The Demure Bride(25)

     



 

"And a sore ride it will be," he agreed, continuing the spanking. "Are  you going to wear these pants again?" he asked a few minutes later.  Amanda was sniffling now, and he was sure he had made his point.

"No, I won't," she promised. "I was in a snit when I put them on  today... I think I wanted to see if I could get a reaction from you,"  she admitted the simple truth.

"And now you know," he said quietly, helping her up. He pulled her close  and then kissed her tenderly. "I love you, Amanda, and I want to marry  you as soon as possible. Do you believe me?" he asked, his voice hoarse  with emotion.

"I believe you, Rob," she said. Her eyes were still shimmering with  unshed tears, but he saw love reflected there, too. "I want to marry  you, too."

"I must deal with this situation first; I cannot permit this bastard to  harm you as he nearly did today." He ran his thumbs over her cheeks,  wiping away the dampness. "You will need to obey the restrictions I set  for you until he is captured. Will you do this for me?"

"If you insist," she reluctantly agreed.

"I will insist with a switch if I must," he said quietly, but she knew he meant the words.

"I can obey you without a switching," Amanda immediately decided. She'd  already felt a switch on her tender backside, and had no desire to  repeat that awful experience.

"I know you can, but will you...?" Rob was not about to give her a loophole.

"I will... as long as it does not take too long to bring this man to his knees."

"What can you tell me about him, sweetheart?"

"He is an arrogant creep," she replied, but then picked up a pencil from  his desk, took a piece of paper, and started sketching from memory.  When she was satisfied, she handed Rob the paper.

"I should have known..."





Chapter Eleven





"You recognize this man, Rob?" Amanda asked in surprise as Rob looked at  the drawing she'd made. His dark eyes were staring at the drawing in  obvious distaste, and Amanda was positive that he was furious and trying  to control his temper.

"Yes, I do." His voice was low, but reflected his anger. "He blames me for his son's death."

"I don't understand, Rob. Why would he blame you?"

"Because I am the one who shot him, Mandy," he answered softly, and then  said, "I need to get you home. You should be safe there as long as you  obey your father and remain inside your house. Sir Gregory Flockton's  hatred runs deep, and if he can take you captive he would do so and love  every moment of torturing you because he has learned from others that  you mean the world to me."

"I won't permit him to take me captive, Rob. I am rather good with a gun  as long as I am wearing one, and after this, I will be sure to have one  in my hands when I am riding."

"You will not be going riding at all, Amanda. It is not safe, and I must  insist that you stay inside and keep the doors and windows locked. I  want your Father to post a guard as well. There is no sense in taking  chances."

"I am not going to live as a prisoner, Robert Thorne!" Amanda's green  eyes were flashing. "We've already been through this, and I am not  afraid of this Sir Gregory Flockton!"

"I will speak to your father, Mandy. I am sure he will give me his support."

"I refuse!" Amanda declared, stomping her booted foot for emphasis.  "Papa can agree with you all he wants, but I am my own boss, and I am  not going to hide inside the house just because you fear what this man  might do!"

Amanda saw Rob shake his head and in the next minute he picked her up  and flipped her over the arm of his sofa. While he held her squirming  body down with his left hand, his right hand went to the buckle on his  belt, and within seconds he was sliding it through the loops on his  pants. Amanda heard the sound and it filled her stomach with dread as  she recalled the beating that Ted Fox gave her! She did not want a  strapping, especially on top of the firm spanking he'd given her such a  short time ago! "No, Rob!" she ordered. "Don't you dare think you are  going to take your belt to me! I haven't done anything wrong!" There was  a whistling sound and she felt the doubled leather land on the seat of  her tight jeans. "Owwww!" She couldn't prevent herself from crying out.  "You already spanked me and I'm sore, Robert Thorne! Stop!"

"I will not stop until you agree to stop thinking like a spoiled child,  Amanda Chambers," Rob stated clearly. "I am going to give you a small  sample of the strapping I will give you if you disobey me and leave your  house before I deal with Sir Gregory Flockton."

The belt landed again, this time on her sensitive and sore sit spots.  Amanda cried out, and tried to wiggle free of the hold he had on her.  She somehow managed to get up and ran around the sofa, evading the long  arm he threw out to stop her. "That was not smart, young lady. You have  doubled the punishment I planned to give you."         

     



 

"I do not deserve to be punished because you are afraid for me!"

"You deserve to be punished for your childish stubbornness."

"I do not! I merely stated how I feel, and there is nothing wrong with that in this country."

"Amanda, you are arguing over semantics. You earned a strapping and you  are going to get a strapping. If you want to triple it, continue to  stand there defying me. I'll give you ten seconds to come over here and  bend yourself over the arm of this sofa. If you are not here by then, I  will come after you, and I will make you wish you had stayed in place  and accepted your due." He glared at her and then said, "I am counting."

"Well, you can stop counting, Robert Thorne! I am not going to come over  there so you can use your belt on me! I am already in pain from  earlier! I have delicate skin, remember?"

"It is too bad your sassy mouth is not delicate," he countered, and then  started counting down, "Ten, nine, eight..." To his utter surprise,  Amanda cursed him and then took off running just as fast as her feet  could carry her. She was out the front door before he recovered from the  shock of her flight. He had never met a young woman with as much spirit  as the little redhead. Still, there was a time and a place for such  spirit, and when he was trying to save her life and protect her from his  enemy was not the time to try his patience.

Amanda didn't need to look back to know that Rob was following her.  She'd made the man angry, and he simply needed time to cool off. If she  could get away from him now, then by the time he came to see her at the  Circle C, he would be in a more reasonable frame of mind. Amanda quickly  mounted her horse, and took off at a gallop, anxious to get home and to  the relative safety her father's presence would provide. She was  positive that her Papa would prevent Rob from taking his fear out on her  bottom!

Rob was dumbfounded when Amanda jumped on her horse and took off riding  hell bent for leather toward home! After all he'd told her about Sir  Gregory Flockton she was riding off alone as if she did not have a care  in the world. When he caught her, one Miss Amanda Chambers was going to  get the spanking of her life! She might not ever sit down again!

Rob was already following her and he was gaining on her, Amanda  realized. She urged her mount to run even faster, and knew that if her  father caught her riding Glimmer so recklessly, he would take the mare  away from her and he would tan her! She made herself slow down to a  decent pace, and leaned forward to whisper, "I'm sorry, Glimmer. I was  being thoughtless..." The mare snorted and nodded and Amanda had to  laugh at how indignant she sounded. A glance over her shoulder told her  that Rob was rapidly gaining on her now that she was simply riding and  not racing.

Rob was relieved when he realized that Amanda was riding sensibly. He  did not want her breaking her neck just to avoid a strapping with his  belt. It would not be worth all the fuss. He was soon abreast of her and  he reached over to take her reins from her hands. The next thing he  knew Amanda slapped his hand with the ends of her reins. "You are not  leading me like an errant child! I simply will not have it, Robert  Thorne!"

Rob was outraged, and he knew he did not dare stop and deal with the  headstrong little brat while they were out in the open and so  vulnerable. Sir Gregory Flockton could be hiding behind any or under any  rock... just like a snake, and she was putting herself at risk by  riding like a wild Indian! Rob could not wait until he got her alone and  taught her to have some care. Daring a man like Sir Gregory Flockton  was just plain foolish!

Amanda fully expected Rob to start scolding, but he maintained his  disapproving silence all the way to the Circle C. Whitey was home and he  took one look at the two of them and took Glimmer's reins. "You'd best  let me care for Glimmer, Miss Mandy. Your Pa is gonna be plenty upset  when he gets back here and finds out that you took off on your own," he  added, his voice low and meant for her ears alone. He intended to make  sure the Boss knew exactly what Mandy had been doing while they were  both gone and no one was here to stop her.