Molly's Gold

by Maura McMann

Golden Springs, Colorado
11 p.m.
Oct. 31, 1866

“Samuel, hurry up! Someone’s gonna come up here and try to see what’s what if you don’t get your tail busy.”

“Don’t push me, woman! If you ain’t careful you won’t be able to sit down for a week.”

Betty Ann Hamlin laughed. “Yea, but a few weeks from now I’ll be sitting on a chair made of solid gold and I’ll be feeling no pain. But not if you don’t hurry, so get cracking!”

“Damn it, Betty Ann, stand up and raise your skirts. I’m gonna give you a taste of what waits for you when we get home. I’m tired of your bossy mouth.”

Betty Ann smiled to herself as she watched her husband walk to the mule, take out a leather strap, and stride back to her.

“Now woman! We ain’t got all day, as you have pointed out over, and over and over tonight. And I ain’t finishing this little chore until I give you some licks.”

Trying to keep from laughing Betty Ann stood . “This ain’t hardly the place for you to give me a licking. We’re out in the open for Pete’s sake.”

Samuel shook his head, then he grabbed his wife’s hand and led her toward a copse of trees. The full moon lit the area as he pointed the strap toward a tree stump.

“Make use of it. You know what to do.”

And indeed she did. She gathered her skirts around her waist, lowered her bloomers and bent over the stump. The cold night air felt wonderful against her bare skin.

“I think you and I have had this discussion before, Betty Ann.”

The sound of the strap sailing through the air caused Betty Ann to tense, and then the leather hit her bare bottom. It came down again and again and again until she finally let out a short whimper.

“Now, who wears the pants in this family?” Samuel stilled the leather and waited for an answer. When none came the leather came down seven more times and Betty Ann’s whimper turned into a cry.

“Samuel, please, can’t we do this later? I’ll watch my mouth, I promise.”

“Who’s in charge, Betty Ann?” Five more licks landed on her burning behind.

“You are Samuel, you are.”

“All right. Let’s get this done and get back to the house so I can finish this whipping.”

Betty Ann turned a desire-filled gaze on her husband, who returned the lusty look.

“Later, love. I promise. But not before your bottom’s good and sore.”

They finished their task, hugging each other tightly before leading their mule down the dirt path toward the small town. They walked close together to ward off the cold. Betty Ann knew that wasn’t the only reason, though. After 34 years of marriage they loved each other more than ever, loved to be near each other. They’d just reached their cabin at the edge of Golden Springs when a voice stopped them both in their tracks.”

“Well, well, well, what a lovely sight. The old prospector and his wife, out for a stroll on All Hallow’s Eve. Find any ghosts along the road?”

Samuel forced Betty Ann behind him. “Get out Clint. We ain’t got no bones with you.”

“Well I got one with you, old man. I want what’s mine. You stole my claim. Give me the gold you brought out today.”

“There ain’t no gold. The stream was dry. And I filed on that claim fair and square. Now you get, or I’ll sic the law on you.”

“Liar! If there ain’t no gold why did you file on the claim? Tomorrow you’re going into Colorado Springs and tell them that claim belongs to me. Then you and your wife are gonna pack up and leave. But not before you give me the gold.”

Samuel pushed Betty Ann toward the house, yelling for her to go inside.

“No, I won’t leave you.”

“Damn it woman, for once do as I say!”

Betty Ann straightened, looked at her husband and shook her head. The hatred in Clint’s voice hung in the air.

“You shoulda listened to your husband, old woman.” He pointed a gun at her and shot. The bullet hit her dead in the chest.

“Betty Ann!” Samuel ran to his fallen wife.

“Tell me where the gold is or join her, old man!”

“Kill me, then! I don’t want to live without my Betty Ann!” Samuel bent over her lifeless body and cried; his loud sobs filled the air. The sound of a gun being cocked caused Samuel to raise his head.

“Do it, then.” Samuel’s voice was shaky. “You’ve already taken away my reason for living.”

“Give me the gold.”

“There’s not a snowball’s chance in hell that you, or anyone else will ever find it. And I’ll never tell you where it’s at, so you might as well kill me.”

And so Clint did.

**********

Golden Springs, Colorado
October 1, 2006

“I can’t believe that, not only did you move me to Podunk, Colorado, but you expect me to live in that!” Molly Stanford pointed to the crumbling shack, her hand shaking with anger.

“Please, Molly, don’t be melodramatic.” Jeff Stanford moved behind his wife and turned her gaze toward a stunning tri-story house. “I expect you to live in that!”

“Yes, but that wreck is attached to our new house. Why is that?”

Jeff bit his lip and shook his head. “Baby, I don’t really know.” He crossed his fingers behind his hand to ward off the fact that he was lying.

“Then why didn’t you have it torn down when you bought the house?”

“I don’t know, it gives the area a very authentic look, don’t you think?”

“Authentic? Try eyesore. Try blemish. Try monstrosity. Please, Jeff, promise me you’ll call someone tomorrow and have it torn down.”

Jeff pursed his lips and blinked his dark eyes. Taking that as a yes Molly moved toward the other house. She had to admit it was dazzling. Three stories, with the top story reserved for a bedroom. The kitchen, dining room, a bathroom and a den were on the bottom floor. The second floor contained three bedrooms, the main living area and another bathroom. A large wooden deck sat outside the living area, and another one surrounded the top floor.

Jeff pulled Molly inside the house and up three flights of stairs to the top floor, the main selling point of the house. A bedroom large enough to hold six king sized beds. Jeff had already have the room decorated with a huge four-poster bed that sat a good three feet off the ground. Behind the bed the glass wall provided a spectacular view of the mountains.

“Doesn’t it look beautiful, baby?”

“It looks cold.”

“Well that’s where the fireplace comes in handy.” Jeff turned her toward the fireplace, which took up a great portion of one of the walls.

“You could park a Buick in there.”

Jeff smiled at the humor in his wife’s voice. Maybe she was finally seeing the charm in their new home.

“I’ve hired a man to come by twice a week and deliver wood. There’s even a closet out on the deck to store it.” Jeff opened the sliding glass doors and stepped out onto the deck.

Molly followed and a smile broke across her face.

“You didn’t tell me there was a hot tub up here.”

“Surprise,” Jeff said, pulling Molly into him for a hug. “On some cold December night we can come out here while it’s snowing to beat the band and screw our brains out. Just think, baby, the contrast between the cold snow and the hot water will be mind-blowing. You can use it as a scene in one of your books.”

Molly laid her head on Jeff’s shoulder.

“Please don’t be mad at me, baby. It’s only for a year. The people of Golden Springs hired me to promote their town and that’s what I’m gonna do, lock, stock and barrel. This place will be another Vail when I’m done. And you always told me you could write anywhere.”

Molly nodded as she stared at the mountains. They really were spectacular. The snow was almost blinding in the sunlight.

“Tell me something, though. Why did that lawyer from Denver sell you this house for $90,000? This is easily worth $1 million.”

Molly tried to pull back but Jeff cradled her head against his chest. “He just wanted out from under it after his divorce.”

Jeff shook his head. Another lie. At this rate he’d have reservations in hell before the end of October. He held Molly close, savoring the feeling of his beautiful wife in his arms. He felt her relax somewhat and he smiled.

He wanted her to relax, needed her to feel at home here. Because when she found out this place was haunted she was going to blow a gasket.

**********

October 3, 2006

Molly felt as if she’d run her head into a brick wall. She threw her hands into the air in frustration, highlighted the last six pages she’d just written and hit the delete button. A whole morning’s work, down the drain.

She walked down the stairs from her office on the second floor to the kitchen and poured some now cold coffee into her cup. She made a mental note to get a coffee maker for the office. Then she nuked the cold drink, added cream and sweetener, and took a deep drink. The warmth infused her body, which was a good thing because she was cold. She’d been cold the entire three days that she’d lived in Golden Springs.

And she wasn’t just cold outside the house. At times she felt you could use the kitchen as a meat locker. She stepped into the dining room and stared at the curtains that led to the old, rundown cabin.

Damn Jeff for lying to her. He should have just told her that the reason the house wasn’t torn down was because the lawyer and his now ex-wife thought it would be “charming” to integrate the cabin into the new house. They’d torn down a wall of the cabin so that it opened into the new structure. Curtains now hung between the two buildings.

Molly was sure that much of the cold in this part of the house came from the cabin. She was sure the old building had no insulation. She pulled the cord to open the curtains and stared into the inky blackness. It also had no electricity. And she hadn’t bought any candles yet. She needed to do that, and soon.

Jeff said the locals had warned him that power might go out during a bad storm. They would have heat from the fireplaces but no lights. She needed to go into town and get some. Maybe if she got into town before noon she could have lunch with Jeff.

She felt guilty that she hadn’t been more responsive to the house, and more supportive of his new job. The fact of the matter was they were at the seven-year itch time. Their marriage had become humdrum, the sex routine, the conversations boring. They needed to do something to spice it up, but what? Molly didn’t think moving to the small skiing town outside Colorado Springs would help, but Jeff did. She needed to put some effort into the relationship again.

A blast of cold air hit her from the dark room and she wrapped her arms around her chest, almost spilling her coffee in the process.

She stepped away, closed the curtains and headed back up the stairs. She’d promised her editor she’d have the next three chapters of her romance novel done in two days, and she’d just thrown out all her work. She didn’t have time to shop for candles. Maybe she would try tomorrow.

She stopped at the bottom of the stairs as a soft laugh reached her ears.

“Jeff?” She turned toward the door that led into the garage. When no one answered she walked to the door and opened it. The SUV that Jeff had bought for her sat inside, but his matching vehicle was gone.

“Huh.” She shrugged her shoulders and went to her office, oblivious to the shadowy outlines of a woman hovering in the corner near the curtain.

**********

“How much work did you get done today?”

Molly jumped at the sound of Jeff’s voice, knocking her knee against her desk. Her empty coffee cup hit the carpet and bounced without breaking.

“Hey, look at that, it didn’t break” Jeff picked up the mug and set it on the table. “I’m sorry, baby, I thought you heard me come in.”

“No, I was immersed in 17th Century Britain. I’m almost done with Chapter Nine and my heroine is about to have hot, steamy sex with the rugged knight.”

“Yummy,” Jeff said, leaning down to kiss his wife. “Is she going to love every minute of it?”

“Of course, darling, they both are. Fictional heroes and heroines have orgasms with every fuck.”

Jeff laughed and kissed his wife’s forehead.

“Speaking of orgasms…” Molly ran her fingers along his thighs. “If you give me one I’ll repay the debt anyway you like.”

She licked her lips at him and smiled seductively.

“That sounds delicious, but I’ve got work to do. Hold that thought until about 11 or so, OK? I promise to give you an orgasm to end all orgasms.” He headed out the door and Molly slumped in her chair. “I brought lasagna home from the restaurant. I put it in the oven to keep warm but I already ate at the lodge. Help yourself.”

Molly ran her fingers through her long blond hair. What was wrong with her? There had been days when Jeff couldn’t keep his hands off her. Now he was eating at work and bringing home leftovers for her. And telling her that she needed to “hold that thought” about sex.

She turned back to her keyboard. At least someone was getting laid. Molly shook her head and put herself back into a castle in 17th Century England.

Her heroine, Elizabeth, had just lost important papers that belonged to her husband. He was angry, but they were still going to have a good time.

Elizabeth looked at Justin and sighed.

“It wasn’t my fault. You really can’t blame me for this.” Elizabeth stared at Justin who stood in the doorway, glaring at her.

“Blame you? I do, and I’m going to punish you for it, too. Mary will be punished, too. Her punishment will be extra work.”

Elizabeth stomped her foot. “Justin! I won’t allow you to blame Mary. The letter fell into the fire by accident.”

Elizabeth’s heart beat harder as she watched her handsome knight slam the wooden door and lower the bar across it.

“My father always taught me that when a wrong has been done a punishment is needed. You need punishment, Elizabeth. I’m going to strike your naked little bottom until it’s red as a beet. Maybe the next time you will not be so careless as to leave my letters lying around to be thrown into the fire by a servant.”

“Justin…”

“Elizabeth that letter was a very important missive from the King. How do I explain to him that it was destroyed before I could read it? At least I can tell him that punishment was meted out for the misdeed. Now take off your clothing and lie across the bed with your bottom in the air.”

Under Elizabeth’s watchful eye Justin walked to the chest and took out a long strap of leather. Elizabeth’s eyes widened as he doubled it over and looked at her.

“Justin, please.” Her voice held a note of fear. She’d never seen her gorgeous knight so angry. His hands gripped the leather as he shook his head back and forth.

“Don’t make it any worse, Elizabeth. Do as I say and I might lessen the number of strikes I’m planning. Make me wait and the number will increase. There is no debate on this my pretty little wife. You will be punished. Tonight. You will learn to take greater care with my things, especially with missives from the King.”

Realizing that what Justin said was true Elizabeth quickly shed her gown and placed herself across the bed, with her bottom in the air. Her hands were shaking but underneath her fear there was a feeling of anticipation.

Elizabeth yelped when the leather landed on her behind. The pain was horrid, the burn lingering long after the strap had made contact. When the second one landed she clinched her hands into fists.

And when the third strike landed she felt the first stirring of desire in her quim.

“Justin…”

The fourth strike brought her more pain, and more pleasure. Her quim grew wet. She glanced behind her at Justin. Between his legs she could see the outline of his manhood, hardening with each strike he delivered.

Molly pushed away from the desk and stared at her computer screen in horror. Where in the hell had that come from? She’d never had a spanking in one of her novels. And this one wasn’t in her outline.

Elizabeth was to be punished for destroying the letter, true, but the punishment wasn’t a spanking. It was simply a stern talking to and extra chores the next day.

Molly’s hands were shaking as she paged up and read over what she’d just written. It was good. It sounded right. A spanking was a much better punishment for destroying a letter from the King.

But how in the world had it come into her brain? She’d never been spanked, by Jeff or any other man. Sure she’d read about it in several different novels. But the thought had never intrigued her. Until now.

She should delete the scene. She could start over again in the morning. She shook her head and set her fingers against the keyboard again.

The leather came down again and again and Elizabeth cried out, even as the tension in her stomach and quim built. She wanted Justin to take her, now. She’d never wanted him so badly.

“Please, Justin, please. I’m sorry. So very sorry.”

“Why did you let it happen, Elizabeth? When the messenger came why did you not come out to the practice field to find me? Now I will never know what the King said. You realize that if I displease him we could lose everything?”

The leather came down harder and harder and Elizabeth moaned.

“I read it, Justin. You forget that I know how to read. I know what the message said.”

The leather met her flesh three more times before Justin heaved a sigh.

“Then tell me.”

Elizabeth turned to him; tears filled her eyes and stained her cheeks.

She rattled off the King’s message about Justin’s trip to court.

“Very well done. But I’m afraid the punishment is not finished. Ten more strokes. Turn back around. This should remind you to take better care with my things.”

Elizabeth complied, the tears coming faster each time the leather landed. Her insides were reeling and the pain continued its travels from her bottom to her quim and up to her stomach.

As the leather resounded in the chamber she formed plans in the back of her mind about how she could be punished in the future.

Molly hit save. Then she re-read the chapter. It was good. Very good. And she was so very wet. Usually that only happened when she wrote a hot sex scene. She searched her mind to see if she could figure out how the spanking had come into play. She’d never once had a fantasy about being spanked. Jeff had never even slapped her bottom when he was taking her from behind.

But now she wanted him to do just that. She wanted to feel his hand against her bare bottom; feel him slapping her ass over and over and over again. Somehow she knew that she’d love every minute of it, just as Elizabeth had.

She closed her word processing program down, hibernated the computer and walked to the kitchen. The lasagna was sitting on the stove. She nuked part of it and carried it to the dining room table, wishing again that Jeff had not eaten at the lodge. She hated to eat alone.

Molly slipped a bite of the food through her lips and replayed what she’d just written. Lysa, her editor, was going to be shocked when she read the chapter tomorrow. Molly’s romances were not the sweet “kiss me and the scene fades to black” romances. But there had never been a hint of spanking.

A ripple of cold ran through the room and Molly looked at the dreaded drapes that separated the new house from the old cabin. She really needed to talk to Jeff about putting up a permanent wall. She didn’t think it was “quaint” to have access to the old cabin. Whatever had caused the lawyer and his soon to be ex to ruin a perfect house by attaching it to the wrecked cabin must have been caused by heavy drinking, or heavy drugs.

The cold wrapped itself around her and she shivered. She took another bite of her food and then pushed the plate away, wrapping her arms around her chest when the temperature dropped again.

Molly left her plate on the table, turning off lights as she headed toward the stairs. She stopped at the bottom rung and looked back into the darkened room. She could swear she saw a mist spread across the room.

Of course it was October in Colorado. It had snowed most of the day and she was sure that the cabin was less than airtight. She made her way to the top floor, stopping just inside the doorway to drop her clothing. At 32 her body was still good. She caressed her breasts, and ran her hands down her stomach, anticipation building on the excitement already present from writing the spanking scene.

It was time to make Jeff pay up on his earlier promise. She stepped toward Jeff’s desk and then stopped short when she realized that he was sleeping in his chair, his head tilted to one side as soft snores filled the space around him.

She moved toward him. She sat on his lap and kissed him gently.

“Hey sailor, wake up. See anything you like?”

Molly watched as Jeff’s eyes opened. He focused on her body and shook his head.

“What time is it?”

“Almost 11. Time for my orgasm to beat all orgasms.” She kissed him again and pulled back when he failed to respond.

“Jeff?” She looked down into his closed eyes and let out an angry huff. She sat naked on his lap and he’d fallen back asleep.

She stood up angrily and then slipped between the covers of the bed. Let him sleep in the damn chair. If he had a pain in his shoulder and neck in the morning he’d have no one to blame but himself.

She closed her eyes and thought about Elizabeth and Justin. In a perfect world Jeff would be awake and they’d be acting out that scene at this very moment. She buried her head in the pillow as the first tears slipped from her eyes.

**********

“Oh Samuel, look at them. So young, and so unhappy. It’s obvious that they’re in love but they don’t know how to show it. They need our advice.”

Silence filled the air as Betty Ann divided her attention between the sleeping couple. All it had taken earlier was a small seed about spanking to help Molly write a perfect scene. Betty Ann had been captivated when she’d realized that Molly was a writer. And a writer of romance, no less. It was fascinating.

And she’d written the spanking scene so beautifully, with Betty Ann’s help, of course.

“Darling, I think this couple needs something to perk up their lives, don’t you?” The silence grew and Betty Ann shook her ghostly head. Samuel had moved on to another plane the night of their deaths. Betty Ann had stayed to help him after she’d been shot. She hadn’t expected Clint to kill Samuel too. And she hadn’t expected Samuel to leave her alone for almost 150 years.

She remembered that awful night as if it were yesterday. She shook her had. She wouldn’t think of sad things. Molly and Jeff needed her help and she intended to give it to them. She intended to help them discover exactly what she and Samuel had discovered all those years ago.

That spankings were a wonderful thing that brought a couple closer than they’d ever been before. Close this window [X]