Suzanna

by Stevie MacFarlane

“Of course I now know you were lying through your teeth,” he admonished, shaking his head sadly. “In reality, you were running away from Cole. Unfortunately, you made the mistake of taking some jewelry that didn’t belong to you. In case you’re wondering, stealing is a crime and a punishable offense.”

  “I only borrowed it,” she shot back indignantly. “I was going to return it.”

  “That’s another lie, Suzanna. I know you sold it to Bennett’s and I’ve retrieved it. It is my intention to take you back to Seattle. The marshal along with the victims will decide what charges will be brought against you,” he informed her. “Still feel like dessert before we leave?” he asked briskly.

  “Yes,” she said defiantly. “I’ll have a piece of apple pie.” She had to think. Rubbing her temple, she waited silently while Dalton signaled the waiter.

  “The lady would like some apple pie and I’ll have some coffee,” Dalton said.

  As soon as the waiter returned Suzanna dove into her pie, her shoulders relaxing.

  “Cole will never let them bring charges against his fiancée,” she said with certainty, smiling smugly at Dalton.

  Reaching into his pocket, he withdrew a paper and placed it on the table before her.

  Picking it up, Suzanna quickly scanned the telegraph twice before crumpling it in her hand.

  Her face was deathly pale and she stared at her plate, setting her fork down.

  “He’s married Charlotte,” she said with no emotion at all.

  “Yes, apparently while you were plotting your escape, Charlotte was working on Cole’s home. Her kindhearted nature won him over and he fell in love,” Dalton explained gently.

  “I see. Well, that’s fine. They deserve each other. Charlotte will be perfectly satisfied to be a marshal’s wife, settling for what he can provide or going without. I’m not so inclined. Cole will probably keep her bare foot and pregnant,” she said with a bitter laugh.

  “Are you finished?” he inquired stiffly.

  “Yes,” she replied, wiping her mouth on her napkin. “I’ve suddenly lost my appetite.”

  “Understandable.” Rising, he went to her and pulled back her chair as she rose to stand. Throwing some bills on the table, he took her arm and escorted her from the room.

  In the carriage, she was quiet until she finally murmured, “Why do all my plans go awry?”

  “Why are they all hare-brained schemes to get a wealthy husband?” he countered.

  “I don’t want to be poor. I’m no good at it,” she admitted.

  “Does love count for nothing then?”

  “Love,” Suzanna scoffed. “That’s just something for poets to drone on and on about. It doesn’t exist, not really.”

  “Of course it does. What about a mother’s love for her child? Do you believe in that kind of love?”

  “Only if that child is of use to her,” Suzanna replied. “All of life is a tradeoff of some sort.”

  “That’s a very cynical attitude for one so young,” Dalton pointed out.

  Suzanna shrugged her shoulders and didn’t reply. When he pulled the carriage in front of his hotel, she looked at him quizzically.

  “What are we doing here?”

  “I told you, I’m taking you back to Seattle,” he answered, getting out of the carriage and coming around to her side.

  “But it’s late. Surely you don’t mean tonight?”

  “No, we leave on the first stage in the morning.” Lifting her down, Dalton took her arm and led her toward the stairs.

  “So take me back to Mrs. Gunderson’s. I have to get my things,” she insisted, trying to slow his stride.

  “Everything’s been taken care of,” he informed her. “Your things have been packed and are waiting at the depot. Tonight you’ll spend the night with me. I have no intention of chasing you all over hell’s creation tomorrow.”

  “So I’m under arrest?” she demanded.

  “Sort of house arrest. You’re in my custody until such time as Cole decides what he wants to do with you,” Dalton continued, leading her upstairs.

  “I don’t suppose it bothers you that you’re ruining my reputation,” she snapped, looking around at a few very interested patrons.

  “Not at all. The man you set your cap for is not interested. For all intents and purposes you know no one else in Portland, aside from me and you’re already in deep trouble on this front. What do you have to lose?”

  “Explain ‘deep trouble,’ ” she insisted, trying again to slow down his long stride.

  “Well, let’s see,” he replied unlocking his door and spinning her into his room. “You’ve lied to me from the very beginning. You’ve stolen and then sold property that didn’t belong to you. You conned Hugh Jordon into giving you money under false pretenses. And the thing that bothers me the most is that you arranged a situation in which a good and decent man was forced to propose marriage to you then you ditched him because he wasn’t up to your standards. In reality, you don’t have any standards at all, at least not regarding your own behavior.

  “Suzanna, what makes you think it’s all right for you to treat people the way you do, use them for your own ends?” he demanded, tossing his hat on the bed and glaring at her with his hands on his hips.

  She remained quiet.

  “You know Cole told me that he figured it would take a few good, hard spankings to help you learn to be an acceptable wife. At the time I couldn’t see that, but I certainly can now,” he remarked direly.

  Gasping, she backed against the bureau and looked at him with wide dark eyes.

  “Don’t worry. I’m not your judge and jury,” he informed her, running his hands through his hair. “I’ve never spanked a woman in my life, although I’ve met quite a few who could have benefited from it, none more than you.

  “What I will tell you is that I’m sick to death of watching a pretty little thing like you act as though she can behave in any manner she likes, with not a thought for those she hurts and get away with it. Don’t push me any farther, Suzanna. I’ve taken the liberty of providing you with a night gown and robe as well as a new suit for traveling tomorrow. I’m going down to the bar and allow you time to get into bed. Don’t make me regret it because if I come back up here and you haven’t followed my instructions to the letter, I will put you over my knee. Do you understand?”

  Suzanna nodded slowly.

  “Good. I’ll be back in half an hour and you’d better be in that bed,” he said, pointing to the four-poster that dominated the room.

  She heard the key turn in the lock and sagged against the bureau. Good grief, she had to get out of here. Hurrying to the window she gave a prayer of thanks that it opened quietly toward the front of the building. The roof of the porch looked sturdy enough, but could she make the leap to the ground?

  Suzanna hesitated. What options did she have? Do as he asked and hope she could get back to Seattle without incurring his wrath? Dalton was slow to anger apparently. He’d known what she was up to for days yet hadn’t acted until tonight. How far could she get from Portland with no money and no belongings before he caught up with her? Probably not very far but it was better than returning to Seattle in complete and utter humiliation. Better than facing those women and admitting what she’d done. No, she couldn’t do that, she just couldn’t.

  Quickly, she returned to the bureau and rummaged through his things. Nothing of use there, she thought. His saddle bags were another story. She found a knife and a substantial amount of money. Grabbing some bills, she stuffed them into her reticule and went back to the window. The street seemed quiet enough so she slipped out onto the roof and hunkered down until she got to the edge. Peering over it, she decided it would be best to back off, letting her body hang as low as she could before letting go. Hopefully she wouldn’t break a limb in the fall.

  She didn’t know Dalton was standing on the porch smoking a cigar. Had no way of knowing he was smiling as he watched her inch her behind over the edge. It pushed her dress up nearly
to her waist and he admired her scantily clad form as he walked down the steps and around to where she hung precariously.

  Without looking, she let go and hoped for the best. Someone caught her before she hit the ground. Whoever it was seemed tall and strong and in seconds she realized she was now over the man’s shoulder. Looking down she took in his black trousers and boots. Damn.

  “Suzanna, I wonder if you will ever cease to surprise me,” he said as he strode back into the hotel and up the steps, giving a nod at the clerk.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Dalton didn’t say another word; he simply pulled her dress down over her bottom and carried her upstairs to his room where he dumped her unceremoniously on the bed. Before she could scramble off the other side, he sat and dragged her over his knees.

  Flinging up her dress, he debated the necessity of removing her drawers and decided it was definitely in order since she’d risked breaking a limb or worse. It was time, actually well past the time someone should have taught this lovely little brat a thing or two about what was acceptable behavior and what wasn’t.

  With very little fanfare he bared her bottom and began spanking her. This wasn’t so difficult; in fact, it was quite pleasant, at least on his end. He watched her bottom turn pink as she squealed and squirmed to get away. Smack after smack fell crisply and he figured if his hand was stinging, her behind was too.

  “Settle down, Suzanna,” he suggested. “It’s not as if I didn’t warn you.” In short order, her legs began to kick up and he thought it best to trap them under one of his if he didn’t want a kick in the head. At that point, confined and helpless, she really began to get mad. He smiled and carried on.

  “Oh, you’re hurting me,” she cried, struggling for all she was worth.

  “I believe that’s the point, honey,” he replied, pausing and testing the heat of her punished cheeks by cupping them both in one big hand. “It appears I’m making progress.”

  “You do know I’m going to kill you once you let me up?” she screeched.

  “And you do know that if you try you’ll be right back over my lap for round two,” he advised as he spanked her five more times.

  “Oh, I hate you,” she yelled, pounding the bed with her fists.

  “Funny you should mention that because I’m beginning to wonder if you hate yourself,” he said thoughtfully.

  Suzanna froze.

  “That’s insane,” she hissed.

  “Think about it,” he suggested with an especially hard slap. “You continually set yourself up for these enormous tasks and goals that don’t have a prayer of working out for you. When you’re offered genuine friendship, you deliberately do something to alienate the other person. You repay kindness with deception. You say you don’t want to be poor, but you’re not willing to work at anything to improve your lot in life, other than trying to find a way to part someone else from their money. It doesn’t make sense and I don’t see how you could like yourself very much. In fact, I don’t have any idea why I like you.”

  “You like me?” she sniffed tearfully, looking at him over her shoulder.

  “Yes, I do. Very much. I might even be in love with you,” he said softly.

  “Now that is insane,” she shot back. “How could you love me? Most of the time I’m a horrible person.”

  “True enough,” he agreed, “but I think I know a way to help you become a better one.”

  “How?” she demanded.

  Dalton smiled and began spanking her in earnest, not stopping until she was lying limply over his lap and bawling into the bed covers. Her bottom was apple red and he didn’t feel a bit bad about it. He figured she’d earned every smack and then some and he had no qualms about repeating the process as often as necessary.

  He allowed her to cry it out for quite a while, patting her behind gently to remind her he was still there. Finally, he turned her over, pulled her onto his lap and into his arms, comforting her.

  “I’ll have no more nonsense out of you, young lady,” he informed her. “We’re going back to Seattle where you will atone for your ridiculous behavior and make amends. You’re also going to find a job so you can pay back the Jordons and myself for what it cost to redeem the things you sold that were not yours to sell. Do you understand?”

  “Yes, Dalton,” she sniffed, wiping her eyes on a handkerchief he provided.

  “No more lies and schemes,” he continued, “not unless you want to find yourself right back over my lap for another spanking.”

  “Yes, Dalton,” she whispered.

  “All right then,” he said, kissing the tip of her red nose. “I want you to get ready for bed now. I’ll turn my back, but that’s all. You’re going to have to earn my trust, you naughty girl.”

  “I know. I’m sorry, Dalton,” she sighed, beginning to cry all over again.

  Standing, he set her on her feet and gave her a smack on the bottom.

  “Get moving now,” he ordered as he turned around and faced the wall. “Once you’re in bed, I’ll hold you and you can cry all you like.”

  Suzanna quickly complied and got into bed lying on her side. Dalton lay on top of the covers, fully dressed and cuddled her close as she cried herself to sleep.

  The trip back to Seattle was anything but pleasant. Suzanna was in a foul mood that corresponded with the weather. The near constant rain made the roadway a muddy bog in some places and Dalton did not offer his lap as a cushion for the bumpy journey. Instead, he let her bounce along. Each time her bottom came into contact with the seat, she glared at him as she tried to suppress her moans of discomfort.

  Twice she tried to slip away from him, once at the depot claiming she had to use the necessary and again when the driver stopped to rest his hard working team of horses. Dalton didn’t fall for it and his hard gaze promised retribution in the near future.

  By the time they checked into the Payne, Suzanna was as mad as a wet hen and looking somewhat similar. The dark rose skirt and jacket he’d given her was damp and stained and the thin white shirtwaist wet enough to show the outline of her corset. Her fashionable upswept hair now hung down her back, giving her a decidedly bedraggled appearance Dalton found endearing, or would have if she’d just stop her complaining.

  When he took only one room at the desk, she exploded.

  “How dare you assume I’d share a room with you after the way you treated me in Portland?” she hissed out from between gritted teeth as she struggled to remove her arm from his firm grasp.

  “Might I offer you other accommodations?” he replied quietly. Staring down into her furious eyes, he continued. “They won’t be nearly so comfortable and there will be no privacy whatsoever, but if you’d rather I can turn you over to Cole. I’m sure he has an empty cot or two at the jail.”

  He watched in grim satisfaction as she paled and a shiver passed through her.

  “This will be fine,” she answered, her shoulders sagging in defeat.

  “I thought it might be.” Quickly, he signed the register, took the key from the clearly curious clerk and pulled her toward the stairs. “Please send up a bath,” he spoke over his shoulder in a clipped tone. “The lady is quite fatigued.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Shortly after they entered their room, Suzanna’s trunk arrived along with Dalton’s bag. Suzanna stared out the window, watching the rain run down in rivulets. A second knock signaled two stout employees carrying a slipper tub and another with two large pails of steaming water.

  “I’m going to go speak with Cole,” Dalton announced tiredly. “Take a bath. When I return, I’ll get cleaned up and we’ll go down to the dining room for supper. I’m locking the door.”

  Suzanna looked longingly at the bathtub and nodded.

  “Just so we understand each other, I’ll put it plainly. If you leave this room before I get back for any other reason than the building is on fire, I will find you and spank you until your sweet ass or my hand bursts into flames, whichever comes first. Do you understand?” he
asked pointedly.

  “Perfectly,” she snapped. “I’m not a complete fool.”

  “At times your actions lead me to believe otherwise,” he sighed with a wry smile tilting his lips.

  Infuriated, Suzanna turned her back and began to unbutton her blouse.

  As Dalton closed and locked the door behind him, Suzanna flinched at the sound. It might as well be a jailer’s key locking her into a room with iron bars. She was caught as surely as an animal in a steel trap. Despite Dalton’s easy going nature, she had no doubt he meant every word he said. He would spank her, and likely enjoy it. She didn’t think her poor bottom could stand another one of his lessons, especially after the bruising ride she’d just endured.

  Stripping, she pulled a robe from her trunk and slipped it on. Her hair was ridiculously tangled and she gave it a vigorous brushing before pinning it up. After testing the water, she took off her robe and laid it over a nearby chair. Instead of using what was provided by the hotel, she took a bar of honeysuckle scented soap she’d stolen from the mercantile back in Portland and sank into the water with a groan of appreciation. Even though her bottom smarted a bit, the warm water felt heavenly. The sweet smell helped her relax, bringing back memories of her childhood in Georgia where the vines grew wild.

  How simple and pleasant those days seemed. She knew what was expected of her and she did it, even if it seemed quite silly and pointless at times. Who cared if she could set a proper table? They had servants for that, didn’t they? Who cared if her needlework was as neat on the backside as it was on the front? Nobody looked at the back anyway.

  In any case, she’d been raised in a world of wealth and privilege. Everwood, her family’s plantation, had been prosperous and her parents’ hospitality was well known the south over. For most of the war they’d remained unscathed. Even when Sherman’s Troops burned and looted nearly every house in the county, Everwood, a home of supreme grace and beauty had miraculously been spared.

  When the end of the war was declared, Suzanna expected things to return to normal, but many thought her father had turned traitor to protect his property from union raiders. Their family was ostracized. The suspicions regarding his loyalty to the south seemed too bitter of a pill for her father to swallow and, shortly after her thirteenth birthday, he put a gun to his head.