Her Old-Fashioned Husband Read online

  “You’re forgetting I’ve seen that butt of yours being spanked quite a few times. You’ve always been a brat, Frankie. But you’ve never gone this far. You could have been really hurt. I’m worried about you. You can talk to me, you know.”

  Tom stared at her in concern as he stopped the truck.

  Frankie shrugged, wishing she could confess her loneliness, her confusion, her need to find some respite from the grief. But instead she bit her lip, holding in her emotions.

  She didn’t wait for him to come around and open her door. Jumping out, she ran up to the porch, trying to get inside and up to her bedroom before Tom reached the house. But he suddenly appeared beside her and grabbing her hand, tugged her towards Heath’s study.

  Stopping, he knocked on the door.

  “Come in,” Heath called out. Frankie winced at the tiredness in her oldest brother’s voice. Tugging her in, Tom closed the door behind them with an ominous thud.

  By this time, Frankie’s heart was going a mile a minute, her palms sweating and stomach sick.

  This was not happening.

  Heath stared at them in surprise, his face tired and lined. Heath didn’t need her doing this on top of everything else he had to worry about. He’d not only become her guardian but he had a whole ranch to run. Even with Kent and Cam’s help it was still a lot for him to take on.

  Maybe she should leave home. She was old enough to get a job. She was just a burden and a trouble maker.

  “What’s going on? Tom, what are you doing here?”

  Heath’s gaze narrowed in on Frankie. Heath was so like her Daddy, sometimes it hurt her to look at him. Tears filled her eyes as she glanced away.

  “Frankie, sweetheart? What’s wrong?” Heath asked, his voice filled with concern. “How did you t-shirt get ripped?” His voice grew darker, more demanding.

  With a sob, she shook her head, her gaze lowered.

  “Tell him, Frankie,” Tom urged her.

  “I can’t,” she wailed.

  “Frankie, look at me.” She raised her gaze to meet her brother’s. He pushed his chair back from the desk and held his arms open, waiting. Frankie flew at him and he gathered her on her lap, rocking her gently.

  “What’s wrong, little girl, hmm?” he asked. “What’s happened? Has someone hurt you?”

  She could feel his alarm as she gulped for breath.

  “Frankie,” Heath said firmly. “You’re scaring me, sweetheart. Calm down and tell me what’s going on.”

  Slowly, she settled to the point she could talk. “I’m so sorry, Heath. I-I really am.”

  “Tell me. We can figure it out together.” Those few words broke the dam and she told him everything.

  “I snuck out of the house and this guy, Rick, picked me up at the bottom of the drive. I knew you were busy and the other guys are out on dates and stuff. Rick took me to this party over in Bronwood. I didn’t really know anyone there.”

  “Who is this Rick?” Heath asked, running his hand up and down her back. Damn, she didn’t deserve his comfort.

  Frankie shrugged. “Just this guy I met one time at Amy’s. He’s a friend of her older brother’s. He asked me out to a small party about a month ago. This is the third time he’s picked me up to go out.”

  Heath remained calm. “Did they have alcohol at this party?”

  “Yes. I only had three beers,” she said in a rush.

  “Hmm.” He kissed her forehead and she collapsed against him, relieved he wasn’t furious. She knew Heath loved her, but what if he grew sick of her? He was only twenty-seven—he had a life of his own to live without looking after a sixteen year old brat.

  “And you were at this party, Tom?” Heath asked.

  She stiffened. She’d hoped to keep some parts of what happened from Heath. If only Tom would leave then she could keep the rest a secret. Why hadn’t he left? Hadn’t he caused her enough problems already?

  It was devastating that the guy she’d adored for so long had humiliated her so much.

  “I want there with a friend,” Tom began.

  “With a friend,” Frankie interrupted with a sneer. “She found someone more interesting to play with,” she continued, hoping to embarrass him.

  Heath’s hand stilled and he stared down at her, his eyes dark with disappointment. That was worse than anger.

  “Apologize, Frankie.”

  Frankie wanted to do it; she really did, because she knew Heath was going to take her defiance out on her butt. But she just couldn’t get the words out. As though he knew this, Heath sighed and turned to Tom.

  “Tom, I apologize for my sister’s poor manners and rudeness. I assure you, she will be held accountable for her mouth and actions.”

  “Don’t punish her for that,” Tom said tiredly. “She’s upset with me because I spanked her.”

  Heath stiffened further. “Do tell,” he said dangerously.

  Crazily, Frankie now swung from being angry at Tom to being worried about him. Heath would not look on Tom’s actions kindly.

  “It wasn’t much of a spanking,” she said quickly. “It was over my jeans. I didn’t really feel it.”

  Both men looked at her in surprise. She turned her gaze away, embarrassed.

  “Nevertheless, I should never have spanked her,” Tom said. “She’s not my sister or girlfriend. I simply got frustrated with how little Frankie seems to care about her personal safety. When I saw her, this guy, Rick, was practically mauling her. She was trying to fight him off, but he’s a lot bigger than she is, and she was easily overpowered.”

  “I would have gotten him off me eventually,” Frankie muttered. “It’s not like that’s the first time he’s tried it on.”

  She sucked in a breath, wishing she could take those words back.

  Both men stilled and stared at her.

  “What?” Heath asked, his voice a quiet whisper.

  Uh oh.

  Frankie squirmed.

  “Frankie,” Tom said in a cold voice. “What do you mean this isn’t the first time? He’s tried to attack you before?”

  “He wasn’t really attacking me. Just copping a feel.” Although this time he’d been much more persistent. Normally she could just push him off. Surely he wouldn’t have taken it much further. She would have fought him off. Right?

  Frankie felt sick. What if she hadn’t able to? What if he’d kept going? Tom really had saved her.

  She dropped her gaze to her hands.

  “Frankie, how many times have you snuck out with this guy?” Heath asked.

  She clenched her hands into fists.

  “A few,” she admitted. “He always tries to kiss me and stuff. This time, though, he was pretty persistent. I was telling him no, trying to fight him when Tom pulled him off me. Rick went flying. Tom then pulled me out of the house. I didn’t really want to go with him, though. That’s when he spanked me.”

  She bit her lip to hold in a sob.

  Heath started rocking her again, his hand running up and down her back. She buried her head against his chest.

  “I should have killed the fucking bastard,” Tom swore, surprising her.

  “Don’t worry about it,” Heath told him. “Write down the address of this party and I’ll take care of it all.”

  Frankie knew Rick was going to be sorry he was ever born, but she couldn’t bring herself to feel a bit of sympathy for him.

  “I owe you a big debt, Tom,” Heath said.

  “None needed. I’m just glad you’re all right. Frankie, I’ll see you later, okay?”

  Frankie remained silent, keeping her face hidden against Heath’s chest.

  “Frankie,” Heath warned. “What do you say?”

  “See you,” she muttered ungraciously.

  Heath sighed. “Frankie, you can do better than that.” His voice was low. She bit her lip to stop herself from immediately obeying him.

  “It’s okay, I know I’m not her favorite person right now,” Tom told Heath as though she weren’t there.

  “Yeah, well, I’m soon to top that list,” Heath told him grimly.

  Frankie said nothing, just sat there feeling a mixture of anger and relief.

  When the door closed, she raised her head and looked up at her brother.

  “That wasn’t very well done of you, kid. He did you a favor by getting you out of there and bringing you safely home.”

  “He hit me!” she protested.

  “He spanked you.”

  “I thought you’d be angrier at him,” she muttered. What was wrong with her? She’d been defending Tom just five minutes before.

  “Why are you so mad? He helped you, Frankie. Doesn’t sound like anyone else tried to.”

  “It was humiliating,” she admitted.

  “He take your jeans down?” he asked.

  “No,” she gasped, horrified.

  “Touch you inappropriately? Hit you anywhere other than your butt?” Heath asked calmly.

  “No,” she snarled.

  “You hurt?”

  She sighed. “No.”

  “You realize I’m going to spank you hard, don’t you?” he said softly, his voice gentle as he continued to rub his hand over her back.

  Yeah, she’d figured that. Tears welled in her eyes.

  “I’m not a child, Heath.”

  “You’re barely sixteen, sweetheart. You’re a baby. You’ve got no business sneaking out of the house to go off with kid’s years older than you. Then there’s the drinking. How old is this Rick?”

  “Nearly twenty.”

  “Still too young to buy alcohol, I’m guessing he’s got a fake ID.”

  She nodded, chewing her lip. “Are you really angry at me, Heath?” He was the brother she adored most. Heath had the most patience of all her brothers and he’d always had time to answer her questions or push her on the swing when she was little. Even once he’d left home, whenever he visited, they’d do something together, just the two of them.

  Heath sighed. “When I was seventeen, my best friend’s older brother got a fake ID.”

  “Really?”

  He nodded. “He bought a stash of beer and hid it in the trunk of his car. My friend Mac and I found it one day. We stole a box then took off into the woods. Drunk ourselves silly. Mac’s old man found us a few hours later and hauled us home.”

  “What happened then?” she asked in disbelief. Heath was so sensible, so mature; it was hard to ever believe he did this.

  “He took me home. I was so drunk that Dad had to put me to bed. The next day, though, boy did I pay the piper.”

  “He punished you?” She didn’t remember this at all. But then she’d only have been around six or seven at the time.

  “Oh yeah. You and Mom were away in the city shopping. He hauled me up early in the morning, told me to shower and get into the study. I stood just where you were standing earlier, hung over, feeling real sorry for myself while he lectured me on responsibility, on looking after myself. Jeez, by the end of it I was ready to beg him just to punish me so I could lie down and feel sorry for myself.”

  “How’d he punish you?”

  At seventeen, Heath would have been nearly as big as he was now. He’d filled out more, but he would have been taller than their father.

  “He told me I was too big for a whipping, which I was relieved about, foolishly. After breakfast, he sent me to the barn to clean out all the stalls. I had to shovel shit with my head throbbing and my stomach heaving. I’d have gladly taken some licks of the belt by the end of the day. Damn, he worked me all weekend. I never touched alcohol again until I hit legal age and then never at home.”

  “That was rough. Did you resent him for it?”

  “No, baby. You know how punishment works in this house. Once you’re punished all is forgiven.”

  “You going to make me muck out stalls tomorrow?” she asked.

  He chuckled. “Probably should. But no.” He ran his hand over her head. “I am going to punish you, though, you know that right?”

  She nodded.

  “You’re so much more vulnerable than I am. That bastard could have really hurt you. What were you thinking, baby? Don’t you know how devastated we’d all be if something happened to you?”

  She shrugged.

  “Frankie,” he warned.

  “I-I...I just miss Mama and Daddy so much, Heath,” she cried, burying her face against his chest. “I’m so sad all the time and lonely. I just wanted to do something to forget.”

  “Ahh, honey. I miss them, too, we all do. Why didn’t you come to me and tell me you were struggling?”

  “Because you’re so busy with the ranch. I didn’t want to bother you.” She held back the threatening tears through sheer force of will, her breath coming in sharp, short pants.

  “Frankie I want you to calm down and look at me, because what I have to say is very important.”

  Frankie attempted to slow her racing heart as she stared up at him.

  “Nothing is as important to me as you, Brax, Cam and Kent. If I need to sell this place and devote my time to you guys then I will, got it?”

  “But that’s not fair to you!” she cried.

  He shook his head, smiling faintly. “Ahh, honey. Don’t you understand? All I want is you guys to be healthy, happy and safe. That is what makes me happy. It has nothing to do with fairness.”

  “I’m really sorry, Heath. I just felt so numb, you know. I guess-I guess maybe I wanted to be found out.”

  “I know, baby. I think it might be a good idea if we find someone for you to talk to about your loss.”

  Frankie gaped at him. “What? Like a shrink? I’m not crazy.”

  “I don’t think you’re crazy,” he said patiently. “You’re grieving. We all are. Maybe we all need to see a grief counselor.”

  “You too?” she asked.

  He nodded. “Me as well.”

  “Well, I guess if you go to one, I can too.”

  “Brave girl,” he praised her. “How about you go hop into bed, I’ll come up soon and tuck you in. You look exhausted.”

  She was. She hadn’t been sleeping well. Her dreams were filled with her parents, only for her to wake up and realize that was what they were, just dreams.

  “Aren’t you gonna spank me?” she asked.

  “I think that can wait until tomorrow, you’ve had a real fright tonight.”

  She shook her head. “Please, Heath, no. Don’t make me wait. I want it over and done with. Otherwise I won’t sleep for worrying.”

  Heath stared down at her. “All right, go put your nightie on and clean your teeth then come back down here.”

  Frankie stood and walked towards the door. She’d never gotten ready for bed so slowly. What had she been thinking, asking him to punish her tonight? He might have changed his mind by tomorrow. Then she shook her head. No, Heath was very much like her dad. Once he’d made his mind up about something, he went for it.

  The whole family shared that trait.

  Frankie took a deep breath as she stood outside Heath’s study yet again. Then she knocked.

  “Come in, honey.”

  Stepping inside, she saw a straight-backed chair, without arms, sitting in the middle of the room. Tears filled her eyes.

  Her daddy had always spanked her on the sofa. She was glad Heath hadn’t decided to follow that tradition. She needed for him to do this differently.

  “Come here, sweetheart,” her brother ordered, his arms wide as he stood and moved towards her. She flew at him, making him chuckle as she held on tight. He kissed the top of her head.

  “You know I love you, right?”

  She nodded. “I love you, too.”

  “I never want you to be so lax with your safety again, Frankie, understand me?” He pulled back and looked down at her.

  She nodded, swallowing heavily at the stern look in his eye.

  “Good. Now, some rules. From now on, your bedtime is ten p.m. sharp.”

  Frankie opened her mouth in shock. She hadn’t had a bedtime since she was a kid.

  “But, Heath, Mom and Dad—”

  “These are my rules for you, honey,” he interrupted her gently. “I haven’t wanted to bring this up because you’ve had enough change. However, I think you need more structure now then you had in the past. You’ve had a big upheaval in your life, you need to know your rules and boundaries, and that if you stray from them that there is someone who loves you enough to hold you accountable.”

  “That’s so old school, Heath,” she told him. But without any heat. She knew why he was doing it. Because he loved her.

  “I know, baby. But it’s what I believe. I’m an old-fashioned sort of guy. Let’s get this over so you can get some sleep, okay?”

  He led her to the chair then sat on it and patted his lap. “Lie on my lap, kid.”

  Blushing horribly, she positioned herself on his lap. Heath pulled up her nightgown as she groaned in embarrassment.

  “Hush, sweetheart. Unless you’re planning on being perfect, I hardly think this is the first time we’ll be in this position.”

  “Not helping, Heath,” she’d groaned.

  The spanking was hard and long. Heath had a hand like a paddle and he was horribly thorough. About half way through, the damn inside her broke, tears dripping from her eyes to land on the floor beneath her.

  Heath paused. “Let it all out, sweetheart,” he told her. She let out a loud sob as smacked her butt again and again. By the time he ended the spanking she was a sobbing mess, her buttocks on fire as he flipped her over and simply held her, soothing her with his voice, his hand rubbing her back.

  Frankie cried, her breath coming in huge gasps as the pain of the last few months erupted out of her. Heath said nothing, just held her as she sobbed. Finally she calmed, exhausted and sad.

  “No more sneaking out, honey. I can’t take it. And no more alcohol until you’re twenty-one. Understood?”

  “Yes, sir,” she sniffled.

  “You didn’t take anything else, did you?”

  She stiffened.

  “Francesca.”

  Damn. Full name.

  “Some of the other kids had weed but I didn’t smoke any,” she told him quickly.

  “Good girl. What else?”

  She sniffed miserably. “What makes you think there was anything else?”

  “Because you stiffened against me. Confess.”

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