Sam and Jane were married just over a year ago. They had a picture perfect wedding on a beautiful summers day, in a little country church set in rolling hills with stunning views. Marquees were set up on Sam's family farmstead with caterers and musicians for the celebrations...and all the family came together and had a ball. No dramas, just a day full of memories and laughter.
Just short of a year later, almost to the date of their wedding anniversary, Sam's mother was gone. Taken by a swift, merciless cancer that left precious few moments between her diagnosis and her passing.
A month or so after her death Sam and Jane had put their little 2 up 2 down on the market and moved in to the farmhouse, as Sams dad, Jim, could not run the farm by himself.
Jane gave up her job in a small store so she could help full time, but Sam had to do two jobs. Or rather he did not want to become a full time farmer and wanted to continue to work for himself also. He was a self employed H&S consultant, visiting sites around the country to do audits on businesses for a fee.
He was adamant about doing his own work, as he had escaped the farm once and did not want to take it over from his father; though he was not about to see his dad struggle by himself while he still owned the place.
So, as Jane earned only a small wage from the shop, it was agreed she would work full time with Jim, while Sam would commit to doing three days of the week at the farm and the rest doing his own work.
It has to be said that Jane wasn't thrilled at the idea of living with Jim, as when they had visited in the past and stayed over, he had been a little inappropriate at times, making subtle remarks, or barely concealed innuendo about her looks and her "sexiness". She often found him ogling her breasts and arse, and she became careful to cover up to avoid such attention once she became aware of it.
Jim had an uncanny knack of just passing the bathroom, seemingly on his way somewhere, when she came out of it wrapped in a robe or a towel and she suspected it was deliberate. So she had since made sure that she used the bathroom only once Jim had left the house, when they visited thereafter.
She was a very beautiful girl. She was sexy. She could easily be a glamour, or fashion model, with her looks and her shapely, athletic, toned figure, and had always had to put up with guys acting like love sick puppies around her, or being overly familiar with her. She intimidated men, even mesmerised them with her presence and sexuality; and she was not averse to using her charms to manipulate them when it suited her.
But having to live full time with her father-in-law was a whole new ball game to dodging his unwanted attentions for a weekend visit. Despite her reservations however, she could not see a recently widowed man struggle to keep his livelihood, so figured she would just work it out when she got there.
What made it worse was Sam (and Abigail, Jims deceased wife) were seemingly oblivious to all his previous antics, as Jim was usually smart enough to make sure he acted appropriately when they were around; and she didn't want to rock the boat.
Oddly, she did not think of Jim as a perv or an old letch type of man, because he wasn't (outwardly)in that mould. He wasn't overtly disgusting in the things he said or did. And he wasn't that old. Jim had only recently turned 50. He had rugged weather-worn looks with a strong, solid muscular physique from all the manual labours of farming. He was fit, but had never visited a gym in his life. He was a good looking man and most women would probably find him attractive, and even his attentions potentially flattering. She even considered that this could also be one of the reasons why she was actually reluctant to be there, the fact that he was a hot, mature man...who obviously had a thing for her.
In fleeting moments, usually after Jim had made a pass at her, she had actually wondered how Jim would compare in bed to Sam. But it was only a fleeting thought and never to be taken seriously. One of those "is the teacher better than the student" thoughts.
Despite this inappropriate behaviour, she too, deep down, where vanity resides in us all, got a little thrill from being thought of as sexy and beautiful by another guy. Curiously, this was especially true because Jim was an older, mature man rather than some young buck of a boy. It is all our guilty secret to be admired, even when perhaps such admiration is misplaced.
Therefore it was difficult to class him as an old perv, as he was still young enough, fit enough and attractive enough to "act like a red blooded male". His actions toward Jane not really different to most males when confronted with a hot, sexy woman and something she had put up with on a daily basis from other guys; though it was entirely inappropriate given she was married to his son.
Of course, farming is a 7 day per week vocation, so none of them got much spare time, or weekends off, but it started to put a strain on Sam in particular trying to do two roles. He would often travel long distances, occasionally abroad, to do his site visits, then return late and get up early to start the daily farm chores. He was exhausted, and becoming distant and short tempered with Jane.
Jane wanted children. She had not been taking contraception since the passing of Sams mother. Sam had agreed at first. To bring new life in to the world after losing his mother felt somehow healing, cathartic, and both were excited, even when they moved in to the farmhouse there was still a desire, and lots of effort, to make a baby.
As the weeks wore on however, Sam had begun to question the wisdom of having a child, because they were just too busy coping with the farm, and his job - he said. They fought about it fiercely but Sam was adamant they should wait, and simply withdrew both himself, and his attentions.
They had not had sex in over a month, with Sam getting more and more exhausted, more and more distant and more and more sullen and moody as each day passed. Every time Jane tried to talk to Sam, or try and seduce him, it just ended in a heated argument, as he rejected her.
Jim of course, could not help but overhear their fights. It was a moderate farmhouse and although they argued in the privacy of their own room, late at night when they assumed Jim would be sleeping, he heard pretty much all of it. Jim was ashamed of his son to hear his brutal rejection of intimacy and the awful way he treated Jane; her pleading for them just to make love, even if it meant using a condom. She just wanted to be loved by her husband, to try and heal their growing rift. But Sam would not contemplate it...believing she would trick him and get pregnant anyhow.
Jim had seen Jane crying once or twice, as she worked around the farm in quiet corners of the barn or other outbuildings, or at night when Sam was away for his job.
One day, just after Jane had cooked breakfast for Jim and herself, and was clearing the table, Jim grabbed her wrist, as she reached for his plate and held her fast.
"He doesn't deserve you that selfish prick of a son of mine." He said looking right in to her eyes as she stood over him.
"What...what do you mean. I erm..."
"I can hear you fighting. I can hear what's said. It's not a big place is it, and I don't sleep much since Abigail passed."
