Chapter 3

"We're running low on the herbs I need for your leg," Ethan said as he bandaged Jared's knee a few days later. "I'll have to ride out to the Shoshone village tomorrow and see about trading for some more."

"Can I go with you?" Jared asked, wincing as Ethan pulled the bandage tight.

"Stand up and see how that feels," Ethan directed. "And no, not this time. I'll be leaving right after breakfast and getting back about sundown, and I don't think your leg is up to spending that much time on horseback."

"But I wouldn't be walking on it, I'd just be sitting," Jared argued, as he stood and tried putting weight on the injured leg. "And I can sit on a horse as easy as I can sit in a chair here. Please, Ethan? I want to go."

"I said no, Jared," the older man admonished. "You stay here tomorrow, and you stay in the cabin while I'm gone."

"But, Ethan..." Jared whined fretfully. "I don't want to stay in the cabin alone all day. There's nothing to do. If I can't go with you, at least let me go outside."

"No arguments, little boy. You stay in the cabin, and if anyone comes, you bar the door and stay quiet until they're gone. You understand?"

"But Ethan. . ."

The beleagured man ran out of patience. "*Enough*, Jared. I said stay inside and that's what I meant. Arguing about it isn't going to change my mind. If you're that worried about being bored, I'll give you a list of chores to do while I'm gone."

"No, that's all right," Jared gave in with a sigh. "I'll find something to do on my own."

"I thought you would." Ethan replied as he picked up his medicines and went to put them away.

"But I won't like it," the irrepressible young man muttered under his breath, sticking his tongue out at the older man's back.

"You don't have to like it." Ethan informed him without turning around. "You just have to do it. And if you stick your tongue out like that again, I'm going to put a dose of castor oil on it."

Jared sighed once more, positive that the rancher had eyes in the back of his head.

~~~

Jared frowned petulantly at the cards spread out on the table in front of him. It wasn't fair. He was tired of playing cards and he was tired of being cooped up inside. He had been worried that Ethan would turn him over to the sheriff as soon as the rain stopped, but the older man hadn't mentioned it. Instead he had dried wood by the fire and made him a crutch, and Jared had been limping around the cabin on it for the past couple of days. Ethan had told him he could go outside as soon as the ground had dried out and he had been looking forward to it.

Today would have been just right, he thought dismally, abandoning his game to stand at the window and look out. There were puddles here and there, but most of the ground was dry. There was no reason that he couldn't go out - except that Ethan had told him to stay in this stupid cabin. He shifted his weight restlessly.

He could open the door, he thought. Ethan hadn't told him not to open the door. He just had to stay inside and bar it if anyone came. After a short internal debate, he stood in the doorway, breathing deeply, enjoying the crisp fall air.

He wished he could get out in the sun, though. Maybe he could sit on the steps. It wouldn't be disobedient if he just sat on the steps, he reasoned. After all, the porch was part of the cabin. It was attached to the building, and the cabin roof covered it as well. Surely Ethan wouldn't mind if he sat on the steps.

It was a beautiful afternoon, a little cool, but the sun was shining warm across his shoulders, and he was content. A tiny ground squirrel scampered from some nearby bushes and across the yard toward the chicken coop, attracted by the grain Ethan had thrown out to the poultry. The old rooster wasn't about to let it steal his grain, though, and darted at it menacingly, pecking at it to drive it away. The squirrel chittered angrily and darted around the selfish rooster to snatch up another kernel of corn and the rooster ran after him, squawking indignantly. As Jared laughed at their antics, a large brown rabbit hopped out from behind the bushes, also headed for the chicken coop and the grain, and the young man's mouth watered. Rabbit would make a nice change from the beef and salt pork they'd been eating every day, and Ethan's cooking was... uninspiring. He relished the idea of showing Ethan how well he could cook. Fried rabbit was almost as good as fried chicken, and he could make fried potatoes and biscuits with it. Or he could boil the potatoes and make gravy with the canned milk. He was getting awfully tired of drinking it and he made pretty good gravy. Maybe if Ethan was impressed with the meal he had planned, he'd get the idea that Jared was good to have around.

He looked the rabbit over appraisingly. It was nice and plump. Obviously it had been eating well. The only question was how to kill it. Ethan had taken the only rifle with him, and Jared had lost his slingshot. Maybe he could hit it with a rock. He had always had pretty good aim with a rock. He looked around. There weren't any good throwing rocks that he could reach from the porch steps, but he spied a couple about the right size a few feet away. Moving cautiously so that he didn't scare the rabbit away, he picked them up, took careful aim and threw them in quick succession.

The first one only hit it in the back leg, but the second hit the animal directly on the side of the head and it fell to the ground, stunned. Jared stuck his crutch under his arm and hopped over to pick it up, but he was only halfway there when the rabbit got up, shook its head, then limped over under a bush, laid down and closed its eyes.

"Damn it!" Jared swore. Now what was he going to do? He couldn't just leave it to go off by itself and die. But he couldn't hit it with another rock as long as it was under the bush, either.

He dropped his crutch and awkwardly lay down on his stomach to reach under the bush.

The rabbit scooted back from his hand and he wriggled further under the bush in an attempt to grasp it. He could brush the fur with his fingertips but he couldn't quite get a hold on it. Stretching a little bit further, he touched one back leg and the rabbit blundered out of that bush and into another one about twenty feet away. Once there, it flopped down on its side, breathing heavily.

Swearing under his breath, Jared squirmed out from under the bush and hobbled over to the one the rabbit was crouched under just in time to keep it from staggering out the other side and into the dense undergrowth that bordered the nearby creek. Getting down on his hands and knees, he reached for the small animal, only to have it hop out of that bush and back toward the first one.

A half hour later, Jared was hot, tired, sweaty, and no closer to catching the contrary animal. He had chased it back and forth between the two bushes a dozen times. It was a stalemate; the rabbit couldn't move fast enough to get around Jared, and Jared couldn't move fast enough to hit it with another rock or keep it from going under the bushes.

As the rabbit made yet another dash for freedom, Jared totally lost his temper. "God damn rabbit!! I ought to just let you go off and die!" he shouted, throwing his crutch at it.

The crutch went over the rabbit's head and landed in front of it and the startled animal doubled back directly into Jared's path. He threw himself on top of it, clutching it to his chest and crowing in delight.

"What the *hell* do you think you're doing?!"

Startled, Jared rolled over onto his back and looked up into the furious face of his self-appointed guardian. "Oh. Hi, Ethan," he said weakly. "I didn't think you were going to be back till sundown."

"The Shoshone have moved into their winter camp, about two hours closer to us." Ethan scowled. "Now what the hell are you doing outside?"

"Um. . ." Jared awkwardly scrambled to his feet, still clutching the weakly struggling animal. "I saw the rabbit, and I thought I'd make supper, but my rock only stunned him and then he ran under the bush and I couldn't catch him and..." His voice died away before the look on Ethan's face.

"Go inside, take your pants off, and wait for me." Ethan commanded without waiting for any further explanation. "I'll be in as soon as I've put Lucifer in the pasture."

"What? Why?" Jared asked in astonishment.

"Remember what I told you about listening to me?"

The young man stared at him in disbelief. "You aren't really going to spank me, are you? I'm too old to be spanked! And I didn't mean to go off the steps, but I saw the rabbit and I was right here in front of the cabin all the time. I could have heard someone riding up in plenty of time to get inside and bar the door!"

"Did you hear me ride up?"

"Well, no. But-"

"Then go inside and get undressed," Ethan ordered implacably.

Jared sighed and took a step toward the cabin, then looked down at the animal he still held. He wasn't sure what to do with it now, but he didn't want to let it go after all his hard work catching it.

"Give it here, little boy."

"You can't let it go, Ethan. Please?"

Ethan silently held out his hand and the young man unwillingly handed over his prize, retrieved his crutch and limped into the cabin. He sat down on the side of the bed to remove his boots, muttering under his breath about the unfairness of some people, thinking that they had the right to boss other people around, dictate their coming and going, spank them as if they were little kids... He finished untying the laces of his worn out boots, and pulled one off, half-tempted to throw it at the wall. What gave that self-appointed dictator the right to tell him what to do?

"I wouldn't, little boy," came a stern voice from the doorway. "You're in enough trouble already."

Jared hesitated, then slowly dropped the boot to the floor. He stood up and unfastened his pants and slid them off. Then, feeling vulnerable and exposed, resisting the urge to pull his shirt lower or cover himself with his hands, he waited by the bed, not sure what Ethan expected him to do next.

"Come here," Ethan ordered sternly as he sat down on a straight-backed chair by table.

Jared moved reluctantly over to stand in front of the chair, biting his lower lip unhappily.

"What were you thinking, little boy?" Ethan asked as he looked over the bandage on Jared's knee, checking it for signs of bleeding underneath. "You can barely walk on this leg. What possessed you to go out in the yard and run around like that? Especially after I specifically told you to stay in the cabin?"

"I didn't mean to," the young man mumbled miserably. "I just saw the rabbit and I wanted to make you supper and I forgot."

"And where were you when you saw the rabbit?" Ethan asked as he carefully manipulated the knee, watching Jared's face for signs of pain or discomfort.

"Sitting on the steps," the youth admitted, already too distressed to notice any additional twinges from his knee.

"That's what I thought. Over my knees."

"But you shouldn't spank me for that! You said stay in the cabin, and the porch is part of the cabin," Jared argued desperately.

"NOW, Jared."

The young man started to speak again, then looked at the angry expression on Ethan's face and decided that defending himself any further probably wasn't a good idea. With a heavy sigh, he awkwardly lowered himself across the muscular thighs, clasping Ethan's calf for balance. It wouldn't be that bad, he assured himself as he felt a strong arm go around his waist, anchoring him to the unyielding lap. Ethan had swatted him before and, while it had been painful, he had been able to endure it. Yes, he felt confident he could handle it. He took a deep breath and waited.

Ethan also took a deep breath as he looked at the upturned butt before him, trying to rid himself of some of his anger before he started spanking his young charge. Damn it, what had the kid been thinking? Not only had he disobeyed a direct order, he had been so engrossed in what he was doing, he hadn't even heard the rancher ride up. What if it had been someone else, someone with foul play on his mind? How would Jared have protected himself? How was Ethan supposed to keep him safe if he wouldn't listen or obey? With another deep calming breath he raised his hand and brought the open palm down on the pale, rounded cheeks with a solid WHACK, determined to spank some sense into him.

The first swat caused Jared to jump and cry out in both shock and pain. This was far worse than the mild swats he had received before. Ethan's hand felt hard as rock and the pain radiated from his butt to his toes with each impact.

As Ethan continued to cover his butt with slow, deliberate swats, lingering in one area for three or four smacks, then moving on to target a new region, Jared started to howl in protest, putting his hand back to try to block the punishing spanks. Ethan merely grasped it in an unbreakable grip and continued spanking until the entire surface was pink and glowing; then the swats increased in speed and intensity as the angry man concentrated on turning the pink to a fiery red. Jared clutched desperately at Ethan's calf with his free hand, twisting and squirming helplessly, trying to get away from the agonizing pain He couldn't remember anything ever hurting this bad.

As the punishment continued, now concentrating on the tender undercurve where cheek met thigh, he began sobbing desperately, "Stop, Ethan, please stop. I won't do it again, I promise I won't. Please! Stop!"

At last Ethan paused and surveyed his work, then decided that the butt was a satisfactory shade of crimson. He finished off with a few last hard swats to the center of the quivering mounds, then stopped, stroking Jared's back and murmuring reassurance until the convulsive sobbing had eased. After the young man had regained some control, Ethan helped him up and led him to the corner, ordering him to stay there until he was told to move.

Jared stood, balancing carefully, trying to keep weight off his bad leg. He hadn't noticed it in the excitement of chasing and catching the rabbit, but now his leg ached from ankle to hip when he put his weight on it. He sniffled quietly to himself, his bottom a white-hot sheet of pain. He didn't think he'd ever be able to sit comfortably again.

Ethan poured a cup of coffee and stood watching Jared try to find a comfortable position. "Put your hands against the wall to brace yourself, little boy."

Jared silently did so, letting his hands take most of his weight and just resting the toes of his injured leg on the floor. Ethan stood listening to his sniffling, trying to stay hard-hearted. Damn it, the kid had to learn to do as he was told!

He had been in a good mood when he'd put Lucifer in the pasture and started toward the cabin. He had been lucky enough to find the Shoshone already settled in their winter quarters and had been able to cut two hours each way off his ride. That let him get home much sooner than he had intended and he had hurried so Jared would have a chance to get outside while the afternoon was still warm. Then he had seen the young man, not only out of the cabin already, but totally oblivious to anything around him while he chased that damn rabbit back and forth between the bushes, and his good mood had instantly evaporated.

Thinking of Jared's crow of delight as he wrestled the recalcitrant beast to the ground brought a chuckle that he hurriedly turned into a cough. Now that he had calmed down, he saw the funny side of it and, shaking with suppressed laughter, he hurriedly left the cabin before he undid the effects of his discipline.

Jared heard his mentor leave as he stood facing the wall. It was even worse than he'd thought then. He'd only wanted to make the man happy, and instead Ethan couldn't even bear to stay in the same room with him. The tears that had died away returned and he leaned sadly against the wall, weeping quietly.

Coming back into the cabin, his laughter under control, Ethan was startled to hear the young man still crying. "Come here, little boy," he said gently.

Jared turned and limped toward him, looking so forlorn that the older man pulled him close for a reassuring hug. "It's all right, little boy. It's over now. You think you learned your lesson?"

Jared remained stiff for a moment, then shyly wrapped his arms around Ethan and hugged him back, resting his cheek against the broad chest. "Yes, Ethan. I won't do it again. I'm sorry. I'm so stupid, I don't know why you even put up with me."

"No, little boy," Ethan rubbed his back with one strong hand while holding him close with the other, "you're not stupid. You just aren't very good at listening. Now, why don't you get dressed and cook supper while I do chores? I'm looking forward to seeing what you can do with that rabbit."

"Really?" Jared drew back to look at him, a tremulous smile lighting the tear-drenched gray eyes. "You didn't let it go?"

"After all that work you went to catching it? I wouldn't do that. I dressed it and put it in a bowl for you."

~~~~

Jared hummed under his breath as he peeled potatoes and put them on to boil, then dipped the pieces of meat in egg and flour and dropped them into a cast iron skillet to fry. Ethan came in from doing chores as he was taking perfect golden brown biscuits out of the oven, and washed up while Jared made the gravy.

"Smells good, Jared." Ethan told him. "I'm so hungry I could eat Lucifer."

Jared laughed as he took his place at the table, sitting gingerly on the hard wooden chair. "I hope it tastes better than Lucifer would."

He sat, fork in hand, and watched as Ethan took his first bite, waiting impatiently for an opinion.

"This is excellent, Jared," the older man complimented as he took another large bite.

"You really like it?" the young man asked shyly. "You're not just saying that?"

"I haven't had a meal this good in a long time. Where did you learn to cook like this?"

"It seemed like wherever we lived, I got stuck helping in the kitchen, mostly bringing in wood and washing pots and pans." He made a face. "If I asked enough questions, usually the cook would show me how to do things and let me help."

"And you found out that you like to cook," Ethan guessed.

"No," Jared replied with a sheepish grin. "I found out that if I was cooking, someone else had to wash the pots and pans."

"Well, I think you'll have to handle all the cooking around here from now on. I don't mind washing the pans, if it means having meals like this every night."

Jared smiled proudly, then dug into his own meal, finding himself ravenous after his busy day.

~~~~

Later that evening, Jared lay on his stomach on the hearth rug, head cradled on his folded arms, and listened to Ethan's deep voice reading another chapter of Robin Hood. He was happy here, he thought idly, happier than he had been in a long time. His butt was sore and his leg ached, but those were mild complaints compared to everything else. He had never met a man like Ethan before, one who could be so stern and demanding, but so comforting and accepting at the same time.

Ethan hadn't talked about what would happen when his leg healed. He hoped the stern rancher would let him stay. The ranch was really more than one man could handle and he knew he could be a help around the place. Maybe if he worked hard and showed Ethan that he could listen and follow orders, the big man wouldn't send him away.

Ethan finished the chapter he was reading and closed the book, gazing fondly down at the half-dozing young man lying on the rug. He wasn't a bad kid, Ethan thought. He just needed some guidance and discipline. They hadn't talked about what would happen when Jared's leg healed; he wondered if he could convince him to stay. The ranch was really more than one man could handle and he knew Jared could be a real help around the place, once he learned to listen.

"Time for bed, little boy," he said, standing up and reaching down to help Jared to his feet.

Jared smiled sleepily at the older man as he climbed into bed and scooted back toward the wall. He was going to stay here, he vowed to himself. He just had to listen and work hard and remember not to disobey Ethan's orders again.