On His Ranch by Dinah McLeod

Chapter 15

Chase had been enjoying some of the best sleep he’d had in years. With Piper snuggled next to him in the crook of his arm, he’d fallen asleep at once—a dreamless rest that felt damn near magical. So deep was his sleep, in fact, that when he was pulled out of it, he thought his alarm must have gone off.

He struggled to open his eyes, fighting against the desire to fall back into slumber, his ears perked.

There it was again, and it was no alarm. It was a scream, sharp and shrill.

Chase lurched up in bed, suddenly as alert as though he’d had a bucket of ice water dumped on him. His hand reached for Piper, but grasped only the sheet. A quick glance showed the bedside empty except for rumpled sheets.

Piper.

He was on his feet in an instant, only managing to find a pair of boxer shorts before he raced toward the scream, his legs pumping so fast that his brain could barely keep up.

What’s happened? Why isn’t she in bed?he wondered as his hand fumbled for the doorknob. Please, God, let her be okay.

He threw the door open, bellowing her name. “Piper? Where are you?”

The only answer was another piercing scream.

He hurried into the hallway, his head swiveling left and right as he tried to discern her exact location. “Piper? Can you hear me?”

His adrenaline was in overdrive. Under normal circumstances, he wouldn’t have shouted. He knew better. Except that all of his training had been in the woods, or concerning dealing with wild animals. Nothing had prepared him for the fear he would feel when someone he loved was threatened.

Where the hell is she?His eyes darted around as he focused on keeping his breathing even. As he paused, wondering which direction to go in, his nose began to twitch. A pungent, familiar scent—one that definitely didn’t belong in this house—filled his nostrils.

Smoke.

His heart stilled, then began slamming like a sledgehammer against his chest. What the fuck? Where is she? Is she okay? Is the house burning? Realizing that whoever set the fire—because every instinct in his body told him this was no accident—might still be in the house, he used every ounce of will power he possessed to get himself under control. God forbid something happens to my little girl. I’ll never be able to forgive myself.

His blood was pumping, his pulse racing triple time as he began to creep down the stairs as quietly as he could. He remembered just in time to step around the weak spot on the third stair, making a mental note to fix it ASAP. With all he had to do around here it had landed solidly on the bottom of his ever growing to-do list, but then again, he’d never factored in needing to move around quietly during a possible home invasion.

His ears were perked, hyper alert for the slightest sound, which was the only reason he heard the moan. He raced in the direction, sound be damned, and burst into the den. It was ablaze with orange-red light of flames, and Piper was in the corner—quite alone, he soon ascertained—crying and pointing.

Once he assured himself that she was safe, he focused on the source of the fire. His chest aching, breathing hard, his eyes strained to focus and make sense of what he was seeing. There was an object near the window, being eaten by the flames, while Piper cowered in the corner.

“Piper! Get out of here!” he demanded. Without checking to see that she obeyed—there really was no time to spare—he raced toward the fire. Once he reached it, his eyes began to water and his nostrils filled with smoke. Thinking as quickly as he could, he snatched down the curtain, pulling with all his might and narrowly dodging the rod that fell along with it. Thankfully, it was a thick, heavy material and with quick action, he was able to smother the flames.

He was still coughing and had not yet begun to examine the source of the fire when the door opened, drawing his attention.

“Chase? What on Earth happened?” Ma demanded.

“No idea, but I sure as hell intend to find out.”

This indeed was not normal circumstances, or he would have apologized for swearing and she would have scolded him. Instead, she rushed over and they began to work together as one to see what the damage was.

“My good curtains, Chase?” his mom sighed loudly.

“Sorry, Ma. I’ll get you some new ones.”

“Well, never mind. I guess we’re lucky they were here, else I don’t know what you would have done.”

Having removed the curtains, blackened in several places, they both looked at the charred pile of wood and plastic.

“What is it?” a breathless voice asked behind them.

Chase whipped around and scowled. “What the hell are you doing here?” he demanded. “Didn’t I tell you to get somewhere safe?”

She blanched at the sharpness in his voice.

Good. She needed to be afraid—although apparently it wasn’t enough for her to do as she was told. Well, he would have to fix that.

“I-I’m sorry, I… what… what is that… thing?”

His frown deepened. For one thing, he didn’t like her thinking she could go and just change the subject. For another, he was just now seeing her right cheek and the bridge of her nose bore the faint marks of soot. Wonder where that came from?

Seeing that he was deep in thought, his mother answered, “It was our ranch. Well, a scale model of it, anyway. Chase has had it nearly all his life.” Her voice sounded as broken and defeated as he felt seeing it smoking and ruined. “Senior made it for him when he was three, because he was too young to go out with him.”

Piper inched forward, looking closer.

He threw out an arm to stop her. “Don’t. Don’t go any closer. At least not until I make sure…” That what? That it wasn’t booby-trapped in some way?

“Why would someone do this? I don’t understand.” his mother asked, her expression confused and just a tad anxious.

He reached over and put a hand on her shoulder, squeezing. He could count on one hand the amount of times he’d seen his mother cry in his lifetime, so seeing her wet cheeks always unsettled him. “I don’t know, Ma. But don’t you worry, I intend to get to the bottom of it.”

Piper’s head was spinning at what had just happened when she felt Chase’s gaze on her. The sight of his tight, angry features made her swallow hard, especially since they were directed at her.

“I think Piper and I better get dressed.”

“You should go back to sleep,” Patti answered, clearly distracted. “You’ve got an hour before sunrise at least.”

“We’ll try. Are you goin’ back to bed?”

Patti’s sigh was loud and long. “I don’t reckon I’ll be able to sleep.”

Chase murmured something comforting that she couldn’t hear, before signaling her upstairs with a pointed index finger.

She scampered to obey without even waiting for him. Her stomach filled with knots and they tightened with every step she took that brought her closer to the bedroom. Why didn’t I just listen to him? Why didn’t I obey and leave?

But she knew why. She’d been in shock—at least that was part of it. The other part was that she’d been frozen with fear, unable to stop from wondering if she was to blame for what had happened.

My good luck has run out and they’ve caught up with me. Dread filled her as the thought ran across her mind. I have Chase now, though. I have a daddy that loves me and wants to protect me. I’ll just tell him everything and then it will all be all right! We’ll figure it out together!

Reassured by the plan, Piper nearly collapsed onto the bed with relief. But… what will he think of me?

The other thought diminished the joy in all the others. What if he gets mad? Worse—what if he hates me? There was no way she could stand that.

But before she could ponder either outcome any longer, Chase strode through the open door, kicking it shut behind him with so much force that Piper jumped.

“Daddy!” she squeaked. “What… what’s wrong?”

“No more games,” he growled. “Tell me who you really are and why you’re here!”

Piper’s eyes widened until she felt sure they would pop out and her vocal cords tightened.

“Tell me, damn it!” he demanded.

She shrank back on the bed. “I-I don’t know… I… please, Daddy.”

Chase scowled. “Why were you downstairs?”

She had never seen him like this—it made the hard-ass she’d met in the barn seem like a teddy bear. Her heart was pounding and she found herself tongue-tied. “I… I just… I heard a noise.”

He snorted, his eyes narrowing. “I just bet you did. Your buddy you let inside? Or did you take the matches yourself and set the fire?”

Piper’s eyes widened to a point where it was physically painful and her heart slammed into her chest. “Wh-what? What are you talking about?”

With a roar that was pure rage, he turned away from her. His muscles were taut and she could see he was breathing hard

She scooted up until her back was touching the headboard, her heart beating a rapid tattoo as she tried to figure out what to do. She was pretty sure he would catch her if she tried to make a run for it, so it looked like she was pretty much out of options.

Chase chose that moment to turn and face her, causing her to draw her breath in sharply. “So, let’s go over this. You show up on my property, hiding in a shed.”

“I wasn’t hiding. I—”

“You claim to have been on your way to your aunt’s, but you haven’t mentioned her in all this time.”

Piper couldn’t help but feel wounded. “That’s because I thought you… we… I thought you wanted me here.”

“I thought you were bein’ honest with me, against my better judgment!” he snapped.

She reeled from the words like a physical blow. “Chase? I don’t understand. I want to understand.”

He glowered at the carpet like he wanted to burn a hole in it, but he didn’t answer.

Piper took a deep breath, trying to summon up her courage. “Daddy?” The word came out a whimper.

“Explain it to me,” he ordered, the words succinct, but without the sting. “We fell asleep together. What happened? How did you end up downstairs?”

She swallowed over the bit of her that wanted to curl into a ball and cry. She’d gone from the most wonderful night she’d ever had and woken inside of a nightmare. “I-I told you,” she whispered. “I thought I heard a noise.”

Chase propped his hands on his hips. “Okay, let’s say I believe you. Why didn’t you wake me?”

“Because… you have to get up early. I thought… I was just trying to be nice.” Her eyes brimmed with tears, but she determinedly fought them.

“So, you walked downstairs, and then what?”

“Um…” She was distracted by the way he tapped his foot, clearly annoyed. Which totally made sense, given the fire and everything, but what she didn’t get was why he was upset with her. She felt certain it had nothing to do with the fact that she was taking a while to answer his questions. “I didn’t realize there was a fire. I thought maybe I’d imagined whatever had woken me up, but then there was another noise.”

“What kinda noise?”

“I don’t know. Kind of a pop? And then there was a flash of light.”

“And?” he prompted, his voice a study in barely restrained frustration.

“I walked toward the light. I saw the fire. It was, um, it was small, at first, and I thought I could put it out, but…” She shrugged helplessly. “I’m sorry. I wish there was something I could do.”

His jaw clenched as he considered her, still through narrowed eyes.

“I… I’m sorry,” she uttered again, at a loss of what to say.

Chase chuckled, the sound soft and dark. “Not as sorry as you’re ‘bout to be.”

He watched as her eyes grew wide, feeling perversely pleased. She was hiding something. He didn’t know what it was, but he was certain he wasn’t getting the entire truth. It just didn’t add up. Why had she decided not to attempt to put the fire out? Why hadn’t she called out for him? Why had she just stood there and watched?

But he didn’t want to interrogate her further. He felt sure it wouldn’t do a bit of good. She’d said all she intended to say.

“What… what are you talking about?” Piper whispered.

“You tell me,” he demanded, his voice hard.

“I-I don’t know.”

“You broke one of our rules. Now, think real hard. Which one was it?”

She shrank back from the harshness in his voice. “Why are you being so mean to me?” she asked in a timid, little-girl voice.

Normally, he loved that voice, but just now it pulled at his conscience. Was she right? Was he being unfair?

Maybe she had nothing to do with it. Maybe she was just scared.

But he dismissed that almost at once. He’d gotten to know Piper well, and little girl she might be at times, but was she was also capable of being a strong, sassy spitfire. So why had she cowered and remained silent? There was a reason. He knew it. He always trusted his gut—he’d learned the hard way it was suicidal not to. And Piper, whatever her secret was, knew something she wasn’t willing to share.

“I don’t know,” she answered at last, her voice clogged with tears.

“Alright, I’ll tell you, but it’s gonna cost extra.”

She hung her head, but nodded.

“I told you to get upstairs. Remember?”

Piper’s head shot up. “But I—”

“But what? What is a good reason to disobey, Piper? Please, I’m all ears.”

Her cheeks flushed with color, but she didn’t look away. “I’m sorry I disobeyed. Really, I am, but I thought maybe you might need help.”

“Some help,” he snorted. “Look, it doesn’t matter what you thought, bottom line, you didn’t obey and you’re gonna be spanked for it.”

“But… you already spanked me. I don’t know how much more I can take.”

He pinned her with a hard stare. “That’s a daddy’s job to decide.”

She looked like she might protest further, but after a moment, she just nodded.

Good girl. But there was no warmth in his thought, only determination to teach her a lesson she wouldn’t soon forget. His palm itched to impart that lesson, but he decided he needed to take a minute to cool off first.

“I’ll be right back. I want you to take off your nightgown and your panties. When I get back, I expect you to be lyin’ over the bed with your butt nice and high. Got it?” As soon as he saw her timid nod, he let himself out the door.

Chase leaned against the wall and took a few deep breaths, trying to get his adrenaline under control. Yes, Piper deserved to be punished, but until such a time that he could prove it, he would only spank her for what he knew she’d done wrong.

She can’t be behind all this craziness. Not sweet, innocent Piper. You’ve finally lost it, man,the angel on his shoulder reasoned.

Or they sent a really good actress this time, someone who can play sweet and innocent, just to get me off my game, the devil’s advocate countered.

Both were good points, and there was only one way to get to the bottom of it. She was waiting in his room, hopefully smart enough to have obeyed his orders.

It would be good to finally catch the culprit behind all these mysterious pranks. At first, they had been a nuisance, but now, things were being taken way too far.

On the other hand, if it turned out that Piper was the source…

It will break me. His jaw clenched as the thought struck a chord with its truthfulness.

Don’t worry about that right now. Just do the next thing you have to do, then the next, same as every day.

Finally feeling like he was calm-ish, Chase let himself back in his bedroom. He could see Piper tense from where she was draped over the bed.

Best get this over with quickly. There was plenty’a work to be done before this mishap, now there will be a mess to clean up and a house to air out as well.

Chase stopped by his nightstand and opened the top drawer, removing a clear, thin ruler. He could feel Piper’s eyes on him, but he ignored her as he also removed a butt plug—this one a bit taller and wider than the one he’d used yesterday.

Her gasp was sharp, but he ignored that, too, and set the butt plug and lube down on his nightstand. Ruler in hand, he sat down and maneuvered her until she was over his lap.

“Daddy… please, don’t.”

“Every naughty girl’s slogan,” he remarked, shifting her over his knee.

“I’m so sorry! Please, I’ll be a good girl from now on! If you just—”

“Just what? Don’t spank you?” he guessed. “What’s funny is I could swear you already promised you’d be a good girl, that there would be no more spankin’s in your future. That was, what? Four hours ago? Five?”

She hung her head and began to cry while he positioned her ass right where he wanted it.

“Now, seein’ as you did get a pretty good wallopin’ earlier, I’m goin’ to focus mainly on your sit-spot and your thighs. D’you understand?”

“Y-yes, sir.”

“Good.” And with no further discussion, he began. He brought the ruler down hard and fast across her sit-spot, ignoring the cries that were immediate. She needed this spanking. And what was more, he needed to give it to her.

This isn’t fair!Piper thought as her bottom was relentlessly whacked. She couldn’t help but think of the ruler she’d used for geometry class not so many years ago without ever dreaming its cousin would one day cause her so much pain! I don’t deserve this! He’s being so mean!

Piper flinched as another quick, stinging slap hit her thighs. They came faster than she could count, and they bit into her tender skin with so much sting that tears began to blur her vison.

“I don’t tolerate disobedience, somethin’ you should be well aware of by now, young lady,” Chase said before inflicting another barrage of awful smacks with the ruler. They were lower this time, and the heat was intensifying.

“I know,” she managed to sob out. “I am s-so so-rr-y. Please, stop. Pl-please!”

Maybe he couldn’t hear her over the loud smack of the ruler, because he didn’t answer. The ruler was doing all his talking for him at present, and it was making Piper one sad, sorry little girl.

The burn had grown to a point where it was intolerable. She knew she shouldn’t, but she couldn’t help it—she was desperate! She reached back and tried to protect her poor, helpless bottom.

“You know better than that,” he chided, giving her hand a sharp smack before taking her hand and pinning it up high on her back.

“Ow!” she protested loudly.

“You just earned yourself a dozen extra, baby girl.”

True to his word, Chase immediately began spanking her again, each smack of the ruler hard and searing.

Piper was crying so hard she could see the damp spot on the bedspread. The fire in her sit-spot was like pain she’d never felt before. Which, considering the education she’d gotten over the last several days, was saying something.

Suddenly, her arm was being released. She brought it back in front of her, chest heaving as tears poured down her face.

“Stand up.”

She thought of asking why, but quickly thought better of it. Sniffling, she swiped at her eyes and slid off his lap. “Where do you—”

“Right in front of me.”

Obediently, Piper stood directly in front of him, trying to get ahold of herself while he stared at her.

“Spread your legs.”

“W-what?” The question came out before she could stop herself this time.

His annoyance was marked in the way he furrowed his brow. “Spread your legs.”

She obeyed, hesitantly moving her feet apart.

“Wider!”

She was terrified now, but she knew she had no choice. As soon as she had done as he’d ordered, the ruler came down in a flurry of quick spanks on the inside of her thighs. Piper yelped and hopped out of spanking range. Everything in her was screaming at her to run, but she was naked. Where could she go?

“You’re not makin’ this easy today, little girl.”

“It hurts!” she wailed, big, fat tears dripping down her face.

“Yep, sure does. Wonder when you’ll decide to be a good girl and stop yourself in these situations? Now, we’re gonna start over. Those didn’t count.”

“Chase—”

He glared, his dark eyes shooting sparks. “‘Yes, Daddy’!”

Sobbing, Piper echoed his words. “Yes, Daddy.” She took two tentative steps toward him, but was still out of reach. “It hurts too much. I can’t do it, Daddy.”

“Who decides how you are punished, Piper?”

“Y-you do, but—”

“Do you not trust me to be your daddy anymore?”

She hesitated. This was not the conversation she’d expected.

“Well?”

“Of c-course I do. I-I want you to be m-my daddy. But I’m just… scared.”

“There’s nothin’ to be scared of, Piper. It’s gonna hurt. You already know that. But you earned it, and you’re gonna get it—one way or another. I’d prefer you to submit to the spankin’ you earned, but if you won’t…”

She shuddered as his words hung in the air. Biting down on her lip, she considered. I did agree to this. Is it worth it? Is the pain worth it? It was a hard decision while her thighs felt like they’d been sunburned and she knew it would be worse before he was through. Especially when he’d been so angry only minutes ago—anger that, she felt sure, didn’t have anything to do with her disobeying him.

“O-o-kay,” she stuttered. “But… please be quick?” she pleaded as she took those final two steps that put her right where he wanted her.

“It’ll take how long it takes,” he answered, his voice sharp. But then he lessened the sting by adding, “Hold onto my legs if you need somethin’ to hold onto.”

Nodding, Piper put her hands on the side of each one of his legs before spreading her legs once more. They were still throbbing angrily, and from the moment Chase renewed his attack on the delicate area, he had her howling.

“Repeat after me; I will obey.”

“I… I… w-will… obey!” she screeched, enduring the blistering spanks while she tried to speak.

“Again.”

Breathing hard as the ruler punished her again and again, she forced the words out between gritted teeth. “I… will… obey!”

The ruler stoked the scorching flames on her tender thighs. “Again.”

She wanted nothing more than for him to stop. She was sure she would give anything, anything at all, if he would only stop. Drawing in a deep breath, she screamed what he wanted to hear. “I will obey!”

The ruler stopped at once. He stared at her, and Piper stood, erect but barely, longing for an ice bath to soothe her blazing skin.

“Good girl. Now, to the corner. Hands on your head.”

The sobbing that erupted from her sounded like a roar. It was undeniable, uncontrollable wailing.

Chase, to his credit, waited it out. But as soon as she had settled into a softer cry he took her by the arm and led her to the corner.

Piper haltingly put her hands atop her head. She could scarcely hold a thought, all of her energy concentrated on the pain radiating from her inner legs. She kept them spread wide, knowing if they touched the contact would be unbearable.

I hope we’re done after this, she thought, desperately hoping with all her might.

Then she remembered the butt plug, and her stomach plummeted.