Adam: Braddocks, Book Two (7 page)

“Of course we’ll help you,” Angelica stated just as Adam peeked around the trunks.

Fortunately only Faith noticed him. She managed to glare at him without either of the other women seeing her reaction. He ducked back into hiding and wondered how long he would have to stay here. Certainly until Angelica and Jennie had finished tending to Faith’s needs…finished removing the nightgown he’d barely noticed beneath the quilt.

Good God! She would be naked until… His heart pounded; his throat felt dry. His body hardened, just as it had so often when he’d foolishly imagined taking her to his bed. He started sweating. He would never take her to his bed; never join her in her bed. It was even more important now that he got serious about finding her a suitable husband. He needed to be rid of the temptation that was Miss Faith Paddington.

He heard the women walking into the bedroom. He tried not to think about what they would be doing. How was he going to survive this? Listening to her being undressed…knowing she was momentarily naked.

Then, to his horror, Angelica marched right over to his hiding place. She wore a simple calico dress like the other women in town, but on her it looked anything but simple. Disgusted, she put her hands on her shapely hips. “I thought so. I could smell you.” She motioned toward the door. “Get out of here. Now!” she hissed in a near whisper.

“Jennie,” he gasped even as he straightened. If his sister–in–law saw him…

“I’m sure she doesn’t suspect, sweetly innocent woman that she is.” She grabbed hold of his coat and tugged him with her to the door.

Worried that Jennie would spot him, he strode outside so fast he nearly fell over the railing at the top of the staircase. The door closed behind him and he heard Angelica say loudly, “I thought I heard something outside. But I was wrong.” Then she walked to join the other women.

He crept down the stairs as quietly as he could. He still didn’t want Faith working today, wasn’t even sure how she could get down the stairs without being in more pain. If Daniel hadn’t walked to the foot of the stairs at that moment, he would have gone right back up there and… And what? Hell! He should have stayed in Dodge.

“Got time for a haircut?” Daniel asked, giving him a curious look. “Were you going to check on Faith?”

Adam grumbled a “no” and strode into his barbershop. He’d deal with that crazy woman later.

* * *

Behind the middle merchandise case, Faith sat on the stool that Annabelle had used and watched Jennie wait cheerfully on yet another customer. Her friend was good with people and the townsfolk loved her. But she had a home of her own now and a life she was building with Daniel. She didn’t need to be here spending her days doing something Faith should be taking care of. It frustrated her that she had been basically of no use today. No, it was worse than that. She had gotten in Angelica’s and Jennie’s way and been a distraction. Everyone who had seen her asked how she was feeling, suggested that she should be still in bed.

She watched Jennie finish the sale, making note on the customer’s log of the latest purchase. At least her parents hadn’t come in to see her. That was the one piece of luck she’d had lately. Since her mother had been so depressed about Faith moving out, her father had taken her to Dodge City. They had left that same day and were still not back. But eventually they would return and hear about what had happened. She could only imagine what her father would say.

She sighed, depressed. She’d barely been on her own a handful of days and so far the experience had been far less than wonderful. Her own fault, though.

“Are you all right?” Jennie asked anxiously and turned to face her as the customer walked out of the store. She worried her lower lip and studied Faith. “You’ve been here too long. As soon as Angelica gets back, I’ll go find Daniel. He can carry you upstairs.”

“He’ll do no such thing!” Faith straightened, refused to wrap her arm around her ribs to show her pain. “I am perfectly capable of walking up those stairs myself.” It had been a hellish experience getting down here. She didn’t want to think about going back upstairs, about the awful pull on her tender ribs.

Jennie didn’t look convinced. “That whole going up and down stairs all the time, it’s no good for you right now. You should come stay with us. We have an extra bedroom now and––”

“No.” Faith softened her brash protest, “I appreciate your offer, but I am fine here. The more I move around and go up and down those stairs, the better.” Besides, she didn’t want to be a burden on them, or in their way. She knew Daniel and his brothers had added on the extra room in preparation for the baby they hoped to have soon.

She forced herself to stand. As she’d just told Jennie, she needed to be moving around. And she didn’t want to think anymore about babies. Oh, she would be happy for Jennie, who desperately wanted a child. But she, too, longed to have a child. Adam’s child. Foolish, foolish woman! She had to stop thinking that way, stop thinking about him as a potential husband altogether. He didn’t want her and he’d made that very clear.

“I’ve been thinking about that mail–order bride business.”

She glanced out the window at the passing buckboard, at the pair of riders trotting down Main Street. She’d been thinking too much lately about Adam’s plan to find her what he would consider a suitable husband. Unless someone new came to town, she already knew most of the single men in the county. She’d even been courted by what she believed to be the best of them. None of them truly appealed to her. None of them were Adam. She needed to put him out of her thoughts, needed to stop comparing every man to him.

When she looked back, she found Jennie studying her with a frown. Faith knew that Jennie remained annoyed that her husband had dared to send off for a bride for Caleb. “Why have you been thinking about it?”

“Actually, I’ve been thinking about sending off for a mail–order groom.”

Jennie’s eyes widened. “What?”

Faith jutted out her chin. “You heard me. I’ve decided that maybe the idea of sending off for a mail–order bride for Caleb isn’t so bad. And maybe sending off for a mail–order groom wouldn’t be bad either.”

Angelica walked in as she finished her comment. She grinned in delight. “Yes, yes, yes! You’ll let me help you with the letter, right?”

“I don’t think it’s a good idea,” Jennie said, shaking her head. “Besides, Adam won’t like it.”

Since he was the biggest problem in her life and Faith needed to get beyond it, she thrust her chin even higher. “His opinion doesn’t matter at all.” Then she went to find some paper in the back room.

* * *

Adam stood as casually as he could outside his shop. It had been a hell of a long day. He’d purposely kept his distance from Faith, not having gone into the mercantile even once. But now that Daniel had come to take Jennie home and Angelica had gone to work in her saloon, he would go check on Faith. Even though he hadn’t been in the store, he knew she had stayed there all day. So much for promising her friends to only be down there for the morning.

He strolled into the store and found Faith standing behind the main case, studying a ledger. She looked pale, tired. “You should be up in bed, resting,” he said worriedly.

She jerked her head up and he noticed the white lines of pain bracketing her mouth. “Do you need help getting up the stairs?”

“I certainly do not.” She slammed the ledger closed and a piece of paper that had been lying beside it fluttered to the floor in front of the merchandise case. She frowned down at it and started to hurry around the case.

Adam strode over and picked up the paper just as she stopped a few feet away. He hadn’t meant to look at it, but his gaze noted the boldly written words “Wanted: Mail–order Groom.” Every muscle in his body tightened. Every nerve twisted. What the hell?

He gripped the paper tightly and held it up. “What is this?” he bellowed.

Her face turned pink and her eyes flashed indignantly at him. “It has nothing to do with you.” She reached out a hand. “Now, give it to me.”

He moved the paper out of her reach. “No! Tell me you weren’t seriously thinking about sending this off.” He wanted to shake her for such a crazy idea.

“I’m posting it with the next stage headed east.” She stepped in front of him and pressed, “Give. It. To. Me.”

Instead, he lowered his hand and before she could grab hold of the paper, he tore it into pieces. They fell at his feet. “That is the nuttiest idea you’ve had yet. If your father heard about it…”

A mulish look settled over her face. “He wouldn’t like it, I know. But since I no longer live under his roof, I can do whatever I please.”

He’d had it with her today. First, she’d gone against Doc’s advice to come down and work in the store today. Second, she’d caused him an endless amount of frustration all day as he’d thought about her standing so close to him that morning in only her nightgown and a quilt. If he’d been less than the gentleman he was, he would have ripped them both away and she’d have been naked and vulnerable in front of him. Third, she’d tested his patience by remaining in her store all day. And now she’d planned to do something so incredibly foolish.

He fumed, swore under his breath, and stormed over to close and lock the front door.

“What are you doing?” she asked warily.

He faced her, the woman he didn’t want…but wanted. The woman was too stubborn for her own good, for his either. What he needed to do was pull her into his embrace and kiss the devil out of her. What he would do, though, was something he’d wanted to do for over a week. Actually, for months.

“I’m going to burn your butt.” He walked in her direction as her eyes widened and she inched back around the case again.

“You can’t spank me,” she sputtered and hurried away faster. “You have no right.”

“Maybe not, but I’m going to do it anyway.” He inhaled the scent of her, watched her nostrils flare and knew she was as sexually aware of him as he was of her. His erection swelled, but he ignored it.

She stood her ground now, eyes flashing defiance. “If you touch me, I swear I’ll have Daniel arrest you for…for indecency.”

He cocked an eyebrow. “Daniel agrees with me, that you shouldn’t be living here alone. That you’re behaving improperly and should move back home until you get married.”

She had the nerve to nod at the bits of paper on the floor. “That was to help me get married.”

“That was going to invite all kinds of men here, probably more unsavory ones than good men. That was a foolish idea, a dangerous one.” He moved within an arm’s reach of her. “I’ve wanted to tan your backside for a good long while.”

He watched her swallow hard, saw her face heat.  “It isn’t proper, Adam Braddock. You aren’t my husband. You aren’t anything to me besides a bother.”

“Face the shelves, Faith. Hold onto one of them.” He glanced around and picked up a lady’s brush from a small display of brushes and combs on the end of the case. “This’ll do, because you’re right, it wouldn’t be proper for me to lay my hand on your bottom.”

She stiffened, staring uneasily at the hard wooden brush. “When my father finds out what you did…”

His gaze locked with hers. “You’d tell him that I blistered your butt? Really?”

Her cheeks flamed and she shook her head. “Well, no,” she said meekly. “You don’t need to do this, Adam.”

“Yes, I do.”

Looking desperate, she put a hand around her ribs. “But I’m hurt.”

“You were well enough to work here all day. So you’re well enough to take a licking you’ve needed for months.” He wasn’t going to back down now. She’d pestered him for too long and now she’d pushed him to edge of his patience. “Turn around, Miss Paddington.”

For a second, she didn’t move. She stood there scowling at him. But finally she faced the shelves laden with canned goods and bolts of fabric and put her small hands on the edge of one. “If anyone comes by and sees…”

“Everyone in town knows the store is always closed by this time of day.” He hesitated for a moment, debating whether to whack her bottom over the layers of skirt, petticoat, and drawers. Then he put the brush down on the case and moved to lift her skirt and petticoat.

“What are you doing?” she gasped and craned her head around to look at him.

He noted that she hadn’t jerked away, hadn’t attempted to shove his hands away. She might not like being punished, but she was well used to submission. Her reaction pleased him. Her husband would be a lucky man, a notion that gave him a second of irritation. He wasn’t sure he liked the idea of another man baring her bottom for discipline…or baring her for anything else.

Frustrated with his thought, he went right on lifting her skirt and petticoat up onto her back, where he held them out of the way with one arm. He reached for the brush again. “I’m not going to completely bare your butt, but I want you to feel this licking.”

Those green eyes of hers glared at him, even as her cheeks were red with embarrassment. “I’ll never forgive you for this.”

“Turn your head away and stand still.” His erection had grown even harder and he was having a difficult time ignoring his desire. But he was determined to see this through. It had been a good long time since he’d spanked his wife or any other woman. “I mean for you to remember this.”

Faith blew out a huff of annoyance and then did as he’d requested. She couldn’t believe what was about to happen: that Adam Braddock was about to give her a thrashing. Right here in her store. With one of the brushes she sold in here. The awful, awful man. So why was she letting him do it?

The idea that she was allowing this shocked her. She forgot about him standing behind her for an instant, trying to come to terms with her decision.

Whack! He sailed the brush down briskly against her drawer–covered bottom. The sound echoed around the store. The horrible sting had her lifting up on her toes, yelping.

She dropped her hands and tried to turn around, but he held her in place.

He looked at her in challenge. “Get back into position,” he said sternly, quietly.

“What if I don’t?”

“Get back into position.”