When A Cowboy Asks (A Rancher's Bride Book 2)

by Chula Stone

  She wondered about the first people to have lived in the cabin. Who had they been? Why had they abandoned the place? Was it some tragedy? Or had they moved on to bigger and better things? So lost was she in her own thoughts and the rhythmic clack and bang, the smell of the tar paper, the rough shingles and the cold nails that she nearly dropped her hammer at the sound of his voice.

  “How the heck did you get up there? I moved the ladder and everything.” It was Shep and he didn’t sound happy.

  So that was where the ladder had gone. It was still on his cart. Did he know her that well, that he had anticipated what she would do? Obviously, the answer was yes. How else had he known how to catch her in the act? No help for it now. She would just brazen it out. “There were crates and boxes that worked just fine.”

  “That pile over there?”

  “They did kind of fall over when I climbed up them.”

  “And there you were, nailing shingles! Didn’t you realize you were stuck?” He sounded as if he had swallowed some of those nails and his words were sticking on them.

  “I wasn’t stuck.”

  “How did you think you were going to get down?”

  “I could have…uh,” she began, searching for an acceptable answer. “I could have swung myself down. It’s not that far of a drop after that.”

  “It’s at least three feet.” Now it seemed as if the nails were coming back up and he was trying to bat them away with his hands. Treli wondered how he managed to unload the ladder while he was gesticulating like that. “Swinging down from that angle isn’t easy. Have you ever tried it?

  “I will right now.”

  “No, you won’t! You’ll wait till I bring the ladder.”

  Suddenly she got the feeling that if she did indeed wait for him, she might not like what he did when he got there. “Well, that’s probably enough for tonight anyway. I think I’ll come down.”

  He stood at the bottom of the ladder. “That sounds like an excellent idea.”

  She’d seen that look on the face of a thundercloud just before it let loose on a parade. “Oh, I forgot my hammer. I’ll just go get it then hop down over on that side.” She scrambled over the roof and hesitated, wishing she could jump the distance.

  Too late! There he was, standing underneath her. “That’s right. Just sit on the edge and slide down. I’ll catch you.”

  Ah, yes, but then what? she mused to herself. “It wouldn’t be proper.”

  “And climbing up on the roof was proper?” he countered. There was a new drain pipe on the corner. He was half-way up it, climbing faster than a squirrel when it hit her that now that he was committed to this course of action, she could take advantage of his being occupied with chasing her and use the unguarded ladder.

  She clattered back to the other side of the roof and let herself down as quickly as she could, paying attention to neither noises around her nor the ground beneath her in her haste. As soon as her feet hit the leafy forest floor, here came Shep around the corner of the cottage. He hadn’t finished climbing up after all.

  Again, casual indifference seemed to be the best way to play it. How could he be angry if she didn’t admit to doing anything wrong? “Well, that was a good night’s work. Now, how about we head back up the trail?”

  “How about instead I light up your tail?” He was fast. She had to give him that. She had hardly taken two steps when he caught her around the waist and slung her over his shoulder. “None of that, now!” He gave her several hearty smacks on her upturned rump as she started to pummel his back with her fists.

  “Let go of me!” she shouted.

  “All right,” he agreed amicably. He bent at the waist and set her down with a thump.

  “Really?” She didn’t mean to say it but it just slipped out in her shock.

  “What do you think?”

  Eyeing him warily, she took a step backwards. “I think you have no right to…” Here she got stuck. She didn’t want to say the word, in case she might give him ideas. Of course, he had mentioned something of the kind, but he might not have meant it.

  “No right to what? To kiss you? That’s certainly true, but you didn’t seem to object yesterday.”

  “That wasn’t a kiss you gave me just now,” she objected, rubbing her bottom. Those swats had stung, even through her skirts.

  “You were hitting my back.” The plaintive note in his voice was almost covered up with his teasing tone.

  “You had me slung over your shoulder.”

  “And what’s so bad about that?” Now, he sounded plain cocky. He was up to something.

  “It’s not what you did. It’s what you were about to do,” she complained.

  “And what was that?”

  Here they were again, but throwing caution to the wind, she answered. “You were going to spank me! Or try to.”

  “And how do you know that?”

  “Because…” How had he trapped her so easily? She didn’t dare complete that sentence.

  He completed it for her. “Because you deserved it and you know it. We both know it. And now, Vince will know it. And he tells Pinkie everything, so she’ll know it.”

  “Wait! What?” She couldn’t figure out what he was talking about. “You can’t tell Vince!”

  “Oh, but I’ll have to. You leave me no choice.”

  “Me? I’m not making you tell Vince.”

  “You sure are! You need a spanking if ever a girl did! If you don’t think I have the right, then I’ll just make sure the one who does have the right knows the reason why it needs to be done.”

  “But that will ruin the surprise!” Not to mention ruining her sitting prospects for the next week. Treli could only too easily imagine what it would feel like to get a spanking from Vince, or Pinkie even. She could probably wield a paddle with the best of them and wouldn’t be shy about doing it. “Why Vince? I’m Drina’s cousin.”

  “I could tell her, but she’d just tell Slingo and he’d tell Vince. And anyway, I can tell anybody I think needs to be told. So take your pick. You let me give you the spanking you deserve or I go to Vince. I can’t let you get away with this sort of dangerous stunt, so which is it going to be?”

  Treli could see he meant every word. “But it wasn’t dangerous.”

  He took several steps towards her, closing the gap she had so carefully been maintaining since he set her on her feet. This time, when he took her by the waist, she resisted his efforts, but not so hard that he had any trouble dragging her to the cart and holding her bent over the wide footrest in front of the seat. She was wedged in tight between the front board of the wagon and the bottom of the seat so she couldn’t see what he was doing, but she could guess well enough. A few minutes later she was proved right when a sharp smack landed on her hind quarters.

  Treli let out a howl. “What is that? Did you bring a paddle with you?”

  The first swat was only the first arrival at the party. It had plenty of friends following after it. They seemed to perform a kind of dance of sting and heat all over her rump. The paddle covered most of her backside at every whack, but Shep wielded it in such a way that the angle made a different sort of impact with every stroke. “Sure, I did. I tried to prevent you from doing what I knew you meant to do, but I figured I might not succeed, so I came ready to deal with you.”

  For the next several minutes, she kicked and bucked, but only up and down. There was no room from side to side and she couldn’t climb away from him because of the hand he rested on her back. Pinned and helpless, she had to listen to what he was saying as he continued his punishment. “All I did was try to help!”

  “But I told you ‘no!’ and you didn’t listen. This is what will happen each and every time you ignore me. It’s disrespectful and I won’t have it.”

  “I’m sorry, all right? Now, that’s enough!”

  “You might think you know best, and in some things I’m sure you do, but there are some paths I’ve traveled more than you. I won’t let you go down them, Tre
li. You’re too dear to me. If you want to save your behind, I suggest you leave something behind: your stubborn streak, for starters.”

  When he finally finished, she took a few deep breaths before managing to grind out, “All right, all right. You’ve convinced me.”

  “You won’t disobey me again in a hurry, will you?”

  “No, I won’t. I’ll be good as gold,” she agreed, rubbing her backside furiously as soon as he let her stand up.

  “That’s my girl.” He held her close, allowing her to rub as he kissed her hair and temples.

  After a moment, she stepped back. “Am I your girl? I thought maybe you’d be having second thoughts.”

  “Never. It took me a while to realize it, but now my eyes are open and I’m all in. You’re the girl for me. Haven’t you figured that out yet? I’ll tell you plain: I love you, Treli.”

  “You love me? But you just… not five minutes ago you were… You’ve got a funny way of showing it!”

  “A fellow shows love in a lot of ways. Some of it has to do with candy and flowers. The fact of the matter is that you make better candy than I can buy and the flowers available to me by this late in summer aren’t near good enough for you, but I’ll work on it. Then later there’s jewelry and other pretty things. I’ve got plans along those lines and believe me, I can provide for you. But there’s more important ways. A man in love will listen to what his girl says. He’ll compliment her cooking. He’ll laugh at her jokes and admire her dreams.”

  “Those things all sound nice, and I’ll admit you’ve done some of them.” Still she frowned and rubbed her backside. “My point still stands.”

  Shep reached out and picked up a stray lock of her hair that had fallen onto her shoulder. “Sometimes a fellow has to get a little more… forceful with his attentions. Do you know what a sluice gate is?”

  “Sure. On a river that has a dam, for instance, a sluice gate will help direct the water. They’re for preventing floods and such.”

  “That’s right. You close a sluice gate to stop the water going over in the wrong direction. If the gate is doing its job, the water doesn’t stop. It just flows where it’s supposed to. Now, what good is a floppy sluice gate? None at all, to my way of thinking. It’s got to fit, with no leaks around the edges or the water might tear it out of its track. And it’s got to be strong to stand up to the rushing water.”

  Treli thought about that for a while. “But when they work together, the water and the sluice gate make the mill run right.” She nodded her agreement, a bit surprised at his wisdom. She hadn’t really thought of Shep as a contemplative man. “So you’re saying that a man has to act like that sluice gate.”

  “Sometimes.” He let that word hang in the air for a while before he went on. “I’m not the sort of man to stand back and let my girl act on whatever foolish, dangerous notion comes into her head. Nor would you want me to be. I’ll do my best to be a man you’ll be proud to mind. I promise if you do mind me, I’ll take good care of you. Knowing that you’re happy is what makes me happy. That’s what love is.”

  Lightning crackled through the sky, making her jump. Shep put his arm around her and headed her back up the trail. “I’d better get you home. It sounds like we’re about to get some of that water we’ve been talking about. This trail might need a real sluice gate if the pond fills up.”

  Treli walked as fast as her sore legs and bottom would allow. Every step reminded her of what she had just experienced. The strange thing was, her heart had never felt lighter. The way up the hill had never looked as beautiful or seemed as short. Why did she feel as if her soul had suddenly sprouted wings and learned to fly? She looked up at Shep with an awareness more intense and more focused than she had ever felt. “We’ll be fine. I have my slicker. See?” She had hung it on a tree to dry, so he snagged it for her as they passed and put it around her shoulders.

  “I’d take you on the cart, but we’d be sure to be spotted by the time we got up those cork screw roads.”

  “And I’m not inclined to sit on a hard wagon seat right now, no matter what the weather does,” Treli pouted.

  Shep just laughed and hugged her closer.

  Chapter 7

  Shep hopped down from his cart and hoped no one would ask where he had been. He had no desire to make up another lie to cover for his recent covert activities. With the last nail hammered into the roof not half an hour earlier, Shep could see his finish line and he wanted to cross it without incident. Things were definitely breaking his way. The rain had stopped and he had been able to spend the last three nights safely working on the cabin with his gal. He had convinced her to help him on the interior while he polished off the roof work in between jobs during the day. Then after the work was done each night, he had been able to get in some serious courting, complete with compliments, gifts, and even a stolen kiss or two.

  The memory of those sweet kisses kept distracting him throughout his long days. Every time his mind strayed to Treli’s intoxicating lips and bewitching curves, the rest of his body stampeded in directions both predictable and uncomfortable. Years ago, Slingo had taught him to concentrate at such moments on topics guaranteed to kill any natural urges, so he was continually repeating phrases like, “anvils and armadillos” or “jails and jury duty” but it was tough going sometimes.

  Last night had been no different. He had just gotten her nicely settled in the circle of his arms, exploring the warmth and passion they shared whenever she allowed such liberties. In fact, he had even felt her tentative, slightly curious caresses as her hand had lightly skimmed his shoulders and back. He had tried to hold her tighter to him so he might lift her higher, hoping she would run her fingers through his hair, but she had stiffened and pushed him away.

  “I’m sorry,” he had apologized, kicking himself for being too greedy. Relaxing his hold, he explained as best he could. “You’re just too tempting. I can’t resist.”

  “If you squeeze me so tight, I can’t breathe,” she murmured. Putting her hands up to his face, she did the very thing he had been hoping for and pushed soft slim fingers through his brown locks. “You need a haircut.”

  He bent down closer, trying to nuzzle her neck. “I’ll see to it tomorrow.”

  Her arm twisted in his and she flinched away. “Ow. This isn’t right. Maybe we should sit down so we’re more on one level.”

  Music to his ears! “Sure, darlin’. Why not right up here?” He took her by the waist and set her up on the wagon seat, then scrambled up beside her, hardly giving her time to scoot over before he scooped her into his lap. “That’s better, isn’t it?”

  She gave him what he could only describe as a look that an indulgent teacher might give her restless pupils on the first day of spring as she let them out of school a half hour early since they weren’t paying attention to their lessons anyway. “Not exactly what I had in mind.”

  “But it’s comfortable, isn’t it? Better than the alternative?” More than anything, he wanted to make her laugh. “I could put you on my knee… or over it.” With a squeeze and a jerk, he did just that, placing her lovely rump in convenient position for a quick pet.

  “You let me up right now, Barty Shepard!” She tried to sound serious, but her giggle escaped despite her efforts to stifle it.

  “Oh, but you do deserve at least a few licks,” he replied. Matching word to action, he patted her twice on each side.

  The sound that she made sent his heart racing since he could tell that she was in the same condition. It was pleasure and shock, confusion and certainty. What she wanted was the exact thing she couldn’t stand. And while he didn’t want to hurt her, he was loathe to disappoint her… or deny himself.

  Another slap and then a rub. Another gasp from her throat that ended in a sigh. Several more smacks, slow and even, hard enough to make an impact through her skirts. Her wriggling body over his lap and her clutching hands on his leg and hip. As cool as the night had become, he broke out in a sweat. And then she was upright agai
n, climbing up his chest with questing hands and her slim little form pressed to him as if she were holding on against a high wind.

  “You make me crazy,” he whispered.

  “I know we shouldn’t be doing this,” she replied.

  “Do you want me to stop?”

  She kissed him again. “If you do, I think I’ll explode.”

  He held her close for more kisses and touches, pets and squeezes that took on a whole new tone. What had begun as teasing was bursting out of all control. The thought flashed across his mind that she deserved better, that he should stop this right now, but just another moment wouldn’t hurt, would it? She would come to her senses and pull away, wouldn’t she? Someone had to do the right thing, but neither of them seemed able until…

  “Yeaoh! Yeaoh!” The shriek of the peacock split the night, startling Treli into jumping backwards off the seat of the cart. She landed with a thud on the floorboard.

  “What was… oh, King Solomon! What is he doing here?” She pointed a trembling finger into the woods.

  Shep took several long breaths as he put a hand out to help Treli back onto the seat. “Pinkie told me he was getting stubborn in his old age. Often he won’t come in at night and wanders around the valley. I didn’t know he’d come this far.”

  Treli looked over at Shep and slid further away on the bench. “It’s a good thing he did.”

  “I suppose so,” Shep admitted ruefully.

  “I know so,” Treli countered. “What were you thinking?”

  “I asked you if you wanted me to stop.”

  “Since when do you listen to me? You should have known better.” She hit him lightly on the shoulder and shook a finger at him half joking, half serious. “If Vince or Slingo found out…”

  “They’d make you give in and marry me. Say, that’s not such a bad plan.”