Southern Discomfort

by Burns, Rachel

  Katie appeared in the door. “What does she need?”

  “Water, lots of water.”

  Katie was the kind that didn't have to be told anything twice. She hurried off and Charles came in. “Where was she?”

  “Really close by. That bastard nailed her into the Kelly's old ice house. Her eyes aren't used to the light anymore.”

  “Good, we will darken up the windows.”

  Katie arrived with the water. “Is she going to be alright again?”

  A silence followed.

  Emily had wanted to hear the answer. Had he nodded, thus reassuring everyone, or was she a lost cause brought home to die? “Nathaniel.” Her hand felt the bed next to her.

  “Here I am, darling.” He took hold of her hand and held it as tightly as he dared. She was just so fragile.

  “I was so alone. I thought Victor killed everyone. I heard so many shots.”

  “I know, darling. But I found you. You are safe now. Everyone is fine. You are going to be fine. Isn't she, Charles?”

  “Of course, but I need to look at your eyes, Emily. Katie cover up the windows a little.”

  “She's shaking?” Nathaniel was puzzled. “Are you cold, darling?”

  Emily was scared. More scared than she had ever been before a spanking. “Am, I going to die?” She squeezed her husband's hand. She wanted to hear the truth.

  “Nonsense,” Katie called out. “What you are going to do, is to lie down as much as Charles says you need to, drinks lots of water and eat to gain your strength back.” She picked up a blanket threw it over the curtains.

  Charles removed the blindfold.

  Emily squinted against the light. She leaned into her husband for protection.

  Nathaniel was so glad to see her. “Emily,” he had to smile. He reached out to her face and stroked a finger along her jawline. “I thought I had lost you.”

  She shyly opened her eyes and looked at him. “No, you found me.”

  Chapter 15 Thanking The Lord

  Nathaniel stared down at his wife, sleeping. Charles was insisting that she would be alright. She just needed to gain her strength back.

  She was so beautiful. The moon was shining bright. He had taken her out to the pond and washed her in the moonlight. She had had such dirty hands and mouth.

  It had felt good to have her in his arms again. Her naked body would always be his home. The place that his heart needed to return to.

  She had clung to him, still too weak to support herself. Their helpers had gone home when Charles had told them that she was going to be alright. She had just grown so dear to all of their hearts. The pastor had come in and said a prayer with her, thanking God that everyone dear to them was safe.

  Bessie had come in and told her her good news too. That had really pleased Emily. Charles had sent his wife back to bed. She still had to heal up from her own wound. They were all glad that Victor couldn't shoot well.

  Emily stirred on the bed. “Nathaniel,” she called out. She was in panic, thinking that she was back in the dark ice house.

  Nathaniel picked up the glass of water he had waiting for her, and lifted her up to sitting. He had her resting against his chest. “I'm here, darling. Take another sip.” He held the glass to her lips and slowly let the water trickle into her mouth.

  “I'm safe? This isn't another dream?”

  He worried about what dreams had haunted her while she was locked away like that. “No, you are safe in our own bed. I'm holding onto you.”

  Emily sighed so relieved.

  Nathaniel lit a candle and read poems to her, while she ate some of the food that Katie had put on a plate for her.

  Nathaniel read until she fell asleep again. He kissed her forehead and laid her down again. He finally believed that she would be alright.

  Nathaniel dropped to his knees on the floor and folded his hands close to her body. He thanked the lord for saving her. She was such a gift to him, in every way. This was God's way of telling him that he loved him.

  Nathaniel felt her hand on his head. She was gently petting through his hair.

  “Tell me what happened?” she asked.

  “Victor Wellington is dead. He will never bother you again.”

  “I'm sorry that you had to kill him, because of me. Are you trouble with guilt? Is that why you are praying?”

  “No, I was thanking God that he sent you to me.” He smiled at her. He would never tire of looking into her beautiful face.

  “But I caused so much trouble?”

  “No, not you Victor Wellington. No one feels guilty about Victor Wellington. He shot Edward in the shoulder and then he shot Bessie too. It was in defense. Besides I wasn't the only one who shot him, Charles, Bessie and Mr. Brown from the store all shot him too. That man will have a lot of explaining to do when he stands before the Lord. The only good thing about him was that he couldn't shot.”

  “But that's not true. He was a very good gunmen. He was in a club back home and he always won. Victor would stop by and drag to me, showing me his trophies.” It had always felt a bit like a threat. As if he was saying, see what I can do.

  “Then it was God's hand over his keeping us safe. I swear that I will do a better job protecting you from now on. But you have to obey me. If you had, than those terrible things wouldn't have happened to you. I half a mind to punish you yet.”

  Emily sobbed. “I know I deserve it but if I wouldn't have gone out when I did. I truly believe that he would have hidden in the bushes and shot all three of you when you came in from the range.”

  “Don't cry, darling. Everything turned out like it should. I'm not going to punish you, but you need to obey me. I worry that you won't. You don't seem to take me very seriously.”

  “That's not true. I just forgot.”

  “You like to forget things in the spur of the moment.”

  “Nathaniel, perhaps it would be best if I had Wednesday spankings, too?”

  “No, it wouldn't. We men have all decided to put that on hold for a while, what with you and Bessie expecting. Katie was so upset when she thought that Edward had died, that I figure that he won't have the heart to spank her, without cause, for a long time. I reckon that my brothers have been living with the uncertainty of their wives love. Never knowing if they were with them out of love, or because they wanted to get away from where they were.” Nathaniel was asking himself if that was the reason that he had wanted a virgin. He was certain that his Emily loved him.

  “Victor told me that they were – ” She dropped her voice to an almost silent whisper. “Whores.”

  “Yes, they were. Their mother died when they were very young and their father was poor. He sold them to the local whorehouse when they were barely women. They didn't have an easy life.”

  “I'm so glad that they are here now. I love them both like they are my own sisters. I had always wanted a sister. Now I have two.”

  “I'm glad you see it that way too, darling. I love you so much.” He leaned in and kissed her. She was so sweet and good hearted.

  “I love you too, Nathaniel,” Emily said, wrapping her arms around him.

  They whispered about this and that to one another until they fell asleep. They were more than just a married couple, they were friends, too.

  Epilogue

  Emily picked up the child at her feet. It wasn't her own child but things like that didn't matter. Each child on the ranch was loved, whether it was a son or a daughter or a niece or a nephew.

  Emily was in charge of keeping the five children out of the way today. That was a tall order, but it was necessary. Bessie couldn't be with her three children right now. She was inside helping Katie.

  Nathaniel rode in and started laughing when he saw his wife holding their baby daughter in one arm and balancing his nephew on her hip. Her tummy was slightly rounded, showing that their would soon be another child out here running with the others.

  “Pa,” Jacob softly called up to him. “I need help, making a knot. Please, show
me again.”

  Nathaniel swung off his horse and bent down to his shy son. He showed the beautiful child what he wanted and watched him practice.

  Jacob looked so much like his father, but he had his mother's manner. He was never loud or wild. Everyone was glad that his peacefulness rubbed off on Bessie and Charles' two boys. They needed someone like him to help keep them out of trouble.

  The window open on the second floor. “Twins,” Bessie called out. “Two beautiful girls. Mother and children are doing just fine.”

  Edward, who had been pacing up and down the yard, ran into the house to see his wife and their children. They had had a long wait for a child, but they were finally parents now.

  Check Out Rachel Burns' Other Books

  A Man To Guide Her

  This book is about Ashley and Jackson. Jackson quickly falls in love with Ashley, who has never heard of Domestic Discipline. Jackson is clearly a firm believer. Will she marry him despite that?

  Hot Cooking Spanker Wanted

  Katherine, a famous author, is writing a book about Domestic Abuse but she just can't put herself in the shoes of her main character. On the net she sees advertisements for people wanted to be spanked and other about people looking for someone to spank them. Maybe if she felt a bit of pain she could write better.

  She posts her own ad and Ryan answers. He is a professional cook, as well as an actor, and he is willing to help Katherine anyway he thinks she needs it.

  Have A Heart

  Brianna was born with a heart condition. She has missed so school that her grades weren't good enough for her to get into a normal college. Her father pulled a few strings to get her into an all girls school for lazy students with potential. There she meets Scott. It's Scott's job to make sure that all the girls work up to their full potential. Unfortunately no one told him about Brianna's heart condition. This is a romance book but we are keeping it a secret from Brianna who will first find out in book two that Scott has fallen in love with her. I am working on book three at the moment.

  Have a Heart Part II

  Brianna Banks was born heart sick. The doctors told her parents that she wouldn't live a month. They fought to keep her alive and raise her with lots of love and discipline when she needed it.

  Brianna is now nineteen and she is off to her second year of college with her best friend Cathy.

  Cathy is hiding from her x-boyfriend at college. Her big brother Scott watches out for all the girls on the floor of their dorm. He is floor disciplinarian. It is his job to make sure that all the girls behave as they should.

  Scott has feelings for Brianna but he has to keep that to himself or he will lose his job. He is counting the days to summer vacation when he can tell Brianna the truth, confessing his love for her. But how will she react?

  Island Men

  Craig Sullivan has left his island home, along with a few other young men, to search for that one woman who will complete them, and love them for the rest of their lives.

  Before they left their Pastor gave them some very practical advice. He told them, 'All women are very beautiful. None are perfect. It is often the case that the prettier they are on the outside, the uglier they are on the inside. Choose based on the inside'.

  When Craig sees Heather, he figures that a woman of her beauty can never be kind and nice. He tells his friends that she isn't marriage material. She overhears that and can't understand why a stranger would insult her, like he had.

  Craig feels guilty and tells her that he will marry her, wanting to prove to her how marriageable she is. Heather ignores him and goes about her work. She has bigger worries than him.

  Craig follows her and sees that he has insulted the nicest person on earth. He finds out that she is working herself to the bone to pay for her mother's medical costs.

  Can he convince her that he truly does want to marry her? Or has he burnt his bridges?

  Sugar Daddy

  Liz is a Freshman in College. After a falling out with her parents it becomes clear that she can't afford to stay in college. That is, unless, she finds herself a Sugar Daddy to help her with her bills.

  Luke is the owner of the biggest factory in town. Since he moved there recently he hasn't had time to start a serious relationship. And he won't have time for dating in near future either. But he does have needs. One is to make it clear to the women at work that he isn't interested in them. His other needs are more basic, he wants a beautiful woman in bed but only when he has time. What he needs is a call girl. But the one he talks to over the internet confesses that she is still a virgin.

  The arrange to meet on Thanksgiving Day. Will Liz go through with it? Could they ever have a serious relationship with the way their liaison began?

  Warning: This book is a tearjerker.

  Two Worlds Collide

  Melissa is walking to school on the hottest day of the century when explosions start. She hides in a school building, waiting to die. She looks back on her life and feels that she has been too boring. When an extremely tall man reaches down and picks for up her world collides with his.

  He takes her to his spaceship but the two can't understand each other. The one thing they do understand is their need for one another, no matter where they are or who is around.

  When Melissa doesn't obey him, he shows her how aliens discipline their women.

  Man of the House

  This book deals with very serious topic as well as Domestic Discipline. Megan was an abused child but this is something that she hasn't even told her husband, Michael. She keeps all the bad memories hidden deep inside of her but when the young bride lies about the amount she spent at a Tupperware Party Michael feels that she could profit from a sound spanking.

  The truth comes out, as it always does, and he has to decide what is best for them.

  Warning: This book is a tearjerker.

  Daddy's Sweetheart

  Amelia grew up in a mansion where she had to hide from her father, who blamed her for her mother's death. She grew up longing for attention and love. She wanted to prove to him that she was worth his love by being the perfect student.

  After her graduation from her boarding school she returns home and hopes that he will be proud of her. He isn't. He kicks her out, giving her a week to leave.

  Brian, his young business partner was present to hear him throw her out, decides that he should take her in. He wants to mold her into being the perfect wife … for him. Brian wants his own little girl.

  This is a book about two people getting married not because they are in love but because they are both in need. Brian needs a little girl that looks up to him and accepts him the way he is. Amelia needs a family to take interest in her.

  Amelia isn't sure how to react, when her husband insists that she have a nanny to care for her, or when he insists that she call him 'Daddy'.