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  “Sorry, was I in there ages?” Kirsty asked.

  “Nah. It’s fine. The guys had to head off. I think Marie is waiting to close up for the night. Okay if I walk you home?”

  “You don’t need to do that,” Kirsty said quickly. “I can get home fine by myself.” God, was he coming onto her? Had he taken all her talk about not being able to find guys to spank her as an invitation to come back home with her? He was cute and everything, but Kirsty really wasn’t about to jump into bed with a guy she had only just met.

  “I know you can, but I want to walk back with you. I am not comfortable leaving a lady to walk the streets on her own.”

  Kirsty couldn’t help laughing at that remark. “Jesus, I’m hardly heading out into the mean metropolitan streets. This is Corbin’s Bend. It’s probably got the lowest fucking crime rate of any place ever.”

  “Probably. I still want to make sure you get home in one piece. Let’s go.”

  His voice was quiet and there wasn’t a trace of annoyance in the way he spoke. And yet, Kirsty got the distinct feeling that this wasn’t something that Logan was prepared to argue about.

  “Fine,” said Kirsty just a little more petulantly than she had intended.

  They headed off towards Kirsty’s house. She wanted to get back to the casual chat that they had been enjoying in the bar, but things felt a bit more awkward now. She wasn’t sure how things stood between them. Things had been so much easier when he had been gay, she thought to herself.

  Maybe she should just be straight with him. Look mate, I think you’re great looking and everything, but I’m not looking to score tonight. I’m drunk, I’m tired and I’m not really sure what time zone I’m operating in at the moment.

  Well, that’s definitely what she’d say if he didn’t take the hint about not coming in for coffee.

  “So, you got work in the morning?” she asked.

  “Yeah. I work over in Golden for the Forest Service.”

  “What do you do?”

  “I’m a Natural Resource Management Specialist. I look after the forests.”

  “Sounds important. Are you like the Ranger in Yogi Bear?”

  Logan chuckled. “Pretty much. Except I work in an office a lot of the time. And I don’t have the cool hat. What are your job plans?”

  Kirsty shrugged. “I dunno. I’m a trained hairdresser. But, like I said, my dad left me a shitload of money, so I don’t really need to work at the moment. I’ll see what happens.” She fished around in her handbag and took out her cigarettes and lighter. She felt Logan stiffen a little as she lit up. Yeah, well it figured that he wasn’t going to approve of her smoking. He seemed like the healthy, clean-living outdoorsy type. She took a drag and the thought crossed her mind that maybe smoking was banned altogether in Corbin’s Bend. Looking around at the uniform, unbelievably tidy-looking houses they walked past, it was easy to imagine that the good folks of Corbin’s Bend disapproving of the habit. She took another drag anyway. Fuck ‘em.

  When they reached Kirsty’s house, Logan didn’t even come as far as her front door with her. He wished her goodnight and said he hoped he’d see her again and then went on his way. Kirsty wasn’t sure if he had been angling to come home with her, and she had managed to put him off her or whether it was just that he was the kind of guy who when he said he just wanted to see a girl safely home, meant that he just wanted to see her safely home.

  Chapter 2

  Kirsty hadn’t expected to see Logan again quite so soon, but as it turned out, their paths crossed again the very next evening at Corbin’s Bend’s mini-market. Kirsty had just made the decision that rather than try to choose between all the different, unfamiliar American candy bars on offer, she would just put one of each kind in her basket and leave the difficult decision making until she got back home.

  “Hey, Kirsty, how was your first proper day at Corbin’s Bend?”

  “Logan, hi! It was good thanks. I went over to see Kelli Stevens, my mentor, this morning. Then I had some stuff to do at home.” Kirsty didn’t feel like mentioning that her ‘stuff to do’ had mostly involved spending hours on Facebook and eating dry cereal straight out of the packet. She looked at Logan’s shopping basket – pint of skim milk, apples, orange juice and whole-wheat bread and then looked at her own which consisted of strawberry milk, cheetos, a dozen candy bars and this month’s Cosmopolitan. It made her feel like she ought to have her Being A Proper Grown-up card revoked.

  “Have you managed to make it to Denver yet to stock up properly?”

  “Not yet. I need to figure out the best way to get there.”

  “Have you bought your own car or are you hiring?”

  “Er, neither. I don’t have a driving license.”

  Logan’s jaw dropped. It literally hung open for a moment or two. Kirsty hadn’t realized that was an actual real thing that people did. “You don’t drive?” he said, aghast.

  Kirsty felt a bit defensive. “No, I never learned. I never felt the need to, living in London.”

  “But you’re not living in London now. You’re living in the Middle of Nowhere, Colorado. How on earth do you expect to get by?”

  “Everything gets delivered now. Maybe I’ll just order everything I need online and have them bring it to me?”

  “That’s your plan? Stay at home ordering things off the internet? There’s a whole wide, wonderful state out there, you don’t want to check it out?”

  “Well, sure. Obviously I’m planning to learn to drive at some point. I only just got here yesterday. Give me a chance.”

  “We’ll go into Denver one day next week and get it sorted. I’ve got some holiday I need to use up, so I can drive you. You can do any shopping you need to and we can go to the DMV and get you sorted with a learner’s permit.”

  There was that voice again. The voice of someone who did not expect to be argued with. Kirsty wasn’t sure if she found it annoying or sexy. Probably both.

  It was a kind offer. She knew she really did have to sort the driving thing out, but his incredulity and his bossiness just made her want to argue with him. Obviously he thought she was some kind of idiot who needed to be told what to do.

  “That sounds like an order,” she said more sulkily than she intended to.

  “It’s not an order, Kirsty. We hardly know each other well enough for me to give you orders. It’s an offer to help out. You want to take me up on it?”

  Oh, who was she kidding? She was hardly in a position to look a gift horse in the mouth. If Logan wanted to help her get her shit together, then she’d be a fool not to accept his help.

  “Yes, please,” she said. “Thanks, Logan.”

  “Great. How about Tuesday? I’ll pick you up at eight.”

  “Okay.”

  “You’ll need to pass a written exam to get your permit. Go onto the Colorado DMV website tonight to find out what you need to do,” he told her.

  “Yeah, sure. Whatever.”

  He looked at her and said softly, half to himself. “Are you even capable of taking orders, Kirsty?”

  After Logan had paid for his purchases and left the shop, Kirsty added a bottle of tequila to her shopping basket. Some things about Corbin’s Bend seemed a little bit overwhelming right now, she thought to herself. A couple of drinks might help.

  Logan pulled up outside Kirsty’s house at exactly 8 a.m. as arranged. Kirsty – who had been waiting on the front lawn – took a final drag from her cigarette, dropped the butt and stubbed it out with her foot.

  She opened the car door and climbed into the Subaru.

  “Hi,” said Logan.

  “Hi. Thanks for this.”

  “Would it be okay if you didn’t smoke just before you get into my car in the future? I’d rather it didn’t stink of cigarettes for the rest of the week.”

  Looks like we’re off to a great start to the day, thought Kirsty. It’s not like I was actually smoking inside his precious car. “Any specific amount of time you want me to leave just so I k
now for future reference?” she grumbled.

  “Ten minutes between finishing a cigarette and then getting into my car would be an acceptable time limit,” replied Logan calmly.

  Kirsty was agog. She hadn’t intended it as a serious question. She certainly hadn’t expected him to treat it as one. Anybody else she knew would have treated her snarky response as an invitation to start an argument, not as an opportunity to put rules in place. She wasn’t quite sure what to make of it.

  The drive into Denver didn’t take too long. Once there, Kirsty was able to stock up things for her larder which she thought, thankfully also gave her the opportunity to demonstrate to Logan that her diet was slightly more balanced than her shopping basket the other day might have indicated. She purchased some essentials for the house including a kettle, a wastebasket and some mugs. She wasn’t too worried about sorting out furniture just yet. She planned to order anything bulky online and have it delivered. It would definitely be asking too much of Logan to expect him to stick a wardrobe in the back of his Subaru.

  Next they headed to the DMV so that Kirsty could sort out her learner driver’s permit. It took well over an hour to get through the various tests and checks and she headed back to where Logan was sitting, worried he might be annoyed at having to wait for so long.

  There was no trace of annoyance on Logan’s face, however. He flipped shut the cover of his kindle and stood up to meet her. “All sorted?” he asked.

  “Yup,” she replied, flashing her brand new permit. “Sorry to make you wait for so long. They clearly like to be thorough about these things.”

  “Don’t worry about it. These things take as long as they take. Did you have everything they needed?”

  “Sure. I’m a US citizen remember? Even if I don’t sound like one. I have the passport to prove it. And I aced my written knowledge test which was lucky given how little time I had to prepare for it.”

  “I’m impressed.”

  “I really appreciate you helping me out like this,” said Kirsty. “You really didn’t have to.”

  “It’s no problem. Everyone needs a hand getting stuff sorted when they move somewhere new. That’s what neighbors are for.”

  “Do you fancy getting some lunch?” asked Kirsty.

  “Sure,” replied Logan. “What do you like to eat?”

  “We walked past a Taiwanese restaurant earlier,” said Kirsty. “Do you like Taiwanese?”

  “Never had it before, but I’m up for that. Sounds good.”

  The restaurant was small and friendly. The waitress brought over their steaming bowls of noodles, shacha chicken and dumplings, and they ate in contented silence for a few minutes, Kirsty effortlessly using the chopsticks provided while Logan chose to favor the fork instead.

  “I’m pretty impressed with how good you are with those,” said Logan. “I would definitely mess it up if I tried.”

  Kirsty smiled. “You see. I have got some skills after all. While you were wasting your time learning how to drive at seventeen –”

  “Sixteen.”

  “At sixteen, sorry, I have been concentrating on far more important life skills like how to handle chopsticks correctly.”

  “Which I’m sure will prove far more useful to you in your day-to-day life,” said Logan, smiling.

  “You may scoff, but there are clearly whole countries where using chopsticks is considered to be a far more useful day-to-day skill than driving. Maybe I should have emigrated to China rather than the USA.”

  “Do you wish you had?”

  “Nah. There would have been a few language issues for a start. Plus, you know.” She shrugged. “The spanking thing.”

  Logan gave her his lopsided grin. “Can’t argue with that logic,” he said.

  They continued eating the deliciously aromatic food for a while. “So you’ll be booking lessons with a driving instructor?” asked Logan.

  “Yup. Got some details at the DMV. I’ll take a look online as well. I need to find someone willing to come to Corbin’s Bend to pick me up. Luckily, I’ve got plenty of time on my hands at the moment, so I plan to have as many lessons as possible.”

  “If you want any more practice on weekends and evenings, you can practice in my car with me,” Logan offered.

  “Shit, thanks, Logan. That’s really nice of you.”

  “Have some proper lessons first, though. The idea of being responsible for someone the first time they ever go on the road is pretty scary.”

  “Okay. Will do.”

  When the bill came, Kirsty reached over to pick up the folder that the waitress had left on the table, but Logan had seized it before she had the chance.

  “I want to pay for lunch,” Kirsty said. “As a thank-you.”

  “I’m paying,” said Logan quietly. It was back. That stern authoritative voice that brooked no argument. The difference between it and his usual voice – the one he used to talk about chopsticks or to discuss his favorite movies – was almost imperceptible. Yet the shift made all the difference in the world. Once again, Kirsty found herself half-annoyed and half-aroused.

  The annoyed half won out.

  “You have got to be fucking kidding me. You’re not going to let me pay the tab? Jesus Christ, is this because you’re the man? Or is this a Dom thing? You are aware that it’s 2014 now aren’t you? Men folk aren’t expected to pick up the tab every fucking time.”

  “Keep your voice down,” Logan said in that quiet, steady voice of his. “And mind your language.”

  “Are you giving me orders again? Why the fuck should I have to mind my language? You’re the one who’s being unreasonable.”

  “Kirsty, I am going to pay because I was the one who asked you to come out with me today. It is not up for discussion.” He passed his credit card to the waitress as she went past.

  The good mood that Kirsty had been in previously had evaporated. What the hell right did he think he had to give her orders? They weren’t a couple. If they had been, she certainly wouldn’t have been happy being told that something was not up for discussion. What century did he think it was?

  As they walked towards the car, Kirsty pulled out her cigarette packet before changing her mind and putting it back into her bag. Logan looked at her and raised an eyebrow questioningly.

  “Changed my mind.” Kirsty shrugged. “Wouldn’t want to break one of your rules.”

  “Do you have a problem with rules, Kirsty?” asked Logan

  “Yes. Doesn’t everyone?”

  “No. Not everyone does.”

  Logan spent the following Saturday morning riding bike trails on the mountains with Benjamin. They both loved mountain biking and welcomed the opportunity to breathe in the fresh air and tackle the challenging scenery. They’d been cycling hard for most of the morning.

  Logan stopped at the bottom of the creek and took a long swig from his water bottle as Benjamin came to stop beside him.

  Both men were out of breath and grinning broadly.

  “Aw man, that was great,” laughed Benjamin. “How fast were you going for that last mile?”

  “About forty miles an hour, I reckon. Man, I wish I could do this all this time.”

  “I know what you mean. What do you say? Ten-minute break to get our breath back and head off again?”

  “Sounds good to me.”

  Benjamin leaned his bike against a tree and slid down to sit on the ground. “So what have you been up to, lately? Seen anything more of Kirsty?”

  “Yeah. I spent the morning with her last Tuesday, actually. Took her into Denver to get some stuff sorted. I’m giving her a driving lesson this afternoon.”

  “Smooth.”

  “It’s not like that. We’re just friends. In fact, I’m not even sure we’re friends. Definitely not a future relationship.”

  “Why not?”

  Yeah, thought Logan, why not? He didn’t have a problem with Kirsty. She was certainly fun to talk to when she wasn’t mouthing off, but she was so far from being his ideal
woman it was unreal.

  He’d grown up in a household which practiced domestic discipline. Not that he ever saw his dad spank his mom, of course. No-one wants to see that. That’d be worse than seeing them have sex, probably. But he knew it went on. His mother deferred to his dad in everything. There was never any question who the Head of the Household was. And it worked out well for them. They’d been happily married over forty years now. Both his sisters were married now to men who took an old-fashioned view of marriage. One that certainly involved domestic discipline and no one being in any doubt what the rules were in their relationship.

  That was why the idea of moving to Corbin’s Bend had appealed to him so much. He needed a woman he could take in hand, one who would accept his authority and be obedient to his will. Kirsty certainly didn’t seem like that kind of woman. Sure, she might like to be spanked, but there was a world of difference between enjoying a bit of BDSM in the bedroom and fully committing to a relationship with domestic discipline.

  Besides, the more he thought about her, the more he realized that she was kind of annoying.

  “She’s not my type,” Logan told Benjamin. “She’s funny and smart, and I like talking to her. But she has a real attitude on her. She won’t accept she’s wrong about anything. Plus she’s really disorganized; she moved five thousand miles without any thought to how she’s going to live or get around or anything. She swears like a sailor. And she smokes. I don’t think I could ever bring myself to kiss a girl who smells like an ashtray, to be honest.”

  Benjamin laughed. “That’s quite a list, there,” he said. “I totally get what you’re saying about the smoking. That would kill any passion stone dead for me, too. Not that Jonathon would start smoking. And not just because he knows I’d blister his backside with my belt if he did.”

  “Well that’s one way of getting someone to quit, I guess.”

  “I think you’re right about there being no future relationship. If you can list off those faults and not want to date her, then I really guess there’s no future in it for you. If there was any kind of spark, you’d look a bunch of faults like that and see it is the perfect opportunity to impart some discipline.”