The Great Scottish Devil Read Free Page B

determination to survive. And he respected that grim resolve, although he was more than frustrated with her stubbornness. They’d talked late into the night about her intending to continue with her family’s tinker trade. Well, she’d talked about it. He’d listened and tried to give her the voice of reason, tried to make her understand the dangers of being a woman and traveling alone. She’d finally acknowledged he was right about that.
    So why wasn’t she getting ready to leave? He’d seen her wander off to take care of her own personal matters, but she should be back by now. She should be helping to hitch up her horses. Unless she’d changed her mind about going with them this morn. But had she actually told him she would? Aye, she had. He was certain she had. Well, almost certain.
    Irritated, he strode off in the direction he’d seen her go. She was coming with them! There was no question about it in his mind. Behind him he heard the sounds of men packing up, saddles being put on horses, men talking and laughing. They were eager to get on their way. Now they were delayed even longer because of this contrary lass. He had a good mind to warm her bottom over all this nonsense.
     
    Annabel squirmed for all she was worth. “Let me up! Right now! You have no right to do this!”
    Brodie’s large hand went right on swatting hard against her bottom. Even through the layer of her braies she felt the burning sting getting worse and worse.
    “Nay! Ye’ve earned this spanking.” He tucked her closer to his firm stomach where he sat on a boulder with her draped over his lap. His hand rose and fell faster, harder. “Ye’re being foolish and I willna put up with it any longer.”
    She wriggled and then hissed at yet another solid Swat! She’d been picking heather and some wildflowers when he’d come upon her. He’d ordered her back to camp. Of course, she’d refused. His patience had disappeared in that instant. He’d spotted a nearby boulder large enough to sit on and dragged her with him to it. He’d given her a chance to change her mind and do as he’d told her. When she’d stubbornly shaken her head and then made the mistake of calling him some colorful names for being so pigheaded about this, he’d announced he was going to spank the very devil out of her. Which he currently was doing.
    “I’m perfectly capable of…” Her protest faded away as he sent another rain of bottom-blazing smacks down. The man’s hand was hard as iron.
    She arched backward from the pain, kicked her legs. Finally she cried out and hated that probably every man in camp had heard her. How would she ever face them again? “I’ll never forgive you for this! Ooooohhh. Oooowwww!”
    “Lie still! Havena ye ever been spanked ‘ere?”
    “Of course I have,” she yelped. Her father’s strap was in one of the boxes in the wagon’s bed. It hadn’t been used often in the last year or so, but she was very familiar with its sting. Even her mother had taken her over her knee from time to time over the years to give her a hand spanking.
    “Then ye should know enough to take what ye’ve earned.” The smacks seemed to go on and on. It hurt, a lot!
    She hit his leg with her fist. “I did not earn this!”
    “Aye, ye did. This foolish insistence aboot no’ going with us. Thinking ye can just travel these lands all on yer own. Worrying me.” He smacked her extra hard at that admission. “I’ll no’ have it!”
    Suddenly even through her misery she remembered all that he was dealing with, the loss of his memory, his family. She’d lost the last of her family, too. But at least she could get comfort from her memories of them. He didn’t have that. And now he worried about her. As irritated with him as she was about this spanking, she hurt for him. Would it really be such a problem to go with them for now? Mayhap she could find someone in his village to join her in her travels.
    “All right,” she said on another hiss and craned