Two Guardians for Little May Read online

  "Layton! You can't!"

  "Excuse me a second," Layton said into his phone. He looked at May. "You can either say thank you, or stick your little freckled nose into a corner. Either way, I will do whatever I want to."

  May's mouth opened and closed with silent words. The clerk elbowed her and whispered, "Just say thanks," into her ear.

  "Thank you," she forced out.

  "You're welcome. Chuck, let me call you back later. Hold those contracts until I can review them and change the court dates ASAP." Layton tucked the phone into his shirt pocket and gathered all the bags in his hands. "Let's get going. Caine has already called to whine about being hungry."

  "Have a good evening, Miss May! I hope you like your pretty new things." The clerk waved goodbye as May numbly followed Layton out the door.

  "You spent too much money on me," she said quietly, turning towards the passenger-side door. "Why?"

  Layton tossed the bags into the truck bed, and folded his forearms on the truck bed rails to look across at her. "Because I felt like it."

  "That is not an answer." May's voice was soft as she rested her chin atop the rails on her side.

  "It's the one you are getting. Any more questions?"

  May held back the obvious question that came to her mind. Why bother? He had not even noticed the new clothes she was wearing. "Did you get your fishing gear?"

  "Sure did," he gestured to the poles and tackle boxes.

  "It's really frustrating that I can barely get a word out of you. I would think an attorney wouldn't know how to stop talking. Or, at least, have some communication skills." May sulked. "I might as well be talking to a damn tree."

  "You'd hate talking to a damn tree," Layton commented, the right side of his mouth turning slightly upward.

  "Oh really? And why would you say that?"

  "It's simple. The tree wouldn't fight back. Hop into the truck and let's get going."

  "You are so mean."

  "Thank you. I appreciate it when my strengths are acknowledged."

  Chapter 3

  Caine met them outside the house and immediately fussed over May's change in appearance, while Layton carried her packages up to her room. She was wearing a green gingham crop-top with a tied front, and a knee-length denim skirt. Her worn brown leather boots still adorned her feet, drawing attention to her well-shaped, lightly tanned legs.

  "I can't get over how absolutely adorable you are," Caine praised, turning her around in front of him. "How's your thigh? Is the skirt rubbing against it?"

  "It's really sore. He," she gestured to the house, "made me get all this crap and didn't even notice the outfit."

  "He never does, so don't take it personally. I told you he was a pussycat, remember? He bought fishing gear, and that always makes him feel better."

  "There's a boat out on the dock. Maybe if I drain the tank, he can get stuck somewhere in the marsh."

  "What do you think he would threaten should he find out you did such a bratty thing?" Caine's blue eyes twinkled playfully.

  "Don't men from Texas think of anything other than threatening to spank helpless women?"

  "I've seen your aim, Miss May. You are the furthest thing from helpless I can imagine."

  May's face dropped along with her voice. "Believe me, I'm helpless. My aim did no good when, you know…"

  "I understand. Layton and I, well, we are going to do our best to help you with that if you let us."

  "You boys certainly waste no time in insinuating yourselves, do you?"

  "We surely don't. Our family storms in like a Texas rain-storm. Let's take this up to your room and then you can clean up for dinner," Caine said, holding the bag containing her medication.

  "I know how to open a pill bottle," May said, following him up to her bedroom.

  He closed the door behind him and sat on the edge of the bed to open the drugstore bag. "Yes, I have no doubt that you do. It was essential that I ordered this as well." Caine removed a small vial and a syringe. "It will only sting for a second, honey."

  "I told you I am not getting a tetanus shot!"

  "Ordinarily, I would not be concerned. However," he drew the liquid into the syringe and measured out the dosage, "given the environment, and the type of injury you incurred, I feel it is necessary. You need to trust me on this as your physician. Be a big girl for me and let's get this done."

  "Fuck you. You are not my doctor. I'm not doing it."

  May froze as Caine's eyes turned to an icy blue. "You know for yourself that Texas boys like to spank. You also know that certain behavior, and words, are inappropriate. This is the only time I will say this, so remember every word. If you ever speak like that to me again, I promise to wash your mouth out with soap, and sit you in the corner on a very sore, red little bottom. Understood, young lady?"

  "You're yelling at me." May broke out in sudden tears.

  "I did not once raise my voice. Come here," Caine sighed, holding his long arms out. He pulled the sobbing girl to sit on his lap, and held her tightly to his chest. "What's wrong, baby? You need to learn to discuss things that bother you instead of either clamming up, blowing it off, or trying to put out someone's eyes with a pinecone."

  "I don't know," she wept. "You two treat me like you've known me my whole life, and we just met. Your dad was the same. He was more of a father to me than the sperm donor I had. He helped me learn to trust him because he was so kind and loving, and never asked for anything in return. He just wanted me to be happy, and no one has ever cared about my happiness before. He left me so quickly, and now you guys are here and I don't want to be left alone again. I know I'm rambling and sound so stupid! I don't understand why I feel this way."

  Caine rocked her. "You don't sound stupid at all, darling. I can see how all of this could be overwhelming to you. I'm sorry. Like you said, Layton and I are from good ol' Texan stock. We were born cowboys and will die cowboys, even though our day jobs make us wear a suit or a lab coat. Being Texas boys also means that there are times when we are no better than a pair of bulls in a china shop. Neither of us will ever harm you, but it was clear from the get-go that you need some sort of structure in your life. Miss Clara and I had a nice long talk on the phone while you were gone. She is very worried about you. She said you spend your days daydreaming and have a hard time focusing, that you are easily roused to some ugly temper tantrums, and that you often go for days without sleeping."

  "I have nightmares. A lot of them, like every night. There are some worse than others. I know they can't hurt me, but I can't stop them from coming. That's why I hate the night," May said, her temple resting on his shoulder. "I'm scared to go to sleep."

  "Being afraid to sleep will really mess with your health and your mind. Please don't be afraid to come to either of us if you need us. For anything."

  "You don't even know me. Why would you do all this?"

  "The truth? We are invading your home and your life, and you deserve the chance to learn to trust us like you trusted Pop. I would like you to consider old Layton and me to be your self-appointed, full-time bull dogs. Pop would have wanted it that way. In fact, he gave us a special note asking us to cherish, love and safeguard you. If you were important enough for him, you are just as important to us."

  "My own fairy godfathers?" May forced a smile.

  "I wouldn't go that far, but we will do what we can to help make your wishes come true. Just understand that we Marshall boys are very protective of the things we call ours. That includes," he tapped her nose, "your health. Push up your sleeve and let's just do this."

  "No!" May clapped her hands over the tops of both arms.

  "Really?" Caine held her at arm's length. "Are you actually going to make me ask you again?"

  "You are not touching me with that harpoon. I have the right to refuse treatment."

  "Maybe in your world, but not in mine." Caine raised his eyebrow in contemplation. He took a deep breath as he considered the situation, then sadly shook his head. "Very w
ell, have it your way."

  May screeched, as he easily wrapped his left arm over the top of her shoulders and pushed her face down across his lap. He pinned her legs under his right knee and shifted her body forward so that she had to put her hands on the floor to keep from falling on her face. This position also prevented her from reaching back with her hands. With her body pinned securely in place, it took no effort for Caine to skim her skirt up to her waist and wrestle the edges of her panties between her firm cheeks to expose the white, unmarred flesh.

  "Ow!" she yelped, as his hand smacked her squarely on the rump. "Stop it!"

  "Keep still, then," Caine said patiently, prepping her hip with an alcohol wipe. "Do I need to give you a real spanking and turn your bottom the color of the sunset to make you mind me?"

  "This is unbelievable," May growled. "Let me the fuck go."

  "Maybelle, being obstinate and rude in this family will only increase your chances for frequent bun warmings. I'm sorry it had to come to this, but you asked for it, darling."

  May arched her back and began to pound his leg with her fists as his right hand fell rapidly across the upturned mounds of her bottom. He grasped the back of her panties like a handle with his left hand and leaned his forearm into her back, flattening her on his lap while he smacked away in a smart rhythm. May protested vehemently against his comments about how quickly her pale skin reddened, and that the stinging blotches from his fingertips would be a reminder that he meant business. She pleaded that he release her, bawling out apologies as he firmly swatted her bottom to turn it, as he described, the color of a ripe apple.

  He stopped to administer the injection, put the syringe back on the night stand, and then rested his hand on her left thigh. "Had enough, young lady?"

  "I'm sorry," May sobbed.

  "Did you learn anything?" Caine stood her up and straightened out her skirt.

  "I am so embarrassed," she hung her head.

  "Next time, the panties go down. I'm a nice guy with a lot of patience, but I only give one warning. Got it?"

  "Yeah."

  Caine squeezed her hands. "Good girl. Go get cleaned up. You can take the antibiotic with dinner. You will finish the entire course and not miss a dose, right?" He tilted his head and raised his eyebrow.

  "Yes, sir," May mumbled.

  He patted her hip. "Let me check the dressing and make sure it didn't come off with all that wiggling. Okay, it's intact. I'll see you downstairs."

  May waited until after the door was closed to examine her stinging backside. It was, indeed, the color of a sunset, and felt like she had sat down on hot coals. She shuddered, remembering her wish the day before that it had been the hot doctor to threaten to spank her. The phrase 'be careful what you wish for' now took on a whole new meaning.

  Layton was sitting on the couch, again surrounded by paperwork, when she dragged herself in. He looked up with concern. "You okay?"

  "I'm fine," she muttered. "Did Miss Clara come by?"

  "Yes. She left some home-baked bread and wanted to check on you, but you were otherwise occupied."

  "Oh, yeah." May looked at the floor. Great, she thought, now everyone knows what happened. How mortifying! "Is she coming back later?"

  "No, she said it was her night off, so you get the house all to yourself." May did not respond, other than wiping her nose with the back of her hand. "Do you want to help me sort these documents into chronological order?" Layton asked.

  May looked up at him in confusion. "You want me to help you with your work?"

  "Yeah. If you're any good, I could actually use a hand in writing document reviews. Paid, of course, and everything has to be kept confidential, so I'm trusting you not to discuss anything you read. Why do you look so surprised?"

  "I don't get you," May answered, carefully lowering herself to the cushions. "Just yesterday morning you were ready to kill me, and now you are being so nice and accommodating. Do you have one of those dual personality disorders or something?"

  "No, not at all. I'm just pretty well set in my ways and I don't like people messing with them." He handed her a stack of papers, and lowered his voice. "How's your bottom?"

  "Seriously?" May felt the heat rise to her face.

  "Yes, seriously. I heard everything quite clearly, and I know that if my brother is pushed to that point, he doesn't hold back. He's no weakling, either."

  "It really hurts bad," May felt her lower lip quivering. "I've never been spanked before. It is so humiliating. And by a stranger made it even worse. I'm so confused about all this. I don't know how to react. I feel so pulled, like part of me wants to give in to it, but the other part wants to run. I'm scared of being alone, but I don't want to feel trapped either. I don't know what to do."

  "Damn," Layton said. He tossed his paper to the floor and patted the couch beside him. "Come sit next to me."

  "Really?"

  "Really."

  May curled up her legs under her chest and closed her eyes as she pressed her head against his body. His hard muscles flexed under her face as he leaned back and pulled her against him.

  "We are honoring my dad's last wishes by becoming a family. This is as strange for me as it is for you. It is going to take time to adjust to each other, but I'm willing to give it a go."

  "You are?" May raised her eyes to look at him.

  "I am. I know I can seem like a jerk, but it's a big façade. I've had my share of hurt, too, and this situation is going to force me to deal with it."

  "I'm sorry," May said.

  "You sound so much like a little girl," he squeezed her gently. "I bet that is what Pop loved about you. He wanted a daughter so badly."

  "I can't help it," May said softly, "it just came out of nowhere when I was with him. I felt safe, I guess."

  "Does that mean you are feeling safer with me?"

  "Yeah, I guess it does. I know I'm weird…"

  "There is nothing weird about you at all. I happen to like this side of you much more than the one who pelts me in the head with pinecones."

  "Sorry about that."

  "Just don't do it again, okay?" He stroked her hair, saying nothing as she sniffled and occasionally scratched her nose against his shirt. She felt the couch sink on her left side and cringed as a warm hand touch her left calf.

  "You doing okay?" Caine's soft voice asked.

  "I'll live." Her tone was bitter as she hid her face in Layton's shirt.

  "No grudges, kid. They only hurt you in the end. Literally." Layton hugged her shoulders. "We talk things out here. Tell him what's on your mind. Politely."

  May inhaled. "I just can't believe how hard you hit me. Simply because I didn't want a stupid shot. It wasn't fair."

  "Refusing the injection had nothing to do with it. You were spanked because of your rudeness. I warned you, too, and you still mouthed off at me."

  "But that was no reason to spank me!"

  "Are you saying that you don't consider that the spanking you received was well deserved?" Caine asked.

  "No." May pouted, refusing to look at him. "You were just being mean."

  "Maybelle," Layton intervened, "I heard the whole exchange. Do you really believe that you are being honest with yourself and Caine about this whole thing? Be truthful, now."

  May bit her lower lip. "I guess not. It was so embarrassing and it hurt."

  "That is how spankings work, baby. Let's put this behind us. Caine and I are going to be moving into the house and that means that we will become a full–time family. You won't have to be alone at night anymore when Miss Clara goes home. Look at me," Layton ordered, lifting her chin, "You are also very cute when you pout, but don't make a habit of it. Sulking is not acceptable."

  "Except when you do it, right?" Caine said mischievously to his older brother.

  "Watch it. I'm hungry, tired and cranky. Do you really want to go there?" Layton answered back with a crooked smile.

  "Bring it on," Caine laughed.

  "No more of this spanking shit,
though," May said. "You guys need to give me time to get to know you, and threatening me all the time is going to piss me off."

  "I am not concerned about pissing you off, little one. You will have plenty of time to get to know us, but I suspect that you will incur many more paddlings if your behavior doesn't improve. You have been provoking me since the second we met and even my fuse is growing short."

  "No, I haven't."

  "Actually, you have." Caine squeezed her ankle which was curled up under her. "We need to understand what is driving you to act this way. You're a grown woman, yet you respond like a kid. I don't mind that in the least bit, but I do need to know what is going on inside your head."

  "I dunno. Your father had no problem with me the way I am."

  "We don't have a problem either," Caine explained. "We are just trying to understand you."

  "Would you care to explain why you kept trying to start a fight with me? I'm a stranger to you. I could have reacted in any number of ways, and not all of them would be good," Layton stated.

  "I dunno," May said into his shirt. He smelled like pine needles and sage. Mmm…

  "Give it some thought and let us know. We will have plenty of time to talk. Let's grab a bowl of chili and get on our way." Layton announced, patting May's thigh.

  "You're leaving?" May sat up straight as the blood drained from her face.

  "We weren't prepared to stay the night. We just wanted to check in and make sure you were okay. What's wrong?" Caine asked. "You are deathly pale."

  "I don't want to be alone tonight. The dark terrifies me. Miss Clara won't be here, and the nightmares…" May's lip quivered as she struggled against the onslaught of fear that ravaged her body. "Can I, well, can I go home with you? Please? I swear, I won't be a bother. I won't even make a sound. Just don't leave me alone. Lyle would stay until I fell asleep. I can't…"

  "Breathe. You're having a panic attack. Easy," Caine coaxed.

  "Shhh, calm down." Layton held her tightly as she went from short, shallow breaths to full-fledged weeping. "Everything will be okay. We promised to take care of you. Are you certain you want to go with us?"