Lucy turned to run but her father grabbed her, his face a mask of absolute fury. “How dare you do something like this, you ungrateful whelp! You were raised to be a lady, and look at you! You are wearing pants and a gun! And fighting like a common street whore! I have never been so ashamed in my entire life and I am thankful that your dear Mother is not here to see what you have become.”
“You’re welcome for saving your life, Father,” Lucinda said calmly, not about to permit the man to see how wounded she was. “How does it feel to know that Philip came out here to die alone rather than live under your roof? How does it feel to know that no one in your entire household loves you? And do you know why that is? You don’t know how to love, Father. All you know how to do is dictate. Everything in and around you has to be precisely ordered to your thinking or there is hell to pay. You married Mother because you knew you could tell her what to do, what to wear, what she could do, and even what she was permitted to think. I am thankful every day of my life that I discovered there were real people outside your snobbery, people who were willing to teach me the principles of self-defense, and others who taught me to shoot a gun and throw a knife. I, at least, have a realistic view of the world and the people who live in it, unlike you. I would kill myself before I married a man handpicked by you. Do us both a favor and get on the next stage out of Snowfall. I can’t stand the sight of you and your disapproving scowl.” Lucinda wasn’t the least bit surprised when the despicable man raised his fist, prepared to strike her. What shocked her was Miss McCrae’s reaction. She reached up, removed her hatpin, and jabbed it as hard as she could into Calvin Jacob’s hand. He bellowed, and by then Henry reached Lucinda’s side.
“If you dare to strike my wife I will kill you,” he said coldly, his fury with his wife’s interference in the dangerous situation transferring itself to her father. “Lucy belongs to me, and no man will raise a fist to her unless he has a death wish. She saved your life, Jacobs, and if that is how you repay her, then you are a bloody fool. Go home, and do it now, or you and I are going to tangle.”
“Amen,” Miss McCrae nodded self-righteously as Caleb Jacobs stomped off. “Lucinda is to be commended for her quick thinking and her willingness to defend us.”
“No, she is to be spanked, and very soundly, for daring to risk her life,” Henry stated firmly, his blue eyes full of fire as he looked down at his tiny wife.
“Now, Henry, don’t be hasty,” Lucy retreated a couple of steps, only to back right into Mac Forrester, who immediately grabbed her and held her in place.
“There are unconscious drovers lying everywhere,” Mac told Henry. “While you and the others were getting ready for a head-on confrontation, Miss Lucy was sneaking around bashing in heads with that fancy fighting of hers. While I don’t hold with her risking her life like that and think you need to set her backside on fire, Lucy did protect the town from Razz Fencil and his drovers.”
“You are in deep trouble, Mrs. Zabarski,” Henry reached for her, only to have Miss McCrae jab at him with her hatpin.
“You will not touch this young woman, Doc Z! She saved my life!”
“Miss McCrae, I will most certainly touch my wife, and if you jab me with that damned hatpin just once more, I promise I will turn you over my knee and give you the spanking of your life, in spite of your age. Is that perfectly clear?” It was obvious to everyone standing around and listening that Doc Z was fuming and dead serious.
Miss McCrae’s face was red with humiliation and she was stuttering incoherently as she prudently backed away from the angry man.
“Henry, you need to calm down now,” his former father-in-law said in a soothing tone of voice. “Miss McCrae is only trying to give you good advice. The entire town is indebted to Lucy.”
“She could have been killed, sir. Lucy was told to stay inside and keep the doors locked. She disobeyed me.”
“I’m not about to let you go and get yourself killed,” Lucinda stated, walking over to stand in front of him. “I need to go and check on our dinner. It’s probably ruined by now.” She took off running and was relieved when no one gave chase.
“You need to be in bed.” Henry turned his dark eyes on Mac.
“I’m fine,” Mac stubbornly insisted. “Thanks for patching me up.”
“Lucy did most of the work,” Henry admitted as the crowd slowly dispersed, sensing the drama was nearly over.
Mac grinned. “She’s full of sass, that one.”
“She needs her butt whipped raw,” Henry muttered angrily.
“She sure does,” Mac agreed, but then added, “You best make sure she doesn’t need a hug even more. Her Pa is a mean son of a bitch.”
“You got that right,” Henry agreed without hesitation. “Hard to believe he’s Lucy’s and Jake’s father.”
“I don’t trust him,” Mac stated. “Keep Lucy close until the bastard leaves town. He’s the sort who thinks the end justifies the means.”
“I won’t let him get near Lucy, Mac,” Henry vowed.
Mac nodded his bandaged head. “If you have to ride out of town, let me know and I’ll keep an eye on Lucy for you.”
“Thanks, Mac.” He turned to head back to his office and then said, “You know where I am if you have any trouble with your wounds.”
“Thanks, Doc. I’ll be fine.” Unless he fell flat on his face from the pounding headache he was experiencing. Still, he was the Sheriff, and he had work to do. Mac headed toward his office, grinning in spite of the pain in his head as he pictured the elderly Miss McCrae getting her fanny paddled by the Doc.
* * *
To Lucinda’s surprise, the meal she left simmering on the stove was just fine and ready to be eaten whenever Henry came home. She quickly changed her clothing and pinned her hair on top of her head, trying to look sweet and demure, even though she knew without a doubt that her appearance, or the delicate perfume she wore, would do nothing to change Henry’s mind about spanking her bottom. She’d disobeyed him, and she’d placed herself in danger once again… something he absolutely would not permit. There would be consequences for her actions, and all she could hope to do was mitigate them a bit with a good meal, a smile, and some genuine remorse and regret for upsetting him.
Henry came through the door a few minutes later and crossed the room to take her in his arms and hug her. “Are you all right, honey?” he asked, concern making his voice huskier than normal.
“Yes, I am fine, darling. No one so much as touched me. I was quiet and took them down without any fuss at all. They will all be fine. I didn’t want to do injury, just prevent them from hurting anyone,” she explained. “I’m truly sorry I frightened you, but I love you and didn’t want you to get shot, too, and I knew you would stand for what was right.”
Henry kept a tight rein on his temper; his right palm was fairly itching to spank her bare butt until it was sore and a stinging red. “I wasn’t talking about that, Lucy. I meant in regards to your father…?”
“Oh… him!” she said in disgust, making a face. “I am used to him by now.” She shrugged eloquently. “There is nothing he can say or do to make me leave with him; the only regret I have is that Mother is forced to stay with him. He is totally without compassion for anyone or anything. Nothing gives him joy. He never laughs, never enjoys simple pleasures. I am sorry you had to meet him, Henry,” she said, her eyes clouded. “I warned you he wasn’t nice, and that he would disown me. I did underestimate him, however. I assumed he would just write a formal note, or have his lawyer attend the matter. I guess he wanted the pleasure of telling me in person.” She took a deep breath and then let it out slowly. “Enough talk about him. Go and wash up. Dinner is ready, and I’m sure you must be starving. I know I am.”
“You’ve got a spanking coming first.” Henry wasn’t about to let her postpone the punishment she’d earned. “You can pull up your skirts and bend over the table and we’ll take care of the matter right here,” he announced, his hands going to his belt.
&nbs
p; “Can’t you just use your hand, Henry?” she pleaded with him.
“No. You flat out disobeyed me and risked your life in the process. While I understand that you saved your father and Miss McCrae, I am not going to permit you to disobey me and get away with it. Do as you were told, Lucy, or I’ll double what you’ve earned.”
He was serious, and it showed on his handsome face. Lucy knew it wasn’t time to argue. She’d made the choice to disobey Henry, and now she needed to make a choice to accept the consequences, or she would earn extra punishment. She wanted to cry, but instead, she pulled up her skirts and then lay across the kitchen table, knowing the next few minutes were not going to be pleasant. She was relieved that Henry permitted her to keep her drawers. They were thin, and wouldn’t give much protection from the leather of his belt, but they were much better than lying there all bare. The first lick of the belt caught her then, and she gasped in shock and pain, but instead of another stripe, she felt Henry’s hand at her waist and in the next second, her drawers were lying in a puddle at her feet! “Oh no!” she whispered.
“Oh yes!” he insisted, and the doubled belt caught her again, causing her to dance in place. Henry was determined to give his pretty little wife a thorough lesson. He watched her backside turn white and then stain a brilliant red as welts rose on her delicate skin. He knew the welts had to be burning, but Lucy somehow managed to stay in position and accept her strapping.
Lucy was crying and pleading with Henry to stop long before he finally decided she’d had enough. When she heard him putting his belt through the loops on his pants, she was grateful he was done, and she made the mistake of trying to get up.
“I did not tell you to get up, Lucinda.”
“I thought you were done, Henry!” she cried out. “Oh, darling, please be done!” she begged as she realized he intended to punish her further.
“I’ll be done when I decide to be done, young lady.” She gasped as he pulled her upright and then over to his chair where he took a seat and put her over his lap. “Pull up your skirts, wife!” he ordered firmly, giving her a hard spank.
Lucy obeyed him, and Henry gave her a long and hard spanking over the top of the welts left by the strapping. It hurt, but Henry scolded and kept her attention focused on exactly why she was being spanking. By the time he finished, Lucy knew that she wouldn’t be sitting any time soon! She was in some serious hurt.
“I love you, Lucinda Zabarski, and this is only a small sample of the tanning you’ll get if you ever disobey me like this again.” He held her then and offered comfort.
Across town two unkempt men were accepting a huge packet of money to kidnap the lovely brunette…
Chapter Nine
His beautiful wife certainly knew how to make him feel guilty! Henry thought to himself as she sniffled as she placed his supper in front of him. She was still crying over the spanking he gave her, and she damned well deserved the spanking… in spite of what Miss McCrae, his former father-in-law, and the rest of the town thought. She put her life in danger, and single-handedly saved the whole town from Razz Fencil and his drovers. But, damn it, he couldn’t let her get away with doing things like that! She was tiny, and he loved her.
“Aren’t you going to eat?” he demanded when she continued to move around the kitchen.
“I’ve lost my appetite,” Lucinda answered, sounding wounded.
“You need to eat something,” Henry insisted.
“No, Henry,” she said firmly. “Eat your supper and leave me in peace.” She stomped into the bedroom and shut the door with a soft click that sounded as final as a loud slam.
He scowled and tried to take a bite of his food. It turned to sawdust in his mouth, and he pushed the plate away in disgust. Maybe Mac was right and Lucy was more upset over her father than she let on? Or maybe she thought her husband was a cruel bastard? Henry condemned himself.
He got up and went into the bedroom and darned if he didn’t catch her standing on the bed and looking at her backside in the mirror on the vanity. Lucy quickly dropped her skirts and he noticed her drawers were lying on the floor in the corner. Her butt looked angry and sore and he suddenly realized she was in too much pain to sit down, or to eat. He left the room without a word and went to the infirmary to get some ointment. When he returned she was lying on the bed, sobbing as if her heart would break. “Oh, Lucy…! Don’t cry!” he pleaded with her. “I’ll put some ointment on your welts and it will relieve the pain. Pull up your skirts, honey,” he ordered gently.
“No!” she refused.
“Why not?” he asked, stunned by her refusal.
“Because I’m mad at you!”
“Yeah, I’m a real bastard,” he agreed. “I shouldn’t have spanked you on top of the strapping. It was more than enough.”
“You aren’t a bastard!” she argued. “Don’t you say that, Henry Zabarski!”
“Then why are you mad at me, honey, if it’s not for tanning you?”
“I can’t be perfect, Henry! I can’t. I’m me, and I have to do what is right, just as you do. You aren’t a lawman, but you went and stood with the law today. I might be your wife, but I have a sense of duty, too. I did what was right for me to do. I know you don’t understand that… but it isn’t fair for me to get a severe punishment and you to get praised for being a ‘man of principles’! You had no right to threaten Miss McCrae, either, and I expect you to apologize to her tomorrow!”
“Lucy, you risked your life!” he argued.
“So did you! I don’t like it when you do that, but did I punish you?” she angrily demanded.
“It’s different,” he stubbornly declared.
“No it isn’t. The only difference is that you are a man and I am a woman. Can’t a woman have honor and principles, too? If you want a mindless creature who will sit home and knit, Henry Zabarski, you picked the wrong woman. I am who I am. I will never ever stand by and do nothing when you are in danger. I don’t care if I am Miss McCrae’s age, if you need saving, then I’m going to do my damndest to save you, and to hell with the consequences, so put that in your damn pipe and smoke it!” she said, and then shoved him off the bed. “You can just sleep in the infirmary until my butt stops hurting!”
“I brought this in here to help you and now I’m of a mind to bare you and spank you again!” Henry angrily declared, getting to his feet in one fluid movement.
“You do that and see if I cook for you tomorrow!” Lucinda threatened, her eyes snapping with fury. “Just get out of here, Henry. I am angry and in no mood for any of your foolishness tonight!”
He gave her a hard look and headed for the door.
“A decent husband would leave the ointment!” she called out.
“Like hell!” he muttered, and slammed the door on his way out.
Henry busied himself doing bookwork and doing an inventory of supplies he needed to order. Lucinda didn’t come out of their bedroom, and if she did, she certainly didn’t bring him so much as a cup of coffee as she normally did. He finally went to the kitchen and cleaned up their uneaten supper and washed the dishes. Henry wanted to look in on his wife, but he didn’t feel like another scold. He felt rotten for denying her the simple relief the ointment would have provided, but his temper was as rotten as hers. He debated about getting the jar and just going in there and making peace, but before he could do just that, there was a knock on the office door. He went to answer, and wondered yet again why so many babies decided to be born at night.
* * *
Lucy found a scrawled note on Henry’s desk telling her that he was delivering the Cole’s baby. She took advantage of his being gone to help herself to some ointment for her very sore bottom, and winced as she gingerly applied it. She’d acted badly last night when Henry came to her to offer aid, and she owed him an apology. She shouldn’t have kicked him out of bed because she’d gone out of her way to earn a punishment. It wasn’t as though she hadn’t known what to expect. She was angry because she hadn’t expected the sp
anking to be as harsh as it was. She’d frightened Henry, and Henry spanked when he was frightened. The spanking was merely a reflection of how much and how deeply he loved her… She would make it right with him when he came home from delivering the baby. Bringing a new life into the world always put him in a good mood.
She heard the door on the office open and close and she went to see who it was and tell them that Henry was out on a call. To her surprise it was Mac. “How are you doing this morning, Mac?” she asked with a worried frown.
“I’ve still got a headache, but I’ll live,” he stated. “Just wanted to make sure you’re doin’ okay? Your Pa is one mean hombre…”
Lucinda shrugged. “I’m used to it. Hopefully he will leave on today’s stage and we’ll never see him again.”
“I’ll see to it he’s on that stage, and in the meantime, you avoid him, Lucy. I don’t trust him not to try and drag you along with him.”
“Over my dead body,” she said with such conviction that Mac had no doubt in his mind that she was serious. “Seriously, Mac. Any love I held for that man was gone before I was old enough to ever remembering loving him. He wasn’t a kind father, even when I was small. Not to me, and only to my brother when it suited him. He is not a nice man, and he treats my mother with nothing but contempt. He holds no power over me, so don’t be afraid I will feel loyalty to him over Henry.”
“Good for you, Lucy,” Mac said with a smile for her. “You were brave yesterday, and you kept a lot of good people from being killed. I want you to know that I appreciate that, even though I hope Doc warmed your backside good and proper for risking your neck! I know that sounds like I’m on both sides of the fence, and I am. It would kill the Doc to lose you. Please don’t take chances with your safety, Lucy.” He leaned down and gave her a brotherly peck on the cheek, and then stomped out of the waiting room without another word.
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