by Ashlee Price
“You’re very quiet Shane. Do you not have any questions for me, because I have questions for you.”
Shane was almost surprised to hear her voice after such silence.
“Sure, ask whatever you want.”
“What does a cowboy do?”
“Ah, well I run a horse training ranch. We train horses for racing or for personal use for customers. Have you ever been on a horse before?”
She shook her head that she hadn’t and asked him if he would take her for a ride one day. Shane promised he would and she seemed to like that answer. He liked the idea of holding her tight against him as they rode.
“So tomorrow we get married?”
“As long as you still want to.” He looked over, hoping that was still the case. He had already warmed up to the idea and it sounded like a good one. He really wanted to marry her, have her for his own. She was beautiful.
“I do. Do you like me for a wife?”
He nodded his head a bit too quickly, but she didn’t laugh at him about it. Shane couldn’t think of anything else that he wanted more than to be her husband.
“Yes, I think you are perfect.”
Chapter 3
The rest of the day was spent showing her where everything at the ranch was and then leaving her to unpack and settle in while he took care of some duties that still had to be done. He had several employees that worked there as well, though there was still more work than men and he picked up the slack where it was needed. Caroline still wasn’t back from upstate, so Dasha was left to her own devices in the house.
He told her before he left that they would grab something in town when he was done brushing down a couple of the horses and after he checked on the one that had the hurt leg. Shane thought of the new woman in his life and wondered how he could be so lucky. He was waiting for her to lose it or for something to come out. She was just too perfect, too beautiful. There had to be something that made her choose to move all the way across the world instead of having her pick of men in her own country.
Shane almost didn’t care though, she was stunning. Dasha’s dark hair was long and she had it braided to the side when he picked her up. She must have been barely over five and a half feet tall, coming to just his chest and she had soft features, refined in a way that was not normal in his part of the country. It was her voice though and her blue eyes that drew him in. Her tone was sure and her eyes evaluating. If Shane didn’t know any better, he would have thought he had met his match.
Walking back in the house, he was not expecting the smells of dinner. He was going to take her out, but as he got closer to the kitchen, it was clear that she had made something. The smells were as foreign as her accent, but it smelled good whatever it was.
“It smells good in here.”
She waved him away. “I thought you might be hungry. The pampushki will be ready in a minute and then we can eat. Why don’t you go wash up before dinner?”
It was stronger than a suggestion and for some reasons, he didn’t want to disappoint her and went upstairs to their bedroom. He had tried to give her the option of where she wanted her things and she had opted for the guest bedroom until they were married tomorrow. All that Shane could think of was what would happen when they did share a bed together .Was all of his talk of needing a wife going to get him one or would she be resistant? He had not planned to feel the way he did and certainly hadn’t figured he would be so attracted to her.
He went upstairs and peeked in the guest bedroom. He didn’t see her bag anywhere and he finally went into his own room where her bag was on the floor next to the dresser. Shane didn’t know why it was in there, but when he opened the drawers, he saw some of her things put up. His fingers were drawn to a bit of red silk and he picked it up before he heard her voice behind him.
“I hope you don’t mind that I put them in there. It didn’t seem to make sense when I will only be in the other room a night, to unload it in there.”
Shane was red when he turned around, stuffing the panties back in the drawer. He tried not to look guilty but it was clear he had been caught. She had a slight grin on her face and mischief in her eyes. Her look was unfathomable and he looked away, not able to hold her gaze.
“I was just going to let you know that the borshch is ready.”
He nodded like he knew what the hell it was and followed her back down the stairs. Shane realized he hadn’t even washed his hands or changed his shirt. A look from her made him notice it and he went back upstairs to do as she asked. Well she didn’t even have to verbally ask, her eyes had told him what she wanted and he had been unable to refuse her.
The table was set and she had invited in the workers, as well as Caroline. There was a big pot of some kind of red soup in the middle of the table and though everyone wondered what was in it, no one said a word. The men were busy checking out Dasha and Caroline checking out her boss’ reaction. She had just came in and just met her. She had to say that Dasha was not at all what she had expected. Dasha was forceful and obviously capable.
All through dinner, the other staff asked her all kinds of questions and she answered them as clearly as she could. When she mentioned that her and Shane were getting married in the morning, everyone except Caroline was looking at her with shock. There were more questions of how they met and Shane started to get nervous of what Dasha would say.
“We met online.”
“Like on a dating site?”
“Yeah which site?”
She looked at the two young men and shook her head. “Just a site.”
Shane relaxed a little since she wasn’t going to spill the beans of where they met. He noticed Sammy paying extra attention to her and it made him a little nervous. Dasha was beautiful and he could see why they wanted her as well. He wanted her the moment he saw her and now she was his and he didn’t want to share her with anyone.
He cut the night short, reminding everyone that they had races tomorrow and to get some rest. The men seemed more upset about it than Caroline, but she was looking at Dasha in such a way that it made him look twice. There was a jealousy in her eyes and it made him pause.
Dasha got up and started to clean the kitchen as the others left. Shane moved into the kitchen to help her, drying the dishes as she washed them. It was a comfortable companionship that he had said he wanted, but he kept looking over at her.
“So what do you think of this place so far Dasha? I hope you are finding everything to your liking?”
She nodded. “Yes, everyone is so nice, thank you. I was worried about things when I got here, but it will be good. I think you will be a good husband.”
Shane stopped when she looked at him, her blue eyes held something in them and he bent down to kiss her before he realized what he was doing. She sidestepped him and smiled. “Tomorrow. I want the first time you kiss me to be when we are man and wife.”
Shane straightened up, slightly embarrassed that he had tried to move so fast. It was hard not to though when she looked up at him like she needed his touch more than anything else in the world. She was literally trembling and he pulled away. “Sorry, you’re right Dasha. You are just so beautiful, a man can forget himself.”
They didn’t say anything else while they finished off the dishes. Shane felt like an ass for trying with her, but he couldn’t help it. All that time he had wanted a wife for help, there was a whole other side to marriage that he had seemed to forget about. He had forgotten how it felt to have a soft body underneath him and all he could think of now was that. It didn’t matter if she could do accounting, cooking, all he wanted was to kiss her and hear her moan his name softly.
Shaking his head, he helped put the dishes where they belong and then watched her go off to her bedroom. Tomorrow, he told himself. Tomorrow there would be no more need for him to wait and their kiss would only be the beginning.
“I will see you in the morning Shane. Good night.”
“Good night Dasha.”
Chapter 4
&nbs
p; Dasha went to bed thinking of the man she was going to marry. He was kind and seemed to be a nice man, but there was a smoldering need in him that was clear to her and she wondered how long he would wait. There was some things that she had kept to herself and one of them was how inexperienced she was. She had never been with a man in anyway, never even been kissed and tomorrow she was to be married. It made Dasha a nervous wreck and she went to bed wondering how it was all going to turn out.
There was a knock on the door an hour or so later, right before she was supposed to go to bed. Dasha figured it was Shane and opened the door. Instead it was one of his workers from dinner, Sammy.
“Can I help you Sammy?”
Sammy pushed through the door and she moved back suddenly. He was huge and when he pushed through, she moved back as far as she could. “Shane is in the other room if you need him.”
He shut the door behind him and shook his head. “Why aren’t you and boss man staying in the same room?”
Dasha shrugged. “We are to be married tomorrow. A man and woman shouldn’t share a bed until married.”
Sammy didn’t seem to agree and pushed towards her while Dasha moved away until the wall on the opposite side of the room was against her back. “Please go. I am ready for bed now.”
As he moved closer, she had nowhere else to go and it was clear to see the intent in his eyes. He wanted what Shane had wanted, but Sammy looked like someone that would not take no for an answer. He was almost in reach and she jumped over the bed and made it towards the door.
Dasha didn’t even think about it and went straight to Shane’s room. She didn’t knock, just pushed in and found him sleeping. Her body trembled with adrenaline and all she wanted to do was get away from Sammy. Closing the door behind her, she locked it and breathed deeply. Her eyes took in the half-dressed man in the bed. She wasn’t sure what to do. Should she tell him that Sammy tried to corner her in her room? Dasha didn’t know. Instead she shook Shane slightly and asked if she could sleep with him.
He was groggy, but just moved the sheet aside. Her eyes went to his covered length that was raging in his boxers. Shane caught the look, but she slipped into the bed anyways. It was better than the alternative. Shane pulled her into an embrace and her body was tensed.
“Are you okay Dasha?”
She shook her head that she was and nestled in next to his chest. Putting her head against his chest, she sighed, her body still shaking from the encounter. Dasha knew that she was going to have to stay away from him but she didn’t want to tell Shane and make him angry at her. They all seemed so close. Would he even believe her if she did tell him? Dasha wasn’t so sure.
***
Shane woke up in the morning, hard and needy as the young woman lay sprawled across his body. She had come to him shaking the night before and he wasn’t sure why she had gotten spooked, but to have her there now was worth it. Her body was soft and warm, molded to his, her thigh stretched across his hardness. The touch drove him mad, but she didn’t seem to notice, moving ever so softly in her sleep.
He laid there for an hour before he fought himself to get up. He wanted to feel her body against him forever, assuring himself that she would be his forever. She would be his wife soon and by the way it was going, she was going to be a good wife. Her cooking, while different was really good and she seemed to get along with everyone.
Extracting himself from her limbs, he watched her sleep for some time. Moving to get dressed, he left her there as he started some of the chores of the morning. He felt a spring in his step that he had never felt before and lightness as he looked forward to the day ahead. All he could think about was Dasha and what the end of the day would bring.
“Sir.”
“Yes Caroline. You are up early aren’t you?”
“Well I can’t sleep I guess. There is something that I need to show you and I don’t want to.”
Her voice was unsure and since she was always sure of everything, that along made him wonder what was going on. “What is it Caroline?”
She shook her head like she couldn’t answer and urged him back into the house. Shane didn’t know what was going on, but he had a feeling he wasn’t going to like it. He had known Caroline for years and it wasn’t right how she was acting.
“Caroline, what’s going on? You are acting strange.”
“I don’t know how to say it, so just come with me please. I was coming in here to get the paperwork for the race, the one by your bed and I saw them in the opened door.”
When Shane heard them, he realized that she was talking about the two people in his bed. Sammy seemed to be half-dozed off, his arm around Dasha. It became clear to him what had happened and he instantly got mad.
“Dasha?! Sammy?! What the hell is going on?”
Sammy seemed to be surprised, but it was Dasha that screamed when she seen him, moving out of the bed so fast she fell. Her night clothes were still on. “That man, why is he here?”
Shane tried to see it for what it was, if it wasn’t for the slight grin he seen on Caroline’s face. Sammy didn’t seem too bothered to be caught like he was and the way he looked at him made him wonder.
“Sammy, what are you doing in here with my fiancée?”
Sammy got up, only a small pair of boxers on. “She begged me Sir. You know it’s impossible to turn away. She said she wanted me to fuck her.”
Shane didn’t look at him, but at the reaction on Dasha’s face. It was a lie, that much was clear. While it might be thought that he was merely believing what he wanted to believe, it was her face that made him wonder what was really going on.
“Sammy, Caroline, get out of here. I will be down in the kitchen in a minute.”
Caroline didn’t seem to understand. “What, wait, you believe her? She just slept with the help.”
“The help?”
Caroline shot a glance to Sammy. He was supposed to be in it for the money, but he didn’t like his lover calling him the help. Caroline had long-term goals with Shane and his money. Sammy never saw the big picture.
“Yes, the help. Are you really going to trust some foreign slut that is here for her green card, over me?”
The look in her eyes was manufactured, not even enough to hide the anger that simmered just under the service. It was bad enough that he had done what he did to get a wife, but to then trust her instead was too much for Caroline.
“Leave, now!”
Shane saw the exchange and his eyes went back to Dasha. She was afraid and he wondered how much of it she understood.
When the other two had left, he offered her a hand to help her up. “What happened Dasha?”
“That man was in my room last night and I got out and came in here.”
“You thought I would keep you safe?”
She nodded her head and their eyes met for a moment. Dasha felt safe around him, though she had not worried about her safety or her body being in danger when she took the trip. The way that Sammy had looked the night before still made her insides tremble. He had been up to no good.
“Well I will. I don’t know what to say about any of this, but that I am sorry. I will get rid of them today.”
Dasha expected his anger and she didn’t expect him to believe her, but there was a kindness in his dark eyes that was hard to deny.
“He didn’t touch you, did he?”
“No I am still just for you.”
Shane wasn’t sure what that meant, but he really like the sound of it. Just for him. He hugged her to him until she wasn’t shaking so badly and it angered him more than they had done that to her. Shane figured that Caroline wanted her gone, maybe she was afraid her job was in jeopardy and Sammy was easy enough to understand. Caroline must have his hooks in her.
Leaving the room, he told Dasha he would be back. They had a wedding to prepare for after all and even if it was supposed to be a small gathering, they both were going to need some time. “I will be back. Just lock the door behind you if you don’t feel safe Dasha.
I am sorry this happened and I promise you I will not let anything ever happen to you. You are safe here.”
He walked out of there and then it occurred to him that he might have to let some people go, so that statement was true.
Chapter 5
Shane walked back downstairs and couldn’t believe the two of them were still sitting there. If they had been smart, they would have left. But Caroline never had been very smart. She still thought that he would have no clue of what had happened. She was so convinced of herself.
“You two are fired, effectively immediately. Sad too because Sammy, you’ve been a good help here, but you followed the wrong woman.”
“I didn’t mean to Sir, but Caroline would have gotten me fired if I didn’t.”
Shane nodded, understanding the situation clearly now. “Yes well, my wife will not want you around because of it and I don’t blame her. You are lucky she doesn’t want to call the police. You need to ask yourself if Caroline is worth jail.”
Sammy looked over at Caroline and Shane could see that he didn’t think so. He walked out without another word and Shane knew that it was the last of problems with him. Caroline was still sitting there, back straight. It was as if she didn’t even hear his words or believe that he would fire her.
“Shane, I was here when your parents ran this place.”
“Sadly I wonder what other manipulations you caused through the years.”
“I was only trying to help Shane. I promised them I would and that bitch will ruin you. Look at you already, like she is some flower to be protected!”
She stood up pissed, her face red as she walked towards him. She was confrontational and he expected the slap across the face when it came. “This is why you will always be alone Caroline. No man wants you and even Sammy will see you for who you are.”
“We could have been good together.”
Shane made a sound of disbelief in the back of his throat. That was the last thing on his mind. “See yourself out of I will call the police.”
