The Demure Bride(8)

"Sleeping. She is ill."

"Did she ask for a tray?" he asked with a frown.

"No. She is ill."

"Is she still throwin' up?" he wanted to know.

"No; she was doing that?" Goldie asked in concern.

Matt relayed the whole story, and concluded with, "I'm sure Mandy don't  feel like sittin' here to eat, but don't you be takin' trays to her,  either."

"Straps are not for delicate girls, Mr. Chambers," Goldie surprised him  by scolding. "She was ill, and you punished her. Shame on you." She  slammed his plate on the table and then left the room to go and check on  Amanda.

Amanda did not come downstairs until the next day, and she was feeling  more like herself then, although her backside was too sore to  contemplate sitting, much less riding her mare. She did make it a point  to go and check on Glimmer and care for her, and she thanked Whitey for  doing her job the day before. He told her he didn't mind, and said he  was glad she was feeling better.

Amanda did her best to avoid her father, but that only lasted until it  was time to eat supper. Matt insisted she join him, and Amanda did her  best to deny she was hungry. Of course her stomach picked that moment to  growl, and he frowned and told her he didn't appreciate being lied to.

"Okay, Father. The truth is that there isn't an inch of my butt that  isn't bruised. I was sore before you took your belt to me, and I am even  sorer today than I was yesterday. I do not want to sit at the table to  eat. I prefer my own company, thank you very much!"

"You earned that strapping, girl," Matt got to his feet to tell her.

"Yes, I did, but you didn't need to make me feel like nothing  afterwards! That was mean. I needed to know that you still loved me, and  you walked out of the house and didn't care that I was in so much pain I  couldn't move."

"I had to get to work, girl. Hell, if I didn't love you, I wouldn't of tanned you."

"It didn't feel that way!" she said, and promptly burst into tears.

"I'm sorry, honey," Matt said, and then he pulled her close and hugged her close. "Papa loves you; don't cry."

And that is how Rob found them when Gloria let him into the house and told him he could find Matt in the dining room.

"Son, what's wrong?" Matt asked.





Chapter Four





Amanda was horrified to have Robert Thorne walk into the dining room  unannounced and catch her crying in her father's arms like a big baby.  It was embarrassing, and to make matters even worse, she really needed  to apologize again for offering him a piece of pie made with soap. She'd  been so ill, and eating was still difficult because her stomach was a  bit queasy and she could still smell and taste the soap when she tried  to eat. She also couldn't sit down without considerable pain after the  strapping her father administered the day before.         

     



 

"Rob, what is wrong?" she heard her father ask.

"I apologize for intruding," Rob said, "but I felt it imperative to  inform you that two of my men were murdered today while working on the  south section of my ranch. They came across the ones rustling my  cattle," he explained, and with a look at Amanda he added, "I knew you  would wish to keep Amanda safely at home until these men are captured.  It would not be safe for her to come across them while riding her mare."

"No, it sure as heck wouldn't be safe at all," Matt agreed. "No riding anywhere on your own, Mandy, until I tell you otherwise."

"Papa, no! I love to ride Glimmer, and we are not having problems with rustlers. It seems to be Mr. Thorne's problem."

"When there are rustlers about, daughter, the problem belongs to all of  us. Now, go and set a place for Rob at the table. She didn't cook today,  son, so you'll be safe."

"Papa!" Amanda's face turned beet red and she wanted to sink through the floor.

"Do what I said, girl," Matt ordered crisply, "and bring a set for yourself, too. You're eating at the table tonight."

Amanda looked at him in horror. "Papa, I cannot possibly join you." Hadn't she suffered enough?

"You can and you will," was Matt's response.

She stomped out of the room after flashing her parent a withering look.

"I can see she is as feisty as ever," Rob grinned.

"She's sore at me for giving her the strapping she earned for giving you that soap pie," Matt admitted.

"You punished her when she was so ill?" Rob asked in genuine disbelief.  "I regret you felt the need to be so harsh, Matt. Surely, suffering the  effects of the soap was sufficient punishment?" He did not want the  lovely Amanda to hate him.

Amanda heard Rob's last comment and felt her anger towards him dissipate  somewhat. "I embarrassed Papa, Mr. Thorne, and I do want to apologize  once again. It was a childish thing to do, but I also want you to know I  had no idea it would make you so ill if you had eaten the pie. I  promise I have learned my lesson, and I will never serve anyone anything  unfit to eat. I hope you will excuse me. Since Papa has seen fit to  humiliate me further by admitting he punished me, I am sure you will  understand that I am somewhat indisposed and joining you this evening is  out of the question. Goodnight." Amanda turned to make her escape but  her father moved quickly for a man of his years. He caught her arm and  marched her to her chair, pulled it out from the table, and then  proceeded to sit her down on her chair with a thump. "Owwww!" she cried  out in pain. She immediately tried to jump to her feet, but Matt's  strong arms kept her where she was.

"You are joining us, Mandy. Is that clear? You try runnin' from this  room again before you're excused and I'm going to treat you like you  deserve."

"Matt, Amanda is truly miserable," Rob remonstrated with her parent on her behalf.

"That is the consequence of her behavior." Matt was not going to give  in, and Rob felt sorry for the pretty redhead. She had already been  punished thoroughly for her misdeed, and continuing to torture her was a  bit harsh in his opinion.

"We shall eat quickly, Amanda," he said, winking at her. The food was  brought into the dining room, but it was soon obvious that the lovely  redhead was in too much discomfort to touch her food. She was growing  pale from the effort of trying not to squirm on her chair and refrain  from crying. The twin spots of embarrassment coloring her cheeks only  made her look ill, and Rob found that he was unable to enjoy his meal.

The front door opened and there were running footsteps in the house  before one of the men pushed his head in the dining room and said,  "Boss, there's a fight down at the cook shack. You'd better come or  Shorty is going to carve Gus!"

Once more Matt jumped to his feet and moved with lightning quickness,  his face set in determination to prevent bloodshed. "Damned fools!"  Amanda heard him mutter as he headed for the bunkhouse.

Once the door slammed, Rob was on his feet in the next second, pulling  Amanda to her feet. "I am sorry your father is being so harsh with you,  Amanda. He is trying to show you he loves you and make up for all the  years he was not permitted to be a father to you. He is going too far in  the other direction now."

"He had a right to be upset with me," she whispered in total honesty.

"Perhaps, but there was no harm done to me. It is you who has suffered  so much. Go on to your room, and I will tell him you were feeling quite  ill."

"I do feel ill," she conceded. To her genuine surprise Rob leaned over  and kissed her forehead. Tears filled her eyes and she asked, "Why are  you being so kind to me, Mr. Thorne?"         

     



 

"Because I think you need a bit of kindness right now, Amanda, and it  would please me if you address me as Rob or Robert. Go on now before  Matt returns and I am forced to scold him for being too severe."

Amanda smiled, and then she giggled. "I would almost like to see the  look on Papa's face, and on yours when he chews you up and spits you  out!" After those words, she lifted her skirts and left the room,  running up the steps and shutting the door to her room just as Matt  returned to the house.

"Where is Amanda?" Matt asked with a scowl as he stomped into the dining room.

"She is upstairs, sir. Surely you noticed she was ill?" he asked calmly.

"She is just pouting."

"No, sir, she is still ill from the soap. And she was in pain and trying  to maintain her dignity by sitting still." He grinned at the older man  and then said in a dry tone of voice, "It has obviously been a while  since you were thrashed, and girls are delicate and bruise easily.  Amanda is suffering, Matt, and needs compassion and forgiveness now."

"Do you think I injured her? Do I need to call Doc out here to tend her?" Matt demanded, his eyes full of worry for his child.

"Calling the Doctor would humiliate Amanda, sir. She will recover, but  it will be some days before she willingly sits for any length of time,  and I do not think she will attempt to ride her little mare, either.  Perhaps that will give me time to uncover the rustlers and bring them to  justice."