Peppermint Sticks for Susie (5 page)

"Oh no! I mean it, Alex! No!"

"Yes." Alex grabbed her arm before she could run away, and he pulled out one of the chairs from the kitchen table.

"No, Alex! This isn't fair!" Jenny insisted as he slowly took a seat and pulled her toward him.

"Did I tell you there would be consequences if you weren't at the boarding house waiting for me?" Alex asked of her.

"But, I told you I didn't want to go with you!"

"I told you I would be there and that you had better be waiting for me. You weren't, and now you're going to get a spanking, Miss Jenny. I expect to be obeyed when I tell you something."

"I'm still sore from last night! Ouch!" she squealed as his hand found her bottom, leaving a handprint on her delicate skin.

"Don't remind me about that window being wide open, little girl. What if Lefty had come through that window instead of me? All I did was give you a little spanking, which you earned young lady." Alex kept right on spanking and Jenny kept right on scolding him and telling him to stop. "Don't you think it would be smart to change your tone of voice?" he asked, pausing to give her time to think. "Don't you think it would be smart to tell me that you're sorry for using the Preacher to make me jealous?"

"I didn't mean to do that!" she exclaimed, trying to look over her shoulder at him. "I didn't! I never dreamed you would actually show up for me!" That earned her several very hard spanks that landed where she was most tender. "Owww! Owwww! Owwww!"

"That is a fib, Miss Jenny, and you know it." He spanked her again and then again. "Now admit it and tell me you are sorry." He continued spanking her and her bottom felt like it was on fire! Each spank hurt more than the one preceding. "Do I need to toss up your skirts?" he asked.

"No!" she immediately protested. "I'm sorry! I knew you would come, but I didn't like it that you didn't ask! You just told me, Alex Martin, and after you treated me so badly last evening!"

"I see. You were trying to punish me for taking you to task for your attitude, and then for leaving your window wide open and unlocked." Alex sounded grim.

"You don't have the right to be doing this. We don't really know each other," she attempted to explain. "You are too pushy, but I suspect that comes from being a U. S. Marshal," she told him.

Alex couldn't help grinning. "I suspect it does, Miss Jenny. Now then, I guess I should have asked you properly to come with me today, and I will ask the next time. Agreed?"

"You only asked for a week, Alex. It will be over by next Sunday."

"True, but I intend to ask you out each and every day between now and then," he assured her.

"Oh my!"

"Are you sorry now for going with that Preacher instead of with me?"

"No!" She wasn't sorry. "I enjoyed going with him, but I am sorry I didn't tell him no today since I knew you were coming for me."

"Okay, that is a start. We still have another matter to take care of, and we'll need to cut a couple of switches to deal with that!" He put her on her feet and she looked up at him in horror, her green eyes open wide.

"Please, Alex... I'm sorry I kicked you last night. I didn't even know I was going to do it until it was done. I really am sorry. I've never done that before." She couldn't handle a switching on top of her poor, sore, stinging backside. "Please don't switch me. I promise I won't ever do that again."

To her surprise he leaned down and kissed her gently on her lips, making them tingle like crazy. "That is all I wanted, honey. Thank you for saying 'sorry' on your own." They both jumped when they heard laughter. Alex immediately shoved her behind him to protect her as he went for his gun, but no one was there! He pushed her down under the table and said, "You stay put, Jenny," he ordered and then went to see who was in the house besides them. He found no one.

When he went back he noticed that Jenny's face was practically white. "Are you alright, Jenny?" He put his arm around her and held her close.

"It was Kieran O'Malley's ghost," she whispered, clearly frightened.

"Well, if it was, he wasn't upset with us. I heard laughter; didn't you?" He wanted to be sure they each heard the same thing.

"Yes, it was a man's laughter. It was right here in the kitchen."

"I thought so, too," he nodded, starting to feel a bit silly.

"I want to leave now, Alex. Please...?"

"I agree. It's time to go. Honey, remember, I don't want you to tell anyone we were here, even if someone asks and you are positive you can trust them. This needs to be our secret for now."

"I understand," she agreed. By then they were in the hallway right in front of the front door. She glanced behind her and let out a small scream and jumped closer to Alex.

"What is it, Jenny?" He whirled, ready to do battle. He thought he saw a figure at the top of the steps, but when he blinked, it was gone.

"I saw a ghost!" she told him. "I did!"

"I think we should leave, honey." He opened the door to usher her outside and then heard an eerie voice say, "Come back anytime..."

"See, it was Mr. O'Malley. He must know that you are here to get rid of the rustlers," Jenny insisted.

"Honey, I'm sure there is a reasonable explanation."

"What is it then?" she asked.

"I don't know yet," he admitted. "Did you hear anything when we left?"

"Yes, the same thing you did. He told us to 'come back anytime'," she repeated, and Alex nodded.

"I was afraid you would say that. More than likely we'll find out that we've been pranked."

"It wasn't a prank and you know it very well, Alex Martin." She stopped walking to look up at him.

"I just knew you were going to say that," he grumbled. "I've never experienced anything like this before."

"Me either," she agreed. "It was kind of spooky."

"Kind of...?" Alex repeated, then corrected, "It was downright spooky, and I don't spook easy," he told her. "It's just, how do you argue with a ghost?" His fellow marshals would never let him live it down if he shared the story with them. In fact, he doubted his own ma would believe him. It was the weirdest thing he'd ever seen in his entire life, and he would doubt his sanity if Jenny hadn't been right there with him to tell him she'd heard and seen it, too.

"Are you okay, Alex? You are so quiet right now."

"I'm trying to make sense of what we saw and heard, Jenny. Not having much luck with that."

"I'll see if Mr. MacGregor will tell you the story... or Mrs. Neely. She knows everything about Kieran O'Malley." Just as soon as she said the words she felt Alex's hand land another stinging swat on her bottom! "Owwww! Stop that, Alex!" she squealed.

"What did I tell you about mentioning this place, young lady?" he reminded her.

"I wasn't going to say anything about coming out here," she indignantly informed him,

"I don't want you to mention it at all, in any form, honey. The rustlers would come after you in a heartbeat."

"What about you? Wouldn't they come after you, too?" she demanded.

"Yes, but I can at least take care of myself; you're just a little girl and they are ruthless men who would think nothing of stopping you from talking. I can't take that risk, honey. You are precious to me."

"You barely know me," she reminded him, stunned to learn that he felt so strongly about her and so quickly.

"I can't explain it any more than I can explain what happened back at the O'Malley house, Jenny, but that doesn't make it untrue."

They reached the buggy, and Alex picked her up and placed her on the seat, his lips twitching when she cried out and then jumped to her feet to glare at him. "I can't sit down, Alex! My bottom hurts something awful! How on earth am I going to get back to town?"

"You are going to sit on that pretty little fanny of yours," he replied, gently sitting her down once again.

"I can't do this, Alex! It hurts too much," she insisted.

"Not as much as it would if I'd taken a switch to you as I intended," he reminded her. "Now sit still, and we'll talk on the way back to town."

Jenny was positive she wouldn't be able to tolerate the ride, but true to his word Alex kept her engaged in conversation and she found herself talking about things she hadn't talked of in years. By the time they reached the boarding house it was almost time for supper.

Mrs. Neely heard Jenny open the door and she came to greet her, shaking a finger at her. "You are not the sweet girl you pretended to be, Jenny. I am embarrassed by your shenanigans. Get your things and leave my home!"

Chapter Four

Jeffrey Dixon was still furious several hours after his dunking in the pond. Things were going so well with Jennifer Shelley when Alex Martin came charging in and made him look like a fool! If he'd been armed the situation would have had a completely different outcome. But a minister didn't wear guns strapped to his hip, so Jeffrey was left floundering in the water while Martin made off with his girl.

Jeffrey took care of Jennifer, too. A visit with Mrs. Neely made sure that Miss Jenny wouldn't have a decent place to stay that night, and as a minister, he could come to her rescue and arrange housing that was out from under the watchful widow's eye. He'd spent the last few weeks trying to win Jennifer's affection, and he wasn't going to let Martin beat him out. With a smile in the mirror for himself, the minister put on his black hat and walked toward the widow's boarding house. He wanted to be close by, taking his walk, when that cowboy brought the redhead home. He was going to rescue her from the streets. With another wicked smile of anticipation, Jeffrey picked up his step.

* * *

Jennifer was stunned when Mrs. Neely ordered her to get her things and leave. "But, Mrs. Neely, I..."

"I do not want to hear any excuses, young lady. I am bitterly disappointed in your behavior and worried about your morals. I will not tolerate your presence in this house one minute longer."

Alex was sure he knew what happened, but he refused to think about that in the moment. "Miss Jenny, it will be fine. I'll help you pack and..."

"I have already packed Miss Shelley's belongings, sir, and they are right here beside the door!"

The woman was fairly bristling with indignation and sweet little Jenny was crying and in distress. Alex felt his temper flare. "Ma'am, you'd better hope that you have not damaged one thing, or left one out of the trunk or I will see to it that you are arrested. Miss Jenny, does this woman owe you anything by the way of rent you've already paid? You are entitled to a refund, and you should also be able to sue for undue stress as well."

"Just one minute, young man! You have no call to question my integrity. I live an exemplary life!"

"You live a judgmental, sanctimonious life, ma'am," he corrected her. "Jenny, does she owe you money?"

Jennifer nodded, and then told him, "I also have something upstairs that was hidden in my room, Alex."

"Go and get it," he instructed her and gave the widow his most intimidating look. Mrs. Neely did not argue, but stood there stiffly. Jenny wasn't gone long. "Did you get it?" he asked and when she nodded, he said, "Go and sit in the buggy while I load everything."

"Where are you taking this child, sir?"

"Away from you, ma'am," Alex replied. It didn't take him long to load the small trunk and several other baskets containing smaller items. It pained him that this was all she owned. "The money you owe Miss Jenny...?" Alex held out his hand, palm side up. The widow sighed, but she took a small purse out of her pocket and counted out six dollars, which she gave him. "Is six dollars the right amount, Miss Jenny?" he asked and could instantly see by the look in her eyes that it was not correct. "Ma'am, I thought you said you were morally upright...? Stealing from your boarders is not very Christian." The woman gasped in outrage and quickly produced another ten dollars. "Does sixteen dollars cover it?" Jenny nodded tearfully, and without another word to Mrs. Neely, he went to climb into the buggy beside Jennifer.

"Hold up there! What is this?" Reverend Dixon demanded, struggling to keep a concerned smile on his face. "Where are you taking Miss Jenny?"

"Preacher, thanks to whatever story you told Mrs. Neely, Jennifer has been kicked out of her home. Of course you are here to offer your assistance, but it is not needed. Jennifer is to be my wife, and as her fiance, I will be happy to see to her safety." Alex slapped the reins on the horses flank and they moved off at a fair clip. "Moron!" he muttered under his breath, but Jenny heard him.

"You don't like Reverend Dixon, do you, Alex?"

"No, honey, I don't."

"Because of me? Or is it something else?"

"You are too intuitive for your own good," he said with a smile as he looked down at her. "Yes, it is something else, too. I don't trust him, and I really do wish you'd go along with the fiance story for now. I don't like that man, and if he is really a preacher, he'll back off now and leave you alone."

"Where am I going to go, Alex?" she asked, crying as if her heart would break.

"Now, don't you worry, honey. I'll keep you safe."

"There aren't any other boarding houses that take in women!"

"I have an idea, and you will be safe there. Trust me."

Jenny was shocked when he pulled up at the Beckley home. Alma came to the door almost immediately and looked at them questioningly. "Hello, Miss Jenny," she greeted Jennifer.

"Hi, Mrs. Beckley. This is my fiance, Alex Martin." The lie slid off her tongue as if it was true.

"Please come inside. I was ready to fix supper, and you are welcome to stay."

"Thank you, ma'am. Is there anything at all I can do? We didn't mean to barge in on you right at meal time." Alex felt bad.

"It's fine. We're having a stew, mostly vegetables from the garden," she replied with a smile. "It's really nice to have guests. I miss getting to talk to people," she admitted, lowering her voice so her husband couldn't hear.

"Good. We'd like to discuss something with you, and I want to assure you right off that I'm not trying to be insulting. Jenny needs a place to live until we marry. I thought, if you have a room to spare, that you might be willing to let her board with you? We'll pay well," Alex insisted.