Taming His Cowgirl (The Crooked Creek Ranch Book 1)

by Delta James

  “Yes, and if you’re going to chime in on the ‘he was only trying to look after you’ side of the conversation, do us both a favor and don’t sit down. Because I’ve heard as much of that bullshit as I can stand for the day.”

  “Well, he was, honey…”

  Sierra stood up. “And I’m done.” She walked up to the register, gave Julie a twenty-dollar bill, and said, “Keep the change and either cancel my order or give it to someone else. I’m outta here.”

  Before anyone could say anything else she was out the door and getting into her truck. She backed out onto Main Street and headed back to the Flying M.

  * * *

  Sierra pulled in and parked her truck next to Ryder’s. She noticed that Charlie’s truck was missing. She trotted up the back steps and into the kitchen.

  “Sierra,” said Ryder levelly. He was sitting at the kitchen island with a sandwich and a beer. “I’m told Billy gave you my message that I wanted to see you.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry… did he not give you my response?”

  Ryder laughed. “Yes, he did. You know you can’t avoid me for a year.”

  “I can give it my best shot.”

  “It won’t work and even if it did, the Flying M would suffer. Charlie says you have the best handle on all of the moving parts and had some thoughts about additional revenue streams I thought sounded interesting.”

  “Additional revenue streams? Well, la-de-dah, aren’t we the fancy boy, now,” she said sarcastically.

  Ryder shook his head. “You know I’d convinced myself you weren’t as beautiful or as obnoxious as I remembered. I was wrong on both counts. Could you just give it a rest?”

  “Stay off the Flying M and you won’t have to deal with me.”

  “I made your dad a promise…”

  “You made me one too. We both know how that turned out.”

  He shook his head again. “You know, I’d hoped we’d be able to talk about that at some point and that maybe after five years you’d be willing to listen to reason. Guess I was wrong about that too.”

  “You’re just all kinds of wrong, aren’t you?”

  He knew she was baiting him. He only wondered what trap the bait was for. “When Charlie told me he was going to escort Ruth to the church dinner and dance this evening, I remembered when you and I used to love being alone in this house.”

  “And here I was thinking I wouldn’t have any witnesses and would have plenty of time to clean up the evidence.”

  “Knock it off, Sierra.”

  “Fuck off and die, Malone.”

  “When did you develop such a filthy mouth? We’re going to have to work on that.”

  “You work on whatever your little heart desires, I’m going to get something to eat.” She opened the fridge and grabbed a piece of cheese, some grapes, and a Diet Coke. She took a hunk of sourdough bread and threw all of it into a basket. “G’night.”

  She breezed past the island and heard the chair being pushed back. She put her food basket on the console table behind the sofa and walked to the gun cabinet. Ryder caught up with her and prevented her from opening it.

  “That’s enough, Sierra. You are not going to level a gun at me again.”

  She whirled around to look at him. “Why ever not? The last time it made you go away for five years.”

  “And it also got your backside paddled.”

  “I thought that was because I kneed you in the balls.”

  “It was both. And I’m telling you right now, you try either again, and the spanking you get will make the one I gave you that night feel like a game of slap and tickle. Is that what you really want, Sierra? Are you baiting me to see if I’ll spank your pretty ass again? Because if that’s what you want, baby, all you have to do is ask.”

  He was watching her intently. Her breathing was erratic and her cheeks were flushed. He pointedly looked down at the thin shirt she was wearing and began to smile when he could see her nipples starting to harden. It would seem that she was still at least as physically attracted to him as he was to her. He suspected that the emotion was still there too behind the façade of anger, but that would take a little longer to get to.

  “You wouldn’t dare.”

  “I wouldn’t bet money on that if I were you. I’ve been waiting a long time to put you back over my knee.”

  “You’re a sick sonofabitch. You’ve been dreaming about spanking me?”

  “No, baby.” His voice had dropped into a seductive tone he could tell she remembered all too well and one to which her body still wanted to respond. “What I’ve dreamt of is getting back between your long, beautiful legs and plunging my cock into your pussy over and over and hearing you call my name as you come repeatedly.”

  “No,” she whispered.

  “Probably not tonight, but if you’re not very, very careful, I am going to put you over my knee and give you a spanking you won’t forget any time soon. I get that you’re upset with both your father and me…”

  “Really? And here I was thinking you weren’t bright enough to figure that out.”

  “Sierra,” he said, exasperated with her. “Just stop. I’ve had enough of your temper and acting out. You want to go upstairs to your room, I won’t stop you. But tomorrow you and I are going to sit down with Charlie and go over where we stand with the Flying M currently and where we want to get to down the road. You keep saying you don’t need my oversight, then prove it. Suck it up, pull up your big girl chaps, and let’s get on with it.”

  “You’re a real bastard, you know that?”

  “I am at that. But I had great-grandparents who stepped in and raised me pretty damn good. They raised me to love this freckle-faced brat who used to follow me everywhere,” he said with a grin.

  “Did they raise you to break her heart?” she said softly as she picked up her basket and went up the stairs.

  “Sierra,” he called to her as she got to the top of the stairs. She turned around, looking down at him. “You broke mine too.”

  She started to say something, but stopped herself. She searched his face and then headed to her bedroom without another word.

  * * *

  Sierra put the food on her nightstand and pulled out the Diet Coke. She opened the can and took a long drink. She couldn’t figure out why he was here. It made no sense. He’d been hugely successful in France. He was one of the largest and best rodeo stock providers in all of Europe. He imported bulls and broncs and there had been talk that he meant to start a breeding facility for both.

  Sierra reached under her bed and pulled out the small wooden box. She took the key out of her nightstand and opened it. In that box were all her memories of Ryder. Pictures of the two of them, of him alone, and of articles she’d either found in magazines or online. She’d read everything she could get her hands on. She hated that she couldn’t seem to stop herself. She had been going through the box and looking for more information almost obsessively for more than three years. The thing that had occurred to her about the same time Ryder had returned home was that there were never any pictures of him with a woman, no mention ever made of a wife or significant other.

  Ryder wasn’t the only one who’d done a lot of soul searching and introspection. At first she couldn’t understand why he’d done it. How could he have cheated on her when she loved him so much? The more she looked for answers in his behavior, the more she found reasons in her own. She knew she had a temper and could be a bit unreasonable. Had that been it? Had she driven him away? Did he want to return to Debbie who was sweet and perfect? Had he stayed with her just so that he could have the Flying M? It was the last question that clawed at her insides.

  * * *

  Sierra put on her jeans, a sweater, and a pair of boots and came down the stairs. She squared her shoulders and walked into the kitchen. She smiled when she saw the four place settings.

  “You really are an optimist, Ruthie. Did you and Charlie have fun last night?”

  “We had a very nice time. And ye
s, I’m a glass half full kind of girl.” Ruth’s smile widened as Sierra sat down in what had once been her father’s place at the head of the table.

  Charlie came through the back door, quirked an eyebrow but opted to remain silent. When Ryder walked into the kitchen and saw Sierra had taken a seat at the table, he thought about trying to say something witty, but decided it might be too soon.

  “Good morning. Charlie, I told Sierra we’d like to sit down with her and start going over what she has in mind for the Flying M.”

  Charlie smiled. “That would be great. We could either do that here in the office or even take the horses out and look at what you’re thinking, Sierra.”

  “Does Malone have a horse here?” she asked Charlie.

  “He rode Mouse yesterday and they seemed to get on fine.”

  “That makes sense, he and my father obviously had a great deal in common, what with the whole betraying my trust thing.”

  “Sierra,” Ruth scolded.

  “What?” she said innocently. “It’s true. Ryder and I were engaged and he fucked another woman. Daddy doesn’t tell anyone but Doc and Ryder that he’s dying and then turns the operation of my ranch over to the boy wonder here.” Sierra finished her juice and shook her head. “I’m sorry, Ruthie, I have things to do and seem to have lost my appetite.”

  “Sierra, honey, please,” whispered Ruth.

  “I gave it my best shot, but I can’t. I won’t. Malone, you do whatever you want to do. The Flying M has withstood worse than you. If you absolutely need my input about something, just let Charlie know and he can relay the message.” She stood up from the table and picked up her vest, jacket, and hat as she headed toward the door. “I’ll be back sometime later today.” She turned and walked out of the door.

  Charlie started to go after her but Ryder stopped him. “Let her be. I’ll give her a head start and then follow her. She and I are going to have this out one way or another.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Sierra saddled Joker and headed out. Part of her felt bad, as by not working alongside her men, she put more work on them. On the other hand, if Malone was going to be a part of the Flying M, he might as well get his hands dirty and pick up any slack.

  There was a chalkboard in the barn of some of the never-ending chores that needed doing. The rule was if you had spare time, you picked one, marked through it, and put your initials next to it so that everyone would know it had been done and by whom. Sierra marked through and initialed checking the far western fence line. She led Joker out of the barn, mounted, and headed out.

  Sierra stopped by the equipment shed and pulled what she needed to make any repairs along the fence that ran the western border. She headed toward the lowest section and began to search for weaknesses. Very rarely were there repairs that needed to be made, but that was partly because the crew of the Flying M was so diligent about checking fences, especially perimeter fences. She found peace in doing something she’d done all her life and that she knew needed doing. She’d never been good at being idle, but the thought of having to deal with Ryder was more than she could abide.

  * * *

  Ryder came into the barn a few minutes later and got Mouse ready to go. He really wanted to keep the men, Charlie, and Ruthie out from between him and Sierra. He walked over to the chalkboard and saw where she was headed. He smiled. Probably a good spot for them to continue their discussion from last night… far enough away no one could hear the shouting match and a line shack close by in which he hoped to settle things with her.

  Ryder saw her making a small repair to the fence. He heard Joker let out a low nicker of recognition and greeting. She looked up and saw him, and then turned back to finish the repair and go collect her horse. As she finished and turned back to Joker, she saw that Ryder had taken hold of Joker’s reins and now had the horse under his control.

  “Why don’t you come get on Joker and we can go for a little ride and talk?”

  “I’m not sure why you’re having such trouble understanding that I have no intention of talking to you. I think I’ve been pretty clear. Can you tell me where the message is missing the mark with you?”

  Ryder laughed. “Oh, you’ve been very clear. The problem is that I keep hoping you’ll get it through that thick, beautiful head of yours that you and I are going to talk about what happened between us, what your father intended, and the future of the Flying M.”

  “I have no interest in why my father decided to betray me and even less in talking to you about ancient history. As for the future of the Flying M—as I said it’s survived worse than you. You do whatever the hell you want. Once you’re gone if it was the wrong thing, I’ll fix it. Now, give me my horse.” She tried to get the reins from him, but Ryder held firm.

  “No. You get on your horse and we can go for a ride until you’re ready to talk.”

  “First, I gave up pony rides when I was two. And there isn’t a long enough ride in the world to make me ready to talk to you. Give me my horse.”

  “No. I realize, sweetheart, that you’re not familiar with that word so let me explain it to you. It means you aren’t going to get your way. So get on Joker and let’s talk. We could always talk while we’re riding.”

  “Fine. Have it your way,” she said as she grabbed her jacket, which had been hung on her saddle horn. “I’ll just head back to the house if you’re going to prevent me from doing anything useful like riding fence.”

  “Having someone with your talent and skill level riding fence is a waste and you know it.” He watched her as she turned to walk back to the house. Ryder smiled as he realized his hand was literally itching to spank the beautiful behind that was clad in a pair of chaps and swaying in a most feminine way as she headed back to the house.

  Ryder secured Joker and trotted after Sierra, pulling his lariat from the holder. He made a loop and threw it over her head. Before she could disengage it, he had pulled it tight.

  Sierra whirled around. “Not funny, Malone.”

  “Not meant to be, Sierra. I’ve tried talking to you like a reasonable person and have gotten nowhere. So now you’re going to deal with me. You want to get on Joker?”

  She pulled against the rope, trying to get some slack. “Fuck you.”

  He smiled. “After we talk.” Sierra charged him, but Mouse took up the slack she created so that the line was still taut. “He’s better trained than that and you know it. Either you get up on Joker or I’m just going to put you up here with me.”

  She pulled at the rope and tried to get away. “Let me go.”

  “No.”

  Ryder cued Mouse to head right at her, looping the rope as it created slack. Before she could react to having a little bit of leeway, Ryder had closed the distance between them and looped the rope around her several times. He leaned down, grabbed the rope, and hoisted Sierra up and over the front of his saddle so that she was lying across the saddle, trapped between him and Mouse’s neck.

  “You motherfucker. Let me go.”

  Ryder grinned, glad she couldn’t see his face.

  “Again, no.”

  “God damn it, Malone.” She squirmed, trying to find a way out of her precarious and humiliating position.

  “You know,” he said conversationally, “your ass framed by your chaps makes an excellent target designation for a spanking. But for it to be effective you’d have to your chaps on without your jeans under them.”

  Ryder walked back to Joker, secured his reins, and then headed for the closest line shack.

  Ryder could tell Sierra was incensed. That he had actually tied her up and now had her face down across the front of his saddle was infuriating to her. She continued to wriggle, trying to find a way to get away from him. Ryder, on the other hand, was rather pleased with himself. He had her where she couldn’t walk or ride off… and she knew it. When she realized there was nothing else she could do, she tried to bite his leg. All that managed to accomplish was to get her a mouth full of chaps-covered jeans and a h
ard swat to her backside.

  “You and those teeth,” he said, chuckling. “I remember when you were a kid and you used to bite and pinch when you got mad.”

  “Now, I punch and kick. I swear I’m going to kick your balls up around your teeth.”

  Ryder swatted her again. He knew it was fairly ineffective, but he thought she might take a hint as to just how vulnerable she was.

  “You try kicking me in the nuts, sweetheart, and I’ll take my belt off and apply it to your backside so hard and so fast you’ll never think to approach that part of my anatomy again with anything less than passionate, loving intentions. And as I recall, you still liked to bite… no, wait, it was more like you use to chew on my collarbone when I wasn’t fucking you hard enough to make myself come no matter how much you pleaded.”

  Sierra was glad that her hair had fallen forward, covering her face. It kept him from seeing the blush his words brought to her cheeks. “Ryder, let me up. This is uncomfortable. Is that your game? Do you want to torture me? Why don’t you go back to Crooked Creek or better yet to France?”

  “We don’t have much further to go,” he said conversationally. “Maybe next time I tell you to get on your horse, you’ll remember what happens when you don’t do what I tell you.”

  “I hate you. I’m going to have you arrested for this.”

  He laughed. “No, you aren’t. For the same reason you didn’t have me arrested after I spanked you that night. By the way, I should apologize to you for that.”

  “Yes, you should. It hurt and you had no right to treat me that way.”

  “I’m not apologizing for doing it, but rather for not doing it right. I shouldn’t have stopped until I’d broken through all that hurt and anger. Then I should have taken you to bed and fucked you until you remembered that you are the only woman I ever loved. As for not having a right? You destroyed my windshield and my hat, which you blew off my head, and kneed me in the nuts. Baby, if a man ever had the right to tan his woman’s backside, it was me.”