The Marshal's Little Girl (9 page)

“Yes, papa!” Bebe grabbed Billy’s hand and all but ran with her out of the room.

Roman Adler chuckled as he watched them go.

“I’m glad they’re getting on so well,” he said. “Bebe doesn’t always play well with others.”

“How did you two meet, if you don’t mind my asking?” Gage inquired.

Roman Adler turned his attention back toward his guest. “I wasn’t exaggerating when I said I owed a lot to Celeste Dupree. A few years ago, a young woman appeared on her doorstep. She was disheveled, hungry, and obviously desperate for shelter. As it turns out, she was fleeing an unwanted betrothal to a much older, despicable man—an arrangement made by her father to settle a debt.” He shook his head. “My poor little Bebe—she was Barbara then—decided she’d rather sell herself to survive than to let her father sell her. To her credit, Celeste realized right away that Bebe was a sensitive soul. And she sensed a vulnerability and sweetness layered over a deep sensuality. What’s more, she knew me quite well, and knew I was longing for a special partner preferred by men with our… inclinations. So she brought Bebe to me. It was love at first sight, for me, anyway.”

“And for her?”

Here the doctor chuckled. “Oh, some of these littles need to be brought to a completely base state before they can let go. And such was the case with Bebe. She was wild and willful, a bit more so than your sweet little Billy. Billy seems more in touch with her true needs. Bebe fought hers tooth and nail. But then, she had huge trust issues where her father was concerned. It was difficult for her to accept me as her papa, to give herself to me in the manner I required. There were spankings and tears. I employed Nurse Ida to help. But eventually that wall came down and now Bebe and I are virtually inseparable.”

He paused to take a drink. “Of course, my peculiar tastes and her eventual capitulation to her own needs made me wonder if there were others like us. Again, Celeste was instrumental in finding other couples who shared our fancies. And as I got to know them, I realized that the females shared common physical ailments: binding of the gut—usually from internalized hurts or fears—bouts of melancholy, nymphomania, even. The latter is best dealt with through regular fucking, which they crave. But in the case of some, the need is so strong that certain toys have been added to the nursery to relieve the stress when I cannot. And of course, Nurse Ida and trained nannies like her are wonderful at helping these girls find release through punishment or manipulation. Eighteen months ago, I began seeing a very select clientele a few days a month—our kind. It’s quite rewarding.”

The doctor smiled. “But enough about me. What about you and your little one? I didn’t want to ask in front of the girls. Celeste alluded to some sort of danger, which is why I asked Bebe and Billy to confine themselves to the barn. Is someone after her? A rival, perhaps?”

“In a manner of speaking,” Gage said, and reached into his pocket to withdraw his badge. “I’m a U.S. marshal.” When he saw the nervousness on Dr. Adler’s face, he immediately sought to put his host’s mind at ease. “Don’t worry,” he continued. “I have no desire to make trouble for you. In fact, I’m incredibly grateful for what you’ve done.”

Gage began to tell Roman Adler the entire story—how he met Billy, the explosive sexual encounter after he found her out, her escape, and what he knew of her past. Dr. Adler listened carefully, nodding his head knowingly as Gage talked.

“Her reactions make sense,” he said. “It doesn’t surprise me that she was resourceful. Natural littles have a keen sense of self-preservation. If no one else will protect them, they seek to protect themselves, hence the medical issues they sometimes face with shutting down or binding up.” He shook his head sadly. “The worst place for a little is in the care of an unscrupulous or cruel papa. If she makes the mistake of giving herself to a man who does her wrong, then she can be irreparably damaged. Your Billy was exceptionally fortunate to have found herself in your custody.”

He walked over to the bar to pour Gage a drink as he continued. “But what now?”

Gage sighed. “That’s what I’m trying to figure out. Legally, I have to bring her in. But I don’t want to do that until I clear her name. Nobody knows I have her. But I know this Simon Holloway has men out looking for her. She’d be in more danger if they knew she was with me. They don’t want her to talk. Right now, the way it looks, she’s the one responsible.”

Dr. Adler considered this.

“What about hunting Holloway down? Surely he has a base. Where was Billy kept before he sent her to Red Horse Gulch?”

“A ranch near the border,” he said. “She was sheltered there—cloistered, even. When they popped her on that stagecoach, she didn’t know where she was headed. He just told her to ride until the coach stopped and gave her instructions. She was a week’s ride or more away from home, with no sense of geography. I’m amazed that she handled herself as confidently as she did.”

“Again, self-preservation,” Dr. Adler said.

“Well, she doesn’t have to do that anymore,” Gage said. “It’s my job to protect her now. And I’m looking forward to the day when I can clear her name and settle the score with Simon Holloway.”

Chapter Twelve

“His name’s Cricket.” Bebe was leading a large pony from one of the stalls. It was jet black, with a coat that gleamed from good health and regular grooming. At a little over fourteen hands in height, the pony was still smaller than the thoroughbreds Billy was used to, but she said nothing. A horse was a horse, and she loved them all. She reached to touch the pony’s muzzle as Bebe pointed to another stall.

“That’s Doodlebug,” she said, and Billy turned to see a beautiful dapple-gray pony of the same size and build staring out at her with soft brown eyes.

“They’re beautiful,” she said. “Truly, they are.”

“I can ride them both,” Bebe said. “Probably better than you.”

Billy couldn’t help the grin that spread across her face. “I kind of doubt that,” she said. She rubbed the pony again. “Besides, even if I wanted to show you, I couldn’t. Your papa said no riding.”

“They aren’t
his
ponies. They’re mine! I say when they’re ridden.” Bebe’s tone was petulant.

“You bought them? With your own money?” Billy asked.

“Well, no,” Bebe conceded. “Papa bought them. But when someone gives you something, it’s yours. Or else that makes them false. So I say we can ride them now.”

“He said to stay in the barn,” Billy said.

“Oh, I see,” Bebe smirked. “You’re scared. You can’t ride and don’t want to be found out.”

“I’m an excellent rider,” Billy shot back. “And on much bigger horses. Faster, too.”

“Oh, you ride good
and
fast now? That’s rich.” Bebe’s tone suggested she didn’t believe a word Billy was saying. “You could prove it, out back. Our papas are probably in the parlor drinking whiskey and talking about cattle or oil or whatever. They wouldn’t even notice. We’d be back in a flash.” She moved her cowboy hat up to her head and arced an eyebrow. “Unless you’re just a big chicken.” Bebe’s eyes moved up and down Billy’s dress. “A big, yellow chicken.” She made a clucking noise.

“Very well.” Billy knew she was being baited, but was unable to resist. What was the harm if they couldn’t be seen? She turned to the stall behind her and picked up the bridle by on a peg by the door. “I’ll take Doodlebug.”

Without waiting for an answer, she slipped inside and deftly bridled the pony. Billy smiled to herself as she caught glances of Bebe watching from the side. She could tell her little rival was now getting a bit nervous at how easily she handled the pony. Billy led Doodlebug from the stall.

“If you want to save time, we can just race without the saddles,” Billy offered, fixing her blue eyes challengingly on Bebe’s green ones.

Bebe’s eyes narrowed. “Fine,” she hissed, and they led the ponies from the barn.

There was a mounting block out back behind the barn. Billy watched as Bebe hopped on her horse; she had to admit the woman had a good seat. Now she led her pony to the block. She ignored Bebe’s smirk as she struggled to hike her skirt up enough to throw her leg over the pony’s wide back. But once on, she gripped with her strong thighs, relishing the feel of the horse’s muscular barrel between her legs.

She glanced over at the other girl. “Ready?”

Bebe nodded to an oak tree in the distance. “Up to that tree, around it, and back past the water trough. Last one back is a rotten egg.
Hyah!
”

Billy cursed under her breath as she realized Bebe had gotten the jump on her. Kicking her pony’s sides, she urged it into a canter, which quickly became a gallop. She was impressed at its speed. Both ponies obviously liked to run, and she was gaining ground to come neck and neck with her rival. Beside her, Bebe, her small hands wound in both reins and mane, urged her pony onward. The oak tree loomed ahead. In order to win, Billy knew she would have to closely cut the turn. But Bebe, obviously knowing that, too, had the advantage of being on the outside and moved her horse toward the tree, forcing Billy to slow down and fall behind her in order to make the same sharp turn without crashing into the tree.

The move angered Billy, and she squeezed the pony’s sides with her strong legs and slapped its flank with one long rein as they rounded the tree to head for home. The pony shot forward so quickly that she had to grab its mane, and soon they were neck and neck again. Beside her, Bebe clicked to her horse, and Billy watched the ears of the pony she was riding perk at the sound. Billy’s pony responded to it, increasing his pace even more. When they reached the trough, her pony was ahead by a neck.

It took a small victory lap to slow the pony down, and Billy was ready to savor the look of disappointment on Bebe’s face when she heard a cry. What she saw when she turned nearly made her heart stop with fear.

They were all there—Dr. Adler, Nurse Ida, and Gage. Dr. Adler was dragging Bebe from the back of her pony. Billy’s first instinct was to wheel her mount in the opposite direction and flee, but Gage had already covered the ground between them and taken the reins.

“I just wanted to…” she tried to explain, but he cut her off.

“Save it,” he said when she began to cry. “And save the tears. You’re going to need them.”

Chapter Thirteen

It was worse than anything, being made to wait.

Billy was bent over a desk. Bebe was bent over beside her. Both had been stripped naked and were crying from the ten licks of the paddle that Nurse Ida had already applied to their bottoms. Their papas were in the other room.

“They’ll be in to deal with you once they’ve calmed down,” Nurse Ida informed the unfortunate pair. “And you’d be doing more than sniffling if you knew what was in store for you. I imagine by the time your papas are finished, you won’t be able to sit on a pillow for the next week, much less sit on a horse.” She walked to stand on the other side of the desk, gazing sternly at the young women.

“You know better than to defy Dr. Adler, Bebe,” the nurse said, addressing her personal charge. “You should know he’s given me permission to spank you before bedtime every night this week on top of what you’re getting.” As Bebe began to sob softly at the news, the nurse turned her attention to Billy. “As for you,” she said. “I figured you for an undisciplined little brat of a thing when I first laid eyes on you. Your papa hasn’t had you very long from what I gather. And he may be strict, but he doesn’t know all the ways to bring a girl like you to full obedience. But my employer does, and right now I have all ideas he’s planning a full lesson for both of you. After today, I suspect you’ll think twice before being so rash, or about leading another little into disobedience.”

“Leading?” Billy turned her tear-filled eyes to the large woman. “I didn’t do any such thing! We both…”

“You’re right, Nurse Ida!” Bebe hastily interrupted. “It was her! It was all her. This awful Billy made me take the ponies out!”

Billy started to object, but the nurse spoke over her. “Oh, really? How?”

“She… she…”

“Exactly,” Nurse Ida said. “And I’m adding an extra ten swats to your bedtime spanking for trying to blame her completely. She may have egged you on, but you are still capable of saying no.” She leaned over and grabbed Bebe’s ear. “Do you know where your papa is right now, Bebe? He’s downstairs, talking to the cook.”

“To the cook?” Bebe’s voice was barely a whisper. Billy looked over. The redhead’s chin had begun to wobble, and her eyes were filled with genuine fear. “Oh… oh, no. Oh, please, Nurse Ida. Not the cook!” She began to sob, and Billy looked up at the nurse, who let go of her companion’s ear.

What in the world was she talking about? Billy’s heart began to pound harder. Why was Bebe so afraid of the cook? Were they going to be spanked with a wooden spoon? She’d been spanked with a spoon once, by Simon. And it had hurt mightily. But it was a long time ago, and she couldn’t imagine a spoon spanking eliciting the kind of fear her fellow little was showing.

The door to the study opened and Dr. Adler and Gage walked in. At first, Billy felt a surge of happiness. But the look he was giving her turned her glee to a cold chill. She’d never seen her handsome papa look so stern, not even on the day he had apprehended her in the shack where she’d run to escape him.

Dr. Adler looked equally stern, and was holding a collection of implements—a paddle, a switch, a leather strap. Both girls began to sob.

“Quiet!” Dr. Adler’s tone was quiet but commanding, and garnered instant obedience from the two frightened young women. “You brought this on yourself. Bebe, you know better. When I tell you to do something, you are to obey. I had sound reasons for asking you to stay out of sight in the barn. As for you, Billy, you should be especially ashamed. Your papa is doing everything he can to keep you safe, and you go running out in the open. And might I add that disregarding my orders after I’ve opened my home to you is exceptionally rude and does not reflect well on your papa.” He paused, allowing the criticism to sink in. “For shame…”