The Problem With Jordan (10 page)

“A baby! Oh my God! A baby,” he whispered in awe. “Are you sure?”

“As sure as I can be until I go see Doc. Will you come with me?” she asked timidly.

“Just try to keep me away!” he said firmly. Then he looked at Jim, “Is this what you thought, my friend?”

“Yes, but I didn’t want to spoil it for Jordy,” Jim said with a big grin. “We are going to be Aunt and Uncle now!” Jim added for Ally’s benefit.

“I know; I’m so excited. I get to enjoy helping Jordy.”

“Alice is going to tell me what to do and how to prepare for the baby, Cray. I haven’t the first clue what to make, what we need, or how to deal with an infant.”

“I’m glad we have you and Jim, Ally,” Cray stated with heartfelt gratitude. “I’m as much in the dark as my wife. We expect you to speak up and help us not to do something wrong.”

“As long as you love the baby, that is most important,” Jim insisted. “Believe me, a baby won’t remember a nappy that wasn’t pinned right, but that sense of being loved stays with them.”

Cray looked at his wife and said, “We can certainly do that, right, Jordan?”

“We can.” She nodded in agreement. “I should get off your lap and start the dishes, but first, you and Jim need to tell us what happened today. Alice and I are strong women and we will handle whatever it is that had you both so upset.”

Cray explained as gently as possible, but wasn’t surprised when both Jordy and Alice started crying at the mention of Sophie. And that is when he spoke of Otis’ reaction. Jim looked at Alice and told her that he asked Mr. Harris to tell Sophie he was doing the funeral for free because he knew she didn’t have much income, but in reality, he offered to pay the bill. “I know we don’t have a lot to spare, but it was all I could think of to help that poor woman.”

“Otis and I are going to chip in, too,” Cray reminded the other man.

“You don’t have to.”

“No, I don’t, but I want to, my friend.”

“I’m glad the men who did this are in jail now. And their poor sister! I can only imagine how much she is hurting right now.” Jordan jumped to her feet and said, “I need to busy myself.” She started clearing the table and Alice joined her. It was the way of women in times of crisis. They got busy with life, and with what needed done. “I will make some food for Sophie and take it to her tomorrow,” she said decisively.

“Come by for me and we’ll pay a call together,” Alice said, and Jordan nodded in agreement.

*****

Vickie knew she’d been standing in the corner for nearly two hours because Ferdy insisted he was too angry to deal with her. He even spoke with their son-in-law, Max, in the front parlor. Following that she heard the unmistakable sound of Susan being soundly spanked! She tried to go to her aid, but Ferdy put her back in the same corner with orders not to move if she wanted to have skin left on her backside. Ferdy insisted that Susan needed a good smacking and said that he would have been disappointed in Max if he didn’t react precisely in the manner he was! Susan was sobbing before the spanking ended.

Ferdy made sure to tell his youngest daughter how much he loved her and reminded her that it was wrong to behave the way she’d been behaving. Max promised he would keep a close eye on his little wife, and he made a point of thanking Ferd for permitting him to handle the situation.

“You are Susie’s husband, Max, and I do respect you. My daughter will always be my little girl, and if you weren’t in the picture I would have done my duty, but you are in the picture, happily so, I might add. It was your right to deal with our girl. I think she chose well.” For Ferdy, it was a long speech, and it made Max swell with pride. He was also pleased when Susan kissed her father and told her how much she loved him, and she apologized for disappointing him. Ferdy forgave her immediately, and sent them on home and then he went to the kitchen once more to check on Vickie. “Are you ready to explain yourself to me?”

“There is nothing to explain, Ferdy. You know you are that girl’s real father. Do not expect me to pretend I don’t know. I have never felt sorry for her, and yes, I know you slipped her money all the time. Money that should have gone to
our
daughters!”

“I have told you several times now that I am not Jordy’s father. I felt sorry for the girl, and yes, I did ask if we could take her in when Hermione passed away, but you were so adamant against it that I dropped it to keep peace. Vickie, I have never slept with anyone but you. That is the simple truth.”

“It’s a lie, Ferd! A big, fat lie! I have eyes. That girl looks just like Amanda, but with the devil’s red hair!”

“Jordy doesn’t look a thing like Mandy! Are you losing your mind?” Ferd’s first instinct was to try and convince his wife that she was imagining things. He’d been keeping his brother’s secret since before Jordy was born, and it had never once occurred to him that his own wife would see a family resemblance and make too much of it.

“Then tell me why you haven’t shared my bed for the last fifteen years?” she demanded.

“Because you kicked me out of our bed. You said it was too painful, so I started sleeping in the guest room.”

“It was too painful because I was hurt and ashamed that you had a child outside our marriage!” she screamed at him.

“Stop screaming or I will paddle you again, and if you could see your butt, you would quiet immediately. Victoria, you are the
only
woman I have ever touched in that manner. Jordy’s mother was never attracted to me. She had eyes for one man and that was it. Vickie, I would never cheat on you. The only reason I stopped making love to you was because you said it hurt too much, and I was sure I was causing you terrible pain. I had no idea until today that you thought I cheated on you.”

“That girl looks like our daughter.”

“She should,” he said, and then he looked away, defeated. He could no longer keep the secret that had tormented him for years. “Vickie, Jordy is my niece, not my daughter. My brother is the one who had an affair with Jordy’s mother and Jordy was the result of that. The man she thinks her father… he only married her mother to give the girl a last name. My brother paid him to claim Jordy as his own. Hermione knew the truth, but she loved Jordy and raised her. Amos never made it right, and he died with his lies on his conscience. Jordy is my niece. I’ve only ever loved you.”

The look on Vickie’s face came close to breaking his heart. She was trying to put it all together in her mind, and she was suddenly crying.

“I’m sorry, Ferdy. Oh, I am so sorry! I am sorry as can be! I’ve spent so much time trying to make you miserable and to punish you, and you did nothing wrong! I understand now. How can you ever forgive me?” she wanted to know, anguish in her eyes and in her voice. “I am so sorry!” After a couple more sobs she said, “This is why you and Amos couldn’t stand to be together in the same room. You wanted him to accept responsibility, but he was afraid of tarnishing his reputation. Your father would have taken a buggy whip to him!”

“Pa couldn’t abide deceit, and once Amos died, I decided it was pointless to hurt Jordy with the truth. I did slip her money now and then, but if I’d known what you were thinking and feeling, I would have told you the truth years ago. I do love you, Victoria. I want things to be like they were when we first married. Do you think you can forgive this fool for not confiding in you sooner?”

“You are forgiven, Ferdy,” she said with a huge smile for him. “Do you think you can forgive me for accusing you of something that is so against your character? I promise you I am very sorry.”

“You are forgiven, my love.”

“Thank you. I am so ashamed of telling lies about Jordan to anyone who would listen. I will make a public apology in church next Sunday. And, I will apologize to Jordan, and to that man, if you think I should?”

“I think it only fair, sweetheart, but I will be with you and hold your hand. I am so proud of you.”

Victoria lowered her eyes and looked at the floor. “Is my punishment over? Or are you going to give me the spanking you promised? I know I earned another session, and I would like to get it over with so that I can move your belongings back into our bedroom. I want us to be together again, Ferdy. I know I’m not as slender as I used to be, but…”

“I don’t have as much hair as I used to, and your cooking has made my waist thicker. I would love to share our bed again. As for your punishment, I will leave it up to you. Do you need another spanking in order to forgive yourself?”

“Yes, I do,” she truthfully admitted.

Otis was whistling again, and his eyes were shining with happiness. Six months had passed since he met Sophie, and Jordan was positive he was planning to ask the woman to marry him. He turned and saw her looking at him with a smile on her face. “What you smilin’ at, Missy?” he wanted to know.

“I am smiling as I wonder when you plan to ask Sophie to marry you?”

“I done ast her, and she said yes. I need to make sure y’all don’t mind me bringin’ a wife to live here, too?

“We would love to have her come here, Otis!” she immediately agreed. Then she spotted Cray and motioned for him to come to them.

“What’s up?” he asked. His sweet wife was so rounded with their child that he was positive she conceived the very first time they made love. She also insisted they were having a girl. He would be happy with a healthy baby and wife, and he honestly didn’t care if the baby was a girl or a boy. “Is it time?” he suddenly asked.

She giggled. “No, silly. It is time for Otis and Sophie to get married! He proposed and she accepted!”

“I wanted to ask if you cared she come to live here, too?”

“Of course she’ll come here to live. She’ll be your wife, man! Congratulations, and if there is anything you need, let us know. I do think we need to build a new bed for your bedroom. The one in there now isn’t big enough for you both.”

“I agree, darling. And the kitchen could use some new cupboards to store dishes and food.”

“The table is small, too,” Cray added.

“I don’t ‘spect you to go all silly now.”

“You are a good friend, Otis. We want you to be happy,” Jordy claimed.

“I is happy,” he stated.

“I am, too,” Cray and Jordan said at the same time, and then the three of them laughed.

“You aren’t doing too much, are you, Mrs. McCormick?” Cray asked her before returning to his own work.

“No, I’m not,” she hastily answered.

He looked at her, winked, and said, “How about it, friend? Is this young lady telling me the truth?”

“She shore is, Mister Cray. I been keepin’ an eye on Missy.”

“Thank you. I don’t want to have to spank her right now, but I will if she tests me, won’t I, sweetheart?” he asked in a gentle tone that brought color to her cheeks.

“I have no intention of testing you, darling. I love this baby, too.”

“I love you,” he whispered, and then hurried to get back to work.

“I better go, too, Missy. You sit here on the porch and rest.”

“I will, Otis.”

The problem with Jordan was that she was used to being busy, and she’d forgotten her knitting and left it at home. Still, she had to obey her husband or he really would spank her. She’d learned that the hard way a short time after seeing Doc and making sure she really was pregnant. Doc told her what she could and couldn’t do, and while she was sitting in his office planning and plotting to do precisely what she wanted, Doc was answering all of Cray’s questions, and Cray had so many of those that she didn’t listen to the conversation. If she had, she might not have done what she did…

It was time to put a saddle on Juniper’s back for the first time, and even though Otis was busy elsewhere, Jordy was going to go ahead and start the process. Juniper was a good horse, and she trusted him enough that she felt safe working with him even though she was pregnant. Jordan wasn’t going to baby herself just because she was expecting a child.

Jordan spoke softly to Juniper and thought he was calm, but when she placed the saddle on him, Juniper went crazy. He pushed her against the rails of the corral, and might have harmed her if not for Otis. He lifted her out of there and then he shook his finger at her.

Jordan tried to joke him out of being upset with her, but it didn’t work. The big man took her home, found Cray, and told him precisely what nearly happened. Cray was as vocal as Otis was quiet. He thanked Otis for saving her life, and then sent him on his way. When Cray turned on her, Jordan suddenly felt very small and very young. Cray sat her on a kitchen chair in front of him, and then he scolded her for several very long minutes, asking her things like, ‘How would you feel right now if Juniper shoved you so hard you lost our baby?’ ‘How do you think I would feel if both you and our child were killed?’ The scolding went on and on until she felt thoroughly chastised, and then Cray told her to go into the bedroom and prepare for a spanking.

Jordan was confused. How did one go about preparing for a spanking? When Cray saw the look on her face, he said, “Take off your clothing, Jordan, and put on a nightdress. After I spank you, you will be spending the rest of the day in bed.”

“No! I’m not going to bed now! Do you know what time it is?”

“Yes, I know what time it is, and you are going to go to bed. I want you to know what it feels like to do absolutely nothing for the rest of this day. Perhaps then you will find ways to stay busy without harming our child.”

“I wasn’t in danger,” she denied.

“Did you hear what Otis told me? Was it the truth? Did he lie to me?”

“No, of course he didn’t lie, but he was overly concerned.”

“I am thankful he was ‘overly concerned’, wife. Now go and change and get ready for your spanking. Make no mistake about it, you are going to bed afterwards and you will be happy to do so.”

“But, a spanking could be dangerous!”

“I already talked to Doc, remember? He said that as long as I wasn’t overly rough in handling you, the spanking would only heat your backside and the baby won’t feel a thing! This punishment is going to happen, Jordan McCormick. Now move,” he ordered, whacking the seat of her pants, which were already too tight to button all the way.

Jordy needed the time to think of some argument that would save her. Cray didn’t spank often, but when he did, he meant it. She certainly didn’t try to anger him, but occasionally she forgot herself and bad language slipped out, and he spanked her soundly with his hand. One time he laughed at something she said, and it angered her. She dumped his soup over his head, and once he cleaned up, he paddled her with a slat from a crate. It was a painful lesson in learning to control her temper.

Jordan wanted to ask him for pardon, but she doubted Cray would grant it. Still, she was going to ask. She didn’t want a spanking. She’d barely finished pulling her nightdress over her head when Cray walked into the bedroom. “Cray, I know now that I was wrong, and I admit it. I am sorry, and I promise it won’t happen again. I just wasn’t thinking, and I am thankful that Otis was there to help me. I’m sorry I frightened him, and that I frightened you. Please forgive me.”

“You are forgiven, but you are still going to be punished. You need a firm punishment to remind you that you must think of the baby before doing something so dangerous.”

“No, I don’t need a spanking to remind me. I am a grown woman and I will remember on my own. I give you my word.”

“I believe you mean that, but I would be a lousy husband if I let you escape the consequences you’ve earned. No more arguing. It won’t work, and you are close to earning another punishment on top of this one. Come here and lie over my left thigh.” He patted his leg to show her where he wanted her. Jordan wanted to run, but she had the babe to think of. She went to him and didn’t struggle when he arranged her over his knee. Cray pushed up her gown to bare her, and then he wrapped his arm around her waist and pinned her right arm to her side. His right leg went over her calves to hold her in place so that she couldn’t kick and throw herself around. He wasn’t going to let her thrash around and cause a spank to land where it shouldn’t. The first spank landed on her right cheek, and the second and third on the same exact spot. He was spanking her in sets of three, all to the same spot.

“Ow! Ow! Owwww!” Jordan couldn’t prevent herself from crying out with each spank. It really hurt. “Please, Cray! I’ve learned my lesson.”

“Then you may get up and bring me your hairbrush,” he said firmly.

“Oh no! Your hand hurts too much and a hairbrush will kill me!”

The look he gave her was one of tolerance. “I suggest you get up and get your hairbrush from your vanity, or the consequences will be very unpleasant.”

“They are already unpleasant, honey! I can’t stand this. Honest! Please don’t spank me anymore. I promise you I have learned my lesson. I won’t risk our baby again.”

“I promise you will keep that promise after a session with your hairbrush. Now, are you going to go and get it, or do I get it and double the spanking you are going to get?”

“No! You wouldn’t!” she gasped in fear.

Cray knew she wasn’t daring him, and he felt sorry for her. It pained him to punish her while she was pregnant, but he would rather do it now
–
before she harmed herself and their innocent babe. Jordan needed a firm lesson. “I will if you don’t move right this minute, now!”

Jordan got up and went to get her hairbrush. It had a wooden back and she knew it was going to hurt on her delicate skin. She handed it to Cray. “Please, Cray. Not too many. I am in serious pain already. I give you my word I won’t do this again.”

“I believe you, but what I do now is to give you every reason to remember your promise when you get bored, and feel you have nothing worthwhile to do. As far as I am concerned, the only worthwhile thing you need to do right now is protect yourself and our baby. Do you hear me?” he asked as he arranged her for the rest of her spanking.

“Yes, darling, I hear you. This is not necessary. I will obey you.”

Cray didn’t answer, but allowed her hairbrush to speak for him. The spanks were slow and deliberate, and he took his time in the giving, wanting her to feel each one and dread the next. All in all, he gave her thirty hard spanks, most of them right to her sit spots where she would feel them every time she sat for the next few days. A ride to church on the wagon seat, and then sitting on their pew was going to be arduous at best, but if it convinced her he was serious about her keeping her promise, then it would be worth the pain it gave him to be so firm.

Jordan was spent and sobbing by the time the terrible spanking ended. Cray picked her up, and then turned down the covers and put her between them with firm orders to remain in bed for the day. He wanted her to experience how it felt to do nothing at all, and then perhaps she would know the difference between sitting on the porch for a bit each day, and tending to her household chores, and leaving the colts and training the horses to Otis and him. He hoped that being firm right now would keep this from being necessary another time.

Once she was safely tucked into bed, Cray went out to the barn and cried. It might be unmanly, but it hurt like hell to spank his pregnant wife when all he really wanted to do was hold her and give thanks to God that she was safe. And that is where she found him a few minutes later.

“Cray, what is wrong?” she asked, immediately wrapping her arms around him to hug him tightly.

“I thought I told you to stay in bed, young lady!”

“You did, and I will go right back there, but I needed to say ‘thank you’ and tell you how sorry I am for risking our baby. I was wrong, and you were right to insist on punishment. I’m so sorry I acted like a baby.” She hugged him again. “Please, darling, what is wrong?” she asked.

“I spanked my pregnant wife and it hurts really bad,” he admitted. “I love you, Jordan, and the thought of your being hurt or even killed by Juniper scared me to the point of bringing me to my knees. Of course I forgive you, but please, honey… Don’t make me do that again.”

“I won’t. Oh, darling, I won’t.”

And she hadn’t and wouldn’t do that again. The one other thing that got her in trouble wasn’t really her fault, but Cray swatted her for doing it and made her apologize. She’d shoved Vickie Fairchild into the horse trough in front of the church. Vickie had sputtered and then she laughed and said she deserved it. To Jordan’s amazement the woman apologized for the things she’d said and admitted they were untrue. She looked at Ferd and asked, “Could we?”

“I believe it would be best,” he said with a smile for his wife. He then looked at Cray and asked, “Would you both be home this afternoon so that Vickie and I could speak of a private matter?”

Jordan wanted to say ‘no’, but Cray answered, “Yes, please plan to come and eat with us.”

Jordan wanted to shoot her husband, but instead she bit her tongue all the way home. “Why did you tell them they could come here? I certainly do not want to cook for that woman.”

“She apologized, wife, and that after you shoved her into a water trough wearing her Sunday best. You earned a good spanking for that, young lady. I told you I would handle the matter, and I did.”

“Did you bother to tell me that, Cray? No!”

“That doesn’t matter, wife. You do not shove people into a water trough like you did. It was childish and unladylike.”

“And making up horrid lies about Otis and me wasn’t?” she demanded, feeling very safe since they were still traveling home on the wagon.

“Vickie was punished with a razor strop for that. She approached you to apologize, and you didn’t even give her a chance to speak.”

Jordan fumed the rest of the way home, and when they did arrive, Cray helped her down and marched her inside the house, and over to the cupboard where she kept her wooden spoons. He took the medium sized one and bent her over his arm and gave her several hearty spanks with the spoon. “This isn’t fair!” Jordan accused.