Part I

Karen and Clay lay in the hayloft of the big barn, their arms and legs entwined. It felt good, she thought, to be here in this simple place. She rubbed her cheek against the flannel of his shirt where she’d nestled it and sighed.

It had been three months since she’d returned to Heartfield, but already her former life felt like a distant memory. Looking up at the cathedral-like ceiling of the huge barn where pigeons cooed in the rafters, she wondered what she’d ever found attractive in the dog-eat-dog outside world.

“You’re awfully quiet.” Clay leaned over and kissed the top of her head.

She looked up at him and smiled before nestling back into the crook of his arm. “I was just thinking how I wish I’d found you – and this life – sooner.”

“If you’d found it sooner you may not have been ready for it,” he replied. “Gifts are revealed to us when we’re prepared to accept them, Karen. Don’t waste your time on regrets.”

Karen closed her eyes and thought about what he had to say, and wondered if Clay knew how easy he made it for her to trust and obey him. As leader of Heartfield, Clay was used to being introspective and thoughtful. As a partner he was the same way, and his affirmation of her choices was comforting.

Karen knew walking away from her job on the police force and leaving all she had worked for had puzzled everyone who cared for her. She realized her decision worried longtime friends and co-workers like Jarvis and Clemmons. She understood that while her time investigating Heartfield had convinced her it was a sound and workable community, there were still people on the outside that saw it as a cult, and feared she’d somehow been brainwashed.

But she was determined not to no longer live her life ruled by the suspicions and assumptions of others. For the first time since she could remember, she was truly content and happy. It felt good to have all the drama of her job behind her, and to finally be about the joyful work of loving. And living.

Clay tipped her face up to his and kissed her before sitting up. He pulled her gently with him as she did and carefully began picking hay out of her hair.

“It would be nice if we could stay here all day,” he said. “But we both know we can’t.”

“You’re right,” she said. “I just wish we could be together at night….” She looked down so he wouldn’t see her look of disappointment.

“We will be,” he said firmly. “But once we’re married. Like it or not, one of the hallmarks of Heartfield is that we’ve adopted an old-fashioned code of conduct. Courtship first, then cohabitation.”

He tipped her chin up until he was looking in her eyes, his expression mock stern. “Got that, young lady?”

Karen grinned. “Yes, but you have to admit it’s not easy.”

He kissed her. “Baby, it’s harder for me than it is for you.” As he pulled her closer, Karen’s hand brushed against the obvious swelling in the crotch of his blue jeans and they both laughed.

“Apparently,” she said.

He pushed a strand of hair away from her face. “Don’t worry. Time will pass faster than you think. I can’t wait to marry you. You know that. But as leader I don’t want to appear to be rushing things for the wrong reason. I’ve advised couples here to test themselves, to be sure. I can’t afford not to live by my own message.”

Karen stood. “Of course not,” she said, admiring his dedication to principle despite her desire to spend a full night in his arms.

Clay helped her down from the ladder and they exited the barn hand-in-hand. As they walked past other Heartfielders, most smiled in the direction of the community’s newest declared couple. But not everyone looked pleased and Karen knew that her history as a police officer who’d originally come into their midst to investigate them had aroused lingering suspicion. She also knew it would take time to earn their trust, but didn’t feel the kind of pressure she felt in the outside world, where winning the confidence of others had to be balanced with the demands of careers and professional expectations. Here at Heartfield, relationships were part of the fabric and the members were judged by their character, and not for political reasons.

There were exceptions, of course. It bothered Karen that Adam Blye’s wife Sarah still disliked her, but Clay had convinced her that Adam would not allow Sarah to poison the community’s mind against Karen before she’d had a chance to prove herself.

Karen knew that Sarah had already been spanked for trying to stir up community opinion against both her and Ann-Marie Markum, whose decision to join Heartfield led the former sheriff to have Karen investigate the group in the first place. Karen and Ann-Marie had struck up a friendship and Sarah’s continued jealousy of the two women was the only real worry Karen had. She’d tried to befriend Sarah, but had stopped after Ann-Marie had advised her it was a lost cause.

“Don’t even try,” Ann-Marie had said. “All she’ll do is stab you in the back.”

The advice was given out of earshot of both Clay and Ann-Marie’s husband Jake, since both men had encouraged the ladies to work out their differences, and both agreed to avoid Sarah rather than try to make fix a problem neither of them felt responsible for. Neither of them liked Sarah, and made a pact not to go out of their way to associate with her.

Before Heartfield, Karen couldn’t have imagined avoiding conflict. But then again, she couldn’t have imagined embracing a lifestyle where grown women were spanked for bucking male authority. Just as Ann-Marie answered to Jake, Karen now answered to Clay, even though they weren’t yet living together. The concept wasn’t always easy to accept; Clay had spanked Karen twice since she’d been living on the compound.

The threat of it – the idea of knowing Clay could upend her over his lap at any time at his own discretion – frightened her. Within the bounds of Heartfield there was no authority higher than the man a woman answered to. Compliance and trust in that authority was integral to a woman’s success in the community. Karen knew she’d have to keep reminding herself that Clay was a man of honor, and that he would only chastise her if she truly needed it.

It helped that Ann-Marie had to deal with the same thing, and was there to mentor her, and Karen smiled now as she saw her friend walking in her direction. Turning, she said her farewell to Clay and walked over to the other woman.

“Where did you two lovebirds disappear to?” Ann-Marie asked.

Karen giggled, blushing. “The barn. But don’t worry. Nothing inappropriate happened. We just cuddled a bit.” She sighed. “I just wish we didn’t have to be apart. It’s hard to wait.”

“Most couples don’t,” Ann-Marie confided. “Jake and I didn’t. I mean, we didn’t live together right away, but we did start sleeping together before we were married.”

Karen grew quiet, feeling a seed of hurt implant itself in her belly. She and Clay had come close to having sex, twice. But both times he’d stopped. She suddenly wondered if something were wrong with her, then pushed it out of her mind.

“Clay’s really traditional, though,” Ann-Marie continued, as if reading her mind. “He’s liable to do everything by the book.”

“I suppose..” Karen said, suddenly wishing Clay would be a little less rigid in his principles.
She wondered if there were a way to convince him to change his mind about waiting, and smiled to herself. Perhaps there was. Even in Heartfield, women still had some power. Perhaps it was time to use it on the man she loved.

Part II

Jarrett Miller was born with two gifts. One was good looks. The other was an ability to size people up. He could tell within minutes whether or not a person was worth his time. And the well-dressed, desperate woman sitting in front of him certainly was.

“I know this is highly unorthodox,” she was saying. “And if I could count on the police to help me I wouldn’t be here.” She clawed through her handbag looking for a handkerchief.  “Apparently they’re not that interested in helping citizens who need it.”

“That’s why we’re here, Mrs. Fales.”  Miller leaned forward, flashing Melissa Fales a sympathetic smile. “We administer the justice the police refuse to.”

He reached into his desk drawer and pulled out a couple of Kleenex and held them out to her. Melissa Fales took them and sniffed loudly as she dabbed angrily at her eyes.

“If they only understood how distressing this has been for my family – how difficult it is to lose a daughter - the police would never have given up. Can you believe they say the case is closed? Closed! They sat right in front of me and told me that my daughter, my beautiful Ann-Marie, joined that ridiculous group of her own volition. They ignored the fact that she assaulted me, which she never would have done before. And they refuse to even discuss how the officer they hired to investigate sided with the group!”

“More than sided, I’m afraid.” Miller opened a folder laying in front of him. Inside was a picture of former police officer Karen Patterson and a copy of her employment file that included a photocopy of her official letter of resignation. “It appears she quit her job after the investigation and joined the group.”

“See!” Melissa Fales said, as if his statement proved her point. “That Heartfield is a cult! A cult, I tell you. I want my daughter out, and those men and that crooked former cop arrested!”

“I don’t have the power to arrest anyone,” Miller reminded her. “We aren’t cops. All I can promise is that we’ll get your daughter out. And afterwards, perhaps we can convince her to admit to what she’s really seen there.”

He raised his eyebrow knowingly and Melissa Fales smiled. While she hated the idea of distressing Ann-Marie, but her daughter’s defiance in this matter had gone completely overboard.

“And the cop? I hold her personally responsible for what happened. If she’d just done her job instead of turning this into some interagency spat, then my daughter would be home.”

Miller was quiet for a moment.

“Just what do you want us to do about her?” he asked.

“Make her pay,” she said. “Make her pay for what she’s done.”

Miller nodded. “Understandable. But you do understand it will cost you extra.”

“I don’t care what it costs,” Melissa Fales replied. “My daughter is gone, my husband has all but abandoned me over the issue and this group has gotten away scott free. You do whatever it takes to avenge me on this. Money is not an object.”

Part II

Ann-Marie kissed Jake as she set a plate of chicken and dumplings on the table in front of him.

“Mmm,” he said. “My favorite. How did you know what I wanted?”

Ann-Marie smiled at him as she settled in the chair across the table. “Women’s intuition,” she replied. “How was your day?”

“Good,” he said. “They keep getting better, now that I realize all that mess with your family is finally over.”

Ann-Marie’s smile disappeared and she jabbed at her food with her fork.

“What’s wrong, hon,” Jake asked when he realized his wife wasn’t eating.

Ann-Marie sighed. “I’ve been thinking, Jake. Maybe it’s time I went and talked to my folks.”

But Jakes shook his head vehemently. “After what they did to me? After what they tried to do to all of us? No, Ann-Marie. I don’t think it’s a good idea. It’ll just open things up all over again.”

“But that’s just the point!” she cried. “I don’t think they were ever closed.”

“They were,” her husband insisted. “The cops came, they investigated, they officially declared no wrongdoing by this community, no evidence of duress. After unfairly arresting me and having to apologize they wouldn’t touch us without good reason!”

“Exactly!” Ann-Marie said. “Which is why it would be an excellent time for me to go talk to my parents. You don’t know my mother like I do, Jake. Without some kind of closure this will just fester. Who knows what she’ll attempt next?”

“I don’t care to know your mother, Ann-Marie.” Jake slammed his fork down beside his plate. “She’s gotten the police involved and it didn’t do her any good and now that it’s over the last thing I want to do is try to give her some closure she doesn’t deserve…”

“You don’t have to go, Jake. I told you that. I’ll do it.”

“No.” He shook his head.

“You can’t just dismiss me on this,” Ann-Marie began.

“I can and I will,” Jake said. “I have a responsibility not only to you, Ann-Marie, but to this community. Your mother is nothing but trouble and she’s out of your life now. And I intend to see it stay that way.”

“Well I disagree,” Ann-Marie rose from her chair, her face flushed with anger. “I’ll decide whether or not to see this through.”

“It’s been seen through,” Jake said, getting to his feet.

“I disagree,” Ann-Marie said. “And tomorrow I intend to go to town and talk to her.”

“The hell you are.” Jake walked around the table and grabbed his wife by the arm. He didn’t want to spank Ann-Marie, but he felt as if she were giving him no choice. He would not risk her poking the hornet’s nest that was Melissa Fales just as things were finally settling down. Ann-Marie needed to understand that when he made a decision that it was final. He would not have her arguing with him after he’d issued an order, and he told her so as he took her into the bedroom and sat on the edge of the bed.

“Ann-Marie, you are exhibiting a spirit of stubbornness that has no place in this house,” he said as he pulled her across his lap.

Ann-Marie, still angry at being denied the chance to see her mother, struggled furiously. But her husband’s strength was superior to hers and Jake easily subdued her.

“You’re going to learn not to argue with me,” he said as he hauled the hem of her skirt up. Ann-Marie’s skirt was made of a thin, checkered fabric and Jake could have spanked her through it and still had her feel every blow. But he chose to bare her backside to emphasize his dominance over her, and to make her aware of how seriously he took her actions.

“No!” Ann-Marie’s hand flew back defensively, but he easily caught it and trapped it between their bodies as he pulled her panties down to the middle of her thighs.

Ignoring her protests, he began to spank her fervently, peppering the white skin of her bottom with a pattern of red hand prints that quickly turned the alabaster skin a ruddy pink.

Ann-Marie did not have a high pain tolerance, and was soon crying in earnest. But Jake did not cease in his chastisement and continued to punish his wife’s helpless bottom until his wife’s body heaved with sobs.

Only when she was limp over his lap did he stop.

“Are you ready to mind me, Ann-Marie?” he asked sternly.

Her sobbed “yes sir,” was barely audible as he lifted her back to a shaky standing position.

Jake sat and looked at his wife for a moment before sighing.

“Look, babe,” he said. “I know it’s tough for you, but trust me on this one. Nothing good can come from trying to make someone understand something they have determined is wrong. You know that. And as hard as this may be for you, part of living the Heartfield way is accepting my decision, even when you don’t want to.”

He paused. “Unless you’ve changed your mind about this being what you want. Have you?”

Ann-Marie, whose crying had slowed, sniffed and wiped her nose on the back of her sleeve. “That’s not fair, Jake. You know I haven’t.”

“Good,” he said, standing. “Then he matter is settled. And I’m going to finish dinner now.”

Ann-Marie watched her husband walk back to the kitchen. She was being honest when she said she wanted to live the Heartfield way. She had promised to obey Jake when she’d joined the community. But no one was perfect, and she knew even as she stood there that this was one of the times when she’d end up letting him down.