“Hi, Scott, how are you?”
“Good! Are you plannin’ on stayin’ a while? Are you gonna ride?”
“I am. I can’t wait to get on my girl.”
“You might wanna put that top up on your car. I think we’re gonna have some weather.”
“We always have weather,” she laughed. “It happens every day.”
“Very funny, I mean, rain. Look at the clouds over there,” he said, pointing to the horizon.
“They look far away.”
“It’s your car,” he remarked, and started to leave.
“Wait,” she said quickly.
Pleased that she’d not wanted him to go, he turned around and moved back to her, standing closer to her than he had when he’d first approached.
“You’re right, I should put the top up. Thanks.”
“You’re welcome, and it’s up to you, but if you go out on the trail don’t go too far. I think the weather, or rather, the rain, is closer than you think.”
“Right,” she nodded, a swirl of wind suddenly tossing her hair. “Scott, before you leave, do you have a minute?”
“Sure, what’s up?” he asked, noticing a blush beginning to flow across her cheeks.
“I, uh, wanted to say I’m sorry about the bucket,” she said softly, then unable to hold his gaze, she dropped her eyes. “Leaving it there, it was stupid, and I’m sorry you tripped over it.”
“Apology accepted,” he replied. “Did you say sorry to Robyn for pointin’ the finger at her?”
“Uh, no, I haven’t, not yet.”
“But you will.”
It had been a statement, not a question, and she slowly nodded her head.
“Thanks for keepin’ your things tidier,” he said gently. “I appreciate it.”
“So, um, I was thinking,” she continued, speaking slowly, “maybe…”
“Maybe, what?” he pressed as her voice trailed off.
“Nothing, it’s nothing. I’d better put this top up,” she said abruptly, and spinning around she jumped into her car.
He thought about staying, but his instinct told him to walk away, and as he headed back to the barn and climbed on to his ATV, he pondered what it was she’d been going to ask him.
The question was still on his mind as he was cruising past the large corrals. They were more like paddocks than corrals, and with only a dozen horses he’d been able to provide extended areas for them to roam. He pulled to a stop to visit with Dusty and Duster, and as the horses came up to the fence to say hello, looking for the treats they knew he always carried in his pockets, he saw Cathy walking to her corral to fetch her mare, Cinnamon.
Spotting him, she waved, then changed direction and headed towards him, and he couldn’t help but smile. She’d pulled her hair back into a ponytail, and he found himself thinking about how delicious it would be to have her on her knees pleasuring him, with that blond, bouncy pony tail curled around his hand. The image was still with him as she neared, and it didn’t help him control his growing erection when he noticed she’d applied some fresh pink lipstick. Had she done that for his benefit?
“I’m going to say this before I chicken out,” she said hastily.
“Okay, you go right ahead,” he nodded, detecting a faint scent of raspberry. Her lipstick? Whatever it was, his cock wanted to join the conversation.
“I was thinking, maybe, uh…”
An awkward silence fell between them, and he leaned his head down next to hers.
“You wanna whisper?”
“No, I don’t want to whisper,” she retorted, stepping back.
“Hey, I was bein’ sincere,” he frowned, straightening up. “I swear, I was just tryin’ to help. What is it, Cathy? You’ve never struck me as the shy, retirin’ type.”
“I’ve never done this before!”
“Done what?”
“Ask a guy out for coffee,” she declared, blurting out the words. “There, I’ve said it.”
“I’m real honored,” he smiled, “and sure, I’d love to. How about after your ride? I’m always up for a coffee late mornin’. We could cruise over to the Coffee Clutch.”
She had dropped her eyes to the ground immediately after speaking, but as he’d accepted her invitation, she’d slowly lifted them. Her face was still red, but she was smiling, and Scott suspected her pulse was probably racing faster than a thoroughbred galloping to the finish line.
“Okay, sounds good,” she nodded. “I’m going to get Cinder now.”
“I like that nickname for her. It’s easier.”
“Me too. Cinder, Cinnamon, either one, but I like call her Cinder, or Cinders, and listen to me, I’m babbling. I’ll see you later.”
As he watched her hurry away, he leaned against the corral fence and crossed his arms.
What am I doin’? Do I really wanna go there? Oh, what the heck, it’s just a cup of coffee. No big deal.
Climbing back on to his ATV, he spied Joe filling the water buckets and headed over to talk to him about the sofa, and more important to bring him up to date about the upcoming changes.
In her mare’s corral, Cathy’s fingers were still shaking. She’d had difficulty buckling her horse’s halter, and her heart was banging against her chest. When she’d glanced in Scott’s direction and seen him standing with his arms crossed staring at her, she’d felt her stomach fly into a frenetic dance. He positively took her breath away.
From the moment she’d laid eyes on him, she’d thought him the sexiest cowboy she’d ever seen. His voice melted her, and she was sure his deep brown eyes could see right through her. She had tried to get his attention, but nothing had worked, so she’d started breaking the rules so he’d come looking for her, and when he’d scold her, her legs would turn wobbly, and it was all she could do not to fling herself against him and beg him to kiss her.
The bucket incident though, that had truly been an accident. She’d meant to return and pick it up, but she’d been distracted. The moment she’d heard the commotion she knew someone had tripped over it, and when she’d raced to the wash rack and seen him laying on the wet rubber mats, she’d been so mortified she’d lied, and the lie had slipped out before she could stop it. The whole thing had been calamitous.
Being summoned to his office had been a dream come true, but she’d needed a few minutes to gather her thoughts, and had decided it was too late to change her story. Robyn drove her crazy, following her around like a lost puppy, so Cathy had decided to continue the lie when he began to reprimand her in his office.
Then it had happened.
The unthinkable.
The shocking, embarrassing, stunning moment when he’d yanked her over his lap and started slapping her ass.
It was the most mortifying, humiliating, surprisingly painful thing that had ever happened to her…and as she’d dashed to her car and sped home, though her face was as hot as her bottom, all she could think about was how she wanted him to do it again, and again, and again.
CHAPTER FOUR
Scott’s forecast had been correct, and when Cathy climbed off her horse after riding for only an hour, the temperature had dropped, the wind had whipped up, and though it wasn’t yet raining, he had told the volunteers to start bringing the horses into their stalls. He was sure when the wet stuff started it would be a torrent. Moving through the barn to see if Cathy was ready, he found her putting away the last of her things, and noticed Cinnamon happily munching on her hay.
“I was going to ask you leave her in the barn,” he remarked.
“It’s cold, and it’s gotten so windy. You were right. Those clouds are looking really ominous.”
“It’s that time of year, and they were talking about the chance of a storm on the mornin’ weather. You about ready to go?”
“I sure am,” she replied, smiling up at him.
Picking up her parka she followed him outside, and as a sudden gust of cold wind swirled around them, she immediately pulled it on.
“Wow, it’s
getting really chilly. I didn’t expect this.”
“To be honest, I didn’t either. It’s droppin’ fast,” he agreed, opening the car door for her.
As she moved past him to settle into the passenger seat, he felt an unexpected desire to take hold of her arm, pull her against him, clutch her hair, and crush her lips, and as he closed the door and hurried around his car, he realized he was drawn to her much more than he’d thought.
Though the Coffee Clutch was only a five minute drive, it seemed to be taking an inordinate about of time. He was sure he could feel an energy between them. Was it just the intimacy of being in the car together, or more than that? The giant coffee cup on the cafe’s roof finally came into view, and he turned into the parking area and switched off the engine.
“I can’t believe there are no other cars here,” she remarked, looking around the vacant lot.
“Strange,” he nodded. “I hope they’re not closed.”
The wind was blowing as they climbed from the car, and walking quickly to the front door they felt a few sprinkles, a warning of the rain to come. The cafe was empty, and as Scott ordered their drinks and two muffins, the barista explained that the few customers she’d been serving had left a short time before.
“A severe storm warning came in,” she explained. “A couple of people got an alert on their phones and spread the word.”
“I knew we were gettin’ a storm, but I didn’t realize it’d had turned into a severe warnin’,” he frowned. “Thanks for lettin’ me know.”
“The owner called and told me to stay open,” she said, shaking her head, “so here I am. Hopefully it’ll move past quick.”
“Hopefully,” he agreed.
He picked up their mugs, Cathy carried the plate with the muffins, and they moved a table near the window.
“Thanks for coming,” she said as she sat down. “This is nice.”
“Thanks for askin’. Normally I don’t meet up with people outside the barn. I like to keep business just that, business. I don’t like crossin’ that line.”
“Really? So, why did you agree?”
“I’m gonna be sendin’ out an email to everyone tonight, but I’ll tell you now.”
“Tell me about what?”
“I’m changin’ things,” he said soberly.
“At the barn? Changing them how?”
“I was plannin’ on sellin’, but-“
“NO! You can’t!” she exclaimed, cutting him off.
“Hush now, let me finish.”
“Sorry, but that’s really upsetting news, you do such a great job there.”
“As I was sayin’,” he continued, “I was plannin’ on sellin’, but before I do, I’m gonna see if I can find a trainer to come in and take over the management of the place.”
“You mean, like a show trainer?”
“Any kind of trainer, I don’t care,” he said, shrugging his shoulders. “There’s an empty twelve stall barn, the facility has two arenas, there’s that pasture behind the corrals for someone to put up some turnouts, or do whatever they want. If I can find someone decent, I won’t have to sell.”
“What about us, the boarders?”
“You can stay on, no problem. I’ll keep Benny and Todd to take care of you guys, and the trainer, whoever he or she is, will have to bring in their own labor.”
“But it will be so different,” she bleated. “I don’t understand.”
“I’ve given it five years, people come and go, and nothin’ changes. I’m tired of the hassle.”
“What hassle?”
“It’s a lotta work, Cathy, and that’s fine, I don’t mind workin’, but I do mind all the drama. The fightin’, the gossipin’, it’s not what I signed on for, and I’m done.”
“Is this my fault? Is it because of Tammy and Susan?”
“It’s no-one’s fault. I think it’s the nature of the beast,” he grimaced. “Every time a boarder left that I thought was a troublemaker, it made no difference. In the five years I’ve owned that place, I’ve had, maybe, half-a-dozen peaceful months, and that was when I had only six people in the barn. I was losin’ money, but it was real nice.”
“This is so depressing.”
“You asked why I agreed to have coffee outside the barn, that’s why. I’m only sittin’ here ’cos I’m gonna be steppin’ out of managin’ the place.”
“But you’ll still be around, won’t you? I mean, you’ll still be the owner, you’ll still be at the barn every day.”
“Only to ride and check on my boys. I’m not interested in anyone’s business. I’m not gonna listen to complaints, I’m not gonna socialize, none of that. I’m passin’ that headache on to whoever wants to take it.”
“I don’t know what to say. Everyone will really miss you. You kept the peace.”
“Apparently not very well,” he sighed. “Anyway, like I said, everyone will get an email from me tonight, now I’d like to change the subject.”
“So would I,” she grumbled. “I hate the thought of a trainer coming in,” and I hate the thought of you not being around all the time. I hate that most of all.
“What would you like to talk about?” he asked, noticing she had flecks of brown in her amazingly expressive bright blue eyes, and a spray of tiny freckles across the bridge of her nose.
“Can I ask you something personal?”
“Sure, ask away.”
“I’ve been at your barn for over a year…” she said, her voice trailing off as she twirled her blond waves around her fingers,
Staring at them, for the second time he found himself wishing he could slide his hand into her hair, clutch it tightly, and devour her mouth.
“You’ve been at my barn over a year, and…?”
“I’ve never seen you with anyone,” she said quietly. “It’s kind of weird.”
“Why is it weird?” he asked, trying to focus on what she was saying. “You think I should be married?”
“Not married, necessarily, but with someone.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know, it just seems like you should.”
“I think you’re givin’ me a compliment,” he grinned, “and thank you. The thing is, Cathy, runnin’ that barn takes a lotta hours, and it gets me pretty tired.”
“That can’t be the only reason,” she said, leaning across the table. “Did someone break your heart, or do you just like being unattached?”
“This from the girl who was nervous about askin’ me to share a cup of coffee,” he chuckled, shaking his head. “What changed?”
“I’m not sure. I guess my curiosity is making me brave. So, which is it?”
Scott sat back, picked up his mug, took a long, slow drink, then placing it back on the table, he crossed his arms and stared at her.
“Are you going to answer me, or just sit there and stare?” she said impatiently.
“You’d best count to ten,” he said slowly, a slightly scolding tone to his voice.
Though she didn’t drop her eyes, he saw the telltale blush cross her face. It was clear she wasn’t used to someone putting her in her place, and the fact that she didn’t snap back at him, told him the spanking had put her on notice that he wasn’t to be messed with.
“Sorry,” she muttered. “Sometimes I push too hard.”
“Yep, you do. I’ve seen it at the barn, and if you push me too hard, I’ll push back, which you’ve now learned,” he said, raising his eyebrows.
He saw her reaction. The memory of his spanking hand had quivered through her, and he wondered just how turned on she’d become. His cock stirred at the thought of it, and shaking himself, he focused back on her question.
“The thing is, Cathy,” he said, uncrossing his arms and leaning forward, “I may seem like a simple cowboy, but there’s a lot more to me than that.”
“Honestly, Scott,” she said, dropping her voice, “I don’t think there’s anything simple about you.”
“And I’m beginnin’ to think the same
about you,” he grinned. One minute you’re as shy as a church mouse stickin’ its head out, and the next you’re flirty and as brazen as a mare in heat.
“Me? I’m an open book,” she giggled.
“An open book written in code!”
“Anyway, at the risk of you pushing back,” she replied, not being able to think of a comeback, “are you saying it’s not that you want to be unattached, but that you haven’t met the right person?”
“Let me put it like this. You have certain qualities you look for in a guy, right?”
“Uh-huh, I guess, but I don’t care about things like, brown hair, blue eyes, whatever. It’s more a feeling I get.“
“You asked me for coffee,” he said softly, “and I’m real flattered, but I won’t know what qualities you might have until we spend some time together.”
“It sounds like you have deep dark secrets,” she grinned.
“We all have deep dark secrets,” he winked, seeing a fresh flush cross her face. “I will tell you one thing. I’m a take charge kinda guy, it’s just in me to be that way, and it’s not gonna change.”
“Take charge is great,” she murmured, “not bullying, or being mean, but that’s different. I can’t stand wishy-washy men. Like my dad, there’s nothing wishy-washy about him.”
Her unexpected reference to her father caught him by surprise, and the image of the nattily dressed man in his expensive Mercedes flashed through his head. He wondered how David Coleman would feel about his daughter dating a cowboy who lived in blue jeans and boots.
“Don’t you have guys lined up ready to whisk you off to the country club for dinner?”
“The country club is boring,” she declared.
Her Forbidden Cowboy (Cowboys After Dark Book 12) Page 3
