Page 47 of On His Ranch

“We’ll start with the milking first. Then I have to prune some trees, then there’s a tractor I have to take a look at. It keeps stalling. With any luck, that’ll all get done quickly and we can move on to preppin’ fields.”

“Prepping?” she echoed.

“It’ll be time to plant soon.” He cast an appraising eye at the sky. “It’d be a good day for it.”

“Wow, that’s a lot,” Piper remarked, hurrying to keep up with his pace.

Chase chuckled. “That’s not even half the list.”

“Maybe your mom has a point. Maybe…”

He looked over his shoulder, giving her a warning look. Like the good girl she was, she fell silent and they walked in peaceful quiet the rest of the way.

There was no time for lessons this time, and they hardly spoke at all as they took their stools and pails and set to work. One hour turned into two as they worked, moving from one cow to the next. Chase settled into the familiar routine and before too long he could feel the tense muscles of his shoulders relax. The milking was going faster than usual.

Maybe Piper was right. Maybe she really can be of help.

“This pail’s full,” Piper announced.

“Good job,” he remarked, and he really was impressed. He was rewarded by a bright smile. “Carry itcarefullyover the bench and switch it out for an empty pail.” He paused long enough to point her to the bench he meant.

“I’ll be very careful,” she promised. “I know you don’t have time in your schedule for spanking.”

He chuckled. “I bet I could squeeze it in.”

Piper’s smile widened. “See? That wasn’t so hard. You need to lighten up once in a while.”

He snorted. “Sorry, I don’t mean to be a hard-ass today. There’s a lot goin’ on.”

“I know,” she soothed. “A lot I can’t understand. I get it. I’m just saying, we’ve gotten a lot done already, you can afford to take a break.”

He dismissed that idea with a firm shake of his head. “Nope. No breaks. We work until lunchtime.”

She considered this. “But what if we could make work fun?” Her reply to herself was immediate and eager. “Milking contest!”

“‘Scuse me? What the hell is that?”

But his gruff question did not dampen her enthusiasm. “Whoever gets the most the fastest wins!”

Chase cocked his head and considered her. She really was unlike any girl he’d ever met. There was no way it was an act. Her enthusiasm was in every line of her glowing face. “Don’t you think you’re at a bit of a disadvantage? Since I’ve been doin’ it for years?”

“My hands are smaller,” she put in eagerly.

Chase couldn’t help but chuckle. “You really don’t understand how this works. Alright, since you’re so set on it. What do I get when I win?”

Piper’s smile grew until it was impossibly bright. “You won’t. But ifIwin, you take a break.”

“If we take breaks, we’ll be working until well past sundown to get everythin’ done,” he warned.

“Abreak, just one. And besides…” She dropped her eyes, suddenly bashful. “I don’t mind.”

He let out a long sigh, not sure who he was more frustrated with—her, or himself. Because he knew he was going to give in, even though he knew full well what Senior would have to say about it if he were here. “Alright. And ifIwin?”

Her smile dimmed for a moment as she considered his question. “I don’t know. What do you want?”

What did he want? That was easy, he didn’t have to think about it. He wantedeverything. He wanted to savor the taste of her, to use his tongue, his fingers, and fuck yes, his cock, to tease every part of her. Didn’t seem fair to make that the prize of a milk-collecting competition, especially one she had no chance of winning.

“Chase?”

---