Page 2 of Taming His Brat

Sam’s mouth dropped open and for a second, he was speechless. “So… you decided to go ahead and do it then?”

“Doesn’t seem like I have much choice.” She sighed and stepped around the box to get to him; slipping into his arms was becoming an automatic reflex when she was upset. He had a way of soothing her. “I mean things are going great with us and we’re working together fine, but it’s just…”

He pulled her up close, wrapped his arms around her and rested his chin on her head. “Still bothers you that I have full control, huh?”

“Yeah—no, I dunno, Sam. It’s weird. I gave you all kinds of power over me, even asked to skip the safewords so it would be more—more. And it’s working out well. I’m happy to let you have total control of me. But when it comes to the ranch it’s different. I feel like we should be equals, legally.”

He was quiet and she worried she’d hurt his feelings. It was basically like saying she didn’t trust him, and she did. “Sorry, Sam I know—”

He cut her off in mid-word. “You know there’s the other option.”

Another option? She shifted, tipping her head back so she could look into his eyes. “What do you mean?”

“Well, there was another codicil in the will. You get your doctorate or…” He let the words trail off.

Her eyes widened and the breath caught in her throat. The desire to run hit her hard as she struggled to breathe. She’d forgotten the other option. Forgotten it on purpose because she had trouble committing to any relationship, as Sam well knew.

“No!” The word burst from her so loud it startled them both. She pulled out of his arms and closed her eyes, blocking him and everything else out as she tried to control the rising panic with breathing exercises her therapist had taught her.

He didn’t touch her or try to talk. He’d learned by now that when she got like that, she just needed a minute, but he was there when she finally let out a long shuddering breath and opened her eyes.

“You okay, Darlin’?” He sounded so careful, like he was afraid she’d break.

She nodded, took another hitching breath. “I’m sorry, Sam. I didn’t mean… it’s not you. I love you. It’s just…”

“I know baby. I get it. You’ve got commitment issues. We’re working on it one day at a time, and you’re getting better. Probably throwing the marriage thing at you wasn’t the best idea. My fault; sorry, Charlie.”

She looked up, checking him for signs of hurt and only when she saw his open expression could she relax. “You know if I were going to marry anyone, it would be you. You’re theonlyone, Sam. Just not yet. Give me time.”

He laughed and pulled her back into his arms. “All the time you need, Charlie. I’d love to put a ring on your finger but not until you’re ready. And to be honest I’m not sure I’m ready for that either. I mean we just moved in together. We’ve got time for stuff like that later.”

He always knew the right thing to say. There’d never been another man who knew her as well. She’d never let anyone else get close enough to know her as well as he did. And deep down some part of her had leapt at the idea of being his wife. There was a little girl inside who had once dreamed of long white dresses and forevers.

But there had been a lot of miles since those innocent childhood days and between then and now she’d changed. It was hard for her to accept that Sam would always be around, and that wasn’t because of anything he’d ever done. It was all her and her own baggage.

“I love you, cowboy.” She smiled up at him and then let herself melt back into his arms, surrendering to the warmth and safety they represented.

“I love you too, brat.”

Emotional crisis averted, and bonus she’d totally distracted him from the fact that she hadn’t finished unpacking. Or so she thought.

“So, do you want your spanking before dinner or after?” he asked.

Damn it.

Chapter Two

It was cute that she still thought she could get away with skirting around his orders. The fact that she’d been considering classes had thrown him, but he knew that hadn’t taken her all day. Even if it had she’d been given a week to finish, so he had no sympathy for her.

She had a procrastination problem, but only when it came to doing things she didn’t really want to do. It was something they were going to work on together. Well, she’d be working on it, and he’d be the one providing the motivation. Putting unpleasant things off never made them easier in the long run and she was more than old enough to know that.

He did give her some credit for getting most of it done. If she’d started just a little sooner, she probably would have saved herself a sore butt. Most of the place was looking a little less cluttered anyway, despite all the extra stuff she’d brought, and he appreciated that. But they would still be discussing it later.

He let it drop for the moment and went to shower off the sweat of a long day. He sighed when he saw that the bathroom was now crowded with dozens of bottles. He couldn’t really complain since he’d been the one pushing her to unpack but he did grumble when he knocked a few of them into the tub.

He’d have to put up some shelves or something, so they weren’t perched on every ledge. Not a big chore to get done, especially since they were going into the quiet part of the year. It was one more thing on his winter list.

The small foreman’s house was just a temporary solution while the main house was being renovated anyway. Which reminded him to ask her how that was going. He took care of that during dinner. “You make those calls to the contractors today?” It was a casual question tossed out over dinner, but she was in a sulky mood since he’d made it clear she was still going to be punished.

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