Chapter 1

What the hell was I doing at a Stock show? This was the question I was asking myself repeatedly as I walked around the various exhibits. I was down past the cows and horses and well into the pigs and goats. Bored, I knelt down in front of the stall containing one pig, he was probably about 180 pound boar hog. He and I made friends real quick. He was grunting and wiggling happily as I scratched him between the ears. I was there about four or five minutes when I heard a loud squeal. I turned and looked to see three girls all dressed almost identically. The one in middle was blonde, and her two friends apparently brunette. She was staring at me wide eyed with her mouth open. I watched as a wet spot appeared in the front of her pants and spread. One the two girls quickly ushered her away. It wasn't five minutes later before one of those two girls approached me.

"Um, excuse me Mr. could you come with me?"

"What's all this about?"

"Just please come with me," she looked at me pleadingly. We walked through the fairgrounds and to a large black and white painted dually pickup truck. "Can you drive?" she asked looking at me.

"Yeah, sure."

She handed me the keys and hopped in the passenger seat as I climbed in the driver's seat. I drove out of the fairgrounds and followed her directions until we came to a large spread of land with an enormous house. "Just pull up right there," the girl said pointing. She led me inside the foyer and said "Wait here," and she disappeared down the corridor.

A few minutes later another blonde woman appeared, sort of the older version of what was apparently her daughter. "Hello, I'm Marissa Rogers", she said, offering me a hand

I shook it, "Mark Avery."

"It's a pleasure to meet you Mark, I bet your wondering about why you're here and who I am and such."

"More than a little," I replied

"Come," she said taking me by the arm. She let me to what was obviously a sitting room or parlor, which was intended to entertain guests. "Have a seat." I sat down on one of the comfortable leather couches. "Something to drink?" she asked me as she turned over two tumblers at the bar, I shrugged and she poured two measures of amber colored liquid from a decanter. She handed it to me and sat down. "Do you like animals"

"Yes, I think so?"

She nodded and continued, "Would you be willing to manage a ranch?"

"I don't know that I'm qualified"

"Don't worry about that", she smiled at my reservation. "I have a offer for you, ten thousand dollars. Payable now she reached over to a cabinet nearby and opened a drawer and handed me a stack of bills. "Now you can take the money and leave, the truck you came in is yours."

"I feel an 'or' coming on."

"I thought you might, or you can impregnate my daughter. For spending the next two weeks here and ensuring she's impregnated, you will be paid One hundred thousand dollars. Or, you can choose a third option, and that is move in here and take over running the place, of course you have to follow whatever rules my daughter would put on you and eventually marry her."

I took long hard pull from the drink and sputtered a little as it burned all the way down into my stomach. "That's one hell of an offer."

"Which will it be?"

"Its a lot to think about, um, can I sleep on it?"

"Of course, I had Clara prepare a room for you, but first would you like dinner?"

"Uh, yeah sure"

"I'll have Clara take you upstairs to freshen up we will eat in about an hour."

A dark haired woman appeared at the door. She was dressed in a stereotypical maids uniform. As I got up and walked toward the door, she turned and I followed, enjoying the view as her hips swayed back and forth almost hypnotically as she led me up a staircase. A few minutes later I was in a room with a bed and an adjoining bathroom with a walk in shower and all the other things that belonged in a bathroom. I undressed and got in the shower. It had really been a hot day and when I stepped out I was confronted with new clothes laid out on the bed. They were a little long but who was I to complain they were cleaner than the clothes I had been wearing. A pair of slacks and a golf shirt, some simple black shoes and socks, and a pair of plain white boxers. I finished drying and got dressed. I opened the door to see Clara waiting outside; she escorted me through a maze of hallways and at least one flight of stairs to a dining room that looked west.

Marissa was sitting at the head of the table, as were the three girls I had seen before. Marissa indicated I was to sit beside her and I did. I took my napkin and set it in my lap just as a woman placed a salad in front of me. I waited till everyone was served and looked at Marissa who nodded and picked up her fork. The salad was fresh and good, lightly dressed with a vinegar and oil with a slight hint of bacon. When they had set down their forks again and the same unobtrusive servant came through and removed the plates Marissa turned to me again. "You see her father my husband set this up as her trust, she is required to enter a pig every year in the stock show. If a man makes friends with her pig, well then he gets the offer I made you."

"That is totally bizarre?'

"I know but my husband was not your average man, it's a condition of her trust that she follow the instructions every year she can tell no one about it. So it was a complete surprise when you made friends with Jasper."

"Jasper?"

"The Pig" Marissa smiled the girls who had been eating silently tittered. The servant then produced a tomato gazpacho. "These are, of course, my daughters, Nicole and Sharon, and their friend Sara. Who you met."

"Yes I remember Sara," I said between spoonfuls of soup.

"So what do you think?"

"I feel like I'm being sized up for studding."

Marissa laughed, "It is something like that." The girls laughed too. When the soup disappeared a thick slab of beef replaced it.

"It's either that or your trying to fatten me up to eat me later," Marissa smirked at that.

"What brought you to the stock show anyway?" Marissa asked

"A little reminder of my youth" I replied

"You had animals when you were young?"

"Yes" I responded examining the bloody cube of meat on the end of my fork, "I lived on a farm as a child, at least during the summer." I chewed the juicy piece of meat thoughtfully.

"How is that," Marissa asked.

"I grew up on my grandparents farm. My folks sent me there during the summer. They had cows, a few goats, horses, and pigs of course. They made their own bacon. I responded around another savory bite.

"That's a good start." Marissa responded hopefully.

"Well if your going to use me as the stud."

"Yes," Marissa said hopefully.

"I think it only fair that I be able to stud for all the mares in the pasture."

"Oh," Marissa almost choked on the piece of meat that she was chewing. The girls tittered across the table. She hurriedly took a drink of the tea that was set before her. After the steak and potatoes a chocolate mouse was served. We finished it quietly. The girls retired to their rooms casting glances back at me as Marissa led me into another room. "Were you serious?"

"About?"

"The mares comment?"

"Well I figured since you wanted me for stud it seemed only reasonable or maybe it was unreasonable," I shrugged "Take it or leave it."

"I'll take it on two conditions," she said seriously.

I tried not to look shocked and it appeared that it had worked. "They are?"

"The first is that you service my daughter daily."

"Don't you mean daughters?" I parried.

"I ... I suppose I do," she responded hesitantly

"And the second?"

"I get to examine the stud's equipment before he does anything."