“I’m out of practice,” she said.
“It’s just like riding a bike.” He waved the spoon toward the railing. “Take ’em down and bend over.”
“Here?” She shook her head. “It’s far too cold out for this. I can’t even believe you’re standing there bare-chested and the wind isn’t bothering you.”
He shook the spoon at her. “Take ’em down and bend over.”
“This would make an interesting part of the essay, don’t you think?” She took a step back from him. “I mean the proper way to administer a spanking, whether it should be over the knee, or over, in this case, the porch railing.”
“Rachel.” He drew her name out as if it were about seven syllables. It sounded quite ominous, and she wondered if she should just take the spanking and be done with it, or if she should fight it.
In a split second she decided it was late, and fighting it would do no good. In fact, if she continued to put up a fuss, Dex might give her more than the thirty-one swats he had planned now.
She crossed to the railing and took down her jeans, just to the middle of her thighs. A lot of Dex’s spankings included that area, but she wasn’t sure she could take it tonight. Not for their first non-fun spanking since they’d been back together.
Rachel was sure he noticed, but he didn’t say anything. If the spoon happened to stray onto her thigh area she would at least have a little padding.
“I didn’t expect this tonight.” She also hadn’t expected to say that out loud.
“You never know when a spanking is coming,” he said. “You should remember that from before.”
With those words he slapped the spoon against her ass. He waited for what seemed like forever before he slapped her bottom again. And again. And again. The strikes were harsh, but they were also slow and methodical, as if he were counting the seconds between each one, giving just enough time for the pain from each swat to sink into her bottom and make her wince.
Tears stung her eyes as the spanking continued. She prayed he was counting, because she was not. For all she knew the thirty-one swats had already come and gone and he was well on his way to forty, or fifty.
Why that thought crossed her mind she wasn’t sure. Dex had always been firm and fair in his spankings, and she was sure that he would stop at thirty-one.
And he did. But she was crying hard by then, her tears flowing freely, and she hadn’t even realized that he’d stopped—not until he turned her and took her into his arms. He held her close as she cried. He stroked her hair and cuddled her against him.
“Do I still have to do the essay?” she asked when she got control of her voice again.
“I’m surprised you have to ask.” He tipped her head back and kissed her. “You know you do.”
“Are you going to put a word limit on it this time?”
He kissed her again. “Just until you think you’re point has been made.”
“Then I’m already done,” she said. “Because I’m sure I already did that with what I’ve written tonight.”
“Give it a few days and read it again,” he said. “Then we’ll see if you feel the same way.”
They made their way into the bedroom, undressed and got into bed. She snuggled against him, seeking not only warmth but the comfort of his arms.
“I love you, Rachel,” he said.
His words shocked her, and she lifted her gaze to his. “You know I love you, too. That’s never changed.”
“Sometimes love isn’t enough to keep people together,” he said. “I hate it, but it’s true.”
“Yes, it is true,” she said. “I think we can both say, though, that our relationship faltered before because we didn’t tend to it properly.”
“You’re right.” He stroked her cheek. His hands were rough, just as she remembered them to be, but at this moment his touch was the gentlest thing she’d ever felt.
“Let’s make a promise never to keep things to ourselves,” he said. “If something is bothering one of us we bring it out in the open.”
“I promise,” she said. “Let’s promise never to tell a lie, either out and out, or by omission.”
“I promise,” he said. He kissed her forehead. “Let’s promise, trite as it seems, to never go to bed angry.”
“I promise,” she said. This time she kissed him.
“Let’s promise to trust one another,” he said. “If you, or I, have any issue we bring it out in the open. That might overlap with a few of the other promises we made, but trust is important.”
“Very.” He kissed her again, slipping his tongue into her mouth ever so gently. For a moment she thought he might forgo the no sex after a punishment spanking, but he didn’t. He kissed her once again, and then he moved farther under the covers.
Rachel snuggled against his chest, and when he started the soft snoring that she found so comforting she kissed his chest.
“We’ll make it work this time,” she whispered. “The third time is a charm.”
* * *
“Waffles, waffles for everyone.”
Dex’s proclamation made Rachel open her eyes. She’d been wavering between sleep and waking for a few moments. She’d felt Dex leave the bed earlier, heard the water run as he’d showered, and then stayed in bed, pretending to be asleep while he’d dressed.
When the smell of coffee drifted into the room she’d thought about getting up. But then she’d heard Tommy’s voice. Seconds later she’d heard Carrie ask what they wanted for breakfast.
She stayed in bed, feeling like a bit of an outsider as the three of them talked, laughing and sharing coffee as they’d obviously done since she’d exited Dex’s life. She wondered how long Carrie and Tommy had been married, because she hadn’t been his girlfriend when Dex and Rachel had split three years earlier. She would ask Dex, because she sure wasn’t going to bring the subject up with Carrie.
Truthfully, the woman intimidated her. She wasn’t sure why, since they’d hardly spoken twenty words to each other since the day Rachel had come out to Buffalo Gap to tell Dex about Agatha.
It was the look Carrie had given Rachel when she’d figured out who she was; that’s what Rachel remembered. It had been a sneer, letting Rachel know that she wasn’t welcome in the house. She hadn’t really talked to her at the memorial service. But now here she was, in Dex’s bed while they were all in the other room.
When she came out, they would think she and Dex had had sex the night before. Rachel wasn’t sure why that bothered her, but it did. Maybe it was because she was out of practice, or maybe because she would feel like Carrie was judging her. She didn’t care about Tommy. She’d known him for twenty-plus years. But Carrie…
“You’ve got to get over this, she whispered. “And you need to get up, shower and get dressed. If you wait too long Dex and Tommy will be out working in the field and you’ll have to face Carrie on your own.”
There was still plenty of hot water, but she hurried through her shower and threw on her clothes. Her hair was still wet when she made her way into the kitchen.
“About time,” Dex said. “I thought I was going to have to send out a search party.”
“You mean yourself,” Tommy said with a laugh. “Pour some coffee and get over here to eat before Dex wolfs it all down. You know he’s a pig.”
“Screw you,” Dex said to Tommy. He winked at Rachel. “Pour yourself some coffee.”
Carrie stood at the sink, her back turned to the group. She hadn’t said a word when Rachel had come into the room.
“Babe, are there any more warm waffles?” Tommy asked.
“Yeah.” She moved toward the stove, where Rachel saw a waffle maker on the counter. She poured batter into the machine before she closed the lid. Then she lifted a coffee mug from the cabinet and turned to hand it to Rachel.
“Thanks,” Rachel said as she took it.
Carrie mumbled something that sounded like, “Whatever,” then turned back to her chore. Rachel filled her mug and sat down next to Dex.
He handed her a package of fake sugar, and passed the cream her way.
“You remembered,” she said softly.
“Of course.” He put his hand over his mug. “And you?”
“Sugar, no cream,” she said.
“Please, some of us are trying to eat, and your sugary sweetness doesn’t mix with my bacon and waffles.” Rachel glanced at Tommy. He winked at her, and she could tell that he was happy she was back, and that their little exchange didn’t upset him as much as he’d said.
“What’s on the agenda for today?” Tommy asked Dex.
Before he could answer, Carrie put a large plate of waffles on the table, and picked up the plate of depleted bacon. She was back moments later with more, then she sat down next to her husband.
“Help yourself,” she said to Rachel.
“Thanks,” Rachel replied. She filled her plate and doctored her waffles with butter and syrup. She took a bite and then groaned. “Delicious. Thank you, and thank you for the enchiladas and tamales. They were delicious, too.” Even if they did send me into an emotional meltdown, she said to herself.
“You’re welcome,” Carrie said.
“I’d offer to help cook, but we’d have to have the emergency room on speed dial,” Rachel said.
Dex cleared his throat, and Rachel turned her attention back to her plate.
“So, I repeat, what’s on track for today?”
Rachel listened as Dex described fixing a fence, and making sure something in the barn was mended. She continued to eat, and when she drained her coffee she got up to refill it.
“I’ll make a new pot,” Carrie said.
“That I can do,” Rachel said.
“Nonsense, you’re a guest,” Carrie said. “I’ll take care of it.”
Her words came down hard, and Rachel sat back down next to Dex. There was still food on her plate, but she’d lost her appetite—all it had taken was the word guest, for that’s what she was. Despite the number of nights she’d spent in this house before.
“I have things to do in town,” she said as she pushed her plate away.
“You can do them later,” Dex said. He pushed her plate back in front of her. “Finish your food, and drink your coffee.”
Carrie refilled all four cups, then sat down. Rachel glanced at her, and then at Tommy, just in time to see him frown at his wife. Carrie was looking at her plate, however, and didn’t react to Tommy’s obvious displeasure.
It occurred to Rachel, however fleetingly, that Carrie had some sort of crush on Dex, that she was jealous of the fact that Rachel had come back into his life. Did the three of them have some sort of ménage going on? Rachel made a mental note to ask Dex about it later. He had to have noticed Carrie’s deliberate slight, because her husband had. And if the three of them were in some way involved in a relationship, Rachel wanted to know about it. She had no desire to be in a ménage turned into a foursome. She wanted Dex, and she wanted him alone.
“What do you have to do today?” Dex asked her.
“I thought I’d go ahead and box up Agatha’s clothes and take them to the women’s shelter,” she said. “Then I have some paperwork that needs to be done at the office. I also need to visit with Mrs. Ping and see how she’s feeling about the first weekend of her auction, and if she’s pleased, or if we need to make any sort of changes.”
“Sounds like you’re going to be busy,” he said. “I’ll meet you at Agatha’s around five, if that sounds good to you.”
Rachel had gone back to eating her breakfast. It really was good, even if the woman who prepared it couldn’t stand her.
“Are you sure you don’t want to keep any of Agatha’s clothes?” Rachel asked.
“I try and keep my cross-dressing in the closet, but I don’t think any of Agatha’s clothes would fit me,” Dex said. “She was much shorter than me, and her shoes would be far too small. I might be able to wear one of her longer dresses as a mini skirt, though.”
Tommy burst into laughter and Carrie snickered.
“You’re awful,” Rachel said, even as she laughed.
“Just trying to lighten the mood,” Dex said. “But to answer your question, no, there are no clothes that I want to keep. There are a few afghans that Agatha made over the years that I’d like to keep, though. Don’t give those away, okay?”
“I’ll look for them,” she said. “You’ll meet me there later, right?” He’d already told her that he would, but she found herself repeating the question. She wasn’t sure why.
“I will,” he said.
“Carrie can help you,” Tommy said.
“Thank you, but no,” Rachel said. “I can do it myself.” She wanted to add something snippy, but she kept her mouth shut. She hoped Dex noticed and was ready to reward her for it later.
“Check your mail at the loft,” he said. “I’d like to know if you got a letter from the lawyer.”
“I will,” she said. She wanted to add that it was unlikely that she would hear from the lawyer, since Agatha had already let her wishes be known as to her property and Rachel’s part in it.
After they’d finished eating, Rachel started to gather plates.
“Leave it,” Carrie said. “I’ll take care of everything.”
“Then it’s time to work for all of us.” Dex took Rachel’s chin in his hand and turned her face toward his. He kissed her gently, the sweet taste of syrup mixed with the taste of coffee. Rachel kissed him back, and when the kiss broke, he winked at her.
“Have a good day,” he whispered against her lips.
“You, too,” she answered. “I love you.”
“I love you, too,” he said.
“Enough canoodling,” Tommy said. “Let’s get going.” He stood and kissed his wife.
“Now who’s canoodling?” Dex said with a laugh. He kissed Rachel again, and then made his way toward the back door.
When they were outside, Carrie turned to Rachel.
“Don’t hurt him again,” Carrie said, her voice icy.
“Excuse me?” Rachel cocked her head ever so slightly.
“I didn’t know Dex the last time the two of you were together, but Tommy told me it almost killed him when you dumped him.”
Rachel stood. “You shouldn’t talk about things you know nothing about. I didn’t dump Dex, and even if I did, it’s between him and me. You don’t figure into it at all.”
“I love Dex like a brother,” Carrie said.
“And I love him, period,” Rachel replied. “We’re facing things together. Please don’t make it worse by sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong.”
“Rachel?” She turned to find Dex standing in the doorway. “Is everything okay?”
“It’s fine,” she said. “I thought you were going to work.”
“We forgot our thermos,” he said. “Coffee keeps us going through the day.
Carrie filled the container and handed it to Dex. Then she marched into the living room. Dex put his arm around Rachel and kissed her once again.
“What’s going on?” he asked.
“Nothing,” she said. “Carrie and I will work it out together. Please don’t say anything to Tommy. Promise me.”
“Fine,” he said. “But I want to hear the story tonight.”
“Okay.” She kissed him, and decided she could get used to the number of kisses that were passing between them. “How about Thai food for dinner tonight?”
“Sounds delicious,” he said. “I’ll bring it when I come to Agatha’s.”
“I’ll think of a dessert,” she said. “Say cheesecake?”
“You know me too well,” he said. He kissed her again, and then he slapped his hand against her bottom. “How are things this morning?”
“Fine,” she said. “I thought it would be worse today, but it’s not.”
“I’ll have to do better next time,” he said. “I want you to feel my spanking the next day.”
“Brute,” she said, and then she laughed.
“Quit can
oodling!” Tommy yelled through the back door, and they both laughed.
“We’ll canoodle later tonight,” he said. “See you then.”
“Don’t forget the shrimp rolls,” she called after him, and then she went to the bedroom to get ready to face her day.
Chapter 8
After Rachel packed up Agatha’s clothing, she’d put the boxes in her back seat and gone to Mrs. Ping’s house to check on the state of things.
“I’m just making tea,” Mrs. Ping said after she’d opened the door. She looked around Rachel’s shoulder. “Did you bring your handsome cowboy with you?”
“He’s a bison boy, really,” Rachel said. “He raises bison on his ranch. And he’s home right now, working on his spread.”
“Such a good-looking young man, with all that dark hair, and those muscles,” Mrs. Ping said. “Now, come and have tea and tell me what’s wrong.”
Mrs. Ping reminded Rachel of a teenager with a crush, the way she wiggled her eyebrows while she was talking about Dex, the way she giggled. Maybe Mrs. Ping needed a boyfriend. She was a lot of fun, and she was very intuitive.
“Nothing is wrong, Mrs. Ping,” Rachel said.
“Your aura is pulsing with anger,” the older woman replied. “Did you and your bison boy have a fight?”
Did they? No, it was just—just what? “It’s just growing pains,” Rachel finally said. “We’ve known each other all our lives, but… it’s difficult.”
“Well, I want to hear all about it, and then I’ll impart the wisdom of my years.”
Rachel followed Mrs. Ping into the kitchen. As they made their way through the house, Rachel could see a great deal of the inventory had been sold.
“It looks like the first weekend went well,” Rachel said. “I’m sorry I was in and out so much. I’ll be able to stick around this weekend. I’m glad my staff did so well with the sale. Were there any problems? Is there anything you think needs to be changed?”
“It was perfection in its finest form,” Mrs. Ping said. “We’ll be happy to have you here, but your staff is very well trained, and there were absolutely no problems.”
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