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Of course it was. He’d probably gotten it straight from a cow, too. He grinned at what I’m sure was the look of utter despair on my face.
“Don’t worry. There are beans in the pantry.”
“Thank God,” I said, about to move toward what I assumed was the pantry when he spoke again, tucking his papers back into their folder.
“I know it’s going to take some time to become accustomed to our new life, but you will. Everything has happened pretty fast. I want to take this time to get to know you.”
I shifted my weight and wiped my dampened palms on my skirt. “I’m not really sure what you want—”
“Favorite food?” Banks interrupted. The firmness in the question startled me.
“Cheese.” I caught the corner of his mouth curve to what looked like a smile.
He continued, “Favorite color?”
“White.” I swallowed the lump forming in the back of my throat. I had no idea why this conversation was making me so nervous. “I know white isn’t really a color, but I like it.”
Banks just stared at me. Was he thinking? Was he waiting for me to continue? This man was impossible to read. What did I need to say? What did he want?
“My favorite music is anything with an acoustic guitar,” I blurted out. “I love to dance, and I like to run from time to time, especially when I need to think. I love plants and unusual flowers. Roses aren’t my favorite, but the ones outside my window on the lattice are lovely. Let’s see, I adore children but am uncomfortable around teens. I love coffee at all times of the day, since the caffeine doesn’t seem to work on me, or at least not as much as I would like it to.” I paused, really wishing I had a cup right now. “Is that what you meant?”
“It’s a start.” He took a deep breath and leaned back in his chair. “I think we need to get the rules straight from the beginning.”
“Rules?” And just like that, any sign of decency from this man vanished as my reality came rushing back to me.
“You are part of the household now, and you’re responsible for all the womanly duties expected in the past. With Kit’s help, of course. My brothers and I are the men of the house, and we expect to be treated as such. As Jay and Rye explained in the woodshed—”
So much for getting to know one another and letting down my guard. I shouldn’t be shocked by this. I already knew everything I needed. This man was an asshole like the rest of his brothers. “Yes, yes. I know. You all want a combination of cook, maid, and let’s not forget companion.” When his eyebrow quirked, I could feel my face start to heat and was quick to clarify, adding, “For your sister… companion to her.” I walked toward the door I figured had to be the pantry. “Look, I get it. Just so you know, while I love botany and science, and that will be of use to your land and the neglected garden I saw out the window, all that home-and-life-skills stuff was not my best subject in school.” Spying the bag of coffee, I grabbed it and closed the door.
“Yeah, well, there will be a lot of things going on that were never on our daily schedules. This property has been neglected for years. Though the family has employed a local couple as caretakers for the place ever since our parents passed, they just took care of the basics. Rye’s been corresponding with them for the past few weeks so that the house would be clean and stocked. He arranged for a few of the smaller outbuildings like the chicken coop to be repaired and new stock brought in so we won’t starve. But, we still have a great number of repairs to do, and there will be a lot of change. We don’t have all the answers yet, but we need you to let us be in charge of figuring that out. The last thing any of us want is a nagging woman around who wants to argue with everything we say or do. We left that shit behind. Are we clear?”
I nodded. It wasn’t like I had a choice, and there was nothing to be gained by rocking the boat. “I’ll try my best.”
This whole concept intrigued but overwhelmed me, and I really was determined to give it a shot to make things work. Life would be pretty damn miserable for me if I resisted. I wasn’t a fool. Stubborn at times, sure, but I knew it wouldn’t take much for my life to go fromLittle House on the PrairietoAmerican Horror Story. Grabbing the coffee pot, I put it into the sink. Setting the beans down, I had my hand on the pump handle when his next statement had me pausing.
“So first rule is, that other than right around the cabin, you are not to leave until we feel it’s safe.”
“Safe?” I turned around so I was facing Banks once again. “So sure I’ll try to run away?”
He smirked. “You could try. But you’d fail epically. The nearest town is far, and even if you reached it before we found you, the townspeople would hand you back over to us. The Barrett name is powerful in this area. We own this land. No one would dare cross us, or believe the ravings of the lunatic we would paint you to be. It would get you killed and destroy Kit by making her face a reality both you and I don’t want her to have to know if she doesn’t have to. I can read people pretty well, and I can see you wouldn’t hurt her, especially over something you know would be a stupid attempt you’d never succeed at.”
“I’m not going to try to escape,” I mumbled. “And since you say you already know this, why can’t I leave?”
“Because we’re so isolated out here, there are a lot of wild animals, poisonous plants, and so forth. We don’t want you or Kit out in it until we have secured the premises. It’s a rule we expect you to follow. End of discussion.”
I walked toward the table, glancing around the room, annoyed with his tone of voice and the way he was just commanding my obedience. “So thewomenare to sit inside this cabin, fearing the forest, until themendecide what is or isn’t safe for us? Waiting for the heads of the household to tell us what to do?” Okay, so much for making the best of things.
“That’s right.” Banks stood up, towering over me. Crossing his arms, he smirked. “I like theheads of the householdpart. Nice that you are understanding.”
Rolling my eyes, I snapped, “You’re going to keep me in this house all cooped up?” I glared at Banks, ready to take him down a peg or two. “What if I get cabin fever?”
Closing the distance between us, he grabbed me by the arm, pulling me close. “Stop with the questions. Stop with the snark,” he nearly growled. “My brothers and I don’t have the patience you clearly think we have. This is not a democracy. We are the Kings, and this is our kingdom. We rule with a heavy fist. So if you know what’s good for you, stop with the questions.”
His scent of earthy spice and dominance permeated every sense in my body, shooting fear and a hint of arousal through my veins. His actions reminded me of Rye in the truck, and Jay in the woodshed, and my body seemed to respond in the exact same way. The touch of his hand nearly burnt my flesh, but as much as I wanted him to release me, I also wanted something more. Something I couldn’t understand or even try to make sense of.
His eyes darkened in warning… or was it something more causing them to morph before me?
If I kept pushing him, what would he do? Would the consequences be severe, or would they be welcomed? Fantasies swam in a current of confusion within me, and I didn’t know if I should try to flee or beg the man for more.
