The Widow Wagon: Second Chances

by Megan Michaels

  He extended his arm, the end of the whip teasing first one puckered nipple, then the other. “This little whip can be fun — if you’re a good girl.” He walked slowly around her, letting the whip glide over her body. It skated across her rib cage, then down her spine, the tip of the leather lightly slipping into the seam of her bottom. The whip circled each cheek before it making its trek across her waist and sliding down to the tuft of her dark pubic hair.

  He pushed the tip of the whip between her labia. “Keep your hands on your head.” Her hips began to thrust with each press of the whip, her teeth working her upper lip. “Feels good, huh girl? We’ll have fun with this another day though. Today, you’rw gettin’ your ass whipped.”

  He picked up the strips of leather, using them to tie her wrists together in front of her “This is to keep you safe. I don’t want your hands to get in the way. If anything goes numb, you let me know. You hear?”

  “Yes, Sir.”

  “Now, come over here.” She walked over with him to the center of the dusty wooden barn floor. He reached up and looped a piece of leather over the bright silver hook, pulling it tightly. He then took her wrists and then tied the strip of leather binding her hands to the leather hanging from the hook. He hauled it up until she stood on only the balls of her feet.

  “Again, if you start feeling numb, you let me know.” She gasped when he slapped her bottom. His palm stung with the sharp swat. He grinned as he paused to watch his handprint blooming bright on her pale skin.

  He slowly walked around her, his boots clomping on the hard wood floor, randomly tweaking, pinching and squeezing her flesh. She tightened her thighs together, but he shook his head.

  “Widen your stance. I know a spankin’ excites you, but you’ll not be rubbing yourself right now. Legs open.” He tapped the whip on the inside of her thigh, forcing her to open her legs further than she probably wanted.

  Her aroused scent reached his nostrils, and he couldn’t resist it. Didn’t want to resist it. He slid his finger into her core, pumping it into her to gather her nectar. He pulled his finger out, sniffing, closing his eyes at what her smell did to him. His cock jerked, hardening immediately and he reached into his pants to adjust himself. Looking her in the eye, he sucked on his moist finger.

  “God, you always taste so good.”

  “Daniel!” She looked pointedly toward the barn doors as if someone might overhear him.

  He laughed at the ridiculousness of women. Even if one of the neighbors had come by, they’d be more than likely jealous that they couldn’t do the same with their own wives. He was a lucky man — and he knew it.

  “Don’t you worry none. Ain’t no one here but us.” He brushed the whip lightly across her bottom, stroking it from the left to right. “This is going to feel similar to being switched. I’m assuming you’ve been switched before?”

  “Yes, Sir. Once. I didn’t like it very much. It hurt terribly.” Gooseflesh rose on her creamy skin and a shiver overtook her as she talked.

  “It definitely does. Nobody likes a switching. But whatever you did to get switched… I’ll bet you didn’t do again neither. Now that we’re talkin’ about it though.” The whip continued to stroke back and forth over her flesh as he spoke. “What did you do to cause you to get a switching?”

  “W-well, I’d been told to not g-go to the swimming hole by myself. If we went, we were to go in pairs. Always. I’d been hot, and I didn’t want to d-do my chores.” She paused, watching him, knowing how he felt about her not completing her chores. “So, I went to the swimming hole by m-myself. My Pa got worried, and went searchin’ for me. When he found me, he bared me and switched my wet backside until I was screaming.”

  “As he well should have, naughty girl. Sounds to me like you should’ve gotten two lickings. One for the swimmin’ hole, and one for shirking your chores. Well, at least you know what to expect now. Mary always said this hurt worse than a switching. You can let me know after.”

  He stepped back, tapping the whip on her bottom to judge his distance. His goal wasn’t to injure her, but he wanted it to hurt enough that she’d never open that door for a stranger again. He would whip her enough to leave red welts across her bottom — just like the welts left after a switching. She’d be more careful in the future — and she wouldn’t be doing anymore chores today or tomorrow. He’d spent many hours practicing with his whips, making sure he knew how to do this correctly and safely. He’d never injure or hurt his Sophie.

  He swung his arm out, his wrist snapping the buggy whip against her pristine mounds. She screeched and rose onto her toes.

  “Ohhhh! I don’t want this! I’m sorry.”

  “I’m sure you don’t, and I’m betting you’ve been sorry since I brought your disobedient bottom in here. But you’re nowhere near as sorry as you’re gonna be. Trust me.”

  He swung his arm and three more cracks of the whip lashed her bottom. The red, angry stripes swelled quickly on her flesh with a hint of blood rising to the surface. She screamed with the pain, trying to dance on the balls of her feet. She began to spin in a circle until his hand on her waist stilled her.

  “Breathe, girl. Long, deep breaths. You’re doing fine. You only have three more to go.”

  “No! Oh please, no! I w-won’t do it again. I p-promise!”

  Her sobs tore at him. He definitely wasn’t a sadist, and causing her this much pain hurt more than she’d ever know. He took a deep breath though, and thought about the possibilities of what Smitty could’ve done if Daniel hadn’t gotten home in time.

  “Smitty’s dangerous. I told you that before. He’s silly, but he’s more than that. He’s an angry man too. If you’d said the wrong thing, he would have turned on you like a rabid dog. I came just in time. Think about how I’d a felt if you were hurt, or I’d lost you.”

  He lashed her bottom three more times, the strokes set lower across the under curve of her buttocks. He made sure they were harder than the previous four lashes. Sophie let out one long continuous, pitiful wail as the lashes fell. He let her calm herself then, while he put away the buggy whip. He walked around her slowly until he stood in front of her once more, wiping her face with his handkerchief.

  “You’re gonna be okay, girl. It’s all over now. Let me get you down from there and get you in the house.” He reached up, undoing the leather straps and letting her arms down. He scooped her up into his arms, carrying her into the house. “It’s okay, girlie. You lie here and I’ll get something for your backside.”

  He left the room to find the tin of liniment he kept in the kitchen. He walked into the bedroom and the sight of his naked wife in bed made his cock jerk to life, but the sight of her bottom reminded him of the pain she had to be in — the pain he’d caused. He had to do it though. He knew that. His common sense mind told him so. But his heart felt concern — and worry. What if it’d been too much, too soon? What if she decided to go back to Missouri?

  “Daisy had liniment put on her bottom when she got spanked by Angus. She said it worked real good.” She looked over her shoulder at him and smiled. “Thank you, Daniel. I’m sorry.”

  “Comparing me to Angus doesn’t make me feel any better right now, darlin’. I’m hoping I’d be viewed in a little better light than Angus. But Angus was right — it’ll make your bottom feel much better, real soon.” He pushed gently on her shoulders, forcing her to roll completely over onto her belly. “Let me rub this in. It’ll hurt at first, but then it’ll feel so much better.”

  He applied the ointment lightly to her stripes. She hissed and clenched her bottom, crying softly.

  “I know, girl. I’m sorry I had to be so rough on you. I needed to be sure you learned your lesson.”

  “I learned. I p-promise, I learned.”

  “I have no doubt.” He continued to rub her bottom. Soon her sobbing subsided to the occasional sniffle, her breathing slowing and her muscles finally relaxing. She appeared to be on the verge of falling asleep.

  Daniel took his
clothes off and slid into bed with her, pulling her close, stroking her hair until sleep finally took her.

  Chapter Eight

  The wheat had been progressing just as expected for August and Daniel checked it daily. He constantly watched the sky for signs of forbidding weather, and so far, the rain had been exactly what his crops had needed. It looked like his debts would be paid and there’d be stores enough for the next year — in addition to a surplus of money for a little nest egg. They tried to keep their expectations low, but every time they walked out into the field, running their fingers through the soft grains, they’d been even more encouraged.

  Sophie didn’t remember a time she’d been so excited about a crop. Even with Clive, she had never had a growing season that filled her with such anticipation. They sat at night dreaming of the purchases they would be able to make, things that would make their lives easier. Daniel seemed more relaxed of late. He’d be able to provide for his wife — and they’d even talked about the possibility of having a child. Even though both of them had not been able to have a child with their previous spouses, nothing said they wouldn’t be able to have a child this time around. Anything seemed possible now with the crops blessing their family. They had hoped for the added blessing of a child, something that would fulfill a long held dream for both of them.

  One morning, while Sophie had been baking bread for the week, she noticed the sound of the wind increasing. The sky darkened in the distance and she felt twinges of alarm as she checked the sky for funnel clouds. She did her best not to look out the window though, telling herself it was probably nothing serious.

  Daniel flew through the front door, throwing it open so hard that it bounced off the wall.

  “Good God, Daniel!” she yelled at him, clutching her chest. “Don’t do that!”

  “Sophie. Come with me quickly. There’s an awful storm coming, and I need you to help me get the horses and animals in the barn and tied up. It’s a bad one, Soph.” His eyes filled with tears. “I think we’re gonna lose everything.”

  She ran to him, hugging him tight then meeting his gaze. “We won’t think about that. Let’s get the animals in the barn. We don’t got no time to wallow or worry.” She grabbed her shawl, wrapping it around her head and neck. “We gotta get everything tied down. Let’s go!”

  They both ran outside, shielding their eyes and faces from the swirling sand kicked up by the heavy wind. Sophie’s skirts wrapped tightly around her legs, hindering her ability to run as fast as her fleet-footed husband. They each grabbed a horse apiece, dashing with them back to the barn. It was a relief to get out of the swirling dust, and fierce wind. Thunder rumbled in the distance, and it sounded like it was coming closer. Her Daddy had taught her as a child to count the seconds between the lightning and thunder and divide by five, to determine how far away the storm was. She’d counted—ten miles. Not much time. They had to hurry. As fast as this wind was moving, ten miles wouldn’t be enough time to tie everything down. While she’d tied the horses to their stalls, Daniel dragged equipment into the barn, benches, tools, barrels — anything he had time to grab.

  When the hail had started hitting the barn, sounding like pebbles being thrown by small children, they’d frozen in their tracks, exchanging wide-eyed looks.

  Hail.

  Nothing could be worse than hail to a full crop of wheat. How? How could this be happening now? They’d worked so hard to get this crop and now, in mere minutes, everything was in danger of being destroyed.

  Focus, Sophie. Be strong!

  She had to hold it together. Daniel wouldn’t be able to handle it if she fell apart. They’d both been through bad times, and they’d get through this time too. They both looked around. They led the horses into their stalls, herded the chickens into the hen house. Anything that they determined might be tossed around by the wind was put in the barn or brought into the house. They would just have to hope the rest didn’t get hurled too far away.

  The wind started to roar. They had to get into the shelter. Daniel, along with several of his neighbors, had dug small caves under their barns. Covered with stones for the walls and floor, the caves made very sturdy storm shelters. They’d been small — just enough room for a family — and were meant to hold them just long enough to keep them safe.

  “Sam!” she yelled out into the wind, hoping the dog would hear her voice. Seconds later, he came bounding into the barn, Daniel closing the doors right behind him, securing them with the double storm latches. Daniel opened the heavy doors in the barn floor, and they jumped in, huddling in the corner of the shelter, listening to the rising roar above them. The horses’ hooves stomped on the floor, their frantic braying only amplifying Sophie’s fear of what might come in the next few moments. Sam curled under her arm, resting his head on her lap, his body trembling. Daniel grabbed her hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

  They didn’t speak. They didn’t have to. They both felt the disappointment and despair. It’d been evident when she looked into his eyes, and she’d bet he saw it in her eyes too. It’d be gone. All of it. Flattened to the ground. Hail brutally destroyed crops, wheat in particular. The delicate grains would be battered and crushed, their shredded stalks covering every inch of the ground. They just had to hope that they kept their house, barn and animals. If they had those, they’d find a way to survive.

  “It’s gonna be okay,” she said. “We’ve survived worse — well, we’ve at least survived something just as bad. We’ll start over again.” She stroked his hand, and even in that terrifying moment, she thought again of how she loved his weathered hands. His hands symbolized strength to her. She brought his palm to her cheek, nuzzling his hand letting his calluses comfort her. “I love your hands. These are hands of a man that doesn’t give up. He works. He picks himself up, cinches his saddle, and starts over. You’ll be fine. We’ll be fine.”

  “We’ll move in with my parents,” he said as he looked overhead. “They said they’d love to have us. We’ll save our money, sell what we have here. I’ll get a job in the city, and we’ll save again. We’ll start over, if we have to.”

  A loud crash upstairs made them all jump, including the dog.

  “What’s that?” She said, looking to Daniel.

  “I dunno. As long as the barn’s still standin’,we’ll be fine. We’ll sell it to one of the Oregon Trail wagons. There’s always a family who made it this far from the East and don’t wanna go further. Someone will want it.”

  They curled into each other, needing the comfort of each others’ arms. They didn’t have to wait long, the storm moving in fast. The howling of the wind, getting louder by the second, sounded like the enraged roar of some mythical beast. Glass broke overhead, debris clattering against the barn walls. The dust seeped into their shelter, making them both cough. Then, at long last, the storm dissipated, the wind suddenly falling quiet. Spooky quiet. They waited a while longer, just in case. Storms sometimes had a second — or a third — act. They didn’t hear the terrified cries of the horses anymore. Even the rain had stopped. Finally, Daniel stood.

  “It’s time to open the doors and see what’s goin’ on. You ready?” He reached out a hand to help her get off the floor.

  “Yeah, as ready as I’ll ever be.” She grabbed his hand and stood. They kissed each other long and soft, needing that moment to reinforce their trust and love in each other, no matter what they might see once they opened those doors.

  Daniel took a deep breath. “Let’s go.” He pushed on the latch and threw the door open, dust rising as the door flipped over onto the floor. He helping her to climb out first. She clambered out, the barn floor damp with the wind-swept rain that had come through the slats of the barn and around the doors. Daniel stood behind her with an arm on her shoulder.

  The horses were fine.

  Oh, thank God. They would be able to sell the barn and farm animals.

  Daniel undid their ties so that they could move around in their stalls. The cow and pig were fine too. The door
s to the barn had stayed closed. There was a broken window above his bench that he’d have to fix. But overall, with the exception for some harnesses and implements that had fallen off the wall and from their hooks, the barn had made it through well.

  He opened the barn doors and Sophie’s first concern was the house. Thankfully, the cabin had come through with only minor damage. Like the barn, it would need some windows replaced, but it still stood steady and strong. Just likes its owner.

  Daniel pulled her into his arms. “It made it! Thank, God. We’ll definitely be able to start over. It’ll be okay, darlin’. Well sell everything and start over in Topeka. I’d been afraid we lost the house and barn. I don’t know what we would’ve done. But this way we can start over. We’ll be all right.”

  “I know it.” She smiled up at him, laying a gentle hand on his cheek. “Let’s check out the land and the crops. We can see if any of it is salvageable.”

  The hens were okay. Some had either blown away or fled, but their stone and wood hen house largely survived intact. She had a new appreciation for Daniel — he didn’t do things in half measures. If he made a fence, a hen house, barn — or decided to train a wife — he did it all the way.

  Whatever he did or made, he expected it to last. He made sure of it.

  They found a few sections of fencing that would need fixing, some cracked windows or splintered slats here and there in the buildings, but overall, his structures and his work had withstood the storm.

  They walked across the fields finding that most of the tender wheat had been battered to the ground by the hail and heavy wet winds, the frayed and ripped wheat beaten from the shoots.

  Destroyed.

  Most of the crop was in ruins. What little had survived unscathed would give them a small amount of money, but not enough to make it through another winter. The decision had been made for them; they would be forced to live with his parents. Their new beginning would start in the city of Topeka.