Chapter One
Rebecca ran to the relative
safety of her friend Dora’s home… more specifically the kitchen,
where Dora’s mother was stirring a large pot of soup simmering over
the fire.
“Goodness me, young lady!” Mrs. Clemons exclaimed. “You
look as though you’ve been running from a passel of Injuns!”
“Can I help you with anything, ma’am?” Rebecca asked
politely. “I know how to make up a good berry cobbler…?”
she offered, needing something to do to “protect” her from
Seth.
Dora’s baby sister chose that moment to wail from the next room,
and that seemed to make up Mrs. Clemons’ mind real fast. “You
go right ahead, honey. Wish my Dorrie was as handy in the kitchen as you
are. Why, she’ll never find her a man to marry up with her!”
she clucked, going to tend to her youngest child.
Rebecca got busy, telling herself that there was no way Seth could know
she was the one who stole his clothing. He’d deserved it so much!
He’d ignored her ever since she came for a visit, and Rebecca didn’t
like being ignored. Especially when Seth Clemons was the man she wanted
to marry! Even Dora claimed her older brother was perfect for her best
friend, and she thought it would be wonderful to have her living with
the family permanently instead of heading west in the next few weeks with
the rest of Rebecca’s family.
Rebecca had pleaded with her Pa to let her come home with the Clemons
family, promised she would meet him one month later when the families
each made the long trip to the settlement for supplies. She’d secretly
hoped that during that time, Seth would ask her to marry him, and she
could tell her Pa that she was staying right here as a member of the Clemons
family.
One week of that precious time was already gone, and Seth had done nothing
to give Rebecca one shred of hope. She was frustrated and that is why
she gave in to temptation earlier! Dora was with her Pa, delivering milk
and eggs to the closest neighbors, and Rebecca decided to go for a walk,
the purpose of which was to find Seth and get him to notice her as a woman.
When she finally spotted him, he was swimming in the lake, his clothes
laying in a neat pile by a tree. Without giving it a thought, Rebecca
grabbed up Seth’s buckskins and ran. She heard him holler, but she
kept right on going.
Sanity finally returned, and Rebecca left his clothing along the trail,
and then hurried to get back to the house, hoping that Seth hadn’t
seen her close enough to realize she’d done something so childish,
in spite of the fact she’d just turned eighteen and was considered
a grown woman by most folks. Her Pa had had several offers for her, but
due to a promise he made to her Ma, he turned them all down when Rebecca
expressed no interest in any of those men. Rebecca wanted Seth, plain
and simple, and hoped he would want her too. He was a handsome man, big
and strong, and he had a beautiful smile and laughing blue eyes. She wanted
him to notice her, and court her, and beg her to stay and be his wife
when her Pa and his new family left to move west into the new territory.
Rebecca busied herself with the cobbler, surprised to find her hands were
shaking. Even if Seth had seen her, what could he do? Not one darn thing,
she reassured herself. She was a full grown woman.
No sooner had the thought crossed her mind when the victim of her prank
appeared in the doorway. The look he leveled on her was full of disapproval,
and Rebecca suddenly wished she was back home with her Pa, stepmother,
and her little half-brothers. Seth took a step in her direction, and then
halted when his Mother stepped from behind the curtained-off bedroom.
“Seth,” Mrs. Clemons smiled at her son. “I’m glad
you come up to the house. Come and help me a minute. I can’t lift
this chest, and I need it moved to the other side of the room.”
“Sure, Ma,” Seth answered respectfully, his flashing blue
eyes telling Rebecca he would deal with her later.
Rebecca hastily put the cobbler in the oven after assuring herself that
the temperature was just right, and then she ran from the kitchen and
down to the woodshed. She would simply keep busy with chores until Dora
got home, and then her friend could advise her on what she should do.
She gathered up an arm load of wood for the fireplace, and turned to head
back to the house, only to find the doorway blocked by Seth. “Excuse
me,” she said, trying to get past him. “I need to get inside
and watch the cobbler I put in the oven to bake.”
“I told Ma that we needed to have a little talk, so she is watching
the oven Rebecca. Told us to take all the time we need.” It wasn’t
any secret to Seth that his Ma and his sister, Dorrie, were anxious to
see him married up with the pretty little redhead standing in front of
him, looking at him warily. Little Rebecca would do well to be worried,
he smiled grimly. He was going to tan her sweet little bottom for her,
and teach her that actions have consequences.
“What do you want to talk about, Seth?” Rebecca asked, hoping
she looked innocent.
“Put down that armful of wood, little girl, and we’ll get
right to talking,” Seth said menacingly, and helped Rebecca by taking
the wood from her and tossing it back on the pile. “What excuse
do you have for stealing my clothes earlier?” he came right to the
point.
Rebecca looked at him in shock, and then dropped her eyes. “I don’t
have a good excuse,” she mumbled. “I just saw them lying there,
and decided it would make a good prank. I shouldn’t have done it,
and I’m sorry,” she said contritely.
“No, you shouldn’t have done it. I was minding my own business,
and you left me there…buck naked. What if someone would have come
along?” he demanded.
“They didn’t, did they?” she looked at him in horror.
“Lucky for you, no. If they had, you’d be gettin’ this
tanning on your bare butt instead of over your skirts,” he announced.
“Tanning!? You wouldn’t dare!” Rebecca protested. “I’m
all grown up! You can’t spank me, Seth! It wouldn’t be proper!”
She backed up a few steps, but Seth just followed, and she couldn’t
go any further. The pile of wood was right behind her, and the only way
out of the shed was directly behind Seth! “Please… Don’t!”
Her face was scarlet at the very idea of receiving a child’s punishment
at his hands.
“You earned a good hiding, little girl, and I’m just the man
to give you one,” Seth promised. “Doesn’t make me any
mind whether you fight me or not. You’re going to get a good lickin’,
and have a day or two to regret pulling your prank. All actions have consequences,
Rebecca.”
Rebecca resisted, but Seth was very strong, and he easily lifted her off
her feet and tucked her under one arm. In the next instant, she felt a
stinging splat on the rounded part of her skirt, and realized that Seth
had picked up a piece of kindling wood to spank her bottom. She was mortified
and angry, all at the same time! It didn’t matter what she’d
done, she didn’t deserve to be treated like a naughty little girl!
She kicked her legs, and tried to get free, but the makeshift paddle found
her bottom again and again. “Stop it, Seth! You have no right to
do this!”
“You didn’t have any right to take my clothes, either, little
girl,” he pointed out, and cracked her rounded bottom over and over
with the crude paddle. “Spying on a grown man while he’s swimming!
You ought to be ashamed of yourself!” he scolded, making his point
with the kindling. He was determined to teach the little firebrand a good
lesson.
“I’m sorry!” Rebecca screeched, embarrassed as she could
be. “I wasn’t peeking at you!” she denied, mortified.
Seth chuckled. “I know better than that, Rebecca. Keep fibbing to
me and we’ll be out here all day!” He continued the punishment,
wishing he dared to turn up her skirts and do a proper job of spanking
her. He’d guarantee she wouldn’t pull any more childish pranks
then.
“Stop it, Seth. You’re hurting me!” she bawled. “Stop!”
She couldn’t believe that a spanking could hurt so much! Seth was
putting his arm into it, and she was going to be bruised for days! “Stop
it!” she screeched.
“I don’t think so. You’ve been needin’ this a
good long while,” he answered, continued to apply the piece of kindling
to the rounded part of her skirt, and a bit lower, hoping to catch her
upper thighs and her sit spot.
“How would you know? You never give me the time of day!” Rebecca
retorted, growing angry. “You just stop now, or I’m going
to tell your Ma!” She was desperate to find anything that would
put an end to the paddling.
“And I’ll have her ask you what you did to earn a tanning.”
Rebecca cried out in pain as the spanking continued, and in spite of her
pleas for mercy, Seth continued to paddle her bottom until she was very
sorry indeed. He finally put her down, and said, “Best you mind
your manners from now on, little girl, or there will be more of the same.”
“I hate you, Seth Clemons!” Rebecca angrily declared, furious
with him. She stomped her foot when he didn’t even reply before
calmly tossing the kindling on the woodpile and heading for the door.
Seth left her crying in the shed, and Rebecca rubbed her sore bottom through
her skirts. Her own Pa hadn’t spanked her since she was a small
child, and this was inexcusable. How could she have thought she wanted
to marry up with Seth Clemons?
Rebecca waited until she composed herself, then she gathered an armload
of wood, including that awful piece of kindling that Seth used on her,
and headed for the house. Somehow she would get through the next few hours,
and when it was dawn, she would head out for home. There was no way on
earth she would stay here around a man who thought so little of her he
would spank her! Her mind made up, Rebecca stayed busy the rest of the
day. She ate very little at supper that night, and turned in early. Dora
and her Pa hadn’t returned yet, and Mrs. Clemons seemed to think
they’d decided to spend the night with other folks, maybe giving
them a hand with something.
Before dawn, Rebecca gathered her belongings, and whispered to Rebecca’s
ten year old sister that she was heading home, and to tell her Ma not
to fret. The sleepy child nodded, and went right back to sleep, which
is exactly what Rebecca intended. She cut off a chunk of bread and another
of cheese, and decided this would hold her until she got home. Surely
she could make it by nightfall if she kept up a brisk pace all day. It
was quite a distance, and Rebecca was a bit daunted at the prospect, but
she simply could not stay here with Seth another three weeks. It would
be better to go home, and help her family with their preparations to head
west. She never wanted to see Seth Clemons again!
********************
Seth woke early, determined to get the stock tended, and then go looking
for his Pa and his sister. If the wagon broke down, then his Pa would
need some help to get it fixed. More than likely his Ma was right, and
his Pa had simply decided to lend one of their neighbors a helping hand,
but just in case, he figured he should head out to meet them on the road
back home. It didn’t take him long to finish his chores, but by
the time he was finished his mother was already up, taking care of the
baby.
“Ma, I’m going to walk out a ways and meet up with Pa and
Dorrie. They’re probably just fine, but if the wagon broke down,
or one of the horses took sick, Pa might need a hand.”
“Take something to eat with you, son,” Faith Clemons bossed
in a loving tone.
“You keep the gun close by today, just in case trouble comes by,”
Seth worried about leaving his Ma and little sisters alone. And there
was sweet Rebecca to consider, too.
“We’ll be just fine,” Faith smiled, then asked, “Are
you going to tell that young lady you’re sorry for treating her
bad yesterday?” she asked directly.
“No, ma’am, I am not,” Seth said firmly. “She
had a lickin’ comin’ to her.”
“You hurt her pride somethin’ awful, son, and that isn’t
a way to get a pretty gal to marry you.”
“Too soon to be talkin’ of marryin’, Ma. I need to speak
to her Pa first. He might not want to leave her behind,” Seth worried
aloud.
Faith smiled, then shook her head, “Her Pa will be right pleased
to see Rebecca settled, son. Especially with a fine young man like you.
You best be treatin’ her nice today, hear?”
“I hear you, Ma,” Seth grinned. “I’ll take her
walkin’ later, if she don’t scratch my eyes out for askin’,”
he added under his breath. Rebecca had a ton of spirit and she was a fiery
woman. He liked that about her. She wouldn’t panic if he had to
leave her alone and go to the settlement, or off hunting for a day or
two at a time. She was like his Ma, a woman to stand proud with. Provided
he could teach her a few manners. Seth decided he wouldn’t mind
having the taming of little Rebecca, and chuckled at the prospect of tossing
up her skirts the next time he found it necessary to spank her bottom.
Knowing Rebecca, he figured it wouldn’t be long. She wasn’t
used to facing any consequences for her behavior, but she would soon learn
to think before acting.
Seth grabbed some food, and folded it into a napkin, then put it into
his pack. He never went anywhere without the means to survive on his own
for a few days. If his Pa and Dorrie ran into trouble, there was no tellin’
how long he would be gone. He kissed his Ma, and promised he would see
her soon, and then headed out to meet his Pa and Dorrie.
********************
Rebecca was already regretting her decision to set out on her own for
home, and it was barely daylight. Every little bird call made her nervous,
and she wondered what she would do if she was accosted by Indians. She’d
heard all of the hushed talk when Sadie Sherman was taken captive, and
when her folks got her back, she’d refused to speak to anyone. Her
folks packed up the family and moved far away, hoping to start over fresh
where no one knew that Sadie had been shamed. Rebecca was scared, and
the more she scolded herself for worrying, the more worried she became.
Each and every little noise made her jump.
She truly wished she could turn around and head back to the Clemons’
place, but she feared that Seth would spank her again! Or, even worse,
Dora’s Pa might feel the need to do so himself. It just wasn’t
heard of for a female to go traipsing off alone… Even her own Pa
might have something to say when she made it home and he learned she’d
come by herself. Not that he would spank her, she consoled herself. He
hadn’t done that since she was a small child. Rebecca didn’t
want to think about the time a few years ago when she’d come back
to the house to get another basket to put new potatoes in after she’d
been sent to work in the garden, and almost walked in on her Pa and his
new wife.
John Abbott was obviously angry with Elizabeth, and Rebecca’s eyes
reflected her disbelief as she watched Elizabeth pull up her skirts and
bend over the table. She heard her Pa scolding the woman for complaining
about every little thing, and promised he would give her something to
complain about. He’d picked up a short piece of leather, and brought
it down on Elizabeth’s tender white skin, over and over, until Elizabeth
was sobbing and promising to behave, and her buttocks were crimson and
crisscrossed with welts. John Abbott had pulled down Elizabeth’s
skirts then, and gave her a firm order to get out to the garden and help
Rebecca. Rebecca hadn’t lingered to hear any more. She ran back
to the garden, and used her apron to gather the potatoes she’d dug.
Elizabeth had joined her, and tried to hide her sniffles from the stepdaughter
who was only five years younger than her twenty years. Rebecca noticed
that Elizabeth winced every time she sat for the next few days, and she
also noticed that Elizabeth stopped whining and complaining.
Rebecca couldn’t help but think her Pa spanked Elizabeth fairly
often. There were times when she caught Elizabeth rubbing her backside
when she thought no one would notice… and other times when Elizabeth
seemed reluctant to sit at the table for supper. After last night, Rebecca
could sympathize with that feeling. Sitting to eat had been painful, and
even worse was the fact that Seth kept smirking at her, and enjoying her
predicament and the fact that sitting was painful. Rebecca blushed yet
again, then reached back to rub her tender backside. How awful to be spanked
as a grown woman! She was just glad that she discovered Seth’s propensity
toward spanking before she was foolish enough to marry him.
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