by Elly Knight
“All right, all right,” Charli grumbled, highly embarrassed at being told off like a child. “It’s your problem now anyway,” she told him.
“I’m serious about this Charli Rae, you had better not touch this gun again,” Ben said, his voice as stern as she’d ever heard.
“Yes your highness,” she mocked him as she turned away to put the dough near the warmth of the stove to rise. She had been planning on baking a cake for Ben but there was no way she was doing that now. Instead, she pulled on her boots and stomped toward the back door.
“Where are you going?” Ben asked her. He didn’t like the thought of her stomping out into the night alone, especially when she was clearly unhappy with him.
“To the privy if you really must know,” Charli snapped at him. In truth, she just wanted to get away from him. Charli knew if she told him that, he’d stop her leaving. He could hardly refuse her personal needs.
Ben sighed as the back door slammed and he could hear his wife stomping down the back steps. He wondered how long it was going to be before peace reigned in their home.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Ben wasn’t a heavy sleeper so when he heard noises in the night, he woke and crept through the kitchen to where he thought the noise was coming from. A quick glance across the room confirmed that Charlotte was fast asleep. He wasn’t surprised she slept heavily with how hard she worked during the day. Ben planned to work on easing her load but knew he had to tread gently in that area, so she didn’t accuse him of treating her differently due to being female.
He stepped out onto the back porch to put his boots on without waking her, thankful the moon was bright enough to offer some light. Silence met his ears as he stood and listened, hoping to hear whatever it was that woke him, again.
After several minutes of quiet, Ben stepped back inside and lit a lantern so he could investigate further. He walked down the back steps and across the yard when the chooks began to make quite a fuss. Quickening his step, Ben entered the chook enclosure to find another fox inside. It scattered when he yelled and he checked the chickens before securing the enclosure and taking another quick look around. There was no sign of anyone and he was hampered by the dark so decided to come back in the morning for a better look.
What he found when he returned at first light did nothing to put his mind at rest. Not far from the chook enclosure, in the direction of some trees, he found a boot print in some mud that had been left from Ben emptying a bucket of filthy water underneath the trees. He’d been annoyed with himself when the liquid had run down toward the yard but it turned out to be a good thing. He grabbed some branches and covered the print in the hopes of preserving it.
“Ben?” Charli called out as he headed toward the house again. She was standing at the top of the steps still dressed in her nightgown and in bare feet. “What’s going on?” she asked, her eyes still glazed with sleep.
“Another fox in the chook enclosure,” Ben told her. “Everything is fine now,” he added as he ushered her back into the house, concerned she was going to catch a chill from the cold of the morning. The sun was just about to poke its head over the horizon and that was about the coldest part of the night.
“Did we lose any more chooks?” Charli asked him, her voice wavering with emotion.
“Not that I can see,” Ben told her. “I heard the commotion during the night and chased the fox away,” he explained as he scooped her up into his arms and carried her back inside.
“I can walk you know,” Charli argued with him, snuggling into his body warmth.
“I know,” Ben responded with a smile as he settled her down on her bed. “You need to put some socks on those feet,” he chided her gently as he moved to stoke the fire.
“I wish we could figure out how they’re getting in,” Charli said with a frustrated huff.
“We will,” Ben told her. He’d decided against telling her about the footprint for now, wanting to talk it over with Sheriff Johnson first.
<<<<>>>>
Ben was busy doing some maintenance on the barn doors when Sheriff Johnson rode into the yard later that day. He was leading a second horse by a lead rope. Ben wiped his hands on a nearby rag and walked toward him. “Morning Sheriff,” he said with a smile.
“I brought you a special delivery,” Sheriff Johnson said with a grin. “Isaac was going to bring him out but I was wanting to check up on you so offered to bring him myself,” he explained.
Ben ran his hand down the stallion’s neck. “He sure is a beauty,” he said as he took the lead rope from the sheriff and began talking in soft tones to the horse.
“How is married life going?” Sheriff Johnson asked him with a smile.
Ben chuckled. “It’s keeping me on my toes, that’s for sure,” he told him. “Some moments she’s as bristly as a cactus and others, I feel like I’m actually making progress.”
“Sounds about normal then,” the sheriff said with a chuckle. “Have you spanked her yet?” Ben shook his head. “It’ll be interesting to see how that changes the dynamic of your relationship,” he mused.
“I’m glad you’re here actually, there’s something I need to show you,” Ben said to the sheriff once the horses were enjoying a feed and a drink. He led him across the yard to where he’d covered the footprint with branches. “We had some trouble last night. I heard some noises outside and went to investigate. At first I heard nothing and then there was a commotion in the chook enclosure. A fox had gotten in. According to Charli, it’s happened a few times before and she can’t figure out where they’re getting in. I’ve tried and I can’t figure it out either but when I was looking around this morning, I found this. It’s too big for Charli and too small for me.”
Sheriff Johnson crouched down and examined the footprint that was now set in dried mud. “You haven’t had any other visitors that you know of?” he asked him.
Ben shook his head. “I created this mud late yesterday afternoon when I emptied a bucket of dirty water out. This print had to be made between then and when I found it at first light this morning.”
“I’ll have to head back to my office and get some equipment then come back and get some details,” Sheriff Johnson said to him. “Have you said anything to Charli?” he asked.
Ben shook his head. “I wanted to speak with you first,” he told him.
Sheriff Johnson nodded. “Let’s keep it between us for the time being,” he said to him. “A footprint isn’t a lot to go on and it could be nothing. On the other hand, someone could be trying to sabotage Charli’s efforts to make a success of the farm. Perhaps someone who hasn’t heard she’s recently acquired a husband? Keep your eyes and ears peeled and if there’s any sign of trouble, let me know.”
CHAPTER NINE
Ben could not believe his eyes when he walked out of the bank to see his wife walking down the street toward her horse; wearing the very pants he’d forbidden her to wear to town. She was too far away for him to get her attention without drawing undue attention to them both so he let her go, thankful she appeared to be heading in the direction of home.
He finished up his business in town and headed for home himself, ready to have it out with his wife. When Charli came in for lunch, Ben was waiting for her. He’d prepared lunch ready so they sat down to eat.
“How was your morning?” Charli asked him after they’d sat in silence for a few minutes. She was used to Ben asking her questions about her own day. His silence was a little disconcerting and she’d thrown him several concerned glances before deciding to initiate the conversation.
“Quite informative,” Ben said to her. “I needed to go into town for some extra nails and managed to catch up with the bank manager about a possible office for my law business,” he told her, watching his wife’s face closely as he spoke and not missing the way she paled and her eyes widened.
“Th-that sounds g-good,” Charli responded, cursing herself silently for stammering like a nervous schoolgirl. She was going to give herself away if she
didn’t keep her head. Assuming her husband hadn’t already been told about her own visit to town.
“How was your morning?” Ben asked her conversationally. “Everything looking all right?” Charli nodded as she stood and began to clear the table. Ben picked up his chair and moved it to a clearer area away from the table. “Come here,” he said softly, beckoning to her with his finger.
“W-why?” Charli asked, staying rooted to where she was standing.
“Now Charli,” Ben said firmly, his dark eyes drilling into her as if he could see her very soul. His brow knitted into a frown that made her more nervous than Charli thought she’d ever been in her life.
She shook her head ever so slightly and took a step back, keen to put as much distance between them as she could. That wasn’t much in her tiny kitchen.
Ben let out a frustrated sigh and before Charli knew what was happening, he was up out of the chair and had a firm hold on her arm. “If you don’t want to talk, let’s try a different form of communication,” he said firmly as he dragged her in the direction of his chair. He sat down and pulled Charli across his knee, face down.
“What the hell do you think you are doing?” Charli asked him angrily. Ben gave her half a dozen firm swats to the bottom with his hand. “Ow, Ben! Let go of me! You can’t do this!”
“Did you go to town today Charli Rae?” Ben asked her as he rubbed his hand across her bottom, soothing the sting he’d put there.
“Is that against the law now?” she bit back angrily. Ben gave her another half a dozen hard swats. “Ow, stop it you brute! That hurts!”
“Did you or did you not go to town today?” he asked again, his voice calm and almost soothing. He rubbed his hand across her bottom again and Charli was having trouble focusing on anything other than the sensations across her bottom. His hand was turning the sting into a pleasant warmth that was spreading throughout her body and making it difficult to think straight.
“I was thinking of getting a dog to help keep away the foxes from the chickens and thought I’d ask around to see if anyone knew of any puppy litters around,” Charli told him.
“That’s a great idea sweetheart,” Ben told her with a smile. “How did you go? Did you find anything?”
“Can I please get up now?” Charli asked him with a whine. “It’s rather difficult trying to talk like this.”
“I was happy to have a civil conversation about this Charli Rae but you weren’t keen. I think I like you in this position,” Ben said smugly. He tightened his hold around her waist when she struggled and screamed in a bid to remove herself from his lap. Ben began to spank her again and she quickly calmed down. “Yes, this position definitely works for me.”
“I think I hate you right now,” she said through gritted teeth.
Ben rubbed his hand across her bottom, which was really starting to smart from the repeated applications of his hand. He had a hard palm. “I very much doubt that sweetheart,” he told her confidently. “Now, tell me, did you find a puppy that would be suitable?” he asked her.
“The Thompson’s have several but they want fifty cents for each one. That’s an awful lot of eggs,” Charli told him sadly.
“All right, we’ll have a think on that one and see if we can come up with a solution,” he said to her. “Now tell me, did you come back to the house and get changed before you went into town?”
Charli couldn’t help but whimper in response to his question. She was pretty sure this conversation was not going to end well for her backside. “I was already at the other end of the farm and I just wanted to be quick,” she told him.
“So I wasn’t seeing things when I saw you walking down the main street wearing the very pants I forbade you to wear in public?” he asked her seriously.
Tears filled Charli’s eyes as she struggled to find something to say that would mitigate her. “I never agreed to that,” she told him.
“I think I’ve been pretty reasonable Charlotte,” Ben said seriously to her. “This is the only rule I’ve given you and it’s for several very good reasons.”
“You haven’t given me a single good reason,” Charli argued with him. “It’s not fair that I’m forced to comply with some stupid society standard because it might bother other people.”
Ben gave her another dozen firm swats and then ran his hand over her bottom again. “This bottom is for my pleasure and mine alone,” he told her. “How do you think I feel watching other men ogle you as you walk down the street? They can see way more than is rightfully theirs to see in these snug fitting pants.”
Charlotte gasped and Ben could tell the very thought had never occurred to her, nor had she noticed other men watching her. Why would she when they were more interested in what was behind her than in front?
“Do you think the other women in town regard you with scorn because they think you should wear a dress?” he asked her. “No, they’re upset because you encourage their men to look at you in ways men shouldn’t look at another man’s wife.”
“They should keep their filthy eyes to themselves,” Charli spat at him.
“Yes, they should. But you don’t need to encourage them. Now stand up,” he told her, releasing his arm from around her waist and tapping her hip. Charli pushed herself up from his lap. “Lose the pants,” he told her firmly.
“Pardon?” Charli said, sure she’d misheard him.
“Take off your pants,” he repeated.
“No, Ben, you can’t do this,” she begged, her eyes filling with tears. “It’s not decent.”
Ben nearly laughed. Now she was worried about decency? “We’re husband and wife now Charli Rae. Sooner or later I’m going to see your underwear. Now do as I say. If I have to do it for you, the underwear is coming off too.” Charli glanced at the door and Ben couldn’t help but chuckle. “How far do you think your tiny little legs are going to carry you before my long ones overtake you?” he asked her.
“It’s not fair you using your brute strength to force me to do something I don’t want to do,” she whispered.
“I don’t care right now what’s fair and what’s not,” Ben told her with a stern look. “I’m going to start counting and if I get to three and those pants are not off, I’ll be taking them off and putting them in the fire,” he warned her.
Charli gasped. “They’re my papa’s, you can’t do that,” she whispered.
“One,” Ben said firmly.
With tears tracking down her cheeks, Charli removed the pants she was wearing, folding them neatly in her hands. When Ben put his hand out for them, she hesitated. “Please don’t throw them in the fire Ben,” she begged.
“I’m not going to throw them in the fire,” he assured her calmly. “Unless you wear them off this farm again. Then that’s exactly where these, and all those you own like them, will end up.” He told her as she handed the pants to him. “I think I’m being more than reasonable allowing you to wear them for work but if you can’t meet me halfway, you’ll end up doing your farm work in a dress,” he warned her as he placed the pants on the floor to his left hand side. “Back over,” he said firmly with a pat to his lap.
Charli gasped and stepped back in horror. “No Ben, please,” she begged as her hands went back to cover her bottom. “I won’t do it again, I promise. You can’t do this, it already hurts!”
Ben sighed and lunged forward, grabbing her arm and pulling her back toward him and over his knee again. He then began to spank her hard over her drawers. It was somewhat disconcerting that she had to look at her neatly folded pants on the floor underneath her head while her husband spanked her. Charli squealed and begged but Ben spanked her until she was sobbing over his knee. She hadn’t thought the pants provided much protection but Ben’s hand hurt a whole lot more without them.
Charli was so distraught; she didn’t even notice Ben lift her up and cradle her on his lap, holding her while she sobbed. When she calmed down enough to notice, she tried to climb off his lap but Ben held her firm.
“
I still want to talk Charli,” Ben said firmly to her. “We can either do that with you on my lap or over my lap,” he warned her. “Your choice.”
It was enough to stop her struggling. “It’s not fair,” she said softly to him. “Do I get to spank you when you do something I don’t like?” she sniffled.
“I have no doubt you’ll find a way to make me suffer if I do something you don’t like Charli Rae,” Ben said sadly to her.
“You make me out to be some kind of shrew!” Charli protested.
“Well, you’re making me out to be a brute,” Ben countered.
“You did just spank me,” she pointed out.