12 Naughty Days of Christmas: Volume Four

by Piper Stone

  Thomas quickly opened the letter and read it, then he handed it to his wife to read. Her eyes grew large as could be. “Oh, Katherine, how could you agree to such a thing?” Naomi was disappointed that her daughter would choose a mere bank employee to wed.

  “That doesn’t matter. What does matter is what Seth intends to do about this?” Thomas’ eyes bored into his employee’s, anger simmering in them. “Well?”

  “Sir, I understand how worried you must have been. Truly, Kat has been safe and well cared for. We are in love, and I wish to ask your permission to marry Kat this evening.”

  “You bet your last dollar you are marrying Kat this evening.” Thomas was pleased. He wanted his daughter protected from gossip.

  “No, no, no! I won’t have it. She is not getting married the day before my wedding. I will not tolerate it. I won’t!” Barbara stamped her foot, and gave her sister a hateful look. “I will not permit it.”

  “Barbara, your sister is getting married today, and that is final. You might want to go to your room while I try to forget that you tossed this letter into your basket because it couldn’t possibly belong to anyone in this household but you. You have caused us three days of hell! You also put the sheriff and all of his men to working long hours. They have all missed out on family plans. Do you have any idea how many people have been out looking everywhere for Kat? How many people who prayed over and over that she would return safely? All Seth and Kat were doing was getting some uninterrupted time to decide if they suited to marriage. I believe they are, and frankly, I was planning to encourage Seth to court Kat once your showy wedding was over.”

  “Oh, Daddy, I am so happy you approve of Seth. He is the perfect man for me. I love him so much.” Kat hugged her father, then said, “I am sorry you didn’t get Seth’s message. I wouldn’t have gone if Seth hadn’t reassured me that he let you know where I was. I am so sorry you and Mother were worried.”

  “We are happy to have you home, safe and unharmed,” Naomi gave her youngest daughter a hug that brought tears to Kat’s eyes. She’d never realized that her mother actually loved her; she was always so involved in Barbara’s life. Kat would cherish the memory of this hug forever. It was special.

  “Thank you, Mama. I love you so much. I’m sorry you were worried. I would never knowingly put you through such pain and worry.”

  “I know that, daughter,” Naomi replied softly. “Thomas, dear, do you think we can convince Father Jacob to perform a wedding today?”

  “I am sure he will. Daughter, what were you thinking to risk your reputation in this matter?”

  “I was thinking that I really liked Seth, and I believed him when he promised he wouldn’t do anything improper. He kept his word too. I am completely and wonderfully in love with Seth.”

  “I am in love with you, sweetheart.” He leaned down to kiss her, then smiled. “Sir, we have already arranged with Father Jacob to perform the wedding at 4:30 this afternoon. We have also made reservations for dinner at the hotel restaurant for the entire family. We hope you all will be there. We want a simple wedding with family present.”

  “Of course, we will all be there.”

  “I am not going! You just had to ruin my wedding, didn’t you?”

  “Your sister is getting to the altar first, Barbara. She won’t ever be called an old maid.” When the blonde looked at him in stunned disbelief, Seth said, “I overheard your wicked comments, and I stepped up my plans to prove you wrong. You aren’t mine, so I can’t spank you, but if I was William, or your father, you wouldn’t sit down for a solid year for the things you’ve said to and about sweet Kat. You might be older, but you need to grow up.”

  William walked in the front door in time to hear Barbara’s latest tantrum, and Seth’s remarks to her. “Barbara, is that any way to speak to Katherine? You should be rejoicing that she has been found and safely returned. Welcome home, Katherine,” he said, giving her a brotherly hug. “Are you all right?”

  “I am fine, William. I have been with Seth; we have been getting to know each other better. Seth wrote a note to Daddy and Mama, but Barbara put it in the pile with your wedding cards and no one read it. Daddy and Mama were worried all this time. Daddy is firm that we marry today because I went off with Seth, but that is what we want. We love each other. I am happy to say that Seth and I have already planned our wedding with Father Jacob. It will be a quiet affair, which is the kind of wedding Seth and I want. We hope you will attend,” she said with a smile. “Of course, I understand if you choose to side with my sister. She feels I have ruined your wedding, and if you feel that way also, I do apologize.”

  “You haven’t ruined anything. The scare was due to Barbara’s need to be the center of attention, and placing your father’s mail in with ours. Believe me, she is going to be sorry for putting your parents through this torment.”

  “How dare you take their side, William? Oh, why is everything going wrong?” Barbara cried.

  “It’s going wrong because you forget that other people exist. You wanted a Christmas wedding, and not once did you consider other people in making your choices. The last three days with Seth have been the most exciting I’ve had since school let out for Christmas and New Year’s. You ruined Christmas, sister dear. People who wanted to travel to be with loved ones were forced to stay home to attend your wedding. You have made all of the decisions concerning your perfect wedding, but you didn’t even ask William what he wanted, did you? Did you once ask me to help with your decorations? No, you went out partying with your girlfriends, after telling Mama and me to get busy and get them done. No ‘please’ about it. You consider yourself, your plans, what you want, more important than anything anyone else has going on. You are selfish, Barbara; you are so self-absorbed that nothing else matters but having people meet your needs. I also will tell you that it hurt me deeply to hear that the hateful criticisms you throw at me here in our home, are passed off in public as you shamefully make fun of me. I feel like slapping you silly right now, but I know that Seth expects better of me, so I won’t say any more on the subject, except that I never want to hear of you doing it again. I just might decide that pulling out every hair on your blonde head will be worth the spanking I earn for doing it.”

  “I couldn’t have said it better, honey,” Seth said quietly, putting his arm around her slender shoulders in a show of support.

  “Are you going to allow her to talk to me like that, Father, Mother?” Barbara demanded, her hands on her hips.

  “Barbara, is this true? Have you been criticizing your sister and telling tales outside of this house?” Thomas asked.

  “I am afraid it is true, sir. Barbara has made Katherine sound like a witch, and I wondered why you didn’t take measures to deal with her. Since I am to be married to her soon, I feel it is my responsibility to help her grow up, if you will permit that?”

  “I agree. Barbara, I assure you it is best that your fiancé deal with you right this moment. It is wrong to punish anyone in anger. I assure you that I am angry and disappointed in your behavior this week. I will expect to see some contrite behavior during what little Christmas we are going to share, your sister’s wedding today, and your wedding event tomorrow. If William doesn’t teach you some manners, there will be no wedding until I feel you have grown up enough to be a good wife to a decent man.”

  “Father, why do you always take her side? I didn’t intentionally put your envelope in my pile. I didn’t run away with a man for three days. I am the oldest; my wedding has been in the planning for a year now, but one day before my wedding, she has to upstage me. It is cruel of her to plan to marry today. People will always know that my younger sister married before me. I am upset, and no one cares. Why can’t her wedding be on New Year’s Eve? It is only one week, and no one will know she is pregnant right now.”

  “Katherine is not pregnant!” Seth denied vehemently. “There was no physical intimacy between us, Barbara. She had her own bedroom, which was upstairs, while I slept downst
airs in my bedroom. I picked our wedding date. I picked it because you were telling everyone that Kat would be an old maid schoolteacher because no man would ever be able to tolerate being close to her. Something about warts and sores, wasn’t it? I believe you called her a useless bookworm, too. I picked our wedding day to prove you wrong, Barbara. It is my extreme pleasure to do that.”

  Barbara burst into tears, and tried to run from the room. William caught her, then excused them both from the room.

  “Thomas? Should we truly allow William to punish Barbara for all of this? She is our daughter, and we were too lenient with her.”

  “We were too lenient, and I regret that, Naomi. Yes, we should allow William to deal with her. He is to be her husband, and I know he truly loves her. I am afraid that in my present mood, I would be overly harsh with her. I will go and find the sheriff to inform him that Kat is home, unharmed. I will also explain that the letter telling us where she was going to be was put in the wrong basket. I will apologize profusely, then give the sheriff a huge gift to share with his men as a Christmas gift. We will do something official in a few weeks, perhaps a dinner to honor the men?”

  “I trust your judgment, Thomas.” Naomi smiled at her husband as he kissed her on the cheek, then prepared to leave, giving Kat another tight hug, tears filling his eyes.

  “I am so sorry you were worried, Daddy.”

  “We weren’t worried, child; we were scared out of our minds,” he admitted, then left the house.

  Chapter 6

  “Mama, I am sorry for what you suffered.”

  “You had no way of knowing, Katherine. Now, you must send Seth away so that we can prepare for your wedding.”

  “I will meet you at the church by 4:15. Please, honey, don’t be late. I will panic and think you have changed your mind; I could not bear that.”

  She kissed him tenderly, and promised she would be on time, walking him to the door.

  When Kat returned to the parlor, her mother was frowning. “If you’d given me enough time, I would have bought you a suitable dress to be married in.”

  “I know what I am going to wear, Mama. Come with me and I will show you. Remember now, it will only be family. We are not going to get so elaborate. I just want to marry Seth, share a family meal, go to Midnight Mass, then go home with my husband. Tomorrow, we will come bearing Christmas gifts, then attend Barbara’s wedding. We will come to the reception and eat dinner, but we will leave early, then go to Seth’s home in the country for the next week. I am counting on Daddy to give Seth a week off for a honeymoon, then both of us will return to the real world and our jobs.”

  “You intend to continue teaching, my dear?” Naomi asked in genuine surprise.

  “Yes, of course, I love teaching the children, and I won’t put the school board to the test of hiring another to replace me.”

  As they started up the steps, they heard the sound of a spanking being administered. Naomi’s eyes filled with tears, but when Kat started to go and stop the punishment, Naomi placed her hand over her daughter’s arm and shook her head no. “She needs the lesson, Katherine. I know your father trusts William to deal firmly with Barbara. This is our time, right now. I am anxious to see what you have picked to wear for your wedding.”

  Kat went to her wardrobe and produced the winter white dress that was decorated around the collar with green accents that matched her eyes. There was a touch of lace on the collar, too, as well as around the wrists and the hem. It was a lovely dress, but when Kat put it on, the dress appeared magical. She was beautiful, as a bride should be. “What do you think, Mama?”

  “I couldn’t have done better myself, Katherine. Whenever did you buy this?” she asked.

  “I saw it when the school board sent me to Columbus to pass the teacher’s test. I decided it was too wonderful to pass up. It simply begged me to buy it. When I got home, Barbara was upset over something and you were trying to calm her. So I hung it in my closet, and decided I would wait for the right occasion to wear it. I thought it would be special enough to wear to Barbara’s wedding, then I was asked to be a bridesmaid, and Barbara picked those frilly dresses she loves.”

  “It is a very beautiful dress, and will be suitable to marry Seth.” There was a loud wail downstairs, and the sound of a scuffle on the steps interrupted their talk. Curious, they stepped into the hallway, and saw William sitting on a stair step, with Barbara lying across his lap. He was soundly spanking a struggling Barbara.

  “I expect you to apologize to everyone you have offended with your selfish behavior, young lady. Honestly, if I do not see a big change in your attitude, I will call off our wedding. I expect to have a grown woman for a wife, not some spoiled little brat in need of supervision. By criticizing Katherine in public, you have shown yourself to be in need of constant guidance. You are physically beautiful, Barbara, but you have a jealous bone inside you that is immature and childish. You will attend your sister’s wedding. You will sit there quietly and behave yourself. One disparaging word, just one, and our wedding is off.” With that, he pushed her over to sit on a step while he got up and left the house.

  Barbara burst into tears and got up, running right past her mother and sister, to shut herself in her room.

  Katherine felt terrible, and went to Barbara’s room to knock on the door. She was told to go away, but instead Kat pushed open the door and went inside. She sat on the bed beside her sister, and rubbed her back. “Don’t cry, Barbie.”

  “I’m so scared right now,” she sobbed. “I love William so much, and I couldn’t bear losing him. It has nothing to do with the embarrassment of him canceling the wedding, but how crushed I will be if he leaves me. Tell me what to do, Kat. Help me be more like you.” She sobbed again, and Kat got up to get a hankie from Barbara’s top drawer, then she handed it to her.

  “I didn’t deliberately hide the note from Mother and Father, Katherine. I didn’t. It was mixed in with several other pieces of mail, and I obviously didn’t read them all. I am so sorry for that. I was here with Mother and Father; they suffered so much. I didn’t know what to do to help them. I was upset because I really want to be with William, you know, night things,” she whispered. “The thought of needing to wait even longer was tormenting me. I said other things, but that was the real reason I made comments. How could I say I was longing to be William’s wife, intimately; the waiting was so difficult, and I wanted to make it to my wedding night before… I was being selfish in that regard, but how do I explain that to Mother and Father? I am embarrassed telling you all of this. I am not the heartless monster I’ve sounded like. I am so relieved you are safe and unharmed. Please forgive me for all the hateful things I’ve said. It’s just so hard to be as perfect as you are. I keep trying to point out your faults to make myself appear better than I am. You work, I live off of Daddy. You are wonderful with children; I don’t know how to talk to them. You cook; I can barely boil water. I am so pitiful when compared to you, Kat. I wanted one perfect thing that you couldn’t do, and that one thing was my wedding. I tried so hard to make it perfect, but no one seemed to care. Now, it’s all blown up in my face.”

  She started crying again, then raised up to say forlornly, “I ruined Christmas for all of us! I’m so sorry. Nothing has been fun this year. You are right to hate me.”

  “Whoa, there. I do not hate you, sister dear. I love you. We don’t always agree, but I would give my life to protect you from harm. I love you, Barbara. I might not always approve of things you do, but I always love you. I know you feel the same about me. We have a special bond; we will always be sisters. We’ll be aunts to each other’s children, and I am looking forward to that. We never had cousins to play with like our friends did, remember?”

  “Oh yes. We spent our holidays with Mother and Father, but we never had big family get-togethers because our grandparents all died young; Mother and Father were only children. We wanted cousins, and I remember we asked Santa to bring us cousins for Christmas. Promise me you’ll have lo
ts and lots of children?”

  “If you’ll promise me to do the same. Fortunately, we will have our parents, so our children will have grandparents too. How wonderful is that?”

  “Our husbands, if William still loves me, also have parents, and they have siblings, so our kids will have a large group of relatives to love them.” Barbara paused, then said, “I am all right now, Kat. Thank you for loving me and not hating me. I needed to hear that, especially today. I am apologizing for all of the mean things I said and did. Being mean to you didn’t make me feel better, and I am going to be a different sister, the one I used to be. I love you, and I am happy for you. Will you please accept my apologies?” she asked, her voice humble.

  “Yes, of course,” Kat replied simply, then smiled. “Just wait until you see your Christmas present tomorrow morning,” she teased. “You are going to be so impressed,” Kat said, and her sister’s eyes filled with laughter.

  “Daughters, you please me,” Naomi said tearfully from the doorway. “Barbara, speak to your father as you have to Katherine; he will forgive you, as we have, my dear. Have faith in your handsome William. He will be here to escort you to your sister’s wedding. I promise he will find you beautiful, inside and out.”

  “Do you really think so, Mama?” she asked hopefully.

  “Yes, I do. Now, both of you come with me. We need to get your sister ready for her wedding.”

  Naomi was all aflutter when Thomas came home. She had completely taken charge of her household, issuing orders right and left. He was surprised to hear Barbara giggling and doing her mother’s bidding with a simple, ‘Yes, Mama.’ However, when she realized he was home, she announced that she was going downstairs to speak with her father. Thomas held his breath, reminding himself to be patient if she tossed out another plea for him to forbid Kat’s wedding.