My Ranch My Way

by Misty Malone

  She thought back to when she was younger. Her dad had occasionally sent her to the barn to muck out stalls as a punishment. He'd told her years later that when she was too tired to over-think things, like she often did, things were much clearer to her. After wearing herself out cleaning the stalls she could finally see the point he'd been trying to get across to her.

  She chuckled at that memory, but admitted it still worked. She spent about an hour in the creek before getting out and drying off. She looked around again to be sure she was alone before changing into dry clothes, and laid her wet things over tree branches to dry. Sitting back down under the tree, she had a couple of ideas, which she tossed around in her head.

  She headed back to the house in time to finish supper, pleased with the ideas she now had.

  Over the next few days she did some research, and ultimately gave up on both of them. She considered opening a bookstore, but discarded that idea when she realized too many bookstores were closing. Maybe because people were reading on e-readers and computers now and sales of actual books was down. Tutoring students that needed help in English was also deemed unacceptable. The two local colleges offered that service free to its students. The local school districts did similar things, letting bright students help their peers.

  Back to square one, Cece returned to her creek and did basically the same thing on several more occasions. Each time the water felt good, and after strenuous exercise she found it easier to concentrate. A couple times after swimming and cooling off, she fell asleep under the tree.

  She always checked first to be sure she didn't see Chase or any of his men. She had run into him from time to time here and there, and they'd always gotten along well. He'd taken her to dinner on another occasion, as well. She enjoyed the time they spent together and didn't see any reason to ruin that friendship, so she always made sure he wasn't around before she jumped in the water.

  * * * * *

  Chase was frustrated. Spring was an extremely busy time at the ranch, especially since this was his first spring. He wanted to spend more time with Cecelia, but he just couldn't arrange it. He'd taken her to dinner twice and had thoroughly enjoyed himself. She was very smart, had a quick wit and good sense of humor, but he could tell something held her back. Whatever it was, he felt sure he could figure it out and help her over it if they could just spend more time together. He vowed to see her regularly, even if it was for a very short time, until his crops were all in. Once the planting was done he'd be able to get away a little more and he could actually date the pretty lady. He found himself thinking about her at times he really should have been concentrating on other things, like when he was filling the planter with corn seed.

  "Boss, I think you've got enough seed in there now," Ty said with a grin on his face.

  "Huh? Oh, shit," he said as he looked down and saw the seeds running over the top and onto the ground.

  "Something on your mind?" Ty asked.

  "No, not really."

  "Uh, Chase, this is me. We've worked together for what—six years or so? Let me ask you again, something on your mind?"

  Chase looked at the grin on his good friend's face and admitted, "Yeah, maybe. There's just no time for socializing."

  "There will be soon, though," Ty reminded him. "As soon as the planting's done." He looked at the pile of spilled corn seed. "Which might take longer if you keep pouring it on the ground." He handed Chase a shovel while he picked up an empty bag that had contained corn seed. "I'll hold the bag, you shovel it in."

  "Thanks," Chase said as he started cleaning up his mess.

  "For holding the bag?" Ty asked.

  "That and the pep talk."

  The next day Chase started planting in another section of the ranch, close to the creek. He kept one eye on the area he knew Cecelia liked to visit, and sure enough, shortly after lunch he saw her on Ginger, heading for the creek. He was about done with the field and decided he'd take a break. It was a great opportunity to visit with her before starting the next field.

  He kept an eye on her every time she was within his sight. He finished that field and was shocked when he looked over and saw her in the creek swimming. She wasn't just wading like last time, either. She was in the deeper water, swimming. Getting the tractor over to that section he knew would be difficult, so he took off running, hoping nothing happened. The creeks were always up higher this time of year with the melting snow, and now the spring rains. That made them run faster, and they were deeper, and more dangerous. The water was still chilly, too, which could cause leg cramps.

  He was afraid if he yelled at her to get her attention it would scare her, and he certainly didn't want her to panic while in the water. Instead, he took his boots and socks off in case he needed to go in after her, and sat on a rock watching.

  His eyes locked on her as she swam. She was a good swimmer, and to her credit, although she was swimming in deeper water, she wasn't out in the part of the creek with the fast-moving water. There was a bend at that point, and it widened out. He was glad to see she stayed in that part, but it was still not safe to swim alone.

  His anger subsided some as he watched her swim. It was easy to see how much she was enjoying herself. He became a little more concerned when he could tell she was getting tired. He watched carefully, ready to dive in if she needed help. There was a bottle of water and a towel beside the stone he sat on, which told him she had come here with the intent to swim. He couldn't believe she hadn't looked up to see him sitting there yet, but she hadn't. Boy, was she going to be surprised!

  When he saw her heading for the shore, he picked the towel up and went to meet her. She looked so tired he wasn't sure she'd make it back on her own. Sure enough, when she looked up and saw him standing there her eyes grew huge and her face paled. He reached out quickly and wrapped her towel around her as he picked her up. When she was securely in his arms he leaned down and kissed her forehead.

  "Hi, Cece. Are you okay?"

  "I'm fine. What are you doing here?"

  "Watching a naughty young lady swim alone on my land," he answered with a stern look.

  Not liking the tone of his voice, she tried going on the offense. "You said you didn't care if I came here."

  "I did at that," he agreed. "But what did I say about you swimming alone, Cecelia Louise Anderson?"

  "How do you know my full name?"

  "Stop trying to change the subject. I asked you a question and I'm waiting for an answer."

  Something about the stern tone of his voice made her answer. "Not to swim alone." As soon as she said it, she wished she hadn't. It made her feel somehow vulnerable, like he had a right to tell her what she could and couldn't do. She was an adult and would do as she pleased.

  Before she had a chance to point that out to him, though, he said, "That's right. So do you want to explain to me why you are out here alone?"

  A now angry Cecelia answered, "No, I don't."

  "I see," Chase said calmly. He carried her over to the stone he'd been sitting on earlier. Instead of standing her on her feet, though, in one swift move she found herself over his knees, with his arm around her waist, holding her in place.

  "Chase, let me up this instant," she screamed. "What are you doing?"

  "Seeing if I can change your mind. I'd really like to hear why you are swimming alone."

  Before she had a chance to say anything, he brought his free hand down with two quick swats on her wet swimsuit. As he expected, she gasped. He gave her time to catch her breath before beginning to spank her in earnest. Soon she was yelping.

  "Ow! Chase, stop! That hurts! What are you doing?"

  He calmly answered, "I'm spanking you, Cecelia. And I'm aware that it hurts. In fact, I imagine it hurts pretty good, considering it's wet skin. I notice you're wearing a swimsuit. As good as you look in it, darlin', the fact you're wearing it tells me you planned on swimming when you came over here. Again, I'll ask, do you want to explain to me now why you were swimming alone?"

&n
bsp; She was so angry she could spit nails. Who did this big arrogant cowboy think he was? "Chase, I'm warning you! Let me go right now or I'll report you to the sheriff. I'll have you arrested. Who do you think you are, anyway?"

  "I'll assume that means you're not ready to explain it to me yet, darlin'. That's a shame." He picked up speed and put a little more strength behind his swats. "But if you're going to call the sheriff, I better do a better job of it. When he takes the pictures of your lovely bottom, he'll want to be able to see the evidence. If he doesn't have good pictures to show the jury, how else will he be able to prove that I assaulted you?"

  Cece was so surprised by his comment that she stopped yelling. "Pictures?"

  "Of course," Chase answered calmly. "If you're going to charge me with assault, you'll need evidence to show the jury. So he'll have to take a series of pictures to get that evidence. Those pictures will be passed around to the jury so they can examine them carefully while you're on the witness stand explaining to them what happened. Of course, you'll have to explain that you were aware that I'd asked you not to go in swimming alone because I didn't feel it was safe. But I'm sure they'll agree with you that just because it's my land and I asked you to heed that one warning, that you had every right to swim in my creek alone. Then you can explain to them how I saw you over here and was excited at the prospect of seeing you again, and how scared I became when I saw how fast the creek was running and you were swimming alone."

  She stopped struggling and turned around to look at him. He stopped a moment, as well, and said, "Please try to explain that part to them - how scared I was when I saw that."

  "But why were you scared? I'm a good swimmer."

  "I see that now," he said. "But I didn't know that when I first saw you in the water, Cece. And what if you would have had a leg cramp? They can be crippling, no matter how good a swimmer you are. I care a lot about you and I was worried you'd get hurt."

  Chase could tell she was still angry, but she didn't say anything. He hoped that meant she was giving serious thought to his words.

  Chapter 4

  Chase knew he'd made his point, so he lifted Cece onto his lap. She tried to jump up, but he held her securely with his arms around her.

  "Cece, you should know that I've come to care a great deal about you in the short time we've known each other. I don't want to see anything happen to you."

  She sat stiffly in his arms, looking down. "I can't believe you did that. I get that you panicked and wouldn't normally do that, but it really hurt, Chase."

  "Darlin', I think you misunderstood. I did panic when I saw you in that water alone, but that's not why I spanked you. And when you said I wouldn't normally do that, you're wrong. If I see you swimming alone again I will spank you again. Swimming alone is dangerous for anyone, and I care too much about you to allow you to do it."

  She looked up at him, her eyes wide and mouth open. "You would dare to do that again?"

  "In a heartbeat."

  "What?" She renewed her fight to get up, but he held her tight.

  "If I see you swimming alone again, I'll spank you again," he reiterated. "The idea of a spanking is to teach you a lesson. But if you're a slow learner or you want to play stubborn and do it again, you can be assured you'll be spanked again."

  She struggled to get away, but he tightened his arms around her, keeping her right where she was. "Settle down, Sugar. You're not going anywhere until we've had a chance to talk and I've had a chance to comfort you."

  "After what you did, how could you possibly think I'd let you comfort me!"

  "Because if you settle down and think about it a couple minutes you'll realize you deserved that spanking. I told you not to swim alone on my land." He sighed and said, "Cece, I care about you or I wouldn't have done it."

  "You care about me? Are you kidding me? How can you even say that with a straight face after what you did to me?"

  "Settle down and listen to me a minute and I'll try to explain it to you. I wish you'd lean your head against my shoulder while I explain it, though, because I know you're tired. You looked exhausted when you got out of the creek, and then after all the wriggling and struggling you did over my lap, I figure you need to rest."

  She didn't argue, so he pushed his luck a little and gently guided her head against his chest and shoulder. "Now, I'm going to finish explaining this to you. Then you can ask me any questions you have, or yell at me all you want, or I'll even give you my phone if you want to call the sheriff."

  To his surprise, she not only leaned against his shoulder, but she seemed to nestle in a bit closer. "Okay, I'll listen to what you have to say, but then you need to listen to me, too."

  "Fair enough," he agreed. Now that he didn't feel he had to hold onto her as tightly he moved one hand up to gently run his fingers through her hair as he started his explanation. "Cece, I've already told you I've enjoyed getting to know you and I care about you. Now, I have a protective instinct and I look out for, or protect, the people that are important to me. If I didn't care so much about you I wouldn't have spanked you. I would have simply told you if you can't follow my rules I'd rather not have you on my land. That would have been much easier."

  "I'd rather you would have."

  "I'm sure it would have been easier on both of us," he said with a bit of a grin. "But I don't really think you would rather have had me do that. There would have been hard feelings between us then, and I know you would have missed coming here. It really is a beautiful spot."

  He could tell she was at least in agreement with that. "Now there's no hard feelings, on my part at least. I've forgiven you, and you're welcome here anytime, as long as it's not to swim alone."

  "But I've been swimming alone here for years, Chase. I never go out into the current."

  "I'm sorry, but I'm new at being a landowner, and for right now anyway I have to follow my grandfather's advice. It's my ranch, I have to do it my way. If something happened to you I don't know what I'd do. I'd feel terrible. But if it happened on my land and I hadn't tried to stop it, even though I don't feel it's safe, I couldn't live with myself. Do you understand what I'm saying, Cece?"

  She sighed heavily. "Yes, I guess I do. But I still didn't like it. It hurt."

  "No, I don't imagine you did," he said. Keeping one arm around her, he reached into his pocket and handed her his phone. "Here. If you still want to call the sheriff you better do it pretty soon so he can get the pictures before the evidence fades."

  She looked at him through narrowed eyes. "I could call him, you know," she threatened.

  "I know," he answered. "That's why I gave you my phone."

  "Will you tell me you won't do it ever again if I don't call him?"

  "No."

  "No?" she repeated.

  "No," he confirmed. "I already told you, Darlin', if I see you swimming alone again I'll spank you again. Now that I care this much about you, you're stuck with me protecting you. I can't just sit by and watch you get hurt."

  "But I didn't get hurt."

  "You could have. I can't just sit by and watch you do something dangerous. Is that better?"

  "No, not really," she mumbled. "I end up with a sore butt either way."

  "Not if you don't do anything dangerous," he pointed out.

  "Or what you consider dangerous," she said.

  "I'll give you that," he agreed. "It is what I perceive as being dangerous, whether you see it that way or not. That's part of that 'my ranch, my way' concept." He sighed. "Okay, I said what I wanted to say."

  After several moments of silence, she said, "Well, damn."

  "Except that," he said in a stern voice. "Watch your language, Cecelia Louise Anderson. You are much too pretty and intelligent to talk like that."

  "What do my looks have to do with my language? And how the hell do you know my whole name?"

  He reached around and gave her bottom a smack. "I said to watch your language, young lady." He made it a hard enough whack that she knew he was serious,
but not hard enough to cause her too much pain.

  "Ouch! Cut that out!"

  "Stop swearing and I will. Now, is there anything you want to say that won't get your bottom smacked? I'm ready to listen."

  She glared at him a few moments, then sighed and leaned back against him. "No, I don't guess so," she said.

  "Are you sure? No comments? No questions?"

  "I don't know what I want to ask right now. I'm kind of confused," she admitted.

  "Do you want to talk about it?"

  "No," she answered quickly. "I need to think about it."

  "Okay," he said, running his hand through her hair again. "If you need to talk later, call me. I'll listen."

  "Okay."

  "If you want to call the sheriff you better do it pretty quickly. I'm sure the evidence is fading fast."

  "I guess I'll let it pass this time," she murmured.

  "Well, if you decide to next time you better call quicker."

  "Oh, there won't be a next time," she said adamantly.

  "We'll see," he said quietly.

  She turned around and gave him a quizzical, but confused look. He smiled and kissed the top of her head.

  Cece was angry, and that gentle kiss made her angrier. The problem was she wasn't sure exactly why she was so angry. She was definitely upset that he spanked her. But she was primarily angry with herself for the way she felt. She hated that his arms felt good holding her, and that she liked how it felt leaning against his chest. She was angry at the way he'd called her Darling and Sugar, and how it had touched some crazy spot in her heart. But to top it off, that gentle kiss on her head had done something to her that she didn't want to happen. She'd definitely have to give this afternoon a lot of thought. She hated this guy for what he did. Now she just had to figure out why hate didn't feel quite like it should.

  That turned out to be more difficult than she'd expected. Over the next few days her mood and opinion of Chase changed numerous times, as did her attitude. Pete was about to go crazy. She'd be happy in the morning and talkative, only to be silent and angry by lunch. He might have a sweet, vibrant daughter to share supper with, or a grouchy, irritable lady who argued with anything and everything he said.