by Joannie Kay
front of the house. They hadn’t been expecting anyone that he
knew of. It wasn’t until he was dismounting that he recognized
the rig and horse as belonging to Harvey Spencer! "Oh great!"
he muttered under his breath, hurrying into the house, fearful
that he would find his feisty redhead pulling out the other
woman’s hair by the handful! To his never-ending surprise, his
bride was politely serving coffee to the couple when he entered
the parlor.
"Will!" Bridget was relieved to see her tall, handsome husband.
She trusted him to deal with the situation, whatever it was. His
blue eyes crinkled at her in obvious approval, and she felt her
heart fill with pride. She did so love to make this man happy.
"I’m in time for coffee?" he said in a teasing voice, and gave Bridget an affectionate kiss on the cheek. "Harvey," he crossed the room and offered the other man his hand.
Harvey got to his feet, and shook hands, then said, "Maude
asked me to drive her out here so that she could speak to your
and your wife, Will. I hope we haven’t come at a bad time?"
"No, not at al ," Will said amicably, accepting a cup of coffee from Bridget. "Thanks, honey," he smiled warmly. "Mrs. Spencer," he nodded in greeting.
Maude said a quiet hello, and then sipped on her coffee, clearly
not in a hurry to speak what was on her mind.
Bridget picked up the plate of cookies, and offered them to
Maude, who took one with a polite "thank you". Harvey took two cookies, and Will just took the plate and sat it on the small table beside the chair he was sitting in. Bridget couldn’t help giggling at him. The man loved his cookies.
"What is so funny?" he quirked an eyebrow at her in mock outrage. "I happen to love your cookies, young lady!" he declared.
"I’ve noticed," she agreed. "I bake a batch for you every day!"
"Keeps you out of trouble," he made it sound like benevolence on his part.
Harvey chuckled when Bridget wrinkled her nose at Will, but
Maude burst into tears, and Bridget and Will looked at each other
in consternation. "Maude, this won’t help," Harvey said gently, and awkwardly patted his wife’s arm. "Just tell them what you came to say and get it over with, please. You’ll feel much better
then."
Maude sat her cup and saucer on the table in front of her, then
dabbed at her eyes with her lace-trimmed handkerchief. "I am so ashamed of myself," she finally whispered, looking at Bridget. "I didn’t know the truth of what happened to you, Bridget; I made
assumptions that weren’t true! And to make it even worse, I
spread these false assumptions al over town. I am so very sorry.
I know I don’t have any right to ask for your forgiveness, but I
want you both to know that I have learned my lesson. I’ll never
do something like this again. Never."
She started crying again, and Harvey wrapped his arm around
her shoulders and hugged her to him. "What Maude hasn’t told
you is that she was severely punished for gossiping; it was time
for her to learn that her words have consequences. Mrs. Bishop,
Maude will attempt to correct the damage she has done with the
ladies in our community. We are both sorry for the
embarrassment you’ve suffered."
Bridget glanced at Will to see how he was reacting to this, and
he was giving her the same type of look! She took a deep breath,
and then let it out slowly. "Maude, I can’t pretend to be happy with the things you said about my family, but I can understand
how it appeared to be. The Dude fooled all of us. You obviously
know the truth now, and you came all the way out here to
apologize. That took a lot of courage." She got to her feet and went over and gave the crying woman a brief hug, then abruptly
changed the subject. "You’ve a long, long ride back to your
place. Will you eat with us before you leave?" She looked at
Harvey questioningly.
Harvey gave her a warm smile, and then said, "We would like
that, Bridget. Thank you."
"Good. Want to give me a hand, Maude?" she asked, and turned to leave the parlor, grinning to herself when Will looked at her
suspiciously. Men!!!
"What can I do to help?" Maude asked once they were in the kitchen.
"Just take a deep breath and relax," Bridget said with a smile. "I figured you would like to get up off that sofa for a while."
Maude’s face turned a bright pink as she nodded, the events of
the previous day fresh in her mind:
"How dare you treat me like that in front of those people, Harvey Spencer?" Maude asked as Harvey lifted her and plopped her on the seat of their buggy. "I have never been so humiliated in my entire life!"
"Be silent, woman!" Harvey glared at her as he took his seat and picked up the reins. "You have much to answer for, and believe me, you are going to answer for it when I get you home." He
talked and scolded non-stop the whole of the distance to their
home, and by the time they’d arrived, Maude knew the truth
about the Dude, and what really happened to Bridget O’Riley
Bishop. She was crying freely, and feeling so guilty that she
simply didn’t know what she was going to do.
But Harvey knew. He sent her directly to their bedroom with
orders to undress completely and then come to him in the
kitchen. He refused to give her modesty a thought as he said
"no" to her request to be al owed to put on a nightdress at least.
He wanted her to feel embarrassment and shame.
When she finally came into the kitchen, he steeled himself to be
firm with her. He loved her; she was the mother of his boys; she
needed a sharp lesson. He pushed his glasses up on his nose,
and motioned for her to come and stand in front of him. "This is going to be a very long and painful punishment, Maude. You are
going to learn there are consequences for vicious gossip. And,
by the time I am finished with this lesson, you will promise me
sincerely that you will never gossip again."
She hung her head, unable to look into his gray eyes. She
couldn’t bear to have her normally gentle husband so angry with
her. And standing in the kitchen, in broad daylight, without a
stitch of clothing over her body was shaming her beyond belief.
She wanted the floor to open up and swallow her. Why couldn’t
he simply have punished her in the relative privacy of their
bedroom? What if someone stopped by? Or if the teacher
dismissed school early?
"The lies came from your mouth, Maude, so the first thing we are going to do is scrub your mouth clean of all the filth you’ve been spouting."
"Oh, no…. Harvey, not that! Please…!" Maude couldn’t believe he was going to soap her mouth, but he didn’t hesitate as he
poured water from the kettle on the stove into the dishpan. He
picked up a bar of soap and worked up a lather on his fingers.
"Open your mouth, Maude," Harvey used his left hand to pull her closer. She shook her head no, pleading with her eyes for him to
relent. He didn’t. His left hand landed a sharp swat on her right
bottom cheek, and when she gasped with the pain, he put his
fingers between her lips. "Open. Now!"
Maude knew she had no choice. She opened her mouth, and
when he told her to open wider, she did. His fingers coated her
teeth and her tongue, and everywhere he could reac
h. The soap
burned, and tasted awful, and she feared she was going to gag.
The tears running down her cheeks were real, and she couldn’t
help stomping her foot as he continued.
"Hold still, and keep your mouth open," Harvey ordered, soaping his fingers again, and repeating the entire process. When he was
satisfied her entire mouth was feeling the effects of the soap, he removed his long fingers, then told her to spit. When she
reached for the dipper to get water to rinse her mouth, he put his hand on hers and stopped her. To her horror, he soaped his
fingers a third time and thoroughly cleansed her again, scolding
constantly. He ordered her to spit again, then he filled the dipper and let her rinse. The water only intensified the effect in her
mouth, and it was all she could do to keep from retching.
Harvey stood with his hands folded across his chest, watching
her the entire time. "If I ever hear of you gossiping again, Maude, I promise you will find yourself standing right here and soaping
your own mouth for no less than an hour. Do you understand
me?"
"Yes, Sir," she whispered. "I promise I won’t."
"I hope you don’t, but you know what to expect if you do. Now we’ll deal with the fact you started that scene with Bridget Bishop today. You slapped her… and I will not tolerate that behavior.
Get the wooden spoon and bring it to me, Maude."
She didn’t argue. How could she? She’d slapped the younger
woman, just as Harvey said. She took the spoon from the drawer
and brought it to him.
"Bend over the table, and stay in place. When I’m finished with this spanking, you will know better than to start another brawl."
Maude cried out as the spoon continued to fall on her bottom
and on her thighs. Harvey didn’t stop until she was crying, and
her butt was on fire. She was positive he hadn’t missed a spot,
and her pleas for mercy seemed to make no difference
whatsoever. When he finally stopped, it was to take her into their bedroom, and take her over his knee on the bed, and continue to
spank her with her wooden backed hairbrush. That was for
defying him in the store when he told her to pick up the apples.
"Your lies have caused Will and Bridget Bishop a lot of pain, Maude, and you even accused Flynn O’Riley of crimes. This is
serious. No matter how many times they tell the truth of it, there is going to be speculation… speculation that you alone are
responsible for, woman. I know you are already sore, and in
pain, and I wish with all my heart I could stop… but you are still in for the worst part of your licking." He placed two pillows at the edge of their bed, and then looked at her regretfully. "Turn your backside up over these pillows, Maude, while I fetch my strop."
"Oh, Harvey! No!! I am so sorry! I’ll never do this again! Please…
You don’t need to whip me. Please, Harvey! No!" she pleaded as he approached her, carrying the strop.
"Did you tell those lies, Maude?" he asked quietly.
"Yes," she admitted miserably.
"People believed them, Maude, didn’t they?"
"Yes… But, I am already so sorry!"
"I know you are," he agreed, pulling her to her feet. "And you will be much sorrier by the time this day is over. I’m not playing a
game with you, wife. I hate this more than you’ll ever know, but
you’ve earned a licking and you’re going to get a licking. Bend
over now, and lets get this part of it over with."
Sobbing, Maude put herself in the position he wanted, feeling
totally vulnerable and exposed. Harvey didn’t keep her waiting.
He used the strop, putting effort into each stroke. Her bottom
was soon blazing, and she was having trouble staying in place
for the punishment.
Harvey laid the leather on her thighs, reddening them to the
same color as her bottom, and then he aimed for the creased
area between her legs and bottom. Maude was not going to sit
for a week without remembering this lesson.
When he finally stopped, he sat on the bed and held her close. It
was a few minutes before she quieted enough to realize he had
tears on his cheeks too. "I’m truly sorry, Harvey. I’m sorry I shamed you with my behavior. Will you take me to the Bishop
place tomorrow so I can apologize? I have to do this in order to
be able to forgive myself."
"Here’s the cups and everything, Bridget," Will said as he entered the kitchen, carrying the tray with the empty cookie
plate, the pitcher, and the other items, and interrupting Maude’s
reverie. "I can wash these up for you…?" he offered, looking from one woman to the other and trying to gauge his wife’s
unpredictable mood.
"I’m behaving myself, Mr. Bishop," Bridget smiled knowingly at her husband, "You don’t need to be checking up on me!" she added with an impish grin, then squealed when his hand landed
a familiar smack to the back of her skirts.
"And see that you continue to behave, little girl," Will chuckled, and then kissed the top of her head. He was amazed, and
impressed, with Bridget’s behavior, and was more than satisfied
when she didn’t disappoint him throughout the rest of the
unexpected visit from the Spencers. She was the model of
hospitality during the meal, and seemed determined to keep the
conversation light.
As they got ready to leave, Maude turned to Bridget and said
candidly, "Thank you for making this so easy for me, Bridget, and for not slamming the door in our faces this morning. If the
situation were reversed, I’m not sure I would have been so
gracious." She hugged Bridget, and then tried not to wince when her sore backside made contact with the buggy seat. A final
wave, and the Spencers were gone, and Will and Bridget were
alone.
Will turned Bridget to face him. "I am as proud of you as I can be, Mrs. Bishop."
"Thought I’d clean up on her, did you?" she grinned impudently.
"Knowing my feisty little redhead, yes," he agreed. "It took a lot of courage for Maude to come here and face you."
"It did. And Harvey didn’t make her do it, either. She asked him to bring her. I put myself in her place, and treated her the way I would hope to be treated." She put her arms around Will’s neck and pulled his head down so she could kiss him quite thoroughly.
"I may have a temper and be headstrong and willful at times, Mr.
Bishop, but I don’t kick someone when they’re down."
Will returned her kisses, and decided that work could wait for a
while. His bride deserved a special reward for being so good! He
swept her off her feet and headed for the bedroom. Telling her
about the surprise could wait until later.
"What are you doing this afternoon, Will?" Bridget asked as he pulled on his boots.
"Not as much as I needed to get done," he grinned at her unrepentantly. "You do know how to tempt a man, honey." He pulled on his socks, and then started to put his boots on.
"I’m not in the mood to stay indoors; what can I do to help you?"
she asked seriously. "I know how to do most ranch stuff."
Will looked at her consideringly. "Honey, there isn’t all that much.
I have to start breaking that new stal ion… but before I do that, I have to take the speckled mare over to Ed Matthew’s place. You
know darn well and good you can’t go over there, so don’t even
suggest it."
"I wasn’t going to suggest it," she shuddered. "The man giv
es me the creeps," she admitted with a giggle.
"He’s harmless enough, but I don’t like the idea of having him telling his dirty stories to my wife. You just bake me some more
cookies…" he winked, then leaned over to give her a kiss, not realizing that relegating her to baking cookies was a big mistake.
He was out the door with a promise to be back by dark.
Bridget fumed, and then put on her discarded clothing. She didn’t
feel like staying coped up inside the house all afternoon. She
wanted to do some real work for a change. She watched and
waved as Will rode out, leading the mare. It would be at least
four hours before she could expect him to return, and she was
not going to bake cookies.
She walked out to the corral, and the stal ion immediately came
over to the fence. "Hi there, beauty!" she spoke softly. She took a sugar cube from her pocket, and placed it on the palm of her
hand… keeping her fingers out of the way. After a few minutes,
the proud stallion ate the cube, and Bridget spoke soothingly to
him the entire time. She’d always wanted to try her hand at
breaking horses, but that was one area Flynn O’Riley put his foot
down. He said "no" to her and meant it. He’d backed it up by threatening to fire any man who helped her on the back of a wild
horse, and threatened to horsewhip her brothers if they were
crazy enough to listen to her arguments. "Well, my friend… What do you think??? Would you let me ride you?" she asked in
consideration.
Bridget argued with herself. Told herself that she was asking for
trouble. But, she wanted to do something worthwhile… not just
bake cookies. She ran back to the house, delved into the bottom
drawer of her dresser, and found a well-worn pair of pants. She’d
only have them on long enough to try and ride the stallion, and
once she was done, she’d pack them away, and Will would
never know. He’d never even realize that she’d been the one to
ride the proud animal first. She giggled, imagining the look on
Will’s face when the stallion was gentled.
She grabbed some more sugar cubes and an apple from the
kitchen on her way to the corral, and talked quietly to the stal ion as she fed him the apple. To her surprise, he stood stil when
she saddled him, and Bridget surmised that Will must have had a