He let out the breath he didn’t know he’d been holding. “Talk to me, honey. I won’t be mad that you lied to me, if you tell me the truth now.” He tucked a long strand of hair behind her ear while his fingers gently traced her jaw line.
She dipped her head and kissed his fingers, and then took a deep breath. When she finished her story, she looked up at him. “Are you mad at me?”
“I’m not angry with you, honey.” Cord was furious, but not at her. “You went out by yourself, and that deserves a spanking, but we’ll deal with that later. I’m more concerned over finding out who’s stirring up trouble around here.”
He heated up a can of soup and slapped together a couple of sandwiches for them while silently making plans. After placing the dishes in the dishwasher, she gave him a wan smile, “If you don’t mind, I think I’ll go lie down for a while.” She was starting to feel the jarring her body had taken in the fall.
“I think that’s a great idea. You go rest, honey,” he told her, gently patting her bottom.
Jenna knew that he was going to check out the area, and for once, she was more than willing to place her problems onto his wide shoulders. She grabbed a thin blanket from the closet and pulled it over herself on the sofa, and drifted into a deep sleep.
* * * *
Cord and Nevin walked toward the Sheriff’s car when they saw him arriving. “What’s the problem, Cord?” asked the Sheriff, shutting his door and coming over to them.
“Too many strange things are going on here, Jack,” Cord told him. He held out his hand and showed him the empty shells they’d found, as he explained about Jenna being thrown from her horse earlier.
Sheriff Jack frowned. “I’d say it was too late in the morning to be poachers, although I suppose it could be a possibility. It really sounds to me like someone wants Jenna to give up the ranch and leave. You still thinking Lyle’s behind this?”
Cord nodded. “I just wish I could prove it.”
That evening, they sat in the gently rocking porch swing. Cord wrapped his arms around Jenna, whose head rested against his chest. She closed her eyes, listening to the birds chirping in the trees. A light breeze skimmed over her skin while the sun slowly sank behind the mountains; this was her favorite time of day.
“Jenna, I really don’t like the idea of you staying out here by yourself,” he told her.
She smiled; he’d been telling her the same thing every night. “I’ll be fine, Cord.”
“I’d feel a lot better, if you’d stay at the Lazy C for a while.”
“I’m not going to let them chase me away from my home, Cord.” Jenna grinned at him, batting her eyes. “But, I sure won’t object if you want to spend the night here.”
He chuckled at her antics. “I wish I could, honey, but I have a meeting early in the morning with my banker.” He lifted her off the swing and set her on her feet. She jumped, and then giggled when he lightly swatted her bottom. “Let’s go make sure the house is all locked up and secure before I go home.”
Jenna wondered why he hadn’t spanked her yet, but she sure wasn’t going to bring the subject up! From the living room window, she watched the lights of his truck disappear down the driveway. Suddenly, without his overpowering presence, the house seemed dark and scary. Maybe staying here by herself wasn’t such a great idea, she thought as she headed for her bedroom. She wanted Cord with her, even if he was spanking her!
Jenna was lying on her bed watching television when she heard the horses neighing in distress. She walked over to the window and gasped —there was a small glow from within—the barn might on fire! She grabbed her cell phone and started dialing 911, while running outside. When the operator answered, all she could say was “Fire!” before arriving at the barn and dropping the phone.
Flinging the barn doors open, she saw smoke drifting from the hay storage room, and she hurriedly grabbed a fire extinguisher off the wall. Sure enough, there were several bales on fire, and she pointed the extinguisher at it while pulling the lever. Nothing happened! It didn’t have any pressure left in it. Cursing under her breath, she tossed it to the ground and ran around the corner to grab another one. She gave a small sigh of relief when it worked, only with all the hay in the barn, the fire was spreading too fast.
Jenna could hear the horses banging against their stalls; she had to try to get them out before it was too late. She gasped when someone yelled from behind her. She turned and nearly cried when she saw Nevin standing there.
“We need to get the horses out!” he yelled. “I’ve already called Cord!”
Jenna looked at the spreading fire and nodded. She’d just reached Lady’s stall, when Cord came running through the door.
“Jenna! Get out! Nevin and I will take care of the horses!” He turned her toward the door and gave her a hard swat on the bottom.
She took one look at them and shook her head; they couldn’t get all the horses out in time by themselves. She was going to stay and help. She opened Lady’s stall and swatted her rump to get her to take off running out the door.
A cloud of smoke suddenly covered her, and she started coughing. Suddenly, strong arms lifted her up, and Cord tossed her over his shoulder. The volunteer fire department was just arriving when he ran out the door with her.
He placed her on her feet, searching her face. “Are you all right?”
At her nod, he frowned. “I have to go. This is as close as you go to the barn. Is that clear, young lady? You’re in enough trouble already, for not listening to me, and for putting yourself in danger. Believe me; you don’t want to make it any worse.”
Jenna didn’t reply. Actually, she didn’t know if she could. Her throat was sore from the smoke, but there was no way she’d ever tell Cord that. She knew he was furious at her.
She watched while the men fought the blazing fire. Luckily, the barn was far enough away that the house wasn’t in danger of catching on fire, too. She saw Cord coughing near the barn doors, and started to go to him, but when he turned and scowled at her, she scurried up to the house instead. She could get some cold drinks for the men, and she sure could use one!
Jenna bit back a sob when she carried out a tray of sandwiches, and pitchers of iced tea and lemonade. The roof of the barn had fallen in and smoke was still curling up to the sky. The men were still rushing around, trying to put out the fire. She set the tray down on the picnic table, and then went over to where she saw Cassie standing.
When Cassie saw Jenna, she ran over and hugged her. “Are you all right?” Cassie asked as she studied her face.
Jenna nodded. “Thanks to Cord, I am.”
Jenna didn’t even hear the sheriff come up behind her until he spoke. “Jenna, I’d like to ask you a few questions.”
“Sure, Sheriff Lomart. Would you mind if we sat down? My legs are feeling wobbly.”
“Of course, my dear.”
He waited until she was sitting before asking, “Did you see anything suspicious before you noticed the fire?”
Jenna shook her head. “I didn’t see anything before that.”
He took Jenna’s statement, and then went to find Cord. Jenna and Cassie headed for the kitchen to make a pot of coffee for the men. The two girls sat at the table, drinking their iced tea in silence.
Suddenly, Cassie jumped up excitedly. “Is that the ring Cord gave you?” She grabbed Jenna’s hand and stared at the sparkling diamond. “Oh, Jenna! It’s beautiful!” she gushed.
“Your brother has good taste!” Jenna told her with a smile, as she gazed down at it.
Cassie looked at Jenna. “He sure does!”
The two girls were hugging when Cord walked in with his two brothers. Jenna saw that their hair and clothes were streaked with sweat and grime.
“Did anyone get hurt? Are the horses all right?” asked Jenna.
Cord nodded. “Everything’s fine—except you need a new barn.”
“You all look like you haven’t bathed in a month!” Cassie teased her brothers.
&n
bsp; Jenna winced, and then smiled at the two young men she hadn’t seen in a while. Before she had a chance to thank them, Cord pulled her into his arms and covered her lips with his. Jenna sighed and wound her arms around his neck. She didn’t know how mad he was at her, but at least, he still wanted her. She’d get through any punishment he dished out, just as long as she knew he still loved her. When he finally pulled away, she saw that they were alone.
“Cord, I’m sorry,” she whispered, looking up at him with sad eyes.
“We’ll discuss it later, honey. Right now the important thing is that you’re all right,” he told her.
“Are you going to spank me, Cord?”
He frowned at her. “Jenna, you put your life in danger by disobeying me. Of course, I am! I should’ve spanked you earlier, when you went off by yourself! Then maybe you wouldn’t have gone back into the barn. But I thought you needed sleep more than a spanking, at the time. I promise you this, though; from now on, when you need a spanking, you’re getting it right away!”
She wrapped her arms around his waist. “I’m sorry,” she admitted. Oddly enough, she was no longer afraid of the thought of him spanking her. She even looked forward to the relief of guilt it would bring.
Soon the fire was out, other than a few hot spots still smoldering. The firemen packed up their supplies while they kept a close eye on it.
Jenna sat on Cord’s lap on the porch swing. “Don’t worry, we can rebuild it,” Cord told her softy in her ear.
The sheriff stopped by on the way to his car. “I’ll be back tomorrow; will you be around in case I have more questions?”
Jenna nodded. “Do you think Lyle Southworth had anything to do with the fire?” she asked.
“I don’t know, but you can be sure that I’ll find out!” he informed her, and then headed for his car.
Jenna was nearly asleep on Cord’s lap by the time everyone left. “I think you need to go to bed, honey,” his deep voice rumbled. “Just as soon as I tan your backside.”
“And then what?” she said, “Will you go back home again? Cord, stay with me! I don’t want to be alone tonight. Please!” she begged.
He lifted her up and carried her inside, and then he set her on her feet. “I wasn’t planning on going anywhere tonight, honey.” He’d cancel his meeting in the morning, he thought, as he locked the door, and then followed her to the bedroom.
“I’ll let you use the shower first, I think you need it worse than I do,” she teased. He’d cleaned himself up some, but he still had ashes in his hair. Jenna dug out a pair of her uncle’s pajamas and clean clothes that Cord could put on in the morning, and set them on the bathroom countertop.
She knew he’d be a while, so she went down the hall and used the other bathroom. After washing her face, she removed her clothes and slipped her nightgown over her head. Then she padded back to her room. Cord was just coming out of the bathroom when she got to the bedroom. She waited until he sat on the edge of the bed, and then walked over to him.
He smiled as he looked up at her. “Now, honey, you know what has to happen now, right?”
Jenna took a deep breath, and then placed herself over his lap. “Yes, Cord. I disobeyed you and put myself in danger. As much as I hate to say it, I know I deserve to be spanked,” she replied apprehensively. She didn’t want to go to bed knowing he was angry with her; she wanted the slate wiped clean.
“You realize this’ll hurt, right?”
When she nodded, he pushed the hem of her nightgown up out of his way. He was surprised to see that she wasn’t wearing any panties. He tipped her up further, putting her bottom even higher in the air, and then locked her in place with his legs. Jenna was already regretting everything she’d done, and he hadn’t even started yet.
When his hand landed in the center of one cheek, she yelped. He didn’t waste any time, as he started peppering her bottom with crisp smacks. She tried to take it without struggling, but it wasn’t long before she was burning in pain. Tears were falling, and she bucked when a volley of hard swats fell. She kept telling herself he was only doing this because he loved her, but finally, she started begging him to stop.
Cord turned her over, and holding her in his arms, he pulled the covers up over them. He held her until her sobs quieted, and her eyes closed in sleep.
“I love you,” he whispered, kissing the tip of her nose.
Her eyes popped open. “Me, too,” she told him with a big yawn, and then rolled over and slept.
Epilogue
Eighteen months later, Cord sat on the porch of the T Bar Ranch, waiting for his wife to come home. He knew she was at the doctor, since he’d seen the pregnancy test with its positive reading in the garbage can. He couldn’t wait until the doctor confirmed what he already knew; they were going to have a baby.
A lot had happened since their wedding a year ago. Both Lyle Southland and his cohort, Josh Platy, were serving sentences in prison after the jury had found them guilty of arson. Sheriff Lomart had found enough evidence, including a gas can in the barn, against Josh to charge him, and it didn’t take long for him to turn on Lyle.
Cord had moved into the T Bar with Jenna, and with Nevin’s help, it was now a thriving cattle ranch. The only thing missing was the child he knew Jenna so desperately wanted.
He watched her, love shining in his eyes as she climbed out of her car. He noticed she had a little bounce to her step today.
She stopped in front of him and gave him a little smirk. “Well, looks like I won’t be getting a birthday spanking this year.”
Cord gave her an innocent look. “Why’s that, honey?” He knew how she loved getting an erotic spanking on her birthday. He hid his grin; he’d find a way to give her one without hurting the baby. After all, he had four months to figure it out.
“We’re going to have a baby!” She yelled at the top of her lungs and jumped into his arms.
His lips covered hers, and she gave a contented sigh. Life was perfect!
Table of Contents
Ch 1
Ch 2
Ch 3
Ch 4
Ch 5
Ch 6
Ch 7
Epilogue
The Wyoming Inheritance Page 9