Blessed Beginnings (Hunter's Ridge Book 4) (18 page)

"Papa loved Diabla," Emmie admitted. "She's much, um, prettier than the horse I am usually bent across."

Lucy giggled. "I wouldn't be surprised if you find a new horse in your house before long. I know that Uncle Edward has already requested one be made for Louisa."

"I don't know whether to hug you or curse you," Louisa moaned.

"Hug me, of course," Lucy said with a laugh. "After all, you told me that it was fun to ride, remember?"

Louisa blushed. "That was only because I wasn't being punished when doing so. I can't imagine riding as you did that day."

"Well, it's hard to describe but knowing you two, you won't have to imagine for long." The three laughed, happy that they had other child/brides to share secrets with.

"What are you three giggling about?"

Lucy looked up to see her Papa. "Horses, Papa. May we please go see Samson and Delilah?"

"Yes, I'll take you—"

"No!" Lucy shook her head. "I mean… secrets, Papa. It's Christmas, remember? You said so yourself!"

"Yes I remember, though I don't know how horses are involved. Diablo is in the other barn but I still don't think it is a good idea for you three to go alone."

"Maybe Uncle Stefan can take us?" Louisa suggested when she saw her sister's disappointment.

"That would work, I suppose."

"Thank you!" Lucy said, jumping up and running to give Lucas a hug.

He smiled and kissed her cheek. "Thank you for asking permission, kitten. I'd hate to repeat…"

"Me too!" Lucy interrupted before he could finish.

With permission granted and Stefan agreeing, the four traipsed through the snow to the barn. Each girl had stuffed carrots and apples into their pockets to share with the horses.

"Promise you won't tell," Lucy asked of Stefan. "I want it to be a surprise for Papa."

"Your secret is safe with me," Stefan assured her, and left to talk to the head groom.

"Is it going to be ready on time?" Lucy asked.

"Yes, miss," Jasper said. "It's been cast, and the metalsmith assures me that the bronzing won't take but a day or two to set. After that, all that's needed is a bit of polishing and then delivery."

"Do you really think he'll like it?"

Jasper smiled and nodded. "I think he will. After all, Lord Huntington loves horses and has a special place in his heart for that one. I promise, as soon as I have it in hand, I'll let you know."

"Thank you," Lucy said, impulsively giving him a hug. "I couldn't have done this without you."

"You're welcome, milady," Jasper said, his cheeks flushed a bit at her enthusiastic thanks.

Lucy skipped down the wide aisle and joined the others. Holding a carrot out, she fed first Samson and then Delilah.

"I wish we could ride," Emmie said a bit mournfully. "It was such fun the last time."

"Perhaps we can if it clears," Stefan said. "And this time, you two might not have tender backsides."

Emmie and Lucy giggled, each remembering how they'd been spanked the day before they'd last ridden together. Louisa was soon shaking her head as they retold the story. After feeding all the horses and thanking Jasper again, the group made their way back to the house to find that Franny and Edward had returned.

"Where'd you go?" Louisa asked after giving her Papa a hug.

"Secrets…" Edward began, only to have the three shake their heads and giggle.

"I wonder what excuses we can use when it's no longer Christmas," Lucy said as they walked through the house.

"I'm sure you'll think of something," Lucas said, causing her to squeal with a pop to her backside as they entered the library again.

If anyone noticed that Franny seemed a bit withdrawn upon her return, no one said a word. She followed Ettie upstairs to explain where the colors changed on the pattern and assuring her that it would work out. After she was done and Ettie had settled down to work on the afghan, Franny slipped into her own room.

Seeing her brother swat her sister-in-law had had her tummy twisting as she remembered Ettie stating that Lucas had told her that husbands, even those who weren't papas, did indeed spank their wives when they'd been naughty. And hearing the word 'secrets' wasn't making her feel any better. "What on earth were you thinking?" she scolded herself as she pulled something from the pocket of her skirt. "Lucy may be naughty but I assure you that she is not a thief!"

She had been pleased when Edward Wintercrest had approached her that morning and asked if she'd be willing to help him. They'd left the moment the other girls had been sent to nap. Arriving at the townhouse, they'd been warmly welcomed by Samuel. She'd blushed when he'd kissed her cheek, and she'd seen Lord Wintercrest smile. After enjoying a cup of tea, Samuel led them into his study and the three were quickly surrounded by puppies.

"They've grown so much since last week," Franny exclaimed, laughing as she knelt to give Sadie a hug. "Poor thing, she looks a bit tired."

"Yes, her babies require a lot of attention but they are growing quickly and are all healthy. Retrievers make excellent pets, you know. They are loyal and love children of all ages," Samuel said.

"You don't have to sell me." Edward chuckled, looking down to see a puppy tugging on the cuff of his pants. "On second thought…"

"He's just a baby, Lord Wintercrest," Franny said, gently dislodging the puppy and giving it a kiss. "Aren't there ten? I only see nine."

"Ever since they learned to crawl out of the basket, they are everywhere," Samuel said. "I'm sure the last one is around somewhere."

Franny squatted down and was soon on her hands and knees to peer under the furniture. Spotting a ball of fluff, she crawled under the large desk and then realized that the puppy was behind glass. Smiling, she reached to open the door a bit more. Before she picked it up, she noticed the puppy was lying on what appeared to be a book. Books and puppies generally didn't make a good match. Lifting the puppy, she slid out the sleeping little ball and a thin volume slid out as well. Sure enough, one corner had obvious teeth marks on it. About to admonish the small dog, she looked down and saw the title. Her cheeks instantly flushed. Why would Samuel…

"Did you find one?"

Straightening too quickly, Franny bumped her head on the underside of the desk and gave a soft moan.

"Are you okay?" Samuel asked from where he'd squatted down behind her.

"I'm fine," Franny answered, and with only a moment's pause, slid the book into her pocket before beginning to back out from under the desk.

"Ah, there's my naughty girl."

Franny's heart stopped. How could he know? She opened her mouth to attempt to explain she'd only slipped the book into her pocket to keep it from further damage until she could show him. Her mouth closed when she saw Samuel reaching for the puppy who gave him a sharp yip.

"See, she knows she isn't supposed to wander off and cause her rescuer to bump her head."

Her heart started pumping again, though she knew her cheeks must be flushed. "She didn't mean to." Sitting back on her heels, she ran her finger down the puppy's soft fur. "Poor thing is so tiny it's not surprising she is hard to spot."

"Yes, she's the runt of the litter and I believe is often overwhelmed by her rambunctious siblings."

"I think she's precious," Franny said, taking the puppy back and feeling a bit guilty when the puppy looked right at her and gave another yip. Franny was glad that puppies didn't speak English, knowing the dog might very well be attempting to warn her owner that there was a thief in his presence.

With the puppies finally gathered together, Edward took his time, slowly narrowing down his choices.

"Face it, Edward," Samuel said. "It looks like these two belong to you."

Franny had to agree. The two he'd chosen had identical coloring and markings. "Twins, just like your Louisa, even though one is a boy," Franny said. "It would be such a shame to split them up, don't you think?"

"Agreed," Samuel said. "How much more trouble can two be than one?"

Edward chuckled, one puppy in each hand. "Believe me, you might be surprised. But you're right. These two belong together."

Franny was grateful when the two men began to discuss the delivery of what was to be Louisa's Christmas gift. Sitting on the floor with the smallest puppy sleeping on her lap, she worked on filling in the sketch she had decided to give Samuel as a Christmas gift. Her pencil flew across the page even as she tried to decide what to do. Part of her wished she had the courage to give the book back to Samuel but another part, a naughty part, really wanted nothing more than to read it. Pulling it from her pocket after having it for over a half-hour would have him wondering why she hadn't mentioned it in the first place.

Now, in the privacy of her bedroom, she pulled the book from her pocket and arranged herself in her favorite spot, tucking her feet beneath her as she settled on the cushion of the wide window seat that overlooked the gardens. Struggling with her conscience for a moment, she understood without understanding exactly why that opening the book and reading the words would change her in some indiscernible way. Taking a deep breath and accepting that fact, she opened the book that had served as a chew toy. It was obvious that the tome was one not generally offered in bookstores. If the handwritten pages weren't clue enough, the title alone assured it wasn't meant for general society to read.

My Naughty Girl
was the title, and the author was Ben Tiemens. Having witnessed Samuel's hobby, Franny knew that besides drawing, he enjoyed working with books. He'd mentioned working with a group of authors. Perhaps this was the working copy of a friend of his. Glancing towards the door as if to reassure herself that it was still closed, and pushing aside the feeling of naughtiness that threatened to overwhelm her, she dropped her eyes and began to read. Turning the page, she gasped. She'd never considered that the volume would be illustrated. The drawing showed the subject of the book bent over a lap, her bare bottom perfectly framed between the white panels of her split drawers. While her cheeks flushed at seeing the heart shaped rear, what truly had Franny's heart beating faster was seeing the definite outline of a rather large handprint clearly imprinted on the girl's bum. It had been colored a pretty shade of pink. A strange sensation flowed through Franny and she squirmed. She'd experienced spankings herself, of course, but had never actually read a book about one, and had never even imagined that drawings depicted such a thing. Surely there must be something wrong with her, simply because she hadn't instantly thrown the book away in disgust. Instead, she studied the picture closely; not as an artist but as a woman—or to be truthful with herself—as a naughty girl. At first, she wondered if perhaps Samuel had drawn them himself, but each drawing bore the initials 'BT' at the bottom of the page.

Turning another page, she was soon in a world she knew existed simply because she lived in a home where the dynamic was practiced. What she hadn't known was that the girl actually seemed to go out of her way to ensure she'd receive a spanking. Additional drawings showed the girl in different poses but every one depicted her bare bottom in ever darkening shades of pink. Every time she read the line '
you've been my naughty girl
',
she remembered Samuel speaking almost that same exact phrase. By the time she had read the last page and had stared far too long at the miscreant standing in the corner, her scarlet bottom on display, Franny's heart was pounding and for some reason her drawers were definitely moist.

Leaning her head back, she closed her eyes. Had some flesh and blood woman posed for these drawings? Had she actually been spanked before various paints were used to find just the right shade of color to highlight the punished area? And why did the woman's face always have the hint of a smile? Was she a woman who was also a special Little girl to the author? Who was Ben Tiemens, and who actually read these sorts of books? Well, other than naughty girls who stole them, of course.

More importantly, how was she going to return the book without Samuel discovering that the woman he was courting not only took it but… would he realize she'd read it? Would he know that she fully intended to read it again? Opening her eyes, she felt her body tremble. Would he tell Lucas that his sister was a thief? And… snapping her eyes open, the skin on her bottom crawled as she imagined a man shaking his head in disappointment and pointing to a table. She could hear him instructing her to lift her skirts, part her drawers and prepare for a well-deserved blistering. Instead of fighting the truth or pretending she thought the orders barbaric, she accepted the fact that she could easily picture herself, her face flushing as she apologized for her misbehavior as she obeyed the instructions to bare herself for her punishment. She was a naughty girl and needed to be punished. What had her moaning was that the man wasn't her father or her brother… it was Samuel Benedict!

She gave a cry when a knock sounded on her door. Shoving the book beneath the pillows on the window seat, she took a deep breath, her hand pressed against her chest in an attempt to slow her pounding heart. Opening her door, she saw Ettie.

"Are you okay?"

"Of course, why?"

"I thought I heard you cry out," Ettie said, giving her a puzzled look. "Are you sure you're fine? Your cheeks are all flushed."

"Oh, I fell asleep reading," Franny explained. "Your knock just startled me. What did you want?"

"To show you that I've finished." Ettie walked into the room and to the window seat. Franny was about to rush past her to make sure the book was hidden when she realized that her sister was spreading the afghan out over the pillows so that the light from the window made it easier to see. Forcing her mind from the book, she gave her attention to the blanket.

"Oh, Ettie, you did such a beautiful job. This looks just like her."

"Thank you, I couldn't have done it without you. Do you think Lucy will really like it?"

The two girls had conspired to work on an additional afghan for their sister-in-law. While Bea's baby's blanket would show many small animals, they'd told a slight fib about using Cleo. The yarn for the background was a dark blue and Cleo was sitting in the window, her tail curled about her. Small pink, red and mauve roses had been stitched into each corner. The different shades of the roses had been the part of the pattern that had confused Ettie but now looked perfect.