At least she hoped so, but she didn't tell him about her doubts. He decided to spend the night with Gretchen in Pocatello, as they were to be separated the next morning so she could catch her charter back to Reno.
Without going into much detail, Gretchen explained to Rowdy's family that they had to go back to Reno for a few days, but she planned on being back before the holiday. They were concerned everything was all right, so Gretchen reassured them.
Amy was unhappy. She was loving the ranch and having a grandma and grandpa who spoiled her. As they talked about it, Wanda took Gretchen aside.
"Amy can stay with us while you're gone," she said.
"Oh, I wouldn't impose on you like that. It would have to be Amy and Melody, and it must be an intrusion."
"Nonsense. We have the guest room, and the dormer room up in the attic. It would be no problem."
Amy would love it, but she sure didn't want to foist her daughter off on the Jacksons. "Are you certain?"
"Absolutely. We'd love to have her. It's nice to have a pretend granddaughter to spoil a little."
Gretchen gave the older woman a big hug. "Thank you. Melody will make sure Amy's on her best behavior."
"Oh, she'll be fine. She's a good little girl."
"Thank you. She's gotten used to the changes in our lives a lot faster than I have."
"Change can be difficult, but you seem to be handling it well."
"To listen to my business manager, you wouldn't think so," she mumbled.
"Hm?"
"Oh, nothing. Thank you so much for taking Amy. I'll be back for the holiday."
"Of course, you will. We'll look forward to it. You and your… group."
Gretchen laughed. "Yes, well, they're a necessity."
Wanda said nothing to that, but guided Gretchen back to the family where she told Amy she'd be staying with Granny and Grampa while Mommy was away for a few days. Amy was thrilled, until she thought about it for a minute. "But, Mommy, if you're not with me, how will Santa know where to leave your presents?"
"Santa's very wise," Gretchen told her. "He'll find me. And besides, I'm going to be back for Christmas."
"Okay." Then she went off to play with a new litter of kittens by the barn. Melody went with her to supervise.
Back in the hotel, once Amy was snuggled in bed and Melody and Bob in their rooms, Gretchen explained in more detail why she had to go back to Reno. Rowdy frowned through the entire story and there was a long pause when she finished.
"I messed up," she admitted. "I really don't know what I'm doing with this money. I can't quite wrap my mind around how much it really is."
"If Harry has a good investment broker for you, it'll quickly be a billion dollars, Gretchen. You will be a billionaire. You've got to get used to it."
She began to cry. "I never planned on this. I thought someday maybe I'd live in a decent house with a nice used car and a dog for Amy. I never, ever, expected this. And I never, ever would have imagined what a trap it is."
Rowdy took her in his arms. "It doesn't have to be a trap. Just let the people around you do their jobs. Harry is reliable, right?"
"Oh, very. He manages business for two billionaires and a few millionaires. He is quite trustworthy. I pay him plenty for discretion and honesty. I'm sure the others do, too."
"Well, it has to be more than he would get if he swindled y'all. And no prison sentence either. Sounds like a good deal for him."
She smiled through her tears. It was hard. When she first won, she thought she'd never have to worry about anything again. All her troubles would melt away as her bank account skyrocketed. But she'd replaced one set of troubles with another.
"Yes, I guess so."
"You have to listen to Harry, princess. If you go off half-cocked, you'll soon find yourself in the poor house again. It happens to lottery winners all the time. They get so excited by their big winnings they spend it all away on stupid things."
"I know. I just forget. I get over-confident and then all hell breaks loose."
"Let's take a little forgetfulness away right now." He took her hand and led her out of the suite's living room and into the bedroom, closing the door behind them. Rowdy gave her a big hug then held her away from him. "A spanking ought to be a good reminder you need to listen to Harry."
"Oh, no. My butt is already sore from the trail ride."
"Sounds like you're doing the wrong kind of workouts."
"I run."
"Don't run now." He went to the upright chair in the corner of the little room and pulled it away from the wall, turning it to put its back to the room. "Get naked from the waist down."
"But…"
"Do it. If I have to do it, I'll spank you harder."
She pouted but obeyed, tossing her jeans on the bed followed by her ecru lace panties.
"Now, put your hands on the back of the chair and bend over."
Her butt was already beginning to tingle in anticipation. She couldn't quite tell if it was excited by the prospect of something pleasurable about enduring the punishment or not.
Rowdy took a position by her side as she bent over the chair. He didn't say anything but gave her a good whack on the rump.
The sensation shot through her like a bullet. It hadn't been a very hard spank, just enough to get her attention and give her something to think about. He rubbed her fanny then spanked a few more times. These also were not hard spanks and Gretchen was beginning to feel fireflies in her middle. He spent some time rubbing her butt again, and then gave her several more smacks.
"Your butt is red, princess." He spanked her again. "You have no idea how much that turns me on."
She was beginning to be pretty turned on, too. All she could verbalize was a little moan. He slid his hand over her bottom and then down between her legs. She was wet. She could hear the sounds of his fingers against her wet, swollen flesh.
"Do you want me to spank you more?"
Yes! No! "I don't know."
He whacked her a few more times, these were a bit harder. Electric shocks ran through her pussy, settling on her aching clit. "Now do you know?"
"Touch me some more."
"Please?"
"Sorry. Yes, touch me some more, please."
"Touch you like this?" he asked. Another volley of spanks fell on her hot butt. Then he moved from her rear to her core and found her eager bead, rubbing it with her wetness. "Or like this?"
Moaning, she hung her head and arched her back to press herself into his hand. She liked them both. Why? How did she get to be so perverse? His finger sliding into her took the thought away.
"So wet," he told her, though she already knew. "I shouldn't reward you. You were naughty to ignore Harry."
"I'm sorry! Please don't stop."
"I'm going to let this infraction slide because I know all this is hard on you."
"Th-thank you." She could hardly get the words out as his fingers dived into her again and again.
She heard his belt buckle clatter and had a moment of fear he'd use it on her bottom, but it wasn't what he intended at all. Pretty soon she felt the head of his cock sliding through her moisture.
"Oh, yes, Rowdy," she begged. "Please."
He gave her another smack on each cheek and as she cried out in pain, he pushed himself deep into her, rocking her forward and causing her to arch her back.
"Oh, God."
Stroking in and out, Rowdy started slow, but increased his rhythm as they both lost themselves in the moment. He said nothing, but she could hear his small exhalations with each sharp plunge. He held her hips steady with his right hand as he pumped and couldn't touch her swollen clit with his cast left. "Touch yourself," he told her. "Do it because I can't. I'll be so damn glad to get this fuckin' cast off."
Her only response was to moan as she reached between her pelvis and the chair and found the bead crying out for attention. Shock waves traveled up her body, puckering her nipples even tighter inside her bra.
"Come with me."
She rubbed a little more and told herself to hold back, to wait for him to come first, but she couldn't do it. The feeling of his thick prick so deep inside her, her fingers worrying her clit, it was too much to bear for long. "I can't," she cried. "Oh, God." With those words, her world shattered and crashed around her as pleasure so deep and satisfying washed over her.
"Naughty girl," he gritted out, his voice low and harsh. "Punish you later."
She was half hoping for further ‘punishment’, when he groaned and filled her with his seed.
Breathless, they held themselves still for seconds which felt like minutes. Gretchen was so satiated, she felt boneless. He pulled away and she felt abandoned for a moment, until he gathered her up in his arms and held her tightly.
"That's my cash-princess. That's my girl."
"Thank you," she breathed against his chest.
"I could eat a hippo with barbeque sauce," he said softly against her hair.
"Last time, it was an elephant with sauce."
"I don't want to be a pig."
She laughed. "Let's get room service."
"Does this hotel have room service?"
She remembered where they were. "Uh… no. We'll send Jeff."
"Won't he mind? It's kinda late."
"He won't mind. He's good about being on my schedule. He's a great employee."
"Okay. If you're sure."
They talked about what they might get at the few places open in Pocatello late at night. But soon enough, all their senses were satiated and they turned out the lights, cuddling together. Gretchen felt incredibly lucky to have Rowdy by her side, and she fell asleep anxious to get back from Reno to resume their relationship-building.
As it turned out, the FBI interview only took two hours, and twenty minutes of it was waiting for them to show up at her office. Her office was a bit of a luxurious sham and served mostly as a meeting place to confer with people who wanted her to donate to their charities. They often had interesting proposals, but Harry almost always turned them down. He pointed out she couldn't give to everyone and she should concentrate her charitable giving on a few special causes and not feel like she had to give to everyone who held their hand out.
It was hard to turn them down, though.
The FBI mostly wanted to know how she met the con man, what he knew about her when they first met, and what he'd told her about the bonds. Through their conversation, she found out that indeed he had stolen considerable money from pensioners, who, like her, had heard of bearer bonds and yet didn't know they weren't issued anymore. He'd stolen upwards of two-million dollars and he'd only just begun his scam.
As she and Harry conferred after the FBI team left, she told him she'd like to see those pensioners get their money back, even if she had to pay it out-of-pocket. Harry had sighed and commended her on her generosity but asked her to think about it for a few days and they'd talk about it again. She insisted on making sure the old folks had their money back before Christmas. Harry was not thrilled, but he also did not flat out say he thought it was a mistake. Instead, he said he'd get his staff on it and would take care of it.
Happy that things were going so well, Gretchen walked with Harry to the sidewalk in front of the posh building where her office was located. It was so pretentious, she thought, so unlike her, she felt like an imposter whenever she went there.
A person peeled himself from the corner of the building as she walked with Harry, Bob taking point. He walked by Bob nonchalantly and then stepped between the big man and Gretchen. Harry moved toward the intruder in a protective stance.
It was Neil. Bob pulled him away just as he reached for Gretchen.
Gretchen barely recognized him. Only six years had passed, but he looked at least ten years older. He'd grown a beard and was going for a hipster kind of look that didn't suit him and his football build. He wore decent slacks and a button-down shirt with a sportscoat. It made him fit in with the people on the sidewalk, not calling attention to himself until he wanted to. And, apparently, he really wanted to.
"You bitch," her angry ex said. "You greedy bitch. Amy deserves to have her father watching over her, protecting her from your whorish behavior."
Gretchen was humiliated, having Neil confront her on a public sidewalk to call her a whore. She had one single moment's thought maybe her behavior with Rowdy was immoral, but the thought was so fleeting it barely registered. What she had with Rowdy was good, pure, natural.
Bob yanked Neil several feet back and whispered something in the younger man's ear, at which time Neil stopped struggling, though his posture was still aggressive and angry.
"You think you're so high and mighty," Neil shouted. "I'll see you in court and then we'll see who's got the upper hand."
"Don't say anything, Gretchen," Harry advised softly. "His aggression is noted, believe me."
Although it was difficult to keep her mouth shut when she wanted nothing more than to tell Neil he was a maggot, she kept her tongue. Let him hang himself.
Bob now stood between Gretchen and Neil, his hand inside his coat. The big, muscular man had two more words for Neil, "Back off."
Neil looked like he wanted to slug Bob but thought better of it. It was a fight he couldn't possibly win. "Soon, I'll meet Amy," he threatened. "Then she'll realize she belongs with her daddy, not her slut of a mother."
Bob couldn't hit him, because Neil would be fast to accuse him of assault, but he could talk to him. "You have one second to turn around and walk away. Otherwise, I'll make sure they carry you away. Got it?"
"Yeah, yeah. Big man with big muscles. What are you going to do? Hit me? Right here on the street?"
Bob's voice carried over his shoulder to Harry. "He's threatening her, isn't he?"
"I'd say so," Harry replied calmly.
Bob opened his jacket, and Neil looked down, undoubtedly at Bob's gun. Her ex went pale and took a step back. "Hey, now. Just words, man. They're just words."
"Go away," Bob said, his voice quiet even though there was an implicit threat.
"Yeah. For now. You remember this, Nel–"
"Now!" Bob snarled taking a step forward. Neil didn't finish his sentence, but instead turned around and ran a few yards down the sidewalk, finally turning back to glare at them before striding away stiffly.
Although it wasn't particularly cold, Gretchen felt a shiver from beneath her coat. Her eyes stayed on Neil's retreating back until he got lost in the passersby. "Do I need to be afraid of him?" she asked Harry.
"Bob will keep him away. But you'd better make sure no one in Rexburg gets wind of who you are until we get this cleared up. You don't want Neil to follow you there and confront Amy. I agree with you, she's better off without him in her life. We'll try to keep it like that."
"Thank you."
Chapter 10
They swapped out the limo for a big, sport SUV, which they all thought would be less conspicuous driving down the farm-to-market roads in Rexburg toward the Jackson ranch. It also navigated the gravel driveway much better. Jeff seemed to love driving it.
Gretchen didn't care a whole lot about what kind of vehicle they were in, only where they were going. She'd missed Amy and Rowdy so much! Even video calls every day didn't make up for in-person hugs and kisses. It was Christmas Eve and she was going to be with the ones she loved. What could be better?
As the SUV rolled up into the farmyard, Amy came to the door, and then, halted by Wanda, waited for the car to stop moving before running out to greet her mother.
They exchanged warm hugs and pecks on the cheeks. "Mommy, guess what? I got to ride a pony! A real pony! And they let me braid a horse's mane and brush his hair. His name is Lawrence and he's one of Rowdy's horses. Rowdy took me for a ride around the horse playground and I got to sit on Lawrence with him. Grampa let me ride on a tractor. They're so big! And Granny says I make the best pies she's ever tasted. And Lucky has been reading books with me. There's one about a cat who wears a hat and gets into all kinds of
trouble. That's my favorite. And–"
"Hold on, sweetie. Mommy needs to say hi to everyone. Will you read your cat book to me later, please?"
"Yeah. Say hi to Rowdy next. He's been missing you."
Gretchen saw the big, dusty cowboy boots near where she was hunkered down by Amy, and she followed those worn jeans up to Rowdy's face. He was smiling and waiting patiently for his turn. Gretchen rose and he enclosed her in a bear hug so welcome it was like a soft pillow after a long day. All the tension from the trip to Reno began to melt away.
She'd fallen in love. It was scary. Did Rowdy love her, too? Should she tell him? Opting for a safer route, she told him she missed him. He said the most romantic thing. "You took my heart with you to Reno. Thanks for bringing it back."
Squeezing him tighter she gave him a kiss promising much more when they weren't in such a public setting.
Bob got presents out from the boot of the car, juggling the colorful boxes in trip after trip into the house, Wanda holding the door open for him. Amy jumped around begging to know what was in the boxes and if they were for her.
Overall, Gretchen felt like she'd come home to a place where she was safe and could be herself.
It was the best Christmas she could remember.
As she snuggled onto the couch with Rowdy after Christmas supper, and while the family was watching Wild Kingdom on the Real Rodeo channel, Gretchen asked Rowdy a question she'd been considering since her plane ride from Reno to Pocatello.
"Rowdy, how about we go somewhere for New Year's? You, me, Amy and the entourage." She grinned, because the entourage comment was a joke between them.
"Hm. Like where did you have in mind? A happenin' place like Boise, maybe?"
She laughed. "I'm thinking San Francisco."
"I've never been to San Francisco."
"You haven't? Well, it's a great city. Lots of good food, fun things to do. We could leave on a charter tomorrow or the next day and be back on the second of January."
"If you'll let me pay for myself, I'm up for it."
"Now, Rowdy–"
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