Peppermint Sticks for Susie

by Joannie Kay

  "I'll hear you out, but I doubt you are going to change my mind. You flat out disobeyed me and earned yourself a switching in the process."

  "Shhhhhh!" she whispered, hoping that Stephanie didn't hear what Alex said since she was rushing toward them with a tray of food.

  "Now, y'all eat up. I'll bring out pie and coffee later...?" She looked at Alex questioningly. "That's the way Miss Jenny likes hers...?"

  Alex looked at the tall glasses of milk the woman brought and nodded happily. "You do it up proud, Miss Stephanie. Thank you kindly."

  She smiled at him and then winked at Jennifer. "He's real sweet, sugar. Hang on tight now!"

  Jennifer felt her cheeks turn a bright pink, and she noticed that folks were openly staring at her and Alex Martin. Of course, they didn't know he was a U. S. Marshal, sent here to deal with all the rustling that was going on, and thought him a rancher looking to buy and settle down... with her! He would leave soon, and she had to remember that so she didn't get her heart broken.

  "You said you wanted to mount your defense, Miss Jenny, so go for it. I'm in a great mood right now since this food is excellent."

  Jennifer shook her head, but between bites she said, "What happened this morning was entirely your fault, Alex. I waited until the last possible second to leave; you can ask Alma if you don't believe me. But, when I knew I would be late if I waited any longer, I left and practically ran to get here on time. I didn't see anyone, except Jeffrey, and he had been in the store badmouthing me to Mr. McGregor and told me I didn't have a job anymore. The beast tried to get me fired, but fortunately Mr. McGregor didn't believe him! Anyway, Mr. McGregor cannot abide tardiness, and after Saturday, I didn't want to upset him again so soon. I never believed he would take that tawse to me, but he did, and I don't want that ever again. It was too upsetting to have my employer treat me like he owned me in some way. He isn't a parent... or close to me... not like you are. Does that make sense?" She looked at him hopefully.

  "It makes sense, Jenny," he agreed. When she visibly relaxed, he warned, "But it still doesn't change anything, honey. I didn't give you that order to wait for me just on a whim; I gave it to you to keep you safe. I expect to be obeyed, and after work today you are going to get a good switching."

  "But, that is so unfair!" she argued and then pouted.

  Alex found her adorable, but knew he needed to remain firm. "Eat your food," he bossed. "It's really good." He changed the subject and soon Jenny was giggling and acting like herself. The waitress brought coffee and cherry pie, and when they were finished with the meal, Alex was stuffed. "Now that was good food," he told Stephanie as he paid her for both meals.

  "Martha is a good cook.... Most days," Stephanie said quietly. "You don't ever want to order the meatloaf, though," she whispered. "You working this afternoon, Jenny?" she asked the redhead.

  "Yes, until close."

  "Tell Angus I'm saving a big ole steak for him."

  "I'll do that. I'm sure he's starving by now," Jenny said with a big grin,

  Alex walked her back to the store, frowning, and wondering if Jenny was going to tell him that she would be alone in the store while Angus was taking his noon meal? If she asked him to stay, then he would forget all about the switching and simply spank her with his hand. If she didn't, he would be cutting a second switch and wearing it out, too.

  "How was your lunch, lass?" Angus asked from behind the counter as they walked in.

  "Wonderful. Stephanie said to tell you she is saving a big steak just for you."

  "I'm on me way. We've been slow all morning, so I sent Gert home, lass," he called as he hurried to go and eat. He was a hungry man.

  "Oh," Jenny looked up at Alex. "Mr. McGregor almost never leaves me alone in here, but the bottom line is money with him. I'm sure you don't want me here alone, do you, Alex?" she asked with dread and certainty.

  To her absolute surprise, he bent his head down to kiss her tenderly. "I'm proud of you, Jenny. You told me what I needed to know. I'll stay right here until Angus returns. Is there anything I can do to help you out?" he asked, and then grinned when she handed him a feather duster.

  "I'll happily put you to work, Alex," she giggled. "All those knick-knacks need dusting."

  "What will you be doing?" he asked suspiciously.

  "Refolding the shirts that someone went through and messed up, and then making sure the yard goods table is neatened. Those are my normal tasks because Mr. McGregor says I do it better than he does, which is the truth," she said with an impish grin. They set to work, talking across the store. When a customer came in, they ceased talking of private matters and Jenny waited on them.

  One farmer came in and urgently needed feed and Jennifer knew she couldn't lift the heavy bag. The man was in a big hurry and Jenny called out, "Alex, could you help me with this?" She explained what she needed and where it was located and he went to find the feed while the farmer ran to the bank across the street.

  "Now I've got you all alone, bitch, and you're gonna pay for Mort dyin' like he done! You come with me." Lefty Bridges reached for her with his bandaged hand and Jenny slapped his injured hand with all her strength. He screamed loudly and then took a swing at her with his right hand. Jenny ducked, and ran from him. Lefty knocked things off of the counter to reach for her again, this time with his right hand, which was now holding a knife. "I'll cut you up right here and now, bitch. I don't care who sees you underneath me, neither!"

  He slashed at her again, only to scream in frustration as Alex put the bag of feed between his knife and Jennifer. "Drop the knife!" Alex firmly ordered.

  "Damn you! Damn you to hell!" Lefty swore at Alex. He knew he was no match for the other man. "She's got to pay!"

  "You're the one who is going to pay. Attempted murder should get you at least forty years in the state penitentiary."

  "I ain't goin' to no damn prison! Not over no damn woman!"

  "Want to bet?" Alex said softly. He put his gun to Lefty's back and said quietly and firmly, "Start walking to jail. I'm sure the Sheriff has a cell all primed and ready for you."

  Jennifer was shaking now that the danger was over. The farmer returned and saw the store and his eyes widened in shock. "Miss Jenny, are you alright?" he asked.

  "Friend, will you stay with her until I take this one over to the jail?" Alex asked, concerned for Jenny.

  "Sure I will," the man promptly answered. "Now, don't you cry, Miss Jenny. You're safe now. Lucky that man was in here with you while Angus is out."

  "I'm sorry about your feed," Jennifer stammered. "It's all over the floor, and I know you are in a hurry!"

  "Not in so big a hurry I need to rush off while you're scared," the man said softly. When Jennifer started crying, he put his big arms around her and hugged her as he would one of his own daughters.

  Angus walked in then and roared, "What be going on here?"

  "Calm down, Angus. One of the cowboys came in here and tried to kill her; that new fella in town took him off to the jail. I promised to stay with Miss Jenny until he comes back."

  "What cowboy was it, lass? I'll see to it he's fired and sent away from here for good!" Angus was furious.

  "It was Lefty Bridges." Jennifer started crying in earnest. "He was waving a knife around and trying to slash me. If Alex hadn't stayed here I would have been dead by now. Why would that horrid man blame me for what happened to Mort Smith? They were the ones who attacked me, and Alex saved me then, too. Why does Lefty think it is okay for him to treat me like that in the first place?"

  "Now, lass, dinna fash yourself over it. You be safe now and your mon dealt with keepin' ye safe. Do ye want to take the afternoon off?" Angus asked, and when she shook her head 'no', he asked, "Are ye sure, hinny?"

  "Yes! Alex will be even more upset with me now that he was proven right. I was supposed to wait on him to walk me here this morning, but I didn't want to be late, so I walked by myself. Alex is not happy with me for disobeying him."

  "He's plannin' to
skelp you, isna he?" Angus asked gently, and when she nodded, he said, "Well, dinna worry, lass. No one has ever died from a lesson. It only proves the mon cares about you."

  Alex walked back into the store then, straight to Jenny, and pulled her close to hug and offer comfort. "He won't ever bother you again, sweetheart. I promise."

  "I'm so sorry!" she insisted.

  "For what?" he asked, tipping her face up so that he could look at her. "You didn't do anything wrong; in fact, I was impressed that you were able to fight him off until I got out here to help you. You are one brave little lady and I am proud of you, Jenny. You have nothing to be sorry for."

  "I should have known you were right about Lefty and waited for you this morning," she tearfully admitted. "I was wrong."

  "Yes, you were," Alex agreed, but held her tight. "We'll discuss that later. Would you like to go home now?"

  "No!"

  "The lass fears the skelping you promised her," Angus spoke up. "I think you should take her home and get the lesson over with. The dreading is worse than the actual spanking."

  "Did you ask Mr. McGregor to protect you from me?" Alex asked, clearly unhappy at the idea.

  "Nay, she dinna do that, Alex," Angus defended her. "Take her home now and deal gently with her. She has had a bad scare."

  "I don't want to go home. I'm fine, honestly."

  "I will bring you back later if you wish," Alex offered with a smile. He knew that she would not feel like returning after he gave her the switching she'd earned. It would be wrong to let her off when she was feeling so guilty, and this was the time to make sure she knew how he felt about disobedience.

  "I can't just up and leave Mr. McGregor here alone!" she argued.

  Angus came up behind her and handed her her purse and then he draped her shawl around her shoulders. "Go now, lassie. It's an order and I willna argue with ye."

  And that was that, she realized. Alex took her arm and led her from the store and walked her in the opposite direction of the Beckley home. "Where are you taking me?"

  "Somewhere we can be alone," was his reply.

  "I don't want you to switch me," she tearfully proclaimed. "I know I was wrong this morning and I've already learned my lesson and I'm not likely to forget it, either. Please, Alex, spare me this one time!"

  "I think you need this punishment even more than you realize, Jenny. Come along now and we'll make sure to deal with this and hopefully this will be the last time we need to deal with disobedience." She was feeling guilty as could be, and a switching would rid her of the guilt and make it easier for her to get past what just happened with Lefty Bridges. He rented a buggy, and helped her get seated before he climbed up, and sent the horse trotting on out of town. He knew precisely where they were going, too.

  Jennifer was still sniffling, and she just knew that she was going to be very miserable by the time Alex brought her home. It was simply awful to wait for a switching, especially when she'd never experienced one before. She glanced over at Alex to see he was deep in thought. She feared that did not bode well for her and she didn't know what to do about it.

  "Jenny, you do know that I love you, right?" he suddenly asked. "I thought I was going to go out of my mind when I walked out of the storage room and saw you trying to fend Lefty off. I knew in that instant that I would die if something happened to you. I would lose all reason for living; you've become that precious to me in just this short time. If I didn't love you, I would never do what I am preparing to do to you. Giving a spanking is an act of love, a firm expression of disapproval. Do you believe me when I tell you all that?" he asked, looking at her solemnly.

  "I believe that you think you love me, but I am not sure you will still feel the same way a week from now," she replied truthfully.

  "Jenny, I love you for life. It is that simple."

  "Oh, Alex...! I want to believe you; I don't want to end up with my heart broken."

  He smiled. "You are starting to feel the same way, aren't you?" he wanted to know.

  "Yes," she admitted. "I dreamed of you last night, and when you didn't come for me this morning I was very disappointed."

  "I always do as I say I will do, sweetheart. You'll know that soon."

  When he turned off the road Jennifer looked at him as if he'd taken leave of his senses. "Are you crazy, Alex?! I cannot believe you brought me back here! We don't belong here!"

  "Kieran O'Malley invited us back, honey. You heard him as well as I did. I don't think he is going to object to my cutting a switch and striping your lovely backside. Besides, I really like this ranch. It's a great place, and with a good cleaning and some paint, the house and buildings will be useable. I am thinking of buying it for us," he revealed.

  "What? Oh no! Alex, please be serious! You--"

  "Hush." He cut her off. I know I'm thinking ahead and you aren't ready to hear this yet, but I want you to know that I'm truthfully checking out the place. I'm not trespassing, either. I have permission from the Sheriff."

  "Oh my!"

  All too soon, he reached a spot where he could park the buggy. Jennifer shook her head 'no' when he held out his hand to help her down. She crossed her arms over her chest, not about to climb off the buggy. Alex's answer was to pull her off the seat and put her over his shoulder to carry her to a tree in the front yard. He reached into his pocket to get out a knife and then he eased the pouting Jennifer to the ground to stand in front of him. "Here is my knife, Jenny. You pick the switch, cut it, and then peel it. Just remember... this is a punishment. I will not be amused if you cut a twig that will snap with one swipe, and I won't be happy if you pick something that would scar you. The longer it takes you to find and prepare a switch is how long the switching will last. So, I would work quickly if I were you."

  Jennifer wanted to stomp her foot and refuse, but she didn't want a long switching. She looked for just the right switch, preferably one that wouldn't hurt too much! It was awful to have to choose, but she did, and she peeled it so quickly that Alex warned her to slow down before she sliced a finger open. She simply did not want the switching to last very long.

  "That was fast," he told her, approval shining in his eyes. Let's go inside and straight into the kitchen. You can take up your skirts and remove your drawers and bend over the table."

  "Bare...!" She gasped.

  "It wouldn't work if I left your drawers on. You are going to get a true switching, and that means bare. No more fussing, Jennifer, or you'll start earning extras. You don't want that, now do you?"

  "No. I don't want the original switching, either!"

  Alex chuckled, but then said, "Do what you can to make it easy for yourself, Jenny. Do as you are told." He took her hand and pulled her inside, and right out into the kitchen. He immediately saw that the chairs had been moved again, and as far as he was concerned he had confirmation that the rustlers were using the ranch to move the stolen cattle and split up the money. "I think you should take off your shawl, Jenny. It would only be in the way."

  Jennifer did as he asked. There was no breeze inside the house and she did not need it. When he told her to pull up her skirts she wanted to have a fit, but he'd made it so clear that she would regret arguing with him. She slowly pulled up her skirt and her petticoats, and all she was left with was her drawers. "Please, Alex. We aren't married; I'm too embarrassed to remove my undergarment. Please don't ask me to do that. I don't think I can."

  "You can, Jenny, and you will. It will go easier on you if you do it yourself, but if I have to pull down your drawers, I will give you twenty-five extras on your sit spots for putting me to the trouble. Now, what is it going to be?" he demanded, hands on his hips as he looked down at her.

  Chapter Six

  Jennifer looked down at the floor in dismay. She did not feel that the ultimatum that Alex issued her was very fair. She was not the kind of woman who took her virtue lightly and what he was insisting she do was inappropriate. In fact, she did not feel she deserved a punishment at all! "Alex, why ar
e you being so mean to me? You are the one who was late this morning, and while I probably should have waited for you, you do not know Angus MacGregor's temper. I cannot afford to lose my job, and he would have fired me. And, beast that you are to go ahead with a switching, you expect me to bare myself, which you should know is something that I cannot do. I am a chaste woman and we are not wed. It is improper for you to ask me to bare myself, and it is mean for you to insist on switching me when it was your fault I left by myself."

  "Are you through making excuses, Miss Jenny?" Alex asked quietly.

  "I'm not making excuses," she denied, her lovely green eyes filling with tears. "I am serious and would like to discuss this with you. Is that so wrong?"

  "When there is a punishment on the table it is not wise to try and talk me out of it. It appears like you are arguing to escape your due," he explained.

  "I just don't understand why you feel so strongly about this. I wish I would have waited for you this morning, but Angus MacGregor would have fired me if I was late. I have my livelihood to consider. It wasn't my fault you were late. I don't know you all that well yet, Alex. When you weren't there and it was late, I was afraid something came up with the rustlers and you couldn't make it, or even worse, that you'd changed your mind about me..." Her lower lip trembled. "I couldn't afford to lose my job, Alex. Don't you understand? I did not disobey you with disobeying you in mind; I did it because I was afraid of losing my job at the store. If Mr. MacGregor let me go I would find it impossible to get another job here in town. Mrs. Neely would have made sure of it, and if she didn't, Jeffrey would have!"

  Alex decided that Jennifer had absolutely no idea how adorable she looked standing there with her skirts pulled up to show off her pretty, lace-trimmed drawers. Her green eyes were shimmering with tears and her lower lip was trembling. The amazing thing was that some women would be using such tactics to try and dissuade him, knowing that they looked sexy as could be. Miss Jenny didn't have a clue; she was simply confused and seeking answers. How he handled this situation would have an effect on the rest of their lives.