On His Ranch by Dinah McLeod

Chapter 4

It was about ten minutes post-spanking, and the pain in her backside had subsided somewhat—going from a roaring inferno to a dull, achy sensation made worse if she put any pressure on her ass. So, as much as she hated to admit it, Chase had been right: sitting would be difficult for the rest of the day. Thinking of him made her slide her eyes in his direction.

He was looking right back at her and grinned when he caught her gaze. “Tell you what. Why don’t you come up to the house with me? It’s not much, but we’ve got a warm shower.”

“Actually, that sounds like heaven. But are you sure you can trust me? I mean, you were accusing me of being some criminal mastermind not even half an hour ago.”

Chase chuckled as her full lips turned down in a scowl. She was such a little girl and she didn’t even seem to know it. “I feel pretty certain I never said ‘mastermind.’ More like vagrant caught hidin’ in the shed.”

Her brows pulled together next. “I don’t know what that means, but I don’t think I like the sound of it.”

Laughing, he petted the top of her head. They were strangers, but seeing as how he’d just given her a good whipping, the normal rules didn’t seem to apply. “You should look it up, it fits you to a tee. And no, I don’t think I feel entirely sure you’re not up to no good. Just that I’ll catch you at it if you are.”

Piper’s eyes widened, and whether it was from the shock of the words or their brutal honesty, eventually she nodded. “Fair enough. I… I would really appreciate a shower, thank you.”

“Follow me.” Chase had taken three long-legged strides when he called over his shoulder, “And try to keep up.”

Only when she was positive that he wasn’t looking at her, Piper rolled her eyes. Arrogant… smug… brute!

But she must have a thing for brutes, because she was definitely wet. There was no denying the damp crotch of her panties.

Chase stopped at the front door of the house and waited until she scurried to cover the last bit of space that separated them. She was out of breath by the time she was on the porch and he gave her another smirk. “You’ve gotta keep it down though. My mom works nights and she’ll probably be asleep.”

Or what? You’ll spank me again?

The thought popped into her head and she was so horrified by it that she immediately began blushing.

Chase gave her a weird look. “You OK there, Piper?”

“Yep… fine,” she squeaked. “I’ll be quiet… sir.”

He nodded and opened the screen door wide, allowing her to enter first. But she could feel his eyes follow her and knew he wasn’t convinced. “The bathroom is up the stairs, second door on the right,” he whispered.

“Thanks,” she mouthed. She quietly moved around him and was on the first stair moving to the second when she felt a feather-light pat on her bottom. She might have thought she’d imagined it except that her cheeks were so sore even that casual contact made an impact. She turned to look at Chase.

He was giving her a stern stare. “Be good,” he warned.

A shiver ran through her. Piper nodded obediently and scampered up the remaining stairs before he could find another reason for a repeat of what had happened in the barn.

* * *

Chase did a double-take when he arrived in the kitchen and found his grandfather sitting at the table, drinking juice.

“‘Bout time you got in here. You missed breakfast.”

“I had other things to tend to.”

The old man’s eyes gleamed. “So you said. Well, is she the one?”

He’d been headed to the fridge, but at the older man’s question his step faltered. “What?”

“Is she the thief?”

Oh. Of course.“No, not as far as I can tell.”

“So what’s she doin’ here?”

“Says she needed a place to sleep for the night and chose to trespass in our barn.” He opened the fridge and reached inside for the bottle of orange juice.

“You buy it?”

“Not at first, but if she’s a thief, she’s a damn bad one.”

“Hmm.”

Chase turned to look at Senior who was drinking his coffee. “What? You see somethin’ I missed?”

“Oh, I doubt you missed a thing where that one is concerned.”

He gave Senior a glare. He didn’t like being laughed at.

“All I mean is it’s not like you to change your mind. If you did, I trust it’s for a good reason.”

“Look, is she pretty? ‘Course, a blind man could see it. But—”

“Relax, son. I trust you. I know you’ll put family and duty first, no matter how pretty the girl is.”

Chase let out a breath he hadn’t even realized he’d been holding. It was a new thing, hearing his grandfather express complete confidence in him. His grandfather had always been a loving man, but maybe not in the way other men showed affection. He loved by teaching Chase everything he knew. Praise was rare, and gratitude even harder to come by. But just last year he had vindicated every hour Chase had ever spent tagging after from him, learning from him, being admonished to try harder and do better.

He’d given him the farm, the one that had been in their family for generations. For the first three, it had grown as each owner had bought more land around it. When his grandfather got it, there was too much work for him and two dozen workers, so instead he’d worked on solidifying their land with wooden fences. Then he’d planted all manner of fruit trees, and added other homey touches that made the land livable as well as profitable. He’d invested everything he had left in horses, and they bred the finest stock in the state. People came from a hundred miles in any direction to purchase their prize stallions.

When he had handed over the reins to Chase a year ago, he’d been in a state of shock. He’d been working beside his grandfather for so many years, and he’d never thought beyond that. He’d never dreamed that Senior would give over his life’s work, entrusting it to Chase.

It was the happiest day of his life. It also was when everything started to go wrong. As soon as the farm had changed management, so to speak, mysterious vandalism and theft started occurring. On one occasion, a row of apple trees had been set on fire. They had caught wind of it—literally, the smoke had been what alerted them—in time to save most of the trees, but four had to be dug up by the roots.

Three weeks later, their hay bales had disappeared and since winter was impending, it had been difficult and costly to replace what they needed for their livestock. And not two weeks after that, the gate to their horse pen had been broken, releasing all their stallions. They had managed to catch them all, but not before Light Bearer broke his leg. The vet had come out and his expression had been solemn as he’d informed them the horse would never race again. That was the biggest loss—Light Bearer had been favored to win every upcoming race. It would have meant prize money, and more important, free advertising for their horses.

Chase’s mouth set in a grim line as he thought about it. Truthfully, he wouldn’t have been surprised if Senior had changed his mind then and there, but he had to give his grandfather his due. He’d stood by him, insisting he be the one to decide how to handle each situation, refusing to even give advice. The only comfort was that he’d proven he could think quickly on his feet.

“Sit. Have some coffee,” Senior invited.

“Don’t mind if I do.” After he’d made himself a cup, he sat across from his grandfather.

“You look good.”

He arched a brow. “Yeah? How’s that?”

“Don’t know.” The older man scrutinized him. “Somethin’s different. You’re… looser.”

“You goin’ soft on me, Senior?”

His grandfather ignored the question. “I don’t know what you did, but keep doin’ it. That’s all I’m sayin’.”

He chuckled. Sure, he’d just keep their stowaway a bit longer so he could give tan her butt when he was stressed. But as soon as the thought crossed his mind, he had to admit his grandfather was right. He felt looser, more at ease than he had in a long time. Maybe he’d needed to spank Piper as badly as she’d needed the lesson.

“Nothin’ was missin’?”

Chase took a long sip from his cup and set it down again. “Not a thing. I was thorough.”

Senior chuckled. “‘Course you were. That’s the way I taught you.”

“That gunshot, though…”

“You think it’s them?”

He shrugged a shoulder, his mood turning sour as it did whenever they were brought up. He and Senior didn’t have a name, or any idea who was causing the mayhem, so they merely called the vandals they. “Who knows? I can’t see why they would.”

“Somethin’ to do with the girl?”

Chase took another sip, swilling it around in his mouth as he considered. “Maybe.”

“Where is she?”

“Sent her to the shower. I’ll have another talk with her when she’s out, see what I can find out.”

“‘Scuse me, fellas. Did I hear someone say somethin’ about a gunshot?”

Chase cringed. He didn’t even have to turn around—he’d know that voice anywhere. “Mom’s up,” he said.

“Yes, I had gathered that. Mornin’, Patti. How about a cup of coffee?”

“I don’t want coffee,” the dark-haired matron snapped. “I’d rather hear about this gunshot.”

“Trust me, Mama,” Chase said, standing and pushing back his chair. “You want some coffee. I’ll get you a cup.”

* * *

Piper spent more time in the shower than she ordinarily would have. She had been skeptical of what farmers might have in the way of a bathroom, but she shouldn’t have been concerned. She didn’t find any rusty or antique fixtures, but instead, a bathtub big enough for two with what first appeared to be a regular showerhead. As soon as she turned it on, however, she quickly discovered that she could change the water pressure. Not only that, but a curious examination of the showerhead revealed that she could detach it and apply that pressure wherever she desired.

Wonder if he had this installed for his girlfriend?

As soon as the thought crossed her mind, Piper felt waves of jealousy and defiance crest over her. Which was silly. She knew that. She’d just met him, and she didn’t have any sort of claim on him. Sure, he’d spanked her, and yes, now that she was away from those knowing, probing eyes, she could admit it had turned her on. Hell, the way her pussy was throbbing with need, there was no way to deny it.

But he probably spanked anyone any chance he got—he’d seemed to like it. And who wouldn’t be turned on by the sexiest cowboy alive, even if he was kind of a jerk?

Piper was a good girl. Always had been. But somehow, being spanked and left to deal with her unexpected arousal made her feel rebellious. Once the idea had popped into her head, she couldn’t shake it, even though she tried.

Feeling deliciously naughty and defiant, she took the showerhead down. The water was currently coming out at a tepid trickle, so she adjusted the knobs until it was a warm, steady spray. But before she actually put her naughty plan into place, Piper peeked around the shower curtain, just to be sure.

Noticing that the door was unlocked, she hopped out of the shower, ran to the door, locked it and ran back. It gave her the peace of mind she needed to properly take care of business, and Piper got to work right away.

The stream hit her pulsing pussy and she had to bite her bottom lip to keep from crying out. The pressure was shocking, but after a moment or two she got used to it and it became wonderful, albeit intense.

She would have loved to orgasm and be done with it, but the pressure on her clit wasn’t going to do it alone. So she closed her eyes and let her mind drift back to the barn. As soon as she did, Piper felt the bathroom walls fade away and it was as if she was transported there again. She could smell the faint scent of hay, feel the cool stone of the floor against her hands. In her mind’s eye, she looked back at Chase with wide, tear-filled eyes. But she didn’t beg him not to spank her this time…

In fact, she waited, holding her breath, knowing that the punishment from his hand would hurt, but craving it just the same.

“You really are a good girl,” she heard him say in his masculine drawl. “Even good girls need spankin’ from time to time.”

And she could feel his hand on her upturned ass, but it felt firm, possessive this time. Like he was making her his.

Piper came with her back pressed against the bathroom tile, and even with her teeth clenched she couldn’t hold back the delighted shriek that burst forth when her entire body shuddered with release. Waves of pleasure crested over her again and again, longer and more powerful than any orgasm she’d ever felt.

If it feels this good just fantasizing about him… how good would it feel with him?

Stop it, Piper, she scolded herself immediately. He’s not interested. He made that clear.

But that didn’t change the delicious sensations making her feel more relaxed than she had, in, well, she couldn’t even remember when. When she finally got out of the shower she had a smile that she couldn’t repress even if she wanted to.

Piper fished the only nightgown she had out of her backpack and slipped it on, feeling suddenly embarrassed over the faded, well-worn fabric.

What does it matter? He won’t notice what I’m wearing anyway.

But then, out of the corner of her eye she spied a white bathrobe. It was clean and as she slipped it on she discovered it was very plush and comfy.

Completely refreshed, Piper realized how hungry she was. She had been living off of Pop-Tarts and cans of Chef Boyardee when she’d been in her apartment. But she hadn’t had anything since she’d left, and that had been almost twenty-four hours ago now.

She opened the door and the delicious smells wafting through the air led her back to the staircase. She was making her way down when she heard whispered voices. Feeling like a little girl who was intruding on a conversation not meant for her ears, Piper nonetheless crouched on the stairs and strained her ears toward the sound.

“You mean to tell me that you think someone is doing these things on purpose?” a female voice hissed angrily.

“Now, calm yourself, Patti—”

“Forgive me for being concerned,” she snapped, forgetting to whisper. “You’re tellin’ me my son was shot at, but yes, I should be calm.”

Piper bit down on her bottom lip to keep from giggling and revealing herself as an eavesdropper. I don’t know who that woman is, but I like her. A lot. She could only imagine the looks on the two cowboys’ faces at being spoken to like that.

But whoever this woman was, she was clearly allowed.

“We don’t know for certain that’s the case, Patti.”

“It could have been meant for the girl—”

Piper squirmed on the staircase and her teeth bit deeper than she’d meant to. She released her lower lip, her tongue caressing the hurt. She’d been afraid they might figure that out. Whatever they were, these men weren’t stupid. Which meant she needed to get out of here, and fast, before anyone got hurt.

“Oh, yes,” she interrupted. “Where is this mysterious girl you two keep mentioning?”

“She’s taking a shower.”

“I don’t hear any water running.”

Crap. Oh, crap, crap, crap!Piper leapt up as quietly as she could and turned, beginning to climb back up the stairs. Unfortunately, she had forgotten to account for the bathrobe, much longer than her small, short frame was accustomed to. When she tripped at the top of the staircase, she fell with an oomph and a muttered curse.

“Piper.”

His voice moved across her like the flash of a whip, carrying with it the shock as well as the sting. It wasn’t a question—it was a summons. When she managed to turn and face him, she was certain she knew from the heat in her face that she was red and shamefaced.

“How long have you been sittin’ there, loiterin’?”

“Not long.” She gave him a sulky frown. “I wasn’t doing anything wrong.”

“Is that so?” He tipped his head back and gazed at her. “In my experience, little girls that claim they didn’t do anything wrong are always guilty of one misdeed or another.”

“Shh!” she hissed, forgetting for a second that it was unwise to order him to do anything. “They might hear you.”

Chase arched a brow and gave her a knowing grin. “You don’t want anyone to know you’re a little girl?” he asked, but his voice was for her ears only. “They’ll know it as soon as they look at you, darlin’.”

Her only answer was a scowl.

“Now, get down here and tell me what you’ve been up to.”

Almost as though her body obeyed his commands more than her wishes, she began descending the stairs. “I just took a shower,” she mumbled, brushing past him.

But Chase grabbed her by the arm, his firm fingers pinning her in place. “Is that right?”

Piper couldn’t help it—the man was a human lie detector and her heart was hammering so hard in her ears that she was sure he could hear it. Her cheeks flushed hotter, and her belly twisted itself in complicated, fretful knots.

“C’mon.” He leaned in, his mouth brushing against her ear. “You better fess up, while you’ve still got the chance.”

She was quivering where she stood, not only from his nearness and the contact, but the desire to confess her sins was almost unbearable. She bit down on her tongue, ignoring the sting, desperate to keep her secrets for as long as possible.

“Chase? Where did you go off to?”

Piper found herself released immediately. Strangely, she was not entirely grateful for her newfound freedom. Her arm tingled where his fingers had been.

“Are you up to meetin’ my family? They can be a lot, but my mom’ll feed you.”

At the mention of food, Piper’s stomach rumbled loudly. Great. Like I need to be more embarrassed. “Can’t be worse than what I’ve already been forced to deal with,” she quipped, quickly stepping out of his reach and power-walking to the kitchen as fast as her legs would take her.

* * *

When Chase walked back into the kitchen, Piper had already taken a seat on the empty bench that flanked the table. Senior was reading the paper and sipping his coffee, the same as he did every morning, as though nothing about this one was any different.

His mother was standing at the refrigerator with the door open and a gallon of milk in her hand as she gaped at Piper. When he entered the room, she pounced. “Well, Chase, care to introduce me to our… um… guest?”

He knew what she was thinking and wanted to get ahead of it as quickly as possible. “Nothin’ to get excited about, Ma. Just a stray I found hidin’ in the barn,” he hurried to set her straight.

Far from looking reassured, his mother glowered at him. “Honestly, Chase, I’m sure she has a name.”

He was taken aback by the sternness in her tone, but nodded. “Yes, ma’am.”

Both of them looked expectantly at the girl in question, who was now blushing, her head bent and her gaze on the table. Even Senior had peeked his head around his paper to watch.

“Hi. Um, I’m Piper,” she answered in her breathy, little-girl voice.

Piper. The word reverberated through him as it had the first time he’d heard it. It wasn’t a name you heard every day. Unique, unassuming, and yet, there was hidden strength to it, too. Yes, it suited her well.

His mother gave him a cutting glance. “Well, hello there, Piper.” She set the milk back inside the fridge and shut the door before offering an outstretched hand.

“Hi.” Piper gave it a tentative shake, shooting Chase an anxious look.

He smirked. He knew what she was thinking. She surely was wondering if he was going to mention their earlier business in the barn. Given the time, she would learn that whatever she might think of him, he was a gentleman and had no such intentions.

“Are you hungry?”

All traces of hesitancy vanished, replaced with a warm smile. “Yes, I could definitely eat.”

His mother rewarded her with an equally warm smile. “Alright, I’ll make something for us then.” She gave her son a hard glance. “You too, I suppose?”

“Yes, ma’am. If it isn’t too much trouble.”

She grunted but otherwise ignored him.

He wasn’t sure what he’d done to tick her off, but he bore it in stoic silence, content to cross his arms and lean against the wall to watch.

His mom opened the fridge again and took out the eggs and bacon. Just the sight of them set his stomach to rumbling.

“What can I do to help?” Piper inquired.

“Well, aren’t you just lovely?” She gave her son another stern glance.

Ah. So that was what was stuck up her craw. His mother had been stuck in a house outnumbered two to one for the last thirty-two years, and now that there was another female amongst them she didn’t want him to go scaring her off.

“Thank you, sweetie, but you just sit a spell and I’ll whip us up some breakfast. I hope you don’t mind my saying so, but you look a bit tired, dear.”

“I didn’t sleep very well,” she admitted.

“Oh?” She turned her back on them and began pulling down bowls and utensils.

Piper didn’t elaborate, staring at the table in front of her instead.

Chase felt his gaze drawn to her. With her unaware of his eyes on her, he had the luxury of taking his time. Piper was not only beautiful, but her newborn doe-like innocence was a breath of fresh air to his cynical heart—not that he had any intention of ever letting her know that. The question that wouldn’t let up was, could it possibly be genuine? He’d been a skeptic his whole life, and the few times he’d second-guessed his own better judgment, he’d lived to regret it.

It wasn’t a mistake he wanted to make again, but there was something about this girl that made him question his own instincts. Maybe he had been too hasty in his initial judgment of her. I thought for sure that she’d drop the innocent act when she felt my hand blisterin’ her rear, Chase mused, his eyes drawn to the curve of her ass.

Maybe she is what she seems, he thought as he watched her swing her legs back and forth while his mother peppered her with questions. But so what? No matter who or what she is, it don’t matter one bit to me. She’ll be gone in the space of a few hours and I won’t have any more cause to fret over it.

“So, tell me about yourself,” his mother said, apparently tired of waiting for the juicy details to spill. “Don’t just stand there, Chase, I need my cast-iron.”

He hid his grin knowing his mother would be fit to be tied if she spied it and walked over to the stove, reaching up to open the cabinet. He pulled the skillet down and put it on the burner without a word.

“Shoo out of the way now,” she scolded lightly, moving the skillet to a different burner with an unnecessarily loud thunk.

“You mad at me for any particular reason, Mama, or just showin’ off for company?”

She gave him a sidelong smile. “Is she company, Chase?”

He glanced back at Piper, who was clearly trying to overhear their conversation while pretending she wasn’t. “No, ma’am. She’s a—”

“Don’t you dare call her a stray, young man.”

He chuckled despite himself. It was rare for his mom to get this fired up. “Waif. A waif who wandered over this way and took a nap in our barn.”

Her eyes widened and she turned around to look at Piper. “You don’t say?”

But the girl still didn’t answer.

Chase had the urge to scold her for being rude, but he suppressed it. No need to have his mother flying at him in Piper’s defense.

“That couldn’t have been very comfortable,” she prompted.

“It… it wasn’t too bad,” she mumbled, her cheeks blazing crimson. “Just…”

“Hmm?” his mother prompted.

“Got an early wake-up call.”

Chase felt her eyes on him for no more than a moment before she went back to looking at the white wood of the table in front of her. That’s not all she got.

Almost as though she’d read his mind, Piper shifted uncomfortably on the hard bench.

He covered his chuckle with a cough, hoping it would escape his mother’s notice.

No such luck. “I hope you weren’t rude to her, Chase.” He was getting that young man stare he’d gotten when he was seven and tracked mud into her freshly mopped kitchen.

“I was the very picture of a gentleman that happens across someone hidin’ in his barn.”

Piper’s head jerked up at the sternness in his voice. “Oh, he was. We, um… talked it out.”

With his mother’s back to him he felt free to arch his brows at her. But her bravado faded at his expression and she went back to staring at the table. This girl. She kept surprising him, he’d give her that.

“Hmmm… well, alright then. Mind tellin’ me why you needed to sleep in a barn at all? Don’t get me wrong, Senior and my son keep them nice for the horses, but it’s definitely no Holiday Inn.”

It was a question he wanted answered, too. He walked back to the table and took his usual place beside his grandfather who had set down his paper and was waiting, too.

Piper looked mortified to be the object of their attention.

She sure does blush a lot.If the tightness of his pants was any indication, he liked it far more than he should.

“It’s… um… well, it’s kind of a long story.”

He leaned toward her, unable to resist whispering, “You shouldna said that. We haven’t had a visitor in forever. Ma’s gonna want to hear all your stories.”

“Shush, Chase,” his mother scolded, laughing.

“Well, it’s true,” he retorted, giving an exaggerated wince when she turned and bopped him on the hand with her spatula.

Piper relaxed, even if it was only the slightest bit. “Well, okay then. If you’re sure.”