Chevy Chase near the downtown area. She loved walking to the nice restaurants and entertainment on her weekends off. She loved her life and I was happy for her because she deserved it. She spent many years putting off her own needs to raise me. One day I was going to pay her back and take care of her. Moving up in the Lady B company was the way to do it. And keeping the Sheikh here had to be in the plan.
“Congrats.” Jase gave me a hug with Luvie right by his side.
Over his shoulder, Clay Preston stood with his own glass of champagne, with his eyes hooded and a smirk on his face as he looked at me.
“Yes.” He held his glass up and downed the entire glass of bubbly. He came up for air. “Congratulations.”
“Don’t get mad,” Luvie whispered under her breath. “I told them not to invite him, but he had no place to go.”
Clay was getting good at the no-place-to-go act and I was getting tired of it. He was a big boy. If he was so good at his job in Texas, he should have some sort of money to get a hotel room. If not, maybe he should think about selling that big Dodge of his.
Luvie nudged me. It was time for me to thank the group, but it was hard to do. I wasn’t groomed for this type of stuff like Luvie. She was great at it.
“This is really great, you guys.” I looked at the table and noted Lucia had gone all out like the other times before.
I walked around the room where she had displayed photos of me on the farm and my first photo of ever being on a horse, Comet.
“That was when I knew I had lost you.” Momma put her hands on my shoulders and rested her chin on the right one. “You have worked so hard. I’m so proud of you.”
“Thank you Momma.” I wrapped her in another big hug. “Now stop this.” I fanned my hands in front of my face. “Before I start to cry and ruin what little makeup I did put on.”
Dinner was very nice. Momma made my favorite, fried chicken. And I knew she had been slaving away all day long to create the perfect celebration dinner.
Clay didn’t mutter a word the entire sit-down time. By the looks of him going back for thirds, and a clean plate
, he must’ve liked Momma’s chicken as much as the rest of us.
“And for dessert,” Momma popped the kitchen door open. Luvie and Jase brought out a large, white-icing sheet cake from Mondelli’s Bake Shop with sparklers on top. “Your favorite.”
“I really can’t believe this.” I put my hands on my stomach. “I’m stuffed and will be no good in the morning if I don’t stop eating.”
“Hodge podge,” Momma said and sliced the cake. She slid the dessert plate in front of me. “You get the biggest piece.”
It didn’t take long for everyone to finish off their dessert and head into the Beiderman study for the after-dinner drink. The Beidermans loved their cocktails and tonight was no different.
“New chairs?” I asked Lucia when we went into the family room and two white rockers sat in the middle of the room, something Lucia would never use to design with.
“What is a party without presents?” she asked.
Next to the chairs were a couple of wrapped gifts. This was crazy. There was no way I expected this, especially with the raise and the cottage they had given me when I accepted the position.
Clay sat in a chair at the far end of the room as if he was in timeout.
“You have always wanted rockers on a front porch, so now is the best time.” Momma shooed me over to sit on one and she in the other. “Now, when I come to visit, you can make the tea and we can rock on your new porch enjoying the view.”
“Thank you so much!” I patted her hand as we happily rocked back and forth.
“Now for me!” Luvie handed me a black and hot pink polka-dot bag stuffed with lime green tissue paper.
Pulling out the paper, I looked into the bag and laughed. I reached in and pulled out the six-pack of beer and a small bottle of Makers Mark Whiskey.
“I know you will want a little nighttime nip and I also know you haven’t gone to the grocery.” She shrugged. “So I set you up!”
I held the bottle up to my lips and tipped it back, pretending to take a drink.