Emily

by Paige Mallory

  “Mac, wait a minute…! I need to tend to the stove or our supper will be ruined.” Emily busied herself doing what needed doing. “If you aren’t busy, you can set the table for me.”

  Mac decided their talk could wait until after they’d eaten. They didn’t need any interruptions while Emily explained the lies she told him.

  ********************

  Lucinda simply was not going to apologize to Sylvia Crawford… no matter how long or how hard Henry strapped her with his doubled belt! It hurt, and her poor backside felt as though she’d backed into a stove, but she couldn’t apologize to that woman! She was cruel to her daughter, and Kathy had no one else to stand up for her. “Henry! Stop this, please! You are hurting me!” She was sobbing so hard she doubted he could understand what she was saying.

  “Are you ready to go and apologize to Sylvia Crawford, Mrs. Zabarski?” he demanded. His arm was starting to hurt. This spanking had been going on for what seemed like forever, and Lucy’s butt was a deep dark red and covered with welts. She was in some serious pain, yet she continued to refuse to make a simple apology to the woman.

  “I am not going to apologize, Henry. You can keep this up all night, and I promise you I am not going to say ‘sorry’ to that woman for one single thing I said. She was wrong to treat Kathy so cruelly and someone needs to stick up for that child!” She braced herself for another long barrage of strapping, but to her surprise, Henry stood her on her feet.

  “We’re done, Lucinda.” He put on his belt and left the bedroom. A few seconds later she heard him leave the house by way of the kitchen door. Lucy knew she could be stubborn, but was her refusal to apologize worth driving her husband out of his home? She burst into fresh tears, and threw herself facedown on the bed to cry her heart out. She was in serious pain from the spanking, but her heart hurt even worse.

  ********************

  Henry needed to take a walk and think about what just happened with his lovely wife. He’d spanked her raw, and she still refused to apologize to Sylvia Crawford. He’d warned Lucy over and over against interfering in people’s lives, but she couldn’t seem to keep her opinions to herself when she thought someone was wronging another person. She didn’t have all the facts regarding Kathy and her mother, yet she was willing to give the woman a set-down in her own place of business. Sylvia was a terrible gossip, and Henry didn’t want to see his wife shunned by the other women.

  He stopped in front of the jail and realized that taking his problems to Mac right now wouldn’t be a good idea. Mac was a newlywed, and he wouldn’t appreciate being bothered their first night back in town. He walked on and decided to go into the general store and talk to his former father-in-law, Bill Tune. Perhaps he could shed some light on the situation.

  “Henry, hello!” Bill greeted him with a friendly smile, and Henry knew he was fortunate that the older man accepted Lucy. “What brings you in this evening?”

  “I’m trying to get my head straight,” Henry admitted.

  “I see. Let me finish waiting on Clem over there and then we’ll talk.” He hurried over to where the cowhand was looking at shirts and it didn’t take long for Bill to help the man find his size. The cowboy paid for the shirt; Bill wrapped it in paper and tied it up with string. Clem nodded, picked up his parcel and left, anxious to change into his new shirt before he went courting a girl.

  “Now then, what’s on your mind, Henry?” Bill asked, leaning on the counter.

  “Lucy,” Henry replied with a sigh. “I just spent the better part of an hour setting her fanny on fire with my hand, her hairbrush, and my belt, and the stubborn little brat still refuses to apologize to Sylvia Crawford for the things she said to her yesterday.”

  “I heard about that,” Bill admitted, a worried smile on his face. “Eleanor Cain was in Sylvia’s store when it happened and she said that Sylvia flew into a rage when Kathy came in after school and was five minutes late because she stopped in here and bought some ribbon for her hair. Sylvia grabbed the ribbon and threw it into the stove. Kathy started crying, and she told Sylvia that it was her own money she used to pay for the ribbon. Sylvia said she didn’t care, that Kathy wasn’t permitted to do anything after school but come straight home and get to her chores. She was saying all sorts of nasty things to Kathy, and Lucy stepped in front of the child and told Sylvia she was overreacting. Sylvia screamed at Lucy, and Lucy told her that she didn’t deserve to have such a lovely child if she couldn’t treat her better. Eleanor thought that Lucy was wonderful for defending Kathy.”

  “But it wasn’t Lucy’s place to interfere,” Henry insisted.

  “Son, if you’d been there, you would have done the same thing.” Bill smiled at the look of surprise on Henry’s face. “Lucy was protecting Kathy from her mother, and in my opinion, it was high time someone told Sylvia a thing or two about the way she treats that little girl. In another year or two, Kathy is going to meet some shiftless no good, and run off with him… just to get away from her mother.”

  “I didn’t realize that Kathy’s relationship with her mother was so awkward,” Henry admitted. He was starting to feel guilty for punishing his little wife.

  “The child is afraid to turn around without Sylvia’s permission. The woman is a tyrant.”

  “So, I owe Lucy an apology?” he asked quietly.

  “I think so, son, but you might want to stop by the candle shop and see for yourself how Kathy is doing.” The look in Bill’s eyes was full of meaning and Henry nodded. He would go and see for himself what the heck was going on!

  Henry said his goodbyes to Bill, and walked the short distance to Sylvia’s Candle Shop. He quietly opened the door and stepped inside, surprised to see how many other things that Sylvia offered besides the candles. He heard a child crying and he heard Sylvia screaming at Kathy, using language that Henry would have soaped Lucy’s mouth for using. The berating continued and then Henry heard a slap. Kathy cried out in pain, and Sylvia told her it was what she deserved for being so stupid. Henry had heard enough! He marched into the back rooms of the store, where Sylvia and Kathy lived. He saw Sylvia had Kathy backed into a corner, and Kathy had her arms up in front of her face, trying to protect herself. “Enough of this!” he said, his voice thundering in the small room.

  Sylvia jumped and then turned around. “What are you doing here?” she angrily demanded.

  “I came in the store several minutes ago, but you were yelling at Kathy so loudly you didn’t hear the bell ring. I heard you slap this child, Sylvia, and I heard all the names you were calling her. What did she do to earn such language?”

  “It’s none of your business! You’re just as bad as that awful wife of yours!”

  “I am beginning to think that Lucy had the right of it. Unless you have a damn good excuse for treating Kathy this way, I am going to take her straight to Mac and help her file charges of assault. I will testify to the fact you hit her face.”

  “I was correcting Kathy!” Sylvia said.

  “No, you were hitting her in the face.” Henry turned around and gently examined the child’s face. “She is going to have a bruise right underneath her eye,” he announced. “That isn’t the way to correct a child. You were angry and hitting her for no good reason.”

  “It’s easy for you to be all high and mighty! You don’t have any kids to raise! You’re one of those people who think they know everything… and raising a kid is no easy job!”

  “I didn’t say it was easy, but you don’t resort to hitting. A spanking is another matter all together. Nature provided a place for that, and it isn’t a child’s face. I am taking Kathy with me to my infirmary so I can examine her fully, and then I’ll be speaking to Mac about filing charges. Kathy, you come with me, honey. I’m not about to leave you here.”

  “Thank you, Doc Z,” the little girl whispered, grateful to get away from her mother.

  Sylvia called him every rotten name she could think of, and she berated Kathy even more. Henry whirled on her and told her to
be quiet. His blue eyes were blazing with fury and the woman had the good sense to step back. He took Kathy’s hand and led her straight to the jail. He wanted to get Mac on his side before Sylvia went to him and accused him of kidnapping her daughter.

  “Am I going to jail?” Kathy asked, her eyes filling with tears.

  “No, of course not, honey,” Henry reassured her. “We need to see Sheriff Mac and tell him what happened. He needs to know so that we can keep it from happening again. You don’t need to be afraid, Kathy. Everything will be all right.”

  He opened the door to the jail, and Mac wasn’t there. He knocked on the door that led to his private quarters, and Mac opened the door a few seconds later. “Doc Z, what’s going on?” he asked, coming on into the office.

  Henry wasted no time filling Mac in, and Mac examined Kathy’s face. “She has a bruise forming,” he said, filled with anger. “Kathy, does your mother hit you like this all the time?” he asked.

  Kathy looked up at Henry, but refused to answer Mac. “Honey, don’t be afraid. Mac wants to help you.”

  “Are you scared of me, Kathy?” Mac asked. “There’s no need to be. I promise I won’t hurt you.”

  Kathy was shaking, and her eyes filled with tears. The men standing there were so big, and her Mama warned her over and over that the Sheriff would get her and throw her in jail if she was bad. She was frightened and she did the only thing she could think of to do; she kicked the Sheriff in the knee and then ran and hid underneath the desk, crying her heart out because she was so afraid.

  Mac jumped up and down on one foot as he held his knee with his hands. He reminded himself there was a child present and he changed his curse word to ‘fudge’ at the last second. Henry appeared amused, but Mac didn’t find it funny. He went to the door to his quarters and opened the door and called for Emily. He heard her coming. “Honey, I need some help, please.”

  “I’ll need to set supper off the stove. Hold on, Mac.” She quickly returned to hear Henry pleading with a child to come out from under the desk. Mac quietly told her that Kathy was afraid of him, and Emily nodded in understanding. She walked over to the desk and then got down on her knees to face the child. “Hello, Kathy. I’m Emily. My husband says he scared you; what did he do so I can give him a piece of my mind!” she asked, smiling. “Did he swat you on the bottom?” she asked. Kathy shook her head ‘no’. “Did he whack you with a stick?” Again the child shook her head ‘no’. I know, he growled at you like a big angry bear?” This time Kathy giggled as she shook her head ‘no’. “Well, then, just what did he do?”

  “Mama said he would get me and then throw me in jail if I was bad,” Kathy finally voiced her fear.

  “Mac would never throw a little girl in jail, would you, Mac?” Emily looked up to ask him.

  “No, of course not. I’ve never ever thrown a little girl in jail. You are safe here. I just want to help you, and I can’t do that if you won’t talk to me, honey.”

  “Will you tell Mama to stop slapping me; it hurts!” Kathy shyly asked.

  “You bet I will,” Mac promised, his heart going out to the child.

  Emily was finally able to coax Kathy out from under the desk, but she stood behind Emily and it took her a while to realize that Mac wasn’t going to grab her and throw her in jail. Mac was gentle as he asked questions, and he finally turned the child over to Henry. There would be a meeting with the Judge when he came to town the following week.

  Henry took Kathy’s hand and wished with all his heart he could give Lucy fair warning that he was bring home the little girl. Lucy had every right to be angry with him and while he didn’t think she would take it out on the little girl, he didn’t want her making snide comments to him in front of Kathy. She’d been through enough for someone so young. He was pretty sure that Lucy would understand, but he would offer her a sincere apology as soon as possible.

  ********************

  Emily hurried back to her kitchen and put the skillets back on the stove, hoping her first meal in her new home wasn’t ruined. She wanted to be a good wife to Mac. He joined her a few minutes later, a worried expression on his face. “Are you worried about Kathy?” she asked.

  “She’ll be fine with Doc Z and Lucy, but I’m not sure the Judge won’t send her right back to her mother, even though the woman is cruel.” He looked at his wife, but she continued to stir things on the stove, and her expression gave away nothing.

  Emily filled a plate heaping full for Mac, and then she filled another for herself. She also poured some lemonade for them and then sat across from him at the table.

  “This looks real good, Em. Thank you.”

  “You’d better take a bite before you go to thanking me, Sheriff! You might wish you’d married another!” she lightly proclaimed, flashing him a smile.

  “I wouldn’t wish for another if the food tasted bad, Em. I would simply turn you over my knee and redden your pretty little tail end,” he teased her right back.

  “I don’t think I would like that, Mac. We are married now and spanking me is not acceptable.”

  “It is even more acceptable than it was before we married, young lady. A good husband keeps his wife in line and keeps her from harm, and from doing things that could lead to her unhappiness.”

  “What if the wife doesn’t want to be treated like an immature child?” Emily demanded, her cheeks tinged with red.

  “Then best she doesn’t behave like an immature child,” he countered.

  “But what if the woman’s idea is better than the man’s?”

  “Then a wise man listens and accepts that his wife is right.” He noticed that Emily seemed to approve of that notion, but she certainly didn’t like the notion that he considered it all right to spank a grown woman! He took a bite of his food and then said, “This is really good, Em. You are a good cook, and I don’t want you to say otherwise again, hear me?”

  “I’m passable, and compared to you I probably do look good, but there are much better cooks around. I intend to look up some recipes and learn to do better,” she sincerely promised.

  “Did your mother teach you to cook?” he asked, taking another bite.

  “No.” That was one subject she didn’t tend to discuss… now or ever. “How can we convince the Judge that Kathy is being abused?”

  “I’ll need to talk to people, find some witnesses who will tell what they know about the matter. The court almost never rules against a mother… unless there is a father who is willing to take on a child… and he can prove that he would be a better parent than the mother.” He took another bite of his ham and smiled at his wife. She was frowning. “Em, we need to talk.”

  “Not if you are going to bring up my past,” she told him. She got to her feet and hurried to dip hot water from the stove’s reservoir into a dishpan so she could wash their dirty dishes.

  “It isn’t going to go away, Emily. I have papers on my desk; your mother is searching for you. She claims you were kidnapped by your father, and she is offering a huge reward for your return to her.”

  “I am a married woman; she has no claim to me, and I don’t want to see her again. I wish she was dead!” Emily said, her pretty eyes full of hate. “I don’t want her to know where I am, Mac. I’m counting on you to protect me from her… or maybe it is the other way around. I guarantee I will shoot her down like a mad dog if she dares to come here.”

  “Those are pretty strong words, young lady, and I don’t appreciate hearing you threaten to murder another human being. You would hang!” Mac scolded.

  “I would hang myself before I would agree to see her. She is purely evil, Mac. She makes Kathy’s mother seem like a saint.”

  “What did she do to you, Em?” he asked, wanting to offer comfort.

  “Can’t you see that I don’t want to discuss this? Leave me alone!”

  Mac looked at the rigid set of her spine and made a decision. He moved quickly to take her by surprise, and in the next moment, he was sitting on the chair she�
�d sat on to eat her meal. He turned her over his lap, and he started spanking, lightly at first, but when Emily started cursing him he increased the strength of his spanks. Emily cursed even louder and tried her best to throw herself off of his lap.

  “Damn you, Mac Forrester! Let me go!” Emily raged at him, furious that he would dare such a thing. She was married and too old for a spanking. She hadn’t done anything wrong! “If you don’t let me go, I will shoot you the first chance I get!”

  “More threats? Not smart, Em. It’s going to cost you.”

  Emily protested as he tossed up her skirts, but it did her no good. He revealed her pretty new drawers and then he started spanking over the ruffled seat. It was so embarrassing she wanted to cry. “I hate you! I simply hate you, Mac Forrester!”

  “You don’t hate me. You’re upset over this business with your mother, and we need to talk it out like two reasonable adults. When you are ready to do that, this spanking will stop, but not one second before.”

  “I am not going to discuss that bitch with you. I hate her! I don’t want to set eyes on her! Is that plain enough, you son of a bitch?” Emily was furious with him.

  “Now you’ve lost your drawers, Mrs. Forrester. My mother was not a bitch.” Mac wasn’t going to tolerate her name calling, and he proved it by untying the ribbon holding up her pretty drawers and then tugging them down to her ankles. He started spanking, making sure to color her cheeks a uniform red all over. While he was doing that, Emily was cursing fluently and he shook his head when she threw in some Spanish and added some Apache curses as well. His hand moved lower and his new target was her upper thighs.

  “Owwwww! Not there!” Emily cried out. “Mac, it hurts too much! Stop!” He ignored her pleas and all Emily could do was cry while he made that part of her anatomy match her bottom. “Stop, please!” she finally pleaded again.

  “Are you ready to have a sensible conversation, Mrs. Forrester?”

  “Not about her. She is a closed subject.” Emily didn’t want to resurrect all of the anger and pain.