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  “Nana, your grandson wants nothing to do with me. He’s made it very clear. And, with all due respect, the man is an absolute bore. I’d DIE if I had to spend that much time around him,” Perlita sighed, shaking her head as she sipped her tea. Mmmm, at least that was something about him that was worth enjoying. He knew how to brew a cup!

  “Now see here, little Miss Perl. I raised me five girls and three boys. My young’uns learned early that their mama had a good brain in her noggin and it didn’t take long for them to learn to mind me. That boy,” she pointed to the door, “is the only one who still gives me a fight. You need his help. And he needs yours.”

  “What do mean? My money? I…”

  “Foolish girl! Henry is too proud to take money, even if he needed it. Nah, you need to help him with…”

  “Nana? Everything’s unloaded and I fixed your pantry door,” Hank interrupted loudly, overhearing the last sentences. “I love you, but you really need to stop meddling in my business. Miss Perl, are you ready? I’m thinking I can take you to a train depot to get you…”

  “And I’m thinking,” she interrupted as she rested her gaze on the old lady before turning to face him, “I will go with you to your ranch.”

  “What?!” Hank roared, his face reddening.

  Perlita nodded calmly, strengthened by the smile on Nana’s face. “Yes, I’ve decided that I will be coming with you. Nana was right—I would be much safer away from my father’s businesses. I would be able to hide at your place long enough to get them to blow off the rest of the search. My mind is made up, Mr. Billings. You will have a house guest for a short while.”

  “Nana… this is your doing, isn’t it?!” Hank shouted.

  “Lower your voice and stop that grouching, Henry Joseph Billings, right this second! Hear me, boy?! You will take this child with you and watch out for her. Don’t you even think of making me come after you! You know darn well that I will. And when I do…”

  Perlita suppressed a snicker as the tall, solid man bent to the will of the tiny, bent old woman. She winced as Nana cracked him again in the shin—right over the area where she, herself, had kicked him earlier.

  “Yes’m,” Hank snarled again, shoving his hands in his pockets so she wouldn’t see him clenching his fists with annoyance.

  Nana pointed to him. “Watch that tone there, mister. Now, you take this sweet young thing and get outta here. Grab her some more clothes while you’re upstairs getting the quilts for your trip. Honey child? You be careful,” she ordered, kissing Perlita’s cheek.

  “I will, Nana. Thank you for your hospitality. And for lending me your cranky grandson.”

  “Just get him outta here ‘fore I blow my stack. His attitude needs some serious adjusting,” the old woman commented as Hank re-entered the room and dropped an armful of quilts on Perlita’s lap.

  “Bye, Nana. I’ll see you in about three or four months,” Hank said, leaning down to kiss the old woman’s cheeks, his arms full of clothing. “I’ll be expecting you to come south with me before the weather gets bad. It’s too cold here for you.”

  “I will consider it. I’d rather take a train than ride with you, though. You be careful my boy,” the woman whispered in his ear, “and watch out for the girl. She’s in danger and needs you. I’m not telling you to marry her, just keep her safe.”

  “Only because you insist. She’s a load of trouble, that one is, so don’t you play the matchmaker. Please be careful. I’ll miss you,” the man said affectionately. “Send Miss Bessie and William my regards.”

  Nana kissed him one more time and, with a twinkle in her eye, shooed him off.

  Chapter Three

  Perlita watched the old farm house disappear behind her as they drove away. She smiled prettily at Hank. “Thank you so much, Mr. Billings. I promise that you’ll hardly know I’m there. Does your housekeeper know how to dress hair? If not, I’ll need to get someone in my employ…”

  “Miss Perl, let’s get one thing straight. You’re here because my grandmother is a conniving, manipulative, and sneaky old lady. She will just as soon meddle in my personal affairs as run me ragged when she thinks it’s time for me to go back home. She also knows I would never directly disobey her, out of respect. But we need to get some things straight. I do not intend on making this a holiday for you to enjoy. I do not have a housekeeper, cook, or bottle washer. You will help on the ranch just like everyone else does and you’ll learn how to take care of yourself. My hands will protect you from threats, but that’s it. There is no coddling of women where I live.”

  “Do you just hate me, or is it women in general?” Perlita snapped.

  “Women who aren’t able or willing to lend a hand beyond pointing at things to be done have no business being around me. Your daddy didn’t do you any favors by handing everything to you on a silver platter. You’re gonna learn how to work for a living.”

  “Just who the hell do you think you are, Mr. Billings? You know nothing about me or the life I’ve led!”

  “Miss Perl, I would greatly appreciate it if you would not use profanity around me. I don’t permit cursing from my ranch hands nor will I allow it coming from the mouth of a young lady,” Hank scolded.

  Perlita’s face reddened with anger as she spouted off several curses at him in Italian. He eyed her warningly, causing her to blush furiously before tightly crossing her arms and staring straight at the road ahead of them.

  The countryside was mountainous with the winding roads disappearing around curves. Hank drove slowly and carefully, adding to Perlita’s frustration and general lack of patience. After an hour’s silence, she verbalized her opinion regarding the man’s driving and over-caution. He glared at her, choosing to remain silent. Another vehicle in front of them slowly crawled along the road and a very annoyed Perlita reached over and began to pound loudly on Hank’s horn.

  Growling, he grabbed her wrist. “Do not do that again, little girl. You are pressing my nerves right now and if you don’t sit there quietly, I promise you will regret it.”

  Another string of Italian curses escaped her lips as she yanked her hand away from him. Moments later, she once again reached over to honk the horn at the car in front of them. It slowly pulled over to allow them to pass and Perlita sat back with a look of triumph on her face. Hank just pursed his lips. Soon, they were off the mountain road and traveling a straight line through a densely wooded region.

  Hank silently pulled his truck over. “Get out.”

  “What? Are you kidding me?” Perlita asked, her dark eyes wide.

  “I said, get out. I warned you.”

  “I am not getting out of this truck until we reach our destination.”

  Hank snarled and walked around to the passenger’s side, opening her door and grabbing her arm. With one easy yank, he pulled her out of the seat and dragged her around to the open back of the vehicle. Without pausing, the tall man planted himself on the edge of the truck bed and easily dragged Perlita’s enraged body across his long legs, locking her firmly in place with his left arm around her waist. She screamed more curses at him, fighting to escape his iron hold as he tilted her head down towards the ground. She found herself, for the first time in her life, in the greatly undignified position of being upended over a man’s lap. Her shapely, round bottom pointed high in the air, making a generous target for the attention of Hank’s work-hardened hand. A shriek escaped her as the first, well-aimed smack landed on her right cheek.

  “Let me go, you infernal pig!” she ordered, her accent intensified by her anger. “OWWW!”

  “We will get one thing straight, young lady,” Hank said, his hand falling twice more on her squirming behind. Hank’s cousin Becky had not left any underthings behind at Nana’s house, and they had not stayed long enough for the ones Perlita had been wearing to be washed, so now she wore nothing at all under her trousers. Hank had to admit that he was thoroughly enjoying the sight of her well-rounded cheeks pressing against the tight denim. He also wondered what lay
hidden under the thin material. “My word is absolute law. Despite your opinion about me, I am not a country bumpkin nor am I your beau, so you will treat me with respect and regard me as your protector and your new boss.”

  “Like hell I will!” Perlita exclaimed, twisting to glare at him angrily. “You will let go of me this minute, you insolent swine.”

  “That’s it. I warned you,” Hank announced, reaching around to the front of her trousers and easily untying the cloth belt that held them up. Perlita screamed as he yanked them down to her knees, instantly exposing the smooth, olive-colored globes of her delightfully full bottom. Perlita gasped—not only was this beast of a man seeing her so exposed but it was in broad daylight and on an open road! How dare he make such a spectacle? It was not decent!

  Hank swung his hand in a large arc, catching the under curve of her left cheek with a loud clap, accompanied by an angry yell. His hand quickly returned, delivering a sound smack to her other cheek as he watched her flesh shake underneath his fingers. He was set on teaching a lesson and, with a grim face, Hank began to lay smack after heavy smack over those voluptuous mounds, covering them with small red stripes left by his long, steely fingers. He reached up to wave as the sound of honking greeted him, and watched as the car which they had bypassed earlier drove past them. Perlita’s face flushed with humiliation and embarrassment. She knew the passengers in that vehicle had received a good view of her already well-spanked bare bottom.

  Back to the task at hand, Hank was resolute in teaching this spoiled little girl a lesson she would not likely forget any time soon. A volley of rapid, sharp spanks quickly covered Perlita’s bottom from her waist down to her upper thighs, coloring the area a bright pink. Hank stopped to inspect his work and, unsatisfied, he started again from the beginning with slightly harder and more concentrated smacks. The intensity and speed increased, turning Perlita’s bottom a dark, angry red. She began to sob out of anger, mortification, and fear and she continued to swear and struggle under the discipline being delivered. Hank instinctively knew that the stubborn young woman had not yet yielded to her punishment, and he intended to change that before Perlita was allowed to continue the trip with him.

  Hank paused one last time, and then, giving no warning, he suddenly unleashed a flurry of at least fifty full-strength spanks to the fullest part of Perlita’s appealing backside. Perlita could only manage a gasp as she was caught unawares. Her arms and legs stiffened before she began to kick and flail uncontrollably. She reached her right hand back in a futile attempt to protect her bottom from the unexpected and very painful assault. Hank paused to capture and restrain her unruly arm, and then promptly recommenced. Perlita’s howls echoed through the woods as her efforts to escape diminished.

  When he was finally finished, he held her in place across his lap to take the time to admire a job well done. Her right leg hung down limply, exposing a fringe of soft dark hair framing the palest pink lips he had ever seen. Reprimanding himself for indecent thoughts of what he would like to do with that amazing sweetness, he quickly pulled her trousers over her swollen bottom and stood her before him like a newly chastised child.

  “Have I made myself clear, young lady? Are we going to have to repeat this again?”

  Perlita sniffed, facing the ground and suddenly feeling very young and vulnerable. She shook her head, too ashamed to look at him in the eye.

  Hank lifted her chin to force eye contact. “I asked you a question. I expect an answer.”

  “Yes, you are clear—and no, you won’t have to repeat yourself,” came the sullen response.

  “Somehow I find that hard to believe. Why are you crying now?” he sounded exasperated as a new flood of tears erupted from the girl’s eyes. She launched herself into his arms, her weeping uncontrollable. Hank uncomfortably patted her shoulders. He wasn’t much for affection except to his horses and dogs, but there was something in the depths of the young woman’s tears that made him feel, well, paternal. Hell’s Bells! He reminded himself that he was nearly old enough to be her father. Of course, it was only reasonable to feel that way, given the age difference and her petite form. Paternal… nothing more. Hank grumbled—he was never very good at lying, even to himself. He was attracted to the spirited young woman and he hated himself for it. It made him feel weak, which was not a characteristic that he tolerated in anyone.

  Clearing his throat, he gently pushed her away. “We still have some traveling. Go on with you. Get in the truck now,” he ordered softly. Perlita submissively drew herself into the truck’s cab and positioned her tender bottom on several of Nana’s quilts, saying nothing more. Uncomfortable silence accompanied them over the next several hours. Hank pulled into a fill station and ordered Perlita out to freshen up and join him for lunch. She obeyed his orders without a word, slowly urging her aching bottom off the seat of the truck and limping slightly as she made her way to the restrooms. By the time she joined Hank in his booth, he had ordered food for them both and he informed her of such.

  “I don’t care for this… cuisine.” Perlita wrinkled her nose as a large plate of meatloaf slathered in gravy with potatoes and corn, and a large glass of frothy milk, was placed before her.

  Hank pointed to the plate. “You will finish every last bite of that. I’m not having you fall by the wayside from starvation.”

  “You are not the boss of me, Mr. Billings,” Perl responded, to Hank’s secret delight. Her spark had returned.

  “I think while we travel together, we need to get some things understood. First, like it or not, I am the boss of you. Second, I think it would be wise to avoid drawing attention to ourselves—just in case those people are still looking for you.”

  “And how do you propose we do that?”

  “To start with, I’m old enough to be your papa. For now on, you need to call me that. It will look much better for us to be traveling as a father and daughter, instead of… well… people of impropriety.” Hank blushed slightly.

  Perlita frowned. “How amazingly old-fashioned of you!” she scoffed. “That is ridiculous. First, I will not call you Papa. I am not a child and…”

  “You are a child. What are you? Fourteen?”

  “I beg your pardon, sir! I am nineteen!” Perlita responded indignantly. “I told you that already.”

  Hank’s eyes twinkled, pleased to get a rise out of her. “Sure you are, child. But Papa says you are fourteen years of age while we travel together. You will show respect at all times or you’ll be getting another hiding on that chubby little behind of yours, understood?”

  Perlita reddened, sinking into her seat. The man was infuriating! He had her trapped, too. She needed his help and he was taking full advantage of it.

  “You are not old enough to be my papa,” she grumbled under her breath.

  “I beg to differ. Just turned thirty-six a few weeks back. Eat,” he reminded her firmly. Perlita sighed, picking at the gooey mess in front of her. Hank’s long fingers tapped the table as she hesitated and, reluctantly, she inserted her fork into her mouth. Her eyes widened.

  “This isn’t bad,” she admitted, going for a second taste. Hank chuckled. He would put some meat on those skinny bones before the end of their trip, although he harbored no complaints about the plumpness of her bottom. He also might as well teach the young lady a few things about life in the real world while he was at it.

  “Good. Now, let’s continue our conversation. You are never, under any circumstance, to go anywhere or talk to anyone without me. There are some unsavory characters about and I don’t need to be killing men just because they think they can take advantage of a pretty girl.”

  “You think I’m pretty?” Perlita blinked, genuinely surprised. Her ‘family’ had always called her bella but she found herself to be quite unattractive. Her overly dark eyes were too wide, lashes too long, teeth too white, nose too large, and hair too thick. And her body! She shuddered as she thought of Hank viewing her most hated part. Her bottom was too full and rounded, overemphasiz
ed by an overtly tiny waist. Her father had constantly commented about her possessing ‘child-bearing hips’ and lamented that he would never be a grandpapa at the rate she refused suitors. Tears welled once more as she suddenly felt herself missing him and Zio Franco again, knowing neither would ever have the chance to play with her bambinos.

  “Well, you aren’t my particular type of pretty, but most men would see you as fetchin’. In that exotic sort of way,” Hank said casually, sipping his coffee as he studied her blush. “Are you fishing for compliments, daughter?” he asked, snapping her out of her sad thoughts.

  “Don’t call me that. No. I just… I never thought I was pretty to anyone but my family. How are you going to explain your accent?”

  “My accent? Girl, I don’t have an accent, you do. If anyone asks, your mama was from the old country and left the ranch to go back to her family upstate. She recently sent for me before she passed.”

  “For such an uneducated man, you are very adept at inventing believable stories, aren’t you, Mr. Billings? Yet, you can’t accept my story as true,” Perlita commented, her eyes narrowing at him.

  “Uneducated? My dear, don’t mistake my ease of speech for being stupid. I went to Harvard and I am the district attorney and stand-by circuit judge in my county in Texas. As for my failure to believe you, I do sincerely apologize. You must admit that your tale was somewhat doubtful,” Hank commented uncomfortably.

  “An attorney and a judge? That is about as inconceivable of a story as I’ve ever heard. However, since you obviously have no experience outside your little farm and some school, I could understand why it would be difficult for you to accept or understand my situation.” She looked around distastefully. Hank leaned forward to grasp her wrist, whispering as he spoke,