Throwing her hands in the air, she let out a short, high scream of pure frustration. “There’s nothing to talk about! I just wasn’t expecting so many of them at the Ranch, okay?”
“The Littles?”
“Yes. They were constantly underfoot, getting in the way. I can’t tell you how much time Connor spent spanking their bratty little asses instead of running his kitchen.”
Was he imagining things or was there a note of longing in her tone? “That sounds incredibly frustrating.”
“It was. And don’t even get me started on the pranks. Everyone always thought Sadie’s pranks were so cute and funny, but they usually just made more work for the rest of us.”
Hmmm. From what he knew of Derek, he was having a hard time imagining him just brushing aside Sadie’s pranks, especially if they caused his employees undue hardship. But he was finally getting somewhere, so he kept that observation to himself for the time being. “Can you give me an example of one of those pranks?”
“Well, like when she and Hayleigh put salt in the soda machines. We had to completely clean and flush the machines — twice — before the soda tasted normal again.”
“What about before Hayleigh?”
The furrow between her brows deepened. “I really don’t see what the point of this is.”
“Humor me.”
“Why?”
Inhaling deeply, he reached for more patience. “Because I asked you to, and good little girls answer their daddy’s questions.”
“You’re impossible!” Throwing her hands in the air, she paced away from him, then back, temper sparking in her dark eyes. “There wasn’t any one event, okay? It was just a constant barrage of pranks and bratty behavior that drove everyone crazy. I swear even Connor was sick of them until Hayleigh showed up.”
“How long have you been in love with Connor?”
“Since the day I started at the Ranch, I guess.” Her eyes widened, then narrowed, and her words were a low hiss. “That was a dirty trick, Owen Coulson.”
“Six minutes in the corner,” he said calmly, ignoring her glare. “Did you know Connor was a Daddy?”
“Yes,” she snapped, spitting out the word as though it left a bitter taste in her mouth.
“And?”
“And, what? He’s a Daddy and I’m not a Little. End of story.”
It wasn’t, not by a longshot, but instinct told him he’d gotten as much out of her as he was going to for the time being. “All right. We’ll talk some more later. For now, you owe me six minutes of corner time, naughty girl.”
Rebellion etched itself into every inch of her face. Crossing her arms, she tilted her chin up and gave him a defiant glare. “No.”
Under normal circumstances, he might wait her out. Wait for her to submit on her own so that she was an active participant in her discipline. But the storm brewing inside of her was rippling just beneath the surface, and he ached to be the one to help her calm it.
Pushing to his feet, he gripped her chin between his thumb and forefinger, forcing her head back as he invaded her personal space.
“Did you just tell me no, Julia Lynne?”