Taming Texanna by Alyssa Bailey Page B

protect.” Gathering his hat back off the table, Colton strode to the door and turned to look one last time at Mr. Grant before leading his girl outside. He dropped Texanna with Mandy and her mother, thanking them for being so available to her.
    “Now, I’ll be back here in just under two hours. You make sure you’re here. Understood?”
    “Yes, I understand.”
    Colt nodded, kissed her forehead, and left.
     

Chapter Six
    Colton cursed his shortsightedness for the hundredth time. He should always have clothes to change into or gear stuffed in his saddlebag, but Colton had gotten lax with the judge using him to help round up locals. Half a day was the longest it had taken in months to do what he needed to do. He was going to have to get back to his routine and put new habits in place because he was under no illusions that when he brought Texanna Rae home, things would stay the same. Life would change, drastically.
    His mother who silently took his wet things as he stripped at the entrance met him at the door. Both women looked away as he walked naked as a jaybird through his house to his bedroom. He strode out of the bedroom in clean, dry clothing and sat his hat by the fireplace to dry it. He had not said anything to the women the night before, as he wasn’t sure until this morning that his marriage would actually happen.
    “When are you bringing her home, son?”
    Colton smiled as he slowed his step. “Later today, Pia. Her name is Texanna Rae Grant, but we will try to call her Anna because she prefers it.” He continued walking. “I need to have a place for her things cleared in the bedroom. I’ll build her a wardrobe in the next week or so, but right now, she will have to share mine. Give her as much room as you think she will need, but I don’t really know what that is going to be.”
    If he expected his mother or grandmother to say much, he was mistaken.
    “It is good that you listened. You need a wife and children. Your Pia needs grandchildren.”
    Colton stopped and listened to his Kaku but said nothing about how it had happened so fast. He was not going to explain to them that he had whipped Texanna’s perfect little bottom and that is why she was marrying him because in truth that was just the catalyst. He also felt more of an affinity with her than he had with any other unrelated person. He wouldn’t tell the women any of his feelings toward his soon to be wife, because what they didn’t divine, they didn’t need to know.
    Kaku said, “Forget her father, my grandson. If you love her, she will make you happy. Bring her to us. She will be our daughter and we will heal her.” His mother was already in the bedroom making space for Texanna. He never said anything to his two protective relatives about the brokenness, and he knew that it was because they had the good medicine of hearing the spirits. It would be helpful for Texanna, and she would be filling an empty space in his life.
    When he arrived in town, he took a couple of moments to stop and make sure it was all set up for the nuptials since they were later than expected. He then pulled up to his cousins, only to find out that his little spitfire with the broken spirit was not there. That woman of his was a wood sprite, taking off whenever she had the notion. There was no doubt about it. He shook his head when Mandy told him.
    She had gone home again. He would be having some intense conversations about staying where he put her but he was more concerned about the state she would be in when he caught up with her. He got over to the Grants’ place as soon as he could and groaned when he found that his woman was sitting outside on the stoop. She had loaded the wagon that she had obviously retrieved from the stables and was sitting stiffly, impatiently tapping her foot, arms crossed. As he jumped down from his horse, he saw the remnants of tears. Worry etched his face when he walked up to her.
    “You’ve been out too much. I’m not pleased to find