When He Returns: An Enemies-to-Lovers Romance Page 8

“That’s how I saw it at first too,” Wade acknowledged. “I thought there wasn’t anything you could say to make things better. But as the years went by, I hoped you would reach out to me. My anger toward you didn’t last. I forgave you a long time ago.”

  He dried his hands on the towel before taking her face between his palms. Her breath hitched. His touch was so tender and forgiving, and he looked at her with a wisdom in his eyes that reminded her of Clyde.

  “You need to forgive yourself, Sadie. It’s in the past now, and you and I will do all we can to mend what was broken. That’s what Clyde would want. He always said being part of a family isn’t easy, but he believed in sticking together throughout hardship. I messed up by leaving. We both messed up, not just you.”

  She tried to nod. “Thank you, Wade.”

  He smiled. Leaning forward, he touched his lips to her forehead, which nearly took her breath away.

  Chapter Ten

  True to his word, Wade arranged for him and Sadie to have a conversation with Grace about her activities at the saloon. The three of them gathered around the picnic table outside the cabin for the discussion. Sadie and Grace sat next to each other on one side, while Wade sat across from them. There was a breeze, and mottled light from the setting sun shone through the oak tree, setting Grace’s blonde hair aglow in a fetching way. She was wearing her makeup, ready to go to town for the night and unsuspecting of what was about to take place.

  Wade didn’t waste time getting to the point. He folded his hands in front of him on the table. “I hear you have been entertaining men in the saloon, Grace,” he said, his voice gentle, “and I can’t allow it to continue.”

  Grace’s kohl-rimmed eyes widened with surprise. She glanced back and forth between Sadie and Wade as a rare expression of anger overtook her normally pleasant features. “I have not.”

  Wade’s expression grew stern. “You have, Grace. Don’t lie again.”

  Grace opened her mouth to protest, but then thought better of it. She looked down with a scowl. Her face appeared red even with the powder applied to it.

  Wade cleared his throat before continuing. “From now on, you will stay here at the cabin overnight, and anyone who wishes to court you must meet me first.”

  Her jaw dropped, and fury flashed in her eyes. “I’m nineteen years old, Wade. You can’t order me about. Sadie, tell him I’m not a child. He seems to be unaware of time’s passing.”

  Sadie shifted in her seat, feeling uncomfortable and like she was betraying her sister. “He means well for you, Grace. We both do. We want you safe and happy.”

  “Yes,” Wade agreed. “I know it’s a change for you to obey rules and it’s a little late for me to be giving them to you, but I’m going to insist you mind me now that I’m here.”

  “And what if I don’t agree?” she challenged. “I don’t need a pa, Wade. I’ve been living without one for five years, not to mention living without my big brother. You can’t just swoop in here and take charge, pretending like you care all of a sudden.”

  “Grace!” Sadie exclaimed, shocked by her harsh words. Grace had always worshipped Wade, so to hear her defying him sounded especially harsh. Sadie had predicted she would agree to the rules, but then carry on doing as she pleased. That had been her pattern in the past.

  “Gracie, I care about you. There’s no pretending going on,” Wade said, seemingly undaunted. He patted the bench. “Come sit by me, sweetheart.”

  She rose slowly. Her lower lip protruded ever-so-slightly into a pout as she rounded the table. That was new. Sadie realized Grace was responding to Wade in a way she’d never responded to Sadie’s scolding and insistence on obedience. Grace had always laughed lightly and waved away any of Sadie’s concerns, but she was taking Wade seriously at least. Perhaps this would work after all.

  When Grace was situated next to Wade, he wrapped an arm around her and kissed her temple. “I want to show you something.” He reached his other hand into his trousers pocket and pulled out a large blue marble, which he placed on the picnic table. “Remember this?”

  Grace studied it for a moment before nodding.

  “You gave that to me shortly before I left. It was your best marble out of the three you found, and it’s the best gift I’ve ever received.”

  Grace choked out a laugh. “That’s silly, Wade.”

  “No, it’s not. That gift came from you, and you are one of the best people I’ve ever met. From the moment I stepped into this cabin as a boy, you made me feel welcome. I thought I was all grown up and didn’t need anyone, but I did. I needed your kindness. You took care of me when I didn’t even know I needed taking care of. Now I want to take care of you even though you don’t think you need it.”

  Grace stared at the marble. Her rebellious expression faded slowly before she gave Wade a watery smile. “All right, I’ll follow your rules if it means that much to you.”

  “It does. Thank you, sweetheart.” He smiled back at her and then smiled across the table at Sadie. She watched, mesmerized at the effect Wade was having on her sister, but she couldn’t help but wonder if his request would be enough. He wasn’t her father, after all, and Grace hadn’t obeyed orders for some time.

  Wade seemed to have the same concerns. Clearing his throat, he said, “It’s only fair to warn you, Gracie, that I won’t accept disobedience from you.”

  “What do you mean?” she asked, her smile fading.

  “I mean that if you step out of line, there will be consequences.”

  Sadie’s heart began to beat a little faster. Though Grace didn’t look the least bit happy about Wade’s clarification, the threat of punishment did something strange to Sadie. She couldn’t remember ever being punished for disobedience, and the thought of having to obey Wade was oddly appealing.

  Grace didn’t find it the least bit appealing, however. “What kind of consequences?” she demanded.

  “Well,” he said slowly. “Depends on what you do. But I wouldn’t hesitate to turn you over my knee and tan your hide if you disobeyed me outright.”

  Grace gasped. “You wouldn’t, Wade!”

  Sadie had to stifle her own gasp. The image she saw in her mind of Wade spanking Grace was shocking. Her eyes wandered to Wade’s large right hand, which was laying palm down on the table. A few inches of his corded forearm were visible, betraying the strength behind the hand. How would he spank her, Sadie wondered? Would he spank Grace over her skirts, or would he remove her covering and apply his palm to her bare skin? Sadie could hardly breathe.

  “I would,” he insisted. “From your reaction, I can see a good spanking would be an adequate deterrent to future bad behavior.”

  “I’m too old to be spanked. Tell him, Sadie!”

  Sadie struggled to find her voice. “Sorry, Grace. If that’s what it’ll take to keep you out of the saloon, I’m in favor of Wade spanking you.” She flushed. Somehow saying the words out loud made the image even more real. She clenched her thighs together and couldn’t help but imagine herself turned over Wade’s knee. Being spanked by Wade would be scary, no doubt, but oh… Why did it seem enticing too?

  ***

  It didn’t take long for Grace to earn herself a punishment. It was nearing midnight when Wade pulled on his boots and vest with a determined set to his jaw.

  “Are you gonna go looking for her?” Sadie asked.

  “Yes. When I find her, I’ll bring her back, and then I’ll carry out her discipline.”

  Sadie’s stomach somersaulted just by his use of the word ‘discipline’. This was it. She was about to witness Wade giving their wayward sister a spanking. “Will you punish her in the barn?” Sadie asked.

  He nodded. “The whole house doesn’t need to hear it.”

  Sadie sat by the window for what seemed like ages, waiting for the return of Wade with Grace. She made out the figures of the horses in the distance, lit by the full moon. They were headed straight to the barn, so Sadie lit a lamp and rushed out to join them.

  She a
rrived to find the two in a much calmer state than she’d imagined. Grace seemed resigned to her fate, not arguing or crying as Sadie had feared.

  “Go sit on the bench, Grace,” Wade ordered. “I’ll brush down the horses and then we’ll get this over with.” He didn’t acknowledge Sadie’s presence except to request that she set the lamp next to the hitching post so he could see what he was doing.

  While he groomed the horses, Sadie sat next to Grace on the bench. “Are you all right?” she asked softly.

  Grace nodded. “We talked on the way home. He told me how worried he is about me and how he wants me to have a happy life.” She shrugged and looked down at her hands. “I guess I was kind of testing him when I didn’t come home tonight. I didn’t know if he would care enough to come get me.”

  Sadie completely understood Grace’s reason for disobeying Wade. She imagined it would be a nice feeling knowing someone would rescue her, even from herself.

  “You know what this reminds me of?” Grace asked. “When Pa was still alive and me and Miles and Luke ran away. Pa was madder than an old wet hen when he came to fetch us. It was terrible seein’ him so sore, but it let us know he cared at least. I never doubted Pa’s love after that and I never ran away again.”

  Sadie distinctly remembered the event Grace spoke of. The reason the children had run away in the first place was because Sadie had made them feel unwanted and had informed them that they weren’t her real brothers and sister. In truth, it was Sadie who had been feeling unwanted by her pa, and she’d taken it out on the others instead of telling him.

  Sadness gripped her. She wished she’d been the one to run away. Would her pa have come looking for her?

  “It won’t hurt too bad,” Grace told her, noticing Sadie’s morose expression but mistaking the cause of it.

  Sadie forced the sadness of the memory away. “I know. Wade loves you too much to cause you any real harm.”

  Grace nodded and shifted her gaze to Wade, who was walking toward them holding a leather strap folded in two. A flicker of apprehension lit Grace’s eyes, but otherwise she didn’t react. Sadie, on the other hand, quickly moved away, keeping her eyes glued on him the entire time. He was a formidable sight. A tall, strong man with a stern expression holding an instrument of punishment was not something she’d witnessed before.

  Sadie nearly panicked when he turned his stern expression on her. “You staying for this, Sadie?”

  She nodded, unable to speak. It was more than curiosity or concern for her sister that was compelling her to stay. She doubted she would have been able to leave without being physically removed, such was the magnetic pull of Wade’s sheer strength.

  From that moment forward, all of Wade’s attention focused on Grace. He took hold of her arm and helped her to feet. Not letting go, he stared hard into her eyes. “You know why you’re getting punished?”

  “Yes,” Grace said, her voice almost too quiet to hear. Her eyes were wide and her lips slightly parted.

  “I don’t want to punish you, Grace, but I won’t tolerate your disobedience. Anytime you disobey, you’re going to find yourself out here in the barn getting a licking. And I think after experiencing it once, you’re not going to want to feel it again.”

  Sadie was riveted. Though up until that point she’d thought she wouldn’t mind trading places with Grace, hearing him scold her with such a stern voice made her thankful she was not the recipient of his displeasure.

  “Turn around and bend over, place your palms on the bench,” he instructed, letting go of her arm.

  Grace bit her lip and hesitated only a moment before she obeyed. As she bent into the requested position, her long blonde hair fell in a wave over the side of her face, making her expression impossible for Sadie to read. She looked small and unsteady, like one lick of the strap would make her topple over.

  “Move your feet apart slightly,” Wade ordered.

  After she shifted her stance, she looked to be in a much more stable position for punishment, and Sadie marveled over Wade somehow knowing that. It was transfixing how firm and in control he was, how he knew just how to prepare Grace to receive the strap.

  Grace let out a small cry when Wade reached down and pulled up her skirts. He laid them over her back, revealing her thin, white drawers over the slope of her bottom. Her drawers fell to her mid-thigh area and were hemmed with lace.

  Her legs shook, and Sadie felt a pang of sympathy for her. It was clear Grace was afraid and embarrassed to be undressed in preparation for a spanking.

  Wade’s voice held a trace of sympathy too, though his intention to follow through was clear. “Gracie, I’m going to give you five licks over your drawers. You ever defy my orders again, I’ll strap you bare, and it will hurt even more.”

  “I won’t defy you again, Wade,” she whimpered.

  “I hope not. Now hold still and it’ll be over soon.” With that, he drew his arm back and landed the first stroke across her quivering seat.

  “Oh!” she gasped, sounding surprised.

  Before she could react further, Wade strapped her again, harder than before.

  She yelped and bent a knee forward, twisting away from the pain. Wade reached out, took hold of her hip, and placed her back in position without a word.

  He whipped her again, on the part of her backside where her bottom and thighs met.

  She screeched with pain. “Please no more!” She stood and turned around, flinging herself against him, burying her face in his chest. “It hurts so much. I’ve learned my lesson,” she wailed.

  Wade didn’t comfort her. One hand fisted the strap, and the other rested on his hip. “I know it hurts, Grace. That’s the point. Right now you have two more coming, but if you don’t immediately get back into position, we’re going to start over.”

  That threat turned Sadie’s throat dry, and it must have frightened Grace too. She quickly assumed the position once again.

  “Feet apart,” Wade instructed, his voice harder than before.

  Again, Grace shifted her stance, while Wade arranged her skirts to be fully out of the way. Grace was crying in earnest now, and Sadie felt tears springing to her eyes as well. She wished Wade had elected to conclude the punishment and hug Grace, who was obviously distressed and remorseful. She couldn’t remember their pa ever whipping any of them, but she suspected he would have stopped if one of them had begged as Grace had. Sadie herself had always acquiesced to Grace’s will, not wanting to upset or cause pain to the sweet, sensitive girl.

  The next two strokes were delivered one right after the other. Grace cried out with each one but remained in place.

  “It’s over, sweetheart,” Sadie heard Wade say. He tossed the strap aside, seeming as eager to be rid of it as Grace was, and gathered the sobbing young woman into his arms.

  Sadie let out a breath of relief and closed her eyes briefly. She opened them to see Grace clinging to Wade’s shirt with one hand, while her other rubbed her aching bottom. Wade stroked her hair and back, letting her cry. As harsh as he had looked before, he looked gentle now, and Sadie wondered what it must be like to be wrapped up in his arms, feeling physical proof of his forgiveness and comfort.

  She walked to the exit of the barn, wishing to be alone with her conflicting feelings. Wade and Grace didn’t notice her leaving or, if they did, they didn’t say anything. She walked into the night at a quick clip, taking the path to town. The air was fresh and cool, which helped to relieve the heat that had overtaken her entire body. She breathed deeply, trying to settle her racing thoughts about what she’d witnessed.

  Time passed quickly. She didn’t realize how long she’d been gone or how far she’d walked until she heard Wade’s voice calling for her. She had no desire to return home right away, but she didn’t want to worry everyone, so she turned around. Heading for the cabin, she called out, “I’m here. I’m on my way!”

  Her walk was much slower returning than it was when she’d left. She crafted a list in her head of all the chores
she needed to do the next day. It was helpful in distracting her until she spotted Wade in the distance walking toward her. His strides were long, and it was no time at all before he closed the distance between them.

  “Sadie!” he exclaimed. “Are you all right? Why did you run off?”

  She was surprised by the worried, disapproving edge to his voice. “I didn’t run off. I went for a walk.”

  “A walk,” he repeated, sounding incredulous. “In the middle of the night?”

  An owl hooted in the distance, and the sound of crickets all around them made Sadie realize how late it was. She couldn’t remember ever being outside at this hour. “I suppose it’s irregular,” she admitted.

  He grunted. “It’s worse than irregular, it’s dangerous to be out here alone. There are bears and mountain lions.”

  Sadie felt foolish. She knew Wade was right, of course. “I suppose I…” Her voice trailed off as she tried to think of how to phrase an adequate excuse. “I needed some time to think about the punishment.”

  She couldn’t say the specific thoughts she was having—a strong craving to be punished by Wade, to feel the sting of the strap and hear his stern voice scolding her, followed by his care. She could hardly believe she was having these feelings, and it was difficult for her to admit them to herself. There was no way should could disclose them to Wade.

  “I suppose I can understand that,” Wade said, his voice gentling. “It was hard for me to give her that strapping, and I imagine it was difficult for you to watch.”

  “Yes,” Sadie said, relieved by his interpretation. It was the easiest to agree with, and it wasn’t entirely untrue.

  “She’s fine, though,” Wade assured her. “I think a spanking was what she needed to know I was serious.”

  Sadie didn’t say anything. She nodded, but it was dark, so she didn’t know if Wade saw.

  Wade wrapped an arm around her shoulders and guided her forward toward home. “And you’d better not let me catch you taking a walk in the middle of the night again, or you’ll get a taste of the strap yourself.” His voice was jovial, and he chuckled in amusement.