Jessica's Cowboy Daddy

by Melinda Barron

  He guided the brush through her hair as she ate popcorn. Every bit of stress she’d had earlier in the day flowed out of her body as he brushed. She took a drink from her soda, then turned toward him, a kernel of corn in her hand.

  “Want a bite?”

  “Not yet.” He gently tapped the brush against her head and she turned back around. When he divided her hair she knew what came next. She laughed at a scene on the TV as he started to braid her hair, first the left, then the right. When he was done she placed her cheek on his left thigh. He stroked her hair, and she felt more loved, more cared for than she ever had before.

  “Thank you,” she said. “Remember what I said, I love you.” She wasn’t sure where that had come from, just out of the blue like that.

  Her eyes were drooping, and she knew it wouldn’t be long before she fell asleep. She wrapped her arms around his calf and nestled against him.

  “I’m going to take care of you, sweet pea,” he said. “There is no way anyone is going to accuse you of something I know you didn’t do.”

  “Thank you,” she said. She wanted to tell him they were already accusing her of it, just not charging her with it yet. Instead she closed her eyes and just lay there with his legs wrapped around her, waiting for sleep to take her.

  It had not been easy to unwrap her arms from his leg, get up, and then pick her up and carry her to bed without waking her, but Hawk managed it somehow. Now he stood next to the bed, looking down at the woman he loved. It took every ounce of his willpower not to hunt down Grant Dobbs and beat the man senseless.

  It was obvious to him that Grant Dobbs had killed his mother, or had someone do it for him. And he’d done it close to Bookman Springs so he could blame it on Jessica. She was the perfect patsy. He sat down in a chair near the bed and watched her as she slept. With her hair still in braids she looked so young, so innocent. How anyone could do this to her was beyond his comprehension.

  But then again he didn’t know Grant Dobbs. He’d never met the man, and she’d never talked about him. Jessica wasn’t good at letting her feelings be known. She’d told him she loved him for the second time. He hated that it was this situation that had forced her to say it. Or maybe it had just forced her to realize it. He wasn’t sure which one was true, but now he knew she loved him. He’d always loved her.

  His phone buzzed and he whispered a soft curse. He’d taken hers so she wouldn’t want to answer it, or call anyone. Once his was in his hand he checked the ID. It was Nate Willis. He knew the ranger had a minimal role in the investigation now because he’d had dinner with a suspect. He wasn’t sure why he would be calling now, but there was only one way to find out.

  Once he was in the hallway he answered the call.

  “I was beginning to think you weren’t going to answer,” Willis said.

  “I thought about it.” Hawk looked back toward where Jessica slept. “What’s up?”

  “I’m at the ranch, and I have all your weapons.”

  “There’s no way you tested all of them already,” he said.

  “The coroner determined she was shot twice with a revolver, a .38 Special. You don’t have one.”

  Hawk said a silent prayer that most of the weapons they had around the house were shotguns, or .45s. “Thanks for the information. Holt’s at the house. You can give them to him.”

  “I will,” Willis said. “Listen, I’ve been talking to Jackson. The man is a bulldog, and once he gets the scent of something he sticks with it. But I think I’ve managed to turn him around to my way of thinking, which is Dobbs killed his mother and is setting up Jessica.”

  Hawk was silent for a moment, but then he said, “Thanks for that.”

  “I have an idea, one that might help us to get to the truth.”

  “What is it?” Hawk asked. He was ready to hear anything Willis had to say if it would prove Jessica was innocent.

  “I don’t want to tell you something that you’ll try if Jackson says no.” The ranger paused. “Do you understand what I’m saying?”

  “Yeah, I do,” Hawk said. “But if I can do anything, you tell me immediately.”

  “Or you’ll kick my ass?” Willis asked.

  “Just so you know,” Hawk said. “Jessica means the world to me, and…” He stopped himself just before he said he’d kill Dobbs if given the chance. If something happened to the man he would be the first suspect.

  “I’ll come by tomorrow after I talk to Jackson.”

  “We’re at a friend’s hunting cabin,” Hawk said, although he didn’t really think of this as a rustic hunting cabin. “Call me tomorrow and if we need to come into town we will.”

  “Will do,” Willis said. “Be careful.”

  “Keep me informed,” Hawk said. They disconnected and he went back to his chair and focused on Jessica. He said a prayer that Willis had an idea that would work. He would do anything in his power to see that it did.

  Chapter 13

  “You’re a naughty, naughty girl.”

  Hawk’s voice was deep, and scratchy, filled with desire. Jessica mumbled around his cock, which filled her mouth. She loved waking him up like this, even if it wasn’t light yet. She wrapped her hand around the base of his dick and sucked harder.

  “Don’t you dare get me off,” he ordered.

  Jessica lifted her mouth off him. “But you know I love the treat that comes from making you explode.”

  “I mean it, Jessica,” he said. Something told her he wanted to say something else, but he was moving his head from side to side, and she knew he was working to keep himself under control.

  When he growled out, “You do the work,” she climbed on top of him and took him deep inside her. She loved being on top, because his deliciously sized cock always hit the right spot as she rode him. She put her hands on his stomach and bounced. On the third downstroke she came, throwing her head back and screaming.

  “That’s my girl,” Hawk said. He grasped her hips, then let go of one and slapped her thigh. “Faster, faster.” She’d barely recovered from her orgasm, her body quaking with the aftershocks. But she followed his instructions, moving as fast as she could. When she came again she collapsed on top of him, and Hawk flipped them so fast she wondered how he’d done it. He moved her legs until they were over his shoulders.

  Jessica felt as if he might split her in two as he slammed his cock in and out of her. The stimulation was too much, almost painful, and she rolled her head from side to side, mentally wishing he would hurry and finish. He slowed, then quickened his pace, and slowed again. Jessica clutched at the bedding and when he let go of her legs they slid down his body and suddenly he was on top of her chest. He grabbed a hunk of her hair and ordered, “Open.”

  The taste of his offering was exquisite and Jessica took as much of it as she could. It was her favorite part of giving head, and she savored the taste of him now. When he collapsed next to her, his legs near her head, he said, “Naughty girl.”

  “Are you going to spank me?” she asked. She needed a spanking, a good hard one that would make her cry.

  “Not right now,” he said. “But I might later. You’re still due a punishment for your unauthorized trip to Amarillo.”

  That made her think of the toys she’d bought.

  “They’re in the truck,” he said, even though she hadn’t asked. “We’ll look at them when this is all over. I hadn’t planned on spanking you for the punishment, but I think it might work. Don’t plan on sitting down after lunch.”

  “As you wish, Sir,” she said. She couldn’t wait to taste the leather.

  They fell back asleep and didn’t get out of bed until almost eleven. Jessica had put on her baby doll pajamas again and was mixing up a pancake batter when the sound of an approaching vehicle caught her ear.

  “Hawk!” she called out.

  He had been in the back end of the house and came rushing through the house with a rifle in his hand. He flung the door open and Jessica couldn’t help but hunker down behind the cou
nter.

  “It’s Holt,” he said. “And Reed. And Leslie.”

  “Oh crap.” Jessica jumped up and rushed to the bedroom. As she was changing clothes she heard Hawk yell out, “Ever hear of a telephone?”

  She heard a muffled answer, and she knew their uninvited visitors were heading up the stairs. She threw on jeans and a t-shirt, and mentally chastised herself for not having taken a shower. Her hair was still up in pigtails, and she decided to leave it that way. She hurried down the hallway, barefooted, and stopped in the living room doorway as the three were taking seats.

  “Good morning,” she said. “Coffee?”

  Everyone said yes and she went to the kitchen to make a pot. While it was brewing she came back into the living room and sat down next to Hawk on the sofa. Reed and Leslie were sitting on the loveseat, and Holt had taken the chair.

  “What’s up?” she asked. “Please don’t tell me the bakery burned down, or something like that.”

  “No, everything is fine, in fact it’s great,” Holt said.

  “You’re officially off the suspect list,” Leslie said.

  Jessica cried out in joy, then put her hands over her mouth. When she had control of her emotions again she said, “How is that possible? I mean, I’m not complaining, but how?”

  “Well, Grant has a fiancée named Florence.” Leslie crossed her legs and clasped her hand around her knee. “Grant told the rangers that you’d called him to berate him about the ring, that it was yours and you weren’t giving it back.”

  “That’s not true!” Jessica said.

  Leslie held up her hand. “Give me a minute.”

  “Sorry,” Jessica said. “Just defending myself.”

  “Understandable,” Leslie said. “However, he said you’d left it as a voice message.”

  Jessica could see where this was going. She put her hand on Hawk’s thigh and he patted it gently.

  “He had Florence, who likes to be called Flo, call using a burner phone and disguise her voice. They even did it so that the phone pinged off a cell tower near Bookman Springs. But they did it Monday night, while you and all the Colemans, and even a Texas Ranger, were at the house to verify you were there, and didn’t leave.”

  “I could have made the call,” Jessica said. “Or that’s what a prosecutor would say.”

  “There are two cell towers that serve your area,” Leslie said. “One near the ranch, and one on the other side of town. Guess which tower the call pinged off?”

  Jessica giggled. She stomped her feet up and down, then held her hands up in the air. “Yeah for technology! Thank you big brother for tracking phone calls. He obviously parked near my house.”

  Everyone laughed and Jessica jumped up. “Coffee for everyone.”

  “I’ll help, and then I can tell you the rest.”

  The ladies went into the kitchen. Leslie hunted for a tray while Jessica poured five cups of coffee. Jessica took the half-and-half they’d brought with them out of the fridge, and added some sugar packets. Once they were back in the living room, and the coffee had been served, Leslie said, “Okay, the other part of the news.”

  “Go on,” Hawk said.

  “The rangers want to trap Grant into confessing, and they want Jessica’s help to do it.”

  “How?” she asked.

  Leslie grimaced, then cleared her throat. “By acting like they’ve arrested you for murder.”

  Before Jessica could ask if that was a good idea, Hawk said, “Absolutely not.”

  “It’s just an act,” Leslie said. “I will have that in writing before we do anything.”

  Jessica thought about it for a moment, then leaned into Hawk. “We’ll need to talk about it before we make any decision. But tell me, Leslie, is this something that happens a lot?”

  “Sometimes,” Leslie said. “But the person you’re trying to trap will be suspicious. That’s why they want to do the trapping somewhere besides the police station. Say the bakery?”

  “I’m not sure I understand,” Jessica said.

  “I’ll explain it to you, and then you and Hawk can talk about it and let us know tomorrow, or this afternoon. Jackson wants to get it done ASAP because he thinks Grant and Flo will try to run. Can I tell him you’re considering it, and he can at least plant the seed?”

  Jessica looked up at Hawk; his gaze was focused on her. His eyebrows lifted ever so slightly and she nodded.

  “Tell him I’ll have an answer for him tomorrow morning, but I have one condition.”

  “What’s that?” Leslie asked.

  “I get to watch the arrest.” The thought of watching the rangers slap handcuffs on Grant made her laugh. “I can’t wait to see him in a prison jumpsuit!”

  They finished their coffee and their guests started toward the door. Jessica started to clear up the coffee cups, and she heard Hawk say, “Call first next time.”

  The brothers laughed, and as Jessica washed up the cups she heard the truck leave. When Hawk was back in the house she said, “That was close.”

  He laughed and leaned against the kitchen doorjamb. “Put it all out of your mind, because you’re mine now.”

  Her nipples tightened and she nodded, “Whatever you say, Sir. Or is it Daddy?”

  “Sir at first, and then I’ll switch personalities, as will you as the day progresses. First you get your punishment. A nice, harsh one.”

  “What do you think Nick would think of us having nasty sex in his cabin?”

  “He’d ask why we didn’t invite him to watch.”

  Jessica stopped and stared. “He would?” Then her mouth fell open. “You’ve never done that before… have you?”

  “No.” He wiggled his finger at her. “And before you ask there are no cameras out here. Nick and I already talked about it.”

  Her heart raced and she said, “You’re not filling me with confidence.”

  “Do you think I would put you in a situation that might be recorded?”

  “No.” She knew he wouldn’t, but that didn’t mean she trusted Nick to tell Hawk the truth.

  “If you’re thinking he might have hidden a nanny cam in the bedroom, where I might add we’ve already had sex, or in the living room, then perhaps we should try the dining room. There’s only a table and chairs in there. Not anything on the walls.”

  “I’ll go for that,” she said. He was being overly nice to her right now, and she knew it was because of the situation she faced. He wasn’t his usual Hawk, and that upset her.

  “You know what, I’ve changed my mind,” she said. “I don’t want to be spanked. Forget it.”

  “Excuse me?” He cocked his head and stared at her.

  “I have so much on my mind right now I don’t need you adding to it.” She put her hands on her hips and glared at him. “Sorry.”

  “You’re sorry?”

  She could see the anger building in his eyes, and it was all she could do not to burst into laughter. Usually by now he’d figured out she was putting him on, just being a royal brat. But maybe the fuss she’d put up about possible cameras caught him off guard. Even if Nick did have cameras in his cabin he would never use a recording he’d made of them, because Hawk was a lawman and, she reminded herself, she had a lawyer now. A good one.

  “Scamper off,” she said. She waved her fingers in his direction. “I’ll make a pie. I feel like baking.”

  “Strip.”

  Oh my, he’d figured it out.

  “Excuse me? I don’t believe that’s in my pie recipe.” She waved her fingers at him again. “Scamper off. I don’t feel like being punished right now.”

  That did it. Her strong Sir rushed toward her, and before she could move he grabbed her around the hips and threw her over his shoulder. They were on the front porch before she voiced her disapproval. He set her down and turned her toward the front railing. To her surprise there were ropes there. True to form, Hawk had her bound to the porch in seconds.

  Hawk put his arms around her and undid her jeans. As he work
ed them down over her hips, Jessica struggled against her bonds. This wasn’t playtime, and he was probably not happy with her for playing the brat earlier. He hadn’t teased her about being ready, or being on display, or anything that might have cut the tension.

  As much as she wanted a spanking, she was upset with herself for trying to turn it into a game. That was the wrong thing to do. Hawk lowered her panties. Seconds later she heard him undoing the buckle on his belt. There would be no sex after this spanking; there never was after a punishment spanking.

  He stepped to her left and put his hand on the small of her back.

  “Why are you being punished?”

  “Because I went off without permission, after you told me you were worried I was in danger.”

  Sometimes she hated following orders like that. She wanted to be her own person, but she also wanted Hawk to hold her in his arms, to keep her safe. And heavens above she loved being spanked. But today’s spanking would not be fun.

  Hawk rubbed the leather against her bottom and said, “Prepare yourself.”

  He slapped her ass with the leather, and did it again, and again, and again. Jessica tried to relax, because the tenser she was the worse it hurt.

  To try and take her mind off the pain she recited the recipe for chocolate banana bread in her mind, over and over, butter, sugar, bananas, butter—wait, had she already said butter?

  The belt slapped against her ass again and again, the pain spreading through her behind. He didn’t ignore her thighs, and when he started to slap there, once on her ass, and then back and forth, the tears she’d been trying to hold back fell.

  She didn’t voice any objections, though, but when she thought her ass would actually catch on fire she cried out. Hawk kept going for at least another five minutes as her cries filled the country air. If anyone was nearby they would come to investigate.

  When it was done he rubbed his hand against her bottom. She sniffled and tried as hard as she could to keep herself from begging to be released from her bonds. She heard the door open and close, and open again moments later.