Texanna wiggled a little more and Colton almost stifled a groan, which he covered in the throat clearing sound he strangled out instead. He wondered why he was trying to hide his feelings, but he knew why. He didn’t want to frighten or overwhelm his little wood sprite.
“Okay, baby, settle down or we will have a different problem that I’ll have to handle sooner rather than later.” Colton grinned, but when he saw his little Anna had no idea what he was talking about, he laughed aloud. “Never mind, sweetheart, I’ll explain later.”
She nodded. “Mmm, you smell so good and you are nice and warm.”
He hoped she felt safety in this storm that was their crazy beginning at a long life together. He wanted to begin to calm down that taste of life, now that he was taking full control of things.
“Colton, why did you marry me?”
It was silent for a moment, two breaths slowly synchronizing. “I already told you, I had to.” She straightened. “No, lay back down, I didn’t mean it that way. You need to start learning to listen to the whole thing before you react. I mean, I had to in that I couldn’t get you out of my mind. You see, I had been watching you for quite a little time. Off and on when you were friends with Mandy but in the last year, as you matured, I have noticed you more. Then after the other day in the sheriff’s office, it was all I could think about. So, you see, I had to so that I could get on with life.” His lips touched her hair softly.
“Oh. But Pa made you marry me.”
“Nah, he just gave me a reason to do it now, and a way to get it done, that’s all. I wanted it already. I was going to ask to court you before he came busting in the office.”
“You were? He would never have allowed it.”
“Yep, I know that too, so him coming in was a good thing for me, and I hope you think it was for you. Now I heard most all you said to yourself, and I think you need to know something about me. I don’t do what I don’t want to do, so this marriage thing, I agreed to because I wanted to agree. The question now is, are you going to be all right with all of this?”
“I don’t know. I think it is too late to ask that question.”
“You’re right about that, but it is nice to know that you have reconciled your mind to it.” Colton rubbed her arms absently. “Now, sweetheart, I have some things we need to discuss, about you running away all the time when things aren’t just right. There’s your mouth with words coming out of it before you think things out. Then there is you going off half-cocked, making assumptions and reacting without thinking about the consequences. You know like running to this barn or into the house when you weren’t getting your way or to the creek in town when things weren’t as you liked. Hmm?”
“I suppose. But I only take off when I don’t know what to do, you know when I have to clear my head and put things straight.”
“Well, I imagine there will be a lot of not knowing what to do or not getting your way in the beginning and you have to promise me that you will not take off when that happens.”
Texanna nodded her head and picked at the flannel cotton threads on Colton’s sleeve. “I know. But I do it without thinking most times. What else can I do to clear my head?”
He asked a different question. “What did your pa do when you would take off like that?”
“If he didn’t need me he was happy for it. I usually knew when I could do it or not.”
“Uh huh. Well, I’m here to tell you that it’s not going to work anymore. If you have a problem, get help. If you’re confused, ask for someone to clear things up for you. If not me, Pia or Kaku will help you, but under no circumstances will you go running off half-cocked. You got that?”
Texanna nodded.
“You need to say it to me, sweet pea, because I’m holding you to it from now on.” She had turned toward him and he had caged her chin in his fingers and lifted her face to meet his look. She wet her dry lips nervously. His seemingly untamed cock jumped.
“I need to stop running off when things are not going my way or I don’t understand something. I should ask for what I need.”
“And what is going to happen if you have trouble remembering that?”
She looked at him concerned. “I don’t know.”
“Texanna Rae, you’re not deciding to dance around the truth are you, because you already have some dancing to answer for as it is.” His inquiring tone had hardened.
“You’re going to… spank me. But how can you? I’m not a child. I’m your wife.”
Colton chuckled. “Sweetheart, that is the most proper time to tan your little bottom. No one will come after me for it now.” He patted her hip and continued pushing her back onto his chest. “Now you have some explaining to do here. You took off tonight, you got pretty sassy with me, and you not only talked to but brought home strangers all alone. Bringing them home was dangerous. And that disobedience that you found so attractive this afternoon is going to get you a little blistered this evening.”
“What? You already whipped me today.”
“And yet you still had difficulty doing the right thing. You knew that it was what I would do when you earned it. You knew it well. I told you and your pa that you were mine to take care of and that included making sure you toed the line. That sassiness and squatter business was just plain wrong.”
“Colt, what was I supposed to do when I saw how horrible it was for them? I knew I could have never brought them to my pa, but I could take them to you because you’re a good man. Well, I thought I could.”
He smiled at the use of his name shortened, liking the familiarity of it. “Now, don’t you try to make me out as the bad guy here. If you don’t know, you will soon find out that I have to keep my family safe first. I’ll help when I can but not at the risk of you, Pia or Kaku. You need to believe that. Now there are times that I’m going to have to go off a few days or even weeks and you will have to use your common sense. Bringing them into the house without me home could have gotten you all hurt or killed. And if not killed, I would have roasted your rear until it was as red as those new train cabooses.”
“But those children and that poor woman.” Her big hot tears came rolling down her cheeks again causing her to attempt to push out of his arms in frustration and embarrassment.
“Stop. Let's finish this, and we will go check on your little family, huh?” She shrugged her shoulders and nodded.
He pushed her up a bit and began to situate her over his thighs.
“Wait, what are you doing?”
“Spanking that naughty bottom of yours, of course. We can do this quick or we can take the long, hard way about it. Which is it, sweet pea?”
“I promise not to do it ever again.”
He grunted as he attempted to cover his laugh unsuccessfully. “Let's not start the lying now, honey. I know you will try, but I also know you will be here again before too long, now roll over here.”
She grumbled a little and then rolled over onto his thighs. “Please don’t do it hard, Colton,” she begged.
“Now, that part is my choice, not yours. Lift up.”
He lifted her dress from its tangle and folded it at the small of her back, pleased to see her still wearing drawers.
“Put your hands under your face to help keep the hay from poking your face, and it’ll keep them out of the way as well.”
He wasted no time in connecting with that cute bottom, but now that she had bloomers on, it was in his way. After six rapidly placed swats, he missed that satisfying skin to skin sound and feel on his palm, so he reached up and untied her bloomers to her squeals of discontent. Colton ignored her but before he resumed his lesson on her bouncing cheeks he reminded her of the family both theirs and the visitors.
“Now, if you want them to hear you, then just keep right on making that racket nice and loud, but if you’d rather those little ones not know you’re getting your bottom scorched, you might want to keep quiet.”
Texanna nodded her head. “Or you could just let it go this time.”
Texanna’s head bobbed again, hips wiggling away from his discipline.
“I need to hear that answer, Texanna.”
“Yes, sir. I hear you. What other lessons?”
“The grown-up, fun kind.”
Her breath was coming more raggedly than he would have expected and so Colton decided to try something to get her a little more hot and bothered for later tonight. He spanked her several times crisply and firmly, admiring the few lines left from the late morning. Then massaged the whole area with deliberate intent. She stilled and if he didn’t know better, he’d have said she was holding her breath. Now that was interesting. He swatted again, rubbing, with the same results.
In a stern tone, he said, “Spread your legs open for me, honey.” When she hesitated, he laid his hand down hard, “Do it.”
She spread her legs ever so slowly as he tapped her warmed-over rear and then slapped her inner thighs for the encouragement to continue until her whimpers ushered her legs into an appropriately wanton position.
“Good, honey, now let me play a little.” Colton smiled when she took a deep breath and was slow to let it out. “Breathe.”
Sliding his hands down her hips he lightly slapped her inner thighs and then rubbed, tracing her long, lean legs up and down. He felt her shiver and slapped again as she moaned. He could see her little muff was glistening and knew if he pointed it out, she would be mortified and confused, effectively ending their enjoyment of the consummation tonight. He planned on taking her to places he had only dreamed of to this point for he wanted certain experiences with only his wife. He had a bride now, and he knew she had never even imagined these love making wonders existed, which was half the fun.
He moved his leg slightly to allow room to run his hand carefully through her slit spreading the slippery nectar throughout her quim to that place he knew would shock her if she had not already discovered it. Now was the time to find out. With one hand he slapped her reddened bottom and simultaneously worried her button. Squealing and jumping Texanna tried to close her thighs and met the resistance of Colton’s legs.
“What are you doing? How did you do that? I mean, when it feels, I mean aches, I press hard but…” Yep, knew nothing about it, thought Colton, she’s a total innocent.
“Hush, let me finish and then we can get back to the house.”
Soon, her wiggles turned into moans as he slapped, massaged and worried her. How he wanted to touch that little brown starflower in between her warmed bottom cheeks, but he would work up to that. He would be patient with her, but he would possess all of her.
Spanking a few last swats, he asked his now moaning and aching bride, “I’m done with the spanking, should I finish the rest or do you want me to be done with everything?”
“What?”
Colton demonstrated by touching her bundle of nerves to her writhing responses. “Continue or be done?”
“No, I, um, please Colton, don’t make me say it.”
“Okay, honey, I won’t make you say it tonight. But I will someday soon. Lay still and let me make you feel better.”
She was panting and squealing. He knew he would take her so much further tonight, but a little taste might whet her appetite for something she had no idea about. Well, maybe she now had some idea about. He knew he shouldn’t give her pleasure after discipline but he couldn’t resist. He felt her tense and then she moaned a guttural sound that made him smile. She was trying to be quiet, but it was not working very well, and it was keeping her satisfaction just beyond her reach. He slapped her bottom and she yelled her release. Yep, that’s more like it.
***
As Colton and Texanna returned to the house, they saw dinner was done and had already been dished out to the children. Colton asked Mr. Trenton to step outside for a chat with him. Texanna grabbed onto her new husband and received a reassuring look but one that also demanded she let him handle this his way. She let her hand slide off his forearm and stepped back from the doorway. Colt rewarded her with a reassuring nod.
Texanna turned her attention to the other women in the household. She looked at the woman, Nada and asked how she was feeling. Nada gave her a tired but grateful look and took Texanna’s hand in her own, patting it and smiling weakly.
“Thank you.”Texanna understood all that statement meant and needed nothing else to reassure her that her earlier decision to help while upsetting to her husband for the perceived danger, was the right thing to do.
“You are so welcome,” she answered and returned the smile.
She followed that with a look at the women in her new family. Pia told Texanna that she needed to eat as well as Nada so she gave both a plate and shooed her from the serving chore she was trying to accomplish.
Texanna was playing with her food and spending more time talking to the children than eating anything even though she had not eaten since early morning. That is how Colton found her, chatting with the children as they finished their plates. After bringing Mr. Trenton over to sit by Nada, Pia filled both plates and handed them to the men. Texanna sent Pia and Kaku over to eat their own plates, refilling the children’s plates. After seeing no one else was ready for more, she sat back down.
Colton watched for a moment and then reached over to touch Texanna’s hand gently.“Eat, sweetheart. The children are sturdy if not as healthy as you would like. There is a plan and I think it is a good one. I’ll talk to you later, but for now, make me happy and eat.”
Texanna began to open her mouth but one look into his no nonsense face and she nodded, concentrating on looking as though she were eating. It worked for a few moments as the men spoke about the weather and the things that Colton needed to work on around the property that Mark Trenton would assist with.
However, Texanna’s mind kept returning to the more vulnerable ones in the room. She was no less worried as she watched Nada finish her plate but looked even more exhausted the longer she sat calmly next to her husband. Even the children had grown silent. She didn’t know much about the effects of hunger and inadequate daily care having been sheltered from the worst in life and not allowed to participate in much of the rest of it, Texanna looked over at Pia and Kaku.
Amazingly enough, those women simultaneously looked up and over at her as though she had called their names. Right at the next moment, her husband reached his hand over to her and picked up her fork and placing it in her hand. His message was clear. Texanna looked over at him and he nodded his head in encouragement and she tried again. It wasn’t that the food was not good, it was just her worry was greater than her hunger. And she knew things were going on that she couldn’t grasp yet and she was not privy to as of yet. Pia got up and grabbed Texanna’s plate and for some reason, Texanna got up to follow her. When they reached the kitchen, Pia spoke.
“Daughter, you’re worried about this little family. Do not worry. The men have worked it out. Ask your husband.”
“But, Nada is so ill looking. And the children are so quiet.”
“Ah, but Nada is strong and we have given her some herbs to strengthen her more. She’s not ready to give birth yet and she will be ready when it is time. And the children will be well tomorrow after more food, warmth, sleep, and loss of worry over their Pia.”
Pia pushed Texanna’s plate toward her and indicated she eat. She watched until her new daughter picked up the fork to place a small amount of food in her mouth.
“Was my son strict but kind?”
“What?” Texanna’s eyes grew large and wondered how much they heard from the barn.
“We heard nothing.”
There it was agai
n, Pia could almost read her mind.
“I know my son.”
“Oh. So, you didn’t hear me?”
“No.” Pia waited for an answer to her first question and she got it in the blush that infused the bride’s face. “Good. Now, if you do not want the strict Colton to return, you must eat. If you wish to help this family, then you must show Colton that it’s not going to hurt you by helping them.”
“Oh. That makes sense with what he told me well before we came inside. I am just tired and not very hungry. I don’t want to waste food but I just don’t feel like eating much.”
Texanna tucked into her dinner and realized she was more hungry than she had thought and was just finishing when Colton walked by carrying his empty plate. Pia left the room after placing an encouraging hand on her daughter’s arm. Texanna marveled at the amount of communication everyone did without a word. She looked up into her husband’s eyes and waited for him to say something that would indicate his mood or his thoughts. She watched him put the plates in the wash bin. He reached for her empty plate and pointed to the stew pot. Texanna shook her head and watched him set her plate with the others. He reached down and placed his hands on either side of her face lifting it for his kiss.
Suddenly, it felt as though the whole, long, too long, day was crashing down on her and Texanna’s breath caught as his lips left their place on hers. She saw his face crease with a gentleness she was unfamiliar with before this man, causing the fat hot tears to race quickly down her face once again. How many times had that been today? Too many she thought as she hastily moved to separate from Colton and wipe her face, but he leaned down and kissed them from her cheeks, clearing the rest with his thumbs.
Taming Texanna Page 12
