Cowboy Caveat (13 page)

Amy simply rode. She didn’t look where she
was going, and when the horse was worn out and slowed to a walk,
Amy had no idea in which direction they had travelled or where they
were. She slid off the horse and flung herself down on the grass to
sob. The animal cropped the tough dry grass and watched Amy warily.
He’d had a tough day and he wanted to rest and feed calmly, with no
unsettling humans anywhere near him. Consequently, when Amy finally
sat up and palmed off her wet cheeks, the horse was too far away
for her to catch. She tried fruitlessly to entice him to her and
she stalked him, all to no avail. In the end she gave up and simply
sat down where she was, making sure the area around her was snake-
and spider-free.

Ethan was going to be wild
with fury at her, she knew that, but right now she’d take whatever
he threw at her just to be with him. She trusted Ethan, she now
realized, and she loved him, so why had she run away? She always
ran; that’s why. Everyone thought she was so wild and free, but she
was never free from her demons! They always followed her and so she
ran and she ran, from one thing to another, anything to block out
that terrible day. A fresh stream of tears cascaded down Amy’s
cheeks. She was a very bad person, she was! She deserved to be
beaten! Oh God, she’d shot an
innocent
man! She might hang! No,
no, he still lived. They wouldn’t hang her. She would beg Ethan to
beat her when he found her, she would, and wouldn’t he be
surprised!

After an hour or so of similar self pity and
bitter remorse, Amy lay down exhausted and slept.

* * * * *

Ethan was tired, extremely hungry and
getting desperate to relieve himself. He stopped the horse and kept
hold of the reins as he passed water. It was getting too dark to
see, so he unsaddled the horse, and, tying the reins to the saddle
that he placed on the ground, he wrapped himself in a blanket and
rested against the saddle. He chewed some beef jerky that Carmella
had handed to him just as he was about to leave. Ethan was frantic
with worry about Amy and hoped she was safe, not lying snake-bit
somewhere.

All through the chilly night, Amy cursed her
stupid decision to ride off the way she had. Ethan dozed and awoke,
dozed and awoke all through the night. At dawn he drank some water,
saddled up and continued his search, once again calling and
intently looking around him all the while.

Amy was rather pleased
with her powers of deduction. She knew the sun rose in the east,
and so she worked out which way was south and headed in that
direction. By mid-morning she was tired of walking. She noticed the
horse trailing behind her at some distance and stopped to coax it
to her. She was so intent on this that she failed to notice a horse
and rider approach from behind until he was almost upon her.
Ethan’s heart was in his mouth when he spotted her. She had her
back to him and didn’t turn until he was dismounting and then she
took off toward him, flinging herself into his open arms. Ethan
lifted Amy off her feet and swung her around in a circle before
lowering her to the ground and kissing her fiercely and brutally,
parting her lips with his tongue. Amy met his kiss just as hungrily
and they clung together for a few moments before Ethan broke away
to shake her until Amy’s teeth rattled. “Don’t you
ever
,
ever
do that again!
D’you hear me?
Never
again. You scared me half
to death,
Amy!”

“
I won’t,
I won’t
, Ethan. I
promise! Oh, I am so sorry.....truly I am!” Amy was laughing and
crying all at once.

Ethan calmed and looked her over before
asking quietly, “Are you harmed in any way?”

Amy hung her head and looked at him through
her lashes, saying, “No...I don’t think so.”

Ethan nodded, and then for a few moments he
just stood there and drunk her in. His Amy was safe, she was
unharmed, and...she was a...a...stupid, stupid little fool! Ethan
let the anger wash over him and he glowered at her.

Amy saw the change come over his face as it
darkened, but she didn’t back away from her husband. He was right
to be mad with her and Amy, taking a deep breath, decided that she
was ready and willing to be punished by him. “Why?” Ethan asked her
suddenly.

Why.....she thought, frowning with
concentration. “I don’t know...fear, I suppose, and stupidity, I
guess,” she answered.

“
Stupidity, huh?” Ethan
pointed his finger at Amy, “Well now you’re gonna pay for this
piece of stupidity little girl!” Ethan turned to his horse and
began removing his saddle for only the second time in twelve
hours.

“
Whatever are you doing,
Ethan?” Amy asked, genuinely bemused. He ignored her and continued
unbuckling the girth until he had it loose and flung the saddle
down on the dusty ground. Then he walked over to Amy and firmly
grasped her by the arm, leading her over to the saddle. “Drop your
drawers and lift your skirts, then bend over the saddle, Amelia
Jane.”

Amy bit her lip and flushed at the tone of
his voice. She knew he would punish her and part of her wanted him
to. He was so angry with her but very controlled and she trusted
him. Obediently, she dropped her undergarments and knelt. She
leaned over the top of the saddle and began to pull her skirt up.
Ethan pushed her hands away and lifted them over her waist himself.
Amy waited quietly and expectantly, trembling slightly at the
ordeal to come, while behind her, Ethan slowly removed his belt.
Although he was as mad as a bee-stung coyote, he still took a
moment to admire his wife’s shapely rounded behind and smooth
slender legs. She bent passively over the saddle, awaiting her
punishment so docilely that it began to slightly unnerve Ethan. He
pulled himself together and wound the buckle end safely into his
palm and fist.

Stepping back he tested the feel of the
belt, slapping it against his boot. Amy twitched at the sound but
remained in place. Finally, Ethan pulled back his arm and the belt
sailed through the air with a swish, striking Amy across her lower
bottom. She visibly jumped and hissed but stayed where she was, her
hands gripping the edge of the saddle’s side until her knuckles
were white. Ethan pulled back his arm again and the belt landed
slightly higher up Amy’s buttocks, and this time she squealed and
dipped her bottom up and down with the discomfort. Ethan speeded up
his swing, and soon Amy’s rear end was striped from top to thigh.
She was wailing and crying out, but still not begging him to stop,
Ethan noted.

He paused, looking at his
wife’s red-welted behind. Perhaps it was enough. After a minute,
Amy peeked over her shoulder, her eyes meeting his. “Don’t stop
yet, Ethan. I...I...deserve this. I
need
you to punish me...go
on...
please,
”
she told him in a soft, unsteady voice.

Ethan looked at her thoughtfully for a
moment before he nodded curtly and continued to lash her with half
a dozen more strokes. Then he threw the belt roughly aside and
dropped to his knees beside her. Ethan hauled her off his saddle
and into his arms. Amy slumped with her head on her husband’s lap
and sobbed out her remorse, her rump a scalding, throbbing reminder
of her sins.

He stroked her hair and whispered his love
and praise for her, rambling sweet nothings to soothe and to calm
her. Gradually, Amy’s breathing slowed, as did her tears, and she
lifted her face to Ethan but before she could speak, he had kissed
her hungrily, his hands pushing into her tangled hair, cupping
either side of her face. He put all that he felt into the kiss, his
love for her, his admiration and his desire to protect her, even
from herself.

Amy was transcended, totally lost in his
kiss. For the first time since the terrible day that her parents
were murdered, Amy felt utterly safe, really, truly and deeply
safe, wholly loved and cherished. Why? She did not analyze, she was
simply embroiled in emotion, at home and safe in her husband’s
arms. Amy knew then that she could trust Ethan to take care of her
and all of her needs. He would protect her, nourish her, correct
her when it was needed and then punish her fairly. She knew
absolutely that she loved this man with all of her being.

Ethan felt overwhelmed by Amy’s reaction,
especially since he’d just punished her and so painfully. Instead
of the rage he had expected from her, she had acquiesced in such a
docile way that Ethan was amazed and touched. The look on her face
now was euphoric, as if he had just made love to her instead of
taking his belt to her backside. He got up went to the horse and
fetched the blanket, spreading it out on the ground. He had not
made love to his wife other than on their wedding night. Ethan
needed to hold her and to love her now, to show her how much he
loved and esteemed her, would always love her no matter what she
did.

Amy watched quietly as Ethan spread his
blanket and when he beckoned her to him, she locked onto his hazel
gaze, her own sherry eyes wide and trusting. Walking straight into
his waiting arms, he cradled her against his chest, one hand
cupping her scorching buttocks in a gentle caress, her naked skin
hot to the touch. Amy mewled softly at the aching tenderness of her
bottom but clung to him, his arms wrapped around her as he drew her
down with him onto the rug.

Ethan made slow passionate love to his wife,
conveying to her with his body what he lacked in words. He could
show her his overwhelming love and admiration by using his fervent
ardour. Giving her pleasure, he honored his wife until she
shuddered beneath his thrusting body. Tears rolled down her face
with the intensity of the ecstasy he released within her, sobbing
out his name as wave after wave of sensation rocked her world.

They lay without speaking for a half hour or
so, until they were just too hot lying baking in the burning sun.
The horses were stamping impatiently; they were overheating and
wanting to move on.

It took them an hour to get back, and Millie
was standing on the corral fence watching and waiting for them,
waving once as she realized it was her sister returning. Amy found
that being a bare-back rider was extremely uncomfortable after her
ordeal. Apart from shifting around on her horse and gasping quietly
to herself as her sore bottom was jostled upon the horse, she
didn’t complain to Ethan once. She knew she deserved every lick of
Ethan’s belt and Amy had welcomed the release from the guilt, even
if it was only temporary. The punishment had left her feeling
cleansed and calm but not completely exonerated.

Millie flung herself on her sister and burst
into noisy sobs. Amy patted her back absently, chewing her lip and
watching Ethan corral the horses. She was extremely worried about
facing Rick Cook, the Texas Ranger.

In the end, Aunt Peggy came over to their
house to stay with the boys. Lucy had enlisted her friend Jayne
from town to stay and help the old lady out. Jayne had needed no
persuasion however. Since Ethan had proposed to Amy, she had
shifted her devotion from him to Max. This time, though, the
feeling was mutual, and Lucy was pleased to be able to help by
throwing Jayne in the ranch foreman’s path, so to speak. Ed was
amused by his sweet wife’s matchmaking and he agreed that it seemed
to be working. Max had been over to their house three times already
and usually they were lucky if they saw him at the house once a
week!

At last Ed and Lucy were seated next to one
another aboard the train, heading for Dallas. Ed urged an exhausted
Lucy to rest against his shoulder and catch up on some much-needed
sleep. Although this journey was necessary, Ed intended the trip to
be a fun one for his wife.

They had never got away on a honeymoon after
their marriage because of what had happened to his parents. The
children had come first after the wedding and had taken up much of
their time and devotion. Ed wanted to spoil Lucy while they were
staying at his grandmother’s house, take her to the theater and to
the shops, dine out with her and importantly make love to her. This
last was crucial as far as Ed was concerned. He wanted to show Lucy
that she was loved and that despite the recent changes he had made
in their relationship, with himself placed in the more dominant
role, he still worshipped and adored her.

Lucy needed no more persuasion to rest her
weary head. The past few weeks had been a shock to the
sweet-natured Lucy. Quite apart from all the upset surrounding Amy
shooting Henderson, there was the change in Ed himself that she
found confusing.

At first she had been livid to be spanked by
her husband and with a butter pat! Ed had actually hurt her!
Normally she would have expected her easygoing husband to apologize
afterwards and everything would go on as before, but not this time;
not that he had ever punished her like that before! Something had
changed between them and Lucy wasn’t sure whether she liked the
change or not. Ed was still fun to be with, but now Lucy found
herself watching her behavior all the time. Ed had spanked her a
couple of days back for swearing, something he had never done
before the butter pat incident.

Then there was her body’s strange and
embarrassing response to Ed spanking her -- she was excited by it.
There was something very wrong with her and it was worrying Lucy
and affecting her sleep at night. If only she had someone to talk
to about this, but it was all much too personal to share. Lucy
sighed and she made herself comfortable on Ed’s shoulder, snuggling
into him as his arm came around her.