Please See Chapter 1 for warnings and disclaimers.
A/N: This has been an incredibly difficult chapter to write. As you read, I am sure the reason will become apparent. My sincere thanks to Wolfpyre for her invaluable input - without which this chapter would not have been possible.
Chapter 4
True wiggled and kicked wildly, but Vin had a firm grip on the child and when he landed a powerful swat to her backside the wriggling subsided. Rhianna rushed to help Casey up and surreptitiously heal the damage True did to the older girl's face, hopefully before Vin could get a good look at it. The blond pulled a handkerchief from her pocket to wipe the blood from Casey's nose and lip.
"She started it!" True accused angrily, kicking up a dirt clod in Casey's general direction. "Bitch jest come up an' pushed me without cause."
"Oh, don't even play the innocent here, True! I'm sick and tired of yer damn stupid pranks!"
"Both of ya'd best be watchin' yer language less'n ya fancy a trip over my knee right here in the middle 'o the street," Vin warned. His eyes locked with Casey's and within seconds the young woman looked down at her feet, a blush rising in her cheeks at the threat. "Yes, sir."
"True?"
"Yeah, whatever. YeOWch! I mean, yes sir."
Satisfied Vin continued. "So I take it somethin' happened to ya this afternoon, Casey?"
"She took my clothes from the bathhouse!"
"THE HELL I DID!" True started her thrashing again, trying to get at Casey, but Vin tightened his grip and offered yet another smack to her bottom, which again stilled True's movements as she stopped to rub the growing sting in her backside, blinking heavily to avoid the tears that threatened. .
"Last warnin' 'bout yer language, True," he growled before turning back to Casey. "Ya saw her then?" Vin asked Casey who rolled her eyes.
"No I didn't see her, but I know it was her."
"And that's why ya decided ta go pickin' a fight?" Vin's voice was calm but his blue eyes flashed with anger.
"Yer gonna take her side agin, ain't ya? Little True jest can't do no wrong lately. I'm plum sick of it!"
"Ya need ta settle yerself down an' not cause more of a scene than ya really be wantin' in the middle of town," Vin warned sharply. "Now, ya okay? Ya hurt anywhere?" Casey paused a moment and realized that Rhianna had done a good job. Nothing hurt…even a little. She shook her head in response.
"Why don't ya go on back to Mary's and I'll be round in a few minutes so's you an' me kin have ourselves a little talk 'bout this."
Casey pursed her lips, seemingly ready to argue, but the look in Vin's eyes stayed her tongue. "Fine," she said in a huff turning on her heel to head to Mary's.
As soon as she was a safe distance away, Vin released his hold on True, then had to grab the backs of her overalls to forestall her taking off after Casey. "If'n ya know what's good fer ya, you'll stay put," he growled before crossing his arms and offering her a glare nearly as noteworthy as one of Chris's, "What have I told ya 'bout fightin' and keepin' a rein on thet temper o' yers?"
"Ah, Vin," True whined, "It just ain't fair! She's blamin' me fer shi- ah – stuff I didn't do an' then she jest come right up an' shoved me with no warnin' an' then starts in on insultin' Rhianna. How am I not suppose ta respond ta thet?"
"Better than ya done," he replied giving her a look that sent shivers down her spine. "Ya okay? Yer not hurt atal?"
"Course not!" True scoffed.
Vin hadn't thought so but wanted to ask to be fair. "I've been mighty impressed with ya the last couple days. Keepin' yer attitude in check, doin' good at school, an' followin' the rules an' all so's I'm gonna trust ya now ta go straight ta the boarding house an' up ta yer room. I'll be along in a bit."
"Ya gonna be talkin' or a…somethin' else when ya come?"
"Bit a both, I'm thinkin'. I've done warned ya plenty 'bout fightin' even if ya ain't the one that started it. Ya ain't the only one in trouble but ya ain't gettin' off with jest a warnin' again, True."
True bit her lip.
"Now, kin I trust ya ta do as yer tol' or do I need ta find someone ta take charge of ya while I go talk ta Casey?"
True used the toe of her boot to dig into the dirt. There was that word again. Trust. What Vin said meant a lot to True, and although every fiber in her body was telling her to run, it was more important to validate Vin's trust in her. "Nah, I'll go ta my room."
Vin gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze to express his pride in her decision and True started slowly toward the boardinghouse. Rhianna made to follow.
"Not so fast."
The blond girl spun back around, her green eyes offering up a questioning look to the tracker.
"Don't be thinkin' I missed what ya done. It's good an' fine ta be helpin' and healin' folks but I know good an' well ya was trying to hide the damage True done ta Casey's face. True's gotta learn ta hold her temper an' ya don't need ta be tryin' ta cover fer her."
"It honestly was not that bad at all. I did not want you to be alarmed by the blood and I truly did want to offer Casey some solace."
"Hmmm. Mmmm. Ya wanna go spinnin' anymore o' yer tales, there'll be three little gals gettin' tanned 'stead of two." She met his steady gaze and offered up a nod of understanding.
"Yes, sir."
"What was it thet Casey said 'bout ya thet got True all riled?"
Rhianna rolled her eyes. "It hardly warrants repeating. She was angry. It was nothing. True was in a mood to take offense because Casey pushed her."
Vin didn't respond but kept his blue eyes pinned intently on the girl in front of him.
Finally Rhianna sighed. "She called me a freak, because I noted what had happened at the bathhouse prior to her verbalizing the event. I have been called far worse. It hardly merits any scrutiny."
"And were ya lookin' where ya needn't a been?"
"Honestly, Vin, Casey was so emotional, I could not have shielded her thoughts if I had tried."
Vin gave a nod and moved to put a comforting hand on Rhianna's head, ruffling her blond curls. "Don't know if we appreciate how hard it is fer ya at times."
Rhianna offered a shrug, but leaned into Vin, accepting the affection and comfort of his touch as well as the sentiment behind it. "Why don't ya go on back ta Nathan's? Or find another way ta whittle away thirty minutes or so. I want ya ta leave True be 'til I talk with 'er an' ya won't want ta be at Mary's either."
"Yes, sir," Rhianna acquiesced.
M7***M7***M7***M7***M7
Vin knocked gently at the door to the room Casey was using at Mary's. He wasn't looking forward to this confrontation but knew how important it was that he set Casey straight on some things. Though he had addressed it once before, he was well aware that there remained a touch of animosity between Casey and True that was rooted in jealousy. Jealousy over his fraternal affection.
Accepting the low murmur from inside the room as permission to enter, Vin let himself in. Casey stood facing away from him, looking out the window with her arms crossed and defiant anger mirrored on her face.
"Kinda hard ta talk if'n ya won't look at me."
"Ain't like yer gonna be listenin' ta my side anyway. Ya already done made up yer mind."
"That so?"
"I reckon."
Vin sighed. Lord help him! He'd survived bullets, wild animals, and bounty hunters but fractious females were going be the death of him for sure. Not knowing exactly what to say to the teen before him he just studied her, hoping for some sign or maybe even divine intervention.
Casey sniffed. "This week was supposed ta have been so special. I's gonna get ta spend extra time with JD and thought I might even talk you inta goin' ridin' with me. Instead that little brat has made things just awful! First the outhouse, then riflin' through my private things - not ta mention the earthworms, and now this! I was embarrassed nigh ta death, Vin!" Tears coursed down Casey's cheeks as she spun around to face the sharpshooter. "An' it ain't jest me, neither. All these stupid pranks are settin' everyone on edge. No one could enjoy that fancy dinner Mz. Whittaker put together, 'cause the tension was so think ya coulda cut it with a knife. It's been a terrible week!"
Vin stepped forward and took the distressed girl into his arms where she just cried into his powerful chest, venting all of her pent up anger and disappointment. He hadn't known about Casey's things being gone through or the worms and he certainly could see how the young women would be plenty embarrassed about the bathhouse incident, but in his mind Casey was still being kind of overly emotional about the whole thing. Maybe he should run this by Lauren, but then he had this terrible feeling that he'd end up with a lecture that left him feeling like an insensitive clod.
"Look, Casey, I'm right sorry yer week ain't turned out like ya planned but there ain't no evidence that points ta True bein' behind the pranks."
"But-"
Vin gently pushed the girl back from the embrace and placed a finger on her lips. "Nope. The minute I see some hard evidence, ya kin bet that my belt will be havin' a long an' hard conversation with her tail end. Until then, I'm goin' with innocent 'til proven guilty. That ain't me favoring her over you…that's jest fair as I see it."
Casey sighed. Vin had a point. She was absolutely sure that True was the culprit…really who else could it be? But Rhianna insisted someone was trying to set True up. What if she were right? Casey would feel bad if True was punished unjustly. Vin was doing the right thing, and it wasn't fair for her to accuse him of favoritism.
"I'm sorry, Vin. I was jest so mad!"
"Well, I kin understand that, but it don't change the fact that pickin' a fight with True was wrong, and ya know that it was. I cain't let that go, Casey. That wouldn't be fair either."
Casey took a step back, eyes wide as understanding dawned. "Ya ain't sayin'… Vin I'm sixteen years old."
"Too old ta be pickin' fights with ten-year-olds then, no matter what yer reason," Vin answered, his voice gaining a bit of metal.
"But, I have supper with JD at the restaurant tonight! Fact is I should be gettin' ready right now."
"I'm afraid yer plans with JD will have ta wait Casey. Ya ain't goin' out tonight."
Once again tears came to her eyes. This was just too much. She'd been really looking forward to this evening.
"I'll talk ta JD. Y'all kin reschedule fer tomorrow," Vin held up a hand to quell Casey's outburst. "An' ya should count yerself lucky. Had True gone startin' a fight with you, she'd probably be stuck in her room fer more'n one even'n. I know ya've had a rough week so I'm cuttin' ya some slack."
Casey's lip quivered but any argument died on her lips. She wasn't going to risk extending the restriction. Vin caught her hand and walked over to the bed to take a seat. Without another word he unfastened her trousers and pulled her over his knees. Casey wanted to object when she felt him pull the denim down to her knees and unfasten the flap to her union suit, but that hadn't worked before and she knew it wouldn't work this time either.
The first crack of Vin's weathered hand took her breath away. She'd forgotten how much this hurt. Several hard swats followed and she soon realized that the fire in her backside already seemed to exceed that of last time. Tears were cascading down Casey's cheeks by the tenth swat.
Not wanting to extend this anymore than necessary, particularly as he still had another little girl to deal with, Vin was putting some force behind his swing and though he made sure to cover the entire bared bottom over his lap he focused his attention right where he was certain to make the strongest impression. Casey was sure to feel this every time she sat down for awhile. Tilting the teen forward, Vin finished up with ten powerful swats to Casey's already scorched undercurve, causing the teen to break down into hitched sobs.
Quickly fixing the girl's clothing, Vin gently pulled Casey up and onto his lap, mindful of the fiery blaze he'd ignited in her rear. He allowed her to cry herself out, offering a gentle but comforting embrace. When her sniffles subsided and she had gone all but limp Vin spoke.
"I'm hopin' I never have ta do thet again, Casey. Yer right, ya are gettin' to old fer it, but thet jest means ya should be makin' better choices. I love ya, don't go doubtin' it or lettin' that green-eyed monster set in. Yer better 'an that. I love both you an' True an' quite a few others ta boot."
"I know, Vin," Casey sniffed. "And I'm sorry, I really am."
"Yer forgiven. It's done and over with, though I think ya might give some thought to apologizin' ta True."
"Yes, sir."
M7***M7***M7***M7***M7
Vin made his way to the boarding house, mulling over the best way to handle True. She could have really hurt Casey and needed to get a hold of her temper but on the other hand Casey had physically attacked the younger girl. With a heavy sigh Vin shook his head. He had warned her when she and Rhianna went at it that the next fight would result in a sore backside and he needed to follow through with his promise. Best to just get the unpleasant business behind him.
When the tracker opened the door to the bedroom that he shared with True, he was surprised to see the girl kneeling on the floor looking into a wooden box.
"Shit!" she said without thinking, turning worried blue eyes to Vin. She motioned towards the box, "This ain't what it seems, Vin, honest! I ain't seen this box afore today – I swear!"
With a furrowed brow Vin stepped forward to take hold of the small wooden crate and heft it onto the bed. What he saw there, gave him a queasy feeling in the pit of his belly. There were Mrs. Whittaker's sewing sheers with bits of gray yarn from his socks still stuck in them, a bottle of ink, a piece of that interesting rope that had been used to trap Casey in the outhouse, a small honey jar filled with what looked to be a homemade glue of some sort, some tobacco, a few bills as well as some coins, and three shiny new knives.
True opened her mouth to explain that she'd just found the box under her bed, but the words stuck in her throat when Vin turned his intense blue eyes on her. Though there wasn't the fury the girl might have expected, there was something more than a hundred times worse…hurt and disappointment. The girl shook her head, and cleared her throat feeling it constrict further as tears pooled in her eyes.
"I jest found –"
Vin held up his hand to cut off her words, his eyes turning to steal and the muscle in his jaw flexing in a way that indicated the tracker's effort to contain his temper. "Not a another word," he growled, his voice almost too low to even hear. "Git yerself in thet corner an' don't ya even think 'bout movin' an inch 'til I git back."
A cold chill went up True's spine at the sharpshooter's tone and the look in his eyes. She'd seen Vin mad plenty of times. Furious in fact, but somehow this was different. She wanted so badly to explain, but could tell that Vin was in no mood to listen to her explanation. She decided then and there that it was time to inform him about Rhianna's theory concerning Naomi. If only he would give her the chance.
Her face awash with tears, True offered up a pleading look to the man that had taken charge of her since she'd come to Four Corners, given her his name, and in every way treated her as if she were his sister by blood. "Vin-"
"Hetsetseha! (Now)."
Slowly, miserably True turned toward the corner, her chest aching with a pain she had never before experienced. The young girl was certain her heart must be breaking. It hurt so bad that Vin wouldn't listen. Maybe it was best to do as he said and wait for him to calm down before telling her side of things. She gave one last look over her shoulder. Vin had turned to go and she just couldn't stand it. True pivoted and ran to the buckskin clad man, grabbing his hand as sobs racked her small form.
"P-p-please," she begged, "Ya g-gotta fuckin' b-believe me."
Though taken aback but the tenor of True's sobs, as well as the pleading in her blue eyes, Vin glanced over at the box of contraband on the bed and hardened his heart. She'd been playing him for days, a couple of weeks even. The evidence sat right there. Spinning her around he offered several swats to her rear as he maneuvered her to the corner. "Enough, True," he said before turning on his heal and exiting the room.
True leaned her head against the wall and cried. The disappointment in Vin's eyes haunted her and she was desperate to make him understand the truth of the matter. Taking a deep breath she tried to calm herself. As much as it hurt for Vin to accuse her unjustly, she could hardly blame him when he'd caught her what seemed red-handed. Besides, she and Rhianna had opted to keep the theory of Naomi to themselves, so True was aware that Vin had no other reasonable explanation. Somehow this knowledge did very little for the heavy ache in her heart.
The girl's blood started to boil at the thought of Naomi. Damn that little bitch! This was all her fault. True's fist connected with the wall and she barely even noticed the pain spreading through her hand and wrist. They needed to catch that little guppy and make her pay for all the strife she'd wrought in their lives. True sighed, but first she had to get out of this situation. Possibly Rhianna would show up before Vin got back. Surely with the two of them, they could make Vin believe that this was just a terrible hoax.
Unfortunately, that was not to be the case. True generally found corner time interminable and detestable. On this occasion, however she was so caught up in trying to figure out how to convince Vin of her innocence and find a way to trap Naomi that she was surprised when Vin reentered the room. True would have sworn on a stack of Josiah's Bibles that the tracker had just left moments before, when in actuality he'd been gone more than twenty minutes.
"Go ahead an' come on over here," Vin said with a hard edge to his voice. True breathed a sigh of relief. He sounded angry, yes, but calm. Calm was good. She spun around but stopped in her tracks. Vin held three newly cut and stripped switches in his hand. The girl swallowed hard, not quite sure why Vin might think he'd need three of the horrifying implements, and thinking that maybe "calm" wasn't so good after all.
"I thought we had a pretty good understandin' between us an' had built up some trust." Vin shook his head. "Ya ain't never really been able ta lie ta me since ya first got here. Don't know if'n it's Rhianna's influence or what but ya seemed ta have gotten right good at pullin' the wool over my eyes. Not jest thet, but it looks like ya been goin' back ta yer old ways," he waved at the knives and other obviously purloined items in the box.
Vin paused. He wasn't much for long speeches but this entire turn of events had thrown him for a loop and he was not just angry and hurt by True's actions but worried for the girl. Her reaction before he left just didn't make sense to him and he was really beginning to question himself. Substantiation of True's poor choices sat right there on the bed, and yet still he found himself wanting to believe her. The sharpshooter felt like a complete and utter failure. What was he thinking when he decided he was capable of raising a child! How could he have misread the situation, misread True so badly.
"I love ya, True, an' I always will no matter what trouble ya git up to, but I'm right disappointed in ya. Some of the pranks ya been pullin' 'ave been downright mean, an' ya done lied ta my face over and over. Then gettin' inta thet fight with Casey. Ya know good an' well ya coulda hurt her real bad. An' stealin' ta boot," his jaw tightened. "Guess I've allowed ya a bit too much free rein, but if'n ya need constant supervision like a toddler then thet's what we'll do fer a spell. Ya ain't ta go no where by yerself 'til I says ya can an' that won't be 'til I feel I kin trust ya agin."
He waved the switches. "Maybe keepin' some of these around'll help ta remind ya o' the difference 'tween right an' wrong." He set two of the slender pieces of wood down and motioned her toward the bed. "Drop 'em an' bend over, True."
True had received plenty of spankings, and had been switched more than a few times as well, but never once for something she hadn't done. Vin's expression of misplaced disappointment had cut deep and tears streamed down her face. The ten-year-old was reeling from the injustice of the entire situation and couldn't wrap her mind around the fact that this was actually happening.
"True, I ain't gonna be so lenient as I been. Ya do what yer tol' the first time, or ya'll earn extra licks. Plain an' simple. Ya gotta learn," Vin's voice was strained and True almost couldn't bear the dispirited tone or look in his eyes. Not wanting to disappoint him any further True did as she was told.
She tried to comfort herself with the thought that there were plenty of things that she'd never been caught for. All she had to do was pretend she was being punished for those things. True felt the cool air making her backside tingle when Vin undid the flap of her union suit. Then the first lick took her breath away.
Spiking Nettie's drink at the dance…even though that didn't seem to have any affect. True gasped as another lick fell just below the first.
Helping Ms. Fulsom's chair to collapse underneath her at that box social a few Sunday's back. Though she still thought the oversized cow of a busybody deserved it after what she said about Lauren and Vin. True yelped as the next painful stripe painted her white bottom.
All those times she'd had Rhianna finish her homework so she could score some extra play time. She gasped as the lithe piece of wood caused another explosion of fire across her rear.
Putting those worms in Lizzy's sandwich. The look on the other girl's face had definitely been worth a lick or two. True cried out as Vin brought the switch down twice more, trying to remember other past sins to confess to herself, pretending this was just absolution.
For his own part, Vin was sick inside. He knew he needed to get this message through to True. She needed to respect him and beyond that her actions could land her in a jail cell or swinging at the end of a noose if she didn't mend her ways. Yet he hated this with every fiber of his being. The observant tracker noted the difference in True's response, too, and this had him worried. True was normally extremely vocal during a tanning. Yet today, though she yelped or cried out in pain when the switch fell, she was not nearly as animated as normal and there were no apologies or promises of future good behavior.
He let the switch fall a couple more times. After laying down the last stripe, the sharpshooter went to break the switch as he always did, but stopped. Taking a deep breath he ran his hand over the pliant wispy piece of wood then gathered up all three switches and stood them carefully against the bedside table as a reminder. Then he moved to fix True's clothing and offer some comfort to the distraught girl.
To his utter consternation, when he went to collect True into his arms to let her know that all was forgiven, she pulled away from him. Something she had never done after a punishment. Not one single time. She curled up into a ball and sobbed silently into her pillow.
A shudder ran through Vin. Something was wrong. Very, very wrong. "Sunshine," He put a hand on True's shoulder but she flinched away. He didn't want to leave her, but he didn't know what to do. "I love ya, Sunshine," he said quietly before exiting the room with a heavy heart.
TBC...