by Joannie Kay
   Owww! Owwwwwwwww!!!! Bridget kicked her legs and squirmed
   in an effort to free herself from his grip, but it was no use. Will was entirely too strong and easily held her in place while he
   applied his firm hand to her bare bottom.
   SPANK!! SPANK!! SPANK!! SPANK!! SPANK!! SPANK!!
   SPANK!! SPANK!! SPANK!! SPANK!! SPANK!! SPANK!!
   SPANK!! SPANK!! SPANK!! SPANK!!
   SPANK!! SPANK!! SPANK!! SPANK!! SPANK!! SPANK!!
   SPANK!! SPANK!! SPANK!! SPANK!! SPANK!! SPANK!!
   SPANK!! SPANK!! SPANK!! SPANK!!
   "I’m sorrrrrrrrryyyyy!!!! Oh, stop!!!!!! OWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!
   OUCH OUCH! OWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!" Bridget
   hollered and yelled.
   "You are never to run away from me again, Bridget!" SPANK!!
   SPANK!! SPANK!! SPANK!! SPANK!! SPANK!! SPANK!!
   SPANK!! "Do you understand me?" he asked while continuing to swat her bottom. SPANK!! SPANK!! SPANK!!
   "I won’t!!! OWWWWWWWWW!!! I won’t!!!! I promise!!!! Ouch!!!!
   OWWW! It stinggggggggggsss, Wil !!!
   Pleeeeeeeeeeeaaassssssseeee!!!"
   "Do you understand me?" he asked again, punctuating his words with hard spanks.
   "Yes!!!!"
   "Yes, Sir!" he corrected with another string of attitude adjusting slaps to her reddening bottom. SPANK!! SPANK!! SPANK!!
   SPANK!! SPANK!!
   "Yes, Sir! Yes, Sir! OOWWWWWWWIE! Please, Please!!!!!
   Enough!!!! I’ve had enough, Sir!"
   Will abruptly stood her on her feet, then pointed to the nearest
   corner. "I want you to walk over to that corner and stick your nose in there and think about this, Bridget. In a few minutes, I will call to you, and I expect you to go and get your hairbrush and
   bring it to me and ask me to finish spanking you for running
   away. How sincere you sound will determine how hard and how
   long you are spanked." When her eyes widened in shocked
   dismay, he said softly, "I told you you would regret running from me, Bridget. This will be a lesson you’ll remember, and I hope it
   discourages you from trying it again." He pointed again to the corner, "Get on over there, young lady, and hold that gown up to show your bottom. And don’t even think of rubbing," he added
   when her hand reached back.
   Bridget forced herself to walk over to the corner, and pulled up
   her gown to expose herself to his gaze, thinking she’d never
   been so embarrassed in her entire life! Not even that time in the
   third grade when she’d been forced to stand in a corner for
   talking to Delores Simmons. And, she shuddered, he intended to
   spank her again, with the hairbrush this time! How could she
   possibly bear that? she asked herself in dismay. And how could
   she bring herself to ask him for the punishment? She stood there
   agonizing for what seemed like hours, but in reality was only
   about fifteen minutes, before Will called to her.
   "All right, Mrs. Bishop. Let’s see how obedient you are," Will called to her. He watched as the lovely redhead walked over to
   her dressing table and picked up her hairbrush and approached
   the bed.
   Bridget was unable to look him in the eye, but she managed to
   say, "I’m sorry I ran away, Will. I know it was a foolish thing to do, and very dangerous. I know I deserve more punishment, and
   I’ve brought my hairbrush to you so that you can finish spanking
   me."
   Will placed his finger under her chin, and raised her face so he
   could look into her tear-filled green eyes. "That was very nice, Bridget. Please hand me the hairbrush." Bridget handed him the brush, bracing herself for what was sure to be another very
   painful lesson. The brush had belonged to her mother, and the
   back was hand carved from solid cherry. It had been used to
   correct her mother’s misdeeds when she was a child, and now
   she was to experience firsthand the sting her mother had told her
   about!
   Will patted the quilt beside him. "Lie down right here, young lady, and we’ll get this part of your spanking over with quickly. You’ll receive twenty since you asked so nicely."
   "Twenty!" Bridget gasped in dismay.
   "Twenty is considerably less than the fifty I planned," he smiled.
   "Of course, you still have thirty extra spanks coming, so I think I would consider myself lucky and get that bottom of yours into
   position right now," he warned.
   "I was thinking maybe ten!" she pleaded.
   "Thirty now," he looked at her.
   "No, please," she begged, even as she lowered herself onto the bed.
   "Pull your gown up higher, Bridget," he instructed.
   Bridget made sure her stinging bottom was completely bared
   again, and then gasped as the first smack landed immediately on
   her right cheek, the next four immediately following.
   "OWWWWWW!!! OWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" she yel ed. The
   pain was much worse than his hand had been. Her left cheek
   was treated to the next five, and by then she was crying and
   begging him to stop. The next ten alternated each cheek, and
   true to his word, Will gave her another ten, making these even
   harder and giving them rapidly to the soft spot where her thighs
   met her bottom cheeks.
   "I want your word, Bridget, that you will never run away again!"
   "I won’t, Will. I promise I won’t!" she agreed.
   "Good. Now you’ll receive your extras."
   "Please, Will! I’m so sore… and so sorry… Please don’t!"
   "Did you argue with me, Bridget, even after I warned you not to?"
   he asked.
   "Yes, Sir," she admitted. "I’m sorry. I won’t do it again."
   "I hope you won’t, but you will take your punishment for this time," he said firmly. "I expect you to count each one, Bridget."
   He brought the hairbrush down with a firm swat to the back of
   her right thigh.
   "Owwwwww! Oh, not there!!!!!" Bridget cried out. "One."
   "It’s ‘one, Sir’," he corrected. "Repeat it, or we’ll start all over."
   "One, Sir!" she repeated his words.
   The brush fell again, and Bridget gasped, but counted correctly,
   remembering to add the Sir. By the tenth swat, she realized that
   all the spanks were going to land on her thighs, and she was in
   terrible pain. She started crying so hard that Will couldn’t
   understand her, and by the twentieth spank, he realized she was
   nearing the end of her tolerance. He raised her up, and placed
   her over his lap, then used his hand for the last ten, telling her he would count them with her. When it was al over, he lifted her
   gently and held her close, letting her cry.
   "Get dressed, Mrs. Bishop," he finally told her when she was calmed. "We need to get on home."
   Bridget eased herself off his lap, and pulled a riding skirt from
   her drawer. "I don’t think I can sit my saddle, Will," she whispered, her face a flaming red to match her bottom.
   "It won’t be pleasant for you, that’s for certain," Will agreed.
   "Maybe a pillow?" she suggested hopefully, only to have him grin and shake his head no.
   "Not this time, young lady. And no salve either. You’re going to live with that spanking until it’s al gone!"
   Bridget wisely kept her mouth shut, and followed Will downstairs.
   She listened as her father promised to have her brothers bring al
   her belongings to her new home, and wondered why they
   weren’t even here to say good-bye to her!
   "Girl, you go on with your h
usband now, and try to be a good
   wife. Me and the boys just want you to be happy, and I think this
   young man will be good to you if you give him half a chance. And
   no more riding in the middle of the night, either! Next time I hear of it, you’ll get a good tanning from me! Understand?" he hugged her tightly.
   "Oh, Papa! I can take care of myself!"
   "Darn it, girl! No, you can’t! Not against the likes of varmints!"
   Flynn scolded.
   "Don’t worry, Mr. O’Riley, by the time this day is over, Bridget will be promising never to ride out by herself at night again."
   Bridget looked at Will and paled considerably, remembering his
   promise to give her a separate spanking for riding over here in
   the middle of the night. "You don’t actual y mean you’re going to give me another spanking today!" she wailed. "Oh, Will, you wouldn’t do it again!"
   Chapter Three
   Bridget was truly miserable as she and her new husband rode
   away from her father’s ranch. Her backside was stinging, and it
   was all she could do to sit her saddle! Will had made it perfectly clear what he thought of her running away, and that he
   considered the ride home on her spanked bottom a part of that
   lesson. He’d warned her that she would regret it if she followed
   through on her threat to run away, and she had to admit that the
   handsome Will was right; she truly regretted her actions and
   wasn’t likely to run away again! Especially now that she knew
   her Papa and brothers wouldn’t offer her protection! Will had
   punished her like a naughty child, spanking her with his hard
   hand and with her mother’s hairbrush, and each minute in her
   saddle felt like an hour! But what made sitting her saddle even
   harder for her, Bridget admitted to herself, was knowing that he
   planned to punish her again today! She didn’t think she could
   stand any more spanking on her already sore bottom!
   Will couldn’t help but feel a bit sorry for the redhead as she
   squirmed in a futile attempt to get comfortable, but he wasn’t
   about to give her any sympathy. She’d earned a good lesson,
   and he meant to follow through. Bridget’s willful, stubborn ways
   needed mending, and he was just the man for the job. He shook
   his head in disbelief at the way her father and brothers had
   spoiled her over the years, permitting her to do almost anything
   and everything she pleased, and then marrying her off to a man
   who was practically a stranger simply because the little brat was
   so out of control they couldn’t handle her! Will frowned, glancing over at Bridget as she attempted to stand in her stirrups and rub
   her backside at the same time.
   "No rubbing, young lady, and keep that butt of yours glued to that saddle!" he sternly ordered.
   Bridget gingerly eased her bottom down, and then looked at Will.
   "It really hurts, Will," she pouted.
   "It’s supposed to hurt," he told her.
   They rode in complete silence for several long minutes, and then
   Bridget looked at him once more, "Will, please couldn’t you
   forget about the other spanking? I promise I won’t ever do it
   again! Please? I am already so sore, I don’t think I can take
   another spanking today!"
   Will looked at her, and then said quietly, "No, Bridget. I can’t forget that you’re due another spanking. It’s long past time you
   learned there are consequences for your actions. I don’t like it
   any better than you do that we have to start out our marriage in
   this way, but you purposely ignored my warnings and ran away.
   You’ve been punished for that, and you will be punished for
   risking your life so foolishly, make no mistake about it. There are simply some things a female does not do, and riding alone after
   dark is one of them. You know what happened to Patrick’s
   girlfriend," he reminded her.
   "Yes, I do know," she admitted sadly, "but, Will, I am nothing like Sally was! She was so delicate and frail! I can take care of
   myself!" she declared passionately.
   Will just looked at her, then asked quietly, "What was Sally doing out by herself after dark? I wouldn’t have expected Patrick to
   allow that?"
   "Patrick didn’t know she was out alone," Bridget defended her brother. "Sally was visiting a girlfriend in town, and lost track of the time. Janie tried to get her to stay overnight since it was
   going to be dark soon, but Sally didn’t want her mother to worry,
   so she made the mistake of…." Her voice trailed off, and she
   glanced at Will to see if he heard her admission.
   "Yes, it was a mistake, Bridget, and knowing this, you went right ahead and made the same mistake last night," Will commented.
   "Knowingly and willfully, correct?" he asked, raising one dark eyebrow as if daring her to fib to him.
   "You know I did, Will," she said, "but I am sorry! And I won’t do it again!" she promised. "Please don’t spank me again! I know I will die if you do!"
   "You won’t die," he informed her with a soft chuckle, "but I imagine you’ll holler enough to wake the dead!"
   "But, Will, I am—"
   "I won’t have you arguing with me over this, Bridget!" he cut her off. "And unless you want extras for this spanking, too, you will stop this fussing and you will come to me and accept your
   correction when I tell you to. Is that understood?" He looked at her, then added, "A simple "Yes, Sir" is called for here, young lady, and no other response is acceptable."
   Bridget wanted to tell him to go straight to hell, but her stinging bottom reminded her to be cautious. She took a deep breath,
   then said, "Yes, Sir."
   The rest of the ride home was accomplished in silence, and
   Bridget was relieved when she could finally dismount. She was
   used to taking care of Sampson, and went about doing so
   without realizing that Will was observing her every move while he
   did the same for King and Dancing Sun. He couldn’t believe how
   someone as tiny as his little wife could heft the heavy saddle, but she did, and did it with such ease that he knew she was
   accustomed to the task. When she was al finished, he said, "I want you to go on up to the house, Bridget, and go into our
   bedroom. I want to find you waiting in the corner, with your
   backside all bare, thinking about how dangerous it was for you to
   ride out of here last night by yourself. No arguments," he warned when she started to say something. She gave him a look of pure
   defiance, then turned to march away. Will called after her, "I’d better find you waiting in that corner, young lady, or there will be a third spanking today for defiance!"
   Bridget didn’t answer. She didn’t dare! She wanted to call her
   husband every damned mean thing she could think of, but was
   afraid he’d use that as an excuse for another spanking! Her poor
   bottom! She was never going to be able to sit again!
   She walked through the kitchen and into the parlor, then on to
   their bedroom. With nervous fingers, she managed to pull off her
   boots and heavy socks. She removed her riding skirt, and placed
   it neatly on the top of the dresser, then did the same with her
   shirtwaist. Bridget walked over to the corner, and reluctantly
   untied the ribbon holding up her lace-trimmed drawers. Her face
   burning with shame and embarrassment, she slid the garment
   down to mid-thigh, and stood there facing the point where the
  
 walls met, wondering how long it would be before Will came in
   and spanked her again. Her poor bottom was so sore already,
   she really didn’t think she could stand another spanking without
   making an absolute fool of herself!
   Will was pleased to see that Bridget was obeying him. He took a
   good look at her reddened backside, and wished he didn’t have
   to spank her again so soon, but he knew that letting her off
   would be a big mistake. Giving her a pillow to sit on last night,
   and applying the salve to ease her pain had merely encouraged
   her to misbehave again. He was going to make sure she learned
   a thorough lesson this time, and if her bottom suffered in the
   process she had only herself to blame.
   He picked up a straight-backed chair and placed it in the center
   of the room, then took a seat. "Bridget, walk over here and stand in front of me." He noticed how red her face was when she
   turned around, and that her eyes couldn’t meet his. Her hands
   were trying to cover her front in an attempt to shield her most
   private areas from his gaze as she slowly approached him. "Put your hands behind your back and look at me, young lady," he
   scolded.
   Bridget looked at him in dismay, but when he showed no sign of
   relenting, she placed her hands behind her, exposing her
   femininity. She was absolutely mortified.
   "What you did last night was foolish in the extreme, Bridget, and I will not allow you to risk your life in such a manner. You are
   going to be spanked again, and no matter how much this
   spanking hurts, it will be mild compared to what you would have
   suffered if you had met up with the same group who attacked
   Sally, or others just like them. We’ll start out with a hand
   spanking," he told her. "Lie across my lap."
   Bridget looked at Will, saw the firm look in his blue eyes, but
   simply had to try one more time, "Please, Will! I know that what I did was foolish. I’ll never do it again, I promise. Please, please, please don’t spank me again today!"
   "I warned you about fussing and arguing," he reminded her.
   "That will cost you ten extra. Are you going to try for more, or are you going to do as I told you?" he asked.
   Bridget’s green eyes filled with tears, but she placed herself in
   the proper position without saying another word. Will shifted her