The Cowboy's Rules (Cowboys After Dark)

by Maggie Carpenter

  “She wasn’t acting like herself last night, and I just had a feeling, you know what I mean?”

  “Definitely, I know exactly what you mean,” Chad nodded.

  “I thought she might be tired from the show, but I decided to spend the night there just in case. Sure enough, she woke me up first thing.”

  “You know your horses,” Chad remarked.

  “That may be true, but I sure didn’t know some trailers were going to arrive late and block me in. I should have had it out and ready. That was stupid.”

  “Don’t be so hard on yourself, and you’d better move, Marty’s on the road.”

  “Shoot, too busy talking,” she frowned, starting the car and driving forward.

  “What’s the news?” Chad asked.

  “My better-half is thrilled at the prospect of living at the ranch. That was my only concern.”

  “That is good news,” Chad grinned. “I’ll show you the cabin when we get there. It’s small, but it’s two bedrooms, so you can turn one of them into an office if you want.”

  “That would be great. I don’t do any of that stuff, that’s up to the love of my life. I’m hopeless at accounting and bookwork and schedules and stuff.”

  “Sounds like you two are a match,” Chad remarked.

  “We are, we are such a match,” she sighed.

  “Let me tell you what I had in mind for compensation,” he began, and during the rest of the trip, outlined the details of his offer.

  By the time the trailer slowly rolled to a stop at Horse Haven Ranch, Mandy and Chad had reached an agreement, and both were delighted.

  “You can bring your other two horses over any time,” he offered, as the car pulled up behind the trailer, “and you can move in, whenever. The cabin is empty and clean and has all the basics. We can move out any furniture you don’t want, or move in more if you need it.”

  “Chad, that’s terrific. I have my last performance later this morning, so I’ll move my horses here right after that and get them settled in. I think I’ll be too tired to deal with moving myself until tomorrow, and it will take me more than a day. You know I have a lot of equipment?”

  “I figured,” he replied. “There’s a small barn we don’t use anymore. It might be perfect for all your show gear, and it has a decent tack room so you won’t have to worry about tripping over all the ranch stuff.”

  “That would be great. I have so much and I don’t want to be in anyone’s way.”

  “I’ll work it out this mornin’, make sure it’s all cleaned out. When you bring the horses over this afternoon it should be ready, and you can figure out where to put everything.”

  “Chad, thank you.”

  “You’re welcome,” he smiled.

  As they stepped from the car and headed to the trailer to unload her mare, Mandy let out an unexpected squeal

  “I’m so excited,” she suddenly exclaimed, hugging Chad fiercely. “Thank you, thank you. I won’t let you down.”

  “I know you won’t. I’m excited too,” he chuckled, extricating himself from her arms.

  At the kitchen window, Cassie felt her stomach tie itself up in tight, uncomfortable knots. The beautiful girl was all over Chad, and deliriously happy about something. A moment later she saw Marty open the back of the trailer, and to her shock, he unloaded a horse

  Shit. She’s brought her horse here.

  She watched the three of them chat for a few minutes, then Marty walked off with the horse, while Chad and Mandy started towards the back of the property. Running down the hallway to the guest bedroom, she peered out the french doors leading to the patio and saw Chad leading Mandy up to one of the cabins.

  What the hell’s going on? Is she moving in here?

  Her fears were realized when she saw Chad open the door and show her in, but it was only Chad who reappeared and headed towards the house.

  Don’t panic. You don’t know what’s happening, and don’t forget his rules stated very clearly, no romantic entanglements. He would never break his own rules.

  She hurried back to the kitchen and started cooking up some bacon and eggs, doing her best to put Mandy out of her mind and focus on how she would tell him about her conversation with Hannah.

  Just tell him exactly what happened. Don’t change anything, just tell him the truth.

  “Hey you,” Chad smiled, walking in and pulling off his coat. “Man it was a cold morning. How’s my sexy girl?”

  His good mood was contagious, and in spite of her misgivings about the beautiful girl called Mandy, she found herself surrendering to the warmth of his bear hug the moment his strong arms wrapped around her.

  “Is everything’s okay with the horse? Was it the same horse I saw being unloaded?” she asked, hoping she was adequately masking her insecurity.

  “Yes, the mare will be fine, but the Doc wanted her in a paddock, and since Mandy will be movin’ here I figured she may as well bring her right over,” Chad replied, sitting at the table and reaching for the coffee pot. “I think the bacon’s done.”

  “Oh, sh-shoot,” Cassie stammered, changing the word just in time.

  “That was a good catch,” Chad chuckled, as he watched her hurry to the stove.

  “She’s moving here?” Cassie asked, trying to keep her voice casual.

  “Yep. She’ll be part of the team to start, takin’ Hannah’s place, but I’m hopin’ she’ll be able to take over my show. She’ll be bringin’ her horses this afternoon and movin’ all her stuff here over the next couple of days.”

  “Wow, how did you find her so fast?” she asked, hating the news.

  “It wasn’t fast, I’ve known Mandy for years,” he declared, sipping the coffee. “This is good, what’d you do to it?”

  “Just added some cinnamon when it was brewing,” she replied. “What were you saying about hiring Mandy?” she pressed, wanting to garner as much information as she could.

  “Just that I’ve been thinkin’ about this for a while. The timin’ seems right, oh, and Marty will be takin’ you and Rembrandt to the show this mornin’. I need to stay here and get things ready for her.”

  Cassie grit her teeth.

  “Oh, why is that?” she asked, swallowing the desire to demand to know why Mandy had suddenly become his priority.

  “She has a lot of equipment, and there’s a barn I need to organize for her. Have to get it cleaned out, any repairs done. The boys will be doing most of the work, but I have to get them started. Once I’m done I’ll come to the show. I should be able to catch your afternoon classes.”

  “You won’t make it in time to have some lunch together?” she asked, disappointment washing through her heart.

  “Not today. I’m not sure what time I’ll get there, but your last class is around three-o’clock, right?”

  “Yes,” she sighed.

  “If I can’t make it sooner, I’ll be there for that, and I’ll bring the trailer so we can come back together.”

  “That would be good,” she replied, forcing a smile.

  “That coffee hit the spot, I’m gonna wash up. I’ll be back in a tick.”

  “Chad, before you go, I need to tell you something,” she declared dramatically.

  “What’s that?” he asked, detecting a note of anxiety in her voice.

  “Please don’t be mad,” she began, “but I ran into Hannah in the barn. It was completely by accident.”

  “Why would I be mad about that? If you didn’t know she was gonna be there-”

  “That’s not it, I mean, that’s not why you might be mad,” she interrupted.

  “Okay,” he said, sitting down at the breakfast table, “tell me the rest.”

  “She said she couldn’t talk to me,” Cassie began, nervously sitting opposite him, “but I told her that no-one would know. She said she’d learned her lesson and didn’t want to get into anymore trouble and I realized she was right, and I was being stupid, so I apologized and left her alone, and that was that. I’m sorry, Chad.”
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  “I see. Thank you for tellin’ me all that. Do you feel guilty?”

  “Yes, very. I feel guilty for thinking the way I did, trying to get away with something, and even more guilty for pressuring her.”

  “You know I’ll have to punish you,” he declared, fixing her with a scolding gaze.

  “Yes,” she replied, dropping her eyes.

  “But if you hadn’t told me, when the truth came out I would have been very disappointed, and your punishment would have been much more severe. I really do appreciate you doin’ the right thing.”

  “Thank you, Chad,” she said quietly. “Are you going to spank me again?”

  “Of course, and you’ll feel better for it, but don’t worry, it won’t be too hard. I have a different kind of punishment in mind for you.”

  “What?”

  “You’ll find out later,” he promised, standing up. “I’ll spank you after breakfast, and that extra something will happen tonight. Now come here and get a hug.”

  Rising to her feet, she fell against his chest.

  “I’m sorry,” she murmured. “I’m trying.”

  “Hey, you did good. You told me. Rome wasn’t built in a day.”

  “I love it when you hold me,” she sighed.

  “Me too,” he replied gently, “I’m gonna wash up now. You finish makin’ that breakfast. I’m starvin’ and it smells delicious.”

  He kissed her softly, and she watched him turn and stride away.

  I really am falling totally in love with you, she thought, and turned her attention back to the burning bacon.

  Standing outside the door of his cabin, Marty was mulling over the news Jeb had just relayed. Hannah had done the right thing and he was proud of her, but it had fed his doubts about the length of her sentence.

  A couple of days is definitely not enough, and I’ve gotta tan her butt again, but I’ve gotta ponder this a bit.

  Pushing through the door, he found her standing at the stove frying up some sausages and hash browns.

  “Hi, did everything work out okay?” she asked, smiling at him.

  “Yep, mare’s fine, brought her back here as a matter of fact.”

  “Marty, something happened this morning,” she said quickly. “Cassandra came down to the barn and tried to talk to me. I turned her down flat, I swear, but I wanted you to know.”

  “I believe you,” he sighed.

  Not only had she done the right thing at the time, she’d told him the minute he’d walked in the door.

  “Why don’t you clean up?” she suggested. “I’ll have your breakfast on the table in just a couple of minutes.”

  But Marty didn’t move. He couldn’t.

  Hannah was standing with her back to the window, and the sun’s light was creating a golden aura around her. She looked like an angel, and her gentle curves amplified by the light, seemed to beckon his touch.

  “Marty? Are you feeling all right?”

  “Yep,” he replied, swallowing hard. “I feel better than all right,” and suddenly striding forward, he grabbed her around the waist, planted his lips on hers, and kissed her with a fervor he’d never felt in his life.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  During breakfast, Cassie had prepared herself for the spanking Chad had promised. It wasn’t a surprise, she knew when she’d confessed her crime it would be inevitable, just as she had known it would have been much worse had she not told him, but she was not expecting the accompanying edict.

  He had led her to the bedroom, instructed her to pull down her jeans and lay herself over his lap, all of which she had dutifully done, but once settled he issued his unanticipated decree.

  “I’m gonna start spankin’ you, Cassie, and you’re gonna tell me when you think you’ve been sufficiently punished.”

  “What? I don’t understand,” she wriggled.

  “It’s perfectly simple,” he stated. “You know what you did, and what was in your heart at the time, so when you think I’ve spanked you long enough you’ll let me know.”

  “But…”

  “You can give yourself some leniency because you did tell me right away, but bear in mind, if I think you’ve called a halt too soon I’ll have to add some very hard swats to make up for it,” he warned. “Are you ready?”

  “I’m confused,” she bleated.

  “No, you’re not, you just don’t wanna do it.”

  “I don’t know if I can,” she groaned.

  “Of course you can, and you will,” he finished, slapping his hand on her waiting bottom.

  “Okay!” she exclaimed. “I will!”

  Her skin carried faded signs of his previous handiwork, and as his palm rose and fell, covering the width and breadth of her backside, he settled into an easy rhythm.

  Knowing a drawn out spanking would bring her to a heightened state of arousal, he didn’t lay down the smacks with a great degree of force, wanting the cumulative affects of his slaps to create the sting. It took a few minutes for her squirming to start, and as the gyrations increased, he spied the glistening pussy dew shining between her legs. Upping the intensity of his slaps, he finally elicited her cries of contrition.

  “I think that’s enough,” she stammered. “I’m really sorry.”

  “I agree, and I’m proud of you,” he replied, running his hand over her reddened behind. “Two hard ones to finish.”

  Raising his hand, he slapped down with energy, quickly repeating the smack on her opposite cheek, drawing a wail of pain and a vigorous wiggle, but slipping his fingers to touch inside her velvet slit brought a wriggle of a different kind, and her moans of complaint became moans of pleasure.

  While his thumb gently massaged her clit, he slid his middle finger into her hungry cavern, pleasuring her until she was groaning with need.

  “Oooh, Chad, that feels so good. I’m getting really close,” she mewed.

  “Let me know when you’re right on the edge,” he said softly, and rubbed more aggressively.

  “That’s, that’s, oh, Chad, I’m there-”

  Instantly his hand fell away.

  “No more for now,” he declared. “We’ll pick this up tonight.”

  “But, Chad,” she pleaded, “you can’t leave me hanging.”

  “Yes, I can, and I have, there’s more than one way to punish a naughty girl.”

  “What?”

  “No takin’ matters into your own hands,” he warned. “Promise me.”

  “I promise,” she groaned, wiggling her crotch against his leg.

  “Stop that!” he barked, smacking her quickly.

  “Ouch, okay, it’s not easy,” she complained.

  “Time to take yourself to the barn and get Rembrandt ready,” he declared.

  “I guess you’re right,” she sighed, struggling off his lap and pulling up her jeans.

  “How do you feel?” he asked, standing up and wrapping his arms around her.

  “It’s weird, I feel better. I don’t feel so guilty anymore.”

  “I’m glad to hear it,” he replied, and lowering his head, dropped his lips on to hers, kissing her warmly.

  “Chad,” she said softly, “can I ask you something?”

  “Of course, you can ask me anything.”

  “Two things, actually. I don’t know how to ask you the first, but it’s about Mandy. You two seem really friendly, is she like, an ex or something?”

  “No,” he chucked, “not even close, and just so we’re clear, you have nothin’ to worry about,” he promised.

  “She’s gorgeous,” Cassie sighed.

  “Not as gorgeous as you,” he smiled. “What’s the other question?”

  “It’s silly,” she mumbled.

  “Come on, out with it. We’re runnin’ out of time.”

  “If someone did something wrong a long time ago but still felt guilty, if she was punished for it would the guilt would go away?”

  “Possibly,” he answered slowly. “Since we both know it’s you we’re talkin’ about, yo
u can tell me all about it later tonight, but only if you want,” he said gently.

  “I’ll think about it,” she murmured.

  “It’s probably not as bad as you remember,” he offered reassuringly.

  “I'll think about it,” she repeated.

  “You do that, now you’d better get movin’,” he declared. “You don’t wanna be late for your trainer. I’m sure he’ll want a decent warm up before the first class.”

  “Yes, he will, and Shelby and I need it,” she nodded, and pecking him on the cheek, headed out of the room.

  The episode had left Chad with a massive hard-on, and locking himself in his bathroom, imagining the luscious things he would be doing with her that night, he brought himself to a quick, satisfying release.

  I can’t believe I’ll be drivin’ her home in a couple of days, he thought, leaning against the wall, enjoying the residual tingles from his climax. How the hell is all this gonna work itself out?

  He washed himself up, and was heading out of the bedroom when he saw his notepad and pen laying on the bedside table. Puzzled, he picked it up to put away but noticed some sketches, and they weren’t of his making. Page after page of unique jewelry designs revealed themselves, all horse related, many sporting the nose-to-nose vision Cassie had shared with him. Sitting on the edge of the bed he studied them carefully, and to his delight he discovered the last few pages were blouses and jeans, upon which the horse-heart logo was strategically placed.

  Well, isn’t this something? What a talented girl you are, Miss Cassandra Davidson. Real talented.

  Cassie had arrived at the barn, finding Marty in the process of moving Dominic out of his stall and into the paddock. He barely acknowledged her as she entered, and seemed in a bad mood, or at the very least preoccupied. As she put on Rembrandt’s halter and led him to the grooming area, Marty returned, stopped at the door and stared at the ground.

  “Cassie, there’s something I’ve gottaa take care of,” he suddenly announced. “I’ll be back in a little while.”

  “Sure, fine,” she called back. “I’ll be here.”

  Puzzled, she watched him turn and march quickly away.

  “Shoot, I hope Hannah’s not in more trouble,” she whispered to Rembrandt.