His words felt like a blow, and she nearly staggered backwards. Tears came to her eyes, and she looked around frantically for something to focus on besides his look of disappointment fixed upon her. He wouldn’t allow it.
“Look at me, Lily.” Reluctantly, she obeyed. His stern expression made her heartbeat quicken, and his words only added to her distress. “If you try to manipulate me like that again, you’ll find yourself over my lap in a hurry. I won’t tolerate such behavior.”
She felt terrified that she’d ruined her chance at the only other thing besides performing that she’d wanted for years, which was to be with Jesse. “I’m sorry,” she said in a whimper, looking down. “Please forgive me. Please don’t end our courtship. I will behave better.”
He tilted her chin up with a knuckle of his forefinger. His tone was gentler when he continued. “I’m not about to end our courtship when I’ve waited a coon’s age to make you mine. I’ve wanted nothing more than to be with you since you visited months ago with that fool notion of working for me, though it took me some time to convince my stubborn side of that. You are everything I like in a woman, sweetheart. You’re a lily among roses.”
Lily felt a wave of relief wash over her. She blinked. “Really, Jesse?”
“Yes, really, honey. However, I am determined to put an end to this idea of you working in the saloon. I won’t allow it, and that’s final. Lilies get torn to shreds by the thorns of roses, and I want to protect you. Do you understand?”
She didn’t really, but she nodded, and the muscles in his face relaxed again. He took her hand in his and they continued the walk to the diner. His warm hand holding hers firmly felt so good that she was able to push aside her disappointment over being forbidden from doing something she’d longed to do since she was very young.
After supper, Jesse and Lily walked to the livery, where Jesse hooked up his buggy. On the way to the farm, he wrapped an arm around her and tucked her into his side. She sighed with contentment under his arm. When they were about halfway to the farm, he said, “You know we have some unfinished business, don’t you, Lily?”
She nodded into his chest, knowing precisely what he referred to.
“We’ll stop at the barn before I take you to the cabin.”
“All right, Jesse.”
The rest of the journey went far too quickly for Lily, who was both dreading the pending punishment and also enjoying the feeling of her new beau’s arm around her. He pulled up in front of the barn, slowly dislodged her from his side, and lifted the buggy’s brake. Climbing down first, he rounded the wagon to where Lily sat and held out his hand to assist her descent. Not letting go of her hand after she reached the ground, he led her to the inside of the barn. It was nighttime by then, and the barn was dark.
“Is there a lamp in here we can light?” he asked.
Lily nodded and fetched it from a ledge. Striking a match and setting it alight, Jesse brought a soft glow to the room. He hung the lamp from a nail on beam. “Right,” he said, turning to address her. “Tell me why I’m going to punish you.”
“Because I disobeyed you and went off alone with Elijah.”
The flame flickered, and shadows danced across his handsome face. “That’s exactly right. Even if I hadn’t ordered you to stay away from him, you should have had the good sense to do so.” He walked to a bench along the wall near the lamp and held out his hand to her. “I need you to understand that things will be different for you, Lily, now that we’re courting.”
She walked to him, took his hand, and then slid over his lap. She shifted over his hard thighs, finding a comfortable position. She wondered if she might be crazy, but for a split second before she felt worry over what was surely to be a very sound spanking, she actually felt safe and happy.
Jesse lifted the skirt of her dress and draped it over her back. “You haven’t had many rules or much guidance, it seems. You’re not used to obeying someone, but that needs to change. It’s my duty to protect you, and it’s yours to obey what I think necessary to keep you safe. I won’t give you orders for no reason. They will always be for your own good. All right?”
“All right,” she replied, as he lifted her petticoat and draped it over her back like he had the skirt of her dress.
“Spankings hurt, as you know. You’ll want to avoid earning them in the future.”
“Yes, Jesse, I know. I won’t disobey you again. I’m glad you’re punishing me instead of giving up on me. You make me feel important.”