Romance Fan Fiction / Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ Hidden Away ❯ Touring house and avoiding matchmakers ( Chapter 8 )

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HopelessRomantic-Thanks for your review! I'm tickled that you like my novel. I hope I don't disappoint as it goes on. ^_^

 

 

Chapter 8
Touring house and avoiding matchmakers

 

 

 

 

Breakfast having been served and Minna going about her daily upkeep of the house, Naomi was in her room with nothing to do that would keep her out of the eyesight of anyone that didn't need to know that she was there.  Thinking it relatively safe, Naomi cracked the curtains so that no movement would be detectable from outside.  Her room's window was facing the back of the house, as she'd suspected.  There were trees right in front of her window, so she opened the curtains further.  All she could see, besides the tree, was a flower garden directly below her window.  From what she could see, it was composed mostly of lilies, gladiolas, and irises.  It was a lovely garden.  Feeling she was being observed, she turned from the window and saw Breagan leaning against her open doorway.  She suddenly didn't know what to do with herself with him looking at her.

 

“Enjoying the view?” Breagan asked.

 

Was she ever, “Not much to see down there, but the garden is very nice.  I can se it directly below my window.” Naomi said, turning back to the garden, trying to control the sudden racing of her heart, and her breathing.  She turned back after a moment and her gaze caught his mouth, thinking of it roaming over her body.    Naomi immediately stopped here line of thoughts right there.  Didn't she run away from a man who was planning to do that very thing to her just last night?  That was different, she thought to herself.  He is evil.  Breagan Tyler is a kind man…who also happens to be gorgeous. ..and looking at her intensely.

 

“Mr. Tyler…”

 

 “Breagan.”

 

“Breagan, I am not sure how I can tell you haw very thankful I am that you are doing this for me.” Naomi began thanking him again.

 

He sure liked it when she said his name, “You don't need to thank me again.  I like you, and I have never liked Caldwell Cokrain.  He's not a man that one makes friends with.  He seems indifferent about everything,” He replied to her a he advanced into the room, “You know I saw you when you first arrived at Cokrain's estate.  I happened to be there correcting another oversight on his part.  When Hank walked in with you, I thought my mind had been playing with me.  I could tell that you didn't look happy.  Especially after meeting with Cokrain.  Then he disappeared with you, and Hank came in to tell me that you were a payment to Cokrain,” At the mention of it, Naomi thought back to that horrible day that seemed so long ago, yet it was only yesterday.  That's where she'd heard his name before.  When she had arrived to the Cokrain estate, he had said he was in a meeting with `Mr. Tyler'.

 

“I really wanted to take you home with me, you know,” he admitted to her.

 

“You did not,” Naomi said, unsure if that was a joke or not.

 

 “I did, swear.  I'm glad you chose my house to hide in,” he replied, sensuality emanating from him as he winked at her.

 

Naomi was already having trouble breathing evenly, and he had to go and make it more difficult.  Ugh, it's gotten hot in here, she thought, cursing all the layers she was wearing, “Careful.  I knocked him out, I could do the same to you,” she joked, “Was there something that you needed?” Naomi asked.

 

Breagan fought hard to resist telling her exactly what he needed from her instead of what he had initially come in here to ask.  He walked further into the room to stop in front of her by the window, “I was curious if you, by chance, knew what it was that you were supposed to be a payment for?” he asked her, picking up a strand of her hair to run it through his palm.

 

“Kindness to my uncle is all he told me,” she frowned, thinking back, “I don't remember any kind of help from anyone after my parents died, so I can't imagine what it could have been.  Unless it was before I came to be in his care.”

 

“When were you orphaned?” Breagan asked her softly.  His heart broke for her.  He'd only lost a mother, and that was hard enough for him.

 

“I was nine years old.  Our maid, Jolie saved me from the fire that killed them.  She died a year later in childbirth.” She said distantly with sad eyes, remembering the lonely months, then years that ensued after Jolie's death.  She didn't do anything but work and sleep after that.  That routine had been the norm until she was sent over here, “Why?” Naomi asked, bringing herself out of her thoughts.

 

“Well, I've been trying to figure out what I could do about getting you into a position where you could have a life without worry about Cokrain tracking you down.  I just can't figure out why he is going around looking for you himself.  He has never done his own running around as long as I've known him.  What I can tell is that he is very passionate about getting you back, and I don't think he's going to stop until then,” he said.

 

Her cheeks pinkened at the comment, “I do remember something he said to me last night that didn't make any sense to me.  When I started trying to defend myself against him, he told me that I could not keep him from what he's worked toward for two years.” Naomi paused, knitting her brows, “I can't imagine that he meant me, I'd never met him before yesterday.”

 

Breagan believed her in that respect, but he wasn't willing to believe that he hadn't seen her before the day she arrived here.  Cokrain did used to live in the same town as her, after all.

 

“Alright,” he nodded, “I will be in my study, doing some design work.  Then I will be leaving to check up on one of my designs under construction.  If you can think of anything else you need, get Minna to help you, ok?  If you want to, you can explore the house all you want.  Just try to stay out of anyone else's sight,” he said, and then a thought occurred to him, “Including my father.  If he sees you here, I'll never hear the end of it.  Especially with you in mother's old clothes.  That would really get his attention,” Breagan added, mostly to himself.  He cringed at the thought of the never-ending pestering that he would be the target of were his father to find out that a beautiful, genuinely kind woman was staying here.  An unattached woman...and in the room next to his, no less.  He did want her badly, but he wasn't about to let his father know that she was even here.  She wouldn't have a chance against his father and she didn't need that kind of attention right now.

 

“Breagan?” Naomi prodded after his moment of silence.  At her voice, his eyes cleared and looked straight through hers.  She wasn't going to back away from him if he kissed her.  She didn't want to.  In fact, she found herself hoping he would.  She stood still as her heart continued to beat at the pace it had sped up to when he appeared at her doorway.

 

Breagan had to fight with himself to keep from kissing her before finally stepping away.  He was starting to get ideas about his beautiful new houseguest that he didn't think he should be having.  Not now, at the very least.  He was supposed to be protecting her from this kind of thing, not pushing it on her, no matter what his body was currently telling him.  She had only been here for one night, for goodness sake!  Never mind that she is the most desirable woman now on this side of the Atlantic.

 

Naomi felt bereft when he backed away.  She had no idea that she could feel so much like warm liquid.  She had trouble keeping herself from closing the gap that he'd just created.

 

“I need to go, now.  I will see you when I've returned.  Remember to stay hidden,” Breagan said quickly before turning to leave the room

 

“Wait!” she shouted on impulse.  When he turned to look back at her, she struggled to give him a reason for yelling that at him; she just didn't want him to leave yet, “I don't know what your father looks like,” she said timidly.  He looked back at her long enough that Naomi began to wonder if he was going to answer, “Just an older me with graying hair,” he finally replied.  The corner of his mouth turned up before he turned to leave again.

 

Naomi sighed.  So now what do I do? She thought to herself.  She figured she could always roam the house like he suggested.  She would just have to keep her eyes peeled for anyone she didn't know.  Which, of course, was anyone but Minna.  Naomi walked over to the door separating her room from the next room.  She had initially thought the room empty, but could now tell that it was not an unused room.  Could this be his room?  She went over to the dresser to see if she was right.  There wasn't much on the dresser.  She turned around to get a good look at the room.  Its layout was much the same as hers, but the room was navy and cream where hers was burgundy and cream.

 

Since there was nothing on the dresser to tell her much of anything, she went over to the armoire to look inside.  This was definitely a man's room.  She saw the clothes of a man that was wide in the shoulders.  She closed the armoire, already sure that this was his room.  Her eyes lit on the clothes that were lying on the floor by the bed.  There we go.  It was the formal suit he had been wearing when she first saw him.  She felt safer with that knowledge.

 

Naomi went to his door and opened it, peeking out to see if anyone was around to see her.  She didn't see anybody, so she continued thorough the door.  Walking down the hallway, she listened for voices, so see if she was clear to go down the hallway on the other side of the stairs.  The house she had sought refuge in was not a cavernous house like Cokrain's was.  It was large, but not overly so.  There was a more intimate feeling to this house.  It felt lived in.

 

Naomi was nearing another room when she heard someone in it.  It was a man.  Breagan's father, maybe?  He told her to avoid him, too, but for a different reason.  She about faced and went down the stairs.  At the bottom, she decided she might as well explore this floor, now.  Naomi began to walk around and she noticed the room that they all spoke in when she barged in last night.  Breagan was in there now hunched over a large wooden drawing desk that was next to a window.  She didn't want to bother him, so she walked across the foyer to look into the parlor.  She stopped short of crossing the threshold, because one whole wall of the room was full of floor to ceiling windows showing a full view of the street out front.  The room was done in light blue, and dark blue settees.  There was a light blue rug underneath the seating area that covered some of the hardwood floors.  The wall opposite the windows was all a large book shelf with no extra space for all of the books on it.  The wall facing the foyer had a large fireplace dominating it.  She started to hear the voice from upstairs begin to get closer, which meant he was coming in her direction.  So Naomi went down the hall to the kitchen, where she knew Minna was currently working on lunch.

 

“What on green earth ye be doin' out an' about where anaone c'n see ye, Naomi?  Good `eavens, ye'll be caught fer sure ye start runnin' around like that all th' time!  Oh, ne'ermind, no'ne else `ere but us `n' Jake, `hoo don't need ta see ye anaway.”  Minna added with a shake of the spoon she was using to stir the soup.  After a pause she glanced up, “ `less ye want `im to, anaway,” she added with an indifferent sniff.

 

“Is Jake Breagan's father?” Naomi asked, walking farther into the kitchen.

 

“Yes, an' if he sees ye, ye'd better be prepared fer some questionin' from `im.”

 

Naomi held up her hand, “I already got that warning from Breagan more than once.  I'm about to go back to my room, anyway.  I just wanted to know where everything was, and I kind of hoped there might be something for me to do,” Naomi said whiled watching Minna put lunch together.

 

“As long as Mr. Jake stays out of `ere, ye're welcome to `elp me wi' the cuttin' of th' salad greens,” Minna offered.

 

“What if he does show up?  I would hate to run, always hiding from the poor man.  It seems so underhanded.”

 

“You could let `im see ya, he wou'n't tell on ya, in fact, `e'd be furious what tha' man did to ya.  But ye would be `ounded left an' right about what ye be thinkin' of `is son an' of babes an' such.”

 

“I am fortunate to have come here and met Mr. Tyler, that's what I think.  I couldn't thank him enough.  Or you.”

 

“Oh lord, dearie.  Don' go sayin' that ta Jake!  `e'd be hearin' weddin' bells fer sure,” Minna said, chuckling.

 

“Is he really that bad?” Naomi gasped.

 

“Not wi' ev'ry girl `e meets fer sure.  There be one or two women in partic'lar after th' master an' `is money what Jake don' like one bit.  None of us do.  We dinna like most o' th' girls `o sniff aroun' th' sir, an' Jake dinna like the idea o' Breagan `avin' ta pick th' lesser o' two evils, if you will, ana more than Breagan does,” she added, then looked up at Naomi, “But Jake meets one `e likes, an' she's done fer.  Ye, m'lass, `e wouln't rest until `e saw married to `is son, ye'r sa sweet.  An' right pretty, too.” Minna clicked her tongue, “Ye wouln't `ave a prayer, dearie.”

 

Naomi was shocked at what the woman was saying of Breagan's father.  No one could be that bad.  Could they?

 

“Maybe I would do better without something to do,” Naomi conceded, even if marriage to the masterpiece in the other room could be close to heaven, she granted.

 

“If that be what yer wantin', I c'n bring yer lunch t' ye when I'm done,” Just as Minna finished her promise to bring food up to Naomi, heavy footsteps sounded in the hallway leading to the foyer.  “That'ould be `im, now.  “urry inta th' pantry, dearie, should ye wish ta not be discovered by the ol' matchmaker just yet.”  

 

Naomi was already in the pantry when Minna finished her sentence.  Jake came into the room with a confused look on his face as he looked around the room.

 

“Minna, old dear, were you talking to someone?” Jake asked fondly as he stepped forward to stick a tanned finger in the soup for a taste.

 

Minna slapped his hand away, “Who ye callin' old, ye coot?  No I wasn't talkin' t'anaone.  Yer `earin' things, sir.”  she replied, looking up from cutting the tomatoes for the salad.  “Call yer son ta lunch, old man, th' soup `n' salad `ave been finished,” she said to Jake as she put the tomatoes and greens into the prepared bowl, then quickly took the bowl into the dining room.  Jake stood in the kitchen looking after Minna in a confused manner.  After a look around the empty kitchen, Jake simply shrugged his shoulders and went to call his son to lunch as his homemaker had ordered him.  Father and son gathered in the dining room to eat their lunch while Minna quickly shooed Naomi to her room up the service stairs.  Once she served the soup and salad to Breagan and his father, Minna quickly took a tray up to Naomi's room and sat with her as they both ate their own lunch.