by Maggie Ryan
Will slammed his hand down on his desk, startling the couple into silence as they turned to look at him. “That’s enough! I thought I had detected a pretty strong relationship, but it’s clear that I was wrong. After all, you’ve known each other for less than thirty-six hours.” He rubbed his hand down his face and sighed. “I’m goin’ to be your minder, Miss Kathy. I’m just hopin’ that the townsfolk don’t interpret that as meanin’ that I think you’re a troublemaker needin’ a close eye. Behave yourself and everythin’ should be fine.”
She nodded uncertainly, suddenly wondering what she had gotten herself into.
“Hell no!” Nate roared as he leapt to his feet. He stabbed his finger at her to emphasize his words. “I told you this afternoon that I’m the man in your life and all others had better leave you alone. Don’t you go agreeing with him!”
Chapter 5
“So I left. Do you think I’ll be in trouble with the sheriff when he discovers that I didn’t wait like he expected?” As she finished her story, Kathy took a sip of the tea that Mrs. Donner had pressed on her and waited for her words of wisdom.
“Probably a tad, men get accustomed to expecting women to be where they want them.” She giggled and then caught sight of Kathy’s expression. “I’m sorry, dear. I know you’re not ready to see the funny side of this yet. But I’d sure like to see their faces when they settle their dispute and then come out to the waiting room to discover that the object of their contention has flown the coop!”
Kathy tried to smile, but her heart just wasn’t in it. Her heart felt like it had been thrown on the floor and stomped on. “I thought Nate really cared for me. He told me that he was worried that I’d decide to leave town if I got a spanking like his mother did. But when I said that I feel like I belong in this town and want to stay, he argued that I shouldn’t agree to the rules here and he wouldn’t help me.”
“Aw, sweetheart, I never said that I wouldn’t help you.” Nate stepped around the rosebush and approached the patio table. “Come here.” He pulled her out of her chair and into his arms. “I just wanted to be your advocate, to make sure that you weren’t pressured into anything you weren’t ready for.”
“You scared me.”
He shrugged his shoulders. “I guess my mother wasn’t wrong when she called me a big, bad Army dude. I didn’t mean to scare you, I’m sorry.”
“No, you silly.” Pulling slightly back from his embrace, she slapped at his chest. “I was scared for you. You were arguing with the sheriff!” She tilted her head. “How did you find me so fast?”
“Will has a camera feed on the front office to know when someone comes in, since most of the time there isn’t anyone on duty out there. As soon as you opened the door to leave, we realized what you were doing. He told me that I had better get my head in the game and let me go after you.”
“Game? This isn’t a game, this is serious!”
“It’s football talk for stop eff-ing around and pay attention because it is serious.”
“Oh.” She snuggled closer to his chest. She really liked being held in his arms, everything felt right in the world when he held her like this. She hummed with contentment.
Nate kissed the top of her head, appreciating how perfectly she fitted against him. He noted that Mrs. Donner had retreated back into the house and closed the curtains on the sliding glass doors, giving them privacy. “So are we good? Have you forgiven me for my completely inept attempt to protect your interests?”
“You were protecting me—against dangers that I hadn’t even comprehended. I didn’t understand that at the time, so I wasn’t cooperative. I’m sorry about that, but I still don’t quite understand what I should have done. I am the one who was in the wrong because I didn’t trust you when I knew that I should.”
He chuckled ruefully. “I come on too strong and scare you, and you think that you were in the wrong. You are the sweetest little thing ever.”
This time when she slapped at his chest, she packed a lot of strength into it. “I’d like to remind you that I’m a fully grown woman and you’re the one who is showing just how pervasive the Menton mindset is. I’m not a sweet little thing!”
He released her and held up his hands in mock surrender. “Sorry, sorry!” He laughed. “I guess I owe you another apology, tiger. How about I take you out to dinner and make it up to you?”
“Well, I guess that would be acceptable,” she answered magnanimously, completely ignoring the immediate rumble from her stomach.
He tucked her tiny hand into the crook of his arm and led her out of the garden.
“It’s a date,” Nate announced. They had driven past the county fairgrounds on the way to the restaurant and Kathy had noticed all the preparatory activity and the signs announcing the opening date as that weekend. “I have to work until 2:00 on Saturdays, but I’ll pick you up as soon as I get cleaned up. We’ll spend the afternoon and into the evening there, seeing everything. What’s your favorite part of a fair?”
“I’ve only been to carnivals with games and rides when I was little and my mother’s boyfriend du jour wanted to impress her with how good he was with children. I’ve never been to a fair. I’ve heard that there are animals and car crashes and all kinds of things. Is that right?”
“The car crashes are called a demolition derby. The drivers try to disable their competitors by ramming their cars. I’m surprised that you’re interested in that. I had you pegged as more into the cute farm animals.”
“See? I’m not such a sweet little thing,” she announced smugly, and then spoiled it. “Wait, what kind of cute farm animals?”
“4-H is really big in this area, so there will be all kinds of animals displayed. I’ve always been partial to the guinea pigs and rabbits. My mom let me have those as pets when I was growing up. There’ll be a baby farm animal petting zoo, as well as competitions where the kids show off the animals that they’ve raised. There is an amazing number of different kinds of chickens, ducks, geese and other birds; some of them are pretty exotic looking. Often, there are piglet races.” He was smiling and shaking his head at how darn adorable she was, her excitement growing with each sentence until she was practically bouncing in her seat.
Dinner was spent with an endless chatter, questions and speculation about the fair. Nate doubted that Kathy even noticed what she ate, but he didn’t mind. He enjoyed the food and the pleasure of having a happy woman by his side. He felt like a hero simply for promising to take her to a county fair.
After dinner he drove out to a deserted area and spread out a blanket in the truck bed. “I thought you might want to do some star gazing,” he offered self consciously, worried about how this suggestion was going to be received. “This should be more comfortable than the ground, no rocks or creepy crawlies.” He jumped down and turned to see how she’d received his proposal.
She giggled and batted her eyelashes at him. “And here my naughty mind was envisioning a hot make out session. Or is that something that the oh so proper women of Menton don’t do?”
He chuckled and shook his head slightly as he lifted her up into the back of the truck. “Good thing you’re with your minder to make sure that you behave yourself.” He followed her up and claimed a kiss. “Naughty girl, a make out session is as far as we’re going—just so you understand—clothes stay on and any time that you feel uncomfortable, tell me and we’ll stop.” He helped her down on the blanket, lying beside her and pulling her into his arms. “There are supposed to be meteor showers for the next few nights, I really did think you might be interested in looking for them. But if you feel a need for some kisses and caresses to while away the time while we’re waiting to spot shooting stars, I guess I’ll have to make sure that you are happy.”
“Such a sacrifice!” she teased and moved in for a kiss.
The next day at their usual lunch date on ‘their’ park bench, Kathy laid her shoulder on Nate’s shoulder and snuggled in as his arm came down off the back of the bench, wrapping around
her hip to pull her in tight against him. “These have been the most perfect couple of days in my whole life. Thank you.”
“It’s been my pleasure, sweetheart. I’m hoping that we have a lot more days like these ahead of us. I’m getting used to having a big sappy grin on my face. My uncle has even given up on trying to embarrass me about it. He’s hoping to spend some time getting to know you soon. Yesterday’s quick introduction before we headed out to Wal-Mart has peaked his curiosity.”
“He seems like such a dear. Why didn’t he ever marry?”
“He did, way back when he was very young. She was killed in a car accident shortly afterwards. I think that’s why he’s working himself to death. He wants to make sure that no one else loses the love of their life because a car has mechanical issues. Brake failure.” He turned to look down into her face when she made a surprised gasp. “No, not her car—Bucky would never have let her drive anything that wasn’t in tiptop shape. She was killed when a car went right through a stop sign and plowed into her. The other driver was so distraught he had to be institutionalized. So many lives ruined because someone didn’t get their brakes serviced when they should have. It may not be glamorous work, but in his own quiet way Bucky has been doing his best to keep the good people of Menton safe. He keeps his prices low because he doesn’t want anyone to delay getting work done when they should. I know for a fact that he’s done repairs that he’s never billed the owner for.”
“The people here are good,” she agreed and then mirrored his statement. “I know for a fact that the women at the thrift shop only charged me a portion of what I should have paid for the clothes I bought this morning. I saw Mrs. Donner whispering with them while I was trying on some things and suddenly they announced that everything was half off. I think that they were disappointed when I only bought a few things, but I have to wait for a paycheck before I buy anything more. I did let them know that I’m available to help with any odd jobs they might have. A couple of them seemed interested and took my phone number down. So fingers crossed!” She held up her hands to show him.
He bent down and kissed them, then moved up to her mouth. “Yum, peanut butter and jelly.”
“The dietary mainstay of children of single moms—cheap, filling, and easy for a child home alone to prepare safely. Although, that was one benefit of Mom working as a waitress, she brought home food from the truck stop fairly often.”
“Speaking of food, what should we do for dinner tonight? Any particular type of food sound especially good?”
“Home cooked. I’d like to cook dinner for you, if that’s all right.” She blushed. “I just can’t afford to buy any ingredients, so it’ll have to be whatever you have in your kitchen.”
“You don’t have to, you know. I’m perfectly happy taking you out.”
“I get so tired of eating what someone else has prepared and I’d really like to do this as a thank you for all the money you’ve spent on me so far.” A huge smile on her face, she tapped his arm. “The flowers are still looking great! Mrs. Donner admires them every day and is telling all her friends about them. I’m hoping that Julie gets a lot of new business because of them.”
“How do you know Julie?”
“I met her yesterday afternoon. I stopped into her shop to see if she was hiring and she guessed who I was—you know, small town and all.”
“Sorry about that, everyone knows your personal business.”
“No, I love it! It’s like having instant friends or an extended family. There were two other women about my age in there as well, so I asked them what they thought about living in Menton—just like you wanted me to do. We had a good conversation and now I feel like I’m really starting to fit in.” She giggled. “One of them, Mabel, is the sheriff’s fiancée, and he was assigned to be her minder, just like we guessed. She told me that the spankings are unimportant; it’s the love behind them that matters. The other one, Mavis, completely disagreed. She says that she’s never going to give a man that kind of power over her; she’s staying single. Mabel and Julie just rolled their eyes and told her that she’ll be singing a different tune when she meets the right man. Julie’s father-in-law is the man who Sheriff Will told me to talk to. That’s what I’m planning to do this afternoon, now that I have some different clothes.”
“That’s great! I’m really pleased with how you remember the things I suggest and follow through. Thank you.”
“I’m wearing panties,” she whispered.
“I know,” he whispered back. “I checked.” He chuckled at her indignant gasp and snapped the leg elastic through the thin material of her skirt. His hand had been resting in exactly the right spot.
“Oh you!” she said fondly and stroked his cheek. “Lucky that I’ve been so good.”
He nibbled a bit on her neck and with his mouth right by her ear, told her that there was such a thing as spankings for good girls, and how he hoped to introduce her to them some day when the time was right.
She was blushing bright red by the time that he finished his murmured confession.
“Well now, by the state of Miss Kathy’s complexion, I’d venture to wonder if you two are behavin’ yourselves in public. But as everythin’ looks decent, I’m just goin’ to get right down to business. Miss Kathy, I may have a job lead for you.” The sheriff stood in front of them, his Stetson casting a shadow, hiding the amusement on his face.
She struggled to sit upright and tried to look serious.
Will chuckled and shook his head. “Nate’s got you all hot and bothered. Are you ready to hear this now, or do you need some time to pull yourself together?”
“I’m fine. Please tell me now.”
“Well, you know Dottie, she’s the owner of the Blue Bell. Her mama took a bad fall the other day and she’s comin’ home from the hospital tomorrow. She’s goin’ to need someone to be with her durin’ the day when Dottie and her sister are both workin’. They’ll take turns stayin’ with her in the evenin’s, it’s the days that are the problem. Neither woman can afford to miss too much time from work. There’d be no nursin’ required, just keepin’ her entertained and helpin’ her get around. Maybe fixin’ her meals so she stays out of the kitchen—that’s where she fell. Dottie is interested in talkin’ to you about the details.”
“I’ll go right now!” She jumped up.
“No need to hurry off; Dottie’ll be busy for the next couple of hours with the lunch rush. Sit on back down and let Nate finish enjoyin’ his noontime date. It appears that you two have come to an agreement, I’m glad.”
“Yes, sir! I’m sorry I was such a ninny and ran off like I did. I hope I’m not in any trouble with you.”
“My apologies for triggerin’ that reaction from Nate and scarin’ you, I should have known better. And, youn’ lady, if you were in trouble with me, you would have discovered all about it last night. Now, I don’t know how long Dottie is thinkin’ they’ll need someone, but even if you get this job, I still recommend that you speak with Ed Johnson.”
“I’m planning to go right after lunch. Julie says that he’s a big teddy bear.”
Will’s shoulders shook with silent laughter. “He’s a church elder, just like Dustin Collins, and I’m not sure how he’d feel about bein’ described that way. Best you keep that description private.”
“Oh, sorry!” Her hand popped over her mouth and her guilty eyes made Nate lean over to kiss away her adorable shame.
Will clapped him on the shoulder. “You’ve got it bad, man,” he muttered as he walked away.
Chapter 6
“I got the job!” Kathy announced as Nate walked into his apartment. He knew that he should congratulate her, but there were more important things to deal with first, like that mouth-watering aroma that had distracted him for the last couple of hours. When they finished their lunch, he had given her the key to his apartment, which was above the automotive shop. For the second half of the afternoon the cooking odors drifting down had been driving him crazy.
“What are you making? It smells wonderful. I don’t think that I’ve ever smelled anything so delicious in my whole life. When can we eat? I’m starved!” He put the back of his hand to his forehead and pretended to swoon.
She giggled at his dramatics. “Coq au vin. Give me a few minutes to put the biscuits in to bake and then we can sit down and eat the poor excuse for a salad. You didn’t have much to make the salad with, I had to really improvise.”
“Coq au vin? I thought we agreed that you weren’t going to spend any money on groceries. You made something special to celebrate your new job, let me pay you back.”
“Silly, I didn’t spend any money, you had all the ingredients. It’s just a fancy name for chicken stew made with wine.”
“Can’t be that simple! There must be something else, it smells awesome!”
“It’s the probably the bacon, that always makes a great addition to any dish, but it’s part of the recipe for this.”
“God, yes, I do love bacon! I could eat it morning, noon and night.”
“I noticed. You will need to rethink your lunch for tomorrow. Since I used up all your bacon in the casserole, I didn’t feel guilty about using your lettuce and tomato as the basis for the salad. No BLTs for you tomorrow, I regret to inform you. I can bring you peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, if you want. After tomorrow, I won’t be able to meet you for lunch; I’ll be taking care of Miss Delores.”
“That’s wonderful, sweetheart. Let me go clean up and I’ll give you a proper welcome.”
Thankful for mastering the art of a quick shower in the Army, Nate was back in the kitchen in record time. He took his girl in his arms and went in for a deep kiss. “Mmm, this is a really nice way to come home from work. I could get used to this in a heartbeat and never look back.”
Kathy tightened her arms around his neck and rubbed herself against him. “Me too, it feels so right and natural, like we’ve been together forever.” She initiated the next kiss and it was the oven timer buzzing that finally broke them apart. “The biscuits are ready. Go sit down and I’ll bring everything in.” She broke away from him, picking up some potholders, then bent over to open the oven.