Cowboys Know Best (12 page)

She had only two comforts: Cherry, who continuously stayed by her side and lavished her with loving adoration, and Hank. The brusque, quiet man had become unusually attentive and overly concerned about her needs. Not enough though, she fumed, to forget the sentence he had pronounced upon her. In fact, he made a conscious effort every day to remind her of the passing time before she was to meet “the judge, jury, and executioner.”

That day was tomorrow. She had no idea what he had meant by ‘judicial punishment.’ It sounded horrid and impersonal, and filled her heart with dread. She had one more trick up her sleeve and she prayed that it would work in her favor.

Perl could not resist a feeling of pride as she removed her very first apple pie from the oven to cool. Cook had taught her how to make a crust and she had carefully followed the recipe for the filling. She also had spent the entire morning making pasta shells stuffed with home-made goat cheese, chopped meat, and vegetables, then baked them slowly in homemade sauce. She knew Hank had a soft spot for food, most men did, and she felt confident he would be pleased when he saw the effort she had made for him. She hoped it would earn her enough points to get her off the hook.

“You are becoming quite the cook, Miss Perl,” Hank praised, rubbing his stomach after the meal. “You did all this yourself?”

“I did. You really liked it?” she asked, eager for his praise.

Hank held his arms out for her, smiling as she quickly climbed onto his lap. He hugged her gently and kissed the top of her head. “I am very proud of you, my dear. I wish I didn’t have to follow through with the sentence tomorrow.”

Perl’s heart dropped. She pushed away to gaze at him, carefully choosing her words. “I assure you, Hank, after Dennis warmed my bottom, I have no desire to ever question either of you again. Please reconsider. I throw myself upon the mercy of the court.”

He studied her carefully, his mouth set in a thin line. “I am committed to upholding the law and to following through on pronounced sentences. I’m sorry, but it must be carried out.”

“Can’t I beg for an appeal?”

“I already told you, all appeals are denied. We will address this issue tomorrow evening when I return home from work. Dennis will be my witness.”

Perl’s face turned a crimson red. She did not dare argue with him—not with her sentence so close to being carried out. She allowed a tear to settle in her eye, closing her lids as Hank gently brushed it away. She had one more trick up her sleeve. Italian guilt.

“I thought you loved me.”

Her words caught Hank by surprise. He could not deny his feelings, yet he was not ready to confess them, either. He coughed uncomfortably.

“I… care for you very deeply. And I am concerned for your safety. It’s because of this that I am obligated to fulfill my part in your punishment.”

“Are you saying you don’t love me? After all we’ve shared and gone through? After everything I’ve learned just to please you?” her dark eyes blinked with a flash of anger and deep hurt.

Unable to answer, Hank just stared at her. Humiliated, Perl slipped off his lap, threw her apron on the table, and stormed up to her room. Hank winced as the door slammed. He glanced down at Cherry.

“Guess I messed up again, huh, girl? Let’s clean the dishes. Do you like pasta?”

Perl kicked the wall of her room, feeling rejected and humiliated by his refusal to openly admit his feelings for her, and infuriated at his stubborn insistence on fulfilling his promise of judicial discipline. She also felt her stomach rolling in dread… what exactly would it entail?

* * *

The following evening came much sooner than Perl desired. Hank had called her into his study to stand before him and Dennis.

“You know why we’re here tonight, Perl. You’ve had one week to reflect on your behavior after the parental spanking that you received from Sheriff Wilson. Would you care to comment?” Hank asked, leaning against his large desk with his arms crossed.

“No, not really,” Perl blushed, looking down. She still found it hard to look Dennis in the eye after he had seen her bottom in all its glory.

“I don’t think that was a question, honey. Come here,” Dennis said, holding his hand out for her as he sat comfortably in the large, overstuffed chair. Hesitantly, Perl obeyed. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and pulled her onto his lap. “I think we both want to hear what you learned this last week.”

“That I’m living with the meanest, most cold-hearted and stubborn man on the planet?”

“Besides that,” Dennis chuckled, winking at Hank’s serious face, not missing his wince at the description.

“That I’m not as invincible as I thought and that the two of you
care
for me.” She made sure to emphasize the word ‘care’ seeing Hank flinch. Good, he caught the jibe.

“We more than care, baby girl. We’ve all fallen in love with you. Every last person in this town, including me and Old Hank here, love you as one of our own.”

“Old Hank there has made it clear he does not love me, and that he only feels fatherly affection. Isn’t that right,
Papa
?” Perl asked sarcastically, glaring at Hank.

“The love of a papa is one of the strongest you can get, girl,” Dennis scolded, not even phased by her reference to Hank. “We will die for our young ‘uns. Don’t ever mistake his acting like a father for anything other than the deepest and most committed type of love you will ever receive.”

“What if I don’t want that type of love?” Perl demanded, pretending Hank was not in the room, listening to every word. “What if I want the type of love a man gives a woman?”

“Then you need to show you are a woman and not a spoiled little girl, Perlita. So far, your behavior is less than mature.” Perl reddened at Dennis’ words, turning her face from him as she still sat perched on his lap. He poked her side. “Part of being an adult is taking criticism with grace. And not pouting when you can’t have your way. Put that lip back in before a bird comes along and lays a nest on it.”

Hank watched the two of them, jealousy raging in his heart as this woman, the love of his life, allowed his best friend to hold and guide her. He cleared his throat.

“We are ready to hear what you have to say now.”

Perl inhaled, leaning against Dennis’ bony shoulder. “I’m really sorry. For disobeying you, for putting myself and Cherry at risk by riding off alone and then stealing your truck. I know I drove recklessly and could have hurt Cherry, myself, or even you two. And I’m really sorry for my temper tantrums and fits. I should have showed you more respect and gratitude for everything you’ve done for me. You took a total stranger into your home and I turned your life upside down. I’m sorry for that, too.”

Hank felt his breath catch in his throat. “I’m not,” he forced out. “I don’t regret one second of having my life turned upside down, inside out, or backwards by you. And I have… much affection for you.”

Dennis rolled his eyes. “For heaven’s sake, Hank. Tell the girl you love her already. Then let’s get this done so we can dig into that blueberry pie she made for me.”

Hank pointed to the floor in front of him. “Come here, Perl. Our gathering tonight, in my study, is not for personal repartee. It’s to distribute justice to your little fanny. Am I understood?”

“Yes, sir,” Perl whispered, suddenly feeling very small and childlike in his huge, overwhelming presence.

“My girl must accept that certain behaviors have consequences. I am not an unfair man, though. I will allow you to choose the instrument of your discipline. Pick from one of these.”

Perl’s eyes widened and she looked at Dennis in fear. His face was impassive. “Go on, Perl, stalling won’t make things any easier on you.”

Perl stared at the implements that Hank had laid on his desk. A thick, wide razor strop, a long, narrow wooden ruler, a thin, two-foot-long stripped hickory switch, and a heavy, broad wooden cutting board with a handle. Her lip quivered as she looked up into his stern, handsome face. She was smart enough to know that the smaller implements were not necessarily any less painful.

“I can’t,” she whimpered, “they all will hurt.” Hank merely nodded silently. Shaking, she pointed to the ruler.

“You’re right about that, little girl,” Hank replied, folding his arms across his wide chest as he stood next to her. “Yes, I think that perhaps ten minutes under the ruler will not only do you a world of good, but will also give you a new view of the long arm of the law.” Hank stated explicitly, “Now take those trousers down before I lose my patience.”

Sobbing in open indignity now, Perl lifted her hips to untie the cloth belt that held her pants in place. She slowly slid them down to her knees, pausing momentarily before letting them drop to the floor.

“Bend across the desk, Perlita. All the way. Grab the edges across from you,” he instructed. The short girl found herself stretched over the broad desk, standing on tiptoe in order to hold the thick edge of the desk top. She lay across the desk, her cheeks blushing with mortification as she realized that her position would hide nothing should he choose to completely bare her bottom.

Hanks's voice cut through her tense reveries, startling her and making her jump. "Good," he commented dryly, picking up the long, two-inch-wide ruler in his hand, "now get your fanny higher in the air, little girl."

Perl looked back at him one last time, eyes brimming. "Please, Hank, don't s-spank me, I p-promise I'll b-be good, truly I will, please don't use that ruler on my bottom, p-please—"

“Bottom higher," Hank grunted. "Now get those panties down, young lady."

“Nooooooo, I’m begging you!” Perl implored miserably as she realized that the moment had come for her to be stripped of all feminine dignity. There was nothing worse than being forced to offer up her bare backside for punishment. Thoughts about her impending disgrace raced through her mind. He couldn't do this to her! It just wasn't right! But then, she knew that she had been unpardonably naughty and had tested Hank's patience a little too often. She loathed to admit that she was in dire need of a well-smacked bottom personally delivered by him.

Reaching back with both hands, Perl peeled her tight, clinging briefs down to her knees. She couldn't risk the consequences of even a moment's hesitation at this point in time. Tears slipped down her cheeks and she started whimpering under her breath. Her tummy was a mass of knots and she felt completely vulnerable as she lay doubled over the desk with her panties pulled down, exposing every private area she possessed. She started crying like some spoilt child who was getting her very first spanking.

“You can quit that whining, young lady,” Hank warned her grimly, “you've had this coming for a while. Now hold still and keep your legs straight. It's time to spank that naughty rear end and teach you a few things about respect."

Perl clenched her bottom in anticipation of the expected blow, tightly shutting her eyes in preparation for the inevitable. Gripping the ruler firmly, Hank lifted the strip of mahogany high over his right shoulder, wordlessly ignoring Perl's whispered entreaties to reconsider. He commenced with her sentence and delivered ten furious smacks to her sumptuous, quivering globes, systematically working her cheeks to a richly glowing pink. Perl screamed as each blazing stroke descended, frantically begging Hank to stop.

"Nooooo!! Owwww! Owww! Hank!! Stop, please! Aaaaoowww! Nooooo morrree!!"

Her pleas were premature. Perl knew that a reduced sentence was highly unlikely given the severity of her crime. The ruler smacked down again and again across her tender bare buns, scalding the flesh to a simmering beet-red. The pain was horrendous and by the end of first volley, she had reached the threshold of her tolerance. Hank paused at the five minute mark, resting his arm and allowing the gasping, panting girl to catch her breath. He looked at the prints left by the ruler and bit his lip. Try as he may, he found himself unable to continue with the judicial portion of her punishment. So he switched his methods to incorporate a more intimate technique.

Placing the ruler on the desk, Hank lifted his palm and laid in with his whole arm, sharply swatting Perl's fleshy bottom and upper thighs. The girl kicked and twisted in blue-fire agony, shaking her back-end while shrieking at the top of her lungs. She'd never imagined a spanking could hurt so much! Hank’s wide, flat palm felt like white-hot steel against her soft, supple flesh. The hand-spanking lasted a good five minutes, leaving her bare, trembling bottom blazing crimson, with the scorching prints of Hank’s hand visible along the entire length of her thighs.

In spite of the ‘judicial’ nature of her punishment, there was nothing that could set Hank’s blood boiling like the image of Perl’s well-spanked, bright red, and very shapely female posterior. Hank felt his manhood twitch uncomfortably and he abruptly excused himself to pour him, and Perl, a shot of whiskey.

“Here,” he said, placing the small glass next to her weeping form, “have a drink.”

“For Pete’s sake! Hank, do you have rocks in your head?” Dennis reprimanded, watching as Perl just sobbed limply over the desk. “Hold the child!”

“This is judicial. There is no holding or comforting,” Hank retorted stubbornly.

“Yeah, there is no hand spanking, either, but you did it. Get out of my way,” Dennis shoved his friend aside. He carefully covered Perl’s swollen bottom with her panties and then gently lifted her off the desk and into his arms. Instinctively, she wrapped her arms around the older man’s neck and cried into his chest. With a deep, jealous growl, Hank stormed from the room.

“He hates me!” Perl cried, unable to catch her breath.

“No, honey. He’s tormented. He’s hopelessly in love with you, but his fear is preventing him from showing it.”

“Why is he afraid of me? What did I do?”

With a sigh, Dennis shared his friend’s history and the wounds he suffered from his previous marriage. Although the townsfolk had provided extensive support and understanding, Hank had still chosen to isolate himself from the world and any unnecessary personal relationships. Dennis further explained how Nana had come to live with him for a while out of concern for her favorite grandson, and that Hank had succeeded in driving even her away.