Page 2 of Keeping His Brat

“What the hell were you thinking?” He tried to muffle the anger he was feeling, and it resulted in the question coming out sounding flat and unnatural. It had taken him a while to realize she hadn’t come back with the others. He’d looked everywhere for her, even checking their house in case she’d gone home for something.

Everyone he’d asked had shrugged and looked around as if they hadn’t noticed she wasn’t there. They were all in a hurry to get home before things got bad, and not really paying attention, until June mentioned thoughtfully that Charlie hadn’t come back with them. When her horse showed up, still saddled but without a rider, a bolt of fear had shot through him and for a second he’d felt weak with panic. By then everyone else was gone or he’d have sent them all out to look for her.

Winter storms were nothing to play with and ranches could be dangerous places. All he could think as he ran for the truck and went searching was that she’d fallen and gotten hurt and was going to be lying there in the dark when the storm hit.

“I couldn’t just leave her like that.” Charlie’s voice was soft and filled with guilt.

He had a feeling he knew why. She had been well aware of the danger in what she was doing. A thousand-pound cow that was panicking in fear wasn’t something for one person to handle, especially not in the rain. “How did you know she needed help? You weren’t even supposed to be in that field. You were sent to the winter pastures to check the water and hay situation, and you were supposed to be backbeforedark.”

She sighed and slumped in her seat. “I know, but Jeff mentioned a patch of fence in the south field was leaning and I thought I’d check it before I went back. It’s easier to fix it before it pulls all the way loose. Then on the way there I saw her stuck and …” She shrugged.

He closed his eyes and counted to ten silently. It was necessary to get his temper under control. He could see how it happened. Charlie wasn’t the type to put work off for later and if she’d been told there was something that needed fixing, she would feel an urge to just go take care of it.

“The south fields aren’t in use right now,” he pointed out. His teeth were gritted, forcing the words through. “It could have waited.” He couldn’t really be angry at her for stopping to help an animal in need. She had a soft heart, but if she hadn’t been where she shouldn’t have been in the first place it would never have come up.

“I only intended to check and see what needed to be done. I wasn’t going to actually work on ittoday, I’m not dumb.”

He didn’t look over, but he could practically hear the eye-roll in her voice. After the scare he’d had getting snippy with him was the last thing she wanted to do, but Charlie’s mouth often got her in trouble. “Girl. Get your ass in the house right now. And go straight to the shower.” The order snapped in a low growling tone that sent her scampering out into the rain without a second’s delay.

He waited before he followed her. He still needed to calm down and he wasn’t anxious to get out of the warm cab again either. Finally, when several minutes had passed, he sighed, stiffened his resolve and jumped out of the truck. The cold bit hard and the ground was starting to get slick as the water began to freeze. He had to move slowly and carefully to avoid slipping. It didn’t help his mood much.

The first thing he did when he got inside the warm cabin was to pick up her dripping coat from the floor where she’d dropped it. Not surprisingly there was a puddle underneath it and he grumbled as he hung it on a hook by the door so it would dry out. She’d left a trail of equally sodden clothes to the bathroom and if there’d been any doubt about where she was, they would have led him to her like breadcrumbs.

He knew she wasn’t doing it to annoy him, but he was at zero patience by then. Charlie just tended to have different priorities when it came to household chores. She’d have come back eventually and picked up after herself when she was done showering, but Sam didn’t like to see things lying around. He bundled up the sodden laundry and dropped it in the sink where it wouldn’t make a mess.

Since his clothes were just as soaked, he stripped and added them to the mound. He used a dishtowel to mop up the worst of the puddles and then headed for the bathroom naked. He heard the shower go on just as he got to the door and knocked once before he pushed it open. “Charlie, why are your wet clothes all over the place? I’d have thought you were in enough trouble.”

She was silent for a second. “Oops. Sorry. I was freezing and I figured I couldn’t hang them up in the tub until after we showered anyway.” That would have made sense to her. “I’ll pick them up as soon as I’m out,” she assured him.

“I already picked them up because they were leaving puddles all over the place. At least you could have stripped by the door.”

“I didn’t think of it. I was too cold, sorry. You getting in with me? You need to warm up too.” She sounded hopeful as she pulled the shower curtain open in invitation. It was tempting, not just because she was there, but because he was starting to shiver again.

He hesitated because showering together tended to turn into sex, and that was not on his agenda for the night. Not when he was still so mad at her. Charlie knew he hated when punishment for real issues turned into sex, but she was deviously good at maneuvering things, so it happened anyway.

Once he’d realized it was happening too often, he’d pulled the brakes on that and was determined to keep the sex out of their discipline. But he was chilled to the bone and the steam was enticing. “Yeah, move over.” He slipped in behind her and then pulled her back against his chest so their body heat would help the process of defrosting.

She relaxed, her body melting against his with a soft sigh. It was more for comfort than sexual at the moment, and they both needed that. He tightened his arms around her, holding her tight. “You scared the hell out of me. When your horse came back without you, I thought …”

“Sorry, Sam. I couldn’t think of any other way to get help. I forgot my phone on the counter this morning.” She paused there and he could feel the guilty aura surrounding her. They’d talked about the phone thing repeatedly.

“Uh-huh. So, you sent the horse back hoping we’d panic and come looking for you?”

“I mean, it sounds bad when you say it likethat, but yeah. I couldn’t do anything by myself. I needed another pair of hands, so I sent Carousel back figuring you’d know to come looking. Besides I didn’t want her out in that storm,” Charlie added.

“You didn’t wantherout in the storm.” Sam didn’t make any effort to hide the incredulous tone. “Girl if you weren’t already in trouble …” He growled low against her neck and his hand slapped down hard on the outside of her bare wet thigh.

She squealed and pressed back against him, not in a sexual way but as though she wanted to comfort him. “I really didn’t mean to panic you. I guess I hadn’t considered what it would look like her showing up without me. To be fair I did set her loose before the storm actually started and I was hoping she’d run straight back to the barn to avoid the rain, but I guess she took her sweet time.”

Carousel was a steady horse, but she was known for being a little silly. Good for work and riding around the ranch, but not so great for common sense. She’d probably wandered around looking for patches of grass that had survived the winter cold, before finally making her way back. He couldn’t be pissed at Charlie nearly stopping his heart, not when it wasn’t intentional.

Besides she had enough to account for.

“I was scared. I don’t know what I’d do if I lost you,” he whispered softly.

“I love you, Sam. I really … I know I’m in trouble, but I didn’tmeanto upset you.” She sounded repentant. It wasn’t the tone she used when she was trying to talk her way out of punishment. This time she really did feel bad.

He turned her around and slid his arms around her waist, holding her as they stood under the hot water until it was almost all gone. Their slick skin pressing together normally would have had them both panting with excitement, but not this time. Reassurance was what was needed. When the steam started to dissipate and the water was barely warm anymore, he sighed and shut off the spray.

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