An Honest Mistake Read online

  An Honest Mistake

  The McCabe’s Book 1

  By: Bethany Hauck

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1: The Wedding

  Chapter 2: Never say Never

  Chapter 3: Tarmon

  Chapter 4: Courting

  Chapter 5: Attitude Adjustment

  Chapter 6: Confined for a Day

  Chapter 7: A Memorable Night

  Chapter 8: Target Practice

  Chapter 9: Nightly Lesson

  Chapter 10: The Trial

  Chapter 11: A Baby

  Chapter 12: Missing

  Chapter 13: Amends

  Epilogue

  C hapter 1: The Wedding

  “I’m never getting married,” Jacqueline told her oldest brother Eadan as they checked over their bows and got ready to practice.

  “One day you’ll find a man that you won’t be able to live without, and it’ll happen,” Eadan said, smiling at her.

  “Never,” she said. Then after giving it some thought she asked him, “is that how you feel about your Nessa?”

  “Not at first,” he told her, “but now that I’ve gotten to know her, aye.”

  “So you’re not upset with Da for arranging your marriage?” she asked him, taking aim at a target and letting her arrow fly, striking it almost dead center.

  “Not anymore. I was when he first told me what he’d done, but I’ve come to realize Da picked well for me. The McDougals are good people and an alliance with their clan will only strengthen ours,” he said, notching an arrow himself and hitting the same target an inch closer to the center than his sisters.

  “I’m glad Da promised our mother he’d never arrange a marriage for me,” Jacqueline sighed and told him. “Plus, with all the brothers I have, Da will be able to make many good alliances with them, and not have to use my marriage.

  Jacqueline McCabe was the youngest of nine children, and the only girl in the bunch. Although her mother had died only two days after giving birth to her and her twin brother James, it was long enough to make her husband, Hamish McCabe, promise that their daughter would be allowed to make a love match. Something almost unheard of in the highlands, where arranged marriages, usually for the purpose of a clan alliances, were normal.

  Jacqueline’s father hadn’t had much to do with her growing up, but her brothers had always taken time to teach her many things. Thanks to them, she could shoot an arrow with greater accuracy than most men. She knew how to use a dirk to defend herself and had one attached to the outside of her right thigh at all times, and she could ride a horse astride better than all of them, well, all of them except for Alistair.

  Jacqueline took aim at her next target and once again let her arrow go, it landed with a small thunk slightly right of dead center. “Is that pompous arse friend of yours coming to the wedding?” she asked.

  “Watch your language,” Eadan told her, although he chuckled at her comment, “before I turn you over my knee right here for all to see. Aye, of course he’s coming, Connor is my best friend.”

  “I don’t know why you like him so much. I find him obnoxious and extremely rude,” she said.

  “The two of you have never gotten along. Connor just likes to pick on you because you let him get to you. I’ll ask him to leave you alone when he gets here if that’ll make you feel better,” Eadan said.

  “I would like it if you asked him to not even talk to me,” she told him.

  “Be nice,” he said, as he let his arrow fly, once again hitting the target dead center. Eadan was the only one of her brothers who could shoot better than her.

  “I’ll try my best,” she answered smirking, “but I make no promises.” Eadan laughed at her and shook his head.

  The two practiced together for the next hour before Eadan called an end to it. “We need to get back to the Gleann; Da is going to be wondering where we are. You know he doesn’t approve of your archery skills, and I don’t want to have to once again defend the reasons why you should have them.”

  “If Da had his way, I’d be stuck in my solar sewing and doing embroidery day after day. I really am no good at either of those things, Eadan,” she said.

  “I know,” he said laughing. “I’ve seen your work.”

  Jacqueline giggled along with him and said, “I can’t even argue and defend myself since it’s true.”

  “You need help mounting?” he asked her when they reached the horses and he offered her his arm.

  Jacqueline just looked at him and then smacked his arm away. She grabbed the mane on her horse, as she jumped up and threw her leg over his back, mounting unaided, “I haven’t needed your help mounting a horse since I was ten summers big brother.”

  “It wouldn’t hurt to act like a lady once in awhile and take the help offered,” he told her becoming serious.

  “I refuse to act helpless when I am not,” she said as Eadan mounted his own horse.

  “So how is the new room?” he asked her, changing the subject.

  She had recently gotten permission from their Da to move to one of the bedrooms on the same floor as her brothers. Although her brother James had been moved out two years prior, she had still been in the nursery up until a week ago. Jacqueline had literally begged her Da to let her move to a much more fitting room finally.

  “I love it,” she told him. “I never thought I’d get out of the nursery. You would think Da would have let me move when James did. We are the same age,” she said.

  “Da doesn’t want to see you as grown up yet,” he said.

  “Da doesn’t want to see me at all,” she answered. “I’ll race you home,” she said as she snapped the reigns of her horse and took off as fast as her stallion would go.

  “Jacqueline, slow down!” she heard her brother yell. She ignored him and kept going.

  Jacqueline ran her mare full speed until she reached the gates of Gleann. She knew she was in trouble as soon as she saw her brother Alistair, who was standing with the guards as she approached. When he saw her approaching the gate, riding full speed, he stopped talking and shook his head as she slowed her horse to a walk.

  “What have I told you about your safety and running your stallion like that?” he said to her disapprovingly.

  “I was fine,” she said, trying to reassure him. “You worry too much, Alastair.”

  Alastair grabbed the reins from her and led the horse towards the stables and the stall where he was always kept.

  “Stop and let me get down, Alastair,” she said to him.

  “Stay right where you are,” he growled at her. “What did I tell you I was going to do the next time I seen you riding like that?”

  “You wouldn’t dare,” she said to him.

  “What did I say, Jacqueline?” he calmly asked again.

  “You said you would take a strap to me,” she answered softly, becoming concerned. “I won’t do it again, Alastair, I promise.”

  “That’s exactly what you said last time,” he told her. “Maybe if I would have followed through then, we wouldn’t be having this conversation again.”

  Jacqueline looked around to see if there was any way to make her escape. Although each of her eight brothers had at one time threatened to spank or take a strap to her, Alastair was the one most likely to follow through and had on many occasions.

  “Don’t even think about it,” he told her when he saw what she was doing. “I’ll chase you down and let you have it wherever I catch you, no matter who’s watching.”

  Once they were inside the stables, Alastair handed the reins off to one of the stable boys who was working and held his arms up towards his sister, “come on.”

  Jacqueline, knowing she had nowhere to go and no way out of the punishment, slowly slid down into hi
s arms. “I love you ya know,” she said to him smiling.

  “And I love you, baby sister, which is why I refuse to watch you kill yourself on this beast,” he said as he led her into the privacy of the tool room attached to the stables. As he went to shut the door, she heard Eadan ride in on his own horse.

  “Where is she?” she heard him ask the young boy who had just taken her horse.

  “I’ve got her,” Alastair called out the half-open door to his older brother. “I made a promise of what was going to happen if I saw her riding that horse like that again, and I intend to follow through with it.”

  “I bet it’s the same promise I made,” Eadan said, “and I intend to follow through on mine also.” Jacqueline cringed as he spoke, knowing he was serious.

  “Then, by all means, join us, brother,” Alastair said as he opened the door for Eadan to follow them inside.

  Once inside the tool room, Eadan shut the door behind them. “Do you have trews on under your skirts?” he asked his sister.

  “I always wear trews if I’m going to be riding,” she answered.

  “Good,” Alastair said as he walked over and cleared off an end of one of the work tables. “Lift your skirts and lean over, baby sister,”

  “Come on, Alastair,” she tried to reason with him. “I won’t do it again.”

  “She told me that last week,” Eadan said to Alastair, as he chose a piece of leather about three feet long and half an inch wide from those lying around the work area.

  “Now, Jacqueline,” Alastair said. “You already have twenty coming from me. Since Eadan is going to use a strap, I’ll use this,” he said as he picked up a flat piece of wood about a foot long, four inches wide, and an inch thick.

  “Alastair,” she began.

  “Thirty,” he said.

  “Eadan, help me,” she said.

  “Forty,” Alastair said.

  “She’s up to twenty from me,” Eadan said. “If I were you, little sister, I’d get into position. Right now, I’m allowing you to keep your trews on, but if you want to keep arguing we can do this on the bare.”

  “I don’t love either of you anymore,” Jacqueline screeched at them as she stomped her foot and turned around. She lifted her skirts and leaned over the work table as asked, not wanting any more extras added on.

  “I’ll add five more every time you get out of position,” Alastair told her.

  “Very well,” she said. “Just get it over with.”

  “That’s another five from me for attitude,” Eadan said. Jacqueline stamped her foot again after he said it, but kept her mouth shut.

  “Would you like to go first, big brother?” Alastair asked.

  “How about I do half, then you do half, and then me again until we’re finished,” Eadan said. He smiled at Alastair making sure Jacqueline couldn’t see it.

  “I think that’s an excellent idea,” Alastair agreed.

  Eadan took his place to the side of Jacqueline and lifted the strap high before bringing his arm down and letting it snap firmly across her right thigh, swish, crack, Jacqueline flinched as she felt the sting. She knew better than to get out of position or say anything, at least she still had her trews on. Eadan lifted his arm again before snapping his wrist and letting the strap again hit her right thigh, a half inch above where it had landed the last time swish, crack . He continued this for each stroke until thirteen strokes were laid one on top of the other from right above her knee to just below her sit spot.

  “Your turn, little brother,” he said to Alastair.

  “Gladly,” Alastair said. He had noticed his brother had only strapped her thigh which meant he had saved her arse for him. Alastair put one hand on the lower part of her back before raising the piece of wood up high and letting it fall soundly across both mounds, smack, smack, smack, smack, smack . Jacqueline flinched with each stroke, by number twenty her arse cheeks were on fire and she wasn’t sure she was going to be able to finish the punishment. She wasn’t sure when it had happened, but she had quietly begun to cry.

  “Your turn,” Alastair said to Eadan.

  Eadan walked over and this time stood on the opposite side of his sister and again brought the strap down, swish, crack, swish, crack, this time focusing on her left thigh. Jacqueline felt the tears begin to roll down her cheek at a much quicker rate by the fifth stroke. Her brothers were showing her no mercy. By the time Eadan was finished, she was sobbing.

  “Let’s finish this,” Alastair said as he once again placed his hand on her back. This time he focused on her sit spots as he swung the board down on the crease between her arse and thighs. Smack, smack, smack. On the third stroke, she finally screamed. “Everyone will know what is happening in here if you make noises like that, little sister.”

  “They probably know already,” she cried. “Please, Alastair, I’m sorry.”

  “I’m finishing this, Jacqueline. I’ve warned you to many times, and you just keep doing it,” he told her as he brought the board down, making her cry out once again. Smack, smack, smack. “Don’t you know how much we all love you? Don’t you know how devastated we’d all be if something happened to you?” with each question he brought the board down again, smack, smack, smack, smack, smack. Jacqueline couldn’t hold back anymore and cried out each time. “That’s it,” he said as he landed the last stroke. Jacqueline’s butt and thighs hurt so bad she didn’t know if she would be able to sit down for dinner that night, she hurt too much to move and just laid upon the table crying.

  “Pull your skirts down,” Eadan said to her as he came up behind her. Jacqueline did what he asked, and as she turned around, he pulled her in for a long hug. “I know I couldn’t stand a world without you in it,” he whispered in her ear. “You’re the only sister we’ve got, and we just don’t want to see you hurt, or worse.”

  “My turn,” Alastair said as he pulled her away from Eadan and wrapped his arms around her. “Please be more careful, Jacqueline, when I see you being so reckless, it terrifies me.”

  “I will,” she said. “I promise, and I don’t hate either one of you.”

  After she had cried on her brother’s shoulders for some time, Jacqueline was finally able to pull herself back together. She wiped her eyes on her sleeve and told them, “I’m ready now.”

  Alastair nodded and opened the door to walk back out into the stables. As the three of them exited, they were surprised to see they weren’t alone.

  “So what did she do this time,” asked her twin brother James.

  “None of your business, James,” she said to him.

  “Looks like you need to take her back in for another round,” said another voice from one of the stalls.

  “Oh no,” Jacqueline groaned, as the one person she really didn’t want to see came stepping out, Connor Fraser.

  “Leave her alone, Connor,” Eadan said to his friend, “she’s taken her punishment well, and it’s over now.”

  “I’m going to my room,” Jacqueline told them all. “I’ve had enough of all of you.” She stomped away from all of them, glad to be out of the stalls and to get away. Although she hated the man and hadn’t seen him in over two years, she hadn’t forgotten how handsome Connor Fraser was.

  The first time she’d met him she had only been eight years old. Eadan had gone away to foster with one of the neighboring clans and had met Connor there. He had also been fostering with the same family. On one of Eadan’s visits home, he’d asked if Connor could come with him.

  For the first time in her short life, Jacqueline couldn’t get Eadan the give her any attention. All he had wanted to do on the visit was spend time with Connor and her brothers, and hang out in the tavern in the village. Jacqueline hated to admit it, but she’d been jealous. She had hated Connor ever since, even though he’d never really done anything to her.

  When she got to her room, she quietly shut the door and laid down on her bed. Maybe a nap would make her bottom feel better she thought as she closed her eyes.

  “That
was not your sister Jacqueline,” Connor said as he watched the beautiful woman walk away.

  “The one and only,” Alastair said to him. “She’s grown up since the last time you saw her.”

  “That she has,” Connor said as he watched her walk away.

  “She’s still my baby sister, Connor, not one of the tavern wenches, so don’t even think about it,” Eadan warned him.

  “I would never disrespect you or your family that way,” Connor said seriously, “I’m just surprised at what a beautiful young lady she’s grown into.” He also knew Jacqueline had never really liked him, although, he wasn’t sure what he’d done to deserve it. Of course, he had teased her when she’d been younger, but so had all of her brothers. He decided to change the subject to a more pleasant topic.

  “So you’re getting married tomorrow,” Connor said to Eadan. “Do we get one last trip to the tavern before the nuptials?”

  “Not for me,” Eadan said laughing at his friend. “Nessa will be here soon with her parents. I’m on my best behavior tonight.”

  “Da banned us all from the tavern until after the wedding,” Alastair said. “He banned us from the tavern wenches too.”

  “Well that takes the fun out of it,” Connor said laughing.

  That evening Jacqueline did her best to sit still and not squirm during the evening meal. She was the perfect hostess in her father’s keep, knowing this would be the last time she would have to perform the task. Nessa would be taking over those duties as the wife of the future laird. She was happy when the evening finally ended, and she was able to go to bed.

  Chapter 2: Never say Never

  “Jacqueline is never getting married,” said Eadan to his new wife at the wedding feast the next evening. “At least that’s what she keeps telling me.”

  “I hope you change your mind one day,” Nessa said turning towards her, “you’re too lovely to stay unwed.”

  “I have plenty of time to worry about that yet,” Jacqueline said, giving her brother a dirty look. She then smiled at Nessa and continued, “I’m happy to just be here with my brothers, and now I have a new sister.”