by Maggie Ryan
"Run over and ask Jewel for something for Rebekah to wear," he instructed.
"I'm not your errand boy. Where's Tanner?" Harry asked.
"Out," Jeb replied. "In fact, he might be at The Red Petticoat making his rounds…"
"Great," Harry said, walking towards the door. "Perhaps he'll remind you that prisoners aren't supposed to be cuddled and coddled. She should be behind bars. You lock up a drunk but sit there and hold a girl on your lap like she's some… some kind of angel when she's nothing but a damned thief!"
When he felt her head lift from his shoulder and pretty sure he knew what she was going to say, Jeb pressed his hand against the back of her head, pressing her down. "Don't," he said softly, moving his hand to pat against her bottom. He bit back a grin as she stilled instantly and then tucked her tightly against him when she whimpered. "Shh, you're doing so well, sweetie. Just a bit longer."
"Good lord," Harry said, giving another huff as he stomped out the door. Jeb watched as the doctor gently began to withdraw the glass. Blood instantly began to flow again, staining both Rebekah's skin and the towel beneath her hand. Shit, if the shard had been any longer, it would have exited the back of her hand. His fingers gently rubbed circles against her wrist, calming her as the glass was finally laid aside. With its removal, their patient continued to cry as the doctor palpated her palm, forcing more blood to flow.
"I don't see any more glass," Dr. Norwood said, daubing the wound with soapy water. "Keep her still," he warned, reaching into his bag and removing a small jar. "This will burn a bit but I don't want to risk infection." He waited until Jeb nodded before pouring a small amount of alcohol onto Rebekah's palm. She instantly stiffened and then cried out.
"It's all right," Jeb assured her, "I know it stings but it's better than getting infected."
"It doesn't sting; it fucking burns! Ow! Quit it!"
"I will when you quit cursing, little girl." Jeb kept his hand against her bottom telling himself it wasn't because he had discovered she had filled out quite nicely but that it was his duty to be prepared to deliver another swat if her mouth spewed further vulgarity. When had she become so loose with language that would have earned her a trip to the barn every time her Pa heard her curse? It was with a bit of regret when she relaxed against him but he found almost as much pleasure as he ran one hand up and down her back, watching as the doctor began to wrap her hand in clean strips of cloth. Once finished, he removed all signs of the procedure, taking the bloody rags and the red tinged bowl of water into the back room. Returning, he closed his bag.
"Keep it wrapped and dry," he instructed. "I'll check it every day to make sure it's healing properly but I have no doubt that it will."
"Thanks, Doc," Jeb said, standing and setting Rebekah onto the chair again in order to shake his hand.
"Yes, thank you," Rebekah said, her voice only quivering a bit.
"You're welcome. I'll be by in the morning." He chuckled as he walked to the door. "Should I come by the jail or go to the saloon?"
Jeb was about to state that he'd let him know when Rebekah spoke up. "The Red Petticoat. That's where I work now."
Nodding, the doctor left and Jeb turned to address her but again she beat him to the punch. "Can I go now?"
"The only place you are going is the corner."
"What?" Rebekah said, her mouth dropping open. "I'm not going to do that!"
"Oh yes you are," Jeb said, his decision made. "You'll stand with your nose in the corner and think about the trouble you've gotten yourself into."
"I won't!"
"You will," Jeb assured her. "The only question is whether you'll do it before or after your spanking."
"You wouldn't dare!" she hissed. "I'm not some child!"
"You most certainly are," he countered, pointing to the corner. "Now, get your nose against the wall and be grateful I'm not requiring you hold your skirts up and display your naughty behind." He discovered that her facial color could indeed match the hue of her red hair, her flashing green eyes showing her indignation. When she opened her mouth, he took a single step towards her, lifting his hand and had to bite back a grin when she squealed and raced around his desk. He was pleasantly surprised when she didn't attempt to break for the door but wasn't prepared when she dashed into the open cell and attempted to pull the heavy door shut.
Ignoring her cry of pain as her injured hand curled around one of the bars, he shook his head and stepped into the cell.
"Put me down!" she demanded, kicking out as he easily lifted her and carried her to the corner. Though he did set her down, she instantly protested his obedience to her demand. "No! I didn't mean here…"
"Yes, here," he said, turning her to face the wall. "Move an inch and you'll be displaying a red hot rear." At the stomp of her foot and a muttered curse word, her next response was another squeal when his hand connected to her bottom three times. These were not the warning swats he'd given her earlier—these were intended to really get her attention. He was quite pleased to discover they did.
"Stop it!" she cried, attempting to arch away from him.
"Are you going to do what you're told?" he asked, his palm ready to continue her lesson.
"Yes!"
"Yes what?"
"Yes, Sheriff," she said with a sneer.
"Try again and I suggest you do so with the proper tone." He watched as her eyes narrowed.
"You are just as bossy as ever aren't you? You think that star on your chest gives you the right… ow! Quit hitting me!"
"I'm not hitting, I'm swatting and will continue to do so until you answer me properly."
"Did you swat his ass or did he answer you properly?" she asked, pointing to the man whose snores seemed to be growing louder, his breath causing his red beard to lift with every exhaled snort.
"Red, you are really, really pushing me here. If you notice, he is locked behind bars. Do you honestly want to learn how it feels to join him?" He watched her eyes go back to the cell where the man snorted and turned over on his cot. It was all he could do not to laugh when a rather loud expulsion came from the cell; one that did not come from the man's mouth.
Rebekah's nose crinkled and she gave her answer. "Fine, yes, Sheriff, sir."
Jeb grinned. "You are just as stubborn as you've always been, little girl. Move an inch and we'll see how long it takes to turn your bottom as red as your hair." He stepped away and when she didn't move, he nodded. "Step closer. I want your nose touching the wall."
"You just said not to move!" she retorted, turning her head to look over her shoulder. All it took was a movement of his hand before she obeyed.
"Good girl," he said. "I'd normally require that you put your hands behind your back, but I want you to put them on top of your head." He pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and spread it out over the top of her hair.
"What are you doing?"
"I don't want any glass in your hair to cut you. Put your hands on top of your head. The elevation will help with the throbbing." At her look, he again had to bite back a grin. "Well, at least the throbbing in your hand. There's not much I can offer to help the throbbing in your backside, Red." Her cheeks pinkened further as she obeyed.
"Don't call me that. I'm not a little girl any more!"
Jeb grinned at her indignation. She certainly looked like a little girl—make that a naughty little girl standing in the corner. He'd barely had time to move to sit behind his desk to consider the evening's events before the door opened to admit Harry as well as his deputy, Zeke Tanner.
"Miss Jewel and Gabriel are coming," Tanner said, not even showing surprise at seeing a corner of their office occupied by a small woman, nose to the wall.
"The doc's fixed her hand," Harry said, his voice rising. "Why ain't the little thief in a cell yet?"
"Damn it, I told you I'm not a thief!"
Every pair of eyes moved to the corner to see Rebekah had turned from the wall, her hands on her hips.
"Turn around," Jeb said.
"Red, I'm not joking. You are in enough trouble as it is."
"He's the thief! He stole my fucking money and I want it back! I demand you throw his fat ass in a cell! And stop calling me Red!"
Deputy Tanner shook his head when the girl instantly turned to the wall as his boss strode the few steps to her, his hand connecting with a crack against her behind.
"I told you to stop cursing, young lady, and one more word and I swear, I'll spank you right here in front of everybody."
"You haven't changed at all! You are nothing but a big bully!" she shouted but was wise enough not to turn around.
"Goodness, what's going on here?" Jewel asked, entering before Gabriel. "Why does Rebekah need a change of clothes? Oh, um forget that, why is she in the corner, and what happened to her hand?"
"Seems the sheriff thinks corner time is better than being locked up where she belongs…"
Jeb cut Harry off. "I don't lock up children."
"I'm not a child!" Rebekah exclaimed loudly but still didn't move.
"Children?" This time the question was asked by a deep voice belonging to Gabriel. "She told us she was of legal age."
Jeb shook his head in disbelief. Seems she had no concern about digging herself further into a hole. "What year were you born?"
"Um, April."
"That's not a year, Red. Answer the question and know that lying will earn you another spanking," Jeb said.
"I'm not! It was um, 1830…
"So, you're going to turn 20?"
"What? Oh, no, I mean 1832… no, 1831… 32?"
"She never was very good at figures," Harry offered. "She's a liar and a thief!"
"Deputy, go get Doc Norwood," Jeb instructed.
"Why?" The question didn't come from Tanner but from the corner.
"Because, little girl, he'll have records from when you were born."
"Oh, well, fine," Rebekah said, her feet shuffling a bit. "Ma had me at home and the doctor hasn't been in Culpepper that long."
"You forget," Jeb said, as he gave her bottom a pat. "I was here when you fell out of that apple tree and broke your arm. I'm quite positive Clay had to give the doctor your information when he brought you into town." Seeing her stiffen at the mention of her older brother, he leaned a bit closer. "And, Red, if I have to bother Doc again and he confirms what I already know, I promise you'll wish you hadn't lied to me. If Clay were here, I'm quite positive he'd agree that a good spanking is exactly what you need." He gave her a moment and then sighed deeply. "Go on, Zeke; get the Doc."
"No, wait," Rebekah said, giving her own sigh. "Fine, I'm not twenty."
"Red," Jeb drawled, the one word causing her to shift her feet again or perhaps it was the hand that patted against her skirts.
"I'll be eighteen in just a few days," she said, "I… I just needed a job and…"
"Oh, honey," Jewel said. "You didn't have to lie to me or to Sheriff Justice. I still would have hired you to work."
"You would?" Rebekah said, turning her head to look at Jewel.
"Yes, sweetie. You wouldn't work upstairs, of course, but there are other jobs you can do until you turn eighteen."
"But I want a red petticoat," Rebekah said, and Jeb shook his head.
"The only red you'll be wearing under your skirts is the red on your bottom," Jeb said. His statement drew a small gasp from Jewel but he was more interested in the fact that Red's eyes seemed to grow huge when Gabriel spoke.
"The only question seems to be exactly how red, young lady. Lying by our employees is not tolerated, and neither is thievery."
"How many times do I have to say it? I am not a thief!"
Jeb found it interesting that instead of instantly beginning to plead for mercy, she'd again stomped her foot, her green eyes flashing as she repeated the same words he'd now heard several times.
"Everyone calm down," he instructed. "Let's sit down and get this cleared up. It's quite late and I'm sure everyone is tired." Motioning for Jewel to take the chair behind his desk, he turned to the corner. "I'm going to let you out of the corner, but, if you curse, scream, or throw a tantrum, you'll find yourself right back nose to the wall. Do you understand me?"
"Fine!"
"Red, I suggest you answer correctly."
Lowering her hands from her head, she shrugged. "Yes."
"Really? And you state you aren't a child. Answer properly."
Looking around the room evidently told her that she'd find no support as long as she continued to be belligerent. "Yes, sir, I understand."
"See, that wasn't so hard now was it? Good girl," Jeb praised. "You may take a seat."
Harry's grunt showed his displeasure but he said, "Finally. You see what I've had to deal with every damn day; the girl's got quite the fucking mouth on her." When his observation didn't receive any comments, he shrugged. "You can't deny the truth. Hell, sheriff, you were right there to catch her red-handed. She's been fixed up by the doc and it's time for justice."
"You wouldn't know justice if it bit you on your ar… bu… backside." Heads swiveled to look at Rebekah who was glaring at Harry.
"You've got the floor," Jeb said, leaning a hip against the edge of his desk. He watched her sit up straighter in her chair as she prepared to testify. He just hoped she'd remember to think before she spoke. Then again, he'd have absolutely no trouble tipping her over his desk and giving her a reminder of exactly what happened to little girls who continued to tell less than the truth.
Chapter Two
"He owes me two dollars," Rebekah said. "He never paid me for the month…"
"You owed me for the damage you did to my customer's clothing," Harry interrupted. "I told you I'd deduct the payment from your wages."
"That's bulls…" Her eyes cut to the sheriff to see his eyebrow arched. "That's a lie. I admit I made a mistake and Clint's shirts and stuff turned pink but only because you are too stingy to let me change the da… darn water!" Her huff told Jeb she was having a hard time censoring her speech. "Besides, his bill was only two bits and not two fuc… um, whole dollars! If anyone is a thief, it's you!"
"You listen to me, girly," Harry practically growled. "There's been plenty of damn times you've fucked up a customer's laundry. Buttons disappear, stains aren't removed, and countless other things. If I took out every penny I lost because of you, I'd not have a single cent."
"That's a lie! You've got bags and bags of money in that drawer. I only wanted what was mine!"
"I'm not paying for sloppy work! Hell, I even gave you a place to sleep and this is how you repay me!"
"I slept on the floor and paid for the privilege!"
Rebekah was out of her chair when Jeb and Gabriel spoke in unison, "Sit down, Rebekah."
"May I say something?"
Nodding towards Jewel, Jeb gave her the floor. With a smile, she moved to the chair and placed her hand on Rebekah's shoulder once her newest employee dropped back into her seat.
"Mr. March, I'm confused," Jewel said, drawing his attention to her. "I was at your laundry on the day in question and as I recall, I paid for the damage when I paid for my rather large order."
"You did?" Rebekah asked, her tone showing her disbelief.
"Yes, I saw no need for the incident to cause trouble and you'd agreed to work very hard in order to satisfy my needs. I felt it was the least I could do," Jewel said before looking again at Harry. "Although, as I recall, you told me the cost to cover the damage was a dollar… not two bits."
"I told you he was nothing but a thief," Rebekah stated happily, nodding her head. "He charged you three times more than he should have! See, I can do arithmetic just fine!"
Harry's face flushed. "I'm not the one on trial here!"
"No one is on trial," Jeb said. "Is that true? Did you overcharge Miss Jewel?"
When the man began to bluster, Jewel spoke again. "Why don't we consider the additional funds received as compensation for this evening's unplea
santness? I'm sure Mr. March doesn't wish to be the subject of any gossip about, shall we say, rather sloppy bookkeeping? Of course, I'm sure he'll wish to pay Rebekah her proper wages."
"He will if he expects any of our business," Gabriel added from where he stood, leaning against the back wall, his arms crossed over his chest.
They all waited as Harry sputtered but finally pulled the bag Rebekah had seen fall from the drawer out of his pocket. Jeb waited until he'd piled a stack of coins onto the desk and then covered the money with his hand as Rebekah reached for it.
"There is still the matter of damage done to Mr. March's desk." Separating the coins into two piles, he nodded at Rebekah. "I believe that's fair, don't you?"
"But it's my money," Rebekah protested. "I need it."
"Do you need it enough to spend a few days in jail for trespassing and causing property damage?"
Rebekah looked at the cell as another snort came from within its depths. "No, I-I guess not." She reached to sweep the coins in one pile but winced at the movement. Jeb did the honors and returned half the money to Harry.
"Satisfied?"
"I still say you were way too soft on her," Harry muttered, the coins jingling as he returned them to the bag. "If it were up to me…"
"It isn't." Jeb said.
"I'll be speaking with the townsfolk about your favoritism…"
"Feel free to do so, but for now, feel free to go," Jeb moved to the door and pulled it open. "I also suggest you put those bags in the bank…"
"I don't need your fucking advice," Harry snorted as he stomped out the door and disappeared. When Jeb turned back, it was to see Rebekah standing, gathering the remaining coins and to hear her yelp as she slid her hand into her pocket. He reached her in three steps to see her pull her hand free and her face to once again turn white.
"Shh, it's nothing," he said, taking her hand and quickly lifting it to his mouth, kissing away the tiny droplet of blood on her fingertip. "Red, you've got to be careful." He took the coins from her and wrapped them in the handkerchief he'd placed on her head before tucking the bundle into her other pocket. "I'm serious about the glass."
