His Errant Educator (Willamette Wives Book 3)

by Maggie Ryan

  Finally, she forced herself forward until she reached the table. "Go ahead and sit down."

  "I-I'd rather stand," she said, eyeing the hard wooden seat of the chair.

  "Tessa, I'm not asking, I'm instructing you to sit. Do so now."

  She sank onto the chair, hissing a bit as her poor bottom took her weight. She shuddered as she watched him dip a rag into the water, wrapping it around the bar of soap and rubbing until she could see bubbles.

  "Why are you getting your mouth soaped?" Roger asked, wringing out the cloth a little. Her tummy churned as memories of having her mouth washed out by her ma flooded through her. She'd made promises every single time that she'd not use bad words and yet she had.

  "I cursed," she said softly.

  "Yes, you said naughty words and that is not something I wish to ever hear come from the mouth I love to kiss. Open your mouth and let's get those naughty words washed right out."

  She could feel her face flush, hating that he repeated a word that she loathed and one that made her feel exactly like a naughty little girl. As he brought the cloth up, only a fraction of an inch away from her lips, she gave it one last try.

  "I didn't mean to curse… I didn't even realize I had…"

  "A very good reason to have a lesson, wouldn't you say?"

  "I-I don't need a lesson. I won't do it again."

  "I hope not because if you do, you'll not only receive a good mouth soaping, you'll not be allowed to rinse until your bottom is burning after I apply a paddle to it. Naughty words spoken by naughty girls need to be rinsed away. Now, open your mouth." His eyes never left hers and she knew that this man would never be one to go back on his word. Whether he was assuring her that she was loved, or lecturing her when she was naughty, he would always be consistent, always follow through with his promises.

  Swallowing hard, she allowed her lips to part. "Wider, Tessa." With a soft whimper, she obeyed. Despite her determination to accept the punishment, the moment the tip of the rag passed her lips, her hand flew up to push away his hand.

  "Put your hand down," he ordered. "In fact, put both of your hands beneath your spanked bottom." She slowly did as she was told, tucking her hands out of the way. He nodded and placed his palm behind her head as he worked the soapy fabric over her tongue, coating it well before moving to the roof of her mouth. "You are a beautiful woman, Teresa, but when you spew ugly words without even being aware of doing so, you are disrespecting not only the person you are addressing but yourself." As he lectured, he continued to move the cloth, scrubbing each tooth. Adjusting the sodden cloth once again, he ran it over her gums, suds dripping from her mouth, her eyes watering as he finished both his lecture and her punishment. "I saw how those children looked up to you but what would they think if they heard you saying naughty words? Even if you aren't their teacher, you need to know that they listen to you, watch you and respect you. How would you feel if Jane got mad and repeated the word you used to describe Miss Jenkins?"

  She felt shame fill her at the thought and more tears fell. "Ba… bad," she managed, bubbles forming on her lips as she sputtered her answer.

  "Do you like feeling bad? Do you feel good inside when you know you've been a naughty girl?"

  "No… thir."

  "Then remember how you are feeling right now the next time you get mad. I don't like punishing you, but I will. Every time, understand?"

  "Yeth… th-thir." Speaking was horrid, the soap coating her tongue feeling slick, thick, sliding into her throat, making her want to gag. He gave the insides of her cheeks a pass then, removing the cloth, he dropped it into the bowl of water, instantly stopping her when she pulled her hands free and reached for the bowl.

  "No, you'll keep the suds in your mouth for five minutes."

  "I-I… can… can't," she stuttered, her tongue attempting to push the offensive suds from her mouth.

  "You can and you will, unless you'd like a repeat of the lesson."

  She snapped her mouth closed, knowing he'd reach for the cloth if she protested his decision. Fighting to keep from swallowing more of the awful soapsuds, she would have sworn time had stopped except for the fact that he'd placed his pocket watch on the table's surface. Once the second hand ticked off the last of the required time, he asked, "Do you believe you've learned your lesson?" When she bobbed her head vigorously, he said, "You may spit."

  As she rid herself of the soap, he filled a glass with water, offering it to her, instructing her to rinse and spit repeatedly. When she was done, he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and used the cloth he'd rinsed to gently wipe her face. "I love you, Tessa," he said.

  "Will you hold me now? Rock me?"

  "I'd like nothing more," he said, taking her hand and walking her outside. He took a seat and she climbed onto his lap, tucking her head beneath his chin. They didn't speak for several minutes.

  "You were right," she said softly, the fingers of one hand splayed against his chest. "I do feel better, even though it was really awful."

  "That's because you know that even when it is going to be awful, you deserve the punishment. The spanking hurts but, Tessa, paying the price, atoning for your naughtiness, wipes the guilt away."

  "I still hate that word," she said. She could feel his chest shudder as he chuckled.

  "Well, you know what you need to do in order not to hear it, don't you?"

  "Yes, but it might take me a while before I learn all the lessons I need."

  "That's fine, we have a lifetime," he said, holding her just a bit tighter. "And I promise, not all lessons will be so hard."

  "Since I'm not going to be a teacher, I suppose I can be your student," she said.

  "Nothing would please me more." When he tilted her chin up, she felt her tummy tingle again. The kiss was gentle and yet it stirred every nerve in her body. When he pulled away, his eyes were full of desire and she knew without a doubt that hers reflected the same.

  "I love you," she whispered, "even when you spank me."

  He chuckled and she blushed but realized she had spoken the truth. It was only when her tummy growled that he stopped the rocker with a press of his boot. "I think it's time I feed my bride-to be," he said.

  Nodding, she slid off his lap and after he brought the saddlebags and quilt from the house, she took his hand and they walked to the grassy area. The day had caused her great disappointment and yet, as he helped her spread out the quilt and then pulled her onto his lap after taking a seat, she knew that life might not be fair but she had someone who would always be there, sharing both sad times and joyful ones, and loving her through them all.

  ***

  After Teresa took her first tentative bite of a drumstick, Roger grinned when she took a moment, chewing slowly as if expecting the fried chicken to taste as bad as the soap he'd used in her lesson. He chuckled when she saw him watching and as her cheeks flushed, she grinned and then took a large bite.

  "It's very good," she said.

  "Don't let Mr. Rooster hear you say that," he said, loving it when her head tilted to one side. He held up his own piece of chicken and began telling about what he'd witnessed that morning. By the time he was done, she was giggling, her chestnut hair swinging against her back.

  "I think you made that up," she said.

  "Nope, it's the absolute truth. I'm telling you, Agatha has got some sort of magical power over that coc—rooster." Almost having that word slip made him extremely conscious of his cock, which had been twitching against its restraint from the moment he'd pulled her onto his lap. Whenever she laughed, or reached for another chicken leg, a napkin, or bent forward to pick up the jar of lemonade, her little bottom would lift and then settle again, squirming a bit to find a comfortable position, pressing against his crotch.

  "Are you all right?" she asked, drawing him from his thoughts. "Did that groan mean you are too full for cake?"

  "Absolutely not, it means I can't wait to share dessert with my girl." After eating every crumb, he took the wrappings she
handed him, placing them back into the saddlebag. "Come on, we'll wash up at the creek and then tour the house."

  He pulled her up and led her to the stream. They crouched at the edge of the bank, dipping their hands into the water.

  "Oh, it's really cold!" she said, pulling her hands out.

  "Yes, but it will warm up. There is still snow melting up in the mountains."

  "Will it freeze in the winter? Can we skate? I mean, only where it's safe?"

  Taking her hands in his and giving her fingers a quick wash, he smiled. "See, you're learning already." Standing, he used the last cloth Catherine had packed to dry first her hands and then his own as he continued, "You thought about safety instead of just about doing something."

  She smiled and then giggled. "To be honest, I thought about how scared you were and how bad I felt. And, of course, that awful spanking."

  He chuckled and wrapped an arm around her waist as they walked back towards the cabin. "All of those are good things to think about. Now, did you remember you wanted to make a list of things you think we need?"

  "Oh, yes," she exclaimed, reaching into her pocket. Instead of pulling out the paper where she'd begun a list, she pulled out one of the packet of seeds she'd planned on giving the children. "I guess I don't need this now," she said, her voice far softer than it had been just a moment earlier.

  "I don't know," Roger said, "I think some flowers would look mighty pretty right here."

  She looked up to see they had reached the steps to the porch. The ground was a bit churned up from the work done and yet she could instantly picture a flower bed on either side of the stairs. "They would be pretty…"

  "Will you show me how to plant them?" he asked. She nodded and pulled another packet from her pocket.

  "These are just wildflower seeds. Vegetable seeds need to be planted in little holes, but these we can just sprinkle on top of the dirt and pat them down just a bit." She tore off one corner of her packet and moved to the right. "You do that side and I'll do this one."

  "No, let's do them together," Roger suggested, holding out his palm. "That way, every time we come home, we'll see the beauty that working together can make." She smiled and nodded, pouring half the seeds into his hand and showing him how to allow a few to drop to the ground. Using the toe of her shoe, she gave each one a light press so that it wouldn't just fly away with a breeze. They repeated the planting on the left side and then climbed the steps, hand in hand.

  "I thought you were going to make two rockers," she said.

  "I was but decided that I'd much prefer having you on my lap while we watched the sunset. Do you mind?"

  "No," she said, looking up at him. "There's no other place I'd rather be." He bent and kissed her, his cock jerking as her lips parted and his tongue slipped between them. Even after their lunch, he could faintly taste the soap he'd used but that didn't keep him from tangling his tongue with hers. His hands dropped from her waist to cup her bottom as hers lifted to entwine around his neck. Her soft moan as he squeezed her tender cheeks was the only thing that kept him from forgetting he was a gentleman. Pulling back, he pressed his forehead to hers.

  "Two weeks?"

  "I-I know, it seems like forever," she said, her chest heaving a bit. Tearing his eyes from the sight of her bosom, knowing he was standing on the edge of a precipice he was fighting not to fall into, he fumbled for the latch behind him, stumbling backwards when the door swung open.

  They toured the house, and while Teresa took notes on the paper she'd found, all he could think about was a list of his own. Of course, while hers included things like towels, mixing bowls, a tablecloth and napkins, his was a list of the order in which he'd slowly remove her clothing on their wedding night, unveiling his bride to his eyes for the first time.

  "Oh, Roger, the bed… the carvings are so beautiful." She gave his cheek a kiss as she continued her list. As she added a quilt and soft pillows, and linens, he added laying her down onto their bed, teaching her how wonderful he'd make her feel as he loved her.

  "Are you all right?"

  "What?"

  "You groaned and you look a little funny," she said, her head tilted again.

  "Tessa, if we don't get out of this room, we might be marrying quicker than we planned."

  "Why?" His glance to the bed and back to her, had her blushing. "Oh… um… then I—we… we'd better go."

  They did leave the bedroom but it was another few minutes before they left the house, first sharing another kiss though both held back, both afraid of where it might lead.

  ***

  As they walked towards the corral, he said, "I thought we'd plant a garden over there," gesturing with his hand. "We'll have to fence it in to keep the deer out."

  "There's deer?"

  "Yes, and they really enjoy nibbling on any fresh shoot they can find."

  "Are… are there bears?" she asked, looking towards the trees.

  "Yes, but we haven't seen any this far down off the mountain. Do you know how to shoot a gun?"

  "A gun? No, it's not something I've ever needed to know."

  "Well, you'll need to know now," he said. "I can teach you and you can practice with the other ladies. Wyatt taught them all how to shoot and it was a very good thing. Agatha shot a mountain lion…"

  "A lion!"

  "Honey, I'm not trying to scare you but you won't be living in the middle of town. Remember, this land wasn't settled until a few months ago. Animals have roamed here for years."

  "I know but I don't think I could shoot anything…"

  "And I hope you won't have to, but it's important to know that you have a way of protecting yourself when I'm not around. Don't worry, I'm sure Agatha, Anna and Charity will give you some pointers."

  "All right," she said hesitantly.

  "I promise, it will be fine. Speaking of Agatha, I promised Wyatt we'd stop by. Then we need to get you home."

  "I wish I could just stay here with you," she said softly. "I don't want to go back and have people looking at me funny."

  "They won't, Tessa," he said. "If anything, they'll be offering their support. You did nothing wrong, and not being offered the position was not your fault."

  "I know but still, I feel like I let them down. How can I explain it to little Jane? She was so excited, and I told Jack he could keep the wood box filled."

  Roger took her into his arms. "I know, but life isn't always fair. While you might not be able to explain, you can help by telling them how wonderful going to school is, encourage them to learn."

  "I suppose," she said.

  After saddling the horses, Teresa giving them the last two apples, she stood next to Whinny. "Are you sure we can't just walk?"

  "Honey, don't be frightened. You rode just fine from the bridge all the way here."

  "Um, I'm not frightened, it's just that…"

  Suddenly understanding, he shook his head. "Nope. You'll be fine." At her scowl, he grinned and added, "Even if your bottom is still a little tender."

  "More than a little," she mumbled, but put her foot into the stirrup and allowed him to help her mount.

  After he led the horses out of the corral and mounted, he said, "Your knees are going to ache if you ride like that. Just sit and let the discomfort remind you to behave." She slowly settled into the saddle instead of bracing her weight with her feet. Once he was sure she was safely seated, he turned Buster and they headed from their meadow, down the mountain towards the Wilcox cabin.

  ***

  "I thought he was joking," Teresa said as she stood outside the chicken coop.

  "No, Mr. Rooster really is one of a kind," Agatha said. "Would you like to help me feed the chickens?"

  "He won't bite me, will he?"

  "Not if he wishes to continue to live," Agatha said with a smile. "And they don't bite, they peck."

  "Oh, I've got so much to learn," Teresa said, accepting a handful of feed from Agatha.

  "Don't fret, we all had to learn. Besides, as a teacher
, I'm sure you'll be teaching us quite a lot as well."

  "You don't know," Teresa said.

  "Know what?" Agatha asked, pausing with her hand on the latch to the coop.

  "They didn't pick me," Teresa said. "They picked Mr. Bonner."

  "Who's that?"

  "No one seems to know. Well, no one but Miss Jenkins." She gave a quick explanation of what had occurred earlier.

  "I'm so sorry. I know how excited you were. I can't understand why they'd pick a stranger over you. I know I would have loved having you as my teacher when I was young. You make things sound exciting. What did your pa and my ma have to say about it?"

  "Um, I don't know. I sort of, um… well, ran away before anyone could say anything." Teresa glanced back at the house before returning her gaze to her new friend. "Roger definitely didn't appreciate that I raced out of town on Whinny without waiting for him or even changing my shoes or clothes."

  "No, I imagine he didn't. I know that Wyatt wouldn't hesitate to remind me that doing something so dangerous was not a good choice," Agatha said, unlatching the gate and stepping through. "Just scatter it about. Don't be afraid of the chickens. They really are only interested in the feed and not your feet."

  Teresa followed Agatha's example, allowing a few grains of feed to fall from her fingers as she moved in a small circle. The chickens immediately began to flock towards the women, their heads bobbing up and down as they pecked the ground.

  "You are being such a gentleman today, Mr. Rooster," Agatha said, causing Teresa to look up to see the rooster perched on the edge of the water trough. "He knows that it is his job to protect his girls. He keeps watch, letting them eat before taking his share," Agatha explained.

  "Agatha, may I ask you a question?" Teresa asked, scattering the last of her feed and dusting her hands on her skirts.

  "You can ask me anything," Agatha said, laying a line of corn in front of the trough. "Go ahead, Mr. Rooster, eat your dinner." Once the rooster gave a single crow and hopped down, she turned to Teresa. "What do you want to know?"

  Teresa suddenly flushed, not sure why she'd even considered asking the woman a rather personal question. Agatha suddenly smiled. "From the way you are rubbing your bottom, I'm guessing the question is about how our men protect us… like Mr. Rooster protects his harem?"