Page 74 of On His Ranch

“What… what are you talking about?” Piper whispered.

“You tell me,” he demanded, his voice hard.

“I-I don’t know.”

“You broke one of our rules. Now, think real hard. Which one was it?”

She shrank back from the harshness in his voice. “Why are you being so mean to me?” she asked in a timid, little-girl voice.

Normally, he loved that voice, but just now it pulled at his conscience. Was she right? Was he being unfair?

Maybe she had nothing to do with it. Maybe she was just scared.

But he dismissed that almost at once. He’d gotten to know Piper well, and little girl she might be at times, but was she was also capable of being a strong, sassy spitfire. So why had she cowered and remained silent? There was a reason. He knew it. He always trusted his gut—he’d learned the hard way it was suicidal not to. And Piper, whatever her secret was, knew something she wasn’t willing to share.

“I don’t know,” she answered at last, her voice clogged with tears.

“Alright, I’ll tell you, but it’s gonna cost extra.”

She hung her head, but nodded.

“I told you to get upstairs. Remember?”

Piper’s head shot up. “But I—”

“Butwhat? What is a good reason to disobey, Piper? Please, I’m all ears.”

Her cheeks flushed with color, but she didn’t look away. “I’m sorry I disobeyed. Really, I am, but I thought maybe you might need help.”

“Some help,” he snorted. “Look, it doesn’t matter what youthought, bottom line, you didn’t obey and you’re gonna be spanked for it.”

“But… you already spanked me. I don’t know how much more I can take.”

He pinned her with a hard stare. “That’s a daddy’s job to decide.”

She looked like she might protest further, but after a moment, she just nodded.

Good girl. But there was no warmth in his thought, only determination to teach her a lesson she wouldn’t soon forget. His palm itched to impart that lesson, but he decided he needed to take a minute to cool off first.

“I’ll be right back. I want you to take off your nightgown and your panties. When I get back, I expect you to be lyin’ over the bed with your butt nice and high. Got it?” As soon as he saw her timid nod, he let himself out the door.

Chase leaned against the wall and took a few deep breaths, trying to get his adrenaline under control. Yes, Piper deserved to be punished, but until such a time that he could prove it, he would only spank her for what he knew she’d done wrong.

She can’t be behind all this craziness. Not sweet, innocent Piper. You’ve finally lost it, man,the angel on his shoulder reasoned.

Or they sent a really good actress this time, someone who can play sweet and innocent, just to get me off my game, the devil’s advocate countered.

Both were good points, and there was only one way to get to the bottom of it. She was waiting in his room, hopefully smart enough to have obeyed his orders.

It would be good to finally catch the culprit behind all these mysterious pranks. At first, they had been a nuisance, but now, things were being taken way too far.

On the other hand, if it turned out that Piper was the source…

It will break me. His jaw clenched as the thought struck a chord with its truthfulness.

Don’t worry about that right now. Just do the next thing you have to do, then the next, same as every day.

Finally feeling like he was calm-ish, Chase let himself back in his bedroom. He could see Piper tense from where she was draped over the bed.

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