His Little Red Lily

by Amelia Smarts

  She looked back at him with wide eyes, unable to fathom how painful a strapping would feel after such a thorough spanking with his hand. His gaze back at her was gentle and forgiving, and she resolved to do whatever she could to keep it that way. She never wanted to see disappointment or anger on his face again.

  He helped her to her feet and gathered her into his arms. He set her on his left knee with her skirts still a wrinkled heap around her waist. Her drawers hung around her ankles, and her bare bottom burned against the rough fabric of his trousers. That was all forgotten when he kissed her.

  He pulled away after a few moments. “I need to get you to the cabin. Your parents are probably wondering where you are.”

  Lily gazed at him, filled with desire and longing she didn’t understand. “No, Jesse, we can stay. They probably don’t even notice I’m gone.”

  Jesse shook his head and furrowed his brows. He stood and planted Lily on her feet. “Still, I want to get you home now. Pull up your drawers, honey.”

  She bent to retrieve the material around her ankles and slid them up her legs slowly. He then helped her smooth down her tousled hair and wrinkled skirts. Walking with her out of the barn toward the cabin, he said, “A young lady should be home before dark, regardless of whether the rule is enforced.” When they got to the door, Jesse entered with her.

  Lily’s ma had retired for the evening, but Roy looked over at them from his seat by the fireplace, a shot of whiskey in his hand. When he saw Jesse, he indicated with a wave to take a seat on the sofa. “I won’t ask where you’ve been with my daughter,” he growled.

  Jesse sat down. “I’ll gladly tell you, Roy.”

  “Very well,” Roy said, frowning at him. “Seems you broke up an engagement between my daughter and a man of God. I’d like to know your intentions and what you’ve been up to with her.”

  “You’re right, I did help Lily break off her engagement, but I’ll argue that Elijah’s no man of God. He’s a bully, brute, and liar, for starters.”

  Roy grunted and downed his whiskey. “So you say. You like to say a lot. You came into my house and insulted me and my wife, saying we don’t care for our daughter. I may not be the best father around, but I’ve always cared for her and made sure she was fed and had a roof over her head. What exactly are you planning on doing for Lily?”

  Jesse winced. “I said some things to you I probably shouldn’t have. But I was angry because I care about Lily and I don’t want her to get hurt. I plan to do right by her, I assure you.”

  “Is that so? Where have you been with her?”

  Jesse glanced at Lily, who sat at the kitchen table, eyeing them warily. Turning his focus back to Roy, he said, “Well, first off she came to the saloon and sang a little ditty with me.”

  “She was inside the saloon?” Roy exclaimed.

  Jesse held up his hand. “It won’t happen again, Roy. I wasn’t happy about it either, and I won’t permit it in the future.”

  Roy only stared at him, so Jesse continued. “After that, we went to supper. Following that, I drove her home in my buggy, but we stopped at the barn first before coming to the cabin. There I gave her a hard spanking for disobeying my order to not go off alone with Elijah after what happened to Maria.”

  Roy’s eyes widened. He looked more incredulous with every new bit of information Jesse gave him. “You spanked her?”

  “Yes, and I would do it again,” Jesse said firmly. “I won’t allow her to put herself in danger, and I know what I saw. I saw Elijah running from the saloon in a panic, and after that I saw Maria clutching her bleeding face.”

  Roy cleared his throat. “I’m offended that you took the liberty to punish my daughter,” he said, not sounding the least bit offended. He rubbed his hand through his salt-and-pepper hair and said wearily. “I hope you mean to court her.”

  Jesse smiled. “Of course. I already feel responsible for her.”

  “Come on over here, Lily,” Roy said.

  Lily walked over and sat next to Jesse on the sofa.

  “You want Jesse here to court you?” Roy asked.

  Lily nodded. “Yes, I’d like that.” She tried to look less happy about it than she was, but her face broke into a wide grin, which she turned on Jesse. He winked at her.

  Roy grunted. “I guess that settles it.”

  Jesse stood and held out his hand. “Thank you, Roy. We might not see eye-to-eye on everything, but I promise from now on to show you the respect you deserve for raising such a fine daughter.”

  Roy stood as well and took his hand. They bid each other goodnight, and Jesse left after giving Lily a peck on the cheek. Later, as she lay in bed, Lily thought of Jesse and the way his hands felt on her body. She rubbed her sore bottom and drifted to sleep with a smile.

  Chapter Seven: Another Side to Lily

  Jesse visited nearly Lily every day, usually in the morning when she was doing her chores, before the saloon opened. On Tuesdays, which was the slowest day at the saloon, Jesse would take her out to supper. He felt like a new man. Lily brought bursts of fun into the monotony of his daily life. Life would never be dull or lonely again as long as she was in it.

  He realized after not too long of courting her that there was more than one side to his girl, and he loved each new personality trait she revealed to him. One side of her was very mischievous and a great lover of practical jokes. She seemed as surprised about this aspect of her personality as he was. Never before had she blossomed into her true self, since never before had someone accepted her as Jesse did.

  On one of his morning visits, he walked to the barn as usual. He knew she would either be in the barn tending to the horses, in the chicken coop gathering eggs, or around the hog pen feeding the pigs.

  “Lily, you in here?” he called at the entrance of the barn.

  Her faint voice answered him. “Yes, I’m over by the ladder.”

  Jesse ambled to where the ladder leaned against the loft of the barn. He didn’t see her there, so he thought she might have moved farther back. He should have known something was amiss by then, but she always managed to catch him by surprise. On that day, Lily was hidden in the loft above him holding an armful of hay. When he walked past the ladder, she dropped it on him. She squealed with delighted laughter as the heap landed squarely over his head and shoulders. He came to a dead stop. Slowly, he brushed the hay off the sleeves of his starched white shirt. He said nothing as he removed his hat and slapped it against his knee to shake off the hay and dust from it.

  She was still giggling when he glared up at her and said, “You’re getting spanked for that one.”

  She stopped laughing and her eyes rounded. “But it was only a joke.”

  “Mm hmm. A naughty joke, by a naughty little girl who needs her bottom smacked. Get down here.”

  “No! I won’t come down unless you promise not to spank me.”

  “You will get down here, and you’ll be right quick about it. You have five seconds. One…”

  She huffed. “What happens if you count all the way to five?”

  Jesse didn’t really know, but he managed to sound ominous in his threat. “You’d best avoid finding out, little miss. Two…”

  Lily scrambled to the ladder. Jesse held it steady while she climbed down. When he could reach her, he wrapped an arm around her waist and plucked her off the step. He easily carried her squirming little body against his and strode to a bench, where he sat and toppled her over his lap.

  “I thought you liked my jokes!” she protested as he tossed up her skirts.

  “I do,” he said, grasping her drawers and shoving them to her knees. “That doesn’t change the fact that you need a spanking.” He gave her bottom a sound swat, relishing the look and feel of her smooth, bare skin that bounced against his hand and took on a blushing pink color from the very first smack. “You’re very naughty. That means you’re going to have a sore backside more often than not, I’m afraid.”

  She squirmed as he landed more moderate sw
ats. “Someone’s got to keep you in line, and I guess that’s got to be me.”

  She giggled suddenly, then clamped her hand over her mouth.

  “I heard that,” he said in a mock stern voice. “What do you find so funny about getting a spanking?”

  “It’s just that…” She dissolved into laughter again.

  “I’m waiting,” he said, struggling not to smile. He rubbed her bottom and legs while he waited for an answer.

  “It’s just that this spanking doesn’t hurt at all.” She laughed again.

  “I see.” He landed another swat. “That can change in a jiffy, you know. Do you want it to hurt?”

  “No!”

  He chuckled and reached for her drawers to pull them up, but she stopped him.

  “Please, Jesse, I want to lie here over your lap for a bit. Will you rub my bottom like you were doing? It feels so nice.”

  His cock came to life upon hearing that request, which she uttered so unabashedly. Clearing his throat, he said, “I’d be happy to, naughty girl.”

  He caressed her slowly and marveled over how she pressed into him, alternately seeking his hand and then grinding into his leg. He moved his hand to her legs to give them the same attention. He listened to her small moans of pleasure and felt his cock hardening.

  “You can spank a little too if you want,” she said.

  He smirked. “Oh, I can, can I?”

  She nodded, and he obliged, drawing his hand away. He brought his palm squarely across the low curve of her bottom in an upward motion. The force of it drove her nether region against his thigh. She let out a guttural moan. He repeated the motion again and again, spanking her fairly hard with plenty of time in between swats. Her guttural sounds became higher pitched. He could hardly believe what he was hearing, but the sound was unmistakable. His girl was about to have an orgasm from a spanking. When her body tensed and arched, he continued the smacks, coaxing the pleasure out of her with every swat. “Good girl,” he murmured, as her body shuddered and flexed. He settled his hand on the back of her thigh during the last part of her release.

  Spent, she hung over his lap. He rubbed the hot flesh of her bottom and gritted his teeth, willing his arousal to stay in check. Every nerve and muscle in his body demanded that he flip her around and sink his cock deep inside of her, but he knew it wasn’t the right time for that.

  When her breathing slowed to normal, she looked back at him over her shoulder with a confused expression on her face. “That was amazing. I don’t understand what happened.”

  He cleared his throat again. “What happened is you just felt the height of pleasure. It’s what happens when a man and woman who are attracted to each other ring the right bells, so to speak.”

  “Did you have the height of pleasure too?”

  “No, not this time, but I will with you in the future.” He pulled up her drawers and straightened her skirts over her backside. He stood with her.

  “Jesse, can I tell you something without you getting mad at me?”

  Jesse brushed off some hay he’d missed that had somehow gotten lodged between his vest and shirt. “Sure, honey. What is it?”

  “I know I’m not allowed to sing and dance in the saloon, and I won’t ask again, but it makes me sad. I won’t be able to sing with other people now that I won’t be going to church, and I don’t see how I’ll ever be able to dance anywhere.”

  Jesse rubbed his hand over the sharp stubble growing on his jaw. He hadn’t had a chance to give himself a scrape that morning. “Well, I could take you to the barn dances that happen every month or so. Would you like that?”

  Her eyes lit up and she nodded emphatically. “Oh, yes. I’ve always wanted to go, but I never had anyone to go with. Elijah didn’t approve. He said dancing is of the devil.”

  Jesse didn’t bother to hide his scorn. “Right, and I suppose he reckons whore-mongering and violence are godly activities.”

  “He’s a hypocrite,” Lily said firmly, then looked at Jesse tentatively, appearing worried that she’d done something wrong in speaking negatively about another person.

  “Yes, darlin’, that would be the right word for him. You’re such a sweet angel. I can hardly stand the knowledge that you were with him. But you’re stuck with me now. I’m never letting you go.”

  She searched his eyes. “Does that mean you want to marry me, Jesse?”

  He coughed out a surprised laugh. “That’s generally what courtship leads to, Lily.”

  “When will you propose?”

  Jesse stared at her, exasperated. “How about we let that be a surprise?”

  She grinned at him. “All right, Jesse. I like surprises.”

  He moved forward suddenly and captured her lips. He slowly explored every inch of her warm mouth. She tasted delicious to him, like strawberries and milk. When he released her, he said, “How was that for a surprise, darlin’?”

  “It was good,” she said breathlessly. “I like it when you kiss me.”

  “I’m glad because I like kissing you.” He looked around the barn. “What chores do you have left to do today?”

  “I’ve got to feed the chickens and gather their eggs, fill the horses’ water troughs, and give the pigs their slop.”

  “How about if I help you before I get back to the saloon?”

  She smiled. “That’s nice of you, Jesse, but you don’t have to. You’re not dressed to do farm work.”

  He pretended to be annoyed. “Well, someone already got me dirty, if you recall.” He slapped off another piece of hay from his trousers. “I might as well help. That was your plan to begin with, wasn’t it? To get me to help you do your chores?”

  She gasped. “No, of course not.” She sounded appalled.

  He burst out laughing and grabbed an empty bucket. On his way out of the barn to the well, he gave her bottom a hard smack and grinned when she squealed and reached around to clutch her well-spanked cheeks.

  Chapter Eight: Lily’s Little Admission

  Around town, talk of the preacher’s crime diminished, but the dislike between Jesse and Elijah did not. Jesse chose to avoid the preacher as much as possible. His main reason for doing so was to prevent himself from throttling the daylights out of him. He didn’t want to end up being thrown in a cell. Every time he saw Maria’s scar or thought about the man’s hands gripped roughly around Lily’s arms, rage would boil up inside of him. That’s when he would turn his thoughts to Lily. He thought about her kind heart and open nature. His anger would fade into the background then, replaced by love and hope for the future.

  The town was still divided, but the line blurred over time. Some people would attend church on Sunday mornings and grab a beer at the saloon on Sunday evenings. Among these people was Lily’s father. Jesse tried not to let it bother him, but by Roy attending Elijah’s church, it was clear that he didn’t believe Jesse’s version of events. Roy wouldn’t go listen to the preacher if he believed the man had cut a woman’s face.

  Jesse expressed his feelings of frustration and minor betrayal to Lily on one of their morning get-togethers. Lily reclined on the ground in the barn, using a hay bale to lean against, while Jesse sat on a bench across from her. “I sure wish your pa would take a stance and believe me over Elijah,” he told her.

  Lily was gnawing on a long piece of straw, which made her look like the cutest country bumpkin he’d ever seen. She removed it from her mouth to speak. “That’s how it’s always been with my pa. My parents like to get along with everyone, and they don’t like taking sides. Growing up, if someone did me wrong, my pa would give me advice on how to avoid bothering that person in the future. He never got angry on my behalf, and he didn’t once defend me against someone. So don’t feel bad, Jesse, it’s not about you. It’s just the way he is.”

  This made absolutely no sense to Jesse, and he said as much. “I don’t get it. That’s a father’s job, to protect and defend his child. I can’t imagine having a daughter and not protecting her.”

 
Jesse watched with concern as Lily’s eyes filled with tears. He stood from his spot on the bench, walked to the hay bale and sat down. She leaned her head against his knee, and he ran his hand over her head and down her hair. “What is it, honey? What did I say to make you cry?”

  She looked up at him with wet eyes. “It’s just… I’m so glad you love me, Jesse. Growing up, I never felt loved, and I think you’ve figured out one of the reasons for that. No one was ever on my side. It was my duty to avoid being an inconvenience to my parents, so any trouble that found me they saw as my fault.” She looked down and fiddled with the lace on her homemade dress. “I want to tell you something embarrassing. Will you promise not to make fun of me if I do?”

  Jesse reached down and brushed off one of the tears that had spilled to her cheek. “You can tell me anything. I’d never mock you.”

  She took a deep breath and stared straight ahead. “All growing up, I had an imaginary friend, but it wasn’t like how it was with other children, who imagined someone their age. I had an imaginary papa. I imagined him holding me and protecting me. I even imagined…” She hesitated, but then continued. “I even imagined him turning me over his knee when I did something bad. Looking back, I can see that the reason I imagined all that was because I wanted to feel loved. I wanted someone to notice me, even when I did something wrong.”

  Her words saddened Jesse. He thought about her growing up feeling unloved by anyone but an imaginary father, and he wished he could have been there to hold that lonely child. He didn’t know what to say, so he offered his touch. He gently took a lock of her hair in his hand and stroked it away from her damp face.

  She tilted her head up to look at him. “That’s not the really embarrassing part, though.”

  “Go on then, honey. Tell me the rest.”

  She looked back down. “You remember that time we met outside the blacksmith’s shop? When you found me crying?

  “I do.” A long pause followed, and Jesse waited patiently for some time. Finally, he bent over and gave her a firm kiss on the top of her head. “Out with it. I told you I wouldn’t mock you.”