Taming Texanna (7 page)

He stood yelling as he rethreaded his belt back in his trouser loops, buckling as he shouted. “He bared you. There ain’t nothing proper about that. You don’t get marks like this without baring a person.”

“Well, I might not think you baring your grown daughter to strap her seemly either. I mean you see my womanly parts, and I’m not a little girl. You’re a man just like Colton.”

Texanna flinched as she moved out of the way just as she saw her father raise his hand to strike her. It was the first time she had moved to avoid his hitting her, and he was furious.

She continued, pulling up her drawers as she did. “Anyway, I didn’t have underthings on so I was already exposed, and I didn’t tell him about my lack of covering beforehand. It wasn’t his fault. I told him that if he didn’t finish the job, I would tell people he saw me in my skin. I was forcing his hand, Pa. Honestly, he didn’t mean to see me, he was going to do it over my drawers, but I didn’t have any on. You can ask him but I wish you wouldn’t. He was livid about it.”

“He was what?”

“Livid, he was spitting mad because I tricked him. Well, not really, I didn’t know that I was going to be getting a spanking by the marshal just on the very day I did laundry.”

“But you didn’t do my drawers? How am I supposed to believe that?”

“Pa, I’m your daughter, I’m tired of telling you. I shouldn’t be doing your underthings. Even the preacher said so.”

“But it’s not embarrassing to show your naked ass to a man? Girl, I think you’re one to get into trouble by just coming into the room. Get your shawl. We are going to see the marshal and see what he has to say about all this and what he plans to do about it. This might work in all our favor.”

Horace Grant grabbed the upper arm of his daughter when she presented herself again and nearly dragged her to the sheriff’s office where the marshal was.

Chapter Four

Colton went into town to open the office and see what the day brought him. Maybe there would be a fight that he could break up, hunt down some troublemakers or even drum up some trouble to settle. He would search for anything that would take his mind off Texanna. After a couple of hours, he decided that he was fighting a losing battle. No matter what happened in his day, he purposed to go ask her father if he could court her.

Pia and Kaku were right. He just needed to go, get her, and bring her home. He knew it wasn’t that simple but he was satisfied with his decision. He would go over to Texanna’s house after lunch and have the conversation. It gave him a few hours to work on his presentation. He refused to take no for an answer. Well, that was unless she said no. He didn’t expect her to decline, though.

However, his day didn’t get better nor did it allow his newly laid plan to play out. Colt reached up to grab his hat to go and check on the progress of his own office when the door was shoved open. The subject of his discomforting thoughts stumbled into the room in front of an extremely annoyed man. He assumed the man to be Texanna’s father, Mr. Grant. He presented as an outraged parent. Colton immediately had the fleeting thought he knew why she didn’t want her father smacking her butt when he was mad. His own stomach churned with the emotions the man evoked. This was out of control and he knew the stories his cousins had told him were true about his disciplining her.

Was this why his thoughts for Texanna were so tortured and urgent? He prided himself on having complete control over his emotions and for something to get under his skin it was hard for him to reconcile. Emotional chaos didn’t happen in his household or in his life. He dealt with many people who had chaotic thoughts and emotions but they were not pertaining to him personally. He looked at Mr. Grant, who was holding Texanna with an iron hand, most assuredly putting bruises on her upper arm. It was all Colt could do not to separate them. It made him want to place a nice fiver on the man’s jaw.

Colt’s heart raced and his chest tightened as he searched her face for any sign of discomfort. Kaku and Pia had been right. He wanted this woman; he needed her in his life. She belonged to him, created and chosen for him. Just as there was no doubt, he belonged to her. Without any reservation, he acknowledged to himself that she was his. As soon as he worked things out with her father, he would claim her and bring her home.

“Can I help you, um, sir?” Colt looked at Texanna, but she wouldn’t look up from examining her feet. She was crying and Colton clenched his jaw. He was on high alert to any changes that he would need to make to adjust the balance of power in the room. For the moment, he resolved only to watch.

“Well, seems to me you have helped enough don’t you think?” yelled the red-faced man.

“I’m sure we can figure this out if you just tell me what the problem is. Tell me what is going on.” Colton tried to appease him in his calm and steady voice, but he already knew yesterday’s activities had been discovered. The problem was how did Mr. Grant discover it? Colt figured the only way he dared think of was baring her for discipline. Colton felt his anger rise. He did not want anyone else chastising her. Not even her pa. She was his.

As though the man could hear Colton’s thoughts as his own, he said, “Yeah, well, you can take care of the problem by making it your own.”

Colton looked at Texanna as she finally raised her head, and he ached at the tears silently streaming down her face at a rapid clip. Her eyes were swollen, red-rimmed and purple smudged. Her hair was damp and matted to her face, her lips swollen from being bitten. Colton didn’t know how she felt about things, but he needed to settle this because he wanted to stop her tears. He needed to comfort her. He needed to make sure she was all right. Make sure she was all right with him.

“What problem are you talking about, sir? I will help if I can.” However, Colt knew what was coming next. He just wanted to make sure of the circumstances. He already decided that Texanna was his, and he would work on that eventuality, but for now, he didn’t want to traumatize her any more than she already was. He needed to keep a cool head and a civil tongue if he were to attain his goal of taking her home with him.

“I don’t think I need to say anything but since you seem to be less than able to understand, your background and all, I’ll tell you. I know that integrity isn’t something you half breeds understand but there must be some part of the white man in you to show some decency. I know my daughter is a bit wild and she doesn’t do as she ought, and I’d go as far as to say she has caused most all of her own trouble. Nevertheless, no Indian should look on a white man’s daughter and especially on the bared skin.”

Colt’s heritage was being maligned and that had not happened in a long time. The last man who tried to take exception to his mixed heritage didn’t eat well for several weeks due to the unfortunate jaw injury. However, once again, he reined in his tongue. He could take some maligning if the prize for holding his words and his fists were Texanna.

“You ruined my daughter for any decent man. You have taken from her any kind of future and so you’re going to have to provide for her the best you can. You might have enough things for her but you can’t take her into polite society. If you were merciful, you would not have children. No passing on of that bloodline.”

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.”