Drew climbed up the ladder to hang his newly painted sign. He was replacing the old sign that hung above the archway near the beginning of his driveway. The old sign read New Outlook Ranch, but he had constructed a new sign that read Paradise Ranch. The family had unofficially dubbed their new home Paradise Ranch. The name had developed from a series of ongoing jokes, and over time Drew grew fond of it. The kids thought the name was ridiculous, but Drew couldn’t care less. He was living out his dream in the Montana wilderness, and hanging up the new sign was his way of claiming the ranch as his own.
“A little to the left,” his wife, Michelle, coached as she watched him struggle with the sign. They had only been married six-months, even though they had been together off and on for more than eleven years.
“Do you want to get up here and hang it for me?” Drew asked sarcastically.
“I could probably do a better job,” Michelle smirked.
Drew winked at her. “I’m tempted to give that beautiful bottom of yours a good workout for that comment just as soon as I climb down from this ladder.”
Michelle’s face turned slightly pink. She couldn't deny that she relished the idea of him smacking her bottom. They both turned when they heard the kids. The school bus dropped the kids off near the road, which was a quarter of mile away from the house. Michelle realized she hadn’t even begun to prepare dinner. She sighed, “Is it four o’clock already?”
“It must be.” Drew said. They loved the kids, but their days alone together seemed to pass by in the blink of an eye.
Four ornery teenagers wended their way along the driveway toward Drew and Michelle. The group consisted of Drew’s biological daughter, Alexis, his adopted daughter, Lizzie, who had once been Alexis’s best friend, and a gangly teenage boy named Joey, who had once been their neighbor. The newest addition to their family was Drew’s niece, Madison, who had lived with them a total of two weeks.
Alex and Joey were arguing, which wasn't unusual. “That’s not true Joey,” Alexis snapped. “Jesus, when they were handing out brains where the fuck were you?” Alexis was sixteen-years-old. When she had first come to live with her father, Drew, she had been a troubled fifteen-year-old. He had done his best to reform her, but every day was a constant battle. Her swearing was one of the things he couldn’t change about her, and he had learned to choose his battles carefully.
“It’s true,” Joey insisted. No one knew for sure why Joey and Alex were arguing.
When Joey’s mother passed away, Drew had helped Joey become an emancipated minor. He took Joey into his home after that and treated him as if he were his own son. Drew would have adopted Joey, if not for the boy's crush on Alex.
“God, I’m so glad we’re finally home,” Lizzie sighed. She ignored Joey and Alex. She was the same age as Alex and had been a street waif when Drew had first met her.
“Why don’t you shut the fuck up,” Madison spat. She was the youngest of the group at age fourteen. She was grateful that her Uncle Drew had allowed her to live with him so that she could avoid being placed in a foster home, but she was not happy living in Montana.
The kids stopped short when they saw Drew and Michelle hanging the sign.
“You’re putting up the sign,” Lizzie exclaimed. She jumped up and down excitedly. She had helped paint the sign.
“Paradise Ranch,” Maddie muttered, “Some paradise,” and she continued down the driveway.
Alex watched her dad’s reaction to Maddie’s behavior. She knew it was just a matter of time before he gave her a dose of his old fashioned discipline.
“Can we go to the dog pound today and get a dog?” Lizzie pleaded. She asked the same question every afternoon. “You promised two weeks ago we could get a dog.”
“Maybe we can stop by the dog pound after dad paddles Maddie’s butt,” Alex smirked.
Michelle frowned at her step-daughter, “Alex!”
“What?” Alex shrugged. “The little bitch is begging for it.”
“Alexis,” Drew warned. “That’s enough.” He couldn’t deny that Maddie was making everyone around her miserable and her attitude was getting old.
Joey wasn’t about to chime in. He felt it best to remain neutral and out of trouble if possible. He put his head down and continued walking. He knew if he didn’t keep his grades up, Maddie wouldn’t be the only one in danger of a feeling the paddle.
“We’ll never get a dog,” Lizzie mumbled.
Drew exhaled as he finished hanging the sign and climbed down from the ladder. The trees obscured his view of the house, and the kids were no longer in sight. Moving from a city with millions of people to a rural community of just over 10,000 people was quite an adjustment. He glanced at Michelle, “So what do you think of the sign?”
Michelle stood back and admired the sign. “I think you should climb back up that ladder and move it slightly to the left, but other than that, it looks great.”
Drew laughed and took her into his arms, kissing her passionately, and grabbing her bottom. “That God damn school bus drops those kids off too damn early. I was hoping we would have time for a quickie before the kids got home.”
Michelle smiled. “I swear that’s all you ever think about.” She didn’t mind his sexual appetite because she shared his passion.
“I think about food sometimes too.” Drew rubbed his belly.
Michelle rolled her eyes and held onto his hand as they strolled down the driveway toward the house. Less than a month ago, Michelle thought Drew was dead. She was grateful that he was very much alive, but she was having difficulty adjusting to Montana, and she missed the days when she could call and order pizza or Chinese takeout for dinner. There were no takeout places in Northern Montana. Every meal had to be prepared from scratch, and the grocery shopping had to be planned for ahead of time. They always bought extra food just in case they ran out of something. Living in the wilderness was what Drew had dreamed of, so Michelle was trying her best to adjust. She was a city girl, but she reasoned that as long as Drew was with her, she could stand anything.
The kids struggled to get used to their new home. Everything was different compared to what they were used to in the city, and on top of that they were all adjusting to Maddie, which was becoming more of a challenge with each passing day.
“Whose turn is it to help Michelle with dinner?” Drew asked as he and Michelle entered the house.
“Not mine,” everyone responded in unison.
Drew scoffed. “Well it must be someone’s turn.”
“It’s Maddie’s.” Alex said.
Maddie shot an angry look at Alex.
“OK, Maddie, help Auntie Michelle do the cooking. Joey will set the table, and Alex and Lizzie will have the prestigious honor of doing the dishes.” Drew felt as if he was organizing an army.
“This is bullshit!” Maddie said storming into the kitchen to help Michelle. “I want to go back and live with my mom.” Maddie was beginning to sound like a broken record.
“No shit.” Alex spat. “I think we get it by now.”
“Watch it Alex.” Drew warned.
Alex rolled her eyes. “You’re telling me to watch it? Little Miss ‘I want my mommy’ gets away with everything.” Alex stomped upstairs to her bedroom and slammed the door.
Drew locked eyes with Michelle and shook his head. Now was as good a time as any to have a talk with Maddie. “Listen, Maddie,” Drew began, as he stood in the kitchen as Maddie was helping Michelle. “I know coming here to live has been an adjustment for you, but it’s time you stopped complaining about it all of the time. This is where you’re going to stay whether you like it or not.”
“I hate it here,” Maddie said.
Joey listened from the other room and rolled his eyes. This was a repeat conversation, and it was getting old.
“Maddie,” Drew spoke in the most diplomatic tone he could muster, “You have been going on about this for days. We're all tired of it. If you gripe one more time about how much you hate it here, I’m going to take off my belt and give you a good hard spanking, and then you'll have a reason to hate it. I’m sick and tired of listening to you whine and complain. Enough is enough.”
Maddie swallowed. This was the first time he had threatened to spank her with his belt. She knew he was capable of it, but he had not mentioned it until now.
Lizzie smiled at Joey and he raised his eyebrows. Neither of them liked living in the middle of the Montana wilderness either, but they knew better than to constantly mention it. Drew was much more patient with Maddie than he would have been with them or Alex.
“Now, put a goddamn smile on your face and pretend you are having a good time,” Drew said. “Otherwise, I’m going to give you a reason to frown.” Jesus, did he really say that?
Lizzie wished Alex had been around to hear Drew threaten Maddie. She knew it would give Alex a sense of satisfaction. All of them were tired of Maddie's complaints.
It wasn't as if spanking was something new to Maddie. Her mother had spanked her plenty of times when she was young, but that had been a long time ago. She was fourteen-years-old now, and in her mind that was too old for a spanking. However, her uncle Drew was an ex-convict, ex-mobster, and recovered drug addict, so if anyone could deliver a hard spanking, it was probably him. She stopped her complaining for the moment.
Michelle lit a cigarette and continued cooking. She gave Maddie directions, and although Maddie complied, it was obvious that she did not enjoy doing so. Michelle was beginning to wish Drew would just send Maddie back to her mother. The girl was unpleasant and sullen nearly all the time, and three teens were difficult enough without adding a fourth.
Drew watched Michelle puff on her cigarette and he could tell she was annoyed. He leaned close to her. “Did you take that test yet?” He whispered. He then reached over and grabbed the cigarette from her lips.
Michelle glared at him. She did not like him taking her cigarette. She knew why he was doing it and that annoyed her even more. She had not been on birth control when she had first arrived in Montana, and when Drew showed up alive and well, they had engaged in unprotected sex. Michelle suspected now that she might be pregnant because her period was late. She was avoiding taking a pregnancy test because she didn’t want to know. Having a child was not something Michelle wanted.
“It’s going to be OK, Mitch,” Drew whispered softly and gave her a squeeze.
Michelle shook her head. She hoped she wasn’t pregnant on top of everything else. It was the last thing she needed.
***
Maddie was in ninth grade. Alex, Lizzie, and Joey were in eleventh grade. Alex had learned through painful experience that it was best to attend school and not skip classes. She wasn’t sure where she would go even if she did skip a class. In her mind, they were living on the edge of modern civilization and there was no escape.
Lizzie and Joey were way behind in school credits. Lizzie had not attended school regularly nor had enough support from home as a child, so as a result of that she struggled tremendously in school. Joey had been lazy about his schoolwork and too worried about his alcoholic mother to apply himself. He was bright and more than capable of doing the work, but he was out of the habit. When both teens came to live with Drew, their school habits drastically changed. Drew insisted they apply themselves and get caught up in school. Lizzie was often frustrated because of how far behind she was. Drew searched for a tutor for her, but so far he wasn’t having any luck. Michelle was working with Lizzie individually, and it was helping a little, but Lizzie needed a professional tutor.
This was the first year Madison’s grades were going to count toward high school graduation. She hadn’t done any homework assignments since she arrived in Montana. Most of the time, she sat around feeling sorry for herself. She dressed in dark clothes and stole cigarettes from Michelle whenever she got a chance. She began to make friends at school with a group of kids her same age who shared her attitude. They were sullen, withdrawn, and in some cases suicidal. Maddie fit in well with them, and even though she had only been in Montana for two weeks, she was already skipping classes to be with her friends.
Maddie would leave school and walk with her friends to some abandoned buildings. Montana was a colder climate and the shelter of the buildings helped them keep warm. There was a chain link fence surrounding the buildings, but in the rear they manged to squeeze through the back fence. Once inside, they climbed through a window to enter the boarded up building. They would sit in the large empty building smoking weed or drinking alcohol, and Maddie was the one usually providing the cigarettes for them, thanks to Michelle.
There were about eight of them in the group, and the two friends that Maddie felt she had the most in common with were two boys. One was named Gil and the other was named Travis. Maddie didn’t care about anything anymore, and least of all herself.
“We should move into this building,” Travis laughed. He had taken a pill that Maddie could not identify and he was spacing out.
“I wish we could bomb the school, you know, sort of like that Columbine thing only bigger,” Gil said, “That would be awesome.”
Bombing the school seemed like a great idea to Maddie. The other kids that were with them joined in the conversation, and soon they were making up elaborate schemes. It seemed that all of them wished death on either themselves or someone else.
Alex, Lizzie, and Joey sat on the living room couch watching Drew pace back and forth. “Where is she?” He asked for the third time. Maddie had not come home with them.
Joey swallowed, “She just didn’t get on the bus.”
Drew thought he might destroy something. “I know Joey,” Drew said. “Where would she have gone?”
Alex knew how her dad could get. “Dad, we don’t know who she is with or where she went.”
“The three of you need to look out for her,” Drew said. He recalled how many times he had gone to hunt for Alex when she had first come to live with him. She had been prone to running away. He was now starting over with Maddie.
Michelle was sitting nearby and suddenly felt nauseous. She ran into the bathroom to throw up.
“How is this our fault?” Alex wanted to know. “Maddie isn’t our responsibility.”
“We should have kept our eye on her,” Lizzie said. She looked down with regret. “I guess this means we won’t have time to go to the pound today to get a dog.”
“I don’t even know where to go look for her,” Drew said. It had been a while since he had felt this helpless.
“We’ll help you search for her,” Joey offered.
Maddie had only been in his care for two weeks. He shook his head. “I’ll find her,” he said. He then stormed out of the house and rode away on his Harley. He would start at the school and go from there. He hated schools.
He arrived at the school only to discover locked doors. Everyone was gone for the day. He pounded his fist against the metal door in frustration. “Hey, can I help you?” It was a male teacher walking along the sidewalk in front of the building.
Drew whirled around. “My niece didn’t come home after school.”
“Have you reported this to the police?” The teacher asked.
Drew looked at the man as if he was out of his mind. “No, I was hoping to catch the Principal and talk to him first.”
“I’m Ray Landry,” The man said. He walked toward Drew extending his hand. “I teach science.”
“I’m Drew Jackson,” Drew said. He shook the man’s hand. “My niece’s name is Madison Jackson.”
“Ah, Mr. Jackson. You bought that land up north.” Ray wasn't expecting a man who looked like a street hood to have that kind of money. Drew was dressed in a black leather jacket and appeared disheveled. He looked a bit like a Hells Angel.
“Is there some place around here where delinquent teens go to hang out?” Drew asked.
“Well there are a couple of abandoned buildings a mile down the road,” Ray said thoughtfully.
“Which direction?”
Ray wondered if he should tell Drew where the buildings were. It was possible that Drew might not be who he claimed. After sizing Drew up for a minute, Ray explained where Drew could find the buildings. He hoped he was doing the right thing.
“Thank you Mr. Landry,” Drew said. He shook Ray’s hand again.
“You can call me Ray,” Ray smiled.
“Thanks Ray.” Drew didn’t take time for niceties. He wanted to find his niece, and he was never comfortable calling a teacher by their first name.
Drew roared away on his motorcycle and found the buildings that Ray described. He inspected the area and noticed a hole in the back fence. He made his way through the fence and when he got inside the building, he followed the stench of marijuana until he came upon several kids sprawled out on the floor. Drew was relieved to see that Maddie was among them. The other kids were alarmed, but Drew was only after one thing and that was Maddie. He strode over and pulled her up off the floor. “Get up,” Drew said.
Maddie looked up at him in surprise and began to squirm. “C’mon, let’s go.” Drew said. Maddie stumbled along behind him as he led her out of the building and into the fading daylight. He forced her to get on the back of his motorcycle.
Maddie was in a daze as they rode home. She knew she was probably in big trouble, but it wasn’t until the cold wind whipped at her face and sobered her up that she realized how scared she was of her Uncle Drew and what was about to happen.
When Drew and Maddie arrived home, Michelle was laying on the bed feeling sick, and the other kids were busy doing their homework. When they heard the roar of Drew’s motorcycle, they looked up expectantly.
“I hope he found her,” Joey said.
“Yeah,” Lizzie said grimly. “He’s going to kill her.”
“Which is nothing less than she deserves,” Alex added.
“Alex,” Joey said. “Don’t be that way.”
“Don’t tell me HOW to be geek boy,” Alex spat.
They looked up as the front door opened and Drew thrust a shaking Maddie inside.
“Busted,” Alex said in a low voice.
“All of you go to your rooms,” Drew commanded.
The three of them scrambled out of the living room and up the stairs to their rooms. When they felt it was safe, they crept back to the top of the stairs to listen. “What do you think he’ll do?” Lizzie whispered.
“He'll give her the maple paddle,” Alex said. “Did you see how pissed off he was?”
Drew ran his fingers through his hair in frustration, “What got into you today, Maddie? I was worried sick when you didn’t come home.” Drew made her stand up and empty her pockets, and when he discovered she was carrying an empty pack of cigarettes, the same brand as Michelle’s, he was livid. “Care to explain this empty pack of smokes?”
“I um,” Maddie stared at her uncle. “I um,” she couldn’t find the words. She tried to pretend she didn’t care, but she was petrified.
“You skipped school today, and you stole cigarettes from Michelle. You probably also smoked weed, drank alcohol, and did God only knows what,” Drew said.
“Don’t whip me with your belt,” Maddie pleaded.
“Oh, don’t you worry,” Drew said. “I’m not going to use my belt for this.”
Maddie swallowed. “I didn’t mean to skip school, it’s just that…”
“Just that what?” Drew demanded. He waited for an answer.
Maddie looked down, “It’s just that I…”
“I’d love to hear more,” he coaxed.
“OK, go ahead and whip me,” Maddie blurted. “See if I care.”
Alex and Lizzie looked at each other and Lizzie shook her head. “She’ll care,” Alex whispered. “I guarantee it.”
Drew went into the kitchen and got the maple paddle out of the cupboard. “This is a paddle I made to help keep Alex, Lizzie, and Joey in line.”
Maddie had already seen the paddle inside the cupboard. She began to tremble.
“In this house if you break the rules you pay the price.” Drew said. “You’re going to be paddled for this little stunt, and in addition, you’re also going to be doing some extra chores around the house. What you did was--” He could not finish.
“I’ll call the police if you lay a hand on me,” Maddie threatened.
“Go right ahead,” Drew said. “I've heard that threat before.” He then instructed her to bend over the coffee table and grasp either side of it. He didn't care what she said or did. He was going to punish her. He instructed her to stick her bottom out, and warned her not to move or he would add more swats.
“Since this is the first time I’m paddling you, you can keep your pants up, but if I ever have to do this again, it will be on your bare behind.” Drew raised the paddle. Maddie braced herself. SWAT!
“Ouch!” Maddie stood up and grabbed her bottom, rubbing it vigorously. “That fucking hurts.”
“You have nineteen more coming, so I suggest you bend back over and show me how tough you are,” Drew said.
Maddie began to protest. “I want to go back and live with my mom. I want to get away from you. I want to kill myself.”
“We’ll talk about all of that later,” Drew said. “Bend back over.”
Maddie refused, and Drew remembered his first time punishing Alex. “OK, I’ll add one swat for each fifteen seconds I have to wait for you to bend back over.” He raised his wrist and looked at his watch.
“No!” Maddie protested. “You said last night that you would use your belt on me.”
“That was last night. Bend over,” Drew commanded. He watched her bend over and then he raised the paddle and swatted her bottom again. He made her stand still and take her punishment. He swatted her twenty times as promised, and Maddie cried and protested vehemently throughout the ordeal. The three teens sitting at the top of the stairs eavesdropping began to feel sorry for her, and by the time the paddling stopped, Maddie was sobbing hysterically. Drew put down the paddle and reached out to put his arms around her. “I’m sorry Maddie,” He said softly. “When you break the rules you have to pay the price.”
Maddie tried to sooth her burning bottom by rubbing it, but that didn’t help. Drew held her for a long time as she sobbed, and then he led her to her bedroom and sat down with her on the bed so that he could talk to her. “I’m sorry Maddie, but I promised my sister I would look after you. You left me no choice but to punish you when you ran away.”
Maddie felt he had a choice, but she wasn't about to sass him. There was a part of her that enjoyed the attention he was giving her now that the spanking was over. She had not had very many hugs in her life, and his embrace made her feel secure. The sting of her bottom grew worse as she sat on the bed. Drew put his arms around her and she sobbed against his chest. Part of her felt cared for and part of her felt angry.
***
Joey cooked the spaghetti that night for dinner because Michelle wasn’t feeling well. They gathered around the table and Maddie was still sulking. “I told you what would happen,” Alex said.
Maddie frowned at Alex.
“It will feel better after awhile,” Lizzie assured her. “It might not feel like it now, but I promise the pain goes away.”
Joey blushed because he had gotten a huge erection while listening to Maddie get spanked. He hated himself for it. “This spaghetti sauce is my secret recipe.” He smiled at Maddie. “It heals wounded bottoms.”
“Jesus Joey.” Alex rolled her eyes.
Lizzie smirked. “It better not give all of us the runs.”
Joey pretended to be offended.
“I watched him make it.” Michelle said. “It’s safe.” She then stood up, walked over, and kissed Maddie on the top of her head. “It will be OK kiddo, you’ll see. I’m going to lie down Drew. I’m not feeling well.”
Drew sighed as he watched Michelle walk down the hallway to go lay down. “Eat up,” he commanded.
Maddie was starving and she took a big bite of her spaghetti. “This is not like my mom’s spaghetti. My mom makes excellent spaghetti.”
“It’s because of her Italian heritage.” Drew winked. “Don’t worry Maddie, you’ll see your mom again some day and maybe she’ll make you spaghetti. In the meantime, Chef Joey and his mystery sauce will have to do.”
“You know, if you put enough Parmesan cheese on top it’s edible,” Alex said. She then slurped a long noodle into her mouth.
“Can we go to the pound tomorrow and look at the dogs?” Lizzie begged.
Drew laughed. “OK.” He glanced in the direction of the bedroom where Michelle was resting. “You’re going to have to be the one to take care of the dog.”
“No problem.” Lizzie said.
“Good.” Drew smiled at her. “If you neglect the dog, you’ll pay the price.” He winked at her and she smiled back at him. Perhaps everything was going to be all right, but it was definitely going to take some time.
~*~
To leave feedback click here --> Feedback
The Jacksons 1