I DO NOT OWN THESE CHARACTERS. THEY BELONG TO THE CW NETWORK. THIS IS A WORK OF FAN-FICTION BY OMEGABEAST.
Catherine trailed Vincent as he navigated a long hallway. She struggled to match his stride wondering how big the house was. He abruptly turned right and began to climb a set of stairs. She followed unable to contain her surprise at the gorgeous decor. The lavish furnishings and impressive artwork, inside the house, were a direct contrast to its outward appearance.
Reaching the top of the stairs, he picked up his pace again, causing her to lag behind a few paces. Taking advantage of the opportunity, she studied his physique. His jeans were snug enough to showcase his muscular thighs and sexy taut butt. Most likely the result of ranch work and riding horses, she deduced. Sidetracked by the view, Catherine found herself plastered against Vincent's back, when he stopped abruptly. He turned around with a scowl on his face.
"Is that the only bag you have?" He asked, looking over her shoulder.
"Yes," she answered, suddenly feeling flustered. Twice in one day she had walked into someone, and her new boss of all people. She reprimanded herself silently, because she needed this job and Vincent seemed on edge as it was.
"You can sleep in this room tonight. Tomorrow, I'll have your cabin ready. If, I had known you were coming, I would have been better prepared. In any case, the deed is done, so we'll have to adjust accordingly.'
Was that a note of sadness she detected in his voice? What could a man of his caliber be sad about? She gave her mind a mental shake. The last thing she needed to do was worry about somebody else. Her life was basically in shambles and this was her chance to start over, to heal from her terrifying past.
"I'm sure this room will suffice. There's no need to do anything extra on my behalf."
He raised a brow at her. "It's not extra. I have several cabins for guests of the ranch and staff. Besides, it provides staff with more privacy. Currently, my housekeeper resides in one, so you'll have a neighbor. Now if you want to put your bag in the room, I'll show you the kitchen," he said, already moving toward the stairs.
Catherine hastily threw her bag on the bed and ran to catch up with Vincent. Descending the stairs, he led her through a living room that looked to be straight out of a magazine. She found her interest piqued once more. She couldn't help wondering what his story was. It was blatantly obvious a woman had either lived in the home or at least decorated it. It was a far stretch to assume a rancher would have had time to decorate a house, especially with feminine touches. She knew he couldn't be married, because his brother wouldn't have been helping him find a cook in that case. And she didn't see a ring on his finger either. Realizing she was daydreaming, she stopped just as they entered the most beautiful kitchen she had ever seen. With the granite countertops and stainless steel appliances, it was a chef's dream kitchen or at least hers anyway.
"I'll leave you to familiarize yourself with the kitchen. The walk-in freezer is to my right and the pantry is the door behind me. We have twelve ranch hands and we eat in the dining room right off the kitchen. If you need anything, the number to the stables is on the refrigerator along with my cell. See you at six."
The kitchen was well stocked and Catherine became excited at the extravagant dinners she could prepare. For now she had to come up with a meal for twelve hungry men. Luckily, she checked the refrigerator, because she found a large pack of chicken unthawing, so she decided to make chicken and dumplings. She silently thanked her mother for insisting she volunteer at the homeless shelter growing up. She had learned how to cook and in the end she had needed the shelter herself. A wise woman had once told her to never look down on anyone, because one day that could be you. A truth she lived by. If she had thought herself too elevated in status for the shelter, she would have been on the streets, because she had nowhere else to go.
She quickly prepped the chicken and gathered the items needed to make the dumplings. Soon she had the chicken and dumplings in a pot cooking, so she decided to whip up a chocolate sheet cake and some buttermilk biscuits. Then she would prepare some vegetables to serve on the side. She smiled to herself. It had been a long time since she had enjoyed cooking for someone. Gabe had always found fault in everything she did, leading her to be self-conscious about basic tasks. Leaving him was the best thing for her, because his volatile temper and beatings were going to be the death of her.
...
Vincent tried to remain calm as he watched the vet prepare to deliver the new calf. The vet had informed him the heifer was in the second stage of calving, so a calf should be emerging soon. He glanced at the clock and it said 4 o'clock. He found himself impatient for dinner. Kurt, one of the ranch hands, had been cooking the meals for the men. He was more than relieved when Vincent told him he had a new cook. His new cook. He couldn't imagine the dainty woman cooking anything, but only time would tell.
'Here comes the head," the vet said.
Vincent breathed a sigh of relief. He hated that part of owning a ranch. Things could go wrong pretty fast and he hated to lose any of his animals. As if reading his mind, Zeus brushed against his leg and wagged his tail. He reached down and rubbed the top of his head, since he didn't have a treat to give him. Almost two hours later, a baby calf finally made his appearance into the world. By then, everyone was hungry and tired.
"Everything looks good, I'll come by in three days to check on the mother and calf, and for the removal of the placenta. Call me if you notice any signs of illness."
'Thanks doc. I'll monitor both just in case. Do you want to stay for supper?" Vincent asked
"I wish I could, but I have another appointment before I close for the day. I'll take a rain check though. Take care now," the vet said, before exiting the barn.
"Well it's time to see if William picked the right person for the job."
Vincent turned around to find JT smirking at him. "I can't believe he hired someone without consulting me first. I can't send her away being she came all the way from New York. At least, I'm assuming that's where she came from, but with William, I can never tell. I definitely have a bone to pick with him, as soon as I talk to him."
"You may want to hold off on calling him, until you actually taste her food. Looks can be deceiving. I say give her a chance. She looks like she needs someone to give her a break."
"And what kind of look is that?"
"Hint of sadness in her eyes when I met her at the gas station. I think she's been through something or running from something, or both. Think about it. Who rides a bus all the way from New York to be a cook on a ranch, in boring La? I can't see beautiful woman, like her, waking up one morning and deciding to live in the middle of nowhere. Granted, the peace and tranquility is unmatched, but how would she know that, since this appears to be her first time in our town?"
"Well, let's hope she can at least cook then. It will be one less thing I have to worry about."
"Weren't you just complaining about finding a good woman?" JT said with a quizzical brow.
Vincent snapped his head up. "JT, don't even think about it. She is pretty, but city girls don't last long around here. Besides, if what you say is true, the last thing she is looking for is a relationship. So get that idea out of your head."
"Fine. Let's go eat, Mr. Buzzkill," JT said moving toward the door.
They headed for the house and Vincent stopped briefly to ring the dinner triangle, before entering the house. The smells that met his nose had his mouth watering. He looked over at JT and he shrugged his shoulders. They hung their hats on the rack and ambled to the dining room. When the dining room table came into view, he almost fainted, at the sight of the delicious food gracing the table. He couldn't wait to dig in. He smiled at Catherine as she walked in and placed a large bowl of green beans on the table. They were cooked just the way he liked them, with potatoes and bacon. Taking a seat, his impatience was at an all time high. If the ranch hands didn't hurry, dinner would start without them.
"I think it's safe to assume she can cook," JT whispered.
"I can't argue with that. We haven't had a table of food like this in a long time."
"I prepared Tea and lemonade. I wasn't sure which one you preferred." Catherine said, meeting his eyes.
"Both are fine. With the mouthwatering spread you've prepared for us, I'm sure they won't be paying much attention to what they're drinking," he said, unable to stop himself from appreciating how beautiful she looked, especially with the smile on her face.
By the time he finished speaking, a group men filed into the dining room, and soon their mouth were hanging open as well. Vincent introduced Catherine to everyone and soon silence ensued as the men devoured the food. He took his first bite of chicken and dumplings and nearly moaned from all the flavors assaulting his taste buds. It was delicious and when he took a bite of his biscuit, it hit him that they were homemade. It wasn't often that he was wrong, but he had to admit, he had been wrong about his new cook. As a matter of fact, she should be called a chef, because she had skills to rival one. When he finished his last bite, he looked up just in time to see Catherine set a chocolate cake on the table, and he knew he would do anything to make her happy. He could see JT smiling out of his peripheral, but he didn't bother to entertain him. His mind was more focused on his new cook. For the first time, he took a long look at her and came to the same conclusion JT had, she had been hurt by someone. His protective instincts kicked in and he vowed to make sure she felt safe and appreciated on the ranch.
...
After dinner Catherine decided to take a walk and explore the ranch. The red barn called to her, so she went to check it out. It was much cleaner than she had expected. She spied a few bales of hay in one of the corners, but for the most part it was immaculate. A noise behind her prompted her to turn around and she found Vincent approaching. Her breath caught in the throat at how handsome he truly was. It was surprising no one hadn't snatched him up already. Living in a small town, he had to be highly popular and coveted.
"I didn't get a chance to discuss the details of your employment and I wasn't sure what my brother told you," he said after he came to a stop in front of her.
"He didn't discuss anything with me. I guess I may as well be upfront with you, since you're taking a chance on me. I was in a shelter after escaping from my abusive boyfriend and I contacted William as a last resort. To make a long story short, I helped him out a few years ago, when I was a police detective. He was the only person I could think of to call, that didn't have ties to me."
"Thank you for being honest with me. William was right to send you here. Would you feel better staying in the main house rather than the cabin?" he asked, thinking she would probably feel safer in the house.
Her smile answered his question. "Yes."
"Okay. We'll leave things as is then. Breakfast is at six every morning and lunch is at noon. The pay is five hundred dollars a week including room and board. Is that acceptable to you?"
"More than acceptable."
"Great. I'll leave you to explore then," he said, his eyes meeting hers and finding he couldn't look away. The atmosphere in the barn shifted as the minutes ticked by. Finally Vincent looked away.
"See you in the morning," he said, confident he was doing the right thing.
A/N: I hope you enjoyed. This story will be about ten chapters, so the story will start to unfold pretty quickly. Thanks for reading and as always, leave me a review.