Page 202 of Giddy Up, Daddy

Wren and Travis shared a look before Wren flashed a huge smile in our direction. “We can go to Reese’s later or another day. No problem.”

Ripley crossed her arms over her chest in an adorable pout I had only seen her do once or twice, and it had always been aimed at Randy.

“But I wanted to meet Bossy P.”

Travis chimed in again. “You two can go on over there together. Reese and Arlo will likely be there hosting other visitors.”

Ripley looked at me and shook her head. “If they have other visitors, it’s fine. Maybe I’ll go another time.”

“We can go, Rips. I don’t have any plans other than to get some dinner at some point. Did you eat any lunch?”

“I had a big breakfast,” she non-answered.

“Did you eat more than you did when we were in the suite? Because that was not what I would call a big breakfast,” I said, calling her out.

“Cade! I ate, okay? Stop being so bossy and ridiculous.” She turned to stomp away in the opposite direction of the resort.

“Stop right there,” I commanded.

She kept right on going and yelled over her shoulder, “Make me!”

If any two words could burn my britches more than those two, then I was unaware of them. But… what the fuck? Why would she say that?

“Where do you plan on going, little girl?” I yelled out, and she froze and turned on her heel to face me.

“I am not a little girl, Cade Wyatt.” She stomped her foot on the ground, which completely proved the opposite of her declaration. “I can go where I want to go, whenever I want to.”

Was that a dare? Why did it feel like she was all but begging me to prove her wrong? Between that and her “make me” I was not prepared to just let things continue on as they were going.

“That so?” I asked, spotting a rope hanging on a hook on the side of the barn and getting a wild hair of an idea. “Can I borrow this?” I asked Travis quietly.

Travis nodded his head in approval. “Whatever you need, you’re welcome to.”

“Don’t you dare, Cade.”

She took some steps backward as I took stock of the rope. It was already tied in a lasso and looked long enough for what I needed. I tested the weight in my hands.

“You want to drop the ‘tude and come back up to the suite with me, then?”

She nibbled her lip, but I could tell she wasn’t going to go without a fight. I hadn’t seen that fight in her eyes in years, and by god, I loved the fact that I’d put it there. And after a long talk, I was going to be the one to give her what she was so desperately aching for. It was for her own good.

“You’re being ridiculous and acting weird and being a bossy asshole, and I’m not going anywhere with you.”

She turned and took two steps before I had the lasso flying through the air in her direction.

I’d roped many animals in my time at the rodeo, but none had had the ability to use their hands to untangle themselves. Before she could succeed, though, I was on her, wrapping the rope around her body a few more times to make sure she couldn’t easily escape. And trying to ignore the fact that Ripley tied up in rope was something more than simply amusing.

“Let me go!” she hollered as I put my shoulder into her torso and hefted her up over my shoulder.

“Make me.” I repeated her earlier challenge.

“How am I supposed to do that when I’m trussed up like a pig on a spit?”

“One word and this all stops, and you know damn well what it is.”

She could safeword and I would put her down instantly, but I hoped beyond hope that I hadn’t read the situation wrong and fucked up that bad.

“This is not a scene, Cade,” she pointed out unnecessarily as she wiggled enough to make her displeasure known, but not enough to fall off my shoulder.

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