Chapter 12

Austin loaded the horse that bucked off Mrs. Draper onto the trailer so they could take it back to the previous owner.

“I have a question,” Mrs. Draper said.

“I might have an answer.”

“Are you old enough to drive?”

“Technically, no, not in Virginia. But I used to drive trucks for farm work back in Montana.”

“Then give me the keys,” Mrs. Draper said, holding out her hand.

It looked like she wouldn’t take ‘no’ for an answer, so he handed her the keys.

“I bet that in Montana, you didn’t have Virginia traffic. If the trailer needs to be backed up when we get there, I’ll let you do that.”

On the ride, Austin recognized she was right. There was a lot more traffic than he was used to, so he settled back, relaxed, and let her deal with it.

He glanced over at Mrs. Draper. She was a statuesque blond ex-model who’d become a trophy wife. He’d heard Mr. Draper was ten or fifteen years older than her. Austin felt she might pass for someone in her mid to late twenties.

The only thing that marred her gorgeous looks was the sad, vacant look she occasionally got when she didn’t think anyone was looking. Something troubled her, but Austin knew it was none of his business.

That didn’t mean he didn’t have suspicions. His best guesses were that her husband focused too much on work or had a mistress. Either suggested that she was left home alone to raise two kids. It was too bad; she deserved to be happy.

After returning the horse, they drove back to Blackwater, picked up her other two horses, and took them to his grandmother’s stables.

When Mrs. Draper stepped out of the truck, Austin noticed that she winced in pain.

“Are you okay?” Austin asked.

“Not really; I’m too old to fall off a horse. But it’s okay; I’ll go home and take a hot bath and a pain reliever. I should be fine.”

“Let me turn these two out into the pasture, and then I’ll help you. I have something better for your back.”

Shea had led Red back earlier, so he greeted Austin and the Draper horses at the gate. Being the lead stallion was hard work; he had to make sure the new arrivals knew who was boss. They were docile enough that there were no dominance games, so Austin left them to get to know each other.

He trotted into the barn and grabbed a bottle of liniment.

“You want me to rub that onto my skin? Isn’t it only for horses?” Mrs. Draper asked.

“Nine out of ten horses recommend it,” he teased.

“What about the one?”

“They’re lying because they want me to rub them down the next time,” Austin said.

“You plan to rub me down?” Mrs. Draper asked.

“I’ve been told I have magic hands.”

“I bet.”

Austin decided to go for broke.

“My grandmother has a Jacuzzi in her bathroom. I recommend you take a long bath and let the jets do their job. Then cool off and call me, and I’ll give you a massage,” he offered.

Mrs. Draper looked at him seriously. “If you weren’t so young...” she said, trailing off.

“That just means I’m clueless, which makes you safe,” Austin said with a straight face.

“Yeah, right,” Mrs. Draper said. “You’re sure your grandmother would be okay with me soaking in her tub?”

Austin pulled out his phone and called his grandmother. He explained Mrs. Draper’s fall and what he planned to do, then put his grandmother on speaker so Mrs. Draper would hear her answer.

“Of course she can soak in the tub. Tell her that if you’re not a perfect gentleman, to tell me, and I’ll deal with you later.”

“Yes, ma’am. I would never disappoint you,” Austin said and hung up.

“Against my better judgment...” Mrs. Draper said, shaking her head.

Austin led her into the house.

As Austin and Mrs. Draper walked in the back door, Austin spotted a note from Emma. His grandmother had given her the afternoon off. The note told him she’d grabbed a couple of cases of beer and invited him over later.

He took Mrs. Draper to the second floor and showed her the main bathroom. The whole time, Mrs. Draper seemed to be making mental notes. He wasn’t sure if she was planning her escape or if Mr. Draper would be hit with redecorating. His grandmother’s main bedroom and bath could easily be featured in a designer’s magazine.

Austin left her to make sure everything was ready for the massage.

He had time, so he freed Max from his crate and let the pup run around the backyard. When he came back to Austin, they walked back inside, where Austin returned Max to his crate.

He found Mrs. Draper waiting in a robe in the second-floor converted bedroom.

“I’ll step out for a minute so you can get situated on the table.”

Austin waited in the hall before Mrs. Draper called him back in.

She wore a bra, so he assumed she also wore panties, an assumption because she’d covered that area with a towel.

“I’m going to check to see if your skin has cooled enough for the liniment. The only times issues arise are when heat’s applied while using it,” Austin said.

As he ran his hands over her back to check, he noticed bruising on her lower back.

“If your bottom’s bruised, too, you should remove your panties. I would also suggest you remove your bra so it doesn’t get stained by the oil.”

Mrs. Draper chuckled. “What the heck? I can’t believe a kid is talking me out of my clothes.”

She reached back, undid her bra, and carefully removed it.

“You should call me Naomi after this. Calling me ‘Mrs. Draper’ will make me feel old.”

“Naomi, it is,” Austin said, then smiled. “Do you need help with your panties?”

“Tell me I’m not going to regret this.”

“I can’t say, but for my part, I’ll be fine ... in case you were worried,” Austin said.

“It hadn’t even crossed my mind. All right, you can pull them off,” Naomi said.

Austin took the towel off, folded it, and set it aside before he looked at her lace panties, which caused him to become half-hard. She lifted her hips so he could pull the panties down to expose Naomi’s ass. She had the butt of a teenage girl, and Mr. Draper was a fool for not worshiping it regularly.

Austin was on the fence whether he should try anything. He decided he didn’t want to spook Naomi, so he gave her a straight-up massage. Liniment cools the skin, then warms it, which works wonders on tissue pain, like from falling off a horse.

Naomi relaxed and seemed to enjoy what he was doing, if her moans were any indication. When he was done, she looked like a wet noodle.

“Would you like to do your front?” Austin asked in his most professional voice.

“Next, you’ll be asking if I want a happy ending.”

“That service is extra. It’s twice what you’re paying today,” Austin joked, since two times zero was still zero.

“I think I’d better pass on the extras,” Naomi said.

“Okay. I’ll get out of here so you can get dressed,” Austin said, then let Max out of his crate, after which they bounded downstairs.