Authors: Starla Kaye
"You should have come after me." Daniel faced his brother. "Why didn't you come tell me?"
"Angelica only told me about it this morning at breakfast. She'd decided maybe you didn't deserve to know. Thought if you believed so badly about Jennie, that you didn't love her enough." Ben frowned at Angelica. "We'll have a discussion later about her wrongful decision."
Daniel was almost certain that meant the pretty saloon owner would be getting her butt tanned later. Good. He wouldn't mind doing it himself. Then he remembered the last time he'd seen his wife, he'd spanked her, too. Lately he'd been worrying that maybe she'd finally had enough of him burning her bottom and decided to get as far away from him as possible. Now he realized what a darn fool he had been. He needed to see Jennie. Now. But she was half a country away from him. Damn.
"Can you watch over my place for a spell?" Daniel looked at his brother, who nodded in understanding.
"'Course I can. And Andy will keep on looking after the town like he's been doing. Adam's been helping him." Ben studied him, clearly wondering how Daniel would feel about that bit of news.
"He's a good brother, like you." Daniel owed Adam for stepping in and he'd make it up to him some other time. For now, he was anxious to get into town. He knew there would be a stage headed east leaving this afternoon and he planned to be on it.
Turning toward the coral where his horse was, Daniel called to Angelica, "I wish you had told me sooner."
"Just bring her back, all right?" Angelica said.
"If I can. If she wants to stay there... well...." He hoped like hell he could convince Jennie to come back here with him. But he loved her enough that he knew he'd live wherever she wanted to. Somehow he'd find a way to live in Boston and deal with his father.
* * *
Never in his dreams had Daniel expected to walk into his parents' home again. Not after the bitter words he'd shared with his father when he'd told him that he was marrying Jennie Gardner. His father respected Geoffrey Gardner and was pleased to tie his family with theirs. But he'd believed that marrying Jennie would ensure his oldest son would give up his ridiculous job as sheriff out on the frontier and move permanently home to Boston. He'd believed that finally his son would practice law with him. His father hadn't taken Daniel's refusal well. He'd all but disowned him. Of course, he couldn't do that and improve his societal reputation by Daniel marrying into the powerful Gardner family. In the end, he'd had to accept the marriage. It hadn't stopped him from pressuring Daniel about changing his mind and giving up his job, which was what had made Daniel leave sooner and leave his wife in Boston.
Daniel waited in the entryway with its imported tile flooring, a marble-topped side table with a silver bowl for receiving calling cards, and its enormous gas-lit chandelier. He should feel uncomfortable standing here in his well-worn boots, work pants, and stained wide-brimmed hat, but he didn't. Fact was, he didn't care a whit how he looked. He was only here to see Jennie. Stopping first at the Gardner's home--who had actually treated him decently this time, they had told him she had gone to see his parents. That had shocked him. They hadn't known why and he couldn't imagine why either.
He grew tired of waiting for the butler to come back for him. If the prim and proper man was even going to do that. More than likely his father had told the staff to keep all of the Braddock brothers at a distance, possibly not even allow them entry into the family home. Maybe the butler was just hoping he would give up and leave. Not damn likely.
Disgusted, Daniel decided to hell with propriety. He intended to find Jennie. Now.
He'd no sooner stepped into the expansive, nearly all Italian marble main area with its twin winding staircases leading up to the numerous bedrooms than he heard his wife's raised voice. His little wife had a temper at times, but he'd never heard her quite this upset. He followed her voice to his father's study. Her voice grew louder and her anger more intense. What was going on? Why was she even here?
The moment he walked into the dark mahogany study his eyes narrowed. His parents stood together in front of the wall of bookshelves behind his father's desk, looking outraged and furious. Jennie stood in front of the desk, hands on her slender hips, huffing in frustration. She wasn't aware that he had entered the room, but his father had noticed him.
"Daniel--" his father began, glancing past Jennie.
"Is his own man," she snapped, as if continuing a disagreement they'd been having. "I refuse to listen to anymore of your foolish talk about insisting that he come back here and work with you. I'm not sure of his reasoning exactly for not wanting to, but I'm behind him completely. I certainly wouldn't want to do it."
She heaved a deep breath. "After attempting to talk to you for the last hour, I'm sick to death of you both. You refuse to listen to reason. Refuse to.... Oh, I'm just sick of you. At least I know where he gets his impossible stubbornness."
Daniel listened in amazement. She was defending him. He couldn't ever remember anyone attempting to stand up to his parents. Even he and his brothers had had trouble trying to do so.
"How dare you!" his father thundered and drew Daniel back to the moment. His father's eyes flashed with fury.
"You're a very rude young woman," Daniel's mother countered, stiffening beside her husband. "Coming here uninvited. Going on and on about what is right for our son. Thinking that he should give up all his education to continue working as a mere sheriff. You know nothing about our son or what is good for him."
Daniel took another step into the room and was pleased to see his mother finally notice him, see her grow pale at knowing he had overheard her. He started to speak but Jennie beat him to it.
"I dare because I love your son. More than that, I know everyone in Dryfork respects your son--my husband--. They need him." She stood rigidly. "You don't respect him or need him. You just want to use him. You want him to work beside you in a law firm that he doesn't even like--and he has told me that much. You want him under your thumb so you can make him into a man such as yourself, Charles Braddock, which I certainly don't approve of."
His father met Daniel's gaze, his face harsh. "Can't you control your wife?" he demanded.
Jennie spun to face him and nearly tripped in her long skirt. She managed to latch onto one of the chairs she stood between to steady herself. One small hand over her heart, she gaped at him. "Daniel? What are you doing here?"
He couldn't answer at first, so caught up in observing his wife. He'd almost forgotten how petite she was, and yet her small stature didn't keep her from confronting his formidable father. She wore a fancy day dress of the same blue color as her eyes. Eyes that appeared to be taking in every inch of him as much as he was of her. Her pretty pink mouth drew him closer...as did everything else about her. He didn't care who was in the room with them; he was going to kiss her.
She didn't resist at all as he stepped in front of her and pulled her to him. He shuddered and realized he'd worried that maybe he would never have a chance to hold her again. He inhaled her scent, felt her heart pounding against him, and heard her small sigh of contentment. Then he lowered his head to put his mouth to hers.
"Daniel Braddock," his mother snorted her displeasure. "Stop that! Stop it right now!"
Her comment only made him tug Jennie closer. His breaths grew more ragged and his hands moved up to touch her carefully coiled hair. He wanted to slide his fingers into it, release it, and let the long golden mass slide over him. He wanted to...
It was Jennie who called a halt to the sensual haze that was going too far. She eased away from him, glanced down at the rock hard ridge that pressed against his trousers. With an impish look, she said quietly, "I'm happy to see you as well."
Sanity returned now that she wasn't in his arms and he drew in a steadying breath. "It's time to go home, Jennie."
"Yes, Daniel." She took his hand and started to lead him from the room, but he didn't move.
"Why did you come here?" He knew his parents watched them, knew they were displeased. But as long back as he could remember, he realized they had always been displeased with him...with his brothers. They had wanted sons to mold into what they wanted them to be. They had never approved of them wanting to build their own lives. He didn't care anymore. They couldn't hurt him anymore because he had Jennie now.
Jennie glanced back at his parents and then at him. Her gaze held such disappointment. "I had wanted to try and make them see what a good man you are. I wanted them to accept you the way I do." Her beautiful eyes glistened with tears...for him. "It won't ever happen. I know that now."
Daniel swallowed hard. It still surprised him that his Jennie had tried to defend him to his own parents. And they had hurt her, just as they had done him and his brothers over and over through the years. Never again, though. He would never set foot in their home again. His brothers wouldn't either, he knew that.
He put his arm around her shoulders and led her toward the doorway. "Forget about them. I already have."
Behind them, his parents remained silent, just letting them leave. Their loss.
Jennie hesitated in the hallway and looked up at him. "How did you know I was here? At your parents' house?" She furrowed her brow and asked worriedly, "Why didn't you wait for me in Dryfork? Didn't Angelica tell you that I'd said I would be back as soon as I could?"
He ushered her from the house that he hated and then stopped to answer her. "No, she didn't tell me that. But it wouldn't have mattered. I was coming here anyway."
"For me?" There was so much hope in her voice, warmth.
"For you." He had to touch her and so he cupped her face with his rough palm. "Angelica told me about your mother, so that's where I went first. I'd worried all the way coming here to Boston that you might have already left. Or that you had to decided to stay."
"I meant to leave a couple of days ago, but I had some old friends I needed to see one last time. And I decided to try and talk to your parents. A mistake, that."
He didn't like exposing himself so much, but this was important. This was for Jennie. He held her loving gaze and said, "I'd decided to fight for you however was necessary. If you wanted to live here...I would have."
Tears streamed down her face; her lips quivered. "Oh Daniel!" She threw herself into his arms. "I don't want to live here. I don't want to raise our baby here."
It took a second for her sobbing announcement to sink in and then he gaped at her. "Jennie? Are you saying...." He couldn't get the words out.
"Carrying your child?" She smiled up at him. "I haven't been to a doctor, but I'm almost certain I am. Are you all right with that? I know we haven't been married all that long."
He swept her into his arms and whirled her around. "Damn straight, I'm all right with it."
When he finally released her, Jennie looked mischievously at him. "We can still...well, you know."
"Hell yes!"
"Good. I've got a hotel room and...."
Daniel didn't need more encouragement than that. He hustled her to the rented buggy he had waiting in the long curved driveway. "Marrying you, Jennie Gardner Braddock, was the best damn thing that's happened to me."
The End
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This book is intended for adults only. Spanking and other sexual activities represented in this book are fantasies only, intended for adults. Nothing in this book should be interpreted as advocating any non-consensual spanking activity or the spanking of minors.