Newlywed Christmas (Brides of Juniper Junction Book 4) Read online

  "I'm sor-sorry, Jake," she said, hands clasped at her waist as she looked up at her gentle giant of a husband. Yes, he was a gentle giant, but he also enforced the rules. And she was well aware of her infractions. He continued to stare down at her, which only made her more nervous and that nervous energy came out in the form of chatter. Lots of chatter. "I know I shouldn't have been gossiping, but I haven't seen Loretta and Connie since November and there was just so much to tell them and for them to tell me. It's not really gossip if we're just sharing news, right?" She smiled up at him hopefully.

  He paused and looked at her, his countenance softening a tiny bit. "Sharing your news is perfectly acceptable," he said. "But, it sounded to me like you were sharing information about other people, not yourself."

  "Well," she ought to just shut her mouth, but she didn't, "it was a conversation I overheard so it's kind of like my news, right?"

  Jake just raised both eyebrows and gave her a skeptical look. "You're just digging yourself deeper into that hole, honey. Now, lean over the desk and raise your skirts. You've got a spanking coming and that's all there is to it."

  "Jake! Not now. There's a party going on. Can't we do this when we get home?"

  Jake took her hand and led her to his desk, placing her hands on the far side of the large wooden piece of furniture before he reached down and raised her skirts. "You know this is something I told you to do, so that's just going to add a few swats to your punishment."

  "Ja-aake," she whined, "what if someone hears us?"

  "Oh, you mean like some nosy person who is looking for gossip?"

  She let out an exasperated breath and wished she could go back in time and really talk about recipes instead of the conversation she’d overheard.

  Jake came around to the side of the desk so she could see him and he lowered his face next to hers. "I love you, Posey girl, but you have got to learn to stop gossiping. You hate what people say about you and I do too. I know it hurts you and so will this spanking. To remind you to behave yourself. I probably should have given your bottom a good roasting before we left home tonight so you'd have a reminder."

  "No, Jake. Please. I'll be good from now on. I promise."

  He leaned in and kissed her forehead. "I know, darlin'. I know."

  "You're getting ten for gossiping and another five for not doing as I told you about leaning over the desk and lifting your skirts. I don't want anyone to come looking for us either, so this is going to be fast and hard."

  Before he even finished saying all that, the onslaught began. "Oh." The first swats caught her by surprise and before she knew it he'd already applied his wide palm all over her backside, delivering swift stinging spanks to both cheeks of her rear end.

  Oh, how she longed to cry out and beg for him to stop, but she knew two things. First, he wouldn't stop once he'd told her what the punishment would be and second, she was terrified of being the subject of gossip.

  Shame at her actions wafted over her. She gripped the edge of the desk as Jake finished up her spanking. Her bottom ached, but so did her conscience. She'd done a horrible thing, but her husband’s discipline alleviated some of the guilt. She was grateful to have a husband like Jake who helped her to be a better person. Be the kind of person he knew she could be.

  The spanking stopped and she spent a moment collecting herself and catching her breath. When Jake said fast and hard, he meant it.

  Usually after a spanking he gathered her close and comforted her, so she waited for him to do that. When he didn't, she felt even more awful for her actions. Carefully she raised herself up from the desk and reached back to lower her skirts.

  "Oh no you don't, " Jake said, his voice thick and husky. "I'm not done with you just yet, naughty wife."

  She glanced over her shoulder at him and he'd lowered his pants, his eyes dark with passion. "You didn't think I'd be able to see you spread over my desk like this and not want to plunge deep into that hot pussy of yours, did you?"

  She gasped at what he was suggesting, yet heat built in her womanly parts at the mere idea of it. "Jake, what if someone hears us?"

  "We'll have to be very quiet. Do you think you can do that?" As he spoke, he ran his fingers through the wet slit of her sex. She whimpered at his touch and raised up on her toes.

  "Y-yes, I think so," she said. He continued to toy with her pussy, jamming his fingers in and out of her slick passage then tapping on the tingling bundle of nerves he called her clitty. "Oh, oh, Ja-Jake," she whimpered before burying her face in her arms on the desk.

  He grabbed hold of her hips, tilted them upward and slid in deep. So deep. "This is going to be fast and hard too, Posey. Hang on."

  She'd never held anything so tight before in her whole life as she clung to the sleek wooden desk while her husband slammed into her from behind. Over and over he moved in and out, the sound of their heavy breaths and flesh slapping flesh filled the room. Biting her lips until she feared they'd bleed, she held back the screams that built within her as desire burned higher and higher. Dark spots danced in front of her eyes and she moaned into her forearms when her climax overtook her. As she floated back to reality, Jake found his release as well, his hot seed burrowing deep into her. Glancing back at him, she saw his face contorted in ecstasy as he fought against crying out. When he finished, his gaze met hers.

  "Good girl, Posey darlin'. That was fantastic."

  LIZZIE AND MATT

  "Matt, I can't dance that fast," Lizzie cried, clasping Matt's hands and doing her best to keep up with the steps of the Irish jig.

  "Sure you can, Lizzie. It's right, left, kick and spin." He demonstrated and though she seemed to follow along, she soon stumbled over her feet but before she landed on the floor, he swept her up in his arms and carried her to the side of the room away from the frenzy of dancing.

  She slipped her arms around his neck. "This reminds me of the first time we met. Remember? I stumbled off the train and you caught me."

  Matt gazed down at his wife, her cornflower blue eyes sparkling up at him and his heart contracted with love for the beautiful mail order bride who'd taken a chance and agreed to marry him. Of course, it hadn't been all smooth sailing—Lizzie had a few secrets that she hadn't revealed in their correspondence—but he couldn't be happier.

  "I'll always be there to catch you, Lizzie. Don't you ever forget it."

  She rested her head on his shoulder with a contented sigh. "Thank you, Matt. For always being there to catch me."

  That was about the finest compliment anyone could give him and he leaned down and kissed her gently on the lips. "Come on," he said and carried her through the crowd and out the side door of the main barn of Windy River Ranch. "I have something to show you."

  "Matt!" Lizzie gasped. "We can't do that here. What will people think?"

  He chuckled. "That's not what I meant, but now that you mention it." His mind immediately conjured images of his beautiful wife in all sorts of carnal activities. Lizzie might have been raised to be a proper young society lady, but in the bedroom he'd taught her some things too.

  With a few sure strides they were inside the stables and Matt gingerly set his wife on her feet. "Can you stand on your own?"

  "Yes," she replied. "But thank you for carrying me. You always make me feel so special."

  "Well, you are about the wealthiest woman in Juniper Junction, maybe all of Wyoming Territory," Matt teased. "I'd better do my best to keep you happy."

  "Matt Foreman, you take that back right now." She swiped at his arm. "You know that money doesn't mean a thing to me. It's you I want."

  "I'm sorry, sweetheart. I shouldn't tease. I know that's a sore spot for you."

  She pouted a bit but then gave him a naughty smile. "So," she said, her voice low and seductive, her gaze lingering below his belt, "you said you had something to show me."

  He took hold of her chin and tipped it up, capturing her lips in a gentle kiss. "I do. And if you are a good girl, I might have more than one thing to
show you."

  "What are you talking about?" Lizzie's eyes went wide.

  He'd introduced her to several different bedroom activities which had surprised her, no doubt she thought he had another one to share. His mind began to wander until a gentle nicker drew his attention and reminded him of why they were there.

  "Come on," he whispered, taking her hand and leading her to a stall. He brought Lizzie to stand in front of him. Holding her shoulders, he leaned down and whispered in her ear. "Look at the beautiful foal. Born just yesterday."

  Lizzie gasped and even though he couldn't see her face, he knew she was smiling. "Oh, Matt," she whispered. "He's beautiful. Or is it a she?"

  "It's a filly. And that there's her mama, Annabelle." When he said her name, Annabelle came forward, careful to stand between Matt and Lizzie and her baby, but she nuzzled Matt and gave him an expectant stare.

  "What does she want?" Lizzie asked.

  "Oh Annabelle." He laughed and rubbed her forelock. "Wait here a minute," he said to Lizzie and quickly found a carrot for the new mother. He handed the treat to Lizzie. "Here, do you want to feed her?"

  Lizzie's face lit up as she held the carrot out to Annabelle. "Here you go. You sure have a beautiful baby, Annabelle." The horse ate the carrot and then gently nuzzled Lizzie.

  "Hey," Matt said, "she's mine."

  Annabelle returned to her baby and Matt and Lizzie walked away.

  "Thank you, Matt. That was wonderful. I've never seen a newborn foal like that before."

  "I'm glad you liked it. It's one of my favorite parts of being in charge of the stables here at Windy River."

  By this time they had made their way outside, though neither seemed to be in any hurry to return to the party. Lizzie paused and turned to him and he rested his hands at her waist, always glad when she was near enough to touch. "You really like it here, don't you, Matt?"

  "Yes," he said without hesitation. "Very much. Mr. Conners is a good man to work for and Juniper Junction is my home, especially now that I have a wife that I love so much." She smiled and her eyes shone bright in the moonlight at his words. "But," he gazed down at her seriously, "the real question is whether or not you are happy here, Lizzie. This is a whole lot different than your life in St. Louis. I'm sure you haven't been to too many parties held in barns."

  They both chuckled at that. "No," she replied, "I haven't. But I also haven't been to many parties that were as much fun as Mr. Conners' St. Patrick's Day Party. I can understand why people come from miles around for it. I've been to so many fancy dinners and cotillions, I can't even count them all. But none of them were actually much fun. Being here in Juniper Junction, making friends on my own terms and most of all, being married to you, is the best thing that's ever happened to me."

  He cupped her face between his palms and kissed her tenderly. Matt was a confident man, but the life of privilege that Lizzie had lived before arriving in Juniper Junction was something he could never compete with. Would never want to. They'd come to terms about the vast amount of money which Lizzie had inherited. Nearly all of it was deposited in the bank in Juniper Junction with Lizzie having control of it. Matt had insisted. He had nothing against money and he enjoyed the things that it could provide, but he also felt strongly that he would provide for his wife and family. The money in the bank was for emergencies only, though Lizzie had come up with several ideas for how to use some of her inheritance to help others. He was so proud of her.

  But at that moment, he was mostly consumed with a hunger for her that built as the kiss intensified. She leaned into him and parted her lips, inciting him to greater passion.

  Lizzie's heart pounded in her chest as Matt's mouth ravished hers. She'd meant every word she said about life in Juniper Junction, and particularly being his wife. She felt, for the first time in her life, free. Free to be herself and free to love wholeheartedly.

  A thrum of desire moved through her and coalesced between her thighs. She whimpered and rubbed herself against him wantonly. Hardly the thing a proper young socialite from one of the preeminent families of St. Louis would do, but she wasn't that person any longer. She was Lizzie Foreman and proud of it.

  "Holy cats, Lizzie," Matt ground against her lips. "What are you trying to do to me?"

  "I would think that was obvious." She adjusted herself to move her hand between them and brazenly cupped his bulging manhood through his pants. "I thought all the country girls liked a tumble in the hay."

  As her confidence had grown during the course of her marriage, so had her boldness in the bedroom. Or the pasture, as the case may be.

  "Well," Matt said, pulling away from her briefly to toss her over his shoulder, "if it's a tumble in the hay you want, who am I to say no?"

  "Matt!" She squealed as his strong arms held her in place, mostly by cupping the globes of her backside. This was far from the first time Matt had tossed her over his shoulder and each time his power and possessiveness sent a thrill of eager anticipation through her.

  In a matter of moments they were inside one of the smaller barns on the vast ranch. It smelled of hay and fresh dirt and somehow the aroma just made it all seem more wanton and exciting.

  She expected him to put her down on one of the many bales and have his way with her, but to her shock, he proceeded up a ladder, using one hand to keep her securely in place and the other to hold the ladder.

  "Matt! Where are we going?" It was a bit eerie to look down and see the floor moving further and further away.

  "Well, if you're going to have a tumble in the hay, then we're going to do it right." They'd reached the top of the ladder and he set her feet down on the floor of the loft which was filled with loose hay.

  "Oh Matt," she said, her insides turning to warm goo, "this seems very naughty."

  He lowered his face, his passion filled gaze holding hers. "That's my plan, naughty girl." He gave her bottom a swat and she squealed and ran from him, though she didn't get far considering that the loft was piled high with loose hay. Soon he cornered her up against a soft looking stack, a devilish grin on his face. "Running? Lizzie, don't you know, you're never going to get away from me." He gently lowered her onto her back, the hay prickling against her hair, but she didn't care. Matt's weight on her body felt so strong and protective, masculine and virile, she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and her legs around his waist.

  "That's just how I want you, Lizzie girl." He skimmed his hands the length of her body, pausing to knead her breasts which had gotten heavy and sensitive in just a matter of moments. Then he reached beneath her and raised her hips up, moving her skirts out of the way and sliding her drawers open wide.

  "Lord, Lizzie, I can smell your arousal," he said, inhaling deeply.

  A few months ago, that would have filled her with horror and shame. Now she just grinned at him and lifted her hips higher, whimpering with unabashed need.

  He shifted her legs so they rested on his shoulders, her hands down at her sides. She could feel the hay underneath her and that only added to the sensations moving through her. Matt lowered his pants and touched the head of his cock to her opening.

  "Or lord, Lizzie. I have to have you now."

  "Yes," she replied, inching toward him with her hips to entice him into plunging deep into her core. He needed no encouragement and pushed into her hard, shoving her back against the hay. He gripped her hips and powered into her over and over while she whimpered and moaned, her voice echoing off the high ceiling of the barn.

  "Matt," she panted. "Oh, oh." Was all she could manage to say as he used his fingers to play with her clitty and she buried her hands in the hay beneath her, grasping at handfuls of it as her whole body tightened and wound closer to her climax.

  Finally she cried out, writhing her head back and forth on the hay as she exploded and shattered, crying out his name.

  "That's my girl," he said through gritted teeth just before his face contorted and he reached his own release, his seed pouring into her. Finally he collap
sed next to her on the pile of hay and drew her to him for a lingering kiss.

  Chapter 2

  Fair Day

  TASSIE

  "Oh my goodness, Josie. I don't know what's happened since my fitting last week." Tassie opened the curtain and gestured for Josie to come inside. It was fair day and the judging for sewing was just a few minutes away. Tassie felt as panicked as Josie looked as she took in Tassie's outfit. She'd barely managed to button it around the waist but her breasts were on the verge of sending the buttons popping all across the tent.

  Josie's brows furrowed and she gave the bodice a tug. Tassie closed her eyes and prayed the buttons held. "I'm so sorry," she whispered to the harried seamstress. "I was so flattered when you asked me to model for you in the competition and now I'm ruining everything."

  "Hush now, Tassie," Josie said, some of her usual calm demeanor returning. "I just don't understand what happened. When we had our final meeting last week, it fit just fine, but now..." her voice trailed off and Tassie's spirits plunged. Josie was a kind girl and the best seamstress in the area. She deserved to win the competition.

  "And this year the prize is fifty dollars. I was sure you'd win, but now..."

  Josie took a deep breath. "Yes, the fair prizes have gone up dramatically this year, particularly for the womanly crafts and cooking. You wouldn't happen to know who the anonymous donor is who made that possible, would you?" Josie raised a brow at her.

  "I think we both have a good idea that it was Lizzie, but I don't dare ask her. If she wants to stay anonymous, then we ought to respect that."

  "Yes, I agree. But it sure would be nice to win. Fifty dollars would go a long way to setting up my own dress shop."