“Yes,” she sobbed, wiping her nose on her quilt. “I will never do anything like that again.”
“Are you going to honor your commitment and marry me?” he asked.
When her answer was slow in coming, she felt his hand leave her body and she screamed out, “Yes, yes, yes!”
“You’d better,” he drawled, “or you’ll find yourself back in this position.”
“I will marry you, Ty,” she said softly. “I just need time to get used to your ways.”
“I understand that, sweetie, but when I say something, I mean it. Once you grasp that concept, we’ll make out just fine. I do adore you, honey. I think you’re the most wonderful thing that’s ever happened to me,” he said sincerely. “I’ll do everything in my power to make you happy, however, you will not defy me without paying the piper,” he continued, administering five heartfelt smacks.
“Oh no!” Annalise squealed, kicking her feet.
Neither of them heard the door open, but Ty clearly heard the click of a gun.
“Let her go,” Callie Mae ordered.
Ty looked at the beautiful woman in the short black dress with a red feather in her hair, holding her gun pointed at his chest. He wondered briefly if she would, in fact, shoot him, and he doubted it.
“Don’t make me shoot you, Ty Wainwright. Your mama wouldn’t like it,” she said, her lips smiling but her eyes cold.
“No, ma’am, she wouldn’t,” he admitted. Spinning Annalise in his arms, he ignored her squeal when her bottom scraped across his wet jeans and he kissed her.
Callie Mae looked away in embarrassment as he devoured Annalise’s lips until her hands threaded into his hair, pulling him closer. Her whimpers sounded remarkably like the sounds Callie Mae herself had uttered when Morgan put his lips to her nipples in the kitchen.
When her friend was a pliant bundle in Ty’s arms, he lifted her from his lap and set her on the bed, smiling as she grimaced. Standing, he tipped his hat.
“Ladies,” he said politely before exiting the room, his boots still making a squishing noise with each step.
“I’m not going to ask you what that was all about,” Callie Mae said as she collapsed against the door. “It’s none of my business. I just hope you know what you’re doing.”
“So do I,” Annalise whispered back, her fingers gently touching her lips as tears rolled down her cheeks.
“Lie down and let me see how bad off you are,” Callie Mae instructed, approaching the bed.
“Oh, I couldn’t do that,” Annalise said with a hiccup.
“Of course you can. We’re both female, aren’t we? Don’t be such a prude, especially after what I just witnessed,” she insisted, shaking her head. “Now lie down, maybe I can help.”
With a groan, Annalise lay on her tummy and felt Callie Mae lift her skirts.
“Hell’s bells,” Callie Mae gasped, inspecting Annalise’s bright red bottom. “He sure got you good, honey. I can see every handprint and he didn’t miss an inch. I don’t see any bruises though, that’s a good sign. Does it hurt terribly?”
“Only like I sat on the stove,” Annalise groaned out.
“Well,” Callie Mae sighed as she straightened up, “if you’re really gonna marry that man, honey, you better plan on more of the same. I’ve known Ty Wainwright for a long time and if he says something, he means it.”
“Sort of like Morgan?” Annalise asked, looking over her shoulder.
“Yes, like Morgan,” Callie Mae replied softly, staring at her reflection in the mirror. “I’ll send Jane up with some ice; I have to go change.”
“Why? That’s a beautiful dress. I wish I was brave enough to wear something like that.”
“I’ve decided I’m not that brave,” Callie Mae said, glancing at Annalise’s fiery bottom one last time. “I’m beginning to think some things are not worth the price. You rest for a while. I imagine Ty will be back to make-up once he gets some dry clothes on.”
Morgan ran into Ty in front of the Sheriff’s office.
“You fall in the creek?” he asked, leaning forward on his pommel.
