Callie felt great relief, hearing that Jude still liked her, and she marveled over how good it felt to have his arm around her. She nodded. “Yes.”
“Good. Stop carrying on then.” Jude removed his arm from around her so he could hold the reins again with two hands, but Callie remained close to him. Her relief transformed to weariness. Her head dropped forward in a moment of sleep, which she startled awake from.
“Lay your head down on my leg, Callie, and try to find sleep,” Jude ordered. “The next couple hours will be smooth without much rough and tumble.”
She did as she was told. She placed her head on his thigh and stretched her legs across the seat. She felt his leg muscles ripple against her cheek. His thigh felt hard as a rock, but Callie didn’t think she’d ever felt something more comfortable. He placed his hand lightly on her forehead and smoothed away the hair from her face. A small tremor of delight coursed through her. She couldn’t recall anyone having touched her in such a way, and she felt something quite unfamiliar. She felt safe and cared for, like she always imagined children with parents felt. It didn’t take long for her to fall asleep.
* * *
Callie watched Jude close the door behind them, turn up the light of the oil lamp, and peruse the room, which was sparse in its furnishings. A bed took up one corner, while another housed a small table with basin and water pitcher. The curtains over the window were brown with lace stitched around them. Jude didn’t speak, and she grew nervous. It was entirely improper for an unmarried man and woman to share a private hotel room, but they had little choice. When they reached Paselo’s Main Street Inn, they discovered that only three rooms were available. The couples took temporary residence in the other two rooms, leaving Callie and Jude to share the third.
But it wasn’t the impropriety that had Callie shaking in her boots. She knew Jude planned to thrash her, and judging how angry it made him that she’d annoyed the other passengers purposely, she didn’t imagine it would be a few light swats. Still, he had also treated her kindly and didn’t seem angry anymore, so she held out hope that he would forget his promise.
That hope was soon dashed. She watched in horror as Jude unbuckled his belt, sat down on the bed, and laid the leather strap next to him. He patted his leg. “Come lay yourself over my knee, Callie. Let’s get your punishment over with.” His voice was firm and held a trace of weariness. She could hear that he was worn out from the long two days in which he didn’t sleep, instead maintaining focus on his driving.
She gave him a mournful look from where she stood a few paces away, clasping her hands behind her back. “Please, Jude, I’m sorry—”
“Come to me now,” he interrupted, his voice taking on a hard edge. “You knew this was going to happen, and I don’t want to hear any arguments.”
His impatient tone caused her heart to pound, and she felt even less inclined to position herself in such a way to feel his wrath. She blinked and gaped at the belt on the bed, which she knew would light a fire on her bottom as soon as she obeyed and lay over his lap. She tried to summon the courage to step forward, but the memory of the painful spanking in the barn, combined with Jude’s present foul mood, filled her with apprehension.
“Don’t make me come and get you,” he growled. “It’ll be much worse for you if I have to.”
She felt the blood pumping in her ears with every beat of her heart, and she began to tremble. Her nose burned, indicating she was moments from crying. With every ounce of courage she could summon, she walked to him. Her eyes stung with tears as he took hold of her hand. She looked into his dark eyes, which were studying her intently, and noticed them soften before he pulled her over his lap. Her arms and legs dangled in the air, while her torso spanned his thighs. She squeezed her eyes shut as he wrapped his hand around her waist to hold her in place.
“You’re shaking like you’ve been in the snow for hours and not in the hot sun,” he observed.
“I-I’m really scared,” she said, the fear obvious from her wavering voice.
“You’re supposed to fear punishment before misbehaving. The whole point of punishment is to keep you from doing something bad again. Why didn’t you think of the spankings I already gave you before acting up today?”
She sniffled, already starting to cry. “I did. But at the time a spanking seemed worth being up in the seat with you, rather than sitting in the coach with folks who hate me.”
“They don’t hate you, Callie. You’ve got to give them a chance. If you’re respectful toward people, they’ll generally be nice to you in return.”
He placed his hand on her bottom, and Callie felt something quite similar to fear but entirely more pleasant in her nether regions. The pleasure confused her.
She squirmed. “Just get it over with. I’m used to being punished. I’ve been punished all my life.” This she said more to herself than to him in order to convince herself there was nothing to fear. Callie heard him sigh, and she clenched her bottom cheeks, waiting for the first smack.
Instead, he continued to talk to her. “You’ve been mistreated your whole life. Someone who mistreats you is different from someone who disciplines you for your own good.”
His words broke something inside of her. She felt anguished, followed by a rush of anger. Anger was the only way she knew how to express the strong feelings that were bursting in short, painful spurts inside of her. “I hate you!” she told him through a sob. She hoped her outburst would make him shut up and get on with punishing her. She didn’t want to talk. She didn’t want to think about her feelings. They were too raw, too terrifying, and she wanted no part of them.
“No, you don’t,” he continued in the same tone. “You hate that I’m holding you accountable for your actions, when no one has bothered to do so before. It’s new and confusing for you.”
“I got thrown in a closet every time I was bad,” she snapped. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“No,” he argued. “You got thrown in a closet whenever you were an inconvenience. No one cared enough to discipline you to make you a better person, only to cast you out of their sight when you annoyed them. You didn’t deserve that treatment. I promise you that.”
“Ohh,” Callie sobbed. “P-please stop talking, Jude. Please just punish me. I c-can’t take this. I beg you.” By this time, she wanted nothing more than to feel the bite of leather, to move the pain from something emotional to something physical.
Jude picked up the belt. She heard the buckle clink as he folded the strap in two. Then a line of fire licked over her clothed bottom, and she hissed in a breath. The next lash was even harder, but the sting felt good. She wanted more. She wanted to be thrashed hard for as long as it took to draw out the pain she felt inside. Again and again the belt kissed her upended seat, and Callie moaned, relieved as her heartache faded. When Jude stopped whipping her, she lay limply over his lap and relaxed as his hand caressed her bottom.
“Good girl,” he murmured, and Callie burst into tears again, not from sadness or pain, but from something else she couldn’t quite understand. How she felt in that moment, after being punished, was far different from how she felt after being thrown in the closet. Before, she had felt abandoned. Now, she felt the opposite. She felt Jude’s presence quite strongly.
He pulled her up and sat her smarting bottom on his left leg. When he handed her his handkerchief, she blew her nose.
“Tell me why I punished you, darlin’.”
Callie hiccupped. “Because I annoyed everyone on purpose so I could sit in the box seat.”
He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, and she leaned her head against his chest. “That’s right. And that’s bad behavior, something a petulant child would do.”
She sniffled and nodded, feeling very chastised like before when he punished her, but this time she also felt cared for.
“And I’ll tell you how you can know this punishment was for your own good, and not because you’re an inconvenience to me.”
<
br /> She pulled away slightly and looked at him. “How?”
His eyes twinkled. “Well, I wanted you up in the seat with me. If I didn’t care about you learning to behave, I would have been happy with the result.”
She gave him a small smile. “Really?”
He nodded. “Yes, really. I’m quite fond of you. Don’t tell the others, but you’re my favorite out of all of them. In fact, you’re my favorite passenger ever.”
Callie’s heart swelled, and her smile broadened. She couldn’t remember ever being anyone’s favorite. Sam liked her. He may have even loved her, but she always knew he loved his children more.
Jude kissed her forehead and loosened his hold around her. “Let’s get some sleep now. I’m dragged out, and I’m sure you are too.”
Callie marveled over the chaste kiss and felt it tingling on her skin long after it was over. She stood from his lap and pulled back the coverlet. When she climbed under it, Jude tucked it around her. As she hoped he would, he lay next to her. Their bodies didn’t touch, but the space between them seemed very small. She would only need to scoot over slightly to feel his chest against her back.
She let out a sigh of pleasure when his hand stroked her arm down to her hand. He took her hand in his and skimmed her knuckles with his thumb.
“Sweet little hellion,” he murmured. “Giving me so much trouble. What am I going to do with you?”
His chiding made her ache and feel cherished at the same time. Jude knew her. He knew how much trouble she could be, and she had certainly been an unruly handful, and yet he seemed so very fond of her. How strange it was to be known and also liked.
He released her hand and reached up to brush his thumb over her ear, remembering how she couldn’t handle silence in the dark. His touches felt so tender, so kind. Her heart fluttered, knowing that the same hand could turn to steel if she misbehaved. She felt drawn to his strength as much as his tenderness, and she longed to feel both in that moment. She wanted him to grab her into his arms and kiss her hard. She remained still and took deep, calming breaths, afraid of the powerful feelings growing inside of her that seemed nearly impossible to contain.
After some time, his hand fell to the side, no longer providing her with the sounds of a river. She felt only a moment’s panic. It dissipated when she heard a loud snore coming from the man beside her. The louder he snored, the more she smiled. As she drifted into sleep, the last thought on her mind was that if Jude were her husband, she would never have to worry about panicking in silence again. He snored like a bear, and she had never felt so calm in the dark.
Chapter Seven: Callie’s Friend
The party assembled in front of the stagecoach, which was strapped to four fresh horses. Jude observed everyone and felt satisfied that they appeared well-rested. Callie looked especially bright and energetic. He’d risen early to request a bath be drawn. When he left the room, she’d scrubbed off all the grime from travel. He tried not to imagine her naked in the bath, and he tried not to notice how pretty she looked when she joined him outside. Her porcelain skin looked so soft he longed to touch it, and her green eyes sparkled under long, thick lashes.
Jude himself felt quite a bit better after his bath. It made him feel civilized. He would enjoy it while it lasted. It would be some time before they would be able to rest again like they were able to do in Paselo. The next leg of the journey was mostly desert and, while the roads weren’t too rough, it would be a hot and miserable experience. He would also need to be on the lookout for Pawnee and road agents. If they struck at all, it would likely be during the next stretch.
Coming to a decision, he addressed Billy. “I want you and your gun in the box with me during this leg. I need you to watch for any trouble.”
Billy agreed and climbed up to the seat. Jude looked at Callie and wasn’t at all surprised by her wounded expression, which she focused on him without reservation. Her brows were pulled together in an angry frown, and he knew he would need to talk to her to make sure she behaved. He doubted she would so quickly forget the lesson he’d imparted the evening before, but a reminder wouldn’t hurt.
He crooked his finger, indicating that she was to come to him. She sighed and ambled over.
“You’d better wipe that pout off your face, girl,” Jude said mildly, giving her the opportunity to express her displeasure.
Predictably, she scowled at him. “I’m a good shot. You don’t believe me, but I can prove it to you. Just give me your Colt for two shakes and I’ll blow your mind.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of,” was his dry response. “Besides, I want you safe in the coach. Let the menfolk be in charge of sorting things, should something happen.”
When she crossed her arms and continued to glare at him, he spoke sternly. “I expect you to behave yourself, young lady. This next stretch could be dangerous, and I need you to mind me, just like I need the others to do. I know they will, but I’m afraid you might give me trouble. Am I right to fear that?”
Her face morphed into a look of resignation, and she uncrossed her arms. “I won’t give you any trouble, Jude. But can I sit with you during the next leg?”
He nodded. “Yes. Now get in the coach. And don’t be making a nuisance of yourself unless you want a repeat of last night.”
She scowled once again. “I don’t need to be reminded. I’ve got more than air under my hair.”
Jude narrowed his eyes and turned her around by her shoulders. He landed a hard swat on her bottom that sent her scurrying to the coach. “Brute!” she shouted at him when she was well out of his reach.
“Brat,” he shot back.
She dissolved into giggles and stepped into the coach. Her little musical laugh brought a smile to Jude’s face that lasted for miles. He hadn’t heard her laugh before, and he decided he liked it quite a lot. The troublesome little lady was occupying most of his thoughts lately. He sobered with that realization. He had enjoyed the company of many young female travelers throughout his five-year employment with Wells Fargo, but he’d never become so involved with one.
Jude imagined that she was quite innocent with regard to the relations between a man and woman, and he found himself wanting to teach her the pleasures to be found in her own body, just as much as he wanted to teach her to behave. It had taken every ounce of self-control not to touch her body intimately the night before. The feel of her soft hand in his had caused desire to surge through him, as had her breasts’ swell with every breath.
He liked the thought of guiding her on more than just the journey west, and a sadness struck him when he realized he would only be in her company for another couple of weeks. Then she would be gone from his life forever. Callie was engaged to another man, and he needed to remember that. It bothered him, though, that he didn’t know anything about her fiancé. After having such a rough go of life, he would like to know that Callie’s future held at least a chance for happiness with this stranger.
During his musings, he drove the horses by habit. As he’d hoped, Billy turned out to be a fine guard. He kept an eye on the horizon for bandits and Indians and had impressive peripheral vision. At one point Billy stood, raised his gun, and aimed straight for a bush a couple hundred yards away. Jude stiffened and collected the reins more tightly in his hands, ready to either stop or gallop the horses depending on what the situation called for.
The sound of Billy chuckling made Jude relax. “Just a prairie dog.” He lowered his gun and sat back down.
Jude grinned. “Seems you’re the right man for the job. If your ears are half as good as your eyes, next you’ll be hearing a rattlesnake from a mile away.”
Billy’s awareness of possible danger allowed Jude to concentrate on driving the horses and also gave him ample opportunity to think about Callie’s future. He decided that he would make sure this Albert fellow was decent before he left her in his care. If her fiancé had lied about his circumstances, or if Callie was in any way displeased with him, he would take the girl back with him to
St. Louis. He felt satisfied with this plan, and he relaxed some more.
That’s when a gunshot exploded in the air, startling Jude, the horses, and everyone else. Jude felt fear grip him like it never had before during staging. Although he had dealt with danger multiple times on the line, the thought of something happening to Callie sent a bolt of anger and alarm right through him. Galloping hooves circled the back of the stagecoach, putting the bandit out of sight briefly. Jude brought the horses to a sharp but safe halt. Reaching for his Colt as Billy cocked his rifle, the two of them focused their weapons on the man rounding the coach.
“Drop the guns,” the man snarled, a Remington pointed directly at Jude’s head. “No one needs to get hurt. I’m only here for money and goods.”
“You’d better hightail it out of here, agent,” Jude said, his gun aimed between the man’s beady black eyes. “You won’t be leaving with anything but your life, unless you piss me off. There are two guns to your one. Get a move on.”
Jude saw the man’s eyes twinkle, though he couldn’t see his smile through the red bandana over his mouth. “There may be two guns, Brother Whip, but yours is useless. It’s not cocked, and it’s not in your shootin’ hand.” His voice held a trace of amusement, as though he was dealing with an amateur. And he was. Jude’s skill lay in driving, not shooting. Jude hadn’t had the time to cock his weapon and transfer it from his left to right hand after stopping the horses.
The bandit continued to speak, now in a hard voice. “I don’t wanna kill you, but I will, so I suggest you do as I say.”
“What’s to stop me from shooting you right now?” Billy asked. “Your iron’s not pointed in my direction, but mine’s aimed at your skull.”
The bandit scoffed. “You won’t shoot me if you have a lick of sense. Because if you do, I’ll make sure to shoot your driver here before I die, and then you’ll all die at the Lupeguad Pass without him. Lower your weapons. I won’t ask politely again.”
Corralling Callie Page 6
