The Cowboy's Rules by Maggie Carpenter

Author:Maggie Carpenter [Carpenter, Maggie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Dark Secrets Press
Published: 2014-01-04T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

At 6:30 a.m. the following morning, while Cassie was sleeping soundly, still wrapped in her cowboy’s arms, Hannah was being rustled awake.

“Time to get up and muck out the stalls,” Marty announced.

Blinking open her eyes she stared at the clock. As a handler at the ranch she had to be up by 7:30 and that had been an effort.

“Then it’s back here to cook up a decent breakfast,” he finished.

How am I going to survive this? she wondered. A whole month? I don’t think I can.

“I know it’s not easy,” he declared, as if reading her mind, “but you’ve gotta learn your lesson.”

“I’ve learned it, believe me,” she groaned.

“Not yet you haven’t, now let’s move!” he said sternly.

Leaning over he whacked her butt through the bedcovers, then striding from her small room, made his way into the kitchen and poured himself a cup of coffee.

How am I going to get through this? I feel sorry for her already. Maybe I should just spank her again, real good, and let that be an end to it.

Staring out the window he watched the serene horses in the pasture grazing, and took a long deep breath.

You know you can’t do that. Hang tough, even if you do melt every time she looks at you.

“I’m ready.”

He turned and saw her stumbling forward, still bleary-eyed and yawning.

“You want some coffee before headin’ out?”

“No thanks, I’ll wait until breakfast. I can’t have coffee on an empty stomach.”

“Go on then, you know where the barn is, and the rakes and wheelbarrows. Shouldn’t take you more than half an hour.”

“Right,” she replied, but as she started out the door, she stopped and turned. “You know, Marty, I really am sorry,” she said softly, fixing him with a cool, direct stare. “I was sorry the moment it happened. We all make mistakes, and I’ll admit mine was a doozy, but people do crazy things when they’re hurting,” and before he could respond she was gone, closing the door behind her.

Marty looked out the window at her small frame walking down the pathway to the barn, and swallowed the overwhelming desire to run after her, to hold her and kiss her and tell her all was forgiven, and wondered just how long he’d be able to hold out.

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