Read Online The Rancher's Rules by Dina Chapel - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Dina Chapel
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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
“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
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