Page 198 of Cowboy Daddies

Her humiliation was complete.

Tonight, she was calling one of her brothers, then she was getting the hell out of this town. She didn’t care how she did it. She’d leave her car and take the bus.

What she couldn’t do was stay.

With a groan, she turned her face into Jeb’s chest. “Run! Now!”

His chest moved up and down as he made a strange noise.

Casey drew her head back to glare up at him. “Are you laughing?”

Jeb grinned down at her and the sight took her breath away. How could someone so annoying be so freaking gorgeous?

It was as annoying as hell.

For a moment she just stared up at him, unable to say anything. This Jeb, the one who smiled and was relaxed, this Jeb, she might just let spank her.

Holy heck. Had she really just thought that?

“Thank god I didn’t say that out loud.”

“Thank god you didn’t say what out loud?” he asked.

“None of your business,” she replied. “Let’s get out of here. You’ve humiliated me enough for one day.”

“Hey, you’re the one who brought up spanking in the middle of the diner,” he told her as they left the building.

She squinted up at him and she shivered with cold. The truth was, she would’ve put on warmer clothes today but they were all in the wash. Casey hated doing the laundry and she always put it off to the last moment.

“You’re cold!”

It sounded like an accusation rather than an observation. But she was starting to think that was just the way he spoke. It was like his default setting.

“I’m fine,” she replied. “My embarrassment is keeping me warm.”

“And that’s my fault, is it?”

“Well, it’s certainly not mine.”

“You’re the one that said it,” he pointed out.

“And you’re the one that did it! You spanked me!”

This time she managed to say that right as he stepped into the medical center.

Would the humiliation never end? People stopped talking and turned to stare at them.

Again, she groaned and buried her face into his chest. “Kill me. Just kill me now.”

And, yep, he was laughing once more. Great. She was so glad that he found this amusing.

“Jeb?” a sweet voice asked. “Is everything all right?”

“Hey, Asta. Can you fit Casey in to see Doc? She burned her foot.”

“Um, oh, let me see what I can do. Why don’t you both take a seat.”

She felt him move. He sat and arranged her on his lap. Casey knew she should protest. That she should get off his lap and sit in her own chair. However, she didn’t want to move her face away from his chest.