Eternal Vows (Hideaway (Kimani)) (16 page)

“Come. I want you to meet the guys responsible for the stable.”

He led her outside. Several grooms and stable hands were sitting on folding chairs at a card table playing dominoes. They came to their feet when seeing Nicholas. All of them respectfully removed their hats and caps.

“I would like all of you to meet our resident veterinarian, Dr. Blackstone. She will be living with us.” He introduced each of the men who stepped forward and shook Peyton’s hand, she telling each she was glad to meet them.

The men appeared to range in age from late teens to early thirties. Peyton found two staring at her a bit longer than was polite, and she assumed there probably weren’t that many women on the farm.

After the introductions Nicholas asked one of the grooms for a blanket. “The other men are probably out cutting grass or repairing fencing.”

“How many employees do you have?” she asked as they walked to the truck.

“If I count you, Jesse and the new cook, then it’s fourteen. The two grooms and one trainer are married, but they don’t have any children.”

“So, Jesse agreed to manage the farm?”

“Yes,” Nicholas replied. “When you and I leave to look for additional livestock I’ll need someone here to make certain everything runs smoothly. Jesse went back to Florida with his folks, but he plans to return next week. The new cook is scheduled to report tomorrow.”

“Who did the cooking after you let the other one go?”

“Eugenia.”

“That poor woman! She has to cook and clean the house, too.”

“I know it was a lot to ask of her but thankfully it ends tomorrow.” The groom returned with the blanket. Nicholas shook it out and then folded it. “I hope this will do the trick.” Opening the passenger-side door, he placed it over the ripped seat. Putting both hands around Peyton’s narrow waist, he lifted her effortlessly and set her on the seat. “Is that better?”

Peyton smiled. Now there was a barrier between her bottom and the sharp springs. “It’s much better. Thank you.” She wanted to tell him buying a new truck would do the trick; it was obvious he had the resources to purchase a new one if he was adding three new employees to his payroll. “Let’s see what happens when you shift gears. If it doesn’t work, then I’ll drive.”

“Don’t tell me you’re like the princess in the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale about the pea.”

She gave him a puzzled look. “What do you know about fairy tales?”

“My mother used to read fairy tales to us every Sunday night before we went to bed. My brother and I wanted the scary ones, but Celia liked the stories about princesses.”

“‘The Princess and the Pea’ is one of my favorite fairy tales along with ‘Beauty and the Beast,’” Peyton admitted.

“You truly are a romantic,” Nicholas drawled, turning the key in the ignition and shifting into gear.

Peyton stared out the windshield as the truck rattled loudly along the gravel road. “What’s wrong with being a romantic?” She knew she sounded defensive, but it was too late to temper her tone.

“Probably nothing if you’re into flowers and candlelight dinners.”

Shifting on her seat, she gave Nicholas a long, penetrating stare. Peyton didn’t know if he was being facetious. “Haven’t you ever courted a woman with flowers and dinners by candlelight?”

Taking his gaze off the road in front of him, Nicholas gave Peyton a quick glance. “Of course I have.”

“Then, you’re a romantic, too.”

“Not necessarily, Peyton. I’ve done it because I know that’s what women want.”

“You do and say all the right things with the hope you’ll get into her panties.”

Nicholas shifted into a higher gear without depressing the clutch and the truck stalled out. He gritted his teeth in frustration, a muscle in his jaw twitching uncontrollably when he started up the vehicle again. “I’ve gone out with a lot of women without ever sleeping with them.”

“Why?”

“When I buy a woman dinner I don’t expect her to become dessert.”

Peyton applauded. “So, you’re one of those rare guys every single woman is looking to marry?”

“Are you included in that equation?” he asked, grinning from ear to ear.

“Surely you jest,” Peyton said quickly. “I’m not looking for marriage at this time in my life.” She didn’t want to tell Nicholas she was still dealing with an ex that didn’t want to believe it was over. Perhaps if Reginald had decided to remain a part of her past she would be more receptive to having a relationship with a man. Just when she believed she’d achieved a modicum of emotional well-being, he’d call, reminding her why she shouldn’t trust a man.

“What are you looking for, Peyton?”

“I want an uncomplicated relationship with a man without declarations of love or a commitment.”

“I was under the impression many women your age are looking for a commitment and then marriage.” Nicholas slowed, coming to a stop in front of a white vinyl-sided, one-story cottage with navy blue shuttered windows, screened-in front porch and an attached carport. He shut off the engine.

“I’m sorry to disappoint you, but I happen to be the exception.”

Turning to his right, he rested his arm over her seat back. “I’m not at all disappointed.”

“You’re not?”

“No, Peyton. Like you, I’m not looking for a wife. What I’d like is a relationship with a woman who doesn’t bore the hell out of me. I need someone who can talk about more than just themselves. I like challenges in life, as well as a woman who’s not afraid to challenge me. I also wanted someone with whom I share similar interests.”

Peyton felt the heat from his gaze on her face, but she refused to look at him. She wasn’t so naive she didn’t know who Nicholas was referring to. “When you speak of interests, are you referring to horses?”

“Yes.”

“In other words, you want someone like me?”

“Yes.”

She turned to face him. “Why me, Nicholas?”

“Why not you?”

“We’ve known each other for more than a year, yet you never said more than hello or goodbye until Celia asked me to be her maid of honor. How many times have you sat at Sheldon’s table and pretended I was invisible except when you’d ask me to pass the mash potatoes or string beans—”

“I never asked you to pass the string beans because I don’t like them,” Nicholas interrupted.

“Don’t, Nicholas,” she warned in a soft voice. “I’m really serious.”

He managed to look contrite. “I’m sorry. Finish what you were saying.”

Peyton closed her eyes for several seconds. Nicholas’s jibe had shattered her concentration. “Forget it.”

“I’m not going to forget it. Yes, I ignored you, because I didn’t want to like you, Peyton.”

She frowned. “That’s so childish.”

“Childish or not I wasn’t ready to start up a relationship at that time.”

Her eyebrows lifted a fraction. “A relationship? What made you think I was interested in a relationship?”

“You didn’t have a boyfriend.”

“Who told you that?”

“Sheldon.”

Her jaw dropped with this revelation. “You had the audacity to ask my cousin about my personal life?” She prayed Sheldon hadn’t told Nicholas about her short-lived marriage. Once she began divorce proceedings she’d asked everyone in her family never to broach the subject with anyone.

“How else was I going to know anything about you?”

“You could’ve asked me directly,” Peyton countered. “Are you dating someone? Or are you sleeping with someone?”

Attractive lines appeared around Nicholas’s coal-black eyes when he smiled. “Were you?”

“No.”

“Are you seeing someone now?”

“No, Nicholas.”

“Are you interested in dating?”

She paused, knowing he was referring to himself. The seconds ticked off becoming a full minute. “I am, but only if I don’t have to share a man with another woman.”

Nicholas traced the outline of her ear with his finger. “I don’t think that will be a problem for you.”

“Why not?”

He leaned closer, his mouth replacing his finger. “Because I don’t believe in seeing more than one woman at the same time.”

A shiver swept over her, bringing with it a chill despite the summer heat. “Are you asking me out?” Her query was barely a whisper.

Chapter 13

N
icholas’s eyes met Peyton’s. “Do I have to walk around with a sandwich board handing out printed flyers publicizing I like Peyton Blackstone?”

She stared at him unblinking, then dissolved into uncontrollable laughter at the image of Nicholas standing on a corner with a board over his body. Covering her mouth with one hand and her belly with the other she laughed until tears rolled down her cheeks.

“I’m sorry,” she apologized when she saw his closed expression. He could’ve been carved from stone. Peyton swiped at her face with the back of her hand, but Nicholas pulled it away when he shifted and took a handkerchief from his pocket.

“I didn’t think you would be that insensitive,” he said accusingly.

“It’s not that I’m insensitive.”

“Then what is it, Peyton?”

“I...I just can’t wrap my head around you standing on a corner except to wait for the light to change so you can cross the street.”

Cradling her jaw, Nicholas forced her to look at him. “Who or what do you think I am?”

If she hadn’t grown up with an overbearing father Peyton knew she would’ve been thoroughly intimidated by Nicholas’s glare. “You’re the man who hired me to provide medical care for his horses.”

“That’s it?”

She gave him a sweet smile. “What else should there be?” Nicholas continued to stare intently at her, and then released her.

“This will be your place.” His voice was shaded in neutral tones. “It’s fully furnished, but you’ll be responsible for decorating it.” He caught her arm when she reached out to open the door. “I’ll help you down.”

She suffered Nicholas’s closeness while he lifted her off the seat, her arms going around his neck. He held her aloft their noses inches apart. In what seemed minutes when in reality it was only seconds he lowered her to stand. Peyton wanted to scream that he was teasing her. He had to have known what he was doing to her when his gaze went to the rapid rise and fall of her breasts when her respiration quickened.

Her emotions had run the gamut with Nicholas: awe, fascination, infatuation and lust. The latter surfacing reminded Peyton of her premeditated celibacy. When first introduced to Nicholas she’d stared at him, mute, unable to form words until she realized he’d spoken to her. Then she watched from under lowered lids how he’d affected the European style of eating when he held his fork in his left hand, while holding the knife in his right. When he’d mentioned not liking string beans she remembered he never asked her to pass that particular dish. At first she thought he didn’t like green vegetables, but even that impression was debunked when he ate greens, cabbage, broccoli and spinach. She knew he’d grown up in the South by his slow, drawling speech pattern, but it wasn’t until she researched his name on the internet that she realized how little information was available on him and/or his family.

Nicholas handed her a set of keys. “One is for the front door and the other for the side door. If you lift the handle on the front door you’ll find a keypad where you can program a code that will unlock the door if you lose or misplace your key. After you program it, I want you to give the number to Clinton. He’ll enter it into his computer, so if he’s on duty when you come in late he’ll unlock the door remotely. You’ll also be given a remote device that will activate the gate if the gatehouse isn’t manned. I’ll wait here while you go inside and check out your place.”

“Who lives over there?” She pointed to a larger house off in the distance.

“The head trainer and his wife. All of the married employees live in two-bedroom cottages. The single men live in the dorms, and because you’re the only single woman, you’ll have your own cottage.”

“What about Mrs. Jamison?”

“She lives with me.”

Peyton stared at Nicholas, baffled. “You and your housekeeper are living together?”

Crossing his arms over his chest, Nicholas chuckled softly. “Shame on you,” he taunted, shaking his finger at her. “She has an apartment off the kitchen, and besides Eugenia is old enough to be my mother.”

“Now you’re being naive. I really don’t like the term, but you wouldn’t be the first man to hook up with a
cougar.
”

“True, but I have a preference for women closer to my own age.”

“And I like my men to be at least five years older than me.”

Nicholas cocked his head. “I believe I fit into that demographic.”

Peyton bit her lower lip to stop the smile parting her lips. “You don’t have to sell yourself, Nicholas.”

“Me?”
She did laugh when seeing his crestfallen expression.

“Yes, you.”

Nicholas’s deep laugh joined hers. “I don’t think so, Doc. I knew I had you when you challenged Jeremy after he accused me of stealing you away from his farm.”

“I was just telling the truth. And I could’ve choked you
and
Jeremy for that little farce.”

“Hey, hey, Doc. I never thought you would be prone to violence.”

“That’s because you don’t know me,” Peyton retorted.

Nicholas sobered quickly. “This isn’t the first time you said that I don’t know you. Just what are you hiding?”

“Absolutely nothing,” she said much too quickly. “I’m going inside to check out my new digs.”

Peyton didn’t have anything she wanted to conceal from Nicholas. The only thing she didn’t want to acknowledge was an ex-husband with a penchant for hookers and a history of petty crimes dating back to his adolescence.

She walked up three stairs to the porch, smiling. It was the perfect place to sit to begin or end the day at any time of the year. Her father had enclosed their back porch with pocket doors and during the winter Peyton would sit there for hours reading and watching the falling snow. This winter would be the first one she would spend in Virginia.

She didn’t know what to expect when she opened the door but it wasn’t the organic minimalism giving the space the illusion of being larger than it was. The living room flowed into a dining area and beyond that the wall with a utility kitchen. The sofa, matching love seat with footstool, dining area table and chairs and kitchen was designed on a white palette. The kitchen’s black granite countertop provided the only dramatic color in the pristine setting.

Peyton opened and closed overhead kitchen cabinets, the refrigerator/freezer and she checked out the eye-level microwave, oven, cooktop and dishwasher. There was a utility closet and another beside it with a stackable washer/dryer. Walking out of the kitchen, she stopped short when she stood in the doorway to the bathroom. It was a mini-spa. A black glazed tub with retractable nozzles was positioned in the middle of the space.

The black-and-white theme was repeated with large black-and-white checkerboard tiles. The shower enclosure, wall rack with hooks for hanging clothes and/or towels, the pine shelving unit and sink cabinets were stained a vivid brown/black. She walked over to the window that looked out onto a three-sided brick enclosure. Ideas were falling over themselves when she thought of how she could utilize the enclosure.

Nicholas had mentioned she had to decorate her home and Peyton looked forward to the project like a child waiting for Christmas morning. Turning on her heels, she walked across the hall to the bedroom. The brown/black color was repeated on a queen-size headboard, side tables and a storage shelf positioned against the foot of the bed. She opened a wall of louvered doors. There were drawers, shelves, rods and built-in cubbies, enough room for her clothes and shoes. A full-length, silver framed mirror was affixed to a wall near the closet. She flopped down on a club chair covered in a linen/cotton fabric in a soft blue/gray shade several feet from the window. Her gaze swept around the bedroom. She estimated the cottage to be no more than a thousand square feet, small enough for one person, and after she decorated it would be cozy enough for her to want to spend many hours in her new home.

She took one last glance around, mentally cataloging the layout of the entire house. It’d been a while since she’d gone shopping for home furnishings and Peyton planned to bring Caroline with her when they traveled to Waynesboro to buy everything she needed to make the house a home.

She locked up and walked off the porch. Nicholas was where she’d left him. He had his back to her as he leaned against the bumper of the truck talking on his cell phone. Peyton heard him laugh, and then he turned to catch her staring. She smiled, wiggled her fingers and waited for him to finish his conversation before she approached him.

“I really like it,” she said, smiling.

“I know it’s small—”

“It’s perfect, Nicholas,” Peyton said, interrupting him. “I don’t need anything bigger, because I’d fill it up with things I’d want but are not practical for a small house. However, I need to know when you want me to begin working.”

“Why?”

“I have to go shopping.”

“How many days do you need?” Nicholas asked.

Peyton shrugged her shoulders. “Two or three.”

A knowing smile lifted the corners of Nicholas’s strong mouth. “Two or three probably means four or five. You can start on Monday.”

Clasping her hands together Peyton blew him a kiss. “Thank you. After I get settled in I’m going to get a kitten to replace the one I gave to Ryan.”

Vertical lines appeared between Nicholas’s eyes. “You had a cat?”

“Yes, Oreo. My mother shipped him to me before I knew I was leaving for Alabama. He’s been living with Ryan because Sheldon’s housekeeper is allergic to cats. Whenever I go to see him he completely ignores me. I think it’s because the kids sneak him treats that I can’t bear to take him back since they now think of him as their pet.”

“Do you like dogs?”

Peyton rolled her eyes. “Of course.”

“There are two puppies I want to find homes for.”

She listened as Nicholas told her about finding the pregnant bitch with the broken hind leg. He’d decided to keep one puppy and give two away. “I’d love to have one of them.”

“I’ll take you to see them after you look over and sign the papers I need to hire you.”

* * *

Peyton sat on the leather sofa in Nicholas’s office going over the contract his attorney had drawn up. She’d believed she was going to become an employee when in reality she was, like her predecessor, a contract worker. He’d offered her a substantial monthly salary, bonus and profit sharing, room and board. Picking up a pen, she signed both copies. The contract was for one year with an option to renew at Nicholas’s discretion sixty days before the expiration date. She handed them to Nicholas who scrawled his signature on the documents, then placed them in a large envelope.

“After my attorney countersigns them, I’ll give you an executed copy.” He smiled. “Welcome aboard.”

“Thank you.” She wondered how two words could convey gratitude yet sound so trivial. Nicholas had just made it possible for her to realize her dream. He owned a dozen prized horses needing optimal medical care in order to maintain good health, and that meant she had to monitor each one very closely.

“Is this when I ask you whether you’d like to go out to dinner so we can celebrate?”

Peyton moved closer to Nicholas and took his hand. She wanted to curse his timing. As much as she wanted to accept his proposal there was still the matter of her houseguest. “I’d love to but is it possible I can get a rain check?”

“Sure. When would it be best for you?”

She flashed a sexy moue, her gaze lingering on his mouth. She was close, close enough to see the emerging stubble, close enough to notice a nearly invisible scar on his right cheekbone, and close enough to feel the whisper of his breath across her face.

“Oh, so you’re giving me a choice,” she said teasingly, closing her eyes when Nicholas traced the curve of her eyebrows with his finger.

“With me you’ll always have a choice.”

Peyton opened her eyes, thoroughly amazed by the rush of feelings warming her from head to toe. “I guess that proves you’re not a tyrant,” she teased.

“I told you I wasn’t. You’re going to have to learn to trust me.”

Her eyelids fluttered wildly. “I have a problem with trust when it comes to men.”

Nicholas cradled her face. “All men?” She nodded. “What did he do?”

A beat passed before she said, “He deceived me.”

“I want you to remember one thing.”

“What’s that?” she asked.

“Men do not have a monopoly when it comes to deceit.”

Peyton couldn’t pull her gaze away from the raven-black eyes that had the power to feel what she was feeling because perhaps he’d gone through the same experience. “Did she hurt you?”

“No, sweetheart. She deceived me.”

“Do you want to tell me about it?”

Nicholas lowered his hands when he wanted to take Peyton in his arms and kiss her until she lost her breath. He didn’t want to talk about his relationship with Arden. It was his past, and he’d made it a rule not to revisit the past. “I don’t want to explain my ex tonight.”
Not ever,
he added silently. “When we do celebrate your new beginning where would you like to go?”

Peyton scrunched up her nose. “Someplace funky that offers karaoke, sawdust or peanut shells on the floor and where dancing is optional.”

Throwing back his head, Nicholas laughed freely. “You always impressed me as a woman who would only
dine
in the finest restaurants.”

“Why are you making me out to be a snob?” she asked. Peyton wanted to tell him if anyone was a snob, then it was Rachel McGhee.

“When you asked me out last year you chose the best restaurant in Staunton.”

Peyton had chosen the restaurant because she’d been there once and enjoyed the food, décor and impeccable service. “That’s because they have the best steaks in this part of the state.”

“That they do, baby. And one of these days we’ll go back there. I know a place where we could go.”

Peyton wondered if his calling her baby and sweetheart was deliberate or a slip of the tongue. She didn’t want to make too much of it although he’d admitted he liked her, and for her there were different levels and degrees of liking.

She ignored her vow not to become involved with a man following her divorce when first introduced to Nicholas. She still didn’t know why she felt drawn to him when it hadn’t been that way with other men.