The Demure Bride (5 page)

"You bet it was, and I'm going to take a leather strap to you!"

Her green eyes widened in horror. She simply couldn't bear another punishment tonight. Her body ached. "Not now, Papa. Please...!" She suddenly grabbed her stomach and whirled and ran from the room again.

"Matt, Amanda is ill. She has punished herself enough."

"I reckon you are right."

"I will leave now, so that you may tend to her. Do you feel she needs a physician?" he asked in concern.

"She didn't eat enough soap to kill her," was Matt's unsympathetic reply. "I'm sorry about this, Matt. I guarantee Amanda will be apologizing."

"She already did. I wish now I would have refrained from giving her the pie. I had no idea she would be so ill."

"She didn't know how sick that would make you, either," Matt said with certainty.

"I believe that, too. I will see myself out. Go and care for her, Matt. Thank you for inviting me tonight." Rob took himself outside, mounted his stallion, and headed for his ranch. He hated it that little Amanda was so ill.

Matt headed out the back door and found Amanda kneeling on the ground, crying her heart out. "Let me help you inside, honey," he offered, and was gentle as he lifted her to her feet. "Are you through bein' sick now?" he wanted to know.

"I hope so," she whispered. "I hurt so much, Papa."

"I know. Let's get you in bed and I'll make you some tea to settle your stomach."

"I'm so sorry."

"We'll talk about it tomorrow. Right now we need to get you comfortable." Matt started to help her upstairs, and realized she was too weak to climb the steps on her own. He picked her up and carried her to her room, and then sat her on her bed. "Your nightdress in the wardrobe?" he asked.

"Yes."

He got it for her and then said, "Can you manage on your own, honey?"

"Yes, Papa."

"Okay, you get out of those things and into bed. I'll make some of Goldie's special tea and it will calm your stomach." He left the room, shaking his head. By rights he ought to be tanning the daylights out of the little hellion, but how could he when she was so ill? By the time he got back upstairs, Mandy was ill again. He held her until she was done, and then he tucked her in her bed and washed her face with a wet wash cloth. He insisted she drink the strong tea, and he sat there until Mandy was asleep. He left the door to her room open in case she needed him, and knew he would sleep light just in case. The fool girl needed her backside heated proper for this stunt.

Amanda woke as the first rays of sun broke over the horizon. Her stomach muscles hurt and her throat was still raw from vomiting up the soap and everything she ate for dinner. What a terrible thing to do to herself, and how terrible was she to plan to do that to Robert Thorne. It was much worse than the thrashing he gave her... and she felt awful. Her Papa had every right to be angry with her and to punish her for doing something so despicable. Resolutely, she pulled herself out of bed, and made quick work of washing up and getting dressed. Her Papa would want his breakfast, and it was too soon for Goldie to be home. She left her hair down, but tied it back with a ribbon. She decided that making her bed could wait until later, and she went downstairs and out to the kitchen to find her father already there.

"I didn't expect to see you down today," Matt looked at her in surprise.

"I'm not going to hide in my room, Papa. Sit down and I will make you something to eat," she bossed.

"Are you feelin' better then?" he asked, looking her up and down.

"I'll survive, Papa, even though I wanted to die last night. I was wrong to do that, and I deserved what I got. I know you are angry with me, and I don't expect you to believe me when I promise you I will never do that to another human being as long as I live."

"Oh, I believe you, Mandy. But, you still got a lickin' comin' to you."

"Yes, Papa," she replied, trying to blink away tears. "I don't blame you for deciding to punish me."

"You just keep that attitude. We'll settle up after breakfast."

Amanda didn't try to argue, and she didn't try to eat anything but some toast and tea. Her stomach was still a bit queasy, and it was all she could do to fix her father's normal large breakfast, but he didn't deserve to suffer because she did something so stupid. All too soon, Matt was through eating, and he pushed his dishes aside as he stood up and reached for his belt. "You can raise your skirts and bend over this table, girl."

It wouldn't do a bit of good to argue, and Amanda knew it. She'd crossed a line with her proud father, and she'd attempted to treat a guest with utter disregard and disrespect. She got to her feet and leaned over the table, pulling up her skirts. It was embarrassing to be so exposed, but hopefully none of the hands would come to the back door and see her getting punished.

Matt didn't keep Amanda waiting. He doubled his belt and then brought it down over her bottom, which was still tender from before. Amanda cried out in pain, but the second stripe landed right below the first. "I am embarrassed and ashamed of the way you treated a guest in this home, Amanda Chambers," Matt scolded. The belt landed a third and fourth time, and Amanda was crying and telling him she was sorry.

Her Papa ignored her, and continued to scold and use his belt to leave welts on her backside. He was determined to make sure this was one punishment she never forgot, and by the time he put his belt back through the loops on his pants, Amanda was raw, and she felt she would never sit again. She was crying so hard she couldn't stop, even when she knew it was all over.

"I would tell you to invite Rob for supper again, but I imagine the boy has more sense than come near you, Mandy. You'd better think to mendin' your ways or you'll grow old and not have anyone who cares about you. Matt didn't offer comfort like he did the last time he spanked her. He left her crying and feeling miserable as he went outside to get to work and make sure his hands were doing what they were supposed to be doing.

Amanda felt awful. Her backside was flaming and burned like fire! She had welts on top of welts, and she wanted nothing more than to go up to her room and undress and apply cold cloths and the salve that Goldie gave her. Instead, she righted her skirts and did her best to pull herself together and straighten the kitchen before Goldie came home. It took her the better part of an hour, and only then did she take herself upstairs and take a look at her bare bottom in the mirror. It looked just as bad as it felt, and the cold cloths were a welcome relief. Amanda finally applied the salve to her throbbing rear, and then she crawled into bed and cried herself to sleep.

When Matt came in to eat at noon he frowned when he saw that Mandy was nowhere to be seen. "Where's Mandy, Goldie?" he demanded.

"Sleeping. She is ill."

"Did she ask for a tray?" he asked with a frown.

"No. She is ill."

"Is she still throwin' up?" he wanted to know.

"No; she was doing that?" Goldie asked in concern.

Matt relayed the whole story, and concluded with, "I'm sure Mandy don't feel like sittin' here to eat, but don't you be takin' trays to her, either."

"Straps are not for delicate girls, Mr. Chambers," Goldie surprised him by scolding. "She was ill, and you punished her. Shame on you." She slammed his plate on the table and then left the room to go and check on Amanda.

Amanda did not come downstairs until the next day, and she was feeling more like herself then, although her backside was too sore to contemplate sitting, much less riding her mare. She did make it a point to go and check on Glimmer and care for her, and she thanked Whitey for doing her job the day before. He told her he didn't mind, and said he was glad she was feeling better.

Amanda did her best to avoid her father, but that only lasted until it was time to eat supper. Matt insisted she join him, and Amanda did her best to deny she was hungry. Of course her stomach picked that moment to growl, and he frowned and told her he didn't appreciate being lied to.

"Okay, Father. The truth is that there isn't an inch of my butt that isn't bruised. I was sore before you took your belt to me, and I am even sorer today than I was yesterday. I do not want to sit at the table to eat. I prefer my own company, thank you very much!"

"You earned that strapping, girl," Matt got to his feet to tell her.

"Yes, I did, but you didn't need to make me feel like nothing afterwards! That was mean. I needed to know that you still loved me, and you walked out of the house and didn't care that I was in so much pain I couldn't move."

"I had to get to work, girl. Hell, if I didn't love you, I wouldn't of tanned you."

"It didn't feel that way!" she said, and promptly burst into tears.

"I'm sorry, honey," Matt said, and then he pulled her close and hugged her close. "Papa loves you; don't cry."

And that is how Rob found them when Gloria let him into the house and told him he could find Matt in the dining room.

"Son, what's wrong?" Matt asked.

Chapter Four

Amanda was horrified to have Robert Thorne walk into the dining room unannounced and catch her crying in her father's arms like a big baby. It was embarrassing, and to make matters even worse, she really needed to apologize again for offering him a piece of pie made with soap. She'd been so ill, and eating was still difficult because her stomach was a bit queasy and she could still smell and taste the soap when she tried to eat. She also couldn't sit down without considerable pain after the strapping her father administered the day before.

"Rob, what is wrong?" she heard her father ask.

"I apologize for intruding," Rob said, "but I felt it imperative to inform you that two of my men were murdered today while working on the south section of my ranch. They came across the ones rustling my cattle," he explained, and with a look at Amanda he added, "I knew you would wish to keep Amanda safely at home until these men are captured. It would not be safe for her to come across them while riding her mare."

"No, it sure as heck wouldn't be safe at all," Matt agreed. "No riding anywhere on your own, Mandy, until I tell you otherwise."

"Papa, no! I love to ride Glimmer, and
we
are not having problems with rustlers. It seems to be Mr. Thorne's problem."

"When there are rustlers about, daughter, the problem belongs to all of us. Now, go and set a place for Rob at the table. She didn't cook today, son, so you'll be safe."

"Papa!" Amanda's face turned beet red and she wanted to sink through the floor.

"Do what I said, girl," Matt ordered crisply, "and bring a set for yourself, too. You're eating at the table tonight."

Amanda looked at him in horror. "Papa, I cannot possibly join you." Hadn't she suffered enough?

"You can and you will," was Matt's response.

She stomped out of the room after flashing her parent a withering look.

"I can see she is as feisty as ever," Rob grinned.

"She's sore at me for giving her the strapping she earned for giving you that soap pie," Matt admitted.

"You punished her when she was so ill?" Rob asked in genuine disbelief. "I regret you felt the need to be so harsh, Matt. Surely, suffering the effects of the soap was sufficient punishment?" He did not want the lovely Amanda to hate him.

Amanda heard Rob's last comment and felt her anger towards him dissipate somewhat. "I embarrassed Papa, Mr. Thorne, and I do want to apologize once again. It was a childish thing to do, but I also want you to know I had no idea it would make you so ill if you had eaten the pie. I promise I have learned my lesson, and I will never serve anyone anything unfit to eat. I hope you will excuse me. Since Papa has seen fit to humiliate me further by admitting he punished me, I am sure you will understand that I am somewhat indisposed and joining you this evening is out of the question. Goodnight." Amanda turned to make her escape but her father moved quickly for a man of his years. He caught her arm and marched her to her chair, pulled it out from the table, and then proceeded to sit her down on her chair with a thump. "Owwww!" she cried out in pain. She immediately tried to jump to her feet, but Matt's strong arms kept her where she was.

"You are joining us, Mandy. Is that clear? You try runnin' from this room again before you're excused and I'm going to treat you like you deserve."

"Matt, Amanda is truly miserable," Rob remonstrated with her parent on her behalf.

"That is the consequence of her behavior." Matt was not going to give in, and Rob felt sorry for the pretty redhead. She had already been punished thoroughly for her misdeed, and continuing to torture her was a bit harsh in his opinion.

"We shall eat quickly, Amanda," he said, winking at her. The food was brought into the dining room, but it was soon obvious that the lovely redhead was in too much discomfort to touch her food. She was growing pale from the effort of trying not to squirm on her chair and refrain from crying. The twin spots of embarrassment coloring her cheeks only made her look ill, and Rob found that he was unable to enjoy his meal.

The front door opened and there were running footsteps in the house before one of the men pushed his head in the dining room and said, "Boss, there's a fight down at the cook shack. You'd better come or Shorty is going to carve Gus!"

Once more Matt jumped to his feet and moved with lightning quickness, his face set in determination to prevent bloodshed. "Damned fools!" Amanda heard him mutter as he headed for the bunkhouse.

Once the door slammed, Rob was on his feet in the next second, pulling Amanda to her feet. "I am sorry your father is being so harsh with you, Amanda. He is trying to show you he loves you and make up for all the years he was not permitted to be a father to you. He is going too far in the other direction now."

"He had a right to be upset with me," she whispered in total honesty.

"Perhaps, but there was no harm done to me. It is you who has suffered so much. Go on to your room, and I will tell him you were feeling quite ill."

"I do feel ill," she conceded. To her genuine surprise Rob leaned over and kissed her forehead. Tears filled her eyes and she asked, "Why are you being so kind to me, Mr. Thorne?"