It wasn’t until after dinner that Vanessa grew nervous about her plan. She knew Win was up to something. He never invited everyone for dinner on a weeknight, and never without saying anything to her first. She thought maybe he was trying to show her what happens when wives, or husbands, kept secrets from each other.

But after everyone had enjoyed their food, he ushered the children into the playroom, which was full of blocks, games and other toys the children could play with. Then he’d ushered the adults to the library and sat everyone down.

Unease filled her stomach as she put her hands in her lap and watched her handsome husband shut the door. When he turned toward them there was a smile on his face. He winked at her, then took a deep breath.

“What did you ladies buy?” Only her experience from years on the stage kept her face from revealing her surprise. But the other ladies all stared at him, their mouths open.

“What are you talking about, darling?” She licked her lips and returned his big smile. “We haven’t been shopping all week.”

Too late, she realized Monday was part of this week. “Except for Monday, of course, and we told you, we just window shopped.”

“Yes, you did,” Win said. “We don’t believe you.”

“That’s a fine thing,” she said, trying to put anger into her voice. “Husbands not believing their wives.”

“Another fine thing is wives getting together two thousand dollars, going to Denver with it, and then telling their husbands they just window shopped.” Win crossed to where she sat and stared down at her. “Which do you think is the worse offense?”

“Two thousand dollars?”

“Don’t deny it, darling. It’s really unbecoming.” The room grew eerily silent, and Vanessa looked past Win to where Ruby and Sarah sat, close to each other, the look on their faces a mixture of shock and anger. She glanced at Harmony who shook her head. Dawn turned to Rob and gave him an angry look, and Vanessa knew all her sisters-in-law felt the same way she did. No matter what happened they would keep on track. One more day to go. They could make it.

She stood and lifted her gaze to her husband, not having to feign the anger she felt. “You looked through our finances?”

“I am the banker. I look through accounts regularly. And I noticed a similarity. Four hundred dollars from each of you, and all in the last two weeks. I had to ask myself why you would need that much money all at the same time. And it occurred to me that you ladies were buying something big. What is it?”

Vanessa hated the idea that took root inside her, but she knew it was the only way to make things work. She was sure she would pay for it later, but in the long run it would work.

“Something to fit your ego in? The ego that thinks he needs to know everything, and that everything’s about him?” Vanessa didn’t back down at the look of fury that passed over Win’s face. Let him get angry. He’s the one who’s trying to ruin everything. No, all the men are, she thought. If only they hadn’t found out about Monday’s trip to Denver, things would be perfect. If they had just taken the explanation and left it alone.

Win’s reaction wasn’t what she’d expected, though. After the initial spurt of anger, he actually smiled at her. “Why are you trying to anger me? Tell us what’s going on.”

The other brothers turned to their wives, and the din in the room grew as questions were thrown out and answered. The noise grew, and Vanessa shook her head.

“I’m going upstairs. You have fun down here.” She walked to the door calmly, and Win followed right behind her and blocked her way.

“Don’t leave this room, Vanessa. I want some answers, and I want them now.”

“I’m not prepared to give them.” She pushed past him and hurried toward the door.

“Vanessa, get back here.” The room grew silent as she turned to him. “Don’t you leave.”

Vanessa weighed her options. If she left right now would Win come after her? Somehow she doubted it. He would be too shocked to run after her. He would give her a few minutes, and then come after her. But would those few minutes be enough time for her to do what she now knew she needed to do?

As she stood there an idea took hold, and she knew it would work. It would give her the time she needed to put her plan into action.

“I’m going to go and talk to Mrs. Walling,” she said softly. “I think maybe some dessert and coffee will improve your mood, and the moods of your brothers. If you will excuse me, Mr. MacAllister.”

The use of his proper name astonished him, she could tell. She opened the door and looked back at him. He moved back a step and said, “Hurry back.”

When the door closed behind her, and the noise picked back up, she hurried to the kitchen and told Mrs. Walling that food was needed in about ten minutes time.

“When you go in, please tell Mr. MacAllister I have a headache, and will be back down shortly.” She hurried up the back stairs, praying her husband wasn’t waiting for her, that he hadn’t figured out what she was doing.

She opened the door to their room and found it empty. She changed quickly, throwing off her simple gown and putting on britches and one of her husband’s shirts. She breathed in the scent of him, hoping he wouldn’t be too angry with her when this was all over.

After writing him a quick note, she hurriedly packed a dress and some essentials in a valise. She took some money from her ‘emergency’ fund, and then went down the back staircase, pausing at the bottom to make sure no one was looking her way.

Then she went out the backdoor and hurried to the stables. Win’s horse was still saddled, even though he’d taken the carriage to town. She attached her bag to the saddle, and then mounted the horse quickly, reining him toward the open space that led to Denver.

She wasn’t afraid to ride in the dark by herself. She’d been on her own for years before she married Win, and could handle situations as they arose. What frightened her was the spanking she knew she’d receive when she again came face to face with her husband. Because, surprise or not, he was going to be very angry with her in about thirty minutes, even if she wasn’t there to see it.

And the other ladies, her friends. She was sure they were feeling the brunt of her actions right now.

Win stood looking out the window, at the darkness blanketing the area. He tightened his fist around the paper he held in his hand, then straightened it out and read it again.

“Darling… please don’t be angry. I’ll be back tomorrow and all will be revealed. It’s nothing bad, I assure you. Please take care of the little ones, as I know you will, and assure them mommy will return tomorrow. And always remember I love you. V.”

He hated the fact she was out there, alone. He hated even more the fact he didn’t know what she was doing. She was on her way to Denver, he was sure. But why? The note said she would be back tomorrow, but tomorrow when? Morning or evening?

Maybe the ladies downstairs could give him some answers. He quit the room, taking the stairs two at a time and hurrying to the library. How long had she been gone? Ten, fifteen minutes? More than likely it was closer to thirty. She would have a huge head start on him already. He would ask some questions, then go after her.

The minute he stepped inside, the room grew quiet. “She’s gone.” He read them the note, then put his hands on his hips. “I want to know what’s going on, right now.”

“No.” Sarah stood, and faced him. He hadn’t expected that from her. From Ruby, yes, but not from Sarah. “If she’s willing to take this chance to follow through on our plans, then we’re willing to back her up, right ladies?”

The three other women stood and gave various answers for yes.

“Spank us all if you want,” Ruby said. “We’re telling you nothing.”

Win stared at all of them, anger flashing in his eyes. “I’m going after her. Ben, will you and Harmony stay here with the children?”

“Of course.” Ben stood and moved next to his wife.

Win nodded then hurried down the hall. He spoke to Mrs. Walling, and she told him she hadn’t seen Vanessa since she’d ordered dessert. He told her she’d left after they’d had a fight, and then assured her things were fine, but he was going after his wife, and Ben and Harmony would stay with the children.

Then, as an afterthought, he told her to stay away from the library, where he was sure quite a few spankings were now taking place.

Ben slapped the riding crop against Harmony’s behind. Her soft, ‘ouch’ didn’t deter him one bit. He gave her another strike. “I can’t believe it’s come to this. For Vanessa to run off and you ladies to defend her?”

They were in the barn, standing in the middle of a pen enclosure. Harmony’s feet were on the bottom rung of a fence, her skirt around her waist. In deference to the amount of people in the barn, the brothers had decided to let their wives keep their bloomers on. But the spankings were being done with a riding crop. Ten strokes for each wife.

He delivered Harmony’s fast, trying to keep his anger in check. What he wanted most was to be riding with his brother, going after Vanessa. He could only imagine Win’s mindset right now, with the woman that he loved riding alone to Denver.

And even if she was doing it to bring back a ‘surprise’, it was still not a good move on her part.

The brothers had discussed this spanking before deciding on it. The idea was that spanking them together would add to the punishment, that it would hurt them to be spanked, and watch their friends be spanked. He knew it was effective but he hated it, and he knew the others did too. He wanted to stroke Harmony’s back, to ease her pain. This was not the type of spanking he liked to give.

Punishments should be a private thing, unless the crime was a mutual thing, like this one was. Still, that didn’t make it any easier.

“You can get down now.” He helped her stand and she looked up at him, tears swimming in her eyes. He could tell the tears came partly from anger, partly from pain.

He handed the crop to Rob, who turned to Dawn.

“Get into position.”

Ben had to admire the way she held her head high as she did as her husband asked. Rob delivered sure, hard strokes, pausing between each one to let it settle in before delivering another one. He worked silently, but then he’d always been the quiet brother, Ben thought.

Lord, how he wanted this to be over. He wanted Win to ride back up, Vanessa in tow to take her turn under the crop for running away. He wanted whatever the secret was to just blend into the background and go away so they could forget the whole week ever happened. He knew they’d meant well, but it was turning into a disaster.

He watched Rob help Dawn down and stroke her hair. They talked softly between themselves for a few seconds before Rob handed the crop to Corbin.

Ruby marched to the fence without being told, and Ben stifled a laugh. Ruby had spirit, just like Vanessa. The other ladies were a little more laid back, but Ben knew Corbin could handle his wife. Ben knew if he’d fallen in love with Ruby they would probably fight every day. It made him appreciate the woman standing in front of him. He put his hand on her shoulder, and when she didn’t touch him immediately his heart fell.

Then she put her hand on his, although she didn’t turn to him.

He leaned down to kiss her head as Corbin delivered Ruby’s swats. Each one was quick and sure, just like Rob’s. But unlike Rob, Corbin didn’t pause. He delivered them swiftly, and Ben could tell they hurt from the soft sounds Ruby made. When it was over she got down and stalked back over to the spot she’d been standing in. Ben smiled as Corbin strode back to her, handing the crop to his twin as he walked past. Corbin pulled Ruby into his arms and she turned her head from him.

Definitely a handful, Ben thought. He was sure her spanking wasn’t over with this one. Corbin wouldn’t appreciate the attitude she was putting forth.

Sarah took her spanking silently, and Josh delivered the strokes quickly. The sound of the crop sailing through the air was worse than the muffled sounds of it striking her bloomer covered bottom, just as it had been with the other ladies. Still, they hoped this was effective, and the women wouldn’t keep secrets any longer.

When all four spankings were done they all stepped into the center of the room, the ladies all looking defiant, despite what had just happened.

“Now, who wants to tell us what’s going on?” Ben looked down at his wife, who shook her head. The other ladies did the same and all the men sighed in frustration.

“Another round?” The look on Rob’s face was meant for the men only, and passed quickly. He didn’t want to deliver any more spankings tonight, but if it would make the ladies decide to spill the beans, he would.

Ben shook his head slightly. “Tomorrow night, we’ll all meet to discuss this again. In the meantime, you ladies should just hope nothing happens to Vanessa tonight.”

Ruby snorted. “Vanessa can take care of herself. And Win will never find her tonight. He’ll end up coming back without her and waiting until she gets back, just like the rest of us.”

Win stepped in front of the hotel room door and inserted the key, hoping it wouldn’t squeak too loudly when he opened it. His wife was a creature of habit. When he’d arrived in Denver he’d gone to the stables where they always left their horses and carriages when they were in town. Sure enough, his horse was in a stall, happily munching on some hay.

He’d given the reins to Ben’s horse, the one he’d been forced to ride since his own was gone, to the stable boy, who was none too happy that his sleep was disturbed, again. Win had tipped him handsomely, though, and the youth’s sleepy eyes had widened in appreciation.

When he’d exited the stables he’d stood and tried to decide where she would go. They usually stayed at the Brown while they were in town, but he didn’t think she would go in there by herself in the middle of the night. Or maybe she would, thinking he wouldn’t think she would.

He’d decided it was worth a try, and when the clerk greeted him and pushed a key toward him without being asked, Win knew Vanessa was there.

What the clerk thought about the two of them showing up in the middle of the night, separately, Win didn’t know. He really didn’t care, either. All he knew for sure was that Vanessa was safe, and probably sleeping.

Now, he pushed carefully on the door. It opened silently and he tiptoed inside, shutting it softly behind him. Her bag sat on a table, opened. Her dress was thrown over a chair, a few wrinkles in place from being stuffed into the bag.

He turned toward the bedroom and walked softly toward it. She lay in bed, her blonde hair spread across the pillow. He smiled to himself, wanting nothing more than to cross to her and hug her to him, grateful that she was safe. Then he wanted to take her over his knee and spank her until she screamed for mercy.

But he couldn’t do that here, in the hotel. Too many people would hear. That would have to wait for when they were home.

He put down his own bag and quickly shed his clothes, not bothering to put on anything else. Then he crossed to the free side of the bed, pulling back the covers and sliding between the sheets. Her eyes flew open, fear evident on her face.

“Why, Mrs. MacAllister, fancy meeting you here.”

“Win.”

“Win? When you ran from me just hours ago it was Mr. MacAllister. My how things have changed.”

“What are you doing here?” She clutched the sheet to her chest and he could see fear in her eyes.

“Me? I’ve come after my wayward wife, who needs to have her ass reddened. The question, sweet one, is what are you doing here?”

“I’m sorry, it’s just we worked so hard to set it up. I didn’t want it to end without the surprise coming out just perfectly.”

“Even if it meant running from me and getting a spanking?”

“Yes.”

“Then tell me, Vanessa. Tell me right now.”

“No, but I’ll show you first thing in the morning, will that work?”

“No.” He sat up on his elbow. “First thing in the morning isn’t right now.”

She lay back down and closed her eyes. “It will have to do.”

“You’ve just earned yourself another spanking when we get home. That’s two.”

“It’ll be worth it,” she said, snuggling across the bed and pushing on him until he lay back. She put her head on his chest and wrapped her arm around his stomach. “Good night, darling.”

Win couldn’t believe it. He wanted to wake her up, take her someplace where there weren’t people in the next room and spank her until she told him everything. He laughed softly as he stroked her shoulder, knowing his earlier thought had been wrong. He could believe it. His wife was incredibly stubborn; she had been since the day they’d met. And that was one of the things he loved about her.

He settled his head back on the pillow, joining her in sleep, his last thought being about places they would stop on the way back so he could spank her.

“What do you think?” Win’s mouth fell open as Vanessa posed the question. He stared at the object in front of him, his eyes widening.

“It’s an automobile.”

“It’s ours. All ours, well not just us. We bought it together, the five of us. We can share it.”

“It’s an automobile.” He knew he’d just repeated his earlier statement, but he felt like he was in shock. He shook his head and laughed as she put her arms around his neck and kissed him.

“The original plan was for Harmony and I to ride down in it today. It was supposed to be here on Monday, but there was a delay. Do you like it?”

“You bought this Monday?”

“No, the ladies and I put a down payment on it last year, and it’s taken this long for us to get it. We paid for the whole thing on Monday, and then they took me out in one they already had, to show me how to operate it. So I can teach you, and everyone else.”

Win couldn’t believe what was before his eyes. He’d talked with his brothers about automobiles before, but they’d all decided it was a luxury, something that wasn’t really necessary, what with everything in Mac’s Crossing being so close. No one there had an automobile. Until now. The MacAllister family would be the first.

“It’s called a Rambler Surrey. The salesman assured me it was a very sturdy vehicle, and would work well with the roadways in our area. There’s room for five people to sit in it. Please tell me you like it.”

“Darling, I love it. But this is a huge expense, and we should have talked about it first.”

“We used our own money, and Harmony went without buying new things for months. We wanted you all to be surprised, to have something new and fun to play with.”

His laughter bubbled over and he pulled her into his arms. “I can’t believe you did this. And I can’t believe I spanked you so hard for Monday’s trip, when you were planning something so wonderful. I feel guilty.”

“Don’t. We knew the automobile wouldn’t be here on Monday. They’d sent me a telegram saying it wouldn’t be here until today. But we went anyway, so they could show us how to operate it. If we’d just stayed at home until today, things would be fine.” She kissed him gently. “Do you want me to show you how it works?”

‘Yes.” He ran his hand over the shiny metal. “This is amazing.”

“Now you can help me surprise your brothers. Send a telegram to Corbin, and tell him to have everyone gather at our house around four. We’ll come riding up in the car and they’ll all be amazed. Except for the ladies, of course, who already know.”

Win turned his gaze on the salesman, who came up with paperwork for them. They talked about the car’s features; about its 2-cylinder engine and the retractable top, which would allow them to ride in the open air.

When he’d given a demonstration of how it worked, with Vanessa sitting behind the wheel, Win thanked him and they got inside. Vanessa showed him how to start the engine and put the automobile into gear. He watched her sure hands as she piloted the vehicle away from the salesman.

“We need to stop at the stables,” Win said. “I’ll hire a few boys to ride the horses back tomorrow, and then they can take the stage back to Denver.”

“And the telegram,” she said. “Don’t forget we need to send the telegram.”

“I won’t. And after we stop, it’s my chance behind the wheel.”

She nodded and laughed, and he kissed her cheek, wondering how he would ever pay her back for such a wonderful surprise.

Ben took a sip from his lemonade, watching the children as they played in the front yard of Win’s house. It was a beautiful day outside with the warm sun and the light winds. The kids were laughing and running around, the wives were excited and the men seemed excited too.

Despite the past week, they knew something big was about to happen. The tone of Ben’s telegram had been light, no sign of the anger his brother had the night before when he’d taken off after his wife.

Home at 4. Stop. Have everyone at house. Stop. You aren’t going to believe this. Stop. I’m stunned, and thrilled. Stop.

Mrs. Walling was inside, preparing food for all of them. Every once in a while she’d come outside to refill glasses.

They’d all been talking about what the secret could possibly be when a blast came from the front of the yard. The men turned just as the ladies laughed, and Win pulled up in an automobile, tooting the horn one more time. The ladies laughed and pointed at the men who stood and stared, dumbfounded.

“This thing travels thirty-five miles an hour,” Win shouted over the noise. “Can you believe it?”

He stopped the engine and pulled Vanessa into his arms. “They bought us an automobile,” he said to his brothers as he helped his wife down.

Rob, Corbin and Josh were hurrying around it, feeling the leather and steel and kicking at the tires. The kids were doing the same, their mothers helping them up so they could sit inside vehicle.

Win walked up to Ben, who stood there staring.

“I can’t believe it,” Ben said. “This is amazing.”

“Yes, it is,” Win replied. “They ordered it a year ago. We’ll all learn how to operate it, and we’ll take turns, what do you think?”

“I think that’s a great idea.”

“Of course we’ll have to visit old man Fletcher for some gasoline. When he put in that tank I thought he was nuts. Now I think he’s brilliant.”

The noise was amazing as children screamed to be taken for a ride. The ladies were separating them, saying they would take one child from each family on a ride, after their fathers had gone first.

“Here we go,” Win said, moving toward the auto. “You first?” He pointed at Ben.

“Absolutely. I think it should go by age.” This prompted arguments between the brothers, and it was finally decided Ben was right. He sat beside Win, who showed him how things worked, then they took off toward the road. On the way back they switched places, and Ben piloted the auto.

As they neared the front he saw Corbin kissing Ruby, Josh hugging Sarah close and Rob’s lips firmly planted on Dawn’s mouth.

They stopped and got out and all the adults gathered round them. “Well, this is a surprise,” Win said. “And, despite the tough week we’ve all had, I’d like to say thank you to all of you. This is fantastic.”

“We’ll have to think of a suitable reward,” Ben said.

“No spankings for a year,” Harmony replied.

“Two years,” Sarah said with a laugh.

The men laughed, and one suggested a trip to San Francisco instead.

“We’ll need more than one automobile for that,” Win said. “So I guess we’ll have to take the train.”

Each brother hugged his wife close, kissing them softly as they all agreed a trip would be a fantastic idea.

“And the train is great,” Ben said “Nice, big compartments where we can spank wayward women when we need to. Besides, who needs more than one automobile in a family? We’ll share this one, and do just fine. Trust me. More than one is a huge luxury.”