A Man of Dreams, a Woman of Passion

by Rebecca Jacobs

  Caroline ran to Jacob and hugged him fiercely. "Are you all right, Jacob?" she demanded. "I was so terrified!"

  "I told you to stay hidden." He grabbed her upper arms and gave her a single, hard shake.

  "I wanted to help you!"

  "You disobeyed me, Caroline, and you have earned yourself a sound spanking."

  "No!" she gasped. "Jacob!"

  "Do not 'Jacob' me as if I have no grounds, wife. You are going to get a sound spanking." He turned and walked away from her, grabbing a shovel from the wagon. "Put our money chest away, Caroline," he ordered sharply, his tone clearly exasperated with her.

  Caroline felt tears fill her eyes, but she was wise enough not to argue with Jacob while he was in his present mood. She picked up the chest containing their money, climbed up into the wagon, and hid it where it belonged. The inside of the wagon was a mess. The nameless fat man had searched and searched to find the money chest, and he had thrown their belongings from one end of the wagon to the other. Caroline busied herself setting things to right, and when Jacob stuck his head in the back, she was nearly finished.

  "I buried him, Caroline, and we need to pull out. We can do the rest of this when we stop tonight. Is there any food we can have to noon on?"

  "I can find something, I am sure," she answered, trying to hide her hurt feelings. She hated having him angry with her.

  "Hurry it up, then, and we will pull out and make up the lost ground." Jacob was more than a little upset with the redhead, but he was not going to take the time to spank her right now. He wanted to give her some time to think about the punishment she had earned for herself. If he had died in that fight, the thief would have taken her, too, used her, and then sold her for whatever he could get. Caroline needed to learn the meaning of the word 'obey.'

  Caroline found some biscuits, and she cut off pieces of cheese, too. There were still some apples left, so she snatched a couple of those, too. They would have to make due with water since they had finished all the tea at breakfast. She settled on the seat of the wagon, and Jacob turned the team and headed them in the other direction. It would take them at least four hours to make up the time they lost, and she knew Jacob would push them hard today and tomorrow to make up the time.

  "Thank you," Jacob said automatically when she offered him a biscuit.

  "Jacob, will you listen to me, please?" Caroline asked.

  "Yes." He was going to listen to her excuses and then explain the error of her thinking.

  "I tried to obey you. I really did, but when that awful man raised that knife to kill you, I simply had to do something. I think he was surprised to see me, and it gave you an advantage. So, in this instance, disobeying you probably helped and saved your life," she pointed out.

  "Caroline, I am good in a fight. I am also strong enough to hold my own against most men. I was not in danger, but when you jumped out, you gave that thief even more reason to kill me. He would have used you himself, and then he would have sold you to anyone who offered him enough money to buy you. To be very blunt, with your red hair and white skin, the bidding would have been high. You would have brought him more gold than every last thing in that wagon, including our money." Her eyes were wide, and he watched as they filled with tears. He did not know if she was crying at the thought of being sold to some unknown man, or if she was upset because she was in trouble with him. "You may think on your disobedience this afternoon and dread the punishment you shall receive tonight."

  "Jacob, I am sorry I disobeyed you. I only meant to help."

  "Your intentions do not matter, Caro. I do not always have time to explain why I am telling you to do something, but I always have a good reason. You received a harsh switching for disobedience, and I hoped it would not be necessary to punish you again for this, but I can see you have not learned your lesson yet." She opened her mouth to speak, but he reached over to gently tap her mouth with his index finger. "Not a word, wife. I expect you to spend this afternoon reflecting on this situation. When we discuss this tonight, I hope you will be able to express the proper amount of remorse for your actions."

  "You mean I am not permitted to speak at all?" Caroline asked, askance at the very idea.

  "Exactly. I want your thoughts turned inward, not outward. You may, however, tell me if you need to stop to take care of personal matters, or if you need water. I am not cruel, wife, but you are in serious trouble with me, and I suggest you do as I say without argument."

  Caroline had never in her life been told she had to be silent! It was insulting, and her first thoughts were to defy Jacob, but one look at his face told her that he expected her to do just that and she immediately decided she would not give him the satisfaction of speaking to him! In fact, she gave him her back as much as was possible on the narrow wagon seat.

  Jacob knew Caroline was furious with him. Her back was ramrod straight and she looked out to the side of the wagon. He was certain she was not thinking of her own behavior, but instead, damning him for being firm with her. Still, it was fairly early in the afternoon and she would have plenty of time to reflect when her anger burned out. His little redhead was going to get a sound spanking, and how long that spanking lasted depended on how she answered the questions he asked of her.

  Caroline was growing uncomfortable and needed a break to relieve her bladder, but she had promised herself she would not bend and ask Jacob to stop. She was not going to speak to him for any reason whatsoever for the rest of the day. If he was so anxious to have her be silent, then he could suffer her silence for long enough he would regret telling her to be silent. She had already apologized to him, and as far as she was concerned that should be the end of it. Jacob was too stern by far, even worse than his father, and having been best friends with Jenny for many years, she knew how firm Martin Willis could be. Jacob was worse than his father. He needed a good lesson in how to treat a wife.

  Caroline was squirming on the seat of the wagon and Jacob was familiar enough with her habits by now to know that she had needed to stop well over an hour ago. She was being exceedingly stubborn, and he was going to punish that stubbornness in a manner she would find very uncomfortable. He simply waited and let nature provide him with the moment he needed.

  "Jacob, I need a break," Caroline forced the words past her lips. It was either ask or suffer the humiliation of wetting herself. Jacob did not stop as he normally did. "Did you not hear me, Jacob? I asked to stop for a moment of privacy."

  "I heard you, Caroline, and I also know that you have been squirming for over an hour and a half, being stubborn and prideful. Now you shall suffer the consequences of your stubbornness and pride. I shall not stop until I am well and ready to do so."

  "You are being cruel!" she exclaimed.

  "You are not permitted to talk, Caroline. You will receive extra punishment for each word you speak that is not acceptable. Your total is now four extra."

  Caroline was furious, but her fury quickly turned to misery as she struggled to keep from wetting all over herself. She remained quiet for as long as she could. "I really need to stop, Jacob."

  "That is six more for a total of ten." He was completely unruffled. She was holding onto the seat and had her eyes closed, trying to concentrate on controlling her bladder. When she moaned in pain after he hit a particularly deep rut he looked at her. "Do you believe you can ask properly now, without pride and anger and sarcasm, wife?"

  "Yes!" she declared. "Will you please stop the wagon for me, husband? I desperately need a moment of privacy."

  "And..."

  "I am sorry for asking so sharply before."

  Jacob slowed the team and set the brake. He jumped down and then held up his arms to help Caroline down. He could see that she was in extreme pain when she walked into the bushes and he was sure it was one lesson she would remember the rest of the afternoon. He also took the time to step into the bushes on the other side of the wagon, and then he helped himself to a dipper of water from the water barrel. When Caroline finally reapp
eared he could see she had been crying. He silently offered her a dipper full of water and she took it with a simple 'thank you'.

  "We have at least another two hours of daylight. Do you think you can handle more travel today, or do you need to stop, Caroline?"

  She knew he was being considerate of her, but she was not ready to stop and face the spanking he planned to give her. If it meant a reprieve from what was to be a serious punishment, she would ride on the hard wagon seat the rest of the day and all night, too. "I can go on," she replied as meekly as she could.

  "Fine. The same rules apply, Caroline, only this time I suggest you think about your behavior this morning instead of how indignant you are over being silenced for the afternoon. I want you to spend time imagining how you would feel if that man forced himself on you, and then sold you to another man. You risked that by showing yourself to him. What if he had a partner we did not know about?"

  "And, if I hid myself, who is to say that I would not have been discovered by Indians or other trappers?" Caroline asked. "Who is to say that hiding would have protected me, or only postponed an even worse fate? I would rather fight by your side, Jacob, and try to help us both than be widowed and know I did nothing to help!" She gave him her back again, and did her best to climb up on the wagon without his help.

  "Caroline, that sassy attitude of yours is earning you a very sound spanking." She did not reply. And he was the one who ended up thinking about her words. He could not deny that she had a point.

  Jacob drove the wagon until it started to grow dark. He stopped close to a stream where they could fill their water barrel. He unhitched the oxen while Caroline moved silently about the camp. She quickly started a fire and started water to brew tea. And she put on a pot of stew. He smiled to himself as he watched her. She was hoping to put off her spanking as long as possible because it was going to take the stew quite a while to cook properly, and she clearly expected him to wait until bedtime to spank her. She was hoping he would be too tired to carry out her punishment if she made their meal late. Jacob waited until she took a seat to sip her tea sweetened with honey, and then approached her.

  "We shall deal with your behavior now, Caroline. I would like for you to tell me what conclusion you have reached regarding your disobedience."

  "I decided that it is very possible you would have been killed if I had not screamed in fear and startled that man," she stated calmly and matter-of-factly. "I also agree that I did not obey you as I promised, and for that, I apologize. I did not mean to do as I did. I reacted without thinking." She looked at him and added, "I also think you should know that I resent being silenced, Jacob. I am not a child, but a woman grown. I have as much right to speak as you do, and you made this unpleasant day even more unpleasant by being even stricter that your father!"

  Jacob looked at Caroline in disbelief. "I am not your father, Caroline, and I will not tolerate such disrespect from you." He took her arm and pulled her over his lap, and then tossed her skirts up over her head. "You need to learn a bit about prudence in your speech."

  Caroline cried out when his hard hand smacked against her tender bottom. "Ouch! That is too much, Jacob!" she cried out.

  "I am only starting, young lady."

  "But you felt terrible the last time! How can you do this to me again?" She kicked her legs as he continued to pepper her cheeks with spanks.

  "I can do this because you have been sorely neglected and you need spanking in the worst possible way, wife. I might not ever take a switch to you again, but I daresay I can make you wish to temper your remarks with my hand." He suited actions to words and continued to spank her over and over until she was sobbing and begging forgiveness.

  "Are you ready yet to discuss your disobedience without trying to make me feel guilty?" Jacob asked.

  "Yes, Jacob," she said, hiccupping. "I am sorry, Jacob. I did not mean to give that man any more reason to fight you. I did not! I was afraid for you! Please try to understand! I was afraid and all I wanted to do was help, not make it more difficult for you. Please forgive me. I will try harder to do as you ask, I promise."

  "Now that is all I wanted to hear, honey. Why must you be so stubborn and full of sass? As it is, I now have extras to give you for speaking during your silence. I should make you fetch your hairbrush, and if I have to give you extras another time, that is precisely what you shall do. This time I shall use my hand. I believe I promised you ten, but the proper total should be more like twenty-five, should it not?" he asked, wondering what she would answer.

  "Yes, sir," Caroline sounded meek, even to her own ears, and that made her cry even harder.

  "Very well. These will hurt, wife. Lie still and accept them." Jacob put some effort into spanking Caroline's sit spots. He wanted this lesson to stick. She did her best to lie still, and he counted out ten. "Since you were honest with me about earning more than ten, I am going to stop with ten." He gently pulled down her clothing and then turned her to sit on his lap. "I could not bear to lose you, Caroline. You are precious... when you are not doing your damndest to get yourself killed."

  "I do not like angering you, Jacob," she whispered.

  "I do not like punishing you, Caroline," he replied, and then he gently kissed her. When she would have returned his kiss, he shook his head no. "I am sorry, honey. When you are punished, there will be no loving until the next day. I cannot punish you in one moment, and then reward you in the next. You would not take your punishments seriously if I did that."

  Caroline pouted a bit, but Jacob gently teased her and she decided not to sulk. She smiled happily when he praised her cooking, and he even helped her clean up the camp.

  "You need to turn in now, Caro. We shall start very early in the morning to make up the rest of the time lost today." He was pleased when she did not fuss, and once he made sure the oxen were settled and there was no one scouting out there camp, he joined her. It did not take him long to realize his wife squirming against him was not an accident. The little redhead was trying to seduce him. It made him hard instantly, and he was so tempted to forget the 'rules' his brother John had taught him over the years. A punishment was to cause 'regret', and he said that pleasuring a wife shortly after spanking her was the same as voiding the spanking. But, he really wanted to bury himself deep inside sweet Caroline. However, he had to be firm. "Caroline, do you want me to spank you again?" he asked softly.

  "No!" she answered in a hurt voice. "I want you to forgive me," she pleaded.

  "You are forgiven," he said. "But what you want to do will have to wait until tomorrow night. I told you that earlier, and using your body to tempt me is going to earn you another punishment you won't like. Now, you settle down and go to sleep, or I shall give you something else to think about."

  Caroline's feelings were hurt. She laid there awake until Jacob's deep, even breathing told her he was sound asleep. She had learned in the weeks they had been married that he was a very sound sleeper. She quietly got to her feet, and left the wagon. She was not the least bit sleepy, and she wanted to go for a walk. It was not the first time that she had slipped out of the wagon at night and either sat by the dying fire, or went for a walk. Caroline knew that Jacob probably would not approve, but at the moment she did not care. Her body ached... from the spanking and because she truly wanted the pleasure he could give her but was denying her.

  Caroline knew she should not go too far away from camp, and she did not. However, she did not go far when she came across a young Indian woman who was in terrible pain. Caroline quickly called for Jacob to come and help her, and the wide-eyed Indian pulled out a wicked looking knife.

  Chapter Seven

  Jacob woke, trying to figure out what woke him. He suddenly realized that Caroline was not inside the wagon, and he quickly pulled on his pants and his boots, and grabbed his knife and his gun. If she was more than two feet from camp, he was going to give her another spanking that made the one he gave her earlier feel like love taps! As silently as possible he dropped fro
m the back of the wagon. He heard her call his name again, a bit more loudly and with all the impatience she could muster. He hurried toward her voice and stopped in his tracks when he found her.

  "Caroline, what on earth is going on here?"

  "Can you not see that this woman is hurt, Jacob? Look, somehow that boulder has rolled on her foot and she cannot get free. We need to help her."

  "She has a knife in her hand, and if I come any closer, it is going to get real mean," he predicted, keeping his voice soft.

  "She is afraid, just as I would be if I was helpless and some Indians came along. I would not know if they meant to help me or hurt me." She looked at the Indian woman and said, "We want to help you." She pointed at the rock and then at Jacob. "Jacob is very strong. He will roll the boulder off of you and I will pull you out of harm's way." When she moved a step closer the Indian girl waved the knife frantically.

  "Caroline, stand back!" Jacob warned.

  "We must help her, Jacob! She is badly injured, and how long will it be before some of her people find her? Somehow I need to communicate to her that we are not going to harm her. I know! Go and get her some water. She has to be thirsty. If we offer her something she might understand we are friends."

  "You stay back while I get the water, wife."

  "Yes, Jacob," she said with a smile. She was going to prove she could obey him. When he returned with the water, she was in the exact same spot. "Here, I shall give it to her. I am sure I seem less threatening than you!" She looked at the Indian woman, who was looking at the dipper of water with longing. "Water," she said, taking a small sip to prove to the girl it was safe to drink. She offered it, and the woman looked anxiously at Jacob. He moved back several steps, and made himself smile at her. The Indian tried to reach the dipper, but it caused her pain to move.

  Caroline made a sound of sympathy, and hurried forward, and put her arm around the girl's slender shoulders, and helped her drink from the dipper. "There now. We shall get you more water, and some food, once we get you safely from under this rock." Caroline pointed at Jacob, then at the boulder, and motioned that he would lift it, and she would pull the woman to safety. The Indian looked at her and at Jacob, then at the empty dipper. She finally nodded in acceptance.