Love in the Rockies Page 6

  * * * * *

  Erin stayed back and to the side of the group. Luckily, even though they wore quite bland greenish clothing, she was able to keep an eye on them and they wouldn’t have been expecting to see her. They walked a long ways in, thick trees making it easy for her to hide but also making her worry about how far they’d come. If she did lose them, she wasn’t too sure she’d be able to find her way back. Not that she could ask them, anyway. What was she going to do? Tap one of them on the shoulder and ask directions. No, she’d have to wait until they gave up on finding anything to shoot and follow them back. Her bottom tingled. This little jaunt had already taken her longer than she thought it would and Zach was probably already getting worried and angry. He was going to tear strips off her when he found out what she’d done. Although, she hadn’t actually confronted anyone yet. Her thoughts froze as the hunting group stopped. They were whispering. Erin’s eyes followed their line of vision and there it was, a beautiful creature. She had to save it, she just couldn’t stand here and watch the life leave its eyes before it fell to the ground. She stepped slowly, trying to get to the cow before the hunters did. Erin had no idea what she was doing, but instead was running on instinct. That wouldn’t let her down, would it? But as she took one step too many towards the animal that seemed frozen with fear, a gunshot rang out from behind her, almost deafening her with the blast. Worse than that she heard a thud. It rumbled the ground under her feet and as she turned, her mouth gaped in horror at what she saw.

  “Erin baby,” Zach said, running and gathering her into his arms. “He nearly got you.”

  “I—there was another one.” She pointed in the direction that she’d seen the other cow, the one that got away. But this one hadn’t. This one had been shot and because of her.

  “You okay, lady?” One of the men from the group asked.

  “You shot him,” Erin said to the woman from the shop that morning.

  “Had to, honey, or he would have gored you. He was protecting what was his.”

  Erin bent, wanting to pet the poor creature but in the end not able to. “I’m so sorry,” she said.

  “Let’s get back,” Zach said. “Is it okay if we go?”

  “Of course,” the woman said. “But why did you come all the way out here?”

  “I wanted to save one of the animals.” Erin wasn’t able to look Zach in the eye. Although he was extremely worried about her, she knew she was in trouble. Again and she didn’t care. She got an innocent elk killed and she deserved to be punished.

  * * * * *

  “Dinner was lovely,” Erin said. She had a big sip of her wine before twisting her fork and turning the pasta and then moving it around and trying another piece.

  “You haven’t eaten any.” Zach looked at his wife with worry in his eyes.

  Another sip of her wine. “I guess it’s been an eventful day.”

  “Yes, it has.”

  “Can you just punish me and get this over with? Please, Zach?” She finished the glass. She was by no means drunk but she was feeling the warmth as she swallowed the fragrant liquid.

  “My heart tells me that you’ve been through enough today.”

  “No, I haven’t,” she said. “You’ve been nothing but nice to me all day and what do I do for you in return? I go against what you wanted me to do and almost get myself killed. Not to mention I get an animal shot. We’ve been here twenty-four hours already and we haven’t even been to the springs because I’m such a nutcase. Besides, I hate waiting, it’s the worst.”

  “I won’t have you calling my wife a nutcase. Besides, what is it we tell the kids? It isn’t you that’s naughty, it’s the behavior that is naughty.”

  “Okay then. I’m not a nutcase, just my behavior was that of a nutcase.”

  “It was very silly of you to think you could wander around in the woods, behind a bunch of men that had rifles, near really dangerous animals.”

  “I didn’t know they were dangerous.”

  “They are in the wild. You do know that wild animals are dangerous, Erin, you do.”

  “I guess I thought they would know I was trying to help them.”

  Zach shook his head. “Maybe you do need a spanking. Go get the paddle.”

  “The paddle? You didn’t even want to punish me at all a few minutes ago.”

  “You convinced me.”

  “See, I told you I was crazy.”

  Chapter Five

  Zach didn’t sit on the bed but instead stood beside it. That made Erin frown. Standing while he spanked her meant more swinging room which meant that damn thing was going to bite into her bottom badly. “You know, I think you were right the first time. Maybe I need to wait until tomorrow. I feel really bad about what happened to the elk but—”

  “Bend over the bed.”

  “I, um, you know what, I’m really cold. I think I’m going to go with the long underwear after all.”

  “I’ll turn up the heat. Now, because even after all we’ve been through today you’re not listening, you can remove the pj’s you are wearing.”

  Erin’s mind raced as it searched for some solution to not feeling the full impact of that damn paddle. “What if I was to offer you a deal? I will take double what you were going to give me with the paddle, on the bare, but with your hand.”

  “Now you’ve lost all your clothes. I want you naked.”

  It was probably not her smartest move but Erin thought she’d play it anyway. There was no music playing but she decided to improvise; singing loudly as she undid the buttons on her pajamas, very slowly. “You made me love you—”

  “Uh huh,” Zach said. “Just get them off, faster than that.”

  “I didn’t wanna do it.” Erin was no songstress but if she was being judged for effort, she would have gotten an A. Unfortunately she wasn’t being judged for effort and she didn’t even get to finish her song before she found herself being unceremoniously dumped over her husband’s knee. Her pants were whipped down her legs and tossed onto the floor. A second later a harsh slapping assault started on her wriggling rear. “It was a joke!” she squealed, trying to dodge the stinging slaps but not succeeding in missing out on any. “Please, Zach, I’ll take them off properly.” The smacks stopped and she was yanked back up to her feet.

  “When you’re about to be punished, do you make a joke out of it, Erin?”

  Erin rubbed her bottom and shook her head.

  “You know what really makes my blood boil?”

  “That I didn’t listen.”

  “That’s part of it. Erin, you think the most important thing is the elk being shot. I only care about you. Do you know what I felt when I saw you standing there with your back to that animal?” Zach asked. He ran his hand through his hair. “I stopped breathing. I don’t even know why my heart kept beating. I thought you were dead. When the shop woman came knocking and said she saw you following those guys, I was beyond speech. I didn’t know what I was going to find. I really thought that you might get shot. It never occurred to me that an animal would get you. So if I had to choose between that elk and you, I choose you, Erin. Every time I would choose you. Nothing about any of this was funny.”

  Erin didn’t know what to say, there were no words so she did the only thing she could do. Not even bothering about the button, she pulled her pajama top over her head and tossed it on top of her bottoms, completing the unkempt pile. Without another word, she bent over the bed and waited for the punishment that was just and fair.

  * * * * *

  Zach looked at Erin, bent over the bed and he tried to breathe normally. Explaining to Erin how he’d felt had brought all those feelings back. He fingered the paddle. She deserved this and she needed to remember it next time she decided to do something so foolish. Her life was precious to him, and he needed it to be precious to her as well. He brought the paddle back and quickly brought it down firmly, the length of it covering both cheeks. “Count please, Erin, we’ll do six.”

  “One,” Erin
said in a shaky voice, her eyes squeezed shut tightly.

  He brought the paddle down a second time slightly lower than the one before. It overlapped slightly but that couldn’t be helped. He winced when Erin jumped and then started to cry. She wasn’t being loud or dramatic. It was the quiet crying that he hated most. He wanted to lie down beside her to soothe her and tell her it was okay, but they both knew it wouldn’t be okay until he finished what he started. “Count, Erin.”

  “Two,” she sniffled.

  He decided to get two more over quickly. He slapped the shiny wood across her right cheek and then matched it on the left before she’d processed the other. Her breathing was heavy and he was proud of her for trying to calm herself to stay in control.

  “Three, four,” she said in a croaky voice.

  “Good girl.” Zach gave her bottom a quick rub. It was red. “Last two and then we’re done.” Under normal circumstances, she would have earned much more than six strokes of the paddle but on top of what she’d already received this weekend, he was sure it was enough.

  “Okay,” she said.

  Her eyes were tightly shut as she tried to prepare for what he knew she knew would be the hardest yet. Not wanting to drag it out anymore, he pulled his arm back and slammed the paddle across the underside of her right cheek.

  “Ah!” she yelled. Tears once again started flowing. They ran down her flushed face and dropped onto her arm. “F-five.”

  “Last one,” Zach said repeating the same heavy blow low down on the opposite side. He dropped the paddle to the ground and lay beside his chastened wife, cuddling her and rubbing her bottom gently. “It’s all over. Done.”

  Erin stood up and started to cry all over again.

  “What’s wrong, honey?” he asked.

  “I broke a nail,” she wailed.

  * * * * *

  The next morning Erin woke again before Zach and she lay there watching him sleep. He was such a good-looking man but that was the least of what he was. He was kind and gentle, most of the time. Her bottom still pulsed a little from the night before’s spanking. Zach was generous and thoughtful. Look at this trip that he’d planned. So much time and attention he must have spent trying to make everything perfect and what had she given him? Tucked away in her bag she had her gift, which now seemed silly and selfish. She’d gotten one of those coffee mugs made with a ‘we’ then a picture of her and the girls on one side, a heart in the middle and then the word ‘you’ and a picture of him at the end. She’d thought it was cute. Now in light of everything he’d done for her it didn’t seem nearly enough. He would like it and it was something he would use, but it wasn’t really about them. The two of them as a couple. It was a family present. Valentine’s Day was about your valentine, the one you loved as a mate. He was her valentine and it was about time she came up with something that would prove to him just what he meant to her and how much she loved and trusted him. She knew what she was going to do.

  “Happy Valentine’s Day,” he said, turning over and grinning at her.

  “Happy Valentine’s Day to you too. I guess we better get up.”

  “Yep, do you still want to go exploring?”

  “If you do,” she said. “Will there be anymore animals around?” She didn’t want to be a stick in the mud, but she was a little scared after what they’d been through.

  “Would you rather stick to the public springs?” Zach asked.

  “I do like the look of the one with the waterfall thing.”

  “So do I and I’ve made reservations in the restaurant for tonight. That’ll be special won’t it?”

  “Everything will be perfect. It doesn’t matter what we do, as long as we’re together right?”

  “Right.”

  * * * * *

  It wasn’t easy for Erin to pour herself into her bathing suit over her paddled backside. Putting on her snow suit over the top of that was the icing on the cake, but she was determined not to ruin what was left of the day. They had come here to soak in a spring and have fun and that’s exactly what they were going to do, no matter what.

  * * * * *

  “So how do you think this works?” Zach asked. “Like how are we going to get our outdoor clothes off without freezing?”

  “Very quickly, I’m guessing.” Erin giggled. She started stripping, although this time there was no singing. “Come on, Zach, we can jump in together.”

  Zach stripped off his clothes and then took her hand and the two of them jumped into the steaming pool. “Whoa, this is beautiful,” he said. “You okay?”

  Erin nodded. She wasn’t going to complain, she was just going to dog paddle as fast as her legs would move and will the burn to go away. “Good. Great. I’ll get used to it.”

  “Is your bottom hurting?”

  “Just a little, I’ll live.” She would live, she would live. Damn, it hurt. It did feel good on the rest of her though.

  “Come here.” Zach took Erin into his arms and kissed her as he slid his hands inside her bathing suit. “Better?”

  “Now that is amazing, part from the smell, that is.”

  “It’s the sulphur.” He smiled.

  “Not the sweetest water I’ve ever bathed in, but it feels oh, so good. His hands were magic as they massaged her bottom. His long fingers kneaded her sore muscles. With Zach’s ministrations and silky hot water permeating her skin, she finally relaxed and started to enjoy herself. “This is amazing.” She looked around at where they were, really looked. “Such a beautiful place.”

  * * * * *

  “I’m exhausted,” Erin finally admitted. The effects of the hot water and all the events of the last couple of days had caught up with her.

  “Let’s go back for a nap.”

  “I don’t want to get out into the cold.”

  “Yeah, me either,” Zach said, “but we have to. Come on.” They climbed up from the step and stood as briefly as they could on the small wooden walk. Zach tossed down one of the towels from their waterproof sack for them to stand on while they struggled back into their clothes.

  “Clothes stick when you’re wet,” Erin said, shivering a little as she tried to pull on her clothes.

  “And they seem to grow.” Zach chuckled as he pulled his undershirt over his head.

  “Okay, I’ll do until we get back to the showers.”

  “Me too.”

  * * * * *

  “When would you like to do presents?” Zach asked sleepily as they lay cuddled beneath the thick comforter after their nap. The young teacher was filled with excitement. He’d planned this whole weekend a little on the cheap, but he had a reason and it was getting time to actually being able to reveal his final surprise.

  “You got me a present?” Erin asked. “I thought this was my present.”

  “It’s only something small,” Zach said. “I mean if you haven’t gotten me anything then that’s fine.”

  “Of course I got you something. How about we wait until after dinner? We can come back here and share in private.”

  “Sounds perfect. Speaking of which, time we got ready I think. Dinner is a bit dressy I think.”

  “Um, I didn’t pack anything like that, remember? The best I have is my good jeans and an ugly Christmas sweater.”

  “Gee, I don’t think that’s going to pass for tonight.” Zach got up and rustled in the back of one of the overhead shelves before producing a shopping bag. “Maybe you better wear this.”

  Erin blinked. “Didn’t we just say we’d do presents after dinner?”

  “This isn’t your present. I thought you might like to have a dress to wear.”

  “It’s lovely.” Erin stood up and laid the dress against herself and twirled around. She stopped and winced a little. I can’t really wear it with boots though can I? I didn’t pack any.”

  “Isn’t it lucky then that you have a husband that thinks of everything.” He went to his suitcase and unzipped the back pocket. “Your black heels.”

  “Oh my, Zach.
You’ve out done yourself.” Her eyes filled with tears. She was married to the sweetest man on the planet.

  “Thank you. I’m just happy to see you smiling, sort of smiling. Go get changed and we’ll have dinner.”

  * * * * *

  They took their time walking to the restaurant. Erin loved holding Zach’s hand. Even though they had coats and gloves on, it still made her feel safe and looked after. “This is so romantic,” she said. “Like a winter wonderland.”

  “Not like a winter wonderland, it is a winter wonderland,” Zach agreed. “Look at those trees. It’s a lot like home. We just don’t take the time to appreciate what we have.”

  “I know,” Erin giggled.

  “What’s so funny?”

  “Nothing really. I was just thinking that we had to go away from Corbin’s Bend for a break, to realize that it really is home now. We always talk about how much we love it and how safe and accepted we are there, but I at least still thought of home as where we came from.”

  “I guess you’re right, but I don’t think that’s because we had ties to our old life. I just think that it is so perfect that it’s almost too good to be true. It’s like someone could whip it away in a heartbeat.”

  “Yeah, but they won’t will they?”

  “Nope. We belong there.”

  They walked happily into the restaurant and were seated at a table by the window. Erin thought it was gorgeous. It was funny how they could transform a room that in the daylight was quite ordinary, but now looked like them, dressed for dinner. The large fireplace was blazing and subtle lighting seemed to make everything gleam. Outside, the window the terrace twinkled with fairy lights and the trees could be seen deeper in the background covered in snow. “This looks so different at night.” She looked over and Zach already had the menu open.