Touch Me Boss: A Single Dad Office Romance

by Aria Ford

  Making the necessary round of the village, he contemplated what he and his friend John were going to have for dinner. John had served right along with him in the army and the two men’s friendship had held up even after they had decided to retire and purchase a peaceful area where they could spend the rest of their life, away from all the violence and the death. The thought of retirement had entered Lucian’s mind after he had been shot in the knee by an enemy bullet. The bullet had failed to do its work and Lucian had managed to somehow recover and get back on his two feet. The leg still gave him problems when he didn’t sit down for a long time, like now. Sometimes the pain would get unbearable but he was thankful that somehow his leg was saved.

  After retirement, he had purchased a farm near the village with John where they had built a ranch house. The people of the village had offered him the position of a law enforcer and John had decided to stay back and carry out the duties of the farm. They had a small number of cattle and hens along with other animals like pigs and a few horses. The cattle were a source of good income to them along with the diary products that they sold. John had recently decided to start a breeding farm for cattle and for that idea to become a possibility the needed someone to manage the house. That was when the argument had struck.

  “You should marry,” John had blurted as soon as he had sat down for dinner at the table. All Lucian had done was stare at John as if he had suddenly sprouted wings.

  “What? You are a virile young man who needs a woman to manage and help him with his house. And then we will not have to eat burnt dinner every night,” he had continued as if the stare Lucian was giving him was not cold enough to freeze a man on the spot.

  “I cannot marry,” was all he Lucian had muttered in response before carrying on with his dinner which composed of burnt beans and overcooked rice.

  “Why? Is there something I don’t know?” John had questioned, his eyes lighting up with mirth at the suggested meaning behind his words.

  “No,” Lucian had replied, immune to John’s nature and his jokes by now.

  “Then what is the problem? You have got to get married someday and this time is as good as any. I’m sure there are a number of women who would be willing to give up their happy life and put up with someone like you. After all, I did read that the number of women is greater than men in America,” John had kept on, amused. Lucian had been unable to put off the matter and he knew that John would not give up until he consented to his scheme. Thus, he had tried to find a way out by telling him how there were no suitable women available that he could marry.

  “That issue can easily be dealt with. A number of men are now putting advertisements in the paper about the kind of women they need. They are then contacted by the women who are willing to move to them and marry,” John explained, trying to persuade Lucian.

  Lucian had never heard of the idea John described and had no idea how it worked. For all they knew, the women could be lying to them.

  There may be no reply in the first place, he had thought. But to silence John, he had agreed. Lucian knew that somewhere deep down he had wanted to settle down and start a new life too. He looked at all the families in the village and how they were with each other and would sometimes yearn for the same thing before he caught himself and remembered why he could never risk marriage.

  His time in the army had changed him, drastically. It had made him into a new person and not for the better. At times, he had to search for his humanity within himself. He was utterly lost and he knew he had no hope. He was a broken person and at times, he felt as if he was a shadow of the person who used to be Lucian Thorne.

  He had a great many problems and conditions, and he knew he couldn’t risk another human, especially a woman, to deal with them. He was a ticking bomb. He knew when and if he burst he would destroy himself as well as those near him. John knew him, understood why he would scream at night, or why he would suddenly lose himself when a spoon would fall to the ground, but nobody else could understand. For that reason alone, he could not risk marriage.

  But when John had presented the idea to him with all the stipulations and the benefits he couldn’t find it in him to refuse for long. The tiny shred of humanity he had in him demanded that he find someone to share his hollow life with, someone who would make it complete. He wanted children and the joy of a happy family life, somewhere deep down. In the past, whenever the urge had disturbed him, he had dampened it down one way or the other but now the lure was too strong and the strength in him to resist it had weakened considerably. He knew something had to be done. The farm needed a woman and so did he.

  So when John had brought up the argument again, he had agreed. He had agreed to print an advertisement in the paper to look for a woman who would be suitable for the farm and the life. He had no preferences for himself. There had been a time in his youth when he had preferred the curvier and blonde types but that time was long gone. So when he wrote the content for the advertisement he had only mentioned the basic demands, much to John’s dismay.

  It was Monday when the post arrived; just two days after they had posted the Ad. He had had no hope or inclination as to the reply they would get. It would have been safe to say that Lucian had expected no reply. He had seen the way the other men had given the Ads, complete with the descriptions of themselves and their demands of the women. In comparison, his post had been bland and customary. Not fit for any vain woman. He had not given any description of himself and his farm as well so it was a shock when the mailman had delivered a letter addressed to him.

  He had not told John of the occurrence but instead had taken the letter along with him to his office, the village’s prison with two cells that were always empty. The letter inside had surprised him. The penmanship was simple and to the point. The letter was brief but addressed all the points but what surprised him the most was that the woman had just plainly asked him about himself and not his income or his support system. The loyalty she showed to her friend was also astonishing and a thing he admired in anyone, as it was hard to find. He hadn’t meant to reply but something in him had wanted to get to know Emma Taylor better.

  Miss Taylor,

  I’m grateful that you replied to my advertisement regarding a bride. I will try to address all of your questions in this letter and hope that you find the answers to your satisfaction. If all goes well, you can make the move as soon as you can and we can go from there. I think it would be best if you can move here and survey the surroundings and the area before you consent to the marriage.

  As for the dowry problem, I assure you that I don’t mind the prospect of no dowry. I work as a lawman for the village and my income along with the farm’s income is enough to support a family thus there is no need for an extra dowry. I would be happy to accept you as you are. As for your friend, I assure you that the house is big enough for the both of you and it would be a very good thing for her to come along as the farm here needs as many people as it could get. We sell dairy products and cattle in the market but are soon upgrading the farm into a breeding one. When that happens, we will need all the help and will need to hire more people.

  I own the farm along with a friend of mine, who was also my companion when I was in the military. I work as the lawman while he handles everything related to the farm and the animals. The farm area is vast and adequate, complete with a barn and storage houses as well as a building for the servants. The village is close-by and is equipped with shops and other establishments that will cater to every need of yours. As for me, I am a thirty-two-year-old man retired from the army after the War and trying to set up a home for myself.

  If there are any more questions, I will be welcome to answer them all but if this letter satisfies you then you can take a coach and move to this area as soon as you can. We do not need to get married post haste until you can satisfy yourself as to the type of life you will spend here.

  Yours Truly,

  Lucian Thorne

  Done with the letter, Lucian read it o
ver once and made minute changes until it satisfied him. He then picked it up and kept it with the rest of his mail to post.

  Chapter Three

  POV Emma Taylor

  “Emma, there’s a post for you,” Emma heard Jesse shout excitedly from the hall outside her door.

  “Okay, well, hold it for a moment, I need to get ready,” Emma replied, rolling her eyes at her friend’s excitement.

  “How can you not want to open it first?” Jesse answered incredulously. The truth of the matter was that Emma wanted to open the letter right away but she knew it was the reply from Lucian Thorne and whether it was a positive one or a negative, she was nervous to find out. She had not believed in the plan from the get go but now that she knew it was their only chance for shelter and hers of a family, her heart pounded with dread.

  Oh, Mr. Thorne, you better not disappoint me, she thought.

  “Emma, are you going to come out and open this letter? If not, I’m doing it myself,” Jesse threatened. Hearing her friend’s alternative, Emma donned the dress in haste knowing Jesse was easily inclined to do as she threatened and for some reason, Emma wanted to see the reply for herself first.

  “Don’t you dare I’m coming,” she shouted back.

  What a pair we are. The residents must be thinking us crazy standing in the middle of the hall and shouting at one another over a letter, Emma distressed.

  Finally ready, Emma flung open the door and snatched the letter from Jesse’s fingers just as she was about to rip it open.

  “I’ll read it. Just go sit and wait there while I do,” Emma told her while smiling sweetly.

  “Okay, but hurry. I’ve got butterflies in my stomach just from the thought of what might be written in this. Oh, Emma I really hope it is a positive reply, for both our sakes,” Jesse rushed the words out in one breath before flopping down on the sofa in a very unladylike fashion.

  Emma ripped the seal and started reading the contents. The more she read, the more easily she could breathe. All her anxiousness and nervousness started resolving and the breath she had been holding released from her body.

  “What is it? Are you trying to kill me? Haven’t you heard curiousness killed the cat?” Jesse retorted, standing and crowding her, trying to see the contents of the letter.

  “Oh, but you look more like a mouse,” Emma replied, laughing out loud at the way Jesse glared at her in return.

  “You’re such a witch,” Jesse remarked sulkily.

  “Okay, okay, he says it is okay if both of us travel there to live with him on his farm, which I should tell you are cattle,” Emma couldn’t even complete her sentence as Jesse jumped on her and started shrieking in delight.

  “Oh, Emma, this is great news! Really great I tell you,” Jesse managed to get out in between her jumping about the room.

  “I know, he says we should start our journey as soon as possible,” Emma told her, smiling at the raw delight she saw on her friend’s face. She was as happy as Jesse was at the prospect of there being another option for them rather than moving out onto the streets but even if she tried she could not get herself as excited as Jesse was. It may have been because she was not as naïve as her friend was and had seen enough of the world to know that nothing came without the price.

  People may call it my cynicism but I know there’s something going on behind this letter, Emma thought. She was jarred out of her thoughts when Jesse shook her to gain her attention.

  “Where did you do? As I was saying, write him a reply telling him we’ll start our journey on tomorrow.”

  “Tomorrow? That soon?” Emma asked, suddenly worried about the credibility of this idea.

  “Obviously, we have to empty these rooms by the end of the week anyways or they would throw our belongings out on the street, meager though they are,” Jesse reminded her. Emma stood there transfixed, clenching and unclenching her hand in her age-old habit. She would always do this when she was anxious and not sure of the outcome of her actions and the habit had stuck from childhood. She hated the way she felt right then. Trapped and struck into a corner with no other option than to blindly follow the path that had been laid out in front. Like other girls that were getting married, she was not worried about whether her groom would be good-looking or if he will be kind to her. All she worried about was whether this was the best decision for them both.

  The letter she had just read told her a little about the person who had written it, Lucian Thorne. The way he had easily agreed to the dowry and her friend’s condition was encouraging while on the other hand he had not given Emma much to work with about the farm and the kind of person he has.

  She could see from the letter that he was not a person of many words with how brief and to the point his letters were but other than that, the letter also made her realize that he was not one to enjoy the simple pleasures of life. While describing his farm, there was not one mention of the kind of landscape it was on or the beauty of the place. Emma herself was an avid admirer of nature and its creations and it often annoyed her how people easily discounted its importance and its effect on them.

  She had asked him to tell her something about himself in the letter and the only thing he had mentioned had been his job and his age, which Emma found weird. Any doubt she had about the kind of person he was had evaporated then and there. It was quite obvious that he was an astute and very serious man who did not find anything worth relating about himself. Emma didn’t know if that was a good thing or a bad one but one thing she could be sure about was that Mr. Lucian Thorne didn’t seem to be a crazy man, at least in the letter.

  That evening Emma finished the letter she was supposed to write to Lucian telling him about their arrival two days from now through the coach and where they would be getting off so that he could come pick them up. She walked with Jesse to the nearest post office and posted the letter to the address she had now memorized. That same night, she and Jesse both helped each other to pack their belongings to take with them to Lucian’s farm.

  The small amount of money they had left would be used to pay the carriage fair from there to the village from where Lucian will be picking them up and taking them to the farm. Emma had difficulty sleeping that night. Her nerves were strung tight with the sense of impending events and there was a nervous flutter inside her belly that made sleeping a tedious task for her.

  The next day, both of the ladies woke up before dawn and started the five-minute walk that would take them to the station from where they would board the carriage. The ride was a very long one and they had been told that they were to travel from Boston for one day in one carriage that would stop at a station where another different carriage would take them to their location. When the time finally arrived to get on to the carriage, both of the women were shocked to see the number of people that were already riding inside the carriage and the rest that still had to get on. There was barely any place for two people to sit but somehow they managed to get on together and squeezed in the small amount of space that was available.

  The jerking and bumping of the carriage on the way made for a very uncomfortable journey with more than the occasional knee bumping against the people sitting opposite to them. There was one particular gentleman that Emma felt positively leered at them throughout the way.

  Thank God, it’s just this carriage ride we have to endure alone. God forbid had we been stranded on the streets. People like him would’ve made our lives hell, she thought as she gave the man a glare that was meant to frost water but had no effect, whatsoever, on him.

  Due to the crowded space and the lack of ventilation inside the carriage, both the women could not look at the changing landscapes but they felt the temperature rising until they were all sweating inside the cart. Emma and Jesse realized then that their choice of wardrobe wasn’t fit for this journey and, if they did not reach their destination soon, they would most likely go up in flames right there inside the carriage. But luck was on their side, as not more than an hour later, they felt the carria
ge slowing.

  They had reached the stop from where they were to take another carriage to the village, Stony Brook. Getting off the carriage was such a relief to Emma that she almost cried with gratitude as her legs stretched and the girls released the tension they had been holding since the start of the journey. The clothes they had with them were gowns that were no less warm than the ones they were wearing so both the ladies just took off all the extra accessories that they were wearing on top converting their dresses into modest, everyday wear.

  From there they had no difficulty in finding and getting on the right carriage that would take them further to Stony Brook. The carriage, though rusty and old, was a hundred times better than the one they had traveled in before. The carriage barely had one or two women other than them, which was a relief.

  With nothing else to occupy her mind, Emma took her fill of her new surroundings and the people around them. Their accents were vastly different than hers and Jesse’s with their vowels more elongated, producing a lilting speech. The area around them seemed dense with vegetation, mostly fields with a variety of different crops. Most of them she didn’t even recognize while others like cotton or wheat were a bit more familiar to her. The air was altogether more humid than that of Boston and the heat was the kind that made you sweat and curse.

  Apart from the weather, there were some things that Emma found much more interesting and distinctive than things had been in Boston. For example, people here looked to be in very simple and casual attire with no actual attention paid to style and appearance. Women wore billowy dresses that reached their ankles and flowed freely and easily with no ruffles, laces, and petticoats.

  There were no other dastardly bindings hidden in their dresses with the material being that of light cotton that allowed air to pass through. The journey was not a very long one and most of it was spent during the night, sleeping. So when the carriage stopped at the station the next morning, Emma had had no time to let her nervousness and dread settle in, making her uncomfortable or unapproachable.