Chapter 10

"Get town and apologize to Dirk for stealing that box of bullets and you take whatever punishment he wants to give you," ordered Peter sternly.

Neal shook his head remembering what had happened the last time. "He'll spank me Papa."

"Most likely but you are going to go in there anyhow…now scoot unless you want me to spank you and then send you in to face Dirk afterwards," ordered Peter.

Neal slid down from the saddle and walked shakily into the store and up to Dirk. "Mr. Dirk," greeted Neal, "I have something to tell you," he added sadly.

Dirk noticing at once the sad look on the boy's face asked with concern, "Are you okay son? I can go and get your father."

"No, Papa is outside…Mr. Dirk when I was in here earlier I stole something from you while you went to get me an apple for Shiloh," began Neal.

"You are the one that took the box of Colt bullets," Dirk interrupted as he realized quickly what happened to the box of ammunition he was searching for when Peter was there.

Neal nodded miserable.

"Why Neal?"

"I found a Colt revolver in the woods earlier and wanted to fire it.

There weren't any bullets with the gun and I knew if I had offered to buy the box you would have told Papa so I took them…I'm sorry, Mr. Dirk," concluded Neal as he looked at his feet.

"Your father told you to come in here and apologize, didn't he?"

"Yes, sir and to accept whatever punishment you want to give me," replied Neal fearful.

"You are afraid that I'm going to spank you again, aren't you son?" replied Dirk.

Neal nodded expecting the worse.

"I would have if I had caught you stealing from me but that isn't what happened is it Neal?"

"No sir," replied Neal hopeful.

"I accept your apology Neal and I think that if you work in the store for the next four Saturdays your debt will be wiped clean," replied Dirk as he accompanied Neal back to his father.

"He apologized to me Peter and I told him that he needs to work for me on the next four Saturdays to pay for the bullets," Dirk said as he watched Neal pull himself back into the saddle.

Peter nodded and rode away with Neal flowing behind. They next rode to the sheriff's office where Peter said, "I've got some paper work to complete. You head home and tend to your horse and wait for me…I'll be home in about an hour and then we will take care of your disobedience today."

Neal nodded and rode slowly away. It was a very sad boy who rode home. He stopped at the stable and dismounted. He staggered with the saddle as he removed it from Shiloh's back and placed it on the saddle stand in the stable and then began to groom his horse. Once he was finished he let Shiloh out in the corral and poured out a measure of oats for him and waited with a sinking heart for his father's return. He didn't have long to wait before Peter rode up and tied his horse to the corral's upper rail.

Peter walked in to find his son waiting and motioned for him to bend over a barrel near one of the stalls. "I'm sorry that I have to do this son; but obviously a spanking isn't strong enough to make my point," he explained as he pulled a strap from the wall.

"I'm sorry; I won't do it again," promised Neal as he caught sight of the strap.

"Saying sorry isn't going to work this time Neal," replied Peter sadly as he moved over to Neal's side and quickly bared his bottom.

"Nooo…not bare…please Papa," begged Neal as he placed his head in his arms and cried even before he felt the first lick.

Peter answered with his first lick…placing it in the middle of Neal's buttock and causing the boy to scream out in pain…as the licks continued to fly Neal's shrieks brought El to find out what was happening. She paused when she saw that it was Peter that was causing their son to cry. She watched unhappily as Peter continued to place lick upon lick on their son's rapidly reddening backside stopping only after he had given Neal a total of fifteen licks with the last five on his upper thighs making sure that for the next few days he would remember every time he sat.

Peter stood back and allowed Elizabeth to come forth and tend to their sobbing child. Elizabeth was the only one to see the tears on her husband's face. It had hurt him to have to punish their son so harshly. "Come on Neal, let's get you to bed," she said gently as she pulled his underwear up.

Neal sobbed even harder as his underwear made contact with is sore bottom prompting Peter to pick him up and carry him upstairs to his room and once there Peter gently placed him on his stomach before leaving him to his mother.

Peter didn't go back until later to check on his son and found him awake and lying on his stomach in his nightshirt. "Can I come in?" Peter requested.

Neal nodded as Peter came into the room and lifted up the back of his nightshirt to survey the damage. "Not too bad…other than the soreness you feel I didn't break the skin."

Neal digested that information before asking, "Is that why you whipped me the way you did?"

"Yes, I wanted to make sure I didn't break your skin; I wanted to punish but not abuse…if I had beaten you so harshly that your skin was broken then I might have damaged more than your body I might have damaged your spirit as well. I hope you have learned finally that I do not want you to handle a gun until I feel you are ready?"

"I think I got it now…it seems that I'm a slow learner when it comes to something I really want," Neal replied honestly.

"Good; because I really do not want to have to use that strap on you again," Peter said seriously before leaning down and kissing Neal on the top of his head.