She heard the warning in her mom’s voice and sighed. “I’ll be good. Do you think he’ll let me paint the bedroom?”
“I don’t know. I’ll ask but I’m making no promises.”
“Cool. I’m going to hide until supper.”
“As long as you’re unpacking and not just lying on the bed for two hours with your headphones on.”
Wendy grinned at her mom. “I have more space than stuff now, unpacking shouldn’t be a problem.”
“Do you like the house?”
“Yeah. But I still don’t want to be here.” She stepped into the yellow bedroom and closed the door.
Chapter 5
The guest house was still larger than Lillian’s apartment had been but Courtney and James were so warm and welcoming that Lillian soon felt right at home. Somehow Courtney had convinced Wendy to take her headphones off and help in the kitchen and when dessert was set on the table Wendy beamed. On the walk back to the ranch house Wendy couldn’t stop talking about all the compliments she’d received and how good the cake had tasted and how easy it was to make.
Lillian tried to listen but she was distracted by the starlight and Gavin walking quietly beside her. This was the closest thing to a date she’d been on since she’d broken up with Wendy’s father eleven years earlier. She’d never even met his parents.
Once inside Wendy went straight downstairs to work on unpacking. Lillian watched her go and then smiled at Gavin. “That was really nice.”
“Yeah, my mom knows how to cook.”
They smiled at each other for a long moment. “Uh, what time did you want breakfast in the morning?” she said.
“Oh, I usually get in from chores around 10:30. It’ll take us a few days to get the hang of this I guess.”
She nodded. He took a step closer to her and almost reached for her hand.
“Lillian, I wanted to thank you for taking this job.”
“Thank me? I should be thanking you. I get to spend the summer with my daughter!”
“And I don’t have to deal with women banging on my door all day with casseroles and cakes.”
“Why was that so bad?”
“Because they all wanted to marry me and I wasn’t interested in even having them in the house as staff.”
“So why did you hire me?”
“Because you were easy to talk to and sounded like you could actually do this job without complaining too much.”
She took a step closer to him. “So I’m allowed to complain a little bit?”
Before he could answer Wendy appeared at the top of the stairs. “Hey Mom! He has cable! Can I watch a movie?”
Lillian blushed, lowered her eyes, and turned away from Gavin. “What’s playing and how long is it? It might be summer vacation but you’re not staying up all night.”
“Aw Mom, come on!”
Lillian disappeared down the hallway and all Gavin could do was stare after her.
Gavin was sitting in his office later that night dealing with the ranch accounts. Adding Lillian’s cellphone and wages had been easy enough but he still went through and double checked all the numbers. And then he triple checked them just to keep his mind busy, because when his mind wandered off on its own it wandered straight to Lillian.
He wasn’t sure that she was beautiful, but she was captivating. Her easy laugh warmed him and relaxed him. He’d found himself staring at her several times during dinner and he hoped she hadn’t noticed. He knew it was wrong because he was her boss now but he was happy she was here, in his house, where he could get to know her and spend time with her.
You want to court her, a voice in his head said. You want to like her, and love her, and sleep with her.
He shook his head, trying to clear the thought, but it had become more persistent over the week while he waited for her to move in. And now, try as he might, he could not get rid of the idea that she could be more than just his house keeper and his body was reacting on its own.
He was used to taking care of his own relief, he hadn’t had a steady girlfriend in almost eight years. Girls were too much trouble and he was just too busy helping his grandfather with the ranch. He was even busier now.
He closed the accounting program and opened his browser, selecting a porn site from his list of regular sites. He flipped through some pictures and watched the start of a few videos but nothing was appealing to him. He sat back and sighed when the mental image of Lillian sprawled on his bed popped into his mind. He was suddenly very hard.
He undid the front of his jeans and took his cock in hand. It wasn’t hard to imagine her firm body naked and soon he was imagining her touching herself, and touching him.
With quick, firm, strokes he pulled and tugged aggressively at his cock until he was groaning. Getting this far was easy, but getting off had become more of a challenge lately. As if responding to the challenge his mental image of Lillian and his fantasy of them together got more graphic. Touching turned to kissing and soon he could clearly see himself in bed with her, spreading her legs wide.
That was enough to push him over the edge and with a grunt he erupted. He was taken by surprise by the suddenness of his climax and wasn’t ready for it so instead of having a handful of tissues ready he was left with a mess to clean up and a burning sense of guilt.
Never again. She’s my housekeeper, it’s not right for me to use her for my own relief, even if it was all in my head. It’s disrespectful.
The first few weeks passed in a blur for Lillian. The house was laid out well and she knew what was behind every door in no time, the light switches were taking longer. There was a lot of give and take in Gavin’s schedule that resulted in a few cold meals and a few late meals but he just laughed each one off and ate whatever she put in front of him.
He had been right, their conversations came easily and often times Wendy would walk in to catch them laughing together as he helped her prepare dinner or as they sat talking over coffee. His chores did keep him out of the house most of the day and her chores kept her busy but Wendy seemed only to come out of her room at those exact moments and it made her angrier.
One day Lillian came downstairs and banged on Wendy’s door. “Hey, come on. You can’t spend your whole summer in that room. We’ve got shopping to do.”
“I don’t want to come.”
“I don’t want you living in your bedroom. Come on. It’ll get you away from the ranch for a while.” That got Wendy out and soon they were on their way.
Lillian was used to shopping on a very tight budget so this was a new experience for her. She could buy real brand name coffee and more than just ground beef and real, fresh, fruits and vegetables. She was busy trying to decide between a brick of cheese or a bag or pre-shredded cheese when Wendy tugged on her shirt.
“Hey Mom, I think that lady is staring at us.”
Lillian glanced up just as a young blonde woman looked the other way and then hurried down another aisle. Is every woman in this county a size-zero blonde? She looked down at her daughter. “It’s a small town, honey, everyone knows everyone and they don’t know us yet. They’ll probably stare a little until they get used to us being around, or until we’re introduced to them.”
“I don’t like it.”
Lillian looked at the place where the other woman had disappeared and frowned, Courtney’s warning suddenly fresh in her mind. Neither do I kiddo, not one bit.
Up until now Lillian had been very careful about how she thought about Gavin. He was her boss, and maybe he would become a friend, but that was it, there had to be a line there. Sure he was easy to talk to, and yeah, they’d had a lot of moments that had set Lillian’s heart pounding, but she had to stay on her side of the line.
And yet recently he had started appearing in her thoughts when she least expected it and she found herself wondering inappropriate things. Is he a good kisser? He’s a good, kind man; would he be a kind lover too? Does he know his jeans flatter his ass? No matter what she did the thoughts just kept coming.
Wendy was already in bed as Lillian came downstairs after finishing the dishes and pulling out a roast for the next day. She went straight to her room, shut the door, and locked it, something she had never done.
From the bottom of her underwear drawer she pulled out a vibrator. It got little use since she and Wendy had shared a room for years, but tonight she hoped it would ease the tension and put the inappropriate thoughts to rest.
She stripped and crawled into bed, lying on top of the light covers. Long years of living lean and waiting tables had erased all signs of child birth from her body. She had lightly muscled legs and arms and a flat stomach. She always felt her curves were lacking but some smart wardrobe choices made that less noticeable.
She ran her hand down her body, stopping to caress her breast. She took a deep breath to calm herself and tried to put her mind on the path of sexual thoughts.
She imagined someone lying beside her with his hands on her as she touched herself. She turned the vibrator on and pressed it between her legs. The purring noise made her nervous but it sent warm, tingly sensations through her entire body. She took another deep breath and shifted her hips.
Unbidden, the image of Gavin naked from the waist up popped into her mind. In her mind’s eye she saw herself with Gavin. They embraced, just a hug, but she imagined the feel of his muscles beneath her hands and the hug became something more, something intimate. He lifted her chin and kissed her. She closed her eyes and tipped her head back, imagining what his lips would feel like. Was he a forceful lover? Or a gentle one? She imagined him running his hands over her and kissing her body.
She groaned. She was getting close to her orgasm now, she could feel it just beyond her reach so she urged her fantasy onwards.
She imagined Gavin coming down here and spreading her legs, touching her, maybe even kissing her, in that dark wet private place. She gasped and moved the vibrator, searching for the perfect spot.
She imagined him taking his cock and pressing it against her. As he pushed into her she felt her body reacting to the fantasy and suddenly she felt a jolt of intense pleasure wash over her. She moved her hips as though she was thrusting back against him. Her orgasm peaked and she gasped. Suddenly holding the vibrator against her clit was just too intense and she dropped it before it made her scream out. She coasted on waves of pleasure and delight.
As the intensity faded she suddenly felt embarrassed. She grabbed the vibrator, shut it off, and took it back to her underwear drawer. I can’t do that again. What if I say or do something that reveals what I was fantasizing about?
After three weeks Gavin was more convinced than ever that hiring Lillian had been a good idea. His only regret was that no matter what he said or did Wendy wasn’t warming up to him at all. He had just lighted on a plan when Wendy and her mother returned from town with the groceries.
He joined them in the kitchen as they were unpacking the food and said, “I’ll be a little late coming in for supper tonight. One of the men had to head home early and I’ll have to groom all the horses by myself today.”
“I didn’t know you had horses too,” Wendy said. She set the tin of coffee on the counter and ignored it. “How many horses do you have?”
“Five. Did you want to come out to the barn and see them?”
He could see her thinking about it and then she glanced at her mom who nodded. “Okay, I’ll come see them.”
The horses were kept near the back of the first barn closest to the pasture gate. They were all brown with assorted patches of white or black making each one distinct. She held up her hand and the one with the white star on its forehead nuzzled her palm with its velvet nose.
“They’re beautiful.”
“They’re my favourite part of running a ranch. A lot of ranchers use ATVs now but I couldn’t sell these beauties. It’s hard to find the time to pay enough attention to them though, even with the extra hands.” He watched her for a moment before saying, “Did you want to learn to ride?”
“Really? I’ve never been on a horse before.”
“I’ll okay it with your mom but yeah, I can teach you. But part of riding is caring for your horse. You’ll have to clean her feet and brush her before and after each ride, and give her water when you get back.”
She nodded.
“Why don’t we get started with that? You can help me brush them today.”
Lillian had dinner on the table before they returned. “Wendy, you’re filthy! What were you doing?”
“Brushing horses, they were really dusty.” Wendy was grinning.
“Well go wash up for supper.”
Once she was out of the room Gavin said, “She’s smitten. She wants to learn to ride.”
“Anything! I’m just happy she’s smiling.”
“Did you want lessons too? There are some beautiful trails on the property. It’s a wonderful way to spend the afternoon.”
Lillian turned her back on him quickly. “Oh, I don’t know. Supper’s ready, don’t let it get cold.”
Chapter 6
It was fall, not that the weather had changed much. A heat wave had settled in and the leaves stayed green. Wendy was in school but spent every free moment with the horses. The evenings were long and muggy and often dusty as farmers took advantage of the heat to get the most out of their harvesting.
It was one of these long, hot, evenings that things changed. Lillian and Gavin had become friends over the summer, neither could argue that, and Lillian was happy that Wendy had settled in and accepted Gavin’s friendship.
But being friends with your mom’s boss is one thing. She might not accept him as a step-dad. Lillian wasn’t sure where these thoughts came from but as she sat out on the deck with a cold drink she couldn’t help but think them. It’s beautiful here. I could make a home here. But that’s crazy. I’m just the housekeeper. Just a poor, fat, single-mother from the city. This is my job, not my home.
Gavin settled into the chair nearby with a cold beer in his hand. “I don’t think I can remember a fall this hot,” he said.
“Mrs. Milton does.”
“Of course she does. She’s got a mind like a steel trap.”
“A heat wave out here isn’t so bad, when we get a heat wave in the city it’s murder. The pavement radiates heat, and so do the cars and the big air conditioner in the alleyways. The buses are packed with hot, sweaty people and everything seems to slow to a crawl.”
“No thanks, I don’t think I want to live through that. How’s Wendy enjoying school?”
“It’s school. So far so good but she’d rather spend the whole day in the barn.”
“She’s good with the horses, you know. I think she’s got real talent and passion.”
“To do what?”
“She could be a large animal vet, or a horse breeder, or a rodeo rider, or a show jumper.”
“I’m sure she’d love any of those.”
“What about you?”
She laughed. “Are you still trying to get me on a horse?”
“I’m just wondering when you’ll really settle in and start doing things for you.”
She looked away. “I really like working for you, Gavin, but I don’t belong here.”
“Why not?”
“You mean you don’t see it? You don’t hear it? No one in town wants me to be here. I thought they’d get used to me, that I’d settle into town and settle in here but that hasn’t happened. They’re so angry with me and I don’t even know why!”
“I suspect it has more to do with me than you. This is one of the biggest, wealthiest, ranches in the county and my aunts were not happy that my grandfather left it to me instead of one of them, or one of my older cousins. And then I refused to hire any of my cousins to do your job. On top of that, I’m wealthy and single and every woman in the county and half the women in the next county, applied to this job thinking they’d be able to prove their wifely abilities and win the position of my wife – at which point they’d demand I hire them a maid.”
“So I stepped into a lot of drama?”
“Yes.”
“And you hired me because I’d never seduce you or marry you?”
“Actually, I keep hoping you’ll seduce me. Every time you start flirting I start hoping this will be it and that you actually mean it. But then you back off again and I’m not sure if you’re shy, or that you don’t mean it at all.” He glanced at her. She was staring at him with utter disbelief on his face. “Or am I being too honest?”
“I …”
He set his beer down, walked over to her, and kissed her.
She knew she should pull away, that this was inappropriate, she was his house keeper for crying out loud! How much more clichéd could this be! But she had wanted this and imagined this for months and now that his lips were pressed against hers she couldn’t chase them away. She kissed him back, her hand sliding up his chest and grabbing a fist of shirt.
He pulled back, startled, and she looked at him with eyes that were wide with desire. “What is it?”
“I thought you were going to slap me.”
She shook her head and pulled him into another kiss. He pulled back again and pulled her to her feet.
“Please say you want me as much as I want you.”
“Probably more,” she said. “This isn’t right.”
“This is very right,” he said. “We want each other, we’re right for each other. Come with me, please. I want you.”
She nodded and followed him inside, their drinks abandoned. They moved quietly through the house, locking doors and shutting off lights as they went. At the threshold of his bedroom she hesitated. She’d been in here a hundred times to change the bedding and grab his laundry hamper, but she’d always been careful to come here when he was outside. This was his space.
He tugged her hand gently. “Lillian.”
She nodded again. “Okay.” She stepped into the room.
He led her to the bed. “Come on, we’ll go slow. Just sit down with me here and kiss me awhile.”
Once he was kissing her instinct seemed to take over, and the way she responded with heat and passion was all the invitation he needed. His hands wandered over her eagerly. Her body was warm with soft curves in all the right places.
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