Double Plush Velvet BBW Romance (Velvet Series) (4 page)

 
She thought about ringing it but changed her mind when she remembered the car, horse—near hit and ride incident
.
I’ve rung enough bells today and I’ve taken enough chances.
I’d better just go with a safe knock.
She reached up and knocked on the heavy looking wooden door and it took a minute or two for the door to open.

There stood a woman, dressed in jeans and a tee shirt. She stood taller than Bren and was almost as heavy
.

 
Except, she has biceps and muscles, where mine were like JELL-O.
Bren gave her the best smile she could muster and cleared her throat. “Um, I heard that the Triple K needed a cook?” Thinking about making Travis fried chicken prodded her. A dry, boring life had flashed before her eyes this morning and her determination had doubled, so now she really wanted the job.

“Yep,” the woman responded and stepped away from the door. She turned away and walked through the immense foyer.

Shiny wood floors reflected the afternoon light which streamed in from the large oval windows. There were family portraits lining the walls and Bren wanted to stop to view them all.

She caught a glimpse of Travis and then one of an older man. There was one that had to be the woman walking ahead of her, then another of Travis. She wanted to just stand in front of that particular painting and drool like a fool.
Yeah, that would look professional, wouldn’t it!

The taller woman kept walking with her cowboy boots clacking along the smooth mahogany flooring.

Bren took her swift striding as a signal to follow her, so she rushed past the hall of portraits.

The woman remained silent while she walked ahead of her and took her down a long hallway.

She’d always known of the Triple K ranch. The Kincade family name was well known, but she’d only seen a glimpse of them over the years. Flatonia was a super small town, so the kids in the family had gone to school over in Shulenburg. The owners had always kept to themselves and did all their business in Houston, so really no one knew very much about the ranching family.

 
Halting in front of a door, the woman turned around and seemed to look her over. “I guess that was kinda’ rude—me not introducin’ myself at the door.” She stuck her hand out to Bren. “I’m Kanda Kincade.”

Bren shook her hand while noting the super strong grip.
Well that’s no surprise, considering she had all those steel like tendons running through her arms
. “I’m Bren Plush.”

A twinkle appeared in Kanda’s eyes. “Yeah? That’s a cool name. Well, you’re gonna talk to my mother about the job, and I’ve decided that I am so damn tired of doing the cookin’ that I’m gonna give you some pointers, so that you’ll get the job.”

Bren didn’t respond except with a shaky smile.

“When she asks about using leftovers for another meal?” The tall dark haired woman smiled. “Tell her it’s what you always do. Make sure you say that you hate waste and vittles are better when they’re made with—” Her words halted as the front door shut with a loud slam. “Wait just a second, okay?”

She nodded.

Kanda rushed back down the hall and turned the corner, then a few silent seconds passed. “I don’t care what they said, Trav!” Her voice rose from the front part of the house.

Bren froze where she stood.
She’s talking to Travis?

“They’re not going to do it, I tell ya!” His voice was almost a shout.

Their overly loud conversation was getting closer and she tried to wipe her suddenly sweaty palms onto her jeans. Just seeing him again would be too much right before a job interview.

Kanda walked up toward her and hunky Travis was right behind her.

“I mean it, Kanda. Those men are not going for it and we’ll have a—” Travis spotted her and grinned.

Bren just stood with what she was sure was a goofball look on her face.

Kanda looked between the two of them. “Oh, this here is---”

“Yeah, we already met.” He smiled briefly and turned to Kanda again. “We can talk about this later, okay?” He gave a nod to her and smiled again at Bren, then walked back down the hallway.

“Damn stubborn…” Kanda looked over at Bren. “Now what was I sayin’?”

 
Watching Travis disappear around the corner, she felt a huge letdown. Like a balloon that had just been deflated and zipped all over to land flat in the dirt. He’d acted standoffish and just stranger friendly.
After all that flirting and the hot chap sliding along with the hit and ride? Was it maybe because of Kanda being here?

“Miss Plush?” Kanda called to her.

Bren shook her head and threw her gaze up to the woman. “Um, you were saying about the vittles?”

“Oh, yeah…” Kanda knocked hard on the large wooden door as she spoke. “Just say you cook the old fashioned way; lots of salt, oil and home cookin’ style, okay?”

There was no time for her to wonder about Travis’s odd behavior or anything else, as the door opened and an older woman stood there.

“Mom, this is Miss Plush.” Kanda chuckled after she said it and shook her head. “She’s here for the cooking job.”

The older woman with gray streaked black hair was dressed similar to her daughter. She gave Kanda a wry look as if to wonder why she was laughing. “Well, nice to meet ya.” She titled her head. “I’m Marge Kincade. You live in town, right?”

Bren nodded.

“You work at that diner?”

“I wait tables there, but there’s been many times when I’ve had to cook.”

“They use a lot of frozen and canned stuff there, don’t they?” The older woman held an expression of disgust.

After Kanda’s advice, Bren knew where this was leading. “Yeah, it’s too bad, but they do. Those cooks wouldn’t know what a pinch or a smidgen was, even if they were pinched just a smidgeon.”

The older woman looked startled, and then let out a loud, cackling laugh.

Kanda laughed too and gave Bren a wink. “Well, I got chores, so I’ll let you two
hash
this out.” She gave a wink with the bad pun and turned, making her way down the hallway.

“Well, I don’t know what else I could ask, seein’ how you gave the best application I ever heard!” Marge announced.

Bren batted her eyes at the older woman’s odd way. She never actually filled one out, but thought better of saying anything.

“Now, you do know you’ll need to fix breakfast, lunch and dinner?”

Feeling elated that she may have gotten this job, she purposely ignored the daunting description and nodded.

“Have you got a good car?”

Bren raised her brows, and then shook her head. She had a helluva bad car and now, it was truly just a junk pile. She felt like this might get in the way of the job.

“Oh, well. What do ya think of coming out here to live?”

Startled by this prospect, she hadn’t even considered as part of this quest to win the man of her wet dreams, Bren shrugged her shoulders. “Um, where exactly would I be staying?”

“We got a small cottage and it ain’t been used in a while, but that means you won’t have ta worry none about bills and such,” the older woman added.

“Okay, well when do I start?”

“By dinnertime, I hope.” A voice came from behind her.

At the sound of his voice, she spun around so fast that she almost stumbled.

Travis gave her a grin. “I was hoping old Marge would hire you, because I‘ve been thinking about that fried chicken all dammed afternoon!”

 
Her stomach fluttered at just the way he looked at her. He had changed out of his chaps and those jeans he wore made him look good enough to—

“Well, of course I hired her!” Marge piped in. “And she’s gonna be stayin’ out here too.”

His eyes widened a little. “Yeah?”

Marge clicked her tongue. “Don’t be such a dammed nuisance, boy. How about you show her to the cutter cabin?”

He blinked his eyes. “That’s been empty a long time.”

Marge nodded. “Well, she can’t sleep in the bunkhouse, ya know? Though them men would sure whoop it up about that all right.” She let out a low chuckle as she shook her head. “I’ll get Vikki to clean it up right quick.” She glanced over at Bren. “Go on with him, Miss Plush, and then he’ll bring you back to the kitchens, okay?”

Go on with him?
Bren only heard that one part. She was almost giddy with excitement and an enormous case of nerves.

Travis turned to her. “Well?”

Nodding her head, she smiled over at Marge.

The older woman ginned back.

Travis walked down the hallway and she watched how those jeans encased a fine male ass. I have absolutely no shame! She thought as she found herself wondering what his butt would feel like in her grip. Suddenly, she bumped right into those firm cheeks. “Oh!” she gasped out.

He flipped around and steadied her. “I’m sorry.”

I’m not! She thought wickedly, as she felt her face flush.
I’ll run you over, then you can flip me over and—

 
Wearing that wonderful smile, he shook his head at her. “You’re gonna run me over one way or another, aren’t you?”

Bren froze. Was that an open line or what? Her mind pictured him yet again, with her rubbing her bare body all over that sleek skin of his. Without thought of the repercussions of it, she was looking all the way down along his hard looking faded jeans and her eyes widened when she realized the bulge in those jeans was too prominent and hard to be for real.

Noticing where her eyes had stopped, he leaned closer to her. “Yeah, I am ready to be run over,” he whispered close.

Her breath stuck in her chest.
That was a come on!
Her eyes swung up to his blue orbs. “By me?” she asked in an astounded tone.

“That is, if you’re willing?” He seemed to study her face for a tense moment. “But I gotta be sure first.”

Puzzled, Bren was blinking her eyes. “Sure?”

He turned away. “Yeah, we’ll get to that later. Right now, I’m trying hard not to be a dammed nuisance, remember?” He chuckled again.

Bren felt her heart pounding in her chest.
Oh, my God, oh, my God!
She tried hard to get a hold of herself.
He is definitely noticing me now!
Bren had been with a few guys and she’d had sex a few times over the years, but it wasn’t the best now that she really thought about it. Those guys just didn’t turn her on like this one did.
I bet I would explode in the first minute, if he ever really made a pass at me.

Seemingly oblivious to her thoughts of sex and explosions, he lead her out through the back entrance and walked up a stone lined path.

 
Shaking all over, she was busy attempting to get herself calm again. She just couldn’t do it though, when his sexy backside was swaying so deliciously in front of her. Her steps did slow though, because now she was getting nervous for more than one reason when she thought of the big job she’d just got hired for.
What the hell am I doing? Coming out here, trying to get a job I may not know how to do? While blindly following a guy who’s at best, moody and unpredictable?

Suddenly, Bren remembered one of those cute crotched messages in a frame her mom had hanging in her kitchen:
Don’t be sittin’ around dreamin’ your life away. You gotta go out and live your dreams!
When she saw it, she’d rolled her eyes and thought of how corny it was. Not now though. She knew she’d rather go for it all and fail, then to sit alone in that stuffy apartment, wondering what to do to change her sorry ass life.