Laying Down the Law (9 page)

“I want to know why you haven’t been taking better care of yourself. You’ve deliberately ignored the doctor’s advice for years and I want to know why. I also want to know why you didn’t tell me you had an ulcer.”

Callie snorted and squirmed her way backwards until she could sit up and face him.

Bad enough he wanted to have this conversation, she wasn’t going to have it in such a vulnerable position.

“Maybe because it was none of your business?”

He raised his eyebrow. “Is that so? You didn’t think I would want to know that you were ill, that I wouldn’t want to help take care of you.”

“I can take care of myself.”

“Obviously not or I wouldn’t have had to drag you to the doctors the other day, or force you to eat and give up your beloved caffeine.

Why haven’t you been looking after yourself?” Callie shrugged uncomfortably as she looked out over the view.

“Callie?” He wasn’t going to give in.

“I don’t know. I guess, I just don’t really think about it. I just keep going until I collapse. I hear this voice in my head telling me I’ll never be good enough, that I will never succeed and I want to prove it wrong.”

“Whose voice is it, sweetie?” He drew

“Whose voice is it, sweetie?” He drew her into his arms, rocking her gently as she began to cry.

“Ryan,” she whispered. Tanner tensed beneath her. She glanced up to see his jaw clench. “He always said I was worthless, that I wasn’t worth his time. I always forgot to do the laundry or I burnt dinner, I was forever costing him money, money he didn’t have.”

“But you know now that he was the one at fault, don’t you? You were a child, squirt, you shouldn’t be expected to run a household, and he should have taken care of you not the other way around.”

Callie shrugged.

Sighing, Tanner drew her up so that she sat upon his lap. “You deserve the world, baby.

You are worth more to me than anything I own, more than anything else. You are my world Callie and one day you will believe it. In the meantime I’ll just have to ensure that you the meantime I’ll just have to ensure that you take care of yourself, and spank you when you don’t.” Callie leaned back to glare at him, but he just grinned down at her, totally unrepentant.

“So, young lady, no more 14 hour days, you will close up and finish each day at 6pm.” He held up a hand to stop her speaking. “Let me finish. You may need to look at hiring another vet part-time, don’t worry about the money, we’ll sort it out. And once everyone pays what they owe you things will right themselves. There will be no more caffeine or alcohol, you will eat properly and you will sleep properly. Any disobedience on your part, miss, will result in a very sore bottom.” Callie frowned as he patted her bottom warningly. “You cannot be serious! That’s ridiculous, Tanner. Sometimes I need to work longer. You can’t tell me that your job doesn’t force you to work long hours.”

force you to work long hours.”

Tanner shook his head at her, his face stern. “I’m not ill. I won’t have you abusing yourself, Callie and I am most definitely serious.”

She stared up into his face, seeing the firm resolve.

“All right. All right.”

She threw up her hands in supplication.

“You really are bossy, you know.”

“Guilty as charged.”

***

Callie sat at her computer, wishing she was anywhere else at the moment. She looked over at the clock and saw it was 7.30pm and wondered where the hell the time had gone.

Tanner would kill her if he found her working after 6pm.

She shrugged. He was on nights. What he didn’t know about wouldn’t hurt him.

It had been a month since Tanner had first taken her out to his place. And since then he’d spent most of the nights he wasn’t working at her place. Which had been an adjustment. Having someone else practically live with her. Especially someone as dominant as Tanner. He was a complete and utter neat freak. Everything was folded and put away neatly as soon as she put it down. But she could put up with that. It was kind of nice to live in a place that was tidy.

She heard a truck pull up outside and sighed, wearily wondering who was here. She was standing when she heard someone come in the back door. Her heart stuttered then beat fast. Who would just walk on in?

“Callie?” Tanner called out. She slumped in relief.

in relief.

“In here,” she called. He appeared in the doorway. She smiled even as he stared at her sternly.

“What are you doing home? I thought you didn’t finish until midnight?” she asked.

“I don’t. I’m on my break. I brought you some dinner.” He held up a plastic bag.

“Oh, thank you.”

She walked around the desk.

“What are you doing still working?” His voice held a deep warning.

“I had some paperwork to do.”

“Callie,” he said warningly. “What is the rule?”

She placed her hands on her hips. “Damn it, Tanner, I can’t just stop working because you say so.”

you say so.”

“You can. Was it an emergency?

Something that couldn’t wait?”

“Well, no,” she admitted.

“Then it could have waited. Come here, Callie.”

She took his hand and let her lead him upstairs. Tanner placed the food on her coffee table before taking a seat on the sofa.

“Pull your pants and panties off. Then lie across my lap.”

Callie’s stomach dropped, but she followed his order, pulling off her pants and panties. She lay across his lap.

“Tell me, Callie, am I going to have to check up on you every night I’m working?”

“No,” she said in small voice, feeling submissive as he rubbed her bare bottom.

submissive as he rubbed her bare bottom.

“Too right, because you are not going to want to break this rule after I blister your butt.”

“I do this because I love you, and I want you to be safe and healthy always. Tell me that you know that.”

Callie let out a deep breath, letting herself relax that final piece of tension.

Serenity rolled over her, drawing her to a place that was peaceful and still. “I know you do, Tanner,” she whispered.

“Good.” He paused and she heard him swallow.

“I’m going to spank you long and hard, Callie.”

With that his hand landed on her bottom.

Callie barely had time to take a breath as he followed it quickly with another spank. Heavy followed it quickly with another spank. Heavy smacks landed on her bottom and she was soon sobbing, crying aloud.

Suddenly, he stopped.

“I want you to go into the bedroom and get your hairbrush then bring it out here.” She let out a loud sob at that, but rose from his lap and moved into the bedroom to grab her wooden hair brush. The back of it was smooth and wide.

That was really going to hurt.

It did. He didn’t hold back, smacking her bottom heavily until all she was capable of was lying there and sobbing.

“There, there, baby, cry it all out,” he murmured to her soothingly, running his hand down her back. When she’d been reduced to sniffles, he helped her rise and standing, took her into his arms to rub her back gently.

“Callie, I have to get back to work.” She nodded and pulled back. But he didn’t leave, instead stood there, looking down at her.

“You know how much I love you, right?” She nodded again. He knelt and pulled a jewellery box from his back pocket.

“I bought this two days ago, I was waiting for the right moment, but well, I can’t wait. Will you marry me, Callie McKenzie? I promise to always love you, cherish you, take care of you. Will you do me the honor of being my wife?”

Her mouth opened and closed then she snapped it shut. She looked down at him, staring up at her, his face so serious, his gaze filled with love.

And it felt right.

She knew he wouldn’t walk away from her. He knew the worst about her, and he hadn’t once let her down or left her. She trusted him. She loved him.

“Yes.”

She squealed as he stood and grabbing her, spun her around the room. Then he kissed her deeply.

“I promise you will never regret it.” He put the ring on her finger and she stared down at the solitaire which fit perfectly on her finger.

“And now, I’m really sorry, but I have to go back to work.” He kissed her again then turned away with a groan.

“Eat dinner. Go to bed. I’ll see you later.” She gaped at him as he left. Then laughed. That really was a weird proposal.

***

***

Callie sighed in frustration at the knock on the front door of the surgery. She could ignore it, it was after hours after all and she was busy cleaning up. But of course the thought of an animal injured and in pain was more than she could bear and she found herself quickly walking towards the door.

Opening it without looking first, she stood there shocked as she stared up into the stern face of her oldest brother.

“Ryan,” she managed to stutter out, he was the last person she expected to see. “Is everything okay? It’s not Sally is it?” Against all odds she really liked Ryan’s wife.

“No. May I come in?” He looked around as if he didn’t want to be seen visiting her, sending a surge of fury through Callie’s blood.

But she merely nodded and moved aside so he could walk in.

could walk in.

“I’ll make this short; Jamieson came by to see me the other day. I didn’t raise you to hide behind a man, Callie.” Callie’s barely restrained temper flared at that statement.

“You didn’t raise me, period,” she snapped back. What the hell was Tanner doing visiting Ryan?

“Gave you a roof over your head, food in your belly, I didn’t send you off to live in foster care did I? Frankly, I think you got it good considering you’re not even my sister.”

“What?” Callie looked at him in shock, her jaw dropping.

Ryan narrowed his eyes as he glared down at her and Callie took a quick step back in the face of his anger before she could stop herself.

“Stupid kid, you never even worked it out

“Stupid kid, you never even worked it out did you? Your mother was pregnant when she married my father. Not that my father ever cared, all he saw was a precious little girl.

Lord, did he dote on you, even adopted you and left you part of
my
inheritance. Do you know how sickening it was for me to work my guts out, slave away at building up that ranch, for you, someone with absolutely no blood claim, to be able to claim some of my profits?

Lord it makes me sick.”

He turned away from her, disgusted as Callie’s head reeled from all that he’d told her.

Her dad wasn’t her dad? Ryan, Tripp and Kane weren’t her brothers?

“Why did you never tell me? Why didn’t anyone?”

“We all promised my dad. He wanted us to feel like a real family. So we all pretended.

And I held on to my promise. Until now.”

“Who’s my dad?” she asked her voice raspy with shock.

Ryan shrugged his shoulders. “Dunno, he’s dead, that’s all I know. Your mother never spoke of any other relatives.” He turned back to her, an envelope in his hand.

“Here’s your share of the profits for the last few years. I’ll get the rest to you later.” Callie looked down at the envelope in disbelief before staring up into the face of the man she’d always thought was her brother, a brother who hated her. But he wasn’t, and he hated her because of that.

She shook her head. “I don’t want your money, Ryan. I never have. I’ll sign over my share of the ranch to you. I never wanted it.” Tears formed in her eyes as the shock of all his revelations started to sink in. Who the hell was she?

Ryan shook his head. “Then why the hell did you send Jamieson for the cash?” Callie looked at him in surprise. “I never sent Tanner out to see you; I would never send him to ask you for money.” She was too shocked to be angry. Slowly reason started to seep through.

“I could never understand why you hated me, why I always felt so different from you all.

I am different.”

“So you don’t want the money?” Ryan asked, clearly impatient.

“No.” She shook her head. “Like I said, I’ll sign my part in the ranch over to you, just get your lawyer to draw it up and you’ll never have to see me again.”

“Good.” With that he turned on his heel and walked out of the surgery without hesitation leaving a shocked and dazed Callie hesitation leaving a shocked and dazed Callie staring after him. Sinking to the floor she buried her head into her raised knees and just waited for Tanner to come.

***

“Callie! Callie, where are you?” Callie ignored the voice, burying her head in deeper.

“Callie! What the hell happened? Are you hurt?” She raised her head as Tanner crouched in front of her and began to search her gently for injuries.

“I’m fine, Tanner. I’m fine.” She became aware of just how un-fine she was when he blanched upon looking at her face.

“What happened, baby?” His hands gently clasped her face. “You’re freezing! You’re in shock. Damn it, Callie, tell me what’s happened!”

“Has that become my new nickname?”

“Has that become my new nickname?” she croaked out, managing a small smile as she felt her shock dissipate in his presence.

“What?” He looked at her in total confusion, worry present in his eyes.

“It used to be squirt, but now it seems my new nickname is ‘damn it, Callie’.” She managed a grin as he frowned grumpily. She really did love this man.

He was her family.

“Damn it, Callie...” he began before they grinned at each other.

“You’re my family,” she said.

He frowned and gathered her up in his arms. “Well, of course I am, baby. Just like you’re mine. Come on, I don’t like the way you’re shaking. I’m going to ring the doctor.”

“No, no,” Callie shook her head. “Just take me home, take me to your place and make take me home, take me to your place and make love to me, Tanner. Please.”

Tanner shook his head, looking down at her disbelief. “Baby, I’ll take you home to my place, I’ll even put you to bed, but the only thing you’ll be doing is sleeping.”

“I need you, Tanner, please.” Her voice broke on a sob as she begged him and he rocked her softly in his arms.

“Tell me what’s going on, baby,” he asked as he sat in a chair, holding her tightly.