Point of Contention (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (3 page)

started?”

“Probably a few hours twice a week, but I’m not sure I have the

manpower right now, at least until we’re finished thinning the new

acreage and the fields are planted.”

“
No
, I don’t want somebody else to tend it. If I start a garden, I’ll be responsible for it, completely.” Her voice rose just enough to enter

the conversation, reminding them she was still there.

“Somehow, while I feel you have good intentions…do you realize

how much work it really takes to keep a garden going?” Stuart studied

her openly and realized she was doing the same. Her manner and tone

changed, and he saw a hint of the lawyerly presence she must have

exuded in her previous career.

“I have a general idea, Mr. Drake, or I wouldn’t have brought up

the prospect. I’ll take full responsibility for the project. And just to clarify, I’m not asking for an acre of cleared land, just a space for a

few rows of herbs.” She held his eye and refused to look away or even

blink.

“Then take it, it’s all yours. The way I see it, the worst that can

happen is you get it started and lose interest. We’ll let it turn back to seed and turn it under in the fall.”

“You don’t have high expectations,” she mumbled, a little too

Point of Contention

12

loud to be completely under her breath. “May I use some of the hand

tools from the gardening shed, Hoyt, or should I buy a set to keep up

here?”

“I’ll have one of the men turn up the soil later in the week. From

there it’s all yours, Kay.” He met her look and shrugged one shoulder.

“There are some duplicate hand tools in the shed. I’ll gather what we

have as spares so you can keep them up here at the lodge. If you need

supplies, check the garden shed behind the kennels. The rest is up to

you.”

“Thank you. I’ll take over once the soil is tilled.” She winked at

Hoyt by way of thanks, Stuart decided. His lips started to pull into a

smile, and he pulled it back.

“Good luck to you, I hope you know what you’re doing,” Hoyt

added, before nodding to the rest of the group and excusing himself

back to work. He paused in the doorway, watching the rest of the

exchange between his boss and the new lady chef.

“You had a second question?” Stuart asked.

“I don’t want to make trouble for myself or them, so somebody

better tell me what’s the deal with the dogs in the kennel. Are they

strictly for hunting, or are they pets too?” Stuart heard Hoyt walk out, listening to the screen door catch.

After his return from his trip, Hoyt had discussed with him her

questioning about visiting the horses, and he had approved. “I told her

outright you were possessive about your dogs and I didn’t want to

overstep my authority. I asked her to speak to you about them.” Hoyt

had shuffled his feet, uncomfortable with the conversation. “I’ve

noticed she stayed away from the kennel. I suppose she’ll talk to you

about them.”

Stuart hoped she’d come out with some outrageous request, but

asking if his dogs were pets wasn’t it. He’d known Harley wasn’t in

his usual spot this morning when he got up and was surprised. His

week away seemed to have changed the order of the dog’s life. As

dogs went, Harley was a good one, trained to respond to his

13

Louisa Neil

commands. They’d been together for six years, and this was the first

morning he’d woken to find him missing from his doorway, though

he’d showed up minutes later.

“They’re trained for hunting, but we consider them pets.” Stuart’s

answer didn’t clarify anything for Kay.

“Right, got that, but am I allowed to visit them, or should I avoid

them?” She stared at him openly before continuing. “I know some

people are very fussy about their hunting dogs. I don’t want to

domesticate them if you’re—”

“The dogs are allowed to be petted, Ms. Farrell. I’d prefer you not

feed them table scraps, but if you want to spend time with them, I

don’t have a problem.” He hesitated then added, “Unless we have

hunters here for the week. Most of the die-hard hunters will bring

their own dogs, and I prefer mine to stay sequestered from guests’

pets.”

“So it’s not a problem to visit them occasionally?”

“No, feel free to socialize with them.”

“Thanks.” She looked back at her notes, pretending to reread

them, Stuart noted, while the rest of the group disbanded around her.

She smiled at Martha’s compliments about her pastries and handed

off a tray ready to go to the employee’s area for their dessert tonight.

He watched her carefully gather her notes before glancing at her

watch. He figured she’d bolt now that the meeting was over, but she

paused to ask Travis if he needed help getting supper started.

Stuart left quickly when their conversation became an ingredient

list. His nerves started to settle leaving her with Travis in the kitchen.

The only real consideration he should be having was that she was

competent in the kitchen and able to do the job at hand. His mind

continued to wonder if her skills moved to the bedroom. If someone

looked closely, they would realize he was wearing the strangest grin.

Self-preservation had him conjuring images of her disjointed and

uncomfortable in the bedroom. In reality, he noted how she moved

easily, with a flowing gait. He hoped deep inside, she’d be amazing in

Point of Contention

14

his bed, fiery and verbal, able to tell him what she wanted and needed

from him. In return, he’d show her how he could bring her body to

orgasm and what it would take to allow his climax. It had been a long

time since he’d taken a lover. Stuart knew Kay wasn’t a good choice,

but he couldn’t help himself. Something about her had him

envisioning them pressed up against the counter, her pants pulled

down around her ankles as he fucked her pussy from behind. The

counter would be the perfect height for her to brace herself and absorb

his thrusts. His hands itched to feel the weight of her breasts in his

palms, to roll her nipples between his fingers. His cock stirred under

the taut denim he wore, and he refrained from repositioning it for

comfort.

* * * *

Kay stayed for another hour helping the kitchen staff get ready for

the evening meal before heading outside. She sat on the back steps,

staring down at the patch of land she’d asked to take responsibility

for. In her mind, a few herbs and some tomatoes didn’t seem like a

big deal. Only now, Stuart Drake had turned it into a point of

contention. While she’d visualized spending an occasional lazy hour

picking a stray weed or two, it was rapidly becoming so much more.

Never liking tests, she tried to envision the situation differently and couldn’t at first. He’d given her what she asked for and now she felt

obligated to make it the best damn garden Mr. Drake had seen in

years. Laughing at the silliness of her thoughts, she decided to keep it small, very small this first season, just for herself. If she liked it and was still around next season, maybe she’d enlarge it, but for now,

small and manageable was in order. With that perspective fresh on her

mind, she was feeling the renewed hope for her dream garden. Hell,

maybe she would add a row of flowers just to annoy him!

* * * *

Louisa Neil

Her days had finally found a routine again, and thankfully this one

seemed in sync with her natural body rhythms. She was an early riser,

always full of energy. But by ten she was starting to lag. Kay found

that by being in the kitchen before five, she had the place all to herself for an hour before the rest of the staff arrived to start breakfast. That hour alone, the silence especially, thrilled her, spurring her on to be

creative. By noon, she had changed clothes and done her run. The

compound, as the staff called it, was over a thousand acres. Roughly

that worked out to be a square two miles in each direction. If she ran

part of the perimeter, it was a strong four-mile run. After that, she’d

collapse for an hour, her nap a luxury she’d not known since her law

school days. By two, she was up and in the shower, refreshed and

renewed. The afternoons were her private time. While she usually

stopped by the kitchen to make sure there were no problems with her

responsibilities, the rest of the day and night was hers. Except

Sundays. That was Travis’s day off. She oversaw the large buffet

brunch that was served just before the guests were loaded into various

transports and sent home. For the rest of the day, the staff cleaned and polished. By late afternoon, they were all off duty.

* * * *

Agrarian Lodge was closed to the public on Mondays. It was Mr.

Drake’s first rule of running the place. Everybody got a second day

off scattered throughout the week. When Travis had first sent her the

information about his new position, she’d been happy for him. Now

that she was here and experiencing it for herself, she was happy for

herself, too. What a jewel of a job she’d fallen into. Meeting Travis

when she did was a gift from God.

Sitting on an overturned five-gallon plastic bucket, she petted

each of the eight beagles that lived in the pen. The space was large

even by her standards, and the dogs were playful and well taken care

Point of Contention

16

of. While she’d seen hunters’ dogs that were kept slim to chase their

prey, these dogs were healthy. Kay missed having a pet these past

years. These could easily become her surrogates. It was one of the

first things she noticed when she visited last winter. Her weekend at

the lodge had been more of an interview than a vacation. Kay had

spent the two and a half days getting to know the place and the key

people she might work with.

Lisa had been welcoming but professional. She was the office

manager and responsible for the day-to-day workings of the lodge.

Overseeing the domestic staff as well as controlling the reservation

desk, she was efficient beyond words. She also seemed lonely, but in

a self-imposed way. Not being able to put her finger on why, Kay

decided Lisa had a right to her private life and her quiet reserve.

Martha, on the other hand, could talk your ear off in a

grandmotherly way. She was responsible for the staff quarters and

their meals. She oversaw the male bunkhouse, the female residence

house, and the four apartments over the large garage. The staff meals

were served in the large kitchen of the women’s residence. The living

room held a huge flat-screen television and several comfortable

seating areas. A pool table stood in the far corner as well as a few

game tables scattered around. Upstairs, the female employees had

rooms. Rooms that Martha made sure were strictly off limits to men,

any men. She reminded Kay of a retired army drill sergeant at times,

but touched her with her understanding of others. A rare woman,

indeed. Spending time with her was always educational in various

ways depending on Martha’s mood.

Hoyt had taken her on a quick tour of the grounds that first

weekend, keeping all conversation to the compound. His sun-beaten

face held the smile of a man who’d seen a lot in his lifetime. Only in

the last days had he opened up to her a little. She learned he’d worked

in Texas for years on ranches but didn’t offer how he’d come to work

at Agrarian Lodge. Martha had confided that he’d lost his wife a few

years back and hadn’t been the same since. She never elaborated, but

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Louisa Neil

the conversation left Kay feeling that the two of them had known each

other before coming to lodge.

Point of Contention

18

Chapter Three

Travis she knew; that was why she’d been invited and it was the

main reason she went. After his joking offer of a job, followed by a

contract, Kay wanted to see him in person. Their friendship had

blossomed in a strange way. They met in the Hamptons a few

summers before, discussing ginseng in prepared ice teas while

standing in line at a deli. Outside, they’d continued their conversation when he mentioned he was heading to North Carolina to take a job at

a new lodge on the coast. She’d offered she was battling her way

through a two-year course at a prestigious cooking school, majoring

in desserts and pastries. They’d become fast friends that day outside

the deli.

They’d headed to the beach and shared a makeshift picnic while

getting to know each other better. It was a relaxing day, the instant

chemistry between them palpable. While Kay hadn’t been

promiscuous, her recent divorce and newfound freedom had given her

courage to experiment with her handsome, motorcycle-riding new

friend. Her divorce was mentioned in passing but not detailed for him.

He admitted he didn’t want commitments, only to enjoy his bachelor

lifestyle. She understood, as her new focus was being true to herself and her own wants.

Placated from the food, wine, conversation, and setting, Travis