Chapter 3
The rest of the day was spent showing her where everything at the ranch was and then leaving her to unpack and settle in while he took care of some duties that still had to be done. He had several employees that worked there as well, though there was still more work than men and he picked up the slack where it was needed. Caroline still wasn’t back from upstate, so Dasha was left to her own devices in the house.
He told her before he left that they would grab something in town when he was done brushing down a couple of the horses and after he checked on the one that had the hurt leg. Shane thought of the new woman in his life and wondered how he could be so lucky. He was waiting for her to lose it or for something to come out. She was just too perfect, too beautiful. There had to be something that made her choose to move all the way across the world instead of having her pick of men in her own country.
Shane almost didn’t care though, she was stunning. Dasha’s dark hair was long and she had it braided to the side when he picked her up. She must have been barely over five and a half feet tall, coming to just his chest and she had soft features, refined in a way that was not normal in his part of the country. It was her voice though and her blue eyes that drew him in. Her tone was sure and her eyes evaluating. If Shane didn’t know any better, he would have thought he had met his match.
Walking back in the house, he was not expecting the smells of dinner. He was going to take her out, but as he got closer to the kitchen, it was clear that she had made something. The smells were as foreign as her accent, but it smelled good whatever it was.
“It smells good in here.”
She waved him away. “I thought you might be hungry. The pampushki will be ready in a minute and then we can eat. Why don’t you go wash up before dinner?”
It was stronger than a suggestion and for some reasons, he didn’t want to disappoint her and went upstairs to their bedroom. He had tried to give her the option of where she wanted her things and she had opted for the guest bedroom until they were married tomorrow. All that Shane could think of was what would happen when they did share a bed together .Was all of his talk of needing a wife going to get him one or would she be resistant? He had not planned to feel the way he did and certainly hadn’t figured he would be so attracted to her.
He went upstairs and peeked in the guest bedroom. He didn’t see her bag anywhere and he finally went into his own room where her bag was on the floor next to the dresser. Shane didn’t know why it was in there, but when he opened the drawers, he saw some of her things put up. His fingers were drawn to a bit of red silk and he picked it up before he heard her voice behind him.
“I hope you don’t mind that I put them in there. It didn’t seem to make sense when I will only be in the other room a night, to unload it in there.”
Shane was red when he turned around, stuffing the panties back in the drawer. He tried not to look guilty but it was clear he had been caught. She had a slight grin on her face and mischief in her eyes. Her look was unfathomable and he looked away, not able to hold her gaze.
“I was just going to let you know that the borshch is ready.”
He nodded like he knew what the hell it was and followed her back down the stairs. Shane realized he hadn’t even washed his hands or changed his shirt. A look from her made him notice it and he went back upstairs to do as she asked. Well she didn’t even have to verbally ask, her eyes had told him what she wanted and he had been unable to refuse her.
The table was set and she had invited in the workers, as well as Caroline. There was a big pot of some kind of red soup in the middle of the table and though everyone wondered what was in it, no one said a word. The men were busy checking out Dasha and Caroline checking out her boss’ reaction. She had just came in and just met her. She had to say that Dasha was not at all what she had expected. Dasha was forceful and obviously capable.
All through dinner, the other staff asked her all kinds of questions and she answered them as clearly as she could. When she mentioned that her and Shane were getting married in the morning, everyone except Caroline was looking at her with shock. There were more questions of how they met and Shane started to get nervous of what Dasha would say.
“We met online.”
“Like on a dating site?”
“Yeah which site?”
She looked at the two young men and shook her head. “Just a site.”
Shane relaxed a little since she wasn’t going to spill the beans of where they met. He noticed Sammy paying extra attention to her and it made him a little nervous. Dasha was beautiful and he could see why they wanted her as well. He wanted her the moment he saw her and now she was his and he didn’t want to share her with anyone.
He cut the night short, reminding everyone that they had races tomorrow and to get some rest. The men seemed more upset about it than Caroline, but she was looking at Dasha in such a way that it made him look twice. There was a jealousy in her eyes and it made him pause.
Dasha got up and started to clean the kitchen as the others left. Shane moved into the kitchen to help her, drying the dishes as she washed them. It was a comfortable companionship that he had said he wanted, but he kept looking over at her.
“So what do you think of this place so far Dasha? I hope you are finding everything to your liking?”
She nodded. “Yes, everyone is so nice, thank you. I was worried about things when I got here, but it will be good. I think you will be a good husband.”
Shane stopped when she looked at him, her blue eyes held something in them and he bent down to kiss her before he realized what he was doing. She sidestepped him and smiled. “Tomorrow. I want the first time you kiss me to be when we are man and wife.”
Shane straightened up, slightly embarrassed that he had tried to move so fast. It was hard not to though when she looked up at him like she needed his touch more than anything else in the world. She was literally trembling and he pulled away. “Sorry, you’re right Dasha. You are just so beautiful, a man can forget himself.”
They didn’t say anything else while they finished off the dishes. Shane felt like an ass for trying with her, but he couldn’t help it. All that time he had wanted a wife for help, there was a whole other side to marriage that he had seemed to forget about. He had forgotten how it felt to have a soft body underneath him and all he could think of now was that. It didn’t matter if she could do accounting, cooking, all he wanted was to kiss her and hear her moan his name softly.
Shaking his head, he helped put the dishes where they belong and then watched her go off to her bedroom. Tomorrow, he told himself. Tomorrow there would be no more need for him to wait and their kiss would only be the beginning.
“I will see you in the morning Shane. Good night.”
“Good night Dasha.”