“Yes,” Wes said. “We both will be actually. Could you tell us a little more about that prime rib you mentioned?”
Carrie rolled her eyes and heaved a sigh. Wes reached under the table and gave her knee a sharp squeeze. Carrie gave a little squeal, and her eyes darkened, but she sat up and was quiet while the baffled waiter went over the evening’s specials.
“That sounds fantastic, we will both have the prime rib with the potatoes and a side salad. She likes honey mustard, and I’ll have the ranch dressing,” Wes said, when the waiter had finished. His eyes were looking hard at Carrie, daring her to contradict him.
Carrie crossed her arms in front of her chest. “Not hungry. I hope you like honey mustard because you’ll be eating mine.”
“We are going to sit here and eat a civilized meal and talk this out like two adults. And I happen to know you are hungry because on the drive down here, you said, and I quote, ‘I declare I am hungry enough to eat a horse. If you can’t tame Mabel, maybe I will make a meal of her.’”
Carrie sat fuming. “That witch made me lose my appetite.”
“She is not a witch. Melody is a kind woman, and I know this town likes to gossip more than they should, but they mean well. What did we expect, Carrie? It’s a strange situation.”
“But to hear that news in this way, it’s upsetting.”
He softened. “I know.”
The waiter brought out brown loaves of bread, fresh from the over, accompanied by little tubs of soft butter drizzled with honey and cinnamon. Wes cut a slab of the hot bread and slathered the butter on top. The edges melted and dripped down the sides of the bread. Wes slid the plate in front of Carrie. “I know you’re upset, but try a little nibble.”
Her face was still cloudy, but her eyes betrayed her as they watched the butter melt further into the bread. “Just a bite, I guess, if you insist.” She sighed, smoothing a napkin on her lap and lifting the bread, took a dainty nibble from the corner. Wes watched as she ate the whole piece, then he cut her another one, spreading butter on the top of that one as well. A small smile crossed her lips.
“There’s my girl.”
The smile vanished, and the storm clouds rolled in. “Your girl?” she spat in a venomous voice. “If I’m your girl then tell me why Jessica is already wearing a rock on her finger and I’m sleeping in a separate room from you every night?”
“You are skating on thin ice. Eat the bread. Then I’ll talk.”
She looked as if she would defy him but he raised one eyebrow, and the look was enough to make her take another bite. Carrie polished off that piece, then wiped her fingers and daintily dotted at her mouth with the cloth napkin. “There. I ate the bread. Now talk.”
“I told you I want to take things slowly, Carrie.” He reached out and covered her hand with his. She moved her hand as if to draw it away. He tightened his grasp. “Don’t you dare pull away from me.” His eyes locked on hers. “Don’t think for a second I won’t take you out to the truck and tan your hide, then bring you right back in here to eat your meal on a sore bottom.”
The waiter arrived the moment after his chastisement. “Uh, two prime ribs?” He placed a heaping plate of meat and potatoes in front of each of them, then placed the side salads next to the plates.
“Thank you. This looks wonderful. We should be good for some time now.” Wes smiled politely at the waiter.
“All right then.” The waiter turned and left. He wouldn’t be returning anytime soon.
“Carrie, you are precious to me. At first, I wanted to take things slowly so you could make a decision. You’d been through so much and to be honest, a part of me didn’t want to get hurt. I didn’t want to be your rebound after Garrett. I wanted to know that you felt as strongly for me as I did for you.”
“I did. I do.”
“I know that now. When I became sure that we wanted the same things, my thinking changed. Something about you makes me want to act ‘old-fashioned.’
“Old-fashioned, like you won’t let me wear jeggings?”
“Old-fashioned, like, I want to court you. I want to sit on the porch with you, spend time with you. Get to know you.”
“Well, you ‘got to know,’ that slut, Jessica, pretty well. Why’d you hop on her so fast?”
Wes’ tone changed. “This is your last warning, little girl. Any more talk like that and not only will you be visiting the truck before dinner, when we get home, you will be over my lap, again. Is that understood?”
Carrie instantly regretted her comment. “Yes, sir.”
“I don’t want to talk about Jessica like that ever again. Yes, in a perfect world, we would have never been an item. As far as I am concerned, she is a sister to me now. Mistakes were made, and the past is in the past.” He leaned in close to her. “And I want you the way a man wants a woman, make no mistake about that. But I’ve been holding back. I want to make you my wife, first.”
Carrie looked up shocked. “Your wife?”
“Yes,” he said, his voice softer now. “My wife.”
Her smile beamed and her eyes shined in response. A pink blush raised to her cheeks.
“Now eat your meal. Not another word until you’ve eaten.”
Carrie happily tucked into her meal.
“And no daddy worth his salt would let his girl get away with the attitude that you’ve had. You can rest assured that you will, in fact, be getting spanked when we get home.”
Carrie looked up, mouth open to protest.
“Not another word.”
It was late when they got back to the ranch. All the workers had gone home hours before, and Mama had gone to bed. Wes had given Carrie a quick kiss and sent her to her room to change into her pajamas, then wait for him on the bed.
She had done so quickly, butterflies in her stomach. Carrie had been so mad at the woman at the restaurant and the news of the engagement, she felt justified in her rude behavior and foul language.
Now as she sat on the smoothed-out quilt, waiting for Wes, she felt a little guilty. And small. She looked down at her hands that were the size of a dolls compared to his huge, rough ones. She thought of his huge hands and his strong arms as she sat there on the bed. A shiver ran down her spine as she thought about what was to come.
She looked up when she heard the door open. Wes filled the doorway. He was handsome and kind, and strong.
He sat on the bed beside her, his hand heavy on her thigh. With his fingertip, he tilted her chin up towards him. “Carrie, sweet Carrie.” Slowly, he leaned into her until his lips met hers. He kissed her softly.
“Carrie…”
“Yes,” she murmured, her eyes closed, anticipating further kissing.
“I’m going to spank you, now.”
Her eyes popped open, wide. She pulled away from Wes’ embrace and scurried to the other side of the bed, far from his strong arms.
“You were out of control at dinner.”
“I had a right to be, hearing that news.”
“I don’t mind if you are upset. I mind that you didn’t conduct yourself like a good girl. You earned yourself a spanking.”
“No, I don’t think so.” She quickly stood up, ready to make her escape.
“Why is it that you love thinking about being spanked, blush when I talk about punishing you, but when it comes down to the actual spanking part you always try to get out of it?”
“Because it hurts!” She backed up, looking frantically at the door.
Wes took two steps and had her locked in his arms.
“One day, you will come to me and lay over my lap for your punishment like a good girl. Until then, if you keep running, you might just get two spankings.” He tucked a curl of hair behind her ear. “Now, remind me how my discipline of you makes you feel.”
“Cared for, protected,” she answered shyly.
“What else?”
“Like your girl.”
“That’s right.” He sat on the bed and patted his empty lap with his hand. “It�
�s time you laid over my lap, Carrie.”
She stood, hands behind her back. Making a break for it didn’t seem like a plausible option. And Wes’ mama’s bedroom was on the other end of the house. She wouldn’t hear Carrie’s bottom being smacked from this bedroom, but if she risked it and ran, Mama would hear it if Wes caught up with her and punished her in the living room or kitchen. Carrie walked the short walk of shame, then with a sigh, laid herself over her man’s legs.
“Good girl. You made the right decision.”
Carrie lay limp over his lap, embarrassed to be in such a position and to have put herself there by her own free will, no less. She looked down at the patterns on the quilt patches. She couldn’t help but notice how much neater Mama’s stitches were than her own.
The soft flowy material of her pajamas was soon pulled up and over her back. Then Wes instructed her to lift her hips as he slid her panties down to her knees. Carrie’s face felt hot, and her bare bottom felt cold. She could feel chill bumps rising on her skin. She tensed as Wes rested his huge palm on the center of her rear.
“Carrie, you were a very naughty girl at dinner tonight. The language that you used isn’t allowed in this household. Do you understand?”
“Yes,” Carrie whispered in a soft voice.
“I can’t let my little girl talk like that, or act like a brat, no matter what the circumstance. You should be punished for your bad behavior, shouldn’t you?”
Carrie was too embarrassed to answer. A sharp smack, landed on her bottom.
“Answer me.”
“Yes, sir. I should be punished.” Her face was now as hot as the spot his hand had landed on.
“What is the punishment when you break Daddy’s rules?”
“A spanking.”
“That’s right. Now, ask me to spank you, Carrie.”
Again, she said nothing until two sharp smacks landed on her thighs.
“Spank me, Daddy, please,” she quickly said.
Wes chuckled. “There’s a good girl.” He steadily began to smack her bottom, with medium hard slaps, in a rhythm, making matching stings on both cheeks. Carrie started to wiggle as her bottom warmed.
“Keep yourself still, Carrie,” Wes’ tone was a warning.
Carrie immediately stilled, finding it difficult to hold her place as he continued the assault on her bare, sore bottom.
Finally, when she thought she could take no more and would surely have to kick her legs, Wes said, “Are we finished here, little girl? Did you learn your lesson?”
“Yes, sir. Yes.” Carrie wished hard that he would pull her up into his lap now, but knew better than to lift herself up until Wes granted her permission. In response, he did lift her, but with one hand kept her pajamas raised against her back, then guided her to a sitting position on his lap, her bare, chaffed bottom resting on his Wranglers.
Carrie laid her head on his shoulder.
“There’s a good girl,” Wes said, stroking her hair softly. All of the tension from the events of the evening melted away as Carrie sat on her sore bottom, with Wes’ strong arms wrapped around her.
After a few minutes, Carrie asked the question that had been on her mind since her plane touched down on Texas soil. “Can I stay for the whole summer?”
“I couldn’t let you out of my sight.”
His smile was like the sun shining down on her.
“I need to move out of my apartment. Would you go with me?”
“You don’t even need to ask. My sweet girl doesn’t go to the city without her daddy.”
“Oh, Wes.” She wrapped her arms tightly around his neck. Her kiss was hungry, and his kiss in return lit a fire in her.
The stairs leading up to the apartment were dark. There were loud, angry voices coming from behind one of the doors on the hall, which was also dark. A single bulb flickered overhead, and the air was damp.
Carrie jiggled the key in the lock, jostling the handle up and down. Finally, the lock clicked, and the door flew open. Wes stepped into the apartment behind her. It was one room, one small, dark room. To the right was a bathroom with no door, which held a standup shower, toilet, and sink, all of which Wes could see from where he was standing.
There was a little blue futon, a colorful blanket covering it as well as several pillows. He guessed that was where she slept. For a kitchen, there was a folding table with a microwave and hot pot set up on it, and a mini fridge underneath. He didn’t see another sink.
There was a loud banging on the wall attached to another apartment. More shouting, then quiet.
Carrie busied herself with packing, but Wes stood still in the doorway. This was where she had been living? He didn’t know what he should have expected after all, Carrie was a girl trying to make it in New York City on a teacher’s salary. But not this. The thought of his sweet little girl spending another minute in this type of place tore at his heartstrings. He wanted her to stay on the ranch after the summer, not come back to the city and continue this lifestyle. He needed to propose to Carrie, and soon.
After they had packed up the trailer with Carrie’s belongings, Wes wouldn’t let Carrie carry anything heavier than a backpack so it took a while, they took the trailer to the hotel parking lot. Then they went to their room and both showered and dressed for dinner. Upon arriving in the city, Wes had called Garrett. Carrie had sat beside him in the truck, her fist clenched but had nodded slightly when Wes looked to her to see if they would accept Garrett and Jessica’s invitation to meet that evening. Wes had raised his eyebrows at Carrie in surprise, but the smile on his face and the weight that was lifted from his shoulders showed his happiness to be seeing his brother again.
Silently, they managed to navigate the city traffic and arrived safely at the restaurant Garrett had picked. Wes gave the valet a generous tip to park the truck. He then turned to Carrie and gave her a reassuring squeeze. “Thank you,” he whispered softly before kissing her sweetly on the forehead.
Wes walked through the classy establishment, looking for his brother. Finally, towards the back at a table in front of a wall of windows, sat Garrett and Jess. God, he had missed them both. They had wide, white grins when they saw Wes’ face. Garrett stood, and Wes wrapped him in a huge hug, mussing his brother’s perfectly gelled hair as he did. He held Garrett at arm’s length. “It’s good to see you, man.”
Garrett replied, “I’ve missed you, brother.”
Wes turned to Jessica and gave her a hug as well. Jessica’s pale hair parted down the middle, neat and in place, but shorter than he had ever seen it. Her blue jeans and boots had been traded in for a slick black pants suit and shiny leather heels with pointed toes. “Hey there, cowboy,” she said, kissing him on the cheek. There was no flirty tone when she said it, no sex kitten purr. Just Jessica. Wes’ grin widened. It was good to see his best friends again.
Garrett cleared his throat straining to look behind Wes. “Where’s Carrie?”
Wes looked over his shoulder, confused. Carrie had been right behind him. He had figured it would be easier on her if he took the lead and said the first hellos, but he hadn’t expected her to take off altogether. “Excuse me, just a minute. You all have a seat; I’ll be right back.”
Going back the way he’d come, Wes returned to the lobby, looking around. There, in the corner behind the broad green leaves of a tall potted plant, he caught a glimpse of rose colored fabric. Wes approached the plant cautiously, and as he suspected, found Carrie hiding behind it. “Baby, what’s going on?” He gently grabbed hold of her arm and steered her out from behind the foliage. Facing her, he grabbed hold of both of her hands.
Carrie looked down at her strappy sandals; her voice was quiet. “I can’t do this, Wes. I just can’t. It’s too humiliating.”
“We have to Carrie; we need to.”
“No.” She didn’t pull her hands away, but she made no move to leave the side of her plant.
“Please. It’s my brother,” Wes said softly.
Carrie looked down at
their clasped hands.
“It won’t be awkward, for long. But we need to go ahead and break the ice. We have a future together, and as messy as things have been, Jessica and Garrett are a part of that future. Just think of Mama and holidays. We need to be able to all be in the same room together, Carrie. And the truth is, I’ve missed them. Garrett has always been my best friend. And Jessica was my only friend in town, for a long time. Do you think you can do this, for me?”
Carrie looked wistfully at the place behind the plant from which she had just come. Mistakes had been made by both parties. And Jessica had been around a lot longer than she had. Carrie looked into the eyes of the man of her dreams. His face looked back at her, hopeful. Well, she would be civil. But that didn’t mean she had to like it deep down. She would do this for Wes, for Mama. Taking a deep breath and willing herself to be brave, Carrie pasted a smile on her face. “Yes, Wes. I can.” The grin that broke out on his face made it almost worth it. She followed him as he tugged her through the crowd, checking over his shoulder every so often just to be sure she was still there.
“Well, look who I found.” Wes brought Carrie in front of him, standing behind her with both hands on her shoulders. Jess and Garrett shared unsure glances at one another and went to stand to greet Carrie.
“No, no, stay sitting. We will join you.”
That’s good. At least Wes didn’t expect her to touch them. “Hello,” Carrie said demurely. “Nice to see you again, under happier circumstances.” She gave a grimace of a smile to the man who had practically left her at the altar and the woman who had taken him.
Jessica looked guiltily at her plate, but Garrett, ever amiable smiled genuinely. “Carrie, so good to see you again.” Wes and Carrie took a seat, Wes across from Jess, Carrie across from Garrett.
Garrett spoke again, “I owe you both an enormous apology. Carrie, I never should have left South Carolina like that. It was cowardly, and what I did, we did,” he gestured to Jessica beside him, Jessica shrinking deeper into her overpriced suit, her face beet red, “was inexcusable. Please forgive us.”
Looking into Garrett’s face, Carrie felt a whirlwind of emotions, but none of them regret. The gentle pressure of Wes’ hand stroking her thigh back and forth underneath the table made her feel kind, forgiving. She would do this for him.
Daddy Mine (Sweet Texas Love Book 1) Page 13