by Jenny Plumb
“Are there two bedrooms?” she asked.
“Yes. Will you be afraid to stay here while I go and check on the prisoners?”
“If I said ‘yes’ could I come with you?” she asked.
“Sure,” he agreed, finding that he was reluctant to be apart from her. She linked her arm in his and walked toward the jail with him.
“I am not afraid,” she wanted him to know. “I just really want to be with you, Victor. This is so surreal. I keep thinking I am having a dream and that I will wake up to learn I have an over-active imagination.”
“It is unnerving,” he admitted. “I feel normal here, but I had a real problem in your world. It was all so fast. Here, things just feel right. They don’t to you, I know. You are still in a fog and you feel lost.”
“Yes, that is so right. I am with you, and you are my reality. I don’t think I am going home again, darling. I am meant to be here with you.”
“I think you are right, Jessica. I promise you will never regret choosing me.”
“God wouldn’t bring me here if He thought I would regret being with you.”
All was secure at the jail. The prisoners were all sleeping, and Victor threw more wood on the fire in the stove. It would ward off the chill and he would find someone to sit here tomorrow night. As it was, he would have to get up really early to make sure the men didn’t suffer overly much from the cold.
He took Jessica’s hand and walked her outside, and then he locked the door to the jail. “I don’t want anyone seeking revenge on those three. They have a right to a trial, and that is what they’ll have.”
“Sheriff! There you are!”
“What can I do for you, Graham?”
“The Ames Gang took Susie Baker! We formed a posse and went looking, but none of us is the tracker you are. She needs help. I’ll ride out with you, and I know her father will want to go too. Let me—”
“Whoa, Graham. Slow down, breathe, and listen. I already have the Ames Gang in jail. Susie is home with her folks.”
“Did they harm her? I can get Doc.”
“She is unharmed. Why don’t you go on over to the mayor’s house and see her? She will be happy to see you, I’m sure.” Victor smiled at the young man.
“Thanks, Sheriff. I’m sure folks will be pleased to know you was on the job all along! They was scared you were killed somewhere. I think my ma sent your ma a telegram that you were missing. I hope she didn’t scare her real bad.”
“Ma is probably on her way home,” Victor said matter-of-factly. “We will meet the stage tomorrow, honey.”
“Is this your girl, Sheriff?” Graham asked curiously.
“It is. Miss Jessica Cosgrove meet Elmer Graham. Jessica saved my life.”
“She did? Wow! Welcome to Guthrie, ma’am. I’m going to go and see my girl. I really do love Susie,” he told them and then took off running.
Jess had to giggle. “I hope Susie loves him.”
“She does. Let’s go home. We have some talking to do.”
“Talking is fine.”
“So is spanking when you were warned.”
“Yes, but you owe me a pass for driving my car without a license,” she said, trying to convince Victor.
“What do you mean?” he asked, looking down at her suspiciously.
“You have to have a driver’s license in order to drive a car, Victor. You get a learner’s permit first, then you take a written test to prove you know the laws of driving, and finally, you drive with a license examiner and show them you can safely drive and park a car. They give you a written pass and you then go to the DMV and purchase your license; then, and only then, do you drive a car. You broke the law, Mister Sheriff,” she teased him.
Chapter 6
“I did not know.”
“You also must have insurance. You would be in serious trouble back there, Victor.” She smiled at him. “I forgive you, however, because I know you were trying to protect me.” She was suddenly serious. “I want to thank you for the warning. I was able to leave Mama a letter and say goodbye to my family. I hoped that I was being foolish, but I wasn’t. Thank you for being here for me. I mean that with all my heart.” She stopped him and said, “Please hold me in your arms. I need your strength right now.”
Victor knew how she was feeling, and he ached for her loss. He decided to get her mind off of her family. “I was wrong to take your car without permission, but that has nothing to do with what you did earlier. You went into that cabin without backup. I learned that term from your brother, remember? He promised to write you up the next time you did it, and since I can’t write you up, I am going to turn you over my knee and spank you soundly. I think my way will make more of an impression than a scolding from a superior.”
“But, it is Christmas Eve! I don’t want a spanking on Christmas Eve!” she argued.
“It will be an early Christmas present from the man who loves you.” They were at the gate to his home, and he opened it and motioned for her to precede him. She shook her head no. The look in her pretty green eyes warned him that she was thinking of running. “Don’t even think of running from me unless you want me to give you two spankings.” He saw her indecision, but he miscalculated, and Jessica was off and running in the next instant. He gave chase, marveling that a girl could run so fast!
Jessica didn’t want a spanking. Her feelings were too raw for that. She was frightened and she needed hugs right now, not a spanking, no matter how well intentioned. She ran, deciding she would find someplace safe to hide until morning. By then he should be calmed down. She headed for the stable. It would at least be warm; if it was good enough for baby Jesus, then it was good enough for her, she reasoned.
She never dreamed someone so big could run so fast, but when she reached the stable, Victor was right behind her. She ran in one door and out the other. Once he searched the building, he would leave, and she would go back inside. She watched the door, waiting until she saw him leave. She made her way back inside, and climbed the ladder into the loft. She would be safe there. Jess curled up on the floor and tried not to cry. Why had she run from Victor? She needed him now more than ever. He was her comfort in this strange place. She’d almost talked herself into going back to his house when she realized that she wasn’t alone!
“You shouldn’t have run from me, Jessica,” Victor said in his deep voice, kneeling beside her and flipping her over on her stomach.
“I know; it was stupid. I want to be with you.” She was already crying.
“You are with me now,” he assured her, and then his large hand smacked on the seat of her pants.
“Ow!”
“Holler all you want, Miss Jessica. You are getting a spanking to remember and then another one for running from me.”
“I’m sorry for running, Victor. I just didn’t want a spanking on Christmas Eve! Please don’t be mad at me.”
“I’m not mad,” he insisted, giving her another spank. “I just don’t want you killed.”
“I don’t want that either. I want to be with you forever and ever. You are my Christmas present this year, and for the rest of my life.”
“You are my present too.” He spanked her again, causing her to cry out in pain. “I won’t allow you to put yourself in danger, Jessica. Do you hear me?” he demanded.
“Yes, sir. I hear you! I am spitting straw; please stop!” He didn’t listen. He gave her six more hard spanks, making sure her sit spots were burning like crazy. “I’m sorry!”
“You are only saying sorry to spare your backside the spanking you earned.”
“I know; please stop.”
He gave her another barrage of hard, stinging spanks mean to chastise.
“I am truly sorry!” she admitted.
“Sorry for what?” He stopped spanking to give her a chance to explain.
“I am sorry for upsetting you so much. I don’t feel happy with myself for scaring you. I am sorry I didn’t wait for backup. I have learned my lesson.”
“Do you think so?”
“Yes, Victor. I won’t do it again.”
“Are you saying that because you know it is what I want to hear, or because you mean it?” He gave her another hard spank.
“Ow! Darling, you are really hurting me! I’ll have bruises if you don’t stop!”
He swatted her again, just as hard. “Then answer me truthfully.”
“I know you want to hear it and I know that I do not wish to upset you again; I will not do this again. My word.”
“What will happen if you break your promise to me?” he asked, giving her three more firm spanks to her already flaming posterior.
“You will spank me?”
“Every day for a month,” he promised. “Don’t test me, Jessica. I am a man of my word.”
“I won’t test you, Victor. Please forgive me now,” she begged, kicking her legs scissor fashion. “I am on fire now!”
“You have another spanking to go, young lady. You ran from me.”
“I said I’m sorry! Please, Victor! I am already hurting so much I can’t stand it! No more!” She tried to scramble to her feet, and he pulled her back down, this time over his lap.
“You show me you’re sorry by trying to run away again?” he asked in disbelief, and this time he didn’t spank her slow and give her breaks. He started spanking and didn’t stop until she was sobbing and didn’t have an ounce of fight left in her body. “Don’t run from me, Jessica. I will always catch you, and I will always paddle you soundly for doing it. It is disrespectful; I won’t show you disrespect, and I will never tolerate disrespect.” He turned her over then and held her while she cried for a long time.
When she could talk, she whispered, “I wasn’t trying to be disrespectful. I knew that I couldn’t handle a spanking tonight. I feel like I am about to shatter into a million pieces.”
“I know. You needed a good cry. Men like the Ames brothers have no respect for a badge, and even less for a woman. I couldn’t bear losing you, Jessica. Please obey me in this matter.”
“I promise I will. It is my Christmas present to you.”
“Thank you.” He kissed her gently. “Let’s see if we can find you a dress to wear to church. Midnight Mass will be happening in another hour or so.”
“I couldn’t sit down now for any reason!”
“I know you are sore, honey, but we will go to church tonight. Your parents would be very upset if you didn’t attend mass.”
“I can’t sit!”
“You can sit; you don’t want to sit, but you will. Let’s find you a dress. Ma probably has something that will fit you. She is a seamstress and she always has a few dresses ready in case someone needs something right away.” He helped her down the ladder; it was all Jess could do not to laugh. She was able to do an obstacle course in half the time required to pass, and he was worried about a simple ladder. Still, it was nice to be cherished, even if she couldn’t sit down without extreme pain.
They walked to a store, and he used a key to unlock the door. He lit a lamp for Jessie, and then showed her some very pretty dresses.
“Are you sure she won’t mind?”
“For the woman I am going to marry? No, she won’t mind. She will wish to gift you with a new wardrobe.” He walked to a dress that was simply beautiful. It was a deep forest green, trimmed with white lace. “I love this one, Jessica. Would you try it on for me, please?”
“I need underclothing, Victor. My things won’t do this justice.”
“Ma has everything you need.” He gave her some serious scrutiny and then produced drawers, petticoats, a camisole, and a shift. He also had stockings for her, the dress, and a heavy cloak to keep her warm. Finally, Victor also located shoes for her feet. “Now, you should be all set. Go and put all of this on and let me see you. No corset, though. I won’t permit my wife to wear a corset. Women faint from wearing those things and Doc Prentiss doesn’t like them at all.”
“I wouldn’t know how to wear one. I wouldn’t like being laced in something so tight,” she agreed with him.
“Good,” he said with obvious approval. “Please get dressed. We need to get a move on; I need to put on my suit and tie.”
Jess hurried with the unfamiliar clothing and then stepped out of the small changing room to see herself in the mirror. “Oh my! It fits as though it was made for me! Are you sure your mother hasn’t promised this to someone else?”
“She hasn’t. Let’s go, beautiful lady. I will be the envy of every man in that church tonight. I know I will be the proudest man there.” They walked to his home, and he changed in record time, and then they walked to the church where people were gathering.
“Sheriff, you ain’t dead!” a little boy exclaimed, drawing his mother’s attention. She shushed him immediately. “But, Ma, the sheriff is here!”
“Hello, Johnny. How are you?”
“I’m fine, Sheriff. Where have you been?”
“I was wounded and Miss Cosgrove saved my life.”
At that moment, the mayor, his wife, and their daughter walked into the church and everyone stared in shock. “Our prayers were answered earlier this evening. Sheriff Bodey and his fiancée, Miss Cosgrove, rescued our Susie and put the Ames Gang behind bars. Susie is unharmed and we thank all of you who prayed for her safe return. It is wonderful to live among such good people. To have our daughter back safe and unharmed on this holy day is truly a Christmas miracle.” His eyes filled with tears and he quickly ushered his wife and daughter to the pew they normally sat in. They knelt and bowed their heads, and a hush fell over the building.
The organist took her place and led the filled church in songs appropriate for the holy day. Jessica was anxious to stand up; her poor bottom was still burning and smarting, and it hurt to sit down. Victor had already warned her that she was not to be squirming all over the pew, but she honestly didn’t know how she was going to avoid earning his displeasure when it simply hurt so much!
Right before mass was about to start, the door in back opened again, and to Victor’s surprise, his mother walked inside, his aunt with her. They were both shivering and cold, and when Pearl saw her son, she burst into tears and hugged him in front of everyone. “They told me that no one knew what happened to you, son. We came as quickly as we could get here.”
“You drove all this way alone? The two of you?” Victor was stunned as he looked at his ma and his aunt Laurie.
“Of course. You are my son; I thought you needed me!”
“I was badly injured, Ma. Jessica nursed me and I am fine. Ma, I am in love, and if Father Lazarus will agree, I want to marry Jessica during mass tonight. You and Aunt Laurie are here, and— Jessica, will you marry me?” he asked. “I promise I will keep you safe and love you for the rest of our lives, and beyond. You are my one true love.”
“I followed you here, didn’t I? I love you and I have no doubts about marrying you, sweet man. You are my only love.”
“If you will all take your places, I’ll start mass, and we will have a wedding to make this miraculous night even more special. God has surely blessed us all this night. He sent his son to be born so that no man may die. He allowed Victor to live and brought his love to our community. He gave our Susie His grace and protection and kept her from harm until help reached her. He gave our Frank and Lucy strength to endure the heartache and pain of not knowing about their only child. He brought Pearl home and kept her and her sister Laurie safe in their travels, and brought them here to share in the joy of Jesus’ birth and in the marriage of Pearl’s only son. We have much to celebrate this blessed night.”
The mass began, and when Father Lazarus called Victor and Jessica forward, they were both happy to be united in marriage. They spoke their vows, and kissed when asked to do so. Jess didn’t know where Victor got her ring, but it was truly beautiful and fit her perfectly. The mass finally ended and everyone congratulated them and wished them a Merry Christmas.
Victor introduced Jessica to his mother and Pearl smiled
graciously. “You look lovely, my dear.”
“Ma, it’s a long story, but Jessica has nothing. I helped myself to these things in your shop so she could come to church tonight.”
“She looks lovely, and we will get more clothing made for you, Jessica. I am so glad you selected this dress. It fits as though I made it for you.”
“I picked it, Ma. I knew it would fit.”
Once they were finally alone for the night, Jessie wearing a nightdress made by her new mother-in-law, Victor held her close and whispered, “Relax, honey. Nothing will happen unless you want it to happen. I just enjoy having you here in my bed and in my arms. I love you and the need to be close to you is overwhelming at times.”
“I feel the same way,” she whispered. “Can your mama hear us in here?”
“No, not unless we get crazy loud. She is on the other side of the house, and she sleeps soundly. Besides, Aunt Laurie is here, and they are both exhausted. I feel like cutting a switch and taking it to the two of them for doing something so dangerous.”
“Your mother might take it from you and give you a spanking,” she teased.
“I’m thankful they are safe. I hate it that she was worried about me.”
“She is strong. She came home expecting the worst; she got the best. She is fine now.” Jessie kissed him, offering comfort. That kiss ignited a fire that neither of them wanted to deny. “You are my Christmas present.”
“And you are my Christmas present. I feel so blessed.”
Making love felt so natural and Jessie was happy that she’d waited for the right man. He made her feel special and loved and she gave herself freely. Afterwards, she lay in his arms and smiled. “I am a married lady!”
