"I can't imagine you and I would have anything to talk about, Harry. Now, I really have to get back to-"
"I know about you and Queenie."
If he knew anything, it wasn't much, and he sure didn't know about the baby. Very few people knew about it and none of them would be gossiping. "There's nothing much to know."
Harry snorted. Will could hear the man's deep breath and the whoosh of air as he blew out smoke. "It's like this, Will, my friend. Queenie is a slut through and through. She fools people. You think she's a sparky kind of chick, but one with morals, and then you find out that she sleeps around and cheats behind your back."
That didn't sound like Queenie at all. But, a little devil whispered in Will's ear, she had been eager for their sexual encounter. The angel on his other shoulder reminded him that he'd been eager for it, too. "You're lying," he told Harry. "She might not be perfect, but she's no cheater."
"A lot you know. I could give you a list. Startin' with the band members. Includin' our girl singer."
The statement was so outrageous, so unbelievable when Queenie was considered that Will laughed. "You must think I'm a complete fool with that cock-and-bull story."
"You don't have to take my word for it, Mazie. Ask around."
He could ask around, of course. It was true that he hadn't known Queenie for long and had never discussed her experience with her. But, even if it was true—and he was confident that it wasn't—was that going to make him feel less for her? No. At the same time, however, he wouldn't be able to bear it if she cheated on him. "You know," he said to Harry. "She says you cheated on her."
"A man's got needs." Tatum's voice took on a whiny quality. "Queenie wasn't enough. She won't be enough for you either. She goes frigid after a few weeks."
Will's patience ran out. He couldn't imagine Queenie ever being less than passionate about anything. She was a firecracker, full of sparks and bright lights. "You're full of bullshit, Harry. Don't call me again."
"But I-"
Will disconnected the call and turned his phone to "silent." Harry's call had disturbed him, but the man was a sleaze. Nothing he said could be trusted. Queenie had never deceived Will, though she'd had opportunity. He wasn't going to suspect her behavior based on Harry Tatum's lies.
A fleeting image of Queenie spun through his brain, but he let it go. One thing at a time. Now was the time for catching Casteneda.
He waited in the heat in the barn. The gun at the small of his back was a comfort, though he strongly hoped he wouldn't have to use it. Hours of practice assured him that he was capable with it, but, aside from his TV characters, violence wasn't his idea of a good way to spend an evening.
The hours crept by incredibly slowly, and Will found himself checking his watch every few minutes. Maybe the plan wasn't going to work. Maybe Casteneda could resist the bait of a brand-new, expensive mare. Or maybe he was down by the river where Marco waited.
Will knew he could trust his foreman to take care of matters if that was the case.
Still, he waited.
A car moved up the gravel driveway and Will tensed. Would Casteneda drive up, bold as you please? Wouldn't he creep up on the place?
The car door slammed and Will knew it wasn't the vandal. He watched the houselights go on. Arthur had answered the door. What the hell was going on? It was nearly two in the morning!
A moving shadow in the barnyard caught his eye. It was barely discernible under the quarter moon, but there it was again. Maybe whatever happened with the house was meant to be a distraction while Casteneda did his dirty deed in the yard.
The shadow moved closer, but Will still couldn't make out the man's features. He was headed right for the toolshed, though! The toolshed? Why not the stable?
There was a light crunch of the gravel under the vandal's boots. Another peek through the hinge of the barn door showed the man's features more clearly. Casteneda, exactly as suspected, and he had something in his hand. It was hard to make out exactly what it was.
The man moved around to the side of the shed, out of Will's view.
Will snuck out of the barn and made his way from shadow to shadow until he was on the shed-side of the barn. Crackling noises made his heart speed up. It sounded like a fire!
It looked like Casteneda was intending to set the flammables in the shed on fire. The resulting blaze would move to the barn, then the stables. It would be an inferno that would destroy everything, long before a fire department could get there.
Pulling the gun from the back of his jeans, Will hurried over to the shed. It was bright with flames already, and there were popping noises and the loud sizzling noises of wooden walls alighting.
Casteneda ran from around the shed and paused for a moment, undoubtedly to admire his handiwork. Will pointed the gun at him and the safety made a little click as he snapped the lever, ready for shooting.
"Hands up."
Putting his hands in the air, the villainous ranch hand turned to face Will, as the flames in the shed rose higher. Firelight lit both the men, and Will watched Casteneda's dark eyes dart from his face to his gun.
"You go back home, malparido!" Casteneda shouted, his face contorted with vicious fury. "You don't belong here! You go back to L.A. and leave the ranchin' to the ranchers!"
He took a step closer. "I don't get you, Casteneda. Is this all about where I come from?"
"You fuckin' gave away my job!" The arson screamed. "I should have been foreman! I worked for Caswell for years. It was gonna be mine! You gonna pay for all you done. I hope this whole ranch goes up in smoke!"
Thinking to tie the man's hands with his belt before he called the sheriff, Will crept a little closer. But Casteneda had other plans. Quick as a snake, he grabbed for the gun and it went spinning out of Will's hand.
Will tackled him and they rolled around in the dirt for minutes that raced by as Will punched and kicked, flailing wildly at the man, trying to reach the gun as he fought. A strong man, who'd spent years training his body to be fit and the past weeks laboring to build his ranch, Will was a reasonable match against the rangy ranch hand.
Yelling people scrambled from the house and bunkhouse, and the distraction allowed Casteneda to land a few punches. Focusing on his foe, Will fought even more intensely, finally knocking the man insensible. Blood trailed down Casteneda's face and from a cut over his eye as Will rolled him onto his belly and bound his hands with the bastard's own belt.
He pulled the groaning man to his feet and pushed him toward one of the resident stablemen who were rushing around, trying to gather up all the fire extinguishers they could find.
Will turned back toward the shed, and nearly exploded with anger. Queenie was there, trying to fight the fire alongside Arthur and the other hands. She was hauling a heavy ring of garden hose, feeding it to one of the hands as he sprayed the sides of the shed.
"Queenie! What the hell are you doing?" He grabbed her and the hose dropped onto his foot. Fighting to stay balanced, he pulled her away from the fire. "You crazy woman! Get away from there!"
"Will! You're alright?" She touched his arms, his chest, then cupped his face in her hands. "You're not hurt? Oh! Look at your eye!"
"Goddamn it, Queenie!" He caught her hands and pulled them down to her sides. "My eye is okay. What the hell are you doing here?"
Sparks came too close to them and smoke added an acrid miasma to the air. Will pulled Queenie away further. His men seemed to have the fire under control, spraying fire suppression chemicals all over the place. It looked like they'd keep it from catching the barn, so the damage would be minimized.
"I came to…I wanted to tell you…"
"Spit it out!"
"I'll marry you."
His heart, racing hard after all that had gone on that night, did a flip-flop in his chest. "You will?"
She nodded, her blonde hair taking on bright orange streaks in the firelight. "I have to."
A lump of disappointment settled in his stomach. He mentally shoo
k himself. She was going to marry him. That was the important thing. Over time, with their baby to share and love, she'd learn to care for him. "Because of the baby," he agreed.
"No, Will." Her eyes met his, and they glowed bright. "Because I love you."
He pulled her into his arms and kissed her deeply. The fire sounds faded into the background, though a part of him noted that they'd diminished. Their tongues fought wildly for a minute, two, but he broke their kiss. He couldn't tear his lips far away from hers, though, and whispered into her sweet breath. "I'm glad you love me, honey. You have no idea how glad. I love you, too."
"You do?" She pressed another kiss on him and he let her lead for a moment before he took over and snaked his hand through her hair to hold her head in place.
"Boss!"
They parted at the sound of one of the hands, and Will realized that the fire was mostly out, about half of the shed ruined. The equipment inside didn't matter much. Equipment could be replaced; lives could not.
"Boss, we called the fire department. They'll be here in ten minutes or so." The man held a heavy fire extinguisher at the ready. "Should be all out by then, though. What else d'ya want us to do?"
"Someone needs to go get Marco, down at the river."
"Okay. Right on it."
"Thanks, Bailey. Arthur! Call the sheriff, will you?"
"Already done."
Will turned back to Queenie. "I can't believe you came out here to fight the fire, honey. You could have been hurt! That was incredibly foolish of you—brave, but foolish."
"I…I couldn't sit around. You were out here."
"When I saw you there… Damn it, Queenie!" He pulled her toward the barn. His men were milling around by the shed, beginning to chat about the excitement, and give Casteneda dark looks.
"Where are we going?"
"We have something to…discuss."
* * *
Will's barn was a little smaller than the one at Journey's End, but it had the sweet scent of hay that was so familiar. A cow lowed in a stall toward the back. Will flicked a switch and fluorescent light came on from overhead. The light was high, so shadows were cast in the corners of the building.
His hand was warm in hers, his fingers strong and lightly callused. The knuckles were beginning to swell from his fight with Casteneda. They stopped a few feet into the building, and she turned his hand over to gently run her fingertips over the scrapes.
"You need some ice."
"We'll share the ice later," he said firmly.
"Huh?"
Dropping her hand, he strode over to an empty paint can and pulled out a sturdy plastic stirring stick. "Your butt's gonna need some ice."
The flat stick was long and hard, coated with dried white paint the same as the trim on the barn. She took a step back. That would hurt! "Why are you going to spank me? I thought you loved me!"
"I do. That's why I'm gonna spank you. You endangered your life tonight, and that of our baby. It's unacceptable, and I want to make sure you never, ever do something like that again." Taking her arm, he led her to a stack of small hay bales. "Pants and panties down."
“You can't spank me with that stick! That's for paintin'!”
Will smiled. “Yes, and I'm going to paint your bottom four shades of red with it.”
She resisted, pulling back. "I don't want to be spanked, Will! I was trying to help."
Will turned and reached for the button of her jeans. "Mind me, Queenie. You need to think of your safety, and I'm going to enforce your caution."
"Will-"
"No ifs, ands, or buts, Queenie." The fly of her pants opened and Queenie tried to pull his hands off her.
"Come on, Will. I'm sorry I scared you."
"Nearly gave me a heart attack."
Easily fighting off her hands, Will pulled her jeans down to her knees and got a little twinkle in his eyes at the sight of her thong. Heat stole over Queenie's cheeks. She'd worn a blue one with little pink hearts.
"Cute."
She groaned, but didn't fight him as he slid the thong down to her ankles to meet her jeans. Carefully, he pulled the garments off her legs, along with her boots, leaving her in her Hello Kitty socks. He actually chuckled, the rat.
"Hands on the hay bale."
"But-"
His expression brooked no argument. "Now."
She stuck out her lower lip. He was so bossy! But she did as he told her, bending down toward a bale, her butt up in the air. "Really, Will darlin', I'm sorry. Forgive me this once?"
"Nope. You were wrong and you will be punished."
She was about to promise to be better when the paint stirrer came whistling down onto her rear. Sharp sensation traveled over her rounded flesh, followed by another bright bolt as Will smacked her again.
"Ouch! Will, stop it!"
He wielded the plastic implement vigorously, striking her bottom without mercy for what seemed like a very long time. But it was nowhere near as long as the time he spent spanking her upper thighs and sit spots. She tried not to react, but she couldn't help her squirming and squeals.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"
More smacks and spanks, and then he stopped. "You promise to watch out for yourself in the future? I can't be there every minute to make sure you have common sense."
She unbent and gave him a dirty look, hands on her hips. "Hey! I have common sense!"
"Not so much as that cow over there." He pointed.
She stomped a cotton-covered foot. "Now just a minute! Take that back!"
"No! Now get your hands back on that bale. I'm not through with you yet!"
"Take it back, Will Mazie, or I'll…" She sputtered. What exactly would she do?
"Or you'll…" He arched an eyebrow. "Take another swing at me? Throw tea in my face? Get huffy and spit at me?"
"You are the godda- most annoying man I've ever met! I don't know what I see in you!" He gave her a gentle push and toppled her over onto the bale, right onto her sore butt. "Ow!"
"You know what you are, Queenie Journey?"
"Let me up!" Warm air whispered over her pussy as he pressed her legs apart. He knelt between her knees and bent close, face to face.
"You are the most adorable, exasperating, gorgeous spitfire I've ever known."
Well…what could she say? Her anger melted out of her like so much ice in the sun. "I'm mad at you," she said softly as his lips met hers.
"Mmm," was all he said before he kissed her thoroughly.
After a minute, his hand moved over her breast, teasing the peaked nipple beneath her t-shirt. She squirmed and fretted over the spark that traveled from her breast to her pussy.
"Stop," she said. There was no conviction in her voice, and she couldn't help but pull him closer as he raised her t-shirt and tongued her nipple. "Oh…"
He licked and nipped a path down her belly to her splayed open thighs. "You smell like lavender," he told her.
Queenie's whole body flushed with heat. Soap was a wonderful thing.
His mouth hovered over her tender parts for a moment, his breath warm against her wet flesh. She moaned softly and combed her fingers through his hair. If he didn't press his mouth on her soon, she might go crazy. "Will…"
Gently, slowly, he touched the tip of his tongue to her moist pussy, sliding up the lips toward her throbbing clit, and back down again, teasing her mercilessly. Even though she started to protest, his tongue delved deeper, lapping at the wet pool she knew had gathered there. His hums of delight caused a ribbon of erotic sensation to unwind and rewind in her womb.
He tickled her there for a little while, and pressing two fingers into her opening, he slid them in easily. "Very nice," he breathed against her.
"Oh God," she moaned. His hair was soft in her fingers but all she could think about was closer, closer, come closer, stop teasing.
And, of course, no sooner had the thoughts crossed her mind, but he touched her clit with the tip of his tongue. The ribbon in her belly was replaced with a spear of
pure pleasure. She arched her back and spread her knees even further, trying to press his head down. He wasn't going to tease her long, though, thank goodness. He took her swollen clit in his lips and sucked, even as his fingers wriggled inside her. Little nibbles on her sensitive button had her so close.
"More."
His head rose an inch, and she moaned at the separation. "Demanding woman."
She was going to beg—he'd reduced her to that—but she didn't have to. His fingers pistoned in her and he sucked again at her clit and the world broke into flames as high and hot as the fire that night. Her pussy felt scorched, achy, swollen.
Queenie gripped his hair tight and threw her head back, pleasure making her cry out as loudly as the pain from the spanking had earlier.
Eventually, she calmed and Will blew soft breaths on her anxious flesh to cool her. When he leaned back, she tilted up her head and smiled at him. "I'm crazy in love with you," she told him. And she was. He made her irrational and mad and absolutely wild. He freed her and set limits for her, made her accountable and wouldn't take her for granted. What could be better? Relaxing, she knelt on the hay bale and gave him a soft kiss on the lips.
"Now about getting married," he started.
She giggled. "Always back to that."
* * *
Two days later, as they were preparing to leave for the county Justice of the Peace's office, Queenie got a call from the local sheriff.
"I got your ex-husband again."
Queenie sighed. "I can't help you, Sheriff."
"Thought you'd like to know. He's got a long list of drug-related charges now. Ain't gonna make it out of county jail anytime soon, 'cause his daddy has written him off. His girlfriend ain't any better."
"Girlfriend?"
"Yep. I figure she's the one behind your road accident, though I can't prove it." He paused. "Yet."
It was a huge relief to know that, at least for a time, her problems with Harry were over. "Thanks, Sheriff, for letting me know."
They rang off and Queenie told her family, who were milling around, waiting for her.
"Great. Now I don't have to strangle that idiot," Will declared.
Leo added his two cents. "I never did like the bastard."
Spanking Her Highness Page 11