Page 24 of Roots of Redemption (Hicks Creek #4)

Sutton moves to the next cow, and I follow, handing her tools and taking notes when she asks. It’s a rhythm we fall into easily, and for the first time, I see just how good she is at what she does.

“You’ve got a good system,” I say as she finishes up with the last cow.

She glances at me, then quickly back down. “Thanks.”

Her dad clears his throat, drawing our attention. “You two done?”

“For now. I’ll check back tomorrow. I’ve got them all listed and tagged according to what antibiotics and steroids I’ve given them. I’ve also written down the times, dosage, and when started. You cannot introduce any meds or anything else to them without my knowledge.”

“Okay,” Frank answers gruffly. His eyes dart to me before he lowers his voice and leans closer to Sutton. “Were you able to go through my papers?”

“No, I’ll do that when Wade isn’t with me,” she says quickly.

“Do what you need to do.” I shrug. “I’m actually pretty intrigued by your dad’s irrigation system out here. Would you mind showing me what you’ve got going on, Mr. Bishop?”

The old man’s eyes flash with pride as he nods. It’s like his angry mask falls off and he is transformed into a decent human being who doesn’t resemble Scrooge.

“Tuck and I came up with it. We needed something a little better than what we originally had.”

He gestures for me to follow him, and I jump and do so.

“Okay then,” she says, her ponytail swaying behind her as she cleans up and starts for the house.

Frank takes me out to show me the irrigation system. He’s in his element as he explains it all. His eyes keep darting up to the house as if he’s expecting Sutton to come out any second.

He tilts his head slightly. “How’s she doing, Wade?”

I blink, caught off guard by the question. I sit back on my heels as I watch him carefully for a second. Frank Bishop is naturally a crotchety old man who seems to always have a chip on his shoulder. This question from him is out of the blue—it’s like he has different personalities.

“That’s something you’ll have to ask her,” I reply, holding my hands up in surrender.

He lets out a dry laugh, shaking his head. “Yeah, well, she won’t talk to me. Can’t say I blame her. I didn’t think she’d come back, but she did.”

“You should be proud of her,” I say, my voice steady. “She’s doing everything she can to figure out what’s going on with the herds. She’s smart, loyal, and strong-willed.”

“Nance called me a bit ago and told me that she went toe-to-toe with Sheriff Clark and some Ag bigwig. Said she was full of fire, didn’t back down, and that—” He pauses for a second and makes a face. “—you sure as hell couldn’t tell that she’s only five-two. She looked ten feet tall.”

“I have no doubts.” I smile proudly back at him. “I heard she went there, but I don’t know what happened. I do know that she’s not scared of much.”

“Good, I did something right,” he says roughly before I watch him disappear into the barn.

I cock my head to the side, seeing Frank in a completely different way. For as long as I can remember, he’s been rude and hard on everyone around him. Even growing up, I never understood how Miss Caroline could stand to be married to him.

The screen door on the house slams, and I see Sutton rushing outside. She’s got fire coming out of her ears practically as she goes directly to where her dad is coming out of the barn.

“Did you…” she starts angrily.

I clear my throat louder than I intended. I hold my hands up and gesture toward the truck.

I do not need to be present for their family issues.

“Never mind, I have another herd to check on. I’ll be back later, Dad.”

He doesn’t reply, and she storms off toward the truck. I’m standing near the driver’s side door. I hold out my hand for her keys.

“I don’t think so,” she laughs before rolling her eyes.

I hate sitting in the passenger seat, but I guess I volunteered for this.

I cross over to the other side of the truck. She throws the truck in reverse a minute later, and we start down the driveway.

“You good?” I ask.

“Shut up,” she snaps.

“I’ll let that slide since you’re clearly pissed about something but talk to me like that again, and I’ll put you over my knee.”

It’s meant as a joke to get her out of her own head, but the thought of putting her over my knee while she’s naked turns me on. Her head whips around to look at me so fast that her hands follow, and we almost drive into the ditch. Her face is bright red.

“Whoa!” I call out as I reach over and grab the steering wheel.

She stops the truck and turns to look back at me. “What did you just say to me?”

“I said that if you ever talk to me like that again, I’ll put you over my knee,” I reply huskily.

She bites her bottom lip. “And what will you do?” she whispers.

I lean forward, cupping her chin in my hands. “Give you a much-needed spanking.”

Her jaw drops open, but she’s speechless.

I’ve always enjoyed smacking a woman’s ass in the bedroom.

It’s a primal sign of ownership for me, but I’ve never thought of doing it in any other way until right now.

The way her cheeks are tinged with pink and her eyes are hooded and full of lust, the image of putting her over my knee is something that I want to happen in reality.

There’s something about kink that’s always called to me, and I have done research through books and social media influencers to learn more. Until this moment, I haven’t found a woman that I wanted to explore it with, nor one who didn’t cringe and backpedal at the thought of it.

“Listen, I would never do that unless you agreed to it,” I tell her, my eyes imploring hers. “But if you’re going to act like a brat, you deserve to get treated like one.”

“I’m not…I…”

“I didn’t say it was a bad thing,” I chuckle as I caress her cheek.

“I want to be the man that shuts your brain off, that turns that sassy, independent woman into a soft, feminine seductress. I want you, and only you, Sutton, but I will give you the space to decide if you feel safe enough with me to allow that.”

She nods, her eyes still boring into mine.

I kiss her softly before I pull back. She’s still staring back at me in shock.

That one kiss isn’t enough. I want more, but I also know that we have cattle to save and I can’t distract her from that.

I could lose our ranch if I do. I blow out a long breath.

“We should probably get moving to the next ranch.”

“Maybe you should drive,” she says softly as she unbuckles her seatbelt.