She frowned for a moment then looked sheepish. "I had you guys worried, hmm?"
"I thought someone had kidnapped you, Gretchen," Rowdy said. "I can't believe you were so thoughtless."
"I… um… "
"No excuses." Bob crossed his arms over his broad chest. "You'll hire another night guard to keep track of you. Steve is only one person. I should have anticipated something going wrong at night when we're sleeping."
"It's not your fault," Steve said. "I should have been paying better attention. It's a big motel. I was dividing my time between watching Amy's room over on the other side and watching Gretchen's room over here. Apparently, I was over on the other side when I should have been here. I'm sorry."
"Steve, stop," Gretchen said, putting a hand on his arm. "It's all my fault. I was thoughtless. I thought I could go for a walk and slip back in, and everyone would be none the wiser. Rowdy caught me."
Bob spoke up, his voice stern. "I want your promise you'll never do that again."
"Don't worry, Bob," Rowdy responded before Gretchen could say anything. "She won't be doin' it again. I'll see to it."
"Hey! I'm still here. No harm done. I promise I won't do it again. Okay?"
Rowdy reached for her hand and held it in a strong grip. He wasn't going to let her slip away. He had a plan to make sure she thought twice before scaring them all again. A firm spanking ought to teach her a lesson. This one she was not going to like. "Come with me, young lady."
Bob frowned nearby, but let Rowdy pull her away without a word.
"What's he going to do?" Melody asked as he walked away, Gretchen in tow.
"Spank her," Bob said, though the voices were growing fainter.
"Nothing more than she deserves," Steve said.
Rowdy wondered how Bob had known he'd spanked Gretchen before, but then Bob was enigmatic. It was hard to escape his dark eagle eyes. He did have to sleep sometime, which was why this had happened in the first place. Rowdy now had some doubts about Steve, but hopefully, the man would be more diligent in the future.
He pulled Gretchen into their room and closed the door, turning to face her.
Gretchen didn't like the look on Rowdy's face. He looked resolute and frustrated.
"I can't believe you thought your behavior was acceptable, Gretchen," he said, still four feet away. "It was utterly thoughtless and foolish. What if you'd been snatched?"
She was feeling pretty stupid, but there was still a spark of rebellion in her. "I had a lot to think about. And I wasn't snatched."
"Lucky for you! Lucky for Amy!" He headed toward the creaky bed and sat on its edge, making it groan and shimmy. "I want you totally naked for this, Gretchen. I ought to take my belt to you."
A moment of panic raced through her. His belt could do some damage. "Rowdy, please don't."
"No, I won't, not this time. I'm too angry. But you ought to know it's an option I won't hesitate to use under other circumstances."
"I didn't mean to make you angry."
"Get your clothes off."
"You're going to humiliate me," she pointed out.
He nodded. "Now."
She could say no. Rowdy wouldn't insist. However, he might just decide she was more trouble than she was worth. Quit making such stupid mistakes! she told herself. She'd known it was ill-advised to wander off by herself. But she needed to think about things. Specifically, she needed to think about her relationship with Rowdy. She was falling for him, big time. But their lifestyles conflicted, even while their childhood memories did not. They had a lot in common, and yet her money set them far apart in many ways.
All the money in the world meant nothing if it couldn't be shared. That was the plain fact.
She eyed Rowdy, who sat there, his hands on his thighs, elbows out, waiting for her. This was a hard decision. To bear the well-deserved shame for her actions, or go on without Rowdy and his steadying hand, support she trusted and valued.
It really wasn't much of a choice after all.
Off came her clothes. She didn't hurry, but she didn't drag her feet either. The spanking she was going to get was earned and now she'd learn the hard way to be more thoughtful of the people who were defending her.
Once naked, she saw Rowdy's stern gaze soften a bit, then his scowl returned. He patted his right thigh. "Butt right here."
The cheap motel carpet was scratchy under her feet as she shuffled over to him. He helped her position herself, her head, shoulders, chest and breasts on one side of his knees, and the rest of her on the other. He held her in place with his cast arm. She fleetingly thought about how his black cast must look against her light skin. The thought vanished with the first smack on her tender rear. It was a loud crack in the room and sent stinging shock waves through her body. Rowdy said nothing, but started spanking steadily. She ouched and owie'd through a dozen or more spanks. Each one hurting worse than the last one. Her butt was on fire. Stings like a hundred hornets covered her bottom and thighs. And yet, Rowdy didn't relent. Instead, the lecture started.
"You will never willingly scare us again," he said. "Promise."
"Ow! Ow! Okay, I'll never scare you again!" Smack, smack, smack. Her butt felt like it would burst into flames.
"You will never slip out on your guards. Promise."
"Oh, Rowdy, it hurts!"
"It's supposed to hurt. Promise."
"Oh! I'll never sneak out. I promise." She moaned and tears ran down the bridge of her nose and off into the none-too-clean carpet. Sobs racked her body as she cried.
"You will never endanger Amy like that."
"I would never endanger her! You're not being fair."
He spanked her another four times. "If something happened to you, what would Amy do? She'd be an orphan."
Yes, Gretchen had thought of that before. But not tonight. Tonight, she just wanted freedom, freedom from her money and all the restrictions it put upon her. "Okay! I understand. I promise I'll be more thoughtful of Amy."
He peppered her aching behind several more times and then stopped. Her butt throbbed and burned. The pain radiated down her thighs. But when the spanking was over, Rowdy rolled her up in his arms and held her against his big body. "We're done."
"Are you still mad at me?"
"A little bit," he admitted.
"How can I make it up to you?"
As he stroked her hair, he gave her his answer. "Time and good behavior, princess."
"I feel like I've ruined things," she said on a new sob.
Rowdy tilted her chin up to look into her streaming eyes. "No. A bump in the road, not a collapsed bridge. You haven't thrown me off so easy."
"You want to hold on, don't you?"
He nodded, then tipped his head for a light kiss.
Although her butt hurt something fierce, she ignored it to enjoy their kiss. It went from the mere touching of lips to something a lot more passionate. Eventually, though, he pulled away.
"We have a few hours of darkness to sleep. Best you get back to bed."
"But I don't want to sleep," she said, and she realized she was sounding like Amy. "Can't we make love?"
"Nope."
"Please?"
He sighed. "Gretchen, you try my resolve, but no, we will not make love again tonight."
"You don't want me anymore," she sobbed. "I'm too much trouble. I hate my money. I hate all the restrictions. I hate everything."
"What did I hear you tell Amy?" He thought about it for a few seconds. "You don't hate things, you are mad at them. You can be mad at things without hating them." Stroking her cheek, he said, "You'll find a way."
"Will you help me?"
"I'm thinkin' you can do this yourself, but if you want my help, of course, I'll lend it." He handed her a kerchief from his pocket. "Here. Blow your nose."
She did and her voice was stronger when she was done. If he was willing to help, then he would be sticking around. Her heart sang. Despite his suggestion she could manage the situation all by herself, she knew
without some help and a person whom she could bounce ideas off of, she'd make more mistakes. Maybe bigger mistakes. Nine-hundred-million dollars was a lot to manage, even with a business manager, lawyer, accountant, investment counselor, and a whole host of other professionals. She had no experience with it and no confidence she'd do a good job. Rowdy was well-off, by cowboy standards, and he'd seemed to manage his money well enough. He was pragmatic and thoughtful. He would be a great sounding board.
And he was her lover. That was not to be minimized in her thoughts. She cared about him with all her heart. Maybe she'd fallen in love with him. It had been so long since she'd been in love, and that had been puppy love, she wasn't sure she'd recognize the adult variety when she encountered it.
She knew she cared about Rowdy. Wanted to be with him all the time. Cared what he thought about her and her people. And felt closer to him every day. They had amazing sex, and although that was hormones talking as much as anything, it was something which gave their relationship spice and intimacy. She even accepted the spankings. The first one had been sexy. This last was the complete opposite. But she hadn't stopped caring for and respecting Rowdy, not one little bit.
"Thank you, Rowdy. I promise I'll do better in the future. I don't want you to be mad at me again."
"I don't want to be mad at you either. You scared me. I don't much like being scared except when on a bucking horse. That kind of scared I understand."
Sighing, she squirmed on his lap, trying to find a comfortable position where there was none. His well-worn jeans were smooth against her beleaguered behind, but it didn't help the heat there. She so wished he'd make love with her and take her mind off it. But she fully understood this was part of the punishment. It had been the same before.
"Into bed with you, princess," he said, helping her up so he could stand.
"Are you coming to bed, too?"
"I'm going to sit in this chair," he said, pointing to the single armchair crowded into the corner. "I need to think some."
Oh, no. What would he be thinking about? Her? Was he making up his mind about her? Was she still in danger of losing him?
"Are you sure?"
"Yep. Now go to bed. I'll turn out the lights."
She crawled in and he tucked her in then turned out the lights. As she drifted off to sleep, she thought about him, sitting there, thinking in the dark.
Chapter 8
The ride to Pocatello the next day was uneventful. Amy withstood it well, moving from truck to limo toward the end of the ride when it was nap time. Gretchen found out more about Rowdy and his family as they drove, but much of their conversation was focused on Amy's needs while in the truck. They played many games of Spot the black car and twenty questions and sang all the road songs they could think of. Amy could count to thirty, so Beer on the Wall was a shortened version about Pop on the wall. Amy also read them her favorite books from the backseat. And they ate a lot of road food.
Once the little girl was in the limo, they rode in silence for a while. Gretchen soaked up the quiet and enjoyed the warmth of Rowdy's hand on her thigh. Soon enough, Pocatello came into view and they made their way into the snowy mountain town. Although her home city of Reno got snow most winters, there was virtually no accumulation, whereas in Pocatello, there were berms and gutters with snow and ice. Not a lot, but enough to make it a bit of a winter wonderland. Christmas was on the horizon, and festive lights were strung everywhere, as well as the town's winter-themed decorations. Shop windows showed heavy coats, snow boots, and other cold weather gear along with wrapped Christmas boxes, ribbons, and colorful glass balls.
"I might have to get a parka for myself and one for Amy," Gretchen told Rowdy. "We didn't bring snow gear."
"It's not that cold," Rowdy teased.
"Maybe not for you, but this is cold for me!"
"Sissy."
"Hmph."
They came to a stop at the Pocatello Inn and Suites just north of downtown. Limos didn't come there often, judging by the fuss and bother the hoteliers made over them. Her security team checked out the place as Gretchen waited in the truck with Rowdy. Once given the all-clear, they went to the suites arranged by Melody the day before. The hotel was clean and the rooms were well cared for, but compared to their suite in Las Vegas, it was significantly downscale. Gretchen felt conspicuous in Pocatello, however, and hesitant to interact with the staff.
Rowdy got them settled and then excused himself to head up to Rexburg and see his parents. He'd be gone until he came back to pick them up the next day.
"I'll miss you," Gretchen told him as they parted.
"I'll miss you, too." He seemed reluctant to leave and yet eager to see his family.
"Well, tomorrow… We'll be together tomorrow."
He gathered her up in his arms and pressed a lingering kiss on her lips, right there in the hallway outside her suite. "Bye for now, princess."
She wished him goodbye and went back into the little suite.
Amy wanted to play with her Barbie dolls and Gretchen, so they played for a while, until a phone call came in for Gretchen. Bob answered it, as per usual. He looked a little puzzled but handed the phone over after a brief consultation with her.
"It's someone named Neil Armistead. He says he knows you from high school. Is this a crank call?"
"Neil." Oh, no. She supposed it had been inevitable he'd catch up with her eventually. She didn't know what had become of him. There had been a moment of nostalgia when she'd seen him in the Rose Bowl game years ago, but it went away moments later when Amy had turned fussy. Gretchen couldn't help but remember just how anxious Neil was to get away from her and his responsibilities once he found out she was pregnant. Gretchen knew at the time she could sue him for paternity, but she was so disgusted with him she simply wanted him gone from their lives with no claim on them. Besides, he was college bound and had no money. There was nothing to be gotten from him, even had she wanted to pursue it.
Now he was back. She was sure it was no coincidence she happened to now be wealthy.
She was tempted to turn away the call but decided to take it.
"I'll talk to him. I know him."
Taking the cellphone, she went into the bedroom and closed the door, lest Amy hear the conversation which was bound to be unpleasant.
"Neil. Hello."
"Nellie, honey! It's been a while. How have you been? How is my daughter?"
Neil shouldn't even know his child was a girl. Either he was fishing and hoping for his fifty percent chance of getting it right, or he'd been checking up on her beyond the simple columns in the various papers, from which she'd gotten agreements not to disclose her daughter. It was a security measure Bob had suggested and it was a good idea.
"What do you want?"
"Now, Nellie, don't be like that. I'm just catching up. I care about you."
What a big, fat lie! "How did you get my number?"
"A friend had it."
The only friend she still had from high school was Anne Burdock. Anne would never give out Gretchen's number.
"You mean a private investigator found it. Look Neil, I have nothing to say to you."
"Maybe Amy does. I'm sure she would like to meet her daddy."
"You stay away from my daughter. She doesn't need you. We've never needed you. You have no right to come into our lives now, after you abandoned us years ago."
His voice was a lot less friendly. "Oh, but I do have a right. I could sue you for my rights."
"Try it. I can squash you like the cockroach you are." At least she hoped she could; his rights were not something she'd ever had to think about before. When she was destitute, she had nothing he wanted.
"Maybe, maybe not. It would surely make the papers. Amy would certainly find out somehow."
"You are scum, Neil. Climb back into the fetid swamp you came from. This conversation is over."
"You'll hear from my lawyer," he said faintly as Gretchen hung up the call.
Rattled, she sat
there on the bed for several minutes. She had to talk to her manager, Harry. He'd know what to do. He was also her lawyer, so he'd know the law about paternity. But first, Bob and Melody had to be alerted.
She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, then put on a good face for Amy and went back into their living room.
"Bob, I need to talk to you, please."
He moved away from his tea party with Amy. She'd gotten over her hatred of the big man about as quickly as it had come over her, so now he was welcome at her tea parties. Bob was patient about it, but it was a little silly seeing him down on the floor with Miss Daisy by his side, sipping tea from an ornate plastic teacup.
He nodded then addressed Amy. "I'm sorry, Miss Nelson, I have to go now. Thank you for the tea."
"Okay, Mr. Finlay. Thank you for coming."
He rose and made his way over to Gretchen, who led him into their tiny galley-style kitchenette. "Neil is Amy's father."
"Ah. I never heard his name before. Okay. What does he want?"
She rolled her eyes. "What does anyone want from me these days?"
Bob frowned. "Is he threatening you?"
"Only with legal measures to get to Amy." A tear dropped from one eye and she wiped it away quickly. "Bob, he's a turd. I don't want Amy to know him."
"Is that wise? Doesn't she have the right to know her father?"
Gretchen bit her lip. "Maybe someday. But not now. She's too young and impressionable. She'd have expectations Neil would not and could not fulfill. He's not really after Amy, he's somehow after money."
After a nod, Bob said, "You should talk to Harry about the legal aspects. I'll make sure Melody is on high alert and Steve is on guard at night."
"Thank you." She sniffed, and he put a hand on her shoulder. It was rare for him to be demonstrative, so his offer of comfort was well timed and welcome.
"It's going to be all right, Gretchen. Talk to Harry."
She agreed and Bob moved away leaving Gretchen in the kitchen, mulling over her problems.
The next day, after the purchase of parkas for everyone–Bob refused anything but a peacoat–Amy got to play in the little hotel playground with a few other kids. She didn't often get to play with other children since the lottery win, so this was a big treat for her. Climbing and sliding was a lot more fun with other kids.
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