The Rancher's Bride (3 page)

“Is Marie your Mama?” Frank looked at both boys sternly as they each glanced at Marie for something—direction, assent, she wasn’t sure.

It took all she had to smile at them and nod encouragingly.

“Jack. Henry.”

They both turned back to Frank at his bidding.

“Answer the question.”

They seemed to shake their little heads at exactly the same time.

“No, sir, she isn’t.” Jack, being the elder of the two, spoke for them both, as he always did. “But she treats us like she was our mama.” Jack was starting to cry now too. Henry hadn’t really stopped. “She’s been awful good to us and we love her.”

Henry then ran over to where Marie stood and threw himself against her. He wrapped his little arms tight around her. “Sorrrrryyyy!” Henry cried into her apron. “I’m sorry I spoiled the secret.”

Marie knelt in front of him. “Shush, shush, sweetie, it’s okay.” She hugged him tight. “It’s okay. You didn’t do anything wrong. This was all my fault.”

Jack then joined them (Marie hadn’t seen Frank motion for him to go to her) and Marie was hugging them both and crying. It wasn’t very long at all before Emmeline picked up on the mood in the room and began crying herself. Frank was the only one who wasn’t crying.

He picked the baby up from where she had been playing on the floor and addressed Marie. “I’m going to calm her down and put her in her crib for a bit to rest.” He paused as the group on the floor all stopped crying to look at him as he spoke. “I want you to bring the boys upstairs to their room in a few minutes. I’d like to speak with them privately.”

What does he mean by ‘speak with them?’
Marie thought. He had told them if they told the truth they wouldn’t be punished. She sincerely hoped that he was a man of his word.

Marie stayed in the kitchen with the two boys for a while, calming them down and drying their tears. But she was a nervous mess on the inside. She could not read this man at all and had no idea what he meant to do. Would he punish the boys? Would he throw them all out on the street?

Finally not able to wait any longer, Marie ushered the boys up to their room and sat on Jack’s bed with them, waiting for Frank. When he came to the doorway, she practically jumped out of her skin, she was so nervous at that point.

“Marie, I’ll ask that you go back down to the kitchen and tend to the food. Make sure none of that fine dinner I smelled when I first came in gets ruined. I don’t cotton to wasting food when there are so many going without these days.” Frank looked at Marie and raised one eyebrow. “Plus, I’d like to speak to the boys alone.”

The boys looked nervous and Marie was hesitant to leave them.

“Now, young lady.” Frank’s tone was harsher and brooked no refusal.

Marie squeezed the boys’ hands and left the room.

* * *

Back in the kitchen, Marie checked on all the dishes. Nothing was burned, yet, but if they didn’t eat soon, it would all be a bit dried out. But dinner was really not concerning her at the moment.

The room that the boys shared was above the parlor and Marie kept going to stand in the room, trying to hear if Frank was actually physically punishing them. She would intervene if she heard something that disturbed her. But she didn’t hear anything save for the soft sound of voices, a deeper voice and two higher voices—Frank and the boys. He was talking to them.

Suddenly the voices stopped and she heard heavy footsteps on the stairs. Marie raced back to the kitchen so as not to be caught eavesdropping. When Frank entered the kitchen, she was adding some milk to the potatoes.

He stood in the threshold of the door to the kitchen and folded his arms over his chest. “I’d like to hear your version of the truth now, girl.”

Marie whirled around from her place at the stove and immediately began to stammer. “I…I…um…” She couldn’t get a sentence out. He was more than a bit intimidating standing there with his arms crossed.

“That’s what I thought,” Frank said as he pulled a chair out and set it in the middle of the kitchen. “Tells me all I need to know.” He then sat down and, looking straight at Marie, patted his lap. “C’mon then.”

Marie got a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach when she realized that he meant to physically punish her. “Did you punish the boys?” She just had to know.

He shook his head. “I am a man of my word, young lady.” He looked at her with what appeared to be disappointment. “I told them two boys if they told the truth they would not be punished. And I meant it.” Frank paused for a moment, seeming to be choosing his words. “And if I don’t miss my guess, those boys didn’t think to lie to me on their own. Someone told them to do it.”

Marie just stared at the floor, afraid to even look at Frank Carter. “Are you going to put us out?” She glanced up at him in time to see him look out the window for a moment, and then right in Marie’s eyes. He was choosing his words again.

“Later on, after all the young’uns are asleep, you and me is gonna have a long talk about things, how they’ve been and how they’re going to be. I am not going to put any of you out. You have a job here and all three of you have a home here.”

Frank rubbed the palms of his hands on his hard thighs, a gesture not lost on Marie. “Right now, Emme is napping in her crib and the boys are playing quietly in their room. I told them not to come downstairs until I came to get them for supper. I want you to be clear on how I run things in my home. I am fair and just. But I don’t take kindly to lying. You lied to me, Marie. And I’m going to punish you for it.” Frank then patted his lap again, a grim and determined look on his face. “Come here.”

“Are you fixin’ to spank me?” Marie shook her head. “I’m not a child, Mr. Carter.”

“I’m not going to talk any more about this, young lady.”

He sounded really serious. He didn’t really mean it…did he? Maybe he was just trying to scare her.

“If I have to come and get you, then I’m going to bare your bottom.”

Marie just stood there, shaking her head in disbelief. He couldn’t really mean to punish her that way, could he? Spanking was for children. She had thought he might sternly lecture her or take some of her wages away. But this…

With that, Frank rose from the chair, interrupting her thoughts with his swift movement.

One minute she was standing by the stove, pondering her punishment, the next she was face down over Frank Carter’s strong thighs, feeling the hem of her dress being lifted up and pulled toward her waist. She came to her senses then.

“No!” Marie tried to reach back to pull the dress back down. It was an exercise in futility. “Please, Mr. Carter, please! Leave my dress down.”

He not only ignored her as he gathered the dress at her waist and held the fabric in place with the same hand that held her in place, but he then proceeded to pull down her drawers, down to her knees, rendering her completely naked from her waist to her knees. Then he started spanking her bare behind with his hard, calloused hand.

Marie was horrified. Her entire backside was completely bare! He had no right to take her clothes down; it just didn’t seem decent. But Marie was in no position to argue that point with him. He had her pinned to his lap and, even though she was bucking and squirming to be released, she could hardly move. He was very strong and she was no match for him.

And, by golly, did his hand hurt! It felt like his huge hand covered her entire backside. And he spanked hard. If he hadn’t been holding her so firmly, she felt as if she might just go head first off his lap every time his hand connected with her behind. Marie felt the tears threatening and she wasn’t sure if she could hold back much longer.

“Please, Mr. Carter…” she begged. “Please stop. It hurts! You’re hurting me!”

“A spanking, if’n it’s done right, is supposed to hurt, girl.” Frank had stopped spanking to speak, so then he gave her behind two hard spanks for emphasis. “I want you to understand how things are here in my home.” Two more spanks. Marie’s backside was red and hot, but it seemed Frank wasn’t done yet.

“I…I…can’t take any moooorrre!” Marie finally burst into full sobs, the tears running down her face.

Frank shifted her a bit forward and started spanking her sit spot, where her behind met her legs.

Marie grabbed at the chair legs and held on tight. “Pu…pu…leeeze… Mr. Carter…” Marie could hardly get the words out she was crying so hard. “P…p…please. It h-h-hurts…”

Frank just kept spanking, moving his attention down a bit now to her thighs.

It seemed that Frank was intent on making sure that the entirety of her hind quarters was red and tender and well-spanked. Marie couldn’t even remember the last time she had been punished thusly. And she definitely did not recall that it hurt this much.

“I will not tolerate any lying in this house, to me or anyone for that matter.” Frank’s hand firmly spanked Marie’s thighs. “Do I make myself clear?”

Frank did not stop spanking so that Marie could answer and she was having trouble dealing with the pain and speaking at the same time.

“Answer me, girl.”

“Owww… ye-e-s. Y-y-yes, sir.”

Marie hung limply over Frank Carter’s lap, having lost the strength to fight any more. She just cried out every time his hand connected with her back end. With every hard spank of Frank’s hand, she wished with all her might that it was the last one. It just hurt so much.

Finally, Frank stopped spanking, although it took Marie a moment to realize that he had, in fact, stopped. She was crying so hard she didn’t notice at first. But when she tried to get up off his lap, she felt a strong hand at her lower back, holding her down.

“Hold on, there, young lady, hold on.”

Marie felt a brief momentary panic when Frank wouldn’t let her up. She thought he was going to continue with the spanking. “Please,” she cried. “No more, Mr. Carter, please. I don’t think I can take it.” Marie cried pitifully. She was not above begging him.

“The spanking’s over and done with, Marie. But you’ll be allowed up when I say so, and not a moment before. Is that clear?”

Marie felt Frank Carter’s hand rub her back gently, even as he held her in place. “Yes, sir, Mr. Carter.” Marie lay over Frank Carter’s lap, with her entire behind on fire, chastised, and yet feeling strangely cared for and protected at the same time, as if Frank Carter could keep her safe even from herself.

“I want you to understand the fact that I make the rules here and anyone living under this roof needs to follow them. If you break a rule, your punishment will be swift and certain, as you just found out.” Frank paused. “This is my way of running things here in my house.”

Frank then lifted a limp and tearful Marie from his lap, after pulling her drawers back up over her raw behind and pulling her dress back down over them. Her face was almost as red and swollen as her hind quarters had been and Frank pulled a clean rag from his back pocket and helped her to dry her tears.

“Some folks might say I’m a bit old-fashioned in my thinkin’, but it don’t really matter to me what other folks think. I believe that the man is the head of the house and should be obeyed.”

Marie just stood, rooted to the spot directly in front of Frank, her eyes downcast as he spoke.

“I expect that we’ll still have a long talk later, and you have some time to take in what just happened here. In the meantime, I think it best if you get yourself to the bathroom and put some cold water on your face. That should help. I’ll get the young’uns down and settled for supper and help with whatever needs doing.”

Marie didn’t move.

“Go on, now, girl,” Frank urged her. “Go get yourself together so’s we can eat supper.”

Marie, still staring at the floor, whispered something.

Frank took hold of her chin and lifted her face. “Marie.” Frank’s voice was stern as usual. “Look at me.”

Marie forced herself to raise her eyes until she was looking directly at him. She really didn’t want to look at his face and see the disappointment that she was sure she would find there. But he didn’t look disappointed; he looked calm. His commanding voice belied his placid demeanor.

Frank only had to raise his eyebrow in question, and Marie’s tears began again.

“I’m sorry,” she cried softly as she spoke. “I’m sorry about the lie.” The tears streamed silently down her face as she looked directly into Frank’s eyes, hoping to see some forgiveness there.

Frank took the rag from Marie’s hand and attempted again to dry her tears. Then, to her complete surprise, he leaned forward and kissed her forehead gently. “It’s over now. You took your punishment and it’s forgiven.” Frank brushed the hair back from her tear-soaked face. “Now go get cleaned up for supper.” He turned her around then and gently pushed her in the direction of the bathroom.

She went without further delay.

* * *

Later that evening, after all three children were asleep in their beds, Frank sat Marie down at the kitchen table for a talk. He wanted to make sure that she understood the rules here and the consequences. She could choose to leave if his way of running things didn’t agree with her—although he sincerely hoped she would stay.

Marie shifted in the hard wooden chair. Frank fetched a soft pillow from the couch in the front parlor and gave it to her to sit upon. It did seem to help, but it seemed to embarrass her too. Marie stared down at her folded hands on the table in front of her.

“Now, how is it that you came to havin’ those two boys to take care of?” Frank started. “You’re not much more’n a child yourself, girl.”

Marie stuck her chin up at this statement. “I’m an adult, Mr. Carter. And I’m old enough to have had them two boys myself.” She looked quickly down at her hands again and Frank suppressed a smile at the blush he saw creeping up her neck into her cheeks. He knew right then that she was innocent of the ways of a man and woman in the bedroom and had most certainly never been with a man. Not that that knowledge surprised him, since everything about her already seemed pure and innocent. Frank knew she couldn’t hide herself that way even if she tried. “‘Ceptin’ I didn’t.”

“Well, whose children are they?” Frank thought he deserved an explanation of the situation and her excuse for feeling that she needed to lie to him. And it better be good. He had no qualms about spanking her again if he thought she was still lying.