by Reece Butler
“Well, yes,” she admitted. She hadn’t thought of it in those terms as her family had made light of her contributions the one time she was stupid enough to mention her work.
“Are you up to the challenge of managing the food? It’s a lot of work. All those boring numbers.”
“I like doing inventory management, budgeting, and cost analysis. It’s logical. No matter which way I add up the column of numbers, it’s always the same.”
“If you’re sure…”
“I’m sure.” The logistics side of Katie’s brain kicked into high gear. She hadn’t been challenged, really challenged, in far too long. “How many people?”
“There’s nine ranches. With my generation, our grown children and parents, townfolk and those who return every year to help, we’re talking about eighty people. Plus grandkids, though they don’t eat much.”
“Three meals a day?”
“Plus coffee breaks, depending on what’s going on. We keep working until it’s done. We’re up before dawn and cleaning up after dark. And since it’s July, the sun hangs in the sky a long time.”
Katie did the math. “That’s about two hundred and fifty meals plus snacks each day. How many days?”
“It depends on the weather. We start at the Gibson’s Anchor Ranch in the east and work west to the Bitterroot Ranch on the north side of the river, and ours on the south. Since we have a bunkhouse the visiting men live there when they’re not sleeping under the stars. Some of Lila’s wedding guests will stay there after the haying is over. That’s Lila Frost of the Circle C, the ranch to the east of here.”
The challenge, a real one rather than a paper exercise, gripped Katie. She hadn’t had a chance to prove herself, or to put her years of schooling into practice. She’d also get an opportunity to see into other homes, talk with the women, and maybe come up with an idea for a good product to set before the CEO. Without that, she’d be shoved aside and her career plans derailed.
“We’ve been doing this pretty much the same way since the 1870s,” said Marci proudly. “We see it as an excuse to have a community party while we work together for the common good of all. Helping each other is a value that is important here. Our roots go deep.”
“Is there something you can give me in writing to help me plan?”
Marci tilted her head, tapping her lip with a finger as she gazed at Katie. “Actually, no. If you have the skills, we’d really appreciate having something we could pass on. Stella’s injury was a wake-up call that we’re not getting any younger. We need you, for many reasons.”
Katie’s heart beat faster. It was being truly needed which really grabbed her. Needed by people who worked together rather than ripping others apart with sarcasm. To top it off, she could leave a written record, a lasting benefit to the people who had taken her in when she was desperate.
If she stayed a couple of weeks she might get an opportunity to have fun, as in sex. Sam said she was to take the first step. She had, with Trey, but Sam didn’t know about that. Taking on this assignment would give her time to gather her courage and seduce Sam. She figured Trey wouldn’t need much encouragement.
“It’s hard work,” said Marci, breaking into her erotic thoughts. “We have such a good time, though, laughing and singing, having women’s fun.”
Even if she didn’t end up in bed with Sam and Trey she would enjoy her last days of freedom with women as relaxed and easygoing as Marci MacDougal.
“If the other women are anything like you, I’ll enjoy helping,” she said.
Marci broke out in a wide smile and held out her hand. They shook on it, sealing the deal. Katie suddenly realized she’d agreed without knowing if she could complete the job and get home on time.
“How long did you say this will take?”
“A week to ten days, depending on Mother Nature. The hay mustn’t be wet, yet we don’t want a dry wind to suck all the moisture out. Ranchers, like farmers and builders, don’t have absolutes. We have to learn to live with what is thrown at us.” She hesitated. “Is that going to be a problem?”
Gran, as CEO, always insisted that one’s word was one’s bond, and she still completed deals with a handshake. Katie had agreed to do this, and had shaken on it. As long as her grandmother stayed in charge, she should be fine. Uncle Walter had quite a different view of life than his mother. He insisted everything be written down, checked over thoroughly by his lawyers, and contracts be completed to the letter, no matter what. When a family member failed they were demoted. Employees were fired.
Gran would want her to finish the job here, as it would be a benefit to the company in good will. If Uncle Walter took over he’d love an excuse to fire her, leaving the way clear for his daughter Matilda, a few months older than Katie.
“No problem,” said Katie. “I’m in, all the way.”
Chapter 7
“Have you ever lived in the country?” asked Marci. Katie seemed to belong in the Elliotts’ kitchen. She was so relaxed, unlike Jane Adams when she’d first arrived. But then Jane was being stalked by her father and ex-fiancé. Thank goodness both would spend a long time in jail.
“Yes, as a child,” said Katie. “My maternal grandmother had a farm, and was truly the salt of the earth. Grammie always found something good to say about people, even if it was just that they knew what they wanted, and how to get it.” A small smile played around her lips. “My mother hated the farm, but I loved spending the summer working beside Grammie in her garden or the house. My first good memories are of her farmhouse kitchen. She’d wrap me in a big apron, stand me on a chair, and I’d proudly polish her silver while she washed the breakables. Simple things, but done in an atmosphere of love. That’s where I learned to cook, and to do housework.”
Marci locked away the information. Knowing Katie had loved living on a farm, even though she was young at the time, might encourage her to stay in ranch country. She wasn’t the right woman for Ross and Brody, and may not be right for Sam and Trey. But there were other ranches with pairs of single brothers, and a few more sets of bachelors in town.
“It’s important for everyone, male and female, to take care of themselves,” said Marci. I have only sons, but I made sure they wouldn’t depend on a mother or wife to do it for them. Did your mother grow up on the farm?”
“Yes, and hated every minute. Mom was the oldest so had to help a lot. She married my father right out of college to escape the farm. He’s the youngest of five boys. They were last married, so I ended up the youngest of the cousins. It was made clear that I was a nuisance at home.” Katie sat straighter. “It was different on the farm since I was the oldest by a couple of years. Grammie gave me responsibility, respect, and love.” She blinked hard.
Marci knew the signs of someone fighting tears and heartache. She gave Katie a moment to recover. “How many summers did you spend there?”
“From age five to twelve, when I got old enough to start learning the furniture business, and therefore be of use.” She clenched her jaw. “I never saw Grammie again after that. I wrote to her, but if she replied I never saw the letters.”
“You loved your grandmother a lot.” Marci wanted to say something harsher, but she couldn’t condemn Katie’s family. Yet.
“Grammie was the only one who loved me unconditionally, rather than for what I could do for her. She was the only one who laughed and gave big hugs, and said how wonderful I was. She had no money but it didn’t matter. She had lots of love to share.”
“What about your father’s side?”
Katie slumped. “My grandfather died when my father was young so my grandmother had to take over the company. She did well, and it’s very successful. My parents told me not to bother Gram as she was the CEO more than my grandmother. They said I’d make them look bad, just by being myself.”
“Thank goodness you got out of there!”
“For now.” Katie shrugged. “I don’t know what I’ll do once I leave here. If I can finish my assignment I hope to have a goo
d job, leading to a career.”
She did not seem wild about the idea. “You said you like the financial aspects of a business,” said Marci. “What else makes you happy? The little things, I mean.”
“Happy?” Katie fiddled with her Kermit the Frog mug.
Marci remembered it being one of Stella’s favorites, a gift from husband Ron when the boys were small. It was one of many things Stella had left behind when she moved out. Marci wasn’t sure if it was downsizing, leaving things with the boys, or not wanting painful memories. Katie obviously had a few of her own.
“I like having things neat and tidy. Not just polishing and lining up shoes, but events as well. Doing things that improve things for people. I don’t know what else to say.” She shrugged. “I just like helping, and knowing I’ve done a good job.”
“You have a strong will.”
Katie laughed. “Not compared to my relatives. They think I’m a pushover.”
“Because you like to help?”
“They said I’m a lamb and I need to be a shark.” She looked away. “I figure there’s enough sharks in the world already.”
“You’re no meek lamb,” said Marci. “You’re smart, determined, intelligent, and so much more.”
Katie looked uncomfortable at the praise. “Why do you say that?”
“You wouldn’t have lasted six months on your own unless you were a good judge of people. You wouldn’t have gotten the jobs, or kept them, or kept yourself safe. You can make decisions quickly and carry them out. You jumped out of that pickup truck at night, in a strange place, to save yourself. That shows smarts, and a lot of guts.”
“I didn’t have any choice.”
Marci leaned forward. “You always have choices. Even if it’s to get on your knees and cry and beg for your life when you know you’re going to die anyway, or to stand tall and face your attacker head on.” She hadn’t begged when her husband tried to murder her. She’d fought back, and won. Katie didn’t need to know that. She’d find out if she spent any time here, though. “You need to be in control of yourself to see those choices clearly. If you’re terrified, all you can do is react.”
“Like when I punched Sam in the nose,” Katie said ruefully.
Marci laughed. “I wish I’d seen that. It’s about time someone knocked Sam Elliott on his keister.”
The corners of Katie’s mouth twitched. “Yes, well, it wasn’t a smart thing to do.”
“It was exactly the right thing to do! You have to protect yourself first. We are small women with big attitudes. If we don’t stand up for ourselves, especially around big men, we’ll get trampled.”
They were quiet for a moment. From the way Katie fretted, there was something she wanted to know. Marci gave her time.
“What’s it like being married to two big men?”
“Wonderful, and frustrating as all get out.” She purposefully looked away, giving Katie space. “Are you aware that I promised to obey when I married?”
“Obey? Didn’t that go out in the fifties?”
“It faded for a while, but there’s a good number of women who enjoy having our husbands take us in hand. Most families in the Valley have versions of it, depending on what each of them want.”
Katie traced out a mark on the tabletop with her index finger.
“You don’t seem the type to obey,” said Katie. “Pardon me for saying that, but—”
“But it’s true. The fact I don’t particularly like to obey, yet choose to submit to Lance and Simon anyway, makes our marriage even stronger. We discuss things, but the final decision is not mine. Each time I choose to follow Lance’s direction it strengthens our bond.”
“So you bow to their wishes, because they’re men?”
“Oh, gosh, no!” Marci placed her hand over her heart. “A relationship should suit the people involved. As long as no one’s being harmed, and it’s all consensual, it’s nobody else’s business what happens between them.”
Katie’s finger traced a gouge in the table that was likely over a hundred years old.
“While everyone here has a male-dominant lifestyle, there are many others who have a woman leading the household. The men are not weak, as many are in positions of great authority and power. The women who submit are not weak, either.”
“I guess it’s different when you have a business compared to a two salary family where each person goes out to a job and comes home at night,” said Katie slowly, as if thinking it out. “Someone has to be in charge of the business, which is the ranch. And the business aspects extend to the family.”
“Yes, our lives are all about our ranches and our community. We value honesty and trust, and we rely on lots of communication.”
Katie took that in for a while. Marci kept quiet, remembering how Lila, who’d grown up surrounded by the same dynamic, had also struggled.
“Don’t you get frustrated when they don’t agree with you?”
“All the time!” Marci rolled her eyes, grinning along with Katie. “Yet I do it anyway because I know it’s best for all of us. It’s amazingly freeing to know someone loves and cares for you so much that they will protect you, even from yourself.”
Marci had wanted to curl up in a ball and forget the world existed after Danny was killed by a roadside bomb. Simon had pushed and prodded and she’d turned her face away. Then Lance had ordered her out of bed. He said she had two husbands and a pair of twin sons who needed her. She’d been furious, yet at the same time had known he was right. Later the family ghost, Beth Elliott, had passed on the news that Danny was guiding other soldiers to the light. It helped, but she still grieved the death of her first baby.
“No one protected me,” said Katie quietly. “Perhaps that’s why I don’t trust anyone to make decisions for me.” She looked up. “I’m sure my parents loved me as much as they were capable. They just…weren’t very capable. Grammie loved me, and Gran does as well. I rarely see her, but we correspond through e-mail.” She grimaced. “The others would be furious if they knew Gran and I were close.”
Marci held back from offering sympathy. Katie was her own woman, and she had grown into herself through her own journey. Everyone had a past which they’d hopefully learned from. Having been loved unconditionally, even just as a child, would make it easier for Katie to accept love now. Love was complicated but lust was simple. She leaned forward, waggling her eyebrows suggestively.
“I don’t obey all the time, you know,” she said, as if sharing a secret. “Sometimes I refuse, just to get Lance riled up. I don’t do it when it’s important, or when the timing is wrong. But when we have the time and opportunity to play, I kick up my heels. Or, I do until I’m tied down. And then the fun begins!”
“Tie you down?”
“Or up, or over Lance’s knee.” Marci winked at Katie’s shocked expression. “My first husband was a controlling abuser. I would never have expected I’d want this, much less enjoy it. Yet when it’s done with love, affection, and caring, it’s wonderful.”
“I can’t imagine trusting someone that much.”
Marci rested her hand on Katie’s arm, all levity gone. “I know, to the bottom of my heart, that Lance and Simon want what’s best for me, and for us. I hold the power. At any time I can stop it all with one word. They don’t like it, and it doesn’t happen very often. But when I say so, they stop. No matter what.”
Katie seemed to be thinking hard. Was it the lifestyle that interested her, or the thought of trusting someone that much? She looked so sad and alone Marci couldn’t take it anymore. She pushed her chair back and rounded the end of the table.
“Stand up,” she ordered. “I need a hug.”
She sent mental waves of reassurance, caring, and love as Katie clutched her tightly back. Tears popped into her own eyes at how badly Katie needed this touch. When Katie started to relax, Marci released her. Katie wiped her eyes with the hem of her T-shirt.
“I’m not used to hugs.” Katie choked out a laugh. “But I’m already
addicted.”
Marci gave her another, just a quick one. “You, my dear, need some good loving. Not just hugs from me, but great big bear hugs from a pair of good men. I bet Sam and Trey give good ones.”
Katie pulled away, blushing. Had the boys already given her some encouragement?
“I don’t want pity hugs.”
“Pity?” Marci broke out in a laugh. “Believe me, sweetie, it’s pleasure Sam and Trey have on their one-track minds.” She tilted her head. “Can you keep a secret?” She waited for Katie’s nod, then leaned forward and dropped her voice. “This town is called Climax for a reason. If a woman doesn’t get at least one orgasm before her man comes, she passes the word to her friends. I understand all our valley boys have a very good reputation for satisfaction.”
Katie turned pink again. “That’s, um, good to know.”
“If you want some adult fun, you’ve arrived at the right place. Trey will charm you while Sam will hold back. But if you say yes, that’s it,” she warned.
“What do you mean?”
Sam was a foot taller than Katie, with Trey another two inches beyond that. They both had overpowering personalities. Trey was a partially reformed wild playboy while Sam was a determined tiger patiently waiting to pounce. With Katie living here, that patience would be worn thin. Trey needed stability, something that would only come with a loving wife. Sam needed Katie to break through his wall of tight control. Marci wanted them to discover each other. All she could do was encourage it.
“Sam will make your pleasure his top priority unless you tell him no. Then he’ll stop, no matter what. Same as Trey. Both can be trusted to give you pleasure, or leave you alone. Your choice.”
Katie swallowed. “Oh,” she said in a near whisper.
Marci didn’t know how else she could help. Then she remembered the bag of erotic ménage books in her truck. She kept some of her favorites there in case the men took a long time in the hardware store, or stopped to fix something.
“I’ve got some books in my truck you might enjoy. They’ll give you a few ideas. And one more thing.”