Colt decided not to take offense at the obvious ignorance, but he could see that Texanna did. She exploded. She yanked her arm out of her father’s grasp, taking him off guard. She threw up her hands and then landed them on her hips.
“What the hell? What do you mean his background? What do you mean his blood? Are you talking the same blood as everyone else? Red? Do you mean the one who tried to save your daughter from disappointing her father once again? Are you referring to a man who was helping her out when she begged him for assistance? I believe you’re talking about the man who didn’t call me names, or treat me like dirt. You mean a U.S. Marshal. If by polite society you mean people like you, I say, thank God. Don’t be an ass, Pa.”
“Texanna,” was the response from both men. Her father yelled and Colt much quieter but his tone was hard as steel and could easily be heard over Mr. Grant. Colt jerked his head toward Mr. Grant as he saw the hand sail out and land stingingly across her cheek leaving a large welting handprint in an ever-deepening red.
The room was silent as death. Texanna’s hand was on her cheek where it flew in an attempt at delayed protection. Colt grabbed her arm. He pulled her further away from Mr. Grant and placed her just slightly behind him in a gesture of protection. The move happened automatically. For his trouble, he received a look of reproach mixed with gratitude and he could only guess what that combination meant. Her thoughts were too chaotic for him to reach into them and hear them.
It was obvious that she was livid and had every right to be, but if she expected more response from the marshal, it was not going to happen. Colton personally thought a slap across the face was a sign of disrespect but her mouth and her own disrespect were not acceptable either, although it was understandable. He held his further admonishment because he didn’t have the heart to call her down concerning something with which he agreed. He did cut her off quickly, however, as she looked to speak again. He wasn’t used to any person defending him. He appreciated sentiment; however, he did worry about her father’s response toward her. He slapped her without hesitation and did not look remorseful even now.
“Sir, I can assure you it was just a spanking.” Texanna put her hand on his arm preparing to step out from behind him. Colton strategically realigned himself in front again, throwing a sideways glare in her direction. She stared at his warning look, opened, and then closed her mouth. Colt was astonished when she produced a huff and kicked at his boot. This young lady needed another round with his belt. She needed taming.
“A spanking on the bare, you mean.”
“Well, yes sir. I promise you it wasn’t my intention but, well, there were no drawers on her and since I had already seen, what I’d seen, I thought turning a butt red was not the same as seeing her, you know, in that type of way.”
“It doesn’t matter. You have spoiled her.” Mr. Grant had yet to lower his voice since entering the room. Colton was sure that anyone within earshot knew of how he bent Miss Texanna Grant over his chair. He honestly expected some of the gossipmongers had their ear to the door. Well, almost.
“Spoiled her for whom, exactly? Did she have a beau?” He looked over at Texanna, who was shaking her head adamantly.
She reared up to her full five foot three inches and shoved Colton slightly. “No. And quit talking like I’m not in the room.”
Colt gave her a withering look for her trouble. It quite plainly said to hush. “Did she tell anyone about the incident? Did you?” he looked first at her father and then Texanna. “For I assure you I have not.”
“No,” answered both in an irritated manner.
“Then who have we spoiled really? Only the three of us know, and I’m not telling anyone that your daughter didn’t have drawers on and when I went to discipline her at her request, she was bare.”
“What do you mean ‘at her request’?”
Colton looked at the man and cocked his head to the side. It was as though her father had not heard anything that had been said earlier. Texanna had clearly said she had begged for the spanking, but it was equally evident that Mr. Grant didn’t hear it or he chose not to acknowledge it. On the other hand, quite possibly it was his daughter he refused to hear.
“Pa, I tried to tell you but you—”
“Quiet, girl, you’re in enough trouble.” He turned to Colt and said, “But I’ll know and it is enough.”
Colt could see the unrelenting fury that her father’s attitude had brought her to, and he didn’t want to step in the middle of that. Frankly, he felt she was justified. The man didn’t see or hear his daughter. His cousins and gossip were true and from the sounds of it all, it had been true for quite a while. Colt loved the lightning bolts shooting from her angry eyes. His cock did too. He needed to readjust his thinking for now. The time would present itself soon, he hoped.
“I see. Well then, I’ll marry her if that is what you need to happen.” Colton was fine with the outcome for it was the same as he intended, but Texanna groaned behind him. She stomped her feet several times. It was as though the words Texanna wanted to speak were so fiery, they were caught up in their own blaze and unable to be released, but God help them when they were. Colt watched as those words spurt out amongst the molten heat of sound encrusted emotion.
“What? No. I don’t want a husband because he was forced. I want him to want to marry me.” She ended her outburst with a sob.
Her father said, “You’ll take what you deserve,” over her tirade.
Colton put a hand on her arm and said staring hard into her eyes, “I will marry you.”
“The hell you will,” she announced staring at Colton in disbelief.
Horace Grant sputtered, “Texanna Rae Grant, you do not disrespect—”
Her face was redder than when she had arrived in the office. Her body was stiff, fists clenched. “Shut up! Just shut up! You aren’t marrying me off to get rid of me.”
Colt nodded his head as he set his mind to the task before him. He knew it wasn’t how he had wanted it, but the result was the same. The tension in his body that had been there since yesterday’s incident was gone. He felt like his world sat level and sure again, and he knew that his Kaku was correct. He had been upset over Texanna and now that the matter was settled, he was calm again.
He looked over at Anna, as he knew she preferred to be called, and she was anything but settled. She was beyond upset. He was still having difficulty deciphering her thoughts but it wasn’t a problem because she was vocalizing them quite plainly. However, he’d had just about enough. His woman was a firebrand.
She stomped her foot again, looked at Colton full in the face, and screeched, “I’m not some piece of property that you look at the value and make a bid. I’m a woman and will not be treated as damaged goods. I do not wish to be considered a woman that you have despoiled and that you will resent the rest of your days. I will not.”
She stared at Colton for a few long moments before physically turning herself, her anger, and disbelief to her father. “And you, Pa, how dare you give your daughter so little value that you want to marry her off at the first sign of something you didn’t sanction beforehand. I know you want rid of me but I’m ashamed of you. I’m leaving and you men are staying to figure yourselves out. I know you can’t force me.”
She took a deep breath and blew it out before continuing. “I’m cleaning up the house, maybe start dinner, and going for a walk, and you’re not going to stop me. Do you hear me? The next time I lay eyes on either of you, it is because you have come to your senses and decided to be intelligent and treat me the same as a person with dignity and value in my own right. When I marry, it is because I want to marry, not because you told me to marry. I want to be asked. I want to be important, not property. And I want to be treated right.”
Colt heard her and it was her last sentence that told him plenty. She was scared. Scared that she would not be treated well as she felt she wasn’t now with her pa. She wanted to be valued as she was not valued now. She didn’t want to be part of
a shotgun wedding to a man who would treat her the same way as her Pa did. The good thing was she wasn’t protesting the marrying part, just the circumstance. She obviously worried if it was better or worse for her given the situation. He needed to earn her trust, but he didn’t really have the luxury of time. It needed to start now with how he addressed her to build the foundation.
“Anna, it’ll be okay, I promise you. Let me do what I need to do.” He continued to use her shortened name, and kept his voice smooth and even but now he added some strength to his words. “But, my dear, do not leave the house, for I’ll want to speak with you directly,” Colton notified her. “I understand some of your fears. Let me speak to your pa and then talk to you.”
“You need to listen to him. There’s no place you need to go that is more important than getting this settled with the marshal. Better resign yourself to it, young lady, you are going to get married as soon as it can be done.” She didn’t even spare her pa a look.
“Colton.” Her voice almost whined, her eyes begging him to understand. He nodded.
“I don’t want anything to happen to you out where I don’t know where you are. There are plenty of cowboys wandering the area this week as the auctions are going on and the cattle drives are assembling.” Colt turned his attention to smoothing her hair to ease his words. “You’re my responsibility to protect now, and I expect to see you when I’m done here. You need to do as you’re told.”
Texanna opened her mouth to complain but after looking straight at Colton, she stomped her foot and received Colt’s raised eyebrow for her trouble. He leaned in and spoke near her ear.
“I wear a belt every day, my dear, and it still slides out quite easily. Shall I demonstrate?”
Her sharp intake of breath told Colton he had made the impression he wanted. She shook her head jerkily and lowered her eyes. He wanted to build her trust as well as her obedience.
He changed his tactic. He lifted her chin gently and spoke low, gazing into her eyes with a gentle smile. “Please? Anna, honey, please let me talk this out with your pa. I know you’re irritated, and I’m sorry for it. Please be where I can talk with you when I get to your house.”
Colton was trying; he honestly felt drawn to this woman more than any of the others. He tried to communicate his hope that she would agree to wait for him. Thankful that he could almost touch her thoughts, he felt better about her reactions now she had calmed down. She was confused but curious. No, not so much curious but there was a longing. She seemed to understand and, at least, trust that he had her best interest at heart because he continued to look at her with, he hoped, gentle encouragement. He smiled when he heard her quiet sigh.
He didn’t want her to be angry with him because really, she was right. He didn’t want her pushed into a marriage she didn’t want. Colt wanted her, he was convinced of that and equally believed that he would be able to love her in all the ways that word implied, but he wanted her to know she could love him. There was hope she would come to have deep feelings for him just as he knew he would have them for her. He just knew she could grow to love him, in the same way, he was already growing to love her.
Texanna abruptly turned, jarring Colt out of his reverie. She had gotten a second wind and both men watched as an angry, and red-faced woman turned and stomped out of their presence in righteous indignation headed home. However, Colton was certain she had less sizzle in her movements than before, and he perceived less angry thoughts. He hoped his trusted intuition wasn’t failing him. He turned to the man she called pa.
“You sure have you a little spitfire there, Mr. Grant.”
“She’s about to be your spitfire, Marshal.”
Chapter Five
Texanna stomped her foot again as she raged off the stoop of the sheriff’s office in disbelief at her dumb luck. Damn if she had not gotten her pa mad this morning, all of this would have blown over by dinner. However, the marshal did a good enough job still to have some signs left that morning. She had looked at them last night and again this morning and felt a little thrill, but now there was still a thrill but also irritation and regret.
For her pa, that was it. He would not be dissuaded. She glimpsed something that was almost gleeful on her pa’s face. Was it relief? As she thought on it, she wondered what that little smile on Colton’s face was about as well. Did he believe that a ruined reputation, thanks in part to him, was a funny thing? Maybe he was laughing at the show she was sure her father was continuing to put on right now. Oh, she hated men. Well, not hated them, exactly, but she had no idea what to expect most days.
When Colton looked at her in the sheriff’s office earlier and tried to convince her to stay around the house until he could talk to her, it made her irritated that he would so readily accept the plan of her pa without even consulting her. Her intention had been to slam the door, stomp off the porch and kick up a fuss as neither man had witnessed before but when Colton gave her a look of such entreaty, it assuaged her hurt feelings. Her fury cooled as the man she had dreamed about for months asked her to give him a chance to make things right. She could give him that. She wanted to give him that chance.
Texanna decided what was done, was done. She set about cleaning the little bit that needed doing and stormed out of the house intent on going for a very long walk. About a quarter mile down the road, she remembered what Colton had said to her. She knew that if the marshal told her to stay put, she would get more than she bargained for if she didn’t stay, so she turned around. Her memory of how he had scorched her bottom was clearly etched in her brain, and she was not anxious to give him another reason to repeat the experience. Darn him, she needed to clear her head and figure out what she was going to do if she did marry that gorgeous man.
She sighed and sat down on the tree stump just off the road to calm down and do a little thinking. She hoped her desires were put in the consideration column when these men talked, but women didn’t get much say with some people and especially where her pa was concerned. She hoped Colton saw things differently. She stood up and instead of heading toward home, she unconsciously headed toward the creek that called her name every time she needed to put her mind to something or just to be alone.
***
In the makeshift marshal’s office, Colton offered a chair to Mr. Grant, and they sat down. Colt needed to control this conversation at the get-go.
“Horace, you don’t mind me using your first name, do you?” At the hesitant but permissive nod, Colt continued. “Horace, can I clarify anything for you? We didn’t do anything improper but are there other areas of concern?”
“Nothing except look at the naked ass of my daughter, you mean.”
“Well, yes and no. I dropped her trousers, yes. She was already bare.” He tried another angle. “I’m not sure what she told you so I’m hoping you could tell me what you know, and I’ll fill in any blanks that need to be filled.”
“Trousers? She was in trousers?” Mr. Grant seemed astonished.
“Right. That a problem?”
“I told her to get rid of those but I should have known she didn’t. That girl does what she wants and it doesn’t matter what anyone says. I told you she was no good, just like her ma.”
Colton was going to have a few words with his bride as soon as she had spoken her vows. She obviously had a penchant for not following the rules. He expected her to listen to him. If it was an issue important enough to put a fence around it, she’d better not jump that fence without a darn good reason. At least she had been truthful when caught; that had to count for something. However, her not doing as she was told didn’t excuse her father for his behavior toward her. That arm he knew would be forming bruises as they sat here, the face slap, and the derogatory words were all unacceptable.
Colton poured coffee, offering some to the father. Horace reached out his hand and grabbed the cup from Colton, sipping the hot brew before sitting it on the desk between them. Colt sat back down to listen to Horace Grant, who was providing a stranger mor
e courtesy than he had his own daughter. Mr. Grant didn’t raise his voice to Colton. He didn’t try to intimidate him or manhandle him. He listened to his words. Things he did not do for his daughter. Even though she was a handful of untamed woman, you got more bees with honey than vinegar.
At the end of the discussion, both men stood, shook hands. Colton shook because it was polite and he was getting what he had wanted all along. Mr. Grant, Colt figured, because he wanted to seal the agreement of a wedding the next morning. Colton once again grabbed his hat. He followed Horace outside, locking the door behind him. This time, he completed the trip to Texanna’s home as he had intended several hours ago but his business with Horace fairly concluded.
He expected to meet a still steaming woman when he reached her parlor. He smiled as he remembered the anticipated sizzle of her irritation and it went straight to his manhood. He wondered how she would take the agreement he and her pa had arrived at. She might not be happy but he would work on that with her.
Texanna must have decided to wash her pa’s underpants; for it was evident she completed the washing of them as you approached the house. She’d lined them all up on a makeshift clothesline strung between the two main porch supports right out in front. Colton had to stifle a loud guffaw. Horace began snatching the still damp garments off the line quickly, his face growing red.
“It won’t be so funny, Marshal, when she does it to you. And she will, you’ll see.”
Well, she had taken care of the issue that had opened the assortment of problems today. The man’s undergarments were washed. She’d started a stew simmering and had set about making bread, putting it to rise.
Unfortunately, it was also obvious that she was not home as he told her to be. She was gone, and Mr. Grant had no idea where she went when she was upset. The man seemed to barely know his daughter. Was it because Colt found himself so in tune with her?
“I’ll just sit on the porch and wait for her if you don’t mind.”
Taming Texanna Page 6
