“The part about you holding me and courting me.”
Jesse mounted his well-trained mare from the right side, so as to use his better leg to lift his weight. He swung his other leg over and shoved his boots into the stirrups. “That part won’t happen without the other, young lady. I won’t court a woman who doesn’t agree to obey me or else suffer the consequences, so you think real hard on it and let me know.” Neck-reining his horse, he turned and headed toward town at a smart clip.
Lily didn’t have to think about it hard. She would suffer a punishment if it meant making things right between them. Her heart soared at the confirmation that he wished to court her, making her nearly forget the memory of how hard his hand felt on her bottom during that first spanking.
Chapter Six: You’re Mine
The next morning, Lily finished her chores as quickly as she could. She retrieved her bright blue dress from the bottom drawer of her dresser, the one Elijah had told her was indecent, and worked on modifying it to be what the preacher would consider even more indecent. First she cut out a V in the neckline, making it swoop down between her breasts, showing the hills and valley of her bosoms prominently. Then she sewed delicate white lace over it, still allowing the viewer to get an eyeful, but making her curves a little less overt. Using the same white lace, she sewed strips around the wrists like she had for her other dress. She also sewed lace to the hem of the skirt. When she finished, she donned the dress and examined herself in the mirror. She smiled, delighted with the results. She looked a lot less like a future preacher’s wife and a lot more like a future saloon owner’s wife. For a moment, she could even imagine that she was a popular entertainer like the Red Rose.
Another setting and rising of the sun happened before she was ready to face Jesse and accept his punishment and offer of courtship. She curled and pinned her hair in an elaborate loose bun, leaving locks free to frame her face and drape around her neck. She pinched her cheeks and rubbed her skin with lavender oil. After wrapping a shawl around her shoulders, she left the farm and walked to town.
She headed straight for the saloon and waited outside. It was nearly dusk on a Saturday afternoon, and the place bustled with people. She heard whoops of laughter and clinking glass, but she was waiting to hear one noise in particular. Finally, she heard the sound of the piano and the unmistakable baritone that accompanied it. Her heart pounded now that the time neared in which to carry out her plan. Lily didn’t know the song Jesse sang very well, so she stayed outside and listened. She felt ready to burst, both from nerves and from the way his voice brought her body to life.
The next song she knew well, and she almost wished she didn’t, so she could stay where she was outside and merely listen to him again. Instead, she drew a deep breath and walked in. It seemed like every head turned in her direction when she did, but Jesse didn’t notice her right away. She walked to him slowly, approaching him from the side as he played and sang. He scanned the crowd and his eyes passed over her, but then they quickly returned with a double-take. His eyes then widened in surprise before they narrowed and bored into her, heating her flesh from head to toe as he raked her with his gaze. He kept singing and playing, and when Lily reached him, she sang the jaunty tune along with him.
There once was a farmer who took a young miss
In back of the barn where he gave her a…
Lecture on horses and chickens and eggs
And told her that she had such beautiful…
Manners that suited a girl
Sweet violets, sweeter than the roses
Covered all over from head to toe
Covered all over with sweet violets.
The song ended. As the patrons around them hollered and clapped, Lily and Jesse stared at each other. She breathed hard, having never sung with so much fervor and passion in her life, and she waited for Jesse to speak.