August finished out quickly and suddenly September was here and halfway over. Ginny was still teaching Izzy, and occasionally Becky Crane. Livy was riding into town often and spending a lot of time with Jasper Norris, or as she called him, Jazz. She had finished the high chair and Drew was sitting in it every meal. Eating mashed vegetables and fruit, and sometimes soft scrambled eggs. He babbled really well yet, he didn't actually speak words but he said something that sound like Mu and Ha and that was good enough for Hoss and Willow to declare him a genius. Everyone else knew he was just babbling but didn't want to burst their bubble. Izzy was starting to get into more trouble, she was acting out for some reason.

"Isabelle Roberta Hollis Cartwright, You are in so much trouble right now." Ginny said in her best stern mom voice. She grabbed her by the arm and applied several swats to the girl's bottom.

"Ow, OW, mommy….."

"What were you told about getting to close to the horses, the men are trying to train wild horses today Dizzy girl, and you can't go near them. These aren't like Papa's Horse, or Uncle Hoss's horse they're wild, they could hurt you very much. You know this, you've been told this many times. I'm afraid this time you're getting a spanking."

"What happened?" Adam's voice suddenly cut in.

"She got too close to the wild horses. She was right there, right next to the Pen, Adam. I can't…." Her voice broke. "Please Adam, can you….."

Ginny had never asked him to do that before. He had when he'd noticed her putting herself in danger as was there original agreement when he and his father and brothers took them all in but this wasn't part of the agreement this was her trusting him as her husband asking him to punish their daughter.

"Yes, of course I can, Ginny don't worry I'll take care of it." He said, lifting up Izzy into his arms. "Come on, Izzy, let's go."

"Where we going, Papa?" Izzy asked.

"You're getting a spanking." Adam said. He carried her into the house and up to her room. He sat on the bed with her standing in front of her. "Do you understand why you're getting a spanking Isabelle?"

"I disobeyed you and Mommy?"

"And what did you do?"

"I went to close to the horses, the horses are wild and could hurt me. I'm not allowed near any horses without supervision and I'm not allowed wild horses at all." She closed her eyes and recited the rule verbatim.

"That's right, that's a rule that your mommy and I, and grandpa and Uncles all made to keep you safe, and broke it, and that's why you're getting a spanking."

"Will you hold me after?"

"Yes, undo your underclothes, sweetheart…."

"Papa, Please don't."

"Every second you stall you're just adding more swats to your spanking, Sweetheart." She stood lifted her dress and untied what she still her 'underwear', and let them fall. He sat on the bed and pulled her across his knee, and got her dress and petticoats out of the way. Izzy lost count of how many times she his hand hit her bottom She was too busy sobbing halfway into her spanking but Adam didn't. His hand hit her bottom 35 times. He covered every inch of her bottom more than once and paid special attention to her sit spots. When they married Ginny and Adam talked about discipline about not using belts, or switches or anything close to that on her girls, she did agree to a paddle or a hairbrush if he thought it was necessary, as long as any bruises were light and would fade in a day or two at most but she felt that the hand should be used most of the time. She said that if he agreed to that, she wouldn't say anything about how many times his bare hand came down on their bare bottoms. He agreed to the compromise because he told her she would always think of it as abuse, and so would they. He would never do anything to actually hurt or scare the girls, or break the trust he had with Ginny or with them. He had readily agreed and explained this to his father and brothers, Hoss had already known and had the same agreement with his wife. The fact that she was asking him to take care of this to punish Izzy meant that she trusted him completely and he wouldn't violate that trust. After the spanking was over, he righted her clothing and held her on his lap, letting her cuddle into him and sob. He held and cuddled her then he laid her down on her stomach on the bed. "Your confined to your room for the rest of the day except for the outhouse and meals, sweetheart" He kissed her forehead and left.

Adam went back outside and to Hoss, he knew he looked frazzled. "Where you been brother?"

"I had to spank Izzy, I never knew how hard it was for Pa….it took me nearly 15 minutes to collect myself after I left her in her room. But she got way to close to the wild horses, You know how dangerous that is Ginny asked me to do it. I don't think she could bring herself to do what needed to be done, either that or she was took shaken by what could have happened, or too angry with her….Hoss, it was so hard I had to make myself to do. When she started sobbing I almost stopped."

"Aw Big brother, that's your job as her Pa, no one said it was an easy job. And your right that was dangerous, those horses are nowhere near close to being broken she could have been seriously hurt. She needed to learn that lesson she'd gotten in trouble for that afore. She deserved that paddling."

"When I think of what could have happened I…."

"But nothin' happened Adam, nothin', all that happened is she'll need a pilla at sup'r and probably dinner, that's all."

"We should probably get back to work, Ginny and hop-sing are making roast chicken for supper…I smelled it when I was inside spanking Ginny."

"Ooh, Boy yeah Adam we better be getting back to work, Work up an Appetite." He clapped Adam on the back. Supper came and everyone was called the table, there were tree roast chickens carved up for everyone's enjoyment, and Izzy sat on a pillow during her meal. No one said anything, about it was a nice meal, Drew was at four months babbling away, while he ate his mashed turnip and carrot mix.

"Willow that boy is sure getting big?"

"I know he's 13.3 pounds now, I had him weighed at doc Miller's last week." She said proudly "He's a big boy, aren't you Drew…." Drew babbled then stuffing mashed veggies into his mouth. "I guess, I'm not feeding him fast enough, he's going to need a bath after supper…" she mused.

"I'll help you Wills." Ginny said.

"Can I help?" Izzy said.

"No you're confined to your room, and going straight to bed after dinner but I will let you take your school work and a Book with you upstairs."

Izzy sighed "Yes, Mommy."

"Good girl." Ginny smiled. Izzy did help clear being punished didn't get you out of your chores, and then she took her school work and a book upstairs to her and started on her school work. On the slate, and the papers, and the book and Primer her Mom wanted her read. Meanwhile downstairs, Willow and Ginny bathed Drew and redressed him, and Ben had a talk with Adam.

"You spanked Izzy."

"I did…..Pa, it was so hard, I mean I never really, I spanked her before, but never like that….."

"You weren't her Pa, before, that makes it different." He said quietly. "And this time you were trying to make an impression, she'd gotten to close to the horses before you needed to make an impression so she didn't do it again and get herself hurt."

"Pa, I'm So sorry for anything I put you through."

Ben laughed "Son, I did those things willingly because I love you, just like I did them for your brothers and, just like you do those things willingly for your girls and whoever else might come along. It makes your heart ache a bit, but you do them because it's what's best for them.

Adam smiled. "We may be losing Livy to Jasper Norris soon enough, they spend every free moment together, they really seem in love. He appreciates her woodworking and even gave her tips, They understand each other, and she finds him handsome and funny, I suppose that's not easy to find for either of them in any century."

"I suppose not."

"Will Ginny object I know most people marry when they're older."

"She was 21 when she married her first husband but she would have married him when she was 17 if she could have. She knew when she was 15. She waited for him and was faithful only to him, unusual in that time, I know they seem brash and impolite by our standards but we got a group of sisters who are more in tune with our values than some others from that time might be, would be. And are more certainly more adaptable than others might have been. They fit in well enough here, others wouldn't have been."

"That's true."

Dinner rolled around and Ginny had made Chicken Matzoh Ball Soap, with carrots, celery, onions and beans, Everyone had enjoyed the meal, though the Men didn't recognize the dish, they thought they were dumplings. After the meal, Willow left to get Drew was breast fed and put to bed, Izzy was sent to bed with promises that once the dishes were done she'd be tucked in, Livy and Joe were excused, Ben went to spoke his pipe. Adam and Ginny had after dinner, while she was doing the dishes, he helped. So they could talk.

"Do you think she's thinking marriage?" Adam asked.

"I'm not sure. I wouldn't put it past her, she really liked Jasper. He's very handsome even with the eye patch. And he helps her with her woodworking doesn't put her down, he gets her sense of humor, has a similar one himself, he just gets her that's important."

"Has she ever had a boyfriend before?"

"When she was Izzy's age, TJ, but that just meant they sat with each other at lunch and exchanged desserts."

"Ah." He said.

"I liked TJ, and his family, we eventually moved Army posts but they were friends for a while, I think from the time they were 8 to the time they were 12, then we moved, we moved After that she was really into woodworking, it became an obsession, boys found that odd. She had boy who was a friend at the next boy but he wasn't a romantic interest just a friend, Elliot Frankel, they just worked on wood together, he was a little older and saw her a little sister I guess, she had a crush on him sure, but he just wouldn't see her that way. He knew she had a crush but assured me he wouldn't cross that boundary because she was younger than him…."

"No boyfriends since."

"Not really, she went to a few dances at church but no, and she had a friend here Eddie Cartwright who she hangs out with every time we come. His father owns the candy store at Incline village for 20 years."

"Cartwright?"

"He's a descendent of Will Cartwright, your first cousin, and someone named Laura Dayton. Even though they're friends and go to dances together, nothing romantic ever happens." She didn't mention because she suspected Eddie was gay, she didn't want to tell that to her 19th century husband. There were limits to his understanding of 21st century culture, and was just a suspicion anyway. "Not sure why. They always had more of a brother sister best friend relationship. But he was a very sweet boy."

"He probably got that from Laura's side, Laura is a recent widow but Will's never met her, not that he won't in the future, but Will's a bit of a well, he's not very sweet, and from what I know of Laura and her daughter they are."

Once the dishes were done they went and tucked in, Izzy, and gave her a story and a song then it was lights out. Believe it or not, Izzy fell right asleep. After tucking in, Izzy, Ginny went to find Livy for a sisterly talk. Livy was carving an intricate puzzle.

"Since they weren't selling at the mercantile I talked to Mr. Mason, and he agreed, that I should try my luck with Mr. Norris, and Mr. Norris agreed, he already has some of my things out, but this is actually for my Christmas box, the Minster is really excited the Norrises are excited too, and agreed to supplement the box this year, so did the Pratts."

"That's great." I said with smile. "I'll make a few dolls."

"So is Willow, and Mrs. Norris….."

"Good."

"Livy do you want to marry Jasper."

"Maybe, Yes I do, but not yet. I want to wait…..I want to just hang out and be in love awhile…..but if he proposes I'll say yes. But he's the type that will ask Adam for my hand, since Adam's the one responsible for me….."

"I understand."

"Do you want him to know our secrets?"

"Him yes, the rest of his family no."

"Okay, I think I can work with that."