One Smart Cowboy

by Misty Malone

  “I did at the time.”

  “Do you now?”

  She sighed before answering. “No.”

  “Why? What changed your mind?”

  “You, and what’s happening now, partly.” Ty frowned and she quickly tried to explain. “But mostly because of what you and Clay said. Clay said in her mind she was trying to protect me. I didn’t believe that at all and it upset me that my own brother would believe it. But then he explained it a bit, and I do believe him. She was wrong, and she was selfish, and I think I will always believe that, but I also think she believed in her heart that she was protecting me. See, she believes everyone should feel and believe as she does. She doesn’t like the ranch, so, therefore, she truly believes there’s no possible way I would like it, either. So I guess in that strange, sick way she could actually believe she was protecting me.”

  “I’m proud of you, Cheyenne. You have given this some thought.”

  “Yeah, well, when you’re half-dressed and pushed into a corner and told to stay there, I guess you do tend to think more.”

  “I’ll remember that in the future.”

  “No. Please don’t do that again. I hated it.”

  “But it was effective.”

  “But it was also very embarrassing. I spent half the time thinking about my mother and half the time worried that someone would walk past the window in the office and see me. I would have been able to think better if you would have just sat me in a chair and told me to think. What really made me think was when you told me the answers to questions you were going to ask would determine how hard my spanking would be. Then I knew I had to really think about it. I knew I couldn’t fake my way past a smart cowboy.”

  “I’ll remember that in the future, too, sweetheart. And you’re right, you wouldn’t have been able to fake your way past me. I would have known if you’d given it much thought or not, but not because I’m a smart cowboy. It’s because I love you, Cheyenne, and I know when you’re trying to pull the wool over my eyes.”

  She looked into his eyes as tears filled hers. He stood and pulled her in for a hug. “Yes, honey, I just said I love you. I won’t rush you, I don’t expect you to reply right now, but I’ve realized that you’ve very quickly worked your way right into my heart, and that’s the reason I feel so protective of you.” He sat back down and pulled her down to sit on his lap, and their lips met. She returned his kiss, but he quickly took control of it. His tongue found its way to her mouth and they were soon engaged in a very sensual battle of tongues.

  It took a while before he was able to pull back and lean his forehead against hers. They both took a moment to catch their breath. Finally, he found his voice “Cheyenne, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that yet.”

  She looked hurt. “Why not? Didn’t you mean it?”

  “Oh, I meant every word of it, and I’ve wanted to do that for some time now. But I shouldn’t have done it yet, because you’re still getting a spanking. You’ve earned one, and anytime you earn a spanking, you will get it.”

  “Then why was it wrong for you to kiss me now, if you meant it?”

  “I don’t want you to think you’re getting out of the spanking. That’s kind of cruel to kiss you like that and tell you I love you, then turn you over my knee for a good spanking.”

  “Maybe,” she said. “But I don’t think so.”

  “You don’t?”

  “No. I don’t want to be spanked, but if it’s going to happen, it’s comforting to hear you love me before you do it.” She gave him one of her mischievous little grins he’d come to love. “If this goes on too long or gets too intense you might want to remind me of that love partway through it, but it is nice to hear beforehand.” She took a deep breath and said, “So, if you’re still determined that we have to do this, can we get it over with so you can kiss me like that again?”

  He smiled and said, “Brat,” as he laid her over his lap. He reached up and put his fingers in her panties.

  “Do you have to do that?”

  “Yes, I do. Spankings are meant to be given on a bare bottom, and you’ve definitely earned a bare bottom spanking tonight. Don’t think I’ve forgotten about your language, young lady.”

  With that he lowered her panties to her knees, and simply took in the sight to behold that was lying over his lap. Every time she was in this position he was reminded that Cheyenne was a beautiful woman, with the most spankable bottom he’d ever had the pleasure to see. He laid his hand on it and couldn’t resist gently rubbing it a bit. “Do we need to go over what this spanking is for, Cheyenne?”

  “No. I’m sorry, Ty. I know now that I should not have talked to my mother that way, or used that kind of language.”

  “I’m glad to hear you say that, Cheyenne. Now I think my hand will be able to teach you this lesson so that it doesn’t happen again. I will warn you now, though, if another lesson is necessary, I will use the paddle. Do you understand?”

  She answered him quickly. “Yes.” Ty patted her bottom, and started the spanking. As much as it hurt him to do so, he planned to spank longer and harder than he had in the past. This was one lesson he really didn’t want to have to repeat. As he continued spanking he talked off and on, making sure she understood his feelings. Being disrespectful, especially to a parent, was not acceptable. He began spanking harder, bringing more verbal complaints, but he was happy that she never cussed.

  Finally, he asked, “Cheyenne, are you ever going to be that disrespectful to your mother again?”

  “No! I’m sorry, Ty.”

  “Okay, I believe you. I’m going to give you ten more swats, and I won’t lie to you, you won’t like them. They’re going to make you think about this spanking every time you sit down tomorrow. But I want you to think about being disrespectful, to your mother or anyone else, while I give you these last ten. Tell yourself this is what happens when you’re disrespectful.” With that, he readjusted her a bit, moving her forward to give him access to that tender spot where bottom meets thighs, and tightened his hold on her. He then gave her ten good, firm swats.

  She screamed and howled and squirmed for all she was worth, but he held her tight. She didn’t realize he was done for several seconds, and just laid across his lap, exhausted. The first thing she became aware of was his hand gently rubbing her back.

  Once she relaxed some and was getting her breath under control a bit, he gently put her panties back in place and helped her up to sit on his lap, as he wrapped her in his arms. She winced when her bottom made contact with his jeans, but didn’t say anything. Instead, she leaned against his chest and he watched as once again, her little hand came up to grasp a bit of his shirt. He loved the way she held onto his shirt.

  He leaned down and talked softly into her ear. “It’s over, honey, and you’re forgiven. Are you okay?”

  “My heart is fine,” she said amid her sniffles and sobs. “My butt is another story, though. Ouch!”

  Ty chuckled at his little minx, but tightened his arms a bit. “Would this be a good time to remind you that I love you?”

  She smiled at him and nodded. “This would be a really good time for it.”

  “I do love you, you know, even if it doesn’t feel much like it right now.”

  “Oh, quite the contrary. You told me you spank me because you care.”

  “That’s true.”

  “Right now it feels like you care a whole lot!”

  “I do. I love you, you little brat.” He took her face in his hands and kissed her again, much like the kiss they shared before the spanking.

  They sat there talking quietly, holding each other for several minutes. After a bit Ty’s curiosity and concern couldn’t wait any longer. “Cheyenne, I want to ask you something. Ever since this all happened this evening I’ve only heard you refer to your mom as your mother. What’s that all about?”

  “My feeling is she became my mother when I was born, but I think you have to earn the titles Mom and Dad. Dad’s done that, he did it y
ears ago, but right now, knowing what I know now, I don’t feel my mother has. Maybe someday she will, but right now I don’t feel she has yet earned that title.”

  Ty was a bit shocked by her answer, but considering what he’d learned this evening, he couldn’t really disagree. And he realized it was a way for her to inwardly show disapproval without outwardly being disrespectful, and he could live with that.

  When they went back to the kitchen ten minutes later, hand in hand, Clay looked up. “You okay, Sis?”

  “I’m fine,” she assured him. “As long as I don’t have to sit down for the next couple weeks.”

  Both men smiled. Ty pulled out her chair and held it in invitation. “Speaking of sitting down, are you ready to finish supper?”

  “Ty, I really don’t think I can.” She saw the frown on his face and clarified what she meant. “I mean I can’t eat any more. I’ve been upset all day as I’ve been thinking about this, but now I just don’t think I can eat. Or more specifically, I don’t think I’d be able to keep anything down right now.”

  Ty thought a minute before saying anything. “Okay. I’m concerned because you didn’t eat much for supper, but I understand what you’re saying. If you really don’t think you can eat I won’t ask you to try, but I will expect you to eat a good breakfast.”

  “Deal,” she said, taking her plate to the sink. While she was getting started on the dishes she was doing some thinking. “Ty, do I have to apologize to my mother?”

  “Do you feel you should?”

  “I know you think I should, and normally I would, but I’m not sure I can right now.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because I think she would take my apology to mean more than intended.”

  Ty looked confused, but Clay spoke up. “Ty, this is your call and I really don’t mean to interfere, but can I say something?”

  “Sure. She’s your mother, too, and I’ve never met her, so I would appreciate any information you can give me.”

  “I think Cheyenne’s right. Mom doesn’t see that she did anything wrong here. I feel Cheyenne owes Mom an apology for the disrespectful way she talked to her and the language she used, but frankly, that’s all. Mom would take that apology to mean she’s sorry for feeling any of her hurt was Mom’s fault.”

  Ty nodded his understanding. “Okay, I see what you’re saying. That being the case, let me ask you, Cheyenne, if you apologized to your mother, what would you apologize for?”

  “I do owe her an apology for the way I talked to her.”

  “Okay. As long as you admit that, then no, you do not have to apologize to her now. If in the future things change, I would like to see you apologize, but unless that happens, no, you don’t need to apologize.”

  “Thank you.”

  ***

  Cheyenne was indeed hungry for breakfast the next morning, and Ty was happy to see her eating a good meal. While they were eating, she addressed both men. “So how soon will someone have time to teach me how to ride a horse again?”

  Ty looked up to see her expression. “Do you mean that or are you being snide about having to learn again?”

  Her face turned red. “No, I mean it. Last night I did a lot of thinking about several things. It has been a long time since I rode a horse. If I’m honest with myself, I don’t really feel comfortable about getting on a horse again.”

  “I’m glad to hear that,” Ty said. “With that in mind, we’re busy this afternoon, but after supper tonight let’s go out to the barn and see how it goes.”

  “Thank you.” They finished breakfast while Clay shared some stories about experiences they’d had when she was younger. She was excited when she remembered some things. A little at a time, good memories from the ranch were returning, and she was cherishing them.

  After supper that evening Clay went to see Lynelle, while Ty and Cheyenne went to the barn. He held her hand as they walked into the barn, and he watched her closely. If it had been years since she’d even been close to a horse, would she still be comfortable around them?

  Ty had to smile when, hand in hand, he and Cheyenne walked down the main aisle of the barn where many of the horses used on the ranch were kept in individual stalls. Many came to the edge of the stall closest to the aisle, looking for attention. And Cheyenne gave it to them. She walked right up to them, petting their neck and talking to them, seemingly not bothered when they whinnied or shook their head. This certainly wasn’t how people who are uneasy around horses generally reacted, in his experience. This was a good start.

  After about twenty minutes of what she called a meet and greet period, where she got to meet several of the horses, Ty took her to an extremely gentle mare called Lady. He gave Cheyenne an apple to feed Lady, and watched as the two bonded. “Ready to brush her down?” Ty asked.

  “Absolutely,” Cheyenne replied enthusiastically. They went into her stall, where he gave Cheyenne a brush, and then purposely turned and knocked some mud off his boot before showing her how to brush the horse. When he turned back toward them Cheyenne was brushing Lady, just as he’d hoped, but looking a bit unsure of herself. She looked at Ty for approval. “Am I doing this right?”

  “Pretty close,” he answered. He was glad she’d asked. That meant she was willing to learn again and wouldn’t complain when he started at the bottom of the lesson plan. “Brush back this way just a bit further,” he explained, putting his hand over hers and guiding it. She soon was doing it like a pro, and not appearing scared of the animal. He spent the next hour in the barn with her and Lady, and he was very pleased with her progress. There were things she knew, other things she didn’t, and she willingly and eagerly reviewed some and learned the rest.

  He said, “You did really well, Cheyenne. Let’s call it a day today, and tomorrow evening we’ll get you up on Lady.”

  He saw the disappointment in her eyes, but only for a moment. “Okay, if you think that would be best.”

  “He kissed her nose and said, “I do, honey. Don’t push it too fast. You did great today and I’m proud of you.”

  She smiled and once again, he could tell how much his praise meant to her. “Thank you. It’s hard to go slow, but when you said you wanted to go slow with our relationship you said the really good things are worth waiting for. You were right about that, so I’ll trust my smart cowboy to know what’s best when it comes to horses.”

  “Honey, the way I see it, trust is a gift you have to give someone, it can’t be taken. So thank you for that gift.”

  She looked at him a moment, but didn’t say anything. Instead, she quietly reached over and put her hand in his. He quickly closed his hand around it and squeezed. They both were smiling as he walked her back to her house.

  Once there, he turned her to face him. “Honey, I’m going to go home a bit early tonight because I have a couple phone calls to make. I want to call my grandfather today because it’s his birthday. I’ve been thinking about an old friend from college lately, too, and I’d like to call him, as well.”

  “That’s fine. Thank you, Ty, for working with me and Lady. I’m looking forward to tomorrow night.”

  “You’re welcome. You did really well. I’ll see you in the morning for breakfast.” He kissed her good-night and went home.

  Once he was home, he did call his grandfather to wish him a happy birthday. He then called an old friend of his from college, Randy Moyer, who was now a psychiatrist. After a couple minutes of old friends catching up, Ty got down to the reason for his call. “Randy, I’m concerned about the young lady I’ve been seeing. She and her brother seem to think she’s been brainwashed by their mother. That sounds a little bizarre to me, but I will admit I know nothing about that sort of thing. Could you tell me a little bit about it, and if you think it’s possible?”

  Randy asked quite a few questions, which Ty answered the best he could. Randy then explained what brainwashing is, and how it works. Ty was shocked to find out brainwashing sometimes happens unintentionally, and is much more prevale
nt than he thought. The example he gave Ty was a parent who is afraid of water. Without realizing what he’s doing, he may talk to his kids about the dangers of water, in a sense over-talking it, and be so overprotective anytime they’re in water waist high that without meaning to, they have brainwashed their child, who now has that same fear of water.

  “That sounds very similar to what’s happened here, except instead of a fear of water it’s a hatred of life on a ranch. Is it possible to do that?”

  “Oh, it’s very possible. It’s even possible their mother has a fear of the ranch in one form or another. But for whatever reason, fear or just a dislike of ranches, it’s absolutely possible. Most kids, from elementary school through high school, are very vulnerable to strong persuasion, especially from a parent. You tend to learn from your parents and imitate them, so if her mother tells her this enough, it’s very understandable that she would believe her.”

  “So that’s what brainwashing is, huh?”

  “Well, a lot of brainwashing goes on that isn’t actually labeled brainwashing. The example I gave you about the fear of water, I’m sure the parent doesn’t set out saying they’re going to brainwash their child. But technically that’s what happened.”

  They talked longer, and in the end Randy agreed with Cheyenne and Clay, thinking their mother probably did brainwash her, but he didn’t feel it was necessarily intentional. He gave Ty a few tips that might help Cheyenne overcome this, and a couple things to watch for that could indicate she was having a hard time dealing with it. Ty thanked him for his help, and Randy told him to feel free to call with any questions he had over the next little while.

  Ty had a much better knowledge of brainwashing and how it worked after talking with Randy, and was determined to watch Cheyenne closely and help her through this rough period in her life. It seemed to Ty that some part of this was bothering her more than she was letting on.

  Chapter Eleven

  The next day went by quickly. Cheyenne had decided to go back to college for an MBA, which her dad approved of wholeheartedly. He was glad to hear she was planning on staying home and going to a local college. He was sure Ty had a lot to do with that, but was glad she would still be around where they could all watch out for her. He was still not happy with the change in her after living with her mother for four years.