Mornings in Montana didn’t compare to anything Drew had ever known.  The air was crisp and clean with a harsh bite.  It was not salty and heavy the way the air was in the the city.  Drew woke up early to feed the horse and wake up  the children for school.  The children complained nearly every morning about riding the school bus, but Joey hadn’t obtained his driver’s license yet, so he couldn’t drive his truck to school.  Drew had given Joey a truck as a surprise when Joey arrived in Montana.     

Michelle tried to follow Drew's lead and get out of bed early every morning to make breakfast, but this morning she was feeling extraordinarily tired and nauseous.  Drew was certain she was must be pregnant.  He told her to rest and then he put some bowls and cold cereal on the table for the kids.  The kids were always groggy in the morning, especially Alex.  

“I don’t want to go to school today,” Maddie said.  She she sat down at the table, still feeling sore because of her paddling.  She wiggled in her chair.

Drew sat down beside Maddie and put his hand gently on her shoulder.  She often struggled with physical contact, because she wasn’t used to it.  “School is where you belong, and I expect you to attend every day from now on.  Do you understand?”

Maddie’s eyes welled up with tears, “Yes.” 

“I know it’s difficult for you to understand this Maddie, but I brought you here to live with us because I love you.”  Drew said.      

“Is that why you abuse me?”  Maddie asked bitterly. 

Alex smirked.  She recalled saying the same thing to Drew many times.  Drew couldn’t help noticing Alex’s smile. 

“It’s punishment Maddie,” Drew said.  “I thought a tough girl like you could easily take a bit of punishment when she did something wrong.”

Maddie looked down.  “It hurts.” 

“That’s why they call it punishment,” Drew said quietly. 

“I don’t want to sit through school all day with my butt hurting,” Maddie complained.

Lizzie’s heart went out to Maddie, “I know how you feel Mad,” she said quietly.

Maddie was small and slight for her age.  Drew pulled her up from where she was sitting and embraced her.  “I’m sorry Maddie, but that’s the way things are done in our house.  I’m in charge of you as your guardian, and you’ll do as I say or you’ll pay the price.” 

Maddie wanted to hug him back the way she had done last night after he spanked her, but instead she pushed him away and slowly sat back down at the table.  These early mornings were terrible and it was freezing cold outside.   

Alex, Joey, and Lizzie hurried to finish eating and gather up their books.  Whenever someone received a paddling, it reminded the others why it was important to follow the rules.  Maddie struggled to keep tears from falling, but she swallowed her pride and picked up her books and followed the others down the driveway to meet the bus.  It was 6:30 in the morning, and they were bundled up because of how cold it was.  Lizzie put her arm around Maddie and attempted to reassure her that everything was going to be all right.

Maddie pushed Lizzie’s arm away and continued walking.

***

Michelle slept soundly all morning and Drew curled up beside her and held her, dozing with her until she finally opened her eyes around noon.  Drew smiled and brushed the hair from her eyes.  “How are you feeling?”

Michelle reached for a cigarette.  “Horrible,” she said and her fingers shook as she lit her cigarette.  She knew Drew didn’t want her to smoke in case it turned out she was pregnant, but she didn’t care.  Tears filled her eyes.  “I took the damn test,” she confessed, and nodded toward the master bathroom. 

Drew stood up, went into the bathroom, and found the pregnancy test lying on the counter.  He picked it up and looked at it.  She was pregnant.  He didn’t need a test to tell him what he already knew.  He paused for a moment as the reality began to sink in, and he closed his eyes.  He wasn’t sure he wanted any more children.  The four teenagers they were caring for were enough of a handful without adding a baby to the mix.  He was still concerned about his past life in the Mafia and that it would catch up with him someday and then they would all be in danger again.  He didn’t know what sort of father he would make to a baby.  He was barely a father to Alex and the others.   

“Drew,” Michelle called from the bedroom, and he quickly joined her.  He smiled warmly at her.  “We’re going to have a baby,” he smiled and smoothed her hair. 

Michelle shook her head and tears flooded from her eyes despite her best effort to hold them back.  “I don’t want this baby,” she sobbed.

Drew pulled her close.  “I don’t know if I do either,” he said quietly.  “We’ve got so many other worries right now.”

“Maybe I should get an abortion,” she suggested. 

There was something unsettling to hear Michelle talk about having an abortion, but Drew wasn't sure why that was.  He had always believed in a woman’s right to have an abortion if she chose.  Murder had been part of his life for such a long time, that he didn’t understand why he should care about an unborn fetus, but he did, and he knew deep inside that it was because the fetus Michelle carried was a part of them both.  “I want you to do what you feel is best,” Drew kissed her forehead softly.  “If you choose to carry the baby to full term, I will love it and support it the best I know how,” Drew said with sincerity.  “If you feel it’s not something you want, I’ll also support that.”  

She kissed him briefly, quickly breaking away because of her nausea.  “I never wanted to be a mother,” she sobbed.  “I never wanted this to happen.” 

“I know baby,” Drew kissed the top of her head and held her.  “I know.” 

Michelle sobbed until she fell back to sleep.  She was extraordinarily tired.  Drew left the bedroom to go clean up the breakfast dishes and to get some chores done around the house before the kids got home.  The snow would soon be falling, and Drew wanted to be ready for winter.  He had purchased some equipment to shovel the driveway.  He thought about the children and decided that despite Michelle’s condition, he would take Lizzie to get a dog this afternoon.  He had put her off long enough, and he knew it was time to make good on his promise.      

***

The children were not fond of their new school.  They had not yet made many friends, but Alex, Lizzie, and Joey had each other.  Maddie was alone.  When they arrived at school that morning, Lizzie made a point of following Maddie to her locker, “Make sure you are on the bus home, OK?” 

“Leave me alone,” Maddie said bitterly.  “I’m going to talk to the principal or one of my teachers and report Uncle Drew for child abuse.” 

Alex was standing nearby.  “You sure as hell better not.”  There was fire and venom in Alex’s voice.  She and Maddie were cousins and there was a similar genetic link between them, but they didn’t feel anything for each other yet.  “I’ve had to put up with my dad being gone and in danger long enough, if you get anyone involved in our private family business, I’ll make you sorry.”   

“Fuck you,” Maddie said to Alex.  “Don’t tell me what to do.”  

“I’ve thought about turning him in too, Maddie,” Alex said.  “It hurts like hell when he uses that god awful paddle to spank us, but what happens at home needs to stay at home.  He didn’t do anything but punish you for what you did wrong, and he was justified in doing that because he’s your guardian.”

Maddie was angry that Alex and Lizzie were getting involved in her business.  She pushed past them and walked down the hall toward her first class. 

“What if she reports him?”  Lizzie asked, turning to Alex.  It had never crossed Lizzie’s mind to report Drew for child abuse or anything else.  He was the most loving man she had ever known.  He was harsh, but he was harsh because he cared about them.  His discipline kept them in line and gave them structure.  They learned respect and obedience from him. 

“If she says anything, I’ll kill her,” Alex said bitterly.  “I don’t need my life messed up any more than it already is.”

Joey had not been part of the conversation because he had hurried ahead to his first class in an attempt to plead with his teacher to give him more time to complete an assignment.  Alex and Lizzie felt that all of the students dressed like cowboys in Montana.  They felt that none of the kids knew anything about style, and even though Alex and Lizzie had attempted to tone down their own wardrobes, it was still obvious that they were from a big city and their expensive and trendy clothes made it obvious.  They didn’t blend in very well, so they were grateful that they had each other.   

Joey had never cared about fitting in socially.  He had been a social outcast most of his life.  His general appearance was not much different from the students in Montana, so he blended in fine, without much notice.  Now that Drew had made him stay away from all of his computer games and study a lot, he was finding that he had a thirst for knowledge.  He was beginning to do his homework as assigned. 

After school, all of them stood waiting to catch the school bus home.  Maddie was there with a sour expression and Joey stood beside her.  “Are you feeling OK?”  He asked.

“Why the fuck would you care how I feel?”  Maddie lashed out at him for no reason.

Alex hoped Maddie hadn’t told the principal anything about Drew’s paddling.

“Because I care,” Joey grinned, “I’m your brother.”  Joey wasn’t really anyone’s brother, but Drew always referred to him that way so he was enjoying taking on that role.  

Maddie sneered at Joey, and at that precise moment, Drew arrived in the Hummer to pick them up from school. 

“Dad,” Lizzie loved that Drew was there to give them a ride home because the school bus was a terrible way to travel home. 

Maddie put her head down and refused to look at him.  She was the last one to climb inside the Hummer.  Drew glanced at Maddie and he could tell she was still upset and angry with him.  “How was school?”  He asked.

“Boring as usual,” Alex sighed. 

“How come you are giving us a ride home?”  Lizzie asked, and she hoped it had nothing to do with Maddie’s behavior from the day before. 

“I promised you a dog,” Drew grinned at Lizzie.  “So let’s go to the animal shelter and see what we can find.” 

Lizzie beamed from ear to ear, and they rode in silence to the animal shelter.  Lizzie was very excited.  Drew asked if they could see the dogs available for adoption, and they were led into the backroom to see the dogs.  Seeing the dogs in cages reminded Drew of what prison was like.  He hated captivity.   

Maddie kept her head down and her hood pulled down over her eyes.  Drew put his arm around her and she stiffened.  “Are you OK?”  He whispered softly.

Maddie looked up at him with her liquid blue eyes and dark hair.  “No,” she said, and her lips trembled and a tear escaped. 

Drew pulled her close and she stiffened at his touch.  

“Look, Dad,” Lizzie said.  Lizzie said that about every dog she saw.  There was a large variety of dogs, and Drew enjoyed looking at all of them, but he was more concerned about Maddie than he was about the dogs.  “Pick one out,” he said.

“I like this one,” Joey said when he saw a large dog that looked as if it was a boxer mix.  

“I like this one,” Alex said, pointing to a golden retriever.

“Which one do you like, Maddie?”  Drew asked.

“None of them,” Maddie said.

“This one,” Lizzie said, pointing to a short haired midsized mutt, that appeared to be some sort of terrier mix.  “I like this one.” 

It was a friendly little dog and when they asked, they learned that the dog’s name was Jasper, and that his owners had brought him in a week ago because they had to move away and couldn’t take him with them.  He looked frightened, but he was extremely affectionate.        

After a lot of debate, they ended up taking Jasper home with them and Drew stopped off at the pet store to get some supplies for him.  Jasper liked to lick people and he kissed Lizzie’s face repeatedly.  All of the kids enjoyed him, including Maddie because she couldn’t help herself.  She smiled as he licked her. 

“I wish we could get two dogs,” Lizzie lamented, “I really liked that golden retriever too.”

“We’ll begin with one,” Drew said.  “And if he gets neglected, you’ll have to answer for it.”

Lizzie hated it when Drew was stern with her, but she knew it was because he cared.       

***     

Michelle was preparing dinner for them when they returned home.  She had prepared some pork chops, mashed potatoes, a salad, and some fresh vegetables.  All of them were famished and they sat down to eat. 

Drew was glad to see Michelle eating for a change.  He didn’t know what the protocol was in situations like this, should he tell the children she was pregnant?  He wasn’t sure what to do.  Maddie was famished and she gobbled her plate of food down quickly.  She seemed to be in reasonably good spirits about the dog and she was relieved to be home. 

“So what are we going to call the dog?”  Michelle asked. 

“His name is Jasper,” Lizzie informed her. 

“Well he’s a very cute dog,” Michelle smiled at Jasper with affection. 

“I hope he’s housebroken,” Joey said.  “It doesn’t look to me like he would survive out in the cold with his short hair.”

Drew hadn’t given it much thought about whether the dog would be an outdoor or indoor dog.  He realized that Jasper would be more comfortable if they kept him inside.  

When dinner was over, it was Joey and Alex’s turn to do the dishes.  Drew stood up and handed the dog leash to Lizzie, “Bundle up and show Jasper the great outdoors.”

Lizzie was excited to take the dog for a walk, and she did as Drew said. 

Drew turned to Madison, “How does your bottom feel?”

“It hurts,” she complained, even though the fiery feeling had gone away and was replaced by a much duller ache. 

“I told you extra chores would be part of your punishment, so bundle up.”  Drew said.

Maddie glared at him, “Are you kidding?”

“I don’t kid about something like that,” Drew said. 

“No,” Maddie said and she rushed into her bedroom and slammed the door. 

Drew quickly followed after her and opened her door.  “You will not slam the door like that again, do you understand?”

Maddie frowned at him.  “What are you going to do, beat me some more?”

Drew began to unbuckle his belt and pull it from around his waist.  He doubled it over.  “Stop with this attitude of yours right now.”

Maddie swallowed. 

“If you ever slam this door in my face again, I’ll give you ten licks with my belt.  When I tell you to get in your winter clothing so that we can go out and do some extra chores, then you will do as you are told.  This is not a debate.” 

Maddie folded her arms in protest.  “You weren’t this strict when I first got here.” 

“I wanted you to get used to being here,” Drew quipped.  “I’m counting to five and if you are not dressed in your coat and hat and ready to go outside, you’ll get five licks with the belt.” 

“You wouldn’t dare,” Maddie said in disbelief.  “You just paddled me last night.” 

“It’s time you learned this is not a democracy, and that you don’t get to vote on the rules.  One… two… three….”  Drew began counting.

Maddie stood up and rushed to put on her coat and boots.  Drew threaded his belt back through the loops of his pants.  Alex and Joey looked at one another.  Maddie’s room was downstairs near where Alex and Joey were doing the dishes so they had overheard nearly everything. 

Once Maddie was bundled up, Drew led her out to the large barn and garage.  The garage and barn were full of equipment, and the horse stalls were kept clean and orderly.  Drew took Maddie to where the grain for the horse was stored.  He began teaching Maddie how to mix the oats for the horse.  “What’s his name?”  Maddie asked.

Drew was surprised at her question because she had never shown much interest in the horse since her arrival.  “His name is Guthrie,” Drew said.  “He needs regular exercise, grooming, and food.”

Maddie sensed what might be coming.  “And you want me to help care for him as part of my punishment?”

“Yes,” Drew said, “I will help you with him for now, until you learn how to care for him on your own.” 

Maddie was afraid he would have her painting something, stocking firewood, or any number of things.  She never envisioned that he would expect her to care for the horse as part of her punishment.  Even though it was supposed to be punishment, it didn’t seem nearly as bad as she was expecting.   

Drew watched her with the horse, and although she was afraid to touch him at first, he helped her learn to pet his neck and feed him out of her hand and from the bucket of oats.  As Drew watched Maddie with the horse, he thought of his sister Natasha, or Natty, as they always called her.  Maddie looked a lot like Natty and it was obvious to him that she was his flesh and blood.  Perhaps he could do for Maddie what he couldn’t do for Natty, and protect and help her. 

***              

Inside the kitchen, Joey was smiling at Alex as they finished the dishes, “Want me to sneak in your room tonight?”  He asked. 

Alex loved how Joey’s face always turned red when he was assertive.  “Do you think it’s safe?”

“I don’t know, but I sure miss you,” Joey grinned.  They had been each other’s first sexual partners and there was still an attraction between them, but they often put it on hold because of their living circumstances.  They knew Drew and Michelle would not approve of them having sex in the house or even sex at all, so they were extra careful.

Alex longed to feel Joey close to her, so she nodded her head.  “Come to my room when you’re sure everyone is asleep.”

Joey smiled. 

Later that night Joey sneaked into Alex’s room and she sat bolt upright when her door clicked open.  “Alex?”  Joey whispered in the dark. 

“Yeah,” she answered quietly. 

It seemed extra dark in Montana and Joey could barely see as he stumbled his way over to Alex’s bed.  The only light in the room came from the moon outside the window, and unless the moon was full, it was often very dark.  Joey sat down on Alex’s bed and smiled.  “I’ve missed you,” he said and he leaned forward and kissed her. 

Alex loved the feel of his soft moist lips caressing hers.  Soon they lay on the bed side by side kissing and embracing.  Alex began to feel wet and Joey was as hard as a rock.   Joey wanted to have sex with her, but he let her be the one in charge.  He thought he was going to explode as she put her hand over the top of his pajama bottoms and caressed his swollen cock.  It had been a long time for both of them, and before Joey could stop, he felt himself release.  He shuddered and grasped his penis to stop the flow.  His face flushed hot.  “Shit,” he complained, “I just came.”

“It’s OK,” Alex said, kissing him with a smile.  “But you better go back to bed before we get caught.  Joey nodded and went back to his room, changing his pajama bottoms and hoping that Michelle wouldn’t notice his mess when she washed his clothes. 

The rest of the house was quiet and peaceful and it was beginning to feel like home.

 

~*~

 

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