by Misty Malone
“That sounds like a good idea,” Bryce said.
Janelle agreed. “So will you tell us as soon as you hear he takes the deal?”
“I will,” Sheriff Hollinger said.
Fifteen minutes later, after the two men left, Bryce took her into his office.
She was quiet and subdued as she sat down on the couch. He sat down beside her and took one of her hands in his. “Sunshine, we need to talk about your phone last night.”
“Bryce, can I say something first, please?”
“I always want to hear what you have to say, Janelle.”
“I'm not trying to make excuses because there really isn't a good one. I know that. But I didn't sleep well last night and I've been thinking about it all day. I'm confused and I hope you can help me, explain it to me so I can prevent it from happening again.”
Bryce was mystified. One of the things he adored about Janelle was that she took credit for what she did, good or bad. Even though she hated his spankings, she no longer tried to get out of one that she knew she had earned. He knew she felt bad if she did something she thought hurt someone, so it didn't surprise him when she admitted to him she felt better after a spanking. It absolved her guilt.
“What don't you understand, honey?”
“How the charge went down so fast.”
“What do you mean?”
“When I was staying with you I found that the charge on my phone didn't go down very fast. Since you're only supposed to charge it when it's down to two bars, that would usually take four or five days, sometimes six before it needed to be charged. I admit I didn't check it the night before, but I'd just charged it two days before that. It shouldn't have needed it yet. What happened?”
Bryce studied her carefully for several seconds. He was putting little things she'd said in the past together and starting to understand her a bit better. “Okay, first of all, who told you you're only supposed to charge it when it's down to two bars?”
“The salesman where I got my first phone when I was going to start college. He said to—”
“Wait, wait. Do you mean the first phone you had while in college, or are you saying you never had a phone until you went to college?”
“When I started college was when I got my first phone. Everyone had to give the college your cell phone number, and they programmed it in so if there were any notice they wanted everyone to get, or an emergency, they would send a message to everyone via their cell phones. I didn't want to cause a problem, and it sounded like a good plan, so I got a phone.”
“Wow,” he said, amazed. “You never had a phone when you were in high school?”
“No,” she admitted, her face turning red. “My dad was sick and we couldn't afford it. I was busy taking care of him when I wasn't in school or doing homework, so I never thought I needed one.”
Bryce hadn't realized what all this little lady had been through. He had been hearing bits and pieces as she thought of something she hadn't thought of since her amnesia, and he knew she hadn't had an easy life, but he hadn't realized until just the last few days how tough it must have been for her. He pulled her to his chest and gave her a hug.
“Thank you,” she said with a grin. “But what was that for?”
“Because I had to do it,” he admitted. “I had to hold you in my arms for a minute. I'm sorry you had to endure some of the things you went through growing up, sunshine.”
“Hey, that's in the past,” she said with a brave smile. “I learned years ago that it doesn't do you any good to feel sorry for yourself or wish it could have been different. You're better off if you look forward instead of behind. My forward looks much better than my behind, so I prefer to concentrate on that.”
He chuckled and picked her up and sat her on his lap. “I don't know,” he said jokingly, “your behind looks awful cute, too.” He patted her bottom and grinned.
“Oh, you,” she said as she turned red and slapped his arm.
He got serious then. “I'm sorry. And I know what you meant, and that's a very wise thing to do, and one of the reasons I love you. You make the best out of anything life throws your way, and you keep going forward, with a smile. You're a very special person and I'm very lucky to have found you.”
Her face turned red again, and she buried her head in his shoulder. “Actually, I'm the one who's lucky to have found you. Look what all you did for me. You didn't know me, you didn't have to do any of those things.”
“I think things happen for a reason, and we were meant for each other. It was a rather strange way to meet, but look where it got us!”
“Yeah,” she said in a rather dreamy fashion.
“Do you know what one of the cutest things you said to me was, when I first got you out of that tree?”
“Oh, no,” she said. “I could have said about anything.”
He chuckled. “You asked where you were and I told you that you were on my ranch. You asked me, 'I'm on a ranch?' I think I fell in love with you right then. You sounded like that was the oddest thing in the world, for you to be on a ranch.”
“I remember that,” she said, thinking back. “When you said I was on your ranch, there were so many things that came into my mind. The first was okay, I'm on your ranch. But who are you?”
They both chuckled.
“The next thing I thought of was, whoever you are, how did I get on your ranch? I grew up in a city in the east, and I'd never been on a ranch until I moved to Kansas, which was just a few days before I went missing. So I guess even then the whole concept of me being on a ranch seemed odd.”
“Probably. I just remember hearing you say that, and I loved hearing it. It's funny how you remember little things, often insignificant things.”
“You're right,” After a few moments he looked down and she had an adorable, mischievous grin on her face.
“What's that grin for? It's a little worrisome.”
“I'll have to remember you liked that. Sometime when we're in a disagreement I'll have to say it again. Maybe it'll remind us of our beginning, and we'll stop arguing.”
After another chuckle he said, “It might not be a bad idea.” She relaxed against his chest for several moments before sighing.
“What's the sigh for?”
“Because it's getting late, so as much as I hate to end this, I better let you get on with your talk, and whatever else you're going to do,” she said with another red face. “I let my phone run down too low, and I admit it, so I deserve whatever you're going to do.”
“Yes, you do,” he agreed, “and you're right. It's getting late and we better finish this.” He cleared his throat and put a stern expression back on his face. “Now, young lady, you listen to what I'm about to say. When the salesman told you to charge your phone when it got down to two bars, he was basing that on the batteries they had at that time, and how much he anticipated you using your phone. When you were staying here you didn't use your phone much. Was it about the same when you were in college?”
“Yes, probably about the same.”
“Then your phone didn't go down very fast, and charging it every four to six days was probably sufficient. But batteries are different now, and you're using your phone a whole lot more now that you have your business. You're using it a lot more than you used to, and every time you use your phone it uses some of the battery's charge. So now I think you need to start charging your phone when it gets down to three bars, which may very well mean you're charging it daily.”
“Daily?”
“Possibly. I'd say at least every other day, unless you have a new battery and it's lasting longer. But letting it get down to two bars now isn't a good idea. If you start off with two in the morning you may run out before the day is over.”
“Oh. Okay.” She seemed to be digesting the new information. “So I'll have to start checking it every night and probably charging it daily?”
“Yes. At least check it daily.”
“Okay. Thank you, Bryce. I didn't know that.”
He guided her head back to his chest. She snuggled in next to him, but only for a second or two. She pulled back up and said, “Wait. I love this part, but we should save it for later, afterward.”
“Afterward? After what?”
“Aren't you going to spank me? You told me before about not letting my phone get too low.”
“I did,” he agreed, “but I see now that I didn't explain it like I should have. You did what you thought you were supposed to do. I'm not going to spank you for not knowing that using your phone a lot more would necessitate charging it more often. Now that you know, though, I'll expect you to keep it charged. It's even more important now, since that's how your clients get in touch with you.” He again guided her head to his chest.
She snuggled in next to him. “So I can do this now, for real?”
“I'll be disappointed if you don't snuggle up next to me,” he said. “I love how you do that.”
“Me, too,” she said in a very contented voice. “It all still sometimes seems so surreal, though.”
“What does?”
“All that's happened to me in the last few months. I moved from Maine to Kansas, overheard the wrong person, ran for my life, was found unconscious and met you. Sometimes I look around and I still have that same thought.”
What same thought?”
“I'm on a ranch?”
Bryce had to laugh, although he knew what she was saying was very real. “You have been through a lot in a short time, sunshine, but trust me, it's all real, and you are on a ranch.”
“You've been my rock through all this,” she said, leaning against his chest again. “You know, when I was in college I had to take a course in geology, and it was very difficult for me. I told my friend that I hated rocks, and that I've never met a rock that did anything for me. Until now!” She giggled, putting her arms around him to hug him.
“Cute,” he said, leaning down to give her a kiss. “I like the idea of being your rock, if that helps keep you settled.”
“Me, too.” They snuggled for several more minutes, until they both saw how late it was.
Two days later, on Friday, Agent Caldwell called Bryce to tell him the congressman had accepted the offer from the prosecutor, and they wouldn't have to testify. Bryce asked if he and Sheriff Hollinger could come to the ranch for supper that evening to celebrate. He then called Janelle and told her Agent Caldwell had some news and was coming over for supper. She assured him she'd be there.
Instead of showing up around 6:00 for supper, though, she stopped by around 4:00. Bryce was working in the equipment shed, helping Clay repair a tractor, and heard her truck pull in. He went to see her right away, concerned. “Hey, sunshine,” he said, leaning down to kiss her cheek. “Everything okay/”
“Fine,” she growled.
He frowned. “You don't sound like everything's okay. Do you want to talk about it?”
“I said I'm fine.”
“Okay, I see,” he said with a look that should have meant something to her, but she was too upset to see it. “You don't normally come over in the middle of the afternoon. Is there a special reason for this visit, or is it just my lucky day?”
“What? Now I can't come over during the day? You're too busy for me? Maybe next time I should call and make an appointment first.”
Without saying a word, Bryce took her hand and headed toward the equipment shed. “Where are we going?”
“Trust me,” was all he said. He stuck his head in the shop and asked, “Clay, are you okay working alone a little?”
“Sure, boss,” he answered. “Thanks for your help. I can handle it now.”
“No problem,” Bryce said. Keeping Janelle's hand firmly in his, he took her to the house. He went in through the kitchen. Lena looked up at them curiously. “Sunshine and I have something we need to discuss. We'll be in my office,” he said matter-of-factly, never slowing up.
Lena took one look at Janelle, and the angry expression on her face, and smiled. She knew both of them well enough by now to know that for whatever reason, Janelle wasn't in her usual happy mood. But she bet about fifteen to twenty minutes from now her mood would be much improved. She felt sorry for Janelle for the near future, but envied her overall. Bryce was a special man, she was a special lady, and she hoped the two of them realized soon how much they both needed the other.
Bryce pulled her into his office and locked the door. That was purely for effect on his part, as he knew Lena was just as aware of what was about to happen as he was, and would never come into the office and interrupt. It had the effect he was hoping for, though, as Janelle stared at the locked door, looked at him, and tried to back peddle. “Bryce, I'm sorry,” she quickly said.
“For what?”
“For upsetting you,” she said lamely.
“That's what I thought,” he said, sitting down on the couch and pulling her over his lap. “Sunshine, you're not sorry if you don't know what you're sorry for, and saying it when you don't mean it just makes it harder for people to believe you when you do say it.”
He reached underneath her to unfasten her jeans, and she slumped over his lap. “I am sorry now, Bryce. I was in a bad mood, and I took it out on you again, didn't it?”
“Yes, you did,” he confirmed. “We will talk about what's going on that put you in a bad mood, but first things first. I have a feeling you'll listen to me much better with a sore bottom. You always do.”
Without saying another word, he pulled her jeans and panties down to her knees and spanked her. It was easier that way. If he did it slowly he had too much time to look at her perfect little bottom, and he wanted to caress it first. Some day, when she was truly his, with his ring on her finger, he would do that. He knew not all spankings had to be for discipline, and he fully intended to show her that. Rubbing her arm and back helped her a lot when she needed to calm down. He knew rubbing her gorgeous bottom would have a similar affect on her. But not today. He shook his head to get it focused on his task at hand.
He continued spanking her until she reacted to each swat, and he knew it was hurting. “Sunshine, you have to learn to control your emotions and watch your attitude. Now that you have a business, you have to be even more careful. I know that every time you take your bad mood out on me or Lena or Landon you feel bad about it afterward.”
“I do,” she admitted.
“And I know that you feel better after you've been spanked and you have no reason to feel guilty any longer. But if you're in a bad mood now and you take it out on whoever is around, it might not always be one of the three of us.”
“What?”
“We know you now. We know that when that happens it means something has you upset, and you're just taking it out on us. Once I help you settle down,” he said with an extra hard swat for emphasis, “you apologize. We know you didn't mean what you said or did. But what if you take it out on a client? If you're in a bad mood and show up at a new client's ranch and treat him horribly, do you think he'll call you again?”
She was thinking, and didn't answer until he gave her two smacks on her thighs. “Ouch! No, he won't call me again.”
“That's right, he won't. I don't want to see that happen, sunshine. I want all of the ranchers around here to see what a good vet you are, and what a wonderful person you are.” He continued spanking, saying nothing, until he knew she was struggling with the pain. “Do you understand?”
“Yes,” she cried. He spanked her several more times, until she quietly said, “I'm sorry, Bryce.”
“What are you sorry for?”
“For taking my bad mood out on you,” she confessed.
He ended the spanking, rubbing her back to help her calm so she could catch her breath. He pulled her panties and jeans back up, and when he helped her onto his lap she immediately cuddled up in his arms, almost before he had them wrapped around her.
He whispered encouraging little things to her as she calmed, like he always did, reminding her that he loved her.
“I know you are, sunshine,” he assured her. “Every time you take your feelings out on someone else you feel bad afterwards. You have to remember that before you do it.”
She nodded. “I know. I'm trying.”
“Good,” he said with a kiss to the top of her head. “Now that you have a business to think about, it's even more important. If you're in a bad mood and you can't shake it on your own, come to me and tell me. I'll help you any way I can. We'll try talking first. If that doesn't help, we know a spanking will. If that's what you need to settle down, you can tell me that, you don't have to treat someone badly. I'll understand and I'll keep helping you in any way I can,” he said with a grin and a light pat on her bottom. She smiled at him, even if her face did turn a bit pink.
Once she had calmed and was settled in against him, he was ready to hear about her day. “So tell me what happened that has you upset.”
"Dawson Fleming called me this morning and said he had a cow trying to calf that was in distress. He'd tried pulling it out, but wasn't having any more luck than the cow was. He was worried, saying the cow was near exhaustion. So I hurried over. While we were working on her I got a call from Wyatt Anderson. I answered it quick, giving the cow a minute to rest. He said he needed me right away, he had a horse that cut its leg. I told him I'd be there as soon as I could, but that I was at Dawson's ranch and had a cow in severe distress. He told me to make it quick, he didn't want to lose this horse. I told him Dawson didn't want to lose his cow, either, and I'd do the best I could.”
“Wyatt's got a quick temper. Don't let him bother you.”
“Well, he called me three more times. I didn't answer him twice because I was too busy. I couldn't get to it and had to let it go to voice mail. The calf was breech. Dawson didn't know how to turn it around, but I almost wasn't strong enough. We had to work together, and it was exhausting. We finally finished, and I hurried over to Wyatt's. I listened to his messages on my way there and almost didn't go.”
“Why?”
“He was just plain rude. I thought seriously about not going, but I couldn't do that to the horse. It's not the horse's fault his owner acts like a horse's ass.”
