“Yes.”
She cleared her throat. After another moment of hesitation, she relayed to him her branding operation and showed him the infinity symbol that she was using over the Xaviers’ X. She confessed that she’d stolen nearly 200 cattle using this method, which surprised Wyatt. He wouldn’t have guessed she’d stolen so many.
“That’s quite a confession,” Wyatt said when she’d stopped talking.
She gazed pleadingly into his eyes. “Tell me you don’t hate me, tell me you don’t think less of me.”
He shook his head. “I could never hate you or think less of you. But this is an illegal activity, not to mention a highly dangerous one.”
“I know, but I don’t care. Mark Xavier deserves it,” she said, her hatred of him evident in the way she spoke his name as a slur.
Wyatt scrubbed a hand around his face and gave her a hard stare. “If I asked you to stop rebranding, would you?”
She blinked, taken aback by the question. “I-I don’t… Why do you want…” she stammered.
He didn’t acknowledge her blustering reply. Instead, he remained focused on her, waiting for her to answer his question.
She wrung her hands and let out a nervous laugh. “Well, I suppose if anyone could get me to stop, it would be you.”
He tapped the heel of his boot on the ground. “I’m glad to hear that.”
Confusion filled every feature on her face. “I don’t know what to think. You don’t seem surprised at all, though it seems I’ve made you nervous.”
He smiled slightly and stopped tapping his foot. Elsie’s perceptive and kind nature never failed to amaze him. More importantly, those traits had saved her. If she hadn’t perceived his injury, she wouldn’t have had a reason to treat Wyatt so kindly. The kindness she’d shown him had immediately endeared her to him and caused his loyalty toward her to blossom and grow.
“I don’t look surprised because I’m not. And now that you’ve made your confession, I must share something with you as well. I want you to go to my horse, open the left saddlebag, and bring me what’s inside it.”
With a perplexed, curious expression plastered on her face, she walked to his horse.
Wyatt drew a deep breath. After she saw the deputy’s badge, there would be no more secrets between them. It would change everything, and he could only hope it would change everything for the better.
Elsie fumbled with the leather straps until they were untied and reached inside. She pulled out his badge. When she realized what it was, she shrieked, dropped it on the ground, and took a step back as though she’d just touched a rattlesnake.
Her eyes snapped to Wyatt’s face, and they quickly filled with tears. She looked every bit as betrayed as Wyatt had worried she would feel. Dropping to her knees, she said, “Have mercy on me, Wyatt. Please, I beg of you, do not turn me in to the marshal.”
Wyatt forced his voice to sound hard. “I told you to bring me the badge, and that’s what I’m expecting you to do.” He needed her to prove to him that she would obey him, even when it was difficult. He would only be able to help her if she followed his instructions from this point forward.
She picked up the badge with her fingertips and carried it to him. She placed it into the palm he held out and peered into his eyes after taking a shuddering breath.
He tossed the badge next to him on ground. “Sit down.” He nodded at the stump.
She sank onto it and continued to stare at him, looking confused and betrayed.
“Now,” he said gently. “I’m not fixin’ to arrest you, darlin’. How could I? You’re the kindest, most admirable woman I know. You took away all my pain, inside and out, and for that I am forever in your debt.”
Her gaze softened, and grateful tears filled her eyes. “Oh, Wyatt,” she said, her voice catching at a sob.
“That being said, you must understand that the marshal is on to your trick. He hired me as a deputy to suss it out, and you’ve gotta stop this tomfoolery now if you value your freedom and your life. You understand me?”
She swallowed and nodded. “All this time, you were here as an undercover deputy?”
“I was here as an undercover deputy for about two days, I reckon. After that, I was here as your loyal hand, trying to figure out how best to help you. Didn’t take long for you to win me over.”
She gave him a watery smile.
“The way I see you gettin’ out of this mess... You must come up with a new brand, one that in no way looks like an X.”
“Yes, Wyatt, I can do that. I already know what it will be. It’ll be a W after the man who showed me such mercy.”
He smiled. “You were the first to show mercy, Elsie. When you fixed my arm and then saw to my room and board with no expectation of labor in return while I healed, I knew I had to help you. You’re a good woman. You’ve done a bad thing, but you don’t deserve prison, ‘specially considering the motive.”
“What are you going to tell the marshal?”
Wyatt rested his elbows on his legs and leaned forward to explain. “I’m going to tell him that I observed your branding irons and the operation and that it was all on the up and up. I’m also going to tell him that I asked you to change your brand and you agreed to do it. That should show him you have nothing to hide.”
“Thank you,” she whispered. She blinked away some tears and stared into the distance. “It’s better this way. I’ve been feeling terrible guilt.”
“Yeah?”
She nodded as regret clouded her eyes. “My pa never would have approved of me doing this.”
“Mmm hmm, that brings me to my next point,” he said, straightening. “You feel guilty because you’ve done wrong. I intend to help you get through that, as I’ll be giving you a darn good thrashing, right now.”
Her eyes widened. “You’re going to spank me?”
“Indeed I am.” He held out his hand to her. When she hesitated to take it, he said, “You’ll feel better after being punished, Elsie.”
Her plump lips formed into a pout, but he could see her eyes soften into submission. She stood and placed her small hand in his.
“This time it’s going to be quite a bit worse,” he warned, as he maneuvered her to his right side. “This time I’ll be using my stronger arm.”
Her voice turned plaintive. “But the punishment you gave for pulling a gun on Xavier hurt plenty.”
He helped her lower herself over his knees. Securing a hand around her waist, he ran his other hand over her trouser-clad bottom. “That was a very short chastisement. Don’t try to lessen what you have coming now. You’re going to be punished for breaking the law and putting yourself in harm’s way, and I’m not gonna go easy on you.” He landed a hard smack on her right cheek to emphasize that point.
She squealed. “Wyatt, that was hard, way harder than before.”
“Good. It was supposed to be.” He hooked a finger around the waist of her trousers and tugged them down to her knees. She wasn’t wearing drawers, so he had an immediate view of her bare bottom and shapely thighs. Her unmarked skin seemed especially pale in the bright light of the sun and it was such a beautiful sight that he brought his hand down right away, twice, once on each cheek.
She wriggled over his lap. “Ow! Please not so hard!”
He chuckled. “Oh, honey, you’d better save your begging for when it really hurts. Settle down now. You’re not over my lap for a good time, but I do think you’ll feel better after this.”
He felt her body relax and noticed that her bottom cheeks unclenched. After giving each beautiful globe an affectionate rub, the spanking commenced. He’d be lying if he said he didn’t enjoy painting her bottom red. Every squirm and yelp spurred him into continuing without respite. He’d been waiting a long time to give her what she needed.
“You’re not going to feel guilty after today, Elsie. I’m going to make sure of that.”
“Yes, Wyatt,” she gasped. “Is that why you’re punishing me, to help me not feel guilty?”
“Partly, but I’m also punishing you for doing something so risky it could have landed you in prison for the rest of your life.” That thought made Wyatt spank her harder and faster. She was his woman, even if she didn’t know it yet, and he was going to make damn sure she never put herself in danger again.
She squealed and squirmed as his hand rained down without mercy. “I don’t think this is how lawmen usually handle criminals!”
He stopped spanking and rubbed her bottom, now a deep pink color that radiated heat. He chuckled. “I told you, I’m no lawman. I’m your cowboy, plain and simple.” He gave her bottom another crisp swat.
“My cowboy?” she repeated.
“Yeah, yours. Forever, if you’ll have me.”
She whimpered. “You can work here as long as you want, Wyatt.”
He ran his hand up her slender back and smiled to himself. “Thank you, sweetheart, but I’m hoping to do more than work here. I’m hoping to marry you.”
She gasped and turned to look at him over her shoulder. “You are? You want to marry me?”
“Are you that surprised?”
“Yes! I know I felt… proof, that you liked me. But part of me believed you weren’t all that attracted to me after you pushed me away that night. Now I understand why you did, though.”
Wyatt moved his hand to between her legs, where he cupped her swollen wet sex. She gasped again and let out a moan. Gently, he twirled a finger around her nub. “Darlin’, if I were more attracted to you, I’d be walkin’ funny the rest of my life.”
“I’m attracted to you too, Wyatt.”
He tried to hold back his laughter at her obvious statement, but he failed miserably. She looked back at him questioningly. Still laughing, he said, “I’m well aware of that, Miss Elsie. You’re gushing the proof onto my hand. All this wetness, your body is preparing itself for me.”
She blushed and looked back down. Though he’d intended to spank her longer, the way she became embarrassed made him want to comfort her, so he pulled her upright and set her on his lap. “So, do you want to marry me or not?”
Her lips spread into a smile. “Of course. I want nothing more.”
Wyatt didn’t think he’d ever felt as happy as he did in that moment. He pulled her close and kissed her tenderly, showing her all the affection he’d been holding back for weeks. She accepted the kiss shyly at first, and Wyatt marveled at how such an innocent young woman had overseen a ranch and major rebranding operation. He felt her body coming to life in his arms, trembling against him. Their tongues intermingled as Wyatt moved his hand to the first button at her collar. Unbuttoning one by one, he broke the kiss to whisper, “Darlin’, I’ve been waiting a long time for this.”
He felt her shiver with arousal as he peeled the sleeves away from her arms. “We’re outside and it’s daylight,” she told him, without any protest in her tone.
He slid a hand over her breast and grazed her peaked nipple with his thumb. “Do you want me to stop?”
“No,” she whined, arching into his touch.
He smiled. “That’s my girl.” He pressed his lips to hers as he continued to undress her. Her trousers were already around her knees, so he removed her shoes and stockings and then slipped the rest of her clothes off with ease. Soon she was naked on his lap. Wyatt scraped his calloused hand down her waist to the side of her bottom cheek, which was warm to the touch from the spanking, then caressed her thigh and knee, enjoying the gasps and sighs she emitted at every tender touch.
Her legs were clenched together, so he only saw the tuft of hair above her pussy. “Open for me, sweetheart,” he said, and slid his hand between her legs.
She let out small squeak of embarrassment, but she didn’t resist when he spread her thighs with strong fingers and moved his hand to the apex of her legs, where he cupped her soft mound. “This pretty little pussy is all mine now. You’re not allowed to hide it.” He punctuated his possessive declaration with a light spank over her swollen lips, causing her to moan. Her pussy felt hot and wet. “Naughty girl,” he chided. “Your pussy is aching, isn’t it? So impatient and in need of attention.” He gave her nether lips a harder spank and then buried two fingers inside of her.
Elsie gasped. “Oh, God.” When he flicked her clit with his thumb, she came, her helplessly aroused sex clamping around his fingers again and again. He held onto her so she wouldn’t arch off his lap with writhing pleasure. As soon as her orgasm finished, he stood with her in his arms and placed her on the lush grass, where she lay while he removed his shirt and dropped his trousers to the ground, freeing his fully erect manhood. Her mouth formed into a small O as she took in the sight of him without clothes, her lust and nervousness flashing in her gaze.
He settled a knee on either side of her hips and kissed along her neck down to her breasts, while her fingers entwined in his hair. He pecked each nipple and then swirled his tongue around one of the hard nubs.
“Wyatt,” she whimpered. “I feel so much.”
He rubbed his cock along the slit of her womanhood, aching to bury himself in one hard thrust. But he knew the first time would likely hurt for her, so he entered slowly. To his surprise and delight she tilted her hips forward, inviting him in further. Inch by slow inch, he stretched her tight channel, expecting to halt at her virginal barrier.
No such barrier existed, however, so with one final plunge, he speared her womanhood with the entire length of his cock. “You feel so good,” he grunted. It was sheer ecstasy, feeling her surrounding him like warm, wet velvet.
“You do too,” she moaned. “I thought it was supposed to hurt the first time.”
He moved inside of her, faster, riding her harder, claiming her as his. “It doesn’t always. I’m glad this first time has no pain for you, darlin’, only pleasure.”
“So much pleasure,” she gasped. She gripped his muscled arms and held onto him as he pounded into her. Eventually the pleasure overwhelmed her. She stiffened and cried out, arching her back and moving her hands to the grass to clutch the green carpet as the waves of her second release washed through her. The sounds of her orgasm gave Wyatt a thrill. He soon came deep inside of her.
As they lay on the ground together after lovemaking, watching as billowing white clouds slowly passed above them, he thought with some amusement that he was likely the worst undercover deputy in the history of undercover deputies. It didn’t matter much to him, though. He knew he’d be a fine rancher and a good husband to Elsie, and he couldn’t think of anything more important than that.
Epilogue
The next day, Wyatt gave his final report to the marshal and turned in his badge. He reported that he’d seen no illegal activity at the Infinity Ranch and that Elsie Fin was willing to go through whatever steps were necessary to prove she was innocent of the marshal’s suspicions, including changing her brand. The marshal doubted him, but, taking Wyatt’s suggestion, he rode out to the ranch with one of his deputies to count the cows that were branded with the infinity symbol. There were 321 of them on September 3. The following month, on October 3, there were 298 left over from a sale that the marshal carefully oversaw. As the number of cows with the infinity brand continued to dwindle, the number of honestly acquired cows with the new brand, a rounded capital E that looked like a sideways W, increased.
Wyatt and Elsie wasted no time getting married. The marshal was suspicious of their nuptials and likely came to the correct conclusion that Wyatt had protected Elsie from being prosecuted by the law. However, nothing could be done about that. Just as there was no proof that Elsie had been stealing cattle, there was no proof that Wyatt had covered it up. They believed that the marshal got what he deserved. He hadn’t done his job when the Xaviers cut off the Fins’ water supply, which in their opinion made him partly culpable in the early death of Elsie’s father.
Likely due to her kindness toward them, the loyal hands at the Infinity Ranch never spoke a word of the rebranding operation that had taken place during Elsie’s period
of grief. No one lost sleep over the thefts, except for Xavier, who often lay awake at night gnashing his teeth over what he knew to be true, but could not prove. Many would say his consternation was another form of justice, meted out by Elsie and the worst undercover deputy Ashton ever saw, who also turned out to be the town’s finest rancher. Wyatt and Elsie’s business prospered and grew. Still existing to this day, the Infinity Ranch shows all signs of living up to its name.
Amelia Smarts
Amelia Smarts is a #1 bestselling author who was named Best New Spanking Romance Author in the 2016 Spanking Romance Reviews Reader’s Poll. She writes kinky romance novels containing domestic discipline, spanking, and Dominance/submission. Usually her stories involve a cowboy, and they always involve a man’s firm hand connecting with a woman’s naughty backside. She believes it’s important to tell a good story in addition to portraying hot sex and discipline scenes. For each book, she endeavors to write complex, flawed heroes and heroines who struggle, but eventually succeed in their journey to love and happiness. A longtime lover of the written word, Amelia holds graduate and undergraduate degrees in creative writing and English. She loves to read, which allows her writing to be influenced by many different genres in addition to romance, including mystery, adventure, history, and suspense.
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