Rescuing Lilly Read online

  Jake shook his head, wondering why this woman was so stubborn and reluctant to let anyone else help her. Given how anxious she was to get back on the road it seemed obvious to him that she was running from something. He couldn't quite place why he wanted to take this girl home and take care of her. He didn't even really know her except for the fact she was obstinate and had an attitude to match. After thinking for a moment, he sat back down in the chair next to her bed and looked at her frowning face.

  "Look, I'm not sure what you are running from or why you are so anxious to put yourself in more danger by getting back on the road." He paused to put a finger over her lips as she tried to interrupt. "But I am going to make sure that you follow the nurse's orders and get some rest. I know you don't know me, but I promise I won't let anything happen to you and I would never hurt you. I just want to help."

  Lilly was dumbfounded by his words. Is this the same guy who threatened me ten minutes ago? She didn't realize why she felt he could really be trusted, but his voice conveyed more than just honesty. She could actually see the concern for her in his eyes and she realized that at this point, maybe it wouldn't hurt to have a little help. She looked up into his blue-gray eyes and nodded. "Okay."

  His smile brightened his entire face as he stood and turned for the door. "I'm going to go fill out the paperwork and then we will head out." He grinned as he shut the door and headed to the nurse's station.

  Lilly couldn't decide if she had just made a horrible mistake. Who actually agrees to go home with a total stranger while under the influence of prescription medicine and weak from dehydration? I must be a crazy person! Although he does seem kind of nice, and wow his body is too sexy for words. Her mind rambled as Jake walked back in the room and opened the small closet which held her clothes. He handed her a pair of jeans and a t-shirt and started to close the curtain around the bed. Well at least he is a gentleman.

  ---oOo---

  Once all the paperwork was settled, the nurse settled Lilly into a wheelchair, even though she insisted she was not a cripple and had no trouble walking.

  Jake laughed under his breath when the nurse walked the wheelchair into the room, but Lilly saw the stern look that took over his face as she began to argue with the nurse. "She is just doing her job, Lilly. Please sit down and do as you're told."

  Lilly almost argued with him but then realized she was still fairly tired and it wasn't worth her energy to argue with both of them for the short ride to the outside loading dock. As they pulled up to the curb, Jake reached in his pocket and pulled out his keys. "I've already pulled up front. I'm just right over there," he said while pointing at a shiny black 4-door Chevy Silverado.

  Lilly shivered - she loved big trucks and the good-looking guys that tended to drive them didn't hurt either. Even if this did seem like a weird situation, she was going to try to make the best of it. Jake scooped her up out of the wheelchair to set her in the passenger seat of his truck, interrupting her thoughts.

  "Whoa, caveman! I don't need to be manhandled!" she complained.

  "I'll show you manhandled. You're lucky I'm not setting your butt on fire instead."

  "You know it's rude to mumble," she spat back at him as he reached over to buckle her seatbelt.

  "I said, you're lucky I'm not setting your butt on fire. If you were my woman or sister, you would know better than to drive a car halfway across the country without having the engine checked. And you would also have packed enough water in case something did happen to make sure you didn't get dehydrated and pass out in the car in the middle of the Texas heat in the month of July."

  Lilly was taken aback. She didn't know how to respond at first. She didn't believe it was possible for a total stranger to be this angry with her. After sitting there for a moment feeling childish from his reprimand, she took a deep breath and began, "I guess that wasn't my smartest move." She looked down at her hands in her lap, realizing that if he hadn't come along she very well may have died on the side of the road.

  "What were you thinking of, sitting in the car? Don't you realize that the temperature on the inside of a car in the middle of summer can get up to 200 degrees!" he said, raising his voice a little more.

  Lilly started to feel so overwhelmed with herself and the situation that she could barely spit out an answer. "I... I sat outside for a while," she said softly. "And then I was getting burned so I thought... thought I'd just sit in the car for a little while. You know, to... to get out of the sun."

  "So what happened to your hand? It's got first and second degree burns all over it? Please don't tell me you tried to fix something under the hood while it was smoking," he asked, praying she would know better than to have done that.

  Jake looked over at the young woman sitting next to him in the passenger seat only to see a tear escape onto her left cheek as she nodded. He didn't mean to make her cry but she obviously needed someone to look out for her if these were the type of decisions she made on a regular basis. He stopped the car at the stop sign, reaching over to wipe the tear away with his hand. "Hey, it's ok. I just don't want you to be in a situation like that again. I want you to promise me that you will be more careful from now on," he said softly, rubbing her cheek with his thumb.

  Lilly looked at the strained look in his eyes and nodded. This guy almost seems bipolar, but in a sweet way. Instead of manic and depressed he is overly protective and gentle. She sat quietly the rest of way to his ranch, thinking about this new man who she couldn't quite comprehend.

  Jake casually glanced back at Lilly several times on the remainder of the drive home. He still hadn't come to grips with why he felt the urge to protect her so readily, but he was determined to find out what it was about this girl that was drawing him closer.

  Lilly gazed at the beautiful ranch house set on enormous rolling hills encased with pasture fences. It looked absolutely beautiful in the evening sunset. She had always loved animals and had ridden horses as a child but it had been at least 15 years since she had even touched an animal that large. The small amount of fear that began creeping into her stomach on the ride over was replaced with excitement at the prospect of riding one of those horses across the beautiful landscape.

  "Wow! It's so beautiful here!" she exclaimed, her hands on the door, itching to get out of the truck.

  "I hope you are not even thinking about trying to ride any horses anytime soon. You need to recuperate and rest, not bang yourself up even more than you already are," he chided.

  Lilly glared at him and looked back out the window. She had never been a weak person and didn't like it when people told her she couldn't do something. In fact, it only made her want to try it even more. She stared at the three horses that were standing in a group in the middle of a large pasture, and thought to herself, I'll give it a few days to ease this dude's nerves but then I'm getting on one of those horses. He probably doesn't even think I can ride.

  The house was so beautiful - cape-cod style with a full wrap-around porch complete with swings on each side and rocking chairs. Jake helped her up the stairs with his arm around her waist and opened the door to help her inside. Even though the constant care was a little annoying, his strong hands and muscular arm around her waist made her feel too aroused to complain. There was something about a really big strong guy, especially when his gentle personality contradicted the rugged exterior. They walked into the kitchen and Jake sat her in a chair at the kitchen table while she glanced around at the interior of the house. It seemed modern, yet country and rustic at the same time. It was very clean and it made Lilly wonder if he actually was responsible for the tidiness or if he had a housekeeper. She watched him as he pulled some plates out of the cabinet and set them down on the island. He gathered a loaf of bread and a knife from one of the drawers in front of him, flung open the door to the French-door refrigerator and pulled out a jar of grape jelly and peanut butter.

  "How did you know I liked PB&J sandwiches?" She giggled as she watched him spread the jelly on the slices of br
ead.

  "Wild guess," he said, giving her the sweetest of-course-you-do smiles. He set the sandwich plate in front of her along with a bowl of fruit he pulled from the fridge and a glass of water. Lilly devoured her sandwich, not knowing how hungry she was until she put the food in her mouth.

  "You know, it might do you some good to start eating regular meals. The nurse said your blood sugar was extremely low when I brought you into the hospital," he scolded as he picked the plates off of the table and loaded them in the dishwasher.

  "I do eat pretty regularly. Yesterday was just a long day."

  Jake couldn't tell if she was being honest or trying to hide her normal eating habits from him. "Well in this house we eat three times a day. No ifs, ands, or buts. And while you are here, you should know that everyone who works and lives here on the ranch abides by some rules." Lilly listened, not really concerned what these supposed rules could be. Rules were for kids, and she was sure that everyone who worked on the ranch would be adults. "First of all, there is no lying or deceiving on this ranch. If you need anything, whether its help, a ride, or just have a question, you need to just come straight out and be honest. I don't appreciate people going behind my back to get what they need. Communication helps keep people safe and develops trust between workers. Secondly, if you are going somewhere, you need to tell someone where you are going and how long you will be gone. This is still the desert and there are plenty of wild animals as well as dangerous areas where someone can get hurt or even killed. And finally, I am the owner of the ranch and if I ask someone to do something or not to do something, I expect to be obeyed. I am not dictating to be mean or cruel, only to keep people safe and take care of my staff and family," he said firmly, looking directly at Lilly. "And as for you, you are going to rest and take care of that hand until you get better."

  "So I can't do anything?" she asked angrily.

  "I didn't say that. You can get plenty of rest and catch up on some sleep," he said, smirking at her from across the table.

  "This is absolutely ridiculous. I am an adult! I don't need to be confined to a room or house like some errant child!" she yelled in frustration.

  "Well you certainly aren't acting like an adult so I don't think I'm going to treat you like one until you do. Now I want you to go upstairs and lay down. The guest room is the second door on the right," Jake said as calmly as he could. He was about two seconds away from showing this girl how he treated women who were determined to act like brats.

  Lilly made no move to get up and remained sitting across the table to spite him with a visible pout on her face. "It's barely 8.30," she began as she glanced at her watch, "and there is no way I'm going to bed right now." The only thing missing from her attitude-filled statement was the stomp of her foot.

  "You have to the count of three to get upstairs before I show you the consequences of disobedience in this house," he threatened, standing up from his chair. "One... two..." He paused as she stood and began backing up toward the island, looking nervous but still not backing down from her defiance. "Three," he counted as he picked her up behind the knees and threw her over his shoulder. "I already told you that I don't put up with disobedience and I definitely don't put up with disrespect." Jake landed a hard smack on her behind as he began to climb the steps.

  "OW! What are you doing?!" Lilly screamed and began pounding on his back with her small fists.

  "Showing you what happens when you disobey me," he responded with another swat.

  "You can't just do this to people! OW!" Lilly landed on her feet as he set her down and she turned to run out of the room, struggling to pull herself together.

  Jake caught her by the top of her arm and pulled her back to where he was sitting on the edge of the bed. With a swift move, he pulled her across his thighs and began spanking again in earnest. He said nothing as he spanked her a dozen hard times across her behind as she wiggled and kicked to evade his hand. At fifteen, he decided it was time to start laying into her. "I don't know how you were raised, but I don't let people talk to me the way you just did, and I can guarantee that I was not raised to speak that way to anyone." He punctuated his comment with two hard smacks to the top of her thighs. "I am trying to help you and give you a place to stay while your hand heals and you get better."

  Lilly couldn't believe how sore her butt was and she was still wearing her jeans. As he kept spanking, she started to feel guilty about what he was saying. He really was just trying to help her and she was rude to him for no reason other than she wanted to argue. She felt tears starting to well up in her eyes, but she swore she wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of making her cry from a little spanking. Although, this wasn't little and after another minute of smacks she wasn't sure how much more she could take. "OW! Please stop! Jake please! I'll go to bed I swear!" she yelled as tears slid down her cheeks.

  Jake stopped for a minute and rubbed her back. "I'm not spanking you because you didn't go to bed, I'm spanking you because you disobeyed and disrespected me," he said softly as he continued rubbing. She started to calm a little bit and relaxed over his knee. "And if you continue to disregard the rules in this house, your little behind is going to feel the effects. Do you understand me?" He patted her bottom again and waited for a response.

  "Y-Yes," she managed to whisper, unsure of why she felt like he really cared about her.

  "Good girl. I'm going to give you ten more to help you remember for next time."

  "What?" she asked in shock. She didn't think she could even handle ten more with his rock of a hand. "But I'm sorry. I promise I won't be rude to you again. I'll follow the rules, I swear."

  "I'm sorry sweetheart but this spanking isn't over until I decide, and I think you need a few more to help you remember. You're gonna be fine. I want you to think about how you acted and what you're going to do to change your attitude." With that, Jake laid ten more hard smacks to her sit spots as she cried and apologized on his lap. After rubbing her lower back for a minute until she slowed her crying, he lifted her up and sat her on his lap cradling her head against his chest and shoulder. "Shhh. It's ok. It's all over now," he whispered against her hair and then kissed her head.

  "I-I can't believe you did that," she muttered into his chest.

  "Sorry, but you deserved it."

  "I did not," she said looking up at him. When she saw the frown on his face and his eyebrows raise, she lowered he head back down to stare at her lap. "I'm sorry. I'm not usually so rude. I guess I've just been stressed."

  "What are you stressed about?" he asked gently, hoping she would tell him more about her life before she landed in his arms.

  Lilly shook her head. She didn't want to tell this man that she just sucked at relationships and probably didn't even have the capacity to love someone; much less how much debt she was in and her lack of income.

  "Okay. I understand," he said as he lifted her up and set her down in bed. Pulling back the covers, he lifted her chin with his index finger. "You can trust me Lilly. I understand that you don't feel like talking right now but just know I have an open ear whenever you're ready. Okay?"

  Lilly nodded as he tucked her in and kissed her on the forehead.

  ---oOo---

  Lilly opened her eyes and jumped, looking around to figure out where she was. Once she realized she was in Jake's house, she calmed and slowly recollected what had happened the day before, and the spanking Jake had given her last night. She could barely come to grips that it had really happened, and went to go look in the bathroom mirror to see if her bottom showed any damage. As she pulled down her pajama pants, she paused. When did I put on pajamas? I only remember wearing my jeans. She shoved the idea out of her mind thinking she was just so tired she didn't remember. She glanced in the mirror and saw faint pink areas that almost looked like the shape of handprints on her bottom. He really did it!

  Lilly padded down the steps in her bare feet, trying to be as quiet as possible. She figured if this was a ranch, everyone would be up early
and she would be able to make a clean escape. Now all she had to worry about was how she was going to get out of here, especially without her car. Thinking back to the drive home from the hospital and seeing the car on the side of the road, she didn't think it was too far from the ranch - at least it didn't seem that far while they were driving. Either way, she was used to exercise, running three miles a day back at home. Home-where was home now? As she turned the corner at the bottom of the steps, she glanced around to look into the kitchen. There was no one there. She turned to the other side to look into the living room. No one there either. She relaxed her shoulders and walked into the kitchen, hoping to find something to eat to give her some energy for her trip to her car. Lilly perused the fridge and found some fresh fruit and a bagel. Throwing it in a plastic bag, she headed back up the stairs for her suitcase. After throwing some on some cotton shorts, a tank top, and some sneakers, she zipped up the suitcase and carried it back downstairs.

  "Where do you think you're going?"

  Lilly turned to find Jake leaning in the doorway between the kitchen and the back porch. He had his arms crossed over his chest and was glancing back and forth between her and the suitcase.

  "Oh. I was just going to head back to my car. I really don't want to impose or anything." She spoke quickly and moved to pick up her suitcase, hoping she could rush out before he could respond.

  "Put it down."

  Lilly paused at his warning tone and looked up to see his jaw clenching and a penetrating look in his eyes. She slowly let go of the handle, her mind fluttering at how to respond to his anger. "Please don't be angry. It's not that I don't appreciate your generosity. I just ..."

  "You were just going to run out. Without saying a word," he answered for her. He didn't sound as angry this time but it seemed his voice had a tone of weariness or regret laced with steely impatience.

  Lilly looked down. She started to feel guilt creep up into her face and knew she was blushing. What do I do now? The passing seconds felt like hours as she felt his eyes boring into her from the doorway.