Samuel (Samuel's Pride Series) (2 page)

“I’m sure she does. However you want to
do it, Butler. I’m okay with it.” He had a sudden thought. “Make sure whoever
you hire can cook for a large staff, and if need be, when we entertain. I don’t
want some short order cook there thinking that he only has to cook for three
people.”

“I’ve already sorted that out, sir. I’ve
put in the advertisement that one must be willing to be flexible, too. I should
not think that having someone here that can do short orders would last long in
this house either.” Samuel agreed.

He’d told Butler that he was a were-lion.
His mother was as well, of course, but she no longer shifted because of her
back. Samuel hadn’t wanted to find himself at the wrong end of a shotgun if
anyone came across him in the yard. Peter Butler had only nodded and said that
he’d known there was something special about him and was glad it wasn’t nearly
as bad as he’d thought it might be. When asked what he’d thought, Butler had
declined to answer.

“Just keep me informed as to what you
and Mom come up with. I’m going to be here until next weekend at the very
latest. There are some things I want to finish up. Then I’ll be done with this
place.” Butler said that he’d do just that. “And please be careful of my mom. She’ll
try her best to do much more than she should.”

“Sire, if your mother wishes anything
from us, and it is within my power to give it to her, she shall have it. And I
believe you underestimate your mother’s strength.”

Samuel thought at times he did too, but
she was his mom, and she would not be hurt ever again. Not so long as there was
breath in his body.

~~~

“Okay, yes, I can be there. What do you need
me to bring to your place?” Kennedy Buehler looked over the notes she’d taken
since the woman had called her back about the job. She had to be there at nine
in the morning to fix dinner for the staff, and then they’d have the interview
afterwards. She assumed that she’d be cooking for the household, but a job was
a job, and she’d take it.

“Oh no, we’ll make sure you have what
you need by the time dinner rolls around.” There was a good deal of humor in
the older woman’s voice, and Kennedy felt herself smile in return. “I did
mention that there might be some big entertaining, didn’t I, dear?”

“Yes, ma’am, you did. Said there would
be some bigger parties and that I would be feeding the staff. You mentioned,
too, that they’re not into vegetables much but can eat them.” Strange thing to
tell a cook, but it was their house. “I’ll be arriving at nine, just as you
said.”

The woman made sure twice that Kennedy
had the correct address, and for some reason, Kennedy thought that she’d not
lived there long. First there was the fact that she’d had to ask the address of
someone and she’d fuddled the house number twice before she’d said that it was
right. Kennedy pulled her coat tighter around her as she walked back to her
camper. Just four more months.

She was actually hoping things were to
finalize sooner, but that wasn’t something that she planned on. Only recently,
when she’d come to Ohio to find a good job and make a living, had she realized
all the hoops you had to work through if you didn’t live in the state. Her
family wasn’t too happy with her at the moment either…especially her brother,
but they’d get over it. She was twenty-six years old and needed to be out from
under his rule.

Shamus was the head of the household. Not
that she’d listened to her father overly much when he was in charge, but since
Shamus had taken control of the family and all that went with it, Kennedy had
been used and abused enough. Her father had been indulgent while Shamus hurt
her. Thanks to her grandmother she’d been able to escape her home, where her
family stayed most of the time, and come here. That had been just nine months
ago. A great deal had happened in that little time.

She had hoped to get a house or, at the
very start, an apartment. But her first attempt at either of them had failed. Kennedy
had no bank account, and without an address, she wasn’t getting one. And no one
would rent her even a room without some sort of bank affiliation. Getting a job
had proven difficult, too.

Her slight accent had made people think
she wasn’t a citizen, and she’d had to have her grandmother send her birth
certificate. Kennedy had worked very hard at hiding her slight brogue, but
there were times when it slipped up. After waiting for a week for her
certificate, she’d applied at seventeen jobs and had been turned down flat. It
wasn’t until she came to this place that she’d been able to find a place to
sleep and somewhere that would help her out.

Mr. and Mrs. Tucker and Amy Savage owned
and operated Savage Park. It was a nice campground that catered mostly to pop-up
campers and RVs, but a few tenters always came in. Kennedy had been able to
pick up a tent really cheap; little did she know that it was cheap for a
reason. The thing leaked like it was its job. After three weeks of moving from
one spot to another trying to find a reasonably dry place, they’d asked her
what was going on. She’d thought they were going to toss her out, but instead
they had offered her one of the pop-ups in exchange for her helping around the
grounds.

It wasn’t what she’d been trained for,
but it was a job that included room and board, as well as a little extra on the
side. And when they’d closed down two weeks ago, she’d been asked to keep an
eye on the place, as well as make sure that no one used the place without
permission. She was going to watch the place through the winter, and by then
she’d have established herself with an address and could get a bank account. Then
an apartment.

The camper had a small heater, but there
was a refrigerator and a stove. The camper itself was tiny, so the heater
worked out well, she supposed, but winter hadn’t hit yet, so she was hoping she’d
be warm when the time came to use it in earnest. And she’d been able to have it
parked next to the showers and bathrooms when they’d closed up, so that wasn’t
so bad either. Unless, of course, she had to get up in the middle of the night
to pee. Then it was a cold and dark walk.

After fixing herself something quick for
dinner, she went to the small laundry house to wash up her weekly clothes. There
wasn’t much with it just being her, but she wanted to start the week off
tomorrow with fresh, clean clothes in the event that she got the job. The
Savages said that if she ever found herself in a position to get something more,
she was to take it, but she’d already decided that she’d do her damnedest to
keep both jobs until they returned from Florida in a few months.

By ten she was in bed. She’d emailed her
grandmother what was going on, then watched a movie on the old television that
had been in the camper. The picture was crappy, but it was noise until she went
to sleep. By ten-thirty she was curled up in her blankets and sleeping bag and
asleep.

The dream always started in the same
way. Her grandmother was there sitting in her usual place at the head of the
table when she was home. Her mother and father were to either side of her, Shamus
and her sister were seated next to their mother, and Kennedy to her dad’s
right. The butler brought in the first course of the meal and sat the large
tray before her grandmother, who was speaking to her son.

“You should simply let me take her back
with me. It will do me a world of good, and I’d very much love the company.” Kennedy
tried not to be too excited at the prospect of spending the summer with her
grandmother. “You’re not going to miss her, and you know it.”

“She only just returned. I’ve a mind to
keep her to meself for a week or two.” Kennedy looked at her da and wanted to
hug him to her. She knew he’d been teasing her and that it was as good as
settled. “Mayhap we’ll get you with your new man. He’s been willing to wait on
you all this time. I think it’s about time you….”

When he stood up suddenly, she did as
well. Her father was her world next to
seanmháthair
, and when he gripped
his chest and looked at her, Kennedy could see the panic and pain in his eyes. Before
anyone could move to help him, he fell over dead. Massive heart attack, they’d
told them.

That had been nearly five years ago. Since
that time she’d run to the States to hide from her brother. As it was, she’d
been in and out of the hospital more times than she had her entire life before
then. Shamus wanted her to heel, and she wanted to fly. But when he’d ordered
her to marry a man nearly her own father’s age, she’d told him no. He’d beaten
her so badly the medics had been called, and she’d been carted off to
emergency. Five weeks later, she was getting off the boat in the United States
and had never looked back.

Chapter 2

“You should have seen it, Samuel. When the
cover was lifted, there were five carrots, two pieces of red pepper, as well as
a small onion. And there in the middle of this were three of the smallest
pieces of beef you’ve ever seen.” Samuel laughed at his mom’s description of
their first encounter with a cook, an Allice Anderson. It had not gone as well
as they’d planned. “I had to have Butler go and ask her if this was a course or
something. He returned to tell me that she said it was the main course and that
dessert would be served when things were cleared. They were cleared as far as I
was concerned. Why, I could have eaten it all in two bites.”

“I’m assuming you didn’t hire her.” His
mom sputtered and told him no. “Too bad. I was thinking I could stand to lose a
few pounds.”

“You’d lose a great deal more than that
if you hired her. And you’re not going to believe this, but she asked me what
time I wanted her to come back tomorrow. As if she’d already gotten the job.” She
snorted at him. “I told her we had other applicants and that she would be notified.
Had the nerve to tell me that she would be waiting, that by the end of this ‘farce,’
she called it, that we’d be begging her to come back. Over my dead body.”

“Who do you have coming in tomorrow?” He’d
called every night and had heard the update on the cook offs. The first person
that had shown up had taken one look at the kitchen and declared it too beneath
him to work there. The second wasn’t much better in that he’d told them that he
would need a staff all his own and that he didn’t actually cook but had
assistants do it for him. Today was the meal of the tiny meat.

“Kennedy Buehler is coming in tomorrow.
Nice enough on the phone. She even asked me what she needed to bring with her.”
His mom yawned, and he deiced that he needed to try and get home sooner to help
her. “I’ve had a really long day. I think I’ll retire soon.”

“I should get to bed too. They’re coming
to get the last of the things from the condo tomorrow, and then for the rest of
the week, I’ll be living in a hotel room. Expect the trucks to come sometime on
Friday to drop off my things.” She told him she would and yawned again. “I love
you, Mom.”

“And I love you as well. I’ll see you in
a few days, son.” She laughed a little before continuing. “Butler has the local
pizza place on speed dial in the event this Buehler doesn’t work out.”

Samuel spent the rest of the night
working out the notes he wanted to go over for tomorrow. Aggie had shown up
today and had as many questions as the man he’d sent over to learn what there
was to know. In all the time since the papers were signed, over eight days ago,
August hadn’t been in once. The father was looking more and more like the
newest owner.

The next morning started off as usual. Samuel
answered emails that had come in and had set up a staff meeting so that Aggie,
as he’d asked to be called, could meet them all at once. By the time the
meeting was ready to take place, Samuel had set up a couple of meetings for
someone to work in the kitchen at his home and also make arrangements for a
car. He hadn’t had one in a good number of years, always relying on a limo
service, and was excited to drive again. When Aggie showed up at ten after
nine, Samuel knew something had gone wrong.

“August has a girl pregnant.” Aggie said
as he paced the office. “What the hell do you suppose he’s thinking when he
pulls his dick out? ‘I’ll just have Daddy take care of anything that goes
wrong?’”

Samuel didn’t answer the man, because
frankly, he wasn’t sure what to say to him. He’d already told the older man of
the information that August had given him in the event the business failed, and
this shouldn’t have been a big surprise. Aggie continued pacing as he spoke.

“I’ve taken matters into my own hands
and have had him removed from the house. As of now, he is no longer a son of
mine. And security has been informed that if he comes to the building that they
are to call the police and have him arrested for trespassing.” A good start,
but there was more he could do, but again Samuel kept his mouth shut. “I’ve also
gotten with the attorneys and had them draw up the papers that give me this
business. You’re leaving it in good hands.”

“I had my doubts, if you want to know
the truth.” Aggie nodded and sat down. “Shall we get to work then? I’ve a mind
to get home. There are some issues that need my attention, and, frankly, I want
to start a life of leisure.”

Aggie snorted. “You’ll never make it. I
bet within a month you’ll have another business going. If you don’t meet
yourself a girl first. There’s a lot to be said to have the right woman.”

“I’ve no desire to find even the wrong
woman.” Samuel pulled out some of the notes he’d been thinking to share with
Aggie and started work. By seven-thirty both men had made a great deal of
headway, and Samuel was thinking that he’d be home Thursday instead of Friday
now.

~~~

The house, if you thought of it only as
a house, was easy enough to find. Kennedy arrived at ten minutes till nine and
pulled her car into the space where the man on the intercom had told her to
park. Gathering up her things, she moved toward the back door and was surprised
when the door opened suddenly and a very staunch man stood there.

“Miss Buehler, I presume?” She nodded. “I
have been informed by the missus of the house to show you around the kitchen
and ask you for a list of supplies you might want for your meal.”

“Aye,” she said with a flush when he
raised a brow at her, but she recovered quickly. “I was thinking to make
chicken. How many do you think I’ll be feeding?”

“Eight. The missus will join us, of
course. We serve at six on the dot.” She looked around the massive kitchen and
let out a low whistle. “This is the main kitchen, and there is a larger one in
the lower levels that will house the parties when they entertain. You’ll be
expected to be able to use both rooms.”

He took her to the pantry that was only
about half filled yet still held more items in it than she’d seen in well-stocked
restaurants. There was also the storage room that she was able to live in if
the need ever rose, as it was as big as three of the campers she was currently
living in. She moved with him, taking out her notepad and writing down
everything that she saw in the event she might need something. Then he took her
to the dining room.

“The dining room will seat fifty, if need
be. The lower levels will accommodate as many as five hundred if the doors are
opened to the outdoors. The kitchen below us has an elevator in the event that
both kitchens are needed. We have yet to use the lower levels, but the rooms
are set up.” Kennedy nodded, wondering if the people who lived here were
famous. Not that she cared; she just wanted to be able to cook.

“And today? Will I be working alone or
is there a staff in place? I can do an eight on my own, but I don’t want to
step on anyone’s toes at the start.” He looked at her oddly but only nodded at
her.

“There will be a staff, and the person
who is hired as the main cook will hire their own staff. You will be able to
feed us today then without any issues?” She smiled at his question, wondering what
they’d gone through in the past few days.

Kennedy knew that she wasn’t the only
applicant for the job. Two people she knew of had come already. One was Claris
Todd. She was a bitch of the highest order but could and would run a kitchen
with an iron fist. And she’d put out some really good meals. She just wasn’t
very nice. Then there was Allice Anderson. Allice was a nice enough person but
temperamental and thought that what she cooked was the best. Even if it was a
tad on the uppity side.

By the time they’d finished the tour of
both kitchens, Kennedy had a better understanding of what she was applying for.
It wasn’t just a staff cook as she’d assumed, but someone as head of the
kitchen as well as chef. She could and would be able to fill both jobs, thanks
a great deal to her experience and education. When they entered the kitchen,
there was an older lady sitting in a wheel chair that had to be the missus, and
another woman who introduced herself as Brigitte Butler.

“I’m Summer Payne. You must be Kennedy
Buehler.” Kennedy took her hand and was surprised by the strength. “You’ll be
cooking chicken for us I understand.”

“Yes, ma’am, if you want. I can do just
about anything.” The woman nodded and looked at Butler, as he’d asked her to
call him. “I was wondering how you wanted it cooked. I can do anything from
comfort food to five-star.”

“I think after this week we’ve had I’d
prefer comfort. I’ll leave you to sort that out.” She started to roll out of
the room but stopped and looked at her. “Where are you from?”

It was on the tip of her tongue to tell
her Ohio, but she knew that she’d heard her accent. “Ireland, ma’am, though I
was born here. My parents moved here for a year before going home sometime
after my first birthday. I was educated in France as well as the States.” She
nodded and left the room.

Around eleven-thirty, three younger
women came into the kitchen. Kennedy had gone over the pantry and found that
other than the chicken everything she needed was there. She was making a list
for a menu when the other women started pulling bags of sliced meat from the refrigerator.
Kennedy watched them for several minutes until they pulled down a large can of
vegetable soup.

“You’re not going to eat that, are you?”
All three of them looked at her. “I can throw something together for you if you
want. You don’t have to eat that stuff.”

“You can cook us something? It won’t
count.” The bravest of the three little maids blushed. “We’re the upstairs
maids, and it’s our turn to cook lunch until someone is hired.”

“I won’t tell if you won’t.” Kennedy
pulled things from the refrigerator and started cutting and chopping. When she’d
laid out her packet with her knives fastened securely in it across the large
butcher block, the girls giggled. In forty-five minutes she had a nice light
soup simmering, a salad made with the greens that had had to be cut up a lot to
save even that much, and sandwiches…thick roast beef sandwiches with homemade
honey mustard and Swiss cheese. The bread had been stuffed in the cabinet, but
it was still not overly hard. By the time lunch was called, Kennedy was back to
making her list.

“This is amazing.” Mrs. Payne had joined
them at the kitchen table, which surprised Kennedy. She didn’t look up when one
of the girls thanked her. She said she wouldn’t tell, and she wouldn’t. Besides,
it had made her feel better about cooking in the big kitchen to break the ice,
so to speak, with lunch.

“We had help. Ms. Buehler took what was
left in the ice box and came up with this.” Caroline, the girl who had spoken
to her first, nodded in her direction. “She said she didn’t feel right being
here and not working.”

“It was simple. They would have done the
same thing.” Kennedy walked to the pantry, embarrassed more than she could have
said. When she returned, Mrs. Payne was sitting at the table with Butler and
his wife. They asked her to have a seat. It came out more like a command, but
Kennedy sat down.

“You’re not going to get brownie points
by sucking up.” Kennedy stood up but sat again when Mrs. Payne told her to. “You’ll
learn that I’m mistress of this house, and when I tell you I’d like to have a
conversation with you, you’ll listen to me.”

Kennedy took a deep breath and stood up.
She wasn’t going to be ordered around again, not even for a job. She moved back
into the kitchen and started cutting up the three chickens that had arrived an
hour ago. When she finished with them and had them soaking in buttermilk, she
went back to the dining room to find that Butler and his wife were still there.

“I will cook for you tonight, as I’ve
already started the meal, but I won’t be treated like a child and ordered about
like I’m a slave.” Before she could turn and leave again, Brigitte asked her to
please sit. “Am I being ordered to or asked?”

“Asked. I would wish that you’d have a
seat.” Kennedy sat down and waited. “The meal you’re planning for this evening,
will it be as good as lunch?”

“I should hope so.” Then Kennedy
flushed. “I don’t care for canned soup, and the lettuce they were using was out
of date and needed some trimming. That’s all I did. The sandwiches were simply
meat on bread.”

“But it was more than simply meat on
bread, and we both know it.” Brigitte looked at her husband, then at her again.
“You’ll do well to listen to Mrs. Payne. She’s a wonderful lady, but the past
three cooks have been…let us just leave it at she needed to make sure you knew
that she was in charge.”

Kennedy nodded. “So long as she knows
that I’m not a person who will tolerate being talked to like that. She wants
something from me, then I can get it, but I won’t let someone command me into
anything again.”

Mrs. Payne came in just as she was
frying the chicken. Kennedy had planned on making chicken and dumplings but had
found the corn meal and decided that she’d make cornbread, and that didn’t go
with dumplings. Mrs. Payne wheeled her chair to the opposite side of the
counter where she was working and asked for a glass of water.