Total pages in book: 98
Estimated words: 95756 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 479(@200wpm)___ 383(@250wpm)___ 319(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95756 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 479(@200wpm)___ 383(@250wpm)___ 319(@300wpm)
She wandered off towards the creek. This was so exciting. Hmm, she wondered if she could find any skipping stones. She looked back towards where Macca was packing up the picnic. She should probably help him.
“Do you need my help, Daddy?”
“I’m okay, sweet pea. But thanks for asking.”
With that taken care of, she turned back to find the perfect skipping stone. She found one and picked it up, letting it fly across the water. Huh. That one didn’t work too well. She was too far away from the water. She moved further along the bank, not watching to make certain she wasn’t going too far.
There! The perfect stone was just calling to her. Glistening from under the water. She quickly sat down and pulled off her boots and socks. She didn’t want to get her new boots all wet. She stepped into the water. Woah, Macca was right. It was freezing.
She moved further out into the water, paying no attention to anything else. Including the man calling out her name.
“Gigi! What are you doing?”
The sudden shout had her turning. Her foot slipped on a stone and she only had a moment to take in Macca’s shocked face as she lost her balance and landed on her bottom in the creek. She’d thrust her hands out first and now her gloves were completely saturated, along with her jeans and the bottom of her jacket.
“Gigi!”
“I’m okay. I’m okay.”
Soaking wet and chilled, but she hadn’t hurt herself. Macca strode right into the water, not worried about getting his boots wet. He plucked her up into the air.
“Daddy, you’ll get all wet!” Already her teeth were chattering. Where had the sun gone? She looked up into the sky, noticing the dark clouds gathering. Uh-oh. Maybe she should have listened to Macca when he’d said he wanted to leave straight away.
“You should have listened to me about a lot of things,” he growled at her, setting her on her feet back in the picnic area.
Whoops. Seemed she’d said that out loud.
“Like when I told you not to wander out of my sight or get close to the creek. Instead, you decided to walk into the water. You disobeyed me, little girl.”
“I’m sorry. Guess I’m riding back to the ranch in wet clothes.”
“Don’t worry, I’m sure your hot ass will keep you warm.”
Uh-oh.
4
Damn it.
He knew he shouldn’t have let her go exploring on her own. And now she was standing here, trembling with cold and he didn’t even have a new set of clothes for her. He quickly pulled off her soaking wet gloves and jacket. Shit. If he’d brought a jacket for himself, he’d have had one to put on her.
“We need to get these jeans off as well,” he muttered.
“But I don’t have any other clothes to put on.”
At least she’d taken her socks and boots off. He’d go grab them. They’d keep her feet warm.
“I’ll have to wrap you up in the picnic blanket.” The wind started to pick up. Fuck. That’s all he needed, for it to start raining. Where the hell had this weather come from? He’d never have brought her out if he’d thought it would turn like this.
“Hold onto my shoulders.” He undid her jeans and slipped them down her legs. “What were the rules, Gigi?”
“Not to go too far and not to go near the creek,” she replied sadly.
“And what did you do?”
“I wandered away and walked into the water. But I was just trying to get the perfect stone to skip across the water.”
“And you fell into the water. I told you that creek is freezing cold.”
“I’m sorry, Daddy.”
He gathered up her jacket and wet jeans and walked over to get the picnic blanket from the saddlebags. He put her wet stuff in the backpack. After wrapping her up in the blanket, he pointed a finger at her.
“Stay here, little miss. I’m going to get your boots and socks. You move and not only will you get yourself a spanking now, but you’ll get a second one with your bad girl paddle when we get home.”
Her lower lip trembled, but he wasn’t going to be swayed. Gigi knew that when she broke a rule, then she was going to get punished. And he didn’t mess around when it came to her health.
He stomped over and picked up her boots and socks. When he returned, she gave him a sad look. “I’m sorry, Daddy. I wasn’t thinking that I might slip over and fall in.”
“That’s why I made the rule. And that’s why you obey my rules, now, isn’t it?”
She nodded. “Are we not going to go on any more picnics now?”
What?
He immediately reached out and grabbed her chin, raising her face up so he could see her eyes.
“Hey. Why would you say that, sweet pea?”
“Because I was naughty and didn’t follow the rules.” She gave a forlorn sniffle. “Now you might decide it’s not worth taking me again.”