The Cowboy's Secret (Cowboys After Dark: Book 3) by Maggie Carpenter Page B

head.
    “Now be quiet,” he said firmly. “I have a call to make, and while I’m talkin’ you don’t make a peep, you hear?”
    “Yes, I hear,” she muttered.
    Touching the screen of her phone, he waited patiently as it rang, and when Wayne’s voice came on the line Clint hit the speaker button so the sorry girl in front of him could hear the exchange.
    “Hey sexy, are we gettin’ together tonight? I’ve got your weed baby.”
    “Wayne, you don’t know me but I’m callin’ for Anastasia.”
    “Oh yeah? You want some weed too? Hey, why do you have her phone?”
    “I want you to listen to me very carefully, Wayne. If you call, email, text, or attempt to see or communicate with Anastasia in any way, her father will be told that you’ve been seein’ her and sellin’ her dope. If you see her walkin’ towards you on the street, cross over, if you see her in a movie theatre, leave, if you see her in the diner, leave, you gettin’ the picture here, Wayne?”
    “Fuck man, don’t be so fuckin’ heavy. You think she’s the only chick I’ve got. I don’t need this shit. Don’t worry, she’s history.”
    Clint wasn’t at all surprised by Wayne’s outburst and cowardly reaction, but Anastasia was, and a sorrowful frown crossed her brow as she heard her supposed boyfriend toss her away.
    “Are you listening to me, Wayne?”
    “Yeah, man, I’m listenin’, I’m listenin’.”
    “Delete all the photos you have of her right now. I’ve got someone watchin’ you, Wayne, and if you don’t do exactly what I say he’ll take your phone away from you, possibly break a couple of fingers in the process, delete the pictures himself, then do something quite unpleasant with that phone and your backside. Any questions?”
    There was a pause, and Clint could imagine Wayne, fear shivering in his gut, frantically trying to figure out who the thug could be. Clint was sure the lumberyard provided plenty of candidates, and he was right. As Wayne scanned the immediate vicinity several guys looked right back at him, and he quickly decided a few pictures weren’t worth taking the chance. Cursing himself for not having downloaded the images on to his computer, he considered emailing them to himself, but changed his mind.
    “You’re taking too long, Wayne,” Clint pressed.
    “I’m deletin’ the pictures,” he said hastily, seeing a tall, hulking figure in a red and black plaid shirt walking towards him.
    “Your computer will be hacked any minute now, and unless you want it lifted and the hard drive fried with some battery acid you’d better erase anything about Anastasia-”
    “I don’t have shit on my computer,” Wayne interrupted. “I swear.”
    “Remember, my man is watching you,” Clint lied, then ending the call he looked across at the quaking girl in front of him. “Now you know the truth about your so-called boyfriend,” he said softly. “I’m sorry you’ve been hurt, but-”
    “He’s just an asshole,” she blurted out. “I never cared about him anyway.”
    He could see the pain in her eyes, and while he felt sorry for her, it had been a good lesson. Taking a deep breath he put the phone on the couch and continued his lecture.
    “The phone is going to stay with me for a while, and you’re grounded for a month. I’ve given your father some software that will allow us to monitor your computer. You’ll be driven to school and picked up afterwards, and startin’ tomorrow, you’ll be comin’ here every Sunday at one o’clock sharp.”
    “Here? You mean, here, to you?”
    “Nope, I mean you’re gonna learn how to ride a horse. You’re gonna muck out stalls, and brush the horses, and take care of them, but if you get sassy with your folks, yep, they’ll bring you here and I’ll spank your bare ass. If you pull any crap at all, I’ll spank your bare ass. You’re gettin’ your act together, Anastasia, and the faster you change your attitude, the happier everyone’s gonna be, especially