Chapter 29
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Junie sat propped up in the big bed at the cabin, arms crossed, and lips pushed out in a pout that she knew was probably too dramatic. A week had passed since the nightmare at Rainbow’s Edge, and Tanner still hadn’t let anyone visit.
She was tired of resting. She felt fine. Mostly. Her throat only hurt when she swallowed, and the bruises had faded to ugly yellow-green shadows, but she was ready to get out of this bed and do something.
Tanner sat on the edge of the mattress beside her, watching her with that steady, patient look that always made her stomach flutter. “You’re grumpy this morning, babygirl.”
“I’m not grumpy,” she muttered, even though she absolutely was. “I’m bored. And I miss my kitchen. And the girls. And Nanabelle keeps texting me sad-face emojis.”
He reached out and brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, his thumb lingering on her cheek, laughing inside at the thought of the elderly woman sending emojis like a teenager.
“I know. But you scared the hell out of me, Junie. I almost lost you. So yeah, I’m being a tad overprotective right now. Sue me.”
The softness in his voice melted some of her frustration. She leaned into his touch with a sigh. “I know. I’m sorry.”
Tanner leaned in and kissed her forehead. “I brought you something.”
He disappeared for a moment and returned carrying the biggest, most ridiculous gift basket she had ever seen.
It was overflowing with everything a Little girl could want: fancy bath bombs and bubble bath, soft lotions, new coloring books, a giant stuffed bunny, chocolate, and a handwritten note from Ruby and the girls that made her eyes sting.
Junie laughed softly as she dug through it, pulling out a small booklet titled How to Send Smoke Signals. She wisely kept silent about that one.
“If you promise me you feel all better,” Tanner said, watching her with warm eyes, “you can get up. But we’re not going back to the main house until tomorrow. If you’re up for it, I thought we’d have a picnic. I have a basket all ready, and a blanket and cushions for us to sit on.”
Her heart swelled. “I’d love that.”
They walked outside together, holding hands. The mountain air was cool and fresh, and the sun warmed her skin after days cooped up inside. When she realized where Tanner was leading her, her heart swelled.
“How did you know when I didn’t even get a chance to ask you to go with me?” she asked as Tanner spread out a thick blanket in the middle of the chokecherry thicket.
“Because this is our special place and you are my very special babygirl,” he said as he unpacked the most perfect picnic she had ever seen. He’d brought tiny quiches, asparagus spears, and sparkling grape juice
Then he pulled out her favorite Daddy romance book and read a chapter to her while she ate, his deep voice wrapping around her like a warm hug.
For dessert, he picked fresh chokecherries off the trees.
He fed her each berry by hand, his fingers brushing her lips with every bite.
They talked about everything and nothing—their future, the ranch, the life they were building together.
When the food was gone, Tanner pulled a small velvet box from his pocket.
Junie’s breath caught.
He opened it to reveal a beautiful ring—simple, elegant, with a sparkling diamond that caught the sunlight perfectly.
“Junie,” he said, “I love you more than I ever thought possible. You’re my Little girl. My Cupcake. My everything. Will you marry me?”
Tears spilled down her cheeks as she threw her arms around his neck. “Yes! Yes, Daddy, of course I will!”
They kissed for a long time, slow and deep and full of promise.
“We’ve got company,” she whispered in his ear.
Tanner looked around, searching for the danger, before smiling.
Twenty yards down sat Dodger. He was just sitting there watching.
“Is it true that Dodger saved my life?” Junie asked, staring at the wolfdog along with Tanner.
“The doctor told me later that if you had gone without oxygen for even a few seconds longer, you probably would have died. It was Dodger that initially pulled him off you. Dodger stopped him just short of crushing your windpipe. If Dodger hadn’t followed you, we wouldn’t be having this picnic today.
Strangely enough, he probably saved Preston’s life, too.
Although considering where he’s going to be for the next twenty-five years to life, it may not have been a mercy. ”
Tanner reached over and pulled her chin toward him. “Let’s not talk about that now.”
“But Dodger…” As she was speaking, she looked back across to find the wolfdog gone, almost like a mist that had been blown away by a sudden breeze. “Pup is so much smaller than Dodger, but both of them did their best to help. They are pretty incredible, aren’t they, Daddy?”
“They are,” he agreed, dropping a kiss to her forehead.
Later, after the sun had warmed the grass and they had celebrated their engagement in the most deliciously sinful way on the blanket surrounded by chokecherry trees, Tanner’s expression grew serious again. He stood, reaching down to help Junie up.
They gathered their picnic kit back into the basket and headed back to the cabin.
“Since you’re feeling better,” he said quietly, “it’s time to talk about you disobeying me and leaving the cabin.”
“I was really hoping you’d forgotten about that,” Junie said, as they walked hand in hand across the grassland between the thicket and the creek. They stopped near a willow tree that had planted itself beside the stream.
Tanner studied the thin, flexible branches for a long moment, running his fingers along them before choosing one, being sure to cut it off way down the stem where the thin branch was strongest. Holding the picnic basket in one hand, Tanner carefully tested the lithe switch with the other.
Bending it slightly, he listened to the soft swish it made.
It sent a shiver racing down her spine. She’d read about switches in a few Daddy books, but she’d never imagined she would experience the feel of one in use.
“Let’s go back to the cabin,” he said, and then handed her the switch. “I want you to carry this and think about how horrible everyone’s life would be if something had happened to you.”
Back inside the bedroom, her hands trembled as she stripped off every piece of clothing under his quiet gaze.
He told her to stand facing him with her hands clasped behind her head.
The position left her completely exposed, and the cool air of the room brushed against her most private places.
She could feel how wet she was. The realization made her cheeks burn with embarrassment even as warmth pooled low in her belly.
She didn’t understand why her body reacted this way when she was about to be punished, but it did.
It was as much a part of her as her love for Tanner.
Tanner peeled the bark from the switch with slow, deliberate movements. When he was finished, he walked over to her. “Turn around, babygirl. Hands on the end of the bed. Spread your legs wider and lower your elbows to the mattress.”
She obeyed, even though her face flamed hotter. The position pushed her bottom out and left her completely open to his view. She clutched the comforter, heart hammering. A trickle of apprehension ran down the backs of her legs.
Tanner’s voice was calm but firm. “You can cry. You can call out. But you cannot scream, and you can’t move. I don’t want to hit anything but this gorgeous backside. Understand?”
She nodded quickly, but when he started to speak again, the words tumbled out of her in a rush. “It wasn’t really my fault, Daddy. Anyone would have fallen for a text like that. I was just—”
“One.”
The single word stopped her cold. Her mind and heart warred inside her.
Part of her wanted to keep arguing, to make him see reason.
The other part—the deeper, softer part—knew she didn’t actually want to win this battle.
She turned around quickly and got back into position, elbows on the bed, legs spread, bottom raised and vulnerable.
“Oh no… oh no…” she whispered, her whole body trembling as she clutched the comforter in a death grip.
The switch hissed through the air a split second before it snapped across her bare bottom. A burning line of fire bloomed instantly. She would have shot upright if Tanner’s strong hand hadn’t held her firmly in place.
“No! Daddy, wait!”
The switch hissed sharply again, biting across her bottom twice in quick succession. A hot flood of tears gushed from her eyes.
“Oh god, wait. Please! Ow!”
Three more times, that awful switch snicked across her backside, leaving one fiery line after another.
Each one throbbed and burned deeper with every heartbeat.
Junie burst into loud, heaving sobs. She dropped to her knees at the edge of the bed, burying her face in the covers, her hands pressed to the sides of her hips because she couldn’t bear to touch the blazing skin of her bottom.
Tanner tossed the switch aside. The mattress dipped as he sat down and reached for her. “Come here, baby.”
Junie threw her arms around his neck and sobbed against his shoulder, big, hiccupping cries that shook her whole body. He pulled her into his lap and held her close, one hand rubbed slow circles on her back while the other cradled her head against him.
“I know it was a hard lesson,” he said gently, pressing a kiss to her temple.
“And hear me, Cupcake. I’m so damn proud of the way you care about the people you love.
You bring happiness and joy to everyone you meet, not only with your pastries, but with your smile and your heart.
However”—and here his voice grew serious—“if you ever disobey me and get yourself in that much trouble again, the spanking you just got will feel like playtime compared to what you’ll earn.
What should happen if you want to do something other than what I’ve told you to do? ”
“I sh-should c-call you… and a-ask or let y-you take care of it.”