The Demure Bride

by Joannie Kay

  "She is in love with you, Rob."

  "I feel the same about her, Matt. That is why I cannot put her in danger. I would rather have her think my feelings for her have changed than tell her the truth. She fears nothing."

  "I know what you mean, son." Matt shook his head when Rob walked out of the room and out of the house. He would keep his own eyes open and see if he could find out who was trying to bushwhack his young neighbor. His Mandy was going to be hurt by Rob's sudden departure from her life.

  Helene's uncle arrived, clearly shaken by the news that Helene was in some way injured. Matt was blunt as he explained the situation, and once Doc was done examining his niece, he made his way upstairs to see her. "Why didn't you tell me the truth about this, young lady?" he demanded. "I've a good mind to take your hairbrush to you!"

  "Why should I tell you about my private life when you won't discuss your private life, Uncle Peter? You have never once mentioned your feelings for Roxy." Helene was hurt by this and let him know how she felt. "Are you ashamed of me?" she tearfully asked.

  "Lord, girl! No, I'm not ashamed of you! Well, I didn't think you'd get along with Roxy. She works in a saloon," he admitted, his face a bright red.

  "I know all about her. She's a nice lady; I talked to her in the mercantile one day. She helped me pick out some nice dry goods to make a tablecloth. Uncle Peter, do you have any idea of how hurt she is that you won't bring her home to meet me properly?"

  "She's never said so!"

  "Just because she doesn't say so doesn't mean I am wrong," Helene insisted. When he gave her an angry look she said softly, "I am not trying to be disrespectful, Uncle Peter. I know the last thing you wanted to do was take me in when my Papa died, but I had nowhere else to go. I love you, and I think you do love me. Please talk to Roxy and go ahead with your plans to marry her. It will make me feel less of a burden to you."

  Peter nodded and smiled, but then added, "That still doesn't explain why you didn't tell me about Fox. I am your guardian and I have a right to know these things. No more secrets, young lady," he said firmly, and then had the grace to add, "from either of us."

  "I agree, Uncle Peter," Helene said with a bright smile.

  It was arranged that Helene would stay at the ranch until Doc thought her healed enough to make the trip into town. During the next week, Peter came to visit and he brought Roxy to formally introduce the two women to each other. If he was relieved that they seemed to genuinely like each other, he didn't let on. He told Helene the wedding would take place when she could be a witness, and Helene was happy with the news. What she wasn't happy about was the fact that Whitey did not come and visit her... not even once before she left the ranch.

  Amanda was just as unhappy. It was as if Robert Thorne had disappeared off the face of the earth. When she was recovered enough from the beating Ted Fox gave her to ride Glimmer, she headed toward Rob's ranch, only to be overtaken by her father and given orders she wasn't to ride over there. Amanda demanded to know why. Matt gave her the standard, "Because I said so, that's why!" answer. Amanda glared at him, but she turned her mount back and went home, pouting and sulking.

  Helene was nearly sick at heart when she heard nothing at all from Whitey. She happened to come into the mercantile while Whitey was in there, trying on hats. He tipped the hat at her, but ignored her completely while he paid for his new hat and then left the store. Helene felt her temper snap and she marched after him and knocked his new hat off his head and into a water trough!

  "What the heck did you do that for, little girl?" Whitey demanded.

  "Because I felt like it, that's why! I don't like being ignored. If you changed your mind about me, then you should have come to me and simply said, 'I don't feel the same way I did, Helene.'" She burst into tears and turned her back to him.

  "Don't cry, Helene," he said, his voice full of emotion. "This is hard on me, too. I can't offer you my name because I don't know it. I can't offer you anything because my past could come lookin' for me. I could be a bank robber, or a killer. You deserve better than that." He fished his hat out of the water trough and ran for his mount. In less than five seconds he was galloping out of town.

  Helene dried her tears, and then squared her slender shoulders. It was time for Whitey to confront his past so that they could have a future together. Helene simply knew that Whitey was not an outlaw of some sort, and she was going to prove it. She walked to the telegraph office and conferred with Mr. Quigley. He made a few suggestions, caught up in helping the young woman. It wasn't long before they sent wires to several law offices around the area, looking for answers. Now all she had to do was remain patient. Whitey would thank her when he had the truth.

  Whitey reined in his mount and swiped the tears from his face with the backs of his hands. He wanted nothing more than to regain his memory and learn that he hadn't done anything wrong. But, there was the good chance that he was shot during a holdup, and then left behind when the gang made their escape. He'd seen the papers from that time period, and he knew that a gang of outlaws robbed a train of an army payroll. It was reported that one of the gang members was shot during the attempt, but the body was never recovered, and there was no trace of any of the robbers. Whitey was sure he was somehow involved in that whole mess, and he didn't want to go to prison for something he couldn't remember doing. While he hated the thought, perhaps it was time he moved on... He couldn't bear running into Helene and having her look at him so reproachfully. He couldn't bear the thought of leaving her, either. Cursing under his breath and calling himself a fool, he headed back to town. He spotted Helene leaving the telegraph office. A feeling of foreboding descended on him as he dismounted. Helene was so absorbed in her own thoughts that she didn't even see him. He walked inside and spoke to Mr. Quigley, and what he heard made his blood boil.

  Whitey stomped after Helene and caught up with her just as she went up the steps in the alley to the rooms above her Uncle's gun shop. He wasted no time in running up the steps and knocking on the door. When she answered, he stomped inside, shutting the door behind them and finding himself in the kitchen with Helene. "What did you just do, Helene?" he asked harshly, putting his hands on her shoulders and giving her a single hard shake. "What did you do that for?"

  "I am going to prove to you that you aren't a thief or a murderer, Whitey!" Helene answered defensively, not bothering to wonder how he knew about the telegrams she just sent. "I care about you and I'm not going to let you think such horrid things about yourself."

  "What if those horrid things are true, Helene? I'll go to prison. Is that what you want?" he demanded, unable to believe that she'd dared to go behind his back.

  "You are not a criminal!" Her dark eyes flashed dangerously. "You stop saying things like that!"

  "I ought to turn you over my knee for going behind my back!" he growled, taking a step closer.

  "You should be thanking me!" she argued heatedly.

  "It wasn't your decision to make, Helene," he stated, and then he grabbed a wooden spoon from the work area beside the stove. "I'm going to blister you good, little girl. You don't make decisions like this for a man without at least talking it over first!" To his surprise, Helene didn't put up a struggle when he reached for her. He was careful of her bruised ribs as he bent her over his lap, and then he reached down and lifted her skirts, pushing them up until all that was protecting her bottom was her pretty drawers. "I won't have my woman doing things of this sort behind my back, do you hear me, Helene?"

  "Does this mean that you really do consider me yours, Whitey?" she asked hopefully, her heart singing and the world righting itself once again.

  "You are mine, Helene Patterson, and you'd best never pull a stunt like this again!"

  "Oh, darling, I know everything will work out. I just know it will!" Helene stated, laughing happily. Her laughter was promptly brought short when the wooden spoon landed on her backside. "Owwwwww!" she complained. "Please, Whitey... I did it for us!" she wailed.

 
"And I am doing this for us," he stated, and then spanked her in earnest, the wooden spoon landing with hard splats on the thin cotton of her drawers.

  Downstairs, Helene's Uncle Peter heard the commotion, picked up a gun, and ran up the steps to save his niece.

  Chapter Ten

  Amanda wanted and needed answers from one Robert Thorne, and this was the perfect time to get those answers. Her father was dealing with a problem on the far side of the ranch, the end that was furthest away from Robert Thorne's place, and he could not insist that she ride in the opposite direction, or offer to ride with her. Whitey was in town delivering some papers for her father, and he was not here to stop her from saddling Glimmer and riding in the direction she wanted to ride. He also could not tattle on her to her Dad if he was not here to do so. Amanda decided she was going to take advantage of the situation to go to Rob and ask him what was going on in his mind. If he had changed his mind about her, then she wanted to know what she did to earn his abrupt dismissal. If he no longer loved her, it would hurt, but if he was simply feeling guilty that she was beaten by Ted Fox, then he needed to get over it... and fast! The man was mentally ill, and it was no one's fault that the mad kidnapped her and whipped her raw with his belt.

  Amanda dressed carefully, putting on the tightest pair of pants she owned. If Rob was going to ignore her, then he could not very well insist she wear riding skirts. And if he was simply ignoring her because he was busy, then she would give him a reason to notice her. If he was done with her, then she was going to tell him what she thought of him for leading her on when he had no intention of following through. Unfortunately, Amanda loved Robert Thorne, and it hurt that he no longer seemed to return her affection. The pretty redhead blinked back the tears threatening to spill from her eyes and she urged Glimmer to a faster pace, anxious to see the Englishman and have it out with him once and for all! Amanda was unaware she was being followed.

  * * *

  Helene could not help yelping each time the heavy wooden spoon landed on the seat of her drawers! The spanking hurt terribly, and while she might deserve the punishment, she could not be sorry for what she did to earn it. Whitey deserved the truth, and he deserved to know he was not some evil criminal. Nothing would ever convince her that someone so very special could have done something as wrong as robbing a train of an army payroll! Still, the man was very angry with her, and every smack of the wooden spoon on her tender bottom reflected that anger. "Please stop, Whitey! I hurt something awful! I just wanted to help you!" she pleaded for mercy.

  "You can't go around making decisions like this for me, Helene!" Whitey continued to scold her as he brought the wooden spoon down on her bottom over and over. She needed a firm lesson and he was going to see to it she got one to remember.

  "I had to do something, Whitey! I love you!" she declared, crying. "Ouch! I will prove that I am right about you; you'll see! Owwwww!"

  "And what if you are wrong, sweetheart?" Whitey asked in frustration, spanking her sit spots even harder than before.

  "Owwww! Owwww! Oh, please stop! If I am wrong, then we'll face that and deal with it. I know that Mr. Chambers will help you." She kicked her legs frantically as he targeted her thighs. She would not be sitting any time soon! "No more, Whitey!" she begged.

  "If I did something wrong, Helene, I will have to own up to it and do time."

  "You didn't do anything wrong!" she insisted, and he was touched by her confidence in him. Whitey stopped the spanking just as her Uncle came through the door, holding a shotgun.

  "What the hell is going on up here?" Peter demanded furiously as Whitey helped Helene to her feet.

  She quickly smoothed her skirts, embarrassed that her Uncle witnessed her over Whitey's knee with her drawers showing. It was embarrassing as could be! "I did something to anger Whitey, Uncle Peter. I sent out telegrams to see if we could learn about his past. I know Whitey is a good man, but he is afraid that he might be an outlaw of some sort. He is afraid to court me and offer marriage because he doesn't know his name. I love him, Uncle Peter," she insisted, reaching back to rub her posterior.

  "No rubbing, little girl, unless you want another tanning," Whitey ordered firmly. "When I give you a spanking, you are going to wear it until it goes away naturally."

  "But, it really hurts, Whitey!" she argued. "I'm not going to be able to sit down!"

  "Then I did a good job," he told her. "Now stop pouting or you'll get another tanning for that," Whitey threatened, even though he had no intention of spanking her again. Now that his temper had cooled somewhat, he realized that he was too hard on her. She deserved a good spanking, but he should have used his hand instead of that spoon. Helene's intentions were good ones, even if they were misguided.

  Peter brought Whitey's attention back to the present. "You won't be tanning my niece again unless you make your intentions known to me first, young man. You go on home now while I have a talk with Helene."

  "Sir, what is done is done. It's dealt with, and I wouldn't want you scolding Helene further." Little Helene didn't deserve another spanking.

  "I'm not going to scold her, young man. Now you get on home and you do some serious thinking about my niece. If you aren't interested in marrying her, then you will stay away from her, and there won't be any more spanking. I hope that is clear?"

  "It is." Whitey picked up his hat from where it fell on the floor, gave Helene a wounded look, and then left. Until he knew the truth about himself, he was going to have to stay away from her, even though that was not what his heart wanted. If he was a smart man, he'd get on his horse and get the hell out of here before he ended up dangling from a rope for something he couldn't remember doing.

  "Uncle Peter...! I didn't want Whitey to leave!" Helene said with a pout. "I love him!"

  "Girl, I meant what I said to the boy. He is to stay away until he comes to me and declares his intentions. That is final, and if I catch you sneaking around behind my back, I'll take a leather strap to you until sitting is a memory from long ago." His eyes told her he was dead serious. "Best you get to fixing us some supper. Roxy will be eating with us tonight... and moving in some more of her things. Once we speak our vows in a couple more days, the house will be full of stuff!" He shook his head, but the smile in his eyes told Helene he was happy as could be.

  "Do you think Roxy would like an apple pie?" Helene asked quietly; she wanted to please her uncle... and make Roxy feel welcome.

  "Well, I'm not sure about Roxy, but I know I would, if it ain't too much trouble...?"

  "It's not any trouble at all, Uncle Peter," she told him. He headed for the door to go back down to his shop. "Uncle Peter," she called, and when he turned to face her, she said, "Whitey is innocent; I'm going to prove it."

  "I hope so, honey," he said, nodding. He couldn't permit the girl to marry a man without a name, and who could possibly be a criminal. And, as much as she loved Whitey, and he loved her, Peter wasn't sure that Helene wouldn't run off with the man she loved! He was going to have to keep a vigilant eye on her, and pray that the answers she got to those telegrams were full of good news.

  * * *

  Rob was thrown from the wild stallion for the third time. It hurt, but not nearly as much as the pain in his heart. He loved Amanda Chambers and staying away from her was the most difficult thing he had ever had to do. He missed her, missed her smile and her laugh. He missed her expressive green eyes. He missed her sweetness and her mischief-making and teasing. She was the woman for him and it was killing him to stay home.

  "Boss, it might not be my place to say so, but you've had enough of Spider for one day. Give someone else a crack at him."

  "You are quite right, Leo," Rob admitted. "I am going up to the house and tackle some paperwork I have neglected. Do not let anyone but Don or Ernie try that horse; I do not wish for anyone to be hurt."

  "You got it, Boss," Leo answered, relieved that Rob took his suggestion well. It was no secret that the Boss was short-tempered right now, and most of the m
en figured it had something to do with Matt Chambers' fancy daughter. What the spoiled brat needed was a damned good hiding for hurting the Boss, and there wasn't a hand on the Thorne spread who didn't want to deal with the redhead for bringing the Boss low. She got a raw deal from Ted Fox, but that was no reason to take it out on the Boss.

  Rob headed for the house, unaware that the woman he loved was close by... and in serious danger.

  * * *

  Amanda looked at the tall man and tried to decide if he was serious. She had never seen him before, but it was obvious he knew exactly who she was. She continued to stare at him, and the gun he was pointing at her. "I do not believe I heard you correctly, sir...?" Amanda jumped when he shot the hat from her head.

  "You heard me, Miss Chambers. Get down and take off every stitch of your clothing or I will take a knife and carve you so badly no man will ever look at you again." His dark eyes glittered in anticipation of what he planned to do to her.

  Amanda put her hands on her hips, every inch Matt Chambers' daughter. "You are the one who has been hiring men to kill Robert Thorne."

  His dark eyes narrowed, and then he shrugged before speaking. "Very astute, Miss Chambers."

  "You cannot face Rob but you feel free to threaten a woman...?" she purposely goaded him.

  "You dare much."

  "I only speak the truth. At least the last man who dared to attack me in this manner had the manners to give me his name..." She sounded as haughty as possible.

  "You need a thorough caning, Miss Chambers."

  "For speaking the truth?" she dared to ask. "Forgive me, but I am used to dealing with real men, not those who would hide behind a gun and who would hire someone else to do their dirty work."