When He Returns

by Amelia Smarts

  “Good girl,” he murmured when he was finished, and resumed stroking her bottom.

  She slumped down over his lap and enjoyed his touch. She thought she could lie forever in his lap getting her bare bottom rubbed. The spanking was more painful yet even hotter than her fantasies. She clenched her legs together, feeling on the brink of exploding with pleasure. The physical part of discipline mixed with the scolding was a combination that brought her need and desire straight to the surface.

  “Now, darlin’, this last set is for your worst sin of all today. Can you guess what that might be?”

  She wouldn’t have been able to guess the color of the sky. “No,” she moaned.

  “All right, I’ll tell you. These final swats are for thinking, even for a moment, that people don’t care about you. We all care about you, and if a spanking is what will prove it to you, I’m more than happy to smack your delectable bottom every day. Fifty swats, and they’re going to hurt. Are you ready?”

  Her eyes stung with tears at hearing Wade’s words. She couldn’t help but wonder how much he cared about her. As much as he cared about Grace and the others? “I’m ready,” she whispered.

  True to his word, the last fifty swats hurt like the dickens. He ignored her shrieks and pleas for mercy, and if anything spanked harder the more she complained. Halfway through she decided she must be off her rocker to have longed for a spanking from Wade. It hurt! And he didn’t spare her tender thighs, making sure they felt his punishing hand as well.

  When it was over, he carefully tied her drawers together and gave her aching bottom one final gratuitous swat before smoothing her skirts down and setting her upright on his lap.

  He placed his hand on her back and grinned at her. “Do you feel cared for now?”

  Her chest rose and fell from the exertion of withstanding such an event, and she let out a breathless giggle. “Yes, I suppose. Thank you, Wade.”

  “I like hearing you laugh like that. It’s cute. You should do it more often.”

  She shifted her sore bottom on his leg. “I feel happy right now, but usually I don’t.” When she saw his expression of concern, she rushed to explain. “It’s not that I’m unhappy. But my days are predictable. I certainly couldn’t have predicted this!”

  “I see,” Wade said, frowning. “It’s true, your days are predictable and full of work, while everyone else does as they please.”

  She shrugged and looked down at her hands in her lap. “I know it probably doesn’t make sense to you, but I prefer it that way. Ever since Pa died, I’ve been thankful for every day that passes where nothing terrible happens. I like for everything to be as expected.”

  Wade wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close to him. “I do understand,” he said. “That’s been your way of coping. But I want more for you. Will you let me lay down the law a bit at the house?”

  She laid her head on his shoulder, marveling over the closeness of him. It felt so good to be in his arms, feeling like she had someone on her side who cared about her. “I don’t think you need my permission to lay down the law.”

  “Sure I do,” he insisted. “It’s your house, but I want to make some changes. Call it even distribution of workload.”

  She giggled again. “That sounds fancy. Did you learn it in California?”

  “Yes, actually,” he said. “Working at the paper—we all had to pull our own weight. If one person didn’t, he wasn’t allowed to stick around for long. At the house, I’m prepared to enact consequences for the thoughtless, lazy behavior I’ve witnessed from everyone but you.”

  Sadie wasn’t used to someone taking up for her, and it felt nice. “Sure, Wade, whatever you think.”

  “Good,” he said, giving her shoulder a squeeze. “And the first change I want to make is to get you out of the house. Will you accompany me to the barn dance next Saturday?”

  She lifted her head and studied him. Was he requesting courtship? Even though they were wrapped in each other’s arms in a way that was distinctly not brotherly or sisterly, she still felt taken aback. “I-I don’t know how to dance,” she stammered. She had never been asked to a dance before, and she wondered about his motives. She hoped he didn’t feel sorry for her.

  “I didn’t ask if you knew how to dance, I asked if you’d go with me,” he said teasingly.

  She smiled. “All right. I’ll go.”

  He grinned at her so broadly that Sadie couldn’t help but return a big smile of her own. He seemed genuinely pleased to spend a romantic evening with her. She couldn’t remember ever having smiled so much in one day. It had been the most eventful afternoon of her life, and it filled her with joy to think that the excitement wasn’t going to end that day. She had a dance to look forward to, and what if that was only the beginning of Wade’s courtship?

  Chapter Twelve

  Sadie conscripted Grace’s help in getting her ready for the event. She’d never been to a dance, and though she knew it was an event worthy of dressing up for, she wasn’t sure how to prepare herself. Though she initially protested Grace’s insistence on painting her face, Sadie eventually gave in, realizing her sister had much more experience when it came to romantic relationships.

  Grace dabbed rouge liberally along Sadie’s cheekbones. “I’m so happy Wade is sweet on you,” she gushed. She used a cloth to smooth out the blush’s edges. “I never would have guessed you two would end up together.”

  “We’re not together, and it’s not for sure that he’s sweet on me,” Sadie responded practically.

  “Nonsense! Men don’t ask women they’re not sweet on to barn dances.”

  Sadie struggled to keep her glee from showing. She suspected the same, but she was afraid to make any assumptions. “It’s hard to believe how far we’ve come, considering how much we quarreled as children. I suppose now we see how alike we are.”

  Grace nodded as she finished applying kohl to Sadie’s eyelashes. “I agree, you two are alike. You both need to smile more and not worry so much. And you’re both just about the greatest people God ever put on this green earth.” Grace took hold of Sadie’s shoulders gently and turned her to face the mirror.

  When Sadie saw herself, she could hardly believe how pretty she looked. The paint on her lips caused them to appear plump and full, and the color around her eyes made them sparkle. She twirled around in her green dress, excited and hopeful that Wade would find her beautiful.

  Grace appeared beside her after prettying her own self up, and Sadie took in a sharp breath when she saw her sister in the mirror. It never failed to amaze her how gorgeous she was. Grace looked like a queen in her red satin dress and matching ribbons, which made Sadie look like a pauper beside her.

  Wade entered the cabin at that moment. They both turned to look at him, and his eyebrows lifted with surprise when he saw Sadie.

  “What have you got on your face?” he asked bluntly.

  Sadie blushed and open her mouth to respond, but Grace answered first.

  “It’s called makeup, Wade, and you might compliment her on it,” Grace scolded. “Doesn’t she look lovely?”

  Wade didn’t remove his gaze from Sadie’s face as Grace spoke. It seemed clear he didn’t like how she looked in makeup, and Sadie wished she’d remained firm in her resolve not to allow Grace to paint her face, but Grace had been persuasive.

  “She looks lovely without it,” Wade said finally, turning to look at Grace. “You both do.”

  Grace laughed gaily and swept toward the door. “Come on, let’s go so I can leave you two lovebirds alone and find my own dance partner.”

  Wade stepped toward Sadie and held out his bent arm to her. The fresh, masculine scent of him filled her senses as she hooked her hand in his elbow. His thick mop of hair was combed neatly and he’d shined up his boots.

  “You look very dashing, Wade,” Sadie said with a shy smile.

  His face relaxed. “And you look beautiful…” He seemed to want to say more, but instead his lips formed into a firm lin
e. He led Sadie to the door, which Grace was already bounding out of.

  The three of them climbed into the buggy that Wade had just hitched up.

  “Do you know who you’re going to dance with, Gracie?” Wade asked, slapping the reins over the horse as he urged him toward the town.

  “Yes, I think so,” she replied. “Either Jimmy or Thomas—depending on who is nicer to me.”

  Wade snorted. “They’d both better be nice to you, or I’ll be having a word with them. And you must introduce Thomas to me if you choose to dance with him. I’ve not met him before.”

  She rolled her eyes but didn’t look truly displeased. She agreed without argument to do as Wade requested.

  “As for you,” Wade said, wrapping his free arm around Sadie’s shoulders. “I’m not going to let anyone else besides me dance with you tonight.”

  “That’s fine,” Sadie said, attempting to sound nonchalant as her stomach fluttered with happiness, “if you feel like getting your toes stomped on for a few hours.”

  He laughed good-naturedly and then lowered his voice into a sexy growl. “You don’t know how much pleasure it will be to teach you how to dance with me.”

  “Sakes alive, are we almost there?” Grace groaned. “Giddy-up!” she shouted at the horse. His ears flicked back, but otherwise Grace’s order had no effect. He lumbered along at the same relaxed pace.

  The fiddle playing in the barn could be heard as they approached, and when they walked inside, Sadie marveled at how bright with noise and laughter the space was. Two couples were circled by an audience who clapped and stomped along with the fiddle and cheered the dancers as they moved to the beat. Sadie watched the dancers intently, mesmerized by their skilled movements. She thought that if Wade expected her to learn how to move like that, he would be sorely disappointed.

  As if reading her mind, Wade leaned down and whispered. “We’ll wait for a slower song to dance to.”

  She shot him a grateful look and then returned to admiring the dancers. She realized she had gone to school with one of the women, and she guessed that the woman’s dancing partner must be her husband. It struck Sadie what a different life she had led compared to many of her schoolmates. They had mostly found husbands and were off making new families, whereas Sadie’s life had stayed the same.

  The lively jig ended and a slow waltz began. Wade led Sadie to the middle of the dance floor and settled his warm hand on her back. “Count to three,” he explained. “Left foot first.” He was a patient teacher, and by the end of the song, Sadie felt comfortable enough taking Wade’s lead and repeating the simple steps.

  He praised her and smiled at her in a way that made her heart beat a little faster. She couldn’t help but smile back at him. She knew nothing about romantic love, but she was sure she was falling in love with him—hopelessly and totally.

  When the fiddle played a faster song, Wade moved Sadie away from the dance floor and headed toward the opposite side of the barn. She held onto his arm, enjoying how it felt to belong to someone and to be led instead of always making the decisions.

  They came upon Grace flirting with Thomas, and she gave Sadie and Wade a dazzling smile as they approached. To Thomas, she said excitedly, “This is my brother and sister, and they’re courting each other!”

  Thomas’s eyes widened with undisguised shock as his gaze darted back and forth between them.

  “Oh, you don’t understand,” Grace said, noticing his expression and giggling. “None of us are actually related. We just lived together as kids.”

  A look of relief passed over Thomas’s face as Wade held out his hand. “Nice to meet you. Do you intend to court Grace?”

  “Wade!” Grace groaned.

  Thomas grinned. “I would love to court her, sir, but she is always giving me the mitten.”

  Wade narrowed his eyes. “What are you doing to make her rebuff you? Are you treating her as a gentleman should?”

  “Oh, yes, sir,” Thomas insisted.

  “He is,” Grace said, coming to his defense. “Don’t scare him away now, Wade. I might decide to court him after all.”

  Thomas looked over at Grace in a way that could only be described as adoringly. “No one could scare me away from you, and I’m glad someone is watching out for you.”

  Wade’s stern expression faded, and he offered them a smile. “You two have a nice time. Back to the house by ten o’clock, Gracie. Yeah?”

  Grace’s face split into a smile even as she rolled her eyes. “Yes, Wade.”

  To Sadie, all was right with the world in that moment. She was having such a good time that she was surprised when Wade seemed to indicate he wasn’t. After the next slow dance concluded, he leaned down and whispered in her ear, “Do you mind if we leave?”

  The sun had only just set in the last hour, and Sadie had assumed they would stay out much later. She searched his face, wondering if he wasn’t feeling well. “No, of course I don’t mind. Let’s go now.”

  Wade gathered her hand in his and led the way outside to the cool, quiet night air. He drew a deep breath and shot her a grateful smile. “Thank you. I can handle only so much noise and activity. I enjoy these kinds of lively events, but after some time, I crave the quiet.”

  “Ah,” she said, relieved he wasn’t ill. “I remember that trait of yours.” She allowed him to help her up the steps to the buggy seat. “You were always going off by yourself, reading, doing your own thing. I envied you that.”

  Wade climbed up beside her and clucked to the horse, beginning their short journey to the cabin. He didn’t speak for some time, and when he did his voice was stern. “That envy of yours is dangerous, Sadie.”

  Sadie froze, alarmed by his tone and the shift in mood after such a carefree evening. “What do you mean?”

  “You were jealous of the attention your pa paid to others, including to me. Are you jealous of the attention Grace receives now?”

  “No!” she exclaimed, shocked by the question. It seemed to come from out of the blue.

  His jaw clenched as he stared straight ahead at the path. “Then why the makeup? Why did you make an effort to attract the kind of attention she attracts?”

  Sadie traced her fingertips over her cheek, remembering for the first time since the beginning of the evening that she was wearing makeup. Her face felt hot to the touch. “I don’t know. I suppose I wanted to look beautiful.” For you, she thought, though she didn’t say it out loud.

  “You shouldn’t envy Grace’s looks. It could lead you to doing something you’ll regret.”

  Sadie drew a sharp breath, feeling like she’d been punched in the stomach. “If you’re worried about me hurting Grace, I assure you I wouldn’t. I would never hurt Grace like I hurt you back then.”

  He didn’t respond. Sadie held her posture stiffly, wishing they were already home, wishing she was anywhere but there beside Wade feeling exposed and judged. She had tried to look beautiful for him and he’d accused her of being jealous of her little sister. It was humiliating. Her looks would never compare to Grace’s, and she must appear very foolish to Wade if it seemed that she was trying emulate her.

  They were silent the rest of the journey. Wade helped her down from the buggy without a word, and Sadie quickly retired to her room, making an excuse that she didn’t feel well. Luckily, both the twins and Ada were with friends that evening, so Sadie didn’t have to engage in conversation other than explaining her retreat to Wade. She feared saying two more words would cause her to burst into tears.

  Once in her room, she wet a cloth and removed the paint and kohl from her face as much as possible. She stared at her bare, plain countenance in the mirror. The flicker of light from the lamp cast dancing shadows across her severe profile. She saw herself as Wade must see her—a bitter, unattractive woman.

  She mentally kicked herself for being so naïve. How could she have thought Wade was sweet on her? When it came right down to it, he loved Grace far more than he loved her. He still saw Sadie as a jealou
s girl who would think nothing of hurting people.

  She slipped out of her dress and drew her thin nightgown over her head. Lying on the bed, she sobbed noiselessly into a pillow, feeling like her heart might break in two. She wished Wade had never come back. He’d hurt her far more now than he ever had as a child. Worse, she had come to think he loved her enough to court her, when really he didn’t think much of her at all.

  A knock at the door startled her. “It’s me, Sadie,” Wade said softly. “Can I come in? I’d like to talk to you.”

  Sadie sat up and hugged the damp pillow to her chest. He was the last person in the world she wanted to see or talk to. Another unkind word from him might break her totally. “I’m tired,” she said. “Can we talk tomorrow?”

  “I’m only asking for a few minutes,” he responded. “Please?”

  Sadie wiped away the tears and took a calming breath. “Fine. I hope you’ll be quick.”

  Wade walked in and turned up the flame of the lamp on her dresser to its highest setting. Upon seeing her tear-wrecked face, his own fell with dismay. “Oh, honey. I’m sorry.” He strode to the bed and attempted to put his arms around her, but she jumped back like a spooked horse and held out her hand.

  “Don’t touch me!” she snarled.

  Wade dropped his hands to his side. “You misunderstood what I was saying. I didn’t express myself right.”

  “You expressed yourself perfectly,” she snapped. “You’re afraid I’ll hurt Grace because I’m a mean-spirited, ugly woman who is jealous of everyone. Isn’t that the long and short of it?”

  “No!”

  She squeezed her eyes shut as she felt her lower lip quivering. She hated herself for appearing weak and affected by how he viewed her.

  “Sadie…” he said softly. When she opened her eyes, he was studying her with concern.