Nanny for the Rancher

by King, Kristina

  “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.

  As he kissed her he pushed her down on the bed, she was too busy kissing him back to resist.

  She didn’t want to resist. She wanted his kisses, she wanted his hands on her body, she wanted her hands on his body, and his clothes were in the way. She slipped her hands under the bottom of his shirt and dragged her palms over his skin. His hands were work-worn but the rest of him was smooth and supple. He stopped kissing her just long enough to toss his shirt aside and she wrapped her arms around his body and started kissing his tanned, muscled, chest.

  His soft groan was all the encouragement she needed and she flicked her tongue over the tiny nub of his nipple. He collapsed onto his back and stretched, giving her full access from throat to hip, and that’s what she did. She started at his neck, closing her teeth gently over the tendon there, and then kissed down his chest, pausing to lavish attention on his nipple again, then down the muscled flat of his stomach. His stomach quivered under her attentions. She kissed along his skin following the edge of his jeans to where the top of his hip bone was visible. She kissed there too and his whole body shuddered.

  He sat up. “Enough, it’s my turn,” he said. She nodded and threw her shirt on the floor.

  ‘Soft curves’ was an understatement. Sure she was solidly built in the shoulders and hips but there was nothing extra on her anywhere. Her hip bones were pronounced, her stomach curved in, it was a wonder her ribs weren’t showing, and then there were her breasts. Perky, full, soft with the darker skin of her nipples, they filled his hands perfectly and if he turned his hand just right the nipple showed through the space between his thumb and forefinger leaving an opening for his mouth.

  When he bent his head over her and began licking and nibbling and sucking at her breast she tipped her head back with a groan. He could have stayed t
here all night but there was more of her to explore. One hand stayed on her breast as he kissed his way lower. His tongue dipped below the waist band of her pants making her shiver. He smiled and started working on the button on the front of her jeans.

  She helped shimmy out of the tight pants and then blushed. She was wearing plain white cotton panties because she hadn’t been expecting something like this to happen. He didn’t even notice. He kissed the newly exposed skin, his breath hot even through the fabric. He kissed her legs, going down along the tops of her thighs and coming back up along the sensitive insides until his face almost brushed her most private of places.

  She was breathing hard and she didn’t pull away or protest so he slipped his finger under the scrap of cloth between her legs and rubbed the back of his knuckle against her. She gasped and her hips bucked and she reached down and grabbed at his hair.

  He sat up just enough to help her out of the panties and then he began touching the soft folds of skin between her legs. Any time she moaned or whimpered he paused and played a little longer before continuing his exploration of her. Only when she was breathing hard and whimpering almost uncontrollably did he slip a finger inside of her.

  Lillian was lost somewhere in a sea of pleasure. There was nothing but bed sheets and his fingers in all the right places. And then his finger slipped inside of her and she gasped. She’d taken to masturbating a lot since moving here, it was the only way to relieve the tension and keep her desires a secret, but she hadn’t been penetrated in ten years.

  She pressed her body down against his hand, trying to take his finger deeper than it could go. She wanted more and she whimpered when she couldn’t get it.

  She had her eyes closed so when he bent over her and ran his tongue over her she reacted like he had electrocuted her. She gasped, her eyes shot open, her hips came up off the bed, and she grabbed a fistful of sheets in one hand and a fistful of his hair in the other.

  He kept licking her, his finger still inside of her, while she writhed and whimpered and groaned. The groans became grunts and she pushed against him, and then she shouted and her whole body shook.

  Lillian had brought herself over the edge with her vibrator before but this was so much more. This was a flood of pleasure that took her and robbed her of words and coherent thought and left her moaning so loud she was sure they’d wake Wendy – except that she couldn’t quite get the thought in order so she couldn’t stop him or protest. All she could do was take what he was giving her and hold on as wave after wave swept over her.

  When he did stop she was shaking. He grinned but all she could do was pant as she tried to catch her breath.

  He took his cock in his hand and rubbed it against her, making her tremble again. “Will you let me?”

  She wrapped her legs around his waist, drawing him closer. He pressed against her and slowly pushed inside of her. She was tight and wet and he groaned softy as he pushed deeper and deeper. She took all of him and they stayed there, perfectly still, for a long moment.

  She licked her lower lip and nodded and he started moving his hips, keeping his movements gentle. He wasn’t afraid of hurting her he was afraid of his own desire overwhelming him and sending him over the edge before he was ready.

  She had her arms spread wide and tangled in the sheets and she cut a fine figure, all soft feminine curves, her dark skin standing out in sharp contrast to the white sheets. Her hair was tightly braided but he didn’t miss the tousled look, he didn’t think it would suit her, but her eyes were bright and intense in the dark.

  She started moving her hips to meet his, matching his easy rhythm. Just the fact that she wanted him as much as he wanted her turned him on and threatened to push him beyond the point of control. He breathed deep, trying to calm himself, but breathed in the scent of her and started moving a little quicker.

  She closed her eyes and tipped her head back and he moved a little quicker. He thrust deeper with each stroke and when she made that contented noise in the back of her throat he lost control.

  His cock filled her in a way that fingers and vibrators never could and then his seed filled her too and she moaned softly.

  He collapsed beside her. “Please tell me this isn’t a onetime thing,” he whispered.

  “I sure hope not,” she whispered back.

  Chapter 7

  After that first night there was a subtle change in the house, or maybe it was only in Lillian’s thinking. The ranch had always been his house, his home, and only her place of employment. But now that she was sharing his bed at least twice a week, and making out with him on the couch most other evenings, she accepted the fact that the ranch was becoming her home too.

  She moved things around in the kitchen until the suited her, no longer afraid that her boss might not be able to find something. She started washing his underwear. He smiled more and talked to her honestly about how the ranch was doing. It was like playing house, except that they couldn’t openly kiss or hold hands because Wendy didn’t know.

  One night after sex as they cuddled close he said, “Are you going to tell her?”

  “Yes, I’ll tell her. You’re not a secret, I just … I just need it to be the right time. I don’t want to freak her out. She likes you and I don’t want that to change.”

  “I can understand that.” He kissed her forehead and seemed to drop off to sleep. But Lillian lay awake a long time after that, her thoughts troubled by worries and fears.

  “What do kids do for Halloween out here?” Lillian asked. “I mean, you can’t exactly go door-to-door, the next ranch house is a mile away!”

  “We drive into town,” Gavin said. They were sitting on the couch together watching the sun set behind the horizon. “We all park down by the church and we go door-to-door, even to the stores. The ranch families set up with friends or out of the back of their truck in the parking lot. It’s a lot of fun. Is Wendy wanting to go?”

  “She hasn’t mentioned it yet but she loved Halloween in the city. She might want to go back.”

  “Halloween’s on a Friday. You could leave right after school.”

  “I don’t know …”

  “You’re not a slave, Lillian, I’m not keeping you tied to the house. She could go with all her old friends, and you haven’t seen Mrs. Jameson since you moved. If that’s what Wendy wants, go for it. I can find food while you’re gone.”

  “Okay, I’ll ask her about it in the morning.”

  He hugged her shoulders. “Are you coming up?”

  She kissed him. “I want to, but I can’t.”

  “Are you afraid of Wendy finding out?”

  “No, but there’s really no point for a few days.”

  He made a face but kissed her cheek. “At least you’re not throwing dishes at me. I’ll see you in the morning then. I’m going to catch up on some paperwork.”

  “Are you behind on the paperwork because of me?”

  “Yes.”

  She laughed. “Okay, you go do paperwork. I’ll go pull something out of the freezer for supper tomorrow.”

  “Would that something be chicken pot pie?”

  “If I still have one.” She kissed him again. “Good night.”

  It was starting to get cool in the city, cooler than out in Wheaton. It’s amazing what a few hours’ distance makes on the weather, Lillian thought as she waited for Wendy to come back down the driveway. They had been walking for over an hour already and Lillian was carrying a full bag of candy for Wendy. Wendy skipped down the driveway in her Monster High costume, beaming from ear-to-ear.

  “Are you ready to go back to the apartment yet?” Lillian said.

  Two other girls joined them. “No,” Wendy said. “We want to do more houses.”

  “You have a ton of candy already,” Lillian said. The other girls lived at the apartment and Lillian had agreed to supervise all of them on their trick-or-treating. “And it’s getting late. Come on, we’ll head back down that side street, you haven’t looted them yet. And then straight
back.”

  “Yay!”

  When Wendy was finally in bed Lillian sat with Mrs. Jameson enjoying a warming cup of tea. “Did you miss the city?” Mrs. Jameson said.

  “Not really, but I think Wendy missed her friends.”

  “How are your classes coming along?”

  “I passed another one. I should be done by Christmas.”

  “And then?”

  “And then I get a job.”

  “You have a job.”

  “I’m a house keeper, that’s not exactly what I planned to spend the rest of my life doing.”

  “So the rumors aren’t true?”

  “Rumors?” Lillian’s voice was wary but inwardly she groaned.

  “Julie has been writing me with some very interesting rumors about you and Gavin Asher. I don’t think you’re just the housekeeper any longer, dearie.”

  “They’re rumors,” Lillian said. “They don’t mean anything.”

  “And what’s the truth?”

  “I don’t know. Are we sleeping together? Yeah. Is it love? I don’t know. It all sounds like a bad movie.”

  “But most of those bad movies have happy endings.”

  “Maybe my happy ending is a good job, a good apartment, and getting my daughter through college without her getting pregnant.”

  “Maybe, or maybe your happy ending will be a surprise, even for you. I don’t know. But I will tell Julie to mind her own business. I don’t need that old busy body scaring you away from your happily ever after.”

  “Julie is the only person in town who doesn’t hate me, I’m sure of it.”

  “A lot of people will hate you when you’re sleeping with the town’s most eligible bachelor. Wendy doesn’t know?”

  “I haven’t told her and she hasn’t said anything so I’m assuming she doesn’t know.”

  “But you will tell her?”

  “Yes, I’m just waiting for the right time. When we moved out there she said she didn’t want a new dad and I don’t want her to think I’m betraying her.”

  “Don’t leave it too long, okay?”