Heartfield Ranch (Communities of Discipline Book 2) Page 12

  “You don’t have to go, Jake. I told you that. I’ll do it.”

  “No.” He shook his head.

  “You can’t just dismiss me on this,” Ann Marie began.

  “I can and I will,” Jake said. “I have a responsibility not only to you, Ann Marie, but to this community. Your mother is nothing but trouble and she’s out of your life now. And I intend to see it stay that way.”

  “Well, I disagree,” Ann Marie rose from her chair, her face flushed with anger. “I’ll decide whether or not to see this through.”

  “It’s been seen-through,” Jake said, getting to his feet.

  “I disagree,” Ann Marie said. “And tomorrow I intend to go to town and talk to her.”

  “The hell you are.” Jake walked around the table and grabbed his wife by the arm. He didn’t want to spank Ann Marie, but he felt as if she were giving him no choice. He would not risk her poking the hornet’s nest that was Melissa Fales just as things were finally settling down. Ann Marie needed to understand that when he made a decision, it was final. He would not have her arguing with him after he’d issued an order, and he told her so as he took her into the bedroom and sat on the edge of the bed.

  “Ann Marie, you are exhibiting a spirit of stubbornness that has no place in this house,” he said as he pulled her across his lap.

  Ann Marie, still angry at being denied the chance to see her mother, struggled furiously. But her husband’s strength was superior to hers and Jake easily subdued her.

  “You’re going to learn not to argue with me,” he said as he hauled up the thin, checkered fabric of her skirt. The skirt would have offered scant protection anway, but he chose to bare her backside to emphasize his dominance over her, and to make her aware of how seriously he took her actions.

  “No!” Ann Marie’s hand flew back defensively, but he easily caught it and trapped it between their bodies as he pulled her panties down to the middle of her thighs.

  Ignoring her protests, he began to spank her fervently, peppering the skin of her bottom with a pattern of red handprints that quickly turned the fair skin a ruddy pink. Ann Marie did not have a high pain tolerance, and was soon crying in earnest. But Jake did not cease in his chastisement and continued to punish his wife’s helpless bottom until her body heaved with sobs.

  Only when she was limp over his lap did he stop.

  “Are you ready to mind me, Ann Marie?” he asked sternly. “Or do I need to plug you?”

  “I’ll mind you,” she said brokenly.

  Jake sat her up in his lap and sighed, wondering if maybe he should just plug her against her will. But he decided against it. It always worked best when the woman was at the place where she needed to show that kind of submission. Tension filled Ann Marie’s body; she wasn’t quite there yet.

  “Look, babe,” he said. “I know it’s tough for you, but trust me on this one. Nothing good can come from trying to make someone understand something they have determined is wrong. You know that. And as hard as this may be for you, part of living the Heartfield way is accepting my decision, even when you don’t want to.” He paused. “Unless you’ve changed your mind about this being what you want. Have you?”

  Ann Marie, whose crying had slowed, sniffed and wiped her nose on the back of her sleeve. “That’s not fair, Jake. You know I haven’t.”

  “Good,” he said, standing. “Then the matter is settled. And I’m going to finish dinner now.”

  Ann Marie watched her husband walk back to the kitchen. She was being honest when she said she wanted to live the Heartfield way. She had promised to obey Jake when she’d joined the community. But no one was perfect, and she knew even as she stood there that this was one of the times when she’d end up letting him down.

  ***

  Two new residents joined Heartfield the next morning. Karen and Ann Marie were up early to meet them.

  “They’re just the most beautiful ladies I’ve ever seen,” Ann Marie gushed.

  “Thanks.” Albert Thompson smiled as he ushered the two Costwold ewes from the back of his stock trailer and into a pen the women had prepared for them earlier that morning.

  A few months earlier, Ann Marie had attended a workshop on spinning and was eager to add hand-dyed wool products to the craft items Heartfield offered.

  “Here.” Ann Marie reached into her pocket and pulled out a check she handed to Thompson.

  “Thank you,” he said. “I really appreciate it. It’s nice doing business with you folk.” He pulled off his hat and scratched the top of his balding head. “Yep,” he said. “I really do.”

  An uncomfortable silence passed between the trio, and Karen looked at Ann Marie before addressing their guest.

  “Mr. Thompson, is there something you needed to say?”

  He looked down at his shoes. “Nah, well, yeah. I was just wondering how things were. I mean, what happened out here was all over the news, you know. Lot of talk about cults and crooked cops. Hard to know who to believe…”

  Karen smiled. “I can understand that, but if it’s worth anything to you, I was a cop and was even part of the investigation and I quit the force to come here. And it wasn’t because I was brainwashed, either. It was because there are few places like this around, where people work and pull together.”

  “Nope.” Thompson put his hat back on and nodded at the women, seemingly satisfied with the response. “Just wanted to be sure, is all. And if a couple of pretty little things like you say it’s OK, then I guess it’s OK.”

  Ann Marie turned to the paddock. “Your sheep seem to like it here already.”

  Thompson laughed. “Then that says it all.” He climbed back into his truck. “You two have a good day and if you have any questions about them ewes, then just give me a call.”

  “We will,” Karen and Ann Marie called in unison.

  They stood in silence, watching the truck disappear down the long drive.

  After a few moments, Ann Marie turned to her companion.

  “I still can’t believe all the problems my mother has caused. I don’t know how long it’s going to take for this to die down.”

  “It will, eventually,” Karen soothed. “The news media is fickle. It’ll be history before you know it.”

  “Maybe for them,” Ann Marie said. “But not for me.” She paused and then looked at Karen. “I tried to talk to Jake last night. About going to talk to my parents, to make peace.”

  “How did he react?”

  Ann Marie shrugged. “He spanked me,” she replied matter-of-factly.

  “For wanting to talk to your parents?” Karen’s tone was incredulous.

  “Not exactly,” Ann Marie sighed. “He feels like there’s no sense in stirring things back up again. He thinks my parents - well, my mother - is a lost cause. And maybe he’s right. But…”

  “But what? You can tell me,” Karen replied.

  Ann Marie threw her hands up in exasperation. “I realize there’s some truth in what he says Karen. Maybe I am tilting at windmills. Maybe talking to them wouldn’t solve anything. And I understand that he’s worried about the community. Last night he kept reminding me of my place in Heartfield. But I’m not just a member of Heartfield. I’m not just a wife. I’m a daughter, too, even if my mother is a controlling, manipulative harridan.”

  Karen thought for a moment, choosing her words carefully. “Sometimes I think the men forget how complex things are for women. I’m all for being loyal to the community, too, but it has to be balanced with loyalty to self.”

  Ann Marie looked at Karen, and then looked around as if afraid someone else may overhear them. Lowering her voice, she spoke.

  “Can you keep a secret?” she asked.

  It seemed like an odd question to ask a former undercover cop, but Karen didn’t say so.

  “Yes,” she replied hesitantly.

  “I’m going to go see my parents, Karen. Even though Jake told me not to, I’m going to do it anyway.”

  “Won’t he be mad when
you tell him?” Karen asked.

  Ann Marie cast Karen a sideways glance. “He won’t get the chance to get mad because I’m not going to tell him.”

  Karen stopped in her tracks. “What do you mean you’re not going to tell him?”

  “I can’t,” Ann Marie said miserably. “If I do, he’ll just nix the whole thing and I really need to do this. He’s forbidden me from even bringing it up again, so any avenue I had for convincing him is effectively closed. The way I look at it, he’s not giving me any choice.”

  She turned, studying Karen’s face earnestly. “So, can I count on you?”

  “Of course,” Karen answered without hesitation. “I told you I’d keep your secret.”

  “No, not just that,” Ann Marie said, her eyes hopeful. “Can I count on you to go with me? For moral support.”

  The question gave Karen pause. She wanted to help her friend, but this early in her relationship, when she was trying so hard to prove to Clay and the others that she could follow the rules – which included abiding by male authority – the request came at a bad time.

  “I want to help,” she replied honestly. “But now you’re talking about putting two of us at risk. If the men found out, Ann Marie…” The skin on her bottom crawled at the thought.

  “They won’t find out!” Ann Marie insisted. “Look!”

  She pulled a flyer from her back pocket. “There’s a soap-making class at the agricultural center on Wednesday. We could say we’re going to that, and it wouldn’t be a lie. During the lunch hour we could go to my parents’ house.”

  She searched Karen’s eyes. “Please,” she said. “I need to do this but I don’t want to do it alone.”

  Karen didn’t answer right away. Her instinct was to say “no.” She knew it was a simple request, but she worried that her tagging along might just create more tension. Karen remembered how Melissa Fales had looked at her the day of the final showdown. It had not been with kindness. As they resumed walking, she told Ann Marie this, but her friend was insistent.

  “If you tell my parents how you came to realize Heartfield was a good place, even though you had doubts at the beginning, it’ll only help,” she argued. “Especially with my dad.”

  “I don’t know,” Karen said uncertainly.

  “Please!” Ann Marie reached out for her and Karen realized then that the other woman’s eyes were filled with tears. “It would mean so much to me.”

  It was a difficult position, but Karen reminded herself that to be fair was to admit that it was the investigation that had made things worse between Ann Marie and her mother. And while she knew that wasn’t her fault, she did like the idea of doing something to make it right.

  “Can I tell Clay?” Karen asked.

  Ann Marie shook her head. “No,” she said. “Those men tell each other everything. If Clay told Jake, I’d get spanked for sure.” She looked fearfully at Karen. “You wouldn’t do that to me, would you?”

  “No,” Karen said. “Of course not.”

  “Then you’ll go?” Ann Marie asked.

  Karen sighed. “Yes,” she said. “I’ll go. Let’s just pray nothing goes wrong.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  There was a community dinner that night after chores. Heartfield held them once a week, to give the residents a chance to mingle and the women a break from cooking. Most prepared a frozen covered dish ahead of time and cooked it a couple of hours before dinner.

  Lynette Wickham was letting Karen her use their kitchen to prepare a fresh taco casserole for the event.

  Lynette and her husband Randy were still playing host to Karen without complaint, and while Karen was grateful for a place to stay, she was eager to settle into Clay’s place and set up housekeeping there as other women did when they got married. She was growing tired of asking permission to use everything, and continued to do so out of habit even though Lynette had told her time and time again that she need not ask.

  Karen did not consider herself a manipulative person, but part of her believed if she could just make love to Clay – if he could see how perfect they were together – it may compel him to bend the rules and take her under his roof before they were wed. He was, after all, the leader. He’d made numerous sacrifices for the other Heartfield members. How hard would it be for him to get them to waive this one small requirement?

  She smiled, thinking of the lacy black push-up bra and matching panties she wore under the simple dress she had on. Later, when everyone was enjoying desert, she’d lure Clay away and give him something much sweeter. And then….

  “Karen?”

  “Hmm?” She looked over at Lynette, suddenly embarrassed. Her hostess had obviously been calling her and she’d not even noticed for her own thoughts.

  “I was asking if you needed more shredded lettuce.”

  “Oh, sorry. Yes.” Karen took the offered lettuce and smiled sheepishly.

  “Off in your own world?” Lynette asked kindly.

  “A little,” Karen said. “I’m sorry. I know I’m preoccupied. I just get carried away worrying that I’m imposing here.”

  “You’re not,” Lynette said. “We’re willing to host you as long as Clay needs us to.”

  Her words bothered Karen. What, she wondered, about what I need? But she knew she couldn’t express that sentiment.

  “Thanks,” she said. “Hopefully it won’t be too much longer.”

  “When is the wedding again?” asked Lynette.

  “Two months,” Karen said with a sigh, remembering how thrilled she’d been when Clay had asked for her hand, and how certain she’d felt she was doing the right thing by accepting his proposal, even though they’d not known each other that long.

  “I know it’s hard being apart, but believe me, it’ll pass quickly with all the planning you have to do. Weddings here are simple, but even so, putting it all together takes time.”

  “I know,” Karen replied and then glanced over at Lynette. “Can I ask you something?”

  “Sure!”

  “How long were you and Randy engaged? Did you live with someone else until the marriage?”

  “No,” Lynette said. “It wasn’t like that for us. We came here married. Personally, I couldn’t have done what you’re doing. I mean, I understand and admire your and Clay’s resolve, but Randy and I lived together in the outside world before we got married. Don’t tell anyone, but I think it made us stronger. We had a chance to see what living with the other person was like. I think that’s important.”

  Karen wasn’t sure what to say. Lynette apparently thought that Karen was on board with Clay’s decision to delay cohabitation before marriage. She had to wonder what her hostess would think if she knew Clay wanted to wait until marriage to have sex. It continued to nag at her that he kept her physically at arm’s distance. She’d gleaned from several prior conversations that Clay had enjoyed a number of female partners before reordering his life and starting Heartfield. Karen, too, had been in a number of relationships. It wasn’t like they were both virgins saving themselves for the wedding night. Clay had proposed, she’d accepted and they were making plans to be together forever. So why the wait?

  The more she thought about it, the more determined she became to entice Clay away from his strict rule. She was happier at Heartfield than she’d ever been in her life, but until they were truly together, Karen didn’t think she could feel completely secure in her role as Clay’s partner.

  ***

  “She actually said that?” Clay shook his head as he handed another packet of shingles to Jake, who put them down before slicing into them with a razor knife.

  “Yep. She said she was going to go whether I liked it or not.”

  “I hope you helped her get her head back on straight,” Clay said.

  “You better believe I did.” Jake grinned mirthlessly at his friend. “Of course, I had to do it through the other end.”

  Clay nodded grimly. “It’s not easy having to punish someone you love, but you did the right t
hing, Jake. I completely agree that Ann Marie needs to at least put some more time between what happened and trying to make amends with her parents. Did she say why she even wanted to see them? I thought she was ready to write them off.”

  Jake shrugged. “She said something about wanting closure. I think deep down it’s always bothered her that her parents – especially her mother – seemed to care more about her image than about her as a person. In some ways, their treatment made it easier for her to rebel and end up joining a place like Heartfield. But at the same time, seeing the closeness of families here – seeing how affirming we are of each other – makes her realize what kind of relationship she could have with her folks if they would just be willing to try.”

  Clay shook his head. “Melissa Fales isn’t a Heartfielder. I think Ann Marie is setting her sights way too high.”

  “So do I,” Jake said. “That’s part of the reason I’ve forbidden her from going. Well, that and the risk it poses to the community if things backfire and she winds her mother up again. I’d rather her mother have time to think things through and then – if that ever happens – make her way here so she can see Ann Marie in this environment. I’m concerned if Ann Marie tries too hard to convince her mother and father of how happy she is, it will look like she’s insecure, like she’s not really all that convinced herself.”

  “Hmmm.” Clay considered that for a moment as he nailed one of the shingles in place. “Do you think there might be some truth to that? You know how hard it can be for a woman to live like this, to be obedient. Maybe it’s harder for Ann Marie than you realize.”

  But Jake was shaking his head vehemently before Clay had even finished his sentence.

  “Nah,” he said. “That might describe some of the women here, but not my Ann Marie. She’s completely fine with things. And she’ll be obedient to me on this. I know she will.”