Cowboy Caveat (8 page)

“
Enough!” Ethan roared,
and amazingly, all the screeching stopped. But then Millie and the
strange woman began talking at once. Ethan realized that he didn’t
understand what in tarnation was going on. He turned helplessly
toward Amy and his gaze softened when he noticed how red her wet
eyes were and how little fuss she was making over the very harsh
spanking she had just received. He was so proud of his stoical
girl.

Lucy went about her chores, deep in thought
about her marriage to Ed. She didn’t want to go to him and ask for
another spanking; the whole idea was too demeaning by far. However,
after the dreadful spanking he had given her in the kitchen, Lucy
knew that it would be a far less painful punishment and Lucy hoped
that Ed would make love to her afterwards, as he had done on the
one other occasion he had spanked her. Truth was, she had enjoyed
that whole episode that other time but not what had occurred last
night – oh no, that was a whole other thing! It was a case of pride
and Lucy knew it but she couldn’t get herself beyond that -- her
pride.

Up until now, she had run the house and Ed
the ranch. They had discussed problems jointly as they arose. Lucy
loved the equanimity of the partnership she had formed with her
husband. So many men ruled their wives with a switch, and Lucy had
pitied those women who didn’t have the relationship that she and Ed
had together. Yesterday had changed that and Lucy was shocked by
the turn of events. She was deep in thought about the adjustment Ed
had wrought within their marriage. Ed had reacted as any other
husband would have done in the same set of circumstances but Ed
wasn’t other men. Some would have been harsher, she knew, but Ed
had punished her and he had made it clear that he would spank her
again when he felt the circumstances dictated. This in itself was a
huge change for Lucy, who knew hand spanking was nothing compared
to the whippings, paddlings and switchings that other women put up
with, but Lucy just wanted things to remain exactly as they were
before yesterday. She sighed heavily, thinking if only yesterday
had never happened and things had gone on as before, with Amy and
Ethan getting married.

Her mind went back to the occasion just
after she was married when Ed had spanked her for not coming home
after visiting her old school friend in town. Lucy had thought that
as a married woman, she now had the right to come and go as she
pleased and so she was shocked that Ed had come into town to find
her and had dragged her home. He then upended her across his knee
and spanked her bottom fully clothed. Ed lectured her the whole way
through the punishment on how thoughtless and selfish she had been
to leave him worried that something had befallen his lovely young
bride.

At the time Ed’s reaction had delighted
Lucy. Her strong virile husband had shown how much he cared for her
by spanking her and ravishing her afterwards in the most delightful
way; in fact, she’d found the whole episode very arousing! Last
night was not. Lucy gingerly rubbed her throbbing behind and
reflected on what Ed had said about trust between them. Was he
right?

When her bottom was
healed, she could stage manage this whole
asking
to be spanked problem. Lucy
thought of her transparent fine lawn nightdress that Ed liked so
much and decided she could wear that and prettily ask him to spank
her in bed one night with a giggle and a toss of her hair. Yes,
that is how she would arrange it -- a sexy little spanking followed
by......
well
.
Lucy nodded to herself, satisfied with her plan: if she was to be
spanked, it would be on her own terms.

* * * * *

Ed, meanwhile, was riding with Grant and the
posse, giving a good imitation of a man eager to find his sister,
while leading them out to his childhood home where he knew only
ghosts of the past remained. Ed hoped that Ethan had caught up with
his errant sister and given her the same treatment that Lucy had
received yesterday. He smiled grimly to himself, picturing his
wayward sister turned over Ethan’s knee.

* * * * *

On the train, things had come to a head when
Miss Caldon had reached forward and slapped Luca’s face. Ethan,
with narrowed eyes, had grabbed the boy away from the harpy and
handed him through the door of the compartment to Amy. She pulled
the child inside and then yanked her sister Millie in behind before
shutting the door with a snap.

Ethan turned to the evil woman and said,
“When you return to your employers you may tell them to look us up
at Park Lane Dallas and we will arrange an adoption for Luca with
them, name of Campbell, Hilda Campbell. Now jus’ get out of my
sight before I do something I’d surely like to do but you’ll
regret!”

“
I’ll have the authorities
on you...kidnapping...child stealing...how dare
you...you...
varmint!
”

Ethan took a threatening step towards the
snarling woman, and she hurriedly retreated down the corridor,
muttering loudly. Ethan turned and, pulling the door open, went to
join Amy and the children in their compartment.

“
What shall we do? I mean
if she brings someone who knows what Amy did, they might arrest
her!” Millie said, wringing her hands. Ethan agreed and nodded
grimly, “I had thought of that too Millie. I think we will have to
leave the train when it stops at Fort Worth and find our way
onwards by stage. It will be slower but it’s less likely anyone
will expect us to travel that way.”

“
No,” said Amy firmly,
“the quicker I get to Grandma’s and enlist her help the better.
Besides, I won’t risk Millie and Luca being exposed to any
danger.”

Ethan barely looked at Amy before saying
firmly, “It’s not your decision to make Amy and you do as I say,
girl. In fact, that goes for everyone....y’all jump when I say
frog!”

Millie and Luca nodded quickly, remembering
the vision of Amy upended over Ethan’s knee only moments before.
Amy seemed to have either a very short memory or a perverse wish
for a repeat performance.

“
Ethan Walker, you
do
not
get to
decide what happens in my family. I do, and I say we stay on the
train!”

Millie sighed as she watched her sister
hauled across Ethan’s knee for a second time in as many minutes.
Perhaps Amy wasn’t quite as clever as she had thought her to
be?

Luca was mesmerized by this entertaining
family. He hadn’t had so much fun in his entire life and he hoped
that he could stay with them forever. He was fascinated by Amy’s
bare bottom and Ethan’s vigour in spanking it. Until today, he had
no idea that grown-up women were spanked or what their bottoms
looked like, and he was extremely entertained by both!

“
Now then, little girl,
you gonna do as I say....or do I carry on setting fire to your
butt?” Ethan asked after a good five minutes of
spanking.

“
I
hate you,
Ethan Walker....you jus’
let me up right this minute!” was Amy’s foolhardy
response.

Ethan sighed dramatically, “Sure’nuff, you
young’uns better stand outside the door again. But if that harpy
returns ya’ll run back in here lickity split!”

Reluctantly Millie and Luca did as Ethan
told them. When they had gone, Ethan dropped Amy on the seat and
she sighed with relief; she knew she couldn’t have taken much more.
As she turned and sat straight her breath stilled as she realised
that Ethan was removing his belt. Amy gulped......oh no she wasn’t
prepared for that!

“
Um, Ethan, I’ve been
thinkin’, darlin’, that you might be right, and we should get off
the train at Fort Worth as you suggested.”

Ethan looked at Amy’s
upturned face with narrowed eyes and said, “Is that so? Well now
you hear this, Amelia Campbell: when we get to Fort Worth the first
thing we’re gonna do is find us a preacher or a justice of the
peace and get married because you are gonna promise to
obey
your husband and I
intend to hold you to that promise every day of your
life!

“
Oh, and having the
surname Walker will be a good idea, since everyone‘ll be looking
for an Amy Campbell. I’m thinkin’ we’ll all call you Amelia, your
given name, for the time being anyhows, just to be on the safe side
and all.”

Ethan fastened his belt
and turned to the door to call back the children; he had a smile
playing about his mouth and a song in his heart as he begun to
whistle, ‘
Oh the yellow rose of
Texas
......’

Amy scowled and set to thinking perhaps she
didn’t want to marry Ethan after all. He was turning out to be far
bossier and more arrogant than she had imagined he would be and all
that mess about her obeying him once they were wed -- this was the
1890’s after all! Amy pondered the pros and cons back and forth
until she couldn’t decide what to do for the best. She would allow
Ethan to guide their little party along until she made up her mind
what she wanted to do about marrying the tyrant.

When the train pulled into Fort Worth, they
all hurried to the far end and disembarked quickly, speedily
exiting the station and following Ethan, who seemed to know just
where he was heading. They pitched up at the stage coach office and
were met by a small fat man, who leered at Amy and picked his teeth
while he stared. Ethan gently pushed Amy and the children outside
the door, telling them to wait out there.

He emerged a short while later holding
tickets and ushered them all away from the office. He stopped
farther down the street and they gathered around him. “Alright
listen up, we are one family from now onwards. Amy is Ma and I’m
Pa. Amy darlin’, you are Mrs. Amelia Walker and I shall call you
Amelia from now on in. There’s a justice of the peace a pace down
the street from here so we will go and get us hitched. Then I’ll
check us into the hotel for the night and we’ll catch the stage to
Dallas first thing tomorrow morning. Everyone clear on that?” Ethan
looked around his new family for any dissent, but they all
nodded.

Luca was ecstatic that now he had parents;
this adventure just got better and better, and he was grinning from
ear to ear.

Millie was so relieved that Ethan was with
them and felt relaxed and safe in his care. Her sister, however,
was racking her brains for an alternate plan but, to her chagrin,
she couldn’t find fault with Ethan’s ideas. She decided that she
would marry him today.

They all arrived at an imposing house at the
far end of the street where a sign said “Henry J. Wilbur, Justice
of the Peace” on the wall beside the door. Ethan banged on the door
and a small woman wearing a white cap answered. “Can I help you
folks?” she asked politely.

“
Yes ‘um, we wanted Mr.
Wilbur to marry us now if possible.”

“
Oh dear I’m not sure
about that. Normally you make an appointment... Mr.?”

“
Walker,” replied Ethan,
removing his hat and smiling warmly at the woman. He cocked his
head to one side and said, “It’s kinda’ an emergency
ma’am.”

“
Ah I see” she said,
warming to Ethan’s charm, “I’ll just go speak to Mr. Wilbur and see
if he can see you.” She was gone for a couple of minutes and when
she returned she pulled the door wide and ushered them through into
a large carpeted hallway. “If the rest of you would just wait here,
I’ll take you through, Mr. Walker. Please follow me.”

When Ethan had disappeared through a heavy
wooden doorway, Amy plonked herself down on a hall chair. She was
about to be married! This was not how she wanted her wedding day to
be! Amy jumped to her feet and was about to bolt from the house
when Ethan returned with a tall, distinguished-looking grey-haired
man who sprouted the most enormous moustache Amy had ever seen. “So
you must be Amelia, eh? Welcome, yes I can see why you want to
marry quickly, well, well, two children and both out of wedlock,
eh!”

Amy glared at Ethan, who shrugged and
grinned back at her from behind Mr. Wilbur’s back. Millie put her
hand over her mouth and giggled. Amy flushed red and began to
stammer something to Mr. Wilbur, who kindly patted her shoulder and
interrupted whatever it was Amy was about to say. “Now, now ma’am,
no need to fret. At least this young man’s doing right by you now
and we’ll have you all legal and done in just a few moments. Daisy
dear, could you go to my office and fetch the register and a
marriage certificate? Please follow me, all of you.”

They all trooped into a large parlor heavily
furnished with drapes, and knick-knacks of every description that
decorated all the surfaces in the room. The children were asked to
sit, which they did, close together on an overstuffed sofa with
Millie holding Luca’s hand while he stared around the
over-furnished room in complete amazement. The maid arrived and
handed the documents to the justice, who fussed about for a minute
or two before asking Amy her full name and date of birth followed
by her parents’ names and their dates of birth. Ethan provided the
same information and also a bank draft in his name as more formal
proof of identity.

Amy and Ethan stood in front of Mr. Wilbur
and repeated their wedding vows, except that when Amy was asked to
“love, honor and obey” her husband, she hesitated and glanced up
sideways at Ethan, who winked cheerily at her. Despite herself, she
grinned back at him and said, “Yes,” quite clearly. They were
finally man and wife. Ethan kissed Amy full on the lips before
pumping Mr. Wilbur’s hand vigorously. Millie and Luca offered hugs
and kisses to Amy, and Millie shyly kissed Ethan’s cheek. Daisy
brought in tall glasses of lemonade, which they all drank
gratefully before the marriage certificate was filled in and
signed.