Taming Tori

by Amelia Smarts

  Victoria came into view. She strode to the boy, appearing large in her bright green satin dress with at least two petticoats underneath. Frank couldn’t make out the words, but he heard her shouting and pointing in the distance, indicating that the boy was to take off out of her presence.

  In his hurry to escape, Bobby knocked over the bin, scattering garbage on the sidewalk and into the street. Louder shouting from Victoria carried over. She stood with her hands on her hips, berating the frightened child as he scurried to stuff the garbage back in the bin.

  A bolt of unusual anger surged through Frank as he witnessed the exchange. To see the poor child being yelled at for merely trying to find scraps of cloth amongst garbage infuriated him. And the disparity between the two was so striking it made him cringe. Not only was Bobby at a disadvantage in size, but also wealth, age, and education.

  The boy took off, his short legs carrying him directly toward Frank. As he was about to run past, Frank stepped forward and caught him by the arm.

  “Slow down there, son,” he said, his voice jovial, belying the sadness he felt. “There’s no fire, is there?”

  Bobby heaved giant breaths and looked back over his shoulder to where Victoria still stood with her hands on her hips, now observing them.

  “I didn’t steal, teacher, I promise,” Bobby said. “I just wanted some rags from the bin to use at home, that’s all.”

  Frank released his arm and patted him on the back. “Nothing wrong with that. Would an old buckskin coat work? I don’t need it anymore, and it could be made into a few rags, I reckon.”

  Bobby’s body visibly relaxed once he realized he was not in trouble. “Yessir, that would work just fine.”

  “Tell me, have you eaten today?” Frank asked.

  He slumped his shoulders and shook his head. “I don’t eat most weekends. Only when I go to school.”

  Frank frowned as he took in the meaning of his words. “Are you telling me the only food you eat is what I give you during the week?”

  Bobby shrugged. “Sometimes I catch a fish or find some food in the bin outside the restaurant.”

  “Where are your folks? Why don’t they feed you?”

  Bobby’s response was to look away and shrug. “They’re all right.”

  Frank could see it would take more convincing to get Bobby to talk about his home life, something he was determined to get to the bottom of, but his more immediate concern was to get the boy fed. He fished into his pocket and removed a silver dollar. He reached for the boy’s grubby hand and opened it, then laid the coin on his palm. “You take that to Mary’s Restaurant and order yourself a bowl of stew. With the change leftover, get yourself another bowl tomorrow. If anyone gives you trouble about having that money, tell them to talk to me. Got it?”

  Bobby nodded, his eyes wide as ever in his thin face. “Golly geez, I ain’t never held a dollar before.”

  “Don’t say ‘I ain’t,’ Bobby. Say ‘I haven’t,’” Frank corrected. “It’s important to speak properly.”

  “I haven’t never held a dollar,” Bobby amended, a grin spreading across his face.

  “Get out of here, scamp. Go fill your belly.”

  Bobby took off toward the restaurant. Frank watched him until he was out of sight, considering what to do next. He didn’t have the slightest inclination to ask Victoria to lunch now, after witnessing her cruelty. He would sooner take her over his knee.

  “Aren’t you charitable?” Victoria asked, her voice a soft sneer.

  It was Frank’s turn to be startled. He hadn’t heard her approach and was shocked to find her standing next to him. He glared down at her, helpless to avoid noticing the way the sun gave her hair a sheen or the soft look of her slender arms. In spite of his indignation toward her, he found himself wanting to stroke her like one would a cat.

  “If being unable to watch a boy starve makes me charitable, I guess I am,” Frank said, tearing his gaze away. That such a spiteful woman could possess such an angelic face seemed an unfair irony.

  “I didn’t know he was starving,” Victoria said defensively. “I wouldn’t have chased him off if I’d known that.”

  Frank scoffed and stood upright from the beam, placing his weight on the cane. “I reckon if you can see well enough to thread a needle, you can see that boy is thin as a rail.”

  “I wasn’t looking at him that way. I was thinking about how garbage all over my front step will chase away potential customers. I have to make a living like everyone else.”

  “Poppycock. He didn’t spill the garbage until you frightened him.”

  “He spilled some of it first!” Victoria insisted, her voice rising.

  Frank glanced at her and noticed a flush in her cheeks and something else, a shifting of her eyes. She was embarrassed to be caught being so uncharitable, he realized. As well she should be.

  “I know his mother,” she continued. “She’s a kind woman. She wouldn’t let her boy starve.”

  “I wouldn’t think any mother would,” Frank said, “but he only eats once a day, and that’s just what I give him from my lunch at school.”

  Victoria drew a sharp breath. “I didn’t know! That makes no sense whatsoever. His ma would feed him more than that.”

  A piece of the puzzle was missing as far as Bobby’s situation was concerned, but discussing it with Victoria seemed fruitless. “You take care, Victoria.” He turned and hobbled in the opposite direction. To his annoyance, she took her stride beside him.

  “Where are you going?” she asked.

  “I’m not sure.”

  She remained silent for a few paces. “Did you forget where you were going after seeing the boy?”

  Frank supposed nothing could be lost by telling her the truth, and it might have the positive effect of getting her to leave him alone. “Truth be told, I was coming to ask you out to lunch, but I changed my mind.”

  She stopped and took hold of his arm, halting his steps. “Why did you change your mind?”

  Frank was surprised by her boldness. Her fingers gripped him tight enough to be uncomfortable. “I think you know the answer to that,” he said, clenching his jaw.

  She blinked, her beautiful blue eyes sparkling with the suggestion of tears. Her grip softened and her hand fell to her side.

  Frank inwardly groaned. He didn’t like making a woman cry, though he knew she cried only for herself, not for the starving boy she’d mistreated.

  “I can’t believe this,” she muttered, her lower lip quivering. She sniffled and looked at the hills in the distance. “I already ruined it between us.”

  “There was nothing to ruin.” He inwardly winced at the coldness in his voice. He was being harsher than he intended because it was a struggle for him to remain righteous in the face of her beauty. He worried that one word of pleading from her would cause him to lose his resolve entirely.

  “Can we start over, like we did last time?” she asked in a small voice, gazing up at him humbly.

  Frank studied her. She looked utterly bereft at having ruined the chance of having lunch with him, and he couldn’t help but be flattered. She must have taken quite a shine to him to be so disappointed. “Look, Victoria,” he said, his voice gentling. “We can’t very well do that scene again. The boy is gone. And it doesn’t matter anyway, I gave him money for lunch, and I don’t have enough left over for the two of us.”

  “I can pay my share,” she suggested.

  “Nonsense!” Frank said, shocked once again by this confounding woman. “Over my dead body would I take a lady to lunch and have her pay.”

  “Why not? I’m richer than you are,” she snapped. All trace of humility drained from her face. She straightened her stance and narrowed her eyes. “It’s obvious I’m better off, whether you pay for my lunch or not. My clothes are of good quality and yours are worn thin, with the exception of the shirt you got from me. I own a store. What do you own besides a crooked tree branch and your self-righteousness? I have better belongings, I talk be
tter, I walk better…”

  Frank raised an eyebrow, and Victoria stopped speaking with a gasp. Her porcelain cheeks turned scarlet as she realized what she’d said, and she raised a hand to her throat. “I didn’t mean I walk better because I don’t limp. I meant I walk with genteelness because of how I was raised.” Her shoulders stooped. “Oh, hang it all,” she moaned.

  Frank burst into laughter. He couldn’t stop for some time. He had to lean against the wall of the livery to steady himself. His stomach ached. He held a hand against his ribs as he struggled to gain control.

  When he was finally able to catch his breath, he couldn’t muster up even a sliver of dislike for the woman standing in front of him, who looked like she’d been caught robbing candy from a baby. “You’re something else, princess,” he said, wiping his eyes. He held out his arm to her. “If you’re done pointing out my deficiencies, kindly allow this humble servant to escort you to the restaurant.”

  She peered up at him warily through her lashes. “Don’t you despise me now even more than before? I mistreated a boy and then I went on to insult you terribly.”

  “I never despised you. I was disappointed by your behavior, and I know you didn’t mean to insult my limp. You meant only to insult my empty pockets.” He let out another snort of amusement.

  She smiled weakly and reached up to hook her hand around the crook of his arm. The feel of her slender fingers sent a bolt of desire straight through him.

  “I haven’t laughed like that in years,” he said, as they walked to the restaurant. “You should have seen your face.” He chuckled again and shook his head.

  What he didn’t mention was that her expression of horror spoke volumes in her favor. The way she looked at him showed that she had no wish to hurt him by making fun of his limp and she felt mortified at having said something unkind. She was not without feeling, though her compassion was certainly a few layers deep. That was all Frank needed to know to pursue a courtship with her. He found her more exciting than ever.

  Chapter Five

  Once they were seated at the restaurant and their stew and bread were in front of them, Victoria placed her folded cloth napkin in her lap. She observed with some reproach as Frank tucked his napkin into the collar of his shirt.

  He must have noticed her expression because he frowned. “What’s wrong?”

  She gave a quick shake of her head, deciding it was best to keep her knowledge of proper table manners to herself. She wanted Frank to think highly of her, and she was already at enough of a disadvantage without adding nagging to the list.

  “Nothing.” She dipped her spoon into the stew while taking stock of the dining room. She was pleased to see Heath and Willow Wolfe sitting at a table by the window. She hoped they would see she was out to lunch with a handsome admirer.

  Though admirer might not be the right word for Frank, she thought wryly. He was scowling at her when she looked his way again.

  It was her turn to ask. “What’s wrong?”

  “You tell me. I just asked how your food tasted and you seemed not to hear me at all.”

  “Oh! It’s tolerable, thank you. The pork is a little overcooked, but what can you expect from Mary Appleton? It’s a wonder she’s able to prepare anything. She lost her sense of smell after a particularly bad fever, so she wouldn’t know the pork was on fire if she weren’t looking directly at the smoke.”

  Frank’s scowl disappeared. He coughed a short laugh. “Good lord. It’s a surprise every time you speak. Are you always so smart-mouthed?”

  Anger struck her hot as a blacksmith’s iron. Frank had caught her behaving badly, but she wouldn’t suffer being insulted. It wasn’t like he was perfect. In fact, he was a cripple without enough coins to make a clink in his pocket. Smart-mouthed, indeed! She was two shakes away from throwing her napkin on the table and storming out.

  “It’s refreshing,” he continued. “I enjoy your company. You’re exciting. I don’t know that I’ve ever met anyone as exciting and beautiful as you.”

  Her anger faded as fast as it had appeared. She liked compliments, even if she didn’t know how to take them. She drew a few calming breaths. “I’m not sure yet whether I enjoy your company, Frank, to be honest.”

  He took a long drink from his glass of beer. Setting it down, he said, “I hope you’ll come to enjoy it. I don’t always deliver lectures, you know.”

  “You have both times you’ve seen me,” she pointed out. “But perhaps that’s a good quality for a teacher to have. I came to that conclusion after I met you. The way you are—I think that probably makes you a good schoolmaster.”

  “Is that right? So, you’ve been thinking about me, have you?” His eyes twinkled.

  She inwardly berated herself. Usually she managed to be a bit coyer when in the presence of an unattached man.

  Before she could respond, he leaned forward and covered her hand with his. “I’ve been thinking about you too, Victoria. And I’ve been thinking I would enjoy complimenting you more than lecturing you.”

  Victoria tried to hide her body’s response to his forwardness. Her mouth grew dry and her breasts seemed to swell as her hand tingled beneath his warm touch. “I would enjoy that too, Frank,” she answered.

  A glint lit his eyes. “Of course you would. But you have to earn compliments from me, darlin’. From what I’ve observed of you so far, you deserve a spanking more than sweet nothings whispered in your ear.”

  It felt like her heart had dropped into her stomach. Heat filled her cheeks, and she searched for a retort, but words failed her. She imagined being hauled over Frank’s lap and smacked hard on her bottom for all her sins. She squeezed her legs together and grabbed her hand away. “You really are a bold one, aren’t you?”

  “Yes,” he admitted, “and like I told you before, with mixed results. Just look at my leg.”

  Though she couldn’t see his leg under the table, she nodded in its direction. “You got injured because you were too bold?”

  “Yup.”

  “What’s the story?”

  He chewed his burnt pork for some time and stared into the distance. Victoria began to think he might not tell her, but then he set down his spoon and cleared his throat.

  “There was a stallion that no one on the ranch dared to ride. His name was Ashton, and my bunkmates and I couldn’t even get him to accept sugar from our hands. He was as wild as they come, which only made me more determined to tame him. Long story short, he showed me who was boss, and I ended up paralyzed from the waist down for more than a week. Luckily, I got most of my feeling back, but the limp is here to stay.”

  Victoria silently congratulated herself on guessing that he used to be a cattleman, based on his appearance. “So that’s why you sought out teaching as employment, because you can no longer wrangle cattle?”

  Frank nodded. “I’m grateful the Thorndale council gave me a chance. Teaching is harder than I thought it would be, and it doesn’t pay much, but I enjoy it.”

  Victoria thought to herself with some surprise that she didn’t care how little money he made. She’d always imagined pairing off with a wealthy man who could take care of her, but something about Frank made her feel safe regardless. He was chivalrous, evidenced by how he had argued with her over paying for her own lunch. And the way he approached his future after an injury—by being resourceful and thinking of a different way to earn money—inspired confidence in her.

  “It gives me relief that you have a less dangerous occupation now,” Victoria said, and meant it. She didn’t like the thought of Frank getting injured again. He seemed too strong and full of life to endure such a thing. “No bucking broncos here on Main Street to hurt you.”

  “You’re worried for my safety, are you?”

  He was teasing her again, and once more Victoria silently berated herself for her lack of artfulness. Something about Frank made her want to be forthcoming. She lifted one shoulder in an effort to appear nonchalant.

  He chuckled. “I apprecia
te the sentiment. But once a bronc buster, always a bronc buster. There’s something else rather more exciting here I’d like to tame. More dangerous too, I reckon.”

  “What are you talking about? All the horses in the livery are mares or gelded.”

  There was a short pause before he said, “I’m talking about you, darlin’.” His voice was impossibly low, with a tone resembling a growl that made his words sound like both a promise and a challenge.

  Victoria didn’t know what he meant, but she pictured herself beneath him, being ridden as though she were a wild horse. She imagined the bite of a crop against her backside and her hair in the tight grip of his hand. Her musing was so overwhelming that her entire body felt simultaneously alive and immobile, as though he had already tamed her.

  It seemed as though the air in the room had whooshed out the door. Voices in the background faded into white noise. She and Frank were the only people present. His eyes were studying her, waiting for her response. She could only toss her hair and stare back at him, silently indignant, while trying to settle the erotic images flashing through her mind.

  His lips spread into a sly smile. His voice was a soft caress. “You look like a rebellious filly there, shaking your mane and flaring your nostrils. And you’d like to bite me, given the chance, wouldn’t you?”

  Her breaths were coming in shallow pants. She could hardly believe the cheek of this man, telling her she needed to be spanked and tamed! And yet somehow, she didn’t at all feel threatened, only curious and aroused.

  “Maybe I do want to bite you,” she admitted, her tongue slow to form the words. “If only to see what you’d do about it.”

  His chuckle sent shivers through her body. “You wouldn’t like what I’d do to you for that, princess.”

  Victoria drew a sharp breath and looked around the room. The white noise disappeared, and everyone’s voices suddenly seemed loud and obtrusive. “This is highly improper dining conversation,” she hissed, reproaching herself as much as him.

  The spell broken, Frank leaned back and cleared his throat. “You’re right. Shall we finish our lunch and take our conversation elsewhere, then?”