“I’m not a rich man, Lizzie. I don’t expect to ever be one.”
“I don’t care!” she shouted. “How many times do I have to tell you that? Now you get over here and spank me like a husband should because I’ve been bad. Really bad.”
A small smile touched his lips. “I guess I can believe that you’re used to ordering servants around.” He took hold of her upper arms. “But don’t think you can get away with yelling at me. I’m the man of this house. And you’re my woman.”
His mouth seared hers with a crushing kiss. She clung to him, pouring every ounce of love into him.
Afterward, he held her close to his heart and kissed the top of her head. “I love you, Lizzie. But, you’re right. You need a spanking.”
* * *
“Ouch!” Lizzie gripped the covers as another stinging swat landed on her backside. She was on all fours on the bed, naked. Matt had removed his jacket and rolled up the sleeves of his shirt. Glancing over her shoulder she watched as the muscles of his forearms flexed with each smack.
She turned back around and braced for several more impacts. If she focused on the pain, feeling it radiate across her rear end and down her thighs, it helped to alleviate the guilt welling inside her. With each stinging swat, she thanked her lucky stars that Matt had forgiven her. Still loved her.
A hard smack landed in the center of her cheeks and she yelped.
“Five more, Lizzie. Get ready.”
Taking a deep breath, she gripped the covers tighter and gave a nod to indicate she was ready. Matt wasted no time in applying five fast swats to her upper thighs.
She remained in place, tears flowing down her face. Matt sat on the mattress and used his handkerchief to wipe away her tears. “Don’t cry, sweetheart. All is forgiven.” He kissed her temple and brushed her hair away from her face.
He rose from the bed, and a moment later she felt something cool being applied to her stinging flesh. Matt took such good care of her. She sighed. “Thank you.”
His hands continued to massage but they moved from applying cream to her flaming skin to probing the wetness of her womanhood. With a few strokes, Lizzie forgot about the pain in her backside and began to move her hips, eager for him to touch her more, deeper.
“Oh, Lizzie. I’ve got to have you. Now.” Matt lowered his pants and pushed his cock into her in one swift motion.
“Oh, yes,” she cried out. “Yes, Matt.”
He held her by the waist and stroked in and out of her wet passage. Reaching around, he found her clitty and tapped it as he continued his rhythmic movements.
Her body clenched around his cock and she came in an explosion, all the tensions of the evening releasing as she climaxed.
Matt found his own release and she reveled in the feel of his hot seed pumping into her and sliding down her thighs.
He collapsed over her, bracing himself on the mattress. “Mine. You’re mine.”
* * *
They were woken the next morning by knocking on the door. Matt pulled on his pants and shirt and answered it while Lizzie roused herself and got dressed too.
When she got to the kitchen, she found Matt and Cal sitting at the table. She put on some coffee and said hello to the sheriff. “My apologies for the scene last night,” she said.
“Well, folks won’t soon forget that dance,” Cal said.
“My father always likes to make an entrance,” Lizzie said, shaking her head.
“That’s what I wanted to talk to you about. Doc Granger’s been to the jail to look your father over. Says he took a few good punches,” Cal nodded to Matt, “but no long-term damage. Now, I’m holding him and his two cronies on attempted kidnapping charges. Circuit judge won’t be here for two weeks.”
“Oh,” Lizzie said, sitting down at the table. Her father in jail. She hadn’t considered that. She blew out her breath.
“A conviction should be pretty easy. Half the town witnessed his threats to you.”
“Conviction? You mean, he could go to prison?”
“Well, yes. We don’t take too kindly to folks trying to steal our residents.”
“Is there another option?”
“There’s a train for St. Louis leaving in a couple hours,” Cal said. “If you thought you wanted to drop the charges, I could make sure all three of them leave town today. Don’t imagine they’d come back.”
Lizzie drew a deep breath and looked at Matt. “What do you think?”
“Well, I don’t like the idea of telling our children their grandfather is in prison,” he said. “I get the impression he’s not without a lot of flaws, but I’m not sure prison is the best place for him. I think we’d just like him to leave us alone. Maybe one day things will improve.”
Lizzie turned to Cal. “I agree with Matt. If you could make sure he gets on the train today, I’d appreciate it.”
* * *
Lizzie and Matt stood on the train platform where they’d met less than two weeks before. It seemed like a lifetime had happened since then.
In many ways, it had.
“Maybe we shouldn’t be here,” she said, taking a step toward the exit.
Matt held her hand. “No, you said you wanted to come, and I think you’ll regret it if you leave now.”
Cal arrived driving a wagon carrying her father, Rudy Barr and the other man whose name she never learned and never wished to know. Her father’s face was swollen and he looked as though he’d aged twenty years since last night.
Cal and another man assisted them down from the wagon, then removed the manacles on their wrists. Lizzie’s heart fell to her toes to see her father in manacles.
A cry of despair tore from her and she rushed across the platform and rested her hand on her father’s arm. “Father?”
He looked at her with surprise. “Elizabeth?” A genuine smile formed on
