"You had me thrown in jail, you son of a—Let me go!" Emily squealed in outrage as Mac grabbed her arm before she could throw a wooden clothes hanger that someone had left in the room.
"I warned you what to expect, little girl," he said, pulling her over to the chair beside the door.
"No!" Emily cried out, grabbing at the towel that was trying to slip down her body. "I'm not decent, Mac Forrester! You get out of here right now!"
"When you start cussing at me, little girl, you'll get what you asked for," Mac declared. He took a seat and before she could tug her arm free of his grasp, he flipped her face down over his knee. The towel promptly slipped upwards, exposing her pretty bottom. Mac felt his own body respond to the sight and he had to remind himself that he owed that same bottom a good spanking!
Emily was humiliated when she realized that she was naked from the waist down, but she didn't have long to think about her predicament before Mac's large hand branded her left cheek. "Owww!" she screeched, and then she redoubled her efforts to get away. "Don't you dare give me a lickin'! I have a right to be mad at you, Mac Forrester! You had me locked up like a criminal!" She yelped again when he spanked her right cheek. "Damn it, stop that! It hurts and I didn't do nothin' wrong!"
"You cussed at me," he reminded her, giving her another hard spank, and then another. He was amazed at how red her skin was after just four spanks! He wondered if the fact her skin was damp had anything to do with that, but then he continued warming her fanny proper, ignoring her cries of pain.
"You are being mean and hateful! How can you tell me you want to marry me in one breath and then treat me like this in the next?" Her green eyes were full of tears she refused to shed. "You have no right to do this to me when you are the one who did me wrong! Owwwww! Ouch!!!!! Stop!"
"Are you going to stop cussing at me, Emily?" he asked, giving her a sharp spank on her sit spots.
"Yes! I'm sorry!" Emily quickly agreed and apologized for good measure. When he spanked her other side in the corresponding place, she pleaded, "Please, Mac! I said I'm sorry for calling you a name, and I am sorry! I lost my temper."
"I know you did, but I had you locked up to keep you safe, honey. Going after criminals is a man's job."
"I know what I'm doin'," she announced. "I worked with Dove when we was really broke and needed money and he couldn't find work."
"If I let you up now, are you going to settle down and let me talk to you reasonable-like?" he wanted to know.
"Yes," she promised. "I'm hurting, Mac," she wailed.
He looked at her inflamed bottom and realized she was not lying. He didn't think he was spanking hard or long, but her butt looked sore and the heat radiating from her skin was amazing. She'd had more than enough. "I will spank you again if your start swearing at me," he promised, but his hands were gentle as he helped her up. The towel had come completely undone, and he quickly pulled it together. His manhood was already hard and throbbing and he was not going to anticipate his wedding vows. Emily was a complete innocent and she deserved his respect. Of course, he wanted to put his ring on her finger before the day was over so she could share his bed that night! He wasn't a patient man…
"I need to get dressed," Emily stammered, her cheeks a brilliant shade of red.
"Yes, you do," Mac readily agreed. "I'll wait downstairs in the parlor, Emily." He leaned down and gave her a gentle kiss. "Please don't be long." He left the bathing room and gave Emily some privacy to get dressed, wondering if she had a dress suitable to be married in. He would buy her one if she didn't, he decided as he made his way downstairs. It pained him that he still needed to take her to task for risking her neck, but he considered letting her off with just a swat or two if she promised to never do something like that again. After all, once they were married he would be able to keep an eye on her, and she would be too busy taking care of their house and cooking for him to get into any kind of trouble. No, he didn't need to take a strap to her this time, just as long as she was meek and said she was sorry. He would be understanding and forgiving, and she would be very grateful, and making love would be sweetly gratifying.
Emily was furious when she looked in the mirror and saw her reddened flesh. She was in terrible pain and all because she dared to express her outrage at being locked up like a criminal! Emily had no idea how she was going to sit her saddle, but she was leaving this place. She quickly dressed and braided her hair. Two seconds later she was climbing down the trellis outside the bedroom window, and making her way to the town's one and only livery. She quickly saddled her horse, and then left him tied where she could get to him as soon as she collected her gun and her money from the Sheriff's office.
She smiled prettily when she walked inside and saw Wilbur Stanton sitting at the desk. "Hello, Deputy. The Sheriff said for me to tell you it is okay for me to get my reward money now. I need to go and buy a wedding dress now that Mac is here to fetch me!" She hated pretending, but what else was she to do. She needed the money so she could eat.
Wilbur was gullible enough to believe her and in less than two minutes she had her money in her pocket and her gun belt around her waist, her rifle in her hand. She gave Wilbur another big smile, and once the door was shut behind her, she ran for her horse and was out of town just like that! Marry Sheriff Mac Forrester? No damn way!
Mac waited an hour, reminding himself that it took longer for a pretty woman to get dressed and fix her hair. Eva Jo returned and said she would go upstairs and hurry Emily, but when she returned, her eyes were wide. "Emily is gone, Sheriff!"
"What?" Mac asked as he jumped to his feet. "Gone where?"
"I certainly don't know, Sheriff!" Eva Jo declared in exasperation. "She climbed out the window and down my trellis! That thing isn't very strong and she's lucky it didn't break! Papa will paddle her when he hears of this!"
"That's my job, Eva Jo," Mac said firmly as he headed for the front door. "I'm going to find Emily."
"Good luck!" she shouted after him, and then she went running back to her daughter's house to tell her Papa what happened.
********************
Emily didn't get very far before she had to dismount. Sitting her saddle was extremely painful, and her butt simply couldn't take another minute of the torture. As she walked she contemplated various ways she could get even with Sheriff Mac Forrester. The man had absolutely no right to treat her like a naughty child and turn her over his knee. And who did he think he was to have her locked in jail and then expect her to marry him? Mac Forrester had a lot of nerve!
She walked for another mile and then decided she had to give riding another try. The last thing she wanted was for Mac to catch up with her. She reluctantly hoisted herself into the saddle once more, and if anything, it was worse than before. Emily was simply going to have to find a likely spot and make camp for a day or two. She headed off the road, looking for a campsite that was hidden from view. It took a while, but Emily found the perfect spot. The entrance was between two large boulders, and she could barely squeeze her horse through the opening. Once they were inside, she took brush and arranged it to hide the crevice. There was a stream, and Emily was able to catch fish to eat. She was well satisfied, and once she started her fire, she put her fish on to fry.
She would prove to one Sheriff Mac Forrester that he couldn't play god in her life. He had no right to have her locked in a jail cell when she did nothing wrong. He had no right to spank her like a little girl when she expressed her anger with him. And, he had no right to come into the bathing room when he knew she wouldn't have a stitch of clothing on her body. And, how dare he decide that they were to be married without even discussing the idea with her? The handsome man dared too much, and it was time someone, namely her, taught him a lesson! He couldn't just snap his fingers and expect her to jump to do his bidding. It wasn't going to happen!
********************
Mac loved to hunt. He was good at tracking, and truth be told, he loved nothing more than leading a posse to trac
k down a criminal. It was rare that anyone could give him the slip, and he was confident when he left Twin Creeks that he would find Emily within a short time. He questioned a group of kids who were playing in an empty lot beside the livery and learned which direction Emily rode out of town. Most people overlooked kids, but it was Mac's experience that kids knew and saw a lot more than adults realized. He gave them a penny each to thank them, and then smiled when they whooped in joy and took off running to buy candy.
He watched the trail and had to smile when he came to the spot where she dismounted and started walking. If she thought her rear was smarting now, she would know the real meaning of 'smart' by the time he finished switching her! Emily needed a firm hand, and he was just the man to supply it! Run from him, would she? He would stake his reputation she wouldn't do it again!
Mac also saw where she left the road and he realized she was searching for a place to hole up and hide. Mac had to admit she was darn good. Her trail practically vanished, but it was the smell of frying fish that gave her away and led him straight to the hidden valley. He pulled away the brush, and led his mount inside. It didn't take him long to spot Emily's camp. He took out his knife and quietly cut several switches, wondering how long it would be before she spotted him.
Emily was lost in thought but she suddenly realized she wasn't alone! She whirled around, her gun in her hand, and she quickly fired!
Chapter Four
The last thing Mac expected Emily to do was shoot at him! He dove for the ground and the cover of some bushes and rock. “Emily, it’s me!” he shouted at her.
Emily was shaking. She’d been so sure that she was alone, and when she spotted Mac Forrester she drew her gun and fired in pure reflex. She could have killed the man! She dropped her gun on the blanket she’d spread on the ground and then ran to see if Mac was all right. She almost never missed, but prayed with all her heart she had this one time. “Mac! Mac! Are you alright?” she asked, kneeling beside him on the ground.
Mac raised his head and pushed his hat back on his head. “You shot at me, little girl!”
“I didn’t know it was you; I thought I was alone!”
“You ran away from me and you didn’t think I would follow?” he demanded in disbelief.
“I don’t like being ordered about. I didn’t find it amusing that you had me locked up, or that you told me we are being married. I did not appreciate being spanked when I had every right to be angry with you, Sheriff Mac Forrester! Do you have any idea how scared and worried I was?” she demanded.
“Do you realize how upset and worried I was when I learned you were hunting bounties?” he countered. “And you are going to get your sweet ass striped for that just as soon as I stripe you for running away!” he declared, jumping to his feet to glare down at her.
“Oh no you are not going to put a hand to me again! I’m so sore I can’t sit as it is!” she said, scrambling to her feet, fully prepared to run. But Mac was fast, and he grabbed her before she moved three feet!
“I’m going to show you what sore really is,” he promised. He took a seat on the rock he hid behind when she shot at him and he jerked her face down over his thighs and started peppering her bottom with hard smacks. Her gun belt was in the way, so he made short work of removing it so her butt was his for the spanking. “This is for shooting at me,” he said, determined to teach her a lesson she wouldn’t soon forget.
Emily gasped in pain and struggled to get free but Mac was not happy with her and he made it known as his hand punished the seat of her jeans repeatedly. “NEVER shoot at a man unless you mean to kill him, little girl!” he scolded, spanking her hard.
“Don’t worry! I swear I won’t miss the next time!” Emily picked the wrong time to make a statement of that sort. Mac’s hand slipped lower and he spanked her upper thighs and the already sore area between her legs and butt cheeks with enthusiasm, letting her know what he thought of her sass. Emily was soon sobbing and begging him to stop.
Mac let her go, and then he collected the switches he’d cut and peeled and readied for use. He decided to go ahead and get the switching over with right now. “Stand up,” he ordered.
“I can’t!” she cried. “I hurt too much,” she tearfully complained.
“You will hurt a lot more by the time I’m done using these switches,” he stated firmly, reaching down and pulling her to her feet. “Take down those pants and anything you got on underneath.”
“No, I won’t!” Emily argued. “You have no right!”
“I have every right,” he argued. “Take them down or I will. You need a damn good switching for running away and for thinking you can track down bounties. Woman, do you realize how tiny you are?”
“I can take care of myself!”
“Maybe you are good with pointing a gun at a man, but if he takes it away from you, I guarantee you would be in trouble,” he reasoned.
“I wouldn’t let that happen!”
“And you would stop it how?” Mac asked, a dangerous glint in his dark eyes.
Emily shook her head as she realized he was about to prove his point. Once again, she ran. This time to find her gun, and she promised herself she wouldn’t miss the infuriating man a second time!
Mac shook his head. “Emily, you are mine, and you can’t run from me. That only makes the reckoning that much worse.” He lifted her off her feet, and in spite of her struggles, her pants and drawers came down, baring her stinging red backside.
“See? I am in serious pain and it is all your fault!” she accused, hoping to shame him and make him feel guilty.
“I see that you still have a good switching coming to you. Now, the question is, are you going to bend over and put your hands on that rock and stay in place, or do I need to tie your hands and tie you to a tree so you can’t get away?”
“You wouldn’t!” she gasped, horrified at the mental picture he’d conjured with his words. “I couldn’t handle being tied up like that,” she whispered.
“Then bend over and put your hands on the rock, little girl, and stay in place and accept this switching you earned.”
Emily knew he meant it. If she didn’t meekly accept the switching, he would tie her to a tree and she would be utterly helpless. Emily wanted to beg him not to punish her, but it was obvious Mac was in a temper. She had run away from him, and even worse, she shot at him! He was still angry over that and she couldn’t blame him. But, she did not want him to switch her! She was already so sore she was miserable, and she didn’t think she could handle any more pain.
“Well?” Mac demanded.
“I will do it, but only because I truly couldn’t abide being tied like that. Just know that I will not marry you ever if you beat me right now, Mac Forrester! I will go so far away you won’t be able to track me down.”
Mac knew she was grasping at straws and making threats in an attempt to protect her butt. He simply looked at her and gave her time to place herself in position for the switching.
“I hate you for this, Mac Forrester!” she yelled at him. It did not deter him in the least. One second she was bent over, her hands resting on the rock, her ass up in the air and her jeans and drawers down, the breeze trying to cool the heat radiating from her reddened skin; in the next, a line of fire was spreading across her cheeks and it hurt so much that she couldn’t even cry out. The switch caught her again, on her sit spots, and this time she yelled bloody murder. Over and over the switch fell on her delicate skin, leaving fiery welts. “Stop! Stop! No more, please!” Emily soon begged. Her backside felt as though a million bees had attacked her.
“I haven’t wore out the first switch yet, little girl. You ran away from me, and it’s never going to happen again. Do you hear me?” he demanded, the switch emphasizing each word.
“Yes!” Emily sobbed. “Please stop!” He didn’t. When the switch finally broke, he threw it to the ground in front of her.
“Was the price worth running away?” he asked while she sobbed.
“No!
” Emily shook her head, truly miserable.
“I am sure you won’t want to chase after any more bounties by the time we’re finished discussing that issue now.”
“Nooooo!” Emily wailed when she realized that Mac was intending to punish her for that as well.
“You crossed a line, little girl. If you’d said sorry when I first caught up to you back in town and expressed remorse, I would have given you a few spanks with my hand. Instead, you ran away and then shot at me when I found you. You earned a good lesson, Emily, and since I fell in love with you and I am the man who is going to marry you, it falls to me to make sure you have absolutely no desire to go bounty hunting ever again.”
“Okay! You win! I won’t do it again!” Emily quickly agreed. “I promise… Please don’t keep switching me! I’m hurting so much! My butt is raw!”
“Not quite,” he commented, then added, “It will be by the time I wear out these switches.”
Emily thought she was going to die. This switch felt even worse than the last one and she couldn’t believe he was going to use it until it broke. The welts were crisscrossing each other, and her sit spots were so sore she was sure they would never heal. Mac even switched her thighs and the backs of her knees. If her boots weren’t covering her calves, she was sure she would be wearing welts there, too. “Please, stop, Mac. I beg you!” She was crying so hard she could barely stand. “I’m sorry!” she finally said the magical words he was waiting for, and Mac gave the switch a toss, and helped her up. Emily threw herself against him, sobbing and seeking comfort.
Mac put his arms around Emily and told her she would be alright, but she continued to cry and cry. He finally lifted her in his strong arms and carried her to where she’d spread her blankets on the ground. He used his foot to put her gun aside, and then he gently laid her on her stomach. He removed her boots and stockings, and then slid her pants and drawers off her body. He used another blanket to cover her, and then whispered lovingly while rubbing her back, trying to calm her down. She finally stopped crying and went to sleep. It was then that Mac wondered if perhaps he’d been too harsh, and he wished that Doc Z was here to talk to. Damn it, the redhead could have been killed going after Zane Crabtree!
Emily Page 4
