by Marilyn Kensington
California Territory, 1850
Sarah woke with a start as the first light of day shone in her eyes, and could hardly believe that she had slept at all the night before, because her excitement level when she went to bed had made her feel the way Christmas Eve did when she was a kid. The excitement remained - for today she would be leaving on a big adventure!
For the past year she had lived in a remote mining settlement in the California gold fields, but this morning she would be leaving for San Francisco, and from the tales she had heard, there wasn't any place in the California Territory as exciting as the city that served as the entry point for the countless prospectors looking to make their fortunes.
As she got out of bed, she realized that her bottom was still sore from the spanking Caleb Masters had given her the night before. At 25 years old, Caleb was only six years her senior, and she had been annoyed that he'd had the gall to spank her after dinner. She knew that she had deserved to be spanked, but gosh darn it, didn't Caleb realize she was a woman now and shouldn't be treated like she was a naughty child anymore?
Sarah's Aunt Alma and Uncle Walter had raised her after her parents died when she was young, and they had spoiled her since they didn't have any children of their own. Her uncle ran a store selling mining supplies in the settlement where she lived, and he'd had the foresight to set up a second store in San Francisco after the Gold Rush started in '48. He was a savvy businessman and realized that the folks supplying the hordes of people searching for gold were likely to make out a lot better than most of the prospectors pouring into the Territory.
Since her aunt and uncle didn't have any other heirs, they groomed her to take over the family business someday and needed her to help in the San Francisco store where they now made the bulk of their profit. Caleb was the son of her uncle's partner and would be accompanying her on her trip to the big city. He had already worked in San Francisco for the past year, and from listening to him talk at dinner the night before, she realized he was so much worldlier than he was when he left the year before.
Sarah had known Caleb for as long as she could remember, and she'd been sweet on him ever since she became aware of boys. During dinner, his talk about the big plans he had for the future only increased her desire for him to have similar feelings about her. Unfortunately, based upon what happened after dinner, it seemed like he still considered her to be a naughty child rather than the grown woman she believed she was.
Sarah had received twelve years of formal education because her aunt and uncle looked at it as an investment in the future of their business. Since she'd had more 'book learning' than either of them, she had a tendency to treat them in a condescending manner at times. Sarah recalled last night's going-away party; during the discussion they'd had sitting around after desert and coffee, there had been a disagreement on some fact or other. She had made the terrible mistake of telling her aunt that since she'd only had an eighth grade education, she probably really didn't understand what they were discussing.
As soon as the hurtful words left Sarah's mouth, a stunned silence fell over the people sitting around the dinner table. She was ashamed of what she'd said but was too prideful to say she was sorry. In an attempt to restart the conversation, she tried to begin a discussion on a new topic, but what she'd said to her aunt put a damper on what should have been a happy evening.
While the last of the dinner dishes where being cleared and moved to the kitchen, Caleb took hold of Sarah's wrist and pulled her into the sitting room. She hoped that he was going to try and steal a hug, or maybe even a kiss before he left for the evening. But instead of him saying something romantic to her, his words were, "You deserve a spanking for the way you treated your aunt at dinner tonight, and I am going to give you one."
Sarah felt devastated. "What are you talking about? I'm too old to be spanked, and even if I wasn't, what gives you the right to treat me that way?"
"Your uncle gave me a note when I left San Francisco, I honestly didn't plan on showing it to you, but I'm going to give it to you now so that you can read it."
Sarah took the folded note that Caleb handed to her and after opening it, she read the words which were written in script that she recognized as her uncle's.
The note said:
Dear Sarah,
The journey you are going on is a dangerous one, and it is important that you listen to Caleb while you're traveling. You know that your aunt and I were very indulgent with you when you were growing up, but now is the time when you need to pay attention to your elders. I know you may not consider Caleb to be your elder, but during the past year that I have worked with him, I have come to realize that he is wise beyond his years. I trust him completely, and whenever he tells you to do something, you should obey him just as you would obey me.
With Love,
Uncle Walter.
After Sarah read the note, she still thought she could avoid getting a spanking and said, "I know my uncle's note says for me to obey you, but I don't think my uncle would spank me for what I said to my aunt."
"I think maybe the fact that he wouldn't have spanked you is part of the problem. If your aunt and uncle had raised you better, I doubt you would have said such a terrible thing to your aunt. Since I don't think you want what you said at the dinner table to be the last thing your Aunt Alma remembers from this evening, you should apologize to her before you go to bed tonight."
When Sarah looked at Caleb, she realized that there was no way that she could avoid a spanking if he was determined to give her one. She was rather petite at barely over feet tall, and she didn't weigh even 100 pounds. Caleb was over six feet tall, and was big in a way that struck people when they met him for the first time. He was lean but muscular, and when she looked at his large hands and thick forearms, realized that he could make even a hand spanking hurt something awful if he put his mind to it.
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