Daniel (5 page)

Daniel was losing his patience with this. He had this chore to get done and a meeting to get back to. "Yes, this is a branch, but when it's small like this and used to flail over a bare bottom, it's called a switch."

He took the hammer from her hand and tossed it over on the bed. She stood stiffly, growing pale, clearly trying to come to terms with what he'd said. He figured he would just show her.

He took hold of her uninjured hand and tugged her toward the end of the bed. "I don't have time for more explanations, for any of your stubbornness. Lift your skirt and bend over the bed."

* * *

Thrashing? Lift her skirt? Bend over the bed? Jennie's heart raced and her stomach swirled with uneasiness. She shook her head and refused to move another inch. Instead of doing as he asked, she put her hands on her hips and glowered up at her grim-faced husband. "I am not lifting my skirt or bending over the bed without an explanation! You are not going to punish me in any manner without explaining exactly what I have done."

She rubbed her now sweating palms down the sides of her long skirt, glad it covered her now wobbly legs. She didn't like going over Daniel's lap for a spanking. Without a doubt, getting a thrashing would be worse. "I have been on my absolute best behavior. I can't imagine..."

The rest of her protest faded away when she watched his brown eyes narrow. A vein pulsed in the side of his neck, another bad sign.

"Your idea of 'best behavior' and mine are a whole lot different, Jennifer Braddock." He tapped that awful stick against the side of his leg.

Jennie really didn't like the way he said her full name, especially through gritted teeth. And she didn't like the looks of that skinny stick at all. "I still don't understand."

"Adam." He said his brother's name as if that explained everything.

In a way it did. She inwardly sighed in disgruntlement. He'd obviously found out about her little visit with his brother yesterday. She really was starting to like the gruff brother less and less. She'd tried to be patient with him. Tried to remember his tragic past, but...

She drew in a shuddery breath and raised her chin. "Did he come storming into your office first thing this morning complaining about me? Saying I was harassing him?"

"No, he didn't." Daniel took a step closer and she took a step back. "I ran into Faith Paddington coming out of the mercantile. She gave me a bristly lecture on how I needed to speak to Adam about manners. Explain to him that it was wrong to take hold of women's arms and roughly lead them to the door of his business and then all but kick them outside. She even showed me the bruises on her upper arm from where he'd squeezed her too tightly."

Jennie couldn't stop herself from glancing at her left arm. Yes, she had bruises, too. Drat! What was Daniel going to think about them? Say about them?

She reluctantly looked toward her husband, who was staring at the bruises and clearly unhappy about them. He was grinding his teeth. "Well, he was a bit too forceful," she muttered.

Daniel's broad chest rose and fell with the deep breath he sucked in and blew out. "I'll be having a word or two with him about hurting my wife."

Foolishly she said, "So you won't be hurting me after all? Perhaps just giving me a firm lecture instead?"

He shook his head, his slightly shaggy dark brown hair brushing his shirt collar. "You've earned yourself a sore bottom, not a mere lecture."

"But..." She thinned her lips at his not-changing-my-mind look and huffed. "I have much to do today, Daniel. I need to finish this task with the nails, and then hang up my clothes. I need to bake some bread later with that recipe and instructions Annabelle gave me. I--"

"You need to lift your skirts, bend over the bed, and brace yourself. Now." His patience had clearly run out.

She hesitated for a couple of seconds before turning away from him and grumbling under her breath about impossibly stubborn men. She bent to scoop up her skirt and petticoat but couldn't quite figure out how to bend over the bed and keep the skirt up at the same time. Irritated, she glanced back at him. "I don't think I can do this. Hold up my skirt and bend over and brace myself, I mean."

He blew out a frustrated breath, and then reached out to hold up her skirt. "Now bend over."

"Thanks so much for your assistance," she muttered. She stepped knees-to-bed and bent down to put her palms on the mattress, her bottom was awkwardly high in the air. She really didn't like this position.

This time instead of parting her drawers at the slit in the back, he shoved her skirt over her back and then reached under her stomach to untie the drawers. Then he tugged them down until they pooled at her feet. Her face flamed in embarrassment. She started to glance back at him, but her long braid hit her in the face. And she realized she really didn't want to see him lift that awful stick anyway. She gritted her teeth together and tensed, waiting.

He didn't make her wait long. The first snap of the switch across her bare bottom blazed a line of fire. She cried out in shock, "Oooooowwww!" The pain was incredible.

* * *

Daniel brought the switch down two more times in rapid succession. Three red lines crossed his wife's creamy cheeks. He'd struck hard, but not as hard as he could have. Still she danced up on her toes and straightened. Her skirts fell over her bottom as she cried out in pain. He considered stopping right now since this was her first switching, but he knew these were only early reactions. This slight pain would pass quickly. This wasn't enough to make her really think before she disobeyed him next time. He had to finish the task.

"Bend over again, Jennie. I'll lift your skirts." He heard her sniffle, knew tears were probably trickling down her face. He didn't want to see them. He didn't like seeing her tears. "There'll be nine more."

She braced her hands and lowered her head. "I don't think I can take nine more," she whimpered.

He pushed her skirts up out of the way and saw the stripes he'd already given her. But she wasn't doing more than lightly sobbing now, not truly protesting or fighting him. He would give her the full dozen lashes he'd intended to give her. Then while she recovered, he'd go face the town council, and then he was going to have some words with Adam. He wasn't switching his wife for her part in the disagreement and then letting his brother off scot free.

He moved to her side and put a hand in the small of her back to keep her in place. She trembled and he heard her suck in a breath as she waited. Grimly he raised the switch and brought it down briskly with a flick of his wrist. Once. Twice. Three times.

She lifted her head and yipped in pain with each lash. Her bottom jerked from side to side in attempts to avoid the switch. "It hurts too much! Oh God!"

His stomach knotted and he again considered stopping.

But then she said in frustration, "I didn't mean to upset him." She blew out a shaky breath. "I was just trying to make him realize that he doesn't have to stay bitter, unhappy. I didn't like him yelling at Faith."

Daniel tensed. He'd thought maybe the argument had only been about the picnic. His brother was dead-set against it. But Jennie had gotten into Adam's personal business again. He gave her three more quick lashes, yelling above her cries, "I told you to leave him alone. Didn't I, Jennie?"

She stamped her feet, wiggled her red-crossed bottom frantically. "Yes!" She stamped her feet once more. "Ohmigod, it hurts! Please, Daniel, no more."

"The final three," he announced and watched her stiffen in resignation, anticipation. He delivered the last three strokes before she could suck in another breath.

He released her immediately in relief, thankful this chore was finished. She slumped over the end of the bed, throwing her hands back to her tender bottom. She sobbed so hard her whole body shook. It hurt him to see her suffering like this, but he knew it could have been much worse. As hard as he'd switched her, he'd still held back his strength. He loved his stubborn, disobedient wife.

"You'll not go against me again on the matter, Jennie. Leave Adam alone. He isn't ready to give up his grieving." Admittedly, Daniel was losing his patience with his brother, but every man grieved in their own way, in their own time. Still, he needed to talk to Adam about toning down his bitterness.

Even though Jennie's head was against the quilt and she was still sobbing, she said sadly, "I think you're wrong. He needs help."

His fingers clamped tighter around the switch, irritated that she dared to say he was wrong. Part of him warned that she might be right. Before he lost his temper and thrashed her again, he tossed the switch aside and turned to leave. "I'll see you tonight." Hopefully by then she would have recovered enough that he could give her some loving. He really wanted to hold her to him and show her how much she meant to him. But for now they both needed time apart.

* * *

Jennie reached into the trunk to draw out another of her dresses to hang on the nails she'd finally finished pounding into the bedroom walls. It had been a couple of hours since Daniel had switched her. She'd lain over the edge of the bed and wallowed in misery for a good half hour before finally getting up. She'd been punished--though she still didn't think she deserved it--and pouting about it wasn't going to accomplish anything. But the awful fiery sting had stayed with her all this time. At least she'd managed to tuck the back of her skirt and petticoat up into her waistband. And she'd removed the drawers.

Straightening with one of her favorite day dresses, she grimaced as the movement sent another twinge of pain through her. As soon as she'd had the stamina to move very far, she'd picked up the hated stick and hurled it into the fireplace. If Daniel would be mad about that... well, she didn't care. All right, she'd care if he was upset enough at her action that he'd go outside and cut another one. She didn't want to think about that.

A soft tap sounded on the front door and she gasped in surprise. It wouldn't be Daniel; he wouldn't knock at his own house.

"Jennie? Jennie, are you here?" came Faith's worried voice.

Jennie laid the dress on the bed and hurried into the other room. She pushed open the door with mixed feelings about seeing her new friend. "You got me into trouble," she accused before she could stop herself.

Faith stepped inside and glanced at Jennie, her cheeks growing pink. "I was afraid he punished you."

Mortified, Jennie realized her skirt was still tucked up. Although Faith hadn't seen her marked bottom, it was apparent Daniel had done something to her. She jerked the skirt free and flinched as the fabric brushed over her tender bottom. She pulled the door shut and avoided looking at Faith.

"I can't deny it," she led her friend to the sitting area and nodded. "Please sit down."

She heard the rustle of fabric as Faith sat on the settee. When she glanced at Faith, she found her friend's eyes mirroring sympathy.

"I doubt you'll be sitting down with me," Faith said quietly, looking guilty. "I'm so sorry. This was all my fault. I was just so angry at Adam and my loose tongue wouldn't stop babbling. Daniel got madder and madder. I didn't know how to take it all back. He stomped off, found his horse, and rode away before I could stop him. I'm so, so sorry." She said all this in a rush without even drawing in a breath.

The irritation Jennie had felt with Faith faded away in the light of seeing how upset her friend was. She gave her a weak smile. "Adam would have eventually told Daniel, I'm sure of it. I'd still have gotten taken in hand by my husband. It just wouldn't have happened so soon."

She reached back to gingerly touch her bottom. "At least the awful switching is over and done with. The sting is even beginning to go away, a little bit anyway."

Faith's eyes were wide in surprise as she gasped, "He took a switch to you?" She crumpled, worrying her lower lip. "I'm really sorry about that. It's such a horrible experience."

While it was nice to have someone sympathize with her suffering, Jennie really didn't want to talk about having been punished. "How about we discuss something else? I'd rather not keep thinking about what happened."

"Yes, yes, of course." Faith sat up straighter. "Did you know the town council is having a meeting this afternoon about the picnic? It was supposed to be this morning, but the meeting got delayed. Anyway, a number of the town's women are planning to go. I wanted to be there as well."

She snorted in disgust. "Father, naturally, told me in no uncertain terms that I was not to show up at the meeting. He promised to tan my hide if I did."

She raised dismayed eyes at Jennie. "Sorry. I probably shouldn't have said that. Considering..."

Jennie didn't like the mention of more discipline, even it weren't hers. It distressed her to think about her friend suffering as she was. So she ignored that comment and focused on what else Faith had said. "If other women are going to be there, we should be there, too. We feel as strongly about the matter as anyone else. And, as the sheriff's wife, I should support them."

"Yes, but... "Faith didn't actually mention Jennie's sore bottom, but she glanced uneasily at her.

"Did you bring your buggy?" Jennie shifted to look out the window over the table and spotted a horse tied to the post out front. Disappointment curled through her, then determination. "No matter. I will ride my own horse."

Faith's eyes were pinched in concern. "But..."

Jennie raised her chin. "I am not going to let this small problem keep me from going to that meeting. If other women will be there, I must show them my support, just as I said." She gave her friend an understanding look. "I won't ask you to attend with me, considering what your father said."

Now Faith raised her own chin. "He is wrong about the matter. The entire town council is wrong. If you are going even after... well, you know what, I am certainly going."

* * *

Daniel sat in one of the three chairs in Adam's barber shop, patiently waiting until the only other customer would leave. He'd forced himself to ride away from his ranch and not go back into the house to check on Jennie. She needed to get over the switching on her own. Her bottom would be sore as hell the rest of the day, but she'd be fine. All he could hope for was that she'd seriously think about why he'd done it and know that he wouldn't hesitate to do it again should she disobey him. Because he wouldn't.