certain she had no intention of listening to him on this subject. Maybe she was right about nudging Adam out of his present grouchy state, but he didn't want to take the chance of just making his brother mad. No, it was best to leave him alone, to be there when Adam needed him.
"You best be listening to me, Jennie. Leave Adam alone."
* * *
Two days later Daniel walked into the house carrying a switch.
Chapter Three
Daniel clutched the switch so tightly it hurt his hand. Not as much as it would soon sting his wife's bottom. He was so upset with her he could hardly think straight. He probably should wait to punish her until later when his anger had simmered down a bit, but he had his job to get back to and this couldn't wait.
Jennie had gone against him, just as he'd almost known she would. The independent female had a mind of her own. She'd pretty much always done as she'd pleased while growing up, facing little as far as consequences went when she caused trouble of one kind or another. Yes, she'd told him her father would sometimes burn her ears with a lecture. It wasn't the same as getting your butt burned, which tended to make a person pay more attention the next time they thought about disobeying someone. He believed in lessoning a butt. And his saucy wife was about to get a good lesson.
He drew in a calming breath that helped a little, but didn't sway him from what he intended to do. Pulling open the door, he strode into the house. When he didn't find his wife in the room that made up most of the house, he called out, "Jennifer!"
"What are you doing back so soon?" Jennie called back, sounding both surprised and irritated. "Don't you have a town to look after? At least that's what you're always telling me."
She hadn't bothered to come out of the bedroom to see him, which annoyed him. The irritation in her tone worried him, too. What the heck was she up to in there? He strode in her direction, grinding his jaw. He really didn't have much time to spend here. The mayor had called a special meeting of the town council about this damn picnic mess that continued to be a problem. He was expected to be there. So he had exactly a half hour to get this unpleasant chore done and hightail it back to the Tumbleweed Saloon where all town council meetings were held. Fortunately his ranch was just outside of town.
"Jennifer Braddock, we've got some business to take care of and I don't have much time."
He walked into the bedroom and gaped in shock. Where there had been six pegs for his clothes before he left this morning and two trunks holding hers, now a line of sturdy nails wrapped around the room. And she stood scowling, holding a hammer in one hand and holding up her other obviously aching hand, blowing on a rapidly swelling thumb. He hurried toward her with a frown. "What the hell did you do? Bang your thumb with the hammer?"
He found it ironic that his stomach had tightened at knowing she suffered pain when he'd come here with the intention of causing her a fair amount of pain. Pushing that troublesome thought aside, he reached for her injured hand. She took a step back and clasped the hand to her breast.
"It's nothing. I'll take care of it as soon as I finish putting up the rest of the nails." Her blue eyes glistened with tears, but they widened when she caught sight of what he was holding. "What is that?" She nodded at the switch.
He lifted the three-foot long, narrow branch he'd cut off a tree by the creek nearby. "I came to give you a thrashing for going against me."
She looked more closely at what he held, and then up at him. Concern etched her forehead. "I assume by 'thrashing' you mean something I'm not going to like...a punishment of some kind." She nodded at the switch again. "With a tree branch."
Daniel was losing his patience with this. He had this chore to get done and a meeting to get back to. "Yes, this is a branch, but when it's small like this and used to flail over a bare bottom, it's called a
"You best be listening to me, Jennie. Leave Adam alone."
* * *
Two days later Daniel walked into the house carrying a switch.
Chapter Three
Daniel clutched the switch so tightly it hurt his hand. Not as much as it would soon sting his wife's bottom. He was so upset with her he could hardly think straight. He probably should wait to punish her until later when his anger had simmered down a bit, but he had his job to get back to and this couldn't wait.
Jennie had gone against him, just as he'd almost known she would. The independent female had a mind of her own. She'd pretty much always done as she'd pleased while growing up, facing little as far as consequences went when she caused trouble of one kind or another. Yes, she'd told him her father would sometimes burn her ears with a lecture. It wasn't the same as getting your butt burned, which tended to make a person pay more attention the next time they thought about disobeying someone. He believed in lessoning a butt. And his saucy wife was about to get a good lesson.
He drew in a calming breath that helped a little, but didn't sway him from what he intended to do. Pulling open the door, he strode into the house. When he didn't find his wife in the room that made up most of the house, he called out, "Jennifer!"
"What are you doing back so soon?" Jennie called back, sounding both surprised and irritated. "Don't you have a town to look after? At least that's what you're always telling me."
She hadn't bothered to come out of the bedroom to see him, which annoyed him. The irritation in her tone worried him, too. What the heck was she up to in there? He strode in her direction, grinding his jaw. He really didn't have much time to spend here. The mayor had called a special meeting of the town council about this damn picnic mess that continued to be a problem. He was expected to be there. So he had exactly a half hour to get this unpleasant chore done and hightail it back to the Tumbleweed Saloon where all town council meetings were held. Fortunately his ranch was just outside of town.
"Jennifer Braddock, we've got some business to take care of and I don't have much time."
He walked into the bedroom and gaped in shock. Where there had been six pegs for his clothes before he left this morning and two trunks holding hers, now a line of sturdy nails wrapped around the room. And she stood scowling, holding a hammer in one hand and holding up her other obviously aching hand, blowing on a rapidly swelling thumb. He hurried toward her with a frown. "What the hell did you do? Bang your thumb with the hammer?"
He found it ironic that his stomach had tightened at knowing she suffered pain when he'd come here with the intention of causing her a fair amount of pain. Pushing that troublesome thought aside, he reached for her injured hand. She took a step back and clasped the hand to her breast.
"It's nothing. I'll take care of it as soon as I finish putting up the rest of the nails." Her blue eyes glistened with tears, but they widened when she caught sight of what he was holding. "What is that?" She nodded at the switch.
He lifted the three-foot long, narrow branch he'd cut off a tree by the creek nearby. "I came to give you a thrashing for going against me."
She looked more closely at what he held, and then up at him. Concern etched her forehead. "I assume by 'thrashing' you mean something I'm not going to like...a punishment of some kind." She nodded at the switch again. "With a tree branch."
Daniel was losing his patience with this. He had this chore to get done and a meeting to get back to. "Yes, this is a branch, but when it's small like this and used to flail over a bare bottom, it's called a
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