Page 57 of On His Ranch

“And… well, I realized…”

“Any day now, Piper. I can leave you here to pluck up your nerve and we can finish this when I get back from doin’ chores.”

“You were right.” She spat the words out, her cheeks flaming crimson immediately thereafter.

That earned a double eyebrow raise. “About?”

“Chase, don’t make me say it,” she murmured at the carpet.

“Thing is, I don’t know what you’re talkin’ ‘bout exactly.” Although, if he did, he’d probably still make her say it.

“Yesterday… when you said…” Piper looked up, her chin jutted and her gaze determined despite her beet-red complexion. “You said if you were my daddy, you’d punish me again.”

He cocked his head. “I’m pretty sure I said if I were, I’d spank your ass for you again.”

Her eyes widened. “Youdoremember!”

He chuckled. “I never said I forgot, darlin’, I said I didn’t know exactly what you were alludin’ to.”

She shrugged and looked back at the carpet.

“So? What about it?”

“Well…” She ran the toe of her boot back and forth against the carpet. “You were right.”

“Great. Glad we got that settled. Now, if you’ll excuse me…”

“Wait!”

His hand stilled on the doorknob.

“What I’m trying to say is… why didn’t you? Spank me, I mean? Since I deserved it?”

He shifted as he considered her question. “You know, it’s a little early for this.”

But she must be getting used to being growled at, because she only smiled. “I know.”

“You’re gonna be gone before too long. I guess I figured the rules I handed down were for workin’ on the ranch. A daddy would have a different set of rules, and that’s the kind of thing he would handle.”

“Oh.”

When she didn’t continue, Chase decided to hell with it and walked over to his closet to start gathering his morning uniform. He reckoned she’d leave when she was ready.

“So… you don’t want to be my daddy, then?”

He turned toward her slowly and stared at her for a long moment while he considered her question. “It’s not that I don’t, exactly. It’s just that you’ll be movin’ on to your aunt’s and… if I’m bein’ honest, I don’t want to get more invested than I already am, Piper.”

“But if I weren’t? If I weren’t going to my aunt’s?”

“I’d think about it.”

The disappointment on her face made it evident that wasn’t the answer she’d been hoping for. “Well… okay, then.”

“And I will think about it—if you want me to.”

“Yes, please.”

“Wait just a sec. You need to understand that if I agree, then youwillbe punished for the way you acted in the barn yesterday.”

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