by Kira Barcelo
"Doc leave?" she asked.
"Yeah. He went home."
"Why don't you come to bed?"
"I plan to. Right now." Leaning forward, he kissed her fully on the mouth. "Mama."
She laughed and he smiled, holding her and kissing her again.
That wasn't the time to tell him. It was a time to celebrate, to be happy because of the event they would be sharing. Not the time to tell him that she'd deceived him, that she had withheld the truth about her past.
Yet it would always be there. It there was ever a time, it was now. The truth, at this point, would cost her dearly. Yet she knew she would go on being haunted forever by yesterday, and Reeve, a good and decent man, deserved to finally know the truth.
"I'm going to tell you something that I should have told you a long time ago," she began, with fear coursing through her heart.
He reminded her of a little boy in that moment, because of that flicker of disappointment in his eyes.
"That… sounds serious," Reeve remarked.
"Well, before I tell you, I want you to know that I understand if you're going to see me differently after this. I wouldn't blame you if—if it changed your feelings towards me."
Just say it. Just get the words and out be done with it. He wasn't saying anything now, and neither had he removed his arms from around her. He only waited, staring at her intently.
"I worked in a bordello back east. We both did—Olivia and I." Her heart was pounding fiercely. "It's a long story, but we were abandoned at a whorehouse when we were little girls. I wasn't really living for all those years. I saw becoming a mail order bride as a means to escape that life…."
Melanie braced herself for his response. He caught her by surprise by brushing her hair back with his hand.
"I always felt like you were keeping something from me," he said softly. "Like there was something that was always between us, no matter how close I wanted us to be."
She shook her head, unsure if she could keep her voice steady. "You mean you don't feel close to me?"
"I do. Oh, I do, Melanie. Just sometimes it seemed there was some terrible secret." He sat back and swallowed. "I understand you not telling me at first, honey, but why couldn't you tell me sooner?"
"Because I thought I would lose you. That you would send me away, that you wouldn't want some… whore."
She couldn't keep her voice from breaking. Her eyes filled with tears. His, too, had moistened.
"That's not what you are to me, Melanie. I love you. You're my wife. And now you're going to be the mother of my children."
"And I love you. I didn't know how much I would love you, Reeve. The only person I ever had in this world before you was my sister. But I love you so much. My life wouldn't be the same without you."
"You won't find out what it'd be like without me. I'm not going anywhere and neither are you." Suddenly, he seemed to remember something. "Earlier today, what was that all about? Did you see someone who—"
"Who looked like someone else. I was wrong. Olivia was told by a girl we worked with that he was killed back East." She confessed then, "I dreamt about him, too. It's like the past had control over me. Like it was destroying me slowly. And I hated lying to you."
He nodded. "Well, you're safe, honey. Anyone who would try to hurt you or our child would have to deal with me first. Anything else?"
"Anything—what do you mean?"
"Any other secrets I should know about?"
"No!" She saw the humor in his eyes and giggled, but then stopped, sobering quickly. "Oh, only one more teensy little thing. Olivia's not a teacher."
"Ah. Well, that explains her reluctance in taking the reins at the schoolhouse."
Melanie shrugged. "She was a woman who wasn't married. I had to come up with an explanation, since we no longer had family to help us. So I gave her a profession."
"I see."
She sighed. "I guess as soon as I'm better, I'll be getting spanked for all this lying I've done."
Eyeing her with mock sternness, he put a hand on his waist. "Well, now, are you telling me you think you should be spanked?"
Was he giving her a choice? That got her nerves all jittery again.
"I think… you should forgive your naughty wife and understand why she did what she did."
"All right. You know I do. That wasn't the question. The question was, darlin'… do you think you've earned a spanking?"
She gulped. "Well, seeing my condition and all—"
"Oh, I wouldn't take any chances right now. Doc says you should be fine, that he's seen plenty of women this has happened to, and then months later, they give birth to a great, big, healthy baby. Still, I won't take the chance. I'm talking about," he paused and clarified, "after the baby's born."
"Oh. I—well—"
"Seems like you're having a little trouble deciding this, darlin'. Why don't we let your sister decide?"
"My—why should Olivia decide?"
"Well, hell—I mean, excuse my language, Mel—she's the one who went through all that fretting over having to do something she'd never done before. I won't spank you for lying about your past. I understand your reasoning behind that. But—well, Olivia can come on in here."
Her sister had no trouble hearing him. She hurried in from the bedroom she'd been using, at the other end of the hall, already dressed in her sleeping gown. Her hair was done in a long braid slung over her shoulder.
"Is she all right?" she asked Reeve.
"Oh, Melanie's fine. Right as rain!" His manner was playful, but he got right down to business. "Your sister has confided about her past. And yours."
Olivia slowly nodded, looking uneasily from Reeve to her sister. "I see…."
"Yes. And she finally fessed up and told me you are, in fact, not a teacher."
"Uh, well… yes." Olivia gave a more pronounced nod of her head. "That's true."
"Hm. So I was under the impression that you were a teacher when I offered your services. You went through all that worry for nothing. My question is… should Melanie receive a spanking for telling me that fib and for putting you through all you went through?"
Melanie smiled and relaxed. Olivia, naturally, would object.
"Spank her…now?" she asked.
"No, no. Later on. After the baby's born and she's out of any danger."
"You won't forget, Reeve? That's a long time."
"What?" Melanie lifted her head, looking directly at Olivia.
"Oh, well, in that case… I think a spanking if definitely in order for what that little brat put me through. A good spanking, Reeve, preferably with a paddle!"
"Olivia!" Melanie blew out a breath, indignantly.
"Well, glad that's settled!" Satisfied, Reeve slapped his thigh. "From now until then, I'll just have to make sure I get a good paddle. Good thing to have around, I'm sure—"
"Reeve!" Melanie was flustered.
"That's not a problem. You can always borrow the big brush Forest just bought for me." Olivia continued soberly, "He hasn't tried it out yet. I've been on my best behavior lately, trying not to get acquainted with it too soon."
"That's all right. I'm pretty sure Forest will get to break it in long before I do," Reeve said with his usual wry drawl.
"Pretty sure he will, too. Well… good night." Olivia turned to leave.
"Good night, ma'am." Waiting until she closed the door behind herself, Reeve turned to Melanie. His pretty wife was pouting. He was delighted to see her looking stronger than she had earlier in the day.
"Reeve, you're not really going to paddle me for that, are you?" she wheedled. "You're just teasing me. Aren't you?"
"Now, angel, I can't let you believe you can get away with everything, can I? I can't let you think it's all right to be dishonest with me or to keep secrets from me. So, yes, you are going to be spanked. Unless, in all the excitement after the baby's born, your sister's right and I forget."
She clicked her tongue. "Oh, you won't forget. I know you."
&
nbsp; Reeve chuckled, knowing she was right. He pulled her back into his arms. He loved how it felt, having his arms filled with a loving, delectable woman whom he adored.
"Promise me now," he urged, "no more secrets between us."
"I promise. No more secrets, my love."
"And…" he shook an index finger at her. "No more crazy, made-up stories, either. Promise."
"I promise. No more made-up stories." She kissed him.
"And one more thing, Mel… don't ever call yourself that again, that word you used before. I'm sorry that you and your sister went through that. That's no childhood. My hearts breaks when I think about it. But that's not what you are to me. You're my lady. My bride. The only woman I will ever love until the day I die."
Her eyes shone with tears despite her smile. "And you are the only man I will ever love for the rest of my life."
PROLOGUE
"Looks like our dance is a great success!" Mae exclaimed.
Melanie smiled at her, affectionately accepting a hug from her friend. Standing near the band, she turned to watch the scene before her.
It gave her pleasure to know that, considering the time constraints they'd worked under, she, Mae, Olivia, and several of the other town's women had pulled everything together to make the Garner Falls Summer Dance as close to perfect as possible.
It had actually been Janie's idea. When the women had learned about an influx of prospective brides that were arriving in the month of July, Arnie's wife—lovely and full-figured as she awaited the couple's first child—had suggested holding an outdoor dance.
Though rain had dampened the earlier part of that week, the weather had held up that night. The moon hung like an ivory ornament in the Montana sky over the couples dancing and the musicians in the large, new gazebo playing one lively song after another.
"It's more than just what we did, you know?" Mae sounded wistful. "It's like romance is in the air."
"I think you're right," Melanie agreed, grinning. "Besides the mail order brides, who knows how long it'll be before our schoolteacher marries and retires?"
"Yes, I saw that, too."
Both of them looked out to see Mae's niece. Patricia had expertly taken over the reins from Olivia, who discovered she enjoyed teaching more than she ever thought she would.
The young woman had also begun to share more than a flirtation with young rancher, Vance O'Keefe. Melanie fully expected those two to announce their engagement within the next few weeks, if not sooner.
"This place is not the same, you know, Mel," Mae said, shaking her head. "Not the same place it was when I first came here. Back then, it was just me, and the girls, and the men. What little was here, of course."
"How has it changed?"
"It's become home. It wasn't always. Before you all came it was just… half a town." Her voice softening even more as she looked out at the couples dancing, Mae told her, "Just a dot on the map. Now it's actually a place to fall in love and to grow and to thrive."
"I know Olivia and I are glad we came here," Melanie agreed.
"Speaking of Aunt Olivia…." At that moment, Olivia stepped past a pair of farmers who gentlemanly gave her room to walk toward Melanie. Dressed in her light green summer dress, with her hair up in cascading curls, she held four-month-old Colton in her arms. "Ah, as much as I enjoy this handsome young man's company," she said, passing the baby into his mother's arms, "my husband has to be up early tomorrow. Uncle Forest has some bad guys to chase over at the Pearson ranch."
"And we have to be going, too, honey," Reeve added.
With their son in her arms, Melanie turned to smile at her good-looking husband. She felt that familiar shiver through her body, whenever he gave her that secretive, beguiling smile that silently promised something would be taking place between them later, when they were alone.
"I wish I could stay, but you're right," she acquiesced.
"Hm." Drawing closer, he whispered in her ear, "And we need to take care of… you know."
Another shiver went through her, this one for a different reason, and down in the pit of her belly. With color rising in her cheeks, she kissed both Mae and Olivia, who arched her eyebrows in a way that indicated she knew what Melanie was in for, and followed Reeve back to their wagon.
Though she'd heard many women complain about how forgetful their husbands were, Melanie had to admit that she didn't share their dilemma. What Reeve didn't trust himself to commit to memory, he wrote down as a way of reminding himself. Whether it was a favor for the preacher or her sister's birthday, or more recently, their one-year wedding anniversary, Reeve thoughtfully remembered each event, each detail.
Unluckily for her, the man's memory was also intact when it came to recalling that he'd promised his beautiful wife a spanking several months ago.
"That little imp fell asleep easily for once?"
She straightened up and put a finger to her lips. Reeve, entering the baby's room, mouthed the word, Sorry.
"Too much excitement for him tonight, I guess," she whispered after kissing her fingertip and transferring the kiss to her sleeping baby son's forehead.
"Too much flirting makes a boy sleepy, you mean," Reeve waited until they were outside to say. He knew his voice naturally carried more heavily than hers. "Besides his aunt, that baby smiled and made eyes at every female who stopped to make a fuss over him."
Melanie chuckled. "He is going to be a ladies' man."
"Honey, I have to get something from the bedroom. Meet me down on the porch."
"On the porch?"
"Yes. On the porch," he repeated calmly. "Won't take me more than a minute to get down there."
Why couldn't he discipline her in the privacy of their bedroom? Eli was visiting with one of Mae's girls and Arnie would be home that night with his adoring wife. It was doubtful that anyone would be passing by that night, but still there was always that chance. An embarrassing chance, at that.
As he'd mentioned, Reeve was down on the porch only a minute or two after Melanie had gotten there. Her bottom twitched with anticipation when she saw his right sleeve rolled up and the large brush Forest and her sister had so helpfully loaned him.
After that scare earlier on in her pregnancy, she'd had a reprieve from spankings that had lasted until that night.
"I guess it wouldn't help to remind you," she said, leaning with her back against the porch railing, "that I haven't got any more secrets I'm keeping from you."
"Let me think for a minute." Clicking his tongue, Reeve shook his head. "Nope. That won't help you any. Come on now. It's been a while."
That man could drive her crazy! Yet she had to smile, confused by what she was feeling. Despite the fact that her tail was about to feel the sting of that hard, wooden brush, which according to her sister had packed quite a wallop the last time she'd been over Forest's knee, she sort of liked being taken over her husband's lap again. Feeling his strong legs under her, his work-callused hands moving her to just the exact position where he wanted her.
She liked being reminded that he, and not she, was in charge. He was the man. He wore the pants in their family. Though Reeve had a wonderful sense of humor and could be boyish and playful, he was also virile and protective and, yes, much to her chagrin, strict.
She knew her face was turning pink when he drew the plentiful skirts of her dress up over her waist and slipped her undergarments down, fully baring her bottom. Self-consciously, she looked around, hoping no one would come up that road until Reeve was done applying the paddle to her backside.
"I thought I've been very well behaved these months," she pointed out.
"You have been. I'm very proud of you, wife. And you've also managed lately not to be creative when talking about other people's pasts, either."
Though she was ready for the first time the brush landed hard across her bottom cheeks, the burning sting still took the wind out of her and made her jump a little on his lap.
"But you did put your sister through all that torment,
and I promised her you'd get your comeuppance, so…" Again and again, he smacked her bottom with the brush. "Here we are!"
"Oh!" Groaning, Melanie clutched his legs. Each word was punctuated by a thwack of the paddle as she asked, "We are giving—ouch!—this thing back to them, aren't we?"
"Yes. You can take it over to Olivia this week and thank her for it."
"Oh!" Try as she might, she couldn't keep her feisty tone out of that one word.
Reeve stopped, holding the paddle in the air. "There a problem with that?"
"No, sir! I'll take it and thank her for it t-tomorrow!"
If I can sit on the wagon by then!
To her relief, the brush came down only once more. The spanking hadn't lasted nearly as long as she'd feared it would, though Reeve had spanked her hard enough to make her bottom throb gently with the sting and heat from the implement.
"That's… all?" she asked warily.
"What? Not enough?" he grumbled.
"Oh, no. That's plenty!"
"Good!" He gave one chubby cheek a pinch and laughed before pulling her drawers back up. "I can't see spanking you any more than that. You really have behaved yourself lately. I commend you, darlin'."
After setting aside the brush, he helped her to her feet and then guided her back onto his lap. Melanie had a feeling she wouldn't be going right to sleep that night, with a husband who couldn't keep from kissing her even now, as she sat on his lap on one of the two rocking chairs.
"You've been a good husband to me." She laughed and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Even when I misbehave!"
"And you've been a good wife to me." Once more, Reeve kissed her, taking his time with his tongue exploring hers. He loved the way she smelled, like the wildflowers that grew on the sides of the mountains just beyond his ranch. Out loud, he corrected himself, "Our ranch. Yours and mine. This belongs to us, Melanie. We're going to build it together."
"I know, honey." Contentedly, she sighed.
"And because of you and Colt, now it's more than just a ranch. Now it's home."