by Chula Stone
“And what about our daughter?”
“She’s going to stay a little girl forever,” Vince declared decisively as he shook his head and gave a comical shudder. “When I start to think about her growing up and being anything other than my little princess, I break out in hives.”
Pinkie laughed. “We mustn’t spoil her, Vince.”
“We won’t, but I will admit, I’m depending on you to keep me sane about her.”
“She’ll start school next year and that will help us keep her grounded. Then in the afternoons, maybe she can come help me in the shop or Treli in the café. She adores Treli, you know.”
“She does indeed. And now that Treli has accepted Shep’s proposal, she’ll be around forever. That’ll please all the kids to no end.”
“I hope Treli will continue to work for me once she’s married. The café won’t be the same without her.”
“Hmmm, Treli.” Hearing her name brought Vince’s mind back to a detail that had been nagging at him. “Betty Farmer brought up Treli’s name when she tried to give me a bag of coins she said she hadn’t earned. I didn’t know what she was talking about. And now, this morning, here she comes with another set of curtains. Did you…Did I… Did we…?”
Pinkie backed her way warily towards the kitchen door. “Now, Vince, there’s no way we could have known that…”
“We both payed her for curtains! Isn’t that right?” His accusation held more than a faint note of disbelieving amusement, but he advanced on her all the same, his hands opening and clenching as if he were practicing to catch a baseball.
“Well, that wasn’t my fault. Treli wanted to have them made as part of the renovation and I was glad for her suggestion. Of course, I paid for them.”
“But Shep told me later that he had paid double to get the rush job. Essentially, you and I were bidding on the same services, driving up the price.”
“But it wasn’t as if I planned it that way,” Pinkie protested as Vince hauled her up against the work table on the wall beneath the window. The sunset was coloring the sky above the tree line a dusky rose. Vince thought he could do no better than to match just that shade on his precious little wife’s sweet behind.
He pinned his wife to the work table with one arm while with the other he reached for a heavy wooden spoon. “I didn’t plan this, either, but sometimes you have to ride with the stampede.” It took him a little extra time to raise her skirts between swats, but it gave him the chance to add some sting to areas lower down on her upper thighs before proceeding upwards to the full crest of her nether cheeks. Each pop of the head of the spoon left a rosy imprint on her already pink flesh. Soon the color was a deeper red which he noted as he rubbed and squeezed in between sets of spanks.
Still, he didn’t keep at it long. It was all simply too absurd for him to draw out the punishment any longer. Just one short burst to show her he meant business and then it was over.
“Is that what you meant by ‘for the moment’?” Pinkie asked as she let her skirts down and rubbed at her backside.
Vince nodded, a rueful smile on his face. Taking her loosely in his arms, he kissed her deeply. “Just another quick comment to make sure you know how I feel about such shenanigans. You didn’t exactly break any rules, but what you did comes under the heading of, ‘you should have known better’. I can’t just shake my head and sigh in hopes that you’ll learn your lesson.”
“I know. It’s best to clear the air,” she admitted sheepishly. “But I think the air is as clear as it can get. You’ve done a good job of clearing it. A great job, actually.” She rubbed her backside vigorously.
He put an arm around her shoulders and they walked outside where the evening air was cooler. They walked into the clearing that surrounded the cottage then turned to gaze at it. After a sweet silent time of enjoying the peace of the gently falling night, Vince squinted his eyes. “Does it have a pinkish tinge to it, do you think?”
Pinkie shook her head. “It’s got to be the sunset colors reflecting on the whitewash. It couldn’t actually be pink.”
“You’re right,” Vince agreed. “Who ever heard of pink whitewash?”
Hand in hand, Treli and Shep skedaddled. After practically throwing her onto the buggy seat, Shep scrambled up and let the horse know he was ready to raise some dust. He put all his concentration into gaining a decent distance from the cottage before slowing the horse to a trot. “I cannot believe that Pinkie!”
“I’m just glad I’m not in her shoes right now.” Treli held her hand out and gazed at the ring twinkling on her finger. The small gold band with tiny flowers etched into it complimented her slim fingers nicely, but Shep thought it would look even better once the wedding ring joined it on her hand.
“Her shoes are probably fine, but her skirts are going to be pretty uncomfortable unless I miss my guess. And I want to declare for the record that if I had known that she hadn’t come clean about her involvement in the renovations, I… well, I’d have been more careful in what I said.” Shep put one arm casually over her shoulders, bringing her closer.
“I would have, too.” Treli shrugged and snuggled into him.
“I didn’t mean to get her into trouble, but I think it’s best that the truth came out. The longer she went on fooling him like that, the worse he would have felt when he did find out.”
“She wasn’t fooling him on purpose, I’m sure. I mean, how awkward that must have been for her when he took her to that cottage. She knew that he had planned and worked to give her such a gift. How could she rain on his parade?”
Shep gave her a sideways glance and as they rode along, he gave the reins a quick check to slow their progress up the winding road. “She could have opened her mouth and told him the truth.”
“You didn’t.”
“I’m not married to him or her either for that matter. I don’t owe either of them the kind of trust and loyalty that a husband owes a wife. I thought about telling Vince, but he did say that she could keep her secrets, so I figured that what I knew wasn’t one of those secrets that would come between a man and his wife. In fact, I made sure of it early on.”
“Still, you knew before either of them that something like this would have to happen. Why didn’t you do something about it?”
“What exactly could I have done?”
Treli scowled as if in deep thought. “You could have… no, that wouldn’t work. You might have… no, too interfering. If you had only… oh, dear.”
“Exactly. Something like this was bound to happen and there was nothing anyone could have done to prevent it without making somebody really mad. As it is, they’ll have a good laugh over it tomorrow.”
“You really think so?”
“Sure. Pinkie might be eating her breakfast off the mantel so she doesn’t have to sit down on one of those hard chairs, but they’ll be fine.”
“Oh, Shep, you don’t think he’ll spank her, do you?”
Shep gave a wry grin. “It’s not the end of the world, as you have good reason to know.”
The look of confusion and embarrassed agreement on Treli’s face was priceless. “He shouldn’t punish her. It’s not like she disobeyed him. He told her she could surprise him.”
“But a spanking isn’t always about punishment. Sometimes it’s just a matter of making sure a wife is always aware that… well, that she has a husband.”
“And that she’s not her own boss,” Treli added resentfully.
“That she’s not alone. And a husband needs to remember that, too, I reckon.” Shep rubbed his hand down Treli’s back, enjoying the feel of her raven black tresses. “From what I could tell, you didn’t exactly hate me after I spanked you. Especially not that first time.” Shep could feel the heat rising through him. How he longed to hold the sweet lithe form beside him.
Treli shifted on the bench. “I don’t understand why but I can’t deny that there are times when I feel… I don’t know how to say it.”
Shep couldn’t stop himself f
rom pulling the buggy over into a secluded clearing just off the road. The sun was truly setting now, but the dimming light only served to make him long more to touch her. “Some things don’t need words.” He pulled her into a close embrace and showed her everything that was in his heart. With his fingertips he traced her face. With his palms he cupped her head. With his lips, he cherished the sweetness that she offered so willingly.
After what seemed to him only a breath or two, she drew back. He realized he had let his hands wander to places that he didn’t have the right to explore just yet. He tried to apologize, but his breath seemed to have gotten snagged on his Adam’s apple and he couldn’t get it free. Finally clearing his throat, he managed to growl, “When exactly did you have in mind to get married? And please, say it’s soon.”
“I don’t want it to look like we’re rushing into anything,” Treli laughed. “And I’m sure Pinkie and Drina will want to make a fuss. Parties and showers and all. You know how they are.”
Shep’s heart was still trying to match the rhythm of a man working on a railroad tie with a sledge hammer. He needed to do something, but couldn’t figure what it might be. To give himself time to recover, he rested his elbows on his knees and drew in several deep breaths.
Treli seemed to take pity on him, but only made things worse by running her hand up and down his arms with a gentle chuckle. “Poor Shep. You’d better take me home.”
He sighed. “You’re right. In fact, I might have to let you drive the rig home and I’ll walk… by way of Wilhoite’s pond. It should be cold by this time of year.”
“Oh, come on. It’s not that bad.”
“Says you.” Shep shook himself, clenching and stretching his hands. “Believe me, it’s bad. Will you promise me we’ll keep this engagement to less than a month?”
Treli grinned and narrowed her eyes at him. “Why should I?”
“Because I asked you to, you little brat!” He grabbed at her waist and tickled her while she squealed delightedly.
“Let go! Stop it!”
“That’s what you said the night I spanked you. I didn’t listen then and I’m not listening now. Promise me!” Struggling with her in this silly way was relieving so many of the feelings strafing him that he half hoped she would continue her resistance. He should have known she wouldn’t disappoint him.
“You can’t do this to me!” Was it his imagination, or was she leaning over his lap?
Before he could make any real decision, his hand acted of its own accord and swatted her backside firmly but not hard enough to account for the way she was sliding farther over his lap and letting her knees straddle his leg. While the thin skirt she wore protected her modesty, he could still vaguely feel the shape of her as her weight shifted. “Who’s going to stop me?” he teased. Several more swats followed the first in a slow deliberate rhythm. Watching her reactions, listening to her coos and sighs mingling with her giggles, Shep was transported out of himself and into her bliss. Her delight slaked his thirst even as it gilded his hunger. He needed her. He would have her. But for now, making her relax and laugh fed his soul. “Promise me!”
“No!” She turned on him the kind of grin that melts a man’s bones.
So she wasn’t ready to end it. Hadn’t had enough. What was she telling him? What could he tell her? “Fine then. I can go on like this all night.” He yanked her skirt up over her waist, leaving just one petticoat between his hard palm and her soft flesh. Dangerous ground, but the reward was worth the risk.
“Is this how you plan to treat me when we’re married?” She was still laughing but he could here in her voice that she was not merely teasing.
He had to stall for time, but he didn’t stop clapping his hand down over and over again. “What kind of question is that to ask a fellow?”
“One I want to know the answer to,” she asked between spanks. Her body was growing still. Her backside had to be burning by now but she was drinking it all in. It was as if they were dancing to some unheard music.
He didn’t pause to wonder what answer she wanted. There was no use in his telling her anything but the truth. Showing her his heart was as natural to him as breathing. Why would he want to hide anything from her? She was the element in his life that made it worth living. “Yes, I plan to be right there beside you, whatever comes. I plan to know what you are doing and how you are doing it. Then I plan to show you how I feel about it. If that means kissing, you’ll get kissed. If that means spanking, you’ll get spanked. One thing it will always mean is loving, and you’ll be loved. And you’ll know it. Does that answer your question?”
She nodded her head and became very still. He removed his hands, wondering what she would do. When she twisted up towards him and wrapped her arms around his neck, he settled her in his lap and took deep breaths with her, feeling as if something important had been decided.
“One month should be enough,” she whispered after a while.
Chapter 12
The morning of the wedding dawned crisp and clear as only autumn in a warm climate can do. With a promise of a hot afternoon, the chilly breeze blew in like an old friend and welcomed wedding guest. The sun sparkled off the dew droplets that clung like silver linings on earthbound clouds. Treli, however, noticed none of it.
“So you think it will be okay?” Treli confirmed for the fourth time.
Drina looked up from her position on the floor. “Hold still or I’ll ruin the hem of this dress. Yes, of course it will be fine. Betty fixed everything perfectly when she realized she couldn’t come today. I can finish it easily if you quit twisting and pacing.”
Pinkie chimed in, smoothing the bride’s hair and fluffing her veil. “And don’t worry about the cake. Vince should be back with it any second. Betty’s mother was adamant that it would be ready by the time Vince got to their house to fetch it.
“No, I mean about the baby,” Treli moaned.
“He can check on mother and child when he picks up the cake,” Pinkie huffed.
“She might need him to stay and help,” Treli suggested. “If she needs him, he’ll stay, won’t he? He should stay.”
“He’ll come back so he can walk you down the aisle.” Pinkie corrected Treli as they both glanced out the window.
“This baby is more important than a silly old cake.” Treli paced over to the window, trailing the needle and thread that jerked from Drina’s hand.
Drina pulled her back. “Now, you mustn’t go near the windows. Shep might be out there and see you.”
Pinkie pulled Drina back down to her place on the floor so she would start stitching the hem of the dress again. Drina drew the thread taut. “Yarnella will be fine. Alpacas have been giving birth without the aid of man for as long as there have been alpacas.
“Are you really calling that animal Yarnella?” Treli demanded. “Her name was Rosita.”
“She belongs to Betty now. If that’s what Betty calls her, then that’s her name.” Pinkie scowled over at her. “Now stand still so Drina can finish the dress. The way you two carry on, one would think Treli could waltz down the aisle by herself wearing the cake and raw alpaca wool. The dress, you two! Concentrate on the thing we need first! The dress.”
Treli ran her hands over the frilly frock. “If only Betty could be here to finish it herself! Oh, why did it have to happen today? I wanted to be there.” She pulled at the white lace that accented her graceful neckline.
“If you pull that lace off, we’ll have to delay the wedding even more. We’re already starting an hour late.” Pinkie caught Treli’s hands and held them firmly at her sides. “I think I hear our buggy now. Vince always takes that last curve in the road too fast and sets the harness jingling.”
Treli heard the jangle of metal and the clop of horses’ hooves on hard-packed dirt. “Oh, that’s got to be him. We’re all set, aren’t we?”
“Yes, we are,” Drina said firmly. Breaking off the thread, she added. “I’m done. You look wonderful. Let’s go. Maybe he has word about Y
arnella.”
“You stay up here and away from that window,” Pinkie instructed the bride. “Drina will go down, tell the pastor we’re ready, and send Vince up here.” As Drina was slipping out of the bedroom door, Treli heard Pinkie add in a low tone, “Don’t forget to ask Vince if the baby has been born yet.”
Treli smiled to herself. Pinkie cared about the new arrival as much as they did. She was just a little more practical when it came to crowds. As they waited, Treli took Pinkie’s hand. “Thank you for not letting me postpone the wedding.”
“For an alpaca? Never! I knew you’d regret it tomorrow, or maybe even this afternoon. Yarnella is more to us than the yarn she will produce, but she will be fine with Betty there to help her. And putting the wedding off so that Betty could attend was also a bit over the top. She’s a dear friend, but she understands. Half the town is here and making them wait an hour was bad enough.”
“When Betty’s mama first brought the news, I did think we would have to put off the ceremony, but when I saw her unpack the dress, I knew Betty had done everything she could so that I could have my special day.”
“She’s a lovely girl,” Pinkie agreed, “But you hit the nail on the head. This is your day, and I don’t think Shep will appreciate anybody who distracts from the occasion. He’s not going to let absent friends or pregnant alpacas get in the way of his purpose today.”
Treli grinned sheepishly. “I guess maybe I’m letting my worry about the birth help me forget the huge step I’m taking.” Her fingers fussed nervously with her lace.
“About that,” Pinkie began hesitantly as she undid the fussing. “Vince might think it’s funny to try to talk you out of going through with the wedding. He doesn’t mean it, so don’t pay a bit of attention to him.”
“When did she ever pay any attention to anything I said?” Vince asked, poking his head in the room. “Or you either, Pinkie. That’s why I’m always having to set you down for little chats. And that’s what I’m going to tell this beautiful bride as I escort her down the stairs and into her husband’s waiting arms: she’d better listen to him and only him, or he’ll use those waiting arms to turn her over his waiting knee and spank some sense into her.”
