Chapter 4
Chapter Four
Fletcher took his time walking the path that led to Master Derek’s home, fondly referred to as The Big House. As he walked, he breathed deep, enjoying the fresh air and the peace of the surroundings and the beautiful day.
He was halfway there when he noticed a figure walking ahead of him.
He frowned as the woman appeared to be limping.
She wore a navy-blue tank dress that draped over her, hinting at a curvy frame.
The dress ended at mid-calf, but from where he stood, it didn’t seem warm enough for the day, even though it was springtime. Where was her sweater?
Montana was not a place to run around with no coat and no sleeves even in May. If she was headed for The Big House and lunch extended to late afternoon, she would freeze on the walk back to the resort. Was she headed to the Big House? Or just out for a midday walk?
When his smart phone buzzed, he glanced at it and silenced the timer before picking up his pace. He didn’t want to be late. He hated being late for anything. As he grew older, he was coming to not like a lot of things but being late had always topped the list.
That was one of the reasons he’d spent the past fifteen years growing his business. Now all it took was a phone call to arrange things just the way he wanted. His employees had quickly learned to arrive at meetings with him at least five minutes ahead of the scheduled time.
He followed the woman all the way to The Big House. As he did, he thought he smelled her perfume wafting on the breeze. Not flowery like most women’s scents, but a spicy, citrusy blend.
Where had he smelled it before? It took a moment before it came to him. In the lobby when he’d nearly been taken down by Sadie and her friend. Taking a deep breath, his cock twitched with interest. If that was Mallory, she smelled delicious.
Not wanting to frighten her, or cause her to think he was stalking her, Fletcher stayed a half dozen yards behind her. As they approached, he took a moment to study The Big House.
The house was more two-story rustic mansion than house in appearance with a wide front porch and lots of windows. The bushes and flowers around the base of the house were patterned to look wild and freeform, though he had a feeling someone put a lot of hours working in the gardens.
Fletcher frowned as he watched the woman hold on to the stair railing. It looked like she needed both hands to help pull herself up the half dozen steps to the porch.
By the time he reached the base of the stairs, the woman was knocking on the front door. He climbed the steps and onto the porch just as Sadie opened the big wooden front door.
“Mallory! Master Fletcher! You came together? This is so great!” Sadie gushed as she bounced up and down with excitement.
Mallory whirled to face him, looking startled. She was indeed the pretty auburn-haired woman he’d kept from falling on her ass outside the Ranch store. She stared at him with wide mossy green eyes that he immediately wanted to fall into. “You followed me from the resort?”
He shrugged. “I’m not stalking you, just walking the same path since there’s only one way to get to here for lunch.”
“Oh. Okay.”
When she wobbled on her kitten heels, he stepped closer and grabbed her hips to help steady her. That earned him a frown over her shoulder even as she answered Sadie.
“Um, no, we didn’t come together. We just arrived at the same time.”
Another look into her eyes had his heart, which he’d been certain had been dead since Beth, his ex-wife, had walked out ten years before, begin to beat again.
Their divorce had been signed and finalized just a few months before oil had been found on the family cattle ranch he’d inherited from his grandfather.
Now that he had a chance to really look at her, he realized that Mallory Blackstone was older than he’d originally thought.
The lines around her eyes and few strands of white threaded through her chin-length reddish-brown hair made him guess she was closer to his age than he’d originally thought.
If she was experienced, he had a feeling she would be the perfect submissive play partner for this visit.
Fletcher cleared his throat and shifted his hips, hoping the women would not see his cock pressing against the zipper of his jeans.
“Sadie? Are you going to keep our guests on the porch all afternoon or allow them to come inside where the food is?” Master Derek asked as he stepped into view beside his wife.
“Ohmygosh, I’m so sorry,” Sadie said as she backed up, pulling the door open wide. “Please, come inside.”
Fletcher followed Mallory inside, his gaze dropping to her beautiful round ass that the drape of her dress showed off to perfection. He watched as she limped further into the house.
Once they were inside with the door closed, Fletcher laid a hand on her shoulder to stop her from walking any further. “Why are you limping?”
“Excuse me?” Mallory looked at him like he was crazy.
“You were limping on the walk over. Are you hurt?”
She smiled even as she dropped her gaze away from his. “Not injured, just breaking in new shoes.”
“Take them off,” Fletcher ordered.
He held out an arm for her to use to keep her balance as she took off the black kitten heels that were obviously causing her pain. He glanced at Derek as she toed off the shoes and pushed them into the corner.
“Would you like a drink before lunch or with it?” Derek asked as he led the way toward the back of the house.
Before Fletcher could answer, Mallory’s stomach gave a loud roaring rumble.
He and Derek chuckled as she slapped both hands over her stomach. “I’m so sorry,” she said as her face turned pink.
Sadie giggled. “Don’t be embarrassed, Mallory. My tummy grumbles like that when I’m hungry, too. Rawr.”
The Little girl’s dinosaur imitation had Mallory laughing instead of cringing with embarrassment.
Once the laughter died down, Derek commented dryly. “With lunch it is,” which set the women off into giggles once more.
Conversation flowed easily over the delicious meal of thick, creamy beef medallions over noodles, with salad and green beans.
Sadie’s story about how she and her fellow pranksters were trying to train turkeys to line dance for the next event held at the community center in Rawhide Ridge, the gated community Derek had begun for his employees had them all laughing.
By the time dinner was over, Fletcher found himself watching Mallory closely, wondering why she was here.
She didn’t seem to be Little like Sadie, but he found her interesting, though quiet and a little shy.
Her contributions to their conversation were insightful and made him want to spend time with her, in bed and out.
Once the meal was over, they moved to the impressive living room for after-lunch drinks and dessert.
“We don’t usually use this room, except to impress business folks who come calling, but I’m thinking maybe we should spend more time in here,” Derek said as they entered the large room.
Fletcher had to agree when Mallory said, “It’s beautiful.”
The rustic western theme continued in this room, with exposed log walls and wide windows that showed off the beauty of the land beyond them.
The furniture consisted of a couple of couches and several club chairs that appeared antique, but sturdy at the same time.
The knickknacks on the shelves and side tables also appeared to have come from Derek’s ancestors, adding to the historical feel of the room.
Fletcher watched as Mallory pulled Sadie to the windows across the room. The two had their heads close together as they whispered, though he could not hear what was being said.
“Beer, Fletcher?” Derek asked as he nudged his arm to gain his attention. There was just something about Mallory that he could not stop watching her, even from across the room.
“Maybe you should get to the reason you invited me for lunch. I have a feeling it has something to do with your well-deserved reputation as a matchmaker and that lady over there.”