Taming Texanna (30 page)

“I need to know where you have been going. I am a U.S. Marshal and I just can’t allow you here if I don’t know what you do when you take off. My family will not be at risk.”

Another silent period and then Mark said, “I do a little bounty hunting sometimes and I saw someone I recognized on one of the wanted posters the other day when I went in for supplies. I took off yesterday to see if I could locate him. It took too long and so I thought I had better not come back empty-handed.”

“That’s what you have been doing when you’re gone at odd times?” ask Colt confused.

“That and a little day work around town and neighboring properties.”

“Why couldn’t you tell me?”

“Because I was trying to work out how I was going to give Nada what she wants more than anything but would never beg me to do it. See, I’ve been doing this bounty thing since before I met her. This isn’t a life for a wife and children. She needs a place to be to stay near other women, your women. She likes the area, she knows her children will not get to go to school, but maybe this last one will.”

They were standing by the river now and Colt seemed like he was a million miles away but when he spoke, his manner had changed.

“Are you any good?” he asked, never taking his eyes off the moving river.

“At bounty hunting? Some. It’s as much dumb luck as anything else sometimes.”

“Well, I am a pretty good tracker if you’re a good information gatherer. I get information but as a marshal, gathering information on the boot level doesn’t work as well. We can split the reward money of any we do together. I can only track the ones the judge okays or that I get the order to track but I have the authority and can bring with me anyone I choose or no one at all. I am allowed to keep whatever bounty is attached to the outlaw. What do you say?” Colt was still watching the shoreline.

“I say, are you sure?”

“Yep.” Colt stood up and tossed a flat stone, watching it skip several times before succumbing to the force of the moving creek.

“Then I would be proud to handle that with you,” agreed Trenton.

“You know, we still need to keep up with the place. I don’t allow any of my womenfolk to do men’s work if I can avoid it and so far, I have been able to do it.” Colt smiled. “When they listen to me, anyway.” He looked away from the shoreline and stared at Mark. “One more thing on the tracking, I don’t shoot my prisoners. I never have and don’t intend to. I might have to someday, but it will happen because I have no other choice.”

“I understand.”

“Good, now, I think I have an idea how you can make Nada happy.”

They continued to walk and talk as they surveyed the needs of the land and seemed to come to an agreement. Colt knew his wife would love that it was settled. Her tender heart would be satisfied and if he could, he would always try to do that. As they approached the house, Colt saw movement just before he followed Mark into the house. He turned and spied the tail end of his wife’s skirt disappearing inside the barn. What was she doing now?

As he approached the door, he leaned in and watched Texanna milking the cow. He smiled until he noticed she had no coat on. Hoping she had just taken it off to give her more freedom in her movements, he viewed the whole area and couldn’t locate it. Now, things were going to get awfully warm around here.

“Texanna, where is your coat?”

She jumped and then turned back to the cow. “I’m just milking the cow.”

“I can see that, but that's not what I asked.” Colton had walked closer and he could see her hands shake.

“I’m almost done.” Her voice tremored as well.

He crouched down next to her. “Texanna Rae McFadden, I won’t ask again.”

“Fine. I left it in the house. It isn’t very cold out here and the cow is warm. I was just busy and forgot.”

Colt stood and watched her finish her pail, stopping her before she picked it up. He leaned down to grab it and set it on the wooden tack table before turning to look at his wife. She grew more beautiful to him every day. But her level of minding him had not improved much.

“What did I tell you two nights ago before I left to find Mark?”

“That you would be back as soon as you could?” she was rubbing her hands on her dress.”

“No, when you came to tell me about Nada going into labor.”

“Oh, then. Well, I’m not sure I can remember. I was pretty rattled, you know.”

“Well, let me refresh your memory. You were out here without a coat. Jar your memory yet?” Colton asked calmly.

“Maybe.”

“And?”

“I don’t want to say, really.”

“I bet you don’t but you will.”

“I suppose that you said, it wouldn’t go well for me if I kept forgetting.”

“Close, what I said was you needed to start wearing your coat or I was going to take a strap to you. Do you remember, now?”

“Please, Colton, I just forget and am long gone before it comes to mind.”

“Did you leave it often when you were a child?” he asked, figuring her answer already.

“Yes.” She fiddled with her dress and Colt watched a shiver most assuredly of cold and probably worry wiggle through her.

“And no one said anything?”

“Not really.”

“Well, this ends here. Lean over that bale.”

“What?”

“ You know you are getting a spanking,” he stated calmly.

“What?”

“If I have to be the one to teach you, I will. The next time you want to run out of the house without a coat or warm covering in cold weather, I want you to remember this.” He leaned her quickly over the bale next to the contentedly munching cow and dropped his hand hard on her covered bottom accompanied by her surprised squeal. “ If you do it anyway, I will strap you again. Understood?” he finished his speech to the back end of his sweetheart’s skirts as he landed another hardy spank.

He knew it was cold and so he intended on doing this quick but she was not going to forget this lesson quickly. He tossed her skirts up and said, “I can’t warm you up too much for you’re without a coat but that means it is going to hurt more and the leather isn’t going to stay warm for long. It hurts more when it is stiff with cold.”

He unbuckled his belt and Texanna was already crying. Good, he thought, makes my job easier. He made the unclasping of the metal buckle clang loudly and the belt’s swish from his pants sound ominous. Then, putting his free hand on the small of her back, he raised his hand and let it fall in a controlled fashion, carrying the leather with it in a precise line. She yelped and jerked but did not do more. He raised it again and heard the next hissing sound from his protesting wife as he landed another moderated stripe of the leather. He needed to make the rest really count. It meant he was going to have to take special care of the quality.

He brought the belt down on a fourth strike and his disobedient little darling stood up straight despite his hand lying lightly on her back. Ever conscious of his wife during either discipline or lovemaking, he stopped and watched her as she started to reach for her red striped cheeks. She stopped herself and brought her skirts back up as she placed herself back over the bale.

“I’m sorry, Colton, but that hurt terribly. Would it help at all to say sometimes I forget things in my worry to accomplish a task but I promise to try to pay more attention?”

His heart smiled. He answered her red bottom now facing him once again. “Yes, it does help, Anna.” He saw her relax with the use of his name. That was a good call.

She had screeched after the next few and he allowed her to bounce and kick her legs some as he knew it was painful after the standing up interlude. And it didn’t bother him that she wiggled. He wasn’t like many men who wanted no movement. He couldn’t understand that. As a boy, he had been kissed by whatever implement was at hand a good number of times and if he had been required to stand in place, he’d still have been there. He landed the next stripe to her apologies.

He struck six times, slapping her whole bottom until he had covered the entire spankable area straight down to the tops of her upper thighs. Not wanting to bruise her, he laid his belt down to her sudden alertness.

“I am doing the last round with my hand, sweetheart. ” Colton hadn’t spoken to her after he began because he needed to concentrate but now, he spoke as gently as he could.

“I am finishing now so you don’t freeze. That would be allowing to happen what I am spanking you for, not bringing adequate covering in the cold so you don’t freeze.”

His words were not responded to as his little Anna was calming but not calm yet.

“I need to you understand…” Three spanks in the same spot, just what he knew she hated, “…that I take your safety very seriously.” Three more slaps to the other cheek.

“Oh, Colton, please, no. Please don’t spank me like this.” She yelped and wiggled her bottom but his hand was more firmly placed this time.

“You are not to do dangerous things.” Three more on a new spot. Anna yowled and jiggled. “I am growing frustrated with your lack of care.” He landed three more.

“Please, I am sure that I cannot take any more like this.”

Colton knew differently, but he did not correct her. He had made his point.

“We’re done, baby. I have to look and make sure I don’t need to put cream on you. I don’t want it to bruise if I can avoid it. Hold on.”

He rubbed her back, soothing her with caresses and calming words. Pulling her bloomer slit apart, he examined her bottom. She wasn’t as red as he had thought. Colton ran his hand over her scorched rear. He also knew he had told her he did not mind if she didn’t choose to wear bloomers at home but it was winter now and she probably needed them for warmth.

“You know, when it is warm, I think we will get rid of these bloomers. It is hot anyway and I like having unobstructed access to your bottom.” As he continued to lightly rub her striped, reddened backside, he thought how funny she wore the bloomers but not the coat. Anna moaned.

“Yep. Time to stop now before you get the wrong idea, honey. This is discipline only. No feel good things out of this.” Colton smiled. He didn’t want to miss out on the love making but discipline was discipline and he had decided to not mix the two. “I don’t want you confused as to what you earned. One you earn, the other is free.”

He laughed as she huffed her frustration. “You know, I can paddle your bottom for bedroom play. If that is what you need, you don’t have to do more than ask me. It is not near as hard and there is fun all built in.” He loved that she could turn it around with encouragement from him. The encouragement he would give her later but not now.

“Colton?”

He tossed her skirts down and brought her up to be wrapped in his arms.

“Can we go in now, I’m cold. Well,
part
of me is cold. There are plenty of parts of me that are too warm.” She punctuated her declaration with a shiver and a grimace.

He laughed. “Yes, baby.” Taking his coat off the table, he surrounded her with its warmth once again and grabbing the milk pail, got her into the house. Colt put her to bed until the next time she needed to help with the feeding of Nada’s nameless baby boy. Pia said the boy was growing healthy and so was Nada. He believed she was right.

Colton thought about the last few weeks and hoped he didn’t have to continue settling the people around him for long. His life had sure changed when he brought Texanna, nearly kicking and screaming, into his home and his heart. And it was worth all the trouble because he didn’t know how he would ever do without her now. And he was getting good at taming.

He wondered about his partnership agreement with Mark. They’d shook hands and Colton felt somewhat better about the anxiety he’d experienced when examining the situation that brought Mark and family into their midst. Almost but not quite. Another thing that his Texanna had done was befriend people she had no knowledge of and was uncensored in her appraisal. She was a loving woman and he prayed daily that her giving spirit and naïve way about her didn’t put her in harm’s way. If anyone could find themselves there, she could. And if there was anyone that had the skills and tools to keep her safe, it was him.

Later that day, Colton told Anna of his deal with Mark. Colton had been using her shortened name much more often now. He watched as she relaxed and smiled when he did. He wanted her to know she mattered and what she liked mattered. He was trying to use her abbreviated name during normal, unstressed times. There was nothing he could do about the stressed times. He figured her whole name would be heard often enough to not be rid of it entirely.

“I have offered them to stay until they get some land of their own either here or somewhere else. The men from neighboring homesteads are coming back this weekend to build the cabin and Mark has agreed to stay through the winter. In exchange, he will continue to do most of the upkeep around here. He will also do some bounty hunting with me.”

“Nada had said something like that.”

“Yep, that is what he has been doing when he leaves at night or for long periods of time during the day. He has been doing it, occasionally, since the war.”

“But, then why don’t they have a place to stay?” Texanna was honestly confused and Colt didn’t have a straightforward answer.

“Well, I reckon that’s their business, honey. Nevertheless, he says that Nada wants to stay and he is thinking how he can make that happen. Knowing how you feel about this and wanting to help these children, I made the deal. I offered the cabin and he accepted. If that keeps them for a while, then you might have saved a mother and newborn as well as helped these children have a good life with their pia. I’d have to say you are something special.”

Colton hoped that her plans for this family worked out the way his Anna wanted but he still wasn’t entirely at ease. Giving Trenton the opening he needed to be a good husband was the least he could do for him. Regardless of his unease that just would not leave.

Colton was relieved that Texanna didn’t pick-up on the bounty hunting as it pertained to himself. He felt sure she was going to pitch one hell of a fit when she was faced with it the next time he went out. He had already gotten a taste of her concerns for his safety when he went out to find Trenton. He had a sense it wasn’t going to be too long for the wait.