by Joannie Kay
Bridget was mortified as she rose to her knees again and undid
the pink ribbons holding up her drawers. She quickly pushed
them down, careful to keep her front covered by her gown.
"That’s much better," Will voiced his approval. "Now lie on your tummy, and no more fussing!" he added when she started to
protest again.
Bridget mentally cursed him, but her silent curses turned to
gratitude when the soothing salve calmed the fiery pain.
"Better now?" Will asked hopefully, swearing to himself that he would never use the riding whip on her delicate bottom again,
not unless she risked her life in some way! He’d left wheals that
would bruise and hurt her for days!
"Much better, Will. Thank you," she managed to whisper.
"Good," he pulled her gown down to cover her, and then tucked her under the blankets. Will walked to the other side of the bed,
blew out the lamp, then undressed and got into bed beside his
new bride. "Goodnight, Bridget."
Bridget lay there awake, waiting until Will’s slow, even breathing told her he was sound asleep. She quietly inched her way out of
the soft, warm bed, careful not to disturb the man, picked up her
clothing and boots, and then went into the next room to change.
Once she was fully dressed, Bridget let herself outside by way of
the kitchen door, and hurried to the barn to help herself to a
mount. She saddled the little mare, and quietly led her far
enough away from the buildings she wouldn’t be heard leaving.
In spite of the salve, Bridget winced when she sat her saddle.
Her poor bottom was so tender and sore, and she never wanted
another spanking as long as she lived! The absolute nerve of the
man! Why, she wasn’t a naughty child! She was a grown woman
and he’d had no right whatsoever to subject her to such
punishment!
It was absolutely imperative she reach her father before Will
discovered her missing. In spite of everything, Bridget knew she
could count on Flynn O’Riley to protect his one and only
daughter! And if he wouldn’t, then surely one of her six brothers
would! There was absolutely no way she was going to permit Will
Bishop to dictate to her what she could and couldn’t do!
Will woke slowly, as he always did. Mornings were not his
favorite time of day, and it took a while for the sleep-induced
cobwebs to clear. When he did remember the previous day’s
events, he opened one blue eye and looked to the other side of
the bed, not the least bit surprised to see the redheaded spitfire was already up and about. He just hoped she was in the kitchen
fixing them something to eat---and a pot of strong coffee.
Will shaved and washed up before dressing in his jeans and light
blue shirt, then walked out to the kitchen, fairly positive he
wouldn’t find Bridget attending to wifely chores. He helped
himself to a piece of licorice, and then headed for the barn.
Dancing Sun was missing from her stall. Will cautioned himself
not to over-react, telling himself that the young redhead was
used to riding every day. He decided to tend his stock, and if
Bridget didn’t return by then, he would go looking for her. He
hoped for her sake that wouldn’t be necessary.
But after another hour passed with no sign of the young woman,
Will determined she’d run away, just as she’d threatened to do.
He cursed himself for sleeping so soundly, even though he’d
often been teased by his family for sleeping through tornadoes,
stampedes, and a fire that completely destroyed several
outbuildings on his parents’ ranch! Once he closed his eyes, he
didn’t hear a thing until morning.
Will saddled his stal ion, King, and quickly looked for Bridget’s
tracks. She’d made no attempt to hide her trail, and it didn’t take long for Will to realize his errant wife had run home to Daddy! He braced himself for the coming confrontation, and headed King
toward Flynn O’Riley’s huge spread.
The front door was opened almost before he knocked, and Will
couldn’t help smiling at the elderly Mexican woman giving him
the once-over from her dark brown eyes. "You’ll do, Senìor," she suddenly giggled, then ushered him through the hallway and into
a huge dining room.
"Been expecting you, son," Flynn O’Riley greeted him, waving a piece of toasted bread at him. "Help yourself to breakfast.
Consuela set a place for you right there," he pointed with the bread again.
"I came for my wife," Will stated purposefully, looking directly at Flynn and ignoring the other six men seated around the table
staring at him.
"No reason you can’t eat before you take her home," Flynn actually grinned at him. "The darn girl is as hot-tempered as her Ma was. Running off in the middle of the night! She’s lucky I
didn’t give her a hiding myself!"
Tom Flynn snorted, "Pa, you’ve never once spanked Bridget!"
"That’s because she reminds me of your Ma!" Flynn nodded.
"You didn’t do her any favors, Pa," Andy spoke up.
"Well, now, it ain’t my problem any more, is it?" Flynn looked at his son. "Will, here, can deal with Bridget."
"I still don’t like the way you married her off, Pa. Don’t Bridget’s feelings count for anything here?" another of her brothers spoke up.
"Michael, Will here is a good, solid young man. He’s a hard
worker. Don’t see him in the saloon too much. And, he stood up
to me yesterday, which takes balls! I like him, and he’ll be good
for Bridget."
"Yea, Mike. Her only complaint was that he spanked her! And I know for a fact you’ve swatted Angie’s butt a few times."
"You spank Angie?" Tom asked with a grin at his younger
brother.
"He sure does," Sean chuckled. "Had her bent over the kitchen table less than a week ago when I went to get him for Pa."
"Angie isn’t the sweet-tempered little girl you all see. She’s a nasty mouth on her sometimes, and I don’t put up with it!"
Michael defended himself, his face turning a deep red.
"Have a seat and eat, Will," David O’Riley placed a full plate on the table, and motioned for the other man to sit down. "I’ll get you some coffee."
"Thanks," Will found himself relaxing, and liking his new in-laws.
He sat at the table, and took a bite of his eggs. They were
exceptionally good.
"I just can’t picture Angie saying anything nasty, little brother,"
Tom decided to comment.
"Ha! You should have heard her during that spanking!" Sean chortled. "I didn’t know that brother here had so many different names!"
"Sweetie, honey, precious…?" Andy joined in the teasing.
The others laughed, and Will was pleased to see Michael join in.
Then he sobered, and said, "You guys can just cool it around
Angie. I don’t want her embarrassed!"
"Would we tease her about something so personal, Mike?" Andy scoffed, then winked at the others.
"I’d still like to know why you felt it necessary to take a riding whip to my sister, Bishop?" Patrick O’Riley asked from the other end of the table, where he’d been sitting quietly.
"She defied me and needed a stern lesson. I was hoping to
make it sharp enough I wouldn’t have to repeat it any time soon,"
Will replied honestly, then took a sip of his hot coffee.
"Then you should
n’t have given her the pillow to sit on, or the salve to take away the sting," Patrick bluntly told him.
"A mistake I won’t be making again," Will told him. He had no intention of using the small whip again, not unless Bridget did
something so awful that he had no choice but be extra firm with
her, but he certainly didn’t intend to tell her brothers that. It
seemed as though nothing was secret among the O’Rileys!
"Bridget’s not a bad girl, son," Flynn said quietly. "She’s just a bit headstrong, and it will be taking you a while to tame her. She’ll
make you a good wife eventually, if you’ve the patience it takes
to handle her." He took another long gulp of coffee, then added,
"She knows now that I won’t hide her here, and neither will any of her brothers. She belongs to you, and that is the way of it." He leveled his green eyes on Will, and then added in a low voice,
"However, I don’t recommend you go mistreating her. A
spanking when deserved is one thing; bruises on her face, or
broken bones is asking for me to come down on you so hard you
won’t breathe again. I hope you understand my meaning, son?"
Will looked Flynn in the eye, then replied evenly, "I have five sisters, Mr. O’Riley. I wouldn’t permit any man to abuse them in
that manner."
Flynn nodded in satisfaction. "We understand each other just
fine, then."
As Will finished eating, Bridget’s brothers delighted in filling him in on some of her wilder antics and escapades, and Will was
shocked enough to look at all of them and demand, "Why in hell did you all let her get away with such willful behavior?"
Six pairs of eyes turned to Flynn, then six voices chorused, "Pa!"
"Okay, I admit it. I was too darn soft on the girl. But she knows where I stand on this marriage business. I made sure of that.
You take her on home, son, and don’t worry none about her
running off again. She knows she can’t come here, unless it’s an
emergency or for a visit. You’re both welcome at my table any
time," he offered hospitably, and Will nodded in acceptance,
shaking the older man’s offered hand.
"Where’s Bridget’s room?" he asked, getting to his feet.
"Top of the steps, last door on the right," Flynn replied, then reached into his pocket and took out a key, which he handed to
Will. "You’ll need this to get inside." He looked at his sons, "We have a ranch to run, boys. Let’s get out of here and give Will
some privacy to deal with your little sister."
"You planning to spank her, Bishop?" Patrick asked, getting to his feet.
Will could feel seven pairs of eyes boring through him, but he
refused to back down. "I told Bridget what to expect if she ran away. And I am a man of my word. She is going to regret running
off."
"It isn’t safe for her to go gallivanting around in the middle of the night like she did. Drifters, Indians, anyone could have grabbed
her! I hope you make that clear to her, and give her a few extra
and tell her they’re from me!" Patrick plopped his black hat on his head, then marched from the room.
"Don’t mind, Pat," Andy said softly. "He lost his girlfriend a few years ago.
She was riding home from town after visiting with a friend, and a
band of outlaws saw her. They abused her, and then killed her.
Pat’s really mad at Bridget for risking her life last night."
"She needs a good strapping, in my opinion," Tom spoke up.
"We have work to do, boys. Will can deal with your sister in his own way," Flynn scolded.
Will finished his coffee, and then drank another cup while trying
to decide how to handle the spirited redhead. She clearly needed
another spanking, and he was determined to be firm with her. He
climbed the steps and walked down the hallway to her bedroom,
and was surprised to hear the muffled sobbing from within.
Bridget was miserable and didn’t know what to do! How could
her father and brothers be so callous? What had she done to
make them turn on her? How could they expect her to live in a
loveless marriage? She’d told them each and every detail of her
short time with Will Bishop, and how he’d spanked her with a
riding whip! Instead of being indignant and outraged over his
despicable behavior, they’d applauded the man! One by one,
they’d told her she deserved a good spanking for running off,
and each of them had told her he wouldn’t raise a finger in her
defense. In fact, her father had locked her in her room, and
made sure her window was secured from the outside so she
couldn’t run away again!
She’d been watching out the window, wondering if Will would
come for her, when he rode into the yard at a brisk pace. The
look on his face was one of determination, but when he didn’t
come upstairs right away, she’d started hoping that he was going
to tell her father that he didn’t want anything further to do with her.
Either that, or her father and brothers were encouraging him to
punish her! That particular thought brought on more tears. She
couldn’t help but remember he’d promised to make her regret
running away, and in her mind, she knew he was promising to
spank her again! She didn’t think she could tolerate another
session with that riding whip! Her bottom was still tender from
yesterday! Bridget flung herself on her bed, sobbing. The stress
of the last twenty-fours hours was simply too much for her to
accept. Her whole life was topsy-turvy, and there wasn’t one
darn thing she could do about it!
Will unlocked the door and walked into the pretty room. He
quickly noted the trunks resting on the floor, and assumed most
of Bridget’s belongings were already packed. He looked over to
the bed, where Bridget was slowly pulling herself together, and
wiping the tears from her pretty face with a lace-trimmed,
embroidered handkerchief. "Papa says I have to go home with
you!" she said in a hurt voice. "And none of my brothers will take me in!" she burst into tears again.
Will quickly crossed the room, picked her up in his strong arms
and carried her to the rocking chair in the corner of the room. He sat down and held her close, rocking gently as he let her cry.
"They’re doing this because they love you, Bridget," he
whispered when she finally quieted a bit. "They want what is best for you."
"But, you spanked me!" she reminded him. "I don’t like being treated like a naughty little girl!"
"Then you’d better learn to act like a grown woman," he told her with a smile.
Bridget raised her green eyes to look at him. "Are you going to spank me again, Will?"
"I warned you what to expect if you ran away, didn’t I?"
"But, you’ve been holding me, and comforting me!" she reminded him, obviously confused. "You don’t look angry!"
"I’m not angry, and I will always comfort you when you need
comforting, Bridget," he reassured her. "But I will not permit you to disobey me and get away with it. Nor will I permit you to
endanger yourself as you did last night by taking off alone in the middle of the night! That was foolish and completely unsafe!"
"You sound like Patrick!" she accused.
"Patrick is right about this, and if you don’t know that now, you will by the time I’m finished spanking you for it."
"No! Please, Will! Can’
t you just forgive me this one time? I won’t run away again, I promise! And I’m still so sore from yesterday!"
she pleaded.
"You are forgiven, Bridget," he said, "but you will be punished. I want you to have a lesson you will remember the next time you
think of disobeying me, and another lesson to remind you that
risking your life will not be tolerated."
Bridget’s eyes opened wide as his words registered. "You
wouldn’t spank me twice!" she gasped in horror.
"You’ve earned two separate corrections, young lady. And
there’s no point in fussing about it." He stood her on her feet and took in the fact she was wearing a wrapper over her nightdress.
"Remove your wrapper, Bridget," he ordered softly.
"But, Will! You can’t mean to do it here and now!" she panicked.
Why, her father and brothers were all here, and would tease her
mercilessly for the rest of her life! And she’d never be able to
show her face again!
"I mean to spank you for running away right here and right now,"
he told her firmly, then added, "Fighting me is only going to make it that much worse, Bridget, so I suggest you cooperate and take
off that wrapper before I have to do it."
"Can’t we at least discuss this? I swear I will be very cooperative if you just take me home first! Please, Will?"
"No. And you’ve just earned an extra ten for arguing with me."
Bridget stomped her foot in frustration, only to have him add
another ten! "No! That isn’t fair!" she pleaded, only to make it another ten!
"You’ve already added thirty, Bridget. You are going to be so sore you might have to walk home!" he scolded. "Take off the wrapper right now and no more nonsense!"
Bridget quickly removed her yellow satin wrapper and tossed it
over the chest at the foot of the bed. She simply couldn’t believe she was about to be spanked again! She looked at Will, and was
surprised when he stood up and took her arm, leading her over
to the bed. He took a seat, and then drew her down over his lap.
Within seconds her bottom was bared to his gaze, and Will
wasted no time at all in getting down to business.
SPANK!! SPANK!! SPANK!! SPANK!! SPANK!! SPANK!!
SPANK!! SPANK!! SPANK!! SPANK!! SPANK!! SPANK!!
SPANK!! SPANK!! SPANK!! SPANK!!
"Ow! Ouch! Ohhhhhhhhhh! Stop!!!! Ouch!!!! It hurts!!! Stop it!!!!
