“It’s one thing to play with yer phone when yer alone, Peggy, but another to diminish real life relationships and prefer text messages.”
Okay, maybe he was right. She’d regretted it yesterday, but she was so drawn to this contact with her friends. She was like Pavlov’s dogs when her phone chimed.
Tripp held out his hand. “Turn over the phone. No more texting until you’re in yer room tonight.”
“Tripp!” She put the phone behind her back. If she gave it to him, she wouldn’t even know when friends were trying to contact her. It was bad enough that she couldn’t return their notes, but not to even hear them call?
Frowning, Tripp gestured with his hand. “Give it over.”
“No. I can’t.”
“Of course ya can. Do it now, or you’ll be in serious trouble.”
“Tripp, don’t make me. They’re my friends. They won’t understand.”
“Explain it to them later. Right now, yer here with me and my family. Focus on that.” His hand was still out there, palm upturned.
What could she do? Maybe she could run back to the house and close the door to her room. He’d not barge in there, for fear his family would get mad. But Tripp would be furious. Still, he was being bossy and demanding, and Peg felt cornered. She ran.
Unfortunately, she didn’t run fast enough. Tripp caught her by the wrist only a few yards away.
“Let me go!”
“I warned ya, Peggy.”
“I don’t care. This is my phone and I don’t have to give it to you.”
He muscled the phone out of her hand and put it in his back pocket. “You deserve another spanking.”
“No, I don’t!”
Dropping her wrist, Tripp gave her a puzzled look. “Last night, ya said ya were going to stop all of this. Ya said you were sorry for doing it. What changed?”
“I’m sorry. I can’t help it. I’ll get bored without my phone.”
“I think ya need to rely on yerself to make life more interesting.”
“Please don’t spank me.”
“I don’t think yer learning, luv.” He started pulling her toward the stable, but she dug in her heels.
“Don’t call me that,” she shouted. “I’m not your love. You don’t know what love is or you wouldn’t make me give up my friends!”
They stopped before the entrance to the stable. There were station hands doing chores inside and moving in and out. Peg was embarrassed by their altercation, but she was also angry that he was turning to spanking again to curb her unwanted behavior. There had to be a better way.
“I’m not asking ya to give up yer friends,” he ground out. Peg could see anger glittering in his green eyes. “I want ya to confine yer interactions with them to more appropriate times.”
“Let me go!”
He did and Peg stumbled back a pace from the sudden change. “Yer free. What do ya plan to do?”
Completely torn, Peg didn’t know what to do. She was in love with Tripp, that much she was sure of, but she needed to think about how their relationship was structured. His dominance and the way he dealt with her mistakes and tantrums made her feel cared for because he wouldn’t even try to help her behave better if he didn’t care. But maybe there was a limit. Her friends didn’t have relationships like that. Maybe the whole thing was skewed and wrong, and maybe she’d done the wrong thing by letting it get this far. He was the man she’d fallen in love with, however, with the spankings and all. It was part of what made them special together. But was it sustainable?
Peg had to think about it all and here, where his family could give him support but she had none, was not the place. “I’m going to Perth to be with my father.”
If Tripp was surprised by her declaration, he didn’t show it. His lips compressed and he still looked pissed off, but he reached for her phone and handed it back to her.
“If that’s the way ya feel…”
Peg softened a bit, thinking about how it would end their relationship, because she had no doubt that Tripp would sever their ties because of her decision. But maybe that was for the best. He confused her, made her feel things she didn’t understand. “Yeah, I do.”
“I warned ya, Peg, about how it would be with us. Ya know yer behavior warrants some attention.”
She didn’t miss the fact that he was now calling her Peg, and her heart took a downward lurch. “Yeah, whatever. I have to think about it. It’s been too fast. Try to understand.”
Tripp nodded. “Ya do what ya need to do. And so will I.”
That sounded so final. “Where will you be?”
“In Katherine, working.”
“I’ll text you. I mean, I’ll call you.”
“Don’t think ya can tie me up in knots, Peg.”
Suddenly, she was tired. It was hard to figure this stuff out on her own. “I won’t.”
He strode away into the stable, leaving her to stand there, alone among the busy workers, until she finally turned away and went back to the house.
It took her only a few minutes to pack up her things. The house was quiet so she didn’t have anyone to say goodbye to or to whom she needed to explain her sudden departure.
She got into her Rover and turned on the GPS. It would lead her to Alice Springs, which was the nearest airport. She’d leave the rented Rover there and be in Perth in no time. It was far away from Tripp. Peg’s heart wept at the thought, but she had to go. Her relationship with Tripp tore her in two. If she was lucky, he’d take her back if that’s what she decided she wanted. There were no guarantees. She might be blowing her only opportunity to be with the man she had fallen in love with.
* * *
Tripp’s mother asked only one time where Peggy had gone. He told her they’d decided that she should go back to Perth to be with her father. Apparently, that was enough to say, because there had been no more questions.
He worked around the station that day, doing chores his father usually did, giving the older man a break to pursue his hobbies for a day or two. On the second day, Tripp decided he needed to get back to Katherine. There were tourists who needed his guidance, and always something related to the business that needed his attention. Victor was a jolly partner, but Tripp needed to throw himself into the work he loved and try to get Peggy out of his head.
It seemed like a long drive back to Katherine. There was too much time to dwell on Peggy and all that she meant to him, all that he’d lost. She had some problems, but he wanted to help her with them. It seemed possible, however, that the spankings hadn’t been the right thing. They’d seemed to work initially, but the mess with her phone had thrown him for a loop.
Once he got back to Katherine, he worried over their behavior, specifically his demands on Peggy. He thought he’d been on the right track when he’d taken the phone from her, but then they should have sat down and talked about why it was so important for her to be in constant contact with her friends. It was good to have friends, of course, but to be at their beck and call all the time was something to make a person insane. There had to be a compromise in there somewhere.
It looked like he was faced with two choices, give a little on this issue or stay away from her. Unfortunately, Tripp still cared. He cared too damn much.
Chapter Ten
Peg worked feverishly on her photos and wrote two more articles. It seemed like she had so much time on her hands. She did a little shopping and spent time on Facebook and Twitter, but no matter how many things she found to occupy herself, memories of Tripp haunted her.
As she went through her photos, every so often she’d find one of Tripp doing something. She remembered his strength, not just his physical strength, but his strength of character. How she envied that dedication to his family and his job.
She tried to be like him. But there was a big hole in her life where Tripp should have fit in. Even the spankings were looking better and better. Peg felt out of control too often. Her efforts to at least notice her own behavior was a step in the righ
t direction, but she also thought she needed a little external guidance. It was a matter of incentives. She had no incentive to behave when she was alone. With Tripp, both her sense of guilt at being foolish, and her desire to avoid the spankings kept her in line.
Of course, some of the spankings were rather nice. That took some contemplation to deal with. Peg worked at accepting that part of her nature, of her sexuality, and had a measure of success. Lots of people were a little kinky. Although her friends might be shocked, she knew that they might have some kinky secrets of their own. She wouldn’t ask. She didn’t need to know, just as they didn’t need to know about her proclivities.
Where would she find another Tripp, though? How could she ever know another man who turned her on and toned her down at the same time? She was so in love with him. Tears were her bedtime companion almost every night since she’d come back to Perth. Peg felt like a fool for leaving him, even while she told herself that she’d needed the space.
A week went by, and then another. It should have gotten easier, but it didn’t.
The seasons began to change, but Peg’s heartache remained the same.
* * *
It was rainy and gloomy that night. Her father was at work. There were plans afoot that he was trying to find the answers to, or so he said. Peg felt in the dark about it, but that was nothing new.
She opened her laptop and started working on another batch of photos.
The phone rang and she picked up the cordless.
“Hello?”
“Peggy, it’s Tripp.”
Peg’s heart hammered in her chest and a spike of adrenaline made her stand up straighter. “Tripp?”
“Yeah. I’m uh… downstairs in the lobby. Can I come in?”
“You’re here? In Perth?”
“Right downstairs. If this is a bad time—”
“No! No, it’s not. I’ll ring you in.”
Peg hit the entry key on the phone and waited. She fussed with her hair, wishing she had time to take it out of pigtails, and looked at her clothes: sweats. At least she had makeup on and her nails were polished. Her pink-lacquered toes peeped out from under the hem of her pants.
Why was he here? Had he missed her, too? That was the only answer she could come up with, the only one that mattered. Peg waited by the front door. Anxious, hoping, feeling like she was on pins and needles.
The doorbell rang and Peg jumped. She took a deep breath and opened it.
There stood Tripp, tall, broad-shouldered, wearing a striped broadcloth shirt and his ever-present jeans and hiking boots. He looked absolutely scrumptious. And his eyes, they glittered like emeralds, his expression uncharacteristically unsure. How she wanted to draw him close, mess up his tidy brown hair and kiss him silly. But she didn’t. She needed to know first, before she put her heart on her sleeve again.
He stuck out his hand and gave her a small bouquet of daisies.
“Oh!” Peg took the flowers and gestured him into the foyer. “Come in.”
“Thanks.”
Peg showed him to the formal living room and asked him to sit while she put the flowers in the kitchen for the maid to put in a vase.
“This is so unexpected,” she said. “I’m really surprised.”
“I’ve been thinking about ya. How have ya been?”
“You came all the way to Perth to ask how I’ve been? Did you have other business here?”
“No. I came just to see ya.”
“Really?” That news made her heart sing.
He nodded. “I missed ya, Peggy-girl.”
Exactly the words she’d longed to hear. “I missed you, too.”
Smiling, he took her hand as she sat next to him. “I—”
Before he could finish his sentence, her father walked in. “Peg, we need to pack.” he said. “Oh, you have a guest.” His gaze went to Peg’s hand clasped in Tripp’s. “Who is this?”
Peg squeezed Tripp’s hand, then let it go. “This is Tripp Ruf, Daddy. My bush guide.”
“Right!” He approached and stuck his hand out. Tripp rose and gave it a shake.
“It’s nice to meet ya, Mr. Fisk.”
“Winston,” the older man corrected, looking from Tripp to Peg and back to Tripp again. “Why are you here?”
“I came to see Peggy.”
Peg saw that her father was distracted by something. “Well, that’s great. It’s nice for Peg to have friends here in Australia, but I’m afraid it’ll be a long-distance friendship soon.” He turned to Peg, who was beginning to feel a knot in her belly. “We have to go to Canada. The company is transferring me there.”
“Canada?” Peg squeaked. Her whole body began to shake. She was so close to getting Tripp back, and now to think she’d be half a world away again. It was too much to bear. “No!”
Her father nodded. “Yes. We have to be there in four weeks.”
“Oh, Daddy…” Peg rose and rushed out of the room, sobbing. Her heart was in tatters. This was the worst news possible.
* * *
To Tripp, it was the worst news possible. He’d felt himself reconnecting with Peggy. He could see by her gaze, by her soft smiles, that she’d missed him. At least a little bit. His goal had been to coax her to come back to Katherine with him. But he’d also wanted to find out if she was willing to accept his leadership. It was not in his nature to be other than the head of household. It was a part of him that he couldn’t change and still be himself. It had taken him time, but he realized that it was so ingrained as to be inseparable from his personality. He could give a little, give her leeway and allow her to test and mature by making some small mistakes, accept that she was a girl who loved her phone, but the bigger issues had to be dealt with more firmly. She’d have to accept that he would spank her if she misbehaved in any significant way.
If Peggy couldn’t accept that, if she hadn’t come to realize that he wanted to have her trust to do what was right, then he’d give up. There was only so much heartache a person could stand, and he’d reached his limit. This was all or nothing. Tripp had to try, and try hard, but Peggy had to try, too, if they were going to make it work.
Winston watched Peggy rush away. “Well, that was the wrong thing to say, I daresay.”
Tripp rose, wondering exactly what he should do. Should he leave and hope Peg could coax her father into staying in Australia somehow? Should he stay and fight for her? She couldn’t stay without a job of her own, not more than a few months, at least. But, if he could get her to stay for those months, maybe they could make something lasting and permanent out of their rocky beginning. There was hope.
Winston looked distinguished in his navy blue suit and lighter blue tie. Even his pocket square was perfect. His gaze speared Tripp. “What part do you play in this?”
“I love Peggy.”
The older man rubbed his face, looking put upon. “Of course you do,” he said sarcastically. “Because this can’t get any more difficult than it is. Well, I want her to be happy, but I have a job to do. I don’t know where to compromise on this. Does she love you, too?”
“I’m not sure. Maybe.”
“Well, let’s be civilized. I’ll tell the maid to set an extra place for dinner and we’ll talk it over.”
To Tripp, that sounded like they had a shot at it at least. “Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me yet. I’m not sure how we’d arrange for her to stay.”
“She can stay on a tourist visa for a few months or… if we get married.”
Winston’s brown eyes sparkled. “You’ve been thinking about this.”
“A little,” Tripp said with a small smile. “Would ya allow me to marry yer daughter?”
“Not my decision. Peg’s a modern girl with a mind of her own. You ought to be asking her.” With a nod, Winston started toward the kitchen. “We’ll see. Remember, she’s my little girl.”
Tripp didn’t say it, but thought, she’s my girl, too.
* * *
Dinner was somber. Peg re
alized it was because of her long face and red-rimmed eyes, but she couldn’t help feeling as she did. She wanted to rail at her father, scream at him to do something to prevent this move. She also wanted to take it out on Tripp, whom she realized was totally innocent in all of this. She kept her mouth shut and picked at her food.
After a while, Peg’s dad put his napkin on the table and stood. “I’m not interested in dessert. How about I leave you two to enjoy it? I have some work to do in my home office anyway.”
Peg wanted to spend more alone time with Tripp, though it seemed rather a dismal future for them. Every minute was important to her, so she tried to give Tripp a pleasant smile as her father walked away.
Tripp took her hand and squeezed her fingers gently. “I’m sorry about all of this, Peggy.”
“You know, I’m only just beginning to get used to being called Peggy. And now, of course… I have to go.”
“Ya don’t have to go. Ya can stay.”
“I can’t. I have to go with my father. The government won’t let me just hang out here forever.”
“No, but… you and I could get married.”
Peg’s heart skipped a beat. “M-m-married?”
“Yeah, we could. Only we’d have to make some agreements, some compromises.” His gaze held hers intensely.
“What did you have in mind?”
“There are some things about me that I can’t change, luv. I’ve thought it over these past weeks. One thing I can’t change is my need to be the dominant party in a relationship. I have to be the head of household.”
“Why?”
“Because I’ve always been in charge of my own destiny. I’ve made every effort to move away from the cattle station and follow my own dreams, even though it might disappoint my family. It’s a decision that was hard to make, but I made it. It still hangs over my head, but that’s part of maturing. We have to realize what it means to be true to ourselves. And, I also have to be dominant because that’s how I was raised. Men in my family are the end of the line where big decisions are concerned. They listen to all parties, but, ultimately, it’s the man’s responsibility to make the decision and take the consequences. That kind of responsibility comes with a price; it’s hard to try to always be right. I’m not saying I’ll never make mistakes. Far from it, but I’ll try not to and I’ll keep yer feelings and yer goals in mind all the time. I’ll listen to ya and not denigrate what ya have to say.”
Discipline Down Under Page 13