He nodded. “Good. Because if you don’t, you’re going to find yourself over my knee again, and next time, the spanking will be much harder than the one you just got.”
Her pulse quickened and she felt herself blushing even deeper at his words.
She should be outraged at the idea of getting spanked again, not feel
breathless at the thought of it. If a man had tried this back in New York, she would have slapped him across the face and told him to go to hell. Had
coming out west changed her that much, she wondered? Or was it something
about Cord Holderness?
Her brow furrowing in thought, Kayla left the room and crossed the hall to her own bedroom. Before the door was even fully closed behind her, she already had her skirt pulled up and was rubbing her sore bottom with her hands.
Chapter Two
Cord rode out early the next morning with Lucas to work on some fences that had been cut on the north end of his property. He knew full well that Dalton Jeffries was behind this recent act of vandalism. The man had been trying to get Cord, as well as every other rancher in the valley, to sell their ranches for months. But Cord had no intention of selling, and if he did, he sure as hell wouldn’t sell it to a crooked snake like Jeffries. No one knew why the man was so intent on getting his hands on every ranch in the area, but it was
obvious that he would stop at nothing to get them.
Cord’s mouth tightened. In the past that wouldn’t have bothered him; he could take care of himself and his ranch. But now he had Abigail to think about.
Suddenly, everything was different, especially after hearing what Jeffries’ men had done to McCauley’s son to force the man into selling. In fact, he was
going into town to talk to the sheriff today. But first, he wanted to check on Abigail.
As he rode back to the house, his mind turned to thoughts of his mail-order bride. His foreman had actually been the one that had suggested placing the advertisement for a mail-order bride. Cord had mentioned offhandedly to
Lucas that he was ready to settle down and start a family, but Copper Creek had had few prospects to offer, so his friend had talked him into writing the letter to the company back east. They had sent him background information
on half a dozen women, but Abigail had stood out. He had begun sending
letters to her, which she had immediately answered. He liked to think that they had developed a very good friendship over the months that they had
been writing each other, and he was overjoyed when she had finally arrived.
She was different than he thought she’d be, though. When he’d first seen her on the stagecoach platform, he hadn’t even been sure if she was his mail-order bride. Abigail had described herself as a rather plain-looking girl, when in fact, she was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. And that episode with her snooping around in his bedroom seemed out of character. But maybe that was just how people acted back in Boston. He sincerely hoped that she had learned her lesson because he’d meant what he’d said about spanking
that bottom of hers again if she didn’t.
Abigail had still been asleep when he’d left the house that morning, but when he got back, he found her at one of the corrals admiring the horses. She
turned as he rode up. She was wearing a light blue dress today, her long
auburn hair tied back with a ribbon, and Cord thought that she looked even more beautiful this morning than she had last night.
Swinging one long leg over the saddle, he dismounted and led his horse over to where Abigail stood. Still embarrassed about what had transpired between them the previous evening, she gave him a tentative smile as she reached
out to pet his horse.
“You certainly get up early around here,” she commented.
He nodded. “I had to check some fences,” he said. “I usually spend the day out on the ranch, but I have to go into town today. I thought we could stop by the church and talk to the pastor about when we’d like to be married. I’m sure he can be ready in a few days.”
Kayla’s hand stilled on the horse’s nose and her gaze flew to Cord. “A few days?” she asked in disbelief. Then remembering that she was supposed to
be his mail-order bride, she laughed nervously. “But I couldn’t possibly be ready in that time. I mean, there are flowers to choose and a menu to be
decided, and I’ll need a maid of honor, of course.”
Cord was looking at her as if she were crazy. “Abigail, this isn’t Boston, you know. Weddings are simple things out here,” he told her. “The only flowers you’re likely to find are wildflowers and the food’s usually everyday fare.”
“But this is our wedding and I want it to be perfect. So, it’l have to take as long as it takes to bring it all together.” She had to find some way to delay the wedding, she thought, and quick! “And besides, I don’t even have a wedding dress. The one I brought with me was in the trunk that fell off the stagecoach.”
She stepped closer to him and gently placed her hand on his arm, then
looked up at him with pleading green eyes. Her charm may not have worked
on him last night, but she was sure it would have its full effect this morning.
“Cord, every since you asked me to be your wife, I’ve dreamed of our
wedding day and about how special it would be. You may not understand
women, but the dress is a vital part of the
