Fantasy Friday - Running Creek Ranch

I have survived the first three days, but I'm not out of the woods yet - the kids don't come until Monday.   Don't like that I'm still too swamped getting started to be here much, but soon.  And no I haven't forgotten what this blog is about - I'll get back on topic soon, promise.

Meanwhile, it's Friday and everyone wants their story.  Thank goodness for Sunnygirl.  She was kind enough to send me several a while back in case I ran short.  Sunnygirl, you are a treasure!  I know you should be posting these on your site and I sure appreciate you sharing with us.  I'm glad you started writing!  I hope you'll all enjoy...

Running Creek Ranch 

Caleb Fletcher was used to seeing cowboys walking up the ranch road hauling their saddle and whatever other gear they could handle. He usually stopped to ask if he could give them a lift.  In this part of Montana he wasn’t worried about any of the usual things people in other parts of the world worried about.  Usually, it was just a cowboy down on his luck.  So when he stopped this time he was shocked when the cowboy turned out to be a cowgirl. 

He asked if he could give her a lift somewhere.  She told him she was just going up to the Bear Creek Ranch to see if they were looking for hands.  He told her he was going that way and he would get here there and to ask for Frank Fortuna.  He was the Ranch Foreman and would know whether they needed any help.

He didn’t introduce himself and didn’t ask her any questions.  It was a silent ride to the ranch and when he dropped her off he just continued on to the main house.  When he got inside he buzzed Frank on the intercom.  He told him he just dropped off this gal looking for work.  He told him to check her out and if it was feasible to give her the benefit of the doubt.  Caleb felt she could use a break.  She looked pretty down and out.

Caleb went on about his business.  As the owner of the Bear Creek Ranch he was a busy man.  In addition to running the ranch, he was a successful attorney. One down and out girl was just a blip on his radar.  It wasn’t until four or five days later when he went out to the barn and saw her mucking out the stalls that he remembered.  He sought out Frank and asked about her.  Frank said he hadn’t learned much.  Her name was Jane Mackey and she was originally from Colorado.  She told him she had been brought up on a ranch and there wasn’t much she couldn’t do when it came to ranch work.  Frank said she was a hard worker and pretty much minded her own business. He said he had put her up in the small groomer’s room behind the tack room rather than in the bunkhouse, which allowed her a little privacy. 

Two weeks later the sheriff called Frank Fortuna and asked if he had taken on any hands lately. He said he had hired a gal a couple of weeks ago.  The sheriff asked him if she was still there and if so to keep her there.  He would be out later to see is she fit the description on the Missing Persons report.  

Caleb happened to be in Frank’s office and saw Jane coming out of the barn.  He went out to her and introduced himself.  He explained the sheriff had called and was coming out to ask her some questions about a Missing Persons report. He invited her into the office and offered her a pop.  She accepted and sat back on the leather sofa as if the air had just been sucked out of her.  A tear trickled out and she quickly wiped it away.   Caleb watched her closely.  When she removed her hat and he noticed long brown hair with reddish highlights, green eyes and a pert upturned nose.  He suspected there were freckles under the dust on her face. He guessed she was about 25, not very big, couldn’t be much more than five and a half feet tall and didn’t look like she weighed enough to withstand a good wind but he had seen her mucking out stalls and knew that wasn’t true.  What was she running from? Or to?

Dale Grayson, the local sheriff, arrived soon after.  Dale said he was just following up a on a Missing Persons report that had come across his desk.  Jane spoke up and asked if the report had been filed by Drew Mackey.  Dale nodded his head and looked at Caleb.  Jane told them that Drew was her brother and he had been looking for her for the past year.  She had left home after she had broken her engagement.  She explained her ex-fiancé was a big shot politician’s son back in Colorado and he was not happy she had broken off the engagement.

Dale Grayson said he would check it out and if it was as she said he would just lose the paperwork on this desk.  Jane said thank you.  She was about to leave when Caleb intervened and asked her to stay back when Dale left.  He wanted to find out more information about Jane Mackey. 

He found Jane had graduated from the University of Colorado and had a teaching degree.  Her parents had owned a ranch near Fort Collins but it had been sold after they had perished in a plane crash.  She had been engaged for two years and as the wedding date got closer she realized she didn’t love him and called it off.  Drew and her ex-fiancé were best friends and she didn’t want either of them coming after her.  She knew she could end it if she just called Drew but she was unwilling to do that just yet.

           

Caleb told her he could understand how she felt but she should give Drew a call because she was causing extra work for law enforcement by remaining a missing person.  He said she could stay on as long as she wished but if he were her brother he would want to know she was alright and furthermore she deserved to get her hide tanned for causing so much worry. Jane made a comment about all men thinking alike and that she would think about.

Caleb told her that he was sure he could find her work more suited to her abilities.  She thanked him but said she was happy doing the ranch work.  He offered her the use of the ranch truck if she wanted to go into town and mentioned he had quite an extensive library up at the main house if she was interested. She asked him if he was he singling her out because she was female.  He told her he was taught to treat everyone with respect; the fact she was female really didn’t enter into except he thought she could use a friend.

She nodded, grabbed her hat and left the office.  She was feisty and very independent. She would be a handful but he liked that. He thought about how much fun it would be to try to tame her.  He was considered a real catch in these parts and was used to getting all the female attention he wanted or needed. He was very frustrated by her behavior. Jane Mackey was definitely on his radar now. 

A week went by and Jane had not taken him up on his offer to use the library.  As a matter of fact she made it a point to avoid him whenever he was in the area.  He figured a way to solve that problem.  He told Frank to have her meet him at the house at 4:00 that day.  When she arrived he invited her into his office/study and told her he needed help and asked her to assist him in managing his workload.  He told her the pay was higher and she could have use of the guest cottage instead of the tack room.  At first, she was dead set against this but he told her to give it a try and if it didn’t work she could go back to her previous ranching duties.

Jane knew what Caleb was doing.  Ranch hands were always trying to cozy up to her and she figured the best way was to avoid any contact beyond the workday.  The problem was she liked Caleb.  What was not too like?  He was over six feet tall and had the typical cowboy’s build of wide shoulders, slim hips and a gait that just oozed sexuality.  He had piercing green eyes and a shock of black hair that came just to his collar. She tried to avoid him because she didn’t trust herself.  This new position was going to be a challenge but she would give it a try.  It would be good to live in a real house again and come home not so thoroughly exhausted and dirty it took an hour to rid herself of the dust and grime of the range.

On the first day, she stepped into the office and Caleb looked at her appreciatively.  She smiled and said not to get used to it because she had a very limited wardrobe and she would be back in jeans and western shirts before the week was out. He said that was fine with him.  He didn’t mention that he liked looking at her cute little butt in her well worn jeans.  She proved to be adept at managing his records as well as him.  It wasn’t long before she was bossing him and his housekeeper around.

His housekeeper had been with him for years and did not like the fact this little chit was stepping on her toes.  She went to Caleb and told him the household was her domain and if he wanted to keep her he better tell Ms. Mackey to back off. 

He thought about what he would say to Jane.  He didn’t want to stifle her efforts but she could come on a little strong. He approached her later that day and told her he appreciated the work she was doing but Mrs. Griggs had been his housekeeper for many years and she had come to him upset that she was butting into the household affairs.  Jane told him he had hired her to manage his office which included the household accounts and she had found some areas that could be improved.  She had mentioned it to Mrs. Griggs.  She was sorry Mrs. Griggs was offended but it was his money that was being wasted. He asked her to show him what improvements could be made and if they were viable he would approach Mrs. Griggs.  In the future he asked her to come to him prior to making any changes.  She huffed and walked out of the room.  He told her he wasn’t finished talking to her and to come back.  She turned back, shrugged her shoulders and just stood there.  He thought she was acting just like a spoiled little brat instead of a professional and he would like to take her over his knee.

“What?” she said.  He hadn’t realized he had actually vocalized his thought.

 “It’s true, I do think a trip over my knee would do you a world of good.” said Caleb.

“Why because I stepped on your housekeeper’s toes by making a suggestion that would save you money?”

“No, because you never seem to consider other people’s feelings.  You are like a bull in a china shop.”

“If you had approached Mrs. Griggs with a different attitude, I am sure it wouldn’t have been a problem.  But you didn’t.  You act the same way with me.  Anybody listening to you lecture me about some office matter would think you are the boss and not me.  I can take it.  Not everybody can.  That’s why I think a good hiding would be very beneficial to you.”

She told him there was no way she would allow him to treat her that way and if that was the way he felt she wanted to go back to her outside ranch duties.  She moved out of the guest cottage and back into the tack room that afternoon.  The following morning she reported to Frank Fortuna for her assigned duties. 

Frank had been instructed by Caleb to give her the jobs no one else wanted.  He was determined to get her back into the office and into his life.  He figured it wouldn’t be long before she was begging to come back to the office. 

After two weeks, she was still working her butt off at the dirtiest jobs on the ranch.  She showed no sign of giving in and Caleb was beside himself.  Finally one day he met her just going into the tack room after a full day’s work. He was so frustrated he went up to her, hauled her over his shoulder and threw her into the horse trough.  She came up sputtering and kicking and fighting.

“Have you had enough of this grueling work?” he asked.

“If you think you are going to best me, Mr. Fletcher you are mistaken.  I can take whatever it is you dish out.”

Well, then take this.  With that he hauled her over his knee, pinioned his leg over hers and began to spank her jean clad bottom. She hooted and hollered but he continued to spank her until his hand hurt.  When he was finished he stood her up and told her to report to his office tomorrow at 8:00 and if she wasn’t there she could pack up her things and move on.

Caleb was sitting in his office at 8:00 am the next day.  Jane was not there. He wast just putting his head in his hands thinking of what he could have done differently when the office door opened and there stood Jane.

“You’re late, he said.

“So what are you going to do about it?  Spank me again.  Can I expect that kind of treatment whenever you think I deserve it?”

“Yes, I will spank you again whenever I feel you deserve it.  And the next time, I’ll cut a switch.”

“Well then we better be more than just boss and employee.  You being a lawyer should know that I could sue you for sexual harassment otherwise. You know I will follow through with my threat.”

He told her to could fix that.  He stood up, walked over to her and pulled her into his arms and gave her a solid kiss that she felt right down to her toes.

She told him that was more like it and went over and sat down at his desk and told him he had better get to work.  He was wasting time.  Whistling, he walked out the door with a spring in his step and song in his heart.

~o0o~

Thanks Sunnygirl, I really liked this one.  Those strong, no nonsense men get me every time.  You know without you we would be back in re-runs.  I don't mind re-runs because it will have been several years since they were here and I'll always tell you if it's a repeat.  But I sure hope some of you will break down and write that story you have rolling around in your head.  If you have a story to share please send it to elisspeaks@yahoo.com