The Rancher's Rules by Dina Chapel

strong as any kick in the stomach could ever be. No, can’t be ! Annie thought. I can’t wait to get away from him ! In fact, Annie knew for sure that if Rafe Stanton caught her right now as she was trying to run off, he wouldn’t hesitate to take his belt off and tan her bare bottom with it. Why, he’d probably do it right in the stagecoach!
    He was overbearing and unrelenting in his discipline. He was harsh and unyielding. He was dictatorial and dominant. But then he was also tender at times and gentle, generous and kind, strong and fair. And Annie had never before in her life experienced anything like his kiss.
    She loved him.
    And what if she was wrong in thinking that Rafe wanted to be done with the responsibility of her? If there was a chance he might love her too...
    That funny feeling flared up again at that very thought, hard and strong, and desperate. The stagecoach was moving away from Rafe Stanton and if she stayed on it, she might never see him again. Annie suddenly found the very idea unbearable.
    She’d begun to reach her hand out the window to try to get the driver’s attention when the stage slowed down and came to an unexpected stop. Annie and one of the other passengers peered out the windows, looking for riders alongside them. Why did they stop? Were they being robbed?
    The door on Annie’s side flew open and there stood Tom, relief pouring over his face at the sight of her. “Annie!” Tom sounded truly glad to see her. “Thank goodness we found you!”
    Tom reached out a hand and helped Annie out of the stagecoach and onto the dusty, dirty ground; she felt a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth at her brother-in-law’s heartfelt pronouncement. He really seemed to care. It took some getting used to, still. Over Tom’s shoulder, Annie saw Rafe dismounting his horse, and there was another man too. She didn’t recognize him. Annie’s initial elation at seeing Rafe for the first time after realizing her true feelings for him quickly gave way to anxiety, confusion and disappointment when she saw the grim look on his face. Something was wrong.
    Rafe was headed straight for her, and she was frozen to the spot. She took a quick, nervous glance around her; even if she tried to run, she knew she wouldn’t get very far. And Annie was suddenly surprised to realize that, for the first time in her life, the very last thing she wanted to do was run away. Tom stepped aside just as Rafe approached.
    “You have some explaining to do, young lady.” With that, Rafe took Annie by the elbow and led her over to where the other man stood by the horses. “This is Will Jameson.”
    At the mention of the man’s name, Annie’s heart plummeted and her insides twisted.
    “Nice to finally make your acquaintance, Miss Walters.”
    “I–I...” Annie stammered. She didn’t know what to say. She was caught and she knew it. And the worst part of it was that Rafe couldn’t seem to look at her. She looked from Rafe to Will to Tom.
    “Annie, is it true that you and Jenny lied to Will’s man, Teddy Cobb, to trick him into thinkin’ you were someone else?” Tom looked disappointed.
    Annie had to look at the ground; it hurt to see the look on Tom’s face. “Yes, we did.” Annie looked up then. “But, Tom, it was all my idea. I got scared and didn’t want to get married. Jenny didn’t want to lie, she did it for me. You have to believe me. Please don’t be mad at her.” Annie would plead with Tom all night if need be to protect Jenny. And it was true; Jenny hadn’t wanted to do it, but Annie begged her. She didn’t think Jenny should have to pay for her misdeed.
    “I’ll take what you say into consideration, Annie, but it’s my decision how I’ll deal with Jenny. She has some explaining to do to me.” Tom turned to Will. “Rest assured, she’ll be punished for the deceit.” Will just nodded in response. Tom turned back to Annie. “And it’s up to Will here how he’ll deal with you and your