Daniel (10 page)

"She's looking better," Ben said, flinching at the dark look Daniel sent him. "At least she's up and getting around now. The bruises will fade in time."

Daniel curled his hands into fists. The sight of those bruises had knotted his stomach. Spanking a woman when she needed some guidance was one thing. He might hit the occasional man for one reason or another, but never would he raise a fist to a woman. Certainly not to Jennie.

"Angelica has been taking care of her. Faith and Annabelle check on her regularly, too." Caleb shifted uncomfortably as Daniel glowered at him.

Daniel nodded. He already knew all of that. All three of the women had been reporting to him on a steady basis, whether he wanted them to or not. In truth, he did. "They're good friends to Jennie. I appreciate that."

But were these new friendships enough to keep her here in Dryfork? He wanted her to stay, but he had decided that she needed to make the decision. He still wasn't certain she could handle this kind of life, although he knew she'd been honestly trying.

Adam met his gaze and questioned gruffly, "Why haven't you hauled her back to your ranch?"

"None of your damn business," Daniel gritted out. He'd started to take a step toward his brother, but stopped at the hard looks Ben and Caleb sent him. Actually, he didn't want to fight with Adam. He just didn't want to be around him right now.

Surprising him, Adam blew out a breath and said, "I'm sorry. I interfered when I shouldn't have and I sure as hell regret it."

Daniel just studied him, unsure what to say. Adam did appear to be sorry for what had happened.

Adam lowered his gaze and sadly shook his head. "Jennie was right when she said I've been trying to make the people around me as miserable as I've been. Faith has been telling me that for a long time." He lifted his gaze again. "It took that spirited wife of yours to finally make me realize the truth of it. But then I got this crazy notion that she shouldn't keep on being unhappy either. She's a city bred lady...and she was moping around..."

Caleb stepped into the conversation when Adam didn't seem to know how to explain further. He moved next to Adam and said, "The idiot thought she was moping around after you left because she was missing Boston and her life there." He shook his head. "Angelica finally got it through our thick heads that she was depressed because of you, Daniel."

"Me?"

"Because you didn't hug and kiss her before you left with the posse." Ben shrugged. "A woman's kind of thinking, at least that's how Faith explained it to me." He met Daniel's gaze. "Her friends said you broke her heart."

In that instant he knew they were right. He'd seen the pain in her eyes as she'd faced him only moments ago. It had been pain more miserable than what she'd suffered from the injuries to her jaw. He blew out a breath and sat back on the edge of the desk.

"Maybe I'm just not cut out for marriage."

Ben huffed. "If you aren't, then where does that leave the rest of us?"

Daniel stood again and straightened his shoulders. "You'll each have to work out your own sorry love lives. Right now, I need to go try and make things right with Jennie."

His deputy came tearing into the building. Andy's eyes were wide, his breathing rough. "Sheriff! Sheriff, come quick!" He sucked in a breath and waved a crumpled piece of paper. "You just got a wire...the Waltons...they've been spotted coming this way."

Chapter Six

"Well, shit!" Daniel clamped his mouth tightly shut in utter frustration and glowered at Andy as if this whole disaster was his deputy's fault. Then he stormed off after his wife, who was still marching indignantly toward the saloon. His heavy boot steps thundered on the boardwalk.

"Sheriff?" Andy questioned in clear concern. "What about--"

Daniel didn't even turn around, but slowed enough to yell over his shoulder. "Round up some men for a posse. Have them meet me in front of the jail in an hour."

His brothers were on his heels as he started walking again. Adam drew to his left side, Caleb and Ben to his right. He didn't want their interference right now. He didn't even look at them. "If you're riding with me, go get ready. If not, then leave me the hell alone."

He watched Jennie march right up to the saloon's batwing doors, probably on her way to the safety of her temporary room. His emotions were all over the place concerning her, their marriage, and his duties to the townspeople. Just how much can a man take? He had about reached his limit. But he damn sure wasn't leaving town this time without speaking directly to Jennie. And for damn sure he wanted to kiss her before he rode out again. He didn't want any misunderstandings about his feelings for her like there had been the last time.

He'd been watching the sway of Jennie's hips beneath her long skirt as she'd hurried away from him. She had one sweet bottom. Frustrated as he was with her and everything else at the moment, he wouldn't be opposed to turning her over his knee for a spanking. Yes, she had a right to be mad at him. He accepted that. She also needed to give him a chance to explain things, which she didn't appear willing to do. That fact only made him more disgruntled. He fisted his hands at his sides.

"I'm not sure talking to your wife right now is a good idea," Caleb said, sounding uncertain.

"She didn't seem to be--" Ben started, slamming his mouth shut when Daniel faced him with a hard look.

Daniel stopped just outside the saloon's doors and turned to his brothers. "Good or bad, I'm going to speak with my wife for a bit. I'd appreciate it if one of you would saddle my horse and get my gear ready."

They all looked as if they wanted to say something, but wisely didn't. Until Adam met his gaze and said, "I'll do it. And I'm riding with you."

Ben and Caleb said at the same time, "So am I."

Daniel gave them an acknowledging nod and then pulled on his patience to go face down his irritated wife.

* * *

Jennie knew Daniel was following her and she wasn't sure if that was good or bad. She still wanted to box his ears for thinking so little of her, no matter what he'd said. He didn't think she was shallow, but he didn't think she was strong enough to live here either. He thought she missed being pampered, missed all the parties and other frivolity of living in Boston. Well, she didn't, not really.

Impossible, stubborn man. Still, she wanted to throw herself into his arms and beg him to give her a chance. Living here wasn't easy, but she was adjusting. She could do this. She would do this!

She let her eyes adjust for a second before moving further into the dimly lit saloon. The smell of leftover smoke and sweaty bodies assailed her nose. It was quiet, peaceful for now, but that would change in a few hours when the first of the men started coming in for a drink and gambling.

She spotted Angelica sitting at her favorite corner table near the piano, eating a biscuit and drinking coffee. Her friend gave her a quizzical look, but Jennie shook her head. She'd talk to her later. Right now she wanted to go to her room and see if Daniel would actually follow her all the way up there. Her heart raced in anticipation as she lifted her skirt to climb the stairs and hurried down the hallway to her room at the end.

As she opened the door, she heard heavy footsteps pounding across the wooden floor downstairs. Yes, he was definitely coming after her. She heard Angelica casually call out, "Afternoon, Sheriff."

He, in turn, barked, "I'm going up to see Jennie."

"I figured as much," Angelica called out, loud enough to make sure Jennie heard her. Then she added, "Tone down that temper of yours, Daniel. She loves you, although I don't know why."

He growled something, but Jennie rushed into her room and shut the door before she could hear exactly what he said. What she had heard was the comment about his temper. So, obviously, he wore one of his familiar fierce frowns. She put a hand to her suddenly nervous stomach. Her buttocks clenched in anticipation of something unpleasant. But surely he wouldn't...

She had just stepped away from the door when he gave a sharp knock and then pushed the door open. Her eyes widened at the sight of the man she loved looking grimly at her. She didn't know what to expect next. Clearly he was upset with her, although she was just as upset with him. But there was something more going on with him, something she couldn't determine from his expression.

"I don't have much time." Daniel shut the door behind him and walked in front of her. His eyes darkened as he looked down at her; his nostrils flared.

She inched backward until her legs touched the bed. Warmth had spread through her, desire for her husband. Yet she was all too aware of where they were: in a saloon, one with rooms upstairs that in the past had been well used by the ladies of the night but now were only rarely used in that way. Still, she had no desire to make love with Daniel here.

She shook her head, cleared her throat and said stubbornly, "No, Daniel. I won't let you--"

A frown furrowed his brow and he shook his head as well, stopping her protest. "I won't take you here. Not ever." He almost shuddered at the idea. "But I am going to spank you here."

"Sp...spank me? Here?" She had suspected something like that, wasn't happy with the idea. She tried to move backward again, but there was nowhere to go. She ended up sitting down on the edge of the bed. "Why?"

He took off his hat and put it on the dresser. He started to unbuckle his gunbelt, but evidently thought better of it and frowned in annoyance. "No time for that."

"No time?" Jennie studied the tension in his stiff body and realized there was more going on here than his desire to spank her. Her stomach knotted and she whispered, "What's happened, Daniel?"

He drew in a breath, held it a second as his broad chest rose and stretched the fabric of his shirt to its limit. Then he released the breath heavily. "Got another wire. The Walton Gang has been spotted heading this way. We're going after them."

No! she wanted to say, feeling sick at the thought of him leaving on posse again. Would she ever get used to this? Then she thought about what else he'd said and her irritation with him resurfaced. "You are leaving on posse again, which you came to tell me about. And you came here to spank me? You want my last memories of you before you ride out to be of you taking me over your knee?"

Now he scowled. "No. I want you to think about how much I love you. Enough that..." He hesitated and looked intently at her. "Just know that I care for you."

"Then don't do this."

But his mind was made up, this inflexible husband of hers. He moved toward her and nodded at the bed. "Like I said, I don't have much time. The men will be waiting for me. Turn around and put your hands on the bed."

Jennie gaped at him. "You expect me to just..."

"Yes."

They locked stubborn gazes for a minute. She didn't move. "I have done nothing wrong."

Daniel raised an eyebrow, which told her he disagreed. He moved a hand to his belt buckle. "Do you really want to make this worse than I had intended?"

She stared at his hand on the buckle and a shudder swept through her. "No," she answered quietly.

With a sigh of resignation, Jennie faced the bed and bent over, bracing her arms on the mattress. Her bottom thrust up high. Her face flamed. "I'm not happy about this." And she knew in a few minutes that she would be seriously unhappy about what he intended to do.

"I'm not particularly happy about doing this, but I'm going to anyway."

Daniel lifted her skirt and petticoat, shoving them over her back. He tugged her drawers down to bare her bottom. Her face heated even more. "Daniel..."

Before she could say another word, he put a hand to her lower back to keep her in place. His other hand started flying down over and over on her tender bottom. He didn't spend time in any kind of warming up. He just got directly to the serious matter of burning her backside.

Right from the start it hurt. Jennie wiggled her poor bottom to try and avoid the swats, but it didn't help. He held her firmly in position.

"Stop it! You're just making this worse," he growled. A biting smack landed on the under part of her buttocks.

"I'm trying," she gasped, hissing at the sharp sting.

"I want you to remember this while I'm gone. Think about why I'm doing it." He continued the fierce smacks, making her rise up on her toes.

"I will! I will!" she said in a rush, arching upward and then gritting her teeth to keep from crying out. It was embarrassing enough to think that someone might hear the brisk sound of Daniel's hand striking flesh. She was sure Angelica would know that he was up here spanking her. It would be difficult facing her friend after this.

Grimacing and already in great pain, she looked awkwardly back at him. "Please...I'm sorry." She was apologizing when half of the disagreement lay at his feet.

"You shamed me, Jennie. Leaving me the way you did. Not coming home after..." Regret filled his eyes as he looked at her, but he went right on spanking her.

She lowered her head, hating the misery she'd seen in his expression. They had hurt each other in many ways. She hated knowing that. Realizing he was dealing with many frustrating matters right now--including their problems, she accepted his need to punish her. The spanking was painful, but she could stand it. He needed to do this, and she needed to let him.

Finally, as tears silently streamed down her face, and she quietly sobbed, he stopped. He stepped back and released her. She remained in position, trying to let the pain ease before she moved. Her butt throbbed. She wouldn't be sitting today. She sucked in a steadying breath.

Then he impatiently pulled her upright, not hard, but gently. She hissed as her skirts fell over her burning bottom. She didn't know what to say.

After an awkward second, he tugged her into his arms and almost squeezed the breath right out of her. The heat of him, the scent of him, the way he held her so tightly...all of it comforted her.

"I've gotta go." He rubbed his obvious erection against her and groaned. "I'd rather drive my rod into your sweet body, but I can't."