Point of Contention (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (14 page)

on her—want to come?”

“Yes, please.” Kay stood and managed to blink back her tears. He

didn’t mention them, and she didn’t, either. They both left their mugs

on the top step and drifted slowly toward the barn. Inside, it was quiet and dark. Only an occasional tail swish or snort could be heard. As

they neared Chole’s stall, Stuart didn’t open the door, rather leaned

over. Kay did the same.

“They look like hamsters or gerbils,” she told him.

“I agree, but give them a few days.”

“Are you going to keep them?”

“I’m not sure yet.”

“I know she’s not human, but it seems a crime to take her pups

from her.”

“It won’t be for weeks yet,” he said.

“I know. It’s not a rational way to think about them.

They’re…dogs.”

“Somehow that you see her as more doesn’t surprise me.”

“You knew I liked animals.”

“Yeah…” Chloe looked up at them but didn’t disturb her family.

Instead, she seemed content to lie there and nurse them. “Could you

imagine nursing all seven?” he teased.

“I have enough trouble picturing me nursing one at a time.”

“I don’t. I can clearly see you with a baby to your breast.”

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Kadence obviously didn’t know what to say, so she defaulted and

said nothing. When the silence stretched between them, she pushed

back from the stall door. “I have dough rising. I should get back.”

“Kay,” he started, and she turned to give him her full attention.

Dark eyes stared at dark eyes before he spoke. “If I kissed you earlier, I don’t think I would have been able to stop there.”

His admission rang true, and she managed a small smile. Instead

of debating his not kissing her, she changed the subject for which he

was sincerely thankful. “Thanks for sitting with us.”

“I’m glad you came and got me.”

“Me, too.” With that, she turned and left him in the barn, watching

her take long, purposeful strides away from him.

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Chapter Eleven

Kay stood outside Stuart’s office door, her right hand wrapped in

a dish towel filled with chipped ice. She’d managed to stop crying and

was just pissed now. Automatically her right hand lifted to knock on

the door, but she hesitated, switching to use her left hand. She heard a muffled “In,” and threw open the door.

Stuart was behind his desk, the telephone to his ear when she first

saw him. He stood slowly in reaction to her appearance and hung up

the phone. Kay didn’t heard him say anything, he simply dropped the

receiver onto the cradle and moved slowly around the desk toward

her.

“Kay, what’s happened? Are you all right?” He moved cautiously

near her and then behind her and closed the door.

She knew he watched her whole body heave with each breath she

took as he glanced at her from head to toe. She knew she must look a

mess but didn’t care. Her hair was pulled from its braid, the shoulder

of her T-shirt ripped at the seam. Her jeans were dusty and her face

was dirty and tear-streaked. She’d paused to clean up as she passed

through the kitchen but decided not to wipe away any evidence.

“Kay, come sit and tell me what happened. Do you want a

doctor?” he asked cautiously.

“
No,
I want…I want…I want to break something.”

He watched her glance around the room but didn’t move, and

neither did she.

“Kadence, take a breath and tell me what happened.”

“Jimmy Timms happened. He cornered me in the barn.”

Stuart’s eyes glanced back to her face as his hands gently reached

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to her shoulders, and he waited to get her look.

“Kay, I’ll take you to the emergency room,” he started, and she

laughed at him.

“Don’t take me, but you better take him!” she said.

“What’s going on? From the start, Kay, don’t leave anything out.”

He moved her to the sofa and all but threw Harley onto the floor. She

started to holler at him for treating the dog that way and stopped mid-

sentence, letting her body drop to the worn leather. Stuart sat beside

her but left space between them.

“I was visiting with Chloe and the pups. I heard a noise and

wasn’t happy when I found Timms leaning on the stall door.” She

swallowed hard and pushed back another round of tears. Frustrated,

she stood and started pacing the length of the office. “We had a few

choice words for each other. I’ve come to learn Mr. Timms doesn’t

take rejection well.” She managed a half laugh but didn’t continue.

Stuart went to the cabinet on the far wall of his office and pulled a

bottle of scotch from it, splashing some into a crystal glass. He moved

back to her and held it toward her. At first, she shook her head and

didn’t reach to take it.

“He wouldn’t let me out of the stall… I knew better than to let

him come inside.”

This time when he held the scotch out to her, she took it and

downed it in one shot, handing him back the glass. Stuart didn’t hold

back the surprised look on his face but didn’t verbalize his thoughts.

Instead, he poured another shot in the glass and again handed it to her.

“Slowly, this time,” he whispered. “Kay, tell me what happened.

Did he hurt you?”

“No, I wouldn’t let him. He told me the price to leave the barn

was a kiss.” She let out a string of muffled curse words and didn’t

care that Stuart heard them. “Needless to say he didn’t get his kiss.”

“Where is he?” Stuart asked, moving from beside her. It was then

Kay noticed his hands balled into fists.

“Stuart, I didn’t come to you to protect my honor. I came to you

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because I might have hurt him. He could probably press charges

against me if he chose to.”

“Just what the hell happened out there?” His hand ran through his

black hair, the strands separating around his fingers. Even in the tense moment, Kay visualized Timms on the ground and half held back a

laugh.

“I told you, he wouldn’t let me out of the stall, and I wanted to

leave. I more or less explained to him in physical terms that he wasn’t

going to stop me.”

“Kay, exactly.”

“He grabbed at me, and I threw him.” She looked at Stuart and

smiled. “His mistake was getting up.” Suddenly she started to laugh.

A few tears slipped out, but by now she didn’t care that he witnessed

them. As she calmed down and the scotch filtered through her system,

she let her guard down. “God, Stuart, you should have seen his face

when he hit the floor. I warned him not to get up.”

“And?” He took the glass from her hand and drank half of it

before handing it back to her. “And?”

“And he didn’t listen. I was almost out of the barn when he

grabbed me from behind.” A revolted chill ran through her, but she

went on. “It was the second drop that got him.”

“How, Kay? And please be specific.”

“For the police report?”

“No, for my visual pleasure,” he teased, apparently hoping to joke

her into relaxing. It worked, and she sat back, moving the ice on her

knuckles back into place.

“I flipped him over my shoulder and to the ground a second time.

He grabbed my leg and pulled me down over him. My knee connected

with a tender part of his anatomy!”

Stuart didn’t hold back the cringe that went through his body as he

almost felt the hit. “Let me see your hand.”

“It’s all right, just bruised.”

“From hitting him in the…”

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“No, his jaw.”

He stood back and gave her a questioning look.

She jerked her left shoulder. “Jaw first with my fist, crotch second

as I was trying to get up.”

Stuart looked her dead-on, and she could tell he knew she’d given

him the second shot on purpose. His smile told her without words

he’d have done the same.

“Remind me not to piss you off. I don’t want to be on the

receiving end of your wrath.” He attempted to laugh, but it fell short.

“At least you were clear enough to fight off your attacker.” He

carefully took her hand and unwrapped it from the towel. Her

knuckles were red, the skin broken on three of them.

“I’ll be fine,” she started, pulling her hand from his grasp. She

allowed him to rewrap it before kneeling down in front of her.

“Kay, did he…”

“No, Stuart, I told you, I wouldn’t let him touch me. The only

reason I’m here now is because he really might press charges against

me. Beyond being dropped by a woman, I dented his ego…literally!”

“No, he won’t.” Standing, Stuart lifted the telephone. He made

one call in a whispered tone.

“Stay here,” he started, but she stood up beside him.

“Oh, no, it’s my confrontation, I’m going with you. If he wants to

make a big deal about it, I’ll be glad to file the necessary attempted

assault charges against him.”

“Stay here, Kay, please?” His patience was wearing thin, and she

knew it.

“Stuart, if I send you in to confront him, I’ll never know any

peace here. I have to do this myself. I just wanted…backup and

witnesses.”

The office door was flung open, and Hoyt and Travis moved into

the private space. Both of them took one look at Kay and started

asking questions. She managed to calm all three men and reinforced

that she wanted to confront Timms and have it out, but she wouldn’t

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mind them standing beside her, as long as they let her do the talking.

Kay was quite persuasive in making them understand it was important

to her that she take the initiative and retain control.

They found Timms on board the speed boat, a bottle of beer in his

hand. His jaw was red, but other than that, he didn’t seem injured. He

watched the four of them approach the boat through slanted eyes and

started cursing at them all.

“Shut up, Timms,” Stuart started.

“What, she had to get her boyfriend and the rest of the gang to

come and beat me up?” He said it with a shrill laugh, and Stuart

stiffened beside her. Kay gave Stuart a warning look before pushing

in front of him.

“No, they’re here as witnesses. Are you planning on pressing

charges?” They all watched as the idea flickered around his mind and

a sick smile crossed his lips.

“It’s a possibility,” he told them.

“Fine, then let’s all go to the sheriff’s office right now.”

“Now, hold on, little lady,” he said, stalling when he realized she

would go.

“Don’t call me anything other than Ms. Farrell, Mr. Timms. This

isn’t open for debate. Do you want to press charges against me or not?

Yes or no? Because if you do, I want to give my statement and get the

charges against you on the record. Now.”

“You want to tell us all what happened, Timms, your

perspective?” Stuart said.

They all watched as he decided how to handle them.

“It was just a misunderstanding between Katie and me.”

At the same time, Stuart told him not to call her Katie, and Kay

said, “Don’t call me that,” causing both of them to look at each other.

Neither watched Travis or Hoyt taking in the whole scene.

“Mr. Timms, are you injured, and are you planning on pressing

charges?”

“I think…”

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“Yes, you should think very carefully.” Stuart took a tall stance

and braced his weight. “If you want to see the sheriff, we’ll go now

and you can explain why you cornered my chef in the barn and

wouldn’t let her past. And you can explain to all the deputies how she

dropped you, twice.” Stuart’s voice left nothing to chance. “What’s it

going to be?”

“Let’s just leave it as an error in communication.”

Timms wasn’t happy, Kay realized, and knew her trouble with

him wasn’t over. But she knew enough to take one situation at a time.

“Fine, as long as we understand each other. Don’t ever attempt to

touch me again, Mr. Timms. I won’t be held responsible if you try

again.” Even Travis took a step back from her tone. She hoped the

look on her face betrayed how dangerous she could be.

“Kay, do you want to press charges or drop it?”

“As long as he stays away from me, I’ll drop it. But I expect a

wide berth from you,” she warned before turning and walking away.

The men didn’t follow her, and she refused to look back.

She walked back to her apartment, showered, and started to feel

better, cleansed from his touch and breath. There was a light knock on

her door an hour later, and she tensed, wondering who it would be.

Travis stood on the other side, a bottle of amber liquid in his hand.

“I figured you could use this about now. I know I can,” he said as

she let him into her apartment.

“I’m fine, really. I just wanted him to understand I wouldn’t let

him get away with it.” She didn’t hold back the lilt in her lips peeking into a smirk.

“I didn’t know you had martial arts training,” he teased.

“I don’t,” she told him with a smile. “Instinct, pure instinct,” she

said and let herself have a good laugh. “And a little New York street