When she felt like she'd calmed down he asked, "How are you feeling?"
"I'm okay now. I could have gotten up before, but I kinda like sitting here with your arms around me."
"You little brat." He picked up her wrist and watched his watch, checking her pulse. "Just as I thought," he said with a grim look on his face.
"What? I really do feel okay now."
"I know. Just as I thought; you really are a little brat. You're fine, you little faker." He was grinning when she turned to look at him.
"Sorry, but it's your fault."
"My fault?"
"Yes, your fault. If I didn't feel so good and so safe in your arms I would have been ready to get up sooner."
With a big smile on his face he said, "Well, since you feel safe in my arms I'll let this one slide." He stood up, taking her with him and turned her to face him. "I always want you to feel safe in my arms, Sam. I love you." Without even worrying about where Grant was or if he was watching, Trevor cradled her face in his hands and leaned down to kiss her. He meant it to be a simple little kiss, but it quickly grew. They were both a bit emotional over the events of the day and before either of them knew it, the kiss had gotten a bit out of hand.
Calling on all the strength he had, he reluctantly pulled away. Holding her shoulders, he said, "Wow. I think maybe it's a good thing we're out here and Grant's close by, probably watching us."
"Why?"
"Because if we were at home, after a kiss like that I'm not sure I'd have been the gentleman I intend to be with you." He kissed her again quickly and said, "I love you, Sam."
"I love you, too, Trevor. And I'm not sure I would have wanted you to be a gentleman."
He pulled her against him for one more quick kiss and reached back and gave her bottom a good swat.
"Hey, that hurt. What was that for?"
"For teasing me, you naughty little minx."
He took her hand and led her over to their horses. Soon they joined Grant, who was smiling as they rode up. "Show's over and I'd just as soon you not share any of it with the other men," Trevor told his foreman.
"Not to worry, boss. After what happened, I'm glad you two had a few minutes together. I was busy watching the cattle, though. I didn't see a thing." They all three chuckled at his less than innocent smile. He turned to Sam and asked, "Seriously, are you okay, Sam?"
"Yeah, I'm fine now."
The three of them talked while they waited for the other two men so they could fix the fence. They all kept an eye out for more trouble, but luckily, no one saw any signs of any other wild critters that could cause a problem. Once the truck and supplies arrived the three of them made quick work of the repairs, while Trevor sent the other two hands to bury the dead mountain lion. They were soon all headed back to the barn.
Once they got back Trevor went to his office in the barn and called The Winding Creek. He came back a few minutes later. "Once I assured him we have nothing but heifers in that pasture, no bulls that could breed with his heifers, he's fine with waiting until morning and he and three hands will be over to help us separate them. I was glad to hear that. The four of us will go with the four of them and get that taken care of and I can send the rest of the guys down to work on clearing that new pasture and getting the fence up."
Trevor had moved the mare Sam usually rode, named Lady, up to the stall next to the one he kept his stallion, Thunder, in. He felt better with her close by as they brushed their horses out after they'd been riding. They could talk while they brushed that way, too.
Today as they were brushing them out Sam asked, "You're clearing off more pasture. Do you need more pasture space, or is this new pasture just in a better spot?"
"A little more would be nice to go along with the new breeding program. I'd like a space to keep them separate until I see how they're looking."
Sam nodded. "Good idea. Easier to keep everything controlled if they're separate. I don't suppose there's any more land around here for sale?"
"Actually, there is and I've been thinking about it."
"But?"
"But it would be a big investment. The next ranch over to the east of us is for sale. I've asked him about buying some of the land that adjoins this ranch, but he won't split it up. It's all or nothing and I'm not sure I want to borrow enough to buy the whole thing. That'd be a big undertaking, too. His ranch is almost as big as this one, so I'd have to hire more men and it would be a lot more work. I'm not sure I'm ready for that."
"I understand. You're right, it would be a big undertaking."
"Yep. It sure would be nice to have the extra space for the breeding program, but I'm just not sure I want that much more ––"
When he paused, Sam offered, "More land to plant and harvest, more buildings to maintain, more cattle to feed and get to market, more men to be boss cowboy to?"
He looked over at her, smiling. "Yes, more of all that stuff. There's a nice house on that ranch, but I don't really need it. I'm good here. If I buy the ranch I'll be buying it for the land and I'll give the house to Carol. She got the house in Connecticut and she insists she's good with that. She never cared all that much for the ranch, but I never felt totally comfortable with that. The ranch is worth more than the house she got. So if I buy it I figure I'll give it to her and she can use it as a vacation home."
"That's a good idea. Have you said anything to her about it?"
"No. I'm not at all sure I'm going to buy it."
"I won't say anything to her either then."
"Thanks."
Once their horses were taken care of, Trevor led Sam into the main house. He went to the living room and sat Sam down on the couch. He paced in front of her a bit, not saying a word, which worried her. "Trevor?"
He heard the question in her voice and turned to look at her. He sighed and asked, "Sam, we talked about this a little bit out there, but you know you're getting spanked; right?"
"Yes."
"What will you be getting spanked for?"
"For not listening to you when you said to stay here."
"Have we talked about you not doing what I tell you to do for your safety?"
"Yes. I'm sorry."
"Are you?" He looked at her and studied her intently for several seconds. "Sam, as happy as I am that you were there for Grant, I'm very concerned. You didn't listen to me again and although it turned out good, you could have gotten hurt badly tonight. We've talked about your failure to consider your safety before. You've gotten spanked for it in the past. So please explain to me why I shouldn't go upstairs and get my frat paddle to try to make my point this time."
Sam looked up, pure shock on her face. She already had tears behind her eyes she'd been fighting and she quickly lost that battle. They started streaming down her cheeks, but she bravely swiped them away and squared her shoulders. She looked up at Trevor and said, "Please don't do that. That thought terrifies me and I've already been terrified once tonight."
Trevor felt like a heel. His fear for what could have happened was overriding his clear thinking. As much as he wanted to, though, he couldn't just give in and go to her and take her in his arms like he wanted to. She had to learn to listen to him. He didn't have to terrify her to do it, but he had to get through to her somehow.
Before he could say anything Sam again wiped her eyes and said, "Trevor, I need to tell you something. I know you don't think I get that you're trying to protect me, and to be honest, I may not have before, but I do now. There were two reasons I went out there tonight. One I will admit was because I love everything about ranching and I plain wanted to be out there. But the second one, the one that kept jumping into my head and I couldn't ignore, is because I was worried about you."
"About me?"
"Yes. I've seen stampeding cattle and I knew that if they stampeded you'd need all the help you could get. I know it's quite possible to get hurt, but Dad's told me a bunch of times what to and not to do if you encounter stampeding cattle and I've been through it before. I kn
ow you have, too and know what to do and you're quite capable. You're a good rancher. But I wasn't as worried about me getting hurt as I was about you getting hurt because of not having enough hands to handle the cattle. If you don't have enough men to handle it, it becomes more dangerous for each of you and I knew that. So since I'd been through it before I thought I could help and lessen the chances of any of you getting hurt."
"You've experienced a stampede?"
"Several of them over the years. So now when you say you want to protect me, I do understand what you're saying. I wanted to protect you and your three men."
"But Sam ––"
She stood as she said, "Wait, please, let me finish. I admit my thinking that I was safer than I was might have been off, but the point I'm trying to make here is that I felt I had to go to try to help. I would have felt terrible if I didn't go and one or more of you were hurt because you were short handed. So yes, I admit I didn't listen to you again and I will take a spanking if you feel I need one, but I need you to understand how I felt tonight. And when you say you want to protect me, I think I understand better now how you feel." That said, she dissolved into tears and he could see her trembling again.
Trevor took her in his arms and sat down, bringing her down on his lap. He laid her head against his chest and rested his head on hers, while he made sure his arms were wrapped tightly around her. "Sshh, Honey, it's okay. It's all right, Honey. I understand how you felt tonight. Thank you for telling me." He held her until she calmed.
When she had, she quietly asked, "Trevor?"
"Yes, Sweetheart?"
"Are you going to get your paddle?"
"No. Honey, I'm sorry. I didn't know you had any idea how to handle a stampede and I about went crazy with worry. That was wrong. All I want to do tonight is hold you. I want to cherish you. I want to make sure you know how much I love you."
"But you're not going to use the paddle?"
"No, Sweetie, I'm not. I will probably still spank you, but it won't be with the paddle and it won't be tonight."
"Tomorrow night?"
"I honestly don't know. I need to calm down and think this whole thing through. I still think you need to learn to listen to me when I'm trying to keep you safe, but I understand why you went tonight. For right now, though, I know what I want." He tightened his hold on her and kissed the top of her head. "Unless you object?"
"No, no, no objections here." After a couple minutes of leaning against him, taking comfort from his arms around her, she quietly said, "Thank you. I really need this tonight."
"So do I. I just didn't know how much."
They watched a movie together and then he walked her down to her guesthouse and said good night.
On Sundays Sam usually fixed breakfast. Sometimes Consuela ate with them and sometimes she'd leave early and spend the day with a friend. On this Sunday Consuela shared breakfast with them and heard all about last night's events. With concern, she said, "Miss Sam, I didn't know you were that good on a horse or with a gun. It is good you could go to help them. Poor Grant must have been scared."
Trevor and Sam both were quiet for a while. Consuela asked, "What did I say wrong?"
Sam smiled and looked at Trevor. "You didn't say anything wrong, Consuela. I'm glad you feel that way. So do I. Thank you."
Consuela didn't understand what she said, but she saw Trevor's expression and knew he didn't feel the same way. She wisely stayed quiet, watching them as they were both deep in thought. She finished eating and said, "My friend will be here any minute. You two have a good day."
As Trevor helped Sam do the dishes he said, "I feel like going for a ride. You interested?"
"I'm very interested."
He led her to the barn with his hand gently on her back and she once again thought about how much she likes the little things like that that he did.
At the barn he put her saddle on Lady, like always. While she started buckling it on he put his saddle on Thunder. She said, "You don't have to do that for me, you know, but thank you."
"I know and you're welcome."
"I'm capable of putting my own saddle on my horse."
"I know you are. I also know it's got to be easier for me to do it because I'm taller. I'm working on this protective thing, you know. You say I'm overprotective and to a degree I may be. But that probably won't change much. I may try to live with some things, like letting you go riding alone sometimes, especially now that I've seen how capable you are. But I'll still be concerned while you're out there without me."
Sam looked over at her cowboy, surprised. "You have thought about this, haven't you?"
"Of course I have. I told you I would."
"So does this mean you'll let me go riding alone sometimes?"
With a resigned shrug of his shoulders he said, "As long as you follow my rules, yes, I will." With a grin he added, "But not today."
"Why not today?"
"Because I want to go together today."
"So do I," she said, returning his smile.
As they started out across the pasture he said, "I want to talk to you today. I've been doing a lot of thinking. But as long as you'll agree to my rules, you can go riding alone when you want to."
"Thank you. What are the rules?"
"You always tell me you're going before you go, not after you get back, for one."
"Okay."
"Tell me where you're going."
"Why?"
"So if your horse throws a shoe and you're not able to ride her back I have an idea which end of this ranch to start looking on."
"Okay, that makes sense, too. Anything else?"
"You take a gun with you if you're going very far out."
"Okay. What else?"
"You take a fully-charged phone with you."
"Okay. Anything else?"
"No. Mainly I want you to tell me before you go and listen if I say no."
"Why would you say no?"
"Mainly weather. Storms come up quick around here and can bring flash floods, among other things. If you do get caught out somewhere in a storm go to the nearest line shack and call me. Do you understand?"
"Yeah."
"Okay. That takes care of that. There are two other things I want to talk to you about. First, you want to do more around the ranch. Do you still feel that way?"
"Yes. I miss doing things like I did at home."
"After giving it a lot of thought I'm okay with trying some things, but I'd like to take it slow. For starters I'd like to let you help do things when I'm there."
"Okay, but are you going to let me do anything or will I basically be there to watch you do it all? Don't get me wrong, I'd like that, too, but will I just be watching you?"
"No. For instance, I go out periodically to check the cattle in the far pastures. I usually go personally and I take one or two hands with me. You can be one of those hands."
"What are you checking for; make sure the cattle all look okay, there's none injured or any carcasses around, like a cat or bear's been around?"
"Yeah and check the fences. I try to do a rough head count, make sure no one's been helping themselves to my cattle."
"Okay, I can help with that. What else?"
"We'll just take it day by day. But there is one thing."
"What's that?"
"The bookkeeping has to come first. I really need you to do that. I've proven I can't do it, or the ordering."
She laughed as she said, "I understand completely. I'll make sure it's all caught up before I go out on the ranch to do anything. And thank you, Trevor, for letting me do more."
"You're okay with starting slow?"
"Yes, I am. I'd like to do a bunch, but I understand your position. I'm willing to take it slow. It's meant the world to me just living on a ranch again."
He pulled his horse in and stopped by a pond. Quickly dismounting, he helped Sam off and led the horses to a tree to tie them, giving them lots of room to graze. He took her hand and led her down closer
to the pond. He sat down in a clearing nearby and pulled her down in front of him. He pulled her close, her back next to his chest, with his arms around her waist.
She laid her head back against his chest and sighed. "This is wonderful, Trevor. It's beautiful here and so peaceful. I don't think I've ever seen this pond, have I?"
"Probably not. It's quite a ways from the barn. Those woods right over on the other side of the pond are the edge of my land. About half of the woods is mine and half is The Winding Creek's."
They sat for a while, both content just to be with each other. Eventually she asked, "Are there any fish in this pond?"
"There used to be. I used to come here fishing when I was a kid. Why did you ask; do you fish?"
"I love to fish, but that doesn't necessarily mean I'm good at it."
"Huh."
"What?"
"I didn't take you to be into fishing."
"I love it. Do you still fish?"
"You know, that's a good question. I haven't been in a long time, not since I took over the ranch."
"We should go sometime."
"Yes, we should," he said as he got up. "And there's no time like the present."
"What are you talking about?"
"I used to keep fishing poles and tackle in this line shack right up here. As a matter of fact, that's why we put this line shack here. It's close to the pond. We keep it stocked with canned foods, but if someone spends the night here they can go try and catch some fresh fish for supper if they want."
"Good idea."
"I thought so. Let's see if the fishing poles are still here."
Fifteen minutes later they both had a line in the water and they talked while they fished. They talked about fishing when they were both younger, about the pros and cons of him buying the neighboring ranch and everything in between those two topics.
An hour later, after they'd each caught two fish and released them all, Trevor said, "Before we go back there is one other thing I want to talk to you about, Sam."
She could tell by how serious he'd gotten that it was about last night. She'd been waiting all day for this talk, knowing it would happen. Now she just wanted to get it over with. She assumed he was going to spank her for not listening to him again. She was wondering if she'd rather he do it out here where no one was around that might overhear her screaming, or back at the house. The only problem with doing it out here would be having to sit her saddle to get home. As hard as his spankings were, she wasn't sure she could stand it. Like he said, they were a long way from the barn.
Count This Cowboy In Page 15