Eternal Vows (Hideaway (Kimani)) (15 page)

“Not at all.”

“I’m glad. Otherwise you might have a problem with your newest employee.”

Nicholas pressed his mouth to her hair. “It doesn’t matter what you say or do, I’m not going to let you go.”

Chapter 12

C
linton Patrick greeted Peyton warmly once she reached the gatehouse, waving her through. She followed the winding road until she reached Cole House, maneuvering around to the rear of the historic structure. Blackstone Farms was four times as large as Cole-Thom but the latter was a picturesque landscape of trees, flowers and gardens similar to grand British ancestral estates with flocks of grazing sheep. Peyton took her time walking from the back of the house and around to the entrance.

The front door opened before she could lift the knocker. A tall, thin, middle-aged woman with a dour expression stood in the doorway. She was the quintessential stereotypical librarian with her white blouse, black shirt and sensible rubber-soled shoes.

“Dr. Blackstone?”

Peyton smiled. “Yes.”

“I’m Eugenia Jamison. The housekeeper for Cole House.” Stepping back, she opened the door wider. “Please come with me. I’ll let Nicholas know you’re here.” Peyton followed her through the entryway and into an alcove that doubled as a drawing room.

Sinking down into a comfortable chaise, Peyton glanced around her. The furnishings were reminiscent of the blue-and-white porcelain that China is famous for; the pictorial fabric covered the chaise, throw pillows and a pure white sofa. A low white table positioned in front of the sofa held a silver tea set, silver candlesticks and a crystal vase overflowing with fresh lavender. Everything in the blue-and-white space had been selected with a discerning eye that invited one to come and stay awhile. Her gaze lingered on the pristine white rug, wondering how often it had to be cleaned. Either Nicholas or his housekeeper was obsessive compulsive, because she doubted whether she would ever install a white carpet in her home.

“Peyton.”

She popped up from the chaise when she heard the soft drawling voice. Turning, she smiled at Nicholas. She hadn’t heard him enter the room. Her eyes met his, and what she saw in his penetrating gaze made the breath catch in her lungs. It was a toss-up between desire and lust.

“Good morning.”

He moved closer. “Good morning. How are you?”

Peyton always felt at a disadvantage whenever she stood next to Nicholas wearing flats. A bright smile parted her lips. “Wonderful.”

Reaching for her hand, Nicholas held it in his larger one. “I’m going to give you a tour of the farm and introduce you to everyone before we come back to discuss salary and perks.”

“Are you always this impulsive? You tell everyone I’m hired. Now you want to introduce me to the other employees before you outline my responsibilities, salary and/or perks. What if I’m not willing to accept what you’re offering?”

Nicholas gave her fingers a gentle squeeze. “Do you really believe I wouldn’t pay you what you’re worth? I know the average annual salary for a newly licensed vet starts around forty-six thousand. A vet with experience can go as high as ninety thousand. I’m willing to offer you a salary commensurate with your experience. The perks will include a bonus, profit sharing and commission. I’ve told Dr. Richardson I’m not going to renew his contract, so it’s too late for you to back out now.”

It doesn’t matter what you do or say, I’m not going to let you go.
Nicholas had just paraphrased what he’d said to her Sunday. Pulling back her shoulders, Peyton lifted her chin in defiance. “You misunderstand me, Nicholas. Money is the least of my concerns. You can’t make decisions that pertain to me without consulting me first. And don’t forget you made it quite clear that you’re lord and master of this farm, and if you’re hiring me as one of your employees, then as an employee I do have certain rights. I’m good at what I do, very, very good, so let me know now if we’ll be able to work together without you becoming a tyrant.”

Nicholas looked at Peyton though half-lowered lids. Under her cool exterior was a volatile fire that was at odds with her fragile beauty. “I’ve been called many things, but never a tyrant. I made it known I’ve hired you in order to make your transition as smooth as possible. You told me I wouldn’t get any flack from Jeremy if I brought you on. Well, I did get some resistance from him. His approach to running Blackstone Farms is based on a military model, which lends itself to inflexibility. He didn’t want to lose you and he wasn’t shy about letting me know it.”

“I didn’t know.” Her voice was barely above a whisper.

“I didn’t tell you before because I don’t want to come between you and your family.”

“That’s not going to happen.”

Nicholas smiled. “Good.”

Peyton’s cell phone rang and she chided herself for not turning it off or setting it to vibrate. “I’m ready to meet everyone.”

“Aren’t you going to answer your phone?”

Reaching into the back pocket of her jeans, she took out the phone and looked at the display. It was a number she didn’t recognize. She prayed it wasn’t Reginald again. For a reason Peyton wasn’t able to fathom, her ex didn’t want to accept or understand she wanted nothing to do with him. When, she thought, had he become so neurotic?

“I’ll let it go to voice mail.” She knew it wasn’t her mother because of the ringtone.

Nicholas angled his head. “Do you usually ignore your calls?”

“It depends on who’s calling.”

Nicholas stared at Peyton as if she were a stranger as something clicked in his mind. Had his arrogance and sense of entitlement supplanted his common sense? He’d never given it a thought. Peyton could possibly be involved with someone. Because she was single and not seeing anyone at her family’s farms he’d assumed she was fair game.

After all, she’d been away for a year and during that time she could’ve met someone. She claimed she was staying with her parents in New York for three months when she could’ve been living with her lover during that time. Had she not wanted to answer the call because she didn’t want him to overhear her conversation? If she did have a boyfriend, then that would thwart his attempt to, as his father described it when he pursued his mother, court Peyton. “Are you ready?” he asked Peyton.

She nodded, smiling. “Yes.”

* * *

Peyton sat next to Nicholas as he shifted gears in an old pickup. Each time the ancient vehicle lurched the springs under the seat stabbed her bottom. “Don’t you think it’s time you trade in this truck for a new one?” she said, grimacing when she felt another stabbing pain.

He didn’t take his eyes off the road. “What’s wrong with it? It runs.”

She stared at his distinctive profile. “Right now my backside feels like a pincushion.”

Nicholas gave her a quick glance. “I forgot about that. I meant to have that seat replaced.”

“Wouldn’t it be better if you replaced the truck?”

Pulling down the visor, he removed a pair of sunglasses and put them on when bright sunlight came through the windshield. “The truck was here when I bought this land. I don’t know how long it hadn’t been driven but the engine turned over the first time I put the key in the ignition. That told me there was still life in it, so I had a mechanic replace the transmission, clutch, the fans, belts and spark plugs. I know it needs some body work so when I have that done I’ll also have them replace the seats.”

She braced her hand against the glove box. “Please slow down.”

Downshifting, Nicholas put the truck in Neutral and applied the emergency brake. “Come sit on me.”

Peyton looked at him as if he’d lost his mind. “What?”

He adjusted his seat. “Slide over and straddle my lap.”

“I will not!” There was no way she was going to sit on his lap and not be affected by the close, intimate contact.

Releasing the brake, Nicholas shifted into gear once again. “Suit yourself.”

“Stop,” she practically screamed when the vehicle lurched forward and another spring impaled her. “I’ll sit on you.”

Somehow she managed to get her right leg over the gearshift and sit facing Nicholas. Even when he’d kissed her she hadn’t felt this close to him. Now it wasn’t the exposed springs attacking her posterior but the muscles in Nicholas’s thighs under hers and the hardness in his groin pressing against her mound.

“This is crazy,” she whispered, burying her face between his neck and shoulder. He smelled of aftershave and fresh laundry.

“Are you in pain now?” He’d started up the truck again.

“No.” Peyton held on to the seat back. The vehicle was so old it didn’t have a headrest or seat belts. “How old is this truck?” Her voice was muffled against the strong column of Nicholas’s neck.

“It’s a 1964 model.”

“If it’s a classic, then you should have it fully restored.”

Turning his head slightly, Nicholas’s mouth brushed her ear. He wanted Peyton to stop talking so he could enjoy the soft press of her body against his. While he was drowning in the scent of her perfumed body, it took Herculean strength to turn off the switch in his head to keep from achieving an erection.

He was certain Peyton could hear his sigh of relief when he maneuvered up to the stable and shut off the engine. “I’ll get a blanket to put over the seat before we go back.” She slipped off his lap when he opened the driver’s-side door. “Put your foot on the running board, then step down.”

Peyton followed his instructions and managed to get out of the truck without falling on her face. She groaned under her breath when she realized she should’ve changed out of her flats and into the boots she always kept in her pickup.

Tilting her head, she looked up at the modern, state-of-the art stable. “How many horses do you have?” she asked when Nicholas cradled her hand, threading their fingers together.

“An even dozen: five Arabians, three Lipizzaners, and four quarter horses. I plan to buy a couple of Thoroughbreds, but I wanted to wait for you to come onboard before I go shopping.”

Peyton walked into the stable, finding it spotless. There was no lingering smell of urine or manure. It was apparent once the horses were turned out to pasture the barn was cleaned. The floor was still damp and with the lingering scent of a sanitizer. The doors to the stalls stood open, but as she approached the opposite end of the stable she noticed one was closed.

Her pulse quickened as she came face-to-face with a magnificent gray colt. His ears pricked and he whinnied softly, tossing his magnificent head up and down when he spied Nicholas. The horse was easily recognizable as an Arabian by its very short head and the face’s pronounced concavity. Peyton eased her hand from Nicholas’s, walked over and touched the colt’s muzzle. She smiled. The muzzle was very tapered and covered with exceptionally fine skin.

Turning she noticed Nicholas watching her. “Can I go into the stall?”

He nodded, then stepped forward and opened the door. The bridle around the horse’s neck was tethered to a ring in the stall, but that didn’t restrict the colt when he pushed its head against her chest as Peyton continued to run her fingertips along its neck, shoulders and back. She counted seventeen pairs of ribs. Arabs differed from other breeds that have eighteen pair. Continuing with her examination, she checked the foal’s teeth, eyes, shoulders, body and hindquarters.

“Has he weaned from his dam?”

Nicholas moved closer. “Yes.”

“What’s your name, handsome?” Peyton crooned as she continued to rub the neck.

“I named him Nublado. It’s Spanish for cloudy.”

“That’s a wonderful name for a Thoroughbred. But you’re not a Thoroughbred, Nublado. You’re a beautiful purebred Arab.”

Crossing his arms over the light blue chambray shirt, Nicholas stared at the golden shower of hair flowing midway down Peyton’s back. He didn’t know how she managed to appear so incredibly wanton and innocent at the same time in a pair of jeans, white T-shirt, flats and her hair pulled into a ponytail.

“Do you think Nublado would be an appropriate gift for Sheldon?”

Peyton stepped out of the stall, closing the door behind her. “Had you planned on selling Nublado?” She’d answered his question with one of her own.

“No. I wanted to breed him.”

“I think Nublado would be an exceptional gift. I just remembered something.”

“What?”

A dreamy expression swept over her features. “Giving a horse as a gift reminds me of a guy who went to veterinary school with me. He was part Kiowa and he said in his culture marriage was usually arranged by gifts of horses to the parents of the girl by the man or his family. A contract is made after the acceptance of gifts, and the husband usually goes to live with the wife’s parents.”

Nicholas was intrigued by the custom. “What if there is a divorce?”

“The wife would have to get her father’s approval to divorce her husband. If daddy said yes, then the bride price is returned.”

“What if the husband wanted to divorce his wife?”

“A man could divorce his wife for adultery.”

Bracing a hand on the beam separating Nublado’s stall from the next one, Nicholas leaned in close to Peyton. He was close, close enough to see the freckles across the bridge of her nose. “It sounds very cut-and-dry. No greedy lawyers draining bank accounts or ugly confrontations played out either in the media or cyberspace.”

Peyton placed her hand over his chest. “Are you speaking from experience?”

“No. I’ve never been married.”

“If it’s not marriage, then you must not like lawyers.”

“Only the unscrupulous ones,” Nicholas admitted. “There are too many lawyers in my family for me to have an aversion to them.”

“I noticed all the photographs in your office. You must have a very large family.”

Nicholas nodded. “I do, and it gets larger every year. There’s always a new baby and every couple of years there’s a wedding.”

“That’s where the Blackstones differ. When I went online and did a search of the Blackstone name I came up with less than a dozen. Even though my father and Sheldon are third cousins they didn’t know the other existed.”

“One of these days I’ll tell you about the Cole and Diaz families if you tell me about the Blackstones.”

She smiled, nodding. “Okay.”

Nicholas studied her face, making love to Peyton with his eyes. He wished he knew what it was about her that made him think of her when least expected. Even when he’d accompanied Rachel to dinner dances, fund-raisers and to her family cookout, in his mind he’d wanted her to be Peyton although their interaction had been minimal. However, that would change now that she would live on the farm.