by Rita Lawless
This time he did help her to stand. She glared at him as she faced him, standing on her tiptoes and shaking her finger in his face. "You're in big trouble, mister."
"Oh please," he said. She could tell he was trying to hold back laughter. "It was funny, and you know it."
The crowd was dispersing, some of them wandering off, some of them going back to their food. As they left, one woman walked by and wished Justice a happy birthday.
"It's not my birthday," Justice said with a laugh after the woman was gone.
"I purposely said and one to grow on so people would think it was," Zander said as they sat back down. "I knew some people wouldn't appreciate my spanking you in the square."
"You… you…" Justice wiggled her finger in his face again. She wanted to be mad, but she couldn't help but giggle. He was right, the scene was straight out of a western movie.
Zander laughed. "You can thank me later. Right now, I have a horse race to win."
"And we have a scavenger hunt to win, too."
He stroked her face before he leaned over and gave her a kiss, one that was sweet, almost chaste. It sent tingles down her spine and made her want to kiss him more. From his next words, it was obvious he had the same thought. "We'll finish it later tonight," he whispered against her lips.
"Hey you two," Emily said. "I hate to break up the love fest, but we have guests."
Justice didn't want to look away from the seductive look on Zander's face, but she finally managed to tear her gaze away. She looked at Emily, who was talking to Louisa Gunner. Justice didn't know when the woman had walked up, but she'd obviously been there long enough to introduce herself to Emily and Brice, who were talking to her and Abel, who sat in a wheelchair next to them.
"Louisa," Justice said. "What a surprise."
Louisa smiled at her. Then she held up a manila envelope. "We have things we need to discuss."
Justice's eyes widened. She wanted to believe that one little overlooked clue all those years ago could now lead to discovering something the people of Bluefield had been searching for during the past one hundred years plus.
"Is that…" Justice glanced at Zander, who was staring at Louisa. "Is that the map?" she finished.
"Yes, it is," Louisa said. "Let's find a quiet place to sit so we can chat."
* * * * *
Zander pulled a chair out for his grandmother. They were all back at the house, and it was now close to seven. The original plan had been to be here by five, so that they could talk about what Louisa had found, and possible go to wherever the map pointed them. But things got out of hand, as they always do with large events, and starting times for the race and the scavenger hunt were pushed back.
Zander wanted to forget both events, but his grandmother had reminded him that she was on the committee, and couldn't leave. And, she warned, if they discussed the hidden loot without her she would "Tan his hide," and he didn't doubt that she was telling the truth.
His mother had just finished passing out glasses of iced tea, and it was all he could do to contain his excitement and not rip open the envelope Louisa still held in her hand. One look at Justice and he could tell she felt the same way.
Finally, Miss Agatha asked Louisa to tell them what she'd located in her father's things. It didn't take Louisa long to relate the tale. After Zander and Justice had left, she and her father had gone through his papers, and she'd found nothing. But then an idea had crossed her mind. Her father had a safety deposit box in an Austin bank.
The next Monday they'd gone to the bank. She found several pieces of family jewelry, her father's will, her late mother's wedding rings, and, on the bottom, the envelope she now held in her hands.
"We didn't open it until we got home," Louisa said. "But basically, it's a letter from Jeremiah Gunner, the lawman who had been alive during the time of the robberies. The letter stated that he had a run in with Frank Miter, one of the leaders of the gang, years after everyone thought the loot was gone and would never be found again."
Louisa took a deep breath. "You have to believe I had no clue this was in my father's things, or that my family had anything to do with the legend."
Zander grabbed his tea and took a swig. He wanted to scream at her to get on with it, but he knew that wouldn't be the right thing to do.
"You act as if your family is guilty," Justice said. "What did the letter say about this run in with Frank Miter?"
Louisa sighed. "Miter had come back to Bluefield to get the loot. He'd figured enough time had gone by that he could safely recover the cash and jewelry and make off with it, and he'd get it all to himself."
Almost as if he'd written the letter himself, Zander could see where this was going.
"My ancestor says he came into the sheriff's office one day and someone rushed in saying they'd seen Frank Miter out near the creek. Jeremiah rushed out there, and sure enough, he found him. He had a shovel, and was digging. Both men drew their guns, and Jeremiah won."
It was Miss Agatha who spoke next. "If that's what happened, this should be in the city archives. There would be a record of the sheriff recovering the money and jewelry and catching the last bandit."
Louisa looked down. "Not if he buried the body near the creek and took the loot home with him. In the letter, he apologizes to his family, both present and future, for letting greed get the best of him."
"Oh my stars," Miss Agatha said. "I never in a million years would have guessed that."
"Me neither," Louisa said. "Nor would I have guessed that my family kept such a secret for more than one hundred and fifty years. Dad never once said anything about it to me until he mentioned the map the other day. When we brought it home, I asked him about it. He said his father had given him the map when he died, and dad planned on giving it to me when he died, since he had no sons."
Zander wanted to ask what she would have done with it if he and Justice hadn't come to visit that day, but he was pretty sure he knew the answer. It showed to her character that she'd brought the letter to them now. He was pretty sure the mystery would have been solved upon Abel Gunner's death.
"There is more to the letter," Louisa said. "Jeremiah relates how he used some of the money to buy things for his family, but then his guilt got the better of him. He would have been hanged if he'd let the truth be known, so he took the rest of the loot and buried it near Frank Miter's body. He drew a map, and told his son to report it to the authorities after his death, but he didn't. None of my ancestors did."
That surprised Zander more than anything she'd said that afternoon.
"So the remaining money and the body are still out there?" he said.
Louisa nodded. "If I'm reading this map right, I think it's on your land."
Now that part didn't surprise Zander. The ranch had grown in scope over the years, buying up both private and public lands to house their cattle and horse operations. He reached for the map and studied it. If he was reading it right, the burial spot was about thirty minutes from where he and Justice now made their home.
It was on the tip of Zander's tongue to say, "Let's get a few shovels and get in the car," when his father spoke up.
"We need to do this right," he said. "If we're talking about human remains, they need to be treated with dignity, no matter how old, or what the man did during his lifetime. I'll call the sheriff in the morning and see what needs to be done, and then we'll go from there."
Priscilla offered Louisa and her father a place to stay, but she told them she'd rather go back to Austin and come back when things had been set up.
"I'll leave everything to you, Mr. McMillian," she said to Ben. "I want Mr. Miter to be found. No one deserves to lie in an unmarked grave."
Zander thought the woman was showing great character, and he wondered if he would do the same if he'd been in her shoes. It would be tempting to dig up the money and keep it for yourself.
But then he looked at Justice. He was pretty sure she would keep him on the right track. In fact, he knew she wo
uld.
* * * * *
Justice flounced down on the bed, the saloon girl outfit rustling underneath her. She felt like she'd been wearing this outfit her whole life. Zander was in the kitchen, fixing a sandwich because he said, "Lunch wore off a few hours ago." For her part, she wasn't hungry.
The look on Louisa's face as she talked about her ancestor's part in the missing goods haunted Justice. She felt sorry for the woman, whose father had carried the secret to an age-old mystery, that she never knew her family was a part of, until now.
Zander came into the room, a plate full of sandwiches in one hand, and a large bottle of soda in the other.
"You were hungry," she said as he sat down next to her. He balanced the plate on his leg and took one of the sandwiches. "I thought that you might like one of them."
"You're so sweet," she told him. Now that she saw the food, her stomach rumbled a little. She took one and marveled that her future husband could build several roast beef sandwiches, complete with all the fixings, in so little time.
They ate in silence, and when they were done, Justice took the plate back to the kitchen. When she returned to the bedroom, she saw that Zander wasn't there. She found him on the porch, at the exact spot where he'd made such perfect love to her when she'd first arrived at Bluefield.
"Enjoying the night air?" she asked as she snuggled in next to him.
"Yes, and I'm wondering how Bandit Days will be next year, when the truth of the situation comes out. Do you think it will be the end of them?"
"Not at all." She nuzzled his neck. He stepped back and she sat on the railing, spreading her legs. He stepped in between them and wrapped his arms around her. "It will change the celebration, sure, but it won't end. It's been going on too long."
He held her close and Justice placed her forehead on his chest. "I didn't get a chance to talk to Miss Agatha about it, did you?"
"Yes." He started to run his hands up and down her back. "She said she was glad we had the answer, but sorry that it was the one that we had. She would have liked to keep it a bit romanticized."
"Theft isn't romantic," Justice said with a laugh.
"The legend is, outlaws from the olden days getting away with missing gold. It would make a great book."
Justice sighed. "I suppose I need to call Skylar Lancer. She wanted to do a follow up if we found any information about the story."
"Wait until after dad talks to the sheriff," Zander said. "When we go on the dig, she can go with us, if she likes. Well, I say that and the sheriff might say no. But I think it would make an interesting tale."
They were silent for a few moments. Around them, Justice could hear the insects buzzing and the grass and trees rustling in the wind. It was a beautiful night. Earlier she'd noticed the moon, not quite full but still bright in the Texas sky. It would be a nice night for a ride, but she didn't really want to take the time to saddle the horses and go.
"I want you inside me," she whispered against Zander's chest.
"It would be my pleasure," he responded. "But, I think there's the little matter of an unfinished spanking, don't you. This afternoon was really no more than a warm up."
Justice laughed. "I still can't believe you did that."
"Instinct, and of course, Brice was egging me on, so I really couldn't resist."
This was the moment, Justice knew, where she could ask Zander if Brice had ever said anything to him about his sex life with Emily, but she hesitated. It seemed to be overstepping, so she let the moment pass.
Zander pressed his lips against her cheek. His hot breath made her shiver with need. "Admit it, you liked it."
"You're right, I did." Justice grabbed his shirt in her fists. "Take me over your knee again, only this time I want my ass to be bare, and I want the brush."
She didn't have to say which one. When they moved her things, she'd been careful to keep the ivory hairbrush out of the boxes so it could be used. But in the hustle of the last few weeks, they hadn't had a chance to give it a shot.
"Go and get it," he said, softly. "Meet me on the steps."
Justice hurried to find what she wanted. While she was in the bathroom, she took off the bloomer type panties that went with the outfit. She didn't want to risk tearing them, since she knew the outfit was borrowed. When she returned, he was sitting on the steps at the side of the house. There was no railing here, and she would be able to stand at the side and come across his lap easily.
But Justice didn't want easy. She put the brush down next to him and walked out into the yard.
"Get back over here," he said.
"Don't think so." She put her hands on her hips and turned to him. "I've changed my mind. I don't want to be spanked."
"Like hell," Zander said. He stood up, picking up the brush as he did. "You know you want it, Justice. Come back over here."
"I don't want to make it too easy on you." She took off at a very slow trot, running toward the front of the house. She wanted to draw it out, but she didn't want it to make it too difficult.
He caught her just as she rounded the corner, grabbing her arm and yelling at her to stop. She did so and they both fell to the ground.
"You little…" Zander stood and pulled her up with him. He wrapped his arm around her waist so that her back was to him. "Lift your feet," he ordered as he walked back in the direction they'd just come.
Within moments, they were seated on the steps and she was over his lap. Justice squirmed, kicking out her feet and hands as Zander lifted her skirt over her ass.
His deep laugh was like a drug to her, and she relaxed into his lap as Zander started to slap the brush against her ass. The spanking was hard and fast, the ivory landing on first one cheek, then the other. The familiar warm, tingly feeling spread through her; it intensified as Zander spanked her harder, and harder.
He slowed once, rubbing the ivory against her burning ass and then seconds later he started again. By the time he was done, Justice's ass was on fire.
Without words, he lifted her off his lap. She turned and straddled him, standing long enough for Zander to unzip his jeans and take out his hard length. She was so wet, she slipped onto him easily, grasping his shoulders, she moved up and down, savoring the feel of his bare skin against her.
His finger found her clit, and he rubbed as she moved.
"Zander!" Justice's clit tightened as her body seized in orgasm. Inside her, Zander stiffened. She knew he was filling her, coming at the same time she did. Justice's body shook as she settled into his arms, laying her head on his shoulder.
"Justice," he whispered. "There's something I need to tell you. The other night, I…"
"I know," she said, lifting her head to look down at him. "It's okay. If I didn't love you, I'd be mad, but I'm not. I'm going to be Mrs. Zander McMillian, and if there are little McMillians running around, so much the better. But I'm on the pill, remember? So we still have time."
"We have time for everything. We've solved the age-old mystery, and we have a house to fix, and a wedding to plan. We're going to be busy."
"But we have time for this." Zander slapped his hand against her ass.
"Always," Justice said as she leaned in for a kiss. "Always."
Rita Lawless
Rita Lawless grew up with her time divided between Colorado and Texas. A lifelong reader, Rita started writing after characters invaded her mind and refused to leave until she told their stories. A former teacher, she now spends her time at the keyboard and playing with her family of felines.
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