by Misty Malone
“Clyde and I have been friends for a long time. I’m sure he’ll be happy to hear that although I don’t want to take on his ranch, a member of my family does. I’ll take you over to his place and we’ll talk to him. I’m sure he’ll be honest with us about his crew, and make some good recommendations as to who to keep and who to replace. As far as if his men will stay, a lot of it will depend on how it’s presented to them. With encouragement from Clyde, which I’m sure he’ll do, and knowing that you’ve been my foreman for years and plan to marry my daughter, they’ll know you’re knowledgeable and planning on staying. I’ll help you through all that if you want, and I’m sure we can count on Clyde’s help, as well.”
“Thank you, Sam. That means a lot to me.”
Sam called Clyde while Ty was still there and they all three set up a time to get together and talk. As Sam predicted, Clyde was happy to hear of Ty’s plans.
***
Clay and Ty were talking about the girls the next day. “The wedding’s getting close,” Ty said. “How’s Lynelle doing?”
“Not real well. She’s wound tight, afraid she’s going to forget something. She thinks everything has to be absolutely perfect, too. She’s going to drive herself crazy and take me with her.”
Ty sighed. “I was afraid of that. Cheyenne’s been talking about what all she and Lynelle have to do yet, and telling me about tiny little things that weren’t exactly as they’d planned, and blowing them up into a major problem.”
“Got any ideas? If I can’t get Lynelle to realize they’re not a major problem and to stop worrying so much, she’s going to be sick by the time the wedding gets here.”
Ty was thinking aloud, thinking the two could talk their way into a solution. “We need to find some way to get them to relax, even if just for one evening.” Clay agreed, and they threw around a few ideas while they worked that afternoon. They finally had plans for Saturday evening. They’d surprise the girls. That was two days away, though. They hoped they all lasted until then.
That night, Ty and Cheyenne decided to go riding. They stopped by a creek and tied the horses to a tree. He took her hand in his and they leisurely walked along the creek. She was wound tight again and he was trying to get her to slow down and take a deep breath. If she was this edgy now, what would she be like leading up to her own wedding?
After a few minutes, she turned around. “We should head back to the house, Ty. I’ve got a bunch of things I have to do tonight for Lynelle.”
“Like what?”
“We got the name placards back today from the printer, for the reception. I need to go through them all and make sure they have everyone and that they’re all spelled correctly.”
“Those are the little cards you set at the tables at the reception so everyone knows where to sit?”
“Yes.”
“Didn’t you get some extra, plain cards and a special printer for making one for any last minute guests?”
“Yes, they’re bringing the machine the day before the wedding so we can use it if you need to for people who send in their reservation in late.”
“Honey, they’re a reputable printer. I’m sure they checked and double checked them all. You have the extras for your backup. They’ll be fine. You and Lynelle need to stop worrying so much about the details.”
“You’re a man, you wouldn’t understand. You have to check them. You have to check all that stuff.”
“What else do you feel you have to do tonight?”
“We found the perfect guest book and pen, so she ordered them. When they came in last week, the stupid company sent the wrong pen. She called them and let them know she was not happy about it, so they promised they’d get the right one out the same day. A package came from them today, so she asked me if I’d check that out and make sure they sent the right one this time and that it looks good. The wrong one they sent had like a smudge or something on it. It looked awful. So I have to open that and check it out.”
Ty’s eyebrows shot up as he listened to her story. “What do you mean she called and told them she wasn’t happy?”
“She called and let them know what she thought of their service. She was irate! Anyway, I hope they sent the right one this time and it looks good. She got the second set of napkins in, too, so I’ve got to look at them tonight and see if they got it right this time.”
“The second set of napkins?”
“Yes. She sent them a drawing of what she wanted on the napkins, and the colors, but when she got them back, they were all wrong. They had the two rings like she wanted, but the rings were joined in the middle, and she showed them joined at the top. She told them she wanted the date printed in mauve, but they printed it in rose. She had to call them up and yell at them, too, and they redid them.”
Ty wasn’t much liking what he was hearing, but at least it was Lynelle doing the calling and not his Cheyenne. “Honey, you need to calm down and relax. This is Lynelle’s wedding, but you’re so wound up over it that if you’re not careful you’re going to be sick for the wedding. Let’s just spend this evening walking by this creek, or riding the horses. Just relax.”
“Ty, are you crazy? I can relax after the wedding, but not before. Now, come on, we’re going back so I can get those things done.”
“Excuse me?”
She was pulling on his arm, trying to head back to the horses, but he wasn’t budging. She looked up and saw the stern look on his face. She immediately knew she’d gone a bit too far, and tried to backpedal. “I mean, can we go back now, please, so I have time to do those things?”
“Cheyenne, do you know how close you are to a spanking? I’ve been warning you about your attitude the last three days, but you just aren’t taking my warnings seriously. What’s going on with you lately?”
“Nothing is going on with me,” she snapped, “except that my best friend and my brother are getting married and I want to help them make sure everything is perfect. What is so difficult about that that you can’t understand it? Sheesh. You’re a smart man. Think a minute.”
“That does it, little girl. When you give me attitude like that right after I warn you about it, it’s clear in my mind what you need.”
Knowing exactly what he was referring to, she tried to stop him. “No, Ty, don’t, please. I’m sorry. I’ll calm down now.”
“Yes, I imagine you will now,” he said as he led her to a fallen tree. He sat down and quickly had her standing in front of him. He lowered her jeans and had her over his knees before she fully came to grips with what was about to happen, or had time to mentally accept it. When he put his fingers in her panties she flung her arm back. “No, don’t you dare,” she said, and pushed his hand away.
Ty quickly gave her half a dozen quick smacks on her thighs. She screamed. “Owww! Ty, no.”
“You know better than to push my hand away, Cheyenne. Are you going to move your hand now, or do you want me to continue the spanking on your thighs?”
“But Ty, I don’t want a spanking. Not right now. I’m too busy, I have too much to do.”
Without saying a word, he started spanking her thighs again. This time she quickly moved her hand. He stopped the spanking long enough to pull her panties down, then began again. “Cheyenne, I don’t know what’s gotten into you tonight, but your attitude is going to change. Things do not have to be perfect, and it’s certainly not worth getting so worked up over. You’ve got the attitude of a bride from hell, and you’re not even the bride. You need to let go of this stress, and this need to be sure everything is perfect. Do you hear me, Cheyenne?”
“Yes. Ow, Ty, please stop.”
“Now let’s talk about you telling me you don’t have time for a spanking right now.”
“No.”
“No?”
“No. I don’t want to talk any more. It hurts. I want this to be over with so I can get my stuff done. So, no.”
Ty couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “No? You’re over my knees getting your butt spanked, a
nd you’re telling me no?” He waited several moments, and when he didn’t get an answer, he spanked her thighs yet again. After three or four smacks she quickly said, “I’m sorry.”
He switched the spanking back to her bottom and continued with his lecture. “Cheyenne, you telling me no is another example of the attitude you seem to have acquired here of late. Unless you like being in this position, I suggest you lose that attitude, and quickly.”
“Okay. Oww! Ty, please.”
“One thing you should have realized by now, Cheyenne, when you’ve earned a spanking, you will receive a spanking. I don’t care how busy you are, or think you are. If you earn one, you will get one, and I’m the one who determines that. Not you. Do you understand that?”
This time she quickly answered. “Yes. Yes. Sorry.”
He continued the spanking as he went on. “Cheyenne, I’m looking out for you, but you need to listen to me. You need to chill. You’re getting way too upset about things for this wedding. She hired a wedding planner. Let her check things and make sure they’re okay. That’s her job.”
“But she wasn’t checking them right. She didn’t see the problem with the napkins.”
Cheyenne obviously wasn’t getting his message, so he spanked a bit harder now. “Then maybe there wasn’t the big problem you’ve made it into.”
“But the picture of the rings wasn’t right, and the color was wrong.”
“Cheyenne, why did she want the rings joined at the top instead of at the middle; was there some special significance to that?”
“She liked it at the top.”
He kept the spanking going, knowing eventually he’d get through to her. He hoped it was soon, though, or she’d be awfully sore the next couple days.
“That’s the only reason; she liked it? And the difference between rose and mauve is very subtle. How could that color difference possibly have ruined the wedding?”
“Women would have noticed the difference.”
“Not women who really care about Lynelle and Clay. They would be more interested in them and the wedding itself than in some slight color variance. Were the napkins pretty, the ones with the rose-colored lettering?”
“I don’t know,” she cried. “All I noticed was it was the wrong color. Lynelle noticed it right away and was upset, so I looked at them, and she was right. It was rose, not mauve.”
He had to hold her tighter now to keep her from kicking and wriggling her way off his lap, but he held on and continued trying to get through to her. “Honey, maybe as a good friend you should have looked at them as what they were; napkins, something people will use to wipe their mouth on. Maybe if you would have assured her a slight color difference would not ruin the wedding, she would have been able to calm down a bit, as well, instead of blowing it way out of proportion. You two have got yourselves so worked up over this need to have everything be perfect that you’re not even enjoying this special time leading up to the wedding.”
She stopped squirming momentarily and a few tears escaped her eyes, and Ty knew she was considering his words. He stopped the spanking for a bit, but kept his hand on her bottom. “This is supposed to be a special time, full of love and happiness, and anticipation. You two should be talking about things like the house being built for Clay and Lynelle just around the corner, and how she plans to decorate it. Or maybe where they’re going on their honeymoon, or what married life will be like. You should be sharing happy thoughts, anticipating the future. This is a special time, and you two are spending it nit-picking everything and finding fault with things no one but you two will even notice at the wedding.”
Cheyenne was crying her eyes out now. Finally, he’d gotten through to her. He gave her a minute to realize the spanking had stopped, and to catch her breath. He waited until she was breathing better to say anything else. “Sweetheart, the things you’re getting yourselves so worked up over don’t really matter that much. They’re small things, and those small variances are sometimes the things that make an event like this special. Let the wedding planner worry about them. If she’s not upset about them, don’t you worry so much about them, either. You two need to embrace this special time and enjoy it, before you miss it all and can’t get it back.”
Through her tears she managed to say, “You’re right, Ty. We’ve wasted a lot of this precious time. I’m sorry. I’ve been a real bitch lately, too, and so has Lynelle.”
“Cheyenne?”
“I know, I know; language. But there’s no other way to describe how I’ve been acting lately. I’m so sorry. You didn’t deserve that.”
Ty couldn’t help the small smile on his face. “I’m going to let that language go this one time because I know why you’re saying it. But I don’t want to hear it again, especially if you’re referring to yourself and your best friend. Got it?”
“Yes, I got it.” She even managed a tiny smile. “I got it good.” She reached back and rubbed her bright red bottom.
He chuckled, but moved her hands away. “Yes, you did, my stubborn little minx. I was beginning to think you were never going to understand what I was trying to tell you.”
“As much as it hurt, I still have to say I’m glad you didn’t give up on me.”
“Honey, I told you, I will never give up on you.”
“Are you sure I can’t rub just a tiny bit?”
“I’m sure. As a matter of fact, I’d planned on having you think about your attitude while I give you the last ten swats.” She flinched at his words, but to her credit, she didn’t argue. “Do you think you got the message sufficiently, or do you think we should finish the way I’d intended?”
She quickly tried to assured him. “No, I got it, Ty. It took me a while, but I do understand now. I’ve been horrible and I haven’t encouraged Lynelle like I should have been doing. Thank you for making me see that.”
“Okay, I think you do get it now, so we’ll stop. But let me warn you right now, if you get this worked up again between now and the wedding we’ll be doing this again, but it’ll be longer and harder than this. Do you understand me, Cheyenne?”
“Yes. Thank you.”
“For promising a harder and longer spanking if your attitude returns?”
“No, for stopping now, silly.” He helped her up onto his lap, and she immediately jumped up.
“Cheyenne?”
“Don’t worry, I’m not running away from you like the first time you spanked me. But it hurts too much to sit on your lap. I’ve never been this sore before.”
“You’ve never been this obstinate before, either.” He pulled her over to him and said, “But you are going to sit down on my lap, honey. That’s part of a spanking, remember? The cuddling afterward is very important, and you know my rules; nothing changes just because you got spanked. No pillow on your chair, no standing to eat, no walking your horse back instead of riding it back.”
Her eyes were wide as she looked at him. “But Ty, I don’t think I can. I’m not sure I can sit down on your lap right now, and I really don’t think I can sit a saddle.”
“You can and you will, my dearest little one.” He pulled her down gently to sit on his lap. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her tight against him, taking some of the pressure off her bottom, but he was determined, she was going to sit on his lap. She winced, but didn’t object, and didn’t try to get up. He was proud of her.
After a few minutes of quietly leaning against his chest, she casually looked up at him. “Do you think I’ll be able to make Lynelle see what we’ve been doing, or do you think Clay will have to make her see that?”
Ty was surprised by her question, to say the least. “I don’t know. What do you think?”
“I’m going to try, but honestly, I don’t think she’ll listen to me. I think Clay’s going to have to intervene to get through to her.”
“Intervene?”
“Look how much it took for you to get through to me. I think she’s a bigger basket case than I was. I don’t know how he’ll g
et through to her, but I hope he does.”
Ty smiled down at her. “I was just thinking we may have to go back to the house and get that paddle Clay showed me once. I’m sure you remember the one?”
She absentmindedly reached back to rub her bottom. “Oh, I remember it all right. As much as I hurt right now, I hope you never use that thing on me.”
He gently moved her hands away. “I hope I never have to, either, sweetheart.” After a moment he added, “But I will if I have to.”
“I know. And remember earlier when I thanked you, and you asked if I was thanking you for promising a harder spanking if my attitude got like that again?”
“Yes.”
“I told you I was thanking you for stopping now?”
“I remember.”
“The truth is I was thanking you for both. I’m glad you stopped now because I’m so sore, and I really do get it now. But I also have to admit that knowing you’ll do it again if I treat you that badly again somehow makes me feel secure.”
“Good.” They enjoyed more quiet cuddling and reconnecting, before he asked something he was curious about. “Honey, is Lynelle really that stressed out over this wedding?”
She got serious, and a bit sad. “Yes, she is, and now I’m worried about her.”
“Why?”
“You’re right, she should be really happy right now, but she’s too afraid something won’t be perfect. She’s miserable.”
“Is Clay going over to see her tonight?”
“I don’t think so. I think she told him she had too much to do and so he was going to wait until tomorrow night.” She thought for a few moments before looking up to Ty for his advice again. “Do you think we should call him and talk to him, suggest he go see her tonight? I know you say not to butt into other people’s business and let them work things out for themselves, but I think she needs him right now. She just doesn’t know it.”
“So you want to rat out your best friend, knowing she’ll get a sound spanking?”
She looked at him and frowned. “That makes me sound horrible, but she needs it. I know she’ll feel better. Then we can enjoy this time like we should.”
