by Reece Butler
“You’ve waited a long time, Walter,” she said to the silent room. “Enjoy your kingdom.”
Chapter 23
Monday started with the alarm going off when pink fingers of dawn were still reaching for the sky. The men dressed quickly and headed downstairs. Breakfast, chores, and they were gone to meet with each ranch to go over the plans for the haying. After feeding them she’d soaked in the giant tub with another of Marci’s books. That night they fell into bed and just cuddled. Tuesday morning they’d woken early again, though not to do the morning chores. She’d taken them in her mouth, one at a time.
She hadn’t realized oral sex was a far more intimate act than having someone use her pussy to get off, as her previous partners had done. What had really surprised her was that she’d enjoyed making Trey and Sam happy. They were both clean and eager. They were careful, giving her total control. They even made suggestions for improvements, as if she’d still be around in a few weeks. She tried to forget anything but the moment.
Forgetting was easy once the haying started. As the weather was supposed to hold for a while, Sam, with input from the older generations, announced they’d start at the Gibson’s Anchor Ranch at sunup Wednesday morning. The next days were a blur. She had no time for anything but the task at hand. It wasn’t until Friday evening that she had time to check for Gran’s reply.
There was nothing, which worried her. She sent another text, the telephone rang with a potential crisis, and it went from her mind. The weather changed Sunday as they worked the J Bar C ranch. They raced through the day, the men grabbing a bite as they could. The hay was stacked before the rain hit, though they finished cleaning up in a drizzle which got progressively worse. When they staggered home and put the horses back in the barn only two ranches, the Double Diamond and the MD Connected, were left.
She’d showered, dressed comfortably, then checked her e-mail for a reply from her grandmother.
“Finally!”
“What’s up?” asked Sam, wandering in. He stood behind her, massaging her shoulders.
“Gran replied about Keith wanting the leftover stock.” Sam dug his thumbs into the knots between her shoulder blades. She clicked on the icon, closing her eyes to enjoy the massage while the e-mail loaded. “Mmm, that feels wonderful.”
“That doesn’t look good,” said Sam.
The stared at the screen. This account has been locked. Do not reply. This is an auto-response. For further information please review the Winterbourne Fine Furniture Company website.
She immediately called it up, cursing the computer's slow speed.
“Didn’t you say that was your grandmother’s private e-mail account?
“Yes, but if it was run from the company server they’d have control over it. I sure hope Gran is okay.” She tapped her fingers restlessly, waiting for the front page to load. “I should’ve sent her the ranch’s phone number.”
“That doesn’t look like the same company,” said Sam.
Instead of a tasteful representation of products, her uncle’s arrogant sneer filled the screen. Her stomach clenched in fear.
“Oh God, no!”
“What’s up?” Trey, holding a piece of apple pie on his palm, padded into the office.
“Something’s happened to my grandmother. She didn’t answer my e-mail and now her account is closed and my uncle’s face is all over the company website.”
“Whoa, slow down.” Trey leaned over her shoulder. “That your uncle?” He shuddered. “Why would you ever want to work for an arrogant bastard like that?”
“I don’t, but I have little choice.”
“You always have a choice. You can stay here until you figure out where you want to be. You blew everyone away with your professionalism, organizational skills, and your personality. With those abilities, you could go anywhere. Anyone here would be glad to give you a reference.”
She hadn’t gotten to the point of thinking about references. If she left the company, by choice or not, they would not give her a positive response.
“Due to Mrs. Winterbourne’s ill health, Walter Winterbourne has taken on the reins of the Winterbourne Fine Furniture Company,” said Sam, reading the screen over her shoulder. “Mrs. Winterbourne, a grandmother many times over, will now be able to enjoy her golden years.”
“Gran’s sick?”
“Sounds like there’s been a coup, and your granny was put out to pasture,” said Trey. “This is the official company website. Why say anything about her being a grandmother unless they wanted to put her down?”
“You’re right. It doesn’t talk about her business achievements. Gran’s been head of the company for forty years, and won all sorts of business awards.” Tears sprung into her eyes at the insult. “Damn him!”
Sam squeezed her shoulders gently in support.
“What a pompous ass,” said Trey.
“I’ll have to call first thing in the morning and find out what’s happening.”
“When are you supposed to be back?”
“Nine o’clock Wednesday morning.”
“Hate to break this to you, Katie,” said Sam, “but you’re not going to make it. Not if you intend to finish your job here.”
“I said I would stay until the job’s done, and I will.” She twisted around to look up at him. “My grandmother knew what I was doing here, and gave me her total support to stay until the job was done. But something’s happened to her.”
“You want us to call the hospitals’?” asked Trey.
She exhaled. “No, they would’ve gloated about her being sick if it was true. There’s nothing I can do until tomorrow morning.”
“Yes, there is.” Sam released her shoulders. He rolled the chair away from the desk and turned it around. “You can come to bed where I will give you—”
“I’m not really up to—”
“—a massage that will put you to sleep.”
“Damn, Katie, we know you’re hurting,” said Trey. “We’re not wanting to jump your bones, we want to give you some cuddles so you can sleep. You’ve been working your ass off just as much as us. We all need some downtime.”
Her heart melted. Unlike the family she’d been born into, Sam and Trey, and the others she’d worked beside, cared about her, not just what she could do for them. She’d made good friends here and didn’t want to leave yet. Lila’s wedding was coming close, and she had to stay for that.
Unless she could get her appointment rescheduled she would not be having a career in Oregon. No one else in the industry would hire her for fear of offending Walter. She liked it here in Montana. If she could stay for a bit she could send resumes to the companies that had shown interest when she talked with them at the college hiring fairs.
“May I stay here until Lila’s wedding is over? By then I should know where I’m going next.”
“Dammit, Katie, you have to ask?”
Trey made a noise of disgust and picked her up. She snuggled against his warm body, her fingers caressing the curls at his neck. He really needed a haircut. He’d have time while it rained. They’d have time to do a lot of things, things far more fun than getting a haircut. Not tonight, but maybe tomorrow they could investigate that locked room. She’d have to clean it first, of course.
* * * *
“I don’t want her to leave.”
Sam kept working, pretending he hadn’t heard Trey’s comment. He’d slept like a log the night before, waking curled around Katie’s back, his hand holding her breast. He’d lain there for a while, not wanting to move. He never lay around in bed as there was always something to do on a ranch. He was trying to convince himself the laziness was another reason Katie wasn’t right for him when she’d woken and smiled. It had taken an extreme amount of self-discipline to get out of that warm bed to feed the horses.
Katie made him want to play instead of work. Play was good, but not when it interfered with work. He needed a wife who did not make his heart pound and his cock rise just by thinking about h
er. He needed someone he could take for granted.
For years he’d planned exactly the type of wife the Rocking E needed. Those requirements that he’d set down in stone now seemed hollow. Nowhere on the list was the ability to smile when exhausted and under pressure, or to respond to his cousins’ ribbing by giving as good as she got. Every morning when he and the other men had arrived for breakfast she’d smiled as she dished out the bacon, sausages, scrambled eggs, home fries, and more. At lunch she drove a pickup loaded with food out to where they were working. And at night, when they hauled their exhausted bodies to whatever place they were to sleep, she’d still been able to send zingers in response to the wisecracks the cousins threw at her.
He told himself she was putting in a special effort to look good. Anyone could act pleasant for a short time if they really wanted to and she felt obligated to them because they’d rescued her. He told himself that even as he rolled eyes at himself. Katie had exceeded everyone’s expectations. Those expectations hadn’t been high because she wasn’t a ranch woman yet she’d astounded them all, him most of all.
“I said,” repeated Trey forcefully, “I don’t want Katie to leave.”
Sam tossed the last flake of hay and turned. “She won’t be leaving for a while,” he said, his voice flat and composed. “She said her uncle would can her for being late, so she’s got no job to go home to. Anyway, she hates living in that family compound. She’s done a good job so far, so I don’t mind her staying until she finds a new job. There’s enough work here to keep her busy for a few weeks,” he added.
Trey poured the rest of the grain for the waiting horse. “I’m not talking a couple of weeks, Sam.”
He finished his job, putting everything away exactly as it should be, all ready for next time. His stomach rumbled. He wanted Katie to stay until they found a suitable prospective wife. He’d grown used to her food, and her company. It would be a pain to have to cook again.
Don’t lie to yourself, Samuel Henry Elliott. You want her, bad!
“You’re afraid you’re going to care for Katie, then get ripped apart if something happens to her. Do you even care for her, beyond someone who cooks and cleans and satisfies you sexually? Katie would be a bright, intelligent, loving wife who’d make our lives complete. But because you’re scared, you want to turn back into a robot, just like before Katie punched you in the face.”
Sam curled his hands into fists. He wanted to punch Trey’s mouth, but he knew his brother was only doing it to get a rise out of him.
“I care for her, Sam,” said Trey, quiet and intense. “I don’t want to lose her because of your pride, or stick up your ass, or whatever it is that’s holding you back.”
Sam set his hands on his hips and dropped his head. He sighed, then looked out at the pounding rain. “Yeah, I care about her, too. Too much. That’s why I can’t keep her.”
“You care about her, so you want her to leave? Do you know how stupid that is?”
“It’s for her own good. You saw how well she organized everything. She’s got an MBA for God’s sake! She doesn’t want to hang around this two-bit town wasting all that education and talent.”
Trey crossed his arms, tilted his head, and pursed his lips. He looked as if he’d eaten too many beans around the campfire.
“You know what’s going on in her brain so you’ll decide her life for her. How generous of you.” His face hardened. “Did you ask if she was interested in working here?”
“You mean like balancing the ranch books? That takes maybe an hour a week.”
“There’s other jobs. I bet Tom would hire her.”
“In the restaurant?”
“No, Katie could help Tom with that company that doesn’t exist. She’s a whiz at computers, and the last week proved her logistics skills. With her self-defense training she could even be an agent. Not that Tom has such a thing.”
No one was sure what Tom’s company did. He’d said he specialized in reorganizing closets. Some people had skeletons in them which needed to be exposed. Others needed to find a refuge so they, or their families, stayed alive. The thought of Tom putting Katie in danger made his balls constrict.
“Katie is not going to work for Tom,” he said between clenched teeth. “She is going to find a nice, comfortable job in an office. She’ll find a man with a desk job and have two point three children, and be content.”
Trey shook his head. “We don’t want to settle with contentment, and neither does Katie. We want a woman who’ll push back, make us laugh, and scream our names as she climaxes. The perfect woman is right here, but you won’t look past your own fear.” Trey pushed past him out into the rain. Because he wore no coat he was immediately soaked to the skin. “I’d feel sorry for you, but your refusal to accept Katie means I won’t have her, either. Think about that, big brother.”
Sam’s hunger was gone, replaced by a gut full of bile.
Trey was right. Katie upset made him feel things that scared the hell out of him. He’d faced his father’s demons and survived. Could he face the terror of letting Katie into his heart, and maybe losing her?
Chapter 24
Katie watched out the window as Sam and Trey stomped off to their pickups. They were both going to the Gibson ranch, though Sam was going to the Bitterroot first, to pick up Hunter Jones and Dax Smith. She didn’t follow football, but it seemed both of them were somewhat famous. Dax was six foot seven, an intense man who, the time he smiled, was intriguingly handsome. Hunter was almost as big, though his smiles were more easily given. If she hadn’t fallen for a pair of Elliott brothers she might have been attracted to them.
Sam and Trey hadn’t said a word to each other since they came from the barn except for “pass the biscuits,” and “more coffee, please.” Katie wasn’t sure they’d speak at all if she wasn’t there. They’d woken happy, but something had happened between them waking with her, and coming in for breakfast. Trey had been friendly, giving her a hug and nibbling her ear before sitting. That made Sam scowl even more, so of course Trey had to do it again before he left. That made her pussy purr. Unfortunately, they’d left before doing anything about it.
Katie didn’t know what Sam’s problem was but she had something more important on her mind. She was not going to make her Wednesday morning appointment. If Gran was gone and Walter was in charge, she might be out of a job. The office didn’t open until eight so she cleaned the kitchen. As there was still time to wait, she made an inventory list of the pantry and what she needed. At three minutes past eight she lifted the heavy black rotary phone on the office desk. It took forever to dial. Walter had one just like it, though he kept it because he didn’t like change even if it made things easier for his staff.
“Winterbourne Fine Furniture. How may I direct your call?”
“This is Katherine Winterbourne. Please put me through to the CEO’s office.”
The friendly voice turned cold. “The office is not open until nine. Would you care to leave a message?”
“Nine? My grandmother was always at her desk by seven-thirty.”
“Mrs. Hildegard Winterbourne is no longer part of this company. How may I direct your call?”
“I want to know what happened to my grandmother.”
“Let me check if someone is available to speak with you.”
Katie translated that as whether the receptionist could find someone who’d bother to take her call.
“Ms. Abigail Thornton will speak with you.”
Abigail had worked for her grandmother for the last five years. As Katie was far too low to have a reason for her to meet the CEO, they hadn’t met except at official functions. She hoped Abby knew about her assignment, and that she was close enough to Gran to know the truth.
“Ms. Thornton? It’s Katie. What’s up with all this?”
“Good morning, Ms. Katherine. How may I help you?”
“Ah, someone is listening in. Are her ears twitching?”
“Yes, Mrs. Winterbourne decided to ret
ire, as she has not been well for some time.”
“Do you know where she is?”
“No, Ms. Katherine, your appointment with Mister Walter is at ten on Wednesday, not today. Are you calling to confirm?”
“Gran knew I wouldn’t be able to make the appointment, and she approved.”
“I shall notify Mister Walter that you are unable to make the appointment.”
“Can you push it back a week?”
“No, Ms. Katherine. I do not have the authority to reschedule Mister Walter's appointments.”
“Are you being laid off?”
“That is correct.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. Or are you happy to retire?”
“Yes, thank you for your concern. Mrs. Winterbourne will be able to take care of her health now that she’s no longer stressed by the duties of her position.”
“You mean swimming in a shark tank.” Abby made a noise that could have been a laugh and changed into a cough. “Thank you. I guess I’ll be unemployed as soon as Walter finds out I won’t make his meeting.”
“I expect you are correct. Is there anything else I can do for you, Ms. Katherine?”
“No, thank you. Gran really enjoyed having you work with her.”
“Thank you, Ms. Katherine. You have a nice day now.”
Katie hung up the near-antique phone. She set her elbows on the sturdy old desk and dropped her head on her hands. If Gran’s closest employee didn’t know where she was, nobody did. She decided to think positive. Gran had escaped. She knew Katie’s e-mail, and would contact her when she could. As soon as the haying was over, Katie would rewrite her resume and send it out. She’d find a position as far as possible from her relatives.
As for Sam and Trey…her intentions toward them had to do with temporary lust. That was all. Yes, she enjoyed their company, but she would not lose her heart to someone who wanted her to find him another woman to marry!
“And on that topic, I’d better set up an account for Sam to view these amazing women he insists are out there.”
