The Firecracker Gets Her Man (11 page)

“We are, sir. Rachel needs your permission to marry since she isn’t of legal age. I know you’ve given us your blessing, but the reverend needs to hear from you too.”

“I am pleased that Rachel has picked a fine young man, Abraham,” Caleb said solemnly. “He has proven to me that he is the man for my little firecracker. She loves him, and I am pleased to give my blessing to a wedding.”

“Today, Doc?” the minister asked, making sure that Caleb knew what they were asking.

“I think today is perfect,” Caleb shocked him by replying. “When it is right, you simply know it. This poor man took one look at Rachel and fell head over heels for her. It was the same for Rachel. I was right there and witnessed the whole thing. It reminded me of when Estelle and I met and fell in love. Her father made us wait for six months before we were engaged, and another full year before we could marry. I made a promise to myself not to put my son-in-law through that particular torture.”

“We want to be married in the parlor, Papa. I want to ask Mary to stand up with me.”

“I’m hoping Clay will be my best man; I have a feeling that we will be friends with them for life, especially if they settle here like they are talking they will.”

“You’re going to stay here in Rusty Bucket?” Caleb asked in surprise. “Truly?”

“Sir, I intend to turn in my badge. I don’t want a deputy for a wife, and the best way to keep that from happening is for me to retire from the Rangers. I’m not sure yet what I’ll do for a living. I’ve got money saved back to set us up with a business of some sort. I’m not much suited to ranching or farming,” he admitted. “I’d be pleased if we could stay with you while Rachel and I figure out what we want to do?”

“You can stay as long as you like. I need my nurse,” he admitted.

“That’s fine for Rachel, but I need something I’m good at.”

“It’s wonderful to see our town growing. You’ll like it here, Lance,” the minister added his opinion. “What about eight o’clock this evening for the wedding? Will that suit everyone?”

“It is perfect, Abraham,” Caleb announced. “We will see you then.” When the minister’s attention was drawn elsewhere and he had moved on, Caleb asked, “What do you need, honey? I’ll try to make it work as best as I can. A new dress? A veil?”

“I am wearing Mama’s wedding dress and veil. I want her to be with us, and this way she will be,” Rachel tearfully whispered.

“Now, now, no tears on your wedding day! Your mama wouldn’t want that at all; besides, you’ll have me crying too!” Caleb gave her an understanding hug. “Son, your family won’t want to be here?”

“They are all gone, sir. They’ll be with us in spirit tonight too. I’m afraid there wouldn’t be too many on the groom’s side of the church if we were to marry there. It would make my heart ache, and I want to be happy when I marry Rachel,” he said.

“Well, I am family for you both. I know that Clay and Mary will be thrilled, and so will our other houseguests. I believe Sally and Timothy Brice are also going to settle here.”

“They are good people.”

“I agree, Rachel.” Lance nodded.

“You are not supposed to see the bride before the wedding, young man,” Caleb informed them sternly, and then laughed as both of them looked at him in horror.

“Papa, we are enjoying the celebrations!”

“Sir, I am not superstitious.”

“You two have fun. I’ll see you at home later. I want some pie, and Callie Harris is holding a piece of her pecan pie for me,” he announced. “I love the Fourth of July!”

“I love firecrackers, and now I have my very own!” Lance whispered as he leaned down to kiss Rachel.

“See, Ma! See! She does have a bad reputation! Kissing like that on a public street! Only an immoral woman would do that!” Jeremy dared to say.

“And Jeremy was wondering how many times you were caught kissing on a public street when you were young, before he was born, ma’am?” Rachel questioned with a perfectly straight face.

The woman’s face turned purple.

“You stop that, Rachel Waterford!” Jeremy screamed at her. “You are being mean to Ma!”

“I do not want you associating with the likes of this fallen woman, Jeremy! Come along now.”

“Isn’t it true that you were never married, ma’am, and that Jeremy is a bastard?” Rachel asked.

“Behave, sweetheart. Remember how tender your backside is.”

“Just giving it back, darling. I’m tired of Jeremy’s snooty attitude; he’s been like this since we were kids. He was the tattletale, and he tried to get everyone in trouble all the time. His ma brought him up to be the way he is. Ridiculous!”

“He isn’t your problem, darling.”

“If we are going to be living here, he is. He will come tattling to you if I so much as set foot in the hotel to visit with anyone. His dirty mind will assume I am doing something wrong no matter what, and I am going to put a stop to it the only way I know how.”

“You leave my ma alone! Can’t you see that you have shocked her?”

“Jeremy, grow up. Your ma is no angel, are you, Goldie?”

The woman gasped in shock. “Please don’t call me that!”

“There was no husband, was there, Goldie? Just a girl in trouble and a man who wouldn’t accept his responsibility?”

“It wasn’t my fault! He didn’t tell me he was already married. He took advantage of me, and then he gave me money and told me to go away. I tried to raise Jeremy to have morals.”

“Oh, he thinks he is the conscience for everyone in town, ma’am. He is a pain in the behind and thinks he is better than everyone else. He looks down on every female, with the exception of you. It’s time you reined him in because the next time he accuses me of something I didn’t do, I am going to take my whip to him until you can’t recognize him, and that is a bona fide promise. Bank on it!”

“I won’t stop her if she comes at you again, Jeremy. Grow up, last warning.”

“Ma, what are they saying? I had a father, didn’t I?”

“Grow up, son! You aren’t a child now. I lied to protect our reputation,” she admitted.

“How could you, Ma? You lied to me!”

“I did it to protect you, Jeremy.” When he started to walk away, she looked at him in horror. “Where are you going?”

“Wherever you aren’t!” He took off running, and something snapped inside Goldie as she followed him.

“I did it all for you, but you don’t appreciate a thing, do you?” She was talking, but no one was listening.

Down the street, Rachel was telling her fiancé how many times she got into trouble because of Jeremy. Lance shook his head in disbelief, and then said, “I can understand why you are so upset with him and his criticism, but I think it best you simply ignore him. If he comes to me about anything concerning you, I will deal with him. You need to allow me to handle him from now on.”

“If that is what you want,” she agreed, smiling. “And, I do not wish to talk about Jeremy any more today. This is our wedding day, a day to celebrate!”

They walked around the town, and Lance met so many people, he was sure he would never remember all of their names. They had supper at one of the many stands selling food, and then they walked back to the house. “I will be back in plenty of time for our wedding,” he promised before leaving to return to the hotel.

“What can I do to help you, Rachel?” Mary asked. “I have a bath ready for you, but I also thought you might wish to talk to another woman if you have questions?”

“I’m fine, Mary. One of the advantages of having a doctor for a father and being a nurse is that you pretty much know what to expect. I trust Lance to be gentle with me.”

She enjoyed her bath, and dressed with care. She let Mary help her with her hair, and when she walked downstairs on her father’s arm, Lance caught his breath. His heart swelled with emotions he’d read about but never thought to experience.

They spoke their vows and when they were pronounced man and wife, they kissed tenderly. Rachel then took a seat at the piano, and Lance joined her in singing a touching love song. Mary produced the wedding cake she’d baked and they were happy to celebrate.

It was finally dark and time for the fireworks. They all stepped outside to enjoy the bright lights in the sky. Finally, Lance and Rachel were alone. “It’s time for more fireworks, Rachel,” Lance whispered. “I love you. I hope you know that I would never rush you like this if I didn’t feel like losing control every time I am around you!”

“I feel the same way, darling. Please show me how to make love.”

* * *

The next morning, they rose early, hungry as could be from a long night of making love to each other and talking about everything under the sun. They dressed and went downstairs, only to find their way blocked by Jeremy.

“You look terrible, Jeremy. Are you ill?” Rachel asked in genuine concern.

“I am sick at heart, Rachel. I am sorry for all the terrible things I said and did. Please, I ask your forgiveness. I spent the night talking to Ma, and now I understand why she was so strict. I feel terribly sorry for not asking questions of her sooner; if I had, I wouldn’t have had the right to judge anyone at all. I hope you’ll forgive me; I am taking Mother away from here and going East. I think she will be happier there.”

“What about the hotel?” Rachel asked. “The town really needs this place!”

“It’s for sale.”

“It is sold,” Lance corrected. “I want to buy it.”

Jeremy nodded, and within a couple of hours, Lance and Rachel were the new owners of the hotel. When she asked him if he was sure, Lance replied, “I’ve stayed in so many of these places over the years I know exactly how they shouldn’t be run. You will still be close enough to work with your father and we can live right here where we first shared fireworks!” He kissed her and Rachel kissed him back, quite thoroughly.

The End.

Joannie Kay has been writing for some time now, and her favorite genre to read or write is westerns. She loves the handsome cowboys and the feisty, sassy heroines those men try to tame. Joannie also likes to write about women who aren’t afraid to stand on their own when the situation warrants. Joannie has been married to the same wonderful hero for forty-four years now, and they have two adult children, and two grandchildren they love to drive across the country to visit.

Visit her website here:

http://www.JoannieKayWrites.com

Connect with her here:

https://twitter.com/@joannie_kay

Don’t miss these exciting titles by Joannie Kay and Blushing Books!

Someone to Watch Over Me

The Impossible Wife

Clary Mae

The Christmas Project

A Cordial Welcome

The Problem with Jordan

The Viking and the Tavern Wench

The Perfect Wedding Dress

The Sheriff Wore Pants

Hidden in the Wall

The Sisters-In-Law

A New Mam for the Girls

She is My Sister

Peppermint Sticks for Susie

The Demure Bride

A Christmas Duet

Good-Bye to Mama

Molly’s Cop

The  Neighborhood Prankster

More Than Fireworks

Walker’s Rules

The Wallet

The Intruder

Santa Simon

Unwilling Groom

The Naughty P.I.

The New Mrs. Jenkins

The Easter Egg Hunt

Holiday Heat

Christmas Tales from the Old West

A Scary Halloween

Tucker’s Frustration

Too Old for This

The Christmas Prank

Mrs. Winters

Love Thy Neighbor

Laurel and Joseph Book One: The Early Years

Laurel and Joseph Book Two: A New Beginning

Last Chance

Hiding Miss Peaches

But What About Me?

An Unruly Tongue

A Teabag Christmas

A Christmas Medley

Wifely Duty

Hurricane’s Tempest

Unwilling Bride

Christmas Nurse

The Preacher’s Dilemma

Clifton County Fireworks

Jake’s Secret

The Viking and His Tavern Wench

The Widow Wench

The Cutest Valentine Ever

Anthologies:

Joannie Kay Christmas Anthology

The Joannie Kay Anthology

Attitudes: A Collection of Real-Life Spanking Stories

WOULD YOU LIKE A FREE SPANKING STORY EVERY MONTH?

At http://www.blushingbooks.com, we provide our visitors with a free eBook every single month! That's right, every month we choose an eBook to give to our customers at no charge, both to show our gratitude for your business and to provide a sample of the content we offer.

Can you read this free eBook on your Kindle? Yes! Once you’re logged onto our site, it’s easy to send a book right to your Kindle.

Can you read it on your iPad? Yes! Your Kobo? Yes! Your Nook? YES!

We provide all of our books on BlushingBooks.com in several formats so that you can read our stories on virtually any reader! Membership at BlushingBooks.com is free, so sign up today and get your free story right now!

DO YOU NEED A TRIP TO THE WOODSHED?

Since 1999, Bethany's Woodshed has been publishing the best romantic and erotic BDSM and spanking fiction on the Internet. Before there were eBooks, there was Bethany's! More than a decade later, The Woodshed is Blushing Books exclusive preview site, and it is still going strong delivering the best, original stories - now with two updates a week. We guarantee at least 40,000 words of brand new, professionally written stories each week by all your favorite Authors, plus at least 20 completed books when you join. Carolyn Faulkner, Maren Smith, Starla Kaye, Paige Tyler, Joannie Kay, Abigail Webster, Alta Hensley, Allison West, Melinda Barron, Courage Knight, Loki Renard ... they're all here, plus many more.

Embrace the spank!

See the stories first at The Woodshed!

http://www.herwoodshed.com