Chapter Two
Tobin
Her look of utter dejection gave me a twinge of satisfaction, but only for a second. Sure, she’d been rude and judgmental, and downright mean when she thought I couldn’t hear. But I wasn’t a bully and didn’t take pleasure in others’ pain, and it was obvious little Miss Charlotte regretted her behavior.
Her pale skin burned bright red, making me wonder what other parts of her looked like when they heated up, and she appeared lost in thought, presumably realizing all the ways she screwed herself over. Though it might not be as many as she assumed.
“I see I’ve rendered you speechless, Charlotte,” I said. “I don’t know why you’re so surprised. I’m certain I told you I actively worked on the farm.”
She straightened her spine and narrowed her eyes at me, and I found I couldn’t wait to see what came out of her mouth next.
“I thought you meant you were on site, running things, not milking cows and shoveling shit,” she sputtered.
“Now, Charlotte, there’s no need to get all worked up again. It was an honest mistake.”
She eyed me for a second, then relaxed in her seat, even as she seemed surprised at my reassurance.
“Oh. Okay. Well, I apologize for my actions. You snuck up on me and scared me, and then I got mad. And I was expecting to meet in an office at the house, and not have to troop through mud puddles and who knows what else. I dressed up for this meeting and—”
“Charlotte,” I said, interrupting her rambling. “Yes, it was an honest mistake, and you do look very nice. I appreciate the effort, but obviously, your reaction was uncalled for. I’m sorry I scared you, but that was no reason to insult me and call me names, now, was it?”
Her face dimmed again, and her forehead furrowed.
“Well, I suppose you’re right. But I just apologized. There’s no need to rehash the whole thing.” She waved her hand in the air, like she could make it all go away. She’d soon learn that wasn’t the case.
“Since you’re on my farm, I decide how things are done, and around here we don’t go around shouting and name-calling. There are consequences for your actions, Charlotte.”
“What?” she asked, her eyebrows shooting to her hairline for a second, before they settled where they belonged. “If you don’t want to use my services, then just say that. There’s no need to drag this out any longer, Mr. Daniels. I’ll see myself out and refund your deposit as soon as I get home.”
She stood and slung her bag over her shoulder and turned toward the door.
“Sit down, Charlotte,” I commanded, being careful not to raise my voice. I didn’t yell; my father explained to me years ago that when a man was comfortable with his authority, there was no need. When you spoke, people would obey.
Though Charlotte Winslow might put that old wisdom to the test.
She turned back to face me with a look that might have made a lesser man apologize, but not me. In this battle of wills, I would win.
“I would appreciate it if you would speak to me with respect, Mr. Daniels. Maybe say please instead of ordering me around,” she ground out, but remained standing in the same spot.
“And I would rather you hadn’t assumed I was just a lowly farmhand and treated me like the cow shit you were so worried about walking through. Except that’s what happened and now we have to deal with it. So, sit down, Charlotte. Please.” I kept a straight face the entire time I spoke, but inside, it thrilled me to find the little fairy had a core of steel. And when she stiffly returned to her seat, I was even more excited to find that she would obey, at least sometimes.
“I’m not sure what more there is to say, Mr. Daniels. I made a mistake and acted poorly. I also apologized. I’m willing to cancel our contract and return the deposit you paid for my services. We can both walk away and never see each other again. Deal?”
That was exactly the opposite of what I wanted.
“No deal, Charlotte. That’s not how things work around here. This is a traditional town with traditional values. I assumed you knew since you’re friends with some ladies who grew up here.” I swore she’d told me she was part of some book club with Raquel, Layla, and Kendra, three women I knew were familiar with what I was talking about. But maybe women didn’t discuss things like that?
“No!” Her eyes widened, and she stared at me in horror. “You’re one of those?”
“I see they did tell you,” I said, chuckling at her dramatic reaction. “Yes, my family believes in discipline and respect, and I believe in it, too.” I assumed now that was out in the open, we could move on. “Take off your coat and come here, Charlotte. You know you deserve to be punished for your tantrum and rudeness.”
I slid my chair back to make room as she stood up, and I couldn’t say I wasn’t a little excited to have her over my knee. Punishment was never fun, for either party, but having her petite behind squarely in my sight would be enjoyable for me.
Except Charlotte didn’t walk quietly and demurely to my side to accept her punishment, and after the fact, I wondered why I’d ever thought she would.
“Absolutely fucking not!” she screeched, drawing me out of my thoughts. “There is no way that it is ever going to happen. And to think I thought I might want to get to know you better! Unbelievable. Listen to me, Mr. Daniels, and listen well. Some women might agree to be subservient to their men and do whatever they say, but that is not me. I will never agree to be told what I can do or what I can say or be… be disciplined by a man!”
She spat the last part out with such fury it made me slide my chair back in and straighten. I’d never received a reaction like this, though I’d only ever had relationships with women who agreed with and accepted the lifestyle. Still, this amount of anger seemed slightly over the top.
“Okay, Charlotte, I understand. Let’s calm down.” I stood and raised my hands in what I hoped was a reassuring manner. “We can talk this through.”
“No, we cannot.” She clutched her bag in front of her like a shield and wouldn’t meet my eyes. “I don’t feel comfortable doing business with you, Mr. Daniels, so I will be leaving now, and I will return your deposit. I apologize for my behavior earlier. Good day.”
She turned on her heel and marched to the door, opened it, and practically ran outside, slamming the door shut behind her and leaving me standing there like a fool. It seemed she couldn’t get away from me fast enough.
I plopped back into my chair and stared up at the ceiling, replaying the last twenty minutes through my mind.
As much as Charlotte had wanted to make a good impression, I’d wanted to do the same. I enjoyed our talks, teaching her about the farm and listening to her ideas on new ways to market and rebrand the business. She was smart and thoughtful and had a great sense of humor. I’d fully planned to ask her to dinner after we finished with our meeting. But one of our cows went into labor, and I completely lost track of time.
I was heading to the house to change when I ran into her taking pictures and looking like a dream come to life. Wavy blonde hair and a petite body that made me want to protect her from the world. Though she clearly didn’t need my protection. Charlotte was more than capable of standing up for herself. Which made her even more appealing to me. Even though I wanted a woman who agreed I was in charge, I didn’t want someone who would give in and roll over at every difference of opinion. I wanted someone who knew what they wanted and was willing to argue for it, respectfully, of course.
The finality of Charlotte’s last words made me grab my hat off my head and throw it across the room.
“God dammit,” I bellowed, then ran my fingers through my too long hair. Charlotte was right about one thing—I needed a haircut and shave something fierce. Springtime on the farm had kept me running for the last several weeks and I’d let my appearance run ragged, too. Though if Charlotte was expecting someone clean-cut, that wasn’t me. I seemed to always have a little scruff on my cheeks and hair falling into my eyes.
A knock on the interior door that led to the barn drew me out of my regretful thoughts.
“Come in,” I called, knowing who it was.
The door opened and my father walked in.