Kissing her pouting mouth one last time, he put her aside and buckled on his holster, pinned his badge to his vest, and grabbed his Stetson. “I’ll be home early. We’ll swing by the seamstress’ shop and pick up your alterations before heading out to the ranch. Ma is expecting us. Pack a small bag ‘cause we’ll be staying through Sunday supper.”
Before heading for the door, he took her chin between his thumb and forefinger, lifting her face to his and meeting her gaze with serious eyes. His next words were clear. “You will stay here until I get home, Janelle. I expect to find you safe and sound and exactly where I put you. Understand?”
Orders given, he clapped on his sexy black Stetson and looked down at her, waiting for her agreement. Lord, even bossy and dictatorial, the man was so sexy it was sinful. “I understand, cowboy.” She leaned into him and rose on her tiptoes, still a few inches shy of his mouth. She settled for a kiss to his clean-shaven neck and the underside of his jaw. “All we need to do is teach you to dance.”
His brow wrinkled over that statement for a moment until he recalled her definition of a cowboy. “Thank you, darlin’. I aim to please.” Wrapping her in his arms and easily lifting her up to his level, he gave her a final scorching and thorough kiss, as her bare feet dangled at least a foot off the floor. After taking his fill, he set her down, patted her behind affectionately and with a sexy wink, was gone. She watched as he moved toward the small carriage house out back. Janelle smiled broadly as she heard him whistling a merry little tune, glad he was happy.
While Janelle went about cleaning up the kitchen, she found herself humming and singing to herself. Thoughts of her irresistibly sexy husband kept intruding and she realized the words of Right Said Fred’s “I’m Too Sexy” were stuck in her head. That and the image of Aaron moving over her as he took her on the dining room table, open shirt flapping as he moved. Mmm… he was definitely too sexy for his shirt—and his pants and his sexy black Stetson. She’d like to have him boink her while wearing only that Stetson. “Boink” had her laughing outright. She’d definitely have to tell him that euphemism the next time they were—boinking.
She couldn’t believe how happy and silly she was this morning. Despite the spanking of the evening before, the many rules, and his often arrogant, controlling attitude, she knew she had fallen for her sexy lawman. It must have been fate that day when she was hurled through the bizarre time portal. She would have never found Aaron and his wonderful family otherwise. If given the opportunity now, would she return to her time? Could she leave him and return to her lonely existence in 2013? The thought was sobering as she went about setting her kitchen to rights.
Chapter Fourteen
Aaron returned to collect her at about three o’clock that afternoon. Since they expected to have packages, he hitched up the buggy so they could ride the few blocks to the seamstress and mercantile. She smiled from her place on the porch as he pulled the horse and buggy around front, and she then clomped across the porch, nearly falling down the steps. Fortunately, he was there to catch her and assist her up onto the seat.
She asked him shyly. “Do you think I could get a pair of shoes, Aaron?”
Surprised, he looked at her. “Of course, Janelle. I hadn’t even thought about shoes. I’m sorry.” He pulled up her skirts enough to reveal the clunky cast-offs his mother had given her. “No wonder you about fell on your face!”
“I’ve been lucky. Stuffing newspaper in the toes has helped, but it’s not very comfortable. I feel like a clown as I stomp and clomp around, and that’s why been going barefoot in the house.”
“I noticed you were, but with your red painted toenails, I always got distracted.”
“Yeah, I’m going to miss nail polish and pedicures.”
“What else are you going to miss, sweet pea?”
“Aside from my parents, I’m really missing a McDonalds’ Big Mac meal with a Coke. I didn’t usually eat fast food, but now that I can’t have it, I’m having a Big Mac attack like crazy. I’m going to miss the beauty shop and a spa day, air conditioning, deodorant, and in a few days, tampons.”
“I didn’t understand a word of that, Janelle. What are tampons?”
“Don’t worry, cowboy. Most of that is girl stuff that I need to talk to your mother about.”
“I know about those things too, honey. I’m a man, but not one of those afraid to learn about the workings of a woman’s body. When the time comes, you can ask me.”
“Thank you, Aaron, but if it’s all the same, I’ll talk to your mother.”
“Just as long as you understand that you can always come to me for anything.”
“I do. You have been very patient, for the most part.”
Chuckling, he called to the horse and they were off. Ivinson’s store was their first stop, because they had the best selection of shoes. The Ivinsons, he told her, had arrived on the first train into Laramie on the new railroad in 1868. Edward and Jane Ivinson had set up the first store in the rustic town, made up of mostly laborers living in tents in the end of the tracks community. Now a decade later, they were one of the wealthiest couples in town. Edward had extended his business interests by purchasing the local bank and investing in the railroad expansion when tracks beyond Laramie became imminent.
“They have a daughter around your age that I’ll introduce you to. You need to meet some decent people and get some friends in town, whether I decide if we stay or not.” Initially, that ruffled her feathers. His authority shone clearly in that statement, because he would be the one to decide if they stayed. What did she get to decide, the type of eggs to cook for breakfast? As they drove through town, she sulked, but she also really thought about it. He was the principal law enforcement agent in the community and had been a resident much longer than she had. In addition, he was the head of their household, and the decision rightfully fell on his shoulders. So maybe that arrogance was more like self-confidence, which came from experience as well as leadership and well-deserved respect.
She gave a small sigh, which captured his attention.
“Are you feeling okay, Janelle?”
“I’m fine, just confused by everything.”
“Because I want you to make some friends?”
“No, because I’m not used to being so dependent. Do you think I’ll ever get used to it, Aaron?”
“You’ve only been through the looking glass for a few short weeks, Alice. Give it time, my impatient wife.”
“I suppose you’re right.”
“Of course I am.”
“Has anyone ever told you that you are incredibly arrogant, Aaron?”
“Frequently, sweet pea, but I prefer self-assured, confident, handsome, strong, intelligent, manly, virile—” He laughed and stopped his silliness when she swatted his arm about the same time they pulled up in front of Ivinson’s. He showed her around and introduced her to Byron Franks, the store manager, who said he would assist with her shoe selection himself. Aaron waited impatiently as she shopped. Like a typical man, he was a bad shopper as he paced, repeatedly checked his watch, and answered vaguely when she asked his opinion.
Mr. Franks frowned at him. “Marshal, you are restless and disturbing my customers with your scowl. If you have other business to attend to, I’ll personally look after your lovely wife until you return.”
“Thanks, Byron. I had wanted to get to the ranch before dark, and I have two other stops to make. Will you be all right here, honey?”
Lacing up a pretty pair of ankle boots, Janelle smiled up at him. “I’ll be fine here, Aaron. But I have to warn you, I have this thing about shoes.”
Smiling, he bent and kissed the top of her head, encouraging her to buy what she needed. “No problem there, my sweet wife. Buy at least four pair, including something sturdy for the ranch.” Nodding at Byron, he ruined his generosity by saying, “See that she stays put until I return.”
Janelle frowned, but Byron didn’t see anything out of the ordinary with that statement and continued to s
how her a variety of footwear in her size. Would she ever get used to this male chauvinist dominated society?
It didn’t take long for Janelle to select a pair of comfortable ankle boots for the ranch and a cute pair of granny boots for daily wear, but finding a dressy pair for church or social occasions was a challenge. Another young woman was shoe shopping, and they struck up a conversation about fashion when a shrill, grating voice sounded behind them.
“I hear the women’s wing in the Territorial Prison issues work boots. Maybe you should pick up a pair.”
The young woman next to Janelle gasped, and they both turned to see Louise Meyers staring down at them smugly. “Well, well… Jenny Harper and the marshal’s woman. I’ll have to speak to Jane Ivinson about letting harlots and thieves shop in her store.”
“I am not a harlot or a thief, Louise. Take that back,” Jenny sputtered in outrage as tears of embarrassment began forming in her eyes.
“I heard you were caught kissing Jake Stewart after the barn dance last week. I don’t see a ring on your finger, so you must be of easy virtue to give it away. What else are we in the community to think?”
Janelle rose to confront the evil witch who had brought the other girl to tears—and who was so mortified and upset that she’d abandoned her shopping and ran sobbing from the store.
“That is quite enough,” Janelle warned in a tone that was as harsh and cold as she could muster.
Louise sneered, “You don’t tell me what is enough. It will be a cold day before I take orders from a common thief. How is the marshal doing, by the way? Has he become bored with you—his forced bride—so soon to have abandoned you to shop alone? Maybe I’ll stop by and see for myself. Aaron and I go way back, you know.” As she spoke, she smoothed her hair and adjusted her gown, brushing at an imaginary wrinkle. “I’m sure he’s desperate for some genteel, female companionship after being saddled with the likes of you.”
Her insinuations that she and Aaron had some sort of special friendship ran all over Janelle. “You are nothing but a jealous, gossiping shrew. No wonder you’re as old as you are and still unmarried.” She knew the age remark would shut her up, and she felt more than a little satisfied when Louise gasped in outrage. She had to be approaching thirty, so Janelle knew her age would be a sore subject for sure.
“How dare you! Of course, I should expect this kind of behavior from a common thief. Robbed any more houses lately, Mrs. Jackson?” Louise smirked at her and eyed the observers for a moment. Then she sniffed dismissively, looking down her nose at Janelle. “You and the harlot make quite a pair.”
“You are the one who is common, Louise.” By this time, their raised voices had drawn a small crowd, but Janelle imprudently went on as she was that angry. “Didn’t your mother teach you any manners? Oh, wait… your mother is a vicious liar and vindictive bitch, so I suppose she couldn’t.” A shocked inhalation of breath came from Louise and their audience. That word, although well known, was vulgar and not often heard from genteel women. Janelle had a fleeting thought that she may have gone just a little too far.
Louise must have felt so too, because she took a step forward and lifted a hand, her intention to slap Janelle plain to see. But Janelle’s college self-defense training came back without hesitation, and she blocked the blow. Grabbing the taller woman by the wrist, she easily spun her and twisted her arm up behind her back until she was bent over and squealing like an angry sow. Having the upper hand, Janelle took the opportunity for a final scathing remark. “You are a spiteful, mean-spirited woman, Louise Meyers. If you don’t change your ways, you are going to find yourself a lonely old spinster. I hear your father left your mother due to her shrewish ways. I suggest you learn from her mistakes and fast. Otherwise, you’ll continue to see men run from you quicker than a cat hit in the ass by a boot jack.”
Silence permeated the group after Janelle delivered that set down. Satisfied with the last word, she released her victim with a little push, stepping quickly out of Louise’s reach. Janelle watched cautiously as she swung around to face her, rubbing her wrist and arm but remaining blessedly silent. The crowd around them murmured and twittered in delight. It dawned on Janelle that word would get back to Aaron. Wanting to get out of there and find him before the gossips did, she bent to gather her purchases. The sight of a pair of black boots in the periphery of her vision brought her up short. Dammit, she cursed inwardly. How long had he been there?
“I think the show is over now, folks. Let’s move it along.” The crowd quickly dispersed for the law, leaving only Janelle and Louise Meyers to face the marshal. Louise gave her a smirking little grin, and with a tilt of her head, she crossed her arms over her chest as if pleased with herself. Janelle wondered what she had to be so smug about—she had clearly been beaten. It infuriated Janelle so much that she came right out and asked, “What are you smiling at?”
“Oh… I was imagining the marshal’s sentence for your crime, dear. Swearing and fighting in public, of all things.” With a shake of her head, she made a tsking sound while looking down from her superior height. “You see, I’ve known the Jackson family for a long while and know the men don’t put up with any antics from their women, especially Aaron. As the law in our town, he also seems to have a low threshold for public scenes and scandals. Poor dear. Do you suppose he’ll lock you up in his jail again? Maybe treat you as a repeat offender?” Her words dripped with sarcasm, and she capped them off with a cruel laugh.
“That will be enough, Louise. I suggest you make your purchases and move on. We have laws in Laramie against vagrancy and loitering. Keep it up and you may get to experience the inside of my jail yourself.”
She gasped at his overt threat. “You wouldn’t dare.”
“No? Try me.”
With that, she turned with an affronted snort and quit the store, leaving Janelle alone with Aaron. As alone as they could be in the shoe section of Ivinson’s store.
“You too, Janelle. Gather up your purchases and let’s go home.”
“I thought we were going to Silverbend?”
“Something has come up, so our trip will have to wait until the morning.”
“But your mother will be expecting us.”
“I’ll tell Ma to expect you tomorrow, Janelle.” Heath’s deep, familiar voice sounding from behind her had Janelle groaning with frustration. Why were her humiliations always so public? “Go easy on her, Aaron. She’s right. Louise Meyers is a bi—” Heath quickly changed his intended statement when he caught Aaron’s angry glare. “I meant that she had that coming, and the town folks know that. They’ll be talking about how my new little sister handled the shrew with a stunning wrist lock and gave her a scathing set down.”
Shaking his head, Aaron disagreed. “The town will be talking about my wife’s outrageous and unladylike behavior, you mean. Heath, will you help her with her packages while I settle up with Byron?”
Heath’s murmured “of course” was all he waited for before he headed to the accounts counter at the front of the store. “You’ve done it now, little sister. Aaron is more like Pa than any of us. A stickler for rules and decorum, he’s the perfect lawman. That’s partly why he made marshal so young. The other parts being that he’s sharp as a tack, has good instincts for sensing trouble, and is also as fair as they come. You’d do well to remember that, sweetheart.”
“Thanks for sticking up for me, Heath. Although I don’t think your defense made one bit of a difference.”
“Probably not, but as strict as Aaron is—like Pa—he’s kind, and the ladies usually find him quite charming.”
“Hmph, he is that. He could charm the drawers off a nun. I’ll try to remember that charm while he’s lecturing me tonight.”
“If you two are done jawing like two old biddies, can we hurry it along?” Aaron interrupted, standing at the end of the aisle, arms crossed, a censorious gaze directed at Janelle. Having paid in record time, he’d obviously returned at the precise moment to hear her last comment�
�darn her luck.
“She’s a hoot, little brother. If you’re not careful, a Vaudeville troupe will abscond with her one day while they pass through town.”
“You are not helping, Heath.” Aaron turned his steely gaze on him, but unlike most citizens and criminals, it failed to intimidate his oldest brother.
“I wasn’t aiming to, Aaron.” Patting Janelle’s shoulder reassuringly, he took off, laughing and turning heads as he left the store.
“Aaron—” she began, but he shook his head and halted whatever she was going to say.
“Not a word, young lady. We’ll discuss it when we get home. Let’s go.” Handing her two boxes of shoes, he took the others and headed for the door. He didn’t turn to see if she followed. Her obedience was expected.
* * *
A short time later, they pulled up in front of the house. After he helped her down, he handed her his pocket knife. Turning her toward the trees behind the house, he ordered, “Go cut two switches while I put up the horse and buggy.”
Turning back to him, her mouth gaped open. “Surely you’re joking!”
He simply stared at her, arms crossed, stern eyes flashing with anger.
“You can’t mean to whip me with a switch, Aaron. It’s barbaric.”
“I suppose you think that ill-mannered display at the mercantile was civilized.” His tone was laced with sarcasm, and Janelle flushed. She had let Louise get to her and lost her composure, but a switching seemed too extreme.
“Cut the switches no wider than your pinky. Strip off all the knots and leaves. When you’re done, go to our room and wait for me. I want you stripped with your nose in the corner this time, wife. You can spend your time there thinking about what you did in the store and how you could have handled things differently, maybe with a bit of decorum instead of acting like a vulgar, ill-bred harridan. Now go.”
Janelle stared at him, thinking he couldn’t possibly mean to do this, but his facial expression spoke louder than words—he was determined. Janelle’s stomach fluttered, and she quivered a bit inside. What in the world? Even in the middle of a major disagreement, with a whipping hanging over her head, he aroused her. She must be out of her mind. Abruptly, she turned and stomped away before she either begged him not to do this or simply jumped his bones. At the moment, she didn’t know which would be worse for her ego.
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