She looked at him curiously. "Do you have neighbors you don't get along with?"
"No, and I want to keep it that way. Besides, last year we had some trouble with drifters riding through these parts and camping for a few days. The neighboring ranchers and I weren't too enthused about their squatting and starting campfires on our land. I don't want any of them thinking we're having more problems with that."
Reaching the barn, he stopped and looked into her eyes before opening the door for her. "Plus I don't like the idea of a very pretty young lady by herself wandering around on land that she doesn't have express permission to be on. You never know what could happen and I don't want anything happening to you."
"I can take care of myself."
"Maybe, but on my land I am responsible for you. And I don't want anything to happen to you. I'm looking forward to getting to know you, Sam." He held her eyes for a few moments and had an unexpected urge to kiss her. Before he could do it, though, one of the ranch hands came hurrying out the door, almost knocking Sam down.
Trevor quickly reached out and pulled her over to him. "Clark, watch where you're going."
An embarrassed young man said, "Sorry, boss." He turned to Sam. "I'm real sorry, ma'am. I wasn't expecting anyone to be there. Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. No harm done." She smiled at the young man to assure him of that. She was a bit surprised that Trevor was still holding her against him, even though she assured them she was fine. It felt great, though and it'd be fine with her if he held her there all evening. As quickly as she thought that, she scolded herself for even thinking it. This was her boss and she had to get those thoughts out of her mind.
"Where are you going in such a hurry, Clark?" Trevor asked.
"Again, sorry, boss. I was going in to town."
Trevor smiled at his employee, then much as a father would do, told him, "Say hello to Cindy for me. Remember, you're a man, be a gentleman. Don't let one night rule your entire life."
Clark turned red, but said, "I remember what you told me, boss. Thanks." He quickly told Sam, "I'm sorry I ran into you," and dashed around behind the barn to his pickup.
After he was out of sight Trevor smiled down at Sam, who still seemed comfortable in his arms. "Clark's a good guy, but he's young. His dad died when he was fourteen. He graduated high school early when he was sixteen and his mom kicked him out of the house then. She had six other kids and money was scarce. He's been working for me since. He's a good worker and a good kid, but young."
Sam's respect for Trevor grew when she heard his words. "That was nice of you to take him under your wing."
Trevor looked at her with an odd expression on his face. After a moment he said, "I guess maybe I did take him under my wing, didn't I? I never thought of it that way before. I hired him as a hand and he's been a good worker."
Sam smiled up at him and shook her head. "No, you didn't just hire him as a hand; you took him under your wing." She thought a moment or two before adding, "You're more than the boss cowboy to him. And I, for one, am impressed." Without giving him time to think about that statement, she backed away from him. "Now, where are these horses, while it's still light out?"
"Right over here." He led her into the barn and leaned closer to her. "And thank you for the compliment. It makes the boss cowboy feel good."
"Good."
She saw a stallion that was a beautiful horse and walked over to his stall. He came over to her and let her scratch his neck as she talked to him. She turned and asked Trevor, "Is he yours? He's beautiful."
"Yes, he is mine. How did you know that?"
"Look at him! He is a stunning piece of horseflesh." She grinned at him as she said, "He just looks like he should belong to the boss cowboy."
Trevor laughed at Sam and her antics. But he was also impressed. "You know horses."
"I love horses." Looking back at his, she asked, "Do you have a horse breeding program here, or did you pay a small fortune for him?"
"A little of both. I traded for him, before I started a breeding program here. I'm really just in the beginning stages of it." Moving down the aisle a bit, he said, "Let's get you a horse to ride."
She followed along beside him, looking at the horses in stalls. When he stopped in front of a mare, she went over to pet her. Talking to the mare, she said, "Hey, girl, how are you? The boss cowboy seems to think you'd be safe for me to ride, so I'm assuming that means you're tremendously gentle and very well trained. That's fine with me. You want to go for a ride?" She turned to Trevor to ask, "Is there a saddle I can borrow? I'll saddle her up while you get yours ready."
He smiled as he went to a tack room with her following. Pointing to several along the one wall, he said, "Any of them here you're free to use. See any you like?"
"This one will be fine," she said as she picked one up and headed back to the mare.
Trevor quickly took it from her, carrying it for her. When they got to the stall she opened the gate and followed him in, then took the saddle back and proceeded to quickly and efficiently saddle the horse. She led the horse toward his. "Have I passed the test so far?"
"With flying colors." He saddled his stallion and led the way out of the barn. They mounted their horses and she let him lead the way across a pasture.
An hour later they came up over a rise and Sam brought her horse to a stop, looking all around. Trevor, who had slowed in anticipation of her stopping, brought his horse up next to hers. He could easily see the sparkle in her eyes as she said, "This is beautiful. Thank you for bringing me here."
"I thought you might like it. Sometimes I come here to think, or to unwind."
Sam looked at the small group of trees off a bit to the left. "Good place to get out of the sun while you watch the wildlife. I'll bet there's lots of animals coming to drink from the pond."
"There are." Getting more serious, he said, "But Sam, don't come up here alone, please. I love to come up and sit right where you indicated and watch the wildlife, as well, but you have to be careful and have a gun with you just in case. There are mountain lions, wild hogs, even an occasional bear around."
"I figured as much. But if you stay still and don't disturb them you're usually fine."
"Usually, yes. But I don't want you up here alone because of that odd time when you're not fine. And the feral pigs are becoming a problem. They're getting more aggressive all the time."
"I can bring a gun along if I ever come up here. I'll be fine."
"Samantha, I said you are not to come here alone and I mean it."
They had gotten off their horses and tied them to one of the trees. He asked, "Would you like to stay here and take in the scenery, or go down to the pond?"
"Let's stay here a little while. Maybe we'll be lucky and see some of that wildlife you're so afraid of."
Trevor patiently went to his saddlebag and took out a blanket and pulled out his rifle. Spreading the blanket on the ground, he calmly said, "Sam, I'm not afraid of the wildlife, but I do have respect for it and I expect you to, as well. You are not to come up here without me. Do you understand?"
"Do I understand your words? Yes. Do I understand why you're trying to treat me like a child, saying I can't come here by myself? Hell, no."
She turned and started to sit down on the blanket, but before she had a chance, he had his hand around her upper arm and pulled her back up. He quickly turned her a quarter turn and gave her backside three quick, but very firm swats. "Oww! What was that for?"
"That was a quick reminder to watch your language, but you're dangerously close to getting a full, all out spanking for your attitude."
"My attitude?"
"Yes. I don't appreciate the sarcasm, or the attitude. And I'm not treating you like a child."
"My attitude? This coming from a man who just beat a woman?" She rubbed her bottom as she said, "And how the hell is what you just did not treating me like a child? WTF?"
"Okay, Darlin', that does it. But don't say I didn't warn you."
>
Chapter 4
Sam scowled at Trevor. "Warn me about what?"
He didn't say a word as he took her hand and pulled her over to a tree stump. She was so shocked she didn't even think about what he had planned until it was too late. She soon found herself over his knees as he sat on the stump. She immediately realized his intent and yelled, "Oh, hell, no." She tried valiantly to fight and wriggle her way off his knees, but to no avail.
Trevor let her fight for a while, using up some of her energy. He kept a tight hold on her waist to make sure she didn't go anywhere. After a minute or so he said, "You've put up quite a fight, Sam and I personally appreciate such a feisty little lady. However, it won't do you any good. All you're doing is prolonging what's going to happen and if you keep it up you'll be earning a harder spanking. So settle down now so we can get this over with. Then we'll talk."
He didn't give her time to say anything, which he thought was probably doing her a favor. He started the spanking quickly, bringing his hand down with firm smacks to get her attention. And it definitely got her attention!
"Oww! Trevor, stop! Damn, that hurts! Now stop it! You have no right. Owww!"
He moved lower and smacked both of her thighs once when he heard her cuss again. Her response was "Shit! That really hurt! Stop it!"
He smacked her thighs again as he said, "Sam, you've been warned about that kind of language and you even got a reminder about it. You can keep it up during this spanking if you want, but since you haven't seemed to have caught on yet, let me explain that every time you cuss during a spanking, the spanking will move down to your thighs. Now, if that's good with you, keep cussing and I'll accommodate you. However, if you don't care much for being spanked on your thighs, I would suggest you curtail your potty mouth immediately."
Sam opened her mouth to scream her thoughts to him, but nothing came out. He'd moved back up to her bottom and as much as it hurt, it wasn't nearly as bad as when he whacked her thighs. But then, just as she was calming a bit, she felt him reach under her stomach and unfasten her jeans. Oh, no. Just like that, he had her jeans and panties both down to her knees. Now she did find her voice. "You son of a bitch!"
The second the words were out of her mouth she realized the mistake she'd made. Before she could do or say anything else, his hand moved back to her thighs, but this time they were smacking bare skin. And she'd thought it had stung before! Nothing like it did now. She instantly tried the only thing she could think of. "Trevor, I'm sorry, I didn't mean it. I won't cuss any more. Owwwww! Please stop! That hurts so badly! Please!"
He finally did move back up to her bottom and she finally was able to gulp in a small breath. She tried to think of a way out of this. She had to make it end. But before long, all she could think about was the awful pain he was creating on her butt. It hurt!
She had used so much energy before he even started the spanking that it didn't take long before she was plain exhausted. And sore. And angry. And shocked. She was plain worn out, physically and emotionally. She lay over his lap, panting for breath, but not seeming to find much.
When she gave up her struggle Trevor stopped the spanking, but held his hand on her bottom. Partly because he couldn't help it. Sam had the cutest little bottom he'd ever had the pleasure of laying eyes on. It was absolutely perfect – not the tiny, skinny little things that women now seemed to strive for, but a perfectly shaped female bottom. As much as he wanted to rub it gently and ease the pain a bit, he steeled himself. He shouldn't even be having these thoughts. She was his employee. Even though he finally admitted to himself that he'd like more than just that employer – employee relationship. But for now, that's all it was and he was determined not to rush it. That would scare her off for sure, if this hadn't already.
After a couple minutes she'd calmed some and her sobs were a bit more under control, as was her breath. Gently, he picked her up and sat her on his lap, taking care to be sure she was straddling his thighs. He was sure she was sore. It was time to comfort her now, not remind her how sore she was going to be every time she sat down for awhile.
He was afraid she was going to try to jump up and run from him, but to his great relief, she did just the opposite. He sat her down and pulled her against his chest, wrapping his arms around her and she snuggled in against his chest, crying. With one hand she tentatively reached out and grabbed a handful of his shirt, almost like it was her security blanket. That innocent little movement did something inside his heart and he reached down and kissed the top of her head. He tightened his arms around her and just held her. With his mouth close to her ear he whispered, "Cry it out, Darlin'. I've got you and I'll keep you safe. It's all over now and you're forgiven. We're back on level ground again and everything's good. You're safe here. Take your time. Calm down, darlin'."
He kept those soft comforting words flowing next to her ear and his strong arms tightly surrounding her, hoping to calm her down.
His words did something to her, but it wasn't exactly calming. She was confused. She was so angry during the spanking that she should be scratching, clawing and biting right now. But she wasn't. She was so sore and so embarrassed that she should hate him with every fiber in her body. But she didn't. She was so appalled at his high handedness that she should be screaming at the top of her lungs and making a beeline back to the ranch and calling the sheriff. But she wasn't.
So why wasn't she? Why did it feel good sitting here cuddled up against his chest? Why did his arms feel good embracing her and holding her tight? Why did she feel so safe and content sitting here? She was still trying to answer at least one of those questions when he broke the silence.
"Darlin', I think we need to talk a few minutes. Are you okay with that?"
She'd screamed so much during the spanking she didn't think she even had a voice left, but she nodded and thankfully, that seemed good enough for him.
"Good. First off I want to answer the question you asked me before the spanking. You insinuated that my spanking you is treating you like a child. It's not and I want to explain that to you. That first reminder was my way of telling you to watch your language. Your sarcasm and attitude earned you the full spanking." He looked at her seriously as he said, "And you better take me seriously, Sam, about not coming here without me. You will be spanked again if you come here alone. Do you understand?"
Sam studied him several moments. "You're serious, aren't you?"
"I am. Sam, we need to talk about this now, before you get moved in."
She didn't make any effort to get up and leave, which was a positive sign. She was looking down, though, not up at him, but he could tell her face was flushed.
"Sam, first of all let me tell you that if you're embarrassed, you have no reason to be. Not around me. You may not believe me now, but again, as you get to know me better you'll start to believe me when I tell you things like that."
He didn't get a response, but he didn't expect one, either. He went on. "You need to know, before we go any further with your employment and you move into the guesthouse, that I firmly believe in spanking."
She looked up at him, almost asking for an explanation.
"I was brought up to respect and protect females. When I meet a young lady I care about, I automatically feel protective of her. Because of that, I need to be sure she listens to what I say when I'm trying to protect her from something. Especially out here on my ranch where there are definitely things that can hurt her. When she doesn't listen, I've found that a spanking is very effective. It's a quick way to get her attention and let her know I'm not happy with what she did or is doing. It gets my point across, leaves a lasting impression, but is over with quickly." He grinned a bit as he admitted, "Except for the lasting impression. But that serves as a reminder."
"Are you saying that you would consider doing this to me again?"
"No, I'm not saying I would consider it. I'm saying that if you're working for me and you go against my rules, you can count on getting a spanking. Occasionally you may re
ceive a simple reminder like you got earlier, a couple swats over your jeans to remind you to watch your language or some such thing, but for breaking a more serious rule you will receive a full spanking, over my knee, on your bare bottom."
She immediately tried to get up as she said, "You wouldn't dare."
He tightened his arms a bit, holding her still. "Darlin', don't dare me because I most definitely will do anything I tell you I'll do. But think about that concept a minute."
She looked at him, confused.
"If I tell you you'll be spanked if you come up here alone, you can count on it. However, if I tell you I'll have the boys clean up the guesthouse so you can move in tomorrow evening if you want, you can count on that, too. If I tell you we'll go riding, we'll go riding. If I tell you you're safe with me and I'll protect you, I will."
She was listening and he was glad that she'd settled back down on his lap again. She still looked confused, though and he didn't like that. "I know you've got some questions, I can see it in your eyes. Ask them. I'll answer anything you want to ask me and I'll answer honestly. You can count on that, too. I'll always be honest with you, Sam."
"I don't get it. Are you saying that if you're driving, if a lady pulls her car out in front of you and you hit her, you'll spank her?"
He chuckled as he said, "No, of course not. There's a major factor missing there, in your example."
"What's missing?"
"My protective instinct only kicks in with ladies I care about."
Sam looked up at him, eyes wide again. As much as she wished it were true, he couldn't really be saying he cared for her, could he? "What?"
"You're my employee and I care about you."
His heart skipped a beat when he saw the disappointment in her eyes. Hoping he knew what that meant, he quickly added, "Sam, to be honest, for some reason that protective instinct is very, very strong with you. I know you're my employee, but you feel like a friend, as well. All I know is that protectiveness kicks in big time with you." Again his heart skipped a beat when he saw the smile working at the corners of her gorgeous lips.
Count This Cowboy In Page 5
