Chapter 9
CHAPTER 9
Winston
He’d seen that same wide-eyed look of horror on Robyn’s face before and, at the sight of the sandwich in her hand, he was just about to drop his bag and race to perform the Heimlich maneuver again when she said, “What are you doing here?”
“Checking in.”
“Here?”
“Yes, unless somewhere along this road there is a different hill with another cute yellow B&B with enough balloons out front to rival those that lifted the house in Up I don’t know about?”
Robyn’s eyes narrowed. “I don’t remember taking a reservation for you, Roo… from you. And why would you want a room here? I’m sure your suite at the lodge is not only larger, but they offer room service, and have a Dun… well, lots of amenities you won’t find here.”
Winston figured a lot of men would be taking very careful steps backward in order to get away from the daggers shooting from the prettiest pair of blue eyes he’d ever seen. Then again, he wasn’t like most men. He’d stood toe to toe with many a man who’d tried to bully him into backing down in various boardrooms and had always come out on top. Though, in this case, he wouldn’t object to having Robyn taking that position as long as he was beneath her.
“I’ve never stayed at the lodge. I’m having my place renovated and needed a place to stay. If you doubt my word, why don’t you check your reservation book?” he suggested.
“What a brilliant idea,” she huffed. Standing, she shoved her chair aside and them promptly tripped over it, coming down hard on her right foot which immediately caused her ankle to turn awkwardly beneath her.
“Ow!”
This time, Winston didn’t hesitate. He simply dropped his duffle bag to the floor and had her up and in his arms before she knew what was happening.
“Put me down!” she demanded.
“I will. No need to get your panties in a wad.” He strode across the space and set her down on the large island. When she appeared to be about to jump down, he put his hands, palms down on the island, effectively caging her in place and bent down until he was eye level. “If you don’t want to have me pull down those wadded panties and redden your bottom, I suggest you don’t even think about moving.”
If he’d thought her eyes had widened at his appearance in her kitchen doorway, he discovered they were capable of going much wider at his words. Or perhaps it was his tone. Regardless, it did the trick and she froze.
“That’s better. I’m just going to make sure you haven’t broken your ankle, okay?”
Her mouth opened then closed and opened again. “Let me see if I’ve got this straight. You’re asking permission to touch my ankle after you just threatened to bare my butt?”
“Babygirl, that wasn’t a threat, it was a promise. I’d be doing every Daddy Dom on the planet a disservice if I failed to make sure you understand that putting yourself in harm’s way is a non-negotiable spankable offense.”
Evidently having nothing more to say, she just snapped her mouth closed, but he didn’t fail to see the flicker of interest in her eyes. He far preferred it to the glare she’d subjected him to.
She reminded him of the wild stallion he’d helped corral only a few days before. Both females were formidable, but he loved a challenge.
“Since when do Littles wear heels?” he asked.
“I’m not a Little, well, not in my place of business that is,” she said and then hissed as he eased the pump off her foot.
Her wince was enough to have him turning to look around. “Don’t you have a refrigerator?”
“Don’t you think it would be rather hard to store perishables without one?” she snipped.
Okay, two could play this game.
“Hot or cold?” he asked, taking a single step forward.
“Cold of course.”
Nodding, he took a step to his right. “How about now?”
“What?”
“Am I getting hotter or colder?” Though he wasn’t facing her, he could hear the surprise at the catch in her breath and could easily picture her rolling her eyes as his question made it clear that he was playing with her.
“Colder.”
“Ahh, okay, how about now?” This time he moved a half dozen steps forward.
“Brrr, you might want to check for frostbite.”
That was more like it. She couldn’t be more adorable if she tried. Crossing his arms over his chest, he rubbed his hands vigorously up and down his sleeves as if attempting to warm himself, Winston did a one eighty and moved forward. As if she were as skittish as that mare, he purposefully avoided any direct approach, making sure he was standing several feet to the right of the island. Once he was past her, he turned his head over his shoulder and smiled. Her head might have whipped forward but she’d definitely been watching. He remained silent until she peeked over her shoulder again.
“Now?” he asked without making a big deal of her eyes meeting his.
“Warmer.”
A few steps later, she said, “Hope you’ve got some sunscreen in your pocket.”
Winston stopped moving but wondered if she was cheating as he still didn’t see any sign of a refrigerator. He took a half step forward and heard her giggle. Another small step put him within a foot of a white cabinet door.
“You aren’t fibbing now are you?” he asked, turning his head again.
“Nope.” Black curls swayed as she shook her head. “Lying is another of those so-called non-negotiable spankable offenses.”
Hearing her mention spanking did something to his insides. He wondered if this was what the Grinch felt like when his heart started to swell.
“Nothing so-called about it. You can consider those two chiseled in marble. We can negotiate the others later.” He gave her a grin when her lips formed the cutest little ‘O’. Not wanting her to close down, he took another step. “Then, I guess it has to be here?” The question in his tone was obvious but when he reached out to pull the cabinet door open, he felt a cold draft and saw shelves filled with items that definitely belonged in a refrigerator. “Well isn’t that clever?” Pulling the other door open, he found what he’d been looking for. Taking a bag of frozen raspberries out, he retraced his steps. “I’m sorry, this is going to be a little cold. Do you have a dish towel hidden somewhere?”
Robyn pointed to a drawer beside a large white farmhouse sink. He wrapped the towel around the bag. About to put it in place, he changed his mind. She couldn’t possibly be comfortable sitting on the hard wood of the island. Not when there was a couch in the other room where he could sit with her.
“Wrap your arm around my neck,” he instructed.
“Why?”
“Because what sort of gentleman would I be if I made you hop on one foot all the way to the living room?”
“Not a very nice one?” she offered.
Her words were good to hear but it was the fact she lifted her arm to slide it around his neck that had him smiling at her. “Good girl.” He offered her the wrapped bag and then slid his arms under her knees and picked her up. Once in the living room, he didn’t even consider setting her down. Instead, he slowly dropped to the cushions, settling her on his lap and lifting her legs to rest on the cushions beside him. When she didn’t protest, he ran his hand down her foot to remove her second shoe and then carefully laid the wrapped bag of frozen berries against her right ankle.
“Oww!”
Winston lifted the bag. “Too cold?”
She paused as if needing to contemplate her answer. “A little, but I didn’t really think my ankle was hurting until you touched it.”
“I’ll be as gentle as I can. Trust me?”
“Yes.”
Forget his failure at charades. He’d gladly lose every game he ever played again if it meant she would keep answering with that one wonderful word.
“Can you hold this a second?” At her nod, he handed her the cloth-covered bag again and wrapped his hand gently around her slim ankle. “Can you move your toes?”
When she wiggled them, Winston chuckled and was disappointed when they instantly stilled.
“I’m not laughing at you, I’m thinking I sure wish you’d been on my team during charades last night. You would have known how to act out the clue that would have won us the game instead of failing miserably. Believe me, my teammates weren’t happy about losing out on free cookies the winners enjoyed.”
As he’d hoped, the words intrigued her enough that she didn’t object when he gently rotated her ankle, noting the wincing but glad to see that the twist didn’t seem to have been severe enough to break any bones. As much as he’d prefer holding her hand, he’d be content with simply holding her ankle but knew he needed to get to work in order to help stop the swelling. He held out his free hand. “Ice please, Nurse Robyn.”
She put the bag in his palm and tensed. “Picture something amusing,” he instructed, then waited until her lips turned up before pressing the bag to her skin. When she didn’t pull away or hiss, he considered the job well done.
“Good girl. Care to tell me what the picture was?”
She hesitated and instead of answering, asked a question of her own. “What was the clue? The one that lost the game?”
Grinning, Winston sat back, keeping one arm around her to assure she didn’t topple off his lap and the other pressing the bag on her ankle. “Are you familiar with the This Little Piggy nursery rhyme”
“Yes. Are you saying you’d never heard it before?”
“No, like at least a trillion other kids in the almost three centuries since it was written, I heard it growing up. I just never even considered removing my boots when that was the clue I had to act out.”
Robyn laughed. “No wonder you lost. You’ve got to expose your toes with that one.”
“Consider me schooled. Hayleigh said just about the same thing.”
“So what did you do instead?”
“First I tried to convey that I was enjoying a nice roasted-meat sandwich and when that didn’t work, I put my purse over my arm and went off to market.”
Robyn stared at him for a full three seconds before she burst out laughing, doubling in on herself in reaction to his story. It was the most amazing thing to watch. He’d thought her adorable before, but witnessing her entire body shaking in glee was magical. As he smiled, he thought about the word he’d heard upon entering the B&B only a few minutes ago after running into Hayleigh on the lawn.
Strutting.
That was exactly what Hayleigh had been doing when she’d walked away after the game last night. But by Robyn’s reaction, he would bet Hayleigh hadn’t shared the story, so why had Robyn chosen to use that word?
More importantly, why had he chosen to assume it was in reference to himself? Could it be she was acting out her own charade clue and trying to convey that, despite knowing of her friend’s reluctance to get to know him, Hayleigh was silently giving Rooster her approval to pursue Robyn?
Moving the bag so that it was braced under her ankle instead of pressed to its side, he looked at Robyn’s toes when they curled with the sensation of the coldness moving. The nails were painted the prettiest shade of purple. The color matched her outfit which reminded him of one he’d see when watching old vintage movies.
She’d said she wasn’t a Little, not when at work, but it was clear she wasn’t the typical B&B owner. Her entire place felt like he’d taken a step back in time. From the colors on the walls, the throw pillows on the overstuffed chairs and couches to the framed samplers hanging on the walls, it was obvious she loved vintage items of the past. He found it was suiting him as well. He’d never felt more comfortable in any home before.
When brays of laughter turned to snorts and then hiccups, he pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and offered it to her.
“Tha-thanks,” she said, giving a hiccup in the middle of the word. “I’m sorry. I-I wasn’t laughing at you?—”
“Yes you were, but it’s okay. You’re not the first to do so and most likely won’t be the last.”
She used the cloth to wipe her eyes and then looked up at him. “You’re a nice man, aren’t you?”
“I’ve always tried to be. If not nice exactly, at least fair.” When she didn’t respond, he nodded his head to gesture at the room they were sitting in. “Your place is more than nice. It’s like you’ve opened your arms wide to say, ‘Welcome and come in and stay a while’. It’s very unpretentious and comfortable.”
“Thank you. I’ve had pictures in my head ever since I was a little girl. Hayleigh helped me bring them to life. I couldn’t have done it without her and my other friends. I’m glad you like it.”
“Does that mean you’re going to let me stay?” he asked, only half teasing.
She blushed, looked down and then gestured to her foot. “I suppose so. I mean, if you said Master Derek made the reservation, then I believe you do have one. And, since you seem to have saved me from myself yet again, what sort of B&B proprietor would I be if I kicked you to the curb?”
“Not a very nice one,” he said, echoing her words from earlier. “Thank you,” he added, dropping a kiss to the top of her head which shocked not only Robyn, but him as well. “Sorry.”
“I hope not,” she said softly. “It was… nice.”
Relief and hope surged through him but along with it came caution. He didn’t want to assume anything nor ruin what seemed to be a bond growing between them. He knew it was as fragile as the bones in her ankle, something to be careful with and protected until it was as solid as a rock.
“It was,” he agreed. “Now, is there anything you need to do for your guests this afternoon?”
“No, not really. I mean, they are all checked in, with the exception of you, but I don’t provide lunch unless perhaps filling a picnic basket is requested and I have no intention of cooking dinner.”
“Then there’s nothing keeping you here.” Winston pulled the ice bag from under her ankle before sliding his arm beneath her knees and standing up.
With a soft ohhh of surprise at being moved, Robyn’s arm slid around his neck. “Where are we going?”
“First, I’m taking you over to the infirmary to get your ankle checked out.”
“You don’t need to do that. If it was broken, I couldn’t move it.”
“Does it hurt? And don’t even think about fibbing to me.”
Her eyes rounded and her cheeks pinkened. “I guess a little.”
“Then we need a professional’s opinion.” He was adjusting her in order to reach down to grab the front doorknob when she put her free hand on his arm.
“Wait, what about my shoes?”
He pushed the door open and stepped out onto the porch. “You won’t need them.”
“What? You planning on carrying me around like a sack of potatoes?”
Winston didn’t even pause as he took the steps from the porch to the ground. “You are far more precious than a sack of potatoes, and your bones far more fragile, little bird. I’m not having your feet hit the ground again until the doctor confirms doing so won’t cause you any further harm. Is that clear?”