A Man of Dreams, a Woman of Passion

by Rebecca Jacobs

  "How did I get away from whom?" she questioned, looking at him in confusion.

  "Away from that Indian...?"

  "What Indian?" she made no pretense of misunderstanding.

  "You were not taken captive again?" Jacob asked, suddenly realizing that she had no clue what he was talking about.

  "No, of course not. I came back here and fixed our supper."

  "All this time we have been searching, you were right here?" Jacob asked in a low voice.

  "Where did you think I would be?" she asked, turning up her chin in a gesture of stubbornness.

  "Why did you not answer me when I called?"

  "Because you needed to wear off your anger," she replied with a little smile.

  "You did this on purpose!" he accused. "You actually allowed me to think you were taken captive and let me search these woods all evening when you were sitting right here laughing at me!" Jacob was furious and it showed. "You have earned yourself a punishment you shall not soon forget!"

  "Why? I did as you said and I came straight back to camp. You are the one who was a silly goose, chasing yourself through the woods all evening!" she dared to say, her hands on her hips as she glared at him in a challenging manner.

  "You knew I was hunting for you and you remained silent?" Jacob looked at her in disbelief and suddenly remembered hearing his brother lament on the mood swings of women. He admitted his own wife could be sweet as could be one moment, and in the next it was as if she was possessed by an evil witch who was determined to destroy them. John declared the only thing that helped in the moment was a good spanking, and Jacob nodded slowly, hearing his brother's words of wisdom as if he were standing beside him. "I shall now see if I can get you to do some hollering," Jacob said slowly, putting a rein on his temper. He could not raise his hand to her in anger. Caroline deserved a thrashing she would not soon forget, but not while he was fuming and angry as could be. "Come with me, young lady," he growled, taking her by the arm and leading her to their wagon. The tail gate was down and he took a blanket to cover it, and then he picked up Caroline and dropped her face-down over the end so that her legs were dangling. He then tossed up her skirts so that her bare hind was shining in the moonlight. "You lie there and think about how I felt when I could not find you tonight, Mrs. Willis. I shall walk to the other camp and tell those men I have found you, and apologize for your behavior until you are able to make your own apologies! Do not move from this position for any reason. If you do, you will receive a second spanking equal to the one you have already earned."

  Caroline could not believe that Jacob was simply going to walk away from their camp and leave her lying like this! She was so exposed and vulnerable! She longed to cover herself, and even more, she longed to crawl inside the wagon and go to sleep. Surely he would not wake her just to punish her? Caroline feared she already knew the answer. And that answer made her angry all over again! He was the one who had wronged her, smacking her backside when he knew she was sore! And when she attempted to teach him a small lesson, he decided to spank her again! How unfair! And, why was she obeying Jacob right now? It was his own fault that she had run away from him, and his own fault that she slipped back to their camp without being seen or heard. The longer she lie there, the more her anger fueled her temper, and Caroline suddenly decided she was not going to permit Jacob to punish her at all. The whole situation was his fault, and she had done nothing wrong, and certainly nothing to warrant a punishment! With a final humph, she used her arms to pull herself into the wagon, and she quietly slipped out of her clothing and into a nightshirt. She had no idea how longer her husband would be gone, but she determined she would be sound asleep when he returned!

  Jacob was thoroughly embarrassed when he related the news about Caroline to the five men. The older man nodded, and then smiled, his eyes twinkling. "It is good she is safe, son. I am sure you shall see she is made to regret being so foolish."

  "You may be sure of that, sir," was Jacob's reply. He did not stay long, but made sure to thank the men for their help in searching for Caroline, and he promised she would make her own apology in the morning. He returned to their camp, determined to give Caroline a spanking she would not soon forget, and felt all his fear return when he did not immediately spot her where she was supposed to be! Jacob raced to the wagon and looked inside, and there was Caroline, sound asleep!

  Chapter Ten

  Jacob felt unmanly tears sting his eyes. Caroline was most precious to him, and he was going to thoroughly impress that fact upon her pretty little hind. She needed and deserved a sound spanking and he was going to give her one to remember for the rest of her natural life and beyond! He decided not to give her another chance to run from him, and he stepped on the end of the wagon and went to get her. Caroline woke when she felt him come close and she smiled sleepily and opened her arms to welcome him. Jacob knew that she was inviting him to come within her willing and warm body and he was instantly hard and ready for her. Caroline was indeed a passionate woman, and he was a young and virile man who appreciated the fact that she welcomed him with open arms.

  Jacob did his best to remind himself that she ran from him rather than face the punishment she earned, and that she permitted him... and others... to search for her for hours while she was in camp, enjoying the supper she fixed. Caroline had caused him countless worry and fear, and then disobeyed and defied him after he bared her and told her to wait for punishment... a punishment that was more than justified. Now she was offering her very self to him, love shining in her beautiful green eyes. As if nothing else mattered.

  Jacob's throbbing manhood decided the punishing could wait until morning. He quickly divested himself of his clothing and then joined with her. Her gasps and moans of pleasure made his pleasure more intense, and their lovemaking was swift and over quickly, both of them sated and satisfied. Jacob pulled her close and they slept entwined in each others' arms, the events of the day lost in peaceful dreams.

  * * *

  As was usual, Caroline woke first, and the events of the preceding evening flooded her memory. She was appalled by her behavior. To get so angry with Jacob for giving her an affectionate pat on her sore bottom was ridiculous. He did that all the time, and it was her own fault her bottom was so tender. She owed him an apology at the very least. She also was fairly certain that she would not be lucky enough to escape the punishment he promised her last night before she crawled off to bed instead of waiting and accepting the spanking she definitely earned. Caroline wanted to cry and she reminded herself that she had no one to blame but herself for getting herself into trouble with Jacob. He had every right to be upset with her. What amazed her most of all was that he came to bed and made love to her instead of hauling her over his knee and whaling her for defying him! The only thing that she could hope for was that his temper had cooled some by now and the spanking he gave her today would be less intense than he intended in the heat of the moment.

  Quietly, she gathered the clothing she wanted to wear for the day, and her shoes and stockings, and she left the wagon wearing her nightdress and barefoot. Caroline needed to bathe her body, and she preferred doing so before Jacob woke. She looked around outside and saw nothing that disturbed her, so she climbed down from the wagon and stirred up the fire and added more wood so that she could heat water... and eventually put on water for tea.

  While her bath water was heating, Caroline stepped into the bushes to relieve her bladder. That done, she did not dally. She was almost at the edge of their camp when a strong arm wrapped around her, lifting her off her feet. She opened her mouth to scream for Jacob, but another hand clamped tightly over her mouth, and she could not open her mouth enough to make a sound... much less bite the hand as she wanted to do. She kicked her bare feet and heard a grunt, and then the hand tightened even more and she was afraid her captor was going to break her neck. She stopped kicking. The man carried her farther and farther away from their camp and Jacob, and Caroline was terrified. The man kept going, alm
ost running, carrying her as if she weighed nothing at all! She tried to think of a way to gain her freedom, but his grip on her was strong and she was no match for her captor's strength.

  When they were so far away from their camp that she knew Jacob could not hear her scream, her kidnapper took his hands from her and threw her to the ground. That was when Caroline got a look at the Indian who had captured her a couple of days ago. The same look of hatred was in his black eyes, and his face was painted to frighten her even more. And Caroline was afraid. She knew he meant to kill her... He drew his knife and gave her an evil grin and just as he was ready to plunge the knife into her, there was a shot, and the look of hatred changed to a look of disbelief and shocked surprise as he fell backwards, dead.

  "Are you all right, Missus?" The voice came from behind her and Caroline scrambled to her feet, prepared to run. She immediately recognized the shooter as one of the young men who'd come to their camp the night before. "He did not harm you while I was circling around, did he?" the boy asked hoarsely.

  "No... I am fine," Caroline tried to be brave when all she wanted to do was cry. "I want Jacob," she whispered, tears filling her eyes.

  "Do not worry, Missus. I shall take you to your husband. Can you walk without your shoes?" he asked dubiously.

  "I think so," Caroline answered.

  "I can carry you, Missus, if you would rather...?" he asked.

  "No..." Caroline was very much aware that all she was wearing was her nightdress. "Thank you for saving my life," she managed to whisper.

  "I saw him take you and followed. I could not get a clear shot until he put you down." He said as he pointed, "Your camp is that way, Missus. If you need help, just speak out." They walked for a few minutes in silence before he said, "Get behind that rock, Missus. Someone is coming." He guided her behind the large rock and pushed her down. He had his gun at the ready and Caroline could feel him shaking. She was aware then that he was probably much younger than she, and trying hard to be a man and not show his fear.

  Thankfully, it was an older brother to the young man... and Jacob! Caroline flew from behind the rock and into her husband's arms, crying. "It was that same Indian, Jacob. He carried me off and was going to kill me!"

  "Are you all right, Caroline?" Jacob asked worriedly, holding her at arms' length to examine her carefully.

  "Yes, I am all right... Just very frightened." She stepped into his strong arms once more, seeking comfort.

  "Peter, did you kill the Indian?" the older brother asked, taking note of Peter's pale face and his expression.

  "Yes. He was going to kill the Missus, Will, and I was given no choice." His voice cracked.

  "You did just fine, Peter. You did good to get my attention. I came running and woke Jacob and we trailed you."

  "I was not sure you would hear my calls, Will, and there was no time to run for help, or wake Jacob. I had to follow right away or we never would have found the Missus in time to save her life."

  "You did the right thing, Peter, and I did hear your owl call. You're getting good at it!" Will put his arm around Peter's shoulders. "Pa is going to be real proud of you, Peter."

  Peter was a bit embarrassed at receiving such praise from his eldest brother, but he was also proud of the fact he did what Will considered 'right'.

  "Thank you for saving Caroline, Peter," Jacob said emotionally, offering his hand to the younger man.

  Peter smiled and nodded, shaking hands. "I am glad I was close by. Pa sent me to tell you we were moving out and to wish you well. I saw the Missus coming back to the camp, and saw the Indian grab her. I followed them, making calls to let Will know I needed help."

  "You handled it like a full grown man, Peter. I am in your debt," Jacob said gratefully.

  "You are nice folks," Peter said, blushing. "I am pleased I could be of assistance."

  "We better all of us be on the road in case someone comes looking for him," Will stated matter-of-factly.

  "We need to bury him," Jacob stated, and Will silently nodded in agreement.

  "That is a good idea. I shall get shovels and we will see it done. You and your Missus should be on your way, Jacob." Jacob did not argue or debate the matter. He wanted to get Caroline away from this place as soon as possible. Jacob lifted Caroline into his strong arms and they headed back to their camp. He wasted no time in giving orders and Caroline obeyed without questioning him. She dumped her bathwater on the fire, putting it out. Jacob was serious when he said bathing could wait until tonight. She ran around, and found what food she could so that they could eat while traveling. They were on their way within minutes.

  Jacob was quieter than usual and Caroline suspected he was listening carefully for more Indians. She tried to be quiet, but finally knew she had to speak and say what was on her mind.

  "Jacob, I am very sorry for the terrible way I behaved last night. It was childish of me to get so upset over a playful swat. It did hurt, but I reacted all out of proportion. I am sorry for striking you with the wooden spoon, and for leading you a merry chase. I do not know why I felt so misused last night, but I beg your pardon for being so foolish."

  "What were you doing so far away from camp this morning... and in your night clothes?" he demanded, and she was aware he was maintaining tight control of his temper.

  "I was not away from camp. I only stepped behind some bushes to go... and I was on my way back to check my bathwater when the Indian grabbed me from behind. I tried to scream, but his grip was so tight I could not open my mouth at all. I was so frightened, Jacob!" She shuddered.

  "We are both very lucky that Peter was on an errand for his father to say good bye to us and wish us well. If not for him, I would never have found you in time to save you, Caroline." Jacob was terrified at how close he came to losing her.

  "I know, and I am very grateful to Peter. That Indian's eyes were filled with so much hate. He actually grinned when he raised his knife. I was positive I was going to die, but then there was a shot, and the Indian fell backwards from the impact. He was dead before he hit the ground. Then I was afraid that I was in more danger, but it was Peter, and he promised to get me back to you. He was very sweet to me, and I did not realize until he heard you and Will coming how very frightened he was. He was being brave for my sake."

  "Peter is just a kid, but he took on a man's role today. I shall always be grateful to him for having the maturity to know what to do in the moment. The decision to follow you instead of wasting time to wake me was the difference in your living or dying."

  "Peter will always be in my prayers," she said softly, and then rested her head on Jacob's shoulder. They fell silent for several minutes and finally Caroline could stand it no longer. "Jacob, how much trouble am I in with you?" Her voice sounded timid to her own ears. Her bottom was still tender from the last spanking she had, and she did not look forward to another punishment so soon, even if it was deserved.

  "How much trouble do you think you deserve, Caroline?" he asked quietly.

  "I think it is your decision, husband."

  "I am asking your thoughts on the subject. Were you in my shoes, what punishment would you receive, wife."

  Caroline felt her cheeks flood with color and her bottom cheeks clenched in dread of her answer. "I dread answering you lest I make matters worse," she finally whispered.

  "I do not know how you could make matters worse, Caroline."

  "Very well. I should never have struck you with the wooden spoon. I deserve a few swats for that."

  "Is that all?" Jacob asked in disbelief.

  "I ran from you because I was sore, Jacob. It was a reaction. I was trying to protect myself."

  "You ran from me. Even when I warned you that we were getting too far from camp and it was growing dark!"

  "I knew that if you caught me the spanking would be severe. I was afraid, Jacob!"

  "You feared me?" he asked, wounded. "I would never harm you, Caroline!" he protested his innocence.

  "No, you would not har
m me, husband, and I know that in my heart. But, I feared a serious punishment on my already sore bottom. I knew I was wrong to strike you with the spoon, but my temper took control, and it was making me act like a child having a tantrum. I regretted my actions, but knew you would not listen if you caught me. I came back to the camp to wait for you, and I fixed your supper, but you were still searching for me, and I kept telling myself that you deserved to be hungry while you stomped around instead of returning to camp. I did not realize you involved others in the search," she confessed. "I am sorry, Jacob. For all of it. I know I deserve a spanking, but I would ask that you not be harsh with me."

  Jacob looked at her and shook his head in disbelief. "Caroline, you crossed several lines yesterday, and you will be soundly spanked for each one. We are going to stop at noon for a rest and you will be punished then. You will ride the rest of the day on a truly sore hind, and perhaps then you will realize how difficult it truly is to sit on a very sore backside."

  "Have you no tender feelings for me at all, Jacob?" she asked, tears in her eyes. "I was nearly killed this morning, and all you can think about is punishing me for yesterday, even though I have told you I deeply regret my actions? Have you no forgiveness for me?"

  "You are forgiven, wife, but you shall face the consequences of your actions. I am very happy you are alive, but one incident has nothing to do with the other. You showed me contempt and disrespect yesterday. You felt free to worry me for hours, and then you failed to accept the punishment you earned. All of those deserve correction, do they not?" he demanded of her.