by Piper Stone
“I am offering marriage because I have loved you since the first moment I saw you, even before I knew who you were, and that you were my boss’s daughter. You were skating on the same pond that you were skating on earlier. There was such beauty and grace in your movements; then, a young child fell. He started crying. You raced across the ice to take care of him; you wiped away his tears, helped him up, and you held onto him, helping him learn to skate properly. I stood in the trees and watched you for at least two hours.” A soft smile accompanied his reminisces.
“I wanted to ask for your hand right then and there, but I learned your age. I knew your father would feel like taking a whip to me if I didn’t stay clear of you until you grew up. I have followed you closely for three years, honey. I have heard of your achievements, your problems; everything and anything your father said to me, or to customers when they asked. I liked everything I heard about you.” He patted her hand.
“I did not like the things I heard about your sister. Your father would speak about her once in a while, but it was clear as could be that you were his baby girl. Your sister favored your mother, and if I didn’t think it would get me fired, I would have presented your father with a hairbrush that was suitable for spanking, then insist he use it. However, I kept my mouth shut. I didn’t like to see Barbara turn into a shrew, but she did. You are as sweet as sweet can be.” He gently kissed her forehead.
“No, honey, I am not interested in your father’s money. I believe in working and living within one’s means. It is a time for complete honesty, so I am asking you to keep this a secret, please. I have money. I inherited a lot from my grandparents. You will never want for anything. I won’t live like a show off, though. I work at the bank, and we will live off of that money. Is that enough financial information?” he asked.
“It relieves me, Seth. I believe you have common sense, and that is very important to me. I am a schoolteacher, and I have a salary. My parents give me a roof over my head, and that is because Daddy won’t permit me to move out until I am married. He is very firm on that subject. I save most of my salary. I also have a large inheritance from my father’s mother. She didn’t like Barbara, and gave her a small amount; I received the rest. It is sitting in the bank, but I have complete control over the money. Do you have any questions for me?”
“Yes. Why did she dislike your sister? You two were babes when she died.”
“Grandmother hated the name Barbara. She went to school with a girl named Barbara, and they didn’t get along at all. Mother always said it was a shame that she didn’t know that when she named my sister. Daddy said the will was legal, and he did what he was told to do. I feel bad about it, but when I see how little Barbara saves, I refuse to share. I will make it up to her through her children when they are older. Do you need to know more?” she asked.
“No, honey. I am impressed that you asked about money. We know we think alike on this subject. Too many people argue over money. I hope we never do that.”
“I won’t argue over it; it’s just not important to me. I do make a new dress every so often, but I am not like Barbara.”
“That is good to know. I would have to take a switch to her, were she mine.” He chuckled when the pretty redhead giggled at the thought of her fancy sister being spanked. “Let’s talk about something fun – Christmas. What are your customs? I figured we could merge the things we like most, and make our own customs.”
“That sounds lovely, Seth. Daddy and I love Christmas music. We both love to sing. Do you like music?” she asked hopefully.
“I love music. I play a guitar.”
“I play piano,” she told him. “I think we can keep that tradition.”
“Absolutely.”
“We do a lot of holiday baking. I would like to continue that in my home.”
“I love to eat. I forgot to ask, do you cook?”
“Yes, I do. That is one reason I was so fascinated with your kitchen. It has plenty of work space.”
“I don’t cook, but I am not a picky eater, and I would love to eat your cooking. Let’s see… Oh yes, my family puts up a tree pretty early. We put on a few decorations each evening, and by Christmas Eve, the tree is beautiful.”
“I like that. Mother insists our tree be put up on Christmas Eve. We only get to enjoy it Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, then it must come down.”
“We leave ours up until after Epiphany.”
“I would love that. We always go to midnight mass. Father Jacob asked me to sing a solo,” she confided. Only her father knew about that so far. “We also have singing before mass; I love that. It makes me cry because it is so beautiful.”
“We always did that too. Do you see, honey? We are so alike.”
“It is amazing.”
“It is also quite late. I think we should go to bed. We’ll talk more in the morning,” he promised.
“You do know that this is all just talk? I am not ready to marry anyone at this moment. I haven’t been looking for a husband. I am content teaching the children. I am not like my sister. She started looking for a man to marry when she was sixteen. Daddy told her she was too young, but she encouraged the young men to come by the house. Daddy had to break up more than one fight between her suitors. Barbara loved all the commotion. I promised myself I wouldn’t tolerate all of that nonsense.”
“Another reason I love you. The other night, I had an awful dream. You were secretly dating a man who was an outlaw, and you ran off with him because I was too late to court you. I made up my mind right then that it was time to make my dreams come true. You will be safe in your bedroom, Kat. I give you my word that I won’t claim you in that manner until you are ready. I know you aren’t ready yet. Go on up to bed. You will find everything you need in your room. There is your favorite soap, a nightdress, clothing for two days. I didn’t want you to be upset without your own things. Goodnight.”
What was she thinking? This whole situation was outrageous, she told herself once she shut and locked the door to her bedroom. She just knew she would wake up in the morning to learn that the man was crazy. Still, he seemed perfect. Their Christmas traditions meshed really well. And her daddy wouldn’t have hired him and allowed him to work at the bank for over three years if Seth was insane, or a killer. She knew she couldn’t sleep, so Kat paced the floor back and forth. What should she do?
About thirty minutes later, there was a knock on her door, then the doorknob turned. “Kat, open the door. I know you are awake, and I need to speak to you.”
“No! You promised me you wouldn’t do this,” she said. “Go away, unless you want to drive me back to town immediately?”
“Young lady, open this door. We need to discuss why you are pacing the floor and keeping me awake. Open up.”
“No. I won’t have a man in my bedroom at this time of night.”
“Men don’t attack women just because it is dark, sweetie. It also happens in broad daylight. I am not that type of man, but I am losing my patience with you. You surely don’t want another spanking tonight, do you?”
“You are not getting in this room, Seth Peterson! This whole thing is just plain crazy. You do not kidnap a woman to prove you love her. I must have lost my mind to permit you to drag me out here. I want to go home right now, and if you won’t take me, I will walk.”
“Your temper is close to earning you a sound spanking, Katherine Ogden. Open this door so we can talk.”
“No. I refuse to let you inside this room. I want to go home right now. This is all too weird to be believable. You hook up the buggy for me, and I won’t tell Daddy what you’ve done. I’m sure he would bring charges of kidnapping if he knew what you were about.”
“Don’t be so silly, honey. You are permitting your fear to overrule your common sense.”
“I left my common sense in my parents’ home. I must be completely out of my mind to have come clear out here with you. I want to go home, and if you don’t let me leave immediately, I will tell my father and have hi
m fire you. This is improper.” Kat was frightened, truly frightened. Why had she allowed the mysterious man to kidnap her, bring her so far from town, and then tell her they were to be married? No one did such things. No one!
“Honey, I am not going to harm you. There is no need for you to be frightened. I really do love you and I really want to make you my wife.”
“A likely story. I’m not going to fall for that I-can’t-wait-for-the-wedding nonsense. You just get away from the door, Seth Peterson.”
“I never said anything of the sort to you, young lady, and I am on the verge of paddling your sweet bottom until you beg for mercy. I do not play games like that with women, and I certainly wouldn’t do it to you. I promised you would be safe, did I not?” he demanded, holding onto his patience with great difficulty.
“What kind of woman believes that stuff? One who has no sense at all, like me.”
“Kat, your instincts to trust me are valid. I would never go back on my word. I promised not to force myself on you, and I will keep my word. I want your attention for two complete days; we have much to discuss and learn about each other. It is very late now; lie down and go to sleep. It was your pacing that brought me up here to check on you, nothing else.”
To her surprise, Seth walked away. She bent down to look through the keyhole, but couldn’t see him in the hallway. Maybe he did come because of her pacing. Kat decided that she was very tired. She crawled into the bed, leaving her clothing on, and pulling a quilt over her body to keep warm in the chilly room. She told herself that she wouldn’t go to sleep, just close her eyes for a moment or two to rest them. In a few seconds, Katherine was sound asleep.
“What are we to do, Thomas?” Naomi fretted. “It isn’t like Katherine to be late without sending us word of some kind.”
“It was that strange man she met today,” Barbara exclaimed. “I told you not to permit her to go and meet him, Father. Katherine is too young to have any sense about men. Her reputation will be ruined, and she will lose her teaching position.” Barbara sounded almost happy, but then she frowned. “Why would she create a scandal so close to my wedding? Oh, Mother, do something!” she implored.
“Stop worrying about your damned wedding, Barbara. Your sister is missing, and all you can think of is yourself!” Thomas was angry as could be. “The reason she was out walking by herself after dark was to get away from you and your table decorations. She was on her way to Elizabeth’s home to visit. I will go there to see if she decided to spend the night.”
“I am so worried, Thomas,” Naomi tearfully proclaimed. “Please be careful out there.”
“I will be fine, my dear. Fix yourself some tea. I will see what I can learn.”
Thomas was gone for nearly an hour, but the news he carried home was not the best. “Naomi, try to be calm now. Kat never arrived at Elizabeth’s. I went to the sheriff, and they are out searching for her right now. I am going to go and join them. Barbara, you take care of your mother.”
The deputies and Thomas searched throughout the night. The sheriff claimed that was good news. No body was found, so it was likely that someone had abducted the pretty redhead. Thomas came home, and held his wife close, taking comfort from her shared worry.
“Thomas, you must rest,” she tried to coax him into lying down.
“How can I rest when only God knows what our little girl is going through? I try to be positive, but I can’t help but think of what she is suffering.”
“She is ruining my wedding!” Barbara pouted. “Are either of you concerned about that?”
“Barbara, what is wrong with you? Your sister is in terrible trouble. We don’t even know where she is. I think you need to stop thinking of just yourself for a change; perhaps offer prayers for her safety and her protection.” They were harsh words coming from Naomi, and Barbara burst into tears. She hated Katherine!
Kat woke to find the room flooded with light from the windows. The evening came rushing back, and she was amazed that Seth didn’t once try to force himself on her. She rose, and made short work of washing up, then dressing in fresh clothing. Kat had to admit that Seth had good taste in clothing. The dress was woolen, and the prettiest shade of green. It was trimmed at the neck and cuffs with a soft white lace. Kat felt so beautiful that it put her in good spirits. She put her hair up, then went down the steps, and followed her nose to the kitchen. “Good morning,” she said softly, entering the large room.
“Good morning, Kat. You look very beautiful.” Seth gave her a big smile, and his dark eyes were sparkling with good humor. “Did you sleep well?” he asked.
“I did; I was determined to stay awake to make sure nothing happened, but I went to sleep and slept soundly all night. You didn’t even try to attack me, did you? You didn’t intend that at all, and now I feel very foolish. I want to tell you how sorry I am that I allowed my imagination to rule over my common sense.”
“I finally realized that it was your fear speaking last night, so I put my temper to bed instead of breaking down the door and paddling your butt again. My word is my bond, little one. I promised you there would be none of that sort of thing, no matter how much we want to, until we speak our vows in front of the Lord in church. I would never claim to love you, then turn around and force you. Where is the love in that?” he asked.
“Now, in the light of morning, I know I am fine. I know I am safe, and with a man who touches my heart. I really do want to continue getting to know you, Seth. Here, let me do this; you told me you can’t cook very well.” She took the bowl of eggs from him and started beating them with a fork. She noticed he had ham slices already cut, and there were potatoes to peel. “Why don’t you have a seat, Seth, and allow me to take over. I am betting that it isn’t that you can’t cook, you just get the order of things mixed up.”
Seth chuckled as he sat at the table to watch her work. “If you need anything, just tell me. There is a lot of stuff in this kitchen I have no idea how to use.”
She smiled. “First of all, we will get the potatoes ready to fry. Do you have an onion?” she questioned, and he jumped right up to fetch one for her.
“I didn’t know if you liked onions, so I didn’t grab one out of the bin. Do you want me to peel it?” he offered.
“No, thank you. I can do it.”
Seth was surprised that she had the onion peeled and cut up like the potatoes in no time. She chose a skillet, added lard to it, then put the potatoes and onions in once the lard melted and turned hot. She put the ham in another skillet to fry. She then beat the eggs a bit more and added just a slosh of milk. She used butter in a third skillet, but chose a spot on the stove that wasn’t as hot to place it. After turning the potatoes and onions, then flipping the ham, she carefully poured the eggs into the melted butter. Kat stood there and stirred the eggs gently, scrambling them to perfection. She took them from the stove, and put them in a bowl. The ham went on a meat platter, the potatoes and onions in another bowl. “There we are,” she said with a smile.
He rose to pull out a chair for her, and took his seat once more. “This looks really good, Kat. Thank you for cooking.”
“You are most welcome.” She was ready to hand him the platter of ham when he reached for her hand, and offered a blessing over their food.
“I was raised to pray before meals,” he explained afterward, accepting the platter of ham.
“We also pray,” she admitted. “You remind me of Daddy. You know what is truly important.”
“Too many people come to church on Sunday, only to forget about God for the rest of the week. I was raised to remember to pray.”
They enjoyed their meal, talking about their likes and dislikes of certain foods.
“I know this breakfast was the best I’ve had in a long time, honey. My stomach is sure happy you really can cook.”
“I never lie about important things.” She rose, ready to do the dishes, and to her surprise, Seth rose too.
“Haven’t you ever seen a man help with the dishes,
honey?” he asked teasingly.
“No, I can’t say that I have.”
Chapter 4
“Still no word, Sheriff?” Thomas asked when the man came to the door.
“I’m sorry, nothing at all. We’ve covered almost every lead you gave us; talked with everyone who seems to know Miss Katherine. Nothing. We’ve talked to the parents of her students, and they are all shocked that this has happened to her. I was hoping that you and Mrs. Ogden might have thought of something, anything, that would lead us to her. Is it possible that she ran off with some young man?” he asked carefully.
“My little girl isn’t like that, Sheriff. If she was going to go somewhere with a young man, she would have told us. This just isn’t like Kat.”
“No, Sheriff. Thomas is right. Katherine has never given us a moment of worry. I fear she has been kidnapped.”
“You haven’t received a ransom notice, have you?”
“No. But, I will pay any amount to have her safely returned,” Thomas insisted.
“Any amount?” Barbara screeched. “Father, you can’t do that!”
“Pray tell, why not? It is my money; I am the one who earned it, and I will spend it as I see fit.”
It was easy to see that Barbara was upset and angry. “I will not discuss this in front of him.” She pointed at the sheriff.
The sheriff gave the blonde a look, but he wisely kept his mouth tightly closed. Mr. Ogden was a powerful man, and he could make someone’s life a living hell if he chose to do so, but if that rude blonde was his daughter, she wouldn’t be able to sit down. She didn’t care a whit that her sister could be in the hands of a brutal killer or rapist. She only cared about herself. She didn’t want her father to pay a ransom because it could take away from what she hoped to inherit. At times like this, he was glad he wasn’t wealthy. His daughters would be distraught if something happened to one of their sisters.
