The Demure Bride(3)

"I still don't think you were fair," Amanda refused to lie. "You permitted Mr. Thorne to get away with beating me!" she accused.

"Mandy, you struck the man across his face with that damned foolish  little whip you carry. I can't fault him for doing what I would have  done in his place," he stated. "It's time for some plain talk right now,  and maybe I shouldn't have waited this long, but I knew you were  grieving for your Mama, and I didn't want to speak ill of her." He  paused, reflecting, and then reached for his pipe and filled it with a  fragrant tobacco before lighting it. "Mandy, I don't know what your Mama  told you about me. I can imagine, but I want you to know that I loved  her and it darn near killed me when she left and took you with her. I  should of come after her, turned her over my knee, and brought her back  here where she belonged, but I had more pride back then and decided she  would come back on her own. She didn't."

"Why did she leave in the first place, Father?" Amanda was curious, in  spite of her anger with him. Her Mama would never discuss the situation  with her.

"Isabel left because I put my foot down. Back in them days, it was even  wilder out here than it is now. I was working hard to make a go of this  place; couldn't afford more than a couple of hands to help out, and we  sure as shootin' didn't live in this fancy house. I didn't build it  until about ten years after your Mama left."

He shook his head as if to remind himself he was telling a story, and  then continued, "Isabel didn't think I was paying her enough attention.  She missed having other women to talk to, and was mad as hell at me  because I wouldn't take off workin' in the middle of the day to haul her  into town for some silly women's meeting at the church. She waited  until I was out of sight and then she loaded you into the wagon and took  off alone for town. My horse threw a shoe, or I wouldn't of known until  it was too late to stop the Comanche from carryin' the two of you off.  Once I rescued the two of you and got you back here, I turned your Mama  over my knee and paddled her proper for risking your lives. It made her  furious with me, and she said she wouldn't live where it wasn't safe to  leave her house alone. She packed bags for the two of you, and the first  chance she got, she left a note for me and said she'd gone home to her  parents. Told me if I came to my senses and was willing to live in  Boston, to come for her. I wasn't about to give up this ranch, and I  wrote and told her so. She refused to come back, and then she died  before I realized I was a fool not to swallow my pride and go and bring  her back, kicking and screaming if need be. I hate that, Mandy. I hate  that I kept thinking I had time to make this place something she would  love. It's why I built this house... for Isabel... but she wanted  nothing to do with it. As much as I loved her, she was snooty and  highfalutin', and I ain't about to let you be that way, girl. You're my  girl as much as your Mama's, and it's time for you to forget all about  those silly society rules your Mama thought was so darn important. The  truth is, I am your Papa... I don't want you calling me 'Father' as if  you don't care a thing for me. I don't want to see you wearing one of  those silly riding suits out here any more, either. It's been nearly two  years now, and you need to adapt, Mandy. You live in Texas now, not  Boston. And, you need to take responsibility for your mare's care, and  listen to folks when they tell you something for your own good." He  paused, and then added firmly, well aware of her mutinous expression,  "And, honey, you are going to say sorry to Rob Thorne for hitting him.  He's our neighbor, and I don't want bad feelings between him and us...  especially when you were in the wrong."         

     



 





Chapter Two





"No, I am not going to apologize to that horrid man!" Amanda jumped to  her feet. "Robert Thorne treated me despicably, and if anyone  apologizes, it should be him! He beat me! I struck him twice, and he  used my whip to hit me considerably more than two times. I have welts on  my posterior!"

"You couldn't feel a darn thing through those heavy skirts you was  wearin', girl!" Matt scolded. "If you did you wouldn't be standin' there  sassing me." He glared at her, "I'm fed up with your uppity ways,  Mandy. You struck our neighbor when he was tryin' to help you from your  spill. You made a fool mistake in tryin' to jump that mare, and then you  made it worse by gettin' mad at Rob. You are goin' to take yourself  over to his place tomorrow and apologize, even if I have to tan your  hide and haul you over there myself."

"Why are you so determined to humiliate me, Father? Why do you persist  in failing to see my side of this situation?" She stomped her foot,  clearly irate. "I will never apologize to that man! Never!" She turned  on her heel to stomp from the room, but she didn't make it to the door.  She didn't even hear Matt move, but he caught her by the elbow and  pulled her right back to his desk. "What do you think you are you  doing...? No! Father, no!" she cried out in dismay, but it was too late.  His work toughened hand landed on the rounded part of her skirt. "Don't  you dare treat me like this! I am fully grown!" Amanda's temper was  blazing as she struggled to get free of the ignoble position in which  she found herself.

"All I see is a spoiled brat who needs to mend her ways, and I should  have done this two years ago instead of waitin' to see if you'd settle  down," Matt said as he spanked her again.

"I will never forgive you for this!" Amanda was humiliated beyond belief.

"We'll see about that," Matt Chambers said solemnly, and to her horror  he flipped up her skirt and then her petticoats until all that was  covering her bottom was her lace and ribbon trimmed cotton drawers.

"No! You cannot do this, Father! I am a grown woman! What if someone walks in and sees me like this?"

"If it is anyone who's had to put up with your snotty tantrums lately  they'll probably applaud and want to shake my hand when I'm done, and I  ain't gonna be done for a long while," he added in an ominous tone of  voice as he continued to spank her rounded bottom.

"Father! Stop!" Amanda was already in pain... from her fall, and from  the spanking she had endured at Robert Thorne's hand. "You are truly  hurting me!" Tears filled her eyes.

"I ain't hurting you, girl. I'm tryin' to get your attention. You were  out of line this mornin'. You treated your mare bad, and you treated Rob  Thorne like it was his fault you got throwed. All the sass in the world  ain't gonna change that. It's time I started acting like your Papa and  settle you down. No man is gonna give you a second look if you keep  actin' so high and mighty!"

Amanda burst into tears. The spanking really hurt! Her father was a very  strong man and used to physical work. Her poor bottom was on fire and  she felt like a naughty little girl! She didn't like being treated like a  bratty child! "Please stop! Please!"

"Who are you talkin' to, Mandy?" Matt demanded, continuing to apply his hand in hard spanks meant to chastise.

"To you!" she answered sharply, and then gasped when he spanked lower,  in an area that was especially tender from the earlier spanking with her  riding whip! "Please, Papa, not there!" she begged. "Stop!"

"Now, was it so hard to call me Papa?" Matt asked quietly, giving her one more hard slap on her bottom.

"No," she admitted.

"I like it when you call me Papa," he admitted without a bit of shame. "Makes me feel like you like me a little."

"Of course I like you, Papa!" She tried to turn and look at him, but he  was still holding her in place with one strong arm around her waist. "I  love you," she said tearfully.

"I love you, too, Mandy, girl," Matt said emotionally. "And I don't like  havin' to do this, but I love you too much not to tan you when you need  tanning." He gave her three more sound spanks, causing her to cry out  each time. "Are you going to obey your Papa and say 'sorry' to Rob?"

Amanda simply could not agree to do that. She just couldn't! That man  had no right to thrash her with her own whip! Matt took her silence for  stubbornness, and he started spanking again, in earnest. "Nooooo! Please  stop, Papa! I am in pain!" she screeched.

"I'll stop when you agree to tell the man you're sorry for striking him  with your whip, girl, and not one second before." He was a strong man,  and even though his hand was on fire, he would keep this up as long as  necessary to make his point. Mandy was always stubborn, even as a small  child. She'd needed her Papa's guidance, and now he was going to have to  be very firm.         

     



 

"Okay! I will do it!" Amanda hated herself for giving in, but she was simply in too much pain to continue her resistance.