Chapter 10
Chapter Ten
Grady had Sage sit down on a bale of hay so he could take care of her foot. It turned out hay was just as prickly as it looked, and her pajama shorts did nothing to protect her bottom and the backs of her legs.
“You’ve got a small cut on your foot,” he said, “probably from one of those spilled nails. Have you had a tetanus shot recently?”
“Yes, Daddy. The Haven Agency makes us stay up to date on all our shots because we work with children.”
“Good. Let me clean it and put a bandage on it.”
“It feels like it went all the way through my foot.”
“It was just a scratch, like I said. A small bandage will take care of it.”
Within just a minute or two, Grady had cleaned and dressed the wound. “Stand up and let’s see how it feels.”
Sage stood up and put her full weight on it. “It feels great, doesn’t hurt at all.”
“You sure?”
“Yes, Daddy.”
“You’re absolutely sure?” he repeated.
“Absolutely, positively sure.” To prove her point, she bounced on her heels. “It feels good as new.”
“Good, then you march your butt straight over to that corner and think long and hard about following the rules while I straighten up.” He pointed to the corner closest to her.
Arrgh! She hated corner time. “But, Daddy, don’t you need my help cleaning up?”
The way he scowled back at her had her thinking the answer to that was probably no. Hmmm. And the fact he just looked pointedly at her, then at the corner, turned that probably into a most definite no.
The butterflies in her tummy started jostling. She didn’t like the general direction this was going. “Um… you know, my foot does feel a little…”
If her Daddy’s eyes got any narrower, they were going to be closed.
“Corner. Now.”
Yep, that was definitely his angry voice.
Sage bit her lip, her bottom already tingling in anticipation as she scurried over to the corner and began staring at a piece of wood holding two beams together. She felt vulnerable, exposed.
Clinks from the bucket and noises from Buttercup’s stall were her only indication of what Grady was up to. She supposed he was settling the horses and gathering up the nails. It wasn’t fair when she thought about it. Buttercup should be the one in the corner, not her.
Whatever he was doing took forever. She’d named every splinter in the board in front of her by the time he finished.
“Turn around, Wildfire,” he said. He didn’t raise his voice. He didn’t need to.
She turned to face him. Her breathing was rapid, and she nibbled at her bottom lip. His face did not look any happier. “I-I’m sorry—”
Grady held up his hand, cutting her off mid-sentence. The muscles of his jaw flexed, and his forest-green eyes held such disappointment that she almost burst into tears on the spot.
“Just tell me one thing. Why the hell are you in the barn instead of asleep in your bed where you should be?” he demanded.
She looked around quickly, hoping maybe someone had written a better answer on the walls.
One that would get her out of this mess.
When nothing appeared, she cleared her throat.
“I, um… I couldn’t get to sleep,” she said, “so I thought I’d practice what you taught me today.
I didn’t mean for the horses to wake you up.
You should give them a stern talking to. ”
She’d known he might be mad if he caught her, but he didn’t look just mad. He looked furious. She fought not to confess everything and beg his forgiveness. What she’d done hadn’t been that bad.
Maybe.
All she’d wanted was to do something to fit in so he’d see she should stay on the ranch. Thought that if she showed him how she’d learned to ride, he’d know she belonged with him and Rosie. Could she help it if things turned out the exact opposite of her plans?
Grady tried to count to ten. She knew because she could see his lips moving. She’d never seen anyone actually count to ten. Unfortunately, he only made it to five, and she wasn’t sure if that was good or bad.
“You left the house, without permission, after nine o’clock at night. What time is your curfew?”
Rats. She knew he’d bring that up. Doing her best not to shuffle her feet, she said, “Um… to be fair, I was in the house by curfew. You never said anything about not going back out later. Would you like me to help you lecture the horses?”
The vein at his temple began to pulse. “Is that really the tack you want to take? The only one in this barn who’s in trouble is you, Wildfire, and trust me when I tell you no one is getting off with a stern talking to. Here's your one chance to try again. What time is your curfew?”
Sage gave a slight wince and shrugged one shoulder, scuffing her toe against the straw-covered floor.
“Eight o’clock, Daddy.” She met his gaze, hitting him with the full force of her best puppy dog eyes.
“Have I said I was sorry? Really, really sorry? I just didn’t want to bother you.
You work so hard, and I know people your age need their rest. I thought you would be asleep already. ”
“You mean like you’re supposed to be?” His voice dropped into that low, dangerous tone that made her tummy flip. “And don’t think you can fool me, naughty girl. You didn’t ask permission because you knew I’d say no.”
Sage’s cheeks burned hot. She twisted her fingers together in front of her. Daddies shouldn’t be able to know what was in their Little girl’s brain. It gave them an unfair advantage.
She scrambled for another explanation. “Well… I thought I’d show you how much better I rode in the morning and you’d be surprised,” she offered weakly. “You kind of spoiled it. But… surprise! I thought you’d be happy.”
Liar.
Buttercup chuffed in her stall. Great, even the horse wasn’t buying it.
“You thought wrong,” Grady said, pinning her with a look that had the skin on her bottom crawling for cover.
This wasn’t going well. All she’d wanted was to show him she could be a real cowgirl.
Instead, she had worried him, broken his rules, and earned herself a punishment.
Guess she was about to find out if that whole “Daddy” thing was real or just words.
“I just wanted to make you proud of me,” she whispered, her voice barely above a breath. “I just wanted to belong.”
Grady exhaled slowly through his nose, rubbing a hand down his face. For a moment, she saw the conflict in his eyes—the strict, protective side of him warring with something softer. He stepped closer, towering over her, and gently lifted her chin so she had no choice but to meet his gaze.
“We’ll get to whether you belong or not once we’re done here. Right now, you’ve earned yourself a damn good spanking,”
She nodded, eyes stinging with unshed tears. “Yes, Daddy.”
“Little girl,” he said, “you need to learn some self-restraint. You’re impulsive, and that’s going to keep you in a world of trouble.
But worse than that, it can get you hurt.
” He ran a hand through his hair, clearly fighting to keep his temper.
“What if Buttercup had gotten really spooked and stepped on you? You could have been lying out here in the barn all night, hurt and alone.”
Sage swallowed hard, her cheeks burning hotter with every word. He was right, of course.
The crazy pounding of her heart grew faster, each thump growing louder in her ears.
It was almost like having a panic attack, but the thumping was showing up in places it never had before.
Like in her nipples and her princess parts.
She pressed her thighs together and crossed her arms over her chest, but it didn’t help.
What was wrong with her that she could be in so much trouble and be so turned on at the same time?
She turned her head away, hoping he wouldn’t notice. When she turned back, he was still looking at her.
“I’m waiting for an answer, young lady.” Grady’s eyes grew darker and more intense. She could lose herself in those eyes. Forever.
Wait, what had they been talking about? Oh, right, getting stepped on by a horse. “Well, how do you keep her from stepping on you?” she asked in a tiny voice, glowering over at Buttercup.
“I wouldn’t try to saddle her in the middle of the night, for a start,” he said. “Or try to saddle a horse who doesn’t know me.”
Her Daddy was a good lecturer. Not that she liked lectures. But there was just something about the deep, serious timbre of his voice. It was almost hypnotic. And sexy. Very, very sexy. The butterflies started fluttering again, but this time it wasn’t due to fear.
Now was not the time to be having lustful thoughts about her Daddy. He was upset with her. Which, for some reason, was affecting her in ways she hadn’t expected. Her Daddy was hot. Which was probably why her eyes decided to let her gaze wander all over his body.
What are you doing? We are in deep trouble here. Focus! Look at his eyes, look at his boots, just don’t look at his—
But the thoughts had come too late. Sage’s attention wandered to Grady’s strong thighs, straining against his jeans, demanding her attention because… holy hotness. Then her gaze followed his thighs higher, landing on the unmistakable bulge pressing against the front of his pants.
No, no, no! She panicked. Abort! Abort!
Sage’s gaze shot back up to his face. Had he noticed?
His frown was deeper than ever. Yep, he’d noticed.
“Are you listening to me, Wildfire? Because this is important. If I didn’t want a horse to step on me, I damn sure wouldn’t break curfew and sneak into the barn, alone at night, without permission.
I’d never do that because it would break every rule I’d been given.
And I’d value my ability to sit down more than that.
” He paused before adding, “And after tonight, I’m bettin’ you will, too. ”
Okay, now the butterflies in her tummy were on full alert, but her Daddy wasn’t done.
“You see this gun, over here?”
Sage nodded.