Peppermint Sticks for Susie (11 page)

"That never occurred to me, Alex. Now that Lefty has been caught I'm safe. I didn't think it would hurt to raise the window and let some cooler air into the room. I wouldn't have done it if I thought you would be worried!"

She was telling the truth and he could see it. Still, she was in a great deal of trouble with him. "Alma discovered your weren't in your room and she told Peter. Peter got out of bed and came looking for me because he was afraid for you. You owe him and Alma a big apology," he scolded.

"I'm so sorry, Alex. I had no idea they would look in on me; not after you said not to!" She bowed her head, and when she looked up at Alex, she had tears running down her cheeks. "I will apologize as soon as I get back. I'm ashamed of worrying them... and you. I was acting like a spoiled child who didn't get her way."

"I'll take you back to the Beckley's and then I will go after those two men. You are confined to your room. Is that understood?"

"Yes, sir."

"If I am not back by the time you need to go to work, then you will ask Alma or Peter to walk you there. Is that understood?"

"Yes, sir."

"We will be discussing this incident in great detail when I return."

"Can't you just accept my apology this time, Alex? I know how wrong I was, and I feel terrible already. I can't handle another spanking right now. I can't. I might deserve one, but I surely don't want one. I'm already as sorry as can be."

"Come here, young lady. I'm going to take you home, and you are going to take off these pants and promise me you will never wear them again. It is downright insulting to me as your man to see you in a pair of britches with a gun strapped around your body. Never again, Jennifer."

"This is the first time I've worn them since my parents died, Alex. I just didn't want to be recognized or bothered. I used to wear them when I was a kid because I could run around and no one would know it was me. I had to escape the house for a while... I was upset and I needed to think things through. I didn't mean any insult towards you; I'm sorry if it seemed that way."

"Never again, Jennifer," he repeated his words, wanting her promise on the matter.

"Never again, Alex," she immediately promised him, her voice steady.

"Let's go." He picked her up and placed her on the front of his saddle. He then mounted and wrapped his arms around her to make sure she wouldn't fall off. He hurried back to town, very much aware that Jennifer was not enjoying the ride.

Her bottom was bouncing on the saddle in front of Alex and it hurt! She wanted to beg him to stop and allow her to walk, but, she feared opening her mouth would only encourage him to punish her. The ride took less time than it did in the buggy, and she was thankful they didn't have to ride through town where folks could see her. She was amazed at how shamed she felt by the way she was dressed. It was time to burn the pants. Jennifer would keep her father's gun, of course... but she wouldn't wear it around her hips again. Not if it upset Alex, and not if it made her feel less than a woman. "Owwwww!" a complaint finally escaped her lips. "Please, Alex. I am so sore this is truly unbearable! Allow me to walk, please!"

"If you had stayed in your room and worked on your essay, then this would not be a problem, would it?"

"No, but I didn't, and it is, and it really hurts! I have welts that are raw; they feel like bad scratches that are all red and hurt each time I move. Please stop and let me get down."

"No. You will endure this and whatever other punishments I give you, and believe me, Jennifer, you are going to be punished."

"I already feel punished." She said the words and then covered her face with her hands and cried hard. "It hurts too much," she groaned. "I cannot bear the pain."

"If you were in so much pain, you should have stayed home."

"Yes, I knooooow! Owwwww, owwww, owwwwww!" she wailed.

Alex was relieved when they rode up to the Beckley home. He dismounted and then helped Jenny get down. He walked her inside, and was surprised to see Peter sitting in a chair in the parlor.

"Miss Jenny, where have you been?" Peter demanded. "We have been very worried about you."

"I am so sorry, Peter. I didn't think I would be missed, and I didn't plan to be gone so long. I apologize for worrying you and for causing you to have to go and find Alex."

"I don't mind fetching Alex, but I do mind that you sneaked out a window. From now on when you leave this house you tell either Alma or me where you are going. It is just common sense and it helps us be accountable for you. Okay?" Her face was tear streaked and Peter just didn't have the heart to be any firmer with her,

"I give you my word I won't do this again. Please forgive me for being so inconsiderate this time. It really was rude and unforgiveable. I am ashamed of myself."

"I have a feeling that Alex will deal with that," Peter said calmly. "I am going to go and lie down now. Alex, I will instruct Alma to leave Jennifer alone until you find it appropriate for her to speak with Jenny."

"I would appreciate that, Peter, and thanks again for your help today."

"You are welcome, and thankfully Miss Jenny has suffered no lasting ill effects. We are fortunate, and I hope you know that, Miss Jenny...?" he couldn't resist scolding. "I hope you will not do this again."

"I won't, Peter. I give you my word."

Peter nodded in acceptance and then left them alone. The gaze that Alex turned on her was heated and Jennifer knew she was in a lot of trouble with the man. "I am still too angry to trust myself to deal with you, Jenny. Go to your room now."

Jenny felt her eyes burn with unshed tears as she whispered, "Are you going after those two men now?"

"Yes."

"Please be careful," she asked of him, and then she stood on tiptoe and kissed him before fleeing to her room and shutting the door. She threw herself face down on the bed and started crying in earnest.

Alex entered the room behind her and shut the window and put the thick wooden stick in the window again to prevent its being raised if someone somehow managed to get it unlocked. "You have an essay to write; I suggest you stop feeling sorry for yourself and get to it." He walked out, shutting the door firmly behind him, and he heard Jenny cry even harder. He shook his head. He hadn't even put a hand to her yet and she was already crying as if he'd murdered her! He reminded himself that dealing with the redhead would have to wait. He had two men to hunt down and interrogate.

* * *

"Jenny is still crying, Peter. She didn't even eat a bite of her food! I should go in and talk to her and try to quiet her before she makes herself ill."

"No, Alma. Miss Jenny is in trouble with her man and she knows it. I don't know how much is regret for her actions and how much is dread at the spanking she has earned, but I do know that I was asked to keep you from offering her any consolation."

"I cannot permit her to cry like that, Peter. It's simply wrong," Alma argued. "I can understand that what she did was foolish and wrong, but it is cruel to permit her to suffer as she is right now. You men have no idea how much it affects us when you are harsh. Alex's words have punished her more than a spanking would. She is hearing those words over and over again in her head and feeling unloved. She needs reassurance, Peter, not isolation. She at least needs to know that we are not upset with her and that she is forgiven."

"Alma, unless you want another spanking today, you will stay out of Jenny's room. Alex was specific, and I gave my word we would abide by his decisions regarding her. That is the end of it... unless you choose to disobey me...?"

"I won't, Peter," Alma promised. Earning a second spanking in one day was simply unthinkable!

* * *

Alex looked at the two dead men in disgust. He was too late to get any information from them. They'd been staked out and tortured and scalped... Probably to make it appear that Indians had done it. Alex knew better; the two had been discovered missing and killed for running away. He handled the burying of their bodies and then he headed back to town. Someone was going to great lengths to hide their actions, but Alex would find them.

In the meantime, he had an errant young lady to deal with. His temper had cooled considerably and by the time he got back to town it would be morning. He would have a word with Angus and see if the man could spare her long enough for Alex to impress upon her that he was not amused by her little stunt. If she'd been discovered hiding behind that rock, she would be dead right now, and he would feel as though his world had ended. Jenny needed a firm lesson, and she was going to get one.

Chapter Eight

Jennifer put herself together for work with great care. She was incredibly sore from the switching Alex gave her the day before, and the tightness across her sit spots made walking painful. Even the soft fabric of her drawers felt scratchy against her fragile skin. She had one silk petticoat, and she wore it in hopes her skirts would slide across it gently and not provide further irritation for her bottom. If anyone had told her she could be this sore from a punishment she would have laughed in disbelief, but she was, and it did not help matters to know that Alex was still furious with her. Finally, when she couldn't put it off any longer, she opened her door and walked to the kitchen. The cold cloths she'd applied to her face to try and hide the ravages of crying most of the night had helped some with the redness and swelling, but anyone who looked closely would know that she'd been crying her heart out. Jennifer did not want to go to work, but Mr. MacGregor had given her most of yesterday off, and it would not be fair to ask that of him two days in a row.

"Good morning, Jenny," Alma greeted her. "Do you feel better this morning?" she asked, noting that Jenny's hair was pulled back more severely than usual, and her clothing was not what she normally wore. She was dressed somberly, and Alma wanted to cry for her. Jenny's fun-loving spirit was crushed and she blamed Peter for not allowing her to go to Jenny and offer her some reassurance.

"I am fine, Alma. I want to apologize to you for worrying you and Peter yesterday. I was rude and inconsiderate of your feelings, and I regret causing you to worry."

"You're forgiven, and I don't want you to give it another thought. You simply needed to take a walk to think things through. I've done that myself on more than one occasion. Now, please, sit down and I'll get your breakfast," she offered.

"I think a cup of coffee is all I want, Alma. My stomach is upset and I'm afraid to eat much of anything. Besides, I can't sit down. I'm raw from the switching Alex gave me yesterday."

"I'm sorry!" Alma said with sympathy. "I wish there was something I could do... Peter wouldn't allow me to come in and talk to you last evening; I felt so bad for you and wanted to do something, but..."

"It's alright, Alma. I wouldn't want you to get into trouble because of me. I am in enough trouble for both of us, believe me." Her eyes filled with tears again, and she quickly dropped her gaze and added cream and sugar to her coffee. She did not want the added humiliation of crying in front of the other woman. "If Alex does not come within a few minutes would you be able to walk to the store with me, Alma? Alex still fears for me even though Lefty has been locked up."

"Of course I will," she agreed, wondering if she could get to the Mercantile and back before Peter missed her? He would not like it if she went ahead and inserted herself into a situation that might be dangerous, even though she couldn't imagine what it could possibly be. Lefty was locked behind bars and as far as she knew, Jenny was safe. Still, Peter had already made his view on the subject known.

Jenny sipped her coffee while looking out the side window and watching Mrs. Nelson hang her first load of wash for the day. It was a beautiful day and the sheets would smell so fresh after drying them in the sunshine. Pretty soon the hot brew was all gone. She crossed the kitchen to help herself to a bit more and just as she did she heard Alex's step on the porch. He politely tapped on the door and then came inside.

Alex greeted Alma politely and noticed how stiffly Jennifer held herself. She was clearly still upset, and it was just one more thing he would deal with, he decided. "Jennifer, are you going to say good morning, or are you still pouting?"

"She is not pouting, Alex Martin," Alma shocked him by scolding him sharply. "She is in terrible pain this morning and her stomach is so upset she cannot even eat...! And that is all your fault because you left her crying in her room all alone all night long. That was so cruel of you and--"

"Alma, that is more than enough. Go to our room and wait for me there." Peter's voice was angry and his blue eyes told her that he meant to spank her again. She'd interfered after he'd warned her not to. She turned and ran from the kitchen.

"I'm sorry, Alex. Alma was told to keep her opinions to herself." He pointed toward the table. "Please help yourself to breakfast," he invited.

"Thanks, Alex, but I need to see Jenny to work. Are you ready to leave?" he asked the redhead, noting that she didn't look 'right' somehow.

Jennifer nodded and then picked up her shawl and wrapped it around her shoulders. "Good bye, Peter. Please don't be upset with Alma. She was only trying to protect me."

"'Protect you...?'" Alex sputtered in disbelief. "From me?" he demanded. The answer he got was for Jenny to walk through the door and out onto the front porch without him. "Women!" he muttered, giving Peter a look that conveyed his disbelief.

"They do not think as men do, and that is a certainty, friend." Peter was not looking forward to having a talk with his own wife.

"Amen to that, Peter," Alex muttered as he hurried after Jennifer.

Peter got to his feet and went to check on Susie. She was still sleeping soundly and would for at least another hour if she wasn't disturbed. He then went to the bedroom he shared with Alma and found her sitting on the bed and crying. "Alma, did I not warn you against meddling?"

"Peter, you did not see Jenny this morning, or hear how dejected she sounded."