The Davonshire Series 2: Loving Words (7 page)

For some reason, it bothered him that Elsie was gay.

They both entered the kitchen at 6:15 in the morning, he from the back stairs and she from the front.  They only grumbled good morning to each other as she headed for the coffee pot and groaned out loud when she looked for the coffee pack and saw it was decaf. For some reason, Wilfred noticed, that Conchetta did not set the pot last night to brew automatically.

Elsie made a full pot of the black brew while he cracked eggs to make egg white omelets.  She watched as he added spinach, cheese, and something that resembled mushrooms.  He plated one for her and the other for himself, along with fresh pineapple wedges.  Then he added two individual cups of high protein yogurt to an already very healthy breakfast.

The coffee was delicious – decaf or not.  The omelet wasn’t bad and she thought the yogurt was disgusting, but he did mention she would need to detox.  At seven am, White Bear came through the back door and poured a mug of coffee, grunted, nodded, and headed out to work.  Gianni was up and entered the kitchen in mid-sentence, forcing both Wilfred and Elsie looked at him in complete awe, realizing the quiet moment of the morning was over.  The next fifteen minutes were one run on sentence after another until Elsie threw an apple at the kid.

Wilfred was shocked.  Gianni stopped talking, giving Elsie his full attention when she asked, “Good morning Gianni, how did you sleep?” 

Wilfred opted to remain quiet to see how this whole scenario would play out.

Gianni was a handsome kid.  At seventeen, he was already almost six feet tall with an athletic build and an extremely high IQ.  He had dark wavy hair and tanned skin and Elsie could tell he was half Hispanic.

Obviously his genius ran unchecked and every thought that popped into his head came from his mouth.  It was rude of Elsie to chunk the apple, but she was not going to spend six months listening to his nonstop ranting. It’s way too early for this kind of nonsense. Elsie wasn’t even sure if this kid was Mr. Devonshire’s or W.E. Devon’s, but his behavior was unacceptable. Or both.  The obvious lack of socialization skills had been pawned off on his genius.

 “I slept well and you, Lady?” he asked to wait to see what she was going to say next.

Elsie sipped her coffee and gave him a moment to wait for her response before answering.  “Please, call me Elsie, and thank you, I slept very well.”  She paused before asking him, “What are your plans for the day?”

Surprisingly, Gianni slowed his breathing and talked to her instead of ranting into the air.  He mentioned school, his classes, and an after-school meeting with some friends.

Elsie asked, “About what time will you be home this afternoon?  I would love for you to take me on a tour of your greenhouse.”  She remembered that it was an elementary school project he had started several years ago and it now provided most of the vegetables for the ranch.  In the middle of the desert, a greenhouse was an indulgence.  Gianni explained all of the technology that had been used to reduce the impact on the surrounding environment while recycling and double filtering the water used to water and nourish the plants.

Wilfred watched Gianni’s face light up as he talked about his passion and Wilfred had to give her kudos for even being able to sort through all the information the boy had tossed at her last night and this morning.  The remainder of the conversation between the two was focused, with Gianni actually waiting for a response before continuing on with his next thought.

Elsie smiled and patted him on the shoulder as she made her way to the sink to wash the breakfast dishes. “I look forward to it and I’ll be ready.”

Gianni grabbed the keys to his Jeep and looked at Wilfred.  “Hey, big guy, can you spot me a twenty?”

Wilfred gave him a fifty and asked him to bring home some fish for dinner.  “Have a great day, Lady. Later on, Pops!”

As the young man had entered with a gust of wind, he left with nothing more than a puff of air.  Elsie refused to mention the apple throw or even apologize for doing so.  She looked at Wilfred, almost daring him to correct her, but he only added, “Ready for the grand tour?”

For the next two hours, he guided her through every area of the hacienda, showing her the pool, the gym, and the patio, which she found herself completely enamored.  As he talked about the size of the ranch, she sat in one of the over-sized patio chairs with her legs tucked under her, allowing her mind to drift away in the peacefulness of it all.  She failed to notice that he had stopped talking.

Elsie spoke softly, “There are quiet moments in each day when you just have to take a minute to sit and reflect in its synergy.”  He took a seat in the chair next to her, allowing her words to sink in.  When he had the patio poured and the covering built, he thought that it would be nice to end the day here, seated next to his wife.  Almost ten years later, he had given up on the notion, dismissing it as a flight of his romantic fantasy. He looked over at her, uncertain of what exactly to say.

She added in only a mere whisper of a voice, “I can see why you love this place.”

The tour around the ranch was absolutely invigorating to Elsie.  She was fascinated with the cleanliness of the hen house and impressed that it didn’t smell like chicken shit. Wilfred reached for the greenhouse door, but Elsie held up her hand.  “Sorry, boss man, I promised the tour to Gianni.  I’ll wait until he gets back from school.”  She refused to allow Wilfred to even open the door to the greenhouse as she had promised Gianni that honor would be his alone.  The tack house yielded a litany of questions as she tried to understand the terminology, what went where and how it all worked for the horses.

She was totally infatuated with the horses and Morgana quickly became her favorite.  Morgana was calm when Elsie fed her an apple and even nuzzled at Elsie as she stroked her mane.  “I must admit, the thought of nothing more than my thighs and two strips of leather controlling such a powerful beast is very stimulating.”

Wilfred gulped. 
Why the hell did I just find that erotic?
 Wilfred stepped away a bit to check the oat stores in the barrel.  Raul had found a new form of chrysanthemum oil that he used around the feed stores that deterred vermin from infesting the grains.

Mario must have heard Elsie’s last words because he materialized from the back room to stand at her side.  She chatted with the young man and talked about what she had purchased so that she would be able to ride.  The two of them continued to talk and Elsie scheduled her first riding lesson for later in the day.  Before she left the stable, she slipped an apple to Lancelot and cooed something into his ear.  Whatever she said to the David’s baby made him whinny and nod his head as if answering her command.

Although the dog had trotted along beside them during the walking portion of the tour, Champ refused to enter the hen house or the stable and quickly jumped in the back of the golf cart.

Elsie asked, “So does everyone on the ranch have their own cart?”

“Yes, I’ve ordered two more.  In the interim, you can share this one with me,” he told her, but refused to look over at her because his mind kept going back to her thighs controlling a large powerful animal.
Why is that stuck in my head?

The drive to the office still had the lady in awe of the cleanliness of the property.  A mile or so from the house, they came upon White Bear’s cottage.  The gigantic man stepped from around the side of the house with two large planks of wood over each shoulder.   Wilfred pulled in around the side to a warehouse-sized workshop.  White Bear walked over to the cart, and Wilfred, with comedic timing said, “How!”

White Bear’s face emitted something that resembled a smile and Elsie walked over and punched him in the arm adding, “Whatcha making, Big Henry?” He only squinted his eyes at her, refusing to answer until she poked him with her finger.  In essence, the poke was like giving a whale a stick of gum as a breath freshener, but she wanted to break a barrier and enter his space.  Evidently, the dog had the same idea.  Champ ran up to the Indian, pawing at his legs and urging White Bear to pet him, which he did with some reluctance.  It only took a few minutes for the cute Schnauzer to worm his way into White Bear’s heart.

Wilfred killed the moment.  “When you are done playing with your new friend, is there anything else we need to order?”

The conversation was brief between the two men and Elsie watched with interest as White Bear said one or two words.  The rest were grunts, and yet Wilfred understood everything the big man was communicating.  Several minutes later, Wilfred and Elsie were back on the cart and headed down the road when she spotted the guesthouse where Rod was staying.

“How absolutely charming,” she said as they stopped for Wilfred to examine White Bear’s work. Rod’s BMW was in the carport. 

“This is supposed to be a garage, but it really depends on how White Bear is feeling as to what you get,” Wilfred said with his back turned to Elsie.

It did not escape his attention that Elsie eyed the guesthouse with moon eyes and Wilfred could see that she longed to have a little place of her own.  He imagined her with a little cottage surrounded by blue and pink flowers in colorful pots and shit. 
She would probably have garden gnomes with a big one that held a welcome sign
.  He chuffed at the idea.

Elsie whispered, “I heard that.”

Wilfred turned and looked back at her with a wicked grin.  ”I didn’t say anything.”

“No, but I can feel your eyes mocking me.  You were probably thinking I have a yard full of fairies and Wisteria grows all over the place, with garden gnomes,” she said in a humorous tone.

“My eyes?  My back was turned to you…” He said with a bit of a scowl on his face.

“Yes, but I could hear them rolling,” she said matter of factly.

Wilfred only shrugged as he made a mental note to have Rita run a detailed background check on her, but he had decided against it three times already.

The ride to the office was quiet as they rode with Elsie taking notes of every plant, rock and stone.  He was amazed that she had yet to bombard him with questions about Devons, his relationship with Devons, or even his relationship to Gianni.  Maybe she assumed the Gianni was related to Conchetta since he was half Hispanic, but his Italian name may have confused her.  From what he could tell, she seemed very relaxed in his company and he seemed to be relaxing around her as well.  This was still very new to him. His old enemy fear was niggling in the back of his mind that she was going to turn psycho at any moment. 
Or worse.  She’ll come knocking at my door in the middle of the night with a can of whipped cream and wearing only a smile.  Then I’ll have to fire her and start all over again.

By the time they reached the offices, he was frowning, in a pissy mood and scowling at her.  Even he knew it was unfair – she hadn’t done anything
yet
.    Wilfred introduced her to the staff.

“Hey, Rod,” she said before being shown to her office space.  It was three times the size of her cubicle and even had her nameplate on the desk.  Wilfred had snapped a photo of Champ yesterday and had Rita frame the photo to add to her desk.  There was also a small cactus on the desktop.  She felt so welcomed.  So much so, she looked at Wilfred with a cheese-eating grin on her face and said, “Thanks, Boss!”

Jaelon walked in and handed her a cup of coffee that was not decaf.  Elsie’s eyes rolled up in her head.  “You have officially become my new best friend and will see me at 9:00 every morning.”

Wilfred only added, “Too much caffeine is not good for your heart.”

Elsie added under her breath, “Neither are men.”

Jaelon laughed, tossing over her shoulder as she went back to her desk, “We will at least die happy and over-stimulated.” 

Time had slipped away from them and it was already after noon and time for lunch.  The ride back to the house was even more silent than the ride over.  Elsie used the downstairs bath to wash her hands and Wilfred had her start a green salad.  He worked on a chicken salad with fresh fruit and broccolini spears.  Elsie poured two glasses of some form of tea from a pitcher in the fridge.

“You haven’t asked any questions yet,” he said over a mouthful of chicken salad.

“Neither have you,” she responded doing the same.  “This chicken salad is good.  So was the omelet this morning.”

He mumbled, “Thanks.”  They both ate in quietness, wanting to say more, uncertain of what. The only sounds which were heard were the crunch on a carrot or an uncomfortable swallow.

Elsie broke the silence.  “I have a great deal to learn before Devons returns to the ranch, and I would like to minimize my invasiveness.”

His eyebrows shot up.  Elsie continued, “This is a big change for both you and Devons to have a strange woman living under your roof for six months.”  Wilfred stopped chewing.

“I have six months.  I don’t have to know everything today or this week.  Besides,” she continued as she sliced through the broccolini, “I have a lot to learn about your lifestyle before I can write about your life.”

“I can’t argue with anything you just said.”  He continued to eat his lunch, then excused himself from the table.  “I believe you have a riding lesson in a half hour.” 
I think I like her
.  He frowned as he climbed aboard his cart and headed back to the office.

She washed the dishes just out of habit.  Conchetta entered the kitchen and began to fuss at her in Spanish, but she continued to clean up after Wilfred and herself.  She knew they were having fish for dinner.  “Conchetta, are there any potatoes?”

She asked for some baked potatoes to go with the fish.  If she didn’t get some carbs some time today, her smiling face was going to turn to a grimace, followed by some cursing and a hunt for chocolate and something deep fried.  If it was deep-fried in chocolate, that would be even better.

The afternoon ride on Morgana was painful with bruising from her rooter to her tooter and she even thought she had broken her cooter.  How did women do this?  She would have to toughen up.  Devons rode four days a week and so would she.  She thanked Mario and said she would be back tomorrow as a feeble attempt to try to match Devons’ schedule.  She watched Mario rub the horse down and put away the tack and made a mental note that she, too, had to learn how to do these things.  She gave Morgana another apple.  “Thank you, dear lady, for going easy on me.” The horse was more interested in the apple.

She found herself waddling as he headed back to the hacienda.  A groan rolled from her lips as she stepped onto the back porch.  She was startled to find Wilfred sitting there.  “Go change into a swimsuit with a coverup and meet me in the kitchen in fifteen minutes.”  She didn’t argue, but nodded, doing as she was instructed.

Fifteen minutes later she met him in the kitchen.  He took her to the pool house, which also held a gym and a small sauna.  The sauna was already steamy and he placed two fingers in between her shoulder blades pushed her inside.  It didn’t take long before she sat in the room, dripping with sweat, wondering what in hell this was about.  Fifteen minutes later he returned to pull her out, handing her a glass of tepid water and a towel.  “It will help with the soreness from the horseback ride along with starting the detoxification process.” 

“In the morning, after our ride, you may want to come back in and do this again.  It will take you about two weeks to remove all of the excess sodium, free radicals, and chemical additives from your body.”  He went on to explain to her that she would start to feel the difference in about a week and see the difference in about two.

She looked down at her size eighteen body, missing waistline, and chunky thighs.  A few pounds lighter sounded fantastic. She was on board for whatever he had planned.  She could also get her blemished skin under control– it would probably come with all of that since there wasn’t a soda or candy bar anywhere in sight.  Elsie looked down at her body.  She was drenched and smelled like a sour ball of gas.  The shivers started at her bottom lip.

“Grab a shower before Gianni gets home,” he commanded.  Wilfred liked to bark out orders and have his way. 
His house. His rules.  I am the guest
.

Gianni arrived at 4:15.  He walked into the kitchen, placed the fish in the fridge, said good afternoon, and headed to his room.  He returned a few minutes later.  “Hey, Lady, you ready?”

Her bum ached and her thighs were screaming, but a smile was plastered on her face.  “Lead the way, my green-thumbed friend.”

The greenhouse was amazing.  Every hothouse vegetable she could imagine was growing inside the structure.  Faux walls had been erected to avoid cross- pollination and Gianni was a wealth of knowledge.  A section had been created that allowed them to grow root vegetables above ground in raised beds.  The whole project was astounding.  Gianni explained how many of the vegetables were used to feed the animals and to trade with the pig farmer down the road for bacon, ham and pork chops. “Pork chops are Pop’s favorite.  Doesn’t matter how they’re cooked.  He would have them every week if he knew how to cook them differently.”