Kayla got up and went to Caleb's room, coming back with him a few minutes later. He was chattering nonstop as they came into the living room. Kayla set him down on the floor and he turned and saw Jessie. With a huge grin, he held up his arms and ran toward her.
"Jess! Jess!"
Jessie laughed and scooped him up into her lap. The little boy threw his arms around her neck and hugged her hard.
"Where Bady?"
"He's not here yet. We'll see him a little later, okay?"
"'Kay." With another hug, Caleb scrambled off her lap and went to get his new toy tractor.
Kayla and Jessie chatted and had a glass of wine while Caleb played with his Christmas toys. When Brady came to pick Jessie up, Caleb ran to him with his arms up.
"Bady! Bady's here!"
Laughing, Brady snatched him up and sat him on his shoulders, taking him for a ride around the living room. He had to get on the floor and play with Caleb for a while before they left. When they knew they had to get home, Jessie and Brady hugged Kayla, and then she distracted her son with a popsicle so they could get out the door.
"Did you have fun?" Brady asked as he backed out of the driveway.
"I did. I didn't realize how much I needed an afternoon like that. Thank you for bringing me over."
"Anytime, m'lady. I made the rounds in town today, asked everybody I could find if they'd seen anything of Whitman. Nobody's seen him except in passing. Mitch said he stopped in once and got a six pack but didn't stick around."
"That's good news. He's only going to hurt himself if he doesn't follow the rules of his bail agreement. Maybe this whole thing brought some sense to him."
"I hope so," Brady said. "Anyway, it was good to hear that he's not stepping out of his boundaries. Five more weeks, and this will all be over."
Jessie sighed. "It can't come soon enough."
"You got that right! Do you want to stop someplace for supper or go on home?"
"Let's go on home. I've got plenty of leftovers. Unless you're craving something besides my cooking."
Brady shot her a look. "Do you think I'm crazy? Baby, I could never get tired of your cooking."
Jessie laughed. "Okay, then, home it is. Indy's been alone for long enough. And we still have chores."
"I'll tell you what. I'll take care of the chickens while I'm doing the rest of the chores, and you round up some supper. Indy can go with me. Deal?"
"Deal. I can make some biscuits to go with our leftovers."
While Brady was out doing chores, he took a careful walk around, looking for anything that didn't look right. He'd been getting a growing sense of foreboding for the past few days and had stepped up his watchfulness. Indy raced around with him until she suddenly stopped, sniffing at the ground with the hair on her neck bristling.
"What is it, girl?" Brady asked softly.
Indy looked up at him and whined, then moved forward, still sniffing the ground. Brady followed her, his heart sinking when she went toward the bushes where Whitman had stood and watched the house. He searched carefully, pulling out his flashlight, and soon found a footprint in the soft ground. He kept Indy from walking over the spot and then finished looking around. Just as he was ready to return to the house, he heard an engine start and a vehicle drive off. Brady swore under his breath and went to the house.
Jessie went to the door to let Brady in, and her smile disappeared when she saw the look on his face. "What's wrong?"
"He's been here. In fact, I think I heard him leave. I have to call Bret."
Jessie's face was white as a sheet. "Oh, no, why would he do that? Are you sure?"
"I'm sure," Brady said grimly.
Bret was there inside of twenty minutes. Brady took him outside to see the footprint and the spot where Whitman had hidden. They waited outside the door until they heard Jessie turn the deadbolt. The sheriff took pictures of the spot and the footprint and had Brady show him where Whitman had parked the time Brady had watched him leave. Jessie busied herself heating up leftovers mindlessly, ending up with way more than they could eat. She fiddled around the kitchen, opening the refrigerator repeatedly and jumping at every little sound. She felt a rush of relief when Brady and Bret came back to the door.
Brady gave her a hard hug after the two men got out of their coats. Jessie paced nervously as they discussed what they had found. Bret said he would have someone back out there once it was light in the morning, to take an impression of the footprint. If they were really lucky, there might be a way to prove it was Whitman's.
Brady asked, "What about the ankle bracelet? I thought the bail bondsman was supposed to be monitoring him."
"He wasn't violating his curfew, so there wasn't an alert," Bret said.
"So that ankle bracelet really isn't going to help shit." Brady was pissed.
"It didn't help today." Bret wasn't any happier than Brady. "I'm going to do all I can to keep an eye on where Whitman's truck is when he's not at work. Once it's past his curfew, there'll be an alert if he's anywhere but at home."
"Maybe it wasn't him at all," Jessie said. "It would be so dumb for him to come out here; maybe it's not a footprint. It's dark out. How can you be sure?"
Brady put his arm around her shoulders. "Well, I'll be watching tomorrow. If he shows up again, he's going to get caught."
Jessie took a deep breath and busied herself taking things out of the oven.
"Brady, you must be starved. Sheriff, will you eat with us? I warmed up way too much for the two of us. Surely, you could use a hot meal after tramping around outside."
Bret started to refuse, then he looked at the tension in her face. "Under one condition. Call me Bret. A home cooked meal would be good as my wife is gone to her sister's. I'm getting mighty sick of sandwiches and pizza."
"Good." Jessie gave him a real smile, and Brady remembered when she had said that cooking and feeding people were therapy for her.
When they had finished their supper, Jessie insisted on packing up leftovers for Bret to take home. He took his leave with a final assurance that they would do the best they could to find evidence against Whitman and get him put back behind bars.
When Jessie and Brady went to bed, they both lay awake for a long time, wrapped in each other's' arms. Finally, they drifted into a troubled, restless sleep.
Chapter 19
Jessie's tension grew with each passing day. Every little sound made her jump, and every time she turned, she thought she saw something out of the corner of her eye. She told herself she was being ridiculous; she never seemed to relax, even during the day when she knew for a fact that Dan was at work all day. She started to pick at Brady for silly things that didn't really bother her at all. He kept his patience, knowing what was fueling her behavior. Until the day he came in through the back door, unlocking it with his key, and found the house empty. His heart pounded as he walked through the house and found the front door unlocked. Struck with fear, he stepped to the door just as it opened and Jessie walked in, giving a violent start at the unexpected sight of him.
"Brady! You scared me to death!" Jessie gasped, clutching at her heart.
He grabbed her, pulling her roughly against him. "What the fuck were you doing?"
"I just…I was just getting the mail. Indy was with me."
Brady gave her a little shake. "Why was the door unlocked?"
Jessie flushed and said, "I just went straight out to the mailbox. It's not far, and the house is in clear sight the whole way. It's a pain in the ass to have to unlock it again two minutes later. Nothing is going to happen while I'm walking to the mailbox."
Grimly, Brady said, "You're going to find out what a pain in the ass is."
"Oh, come on, Brady! I only went to the mailbox."
"Yeah? And what if he was hiding around here again? He'd only need seconds to slip into the house. Do you walk backwards to the street so you can watch the house all the way?"
"Of course not!" Jessie snapped, losing patience.
"How ma
ny ways do I have to tell you that you are to keep the doors locked? No exceptions. No forgetting. How many ways? How many times?"
"Just stop it!" Jessie yelled. "This is all driving me crazy! I just want my life to be normal again. I can't stand this, hiding behind locked doors, jumping out of my skin every time I hear something, having my heart pound every time I think I see something out of the corner of my eye."
Brady took her by the arm and led her to the couch after making sure that the door was locked once again. He turned her to face him and looked her straight in the eye.
Quietly, he asked, "How long have you been leaving that door unlocked while you go to get the mail?"
Pissed, Jessie said, "Since the first day it became clear that it was stupid."
Without another word, Brady jerked her pants down and pulled her across his lap. Jessie shouted at him the whole time. He smacked her bottom several times, hard, but when he saw her shoulders shaking, he stopped immediately and gathered her into his arms. He rocked her gently on his lap, stroking her hair and murmuring soothing sounds to her as she sobbed her heart out. She cried herself out and then just sat quietly, curled into his arms.
"It's all right, baby, it's going to be over soon." Brady kissed the top of her head, still rocking her slowly.
"It feels like it's never going to be over," Jessie said miserably.
"I know, baby, I know. But it will."
"I'm sorry, Brady, none of this is your fault. I don't know how you can stand me these last few days. I've been so bitchy, and you don't deserve that."
"This is torture, baby, no wonder it's driving you crazy. Nobody should have to go through this. He never should have been let out of jail; they should get him convicted faster. But none of that is going to happen, and we're going to make it. We have each other, right?"
"Yeah." Jessie gave him a watery smile. "And look at how I'm treating you."
Brady cocked an eyebrow at her and drawled, "Aw, darlin', I'm a big strong man, I can take it. Just keep feeding me so I don't lose my strength."
That made her laugh. "I really would be crazy by now if I didn't have you."
"You know, I got you something a little while back. There's been so much going on, I haven't had a chance to give it to you."
Jessie suddenly looked like a little girl on Christmas. "You got me something? A present?"
"Yep. I'll be right back. And pull your pants up; that's enough of that for now."
Jessie's face turned bright red, and she quickly pulled her pants back into place. A moment later, Brady was back with a box wrapped in silver paper and tied with blue ribbons.
"Did you wrap this?" Jessie asked.
"Nope. Mom wrapped it for me."
Jessie sat down with the package, a delighted little smile on her face. She unwrapped the box, finding it taped shut. She slit the tape with her thumbnail and then pulled the lid off the box. Jessie gasped and stared at the object that was in the box. It was a beautifully crafted wooden paddle with a finish as smooth as glass. Jessie was completely speechless, her eyes wide.
"What did…you had your mom wrap this?" Her voice was shocked.
Brady laughed hard. "Don't worry, the box was already taped when she wrapped it. But it wouldn't be that big a shock to my mom. She's hard to shock."
"It's…I don't know what to say. It's beautiful, but—"
"It's very useful too."
The look she turned on him was alarmed. "Are you going to—"
Brady grinned. "When the time comes, I'm sure we'll put it to use. Not today, unless you're in the mood to experiment."
Jessie said quickly, "No! No, that's all right. It's a little scary looking."
"So you'll think of that when you're tempted to leave the door unlocked, right?"
"Oh, yes, I'm sure I will. I can honestly say that's the most surprising gift I've ever received."
Brady leaned over for a kiss. "Now. About locking the door."
Jessie sighed and said, "I'm sorry, Brady, it won't happen again."
"I'd be glad to go out for the mail every day if it's really that much of an inconvenience."
"No, I'll get the mail. And I'll lock the door. I guess, if I think about it honestly, it was my little way of rebelling against all this. I know it doesn't make any sense, but it was a moment of saying the hell with him and not letting him control what I do."
"Jess, he's not controlling you; we're just being careful. He does not have power over you, and once he goes to trial, he's not going to have power over anything."
"That sounds good, but right now, he really does have control over me. I hate it, but I know it's going to end, I just have to stick it out until he goes to trial."
Brady was watching her carefully. "Maybe we should go to visit my parents for a while. Just for a break from all this tension."
"No, Brady, I'd really be afraid to leave the ranch while he's free to come and go. He could do something awful out here, and who knows if they'd ever be able to prove he did it?"
Reluctantly, Brady had to acknowledge that she was right. "Okay, then we stick it out."
"Okay. And I'll try not to be such a bitch."
Cheerfully, Brady said, "And if you need help, we can always try out your new toy."
Jessie said, "I think you'd like that, wouldn't you?"
Brady winked. "I think you might like it."
Jessie looked doubtful. "That's kind of a weird idea."
"You'll see, one of these days."
"Well." Jessie stood up and said briskly, "I bet you're ready for lunch. I'll get it going right now."
"Actually, I came in to tell you I need to go to the farm store. I thought you might want to ride into town with me and go for a sandwich and a beer."
She gave him a real smile. "That sounds like an excellent idea. Just let me go freshen up a little."
When she came out, Brady had hung the paddle on a hook above the keys hanging beside the back door. Jessie's mouth dropped open at the sight.
"What?"
"Just…right there in plain sight?" Jessie asked weakly.
"Sure. It's good incentive that way, right?"
"Well, yes, but if we have people come over, it's going somewhere else."
Brady chuckled. "Okay, for a while anyway. You ought to start being observant when you're in someone's house. It's surprising the implements that are hanging or placed in plain sight."
"Brady! Are you serious?"
"Yep. Wooden spoons, breadboards, hairbrushes, belts. Game paddles, tennis racquets, there's an endless supply."
"Stop! You're going to have me looking around everyone's house for spanking tools!" Now Jessie was laughing.
"You'd find a lot of them, too." Brady gave her a wink. "There are a whole lot more people who live in a spanking lifestyle than you would ever guess."
They continued the conversation on the way to town. Jessie was fascinated once again by the things Brady told her.
"There are people who are into much more serious pain than spanking or paddling. That's not my kind of thing, and I don't really have friends who are into serious pain. But bondage, roleplay, domestic discipline, there are plenty of people who live perfectly normal everyday lives but like to play in their private time."
"Well, I've heard of stuff like that, but it's just in the movies and books and maybe in some other exotic countries, isn't it?"
"Not at all. In fact, there are plenty of clubs in the US where people can go to play pretty much any kind of game they want to."
"Have you ever been to a place like that?"
"I have, a time or two. It's not really my thing, but I know some people who are really into it."
"Do your friends, Miranda and Paul, do that?"
"No, they live a domestic discipline lifestyle, and they do all their playing at home."
Jessie sighed. "I guess there's a whole lot of the world that I know nothing about."
Brady tightened his arm around her. "That's okay, baby, I love you just the wa
y you are."
She laughed. "I'm sure glad about that. I'm sure most of the stuff you're talking about is not for me!"
Just then, they pulled into the farm store parking lot, and with a sigh, Brady noted once again that she hadn't responded when he told her he loved her. They picked up the things he needed and then went to the Rusty Spur for lunch. They had a good lunch and a couple of beers, some conversation with friends, and got Jessie's mind off Dan Whitman for a while. While she was in the ladies' room, Mitch let Brady know that he hadn't seen Whitman since the time he'd come in for beer and hadn't heard any gossip about him.
The rest of the day passed by, both of them busy with work. Jessie cleaned and did a load of laundry. Then she baked some chocolate chip cookies, checking once again to make sure the doors were locked. Sure enough, she thought about it every time her eyes fell on the lovely wooden paddle hanging on the wall. When she found herself wondering exactly what a smack from the paddle would feel like, she shook her head at herself and switched on her little kitchen TV. And yet, throughout the afternoon, her eyes returned again and again to the paddle on the wall, and she felt a tingle across her groin every time they did.
* * *
A few days later, Brady and Jessie were out riding the fencerow when they came across a large tree branch down across the fence. The cattle were all accounted for, so they were not worried about losing any stock.
"Do you want me to ride back and bring out the four wheeler?" Jessie asked.
Brady gave her a look and said, "No. We'll go together."
"That's going to take twice as long," Jessie protested.
"Then it'll take twice as long."
"But, Brady, Dan's at work. I'm sure it's safe."
"But, Jessie, would you like to try out that paddle today?"
"No," she said hastily. "Let's go."
"Good choice." Brady grinned at her, and they turned back toward the barn. "I think I'll give Red a call. If he's not busy, he can help me with that tree branch and you won't have to come back out."
"Okay, I'll make dinner for all three of us. And Indy can stay inside with me. She's had enough exercise for today, by the time we get back to the barn."
Jessie’s Dusty Dreams Page 18
