by V. A. Dold
“Thank you for reminding me, sweetheart. Boys, you should choose a location on the plantation and design a house. I’ll need you on the property and on call at a moment’s notice. Will that work for you?”
“Sir, I’d love to have my own house, but I don’t have the money to pay a builder at this time.”
Thomas looked to the floor as if to hide the heat he felt creeping up his neck. Isaac knew he was a proud young man, and, as such, would hate to admit any form of weakness.
“Son, the family always pays for the homes we live in. Do you think Cade built this monstrosity himself?” Isaac chuckled. “We have a huge family account with more investments than I can shake a stick at. Pick your location and ask Stefan for the name of his architect, then we can get started building.”
“John, what style house should we build?” Thomas asked.
“No.” Isaac interrupted. “I think you misunderstood me, Thomas. You’ll each be building houses. It won’t be long and you’ll start families yourselves, so let’s get your houses in order now.”
“Oh. Wow, thanks, Grandpa,” John said excitedly. He’d been sitting quietly in deep thought for most of the meeting. “I was walking the property yesterday and there’s a ten acre clearing due east of the main house that will afford you continued privacy and yet keep both of us close by. It’s plenty big enough for two houses.”
“That’s a really good idea, John.” Cade nodded. “That would be the perfect lot for the houses, and once Jack and Michael join the force there is another area to the west of the main house for them. With the river to the south and my house to the north we’ll have the main house covered.”
“Excellent. Thomas and John, please come by this afternoon once you have met with the designer for your houses and we can have a security meeting,” Isaac said, then he drained his coffee cup and set it aside.
“Isaac, would you like a refill?”
“I would love one, but I have a call to make so I’ll have to be going.” He stood to leave and the boys stood as well.
“We’ll walk you out and then go to Stefan’s to get that information you suggested.”
“I think I’ve created a security bulldog,” he chuckled.
“You put us on the job, so deal with it,” John joked.
Both Cade and Isaac barked out loud laughs. John didn’t get snarky often.
“We’ll talk to you later, Dad,” Cade said as he and Anna watched them file out.
Chapter Three
El’s Invitation
A week later, Emma was up bright and early. There was an important meeting with the unsuspecting El at Shadow Hill Stables on her to do list. She had composed the perfect plan. Not only would El attend the ball, but she would also be auctioned off, and all the while, wearing a dress that could knock the socks off a blind man.
*****
El was sweeping the barn when she heard a car door. She wasn’t expecting anyone today.
Who could that be?
Emma Le Beau rounded the barn door with a resolute expression on her face. El sensed immediately she wasn’t going to like this. Emma had that scary, determined stride that everyone feared. Worse, she had her “I need a favor and I won’t take no for an answer” set to her brow. She was definitely on a mission. It never boded well for the person on the receiving end of Emma’s resolve. The score was pretty much Emma, 100; everyone else, zero when she was like this.
El had known Emma for a couple years, ever since she had needed a cure for her prized stallion. She’d tried every medical option known in the veterinary world. As a last resort, she called in Emma, a renowned healer in the bayou.
Emma had come immediately with three other women and shooed her out of the barn. Unaccustomed to being ejected from her own barn, El remembered standing in the yard staring at the closed barn door in disbelief. Thirty minutes later the doors opened and her stallion stood before her completely cured.
Emma refused payment that day, stating only, one day she would need a favor and that would be payment enough. It looked like perhaps today was payday.
El sighed. She prayed the favor wouldn’t be too outlandish. Emma had strange ideas on the best of days. Hopefully this was one of her better ones. It’s not that she really minded Emma’s eccentricities; she simply had a reputation to consider. People held certain expectations in the equine world. Thus, as a large animal veterinarian and a renowned breeder of thoroughbreds, she had an image to uphold.
“Good morning, El, how are you this beautiful morning?” Emma smiled warmly as she took El into a rib-crushing hug.
“I’m great…how have you been?” she said as she gasped for a breath.
“Sorry, didn’t mean to squeeze so hard.” She blushed a slight pink. “I have a small favor to ask of you, and before you say no, it’s for a very worthy cause. Plus I’m sure you’ll have fun.”
She knew it. Here it comes. “What do you need, Emma?”
“Simon and Rose are creating a serviceperson’s charity to benefit veterans returning home and in need. The charity will offer service dogs, fund returning dogs from deployment to their serviceman, and medical or emotional support. To kick off funding they’re hosting a dinner and ball. I’d like you to participate.”
This didn’t sound too bad...Wait a minute!
She narrowed her eyes at Emma and leaned on her broom. “Participate how, exactly?”
“There’ll be an auction of local single men and women. The winner will get to dance with you at the ball and then have dinner with you at the place of his choosing. There will be no hanky-panky, just dinner and dancing. I’d like you to be one of these single people for auction.”
“Are you sure you want a plus-sized woman who hasn’t had a date in years?” She frowned. “I doubt I’ll generate much in the form of bidding.”
“You’re exactly what I want, and I guarantee, you will generate bidding. Now, stop putting yourself down. You’re beautiful, smart, and any man would be lucky to have dinner with you. You can consider this the favor you owe me and we’ll be even.”
“I don’t have a gown for a shindig like that.” A pathetic excuse, she knew, but it was the truth, she really didn’t own an evening gown for a fancy billionaire’s ball. Heck she didn’t own a dress, period.
Emma held up one finger. “Hold that thought.” She turned and practically skipped to her car.
She didn’t!
El watched from the double barn doors as Emma pulled a garment bag from the back seat.
Oh, yes, she did.
El kept her inner groan to herself.
“I had my seamstress make this especially for you,” she beamed.
When El didn’t reach to accept it, she pouted, “You’re not going to leave me high and dry with an evening gown and no woman to wear it, are you?”
Sighing she took the dress. “It doesn’t sound too bad, as long as you’re okay with what little money I’ll make for the charity. And, if no one bids, Isaac needs to bid on me. It’s going to be mortifying enough to be on display–if I don’t get any bids I’ll die of embarrassment.”
“Done.”
“Hang on, when is this event?”
“Saturday.”
“That’s six days from now!”
“I know. I’m sorry, but Simon is putting this together very quickly and he didn’t give me much notice.”
“All right, email me the information and I’ll add it to my calendar.”
El was preparing to say goodbye and get back to work when Emma gasped, “Oh, my. I forgot the shoes.” She ran back to the car and rummaged in the back seat again before raising a shoebox triumphantly over her head. Waving the box back and forth, she rejoined El. “Thank you so much, your participation means a lot to us.”
“My pleasure.” NOT! “Have a great day, Emma, and say hello to the family for me.”
“You have a wonderful day as well. Give your grand-mère a hug from me.”
El leaned on her broom as she waved goodbye to Emma.
What did I just get myself into? She wondered, then shrugged her shoulders. It’s not like I have men breaking down my front door. Oh my God! What IF no one bids on me! On second thought, this could be bad, really bad.
This was sure to cause her humiliation and a bucket load of embarrassment. She had zero expectations of a “fun time.” This would be about as much fun as a visit from the IRS.
Absently she rubbed her forehead. Maybe she could sneak out after the auction. What would she do around a bunch of rich people anyway?
What do they even talk about?
They sure wouldn’t be interested in feed prices and farrier services. “I doubt anyone will even notice if I leave. I’ll do the auction and, first chance I get, I’ll sneak out a side door,” she grumbled to herself. “And how did she know my shoe size?” Her cat and the television were suddenly looking very inviting. Resigned to a horrifying experience as payback to Emma, she went back to sweeping the barn.
With the broom returned to the tool closet, El exhaled an exasperated breath, the brown tendrils that had escaped her cowgirl hat fluttered onto her forehead. She tucked them back under only to have them escape a few minutes later. Her mother had blessed her with a head of thick, curly, chocolate brown hair. No matter what she did with the unruly mop, it always ended up a sweaty mess on her neck within a few hours.
What the heck am I supposed to do with this horror show on my head? I’ll have to make a hair appointment for right before the dance.
It should hold up long enough to complete the auction and escape before it reverts to its normal disarray.
She smiled to herself. I wonder if Emma’s sons will be at the auction.
Of course Simon would be there with his new wife, but what about the others. Seeing that bunch of male hotness all in one room might be worth the humiliation. That thought had her humming an old time waltz her father used to play on his record player when she was a child.
As far as El was concerned, the Le Beau boys were the hottest unmarried guys in the bayou. Well, except for Stefan. He was good looking but way too full of himself – a total man whore. But, the rest of them were the living, breathing embodiment of tall, dark, and handsome.
Every one of them was well over six feet tall, which dwarfed her five-foot-eight height, and gifted her with the rare sensation of feeling petite. Sadly, her veterinary practice and horses kept her busy in the countryside, while “the boys,” as she called them, had white-collar jobs. Plus, they were billionaires and way out of her league. Still, they were magnificent eye candy to behold.
Lucas had asked her out a few times before he left to travel the world with his younger brothers, Seth and Brian. She’d been suspicious that he was asking halfheartedly and not really interested, so she had turned him down. Been there, done that in college with mortifying results. El latched onto the edge of the stall, her chest tightening. It was impossible to breathe. Her pulse began to race and her head swam. She wasn’t going there again. She couldn’t go there again.
Taking a deep breath, she encouraged herself, think of something else. I mean really, men like Lucas flirt with every single woman they come across.
At least the ones she’d met did. There was no way she was his type. How could she be? He was totally buff, mouthwateringly handsome, rich, like billionaire rich, and a genuinely sweet man. Heck, men like him didn’t really exist, a least not beyond the bayou from what she’d seen. There must be something in the water here.
But, truthfully, men who look like him were never interested in a plus-sized woman who had more interest in horses and pralines than the latest fashions and maintaining a perfect size three body.
Her father had started the family’s ranch sixty years ago. This was where she had grown up and where she would always live. Just another drawback for men–any man it seemed. Her history proved that as soon as she told a boyfriend she would never move from the ranch, they quickly disappeared.
It confounded her. Why didn’t they want to live in the country on thousands of acres of pasture? She loved it and thought everyone should feel the same.
I really need to avoid city boys. I guess that means the Le Beaus are off the menu.
Sure, they lived on a plantation, but it was only twenty–five miles outside the city, not really classified as the ‘country’ by her definition.
When El lost her father two years ago, her grand-mère Marie moved in. Marie didn’t like the idea of El alone with a bunch of ranch hands. She inherited the operation, the cowboys, and all its debts. Only by adding her veterinarian services to it, had she been able to turn the ranch into a profit center. After a lot of hard work, she left its precarious financial situation in the past. She loved taking care of the horses and studying bloodlines for the breeding program she developed.
As a vet, she could do anything from intricate operations to annual vaccinations, but her favorite service was delivering foals. The sight of a newborn standing for the first time thrilled her no matter how many foals she delivered for her clientele.
She hadn’t had a date in forever and harbored no desire to do anything about it either. After her last boyfriend, she had come to the conclusion it was safer to go solo.
Besides, she wasn’t really alone. There were the ranch hands who spent more hours in a day with her than any man ever would. She considered each and every one of them family. No, it was better to remain single and take pleasure in her ranch. Plus, she still had her grand-mère. Mémé, as she referred to her, was her only living relative and her best friend.
She ran her hands down her size fourteen thighs. This morning, like every other, she wore Wrangler jeans, an extra-large T–shirt and boots.
I better verify the size of that gown before I end up wearing this–she waved a hand down her body, then slapped her thigh with her cowgirl hat–to that stupid auction.
How embarrassing. What if Emma had gotten her a dress she couldn’t get her butt into? She’d been a solid size fourteen since tenth grade. At twenty–seven, she was still a fourteen. Diets were a thing of the distant past. No matter how hard she tried, the results were always the same. Add to that her unconventional lifestyle; she worked hard on her ranch and developed more muscles than were fashionable for a woman, but she wouldn’t have it any other way.
How a woman managed a size three she would never comprehend. It would forever remain a mystery to her. Like one of the Seven Wonders of the World, you were left shaking your head and marveling how they did it.
El walked to the backdoor of the house. She had better take a break and try on this ridiculous frock or chance complete humiliation. She may not like wearing a gown, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t rock the thing.
Chapter 4
Getting Ready
Stefan scowled as he pulled the lopsided bow tie from his neck for the tenth time. With a curse, he tried again, very carefully, using precise steps. At this rate the thing would be threadbare before he left the house. He liked to look nice, but a tuxedo was not his thing. Give him fitted blue jeans and a leather jacket with a black t-shirt and he was in heaven.
He was determined to look good for Simon’s charity ball. His mother told him several single women would be there for him to meet. He could tell by the way she said it, she had something up her sleeve.
No matter how many times or how many ways he’d tried to get her to explain further, all she would do was smile and wink at him. She would only tell him that the goddess had given her a message about the ball and she was to have her sons attend. Every time he mulled over her cryptic answer he felt a thrill race through his stomach. The feeling was both exciting and disconcerting. She was definitely up to something, but a shifter never questioned the goddess, so here he was in a penguin suit.
As the ball grew near, a fluttering had developed in his stomach, and it grew stronger the closer the event became. He hadn’t been this excited since his first date with Beth over one hundred years ago.
But, that was just plain crazy; he
didn’t have a date for tonight. Besides, he didn’t get excited over them like he did in his youth. Stefan scowled at the bow tie and rubbed his stomach– just the thought of Beth made it churn.
His eyes glazed over as he recalled that disastrous relationship from so long ago. He’d been young and impressionable. Beth had been a beautiful, older, mature woman who fancied him. Oh, she taught him all kinds of tricks in bed, all right. Problem was, he fell in love like a stupid, adolescent sap. Her final lesson had been a brutal heartbreak.
Stefan rushed down the avenue dodging horses and buggies. Red roses bobbed with each desperate pounding step. He couldn’t wait the see his love, his very heart. It didn’t matter that Mother and Father warned him off the human woman. He was in love.
As he rounded the corner of Decatur and St. Ann, he saw the lace curtains fluttering out her second story window. That was when he heard them. Flesh slapped against flesh. Moans and cries of passion floated on the breeze. A man cried out in climax.
He knew better than to climb the stairs to her apartment, but he couldn’t stop his feet from ascending the narrow staircase. His head and heart denied what his ears heard. It had to be someone else, maybe the apartment next to hers. Beth loved him, she would never betray him.
The apartment was unlocked, and, at first glance, vacant. With his feet still in control, he walked to her boudoir. He couldn’t breathe. His heart stopped beating. How did he even remain standing? Beth straddled her footman’s hips with her head thrown back in ecstasy.
Somehow Stefan managed to reach the street again before collapsing in despair. Beth would never hear from him again, and she would never know she’d been caught having sex with another man. He cut off all communication with her and vowed to never allow his heart to get involved with a woman ever again. To this day he kept that vow, only dating a woman once, never twice. No relationship equaled no heartbreak.
So why had this fluttering settled in his stomach? It made no sense. At this point, his first date was so far in his rear view mirror it was out of sight.
