Family Ties (Hidden Secrets)

by Belden, P. J.

  I was completely entranced in her song. It was an amazing ballad and with no music, I could feel the pain in her voice. The feel of the loss she was singing about was overwhelming and I wondered what loss she was singing about. Had she loved and lost? Was this Nate guy her love that she was singing about? A surge of jealousy ran through me and suddenly I wanted to go find Nate and let him know that she was mine. She really has gotten to me. Maybe focusing solely on the ranch has left me strung out and needy; maybe that is why I was acting this way. Even as I said it, I knew that wasn’t the case. It was simply Mary. She affected me like no other woman has ever affected me before.

  Jumping slightly when a buzzer behind me went off, I watched as she stood, closed her notebook and turned to walk back in the house. She jumped when she saw me at the door.

  “Good Morning Beautiful.”

  She blushed and smiled.

  “Good Morning. I’m just making breakfast.”

  She scoots passed me and heads into the kitchen and looks to be making some kind of gravy. It all smelled amazing and my stomach growled.

  “You didn’t have to make anything.”

  “Oh, it’s okay, really. I don’t have my own place so I don’t really get to cook. Jeff and Kayla taught me a lot. I made extra so you could just warm it up for a couple of days or whatever.”

  “What did you make? Whatever it is, it smells heavenly.”

  “I made my sister’s breakfast casserole with biscuits and gravy.”

  “That is very nice of you to make. There will be a couple of other guys joining us for breakfast…well most meals actually. They live on the ranch. You met one of them earlier. Are you okay?”

  She nodded.

  As I spoke, I was trying to keep my voice steady but looking at Mary wearing whatever it is she was wearing… It barely covered her amazing ass and perfect breasts. Because of it, I was picturing things I shouldn’t be picturing about someone that I wasn’t even dating, but I couldn’t stop the images from coming. She definitely kept in shape, but that is probably a must for her job.

  “How did you sleep? Have you been up for long?” I rambled trying to push the images away.

  “I slept great thanks and sorry for falling asleep on you. I have been up since just before three. I went for a run, started breakfast, then had decided to have a little look around, but… Then of course I was sitting on the porch writing. I hope it was okay that I made breakfast. I just wanted to thank you for allowing me to come out here.”

  “You’re fine for making breakfast, but you didn’t have to. I like you, Mary. I would like to see if you can make your dream a reality. Just so you know you may not want to exercise in the morning, work on the ranch can get kind of strenuous, so you don’t want to overdo yourself before you even get to work.”

  “Oh, I’m used to constantly moving and exercise. I only ran a mile today until I know how safe and far I can run and how the work will affect my ability to run. You should run in the morning, it rejuvenates you and gets your body ready for the day.”

  She pulled out a sheet of biscuits and two casserole dishes of what she called a breakfast casserole just as the other guys walked in. They were all joking as they came in and froze in the doorway when they saw Mary. I couldn’t help but laugh.

  “Morning guys, I’d like you to meet Mary. Mary these are the guys Joel, John and Harry. You met Scott earlier…sort of.” I said glaring at Scott.

  All the guys mumbled their mornings and kept staring at her butt and her boobs. Frankly, it was really pissing me off. If this was how they were going to react around her, I was going to make sure they stayed the hell away from her.

  So casually, I walked over to Mary and wrapped my arms around her from behind and whispered in her ear, “If you don’t want your family to know that we weren’t really dating when you said we were, we are going to have to pull it off with these guys too. They will run fast for a buck.”

  She simply nodded. The number one thought on my mind has been kissing her, I thought about it all night; hell even dreamt about it. I decided to show claim I would soon relish in her amazing lips again, but I needed to wait so it didn’t look so obvious. So I just stood there with my arms around her for a little while longer. She turned her head and kissed me briefly on the lips and moved a dish to the table.

  “Sorry Mary. I hadn’t received his message then…” Scott struggled to apologize.

  “It’s okay Scott. Honestly. I was scared, but I’m good now.” She smiled at him.

  “It won’t happen again. Will it Scott?”

  He shook his head.

  “Nice to meet you boys. Come on and eat. I hope it is good.” She set five plates on the table with forks.

  “You’re not eating, babe?”

  Whoa, where’d that come from? I’ve never used pet names.

  Mary blinked at me for a minute and then with a smirk she says, “No I ate earlier.”

  When I shook my head, she smiled bigger.

  All the boys sat down at the table while she went to the sink to wash up the dishes. All the guys then turned to me and said “Wow! How did you land her?” This from Harry.

  “That is the singer Mary Williams, right?” Joel said

  I notice that Scott hadn’t taken his eyes off her, but also kept his mouth shut too. He had a look in his eyes that told me he was thinking hard about something.

  “Uh, isn’t her siblings Carson and Kayla Williams?” John said, bringing me back to the present.

  “Yeah, why?” I asked, getting nervous.

  “Their poor family has been through hell. She seems to hide it well. You know dude, sometimes it pays to watch television or read a paper.”

  The guys went on to tell me basically what Mary had told me on the ride over last night only in more detail. They also told me about Colleen, Carson’s fiancée, and now I can’t help, but think about what Mary is going through. They have definitely been through the ringer. There was no way a family who has suffered so much pain and loss would be out to inflict that on others. My family had to have lied to me. There was no way the things they told me could be true with what her family has gone through. It hurt a lot that my family would lie to me to such a degree.

  The thought of what I could have done to this family because I was quick to believe them rather than find proof first. I suppose I couldn’t be upset because I really didn’t talk to them and hadn’t talked to some in years. My cousin and I were close at one point before life separated us and we traveled different paths. But they were family and when they called me upset and needed help, I thought it was the right thing; not so much anymore though. I was confused and unsure of where to step next. The things my family told me that she did and a few members of her family as well, they weren’t something that I would picture someone making up. What should I do? Being so damn confused was pissing me off. I had control of my life. I always have. Since I was young, I knew exactly what I wanted and I went for it. Never in my life did I let anyone rile me like Mary was doing. The thought infuriated me and yet as I watched the guys ogling her I couldn’t resist the urge to claim what is mine even if only for this week.

  We all grabbed some of the food and immediately the moaning of pleasure on how good everything was started. Mary was laughing as she walked over to the table and I pulled her down on my lap.

  “That was delicious babe. Thank you; it is a great way to start the day.”

  “You’re welcome. There is enough for breakfast tomorrow too. If it’s okay with you, I would like to cook the meals while I am here. Since you will not accept payment this week, please let me do this. You’re taking a chance with me for only having met me a week ago.”

  I couldn’t hold back any longer and brought my hand up to her face and turned her to look at me. Running my thumb along the bottom of her lip, I leaned in slowly to kiss her. My tongue ran along her bottom lip and I nipped slightly where I licked and she opened for me. Pushing my tongue in her mouth, our tongues began to dance with t
he other. The kiss changed from tender to need in a split second. I could feel myself stirring in my jeans and had to pull back before I just took her on the table in front of my friends. Pulling back, I rested my head on hers and let my breathing slow.

  “Thank you.”

  “What?” She breathed.

  I laughed, “Thank you for breakfast.”

  “Oh yeah, you’re welcome.”

  “Can I thank you like that?” Teased Joel.

  “Don’t even think about it,” I growled and Mary laughed resting her head on my shoulder.

  We all talked for a few more minutes and enjoyed the company. She stood and said she needed to go get dressed and call her manager. She excused herself and left.

  “You lucky bastard,” they all said in unison.

  I just smiled.

  “You met her a week ago, huh? Is that why you stayed longer?” Scott questioned.

  “Yeah, so?” I glared at him.

  This time, though, Scott glared right back. Could my friend have figured out what was going on? Shit! I needed time to decide what I was going to do. I really liked Mary. No that’s not true, I think I am in love with her. But then there is the factor of my family… Maybe I needed to create space between us? Push her away a bit to clear my head and think about what I should do. How in the world am I going to do that? How can I push her away when all I want to do is hold her close and never let her go?

  Chapter Eleven

  Mary

  I headed to my room and changed into a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. Then I pulled my hair up into a pony tail and put on my hiking boots. It was the best that I could do. Pausing before I pulled my cell phone out. It was a call I had to make and frankly, I was ready to get it done and over with. Dialing Kyle’s number, it rang twice before he answered.

  “Hall,” he said tersely.

  “Hey, it’s me Mary.”

  “Where the hell are you!”

  “Um…stop yelling would you?”

  “Stop yelling? Stop yelling? Oh honey, you have no idea what else I am going to do once you get your fat ass in here now!”

  “I wish you would quit c-calling me that.”

  “I only state the truth! Now where are you?! And when are you going to be here?”

  “I’m out of town. I’m not coming in. In fact, I am taking a week off at least.”

  “You WHAT!”

  “I am figuring some things out with my life. Part of it is going to take about a week to figure out. I will call when I am ready to come back.”

  “You fat ass bitch! You are going to pay for this, do you understand me?! You think you have paid before…Oh no you are really going to pay now!”

  “K-Kyle, y-you don’t have to make thr-threats.” My heart was hammering in my chest. He terrified me even over the phone.

  “Threats? Oh no, I make no threats. This is a promise! Just you wait. If you aren’t here I may pay some of your dancers a visit.”

  “NO! O-okay, I will come…” Suddenly the door flung open and Tobey was yanking the phone from my hand.

  “She is not coming back! You will not come near her or this tape will be played for the cops and your ass will be in jail. Stay the hell away from my girl!” He hung up the phone and turned to me, “You do not have to do what he says. You need to start doing for you. Starting here; starting now.”

  “But he said he was going to take it out on my dancers. He will. He has done it before. I have to go back for their safety.”

  He cupped my face, “What about your safety? I cannot stand the thought of you being hurt. Not when you could have been safe here in my arms.” He leaned down and kissed me again.

  “Now we are burning hours; we need to get to work. I will call your brother or brother-in-law for you if that will make you feel better about your dancers.”

  I nodded. He used my phone and I listened to him explain that Kyle was threatening me and if I didn’t show up, he was going to take it out on the dancers. Then, within ten minutes we were heading out the door towards the barn.

  My mind went back to what happened this morning and I had an urge to tuck tail and run, but I kept pushing forward. He didn’t know I was supposed to be there. Come to think of it, Tobey never said if it was okay that I was out there or not. Swallowing, I made a mental note to not go near anything that I haven’t been given permission to go near first.

  Tobey showed me around. He explained what things were and how to do some of the menial chores. After about an hour of explanations and showing me, he gave me my list of chores to start on. Just as I turned to start working, he quipped behind me.

  “If you make it past this morning, you will have more chores after lunch.” He smirked.

  “Asshole,” I mumbled under my breath as the guys around him chuckled.

  I was shoveling manure, cleaning horse stalls, carrying hay and all before lunch. It was about noon when I saw Tobey near the barn. I walked over to him.

  “Hey, it’s almost lunch. Do you mind if I break and go make lunch for everyone?”

  “You want to make lunch for everyone? After all you have done so far you still want to add to it?” He says obviously shocked.

  “Yes, please.”

  He nodded and I ran into the house and made them all a picnic style lunch with a little Kayla twist as I liked to call it. My sister really was a phenomenal cook. The whole time I was cooking I was thinking of Kyle’s remarks.

  “…fat ass…”

  The words echoed in my head like a train’s whistle breaking through the silence. It bounced off the walls of my head until it was the only way I saw myself. As his words always did. My jeans were a little tight. It was time for my crash diet again, as if I was ever off it really. I would be in big trouble if I gained any weight or worse, stayed the same when I got back. While the last of the lunch cooked, I ran and got into my running gear again.

  Gathering up the lunches into five servings, I carried it out to the guys with a jug of iced tea for everyone. As I headed across to the guys, I watched as they all joked around. What it must be like to have friends that enjoy your company and not what you can do for them. Shaking the thoughts from my head, I had other things to focus on here. This was going to be a good week for me. This is what I needed. When I reached the guys, I handed the boys their food and then handed Tobey’s his last.

  “Yours comes with something extra.” Even though he didn’t think I could hack it as a rancher, my heart knew he was it for me. He was the guy I had searched for, but never found.

  “Oh yeah, what’s that?”

  “This.” I leaned up on my toes and kissed him; a kiss that should only be reserved for the bedroom. Truth is, I can’t get the image or thought out of my head on being in bed with him. His sweaty body above me as we make wild and passionate love with each other, it just kept coming back to me even while I was shoveling manure. When I pulled back from the kiss, I smiled at him.

  “You keep that up and I am going to take you to bed for a ‘nap’.”

  “Mmmm promises, promises.” I giggled

  “Why are you wearing that again?”

  “Oh, while you guys are eating I am going to go for a run. I won’t take longer than you eat, I promise. I might do a little more than a mile this time though. You give me an hour?”

  “Yeah, you can have an hour, but aren’t you going to eat?”

  “I ate while I was making your lunches.”

  “Oh, alright then. Off you go. One hour.”

  I gave him a quick kiss and ran off.

  Running was not just the best exercise for me, but it also gave me time to work through my thoughts and right now, my mind was racing with all kinds of thoughts. I was way out of my norm here. It was normal for me to lust after men. I had no problem just having sex with a guy and not expecting anything the next day or week or whatever. However, for the first time I was going to admit to myself if to no one else, I really believe I’m falling in love with Tobey. I had never felt anything like this wit
h any other man before him. He had protected me without a second thought. He had stood up for me when I couldn’t do it myself.

  This brought me to my next problem, Kyle. How was I going to handle him? He was going to be furious when I got back. No matter what my brothers did to keep my dancers safe, he was going to get me when I got back. The thought of it sent a chill up my spine. I have never talked about all the things that he has done when I don’t pull my full weight or what he feels is my full weight. I never told anyone what happened when I got back from my lengthy break to be with Kayla.

  “Well, look who decided to come back after almost eight months on hiatus,” he sneered.

  “I wasn’t on hiatus Kyle. I had a family emergency that I was needed there for. When I hired you, I told you my family always came first. Nothing was more important to me than them. If you have suddenly forgotten it, then that is your fault not mine. I will not apologize for my absence, I don’t need to. I’m the boss. I decide what I do when I want to. Things need to change around here, and if you can’t handle it then maybe it is time that you just pack your shit and go.”

  “Excuse me? I think you have forgotten the pecking order while you were on this break of yours. You answer to me, you spoiled rotten little bitch.”

  Before I could react, he smacked me and I fell onto the desk. My brain immediately assaulted me for talking to him the way I did and meeting him alone. All of which I knew better than to do and yet here I stood doing those exact things. What amazed me more was the fact that even now after all these years, I’m still shocked to be hit. Or maybe it’s the shock of not doing anything so much as it being done.

  He pinned me down to the desk on my stomach. I fought with my arms to push myself up, but I couldn’t budge him. I tried to kick him, but the pencil skirt I wore did not allow me much motion in my legs. He gripped my hair tightly and pulled my head back.

  I bit back the scream that wanted to escape. There was a time when I let out the sounds of my pain, but not anymore. I learned quickly, it only fueled him to go further. It took everything out of me not to scream when my head was slammed into the desk. A burst of bright light flashed before my eyes. He slammed my head three more times and I found it hard to keep myself from passing out. I could feel his erection digging into my ass. If I were to pass out I worried that he would take advantage of that. A shudder runs through me.