With your heart. Take care not to fall for your brother’s woman. Too late for that. “I’ll call him.” Wes bent down and softly kissed his mother’s cheek.
The night was clear and calm. The stars were a million white specks in the dark as ink sky. Wes leaned against the barn, closing his eyes and letting the breeze cleanse him. He took a deep breath, then dialed his little brother’s number. Garrett picked up on the fifth ring.
“Hello, bro, what do ya know?” Garrett laughed loudly on the other end.
Wes sighed. “What’s up, Garrett?”
“Man, they are working me to the bone here, but I’ll be in tomorrow morning. How’s Karen?”
“She’s well. Took her riding and gave her the old tall tale tour. Garrett, you aren’t doing anything you shouldn’t be, are you?”
“Nah, man. I promise. I’m like a monk over here. Just having a few drinks.”
“Sounds like maybe a few too many.”
“You wouldn’t understand the pressures of Wall Street. Just taking the edge off.”
Wes may not understand the pressures of Wall Street but he understood the weight of caring for the lives of animals and the lives of others. Being a cowboy was pretty much taking care of one emergency after the other.
“Take care, Garrett.”
“Will do, brother. Give Karen a kiss for me.” Garrett laughed again. “No wait, don’t.”
Wes ignored his feelings, said goodbye and hung up the phone. Leaning back, he closed his eyes. Wes willed the breeze to bring him the peace he had felt before he made the phone call. Moments later, he was startled by the sound of the barn doors crashing open behind him.
Turning quickly, Wes saw Mabel racing from the barn, Carrie running behind her. She was shouting, “Mabel, Mabel,” and holding an apple in her hand.
“Damn,” Wes cursed under his breath. Racing past Carrie, he pointed to the barn. “Grab her halter.” Wes slowed down and watched as Mabel worked herself into furious circles twenty feet from him. Panting, Carrie returned with the halter, “Wes, I’m so sorry.” He took the halter from her hand.
“Get yourself in that barn now.” Carrie looked at him as if to defy him but one glance at his face of steel told her to do otherwise, and she quickly obeyed.
Mabel had stopped chasing circles but was stomping, whinnying, and doing her banshee shriek. Wes stayed the twenty feet away from her and quietly watched as she finally calmed. He caught her eye, and she stilled. Wes approached her slowly, foot by foot from the left. Once he had gained five feet on her, she started pawing and her ears pinned back. He stopped, knowing he had passed her safe zone. Wes took two steps back but refused to give up all of the territory he had purchased. He stood still several minutes until her head and ears raised and her hoof stilled. Wes made a gentle kissing sound and patted his thigh softly. The gesture made a vision of Carrie being thrown over it fly into his mind, but he pushed it away and focused only on the dangerous beast in front of him.
Wes took another step towards her on her left, and she remained still and calm. “Good girl. That’s a girl, that a way,” Wes cooed to her, gaining inch by inch. When he was ten feet from her Mabel leaned back as if to run. Wes’ intuition sent him a song, and he sang it gently to the horse, something he had not done before. Mabel’s ears perked and she moved towards Wes for the first time.
A smile broader than the Texas sky crossed his face. She was near enough now for him to reach out and touch her. He sang the melody and stroked her stunning face. She looked away from him and allowed Wes to continue to pet her. With deft motions, he slowly harnessed the beauty.
Wes leaned his head towards the mare and gently nuzzled her. “Mabel.”
Together they approached the barn, where Carrie stood, small in the doorway.
Wes took a firm grip on Carrie’s upper arm and directed her to the little three-legged milking stool in the barn. “Sit yourself right down on this stool, young lady.” He plopped her down. “Don’t you move.” He turned toward Mabel and loosened the grip he had on her halter in his other hand. He needed to calm down before he could deal with Carrie.
He made sure to keep his eyes off of her. The last glance he had shot her almost had him undone. She looked pitiful, and her hair was askew. As adorable and vulnerable as she was, Wes was still fuming.
He finished caring for Mabel, the sound of little sniffles coming from the stool interrupting his work. He looked back over his shoulder at her, raised an eyebrow and gave a frighteningly fierce gaze in her direction, the sniffles stopped.
Once he had Mabel brushed out and calm enough to put her into her stall, he walked over to Carrie. He got down on one knee so that he was eye to eye with her. Before he could ask what happened, Carrie burst out in apologies. “Oh Wes, I’m so sorry. I was just going to take her out of her stall for a minute and see how she responded to me. I thought it would go well and I would just take her out to the pen and do a lap with her.”
Ignoring her apologies, he asked in a low, rumbling voice, “What did I say about riding Mabel?”
She tried to hold back her tears, sitting up very straight on her little stool. “You said, not to ride her.”
“And what did I say would happen to you if you disobeyed me?”
She would not meet his eye, looking down at her hands in her lap, fidgeting. Wes took the sides of her chin in his hand, using firm, gentle pressure, guiding her gaze up to meet his. “Young lady, you answer my question right now.”
Carrie felt small. Wes’ knee against her leg was a like a rock. His hand on her face felt huge and rough. She sat on her stool and looked into the eyes of the terribly handsome, rugged, and furious cowboy.
“You said that you would spank me if I rode her.”
Saying the words fulfilled desires in her that had gone unquenched her entire adult life. And she was terrified.
“And don’t you think you’ve earned one after the danger that you put yourself, myself, and the horse in?”
“Yes.” The tiny whisper escaped her.
Carrie broke down in sobs. The fear she felt when Mabel rushed from her stall washed over her. The guilt of almost causing harm to one of the three of them did as well.
“You wait right here, don’t you move a muscle, and you think about what could have happened tonight because of your willful behavior.”
He left her there on the stool, crying, and took Mabel to her stall to feed and water her and let Carrie wait it out awhile. He had the door to the stall locked securely and Mabel in tight, then began to remove her halter. He heard a little shuffle out in the barn where he had left Carrie.
He went in to check on her. The stool was empty. So much for calming down. He exited the open barn door and saw her golden hair bouncing in the moonlight, as she ran across the dark ranch.
“Unbelievable,” he muttered under his breath.
He easily took her over; his legs were twice as long as hers. He grabbed her around the middle and expertly twisted her around, throwing her over his shoulder. He carried her back to the barn as she beat his back with her little fists saying, “You put me down, you brute.”
A smile crossed his lips. It was just how he had imagined carrying Carrie when he had heard about the incident with her over indulging in rum in the city. “That feels good, like a massage. Keep it up.” He was going to enjoy punishing this naughty girl.
He got back to the barn and easily managed to shut the door while still holding tight to her tiny frame. He sat down on the little stool, straightening his legs out and digging the heels of his boots into the soft ground. He then lowered her feet to the ground, and she straightened her body. Before she could take flight again, he grabbed her around the waist and pinned her across his lap.
Her arms were on the ground; she was trying to push herself up and kicking her legs as if to get away. Wes chuckled. He was twice her weight and a good head taller than her.
“Slow down, little filly, you aren’t going anywhere anytime soon.”
&n
bsp; “You let me up right now, Wes.”
“What’s that, half pint? I can’t hear you from up here.” Wes enjoyed the view of her denim clad bottom balancing over his knees.
Whack! His hand came down hard on her bottom, and she jumped in the air. He readjusted his hold on her and slapped her bottom again, just as hard on the other cheek.
“Yeow!”
“Now I can hear you.” He spanked her again, in the same spot, on both sides. “Now that I have your full attention, we need to have a little chat.” Carrie was wriggling back and forth, but his hold was strong, and she had to keep her hands on the ground to keep herself balanced.
Wes spanked the roundest part of her bottom, alternating side to side.
“You not only put yourself in danger, but my horse and me as well.” He peppered her bottom with smacks as he spoke. “And in the cowboy's handbook, that is a serious offense.”
He moved on to the delicate place where her thighs met her bottom. His hand came down each time with a satisfying, slap. It was music to his ears.
“Stop, stop. I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” Carrie sounded close to tears.
Continuing to give each sit spot his close attention, he said, “When you are unable to sit down on our wooden kitchen chairs tomorrow, I want your mind on who is in charge at this ranch. And who is that, Carrie girl?”
“You are, sir. You are. Ouch!” Carrie began sobbing. Her body stopped the struggle, and she laid limp over his lap. He knew he had her full submission. He gave her a few more, softer whacks, then crossed his legs under the short stool, pulling her up and into his lap.
He wrapped his arms tightly around her, the gesture came to him so naturally as if he did this every day. His heart swelled when she nuzzled her cheek into his neck. She was curled up against him, and she fit like a puzzle piece.
Carrie wiped the tears from her eyes with the back of her hand, her sniffles subsiding. “I’m sorry, Wes. I was so terrified. I shouldn’t have tried to take Mabel. I don’t know what I would do if anyone had gotten hurt.” She cried quietly.
Wes rubbed her back, shushing her as he did. “It’s okay. It’s all okay.”
They sat comfortably, him surrounding her with his warmth. It felt like they had been together in this way a thousand times before. Wes rested his chin on the top of her head, tightening his grip on her. “Carrie girl?”
She snuggled in tighter as her form of reply, then added, “Mmmhmmm?”
“What are we going to do?”
She looked up at him, her eyes shining like glass. Her bottom lip quivered a bit as she said, “I don’t know.”
“You like that I’m protective of you, don’t you?”
She settled back down against his chest, her face back in the crook of his neck. She gave a small nod. Her finger lightly traced the outline of his flannel shirt against his skin.
“You like spending time with me?”
Another little nod.
“And you like having a daddy around, don’t you?”
This time the nod was emphatic and lasted longer than the other two put together. Wes felt Carrie’s fingers tighten around the fabric of his shirt.
Giving a soft chuckle, Wes tentatively reached his hand up to stroke the soft curls, “I feel like I’ve known you forever.” Her response was a little sigh. He continued to caress her hair, her back, and her arms, lightly. He knew his time to hold her was running out. Soon, he needed to put her back where she belonged, in the arms of his brother.
His voice came in a choked whisper, “But you love, Garrett.”
There was a pause before the small nod came. Wes knew what the answer would be, but it tore him in two all the same.
“I understand.” Wes gave himself the grace to kiss the top of her golden head, taking in the smell of her warmth. He then stood them both up and pulled her into a hug. “Let’s get back inside.”
He turned to leave, but before he could, she grabbed his huge hand in her tiny one. She tugged at it to get his attention. He looked down at her, and she said, “Thank you,” in a voice so quiet he wasn’t sure he heard her right, but the blush in her cheeks told him that he had.
After locking up the barn for the night, they walked back to the house, in the dark, hand in hand. They both let go of the embrace when they were in sight distance of the soft glow of the kitchen lights. Wordlessly, Wes opened the door for her, then with only a nod as a goodbye, walked to his room and closed the door.
Chapter 3
Wes had slipped out quietly well before the sun rose, choosing to clear his mind with a drive to town and breakfast at The Grill. He had slept poorly, and the weight of Carrie’s presence surrounded him. He had to get out of the house.
The light was on at Jessica’s, though it was the wee hours of the morning. It was not a morning to turn down free advice.
He saw a flash of her hair as she passed by her window. Wes pulled the truck into the parking spot in front of the store, giving a hello honk with the horn. She looked up, and her face brightened with a lovely smile when she saw him. She eagerly waved him in.
There was an elderly gentleman seated in the chair, looking to be enjoying Jessica’s attention. He gazed warily at Wes.
“Hey, cowboy,” she called as she put her scissors down and poured Wes a steaming mug of coffee from her ever-ready pot. “Good morning,” she said as she handed him the cup. “Be done in just a minute,” her voice lowered to a whisper, and she winked before heading back to her station at the chair.
“Mr. Callaway was just telling me about his wrangling days, Wes,” Jessica spoke much louder than usual.
“Is that right?” Wes took a sip of the coffee that, like the haircuts, was the best in town.
“You gonna have to speak up young man. I’m hard of hearing.” Mr. Callaway began to wheeze in the chair with the effort of the words.
Jessica’s eyes twinkled at Wes. He knew she had a soft spot for the aging, doing everything possible to cater to them in her salon. She even had old-fashioned dryers and pin curlers for her women clientele.
“Is that right, sir?” Wes practically shouted, a grin spreading across his face.
“That’s right, sonny. And let me tell you it wasn’t anything like what you newfangled whippersnappers do. We didn’t have all these fancy machines; we just had our two bare hands.” Mr. Callaway lifted his hands in the air to prove his point.
Wes moved in closer, and a natural conversation ensued. Before the man had finished his haircut, he had managed to school Wes on most points of running a ranch. Wes even picked up a tip about how to repair a horseshoe that was giving Mabel trouble.
Mr. Callaway stood slowly from his chair, pulled a few bills from his wallet and handed them to Jessica. “Now hold on, hold on there,” he reached back into his wallet and pulled out a crisp dollar bill. “Now that’s for you.” He placed the last bill in her hand, then patted Wes on the shoulder as he made his exit. “Best haircut in town. I always say that.” The bell jingled as Mr. Callaway made his departure.
“More like the only haircut in town,” Wes jibed as Jessica swept hair from the floor.
“That’s why I’m the only, because I’m the best. I’d run any competition right out of town.” She dumped the hair from the dustpan into the trash. Wes had no doubt that was an accurate statement. He pitied any woman who challenged Jessica.
“Now what can I do for you? You lucked out that I’m even here. I don’t open for a few more hours, but Mr. Callaway comes on the same day each month and likes to be home before the sun’s up.”
Wes sat down in the chair, still warm from it’s the last occupant. “Buzz it all off.”
Jessica ignored the comment as she cleaned her instruments.
“I’m serious. I want it gone. Just shave my head.”
Jessica locked eyes with Wes in her mirror. “You spanked her, didn’t you?”
He averted his eyes and nodded.
“And you both liked it.” She walked towards him with the coff
ee pot in her hand.
Wes nodded again, still averting his eyes.
Jessica filled Wes’ cup to the brim, saying, “And it felt totally natural.”
Wes looked up to the mirror, locking eyes with Jessica, and said, “Yes.”
“And the only problem is that she’s still with your wealthy and very good-looking brother?”
“Not the only issue.” Wes sighed. “She’s in love with Garrett, of course. He is her boyfriend, after all. I don’t know how I fit in.”
Jessica snipped at a few stray hairs. “You don’t. So, stay away from her.”
“Garrett will be back on the ranch today. He’s had some major issues with work. Maybe I’ll get lucky, and they will have to cut the trip short and head home.” Wes didn’t add that he was already dreading Carrie’s impending absence from the ranch.
“Well until they do, behave. And for heaven’s sake, keep your hands off of her, and her butt.”
That wouldn’t be a problem, as long as she kept herself out of trouble.
Wes decided to skip breakfast and instead, stay in Jessica’s calming presence. He hung some shelves for her that had been sitting in the backroom, neglected. She made a fresh pot of coffee and kept the conversation light, ranch stuff. In the comfort of the salon, Wes enjoyed Jessica’s company.
Back at the ranch, the truck slid into its parking place. The sun was now up, and the vast sky glowed a soft orange. Wes stepped out of his truck, stretching taking a deep breath. Then he went straight to the barn to start chores. The door was cracked open, the sunlight peeking into the warm, dry barn. He smiled to himself when he saw that the horses were already fed and watered. They happily munched on hay in their stalls. Wes turned to leave. He stopped when he heard a small humming noise coming from the back of the barn.
Carrie was singing a little song to herself, and softly brushing Mabel.
Wes couldn’t ignore her; he wouldn’t hurt her like that. He would keep it cordial, platonic. “Good morning, ma’am.” Wes walked over to where she stood.
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