Ray went back to the kitchen where he had the food waiting for Buttercup’s arrival. He loaded up two plates with stacks of food. She didn’t have to finish the whole thing, but Ray got a feeling this was not a girl who would ask for seconds even if she wanted them, so he made sure there was plenty on her plate to start with.
Ray placed the plates down on the bar, hoping a little home cooking would warm Buttercup up to talking about her life. As she took her first bite of the buttery biscuit, Ray could see a light shining in her eyes.
“So, your mom was a midwife? That had to be interesting,” Buttercup said, in between bites.
Sitting down at the bar, next to his sister, Ray said, “It was. Let me tell you about it.”
Feeding Evan bites of her meal, Jessica laughed as he scrunched his nose and spit the food out. Her son was leaning towards vegetarian tendencies, much to her beef-loving dismay. She blamed it on the senseless vegetables Ray was always preparing.
Jessica was taking Carrie out for a ‘we survived last night/ thank you’ lunch for helping with the wedding planning. Carrie had insisted on going to The Grill, and that Jessica brought Evan with her.
“So, did Ray spank you on your wedding night?” Carrie asked, helping herself to fried potatoes from Jessica’s plate.
“Geez, Carrie, you are so nosy!” Jessica exclaimed as she tried to fly a bite of meat into Evan’s clamped mouth, his nose wrinkling at the sight of the food.
“What? I was too sick to enjoy my wedding night. I have to live vicariously through you,” Carrie protested, scooping the last few potatoes from Jessica’s plate and onto her own. The tiny woman had eaten all her meal, and half of Jessica’s.
“True, the nurse barely allowed you to raise your hospital bed for the whole five-minute ceremony.” Jessica’s laugh dropped off at the memory of Carrie’s ashen face peeking out from above the quilt that Wes had brought to the hospital. “Gosh, you were so sick. I’m grateful you made it through that, Carrie. I don’t know what we’d do without you,” Jessica smoothed back Evan’s hair.
As if he understood the conversation, Evan lovingly patted Carrie’s hand. “Cay-we.”
“That’s Aunt Kiwi to you, little Evan,” Carrie said, laughing at the name Evan had given her. It was sticking and now everyone was referring to Carrie as auntie Kiwi, in Evan’s presence. “You are such a sweet boy, aren’t you, Evan?”
Evan grinned, nodding emphatically.
Watching the maternal way Carrie interacted with Evan warmed Jessica’s heart. “Do you ever think you and Wes would want to have a baby?” Jessica asked softly.
Carrie waved her hand in the air, dismissively. “Oh, kids? We’ve never talked about it.”
Not wanting to pry but finding her best friend’s reply unusual, Jessica asked, “Talked about having one now, or never talked about having kids at all?”
Pushing food on her plate around with the prongs of a fork, Carrie sat quietly.
A hot wave of embarrassment washed over Jessica. Had she crossed a line? “I’m sorry, Carrie, I shouldn’t have asked,” Jessica said, fiddling with her napkin.
“No, I’m not upset. Just thinking. Why haven’t Wes and I ever talked about it, I wonder?” Carrie asked, almost to herself. “The truth is, being around Evan this past year, it’s made me start to have this funny feeling, like something is missing. I’ve started to stare at women who are pregnant, and notice every new baby that passes by me. I guess that’s what they call your clock ticking?”
“Sounds about right,” Jessica answered. She had become pregnant so unexpectedly and was just now feeling like herself for the first time after having Evan. Jessica had not experienced the feeling herself. The memory of holding Evan for the first time allowed her to imagine how it must feel to desire a baby.
Carrie shrugged and said, “Anyway, I guess it’s time Wes and I talked about it.” Putting her fork down, Carrie signaled the discussion was over. “But enough about me, I want to get back to the wedding night,” she said with a saucy grin, back to her silly self.
“Not going to talk about it,” Jessica said, feeling a blush rise all the way from her neck to her cheekbones.
Arriving in the bedroom last night, Jessica had been surprised to see various implements laid out on the bed. The dresser was lined with candles, their soft flicker enhancing the mood of the room as Ray lit them, one by one. The first thing Ray had done was to tie Jessica’s wrists to the bars of the headboard with silk ties. Tight enough so she was not in control but loose enough that he could flip her over at his will. He had spanked her with different items, letting her feel the sting of rubber, and hear the smack of wood as it met her delicate skin. Stretched out on the bed, Jessica embraced the feeling of submission and pleasure as Ray took power over every inch of her body. The memory of her wedding night would not soon fade in her mind, and it was too sacred to be shared.
“Fine,” Carrie groaned. “At least tell me, did I win my bet?”
“What bet?” Jessica asked, taking a sip from her drink.
“The one where you owe me five bucks if you call Ray, daddy, by the end of the month.”
Looking at Carrie curiously, his little brow furrowed, Evan said, “dada,” banging the table with his fork.
The surprise of the sound made Jessica spit coke out all over the table and her shirt. Dabbing at the soda in her embarrassment, she explained, “That’s a new word for him.”
“Dada,” Evan repeated, more emphatically this time, waving his spoon frantically at the glass door of the restaurant. “Dada.”
Turning, Jessica looked over her shoulder to where Evan was pointing. Entering The Grill and heading towards their table was Ray. At his nearness, Evan began to bounce up and down in his highchair calling, “Dada, Dada, Dada,” and stretching his arms out wide.
Giving Carrie a hello, and Jessica a kiss on the cheek, Ray said, “I hope you ladies don’t mind if I pick this one up early, Buttercup wants to spend some time with the little guy.” Ray reached the table and scooped the happy baby out of his seat. “Dada, that’s right, baby boy.” Evan tried to tug on Ray’s shortened beard.
“When did he learn to say that?” Jessica asked, choked with emotion. With Garrett leaving, Jessica lived in fear that Evan wouldn’t know a man as his father. When Ray entered the picture, Jessica had hoped that one day he would feel close enough to Evan to be a father figure. Making their love official with the ceremony, and fatherhood legal with adoption, Jessica desired for Evan to call Ray dad, one day but was too shy to ask Ray his thoughts on the subject.
Staring at Evan lovingly, Ray said, “We’ve been practicing. Haven’t we, Evan?”
Giggling, Evan patted Ray on the chest, answering, “Dada.”
“You’ve been teaching him to say dada?” Jessica asked.
Ray nodded and smiled, “We were shooting for daddy, but dada is good, too. I’ll take what I can get,” Ray said, turning his attention back to Evan.
“That’s so sweet,” Carrie said, wistfully.
Of all the loveable things Ray had done, and the list was infinite, this one tugged at a special place on Jessica’s heartstrings.
“That is sweet. Daddy. I like it.” Jessica said to Ray with a teary smile.
Making sure Ray was busy with Evan before she spoke, Carrie leaned in to Jessica and whispered, “You owe me five bucks.”
Chapter 5
Ray picked up the old telephone in the small bar office, looking through his Rolodex for the number of the bakery. Buttercup’s birthday was coming up. Her cake of choice was Dutch double chocolate with chocolate buttercream frosting. Proud of knowing his way around a kitchen, Ray was not too proud to admit when it came to baking cakes, his confectionary skills were seriously lacking. Ray’s last attempt at baking a cake had ended up in flames, smoking him out of his house for hours. Wanting the cake to be perfect for the first birthday he would be celebrating with his sister, Ray dialed the local baker, Mrs. Sarah Fritz.
Sarah, a feist
y and sometimes short-spoken woman, immediately lit into Ray, telling him in no uncertain terms that she would never bake another cake for Jessica, or anyone who was associated with ‘that woman’. Having to put on his stern voice to get to the bottom of the story, Sarah finally calmed down and rehashed the heated conversation that she and Jessica had weeks ago.
“That woman called up here and demanded I bake her a cake.” Ray knew that part of the story was false, Jessica was always polite and pleasant until her feathers got ruffled and when Jessica’s feathers got ruffled, you had better watch out. “I told her after the fiasco with Carrie, I would not be able to risk the cost and time it took to bake another cake.”
Ray interrupted, “Sarah, what if I pay for the wedding cake Carrie canceled, would you be able to call it even and bake for us again?” he offered.
“If it were for another family, sure,” Sarah started, “If Jessica hadn’t been so incredibly rude as to swear at me and call me nasty names. Now the damage is irreparable, I’m afraid,” Sarah sniffed into the phone.
“What were her exact words to you, Sarah?”
“Oh, I could never, ever repeat them. My mother raised me much better than that,” Sarah replied haughtily.
“But your mother did not teach you to be caring in the face of a medical emergency?” Ray asked. “Or to forgive when someone is pressed into difficult circumstances?” Ray waited patiently over the phone.
“Well… what she said to me was despicable,” Sarah protested, shifting the blame back to Jessica.
“Tell you what, I am going to pay for the wedding cake Carrie canceled. And I am going to have a serious talk with Miss Jessica.”
“You should,” Sarah said haughtily. “That girl needs to learn some manners.”
“You let me worry about that. Jessica will be apologizing to you, I’m sure of it.”
“Good, because—”
Ray cut Sarah off, “And you, ma’am, are going to bake me your very finest Dutch double chocolate cake with chocolate buttercream frosting for my dear sister, Buttercup. And let bygones be bygones,” Ray said, sternly.
A moment of silence later, Sarah answered, “Fine. That will be just fine. If I get my apology, I suppose we can move forward with our business relationship. And I do love that Buttercup. She is such a dear. Jessica could take some cues from her on how to treat people.” Buttercup had taken to frequenting the bakery while visiting Poke. She had a sweet tooth that only Mrs. Fritz could satiate.
“I think so too, Sarah. Thank you for the cake. We will be looking forward to it.” And I will be looking forward to speaking with Jessica tonight, Ray thought, hanging up the phone.
Pulling up to the cottage, Jessica was pleasantly surprised to see Ray’s Jeep in the drive. She hadn’t expected him home until much later. Jessica had an afternoon cancelation at the salon, and Mama had insisted that Jessica leave Evan on the ranch a few more hours and take some time to herself. Hurrying in to greet Ray, Jessica hung her purse on the hook by the door. “Hey, baby. What are you doing home already?” Jessica asked, walking over to the kitchen where Ray was handwashing a few items.
Drying his hands on a kitchen towel, then wrapping his strong arms around Jessica, Ray said, “I have a little something I needed to take care of.” Ray kissed her deeply, the kiss making Jessica stand on her tiptoes, the warmth of Ray’s touch running through her body.
“Evan’s at the ranch until tonight, so we have the place to ourselves,” she said, feeling especially grateful for Mama’s babysitting offer.
“Perfect,” Ray said, making a line of little bites and caresses down her neck.
“What did you need to take care of?” she murmured between kisses.
Ray rumbled the answer to her question into her ear, “You.”
This afternoon could not be working out better. “Yummy,” Jessica giggled, excited by the thrill of a little unexpected afternoon delight.
Ray pulled away, holding Jessica at arm’s length. “Not like that, I’m afraid, honey.” He dropped his hands from her arms and went back to the dishes he was washing.
Standing alone in the middle of the kitchen, Jessica wondered why Ray had gone back to the dishes instead of throwing her over his shoulder and making for their bedroom. The answer to her question came when Ray said, “I spoke with Mrs. Fritz from the bakery today.”
Uh-oh. Hoping to leave the past behind her, Jessica had not considered that word of her heated conversation would make it back to her husband. Watching Ray as he worked, a ball of ice formed in Jessica’s stomach. In his hand, Ray was carefully drying a wooden spoon.
“Is that so?” Jessica asked. Clearing her throat, Jessica nervously crossed her arms over her chest. “What did Sarah have to say, exactly?”
Holding the spoon by the handle, Jessica watched as Ray brought the curved back of the spoon down on his palm with a sharp smack. Jessica jumped at the loud sound. “I think a more important question is,” smack, the spoon again hit the palm of Ray’s hand as Ray continued, “what do you have to say for yourself, Miss Jessica?”
Jessica gulped. “I can explain,” she said. She felt her eyes grow wide as Ray took another test slap of the spoon. The everyday kitchen utensil took on a menacing look. Taking a step backward from Ray, Jessica said, “Sarah was being completely ridiculous, and—”
“You cussed her out?” Ray interrupted. Spoon in hand, Ray crossed his arms over his chest, his biceps bulging against the front of the tight shirt that he wore. Jeans slung over his trim hips, standing a full foot above Jessica, Ray looked incredibly handsome, and threatening. The way his jaw was set and the steely look he was giving her made the ice in her stomach melt, releasing fluttering butterflies. Looking sexy as heck, Jessica wished that Ray would drop the spoon and carry her off to bed, but she had a feeling that was not Ray’s intention. “I would like a response, young lady.”
Positive that her face was beet red, Jessica was past the point of trying to make excuses, deciding it was in her bottom’s best interest to answer her husband with, “Yes, sir. That’s pretty much how it happened.”
“Good girl, I’m glad you told me the truth. You and I need to have a little talk. Go and wait for me in the bedroom,” Ray said, pointing to the back bedroom with the handle of his spoon.
Feeling like an adolescent girl, Jessica gave Ray a look of uncertainty, to which he responded by raising his brow and giving his hand a tap with the spoon. Turning towards the bedroom, Jessica began a slow walk of shame.
Once she entered the room, Jessica looked around, unsure of what to do next. Should she stand in the doorway, looking like an idiot? Turn on the TV and watch a movie while she waited? Thinking of the loud, smacking sound that the spoon had made on Ray’s palm, Jessica decided the movie would not be a good choice. Jessica sat nervously at the end of the bed. At least sitting, she could protect her rear end a little longer.
Fidgeting and twisting her long hair in her fingers, Jessica became more nervous. This was surely the punishment spanking Ray knew would eventually come. And it was going to hurt, Jessica had no doubt. Just as she was considering making a break for it, Ray’s giant build appeared in the doorway.
Leaning on the frame of the door, spoon still in hand, Ray casually looked Jessica over. His gaze made her face burn, and she had to look away. “Jessica, what is my rule about rudeness?”
“It’s a no-no,” Jessica quickly answered. A big, no-no. Ray was polite and kind, though always firm, under any circumstance. Cussing people out was not tolerated and fell under his rule.
“What could you have done instead when Sarah refused to make the cake?”
Sighing, Jessica was unsure how to answer. Feeling childish but still angry at the witch of a woman, even angrier now that she had tattled on her, Jessica replied honestly, “I could have driven to the bakery and slapped her instead.”
“If you want to get fresh with me, young lady, I can take you right into that bathroom.” Ray pointed towards the master bath with the
end of his spoon. “Wash your mouth out with soap, then spank you twice as hard as I planned on. Would you like that?” Ray calmly continued.
“Err,” Jessica was shocked and speechless. What had she signed up for? The look on Ray’s face told her that if she so much as uttered another inappropriate response, he would grab her arm and take her into the bathroom and make good on his threat. “I could have told her calmly that it was a terrible idea,” Jessica answered, humiliated.
“We can start there.” Ray walked over to Jessica, laid the spoon next to her and stood, arms crossed, in front of her. Looking down at the spoon by her side, Jessica was feeling like a bad, bad girl. Now, completely scared of the wooden implement, Jessica gauged the distance between Ray and the doorway, trying to figure out how far she could make it. Sizing up the huge man in front of her, she deciphered it would not be far.
“And when you told me the bakery story at the bar on date night, you left this little bit out, didn’t you?” Ray asked.
“Yes, sir.” Missing out on having a daddy growing up, she was learning very quickly what it was all about.
“Lying by omission isn’t any more honest than plain old lying in my book. I’m afraid I’m going to have to punish you for both.” Ray didn’t look a bit afraid to Jessica, but she was not in the position to correct him. “Stand up.”
Hesitantly, Jessica stood. Ray sat on the bed by the spoon, facing Jessica towards him. Standing in front of Ray like an ashamed, little girl, her husband took both of her hands in his. What he said next, made her knees weak, and the ice reform in the pit of her stomach.
“You are going to be thoroughly punished, Miss Jessica. First, I’m going to take you over my knee and spank your bare bottom until it’s cherry red. That will be your punishment for your rude behavior. Then we are going out to the kitchen, and I’m going to spank that little cherry bottom with this,” Ray picked up the spoon and held it up to her, “to remind you I will not tolerate lying.”
The Bartender (Sweet Texas Love Book 3) Page 8