On His Ranch by Dinah McLeod

Chapter 7

If he’d asked, she would have pleaded insanity. Not that she thought she would get the chance to say anything at all.

She didn’t know why she’d done it, really. She’d been nothing but a mass of tense nerves ever since he’d murmured the words, “You called me Daddy.” She’d felt every single one of them reverberate through her, from the top of her head right down to her hot, wet sex.

Piper had tried to act casual, had maybe even succeeded at her game of pretend. But then he’d mentioned her narrow escape yesterday with the gunshot, those dark, probing eyes on her and not missing a thing. She couldn’t help but feel like her secrets were exposed to him, and she didn’t like it one bit.

So she’d acted out, and now he was standing, his six-one figure looming over her. His arms were hanging heavy at his sides, and the thin line of his mouth combined with his flashing eyes told her she was about to suffer the consequences.

“Pants down,” he ordered.

Fleetingly, she thought of disobeying. She could beg, plead with him for forgiveness. But on cue her thighs tingled, and remembering what disobedience had gotten her yesterday, she haltingly pulled down her jeans.

Taking her by the arm, Chase held her on the spot while his other hand flew against her bared bottom delivering sharp, fast spanks that quickly heated her orbs.

“Please!” she screeched, her hand trying to go behind her and cover her bare skin. She got it smacked hard for her trouble and quickly yanked it back in front of her. “I’m sorry!”

“You don’t know the meaning of the word,” Chase said, his words measured as he continued to swat her smarting cheeks. “But by the time we’re through, I promise you will.”

Piper knew he was a man of his word and could do nothing but moan and drum her feet while he spanked. When he stopped and released her, her hands flew to her sore rear.

“Don’t touch,” he snapped, glaring. “We aren’t even close to through. Now you get to go pick yourself a switch.”

Her mouth dropped open. “You… you were serious about that?”

“Keep dawdlin’ and you’ll get a taste of my belt,” he warned.

“But, Chase, I can’t walk out there like this—”

“Alright.” His hands went to his waist. He pulled the brown leather tongue out of the buckle.

“I’m going, just a second, please!” Piper quickly shucked her jeans and panties, stepping out of them. She was more exposed this way, but she could move faster if she didn’t have to waddle. She practically flew out of the barn, trying to move so quickly that it didn’t even occur to her to try to run. After all, how far would she get without pants?

Not to mention, it was embarrassing enough just walking the ranch worried that she’d see Senior at any moment—or worse… Patti. As quickly as she could, she stopped at a tree with low-hanging branches. She selected a fistful of sticks, yanking them from the tree. Unfortunately, the bough swung up and away, then back again. Piper had only managed to get a couple of switches and she didn’t want to risk them not being good enough. It was humiliating enough to be sent outside half-naked once.

So she waited, ass cheeks clenched while she looked nervously from side to side as the bough shook. Finally, it was still enough for her to reach up and grab a few more. She pulled harder this time and was rewarded with three more switches. Breathing a long sigh of relief, she raced back to the barn, unable to resist one more look over her shoulder.

“That was fast,” Chase remarked. “Well, let’s see them.”

She was flushed, both from the excursion and the embarrassment, so she stuck her hand out toward him without comment.

“Uh-uh. You need to clean them off first.”

“What?” She looked from the sticks and foliage in her hand back to him.

“You have to take all the leaves off first. Have a seat.” He nodded toward the stool next to his workbench. “While you do that, I need to make up for lost time.”

He didn’t offer any other explanation or even look to see that she obeyed before he took a seat in front of the cow she’d been milking. He righted the pail and began to milk the cow, the sharp pings echoing one after the other as he did.

Hmph.She stomped over to the workbench and threw the sticks down. She rebelliously decided to stand as she worked, having a giant pity party inside her head. It’s not fair. I can’t believe I stopped here to catch a nap and ended up in this nightmare. If I’d have known that this would happen, I would have kept moving, sore feet be damned!

Piper stamped her foot in frustration, but a quick glance at Chase showed him hard at work and, it seemed, completely unaware of her. Why did that make her even angrier for some reason?

“If you finish before I do, you can just take yourself on over to that corner over there and stand in it,” the cowboy spoke up.

She flushed with humiliation. Okay. Maybe I should have been happy with him ignoring me after all. “No, thank you,” she murmured politely.

His only answer was to look at her with a you heard me, young lady stare.

Which was how Piper ended up standing in the corner when she had five clean switches lined up on his workbench.

“Keep your nose in there and don’t move,” he warned. He didn’t say another word and there was not another sound to be heard in the barn but the ping of the milk hitting the pail. Piper was tempted to look and see if she would find him looking back at her, but she wasn’t brave enough to dare.

She spent the next several minutes warring with herself—deciding to risk it, then changing her mind, until at last she heard him speak.

“Hmm. I think this one will do nicely,” Chase mused aloud.

The temptation to look was overwhelming. Only her tingling bottom made her keep her gaze on the dull brown wood. “I don’t see what’s so nice about it,” she muttered.

“What was that?”

“Nothing.”

“You did a nice job cleanin’ them off, for a first timer.”

“Um… thank you?”

“You’re very welcome.”

Only knowing he couldn’t see her face gave her the courage to roll her eyes.

“Alright, I reckon I’m ready for you.”

When she turned to see him with a pocket knife cutting off the spurs, her tummy did a dive for the floor.

“C’mon, what are you waitin’ for?”

Piper took a deep breath and obeyed. She stopped in front of him and the workbench, looking at the pile of switches he’d similarly doctored with his knife. “You’re… keeping them all?”

“Might as well. I’ll use as many as I see fit now, and save the rest for later.”

“Why later?” she asked, her pulse picking up pace.

The corners of his mouth tipped up. “You think you won’t give me a reason to use them?” Before she could answer he tapped the bench with the switch. “Bend over.”

She swallowed hard, trying to ignore her racing heart as she bent her body over the bench.

“I want you to hold the sides—nope, like this.” He moved her left arm and guided her fingers around the edge of the wood. “Don’t let go, no matter what, y’hear me?”

“Yes, sir,” she answered, hoping obedience would inspire last-minute leniency. She kept her eyes on the wall in front of her until she heard a whistling sound. When she turned to look and saw Chase whipping the switch in the air, what was left of her resolve vanished. “This isn’t fair!”

The face he turned to her was calm, but resolved. “You don’ think so?”

“No!” she burst out. “I know I shouldn’t have knocked over your milk, but you already spanked me! And it hurt a lot,” she added.

“I don’t know where you come from, but we work hard on this ranch, and we sure as hell don’t waste things because of a temper tantrum.”

Piper stood up, clenching her fists. “I didn’t throw a temper tantrum!”

“Back in position,” he snapped with so much authority that it didn’t even occur to her to disobey. He waited until she was bent back over, hands clasped around the wood. Then he brought the switch down, gently whispering across her bare skin. “Whatever you want to call it, you behaved badly. And yeah, I spanked you for that. Now you’re bein’ punished for breakin’ the rules you agreed to.”

She scowled. It didn’t help her mood any to be reminded that she’d entered into this barbaric arrangement. After all, what choice had she had, really?

“Isn’t that right, Piper?”

“I guess,” she muttered sulkily.

“What’s gotten into you, little girl? Just the usual pre-spankin’ jitters?”

Even being called little girl didn’t do anything to improve her mood. She scowled, her expression hidden from him, and refused to answer.

“Alright, have it your way. Which one was it, Piper?”

When she didn’t answer that either, he tapped her bottom menacingly. She could only hope he missed her flinch.

“If you need a reminder, I don’t mind givin’ it, but it’s gonna cost ya.”

“No, thanks,” she mumbled, glowering.

“Well then, in that case, I’m all ears.” He didn’t seem deterred one bit by her petulance.

When she kept quiet, the air whistled again as he brought the switch down. The sting was unbelievable! A line of burning pain was left in its wake. Piper clenched her teeth and refused to cry out. He wanted to play the hard way? Fine, let him, but he was going to play all by himself. She wasn’t going to apologize and she certainly wasn’t going to beg anymore.

“What’s goin’ on with you, little girl?”

“Who said anything’s goin’ on with me?” she snapped. As soon as the words were out of her mouth, her tummy twisted into knots. She was a smart girl—normally—and while talking back was definitely a big no-no, she suspected she’d probably made a bigger mistake by mimicking his accent on top of it.

“Alright then, I reckon you need a reminder of who’s in charge here.” He sounded almost amused before he brought the switch down two more times right on top of the previous stroke.

Knowing that he was enjoying himself at her expense made her anger surge and was just the motivation she needed to stay silent despite the scorching blows. She breathed through the pain with gritted teeth.

“You in a talkin’ mood yet?”

She turned her head to give him her best ‘eat shit and die’ look. He couldn’t make her, damn it!

Chase arched his brows. “Somebody really got up on the wrong side of the bed this mornin’.”

The next thing she heard was the whistle of a switch cutting the wind. The stroke fell against the top of her tender thighs, quickly followed by a biting sting unlike anything she’d ever experienced. Before she could find a way to deal with the pain, the thin stick landed again and again on her upturned bottom.

“Now,” his deep voice rumbled. “You wanna try again?”

“Yes, please,” she whispered, her lips trembling both from the pain and the sting of defeat. It looked like she was never going to win a battle of wills with this cowboy, and the thought was more than a little humbling.

“Good girl.” The words were spoken roughly, but no less welcome. “Now, think. What rule did you break?”

Piper tried to remember their conversation, but even though it had only been a couple of days, so much had happened that it felt like much longer. Add to that the fact that her skin was flooded by an ache that seemed to reach deep down inside her buttocks and thinking about anything else felt impossible. She could remember bits and pieces—especially the details of promised punishment—but the rest just kind of ran together.

She thought of tossing out a guess, but quickly discarded that idea. It would just draw things out longer than they needed to be. She might as well just be honest with him. When she gathered her courage, Piper’s head hung as she whispered, “I’m sorry, sir, but… I’m not sure. I really don’t remember.”

“Piper.”

There was something about his voice, something powerful and earthy and strong that just wouldn’t be denied. She knew he wanted her to look at him—that was a big thing with Chase she was learning—and she felt her eyes drawn to him like magnets. Damn it, even just the sight of that painfully handsome face made her heart flutter. Especially since, even now knowing she was in deep trouble, her pussy clenched, juices pooling, secretly hoping that he would decide not to punish her but to turn his attention to something more pleasant instead.

“Okay, here’s what I’m gonna do.” He brandished the switch in the air.

She swallowed hard. I have a feeling I’m not going to like this. Her ass cheeks clenched in anticipation.

“I’m gonna tell you all over again.”

“Oh,” she murmured, surprised. “That… that’s… very kind of you.”

His smile flashed—a shark smile if she’d ever seen one. “I’ll tell ya again,” he repeated. “And for every five seconds it takes for you to figure it out, you get a swat with the switch.”

“Hey!” she objected. “That’s not fair.”

He shrugged a broad shoulder. “You don’t think so? I mean, I guess I could just switch you until you remember but I figured this would at least give you a shot.”

Her brows knitted together as she pouted. “Fine.”

“This time, make sure you listen good,” he advised, spinning his finger in the air.

She took the hint and turned to face the wall again, pushing her butt out toward him reluctantly.

“You ready?”

“Do I have a choice?” she muttered. She had thought she had spoken softly enough not to be overheard, but the sting of the switch followed her words without warning. “Ow!”

“That was a freebie. Watch the smart mouth, Piper. Now, I’ll ask one more time—are you ready?”

She squeezed her eyes shut, fingers clasped around the wood of the bench so tightly it bit into her skin. “Yes, sir.”

“Rule number one: you obey my rules. Rule number two: you won’t disrespect me. Number three: you do not endanger yourself.”

Piper mulled that over. She was almost done repeating it to herself when…

Whack!The switch smacked against her tender skin.

She was trying to remember the rules he’d mentioned, but as the pain in her bottom built into a smoldering fire, but she couldn’t help but whimper. It hurt!

Another whistle sounded, followed immediately by a burning sting.

“Ow!” she complained.

“Better not be wastin’ your time.”

Think, Piper, think!What did he say? Oh, yeah: obey. Do what he tells me… I have, haven’t I?

Swish!

She’d been busy trying to figure out the answer he was looking for and had not expected the punishing sting. Her feet did a little agonized dance, but she had to stop and refocus. She didn’t have much time.

Do what he tells me…

The switch fell again, harder this time. Piper screeched at the impact.

“This is too hard!” she cried out. “Please, stop!”

“Nope.”

“Please…”

“Beggin’ isn’t gonna help you none, Piper. Now, you can do this. Put your big-girl panties on and think.”

Suddenly, it came to her, and she dropped her arms and whirled around.

Chase, with the switch midair, arched a brow. “Yes?”

“I didn’t obey you.” Though the ‘aha’ moment itself had felt triumphant, remembering her disobedience had taken the wind out of her sails.

“When?”

“You told me not to spill the milk,” she said, trying to imitate the exact cadence of his voice.

“Makin’ fun of my accent again I see.”

She pulled a face. “I am not. And anyway, that’s what you said.”

“I sure did. What’s the other rule you broke?”

Her face screwed up as she thought. “I guess it would be the respect one.”

“You guess?”

“Yes, sir. I should have respected your work and your things.” Chastened by her own words, she felt the prickly, sharp pain across her cheeks in a different light. “I know I deserve to be punished. I was a brat.”

“You were,” he agreed with a sharp nod.

“I really am sorry,” she said, biting down on her bottom lip to hide the quiver.

“I’m sure that’s true, right at this moment. But the funny thing about little girls is you only seem to remember when I’ve got your bottom bare and an implement in my hand.”

“Have you had a lot of little girls?” The question popped out before she could stop it and though she slapped her hand over her mouth to smother the gasp, it was too late.

Chase’s eyes glimmered at her, and unless she missed her guess, he was amused. By the question or her antics, she couldn’t tell.

Piper waited, horrified by her impulsive mouth. The tense silence was a different kind of uncomfortable.

“Have you had a lot of daddies?”

“No.” Despite his delayed answer, hers was immediate, spoken in a regretful whisper. “Not ever.”

He cocked his head to the side as he studied her. “Is that somethin’ you think you’d like, Piper? Somethin’ you think would do you some good?”

Her heart was pounding so hard in her chest, her face flooded with heat. She couldn’t answer—not this. Not now. So she turned back around and bent, her throbbing, punished ass pushed toward him.