The Rancher's Rules (5 page)

Nope, no remorse there at all. Annie quickly looked down at her plate.

“I asked a question, and I expect an answer.”

“Yes, sir,” Annie whispered, still staring at her plate, unable to meet his harsh gaze. Annie was glad he didn’t insist that she look at him when she answered.

Rafe sensed that Annie was the type that, if given an inch, would take a mile. He didn’t want her to sense any remorse from him over her strapping, even though he did wonder if he had been too harsh with her. He was beginning to sense that she wasn’t as all-fired tough as she wanted folks to believe. Yet he needed to remain firm and resolute, for her own good. If he was to have her obedience, she couldn’t know that he was softening to her by the minute.

He was pleased with the way she had immediately pitched in and begun to do her share of the work without being asked to do so. Rafe hadn’t asked her to fix breakfast; she had just done what needed doing. She wasn’t spoiled by any stretch of the imagination. She hadn’t shirked the few chores she had been given at Tom’s ranch, either. Rafe began to wonder about her upbringing. He realized that he really knew nothing about her.

They ate their breakfast in silence, with Annie finishing as quickly as possible so that she could stand again.  

* * * * *

By the third day, Annie was ready to be done once and for all with snow. Even though the snow had stopped falling the day before, there was still too much of it on the ground for them to travel back to Tom’s, least that was what Rafe claimed. They’d have to wait another day or two before attempting the trip. That seemed like an awful long time to Annie. She had been stuck inside Rafe’s cabin the entire time and didn’t think she could stand to be inside the same four walls – and most of the day by herself – for very much longer.

Rafe had busied himself with chores in the barn for the better part of the past few days, leaving Annie to her own devices in the cabin. It was large and comfortable for the most part, but other than fixing meals, there really wasn’t anything to do. Annie had already washed, scrubbed and polished every square inch of the place and everything in it. She really didn’t know what else to do with herself. She decided to say as much to Rafe when he came in from the barn for lunch.

“Well,” Rafe started, scratching his whiskered chin and thinking. “I suppose tomorrow we could probably head out for Tom’s.” He guessed she must be anxious to be away from him, although he couldn’t say he felt the same.

Rafe’s attraction to Annie had been growing by the day. He knew that he wasn’t in any position to act on it – not right now, at least – so he had tried to stay away from her as much as possible. Chores in the barn had kept him busy and also kept his mind off the little spitfire who slept under the same roof as he every night. He liked having her here, as hard as it was.

But he knew she didn’t feel the same, not yet. And he also hoped that a little distance from him might help make her heart grow fonder in the long run. He didn’t want to force his attentions on her.

“In the meantime, there’s a crate of books under my bed, if you’re interested. Some reading might make the time go by a bit faster.” Annie ran into the bedroom at this news and quickly pulled the crate out from under the bed.

“Gee, Rafe, you mighta told me about these sooner.” Annie couldn’t keep the sarcasm out of her voice.

“Just watch that tone, little lady.”

“Yessir,” Annie replied almost absentmindedly. She was already engrossed in looking over the books and trying to decide which one to start reading first. There were quite a few that she hadn’t read yet. Rafe watched her for a moment from the doorway to the bedroom, enjoying her enthusiasm over the old books. He had really forgotten they were under there. Then he set to fetching lunch for himself.

Rafe returned from the barn that evening to find Annie stretched out on an old wool blanket on the floor, reading. She lay on her stomach, her legs bent at the knees and crossed in the air. She leaned on her elbows, with one hand holding a book and the other cupping her chin.

“Good book?” Rafe’s voice held a bit of tease. The fire in the hearth was just about out and it was very clear that she hadn’t made supper. Annie barely seemed to have heard him.

“Mmm hmm,” she responded. Then realization dawned. “Oh, my goodness,” Annie cried. She jumped up and looked about her. “I’m sorry, Rafe, I didn’t realize the time, and I didn’t even notice the fire was going out.” Annie was suddenly nervous. Would he spank her for this? Sometimes she just didn’t know what to expect where he was concerned. She chanced a worried glance in his direction.

“It’s all right.” Rafe was actually smiling at her. “Don’t fret over it. I’ll just get this fire going again and then, if you don’t mind making dinner, I can use the time to fix that loose shelf in the pantry.”

Annie breathed a sigh of relief as she gathered the blanket off the floor and Rafe brought the fire to life again. Soon enough, the room was warming and Annie set to fixing a meal for the two of them. The pantry was situated off the back of the cabin, with a solid door that kept the warmth out and allowed all the stored food to keep cold. It was convenient and well thought out. With a few tools in hand, Rafe went into the pantry to see to the chore, closing the door behind him.

Annie did her best to make a meal that would be satisfying for Rafe, yet not take too long to cook. It was actually one of Jenny’s specialties, a stew that was quick and easy. Once it was simmering over the fire, she made a batch of biscuits to go with it. She hoped it would do. She felt the unfamiliar need to please.

Annie started a pot of coffee brewing to drink with the meal and set the table. The stew was ready and the biscuits were warm. She grabbed a dishrag to move the hot stew from the fire to the table.

But in her haste, Annie turned too quickly with the hot pan; it caught the edge of the hearth and fell from her hand, landing on the floor with the contents spilling everywhere. It was a huge mess, not to mention a waste of food. Rafe came through the back door just as the pan hit the floor and just in time to hear Annie let loose with a choice of phrase that he had only previously heard in a saloon.

Rafe slammed the door to announce his presence with such force that the connecting wall shook. Annie froze at the sound. Another choice phrase entered her head at that moment, but she was wise enough not to speak it out loud.

“What did you just say?”

Annie didn’t need to turn around to know what look was on Rafe’s face. She could tell by the tone of his voice. Low, controlled yet almost like a growl. She turned around anyway. “Do you really want me to say it again?” Annie honestly wasn’t sure if the question was rhetorical or he hadn’t actually heard her clearly and wanted to make sure he wasn’t mistaken. Rafe crossed the room to Annie in a flash and, grabbing her upper arm with one hand, used his other to plant three fast hard wallops to her backside. Tears immediately sprung to her eyes. How could just his hand on top of her clothing still hurt so much?

“Now is not the time to sass me.” Rafe spoke in a slow menacing tone. He couldn’t believe what had just come out of her mouth. “Where did you learn that kind of talk?” When she didn’t immediately answer him, Rafe landed two more wallops with his hand, making Annie cry out.

“Ow-w! That hurts!”

“Answer me,” Rafe demanded. “Where did you learn language like that?” Annie had to really think for a minute, which earned her another two swats of Rafe’s very hard, large hand.

“I-I don’t really remember exactly,” Annie cried. She tried to squirm out of Rafe’s grasp, but he had a firm grip on her. “Wasn’t just one place in particular – ow, Rafe, ow – stop it!” Rafe walloped her backside as she answered him, and then a few more times when she stopped talking. He then turned her to face him and placed his hands on her shoulders.

“You will clean up this mess,” he ordered, “while I decide on an appropriate punishment. One that will hopefully keep you from ever letting words like those past your lips again.” He turned her around and swatted her behind, hard, one last time for emphasis. “Get to it!”

Annie rubbed her backside to ease the sting with one hand and used the other to wipe the tears from her eyes. An appropriate punishment? And what was the spanking she just got? If Rafe didn’t consider that an appropriate punishment, she was worried what he
would
deem appropriate. She couldn’t stop crying as she set about cleaning up the mess from the dropped pan.

She hadn’t meant to say that, but sometimes things just come out. Maybe if she could just explain that to Rafe, maybe he would understand and not punish her. Annie could hear him pacing back and forth in the other room, busy trying to think of an “appropriate punishment,” apparently. She had finished cleaning up and stood just wringing her hands and worrying over her punishment, and waiting.

Finally, Rafe emerged from the bedroom and without even glancing Annie’s way, headed straight for the washbasin. He stood for a minute with his back to her, looking out the window that was directly over it. Then Annie saw him reach out and place his hand over the bar of soap that sat on a small dish on a small shelf under the window. When he turned around to face her, he had soap in his hand.

Annie’s eyes locked on that bar of soap and she immediately knew what was coming. “No, Rafe,” Annie pleaded, “please not that – please!” 

“This needs to be something that you won’t forget,” Rafe stated sternly. He knew better than to be swayed by her pleas. Of course, she’d want to get out of her punishment. He’d had his mouth washed out with soap more than once in his youth and he could still remember the awful taste that seemed to stay with him for days.

No, Rafe wasn’t going to be deterred from the chosen punishment; it certainly fit the crime. And he wouldn’t abide a woman cussing. Not in his home and not ever. And most certainly not this woman, whom he was already thinking of as his.

Rafe crossed the room to where she stood and took her by the hand. But when he tried to lead her over to a corner of the kitchen, she dug in her heels and pulled in the other direction.

“Please–please–please,” she begged almost frantically. “Please, Rafe, I promise I’ll never say those words ever again!” Wasn’t being sorry enough? Why did he always have to punish her?

Rafe turned a deaf ear to her and simply picked her up and carried her over to his chosen corner, dropping her down and turning her to face him.

“Open your mouth,” he ordered sternly. Annie kept her mouth shut tight. Rafe had had just about enough of this nonsense. “Open your mouth now, or I’ll spank your backside until its red and then you’ll still get your mouth washed out. You’re just adding to your punishment by defying me.”

Annie looked up at him with resignation in her eyes, and then she took a deep breath and opened her mouth. Rafe pushed the bar of soap in, told her to bite down on it to keep it in place and then turned her around so that she faced the corner. He leaned forward until his mouth was right next to her ear. “That soap stays right where it is until I take it out and you don’t move from this spot until I say so.” Rafe then set about fixing another meal to replace the one that was ruined. He purposely didn’t make too much more than what he would consume since he was fairly certain Annie wouldn’t want to eat.

Silent tears streamed down Annie’s face, as she stood rooted to the spot Rafe had placed her in the corner. The urge to run coursed through every fiber of her. It was what she always did and it was exactly what she wanted to do right now. So why didn’t she? The snow had stopped. Rafe had mentioned earlier in the day that they may very well be able to head out to Tom and Jenny’s in the morning. She could probably get away right now then, if she really wanted to.

Instead she stood very still in the corner and cried silently with a bar of soap lodged in her mouth. Annie didn’t even understand herself anymore.

“Dinner’s just about ready.” Rafe came up behind her, took her shoulders and turned her around. “Open,” he ordered, and Annie did as she was told. Rafe took the soap from her mouth and used his handkerchief to dry her eyes. He then fetched a glass of water for her so she could rinse her mouth out.

When she was done, he turned her face toward his with his thumb and forefinger on her chin. “I hope I never hear those words or any like them come from your mouth again.” Rafe was solemn and serious. “Your punishment will be much harsher if that ever happens.” He released her chin and set to serving the food he had prepared.

Annie glared at his back. “I’m not hungry,” Annie said, no louder than a whisper.

“You’ll sit for the meal all the same, even if you don’t want to eat.” Rafe wasn’t letting her off that easy. He knew that she wanted to turn away from him and he was determined to prevent her from doing just that. Annie did as she was told and sat, gingerly, at the table, staring down at her plate. As always, Rafe found himself surprised when she didn’t give him any argument.

“Weather’s cleared quite a bit. I was thinkin’ that we could get you back to Tom’s ranch tomorrow morning. Tom and Jenny should be getting back from their trip tomorrow too.”

He was halfway through his supper when he realized that Annie was still crying, even harder than she had been when she first sat down. She was doing it so quietly that Rafe hadn’t noticed at first. And here he’d thought the news that she wouldn’t be trapped in this house with him after tomorrow would almost surely put a smile on her face. Or at the very least help dry those tears. Sometimes there was just no figurin’ a woman at all.

“Now I know you’re not still cryin’ over the soaping. And I didn’t spank you that hard.”

“Not that hard?” Annie cried indignantly.

“Watch your tone of voice, little girl, or I’ll give you a taste of hard.” Annie started on a fresh round of tears at this statement. “You’ll tell me why you’re crying now.” Annie looked down at the hands she was wringing in her lap and shook her head. “Annie...” Rafe growled.

She kept her head down and her eyes averted. Annie didn’t want any more punishment from Rafe, but she just couldn’t talk, she just couldn’t tell him.

“All right then,” Rafe said evenly, “you can get yourself straight to bed. And,” Rafe reached out and tipped Annie tear-streaked face up to look in her eyes, “we
will
talk about this in the morning. Am I making myself clear?”

Annie nodded her understanding. But she had no intention of talking to Rafe come morning because she wasn’t planning on being here to talk. She’d go to bed now so that she could rise earlier than he and get away. As far away from Rafe Stanton and his rules as possible. Annie was going to run.   

* * * * *

Annie had a plan. It was a tentative plan, but a plan all the same, and a pretty good one, or so she thought. She could make the rest of it up as she went along.

She had managed to slip quietly past Rafe, snoring fit to wake the dead, and out of the house. She ran to the barn and quickly and efficiently saddled one of Rafe’s sturdier horses. Her plan was to ride to Tom and Jenny’s and trade Rafe’s horse for one of Tom’s. She would leave a note she already had tucked in her saddlebag attached to Rafe’s horse, explaining that she was leaving and promising to leave Tom’s horse at the stable in town. Annie figured Tom might be a bit more understanding about her ‘borrowing’ the horse than Rafe would. Actually, Rafe wasn’t really understanding about much of anything at all. She broke a rule, she was punished. She had learned that lesson well over the past week spent almost exclusively with Rafe Stanton. He was fairly unyielding in that respect.

Yet, Annie also remembered wistfully how tenderly Rafe had held her and kissed her. She wished he hadn’t done that. The memory of it stuck in the back of her mind and she couldn’t seem to shake it, no matter how hard she tried. She didn’t want to remember Rafe Stanton for his kiss. She wanted to recall the heavy-handed way he felt he had every right to punish her. She had really never been spanked so much and so hard in her life than she had been over the past week by him. So why couldn’t she get that kiss out of her head? And why couldn’t she hate him?

When Rafe had stated his desire to head back to Tom’s ranch, Annie knew the truth then. She had thought his discipline was different from all the others who had spanked, strapped and whipped her in the past. She thought he did it because he cared for her. Those other folks hadn’t given one whit about her. They were just annoyed with her for causin’ them trouble and almost always decided to vent their displeasure with her on her backside.

She had thought him different than all the others. She was truly mad at herself for thinking of him that way and that’s what had brought on the tears last night at Rafe’s supper table. The tears that she just couldn’t seem to control, no matter how hard she tried.

He didn’t want her; he wanted to be rid of her. She was a thorn in his side, a responsibility that he didn’t want. Annie felt the tears well up again and quickly wiped the back of her sleeve across her eyes to rid herself of them.  

The distant sight of Tom’s ranch jolted Annie out of her thoughts. She hoped for all she was worth that no one had risen yet – it was still dark as pitch, so there was a chance. If she could make it away from Tom’s ranch unnoticed, then she would be in the clear. The rest of her plan consisted of riding on into town, the same one that Rafe had taken her to for the dresses, selling her Pa’s pocket watch for travelling money, and boarding the first stage out of town. She didn’t really much care where she would be going. Annie just wanted to get away; she’d figure out the rest once she was safely out of the reach of whoever might try to fetch her back.