The Demure Bride(2)

"I wanted to get away from Robert Thorne. I told him I didn't want him  tagging along with me, and he refused to listen. The fastest way to rid  myself of his presence was to jump the fence."

"You're lucky you didn't break your fool neck," Matt growled. "Hey,  Whitey," he spoke to the man who was already tending to Glimmer. "Is the  mare hurt?" he asked.

"No, sir," the young cowboy answered respectfully. "Just doesn't like jumpin'," he added with a meaningful look for Amanda."         

     



 

"See, no harm done," Amanda gave Matt a meaningful look and then turned on her heel to head for the house.

"No harm done this time, but that don't mean you didn't disobey me and  unseat yourself. You clean out Glimmer's stall, Mandy, and see her  brushed down and cared for proper. Once Whitey is satisfied you're done,  you can tend to yourself. Boy, don't you dare let this girl talk you  into doing the work for her. She needs to learn the proper way to care  for her mare... and to listen to her Papa." Matt left the barn, ignoring  the shocked expression on his daughter's face.

Amanda couldn't believe her Father was making her muck stalls like a  hired hand! It wasn't fair, and she wasn't going to do it, either! She  headed for the barn door, only to have Whitey move to block her exit.

"Miss, it ain't no skin offen my nose, but I reckon you'd best do as the  boss says. He ain't one to cross when he's fired up on somethin'. I'll  get you the wheelbarrow and the pitchfork is right there. Do you got  gloves? Don't want you to get blisters, you bein' a girl and all..."

"Who the hell does he think he is!" Amanda stomped her foot in pure fury.

"I reckon he figures he's the boss, and the one who give Glimmer to you,  and he's your Pa, too," Whitey answered matter-of-factly.

"Well, I'm not doing it!" she declared.

"Suit yourself, but you'd best tell Glimmer goodbye."

"What do you mean?" Amanda asked curiously.

"I figure Mr. Chambers will take Glimmer back from you if you don't take  proper care of her. He caught a drifter whippin' his horse once and  like to tore him apart. He won't take to you shirkin' your chores,  Miss."

Amanda wondered how this day could possibly get any worse. She took the  pitchfork and pretended that each jab was into Robert Thorne's hide! She  was wet and miserable. Her expensive boots were making her feet  blister, and her bottom still throbbed from the spanking. She couldn't  believe her Father was treating her so callously. What loving Father  forced his only child to muck out stalls? One who was intent on  punishing a daughter who disobeyed him and could have injured a valuable  animal, her conscience answered honestly.

Whitey hovered near by while she worked for over an hour cleaning out  the stall and then laying fresh straw. She brushed Glimmer and then fed  her. Once Amanda was all finished, she glanced at Whitey, humiliated  that she had to have his approval before she left the barn. "You done a  fine job, Miss. I'll tell the boss iffen he asks me."

Amanda felt like crying, but she held her head up and marched out of the  barn and up to the house. She ignored her Father when he called out to  her and ran on up the steps and down the hallway to her bedroom. Once  inside she shut and locked the door; she was not going to speak to her  Father, especially while she was at such a disadvantage. She wanted out  of the ruined riding habit, and she never wanted to see it again. She  removed her ruined gloves and tossed them on the floor and was shrugging  out of the fitted jacket when there was pounding on her bedroom door  mere seconds before the doorknob rattled.

"Go away!" she snapped.

"Amanda, you open this door right now," Matt ordered.

"I'm undressing, Father," she exaggerated the word out of pure defiance.  "Leave me alone. I've nothing to say to you at present!"

"Girl, I've had enough of your sass for one day. Goldie will have lunch  on the table in less than an hour. I expect you at the table, and after  we eat, you and I are going to sit down and have a talk. If your temper  ain't cooled by then, I'll cool it myself."

Amanda heard him stomp down the hallway and she finally gave in to the  tears that had threatened her since Robert Thorne came upon her while  she was on her ride. What had she done to deserve her Father's ire?  Robert Thorne was the one who caused all of the trouble, and if her  Father loved her, he would have dealt with the man as he deserved for  daring to use her own riding whip on her backside. The pretty redhead  managed to take off her boots and threw them into the pile of things she  was going to throw away.

Finally, she was stripped to her skin, and she walked over to her mirror  to look at her abused bottom. To her surprise, she had a few red marks,  but nothing at all to indicate the severity of the punishment she had  received! She'd expected to be covered with all sorts of bruises and  welts, and, in truth, she was more bruised from the fall off of Glimmer  than she was from the whipping Robert Thorne administered. Even if she  wasn't black and blue and covered with welts, her Father should have  shot the aggravating man for daring to treat her so abominably.

Amanda washed the mud from her body, and then dried off and dressed in  one of her favorite dresses. She took the time to unbraid her hair and  brush it until it was shining, and then she pinned it up on top of her  head, allowing a few curls to escape to soften the look. She wanted to  look pretty... and most of all, she wanted to appear grown up when she  faced her Father. She wanted him to feel guilty for treating her like a  ranch hand. She shouldn't have tried to force the little mare to make  the jump, but she didn't deserve to be punished by their neighbor, and  she didn't deserve to be forced to clean stalls, either. Her Mother  would have a proper fit if she knew how much she was suffering on her  Father's ranch. That thought brought tears to her eyes once again. She  missed her Mother... and sometimes she missed Boston.         

     



 

Amanda waited until it was noon to go downstairs and into the dining  room. Her Father was already seated at the table, as was Ted Fox, his  foreman for the past five years. Amanda intensely disliked the man, and  she made no bones about it. "Since you apparently have business to  discuss, Father, I will eat in the kitchen with Goldie."

"You will sit down at your place right now, Mandy, and stop acting so  highfalutin'," Matthew Chambers was clearly out of patience.

Amanda wasn't about to argue with her parent in front of Ted Fox. She  quietly took her seat and helped herself of the dishes their housekeeper  placed on the table. "This looks wonderful, Goldie," she smiled at the  older woman, who merely nodded and said nothing. Goldie did not speak  unless asked a direct question that required an answer.

Amanda ate quickly, pointedly ignoring her Father and Ted Fox as they  discussed ranch business. When she was finished, she excused herself and  got to her feet, picking up her plate and heading for the kitchen. She  always helped Goldie with the dishes.

"Don't you go too far, daughter. We're still going to have a talk," Matt warned.

She fumed as she heard Ted saying, "Now, Boss, don't be so hard on Miss Mandy. She just needs a husband to settle her down."

"That will never be you, Mr. Fox," Amanda said in an icy tone, and then  left the dining room. She stayed in the kitchen and let Goldie bring in  the rest of the plates and serving bowls and silverware while she dipped  water from the reservoir on the stove into the dishpan and started  washing the dirty dishes. It didn't take long to finish the task, and  the kitchen was soon spotless. Amanda decided to pour another cup of  coffee for herself and sit in the kitchen to enjoy it until her Father  was through talking to the slimy Ted Fox. She wasn't doing one thing to  encourage the man. He'd managed to corner her a few times during the  last two years, and each time she felt he was just waiting for the right  time to try and attack her. He truly frightened her with his slippery  smile and the evil glint in her eyes. She felt he was a bully, and even  the men on the ranch avoided sparking his quick temper. They'd seen  other men fired for little or no reason, and working on the Chambers  Ranch was a good job for a top hand.

"Mandy, come on in here!" Matt bellowed.

Amanda jumped, and thought she caught a sympathetic look in Goldie's  eyes. She got up, but took her coffee with her as she went to find her  father standing by the doorway to the hallway. "Come to my study, girl. I  don't want to be interrupted." He motioned for her to precede him, and  followed behind her, shutting the door once she was inside his office.  "Sit down, Mandy. We need to have us an understanding," Matt stated,  sitting behind his desk and leaning back in his chair to look at her as  she sat cautiously on one of the leather chairs in front of his desk.  "Are you over your temper?" he asked in an abrupt tone of voice.