Page 10 of The Cowboy's Ultimatum

“Hello, beautiful girl,” she murmured, stepping into her stall. “Will you ever forgive me? I’m so sorry.” The mare responded by nudging her. “Ah, I see, you will if I give your one of your special cookies,” Helen remarked with a grin.

“And I have them right here,” Andy interjected as he stepped into the stall.

After slipping several into Helen’s jacket pocket, he handed one to Daisy. As she gobbled it up and looked for more, Helen pulled out a couple and held them out in the palm of her hand.

“Here you go, you lovely thing,” she said, holding them out for the mare to scoop them up. “You don’t have to worry. That awful woman is history and you’ll never have to see her again.”

“You really do have a lovely horse,” Andy said softly, “but I have to ask, why did you buy a quarter horse if you wanted to ride hunter/jumpers? I know it couldn’t have been a money issue, so how did it happen?”

“Well, it was kind of a freak thing. I was at a barn to look at a thoroughbred, and while I was waiting for the owners to bring him out I saw Daisy standing in a corral nearby. She whinnied at me, like she was calling me over. I couldn’t believe it. When I didn’t move she whinnied again, so I walked across, and she was just so sweet I fell in love with her on the spot. Then the owners arrived and said they’d rescued her and they were looking for a forever home.”

“Ah! Daisy picked you!” Andy exclaimed. “She saw you, felt your energy, and yelled at you to take her.”

“She did, I swear she did, and I couldn’t say no. I think that’s one of the reasons I feel so bad. I’ve let her down.”

“Helen, you’ve done no such thing. You made a mistake, but we all do, we’re only human. Fortunately you figured it out.”

“Only thanks to you,” she mumbled, handing Daisy another treat.

“When we’re back at the house I’ll ease your guilt.”

“So you said, but how? Why won’t you tell me?”

“Actually, I will so you can think about it,” he murmured, moving his arms around her. “I’m going to take off all your clothes, blindfold you, handcuff your wrists, bend you over pillows, then spank your naked ass with a leather paddle.”

CHAPTER SEVEN

Helen was so shocked by Andy’s threat she didn’t know how to respond, but as a hot blush burned across her face it occurred to her it may have been a joke.

“Andy…you can be so funny,” she said with a nervous giggle.

“Funny? Helen, I’m serious. But you can think about it while we walk back to the house. When we get there the choice will be yours. You can leave if you want to. I have no interest in holding you prisoner.”

“I…uh…I don’t know what to say.”

“You don’t have to say anything. Give Daisy her last treat and we’ll go.”

Though Helen was at a complete loss, she couldn’t deny the ripple of excitement moving through her entire being. She’d always wanted Andy to be more of a take-charge guy, and now he was, and in a way that was making her toes curl.

“Ready?” he asked, almost startling her.

“As I’ll ever be,” she managed, “but can I ask you something?”

“Of course, anything, but while we’re walking.”

As they left the stall and headed outside she searched for the right words, then decided there probably weren’t any and she should just spit it out.

“How did this happen? I mean, you’ve never been like this before and I’ve known you for ages.”

He smiled, and for reasons she couldn’t fathom a fresh surge of excitement sent goosebumps popping across her arms.

“This side of me is not something I advertise.”

“So…you’ve done this sort of thing before?”

“Sure, but it’s not just what I do, it’s who I am. Do you understand?”

“Sort of. It’s like, you’re a horse trainer because it’s in you.”

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