Smithfield Don, You're History

"Thank you Bethany. You are so kind."

"I'm just pleased you want to ride her."

* * *

Late morning Amelia leaned over a gate with Tom, looking at three adult Jersey bulls. Amelia had earlier asked Tom if she could accompany him on his rounds most mornings and do odd jobs, but not milking. He'd laughed and said okay but she'd not have to worry about milking because he engaged contract milkers who did the milking on four neighboring farms and organized their own relief milkers. With Amelia interested in learning, Tom had stopped to educate her.

"The Jersey bull is the least docile of cattle breeds," he said.

Amelia bit back her response that she already was aware of that, having lived on her aunt and uncle's dairy and beef cattle farm in Kent in England.

"Now listen carefully. The lighter colored bull is the quietest and that darkest one with the leaner rear hindquarters is the most aggressive one. I never go into their paddock to bring them out, I send Flip and Meg in to do that and to cut either one or two out to bring through the gate. Even with they are with the cows, never turn you back on them. They are perhaps at their most dangerous if alone, but don't count on that. The most difficult thing is guessing how they behave. You could walk across this paddock one hundred times and they'd not give you anything more than a longish glance. But then one of then could come after you on any one of those hundred occasions. Just don't trust them and remember on a charge they can run fast, much faster than you."

"Fine, I'll remember than. Now Flip and Meg, will they work for me?"

"Who knows? They won't work for your father or for Lisa. What we should do is allow you to feed them for a week – they are fed at morning and at night, their main meal. That might help."

"Thanks. Oh, is Lisa your wife or partner?"

"Why, are you wanting a piece of me," Tom grinned. "Wife actually but if you a feeling frisky I wouldn't mind."

"Get Flip and Meg or even one of them working for me and you could get lucky," Amelia grinned.

Three weeks later Flip was rounding up the calves consistently for Amelia and had difficulty in know whether to follow Tom or Amelia until one of them whistled him to heel. Meg sometimes joined in and gave Amelia the impression they were bonding but then would give up and run off to find Tom, refusing to come to heel when called. She decided to give up on Meg and maintain the bonding with Flip and Tom agreed.

"Take him home with you. There are two chains outside the woodshed I use when I visit with them. I'll give you a bag of dog biscuits. If you are not coming out with me and I need Flip to help shift the bulls I'll come and get him."

Amelia chained flip by the woodshed and put the biscuits up on a shelf. There was a bowl outside so she filled it for water and walked in the kitchen.

"Is that a dog I saw you with? Hi, I'm Ella and you must be Amelia. Please have that dog out of here by midday tomorrow. Annie, where's my coffee you lazy girl."

"How dare you talk to Annie in that manner. Apologize at once."

"Or else what."

"I'll have you thrown off this property so fast your ass won't hit the ground."

"Oh come on lost daughter. I'm the mistress of this house. What I say goes. Your poor mommy has gone..."

Amelia leaped forward and slapped Ella across the cheek, hard enough to knock Ella off the chair.

Absolutely livid, Ella climbed to her feet and pulled a hand across her stinging cheek and appeared surprised there was no blood. "Why you little bitch."

"Come on, hit me and I smash you to pulp."

"For god sake. This is civilization."

"Then apologize and never speak to Annie like that again."

The skinny blonde looked at her attacker with the powerful looking shoulders. She swallowed. "I apologize Annie, I was out of line and I apologize Amelia for upsetting you. You both can be assured I'll speak more carefully in future."

"Thank you Ella."

Two days later Amelia helped Tom and the women unload a truckload of 40 to 60lb square bales of grass/alfalfa into the barn against the stables and after lunch unloaded a truckload of straight hay averaging about 80 lbs into the barn over at the back of the farm where the dried-off dairy herd had wintered over.

As the truck drove off Tom said, "You are strong for a woman."

"I've lifted weights since turning eighteen and work in other ways on my fitness."

"It sure shows. God I'm sweaty after all that lifting and heaving."

Amelia's eyes seemed to hood and she almost whispered, "Take your shirt off and show me your sweaty torso."

Tom looked at her a little apprehensively.

"Go on. You've probably had a hard-on most of the day listening to we women grunting under the weight of those small bales of Lucerne and me bending over in front of your, straining the ass of my jeans."

Without a word Tom unbuttoned his shirt and tossed it aside.

Amelia walked over, licked across from one nipple to the other and groaned, "Oh Tommo."

"Oh Amelia, get your tits out for me."

"No you lazy male, you do it."

And they were away. Tom got them out and snuffled and sniffed his way over her mounds and pressed against him jerking his hips until she was driven almost crazy, not having had sex for almost six weeks, so long that she'd almost forgotten she had a vagina. Her body was now striving to pull him inside her.

Tom pushed her back into a stack of loose hay from broken bales and she was glad he left her unsexy close fitting wool hat on otherwise she'd never get all the dried grass out of her hair. She unbuttoned the sides of her heavy farm pants and unlaced her boots while he slobbered over her tits and face.

Chest heaving and face scarlet with rising passion, Tom jerked off her boots and yanked off her trousers.

Tom unzipped and pulled off his pants and underpants. Amelia began to pant as soon as she saw what was in his hand, dripping at the end. She'd rarely felt so sexually excited and couldn't keep her eyes off it: was of that really for her. She opened her legs very wide.

"Come on Tommo, come on. I've often thought about you at nights. Quickly, I want it all."

She pulled aside her panties and with an animalistic sound in the back of his throat Tom dropped on to her and began fiddling to get at it. Groaning in frustration, Amelia brushed his big hands away and steered it in, adjusting her angle to facilitate docking. She was lubing and the sensations as he entered and the hugely fat feeling she experienced made her mouth open and tongue flop out, not that Tom notice because his head was turned up to the roof of the barn, infested with rodent nests spiders and dust. He howled as he plunged in and out of her and Amelia defied his weight and thrust her groin back at him, swallowing excessive dribble and groaning pleasurably.

Amelia imagined the heavy bulb of his cock rumbling up her vagina, withdrawing and hurrying back, sweeping secretions in front of it as it slid forward again. She came. But she wanted more and as her body super heated and Tom squeezed a tit painfully she came again and again. Finally she really climaxed and felt sated as he squirted in his semen, groaned and sunk on to her like a half-ton weight, or rather how she imagined a half-ton would feel like. With that weight, sweaty and drained of passion and finding it difficult to breathe she felt...she felt...and then the answer came to her: totally fucked. They weren't in love but then again it really wasn't carnal assault...it was just two athletic young people having a ball. Er balling.

Kissing him and stroking Tom's face, she confessed, "I...can...scarcely...breath."

"Oh fuck, sorry," he said, easing away, speaking for the first time for quite some time. "God that was a great fuck. I don't think I can walk."

"Then stay there...I can breathe now."

"It will go soft."

"I'd still like it to stay inside me for another minute."

"What, are you trying to get pregnant?"

"No Tom, I'm protected. I was in love with you when I was thirteen to fourteen."

"I remember thinking you might be."

"You didn't say anything."

"Too scared of your mother."

"You mean my father."

"No, your mother. She was the one who rode hard lines. She'd pull me back to finish grooming her horse."

Amelia smiled. "Her last one was Santa Ana. You know I really don't know if that is a female name."

"She named it after the wind. Are you aware Santa Ana remains on the property and foals well each season?"

"She has been brought in for me to ride."

Tom smiled and pushed Anita's fringe back. "Well if you ride with her straight back you'll make a wonderful sight, taking my mind back. You mother only had two real loves – you and her horses."

Tom licked away her tears.

CHAPTER 2

The relationship between Ella and Amelia remained guarded while that between Ella and Annie was much improved. Ella and Smithfield offered no comment went they saw Annie being picked up by someone in a car occasionally after dinner and Amelia left holding the baby or disappearing into Annie's quarters if Jimmy was asleep. If they called for coffee, Amelia would fetch it for them with a smile.

After the rut in the barn Tom said that had to be the last because he didn't want to lose Lisa; she was not long pregnant. "Go into the city and find someone, he'd urged.

Amelia went into the city, not to find a man but to find employment. In the way things happened she ended up with both. The city had a population of around 40,000, large enough to have job openings for someone like Amelia recently graduated with an MBA that equipped her to begin in middle management in finance with potential to branch from there in various directions.

The first job hire consultancy Amelia visited offered her a form to fill out but declined to discuss job prospects locally so she withdrew and went to find the next consultancy she'd listed from the Yellow Pages. This business had a warmer atmosphere and the receptionist said, "Please pour yourself coffee miss and sit over there. I'll find who's free.

A woman in her mid twenties came out with a folder that she handed to the other receptionist. She glanced at Amelia and went to walk away but turned and said, "Amelia?"

Amelia examined the young woman and said, "Charlotte?"

"Yes. God, you look like your late mother."

She rushed around the counter and the two women hugged. The first receptionist came out and said, 'Oh Charlotte, I was looking for you – I see you have found Miss Don."

"Thank you Claire. Come through Amelia, I specialize in executive placements."

A formal interview followed and when completed the two women arranged to meet for lunch. Amelia met Annie with Jimmy asleep in his pram and they went to early lunch, although Amelia only had coffee. Annie was surprised to hear that Amelia was dealing with Charlotte at The Job Search Professionals. She apologized. "When you asked if I knew anyone working in job placement I didn't think of Charlotte. I went through high school with her younger sister Gwen. I just didn't think, as I knew Charlotte was in that business."

"It doesn't matter Annie. I went to call Flip the other day and found I'd temporarily forgotten his name. It happens to us all and tells us what we have to look forward to when we reach seventy."

Annie giggled and said it would help knowing Charlotte personally because she would try harder, perhaps calling contacts in other agencies if her agency had nothing suitable. "I'm not sure they would do that Annie because they are competitive in business."

Annie went off with Jimmy still sleeping and feeling optimistic Amelia purchased two business suits but left them to have the skirts raised by three inches. She knew it was a conservative region but that didn't mean she had to fall into line and have her hems below her knees and her tops up to her chin.

Charlotte came into the restaurant looking flushed and beautiful, albeit dressed conservatively. They kissed and began talking about their days at high school together. As they began on their salads, Charlotte said she'd married Alex Wilson and they had a son, aged eighteen months. Her mother was besotted with him and looked after him on week days.

"Oh how wonderful. You'll make a lovely mother."

"Thank you darling. I looked at your face when I said Alex Wilson but there was no reaction. I remember his older brother Dusky having a keen eye on you."

"Dusky?"

"His real name is Duncan."

"Oh him," Amelia said rather casually, forking up carrot.

"He hasn't married."

Amelia's head shot up and she looked straight at Charlotte, whose eyes gleamed triumphantly.

"I thought so."

"That's bullshit and you know it Harlot."

"God, Harlot. Charlotte the harlot. No one has called me that in years. It's lovely having you back."

"Sorry, a slip back in time. I can't call you that...you are a respectable mother."

"Thank you darling...my mom would die hearing that name resurface. Should I call Dusky over to join us – he's within short walking distance."

"Charlotte!"

"What? I was only teasing but you'll see him. You have an appointment with his father at 3:00 today. I had nothing to really match your specs so called a friend from mother's club who's with Hot Spot Employment Agency. Wilson, Monroe and LeBlanc, accountants and financial consultants, are seeking a replacement internal audit manager for the company. Wendy has made the appointment and we'll split the commission if you are engaged."

"Oooh, that's good. What size are they?"

"The largest in the city, having purchased or merged with their main competitors. Wendy said you'd have a staff of four, the clerical woman also acting as your PA. Wendy says if you interview well you'll get the job if your young age doesn't count against you. Ralph Wilson knows you – he coached us at ice-skating, remember?"

"Oh yeah, tall, thin and with glasses."

"That's him and a decade on he's scarcely changed. And his wife Hilda was a friend of your mother's."

"Was she?"

"Yes but don't tell Ralph you can't remember. I seem to remember Hilda rode a chestnut stallion. Just mention that if you get a chance. Employers tend to soften with dealing with job candidates when they express interests beyond the job. Do you have a horse?"

"Yes, I'm riding my mother's horse."

"What the dun?"

"God Charlotte, your memory is much sharper than mine."

"It's cultivated darling, I'm in the people business so have to concentrate on knowing about people and their interests."

* * *

The interview went very well. Amelia grew in confidence, knowing that. She knew she owned Charlotte and her husband a dinner out when Ralph looked quite astonished that Amelia remembered his wife rode a chestnut stallion.

"She still rides him. Do you ride?"

"Yes, I'm riding my late mother's horse."

"What, the dun?"

"Yes."

"I remember photographing Hilda and your mother on their horses on several occasions. Photography was my hobby but I don't do much now."

"Well you wait until the grandchildren come along."

"Ah yes," Ralph said, looking at Amelia thoughtfully. The interview switched into technicalities and Ralph seemed surprised at the extent of Amelia's experience she'd amassed during the last three years of her studies. "May I call in my business partners to meet you over coffee?"

"Of course. I apologize for not being in business clothes."

Alex grinned. "All but one are males. They'll like you being dressed in elegant style."

Duncan Wilson raced into the room. "Hello son, is there a fire? Amelia, this is my elder boy Duncan. Dusky this..."

Ralph watched in surprise as his son placed a hand on the new recruit's shoulder and kissed her on the lips. She looked up and smiled at his son.

"I take it you two know one another?" Ralph said dryly.

"Knowing used in that sense has more than one meaning Mr Wilson. "I have not met Duncan who's now apparently Dusky since I was fourteen and that is our first kiss."

"I was a class ahead of her and thought she was the greatest looking girl in the entire school but I knew her mom bred horses and folk including mom went to Kentland Farm to ride horses. Unfortunately I was never invited."

"Oh you poor boy," Amelia said, patting his cheek and smiling. "You were too subtle for me; you should have asked. There was this divide between us...you were a more senior boy."

"Only by one year."

"Ah yes, but that's huge when you're thirteen or fourteen. I'll give you my phone number before I leave. I'd like you to come out and ride one of our horses."

"I will, providing I can ride with you>"

"Oh why would you want to do that?"

That question wasn't answered. Other people filed into the room behind the young woman wheeling the coffee trolley.

Ralph formally introduced his seven partners and finished with the dark-featured Dusky.

"Dusky our newest partner went to school with Miss Don who after her exceptionally fine interview is my choice for our new internal audit manager. I have called you in because she's only going on twenty-five but her background is surprisingly good and her top qualification is first-class, a MBA from London, England. She is also registered as a financial consultant in England. Please chat to Miss Don...er Amelia...now and if anyone has reservations please discuss them with me. In my opinion, Amelia is the strongest candidate for this position by far and in my opinion she will find her choice of career path within our company. Amelia is the daughter, only child in fact, of Smithfield Don. Some of you will know him."

Two hours later Amelia emerged from the HR manager's office, having completed the formalities after accepting the job offer. As she was leaving the building Dusky, who's darker features came from his mother who was part native Tahitian, raced down the exterior steps after Amelia. "Your cell phone number, remember?"

"Oh yes, of course. Here, call your phone on mine and my number will be recorded as an incoming call. Add my name and put it into your phonebook and all done."

"Ah, very efficient. May I call you Milly?"

"No, sorry Dusky. It know it won't sound fair with me calling you Dusky but my mother simply wouldn't allow anyone calling me Milly."

"Oh, that's okay. Look I don't have a steady..."

"Yes Dusky, you may date me as many times as you wish. Just the once may well be the disappointment of your life."

He grinned, licked his lips and said he was not excepting disappointment.

"Ooooh, you randy boy. Get back to your desk and earn your money."

Dusky watched her walk away. He stared at the swaying ass and wondering if the sway was being exaggerated.

* * *

The commercial house cleaners who came three days a week were just driving away as Amelia arrived home. She thought it was a good system and would retain them when she killed her father.

Annie was excited about Amelia securing such an important job in such a short time. She hugged Amelia and then broke away embarrassed.

"Annie you are my friend, not my servant. Now hug me again like a friend."

"That's much better. Please get a bottle of champagne and three flutes." Although any accord had failed to develop between her and Ella, Amelia called Ella to come and join them.

Ella arrived and asked what was the occasion. Amelia said she'd applied for a great start-up job and secured it within hours.

"That' good, congratulations but what about me? With you away I'll be even more lonely."

"I don't see how that can be. You never do anything with me despite being invited."

"Well just having you here around the house and chatting noisily with Annie is something."

"Sit down please Ella and celebrate with us. You do nothing around here but mope and walk around looking lonely and only buck up when my father comes home. It's not a life Ella."