Count This Cowboy In

by Malone, Misty

  "She didn't tell me she was going riding today, but Lady's gone and so is her saddle. She's been so preoccupied lately I'm worried about her."

  "I wouldn't worry too much, boss. She's as good on a horse as I've seen."

  "Normally I agree. But she's been so preoccupied she didn't even tell me she was going. I have no idea which direction she went. It worries me that she didn't come back in for lunch and she's not answering her phone."

  "Yeah, it's not like her to be out this long. Do you want us to go out looking for her?"

  "I know she seems to want a lot of time alone to think, but I really wish I knew where she was. Let's work with one more horse for a bit. If she's not back and still doesn't answer her phone, we'll go look for her."

  "Sounds reasonable, boss."

  * * * * *

  Sam was out riding Lady, trying to come to grips with the fact that her stepmother could have actually been to blame for her father's death. That brought all the pain of his death back, but it also brought on anger. She was angry with the lady he married. She never did like her or see what her father saw in her. That made her angry with him. Immediately after those thoughts entered her mind, she felt guilty for having them. Mixed in there were thoughts of what should happen to her if the prosecutor charged her with something.

  She was so confused; she decided to go out riding. That's what she had done from the time she was small. Taking a good hard ride, then sitting by herself somewhere that was quiet always helped her sort things out, so she felt drawn to do it again. Unfortunately, she was moving on autopilot and never thought to tell Trevor she was going riding. She also never thought to make sure her phone was charged.

  She rode a long way, to a part of the ranch she'd never seen, before stopping to think. When she felt a little more settled and ready to go back, she realized she hadn't told Trevor she was going, so she took out her phone to call. The low battery light was flashing, so she put it back. If she called him now it would use what little battery life it had left. She knew to save it in case of an emergency. She'd just hurry back so he wouldn't worry. Hopefully she'd get there while he was still in having lunch.

  She mounted her horse and was ready to go back when she heard a commotion among the cattle. She looked over just as she saw some cattle chasing off a small brown bear. She knew she was too far away to kill it and she sure wasn't going to go off chasing a brown bear into the woods, but she took her rifle out and shot in the direction of the bear, hoping to scare it enough to keep it from coming back. Then she went to check on the cattle.

  What she found was devastating. The bear had gotten a calf, which was hurt pretty bad, but still alive. Being careful to watch in case the bear returned, she looked at the calf and knew it would never be able to make it back to the barn. It was also big enough that she'd never be able to get it onto her horse and it probably wouldn't survive the long ride home. She thought about riding back to get Trevor and the truck, but she wasn't sure the calf would last that long, either. Especially if the bear came back.

  She took out her phone and called Trevor, hoping it lasted long enough. Her adrenalin was flowing and she was trying to calm down so he'd be able to understand her.

  Trevor and Grant had just headed back to the ring to work with one more horse when Trevor's phone rang. He took it out and said, "Oh, good, it's Sam."

  He answered, but Sam was upset and her phone kept cutting in and out. All he heard was her frantic "need help… bear attack… hurt pretty badly…. woods… please hurry." The line went dead. He quickly tried calling back, but it went right to voice mail.

  He told Grant what happened and they debated what to do. Trevor called the phone company to see if they could get a general location, but were told her phone was either turned off or dead. They quickly got all the ranch hands together and sent them out in pairs of two, all armed, to search anyplace close to woods. He kept two of them at the ranch in case someone needed something. Everyone had a phone with instructions to call Trevor as soon as they found anything.

  Trevor called his neighbor to the north. Mr. Sanderson ran The Thunder Gulley Ranch. It was a larger ranch than his and to be able to cover his ranch efficiently he had a helicopter. Trevor quickly explained his situation and asked if he could hire him to take him up in the helicopter. Twenty minutes later Trevor was at his ranch and they were taking off.

  They flew over all the wooded areas on Trevor's ranch, looking for any signs of Sam or Lady. Finally, after searching for half an hour, they found her. They couldn't see much from the sky, though, as far as injuries. She looked to be sitting up, but he sure saw a lot of blood.

  Mr. Sanderson was afraid to put the helicopter down too close for fear the cattle would be scared and stampede, so he put it down in a neighboring pasture. Trevor was out before it was actually clear down firmly on the ground, running over toward Sam.

  He could hear her crying before he got there and his heart about leaped out of his chest when she cried, "Trevor, I'm so glad you found me." When he got to her, though, he took one look at the calf and at her and knew what happened. He had so many emotions running through him at that moment that all he could do was wrap his arms around her and tell her, "I love you, Sam." The overwhelming emotion he was feeling at the time was relief that she was okay. The anger could wait for now.

  She cried into his shoulder, mumbling things he couldn't hear. He heard her clearly, though, when she cried, "Trevor, please don't let her die. She's hurt badly, but she's so little."

  His feisty little fireball was tough as steel when it came to some things, but had a heart of gold and when it came to children or animals she was the most sensitive person he'd ever met. She was as worried about this little calf as could be.

  Chapter 13

  Trevor quickly checked the calf. The bear had done enough damage to cause quite a bit of bleeding, but luckily it looked worse than it actually was. No artery had been opened and the active bleeding had already stopped, thanks to help from its mother, who was licking the wound. He took out his phone and called Jeb, who had stayed at the ranch and told him to bring the truck. After calling him he called their veterinarian and told him what was happening, so he could meet them at the barn.

  He called Grant next. Grant would call off the search and send the men back. He was to make his way then to where they were, as Trevor would need some help getting the calf's mother back to the barn.

  Mr. Sanderson had reached them and Trevor explained what had happened. He thanked him for his help, told him to send him a bill and told him he had a man on his way in a pickup. He sent him on his way home with thanks.

  Trevor asked Sam, "What about the bear?"

  "It was too far away, but I shot in his direction to try and scare him off. I've been watching, but haven't seen any more sign of him."

  He immediately scanned the area and was on high alert from then on while they waited for Jeb with the truck. Trevor was finally able to convince her that there wasn't anything they could do for the calf until they got it back to the barn and the vet and that letting the mother care for it was the best thing they could do for her right now. Sam reluctantly moved away and let the mother take care of her baby.

  She was trembling as she moved away and Trevor held her in his arms. He sat down on the ground with her, holding her in front of him. He rubbed her arms and kept assuring her the calf would probably pull through.

  That's how Grant found them when he got to them and Jeb when he got there a minute or two later. Trevor very gently loaded the calf into the back of the pickup while Grant and Jeb kept the mother cow at bay. She wasn't happy about them taking her injured calf. Trevor climbed into the bed of the truck with the calf to try and calm it and hold it still during the trip so it wouldn't lose too much more blood while struggling. Grant and Sam separated the mother from the other cows and herded it back to the barn. It was a tough trip, as the pickup went via the ranch road and the mother couldn't see her calf. She kept trying to go back to where her calf ha
d been. It took a lot of quick maneuvering of their horses, but Grant and Sam worked well together and were able to get the cow back, not too much after the truck got back with her calf.

  They kept the cow away until the vet was done with the calf. He cleaned the wounds and put an antibiotic on them, then put a few stitches in the bigger and deeper cuts. They reunited the mother with her calf then and watched to see what the mother would do. If she tried to lick off the ointment or stitches they would have to keep them separated. Luck was with them, though and the mother sniffed the injuries, then let them alone. The calf calmed quickly once reunited with her mother, so they left them together.

  The vet gave them some instructions and said he'd be out to check on her the next day. If she made it through the night and regained enough strength to stand the next day she'd probably be okay.

  When they got that news everyone collectively breathed out a sigh of relief. Everyone on the ranch had been involved in the search and rescue and everyone was looking relieved. "We're going to call it a day, men. Thanks for your help. Everyone did a fine job! Go get your showers and enjoy your Saturday night." Sam was surprised when the ranch hands were telling her they were glad she was okay as they eventually headed back to the bunkhouse.

  It wasn't until the last of them were leaving that Sam started putting together in her head why they had all seemed so worried about her. "Trevor, did you think I was the one hurt instead of the calf?"

  Trevor had been able to put the anger part of his emotional roller coaster afternoon on the back burner until now, but that question brought it all to the forefront. He turned to face her and said, "Yes, we did. I love you like I've never loved anyone before, Sam and right now I'm so thankful you're okay I can't put it into words. But you have a lot of answering to do once I calm myself down."

  He'd had his arm around her or his hand latched onto hers from the moment they reunited the cow with her calf and he wasn't ready to let go of her yet. He checked on the calf one more time before leading Sam to the house.

  Still holding her hand tightly, he stopped at the kitchen first to let Consuela see that she was okay. He'd told Consuela about the broken up phone call he'd gotten from Sam so she would be prepared to help care for her if she were injured. When she saw Sam she came over and gave her a big hug. "Oh, Miss Sam, I'm so glad you are okay. Don't scare us like that again!"

  "I'm sorry, Consuela. I really didn't mean to scare anyone. I called Trevor and told him what happened. Why did everyone think I was the one hurt and not the calf?"

  Trevor told her how much of her conversation he was able to hear and she then understood everyone's fear. Next he said, "Let me see your phone."

  The stern, no nonsense tone of his voice told Sam immediately what he was going to check and when he found out her phone was dead he was not going to be happy. She looked up at him with pleading eyes, but he held out his hand and said, "Your phone, Sam."

  She sighed, resigned to her fate and handed her phone to him. He did one quick check and said, "Just as I thought; the battery's dead." She watched him reign in his temper and knew her immediate future looked rather bleak.

  Consuela knew it, too. As sorry as she felt for her young friend, she knew from experience that both young people would feel much better after this was dealt with. She told the two of them, "My work is done for today. I will be in my rooms with the television on. Loud." Trevor hid a chuckle at her added extra word. She turned to Sam and said, "Listen to Mr. Trevor, Miss Sam. He is a smart man and he loves you. Remember that."

  After she left Sam asked Trevor, "You told her you love me?"

  "No, I didn't. But I think she's known it longer than I have. She is a smart lady."

  "Yes, she is," Sam agreed.

  "And she's right that you need to remember that I love you."

  "Is that your way of saying this spanking is going to really hurt?"

  "Well, let's review what we'll be talking about."

  "I know I messed up, Trevor and I'm sorry."

  "Why don't you tell me what we'll be talking about? I want to see if you do realize you messed up."

  "I know I did and I'm sorry. I haven't been able to think about anything but what Clay found."

  "I understand why you messed up, Sam, but I'm still waiting to hear how you messed up. What should we be talking about tonight?"

  She sighed as her shoulders slumped and she slowly said, "I went off riding and forgot to tell you I was going and where."

  "Yes, you did forget. When did you realize it?"

  "When I was ready to come home, but when I took my phone out to call I saw it was almost dead, so I saved it in case of an emergency."

  Trevor's eyes rose at that confession. He might be disappointed in her and upset, but he was still proud. She was thinking and had done the right thing in a bad situation. "I'm glad you did that, but go on. What else will we be discussing?"

  "Well, the fact I went out without charging my phone."

  "Yes. What else?"

  Sam looked at him, trying to think what else she did wrong. "You didn't hear my full message and were scared and I understand that and I'm sorry, but I already mentioned not charging my cell phone."

  "You're right, you already mentioned that, which is indeed what caused the misunderstanding. What else?"

  After several moments of thinking again, she tried, "I caused the whole ranch to be upset and they were all out looking for me and I feel bad about that, but that was because I left without telling you where I was going and didn't charge my phone; right?"

  "Right and you've mentioned those. But what else, that you haven't mentioned yet?"

  She thought again, but nothing came to her mind. He took her hand in his again and took her into the living room, made sure his curtains were all closed and the door was closed. He sat down on the couch, standing her in front of him. Without saying a word he unfastened her jeans and pulled them down before laying her over his left thigh. As her upper body was resting on the couch he handed her a pillow once again and said, "You may want this later." His fingers went into the waistband of her panties and she moaned, but didn't object as he pulled her panties down to join her jeans at her knees.

  "Have you thought of what else we'll be discussing yet?"

  "No. I'm sorry, Trevor."

  "I'm sure you are sorry. But I'm also sure you'll be sorrier in a bit. Keep thinking," he said as he started spanking. He gave her about 20 good whacks before he started talking. When he did start talking the spanking continued. He talked about her rules if she wanted to go riding by herself on the ranch. He reviewed them all and why they were important. They'd been over them a couple times before, but he meant for her to remember them this time. He spanked her bottom until it was red, as were her sit spots. She really complained, using her pillow to scream into when he spanked her there. She hated it and he knew it. But he also knew he didn't want her mistake today to be repeated.

  She was sobbing and gasping for breath when he finally stopped spanking. He held her in place with his hand on her bottom. When she had caught her breath a bit he asked, "Are you going to remember the rules for going riding alone now?"

  She was still struggling for breath a bit, but quickly answered, "Yes."

  "Good. Now, did you come up with the other thing we're going to talk about tonight?"

  She started crying anew and he knew that was a no. He stood her up and led her gently to a corner in the living room. He positioned her with her nose in the corner, her hands to her sides. "Samantha Louise Simmerly, I want you to stand right where you are and think about what happened today. Keep your hands right where they are. If I see you rubbing your sore bottom we'll repeat the spanking and you'll be right back here. Do you understand?"

  "Yes."

  "Good. Now, you stand there and think about what happened. I'm going to go upstairs and get my frat paddle." Her head whirled around to look at him. "Samantha Louise, did I just tell you to stay right where you are?"

  She nodded.
"Yes, but you said you're getting your paddle."

  "Yes, I did. And I don't think you really want to argue with me right now." He gave her three more solid swats on her sore butt and she started sobbing again. "I'll try telling you what's going to happen again and hopefully this time you won't interrupt me." She nodded. "I'm going to go upstairs and get my frat paddle. You keep thinking while I'm gone. When I get back I'm going to use the paddle on you. If you can tell me what else we're going to be talking about you'll get five swats with the paddle. If you still don't have any idea, you obviously haven't been listening to me any of the other times we've discussed this and I'll be giving you ten swats with it. Either way, I hope this will be the last time we have to address this issue."

  She started sobbing harder. She hated disappointing Trevor like this and she was scared of that paddle. She was so scared she couldn't think. Then Consuela's words came back to her. Listen to Mr. Trevor. He is a smart man and he loves you. She thought about that. He had just sent every man he had available out to look for her and hired his neighbor to take him up in his helicopter. This was going to cost him a lot of money and it was all to find her.

  As that was sinking into her brain she knew he wouldn't really harm her. Hurt her butt, yes, but she knew he would never do any real harm to her. She wasn't kidding herself, she knew a paddle would really hurt, but she also knew he wouldn't go too far. So what she was afraid of was a sore butt. He'd never do anything more than that to her and she knew it. She could trust him. And she did. She trusted him completely.

  Then it finally occurred to her. That's what he wanted, was her trust. And he deserved it.

  She was sobbing harder than he'd ever seen her sob when he walked back into the room. He stopped at the door, watching her, concerned. But as he watched her he realized she was crying now for a different reason. It wasn't because of her sore butt, although he knew it was sore. He hoped it was because she finally figured out what she hadn't done.

  He took another look at her. She really was a beautiful lady, both inside and out and he really hated to do this. His heart swelled every time he heard her declare her love for him. But he considered it his responsibility to take care of her and he intended to do just that. With that resolve, he went and sat down on the couch, his frat paddle in his hand.