Heart and Home: The MacAllister Brothers Read online

  * * *

  “Tell me one more time what my middle name is.”

  Vanessa slumped back onto the settee and screamed in frustration. “Why? I’ve already told you fifteen times that it’s Jacob. Jacob. Jacob. Jacob.”

  “My date of birth?”

  “July 1, 1854, right here in wonderful Mac’s Crossing. Your mother’s name was Beverly. Your father’s name was Winthorp. You have four brothers, Ben, who is the sheriff; Rob, who manages your parent’s cattle ranch; Corbin, who is editor of the newspaper; and Josh, who owns the local store. Corbin and Josh are twins.”

  “Very good. What is my favorite food?”

  “Leaping lizards! Mr. MacAllister, I…”

  “No! Never call me that. I am Win, do you understand?”

  “Win! It’s been a long day. I’m hungry and we need to take a break. After dinner you can drill me some more.”

  “Vanessa, I think you underestimate the gravity of the situation, for both of us. If my aunt asks you these questions and you give incorrect answers, the game is over. I will be forced to leave my home, and you will go to jail.”

  “Oh believe me, Win, I understand. I’ve been an actress for the past fifteen years. I portrayed Juliet in New York City. I know how to play a part.”

  She stood and cocked her head at him. “Please, can we break for a little while and have something to eat?”

  Win felt a grumbling in his stomach. He looked at his watch and his eyes widened.

  “I didn’t realize it was so late. I apologize. Before we eat, though, tell me what types of foods I love.”

  “You like beans and cornbread, not to mention meat from your brother’s ranch.”

  “Very good. I apologize, Vanessa. This whole situation makes me very nervous.”

  “You needn’t be worried on my account, Win. I promise you that I will be perfect in every way.”

  She batted her eyes and Win smiled.

  “If I hadn’t just spent the last six hours with you yelling at me every other minute, I might just think you like me.”

  “No, husband, I don’t like you. I love you.” She rose up on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek.

  “You’re very good, Vanessa. Shall we go eat?”

  In the dining room, they found the table set and cornbread waiting. The cook, who was in a bit of a snit that her dinner had been ignored for so long, brought in a beef stew.

  “Oh look, darling, one of your favorites.”

  Win held out a chair. Once Vanessa was seated, he took his own chair.

  “Now, we need to work on the story about how we met. I’m thinking…”

  “I’m thinking a nice quiet meal would help our digestion. This really is delicious, um…” Vanessa bit her lip and looked at the cook.

  “Mrs. Wallings, her name is Katie Wallings. We’ve been over the staff. How could you forget their names?” Win rolled his eyes and slammed his fist down on the table. He knew his voice was louder than it should be, but things were getting serious, and the hour grew late.

  “Forgive me, Win, it’s a lot to take in on the first day. I’m only human, you know.”

  “There may only be one day. What happened to the consummate actress who could memorize her lines?”

  “She left on the afternoon train after being yelled at for hours on end.” She toyed with her spoon. “At least with a play I had time to memorize lines. I did not sign up for this.”

  “You did. I have the paper right here.” Win pulled the signed agreement from his pocket and shook it at her.

  “To portray your wife, yes. But not for your abuse. Do not yell at me again.”

  “Do you have another idea for reinforcement?”

  “Kindness? You’ve heard the saying ‘kill them with kindness’.”

  “Mrs. Wallings, please leave us.”

  Win watched his cook leave the room. Then he turned to Vanessa.

  “I realize that we are both under a great deal of stress, and yes, I have heard your phrase. But I have also heard the phrase ‘spare the rod and spoil the child’. In this case, I believe it would be proper to say, ‘spare the rod and spoil the actress’. Do you understand my point?”

  “You wouldn’t dare!”

  “I would, if I thought it would make us successful. And by the look on your face, I’m thinking I could be right. One more slip up and I’ll take you, the great American actress, over my knee and tan your little bottom.”

  “You are a barbarian! You have no hold over me, and if you try to spank me I will fight you, I promise.”

  “I promise you, wife, that your bottom will be so sore you won’t be able to sit on the stage long enough to get to Denver.”

  Vanessa stood and threw her napkin on the table. “I won’t stand for this. I will leave immediately. Even if I have to hide out on the stage I assure you I won’t be in Mac’s Crossing tomorrow.”

  “Truthfully? You should know the stage arrived half an hour ago. It leaves again in the morning. Perhaps you can catch it before my brother throws you in jail.”

  A loud knocking on the front door startled them both. Both of their faces were red with anger. They stood and stared at each other as they heard the front door open, and Ben’s voice in the foyer.

  “There’s Ben now. Perhaps he can take you directly to jail.”

  Vanessa stomped her foot and groaned in frustration. “You are an arrogant, insensitive bastard.” Her voice was low, and to Win that showed true anger.

  “Am I interrupting something?”

  “No!” Win and Vanessa screamed the word at the same time.

  “All right. I just came by to tell you that Aunt Matty left Boston last Sunday. She will probably be here in two to three days. Which means you two need to get busy.”

  “We are,” Win said, his angry gaze trained on Vanessa.

  “Well, I can see that you are, so I’ll leave.”

  Win said, “Goodbye,” at the same time Vanessa said, “No, stay.”

  The room grew quiet and Ben looked between the two.

  “Right. I’ll be leaving. I just wanted to warn you.”

  When no one answered he quickly walked out of the room.

  “Do we have an understanding, Vanessa?”

  “No, Mr. MacAllister, we do not. Threaten to spank me one more time and I will leave, signed agreement or not.”

  “Fine, then I suppose I must show you that I’m serious. Let’s go upstairs, shall we?”

  Vanessa looked panicked. Her gaze darted to the door as if to judge how quickly she could run after Ben.

  “For all intents and purposes, Vanessa, you are my wife. I’m afraid that I have no choice but to spank you now, to emphasize the point that I am very, very serious about this.”

  Vanessa didn’t hesitate; she rounded the table and took off for the door at a run. Win was upon her at once. He gathered her in his arms and slammed the dining room door with his foot.

  “Fine, we’ll do it here.”

  She flayed her arms and legs against him, her fists pounding against his arms as he carried her back to the table and sat down on one of the chairs.

  He pulled her across his lap and worked to lift her skirts above her waist.

  “Stop that! You have no right.”

  “I’ll be easy on you this first time, Vanessa, and spank you over your bloomers. You need to remember, though, that this will not happen again. Next time you will be spanked on your bare bottom.”

  “How dare you!” Jessica let out a loud yelp as Win’s hand came into contact with her behind. He slapped her ass again and she kicked out in outrage.

  “Stop that!”

  “Name my brothers, in order.”

  He slapped her ass again and Vanessa screamed in frustration.

  “Where is the staff? How could they allow this to happen?”

  “They know better than to interrupt when the door is shut. Now answer me!”

  Win delivered three more slaps and Vanessa took a deep breath.

  �
�Robert, um…” Her breathing came in short gasps.

  Win delivered several more sharp slaps and said, “Their names, in order.”

  Vanessa took several deep breaths, and then said quickly, “Ben, Robert, Corbin, and Josh.”

  Win delivered four more slaps, two to each cheek, and then stood Vanessa on her feet.

  “Next time, Vanessa, your spanking will not be so easy.”

  Vanessa pounded her fists against his chest.

  “I’m leaving. I won’t stay here!”

  Win grabbed her wrists and pulled her close to his chest.

  “You’re not even crying, so don’t tell me that it hurt. It did motivate you, though. You remembered the names, in order. I’ll have to remember that over the next few days. Now, do you understand the seriousness of the situation?”

  “Yes.” Vanessa’s voice was soft.

  “Good. I don’t want to have to do this again.”

  “Trust me, I don’t either.” She pulled away from him and ran from the room. Win sat down and ran his fingers through his hair. This wasn’t turning out as he’d hoped. Maybe he should just lay things on the line when Matty arrived. He sighed deeply. He did want to come clean with his aunt, but it was too late now. The wheels were in motion, and they had to follow through.

  He hoped his windfall didn’t turn into a tornado.

  Chapter 2

  The next morning, Vanessa fumed as she paced the floor in her bedroom. When she’d arrived yesterday, she’d talked Win into her own room until his aunt arrived. Now she was glad that she had. She’d barely slept, not from the pain from the spanking, because it really hadn’t hurt that much, but from the anger that resulted from the punishment.

  How dare he spank her? Did he think that was going to make her remember everything better? The pressure on this ‘job’ was worse than anything she’d ever done while taking part in a play.

  True, after being taken over his knee she’d remembered his brothers’ names, and in order, but what did that prove?

  “Damn him!” She stomped her foot and then let out a yelp of anger. She had to let him know that yes, he had her over a barrel because of the hotel bill, but she wouldn’t be his submissive little wife. Her mother acted that way with her current paramour, and there was no way Vanessa was following in her footsteps.

  The wheels in Vanessa’s brain went round and round. She’d be a good little girl until his aunt arrived. She’d learn her lines and behave herself. But once auntie was here she’d give him hell. He wouldn’t dare spank her with his aunt in the house.

  Or at least she thought he wouldn’t. She didn’t think he’d do it last night, either. It surprised her to no end when he’d upended her over his lap and slapped her behind. At least he’d let her keep her underclothing in place. He said that wouldn’t happen in the future.

  Just let him try to spank her bare bottom. She’d remind him of their agreement of no sex. To her, being naked across his lap could only lead to trouble. She paced back and forth and considered her options.

  Really, there weren’t any. Damn Wiley for choosing to stop in this little hole in the wall. Right now, he and the other members of the troupe were probably in Denver, enjoying themselves and eating fine foods. She was stuck here, paying for their debt. All because she’d turned Wiley down. If she’d gone to his bed she wouldn’t be in this situation. But she would think worse of herself if she’d given him her body when she didn’t care for him at all.

  Vanessa leaned her head against the window frame and stared into the wide-open spaces of Colorado. The mountains could be seen to the west. They were so beautiful, with their snow-covered peaks.

  Her plan for this trip had been simple. She’d taken the job to get out of New York City. There was no way she was going to be like her mother. Once Vanessa’s father had died, her mother had gone from man to man, seeking the perfect protector. Vanessa didn’t want that for herself. She’d planned on going with the cast to California, where she wanted to live near the ocean and enjoy the sunshine she’d heard so much about.

  Instead, she’d been dumped in the middle of nowhere. She closed her eyes and counted to ten. After she was done with her ‘job’ here, she would go to Denver and find a real position. Then after a few years, when she’d saved up enough money, she’d go to San Francisco and see the ocean.

  But first, she had some payback planned for Win because of her spanking. She stood and squared her shoulders. She hoped that Win enjoyed his sleep last night, and for the next few days, because when his aunt got here, all hell was going to break loose.

  * * *

  “I hope you slept well.” Win smiled at Vanessa as she walked into the room. He rose from his spot at the table and held out her chair.

  “Very well, thank you.” She sat down and put her napkin in her lap. He was happy to see she had manners. It would be easier to convince Matty that she belonged in the family. She smiled at him and he felt his stomach tighten.

  It had been hard to sleep last night with thoughts of her dancing in his head. The idea that she was just down the hallway was hard to handle. He’d wanted to go and check on her, even though the spanking hadn’t been that hard. He didn’t know what had come over him.

  He’d just remembered his father’s words about discipline, and how to reinforce it. It had worked, obviously, but Vanessa had been angry. Very angry. From the looks of her this morning she was still angry.

  “About last night…”

  “Please, let’s not discuss it.”

  “I think we should. I’m sorry if you’re upset, but…”

  She gave him a pointed stare. “Mr. MacAllister, what you did was wrong.”

  “Was it? You’re my employee, Vanessa. As such you are subject to disciplinary action. And my name is Win.”

  “When one of your tellers miscounts his money, do you take him over your knee? Or do you use a belt on him?”

  Win narrowed his eyes. “My tellers do not have my entire future in their hands. I thought you understood that.”

  “Fine, we’ve discussed it. Let’s move on.”

  Vanessa sat with her hands in her lap while the cook poured her a cup of coffee, and then placed a plate of food in front of her.

  “Thank you, Mrs. Wallings.”

  “You’re welcome, Mrs. MacAllister.”

  Win smiled to himself at the exchange. This just might work. Vanessa hadn’t flinched when she’d been called Mrs. MacAllister. Of course, the woman was an actress, so she was used to playing roles and answering to different names.

  “So what do we do today, Mr. MacAllister? Do I get to learn all about your childhood and your growing up here?”

  “Well, we do need to exchange some information about that yes, and I need some from you, too. My aunt will ask questions and I would like them to be answered so that no suspicion is cast upon us.”

  “I agree. The sooner this farce is over, the better.”

  “I’m sorry you feel that way. I was hoping that, despite the circumstances, that you and I could become friends.”

  “Really?” She laughed lightly. “Did you decide that before, or after, you spanked me?”

  “Before.” Win took a swallow of his coffee and wiped his mouth. “Vanessa, you may be angry with me, but you can’t deny that your memory improved after I slapped your behind.”

  He studied her as she took a bite of egg and slowly chewed. Her mouth was beautiful, with full, red lips. He wanted to lean over and kiss her. The thought crossed his mind to do so, and he wondered what her reaction would be. He supposed there was no time like the present to present the idea.

  “We need to practice kissing.”

  Vanessa coughed, wiped her mouth and frowned.

  “We said no sex.”

  “We need to show some affection to each other, or this will never work. Kissing is a sign of love that husbands and wives share everyday.”

  “Not all of them.”

  Win frowned, then shook his head. “I have to be at the ban
k this morning. I will be home this afternoon so that we can go over more information. I have sent notes to all my brothers inviting them to dinner tomorrow night and advising them of the situation. You will get to meet them before Matty arrives. Now, stand up so I can kiss you goodbye.”

  “You’re so very romantic, darling,” she said. “There’s nothing like being ordered to kiss.”

  “I’m sorry. I will try to control my demands in the future and make them sound more soothing to you.” He stood and offered her his hand. Her fingers felt small as she placed them in his palm. When she was standing, she stood on tiptoe and bussed her lips against his, their lips barely touching.

  “There, you have your kiss.” She started to sit, but he held her closely.

  “Wait.” He saw the nervousness in her eyes as he stepped closer and cupped her face. “We need to kiss like we mean it.”

  Her sharp intake of breath made him smile as he tilted his head and lowered his lips onto hers. She was soft and sweet and he flicked his tongue out to taste her. She moaned softly and the sound shot straight south, forcing a blood surge to parts of his body that he didn’t want to think about at the moment.

  When the kiss broke, he kept her face close to him.

  “Mr. Mac… Win.” She stepped back and lowered her head. Then she cleared her throat and stepped back. “Was that better?”

  “That was delicious. We have to act as if we like each other, Vanessa, to make our marriage seem real. I’m going to kiss you again tonight, several times, so be ready.”

  Her eyes clouded over with a feeling he couldn’t decipher. At first he thought it was anger, then desire. He voted for the latter, since he was now rock hard. She looked so beautiful and vulnerable. He cupped her face again and claimed her lips, gratified to feel them part slightly for just a second before she pressed them shut against his probing tongue.

  “You’re going to have to let me in sooner or later,” he whispered. “Give me just a taste.”

  His thumbs caressed her face. He leaned in again, but she shook her head and clasped his hands to free her face.

  “You should go.” He was happy to hear there was a slight hitch to her voice. “You don’t want to be late.”