“But, Cord is a man.”
Jenna grinned. “Yep, I’ve noticed that part!”
Cassie had just taken a sip of her soda and started choking. When she quit coughing, she shook her head. “You’re so bad; I see why Cord says you need spanked daily!”
“He what?”
Cassie laughed. “I was only joking!”
Jenna gave a relieved sigh and leaned back in her chair.
“Actually, he said you need to be spanked twice a day.”
“Cassie!” Jenna growled, then looked up and smiled when the waitress set their sandwiches in front of them.
“I hear your horses were poisoned,” Cassie said, looking up at Jenna.
Her eyes flew up. “I don’t think the test results on the feed are back yet.”
Cassie nodded. “Cord got the report. He didn’t know I was listening while he called the Sheriff about it. According to him, your horses were definitely poisoned,” Cassie enlightened her.
Jenna felt a shiver of dread go through her. There were too many unexplained things going on at the T Bar Ranch lately, and she couldn’t help but wonder what else had happened that Cord was keeping from her. She was going to have to talk to him; she was tired of his overprotectiveness. After all, it was her ranch; she had a right to know. She didn’t look forward to the confrontation.
The girls lingered as long as possible over lunch, but finally Cassie had to return to the Lazy C. Jenna wandered around town, finally stopping at the used bookstore to stock up on something to read. An hour later, she was carrying a bag of books, heading for her car, when Lyle Southworth stepped out of a doorway.
“Are you ready to sell yet, little lady?” he asked as he puffed on his cigar.
Jenna’s temper blew, “You little sleazebag! I told you before. I’m not selling. And you better not have anything to do with the accidents happening on my ranch, or I guarantee you’ll be sorry!”
He sputtered, “Now, how can you accuse me of something that’s caused by your mismanagement? A ranch isn’t something a woman should be trying to run, especially a big-city girl that knows nothing about it! Maybe you should look a little closer to home for your culprit.”
Jenna glared at him. “Just stay away from me and my ranch! I’m not selling, and that’s final!”
His eyes narrowed, “Just so you know, little lady… Each week that goes by, my offer goes down.” He grinned evilly. “Pretty soon, you’ll be giving me that ranch!”
Her laughter held no humor. “I’d burn it to the ground before I’d ever let you have it!” She shouldered her way past him and hurried to her car.
He stood watching her walk away with a scowl on his face. “You’ll be sorry you talked to me that way,” he mumbled, then turned and hurried down the street.
Chapter Seven
Early the next morning, Jenna was in the barn when Nevin and Terrell walked in.
“You’re up early,” Nevin told her with a smile. Then the smile slid off his face when he noticed the saddled mare behind her. “What’s going on, Jenna?”
She smiled sweetly. “I’ve decided that I need to learn how to run this ranch.”
Nevin frowned as he watched her put her foot in the stirrup and swing her leg over the side of the horse. “Does Cord know about this?”
Jenna smiled grimly down at him. “Cord doesn’t own this ranch. I do.”
“But, you and Cord are getting married!” Terrell reminded her.
She shook her head in disgust. “Nothing is definite about that. And, even if we do get married down the line, he has his hands full with the Lazy C. The T Bar is mine, and it’s going to stay that way!”
“Fine, let’s go then,” Nevin climbed onto his horse.
Jenna felt pleased with herself as she followed them up the hillside. It was fascinating to watch the men deftly rope the calves and place ear tags on them.
“Here, Jenna. You try it.” Nevin told her, and then he handed her a lariat.
Her eyes were wide when she took the offered rope from him. She bit her lip, trying to mimic what she’d seen them do, only to burst out laughing when it landed only a matter of inches from her horse. Nevin showed her how to do it right. She spent the rest of the afternoon practicing, and they all whooped and cheered when she finally roped a calf. Jenna was happy, but tired and sore, when they finally returned to the ranch. She should’ve done this weeks ago!
She was sitting at the table drinking a glass of iced tea when she heard a vehicle arriving. She knew even before she looked out the window that it was Cord. She felt a shudder go through her, as she watched him slam the pickup door and stalk toward the house. Taking a deep breath, she headed for the door.
“Hi, Cord. What brings you out so late? Come on into the kitchen, and I’ll pour you a glass of iced tea,” she offered nervously.
Leaning against the sink, he watched as she grabbed a tray of ice from the freezer, and then the jug of tea out of the refrigerator.
“Do you want to tell me why you disobeyed my orders and went out with the men today?” he demanded.
She poured the tea into a glass, and then set the jug down on the counter. Turned toward him with her hands on her hips; her eyes shot angry sparks. “This is my ranch; you don’t have the right to tell me what I can and can’t do on it!”
“You’re my fiancée. That gives me the right!” he snarled.
“I’m not your damn fiancée! I wouldn’t marry you if you were the last man on earth!” Overcome with outrage, Jenna grabbed the glass of tea and flung the contents at him. She watched, mesmerized, as it splashed down the front of his shirt, and then the ice cubes fell to the floor with a thud. All was silent for a moment, as she realized what a foolish thing she’d done.
When he took a step toward her, she quickly took a step backwards. “Cord… I’m sorry… please! No! Stay away from me!” But the look on his face told her she was in big trouble.
Scooping her up in his arms, he crossed over to the table where he pulled out a chair and sat on it. Jenna quickly found herself staring at the linoleum floor while he yanked her shorts and panties down to her knees and started landing hard swats on her upturned cheeks. Her feet scissored, and she yelped, as he lectured her on her temper. She knew he wasn’t spanking her as hard as he could have, but it still stung like crazy.
As much as she tried not to cry, she had tears on her face when he finally stood her up and straightened her clothing before setting her on his lap.
She leaned against him and whispered, “Cord, I’m sorry. It’s just that you make me so mad that I do things without thinking.”
“That’s the whole problem, honey. You have to start thinking,” he advised. “Now, let’s go back to the beginning of our conversation. Do you want to tell me why you disobeyed my orders and went out with the men today?”
“Cord, I tried telling you before that I want to do more than just sit at the computer all day long and keep the ranch books. It’s so exciting that Uncle Tim left me this ranch, and I want to experience what ranching is! Today, when I went out with the men, I had more fun than I’ve ever had before. I even roped a calf,” she told him excitedly. She didn’t tell him how long she had to practice to do it, or that it must have been sheer luck because she wasn’t able to do it again.
He looked at her animated face thoughtfully; maybe he had been a bit overprotective with her. “I’ll tell you what, Jenna. If you promise that you’ll only go out into the hills with the men, then I’ll tell Nevin that it’s fine with me. But, the first time I find out that you’ve wandered up there by yourself, then you and I are going to tangle. There’s been too many strange things going on around here lately, and I worry about you.”
Jenna looked up at him and frowned. “Cord, why didn’t you tell me my horses had been poisoned?”
“Honey, I just found out about it myself. I called the Sheriff to get his opinion on it, and to see if it was happening to anyone else.”
“Is it?”
He sh
ook his head, “Your ranch is the only one.”
“Cord, how well do you know Lyle Southworth?”
She closed her eyes at the sound of his deep, humorless chuckle; it made her tingle clear down to her toes.
“More than I care to.”
“Do you think he’d be capable of it?” she queried.
He thought for a few seconds, “I wouldn’t put anything past him. Why? Is he still bothering you?”
Jenna nodded, “It seems like every time I turn around, he’s there. He’s constantly telling me to sell the ranch to him.” She looked up at him.
“There’s a way to get him to leave you alone, but I don’t think you’ll want to go along with it,” he told her.
“What? I’ll do just about anything to get him to leave me alone!”
“Agree to marry me,” he advised her in a silky tone.
She groaned. “Cord!”
“Look, honey, hear me out. When Lyle hears about our engagement, then he’ll probably lose interest in your ranch. He’ll realize that since the Lazy C is a family owned ranch, it’d be logical that you and I would live here on the T Bar. I’ll even make you a deal. If you become engaged to me, I’ll cancel the wedding plans I’ve made, and you and I can make our plans together. They’ll be whenever you want, up to a year from now. I won’t wait any longer than that to make you my wife.”
Jenna stared at him for a minute. She did love him, and if she agreed to be engaged to him, then she wouldn’t have to worry about that sleazy Lyle, or the widow trying to get her fangs into Cord.
“Please, Jenna?” he added.
“I’ve got one condition,” she murmured.
“What is it?”
“That you won’t ever spank me again,” she blurted out.
He shook his head, stood up and lifted her out of her chair. “I’m sorry, honey, but I can’t agree to that.” His arms circled around her, pulling her up against his hard body. “You know you deserved those spankings I gave you, and you’re lucky I’m such a nice guy because I’ve decided not to spank you for upsetting Reverend McCullough.”
“Cord, the thing that made me so mad was that you had no right to make plans without my knowledge. Yes, I was rude to Reverend McCullough, and I apologized to him for it. But, you have to realize how I felt with everyone telling me we were getting married, when you hadn’t even mentioned it to me,” she told him adamantly. “You know, a girl does like to be asked, not told!”
He held her tightly for a few minutes before answering, “Jenna, I apologize. I guess I jumped the gun a bit. I took your virginity and assumed we’d get married. You’re right, honey, I should have asked you first.”
She couldn’t believe what she’d just heard. Did Cord just admit he’d been wrong? “I think I deserve some kind of compensation,” she told him, with a grin.
His hand moved up to rub lazy circles on her back. “What kind of compensation?”
She leaned closer into him, loving the feel of his hard body against her soft one. “I think I should have a month free of any spankings.”
His laughter rang out. “Nice try, honey! But I’m a package deal. You get me; you get the spankings. I do try to be fair, though. I won’t spank you hard unless you deserve it. Just don’t do anything naughty, and you’ll be fine.”
Her heart thudded, as she looked up into his face. “I can think of something naughty we can do in the next few minutes.”
He shook his head. “That’s not going to happen again until our wedding night.”
She gasped, “You’re joking! Right?”
“I’m dead serious, Jenna. I’m not making love to you again until you’re wearing my ring.”
“But if you give me an engagement ring, then I’ll be wearing your ring,” she countered.
“I have a ring for you at the ranch; I’ll bring it over later. But, that doesn’t count, honey. If you don’t want to wait, then I guess you better decide on a date pretty soon, huh?” He placed a quick kiss on her lips and then turned to go to his truck.
Jenna watched him leave with a frown. If he really thought he wasn’t going to make love to her again until she had his ring on her finger, then he had a big surprise coming! She wanted to wait at least six months before she married him, but she wasn’t about to wait that long to have him in her bed again. She grinned—maybe she’d have to seduce him, but it sure would be fun!
When Cord returned, she was sitting on the porch drinking a glass of lemonade. Climbing up the steps, he whistled through his teeth when she stood up. She was wearing a form-fitting black jumpsuit, its low cleavage prominently displaying her ample bust, and he felt his body tightening in response.
“You bend over in that thing, and you’ll fall out,” he growled.
Jenna grinned, and then walked into his arms. She plastered her body against his and raised her mouth up for a kiss. When her tongue entered his mouth, he groaned, pushing her away after only a few seconds. She leaned forward and placed tiny kisses down the side of his neck, and then she nibbled on his earlobe.
Cord reached out and gave her a bottom a hard smack. “I know what you’re doing, young lady, and it’s not going to work. Now, behave!”
She giggled, and then sat back down in her chair; she knew she was getting to him. She’d felt the bulge in his jeans when she’d pressed herself up against him. She wondered how long he could hold out. Hopefully, not very long.
Jenna watched as Cord dropped to one knee in front of her. He popped open the lid of the little velvet box he was holding, and then smiled at her. “Jenna, will you do me the honor of marrying me?”
She looked at the sparkling diamond solitaire, and then her gaze went up to roam lovingly over his face. She wanted nothing more than to spend the rest of her life with him, and he was willing to give her time to adjust to the idea.
“Yes, Cord. I’ll marry you!” she replied, and then threw her arms around his neck.
He chuckled. “Let’s put this ring on your finger, and then I’ll kiss the hell out of you!”
Jenna held out her hand, her eyes filled with tears while she watched him slowly slide it on. Still holding her hand, he stood and pulled her into his arms. Their mouths met, tongues twining and she clung eagerly to him. His hand roamed down her back, and then over the fullness of her bottom, before slowly moving back up.
“Cord, please!” she begged. She needed more.
He took a deep breath, as he pulled away from her. “I think I’d better go,” he told her, his eyes fastened on the roundness of her cleavage. He muttered a curse under his breath, turned around, and headed for his truck. Jenna grinned when she sat down on the porch swing and watched him drive away. She was getting to him! It shouldn’t be much longer before he gave in!
* * * *
The next morning, Jenna was nearly going crazy from the constant ringing of the telephone. Apparently, everyone in town had heard about their engagement, and were all calling to congratulate them. She thought about taking the phone off the hook, but she didn’t want to miss a call from Cord. After a while, she headed for the barn.
Jenna saddled Lady, and then led her out of the barn. Her gaze longingly fell on the hillside; she was hoping she’d see one of her men around, so she could ride out with him. She really wanted to ride the range with them again today, but after remembering Cord’s warning, she headed for the stream instead.
She was ambling along the babbling water, when suddenly she heard a loud sound that resembled a car backfiring. Lady reared up and Jenna found herself sliding off her back. She landed in a heap on the hard ground. It took a few seconds for her to catch her breath, and by then, Lady was running toward the ranch.
She stood up, and after gingerly taking a few steps, was relieved to find she hadn’t broken any bones. She rubbed her sore bottom; at least, she’d landed on her butt, she thought, as she started walking toward the ranch house.
It didn’t take long before she realized that she’d followed the stream further than she’d th
ought. She looked at her watch and cursed under her breath when she realized it was past noon. The men would be arriving back any minute, and they’d get worried when they found Lady. She knew the first thing they’d do would be to call Cord. He wasn’t going to be very happy with her. Her gaze went to her ring, she’d only been engaged for one day, and was probably already in trouble. That must be some kind of record, she thought wryly.
Jenna heard the sound of horses before she actually saw them. Cord was off his horse and had her in his arms before she could even blink. She wrapped her arms around him, loving the feeling of being safe.
“Are you okay, honey?” he asked as he looked down at her.
“I am now,” she replied and buried her head in his shirt. Now that she was in the haven of his arms, she was scared. She didn’t know if someone had shot at her back there, or maybe it was just a poacher, and he didn’t see her.
“What happened? Did Lady throw you?” Nevin asked, with amazement in his tone. The horse had never done anything like that before.
She shook her head. “I fell off her.”
Cord frowned and lifted her into his arms. “Let’s get you back to the ranch, and then we’ll talk.” He helped her up on his horse and climbed behind her. His sinewy arms surrounded her, holding her against his hard body. He had a feeling there was more to this than what she was saying now.
When they reached the ranch, Cord lifted Jenna into his arms and carried her into the house. She thought he’d set her down once they arrived in her living room, but instead he sat on the sofa and placed her on his lap.
“Now I want the truth, Jenna. What happened out there?”
She didn’t want to tell him because she knew he was going to become even more protective than he’d been before. “Cord, nothing happened. I just fell off Lady.”
Tears started rolling down her cheeks, and she flung her arms around his neck. She’d just lied to the man she loved. What kind of relationship could they have, if she was lying to him already? And, she was scared; she didn’t know what was going on.
“I’m sorry,” she cried, hugging him tightly. “I just lied to you, Cord.”
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