Teaching Miss Maisie Jane (11 page)

The
old man smiled. “That’s a compliment I’ll take Mr. Maddox. Now, I’m going get me a drink of water and go home. I’m all dried out ‘cause, I ain’t talked this much in a month.”

Jake
walked the man back to his horse and shook his hand. “I haven’t had much time to think about this, but what you said made a lot of good sense. Whatever way I decide, I’ll be over to your place to talk over my decision with you.”

“Thank
you, Mr. Maddox.”

“It’s
Jake if we’re going to be friends,” Jake said.

The
old man leaned down from the saddle and put his hand out. “It’s Levi.”

Maisie Jane cried and walked the length of the barn and cried some more. Why?  She stamped her foot. Why did she pick up Jakes rifle?  She’d seen the old man ride up and had come up to the barn and come through back door so she could tidy herself up a bit before meeting him. Then, she’d seen him holding that really big gun on Jake and she’d been so scared. The only thing she’d thought of was trying to save Jake. Then, the big gun had gone off, and that scared her and she’d dropped the Jakes’ rifle. Jake had come in looking so angry and given her such a hard whack on her bottom that still stung.

Maisie
Jane kicked a bail of straw, and then kicked it again and again.

“Are
you about through with this temper tantrum?”

She
spun around, her hands automatically going behind her to cover her bottom. “I am so, so, sorry, Jake.”

“You
will be,” Jake said ominously. “Come with me.”  He took her hand and almost had to drag her to house, she was so reluctant. He opened the lock and pushed the door open. It was dark in the house, there were shutters closed on the windows. Jake went over and opened the shutters of three windows. The room was good-sized with a large fireplace and mantle. There were two very large chairs with high backs and looked to be covered with leather, a rocking chair and a cradle over by the fireplace. There were a few tables scattered around the room. One was set between two leather chairs and boasted a fancy inlay top of different woods. A bureau stood against one wall, with more fancy inlay that matched the table. There was a desk with side drawers and a bookcase loaded with books as well as a few trunks scattered around. Every surface, the mantle, the tables were loaded down with fancy china figurines, and fancy oil lamps with painted flowers and beading. The only piece of furniture in the room that was masculine was the desk, which was plain wood with a plain brass lamp setting on it.

Jake
went through the room to find a kitchen, Maisie Jane following close on his heels because he hadn’t let go of her hand yet. Again, he pushed back shutters. There was a inside pump, built on top of a wooden dry sink, a step-top cook stove in cast iron, a table and four chairs. There was a cabinet built against one wall loaded down with cooking pots and fancy dishes and more china figurines.

He
opened a door to a narrow hallway about six feet long and opened another door to a smaller room. There was a large fancy brass bathing tub, and a long piece of furniture with a marble top where a pretty porcelain pitcher and bowl set with a porcelain waste pot under the ledge of the marble top, more china figurines.

He
backed out of the water closet and went through the kitchen and found another door and opened it. This was the bedroom with a four-poster brass bed with curling decorations and knobs and a store bought mattress and a smaller fireplace with a box stove in the hearth. There were also two more bureaus, dark wood with marble tops, and off in the corner a crib. This room only had a few pieces of china scattered around.

Jake
went back into the front room and looked around again.

Maisie
Jane had finally detached herself Jake. “There’s an envelope here with your name on it here, Jake.”

Jake
walked over to the fancy table and picked up the letter but he didn’t open it. He turned and faced one of the windows. He’d never be able to afford fancy furniture and fancy things like this if he filed for homestead. But, there was no way he could deny Maisie Jane a comfortable safe place to live for the winter either when it was handed to him on a silver platter. Winter on the high basin was bitterly cold. He walked over to Maisie Jane and kissed her on the forehead.

“I’m
not promising you that we’ll stay here permanently, but we’re going to spend the winter here.”

“Really?”
Maisie Jane said looking around and then she jumped up and hugged him around the neck. Then, she jumped down and ran over to the bookshelf and dropped to her knees to read the titles.

Jake
opened the letter and read it. It was very much what Levi had told him. Brett wasn’t upset about leaving his homestead, it was more important to him to get his family back. He did give a bit of insight about his wife. Apparently, she was more spoiled than Maisie Jane. If she wanted something, she’d write to her parents and they have it shipped to her. Brett hated the interference from his in-laws. And he’d disliked a lot of fancy furniture they’d sent but had lived with it to keep Charlotte happy. He told Jake in the letter that if he didn’t want the stuff to burn it and enjoy the fire. It was Jake’s home now, to do with it what he wanted.

“Maisie
Jane, I’m going to go put the horses up in the stalls. You might want to look around and see if you can find what we need to spend some time here.” Jake suggested.

“My
laundry!” Maisie Jane exclaimed and she ran out of the house. Jake followed her to the door and watched her running across the meadow toward the creek where she had clothing spread out all over the bushes. She was barefoot again.

By
late afternoon, Jake had pretty much investigated every piece of equipment, and every tool on the place. He’d mucked out the barn, but since there hadn’t been any animals it for two months there wasn’t that much cleaning to do. Finally, he went over to house and found Maisie Jane happily dusting and playing house. She’d found linens and blankets for the bed and even what she called a “pretty blue” one for the top. She hadn’t figured out yet how to get water out of the pump, but she’d found a couple of buckets so she’d carried some water into the house. She was happy.

Jake went back out to barn and walked around a bit
. He hated what he had to do. He hated spoiling Maisie Jane’s good mood. Damn, he hated spoiling his good mood. But, he had obligations as a husband. Maisie Jane had defied him, ignored what he’d told her not to do, and disobeyed him twice in three days. She had to learn to listen to him. She could just as easily have killed herself, or him, or two other men. Jake tried to work himself up to a good mad but it just wasn’t coming. It was easier to serve up justice if he was mad. Finally, he just pictured his Colt in her tiny hands, turning a loaded weapon this way and that and pointing that barrel toward herself. It didn’t make him mad, but it ground down into his gut how she kept putting herself in danger, because she wouldn’t listen. He’d not allow that. He set himself to do what must be done.

Maisie
Jane was so happy. Jake said they could stay here for the winter and it was such a nice house. She looked up when Jake came into the house but her smile faded. He was carrying his saddle. She followed him, as he walked past her, went into the bedroom and put his saddle square in the center of the bed and turned to her.

“Maisie
Jane, come here.”

She
shook her head. “No, Jake, no.”

“Sorry,
darling, but it’s yes.” Jake said firmly. “Come over here and take your skirt, and your petticoats off.”

“I
promise, Jake, I promise. I won’t touch them again.”

“I’d
like to believe that…”

“You
can,” Maisie Jane pleaded. “I won’t touch them again.”

Jake
shook his head. “I don’t believe you, because you keep making promises and you keep making the same mistake over and over. I told you before Maisie Jane, I will not stand for willfulness. I told you I was going to do this, and I’m keeping my word. Now you’ve done it again so this spanking going to be hard. Maybe, you’ll remember from now on. Now, do as I say.”

The
tears were already running down her cheeks and he hadn’t even touched her. But, she took off her skirt and petticoats. He led her over to the edge of the bed and sat down.

“Don’t
Jake, please,” Maisie Jane pleaded.

“This
is for your own good,” Jake said as pulled her over his knee and pulled down her bloomers.

The
first strike of his hand set the pattern. It was hard and it was painful. Jake thought of his good friend Juan with a gun pointed at him, and when he thought he’d delivered enough for that failure to obey him, he thought of Levi and his rifle, and he laid into her bottom for the second time. Then, he thought about the pouts, and the petulance and the flounces and foot stamping and he laid into her bottom a third time. By the time he finished, her little bottom was fire red with white welts coming up on it. He was breathing hard and his rough calloused hand was stinging. He gave her three more swats just for the fact that he hadn’t wanted to do this again and finally he stopped.

Maisie
Jane was past kicking and screaming, past howling and bawling. She was past crying, and was sobbing and whimpering.

He
picked her up and placed her on the bed and went into the kitchen and poured some water on a rag and took it back into the bedroom and laid it against her red little bottom. Then, he sat back against the headboard of the bed and pulled her over and let her cry it out on his lap as he stroked her hair, and rubbed her back. Maisie Jane cried herself to sleep and he covered her up and left the bedroom.

Jake
went into the sitting room, looking around the room and saw a Bible sitting on one of those fancy tables. He picked it up, lit a lantern and sat down. His Pa had always looked to the Bible when he had to puzzle out something in his head, and Jake was shamed that he hadn’t touched one in years. Jake read for a while, some of the verses resonating in his memory from his Ma’s reading them out loud by the fire at night. It had been a long time since he’d spent any time remembering his folks.

At
one time he had it all figured in his head. He’d taken to the law to earn money for a place of his own. He’d only planned on working maybe two years but it had evolved into twelve. When you’re good at something, respected for what you, it’s sometimes hard to give it up. But over the years he had become more and more disgusted with the corruption of law. Then finally last year he’d decided to quit. Then the judge had offered him a good deal if he’d stay on another year and reluctantly he’d signed on for it.

For
a year, he’d made his plans in his head. He’d file a homesteading claim, winter out the first year by himself, (he’d never really planned on taking one of Judge Lement’s whores for the winter, although it had been tempting), and come spring, find him good woman for a wife. His life was changing too fast, and he was having a hard time in his head keeping up. Maisie Jane was his lawful wife, and he didn’t regret that one bit. She could be sweet and she could be aggravating, but she was sure enough fun to have around. And… he shifted when he hardened up; he had a fire in his loins near every time he looked at her. For the last several weeks, he’d been walking around half aroused most of time. It wasn’t necessarily the most comfortable feeling, but knowing Maisie Jane was learning to want him as much as he wanted her did that to him. What a sweet surprise she was turning out to be in bed.

Jake
put the Bible back on the table and looked around the room again. Wintering over here wasn’t going to be a hardship. It was good solid house, a bit fancy for his taste, but solid. He looked toward the bedroom door and smiled. No, wintering here, with short hours of light and long hours of night wasn’t going to be a hardship at all.

Jake
lit a lantern and went out to the barn. He searched around a bit before he found what every farmer, rancher or homesteader kept around to keep their animals healthy. He found a tin of tit salve for cow udders, and he found a bottle of horse ligament. He returned to the house and filled a basin with water, put a rag in it and returned to bedroom.

Maisie
Jane was curled up in a tiny tangle of arms and legs. He set the basin down, undressed and climbed into bed with her.

“I
need you to wake up,” Jake said. She flinched from his touch and he sorely regretted that. “Come on.”

“No,
no,” Maisie Jane whispered in her sleep.

“Come
here,” Jake said and he sat up and pulled her over in his lap. He reached for the liniment, poured some on his hand and gently began to rub the liniment on her bottom.”

“Oh,
warm,” Maisie Jane mumbled trying to pulling away.

“Easy
there, this will help,” Jake said holding her in place and covering her bottom carefully. Then, he pulled her close, half onto his chest and held her as she slept.

Sometime
in the night, Maisie Jane woke up to Jake applying a smelly, warm liquid to her bottom, but she didn’t say anything or open her eyes. Then, again she woke up and he was doing the same. Each time he reapplied the liquid, he was gentle and he’d kiss her on the forehead, but he made no demands, and didn’t try to wake her up. The smelly liquid was taking the sting out of her bottom. She knew she’d be sore, but he was making it hurt less. At dawn, he left the bed, dressed and was gone for a while and then he returned and climbed back in. This time he wiped the smelly stuff off and smeared some salve on. This time Maisie didn’t pretend to be asleep she just watched his movements.

Jake
knew she was awake, he kissed her on the mouth and pulled her close burying his face in her hair and just held her.