The Firecracker Gets Her Man Read online

  The Firecracker Gets Her Man

  By

  Joannie Kay

  ©2016 by Blushing Books® and Joannie Kay

  All rights reserved.

  No part of the book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

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  Joannie Kay

  The Firecracker Gets Her Man

  EBook ISBN: 978-1-68259-834-4

  Cover Art by ABCD Graphics & Design

  This book is intended for adults only. Spanking and other sexual activities represented in this book are fantasies only, intended for adults. Nothing in this book should be interpreted as Blushing Books' or the author's advocating any non-consensual spanking activity or the spanking of minors.

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  Table of Contents:

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  About the Author

  EBook Offer

  Blushing Books Newsletter

  Blushing Books

  Chapter One

  Rusty Bucket, Texas

  July 1, 1874

  The stage rolled into the small, dusty town of Rusty Bucket only an hour late, which was a fairly good time for a lazy Wednesday afternoon. Texas Ranger Lance Underwood stood in the shade of the general store to watch the passengers disembark. There was the usual number of gawkers who loved to see who was getting off the stage, he noticed. The sheriff, whose duty it was to keep the town safe for all, was there to observe the passengers for those who looked disreputable. There was also an assortment of relatives there to greet a loved one who was returning home from some time away, but there was no sign of Misty Feathers, Jared Cane’s woman, or any of Jared’s gang members. It meant that Lance was going to need to be patient.

  He saw an elderly gentleman leave the stage, and it was obvious that he was flustered and angry by the twin spots of red staining his cheeks.

  “Father, what has upset you so?” one of the waiting ladies asked in concern, reaching out to take his hand in her gloved one.

  “That obnoxious female!” the elderly man muttered. “I swear I would take a switch to her, were she mine to deal with.” He visibly struggled to regain his composure. “My, how nice of you all to come and meet the stage today! I have missed you all!”

  “We missed you too, Father. Geraldine is preparing supper for everyone at your house.”

  “That sounds wonderful. Teddy, would you get Grandfather’s bag? We certainly don’t want to be late for the lovely meal your mama is preparing for us.”

  “Yes, sir.” The teenager quickly stepped forward and took the bag when the driver handed it down.

  “Let’s all go home!” the elderly man said with a big smile for his loved ones, and as a body, they moved down the street.

  “Hot damn!” Lance heard the sheriff exclaim under his breath. “I can’t believe the nerve of that vixen!” The sheriff hurried toward the stagecoach, anger and determination in his step. Lance was sure that he was going to see the blonde Misty Feathers, but instead, a pretty redhead was stepping down from the stage. She wasn’t very old, either. He watched, transfixed.

  “You just get your fanny right on back on that stage, little girl. You ain’t comin’ back here to upset Doc!”

  “Sheriff Willis, you take your hand off of me before I kick you where it counts!”

  “It ain’t fittin’ for you to talk like that, Rachel Waterford. Doc would be scandalized.”

  “I doubt it, since he is the one who taught me about the male anatomy!”

  “Little girl, I am warnin’ you. You done upset folks in this here town, and I ain’t gonna stand for you doin’ it again! Get back on the stage and get on out of here.”

  “Have I broken any laws, Sheriff?” Rachel asked sweetly.

  “Not yet, you ain’t.” But it was clear by the man’s attitude that he expected that to change momentarily.

  “Until I do, please leave me alone.” She was polite but firm, and the sheriff backed up a few steps.

  Lance noticed the man didn’t offer to help her down the steps from the coach, and he found himself stepping forward and offering his hand. She glanced at him for a moment, and then nodded and smiled. “Thank you, sir.”

  “My pleasure, ma’am.”

  “Miss Rachel, where should I put your bags?” the driver asked.

  “Put them in the office for now, Gus. I might not be staying long if—”

  “Rachel? Rachel! Is that you, honey?” An elderly man reined in
the horse pulling his buggy, then hopped down from the seat with surprising agility for his age, and ran over to hug her tightly. “Are you truly home, child?” he asked, clinging to her.

  “I am, if I am welcome?” she asked, her voice reflecting her doubt.

  “What is this ‘if you are welcome’ business? Of course you are welcome! You are my child and you will always be welcome in my home.”

  “Thank you, Papa. Are you on a call?” Rachel asked, pointing at the buggy.

  “Just coming home. Milly Gains gave birth to a baby boy in the wee hours of morning,” he told her, reaching for one of the bags Gus handed down.

  For some reason he couldn’t explain, Lance stepped forward, took the heavy trunk and carried it to the buggy and put it in back, in the boot. “Thank you, young man. I don’t believe we have met. I am Doctor Caleb Waterford, and this lovely young woman is my daughter, Miss Rachel Waterford.” The look he leveled on Lance was the same one he used when obtaining information from a patient. It meant he wanted the truth and he wanted it right now.

  “My name is Lance Underwood, sir. I just arrived in town this morning and thought you could use a hand with that trunk.”

  “Very kind of you.”

  “Were you disappointed to learn I am not Misty Feathers, Ranger?” Rachel asked, humor in her green eyes.

  Lance felt as though she’d sucker punched him in the gut. “What?” he sputtered.

  “It’s obvious you are the ranger who is on the trail of Jared Cane. If you were from around here you wouldn’t have bothered to help me from the stage. I’m not Misty, and she won’t be arriving here for another two days. She is having a dress made by a seamstress in Lyndon; she is four months pregnant and her clothes are too revealing, even for Misty. Jared won’t be here until the fourth of July. He figures he can slip into town with all of the festivities going on, and none the wiser.”

  “How do you know all of this, Miss Waterford?” Lance questioned.

  “Yes, Rachel. How do you know all of this?” Caleb asked with a frown. “You shouldn’t be associating with people like that!”

  “Papa, I believe you are the one who taught me that everyone has red blood, feels pain and joy, and is considered by God to be His child.”

  “Do not use my own words against me, daughter. I want an answer to what seems completely out of character.”

  “Eating is not out of character, and I had to work, so I did. The only thing I can do with any skill is nursing, and I have been working as a nurse. People often forget you are in the room, remember? Jared Cane was shot in his last robbery attempt. He came to the doctor I worked for and when Doctor Merritt sent me out for some supplies, Cane repaid his kindness by shooting him dead. I was fortunate enough to be able to hide until he left town with Misty. They agreed to meet here on July fourth, and yes, that is why I came home. I fully intended to tell the sheriff, but he was rude to me, and so I didn’t tell him. I am happy to learn you are in town, Ranger. I heard a rumor that you were coming.”

  “You are fortunate you were able to stay out of Cane’s sight, Miss Rachel. He doesn’t care who he kills, and he would have shot you down without a qualm.”

  “I felt it was time to come home and make peace with Papa, and this just gave me the push I needed. Papa, I was wrong; you were right; I am very sorry I didn’t listen to you. I have grown up, and I promise I will heed your advice in the future. I love you so much, and I have missed you.”

  “I am just happy you are home, honey. The past is over and done, and I can use a good nurse. I’m glad you are here.” He reached for her and hugged her tightly. “Thank you for coming home; this is so wonderful I can hardly believe my good fortune. I love you too. Don’t you worry about folks; they’ll warm to you when they see we are getting along.”

  “The sheriff isn’t happy. In fact, he tried to put me back on the stage.”

  “Arnold is overstepping his bounds. He does not own this town,” Caleb declared. “Last week he told Esther Clark she needed to marry again and find something else to do besides stick her nose in everyone’s business.”

  “Now, that is probably true, Papa!” Rachel giggled at the thought.

  “You stay away from Esther, honey. I’ll not have the two of you fussing.” He shook a long finger in warning at her.

  “I am willing to leave people alone, provided they leave me alone. I won’t start anything, but I won’t walk away, either.”

  “You aren’t so big I can’t spank you, Rachel Marie Waterford!” the doctor threatened.

  “Papa, you won’t do that and you know it. Goodness knows I’ve given you enough reason to spank me over the years, but you wouldn’t raise a hand to me if you were threatened!”

  “I’ll hire someone,” he promised, and then chuckled when she giggled. “I fear my threats bear no weight, Ranger. Would you like to join us for supper tonight? I could use your help in getting Rachel’s trunk inside and upstairs to her bedroom. She is a very good cook, and I happen to have been paid with two chickens today for delivering Milly’s baby.”

  “I love fried chicken, Doc, but I would unload the trunk for you just for the asking. My Ma taught me that kindness doesn’t need to be paid for.”

  “We would love to have your company, Ranger. Please come. I promise you that I am a decent cook, even if I say so myself.”

  “I thank you for the invite. I can’t recall the last time I had a home-cooked meal, and I do love fried chicken,” Lance repeated. “I’ll get my horse and follow you home.” He started to walk away, only to stop, walk back and say, “I am supposed to be working undercover. I’m asking you not to say anything to anyone about me being a Texas Ranger. I don’t want Cane to get wind of me and run again.”

  “We won’t say a word, Lance,” Caleb assured him. “Right, Rachel?”

  “Why would I tell, Papa? I’m not foolish. I don’t want Cane to find me, either!”

  Lance fetched his stallion and then followed the doc’s buggy to his home, which was down the street, and boasted a large sign, ornately hand painted with Caleb Waterford, M.D. hanging on a post beside the gate to the white picket fence surrounding his home and office.

  “I see you like my sign, Lance. It is a bit too fancy for my taste, but one of my patients made it for me as payment for saving his son’s life. I could do no less than hang it.”

  “You are a good man, Doctor.”

  “Very practical,” Caleb corrected.

  “Do you want me to put Sadie away, Papa?” Rachel offered.

  “No, honey. You show Lance where to put your trunk, and then please put on a pot of coffee. I have sorely missed your wonderful coffee.”

  “I will happily do that, Papa,” she agreed, and then gave him a spontaneous hug and a kiss on the cheek. “Thank you for making me welcome. I have really missed you!”

  “The world feels right again, does it not?” Caleb asked with a smile for her.

  “It does,” she admitted.

  Lance picked up the trunk and Rachel held open the gate for him to enter; then she led the way up the short sidewalk and the steps to the front porch of the large house. She opened the door, and hurried up the steps to the right of the entryway, Lance following. She went to the last door on the right, opened it, and then said, “This is my room, Lance. You can put the trunk down anywhere, and I’ll tend to unpacking later. Thank you so much for your help. Papa is a strong man, but this trunk is too heavy for him to manage all the way up the steps, especially after being up all night delivering a baby.”

  She smiled and added, “I appreciate your kindness to me at the stagecoach too. I knew that coming home wouldn’t be easy, but I just couldn’t let Jared Cane come here to rob the bank and bankrupt this entire town. The people here work so hard for what they have. I didn’t expect the sheriff to be so rude to me, and I just reacted instead of being the grown woman I am and telling him what I know.”

  “Truthfully, I am glad you didn’t tell him. He would have told everyone and botch
ed my chances of catching Cane. Just out of curiosity, what did you say to that elderly man who got off the stage all irate and threatening to switch you?”

  Rachel giggled, and her green eyes twinkled mischievously. “He insists his family toe a straight line and call him Father and Grandfather. He is so pompous, and he couldn’t resist scolding me for leaving town the way I did. Only Papa has the right to reprimand me for my behavior, and I reminded him of that. He didn’t like it. I was supposed to dissolve in tears and repent of my wicked ways.”

  “So why did you leave town?” Lance knew he was pushing his luck, but he was intrigued by the little redhead. She was beautiful and feisty, and he happened to like a woman who had some sass about her. He had the perfect cure for that, and she looked to have a bottom that just begged for a good spanking.

  “I left because of a man. He promised me the sun, moon, and stars, and I learned he was all talk. When he learned I wasn’t going to share his bed until he put a ring on my finger, he dumped me in the closest town and took off. I was too humiliated to come home and face everyone in town and all of the ‘I-told-you-sos,’ that I would have heard. I found a job with Doctor Merritt, and I grew up. Is your curiosity satisfied, Ranger?”

  “For now,” he answered, grinning impudently. Yes, Rachel Waterford was going to be a handful.

  Rachel hurried to put on the coffee and tsked over the condition of her kitchen. The rest of the house seemed very clean, but not her kitchen. Once the coffee was ready, she sent her father and Lance into the parlor to sit and talk while she did a hurried clean as she was frying the chickens for their dinner.

  “I am so hungry just from smelling that chicken cooking, Lance. I hope you’re hungry, too?” Caleb questioned. “My Rachel is a wonderful cook. She takes after her dear mother, God rest her soul.”