The Demure Bride

by Joannie Kay

  Amanda smiled. "You do the same to me, Robert Thorne."

  "I had best be getting you home. Your father will have words with me if he arrives before we do." He reluctantly put the pretty redhead on her feet, and after he mounted his stallion again, he carefully lifted her and sat her sideways in front of him. "Is this more comfortable?" he asked.

  "Yes," she lied. Her poor bottom was throbbing and she had no one but herself to blame. She did her best not to complain for the rest of the ride home, but was more relieved than she permitted to show when Rob helped her down. "Would you like to come inside and wait for Papa, Rob?"

  "No, Amanda. I will ride out and see if they have captured Striker. Do yourself a favor and get out of those pants before your father comes home. And, Amanda, do not let me catch you dressing inappropriately again. You will not like what happens if you do so."

  To her surprise he dropped another quick kiss on her lips, and then took off at a gallop.

  * * *

  It was well after dark when Matt Chambers walked into the house. He was tired and hungry and not looking forward to dealing with Amanda. He was surprised when she came running down the steps and hurried toward him. He'd expected her to be asleep by now. "Why aren't you asleep, girl?" he growled.

  "Because I was worried about you," she answered, and then gave him a hug before saying, "Come into the kitchen and I will heat some stew for you."

  "Thank you, daughter," he said tiredly.

  "Did you catch Striker?" she asked as she hurriedly worked to heat food. She poured a cup of coffee for Matt, and carried it over to the table, and put some biscuits on a small plate and sat it in front of him, too.

  "No, he got away. Rob ain't a bit happy about it, either."

  "Who do you suppose hates him so much he would hire someone to rustle his cattle?"

  "How do you know that?" Matt looked at her in surprise.

  "It was what that horrid man said before he died. He told Rob he had someone who hated his guts."

  "I didn't know about that," Matt admitted while she dished up his stew. "Thank you, Mandy," he said appreciatively.

  "Papa, I know I was foolish today. I was tired of being cooped up and I let my temper talk me into going riding alone. I thought I would be safe dressed like a boy and taking a gun with me," she added, pouting.

  "Girl, those pants were so tight they were like a second skin on you. You'd best burn the damn things and give me your word here and now you won't be wearing them again, or I'm gonna have to paddle you."

  "Please don't even threaten to do that right now, Papa. I acted like a complete idiot with Rob and he lost his temper with me. I can't sit right now!" she said, blushing. "I am sorry I disobeyed you and rode out alone, and you don't need to worry about the pants. Rob hates them, too."

  Matt stuffed a biscuit in his mouth so he wouldn't get caught smiling. His eyesight was still better than most people's, and he'd seen the two of them kissing. He wouldn't mind at all having Rob for a son-in-law... at least as long as he wasn't too quick to put a hand to Mandy!

  "You'd best get on up to bed, daughter. It's late."

  "Okay, Papa. You need to get some sleep, too," she told him.

  "Darn right I do, but I'm gonna finish my coffee first, honey. Now go on... Oh, Mandy, I seen that Glimmer is in her stall. She come back on her own?" he asked.

  "Yes, she did. Whitey and I looked her over and she's fine, thank goodness."

  "I don't want you riding out alone, Amanda. That is a firm order until I say otherwise."

  There was no mistaking the threat behind his words and Amanda knew it was a time for compliance. "Yes, Papa," she answered as meekly as possible, and then went on up to bed.

  The girl would have had a regular fit if she knew that Rob had confessed to spanking her and warned him against raising a hand to her, Matt chuckled quietly, sipped his coffee, and then put his dishes in the dishpan. Thankfully her temper cooled before he got home, and she had the good sense to say 'sorry'. He was glad it wasn't him who made her too sore to sit this time.

  * * *

  "Bloody hell!" the tall man swore viciously as he crumpled the telegram in his fist. Did nothing ever go well when dealing with Robert Thorne? He was furious, and someone needed to pay for the fools' incompetence. He went to the door of his study and called for the downstairs maid.

  "Sir?" She curtseyed as she had been taught to do, thinking the English custom was a little silly, but she needed the job if her Pa was to have the medicine he needed to control his pain.

  "Did you dust in here today, Martha?" the tall man demanded, disapproval in his voice.

  "Why, yes, sir, I did!" She'd dusted every little bit of wood and made the room as tidy as could be.

  "You moved my personal papers?" he asked, his dark eyes raking over her, enjoying the fear that leaped into her blue eyes when she realized she was in disfavor.

  "I picked them up to dust and put them back exactly as they were. I didn't read them, sir!" she added the last, her stomach muscles clenched in fear.

  "How do I know that?"

  "I wouldn't lie, sir. My Pa and Ma taught me better."

  "Did they also teach you it was acceptable to snoop through personal correspondence?"

  "No, sir! But, I didn't!"

  "You are dismissed. And I will withhold your earnings for the past week as compensation for your snooping."

  "But, sir, I did not snoop, and I need my wages and my job! Please, sir. My Pa is ill, and he needs medicine."

  The man stood and looked down his nose at her, smiling coldly when he saw the fear in her eyes. He kept her in suspense, letting her dwell on the enormity of losing her position. Finally, when a tear leaked from one eye and ran down her cheek, he said, "Very well. I will permit you to keep your position, provided you will accept another punishment."

  "I need my job, sir."

  "Then you will pull up your skirts, and bare yourself, and lie across my desk for a taste of cane."

  "Cane...?" she repeated.

  "A cane is used to administer an unforgettable punishment, young lady. I expect you to obey me immediately or leave my house."

  Martha was shocked, but she moved to do as he said. She needed the job too badly to protest. And, if wasn't as though she hadn't been whipped before. Her Ma used a switch or her hairbrush, and her Pa used a wooden ruler. She was grown now, and she could handle a tanning. It was baring her bottom that gave her the most embarrassment. She hadn't been spanked in over three years now, and she was aware that her employer was not related to her in any way. Still, her Pa's pain was terrible and she couldn't bear to see him suffer. She could take a little whipping if it would spare her Pa.

  The man took a cane from the cupboard, walked up behind Martha and swished the cane through the air. It whistled, and he knew it would hurt like the very devil when he brought it down on her very pretty bottom with a vicious swing. The girl screamed at the unexpected severity of the stroke and she tried to rise. He put his hand on her back and asked, "Would you rather lose your position in this house?" he asked pointedly.

  "No, sir, but you are hurting me!" The line across her buttocks was burning furiously and the thought of another stroke make her knees week.

  "That is the entire purpose of the exercise," the man replied and gave her a second welt below the first. Again, Martha screamed, and then she started sobbing from the intense pain.

  Martha was sure she would die from the caning as the third stroke landed in the crease below her bottom cheeks. Nothing in her life had ever given her so much pain! "Please, sir, no more. I beg of you. I did not read your papers!" He ignored her pleas for mercy, and gave her two more cuts in a row, one on her left thigh and one on her right. Martha hurt too much to scream. She was going to die!

  The man gave his hapless victim two more across her plump cheeks, and then he said, "This will be the last, and in accordance with custom, the harshest cut of all. When I am finished, you will rise and thank me for punishing you, Martha,
and then you will fix your clothing and go back to your duties. Is that clear?"

  "Yes, sir!" she was barely able to choke out the reply. He kept her waiting for well over a minute, and then he raised the cane high and gave her the last cut over the one he'd given her before on the tender crease just below her bottom cheeks. Martha gasped and he saw her collapse on the desk. It took her quite a while to compose herself enough to stand, but she did, and whispered the words, "Thank you for punishing me, sir, and permitting me to keep my job." She was embarrassed to reach down to the floor to pull her drawers up over her aching backside. She could barely walk, the pain was so intense, but she needed her job.

  "I hope you have learned a valuable lesson this day, Martha. Should I have need to address you in this manner again, you will receive double what you had today." She bowed her head and said, "Yes, sir." As he watched her leave the study the man decided that the maid would need to be disciplined again in a few days. It was amazing how much better it made him feel.

  He turned his attention back to the bastard he meant to destroy. It was time to hire a shootist, a hired gun, and pay him to make Robert Thorne suffer as he had suffered. He wanted Robert Thorne to beg to die.

  * * *

  It was a week before Rob decided to go and see Amanda, and he was wary of the reception he would get. Matt said she was finally sitting again a couple of days ago, but he did not have a clue as to whether she was plotting Rob's demise or not. Rob was optimistic that the rustling was over, and he hoped that whoever hired them had had enough revenge. As far as Rob knew he didn't have any enemies, and certainly none in this country. He pulled his buggy up in front of the house and took a deep breath. With the feisty Amanda a man had no clue what to expect from her. She could be so sweet one moment, and ready to slice someone to ribbons in the very next second. He could only hope she was not furious with him for the spankings he had given her.

  Amanda heard the knock on the door and called out to Goldie that she would get it. She smiled when she saw Robert Thorne standing there, his hat in his hand. "Hi, Rob. Come in." She led him into the parlor and invited him to sit down before saying, "If you're here to see Papa, he is out on the north range."

  "I am here to call on you, Amanda," he stated. "I was hoping you would join me for a trip into town. I thought we could have lunch at the Hotel, and then I will bring you home." He was pleased when her green eyes lit up with pleasure.

  "I would love to go, Rob. If you don't mind waiting a minute or two, I'll change my dress and get ready to go."

  "Take your time," he said politely.

  "I'll ask Goldie to bring you some coffee," she said with a smile and then hurried off. It was only a couple of minutes later when the housekeeper entered the parlor, carrying a tray with coffee and a plate of cookies.

  "Thank you, Goldie," he said politely.

  "I think you'll do for Missy," Goldie stated frankly, and then left the parlor.

  Rob enjoyed his coffee and a cookie, but it was obvious to Amanda that he didn't expect her to return so quickly. He jumped to his feet and said, "You look lovely, Amanda."

  "Thank you," she said, blushing. "I wanted to make a better impression today than I did the last time I saw you."

  "The problem with the pants is that they showed too much, and I do not want other men looking at you and fantasizing what it would be like to possess you." Rob knew he was being blunt, and he was not surprised when Amanda's eyes widened in shock at his words. "Men think differently than women do, Amanda. You are a beautiful young woman and wearing those tight britches makes men think you are not a lady. You may behave the same way, but cowboys do not always take the time to think before they react. Your Father should have explained this to you, and I did not come here to embarrass you, but since you brought it up, I wanted you to know why I reacted as I did."

  Amanda nodded, unsure of what to say. Fortunately, Rob was as anxious as she to change the subject. "Are you ready to go?"

  "Yes! I am looking forward to going into town. It's been weeks since I've been anywhere. Papa didn't think it was safe and he hasn't had time to take me. This is a real treat, Rob. Thank you for asking."

  "It is a treat for me, too," he told her as they walked out the door and down the steps to where he parked the buggy. He helped her take a seat and then climbed up beside her and took the reins.

  "Why did you leave England, Rob? Don't you miss it?"

  "I miss family, of course," he answered. "I miss seeing my nieces and nephews, and my sisters. I also have a brother, and it is nice to have an ocean between us. We do not agree on anything," he said with a grin. "It is a personality issue, but it makes family gatherings tense when we are in close proximity of each other. As for why I left; I was bored, Amanda. I did not want to go into the military, which is traditional for the second son. I was not cut out to be a minister, either. I decided to come over here and see if I could find something I would enjoy doing for the rest of my life. I finally settled on ranching."

  "You sound like Papa. He said he knew he was 'home' when he saw this land the first time."

  "Your Mother did not like it here?" He was curious.

  "No. She couldn't handle the loneliness out here. Mama needed to be surrounded by people. She was used to servants, and out here she had to do everything herself. She and Papa fought a lot, and she eventually took me and ran away to Boston."

  "How do you feel about being here now that you are living here?"

  "I like it, Rob," she confessed. "When I first arrived I was determined to hate the ranch and the people on it. I was prepared to hate Papa, too, and I was awful to him at first. I am ashamed of that now."

  "Your Mama taught you to feel that way. You had to see for yourself that Matt is a great guy."

  "He should have come after us," she surprised him by saying. "Mama wasn't happy without him, and I think she was hurt that he didn't come for us and drag her back home. She never said anything, but looking back now, I remember some things that I did not understand at the time."

  "You were a child, Amanda. Do not be so hard on yourself."

  They talked of many things on their drive into town and they joked and laughed, too. Rob was having a great time, and he was pretty sure that Amanda was, too. He pulled the buggy to a stop in front of the Mercantile. "If you would like to do a bit of shopping, Amanda, I have some business to handle at the bank. I will return in a few minutes, and when you are finished, we will have our lunch."

  "That sounds fine, Rob. Don't rush. I will enjoy looking around." She wanted something appropriate to go riding in. She looked at bolts of fabric while she waited her turn with the proprietor.

  "Miss Chambers, what can I do for you today?" Ted asked, and it was obvious from his manner that he was only being polite because he had to be. Amanda knew it was her own fault. She'd criticized everything in the mercantile the first time she came inside, and insulted Ted in the process.

  However, before she could answer the man, another woman came to the counter and roughly shoved her aside. Amanda lost her temper and declared, "I was here first. Wait your turn."

  The other woman turned on her and pulled out a knife.

  Chapter Six

  Amanda was shocked when the woman pushed her aside and pulled out a knife. "Are you crazy?" she asked. She'd seen the other female around town, and it was obvious from the way she was dressed that she was a lady. She was also holding the knife all wrong if she truly intended to use it.

  "It's your fault my man lost interest in me!" The accusation hung in the air like a cloud.

  "I do not have a clue what you are talking about," Amanda told her truthfully. "Put the knife away and we'll discuss this like grown women."

  "You'd like that, wouldn't you?"

  "Yes, I would. I honestly do not know what man you are talking about. I haven't seen anyone socially since I arrived here, with the exception of Mr. Robert Thorne. I was under the impression that he was not involved with another woman...?"

  "I
don't even know Mr. Thorne," she answered. "What about my Ted?" the young brunette hissed angrily.

  "Ted?" Amanda looked at the store owner in surprise, her eyes wide at the very thought. The man was at least fifteen to twenty years older than she.

  "Not him! My Ted, your father's foreman! Ted Fox!"

  "Ohhhhh. There must be some mistake." Amanda said, confused. "I have nothing at all to do with Mr. Fox, other than when he comes to the house to see my Papa." She avoided him because she didn't trust him at all. Her Papa had talked to him and insisted he leave her alone. "I'm not interested in him, I assure you."

  "He told me he plans to marry you!" The woman seemed confused.

  "No, no, no," Amanda said gently. "I am truly sorry if he led you to believe that. I rarely talk to him at all."

  "You don't think he is good enough for you?"

  "I didn't say that. You are a woman; you know that there are men you don't find attractive, right? That's how I feel about Mr. Fox. If you are still interested in him, then you should let him know it. He might be too embarrassed to come calling since he told you that! If you want to write him a note, I will take it to the ranch with me and ask Papa to give it to him."

  "You would do this for me?" The pretty brunette seemed surprised.

  "Of course I would. Papa keeps the men so busy they don't have a lot of free time, but now that the rustling has stopped, surely he can give Mr. Fox some time off to come in and see you."

  "I expected you to be selfish and mean," the girl whispered, putting the knife away. "I am Helene Patterson. We were introduced once, but you were upset at the time and..."

  "Helene, please call me Amanda. I'm sorry I was rude when we first met. I have been selfish and mean since arriving here, but hopefully I have grown up a bit lately. I've discovered that I actually do love it here, and I'm fortunate to have such a wonderful Papa. I will need to mend a few fences, starting right here with you and Ted. If you know what you need, Helene, please go ahead while I decide which fabric would be best for making a riding skirt. I'm waiting on Mr. Thorne, so I'm in no real hurry." She gave the other woman an encouraging nod.