Good morning all! Hope you are doing well and your Christmas and New Year preparations are going well!

CCSquirrel, Josefhcord, rubyblue100, Sora79, guests, favorites and followers! A big thank you for being present so faithfully! it is as promised the first of two chapters that I will publish this month as a Christmas present!

A huge special thank you to my great friend CCSquirrel who agreed to follow me and correct more chapters in record time! Thanks for always being there for me!

Enjoy!

Live Together

Ethan informed Amelia's children of his expectations and of his rules now that they were staying in his house.

"I expect immediate obedience from you! If you play outside, you stay within calling distance and with the house in view. Understood?"

"Yes sir!" They said.

"I demand respect and good manners at all times! I will be, as you know, extremely strict on these points! The upstairs is dangerous and forbidden. The floors are not solid yet. if I catch or hear of you sneaking up there, it's an immediate spanking! Like I did for my children, I will show you the upstairs, once. Follow me. He took Amelia by the hand, followed by the three children."

"Can we come too Pa?" Joseph asked.

"No son, you stay here, you've seen it before, and too much weight on the floor at once is unresonable."

"I don't care! I'm coming!"

"Joseph! I said no! Come here!" The child slowly obeyed.

Ethan bent Joseph over and held him against his hip, spanking his butt hard. "Go to your room for answering back! If I have any more defiance, I'll drop your pants and your underwear for a good spanking! Don't test me! You understand me?"

" Yes Pa! ... I don't care! I'll go when you're not here!" He thought.

Ethan had asked Amelia if she still wanted to work or to stop. With eight children, Ethan preferred her to take care of them plus the house, but he didn't want to force her. It had to be her choice.

"I am happy for you to advertise for a new banker. I will continue to work until a replacement is there. Do you agree Ethan?"

"Of course my dear!" He replied, kissing her tenderly.

This week, Ethan started his duties as sheriff. His cabin had been fitted out with two offices. In the back three walls were built, dividing part of the room into three small cells. A single bed and a small nightstand attached to the floor were in every cell. Bars were ordered and waiting to be received. On the wall behind him Ethan had hung a strap on a hook, in case some naughty town teens needed him for immediate harsher attention. He had also secured a bench on the porch. Judge Williams' visit was finally scheduled for the end of the week. The official adoption papers would finally be signed on that day.

On Wednesday, Ethan asked Amelia to join him in the late afternoon with the cart to stock up on groceries. The children would join them after school.

"Papa!" Tess cried throwing herself into his arms!

"Sweetheart! Were you a good little girl for Aunt Amelia?"

" Yes Papa!"

Amelia, to his surprise, threw herself into his arms too!

"I missed you today!" She told him.

Ethan smiled and hugged her, kissing her softly.

"Thank you my love. I missed you too! "

The children arrived in turn and they all headed for the store.

"Joseph, you stay in the wagon, the store is a distraction and you still have four days of restriction."

"Yes sir."

"Amelia, come honey, help me get what we need."

They had coffee, tea, salt, sugar, flour. Amelia lingered looking at a hat.

"Take it my heart."

"No thanks, I don't need it."

"Take it, you'll be beautiful wearing it!"

"Pa, we need new pencils for school."

"Okay Claire, if you need them take them."

" Thank you Pa."

"You are welcome."

"Pa? Can I have this toy?" Ben asked.

It was a small figurine of a wooden soldier with moveable limbs.

"No Ben, not today. You can put it on your list for Santa."

"But Christmas is in a long time! I want it now!" Ben snapped disrespectfully.

"Ben! ..." Ethan growled. The man felt his temper skyrocketing!

"Ethan, take my hat off the order and take his toy." Amelia said.

"Amelia, I said no, he has to learn to handle frustration and he can't always have what he wants!" Ethan said sternly.

"Why are you saying yes to Aunt Amelia and Claire and no to me! It is not fair!" Ben yelled.

"Because I say so! Enough Ben! Put that toy down and go in the wagon before I decide to put you over my knee in the middle of the store!" Ethan was at the end of his patience!

Ben walked back to the toy shelf but instead of putting it down, he tucked it under his shirt. He then walked outside to the wagon to obey his father.

"You two… are you courting? If you come to shop together…" Mr. Axelrod asked.

"Yes, you guessed right, we are courting." Ethan replied.

"I'm happy for you both!"

"Thank you!" Amelia said, hoping eventually most people accepted her decision.

Meanwhile Joseph had an invitation to come see "something grand" by his friend Carl.

"Come on Joseph, just for a minute!" Carl pleaded.

"My Pa told me to stay in the wagon."

"Do you always do what your Pa tells you? Are you chicken? Afraid to come down?"

"I'm not a chicken!" Joseph answers climbing down. "Okay! What do you want me to see?"

"I have a piece of glass, look! It seems if you leave it in the sun it lights a fire!"

"Oh yes! Great! Let's try it!" Joseph replied.

" It does not work! Try again, incline it more that ... "

"Joseph!" Called a stern voice coming from behind him near the wagon. "How much of 'remain in the wagon' didn't you get?" Ethan asked dryly.

"Pa, I… .."

"Come here! Both of you!"

When the boys reached him he notices Carl attempting to hide something he is holding.

"Carl? What do you have in your hand?" Ethan asks holding out his hand for the boy to put what he was holding there. Seeing the glass, he glares at his son.

"Just what were you two doing with this over in the dry grass?" Ethan asks only to have both children stare at their shoes.

"Joseph, you have two seconds to answer me before I spank you here and now in front of everyone! And I will ask more questions after. Answer me!"

"We wanted to see if that would start a fire." Joseph said hastily.

"Playing with fire is forbidden, you know this!" Ethan scolded the two children in front of him who were staring at the ground again.

"Look at me! The only fire that you are going to see is the one I'm going to put on your butt with my belt if I catch you trying anything like this again! Am I making myself understood?"

"Yes Sir!" Joseph answers.

"Yes Mr. Cord!"

"Good" Ethan pulled out a notepad and pencil and scribbled a note which he handed to Carl.

"Take this note to your father, Carl. I explained what happened. I told him not to punish you this time, but I want his permission to act in his stead if there is any more problem." He had signed it as Sheriff Cord.

"You bring it back signed to my office, it's my old cabin, tomorrow morning before school."

"Yes Sheriff, the whole town is talking about the new prison. I knew where it is." Carl replied.

"Fine, you can go. Carl, you go straight home!"

"Yes Mr Cord, sheriff!"

Then Ethan returned his attention to Joseph.

"Look at me Joseph, you've answered back twice and deliberately disobeyed me today! You have four days of restriction left, do you want another week?"

"No sir! Please! At this rate, my hair will be white when I can get out of the yard!" Joseph replied, no defiance in his tone of voice.

Ethan hid a smile.

"I don't know if you will have white hair, but if you put one toe out of line again, your butt will be red! I guarantee it! This is your final warning am I clear?"

"Yes Pa, I beg your pardon!"

"Okay, apology accepted! Get in the wagon!"

"Sorry Pa, for my behavior in the store! Are you going to punish me?" Ben asked.

"Sorry is accepted Ben. No, I don't plan on punishing you further. Getting you away from the source of your frustration was my response. Do you feel you need to be punished?"

Ben thought about it a few seconds, which unsettled Ethan.

"Ben?"

"No sir!"

"Good! I thought you were going to be asking me to spank you!"

Ben sat down in the back of the wagon, a stomach ache setting in.

At the table, Ben barely eaten anything.

"Are you feeling sick, Ben?" Amelia asked.

"No, just tired I guess."

"Alright, get up and go get ready for bed." Ethan ordered.

"Yes Pa."

"Ben? Are you sure you have nothing to tell me?"

The man asked because he knew his children well. Ben was being too quiet something was bothering him.

"No sir." Ben answerd and left the table.

In the evening, while the children were in bed, Ethan and Amelia were enjoying some time alone, Amelia approached Ethan, she asked for a hug, he opened his arms and she sank into the comfort of his muscular chest.

"Ethan?"

"Yes my heart?"

"Thanks for my hat, and ... I beg your pardon for contradicting you at the store. She said softly.

"I accept your apology, Amelia. I need you to support me, not challenge me on decisions!"

"Are you going to spank me?" She said in Ben's fashion, teasingly.

Ethan burst out laughing!

"With our eight children, I have enough spankings to give out! ... Unless you ask me to." He said with a raised eyebrow, teasing her back!

Amelia burst out laughing too!

"If I ask you for something, it won't be a spanking! Trust me! I love you Ethan!" So much!"She said with sparkling eyes and she hugged hard against his chest!

There were more and more hints, to get him to go further. He hugged her tighter and kissed her tenderly.

"I love you too Amelia!"

"What I mean is we don't have to wait ..." she said quietly.

"I understood what you meant! Are you sure?"

"I'm sure! Hold me tighter Ethan!" He obeyed, tightening his embrace.

"Ethan, I never loved James the way I love you!"

"Well? What do you mean?" Ethan asked just as a small voice calls out to him.

"Pa?"

"Ben? Aren't you sleeping?" Ethan asked.

"No, Papa my stomach really hurts. I have something to tell you."