Catching Her Cowboy Daddy Read online

  Her face flashed with recognition when he started speaking, shock as she turned in his direction and utter mortification as the implication of his words sunk in. Too bad for her, he wasn’t finished.

  “I’m just going to let you know right now, Princess, that if I end up having to spend an hour explaining myself to the Sheriff, there will be a second act. Get my drift?”

  Her eyes lit up with anger, as her face changed to a mask of defiance. “Daddy! Are you hearing this right now? He’s blackmailing me! Do something!”

  Joe was still red-faced and sputtering watching their exchange with confusion. Out of the corner of his eye, Finn saw Yolanda enter with a platter of prime rib, only to be waved back into the kitchen by Priscilla, who oddly enough, wore an expression of bemusement.

  “Daddy!” Francesca screeched and stomped her foot, reminding Finn of the tantrums she used to throw as a young child. “How can you sit here and share dinner with this, this, corrupt official! He takes a public office, and suddenly the laws no longer apply to him? How on God’s green earth did he get elected anyway? What kind of crazy person would back common trailer trash for mayor? What in the hell is this place coming to?”

  “Tread lightly, sweetheart,” Finn murmured, knowing that she couldn’t hear him over the colossal fit she was throwing.

  It didn’t matter because at that moment, Joe finally found his voice. “Francesca, sit down and be quiet. Now, I’ve heard you both, and I have to say that given the ridiculously childish tantrum you just finished throwing, Finn’s story is a hell of a lot more believable than yours. Also, Finn is my friend, the mayor of this town, and our company and I expect you to behave like a lady and treat him with the courtesy and respect he deserves. Honestly, if this is how you behave, I say good for Finn for doing something I probably should have done a long time ago. And one more thing, I am the crazy person who backed Finn for mayor, and I would do it again in a heartbeat.”

  Francesca’s shriek as she ran from the room was blood-curdling. Not more than a minute later, the front door slammed, and a minute after that Finn could hear the faint but distinct sound of his custom built engine roaring to life. He groaned remembering that he had left the keys in the ignition because this was Masonville, and the ranch was in the middle of nowhere. He leaned back in his chair and grinned. This was going to be interesting.

  Chapter Three

  “So let’s go over this one more time, to be sure that I’ve gotten all the facts straight.” Sheriff Daniels was hiding a hint of a smile, and Finn thought he was enjoying this a little too much. It was now the third time he’d “gone over the facts”.

  “Joe, you got your days confused, and forgot to pick up Francesca from the airport.” Joe nodded his confirmation before the Sheriff continued. “And Francesca, rather than call for help, you decided to hitchhike the fifty miles to Masonville. And then, Mayor, you saw Francesca hitchhiking and offered her a ride. She refused, and you persisted because, in your words, “she doesn’t have the common sense of a gnat,” and you were concerned for her safety.”

  “Correct, and also, because she’s Joe’s daughter, and he is my friend. I wouldn’t have been able to forgive myself if something had happened to her. I couldn’t in good conscience, leave her on the side of the road, and go about my day.”

  “Oh, please!” Francesca guffawed loudly, only to be shushed by both her mother and Sheriff Daniels.

  “So then, she ran and you chased her. When you caught her, the two of you exchanged words, and she slapped you-”

  “Tried to slap him- I didn’t actually slap him!”

  “Only because I’m faster than you.”

  “And then he pulled me over his knee like a brute, and spanked me! Sherriff, really, you can’t let him get away with it. What kind of precedent would it set? Men could just go around willy-nilly spanking any woman who disagreed with them.”

  Sheriff Daniels chewed on the edge of his pipe and regarded her thoughtfully. “You might have a point, but let’s get to the end of the story before we start gnawing over possible ramifications.” He looked down at his notepad again, and Francesca took the opportunity to stick her tongue out at Finn and gloat.

  “Um, so then, you came back here, and told your father that Finn struck you, and that you wanted to have him arrested. When Joe did not agree, you went outside, jumped in Finn’s truck, and came to find me. Is that accurate?”

  It wasn’t fully- but Finn wasn’t about to embarrass Francesca further by pointing out the tidbit she had chosen not to disclose. He knew Sheriff Bill well enough to know that things were about to get interesting. Francesca however, looked like the cat who swallowed the canary as she waited to hear the sheriff's final word on the matter.

  “Let me ask you this, then? Did Finn give you permission to take his truck and go to town?”

  Watching Francesca’s face as it dawned on her that this might not go her way after all was the highlight of Finn’s evening. If he was a vindictive sort, he might take his turn at gloating.

  “Um, no…”

  “And are you aware that under transportation code 552.007, hitchhiking is in fact illegal in the state of Texas?”

  “No.” Francesca was starting to look scared now, and Finn almost felt sorry for her, but only almost.

  “I’m sorry, Miss Upton, but it seems to me, by your own account, the only one guilty of breaking any laws here is you.”

  Her eyes bugged out of her head, and Finn braced himself for the explosion.

  “What? That’s preposterous! You’re forgetting the fact that he assaulted me! You, sheriff are as chauvinistic, morally corrupt and ass-backwards as everyone else in this god-forsaken hellhole!”

  The sheriff, who was known for being a mild-tempered man, had remained calm until this point, but every man had a breaking point, and Francesca was a pro at finding that point, and blowing past it without abandon.

  “Now listen here, young lady, never, ever has a mere spanking qualified as assault-especially not one that was so well deserved. Unless you tell me that he struck you somewhere besides your backside, and can provide proof-there is nothing here!”

  “But-But- I’m twenty-five years old!”

  “Well, you don’t act like it! In my day, an unmarried woman could be disciplined by her parents up until the day she married. Then, she became her husband's responsibility, and he could discipline her if and when he saw fit.”

  “Sheriff Bill, you’re forgetting the fact that this isn’t ‘your day’ and that Finn is neither my father nor my husband.”

  “That may be so- but you broke the law, and in my opinion Finn was acting in the scope of a person who cares for you. Whether you like it or not, not too long ago, a good thrashing would have been acceptable consequences for a woman found hitchhiking. The only person with the authority to press charges on this matter of assault you keep squawking about is Joe.”

  “What? That’s insane!”

  The sheriff ignored her, looking past her to her father. “Joe, do you wish to press charges of assault on the mayor here?”

  “No, I do not.”

  “Well then, the matters of assault and hitchhiking have both been dealt with, in my opinion and the only thing left is the matter of you stealing the mayor's truck. Mayor, did you wish to press charges?”

  Francesca turned her eyes upon Finn then, her expression flashing between rage and pleading. Finn ignored her.

  “Well, sheriff, in all honesty-if it’s just the same to you, and to Joe here, I’d prefer to deal with this matter privately, using my own brand of justice. I think we can all agree that Francesca acted without thought, and outside the scope of the law, and cannot expect to get off scot-free without consequences. On the other hand, she did have it back within the hour, and I wouldn’t want such a grand offense to show up on her permanent record.”

  The sheriff nodded slowly, trying not to smile. “I’m amenable to that.”

  “Joe?”

  Joe was not as quick to a
gree, running his hand across his face wearily, looking as if he would much rather forget the whole night. He would not look at his daughter or his wife as he waved his hand in agreement. “That’s fine.”

  “Oh, you have got to be kidding me!” Francesca cried. “Every single one of you is completely certifiable. There is no way this is legal!”

  “Maybe you have a point,” Finn agreed cheerfully. “Best to deal with this through the appropriate legal channels. Guess you better get comfortable then, because between court, and whatever happens afterwards, you could be here for a long time. Maybe they’ll let you take a plea bargain, because I have to tell you, I’m pretty popular around here these days, and you did steal my truck.”

  Francesca looked trapped. And she was, caught right between a rock and a hard place as his aunt Martha would have said.

  “Oh, fine. Whatever.”

  It took everything in him not to gloat, but he managed.

  Sheriff Bill looked relieved. “So, we’re all in agreement, then. This matter will be settled privately, between Miss Upton and Mayor Tucker.” He cleared his throat sheepishly. “I need to stay, until I am convinced that the matter has been handled fairly and efficiently.”

  Finn narrowed his eyes, but didn’t argue. “That’s fine, but Francesca and I will be taking a trip down to the barns for some privacy. You can stay up here until we are finished.”

  “I’ll get you some coffee, Sheriff.” It was the first thing Priscilla had said all evening.

  Joe just rolled his eyes, and dismissed himself to bed.

  Finn took Francesca firmly by the shoulder and guided her out the door. They hadn’t even made it off the porch before she started in.

  “Finley Tucker, surely, you aren’t serious about this. You know I didn’t mean any harm, and I’m truly sorry.” She adopted the soft southern belle tone she used whenever she was trying to get out of trouble, but Finn knew it all too well. He had seen it work on Joe many times, but it wouldn’t work on him.

  “Oh, I know you are sweetheart, but not half as sorry as you’re going to be.”

  “Tonight Finn? Really? But, I’m still sore!”

  “I reckon you shoulda thought of that darlin’, before you committed a felony. You heard the sheriff, he isn’t leaving until this is done and over with. Besides, I know you. If I don’t do this now, you’ll be gone by morning.”

  “Damn, you do know me.” With a resigned sigh, she managed a soft laugh. “I can’t believe you’re about to whoop my ass for the second time today.”

  *****

  Even though there were several barns on the property, Finn insisted on driving out to the horse barn on the far edge. For a moment she considered that this might be because he truly intended to make her scream, but the truth was that it was the nicest, and the most private.

  When he parked the truck, Finn insisted upon coming around to open the door for her, and help her down, like a nervous teen on a first date, and not at all like a man who was about to bust her tail for stealing his truck. But maybe it was just to ensure she didn’t take off running.

  Finn held onto her as he unlocked the barn, and led her to the stack of hay bales near the tack corner. She thought that he would grab hold of her, and just pull her over his knee as he had done previously, but instead he sat, and patted the space next to him.

  Had he decided to give her a stay after all? It was highly unlikely. Confused, she sat gingerly, glad that she had changed out of her shorts and dressed for dinner. The hay against her chafed skin would have been even more excruciating.

  “I’m sorry I hurt your feelings earlier.”

  “What?” Francesca managed an insincere laugh. “Finn, I’m fine. I truly do not know what I was thinking. All the blood must have gone to my head for a minute after being turned upside down for so long.”

  Finn looked unconvinced, but he didn’t argue, instead choosing a new conversation tactic. “You’re a lot better than this, Francesca.”

  “Oh, god Finn, please, can you save me the whole concerned parental spiel, and just get on with it.”

  “Fine.” He patted his knee expectantly. “Come on then, get on over.”

  She froze. Agreeing to this archaic arrangement was one thing, but actually being expected to place herself across his lap and offer her already sore bottom up for punishment? He had to be joking.

  “I can’t,” she whimpered. “Can’t you just do it for me?”

  “No, Francesca, I cannot. Submitting to a punishment is a big part of getting into the right headspace to be accepting of it, and if you are not in the right frame of mind you will not learn anything from it. If you learn nothing from it, sooner or later, you repeat the same mistakes and find yourself in the same circumstances.”

  “Oh, come on, Finley. It’s not like I’m in actual danger of stealing a car ever again. Hell, I didn’t even steal this one- I just borrowed it temporarily.”

  “Sheriff Daniels would beg to differ. Stop stalling, and get on over my lap. I’m going to give you a minute to comply before I start adding swats.”

  She waited as long as she could, mentally counting to fifty-five before bending and placing herself awkwardly across his knee. Good Lord, she felt absolutely ridiculous doing so. Once she complied, Finn took pity, adjusting her by tucking her firmly against his side, and tucking her legs under his to keep her from kicking.

  She expected him to start spanking immediately, but he didn’t. “Good girl. And now, that I have you where I want you, I can get back to my, what did you call it again? Oh, yes, concerned parental spiel.”

  Francesca groaned. “Really, Finn?”

  “Yes, really. And don’t forget what I told you earlier. When you’re over my knee, you address me as Sir.”

  “Oh, fine!”

  “What was that?”

  “Oh fine, Sir!” She was going to kill him tomorrow. Castrate him maybe.

  “You may not know it Francesca, but you are a lot better than your attitude or your actions would lead people to believe. Growing up you had lots of freedom and led a very privileged life, but you had no discipline. I’m sure it was great fun, but it’s no way to live. You have absolutely no self-discipline. You run amok like you’re still a seventeen-year-old child, while gallivanting around letting your parents pay your bills. What kind of life is that?”

  “An easy one,” she quipped, feeling brave as he hadn’t started spanking her yet.

  “Maybe so, but is it a happy one? Are you fulfilled? Are you productive? Does your life have any direction, or are you like a balloon with all the air let out of it, flying around with crazy abandon right before you crash?”

  Damn him. She didn’t know how but he was managing to hit right where it hurt, bringing to head every fear or negative thought she had had about herself in the last eight years.

  “So? So what if I’m a balloon? Everybody likes balloons.”

  “Hmmm,” Finn paused for effect. “I don’t think you like it as much as you claim to, darling, but you put on a good show. I’ll give you that.”

  “Oh, what do you know?”

  “I know that on the outside you’re a very beautiful grown ass woman, but on the inside you’re still a lost spoiled little child looking for attention in all the wrong places because your parents didn’t give you enough time, direction, or discipline growing up. I know you just flit about life acting up because you’re waiting for someone to step up and show you the care that your parents never did.”

  “Oh, that’s rich, Finn, really rich. Let me guess, you’re willing to step up and be that person and show me what my life has been missing is just a long list of do’s and don'ts and a really good thrashing if I don’t obey.”

  “Let me just put it this way, over the next few weeks, or however long you are here, any time I see you acting like less than a respectable young woman, I’m going to be sorely tempted to pull you back into this position and warm this beautiful bottom until you can’t sit down. And if that doesn’t do the trick
on its own, I’m not opposed to letting you spend some time in the naughty girl corner or giving your mouth a good soaping either.”

  She was outraged, not at his words, but at the way her body was reacting to them. Why in the world would being draped over Finn’s lap for yet another humiliating spanking, while he threatened her with yet more spankings, and other more humiliatingly childish things, would her pussy be nearly dripping with desire? What in the hell was wrong with her? This was even more humiliating than the spankings themselves. Finn could not find out.

  “Dream on, Finley,” she managed to choke out.

  “Oh, I don’t think it is a dream, darlin’. If I know you- it will become a reality very quickly. And you know what else? You’re soaking wet just thinking about it.” She began to shake her head fervently, but Finn just laughed. “Deny it all you want, sweetheart, you and I both know that when those panties come down, the truth will come out.”

  When those panties come down? He intended to spank her on the bare? Oh god, just kill her now. The worst part was that he was right.

  “So, I propose we make an agreement, right here and now. You agree to let me act as your guardian and disciplinarian for the entirety of your stay here, and I agree to let you keep these panties on tonight.”

  Chapter Four

  She was actually considering it. For whatever reason that had very little to do with wanting to keep her panties on, and everything to do with the fact that he was very much right about her needing this in her life, she was actually considering it. But, she would never give in that easily.

  “I’m twenty-five, Finn. I don’t need a guardian or a disciplinarian. I’m an adult.”

  “Very well then.” Finn lifted the hem of her dress, laying it across the middle of her back, and tucked his fingers inside the waistband of her silk panties. “These wouldn’t have offered you much in the way of protection anyways. And this way I get to enjoy the view. You have a very beautiful bottom Francesca, but it’s also very, very red, and it’s about to get even redder.”