Free So Not a Cowgirl by Starla Kaye Page B

time on her hands. Time Mr. Stubborn Cowboy was paying highly for.
    On a final spin of the chair, the IRS notice that she’d dropped on the desk snared her attention. She couldn’t resist such a chance to prove her worth. She couldn’t allow him to fumble his way through finding the necessary information and communicating reasonably with the agent in charge of the case. Still, as she reached for the notice, she realized her actions would be seen as rebellion, as going against his orders. He’d no doubt come up with consequences , just as he’d mentioned, for her disobedience.
    Tough! This job and proving herself was worth whatever he’d deal out later.
    She scooted the chair back and determined where to start looking for the information.
    The light in his office was still on as Drew drove into the driveway near midnight. He frowned as he drug himself wearily out of the truck. His headache had stayed with him all day. As had thoughts of Tanya. And memories of overhearing her conversation with that Townsend character. A partnership. In Sacramento. Halfway across the country.
    He slammed the truck door. He’d spent way too much time fretting over her leaving the ranch, especially since he wanted her gone. At least that’s what he’d told Greg, told her, too. But as he’d sat through one frustrating meeting today after another with his lawyer and some foundation contacts, he’d realized that he wasn’t so sure he really wanted her gone.
    Bone dead tired, he headed up the porch and into the house. He needed to fall face down on his bed and sleep about ten hours straight through. Wouldn’t happen. He’d need to get up in about six hours in order to get ranch chores done before another busy day ahead. His lawyer had another meeting set up for this afternoon. And his banker wanted a piece of him as well.
    Closing the front door, he remembered the lights on in the office. Tanya. What the hell was she doing still working at this hour?
    Drew strode down the hall, struck halfway by the smell of her special scent again. Struck, too, by immediate awareness of how close he was to her. Struck by a powerful need to touch her, to kiss her, to…
    To spank her good.
    Stopping in the doorway, Drew gaped at the piles of files and papers on the middle of the carpeted floor. He didn’t need to look closer to know which files they were. She’d gone against his wishes and dived right into the audit project. A part of him realized he should be glad for her help and what she’d found. The other part of him was royally pissed off.
    She hadn’t heard him enter the house, or even come into the room. She was bent over, sorting through some files spread out on the sofa. In a perfect position.
    It didn’t take him two seconds to cross the room, stop beside her, and plant one butt-burning Swat! on that tempting backside.
    “ What are you doing?” she snapped, bolting upright and turning to glare at him.
    He stood rigidly, anger threading through him. “What did I tell you before?”
    She rolled her eyes. “You’re being unreasonable about this.”
    “ My choice.” He pinned her with a steely gaze. “I repeat. What did I tell you before?”
    Pink tinged her cheeks, but she raised that stubborn chin. “I had time to kill. The bookkeeping is already caught up. You can’t pay me for just sitting around.”
    “ Trust me, sweetheart,” he said, walking toward the closet and the paddle he’d warned her about. “You won’t feel like sitting around when I get done here tonight.”
    “ Spanking me is just silly. I’m helping you here. Why can’t you see that?”
    When he faced her again, he noted how her gaze had locked onto the worn foot-long paddle. Her stance had stiffened. He could see her chest rapidly rising and falling. She knew what he planned to do, and yet she wasn’t running screaming from the room. Once again, he admired her strength of character.
    He walked back and took her arm, pulling her with him to the desk. She