Eternal Vows (Hideaway (Kimani)) (13 page)

The security guard aimed the barrel of the rifle toward the floor. “I’m...I’m sorry, Miss Blackstone. I didn’t know you were in here. I saw the light and I...I thought someone broke in.”

Her heart was beating so fast Peyton was certain it could be seen through her T-shirt. “I was just showing Mr. Thomas the horses.”

Nicholas glared at the elderly man. “You should know better than to sneak up on someone with a gun. Especially if it’s cocked.”

Billy Ritchie’s head bobbed up and down. “I’m sorry,” he apologized for the second time. “It won’t happen again.” He backed out of the stable, closing the door as quietly as he’d entered.

Peyton let out an audible sigh. She was still trembling. “I never heard him come in.”

Pulling her to his chest, Nicholas pressed his mouth to her hair. “I didn’t hear him either, but I did recognize the pump of the shotgun.”

She closed her eyes. “All he had to do was check the closed-circuit monitors. And if you try and open the door without disarming the system the alarm can be heard for miles.”

Nicholas went completely still. “There’re cameras in here?”

Peyton nodded. “There’re cameras set up around the perimeter of the property and in all of the stables. They’re hard to detect because the technician concealed them in each of the stalls.”

“So, someone looking at the footage would see us together?”

Despite the seriousness of the situation, she managed to laugh. “They would, but we weren’t doing anything R- or even X-rated. Most of the extracurricular action on this farm takes place in one of the barn’s haylofts. Just for fun Jeremy installed a bell that chimes whenever the door is opened to warn those literally rolling around in the hay that they’re about to be busted.”

It was Nicholas’s turn to laugh. “That’s enough to give someone heart failure.”

“It’s mostly teenagers that get caught in the act. And there’s usually hell to pay if the girl’s father doesn’t want her with the boy.”

Cradling her face in his hands, he kissed the bridge of her nose. “What’s going to happen when your cousins discover I kissed you in the stables?”

Grasping his wrists, she pulled his hands away from her face. “I’m too old for my cousins to be concerned about who I kiss.”

Peyton didn’t want to talk about her and Nicholas, because there would be no Peyton and Nicholas. She didn’t mind going out with him but that’s where their relationship would begin and end. He’d stated emphatically that the farm was his wife and the horses his children, which meant he wasn’t looking for a wife, while she certainly wasn’t looking for a husband. Been there, done that. She’d met men and women who were serial daters; however, it was a trend that never fitted comfortably into her lifestyle. It was probably why she’d married Reginald.

Turning on her heels, she made her way to Golly Miss Molly’s stall, unlocking the door using the kick bolt. “Here’s the new mama and her baby.” Outlaw stood up, nuzzling his mother’s belly.

Nicholas stroked the dam’s neck. “
¡Qué belleza!
Felicitaciones, mamá.
And look at you, little fella,” he whispered in English when the foal flicked its ears. “Are you going to be a champion like your daddy?” He stroked the dam’s nose, and then closed the self-locking door. “They are beautiful,” he said reverently. “You did a good job helping to bring this little guy into the world.”

“Thank you,” she said as if she were the proud mother.

They left the stable, Peyton punching in the code and arming the security system. The light from a full moon silvering the landscape overshadowed the glow from strategically placed solar streetlights lining the paved roads and footpaths. The short walk to where Nicholas had left his car was accomplished in complete silence.

At that moment Peyton wanted to be alone so she could sort out her jumbled thoughts. She liked Nicholas yet it wasn’t the same emotion she’d experienced a year ago when she’d fantasized being in love with him. The realization that he may have been involved with a woman had become a definite wakeup call. And she didn’t need to lie on a therapist’s couch to know she’d been vulnerable, that she had been looking for someone other than her relatives to lean on, confide in and to protect her.

She hadn’t returned home after completing her education, preferring instead to live at the farm. Peyton rationalized she wanted to avoid taking sides in her parents’ marriage. Their constant bickering had taken a toll on her emotional well-being and the first summer she spent at Blackstone Farms had given her a glimpse into a family dynamic totally different from everything she’d known. She knew even if she had moved back to Plattsburgh nothing would change unless her mother admitted she was in a toxic relationship.

Her initial attraction to Nicholas was instantaneous. She’d been like an adolescent girl with a crush on the popular high-school jock or the latest teen pop idol. In her head Nicholas had become a replacement for Reginald, a man she’d married and believed would share her life and dreams.

A year later she knew she’d made the right decision not to return home. Living and working on the farm was therapeutic, helping her to achieve a measure of emotional balance, maturity and focus.

A sweep of headlights came into view, and Nicholas gently nudged her off the roadway as the driver slowed, then came to a complete stop. She recognized the driver as Billy Ritchie. “Good night, Mr. Ritchie.”

He tugged on the worn bill of his baseball cap. “You have a good night, Miss Blackstone. You, too, Mr. Thomas. And sorry about the gun.”

“Are you going to tell Jeremy?” Nicholas asked Peyton once the guard drove off.

“No. He made a mistake.”

“A mistake that could’ve gotten you or me killed.”

She walked over to his car, and he fell in step with her. “He would’ve shot you first.”

“That’s not funny, Peyton.”

“I didn’t intend for it to be funny, Nicholas. Mr. Ritchie made a mistake and I doubt if he’ll do it again.”

“He’s too old to be carrying a gun,” Nicholas mumbled.

Peyton looked at Nicholas as if she’d never seen him before. “That’s age discrimination.”

He stood three steps, then turned and walked back to her. “No, it’s not. It’s practicality. The man has to be over eighty, and if you didn’t notice his hands were trembling. Unsteady hands and slow reaction time is like throwing a live grenade after removing the firing pin.”

“What do you expect Jeremy to do? Fire him?”

Nicholas shook his head. “No. He just shouldn’t be out on patrols with a firearm. He’s better suited sitting in the gatehouse or monitoring the closed-circuit station. You can tell me it’s none of my business, but if he worked for me I wouldn’t allow him to carry a firearm.”

“If you say his hands were shaking, then I’ll have to let Jeremy know about it.” Peyton pulled her lower lip between her teeth. “I just hate snitching.”

Putting an arm around her waist, Nicholas dropped a kiss on Peyton’s hair. “The code on the street is snitches get stitches. That doesn’t apply here or to us. Each farm is an extended family. Our code is that we protect one another.”

Opening the door, he waited for her to get into the sedan. Minutes later he sat watching as Peyton opened the door to the side entrance to the two-story house and disappeared inside. Nicholas sat, staring out the windshield, his mind filled with images of the hours he’d spent with her. He’d felt an intrinsic urge to protect her, stepping into the line of fire when Mr. Ritchie could’ve possibly discharged the shotgun. He didn’t want to think of the consequences if that had happened.

Executing a U-turn, he drove back to the main road, exiting the security checkpoint. He recalled what he’d said to Peyton before kissing her. Once she became an employee of Cole-Thom Farms he would consider her off-limits to anything sexual in nature. They would continue to interact socially, but Nicholas knew it could never go beyond friendship.

This had been drummed into his head since he was old enough to understand the dynamics between male and female. His great-grandfather had cheated on his wife with a female employee of his company. The liaison resulted in an illegitimate child that to this day remained the Coles’ dirty little secret. It’d taken years for Nicholas’s grandmother, aunts and uncles to claim Joshua Kirkland as their brother. The wound had healed but the invisible scars were a blatant reminder that every action has consequences. He didn’t want to become physically involved with Peyton, and face the fallout from a breakup. It would be similar to a divorced couple living in the same house.

He shook his head. He’d invested too much time and money in the farm to jeopardize losing her professional services.

Chapter 11

P
eyton waved her arms when she spied Caroline Gordon’s brand-new BMW coupe’s approach. She got into the car, leaning over and kissing her friend’s cheek. “Follow the road to the back of the house. You can park alongside the garages.”

She had to admit Caroline looked well. It’d been years since they last saw each other but whenever they reunited it was like time had stood still. She wasn’t classically pretty but she also wasn’t a plain Jane. Subtly applied makeup and a fashionable hairstyle was enough for her to turn a few heads. Caroline who’d always struggled with her weight looked toned and healthy. There were occasions when she would gain ten to fifteen pounds in the span of a month when she was stressed out. Standing only five-three in her bare feet the weight gain was more noticeable than if she’d been taller. Her chin-length chestnut-brown hair was cut into a flattering style with an off-centered part framing her round face. The journalist’s round light brown eyes and the profusion of freckles across a pert nose made her appear much younger than twenty-eight. The two women thought it hilarious they were still being carded at clubs and restaurants whenever they ordered alcohol.

Caroline downshifted, maneuvering into the area and parking next to a pickup. “I can’t believe the size of this place. Once I left the gatehouse I kept driving and driving, wondering when I was going to see the main house.”

“The farm is ten thousand acres.”

“You know I stink when it comes to mathematical conversions. What would it be in miles?” Caroline asked.

Peyton smiled. “It’s a little over fifteen square miles.”

“That’s larger than some towns.”

“I always think of Blackstone Farms as a village.”

Caroline gave her a skeptical glance. “It’s more than a village,” she countered.

Opening the door, Peyton got out, reaching for one of the two bags stored behind the seats. “You’ll just have enough time to unpack because we sit down to eat at three.”

Caroline picked up the remaining bag. “I tried to get here sooner, but there was an accident on Interstate 81 and it was more than an hour before I was able to get off and take another route. The GPS must have recalculated the route four times before I finally got to Staunton.”

Carrying the bags, the two women went into the house and up the staircase to the west wing. Peyton opened the door to a suite across the hall from hers. “This is where you’ll stay.”

Caroline glanced around the space. “Wow, Peyton. This is a far cry from our dorm room.”

“It’s a far cry from every dorm I’ve ever had,” she concurred. She set the bag down next to a drop-leaf table. “I’m across the hall. After dinner I’ll take you on a tour of the farm.”

“Do I have to get dressed up for dinner?”

Peyton shook her head. The first thing she’d learned when introduced to her roommate was that Caroline hated dressing up. Jeans, sweats and oversized T-shirts were de rigueur for the then-aspiring journalist. It was probably one of the many faults her former in-laws found in her. Caroline always believed in keeping it real, and this is why people she’d interviewed felt so comfortable around her.

“We usually don’t dress up unless there’s a race. Sometimes we hold a pre-race party which is less formal than an after-party if we have a winner. Jeans are the norm around here.”

“You’re singing my song,” Caroline said, smiling. She sobered. “I just thought of something.”

Peyton stared at her friend. Whenever Caroline mentioned thinking she knew it had something to do with her coming up with an idea for an article. “What?”

“What if I write a piece about horse farms. I don’t have to mention Blackstone Farms by name, not unless I was given permission. Aside from the racing community, regular folks only take notice of horse racing when it comes time for the Triple Crown.”

“What would the piece cover?”

Caroline’s eyes were shimmering with excitement. “Everything from purchasing land, laying out the farm to the buying and selling of horses. I’d like to interview everyone from the owners to trainers, jockeys and everyone who lives or works on the farm.”

“It sounds very ambitious.”

“How many people are that familiar with the inner workings of a horse farm?” Caroline asked.

Peyton lifted her shoulders. “Probably not too many. I believe they would be more curious about the practice of doping. Unfortunately the practice isn’t just relegated to human athletes.”

Combing her hands through her straight, blunt-cut hair, Caroline smiled. “You’re right. Is it as pervasive in horse racing as it is in professional sports?”

“It probably is, but because the athlete is an animal most people don’t think of it as cheating.”

“Maybe I’ll write the article on doping but only if you help me with the medical terminology.”

Peyton crossed her arms under her breasts. “I’ll help only if you promise anonymity. I don’t want my name to appear anywhere in the article.”

“I give you my word that your name will not be anywhere in the article. I won’t even mention Blackstone Farms. That way none of the information will be traced back to you.”

“Will you let me read what you’ve written before you submit it?”

Caroline nodded, smiling. “Of course.” She glanced at her watch. “I better shower and change my clothes.”

“We normally eat in the dining hall on Sunday, but today we’re going to eat here. You’ll get to meet Sheldon, the man who set up the farm, his wife, Renee, and their daughter, Virginia, who’s quite the chatterbox. So, don’t be surprised if she asks you a lot of questions. Sheldon says she’s a Chatty Cathy doll, while Renee says she’s a wannabe Barbara Walters.”

Caroline laughed. “She sounds adorable.”

“I may sound biased but all of my cousins are adorable.” The statement was out before Peyton could censor herself when she remembered Caroline saying she couldn’t have children. “I’m sorry, I forgot you can’t have—”

“Don’t you dare apologize,” Caroline snapped angrily. “I refuse to become a participant in my own pity party.”

Peyton closed the distance between them and threw her arms around her friend’s neck. “I swore off pity parties when I got rid of that bum.”

Pulling back, Caroline stared at Peyton. Her former college roommate and maid of honor looked beautiful. Her sun-bleached hair was the perfect foil for her golden-brown complexion. “Do you still hear from the bum?”

Peyton closed her eyes. “I’ll tell you about him later.” She dropped her arms. “I have to shower and change, too. I left a supply of beauty and personal products in the table in the bathroom. If you need anything you’ll know where to find me.”

* * *

At exactly three o’clock, Peyton and Caroline walked down the staircase to the first floor. Raised voices and laughter drifted from the direction of the living room. Peyton recognized Jeremy’s voice and Tricia’s laughter. She entered the living room, her heart skipping a beat before it returned to its normal rhythm. All of the men stood up. It was the first time since her return that Sheldon had invited Nicholas to eat at the farm. Her gaze met and fused with his. A hint of a smile tilted the corners of his mouth as he gave her a barely perceptible nod. He was dressed like the other men in jeans, shirt open at the throat and boots.

“Here she is,” Sheldon announced.

Everyone turned to stare at Peyton. She hadn’t introduced Caroline to anyone so she assumed he wasn’t referring to her friend. Ryan rushed into the room, visibly out of breath.

“Am I too late?”

Now Peyton was really confused. “What’s going on?” she asked when Kelly and Ryan walked in without their children.

Tall, powerfully built Sheldon strode forward, arms outstretched. “We’re here to congratulate you on becoming Cole-Thom Farm’s veterinarian.”

She struggled to breathe when Sheldon tightened his hold on her body. It was apparent he was mistaken. Nicholas still had to interview her before he approved her hire. Going on tiptoe, she pressed her mouth to his ear. “Aren’t you being a little premature? Nicholas hasn’t hired me yet.”

Sheldon released her, his silvery gaze going from Peyton to Nicholas. “Is she or is she not your resident vet?”

Nicholas’s impassive expression did not change with Sheldon’s clipped tone. “Of course she is. There are a few things Peyton and I need to discuss. However, she is the resident vet for Cole-Thom, effective immediately.”

Sheldon stared at Peyton. “If the boss says you’re hired, then that makes it official.” Dipping his head, he kissed her cheek. “I’m so proud of you.”

“Thank you,” she whispered. Peyton found herself surrounded by her family as they hugged and kissed her.

“You’re expected to say something,” Ryan called out.

Peyton felt a flush suffuse her face. “First of all I’d like to introduce my college roommate. This is Caroline Gordon. Caroline, these wonderful people are my family, and you already know my new boss,” she said, giving him a sugary smile. One by one she made the introductions: Jeremy, Tricia, Kelly and then Nicholas.

Caroline wiggled her fingers. “Hello, Peyton’s wonderful family and new boss.”

Everyone laughed, as Sheldon offered Caroline his hand. “Welcome. Is this your first time visiting a horse farm?”

“Yes, sir.”

He frowned at her under lowered lids. “It’s Sheldon. We’re all family here. Right, Nicholas?”

The lone dimple deepened in Nicholas’s left cheek when he smiled. “You’re right.”

Renee walked into the room, wiping her hands on a towel. A smile softened her lush mouth, deepening the dimples in her nut-brown cheeks. The men stood up again. She approached Caroline. “I’m Renee. Welcome to Blackstone Farms. Did everyone introduce themselves?”

Caroline nodded. “Yes.”

Pressing her palms together, Renee nodded to her husband. “Sheldon, will you please bring out the turkey? Caroline, I hope you’re not a vegan or vegetarian because the Blackstones are certifiable carnivores.”

Shaking her head and blowing out her cheeks, Caroline drawled, “Do you remember the Wimpy character from the Popeye cartoon? Well, I’m the second coming of Wimpy.”

“I hear you,” drawled Ryan. “You have to let Peyton take you to Shorty’s Diner. They’ve earned the reputation of making some of the best burgers in the state. I’d eat them every night if I could.”

Kelly, sitting on the love seat, looped her arm through her husband’s. Light from a chandelier glinted off the gold in her large expressive eyes. Even after giving birth to two children her body was still incredibly slender. Tricia had teased her sister-in-law saying she had a rubber band body. It snapped back as soon as she pushed out her babies. Meanwhile Tricia struggled to lose her pregnancy weight. She announced she would begin dieting once she stopped breast-feeding Carter.

“Now, you know at your age you have to watch your cholesterol,” Kelly warned Ryan.

The veterinarian shot her a lethal glare. “What you trying to say, woman?”

Kelly sucked her teeth loudly. “You’re forty, mister. And that means you have to start monitoring your health.”

Turning his head to hide a grin, Ryan looked at Nicholas. “See what you’ll have to go through once you’re married?”

Nicholas crossed one leg over the opposite knee. “I think it would be nice to have someone love me like that.” Kelly rose slightly to give Tricia a high-five handshake, while Jeremy and Ryan glared at Nicholas.

“Yo, man, Nick. I thought you had my back,” Ryan argued.

Nicholas bit back a smile. “I got your back, but your wife is right. You can’t eat red meat every night.”

Ryan glanced over at Jeremy. “Aren’t you going to help me out here, brother?”

Jeremy shook his head. “Now you can’t expect me to agree with you when Tricia is a nurse. She watches what I eat like a hawk.”

“That’s because I want you to live a long time to help me raise your babies,” Tricia countered.

Jeremy ran a hand over his cropped hair. “They’re either my babies or our children. It’s never Tricia’s babies.”

“By the way, where are the children?” Peyton asked.

“They’re with my grandfather and Beatrice,” Tricia replied.

Peyton nudged Caroline. “You’ll probably get to meet them tomorrow.”

* * *

Nicholas stared at Peyton from under lowered lids. There was something about her that mesmerized him. She’d braided her longer hair in a single plait, securing the ends with a red elastic tie that matched the silk blouse she’d paired with body-hugging skinny jeans. His gaze moved lower to her narrow feet in a pair of strappy red sandals. He smiled. The polish on her groomed feet was bloodred. Very sexy, he mused.

When Sheldon called inviting him to dinner, Nicholas had been forthcoming when he told him that he was hiring Peyton. It didn’t matter that he hadn’t interviewed her. It was her poise and maturity that had sealed the deal. He’d watched her at the fund-raiser and the gentleness with which she stroked the mare and her foal. Both animals were so still, only their nostrils flaring slightly when she whispered something he wasn’t able to hear. He’d heard of horse whisperers but had yet to meet one. Nicholas knew she would be perfect for one of his high-strung Arabian stallions.

The expression on her face when Sheldon congratulated her on her new position was one he would never forget. It was one of shock and awe. She had to know he would hire her or she wouldn’t have returned to Virginia. Ryan had let it slip that the trustees at Tuskegee had offered her a permanent teaching position but she’d turned it down. In a moment of crazed arrogance Nicholas wanted to believe she’d rejected the opportunity to teach at a prestigious veterinary college because she preferred working at Cole-Thom but then realized he was wrong.

It would’ve been different if they’d continued to communicate during her absence. The last time he saw her, other than at his niece’s baptism, was at her family open house. He’d looked for her at the Harridan open house and when she didn’t show up Nicholas assumed she was still angry because he’d questioned her virginity. It was a week later when Sheldon called to confer with him about mating one of his stallions with a mare that he asked about Peyton.

The news that she would be away for a year made it impossible for Nicholas to draw a normal breath. Then he chided himself for not acting on his feelings sooner. Each and every time he sat at Sheldon’s table he’d totally ignored her. Although she looked nothing like Arden his initial reaction to her was the same, and never could he have imagined how his relationship with Arden would end.