by Misty Malone
Garrett watched as Mindy’s expression turned to anger. While he watched, though, it lightened back up. “Hey, your dad’s gone. You can lighten up a bit now. You go on to work; I’ll be fine.”
Remembering his father’s caution last night, Garrett lowered his voice a bit so it was stern. “No, you won’t, and that’s what worries me.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“I thought you understood our concern for safety, Mindy. Driving a four wheeler that fast can cause you to hit a hole and throw you or damage the vehicle. If that happens, you need to have your phone so you can call for help. What don’t you understand about that?”
“But, Garrett, those are all ifs. None of those things are likely to happen.”
“They may not be likely, but they sure are possible. You need to take the possibilities seriously.” He paused, but it was obvious she wasn’t absorbing what he was saying. “You know, after your experience in New York, I’m surprised you’re not taking this more seriously. You said it’s not likely. No, it isn’t. But it wasn’t likely that someone would drive a plane into both the Twin Towers, either, and you of all people know that that happened. I don’t have time to argue with you right now. If you go out riding today, please make sure your phone is charged and take it with you, and drive a little slower.”
“I hear you.”
He went out to join the men already working. He didn’t think for one minute he’d gotten through to her. He hoped she’d think about what he said, though. If she didn’t, he’d just have to deal with it the next time she didn’t follow a rule. His guess was that was exactly what would happen, and if he was a betting man he would be willing to bet it would be sooner rather than later.
Chapter Eight
Unfortunately, Garrett’s prediction proved true the very next day. He went into the house at six o’clock, to find Maria nervously waiting for him. “I’m sorry, Garrett, but Mindy’s not back from her four wheeler ride yet, and she’s not answering my phone call.”
“There’s nothing for you to be sorry about,” Garrett said, “but that little lady has some explaining to do. Thanks, Maria, for letting me know. Can you hold supper for us? Wyatt and I will go get the guys out looking for her.”
“Supper will wait. You find Mindy before she gets hurt.”
“We’ll do our best,” Garrett said as he thumped his hat back on his head and he and Wyatt headed back outside. They stopped at the machine shed and verified her four wheeler was still missing. He’d been calling her, and she wasn’t answering his call, either, so they went to the bunkhouse kitchen, where the men were just starting to get their food and start eating. They all stopped when they saw Garrett and Wyatt walk through the door, and the worried looks on their faces.
“Men, Mindy’s missing again,” Garrett said simply. “I’m sorry to bother you again, but if I could get some volunteers to help look, I’d appreciate it.”
“Count me in, boss,” Coy said, “but if she just forgot her phone again and lost track of time, are you going to set her straight this time?”
“I certainly intend to try,” Garrett assured him. “I thought she understood last time, which actually causes me some concern now. She may be out there somewhere hurt.”
At his words, all the men quickly got up and headed for the door. Garrett smiled at the caring group of men working for him, and he and Wyatt followed them to the machine shop to get four wheelers. They assigned areas for the men to cover and they all set out. They’d barely gotten started when Garrett pulled up short. Off a bit to his right he saw a cloud of dust. He grabbed his phone to call the men he’d sent that way, but his phone rang before he had a chance.
“Hey, boss,” Trace said, “we need help over here. The steers in the south pasture are out.”
“I’ll get everyone over there. Any sign of Mindy?”
“Not yet. I’m looking to make sure she’s not in their path.”
“Okay, keep looking. If you find her, get her up a tree if you can, and tell her to stay there until I come for her. If she’s hurt and that’s not possible, call me again. I’ll get guys over to take care of the steers.”
“Will do.”
Garrett quickly sent a call to Wyatt, and between them they contacted all the men and headed them in the direction of the steers. Wyatt would help the men get them back in the fence, while Garrett looked in the area for Mindy.
Wyatt went to the pasture and quickly found a gate that was partially open. It was bent, like cattle had been pushing against it and walking over it. He pulled it open completely, giving the cattle plenty of room to get back into the pasture, then went to check the gate on the other side of the pasture. The gate was closed, but the chain they put between it and the fence post to keep it shut and locked was off.
He quickly put the chain back in place to keep the gate closed and locked, then called the men and let them know which gate was open and where to steer the cattle. He called Cord to come help him, and they waited by the gate. With all the men working together, it didn’t take long for them to have the cattle headed back toward them. They were there to meet the cattle and make sure they went in the gate and not past it. They all worked together like a well oiled machine and soon had the cattle back in the pasture and the gates both securely fastened.
With that taken care of, he called Garrett. “Did you find Mindy?”
“Not yet,” Garrett replied. “I don’t know if she’s in this area somewhere, or if the cattle being out have any connection to her whereabouts.”
“I’d say they’re related. It looks like someone came to the first gate in the pasture and opened it. They went through and pulled it closed then, but didn’t put the chain back. They drove through the pasture to the gate on the other side and did the same thing. The chain was hanging on the fence, like on the first gate. I’d say a steer pushed against it and it opened enough for the steer to get through. Once the rest of the herd saw that steer, they all did the same thing. As they were pushing against it, the gate opened a little more, and some of the steers walked over it. I’d say we’re lucky none of them got tripped up in the gate and broke a leg.”
“Yeah, that could have easily happened. So you’re thinking Mindy opened the gates, and closed them behind her, but didn’t put the chain back?”
“She probably went through, and figured she’d be coming back through on the return trip and would put the chains back in place then.”
“You’re probably right. That would mean that she’s somewhere on this far side of the pasture then, so Trace and I better keep looking.”
“I’ll be up to help you look. Do you want me to send the hands all up, too, or will we need all of them?”
“You better—wait. I just came over a hill and I think I may see her. Let me get a bit closer. Yes, I see her. Thank the men and send them all back. You can go back, too, but keep your phone with you. If she’s hurt, I may have you bring the truck.”
He looked ahead of him, where he saw Mindy and the four wheeler. He couldn’t quite make out what she was doing, or if she seemed to be okay. His level of worry had been escalating the entire time he’d been searching for her, and he was extremely worried about her now. All sorts of things that could have happened kept running through his mind while he’d been looking for her.
As he watched, she stood up from where she’d been kneeling down, and went back to get on the four wheeler. That was a good sign. She didn’t look to be injured. She must have heard him, because she turned to look in his direction. She was still for several moments, watching him approach, and he assumed she recognized him then, because she waved. Again, that was a relief.
He pulled up beside her and was quickly off his machine and had her in his arms. “Are you okay, Mindy?”
She looked at him with an odd expression. “Of course I’m okay. Why wouldn’t I be?” She sighed. “Garrett, I keep telling you, you worry too much. I survived New York City. This is just a ranch. I can survive it, too.”
“We need to have a talk, young lady,” he said in an ominous fashion. He took his phone out and called Wyatt and Trace and told them both he had Mindy and she was fine. He thanked Trace and told him to go on back and have supper. He told Wyatt he could go ahead and eat without him if he wanted, that he and Mindy were going to have a talk first, then they’d be in.
Mindy, who had heard every word of his conversations, looked up at him cautiously. “You’re mad at me, aren’t you?”
He looked straight at her. “Do I have a right to be?”
For the first time, she had a look that resembled guilt. “Maybe,” she confessed. “When all those cows got out, was that my fault?”
“That depends. Did you open the gate and not put the chain back?”
“Yes, but—”
“Then yes, that was your fault.”
“Sorry.”
“Mindy, why would you do that?”
“I didn’t see any cows in that pasture, so I thought it was just an empty pasture. I saw the chain and didn’t think I could get through, but then I saw that the key to the lock was tied onto a string fastened to the lock. So I opened the gate and went through. Like I said, I didn’t see any cows, so I thought it was an empty pasture. I closed the gate, but instead of putting the chain back, I figured I’d do that when I went back through on my way home.” She thought a moment, and looked up at him. “But I closed both the gates. Can cows open gates? How did they get out?”
He was still willing himself to stay calm, reminding himself that she wasn’t familiar with the ranch, or cattle. “If cattle push against the gate, if it’s not locked, it will move. It’s meant to swing open, after all. So I’d say one or more of them pushed against the gate and it opened, at least enough for them to get out. Once it was open a little, they trampled over top of the gate to get out, and that could have been a very bad situation. One of them could very easily have gotten his legs tangled up in that gate and fallen, breaking a leg. We were lucky this time. We were also lucky that they hadn’t gotten too far away and were still mostly together as a herd. The men didn’t have too much trouble rounding them back up.”
“I’m sorry, Garrett. I didn’t know there were cows in there. I didn’t see any.”
“Most of our pastures are large. They can be at a far end and you won’t see them. New rule. Don’t open any gates.”
“Or at least shut them and put the chain back on,” she said.
“No, Mindy, that’s not what I said. I said don’t open any gates, and that’s what I meant to say.”
“But then how would I have gotten through there?”
“You don’t need to go through there. You can go around the pasture. It may be a long ride around, but it’s much safer.”
“But what’s wrong with going through it if I’m careful to put the chain back on?”
“That could have been the herd of heifers we let the bull run with.”
Her eyes grew as she looked at him. “You have a bull you let out in these pastures? Aren’t bulls mean?”
“They can be. This one is pretty docile as long as you don’t bother him or his herd of heifers. He’s very protective, however, and if he would have seen you invading his domain he probably would have challenged you.”
“Meaning what?”
“He would have given chase.”
“Good thing I was on the four wheeler then,” she said, thinking.
“And what would you have done when you reached a fence? The pastures don’t go on forever. Eventually you come to the end of the pasture and a fence. Then what would you have done?”
Garrett was pretty sure he’d gotten her attention with that. She appeared to be thinking, and was doing quite a bit of squirming. That was good.
He took one final deep breath and exhaled slowly. “Mindy, after what just happened, I need to tell you something. I was really upset when I was out there looking for you. Before you say anything, let me explain. I don’t mean upset as in angry. I was worried. I was about to go crazy, afraid something had happened and you were hurt somewhere. The reason I was so worried is because you’ve become very special to me. I’ve really enjoyed the time we’ve spent together, and I don’t want to give that up.” Mindy’s eyes had grown, but he saw a sparkle in them. “I don’t know if you have similar feelings, but I was going crazy with worry.”
“I do have similar feelings, Garrett. I’ve loved getting to know you better.”
“Good. I’m glad to hear that. Do you want to continue spending time together, growing the relationship we have?”
“Yes, I do,” she said with a smile.
“I’m glad to hear that, as well,” he said. He reached over and tenderly took her face in his hands and pulled her closer, giving her a tender kiss. When she didn’t try to break free, he strengthened the kiss a bit. When he pulled back, he was happy to see the smile on her face.
He picked up one of her hands to hold in his, and addressed her again. “But there’s something you need to understand. I’m a lot like my father. We’re both very protective of the people who are special to us. He watches over my mom and protects her, like he did me when I was smaller. He was especially careful to keep me safe on the ranch until I knew what I was doing.”
“I know you’re very protective. I’ve already seen that.”
“Well, now that you’re special to me, that need to be protective of you increases. I will do what I have to do to keep you safe.”
“What do you mean, you’ll do what you have to do?”
“Exactly what I said.” Before she knew what was happening, he’d picked her up and placed her over his lap. His left arm held her securely around her waist, while his right hand reached underneath her to unfasten her jeans.
Mindy realized what he planned to do, and quickly found her voice. “Oh, no, you don’t,” she said, struggling to get loose.
He quickly gave her three sharp swats over her jeans. “Settle down, Mindy. I plan on protecting you the same way my dad protected me. He told me what I needed to do, what I needed to change to stay safe. Then if I did it again, he warmed my bottom, giving me an incentive to listen to his warning the next time. He did that because he loved me, and he cared enough to take the time to correct me and keep me safe. Well, I care enough about you to do the same thing.”
“But, Garrett, I don’t want a spanking.”
He chuckled. “I never wanted one, either, my dear, but that never stopped Dad, and it won’t stop me now. Settle down now so I can get this done.”
He reached underneath her again, but she stopped him with her words. “Wait, Garrett. I don’t understand.”
“What’s so hard to understand? I care about you and will do whatever I have to to keep you safe. I’ve talked to you repeatedly about safety on the ranch, which includes always having a charged phone with you. I’ve also told you not to drive fast. You have repeatedly ignored my safety warnings, telling me don’t worry so much. Therefore, I’m going to do what my dad used to do when he wanted to get my attention. It worked for me, and I’m betting it will work for you.” He reached around again, but she started kicking for all she was worth.
“But wait. You can’t do this.”
“Mindy, I can do this, and I’m going to.”
“But you can’t. I know you said your parents did this to you, and I know you said they did it because they loved you, but that doesn’t mean you can do it to me. I’ve never been spanked before, and I’m not a kid. I’m a grown woman. You can’t just do this like I’m a kid or something. I really don’t want you to do this.”
He had to chuckle a little.
“You think this is funny? I don’t see one little thing funny
about it. In fact—”
“No, I don’t think it’s funny, and I don’t mean to be laughing at you. But when you came over here when you were smaller I used to call you Windy Mindy, because you were always talking. Mom used to yell at me for it. In fact, I got spanked for it once. Dad said it was rude to call you that, and he warmed my butt pretty good for it.”
She was silent for several moments. “Really, you called me that?”
“I did. Sorry. It seemed to me you were always talking. Mom said you were trying to get me to pay a little attention to you, and chewed me out for ignoring you. I didn’t mean to ignore you. I always thought you were younger than you were, so I never gave you a chance. They were right; I should have talked to you and gotten to know you. We may have been friends back then.”
“Yes, you should have. I’m glad you got spanked.”
He laughed. “Well, I’m glad you feel better knowing that. But don’t laugh too hard; you’re about to get a spanking yourself.”
She sobered quickly. “No. I don’t want one. I’m not a kid any more. You can’t treat me like a kid just because—”
Garrett had to smile to himself. Apparently Windy Mindy, the little girl who wouldn’t stop talking, makes an appearance when she’s nervous. He’d have to tuck that information away for the future. If she started talking a lot and fast, she must be worried about something. That knowledge could be very helpful. Bringing himself back to the present, he reached underneath her and unsnapped her jeans.
She tried to reach back and stop him. “What are you doing now?”
“I’m unsnapping your jeans so I can take them down.”
“But you can’t do that.”
Garrett’s patience was starting to run a bit thin. “Mindy, I most certainly can. Since this is your first spanking, I’ll leave your panties on. But let me warn you right now, the next time I spank you, your panties will be coming down, too.”