The Farmer & The Belle (Baymoor Book 1) Page 13

  “I know, but Uncle Nate has to realize that he’s spoiled me for other men. When it comes to dating, I have pretty high standards. I want a love like yours, and I’m willing to wait. So to answer your question, Max and I are just hanging out,” she replied truthfully. It was sort of the truth. There just really wasn’t a way to say that she would be frequently getting naked with him whenever and however they could manage.

  “Well, I can only imagine what your siblings will say when they hear about you hanging out with a gorgeous, kind, funny, and brilliant lawyer turned successful farmer,” Valerie teased, enjoying the dreamy smile Georgina was unaware that she was wearing. “I can’t wait to see them for Easter! Goodness, it’s been way too long since we all got together.”

  Although Eliza and Graham weren’t as close to their aunt and uncle as she was, it wasn’t for lack of trying on everyone’s part. After Georgina came to Baymoor, Eliza and Graham had to figure their own shit out. It had been six months before she heard from them, and they had come to visit her every year for a week. She had received postcards galore from Graham who had been forced to enter the service and traveled the world.

  Eliza married David and moved to Boston, where she attended UMass. Neither Graham nor Eliza had ever gone back to Las Vegas, needing to leave the bad memories behind; but Georgina had, and they understood. She wanted to see if maybe she could find their mother and show her how well she turned out. Her first year there, if she wasn’t at school or working, she was casing Freemont Street with old photos of Ingrid to see if anyone remembered her. She volunteered at homeless shelters during the holidays to see if she would turn up. After doing this for two years, there had finally been a break. She shuddered at the memory and pushed it to the back of her mind.

  “They’re fine and excited for the holiday. I can’t wait to see how much Camille has grown this time,” Georgina enthused and Valerie smiled excitedly.

  “This year’s holiday is going to be so special; I can’t wait for all of you to be here with us. We just feel incredibly blessed to have all of you in our lives,” she paused and then said softly, “Your uncle is a rare find, and every day that we’ve been together is truly a blessing. We were really lucky to find each other. I’ve only known a couple of men like him. My father, Walter, and….Max.”

  Valerie looked directly at Georgina with a raised eyebrow. There was a teasing glint in her eye as she looked at her niece’s flushed face.

  “Oh chile, please! You guys think you invented chemistry or something?” Valerie scoffed. “I’ve got eyes, and I see the way he looks at you. You just better understand that he’s a good man. And the women around here recognize it, even if you’re a little slow, honey.” Valerie gave her a serious look. “The same way we ladies don’t like our emotions to be played with, neither do honorable men. So step aside if you’re not serious about him and move to the back of that long ass line of females clamoring for his attention, baby.”

  Georgina gave her aunt a woman-to-woman look. “Those women can continue to wait. I’m not going anywhere.”

  Valerie high-fived her, before adding, “I heard that! Did Max mention that he’d been engaged?”

  “No, we’re still in the process of exchanging dental records,” Georgina quipped and changed the subject. “So how will employees get paid? Via direct deposit or paychecks?”

  “For now, we use…”

  Valerie was talking but, Georgina’s mind was elsewhere. So Max had been engaged. She wondered if he would tell her. Perhaps in time or maybe it still hurt him to talk about it. Again that jealous feeling started to rise in her, but she resisted giving in to it. In all their conversations, he’d been very honest. She knew the woman in D.C. wasn’t an issue now, but what about four weeks from now? Georgina knew that the time frame of their affair wouldn’t be enough for her. That those hot kisses would haunt her when she was long gone and someone else was in his bed.

  There was a brief knock at the office door before it quickly opened. Raymond entered first with a tray of steaming bowls of red beans and rice; Nate had a plate of cornbread; and Max carried a tray filled with honey, apple jelly, whipped butter, salt, pepper, and hot sauce in one hand and a brown paper bag in the other.

  “Look who I ran into in the parking lot! Max was just telling me that he planned on taking Georgie horseback riding when we finished up here,” he said, staring at Val. The glance had a question which received an answer in her look. The power of married couples. Max grinned and winked at Georgina as his simmering gaze perused her from head to toe, taking in her conservative navy and white polka dot shift dress and navy pumps. The red-framed square glasses just begged for him to steam them up.

  She smiled back at him and stood up to help lay out the food. When that was done, they all clasped hands and bowed their heads for grace. Uncle Nate’s voice was deep and resonating as he repeated the prayer Georgina had come to know as a child. She was settled in between Max and Aunt Val with Raymond and her uncle across from them. The first few minutes were spent eating in silence. The red beans and rice was another childhood favorite, but Raymond had put a new twist on it. Instead of spicy andouille sausage, he used smoked duck sausage. It was savory, rich, and hearty over the fluffy white rice. There was also a small bowl of chopped green onion because Raymond knew she liked to heap this particular dish with the garnish. And Georgina was tempted to, but then she glanced at Max and those perfect lips she’d be kissing later and decided against it.

  The cornbread was sweet with a kick of cayenne pepper. Georgina added apple jelly and butter to hers. God, to think she had denied herself this kind of food for so long because of work and their custom-tailored outfits. But while she was here, Georgina planned to take full advantage of home-cooked meals and the virile man beside her. After they finished eating, Max pulled mason jars of condiments out of the brown paper bag and passed them around for the group to look at. “These are the new condiments we’re creating at the farm. I know that you guys are in the process of changing your menu for spring, so I thought you might want to try these. Take a look and have a taste. See if you could use anything on your menu.”

  The group eagerly dug into the jars, and soon sighs of appreciation filled the air.

  Raymond put his spoon down and started to make notes as Nate and Valerie made suggestions.

  “The peach and red onion chutney would go great with the pork tenderloin,” Valerie suggested and Nate readily agreed.

  “I like the way you’re thinking, baby! We could do the sandwich on a rustic type of bread and garnish with cornichons,” Nate said enthusiastically and leaned over to give his wife a kiss. “Say, Raymond, what if we took this ramp pesto and turned it into a vegetable dip?”

  “Oooo-wee! And paired it with some air-popped vegetables?” Raymond bobbed his head in agreement. “Now we’re cooking! That honey bourbon butter should pair well with tempura fried shrimp and chicken. I want to give it a try this afternoon.”

  “Can the strawberry balsamic chipotle preserves be done over angel food cake or perhaps a panna cotta?” Georgina inquired excitedly, as the feeling of nostalgia swept over her once more. Too many times to count, the four of them had sat at this very table and brainstormed menus. “It needs to be over something light and sweet…or even turn it into an ice cream!”

  “Little Bit, don’t you dare stay away so long next time,” Valerie scolded with a gentle smile and ruffled Georgina’s hair. “This is just like old times!”

  Max smiled to himself as Georgina blushed with pleasure. While they talked, he gathered the used dishes and brought them back to the kitchen where he ran into one of the servers, Farah Laurent.

  “Hi, Max! Wow, two visits in less than a week? Guess you see something on the menu that you just can’t resist huh?” she said in a suggestive tone that he found to be irritating as hell. Thanks to Wade, Max had firsthand knowledge of who was in on the town wager regarding his love life, and he made it a point to avoid those ladies at all costs. Ms. Farah had m
ade it more than obvious she considered herself a contender for his affections.

  “Hey, Farah. How’s your grandmother doing?” Max asked tersely, putting distance between them and not wanting to encourage the woman in any way shape or form.

  “Oh, she’s good. Just wondering when you’ll finally get around to having Sunday dinner with us,” Farah cooed and stepped closer, placing her hand on his arm. “She’s always trying to encourage me to bring a nice guy home, so I’m just waiting for you to accept the invite.”

  Max could admit to himself that she was a good-looking lady, but she did nothing for him. And even if his thoughts weren’t consumed by a quick-witted luscious brown-skinned angel, he wouldn’t have been interested. Max gave her a look that had made even the hardest of witnesses crack on the stand, and she stepped back reluctantly. He saw the flash of anger in her eyes and knew he had bruised her ego.

  “Sorry, but my calendar’s booked indefinitely. Please tell your grandmother I said hello and have a nice day,” he said politely and walked back to the office.

  ***

  After the meeting, there was a quick introduction of Georgina to the staff. Everyone seemed welcoming and friendly. One employee, in particular, seemed extra friendly to Max, Georgina observed, recognizing her as April’s sidekick who had ogled his behind the other day. Not that she could blame her. Her name was Farah, and she was very popular amongst the staff. She was in her early twenties, with long black curls and a curvy body; her clothes were very tight-fitting, and she seemed to flirt a lot. She was nice enough to Georgina, but she really turned it on for Max, smiling at him and touching his arm. To his credit, he smiled courteously at her and conversed with the staff as a whole, not singling anyone out. Finally, he broke away from them to approach her and Uncle Nate. Georgina noticed Farah’s eyes narrow on her when Max reached them.

  “Are you ready?” he asked politely, but the sinful look in his eyes let her know what was on his mind, and her heart started to race with anticipation. Before Georgina could answer, Nate stepped in and looked from one to the other and gave Max a warning stare.

  “Now Max, I’m sure I don’t have to tell you how much Georgie means to me. Don’t go breaking her heart, or good friend and preferred vendor be damned, I will break both of your arms and legs,” Nate said seriously. Although she wanted to die of mortification, Georgina couldn’t help feeling touched by her uncle’s protective nature.

  “No, sir, I won’t,” Max assured him and wondered why no one thought she wouldn’t break his.

  Chapter Ten

  The drive to the farm was a peaceful one, and Georgina asked Max if they could ride with all the windows down so she could appreciate the fresh air. He’d picked her up in a silver Chevy Tahoe, and as they cruised along with Chaka Kahn’s Epiphany album playing in the background, Georgina kept looking around and taking in the beautiful scenery. Max kept laughing at her wide-eyed look of wonderment when she pushed her reading glasses back onto her hair.

  “City girl looks a little awestruck at some country scenery,” he teased and she wrinkled her nose at him.

  “It’s just so different from Las Vegas. After a while, all the dessert landscape starts to blend together. In my neighborhood, all the houses are cookie cutter and look alike. I’ve even mistakenly pulled into the wrong driveway about three times. I guess I just never realized how much I missed all of this,” she said wistfully then added, “But then I think about how I can get a great meal at two-thirty in the morning and I’m all good.”

  “Well that’s good to hear that you kind of missed it, because I’ve got you involved in activities here on the farm and in town,” Max informed her. Ever since she’d agreed to their arrangement, he’d planned to show her more than just a good time in bed. Maybe if she immersed herself in more than her family duty, she would remember all the things she liked about Baymoor and think about staying a little longer. As in forever. With him.

  “Bring it on, farm boy,” she challenged. “I had a lot of fun participating in activities as a kid, once I overcame my shyness,” she said with a laugh. “So whatever you want to throw my way should be a walk in the park.”

  “Why were you so shy?” he asked curiously. He knew nothing about her home life, except something might have happened in her past to make her closed off and skittish enough to not have forged any intimate relationships with the opposite sex.

  She hesitated but finally said, “Before coming to live here…I grew up in an extremely dysfunctional environment. There was a lot of … chaos. It made me extremely leery of…social interaction. But I overcame it and now everything’s alright.”

  Georgina didn’t elaborate further and now Max wanted to know more about her than ever. It did explain her reserve, though, and he made himself promise to go gently with her. Well…as gently as he could in the four-week time frame he had to work with.

  “So tell me more about you, Max,” Georgina said. “If we’re going to be partners of sorts-”

  “And lovers,” Max he reminded her in a deep voice that promised her unlimited, intimate adventures with him. “Don’t forget lovers.”

  “Of course I didn’t forget that!” Georgina retorted, flustered as he smirked and his hands expertly shifted the gears on the truck. Soon those skilled fingers would be bringing her more enjoyment than she’d experienced in her little, sheltered life. Just the thought of getting naked with him caused a heady rush of exhilaration similar to when she’d first flown through the air on a trapeze, but even better. There was nothing like being pressed against his big, muscular body and allowing her hands to explore to her heart’s content…

  “You still with me, baby?” Max asked, taking his eyes off the road to glance at Georgina. From the fevered look in her eyes and the way she bit her lips, he had an idea as to where mind had just taken a turn to, and his manhood swelled up to answer as if on roll call. “Damn woman, you better stop looking at me like that, or I’ll be pulling this truck over and giving you what you’re silently asking for.”

  Georgina felt her panties dampen and her breasts swelled in response to his words. She took a deep breath and shuddered, “Can you just focus on what I was saying, please?”

  “You’re right, we should talk now. Because when I get you all alone later, I’ll be too busy to talk,” he agreed readily and Georgina scowled at him.

  “A little cocky aren’t we? Keep it up and all we’ll be doing is talking, funny guy,” she replied haughtily and gasped when Max quickly pulled the Tahoe over to the side of the road.

  He quickly unbuckled Georgina’s seatbelt and tugged her to him, where her soft lips met his in a dizzying kiss that left them both breathless when they broke apart. Their breaths intermingled as they stared deep into each other’s eyes, and finally, Max chuckled in disbelief. “Hmmm…I’ve never heard the words little and my cock mentioned in the same sentence.”

  “Uh-uh,” Georgina whimpered, trying to kiss him. “Give me more kisses, please.”

  Instead of fulfilling her request, Max pulled back to look at her seriously. “You know I plan on fucking the uptightness out of you, right? When I’m done with you, you’ll be as stiff as a boiled noodle.”

  “Promises, promises,” Georgina taunted, and Max grinned so deviously that she didn’t know whether to feel apprehensive or excited as he pulled the Tahoe back onto the road.

  “I’ll tell you whatever you want to know on the horse ride,” he promised as he made the right turn down the long road heading toward the house. He shared information with Georgina as he pointed out some chicken coops that were laid out by the front of the barn.

  “The chicken coops are mobile. We rotate them around the farm which allows them to roam, feeding on a wide diet including pests that may be harmful to garden plantings. They also help to ventilate the windrowed compost piles which aid in decomposition of organic material used throughout the farm,” Max informed her.

  “What kind of chickens do you have here?” she asked, taking in their ass
orted colors of full plumage and red face accents.

  “We have Plymouth Rock, Sussex, and Delaware.” Georgina could hear the pride in his voice. “In the last couple of years, business has expanded quite a bit. Not only are we still doing specialty stores with the cheeses, charcuterie, preserves, and fruits, but lately I’ve been thinking about expanding into juicing. A lot of the food that the schools use for their meals are grown right here on this land. We believe in the farm to table concept and have helped to create a lot of jobs, not just here, but also in the next two towns over. If we expanded, it would certainly help the economy.”

  Georgina couldn’t help smiling as a vision from the Lion King popped into her head. Look Simba, everything the light touches…

  She laughed and Max grinned at her unabashedly, as he stored the enchanting sound to his memory. They pulled up to the house, Georgina grabbed her backpack, and they walked up the porch steps. “Sorry, I just get so excited talking about the farm because I feel truly blessed to have this experience and want to share it. Well, we’re here. Why don’t you go in and change? I’ll wait right here on the porch and finish up on some correspondence.”