"Good, you just sit right there on that chair and eat every last bite," Matt ordered firmly.
There was no help for it, Amanda took another bite of the nasty, soap laced pie. She felt she was going to be sick, but she chewed and swallowed, and tried to appear as though nothing was wrong. Why on earth had she done such a foolish thing? Mandy asked of herself.
Robert couldn't believe that the feisty redhead was willing to eat the doctored pie rather than own up to the truth. He watched as she attempted a third bite, but her face suddenly turned green and she jumped up and ran from the room.
"What am I goin' to do with that girl?" Matt asked in disgust, his face red with embarrassment and anger. "I'm sorry, son. I can't believe she tried somethin' like this."
"Amanda is angry with me for thrashing her yesterday, Matt. It is between us, and I'm sure she is going to somehow blame this on me as well." He did not seem the least bit upset at the prospect, either, Matt noted.
They finished their pie and Robert helped Matt clear the table. There was no sign of Amanda yet, but it did not take Matt long to find two apple pies in the kitchen. One had two pieces cut from it, the other one piece. Matt stuck his finger in and then tasted it, and made a horrible face. "Soap! She put soap in it! I ought to make her eat the whole damn pie!" he growled, his face red with anger.
"I'm sorry, Papa," Amanda said from the doorway as she came back inside. Her face was extremely pale. "I am sorry, Mr. Thorne. Please excuse me. I need to lie down."
"The hell you say!" Matt moved to block her as she attempted to cross the room. "How dare you treat a guest in this home in this manner?"
"Papa, don't yell at me now, please. I'm too ill to handle it. I need to lie down." Tears were running down her face and she feared she was going to disgrace herself in front of Robert Thorne. "I am ashamed. It was a terrible thing to do."
"You bet it was, and I'm going to take a leather strap to you!"
Her green eyes widened in horror. She simply couldn't bear another punishment tonight. Her body ached. "Not now, Papa. Please...!" She suddenly grabbed her stomach and whirled and ran from the room again.
"Matt, Amanda is ill. She has punished herself enough."
"I reckon you are right."
"I will leave now, so that you may tend to her. Do you feel she needs a physician?" he asked in concern.
"She didn't eat enough soap to kill her," was Matt's unsympathetic reply. "I'm sorry about this, Matt. I guarantee Amanda will be apologizing."
"She already did. I wish now I would have refrained from giving her the pie. I had no idea she would be so ill."
"She didn't know how sick that would make you, either," Matt said with certainty.
"I believe that, too. I will see myself out. Go and care for her, Matt. Thank you for inviting me tonight." Rob took himself outside, mounted his stallion, and headed for his ranch. He hated it that little Amanda was so ill.
Matt headed out the back door and found Amanda kneeling on the ground, crying her heart out. "Let me help you inside, honey," he offered, and was gentle as he lifted her to her feet. "Are you through bein' sick now?" he wanted to know.
"I hope so," she whispered. "I hurt so much, Papa."
"I know. Let's get you in bed and I'll make you some tea to settle your stomach."
"I'm so sorry."
"We'll talk about it tomorrow. Right now we need to get you comfortable." Matt started to help her upstairs, and realized she was too weak to climb the steps on her own. He picked her up and carried her to her room, and then sat her on her bed. "Your nightdress in the wardrobe?" he asked.
"Yes."
He got it for her and then said, "Can you manage on your own, honey?"
"Yes, Papa."
"Okay, you get out of those things and into bed. I'll make some of Goldie's special tea and it will calm your stomach." He left the room, shaking his head. By rights he ought to be tanning the daylights out of the little hellion, but how could he when she was so ill? By the time he got back upstairs, Mandy was ill again. He held her until she was done, and then he tucked her in her bed and washed her face with a wet wash cloth. He insisted she drink the strong tea, and he sat there until Mandy was asleep. He left the door to her room open in case she needed him, and knew he would sleep light just in case. The fool girl needed her backside heated proper for this stunt.
Amanda woke as the first rays of sun broke over the horizon. Her stomach muscles hurt and her throat was still raw from vomiting up the soap and everything she ate for dinner. What a terrible thing to do to herself, and how terrible was she to plan to do that to Robert Thorne. It was much worse than the thrashing he gave her... and she felt awful. Her Papa had every right to be angry with her and to punish her for doing something so despicable. Resolutely, she pulled herself out of bed, and made quick work of washing up and getting dressed. Her Papa would want his breakfast, and it was too soon for Goldie to be home. She left her hair down, but tied it back with a ribbon. She decided that making her bed could wait until later, and she went downstairs and out to the kitchen to find her father already there.
"I didn't expect to see you down today," Matt looked at her in surprise.
"I'm not going to hide in my room, Papa. Sit down and I will make you something to eat," she bossed.
"Are you feelin' better then?" he asked, looking her up and down.
"I'll survive, Papa, even though I wanted to die last night. I was wrong to do that, and I deserved what I got. I know you are angry with me, and I don't expect you to believe me when I promise you I will never do that to another human being as long as I live."
"Oh, I believe you, Mandy. But, you still got a lickin' comin' to you."
"Yes, Papa," she replied, trying to blink away tears. "I don't blame you for deciding to punish me."
"You just keep that attitude. We'll settle up after breakfast."
Amanda didn't try to argue, and she didn't try to eat anything but some toast and tea. Her stomach was still a bit queasy, and it was all she could do to fix her father's normal large breakfast, but he didn't deserve to suffer because she did something so stupid. All too soon, Matt was through eating, and he pushed his dishes aside as he stood up and reached for his belt. "You can raise your skirts and bend over this table, girl."
It wouldn't do a bit of good to argue, and Amanda knew it. She'd crossed a line with her proud father, and she'd attempted to treat a guest with utter disregard and disrespect. She got to her feet and leaned over the table, pulling up her skirts. It was embarrassing to be so exposed, but hopefully none of the hands would come to the back door and see her getting punished.
Matt didn't keep Amanda waiting. He doubled his belt and then brought it down over her bottom, which was still tender from before. Amanda cried out in pain, but the second stripe landed right below the first. "I am embarrassed and ashamed of the way you treated a guest in this home, Amanda Chambers," Matt scolded. The belt landed a third and fourth time, and Amanda was crying and telling him she was sorry.
Her Papa ignored her, and continued to scold and use his belt to leave welts on her backside. He was determined to make sure this was one punishment she never forgot, and by the time he put his belt back through the loops on his pants, Amanda was raw, and she felt she would never sit again. She was crying so hard she couldn't stop, even when she knew it was all over.
"I would tell you to invite Rob for supper again, but I imagine the boy has more sense than come near you, Mandy. You'd better think to mendin' your ways or you'll grow old and not have anyone who cares about you. Matt didn't offer comfort like he did the last time he spanked her. He left her crying and feeling miserable as he went outside to get to work and make sure his hands were doing what they were supposed to be doing.
Amanda felt awful. Her backside was flaming and burned like fire! She had welts on top of welts, and she wanted nothing more than to go up to her room and undress and apply cold cloths and the salve that Goldie gave her. Instead, she righted her skirts and did her best to pull herself together and straighten the kitchen before Goldie came home. It took her the better part of an hour, and only then did she take herself upstairs and take a look at her bare bottom in the mirror. It looked just as bad as it felt, and the cold cloths were a welcome relief. Amanda finally applied the salve to her throbbing rear, and then she crawled into bed and cried herself to sleep.
When Matt came in to eat at noon he frowned when he saw that Mandy was nowhere to be seen. "Where's Mandy, Goldie?" he demanded.