The Rancher's Rules (3 page)

Rafe grabbed her chin with his thumb and forefinger, lifting Annie’s tear-streaked face to his. “Is. That. Clear?” The anger in Rafe’s voice and his hard expression left no doubt that he would reinforce his rules with another, immediate, trip over his knee.

Annie realized she’d best answer. Now. “Yes, sir.” It was barely more than a whisper. Annie was still in shock. Between the spanking and all the rules, she couldn’t seem to stop crying. She wished that she had never come out west and she wished she had never met Rafe Stanton.

“Now you’ll get yourself to bed and make sure you remember everything I told you. I have some things to tend to out in the barn, then I’ll be coming back here to sleep in the spare room so I can keep an eye on you.” Rafe stood, put the chair he had been sitting in back at the table and stepped around Annie to head out. He stopped just behind her and delivered a quick hard wallop to her already sore backside.

Annie jumped with a shriek.

“Git!” Rafe’s stern voice left her no choice but to practically run to her room and slam the door. She leaned back against the closed door and heard the back door open and close as Rafe left to tend to the evening chores. Annie slowly sunk to the floor, wincing when her bottom hit, the tears starting up all over again. She wasn’t just crying over the spanking. It was much more than that.

Annie didn’t know who she was anymore, not like she used to. Things had gotten so confusing and so complicated. It seemed like she needed to change, but she just didn’t know how. Jenny was settling into her new life and, while that made Annie happy, she knew that her sister was growing away from her. It hurt to lose her, even a little, and even though she knew it had to happen. Things had to change sometime.

She couldn’t stay here, she just couldn’t. Her unhappiness would wear on Jenny and trouble her. She didn’t want to do that to her sister. She loved her too much. Jenny seemed real happy and Tom seemed like a decent fella, unlike his best friend, who would give her sister the life she had been dreaming of. Annie didn’t want to detract from that in any way. She decided right then and there that it would be all right if she left. The thought gave Annie peace. She would miss Jenny for sure, but it was the only way. This was the life that Jenny wanted, but it certainly wasn’t the life that Annie wanted. She didn’t really know what she wanted, except maybe for things to go back to the way they were. And that was impossible. The life they had back east was gone. Everything was changing and she would have to change too and make some kind of life for herself. It would be hard and scary, but she had to find her own way. If she stayed here, she would just be the third wheel in Jenny’s life.

Her mind made up, Annie figured to wait until she had an opportunity to slip away without being noticed. She would just bide her time until that opportunity presented itself. She knew she would have to take one of the horses. She decided she could leave a note for Tom and Jenny promising to repay the cost of the animal once she got settled somewhere. In the meantime, she would make sure that she was ready to leave at a moment’s notice.

* * * * *

The following morning, Rafe returned to the house after some morning chores. He hoped to have a quick bite to eat, some coffee and then head out to repair the sections of fence that had come down in the last storm. There was plenty of work to do, and with Tom away, there was even more.

Rafe stepped through the back door into the kitchen and stopped cold. “What did I tell you yesterday?” Rafe’s voice was harsh and cold. He was madder than a stepped-on hornet that he should find her walking around the kitchen, fixing breakfast, in her britches!

Annie stopped for a second and thought. “You said I couldn’t go riding,” she answered.

“What else?” Rafe was not happy. This girl couldn’t mind him – or any man, most likely – if her life depended on it.

“Don’t go near the bunkhouse.” Annie was looking at the ground. He knew she knew exactly what he was referring to and the fact that she was making him work for it made him even madder than he was starting out. She wasn’t helping herself at all. Annie peeked up at him to try and gauge how mad he was exactly.

When Rafe saw her eyes peeking up at him, he lost all control. He crossed to her in a flash and grabbed both arms near her shoulders. “Look at me.” Rafe’s voice was low and even, but his tone brooked no refusal. Annie slowly lifted her head to look directly into his eyes. “What else?” Rafe questioned, giving her one more chance.

Annie paused. “No cussing. You said no cussing, ‘cause proper young ladies don’t speak like tha— Hey!” Annie was interrupted by Rafe’s hand planting a hard wallop on her backside.

“You will go right now and change your clothes. If you don’t come back in here in about five minutes in a dress, I’ll take my belt to your bare behind for as long as it takes for you to understand that you don’t want to be fooling with me, little girl.”

Annie didn’t move.

“All right then,” Rafe started removing his belt and she blanched.

Staring at the floor, she mumbled something that Rafe couldn’t understand.

“You have something to say for yourself, then you’d best speak up now as I’ve about reached the end of my patience with you. My belt is gonna take up where I leave off.” Rafe had the belt off and was wrapping the buckle end around his hand to get the right length.

Annie cleared her throat and tried again. It was hard to say. She was embarrassed for some reason she couldn’t name. Rafe pulled one of the chairs out from the table and sat, belt in hand. “I don’t have a dress.”

“How is that pos—” Rafe started, confused, but Annie interrupted him, talking real fast.

“I
had
a dress, one dress, when we started our trip out here, but it got ruined on the way and it was so bad, even Jenny couldn’t fix it, and she’s real good with a needle and thread. I just figured that once I got to where I was going I would ask my new husband to buy me a dress or material for one. And then that didn’t work out too well. Jenny don’t really have much either, but I could borrow one from her except that she took what she has with her on her trip. I can’t ask Tom to buy me clothes, that don’t seem right, but when Jenny gets back I can wear one of hers and then I can follow your rule. I promise I will; I just can’t do it right now.” Annie stopped for air. She stared at the floor.

Rafe rose, put his belt back on and returned the chair to the table. He picked up his hat and turned to Annie. “Be ready to leave in ten minutes.”

With that, he walked out the kitchen door, slamming it behind him.

Annie didn’t know where they were going, but she did know one thing – she wasn’t going over Rafe’s knee for disobeying him and his rules. She was more than a little grateful for that. She’d gotten the belt once already from Rafe and didn’t want to ever get it again. Besides, she was still sore from the spanking that she got last night. She really didn’t understand how Rafe thought he had the right to do that to her, but whether he did or not wouldn’t stop him from doing it. Seemed he did what he wanted to do when he wanted to do it. Annie thought she’d best keep that in mind at all times as far as Rafe Stanton was concerned.

They rode in silence for a while. Rafe had hitched a team to the wagon, so Annie assumed that they were heading into town for supplies; otherwise, they could have ridden their own horses. She also assumed that he was only taking her along because he didn’t trust her enough to leave her alone at the ranch.

“So what exactly do you need to get in town?” Annie thought she’d attempt a little conversation. It didn’t seem to be Rafe’s strong suit, but they were almost to town, and if the talk fell flat, their arrival in the busy town would replace any missing conversation.

“We’re gonna get you a dress. Or two.” Rafe kept his eyes straight ahead.

Was he serious? She couldn’t buy a dress. She didn’t have any money. Annie started shaking her head, which Rafe caught out of the corner of his eye.

“Now what are you saying no to?”

“I can’t buy a dress, Rafe. I don’t have any money for a dress. I wish you would’ve asked me before we left. Is that all we come into town for? You have some other business, right?” Annie started fretting something fierce over it. He’d be even madder now if they made a trip for nothing. Now she’d be sure to get the strap.

“I’m buying the clothes for you, seeing as I made the rule. I’ll buy the clothes so you can follow my rule.” Rafe left no room for argument, or so he thought. “But I do have a few other things to tend to while you’re in the mercantile.”

“You can’t buy me clothes.” She tried to be firm.

The wagon stopped as Rafe pulled back on the team. He turned to look Annie straight in the eye with a piercing glare. “No little girl is going to tell me what I can and cannot do. You need the clothes. I’m buying them for you, whether you like it or not. And then I want to see them on you every day, whether you like that or not too. You’ll follow my rules and mind me instead of arguing with me from now on. Do you understand?”

Annie’s mouth had dropped open while he spoke and she quickly closed it and nodded, afraid to speak all of a sudden.

Finally
, Rafe thought,
no argument, no back talk
.
No sass
. It was a nice change of pace.

Now, Rafe wasn’t really sure why he was itching to buy some dresses for Annie. He had no real claim to her and was only temporarily responsible for her. But hearing her talk about having only one dress had bothered him. He had imagined that she had plenty of dresses and just chose to wear britches because she was ornery and wanting to be difficult. And he still thought that that was part of it. Rafe also thought Annie wore men’s clothes to keep men at arm’s length. Maybe male attention actually made her uncomfortable. At that thought, Rafe began to see her more for what she was – a scared little girl afraid to be the woman she was becoming – than what she liked to pretend to be – a tough young woman who didn’t need anybody.

He pulled the team up to the livery and Annie jumped down. Rafe went to speak to the man working the stables and then joined her on the boardwalk. They headed to the shop.

A small bell tinkled above the door when Annie and Rafe entered the mercantile. There seemed to be only a small number of people milling about the large store, some gathering items and a few just catching up on the local gossip. A group of three older women stopped talking and turned all their attention on Rafe and Annie when that bell announced their arrival through the door.

Rafe just ignored them and led Annie farther into the store toward the counter, where a woman stood tallying figures on a notepad. She looked up as they approached. “Rafe Stanton!” The store’s middle-aged clerk seemed genuinely pleased to see him. “How are you today?”

“Fine, just fine,” Rafe replied, clearly not thrilled with formalities, but nonetheless happy to see the woman. “Claire Johansson, Annie Walters. Annie, Claire.”

“Well, Annie, it’s a pleasure to meet you.” Claire smiled and her whole face lit up. Annie felt instantly at ease with the older woman. “What can I do for you both today?”

Rafe jumped right in, so as not to give Annie a chance to refuse what he already had planned for her. “Annie here needs some clothes,” Rafe started, then continued with a little embellishment, “She travelled quite a distance to get here and most of her things were ruined on the trip. Isn’t that right, Annie?” Rafe turned to her and raised an eyebrow, just daring her to deny his story. It did sound better than saying that she didn’t own even one dress, which of course was the case for her.

Annie looked at Rafe with equal parts gratitude, aggravation and humiliation. “Yes, ma’am, that’s a fact. I do need some new things.” Annie quickly looked from Claire to the floor.

“I was hoping,” Rafe resumed, “that I could leave Annie in your capable hands to choose her clothes and any other necessaries, while I head on over to the lumber mill and then see to a few other small errands.” Rafe looked confidently at Claire, just knowing she would like nothing better than to have a young woman to ‘mother’ for a bit. Rafe knew that Claire had several daughters who had all married and left home a few years ago now, and Claire made it no secret that she missed them terribly.

“Why I’d be happy to help Annie choose her clothes!” Claire sounded thrilled and she turned to Annie. “We just got some lovely new things in the other day, too.”

“It’s settled then,” Rafe said, smiling at Annie in a way that said he knew she was mad at him, but he also knew she wouldn’t argue with him in front of Claire Johansson. “And maybe you might do something with her hair, too, Claire?”

Claire clasped her hands together with restrained glee, while Annie shot Rafe a look that was meant to drop him dead where he stood. Rafe smiled back. Annie swore that he’d smiled more in the past five minutes than he had since she’d met him. He was enjoying making her squirm.

“I’ll settle up when I get back,” he shot over his shoulder on his way out the door.

Claire took Annie’s hand and starting leading her deeper into the store. “Follow me, dear,” she said cheerfully. “I think we should start with the dresses first and they’re all in the back here.”

* * * * *

By the time they had finished, Annie had a pile of clothes on the counter the size of which she had never owned in her life, at least not all at once like this and certainly not brand new. Claire insisted that Rafe would want her to have everything a young woman today would need. It seemed like an awful lot to Annie, but Claire assured her that the things she was getting were only the basic necessities and nothing more.

The pile consisted of two simple dresses for everyday with one apron to protect them, one set of undergarments, one nightgown, one robe, and one pair of stockings. Annie was wearing a new dress also, a dress just a bit fancier than the other two and meant for wearing to Sunday services and weddings and such. Claire insisted she should wear it now because, according to Claire, most ladies liked to wear their Sunday best when they came to town. She also had on another set of new undergarments and new stockings. The new boots on her feet were already pinching her toes. Everything on the counter had been wrapped in brown paper and tied with twine, including her old britches, shirt and boots. Her hat sat on top of the pile.

Claire had also taken great pains with Annie’s hair. She had washed it, trimmed it and set it in rag curls. When it had dried, Claire pinned it up and let a few of the curls hang loose around her face.

When Annie caught a glimpse in Claire’s mirror, she didn’t even recognize herself. “I don’t look like me,” Annie said wistfully, after Claire put the mirror back down.

“You look like you,” Claire assured her, “and you are beautiful.” Annie blushed at this. Nobody ever said that to her; they always said it to Jenny. She was the pretty one.

With that, several customers piled into the store, one right on top of the other. Annie decided to wander around looking at the other items the store offered, to occupy herself while Claire tended to the customers.

She was in the front corner of the store looking at some ribbon that she thought Jenny might like and didn’t even bother to turn around when the bell over the door signaled the arrival of yet another customer. Rafe looked around briefly for Annie when he walked in, hoping that she’d be done by now. He’d been gone a while, and he wanted to get something to eat before they headed back. It was turning into a long day for him.

He only saw a few customers milling about, probably waiting for Claire’s help with something. There was a man by the dried goods, a woman by the fabric and sewing notions that Claire was helping, a woman by the hair ribbons and two young boys drooling by the large jars of candy on the counter. He saw a pile of brown packages on the counter with a dirty hat on top that he was certain was Annie’s. Where was she, then?      

“Well, what do you think?” Claire’s voice carried over to him from where she was helping a customer choose thread, and he saw her motion toward the front corner of the store. Rafe looked in the direction that she was pointing and, just as he did, Annie responded to the sound of Claire’s voice by turning around.

Rafe stood speechless for a moment as the woman who had been looking at hair ribbons faced him and was revealed as Annie, whom he clearly had not recognized from behind. Every muscle in Rafe’s body stiffened. Every muscle. This could not be the same woman.

She was beautiful. Her golden brown hair was piled on top of her head, a few loose curls falling down around her face and down her long, slender neck. Her delicate facial features were revealed in much greater detail with her hair off her face that way. The dress she had on was a pale soft green that brought out the same color in her eyes, and the fabric hugged every curve of her body, curves that had been hidden by the oversized men’s clothes she favored. Rafe just couldn’t get over the change.

Claire came over then, pleased with the effect that Annie’s transformation seemed to be having on Rafe. “I had Annie wear the dress we chose for Sundays because most ladies like to look their best when they come to town, even if it is just to run errands. Don’t you worry that her other dresses are too fancy – they’re much more practical choices for everyday, although still very fetching on Annie.” Claire turned to Annie. “You look just lovely, dear, just lovely.” She turned back to Rafe. “Doesn’t she look just lovely?” Claire couldn’t resist putting Rafe on the spot. After all, he couldn’t stay a bachelor forever, Claire thought.

Fortunately, Rafe found his voice. “She looks fine, just fine,” Rafe answered, glancing at Annie quickly while saying it and then just as quickly looking away. His trousers were getting uncomfortably tight. Then his eyes caught the pile of paper-wrapped parcels on the counter. “This all of it?”

“Yes, sir,” Claire said. “Would you like me to go over the purchases with you?”

“That won’t be necessary, ma’am.” Rafe didn’t really think he could stand to hear about Annie’s unmentionables right now. “As long as you’re sure she has everything she should need for now.” Rafe turned to Annie. “Did you want a hair ribbon or two?” He had seen her looking at them when he entered the store. Maybe if she had a few she might wear her hair like it was right now a bit more often.

“I was thinking to get one for Jenny.” Annie would’ve liked to get Jenny the ribbon, she knew she loved them, but it didn’t seem right to ask Rafe to buy them for her to give. It had just been looking, that’s all. She didn’t have any money herself. “But I decided to wait.” Annie fibbed a bit to cover her embarrassment.

“Go pick out two for Jenny and two for yourself,” Rafe said to Annie. Then, turning to Claire, “Add four ribbons to the tally and I’ll settle up.” He leaned on the counter and waited for Claire to do what was necessary. He glanced back to see that Annie hadn’t moved toward the ribbons at all. “Go on, now,” Rafe’s voice took a stern tone, “I want to get some lunch before we head back to the ranch, and the day’s not getting any younger.” The stern approach worked, Rafe noted, as Annie turned and headed straight over to the ribbons to pick out the ones she liked best.

Claire finished tallying up and Rafe paid just as Annie returned to the counter with her ribbon choices.

“I’ll wrap these for you and hold your packages until you return from lunch.” Claire smiled at them both. Rafe tipped his hat, thanked her for all her help – Annie did the same – and they headed for the hotel restaurant.

* * * * *

As they walked on the boardwalk toward the hotel, Annie was wrapped up in thought. So wrapped up that she didn’t notice that the men that passed them all glanced rather appreciably at her, some even lingering in their glances for more than they should have. No, Annie didn’t notice, but Rafe definitely did. 

And he didn’t like it one bit.

Annie was surprised when Rafe reached out, took her hand and firmly tucked it into his arm. She looked at him but he didn’t look back at her, didn’t make eye contact at all; he just kept walking and looking straight ahead. She was becoming more and more confused by this man who seemed annoyed by the responsibility of her, and yet also seemed to be doing more for her than was at all necessary. Annie wasn’t used to the kindness of strangers; it was her experience that strangers were usually unkind. And she barely knew Rafe Stanton. Even though he was Tom’s best friend and Tom had married Jenny, she still didn’t really know him at all.