Stacy was trying to keep up with Aunt Marie, but it was nearly impossible. It seemed even Anna knew what was really going on and wanted to try and help. She loved her best friend. All thoughts were lost as Aunt Marie pushed the front door open.
The small little cottage was not as tiny as it appeared. Although the decorating was ancient and the walls a pale yellow, there was a lot of sunlight illuminating the room. There was even a set of double doors that led out to a small deck which needed some work. She would definitely have her work cut out for her, but as she toured the small cottage, her spirits rose.
“I take it that this old place will be suitable for you, Stacy?”
Stacy turned to smile at Marie.
“It’s great,” she replied then took a step forward. “But are you sure you are well? I mean, Millie insisted that your health was failing and that you really did need help around here.”
“I am very well. Strong as any man around these parts. I’ve been working the farm life since I could walk. No need to worry about me and no need to think I won’t be putting you to work to earn your keep. I expect you to be ready by sunup to share a breakfast with me and sometimes Ron. I get some guests, and sometimes I’ll need my privacy, but I’ll tell ya when. Why don’t you get settled in and washed up? I stocked the place with some things Millie said you liked. When you’re all finished, come on over to the main house and we’ll do supper at five o’clock sharp. Don’t be late. Oh, and the main house is the big white one at the end of this driveway and around the large tree we just came from.” Aunt Marie smiled and went straight faced in a half a second then quickly headed back in that direction as Stacy stood in shock.
* * * *
Stacy took the first thirty minutes trying to reach Millie and Anna to give them a piece of her mind. They set her up. Here she was, thinking that she was fooling them about the intensity of the situation with her boss stalking her, and they went right along with it. Her new home was in Texas, living on a farm and helping a woman who, despite her tanned, wrinkled skin and what would be considered senior age, had more gall, attitude, and strength than Stacy herself could ever have. Stacy didn’t thin
k that she handled the situation with her boss poorly. She just wondered if she didn’t break his nose if he would have given up on pursuing her. It was as if by her fighting back, he was more determined to break her and conquer her. She felt the chills run through her body. There was a definite fear there. A fear of not just men in general, but ones that could be perceived as intimidating and superior in nature. It was crazy, but she instantly thought about the cowboy she met with Ron. He appeared large and rugged. The fact that he appeared out of nowhere on open land filled with miles of grass and pasture as far as her eyes could see made her think of danger.
She suddenly felt afraid of the wildness about the farmland and a sense of vulnerability. The tears stung her eyes. This move was supposed to be empowering and a beginning established on a foundation of new inner strength. It wasn’t supposed to reveal more of her inner weakness and reservations about being alone and handling life on her own. But in actuality, that was precisely what she accomplished by moving out here. The isolation from the norm and unknown dangers were a complete reversal of city life to country life in a flash. How am I going to do this? She inhaled the scent of the house and the old-home smell and the hint of wild flowers passing through the ugly, faded beige curtains. The fear of the unknown was not going to bring her down. A day at a time and keep to yourself, Stacy, and you’ll get through this and find the answers you’re looking for. She looked around the house, noting the time and realizing that she needed to get to the main house in fifteen minutes. She absorbed all the work the little cottage needed. That her little cottage needed, and she mentally noted the supplies she should get and where to start. She was going to make this work, and she was going to survive. New York was behind her, and it was nothing but a memory.
* * * *
“What do you mean you have no idea where she is? All I asked was that you watch her, and you can’t even do that,” Barry Weiner yelled into the cell phone. He was sitting on a lounge chair on a beach in the Bahamas. It was something his pain-in-the-ass wife suggested to help him deal with the accusations going through the office about his sexual flings. Plus his broken nose would take time to heal, and it was easier to go away and not deal with all the questions than to stick around work and make excuses. She insisted that he come along with her and act like the husband he was supposed to be. The stupid bitch should have known by now that all he wanted was a stake in her father’s company. That’s why he had courted her in college and landed this job straight out of Harvard. Why else would he put up with her annoying, unintelligent banter and skinny, scrawny body?
“I tried sir, but it was difficult with the cops hanging around her place. I planted that gift you wanted me to plant, but her friend intercepted it,” Curtis replied, and Barry could hear the fear in Curty’s voice.
“Fuck! You were supposed to handle this. It’s your ass on the line as well. I am not going to let her get away with what she did to me. I’ve got cops asking questions, and I don’t want them snooping around. I have something else I want you to deliver to her once my sources locate her. I will be in touch.”
“Why can’t we just forget about her? She’s not important. She doesn’t matter when you can replace her with a dozen others. Even Teressa and Michelle are interested in you.”
“I don’t want them. I waited a year for this. My mind is made up, and remember who you are talking to. I’ve gotta go. Don’t screw this up because if I have to hire someone else to do it, I will, and you can forget about your promotion.”
Barry hung up the phone just as his wife approached carrying two piña coladas. He despised her, but he had to keep her. If he divorced her, then her father would fire him. Not that her old man was a saint, but he kept his affairs well hidden. All Barry wanted was Stacy. Everything about her from her long, thick red hair to her sparkling green eyes turned him on. Her body was a work of art from what he could tell, considering she wore such nonrevealing clothing. Even that was a turn-on. When he finally got a hold of her body, he wanted every inch of her. He wanted her all to himself, and the fact that his father-in-law had noticed Stacy as well…Well, that just pissed Barry off. Stacy belonged to him, and he was going to have her.
* * * *
Eric Cantrell walked out of the stables feeling hot, dirty, and tired. He had spent the day out in the fields mending fences. He was pissed off that one of their hands, Gutry, had obviously been slacking in his duties. As soon as he found the guy, he was going to give him a final warning. This wasn’t the first time Gutry screwed up. Eric, his brother Max, and their cousins could have lost livestock.
As he dusted the dirt off his jeans while he was walking, he thought about the damage that still needed mending and how a trip to the hardware store tomorrow for more materials was a must. Now that he was back on Cantrell land, he also found himself thinking about the gorgeous young woman in Ron Thorton’s truck. She was a beauty. She looked a little timid, but knowing how big Eric was, he assumed his height and size had intimidated her. She was a petite little thing with amazing green eyes. Damn, she was a sight to remember. He couldn’t recall the last time when just looking at a woman made his dick hard. Just thinking about her now stirred his cock’s attention. Fuck! He shifted as he walked, trying to ease the tightness in his crotch.
“Hey, where ya been?”
Eric looked up in time to see his cousin, Charlie, walking toward him. They met just a few feet before the gardens.
“That asshole Gutry screwed up big time, damn it! I’ve been out doing his fucking job all day, and it ain’t even done yet.”
“What do you mean?”
“The damn fences haven’t been fixed in God knows how long. I thought you and Ben were going to keep an eye on him?”
“Well, I thought Ben was, but I guess not. He’s been too busy lately,” Charlie responded, looking annoyed now as well.
“Busy with what? The ladies? Damn, I’m going to have to make him come along with me tomorrow to fix the rest.”
“Well, in the meantime, what about Gutry? I think we’re going to have to toss his ass.”
“I never cared for that guy anyway. He’s always causing fights whether he’s kicked back a few too many at Francine’s place or over in Turbank. We’ve got to talk to the others and confirm what we want to do. I’ve had it.”
“Well, why don’t you go take a shower and get cleaned up. Supper’s nearly done. That’s another soon-to-be problem, you know, too,” Charlie added, looking grim.