Chapter 9

CHAPTER 9

The evening meal was an interesting event as the Miller family adjusted to having not one woman in their midst, but a total of seven. For their part, the women did their best to be good house guests, though Mrs. Potter clearly struggled with her innate desire to fuss and mother the entire brood. Well, all but Solomon.

Lara observed the whole scene and snuck a glance at Caleb seated next to her. He noticed her attention and gave her a wink. “It is nice to see your friends feeling better,” he said. “But, I will be glad when we are married and in our own house.” His gaze swept over her and communicated his meaning very clearly.

Heat bloomed on her face and feminine parts. It was a relief when Solomon cleared his throat and announced his intention to pray. Being sexually aroused during prayer was a new experience for Lara and she felt a bit ashamed, but also greatly relieved that everyone would have their heads bowed and eyes closed while she had a moment to compose herself.

The group quieted as they joined hands around the crowded table and Mr. Miller addressed their Lord.

Caleb squeezed Lara’s hand and she gave his hand a squeeze in return.

When the prayer ended, a moment of silence hung over the table as they each allowed those words to sink in.

Lara looked around the table from her future brothers-in-law to her schoolmates and realized this was her new family.

After a long soak in the tub, clean clothes, and a nap on an actual bed, Brittany descended the stairs of the Miller homestead with a much improved attitude.

She joined the others around the table, careful to select a seat between Grace and the youngest of the Miller boys; she had not yet learned all their names. She cast a surreptitious glance around the room, but Daniel was nowhere in sight.

Good , she told herself. She had no desire to see him. She had passed several enjoyable and relaxing hours without his company and had every intention of living the rest of her life pretending he didn’t exist.

Yet, when she heard Mr. Miller say, “Daniel, we’ve been waiting for yee,” her heart fluttered.

Determined not to give him any notice, she angled herself to speak with Grace. She turned back expecting to see the shy youngest Miller son, instead Daniel occupied the seat to her right.

“What are you doing?” she whispered. “Did you just kick your brother out of his seat? I guess you like to boss everyone around.”

“I always sit to Father’s right. I am the eldest. Benjamin knows that. He just likes to joke around sometimes and take my seat.” Daniel placed his napkin in his lap. “Besides, I think he was trying to get closer to your friend.” He indicated Grace with a nod of his head and raised his eyebrow.

“Is that all you Amish men think about—finding women to use as broodmares?”

As soon as the words came out, Brittany regretted them. Daniel’s playful expression vanished and when it was time to pray, instead of joining hands with her, he clasped her wrist in a rather impersonal way and spent the rest of the meal sitting ramrod straight in his chair and barely uttering a word.

Pretending not to notice him or his frosty demeanor, Brittany turned and chatted with Grace.

Although she forced her face and conversation away from Daniel, her body was fully aware of the static charge between them.

What was wrong with her? Why would she say something so hateful about a group of people who had saved her and her friends? In a world where none of them could predict what might happen the next day or how long their food supplies might last, these men had made them welcome without hesitation.

Why didn’t she just apologize if she was sorry for her comment?

When the meal was finished, the women cleaned the dishes and tidied the kitchen while the men tended to the animals. The mood in the kitchen was dramatically different from that of their makeshift camp in the woods, that was for sure.

Katie started humming and soon all the girls were singing and dancing. Shawna and Kimber joined hands and performed a jig around the room while the others clapped and sang.

Kimber dipped Shawna and Lara laughed till her sides hurt. It felt good. Seemed like it had been forever—a lifetime ago—since she’d laughed so hard. Life had been grim.

Not that the world was not still a frightening place. She had no idea what had happened to her family. For all they knew, the people on the Miller farm could be the last people on Earth.

Lara shook off the dreary thoughts and joined in the merriment of the kitchen. Shawna and Kimber stopped dancing together, then moved around the room linking arms and swinging with each of the other girls.

The laughter and singing died quickly when Mr. Miller entered the room. The girls all stopped what they were doing and stood still, like they were at attention. Lara feared they’d violated some Amish rule.

Mr. Miller looked somberly around the room then laughed. “I am glad yee are having a good time. This house has not had much merriment for a long while. Once my wife passed away, we men have been a much too serious bunch. Even if we are Amish.” He winked at Lara. “The Lord has brought you all here for a reason, maybe it was to bring happiness to the rest of us and remind us that life is worth living.”

Lara’s throat tightened with emotion. He was such a dear and wise man. Truly, she was blessed to have stumbled upon their farm.

Once the kitchen was in proper order, Lara joined a group that had gathered on the front porch. As Samuel moved to make room for her, Caleb stood and said, “Lara and I are going to check on things at my house.” Taking her hand, he led her off the porch before she or anyone else could object.

Happy for some time alone with Caleb, Lara gladly went along with him. It wasn’t until they’d passed the barn that she remembered Caleb’s words from that morning. He was going to use the switch on her.

She stopped in her tracks and Caleb halted as well. “What’s wrong?”

“I’m so sorry, Caleb, about everything. But, please, don’t use the switch on me.”

Caleb sighed, looked down at his feet, then back into her eyes. “This isn’t going to work, Lara, if you will not abide by my decisions.”

“Do I have to let you decide everything?”

“No, many decisions we’ll make together. But when it comes to wifely discipline, I expect you to submit to my decisions about when you deserve to be disciplined and what the punishment will be.” He clasped both her hands in his. “Do you trust me to do that?”

Lara paused. The moment weighed heavily upon her. Her answer would determine her future. “Yes,” she said. “I do trust you. I just don’t want it to happen.”

Caleb chuckled and they resumed their walk. “I’d be surprised if you said you did want to be punished.”

“Me too.”

Once the sun began to set and the air got cool, the gathering on the porch broke up and the Millers and their houseguests, minus Caleb and Lara, as well as Daniel who had never joined the group in the first place, made their way inside and prepared for bed. The upstairs of the house had four bedrooms. Mr. Miller and each of the two older boys had their own rooms, while the remaining four sons shared a large bedroom. After some rearranging of furniture and mattresses, the college students had a makeshift dormitory while Mrs. Potter took up residence in a small room off the kitchen that had been used by Aunt Agnes.

Though they ought to have been sleeping, the women were too excited to rest just yet and sat together on the floor near a window chatting about their change in circumstances.

“Can you believe our good luck?” Katie asked. “A house and beds and food? I never thought I’d see any of those things again.”

“I’m just glad to be clean,” Shawna said and Kimber nodded in agreement.

Brittany looked around the room, mentally reviewed the sleeping arrangements, and said, “So… if all the boys slept in their own beds last night, where did Lara sleep?”

The others sat quietly for a moment, apparently pondering this riddle. “She must have slept on the couch,” Grace said. “That makes the most sense. Or she might have used the bedroom downstairs where Mrs. Potter is staying.”

“Maybe,” Brittany said. She wasn’t convinced. “Makes you wonder how she got engaged so quickly, doesn’t it?”

“Brittany! That is unkind and untrue. Why can’t you just be happy that we have a roof over our heads and also be happy that Lara is going to be married?” Grace was always willing to believe the best about others, which annoyed Brittany quite a bit.

“Hey, Brittany—you never told us what happened when Daniel took you into the woodshed. I don’t think you ought to be talking about Lara possibly doing inappropriate things when you were alone with an angry Amish man.” Katie’s eyes sparked with laughter. Brittany hated being mocked.

“Nothing happened. He’s just a big brute, that’s all.”

“He’s a pretty sexy brute if you ask me.” Kimber finally opened her mouth to join the conversation. Brittany would have been just as glad if she hadn’t.

“Well, you can have him, for all I care.” Brittany left the chat circle, got into bed, and turned her back to the others.

“I think you struck a nerve,” Shawna said and the rest giggled. Under the covers, Brittany seethed.

“Anybody know where he went after dinner? He wasn’t on the porch with the others,” Katie, who never missed a detail, said.

“Maybe he had to get away because Brittany is too sexy for him to handle.” Snorts and stifled giggles followed.

“I’m ignoring all of you,” Brittany said over her shoulder.

“Well, if you’re not interested in Daniel,” Kimber said, “maybe I am.”

“Me too,” said Shawna.

“Good luck,” Brittany said then closed her eyes and prayed for sleep to overtake her. She was tired of thinking about Daniel.

And yet, she couldn’t stop.

Despite her dread at the punishment that awaited her inside, Lara’s heart fluttered when she caught the first glimpse of Caleb’s house—their house. What would it be like to be his wife, to create a family in this new, strange world?

“How soon do you think we should get married?” The words were out of her mouth before she realized she’d spoken out loud. She gasped and slapped her hand across her lips, as though trying to push the words back in.

After what seemed like an immensely long pause, Caleb took her hand. “I think we should talk about that after your punishment.”

Lara would have preferred a quick and enthusiastic ‘right away’ but accepted the fact that Caleb would not be swayed from the issue of her discipline.

“Take off your pants and stand in the corner by the window,” Caleb said as soon as they entered the bedroom.

She considered protesting, but based on the determined set of his jaw, Lara did as her future husband instructed. Although they had done much exploration of each other’s bodies the night before, the bundling bag had provided a thin barrier to protect her modesty.

At least the long man’s shirt she’d borrowed covered her bottom from his view. Maybe this wouldn’t be as humiliating as she’d thought.

Lara stared into the corner and focused on steadying her breath. She trusted Caleb. He was to be her husband. He would punish her properly for her bad behavior, but no more than she deserved or could handle.

So focused on her breathing and thoughts, she didn’t notice that Caleb had moved to stand behind her. When he began to unbutton her shirt, however, she became very aware of his presence. She clutched the sides of the shirt. “Caleb, no. We mustn’t.”

Caleb nipped her ear with his teeth then whispered, “Shhh, little maus. ” His hands expertly undid the buttons, then knotted the tails of the shirt between her breasts. She was like Daisy Duke but without the cut-off shorts and cowboy boots.

Instinctively her hands went to cover her womanly parts.

Caleb kissed her neck then said, “I knew you were a modest young woman. You may cover yourself if you wish, but know that once we are married, your body will be mine, only mine.”

His possessive tone sent a shiver throughout Lara’s body. “Yes, Caleb.”

He skimmed his hands the length of her back, caressed the swells of her bottom and squeezed her thighs, his thumbs brushing the opening to her womanhood. Lara moved her hands from shielding her mound to brace herself against the wall. Caleb stroked his thumbs back and forth a couple of times and her legs began to weaken.

Caleb moved away and she felt cold and vulnerable without his closeness. “You are too tempting, my Lara. We have business to attend to. I want you to think about why you are being punished.”

How can I think about that when I’m soaking wet? Lara kept that thought to herself and simply nodded.

A quick pinch to her left bottom cheek got her attention. “Words, not nods, Lara.”

“Yes, Caleb.”

Breathe , she reminded herself. Why am I being punished? Oh, yeah, I left my friends out in the woods while I was enjoying a good time with Caleb. Well, Brittany wasn’t really a friend, so maybe she didn’t count. And what was the deal between Brittany and Daniel? Boy, were the sparks flying. Hard to imagine that Daniel would put up with Brittany and her bratty ways. The switch would probably do her some good.

The idea of Brittany getting a thorough spanking pleased Lara.

“What are you smiling about? You’re supposed to be thinking about why you are being punished. Do you need me to remind you of your bad behavior? Have you forgotten about leaving your friends out in the cold woods? Or the fact that you lied to me when I asked if you’d been alone all this time? How can we be husband and wife if you hide things from me?”

Chastened, Lara pushed away gleeful images of Brittany getting her just deserts and directed her thinking to her own poor choices. She relived the fear and misery of the nights in the woods—the cold and darkness, the hunger and anxiety. Every minute of that time had been horrific and she had made her friends stay out there a whole day longer than necessary.

She hung her head in shame.

“Why are you hanging your head, Lara?”

“B-because I feel horrible for what I did.”

“As well you should. Have you apologized to your friends and to Mrs. Potter?”

“N-no.” It hadn’t even crossed her mind to apologize to them. What sort of person forgets to apologize? Not a good one, that’s for sure. “Oh, Caleb.” She turned to him, guilt and condemnation flowing over her. “I acted horribly. What can I do to make amends?”

“Well, first of all, you ought to apologize to the others.”

“Yes,” she replied; much as she hated to make a spectacle of herself, she owed them an apology, at the very least. “But, I just feel so guilty.”

Caleb positioned himself on the edge of the bed and patted his lap. “This is where you will release the guilt.”

At that moment, Lara realized she was bare from the waist—actually the breasts—down. Doubled over, she attempted to cover her nudity, though it was probably futile at this point anyway. Caleb patted his lap again. “I’m waiting, Lara. If I have to tell you again, it will add to your punishment.”

Thoroughly embarrassed, Lara hobbled her way to Caleb in an effort to both obey his command and protect her modesty.

When she stopped in front of him, Caleb touched her elbow indicating that she needed to stand up straight. “B-but you said I could shield my… my… you know… myself… from you. You said you liked my modesty.”

“I do like your modesty,” Caleb said, helping her to stand upright before him. “But I like looking at you even more.” He made a slow inspection of her body with his eyes.

She ought to have blushed crimson from his perusal of her intimate places. Instead, Lara was proud of her body, proud that it pleased Caleb. She stood straight and still, accepting, even inviting, his appreciative gaze. Modesty and shyness disappeared. Reaching between her breasts, she opened the knot of her shirt. Separating the sides of her covering, she revealed her breasts to Caleb. Her nipples, deep red and pebble hard, ached for his touch. Dropping the garment to the floor, she shared her body with the man who was to be her husband.

She was a woman. His woman.

Caleb’s gaze raked hungrily over her nudity. “You are beautiful, my Lara.” His voice was a husky whisper. Caleb reached out to her and helped her into position across his lap then stroked his palm across the flesh of her buttocks. “I know that I said we would discuss a time for our marriage after your punishment,” he stroked past her cheeks and between her thighs, “but I think we both realize it needs to be soon, very soon, before we commit even more sins than we have already.”

“Or are about to…” Lara said and giggled.

A firm swat landed on her bottom. “That’s for being sassy.”

“Yes, sir,” she said and stifled another giggle.

“It seems we have both gotten distracted from our purpose here,” Caleb said and Lara felt him shift on the bed.

Whoosh. Thwack.

“Ouch!”

The switch had been put into use and it stung. No gentle warmup with a few light swats. No playful interlude where he teased and tickled her with the tips of the branches. None of that. Suddenly Caleb was all business.

And he got busy giving her backside the business.

The switch whooshed through the air a fraction of a second before contact and the sound made Lara tense up her muscles in anticipation of the stinging impact.

“Relax, Lara. You’re making it worse for yourself.”

Caleb’s hand gently brushed across her shoulders and down her back. He repeated the motion over and over at a slow and steady pace. Lara focused on her breathing and calmed her mind.

Then her punishment began in earnest. The slender strip of wood fell over and over across the bare cheeks of her bottom and Caleb varied his speed and intensity so that just when she began to think perhaps the punishment was over, another stripe landed on her tender rear end.

That little switch, which seemed like a harmless decoration when hung above the bed, was really a nasty fearsome implement of correction. It prickled across her delicate flesh at random intervals, leaving hot bright-pink welts in its wake.

Held firmly over Caleb’s lap, Lara’s only recourse was to writhe from side to side in an attempt to avoid the hateful switch. That only earned her sharp strokes of the implement on the backs of her thighs, which was even more excruciating than the lashes across her bottom. Frustrated and out of options, Lara finally relented and accepted her punishment without protest or further attempts at avoidance.

As she gave herself over to the punishment, guilt about her behavior slowly ebbed away.

Any naughty thoughts she may have entertained moments before vanished in the onslaught of her punishment. Lara focused on the reason for this spanking.

She had lied to Caleb and she had left her friends out in the cold. While they were tired and hungry, she had been feasting at the Miller family dining table. Guilt and shame filled her, but she found that with each successive slap of the switch on her bare flesh, some of the anguish left her. She had done wrong, she was remorseful, and now she was being punished. Once that was completed, she could put it all in the past and move on with her life. Her life with Caleb.

Though her mind and heart understood, her butt felt the brunt of it. With a flurry of swats, Caleb finished the task and she started to relax into his touch.

She envisioned tiny electric sparks dancing down her back where his fingers stroked her spine. When her nose detected what could only be the shameful aroma of her arousal, she squirmed and attempted to clench her thighs together, hoping to stem the flow of her juices.

Caleb was not having it. The switch snaked its way from her knees up the inside of her thighs and forced her legs apart. Caleb stroked his thumb into the wet opening and probed the rim until he found the hard button of her desire. He used his hand with surprising skill, pinching and teasing the nub of her clit until her hips bucked against his lap. What had started as punishment ended with a sweaty, squirmy orgasm.

When she was spent, Caleb turned her over and gathered her in his arms.