Ms. Zetta smiled warmly at him and leaned her elbows on the table. “I’m a businesswoman, sheriff, I don’t have much time for courting, besides. . .” He felt something wrapped around his ankle, but he paid it no mind for the fear of breaking the spell. “It would take someone truly special to catch my eye.”
His heart hammered so fast in his chest he was almost afraid it’d stop as the next question came up from his mind. “Have you been courted before, Ms. Zetta?”
“Technically, no.” Her mouth shrunk down into a firm line, and she turned her eyes towards the people roaming the streets. “Though I was engaged once to appease my parents. . . I can’t say that ended very happily for any of us since my parents won’t speak to me for breaking it off.”
“I’m so sorry to hear that.”
“Don’t be.” She waved it off and sighed. “I knew what I wanted in a mate, and much to my parents chagrin Alvester was not the man I wanted.”
Wesley felt himself pale at the name and whatever hope and confidence he had was squashed down. Alvester was a very rich Teifling, one of the richest men in Ottilie, with red skin and wicked black horns that gave a different type of meaning to a red devil. He had enough at the bank to keep Ms. Zetta off her feet if she wanted, but with her being the go getter she was he doubted she’d live a pampered life very often.
Wesley recalled seeing Alvester’s tail wander over here a time or two before, but he was away on business expanding his company and wasn’t due back for another three months; if Wesley had any luck Alvester would stay wherever he was and out of Ottilie. He wasn’t a bad man, but he certainly was a determined one and did not like taking no for an answer very well. He could only imagine how well things ended between them.
The graze of gentle fingers gracing a soft circle across his knuckles broke him out of his thoughts and back to the strange turn of conversation with Ms. Zetta. “You all right, Sheriff? You look like ya got something on your mind again.”
“I’m all right, Ms. Zetta.” He threw on a quick smile and turned his hand up to catch hers in his hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. “Did things. . . end well between you two?”
“Hardly.” She scoffed and chewed the inside of her left cheek. “Ever try saying no to a man who’s used to getting’ his way one way or another?”
“Not on the same intimate level as you, but regrettably yes.” His mind went back to the governor of Luneburg and how things ended up for him. Had he gone anywhere else but Ottilie, maybe he wouldn’t be so grateful, but the way things have been for him the past few months, he couldn’t help but feel a little thankful towards the bastard.
She chuckled mirthlessly and sighed. “Looks like your story didn’t end particularly well either.”
Wesley nodded his head in agreement and looked her over. “Do you mind me askin’ why Mr. Vines wasn’t the man you were looking for? I know it’s very forward of me, but I’m certain with his estate and money he’s got everything a woman would ever want.”
“He’s got plenty of assets, but he doesn’t have everything a woman could want.” She sighed as she slumped in her chair and withdrew her hand from his. He mourned the loss of her touch and laced his fingers together to keep from reaching across the table to touch her again. “For all the money he makes, he doesn’t have the time to spend it with someone.” Her nose wrinkled and she glared off in the distance. “Besides, I grew up with him and know all his dirty secrets, he’s more like a brother with a bad temper to me than a life mate.”
Wesley marginally relaxed to hear this, but something still bothered him about the whole thing. Why would her parents not speak with her after breaking off the engagement with Mr. Alvester Vines? Surely if they knew how their daughter felt they wouldn’t push such a relationship upon her. Then again, things weren’t so dissimilar amongst humans, money was what made it in this world, not love.
As curious as he was to know more, it wasn’t his place nor his business to pry, but the hints of jealousy nipping within him wanted to know further details and how he could make himself better by comparison.
“I can tell your curious.” Ms. Zetta quipped and picked up her coffee.
His cheeks burned in shame, and he rubbed the back of his neck to remind himself it wasn’t his place to pry. “I don’t wanna pry.”
She lazily sipped her coffee. “Might as well, everyone else in the town practically knows.”
“But do you want me knowing about it, Ms. Zetta?” He cocked his head to the side and the surprise on her face was enough to squash away the jealousy within him. “I can stay ignorant of it if it’ll make things better for ya.”
“You’re too kind, Sheriff, but that won’t be necessary.” Her smile was kind, but he could see the trepidation in her eyes. “There just aren’t many Teiflings here in Losenia and my parents considered Alvester and his family an excellent choice of a match for me, but no matter how hard I tried I couldn’t force myself to do it.”
Her mouth fell into a self-depreciating smile as she kept her eyes focused on the coffee in her hands. “My parents were lucky enough to be one another’s soulmates when they were matched together, and while Alvester is handsome, charming, and rich, I feel nothing towards him. No matter what Alvester tries to say I know he doesn’t feel anything towards me either, he’s just wanting to go through with things for the extra money my own parents’ estate would bring him.”
“Surely not!” He banged his hand on the table in indignation on her behalf.
“No, I’ll admit Alvester’s not that bad.” She giggled and he caught sight of those dimples again. “No, he’d much rather get his hands on the records of the staff my parents’ had.”
“Why would he want the records?”
“There was a maid he was obsessed with, she used to play with us, but for some reason or another they got rid of her.” Her brow furrowed and she frowned. “I can’t say I remember where she went or what happened to her, but a part of me feels like that might have been his mate. . .”
“Why would your parents get rid of her then?” He asked aghast and nearly knocked his cup of coffee over.
“You are a sweetheart, ain’t ya?” She gave him a sympathetic smile and drooped in her seat. “The maid was a human, one both my parents and his own would not have approved of.”
“Would that matter if she was his mate?”
“It shouldn’t.” She growled lowly and he saw a tremor pass over her. “But I’m afraid money sometimes has a despicable way of changing the view on things.”
Wesley nodded in grim agreement and they both sipped their coffee in silence as they watched the town pass by one another. His eggs had grown cold, and his biscuits would taste great for lunch later, but he knew he needed to head back before Zarod came looking for him. Forcing down the eggs and washing them back with coffee, he rose to his feet.
“I should probably get on, Ms. Zetta. Zarod and I gotta go on patrol here in a bit.”
“Already?” Her head turned in the direction of the town square where the clock was, and she hissed out a curse. “So it is, I should probably get back in the kitchen and finish making breakfast before the miners get here.”
“Your breakfast was lovely, as always, Ms. Zetta.” He dared to grab her hand as he slid his hat on his head. Her eyes widened and her cheeks darkened as she smiled up at him and squeezed his hand back.
“Well don’t go too far without Zarod’s biscuits, we can’t go making him pset after he lets you come over and spend a little time with me.” She patted his hand before releasing it to retreat inside. “I’ll only be a minute!”
She could take hours and he’d still wait on her and make Zarod wait too. He felt another piece of him go with her as he stood on the porch and took in the sight of the bustling town. He could practically see the miners coming up over the hill and hauling ass to get to The Hidden Wisp for their morning meal. It wasn’t anything out of the ordinary, but he felt a strange sort of storm coming. The clicking of her heels on the wooden floors had Wesley turning to see her carrying a large brown paper bag filled with biscuits. The smell of them alone was enough to make him hungry all over again.
“I threw in a few extra for him so he can’t complain about how long it took ya to get back to the station.” She smiled up at him and he swore he felt her tail graze his leg.
“Zarod will appreciate this.” He hefted the bag in his hands and looked up into her eyes. “Thank you, Ms. Zetta.”
“It’s no problem, Sheriff.” There was a twinkle in her eye and a dimple in her smile as she tucked a hair behind her ear that tugged on his heart strings and made him want to linger a little longer. However, he really did need to get out on patrol, and he would never hear the end of it from Zarod if he didn’t get back to the station sooner. Tipping his hat off to her, he turned to leave when her tail wrapped firmly around one of his ankles.
“Oh gods!” She hissed and instantly released him and turned her face away as it deepened three shades of purple. “I do apologize, I – I don’t know what got into me. My tail, it’s got a mind of its own sometimes –”
“No harm done, Ms. Zetta.” He reassured her as he patted her shoulder. “Did ya need something before I left?”
Her eyes widened and her mouth opened and closed like an indecisive prairie dog. “I – I, well, um . . .”
She rubbed her cheek, squeezed her eyes shut as she took a deep breath and looked up at him. “W – Would you be interested in having dinner with me?”
He almost dropped the bag of biscuits.
“I – I was thinkin’ I could close up early one night, and you could come on over a – and we could have dinner together. . .” She continued and her tail wrapped tightly around her ankle. “If you’d like that is.”
Her words hit him like a cast iron skillet that left him blinking several times as the words registered in his brain. A proper sentence hadn’t quite formed and the only thing that came to his mind was, “Yes.”
“Really?” She beamed and her tail loosened its hold on her ankle and wagged happily behind her.
He felt breathless and nodded his head to get the blood flowing to his mind. “Yes, I would like that very much, Ms. Zetta.”
“How does six o’clock Sunday night sound?” She clapped her hands together and the laughter from the miner workers grew louder.
“Sounds like a date.”
Those dimples appeared in her cheeks again and his heart was happier than a June bug in spring.
“See ya later then, Sheriff.”
Ms. Zetta sent him off with a wink and by the time he made it down the stairs of her porch and back to the station the whole mining crew was already devouring her next batch of biscuits and coffee. The determination that fueled him to get everything done had him working double time that week and it felt like everything that could go wrong did. A fire caught in the mines which resulted in getting the Dragonborns to go in and rescue the miners and help keep the tunnels from collapsing. Since it was one of Alvester’s mines, he sent over an associate to assess the damages and reimburse the families. A Mothman that was drawn to the lights on the machinery almost lost his wings to chase after the pretty lights. Other than the fires in the mines, the damage was minimal and by the time Sunday rolled around Wesley was exhausted.
Wesley was on his third coffee that afternoon when Zoran stood in front of his desk, arms crossed and a frown behind his tusks. He blinked tiredly up at him and took a sip of his coffee to hide his yawn. “Need something, Zoran?”
“For you to take a break.” Zoran harumphed and snatched the paperwork in his hand away from him.
“I will, right after I finish readin’ over the reports.” He frowned at his green deputy.
“I’ll finish these up, Wes.” Zoran clicked his tongue and tapped the papers on his shoulder. “Don’tcha got something planned with Zetta tonight? You been talkin’ about it nonstop all week.”
“You know I have dinner plans on Sunday –”
“Today is Sunday Wesley.”
He almost fell back in his chair as his head whipped around to the calendar. “What?”
“I knew you were staying up late again. Zoran shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose. “When’s the last time you actually slept?”
“Two, may three nights agooooooo –” Wesley broke off in a long yawn and his body was betraying him. “But I been fine.”
“Gods above and below, give me strength.” Zoran huffed and rolled his eyes. “Take the rest of the afternoon off, Wesley.”
“What, and leave you with all this work?” He gestured to the stacks of paperwork layered on his desk. He blinked several times as he looked at the stacks; he was certain he had already read over and worked a few of these up. Sitting up he rubbed his face in his hands to try to clear up the fog in his brain and felt his eyes growing heavier by the second.
“I’m better at the paperwork anyway. Besides, it doesn’t look like you remember what you have and haven’t read.” Zoran scoffed as he started organizing the stacks of paper. “All the more reason you need to take a break and rest.”
“But – ”
A knock came loudly from the door followed by the soft clicking of a woman’s heels. “Hello?”
Wesley would know Ms. Zetta’s beautiful voice anywhere. Her purple face poked around the doorway and Wesley wanted to run and hide. He knew he looked rough, hadn’t shaved in about two days, hair was a mess, and he and no doubt there was a stain or two on his shirt.
“Howdy, Zetta.” Zoran chortled as he bent and greeted her with a side hug. “What can we do ya for?”
“Oh, well, I came by to see the sheriff.” Her white eyes turned on him and Wesley wanted to just melt inside. “That all right?”
“No problem, ma’am.” Zaron saluted her and walked out of the room faster than sinners in church. The moment Zaron was gone Ms. Zetta walked on over to him with dimples in her smile. He pulled on the collar of his shirt and cleared his throat.
“You wanted to see me, Ms. Zetta?”
“Yes, I wanted to make sure our dinner plans for this evening were still on for tonight.” She looked him over head to toe and he saw worry developing with the crease of her brows. “You feelin’ all right, Sheriff?”
“Fine, fine, just a smidgeon tired, but nothin’ for ya to worry about none.” He dragged his hand down the back of his neck and swallowed down a yawn.
“I was worried I was too forward with you when you didn’t stop by this week. . .” She laced her fingers together and her tail twisted around her ankle.
“No, not at all, I like you and your forwardness Ms. Zetta. Really, I do.” He reached for her hands and her cheeks burned about three shades darker as he did so. “In fact, I’ve been pulling in extra shifts to make sure nothin’ would stand in the way of this evening.”
“Careful now Sheriff Wesley.” She breathed hotly as her tail unwrapped itself from around her ankle and slithered over to his ankle. “Those are some mighty fine words to be saying before we’ve had a proper meal together.”
His brow furrowed as he couldn’t understand her meaning. Had he said something wrong? He knew he was tired and if he wasn’t careful, he’d say the wrong thing, but he didn’t think he said anything bold or forward.
“Maybe you oughtta take a nice nap before this evenin’, hm?” Her hand reached up to his cheek and his eyes fluttered shut as he unconsciously pressed his cheek into her warm palm. Soft, dainty fingers caressed his cheek and whiskers and if he didn’t have his hand on the desk he surely would have slumped forward on top of her.
“You been working to hard, Sheriff Wesley.” She tutted softly as her other hand came up to his other cheek and he felt the weight of the world lifting from his shoulders. Mighty strong woman with mighty strong powers held him as though he were something precious.
“I had to.” He hummed as his hand came up and held her wrist, pressing her hand further into his right cheek. “Had to make sure I could make it on time tonight.”
“Now ya gotta rest up so I can entertain you properly, Sheriff Wesley.” She chuckled and slowly withdrew her hands from his face and retreated towards the door. “Until then.”
He almost whimpered at the loss of her touch and nearly fell flat on his face by the time Zoran came back into the room. Zoran had a knowing look in his eyes and bit back a smile as he crossed his arms. “You still got that cot in your office for the late nights, or you think you can make it back to your house, Wes?”
AUTHOR’S NOTE:
Thank you so much for reading! I hope you’re enjoying the story so far, please remember to leave a like, comment or review, but most importantly reblog!
Much to his surprise, Ottilie managed to behave itself long enough for Wesley to get a decent nap in his own bed that afternoon. By the time four o’clock rolled around he had slept so hard and so well that he could hardly remember where he was and what day it was. Catching a glance of himself in the mirror he saw he was as scruffy as he felt and knew he needed to remedy that immediately. Tossing the blankets aside and stretching all his limbs out, his body demanded that he never sleep on the tiny cot in his office ever again. After spending a week on the tiny cot in his office, having a real bed to sleep in made a world of difference and a world of good. He had worked so hard to get as much work done as possible to limit the possibility of an interruption that he hadn’t taken proper care of himself, and he felt it all the way down to his bones.
Work around Ottilie never stopped, for her or for him. Since Ms. Zetta was the only one that had a proper dining facility, as well as proper bedding accommodations for the late travelers, the Teifling lady hardly ever rested and always stayed busy. The fact she was willing to close early, even on a Sunday, practically declared how serious Ms. Zetta was taking this dinner; and Wesley would not disappoint. He’d be there early and dress nicer for her than he ever did for the two times out of the year he attended church. If the Tiefling lady was willing to make time out of her busy schedule for him, he would only present her with his best for her.
In a blur of motion to get going he showered, shaved, put on his nicest faded blue button down that he normally wore to attend the morning service, slid into his cleanest pair of blue jeans, and tucked his feet into worn brown leather boots. Running a comb through his hair and double checking himself over, he had about thirty minutes left before the meal, but he would be there early and sit on the porch if necessary so Ms. Zetta could finish getting ready if she needed. There weren’t many good things his mother taught him, however, waiting on a lady to finish her own preparations of any kind was one of them.
A long time ago back in Luneburg Wesley had the privilege to court a few of the ladies in the higher social rings, however, none of them could ever hold a candle to Ms. Zetta. He would never deny the human women’s talents, minds, nor beauty, but no matter how hard he had tried, none of the ladies in Luneburg ever captivated his attention. He’d seen many from tall, short, thin, thick, blonde, red, and brunette, but none of them were particularly impressionable nor remarkable in kindness like Ms. Zetta. Maybe it was the fact they were human and unimpressive in their own chemical design, though if he were more honest it was the way the socialites looked down on everyone, even within their own class without an ounce of kindness in their words. Ms. Zetta wasn’t like that, not at all.
When he first came to Ottilie it was Ms. Zetta who welcomed him as warmly as the mayor and Zarod. While Ottilie was a multi-species community and everyone who was hospitable was welcome, there were many who had not taken kindly to a human taken over the position as sheriff of Ottilie when they all believed Zarod deserved it. In all honesty the Orc had deserved it and if Zarod wasn’t so damn stubborn he’d have already signed over the position and would have swapped roles if necessary. However, both Zarod and the mayor were determined to keep him on as sheriff and refused his proposals to switch positions at every turn. After about a month in and Wesley proving himself as worthy of the title as he could, most folks accepted him, though he was neither blind nor deaf to the ones that refused to accept him. No matter who he spoke with he always made sure to keep a smile on his face and a calm countenance about himself. Afterall, kindness was the best weapon to wield to figuratively kill people. No matter what they all said, nothing any of them could say would be half as bad as what others from Luneburg could say to him. The best way to learn how to keep a smile on your face was to stick around socialites who gossiped like geese and clucked like hens about everyone and had no problem in airing out everyone’s dirty laundry at a poor fool’s expense.
Ms .Zetta was never like that, though, she brought over dinner dishes nearly every night, always asking if he liked it while trying to peek behind him to see if he’d actually eaten it or discarded it. He knew she was just doing it to be polite, but her feeding him almost every night helped put a better image of himself towards all the town and soon others had slowly accepted him. Things between Wesley and Ms. Zetta remained cordial and polite for his first month in Ottilie, but their relationship changed about a month ago. It was pure chance, or fate if he dared to be romantic, Wesley left his revolver in his drawer when he and Zarod were supposed to go on patrol when he walked by The Hidden Wisp and heard shouting. A needy Whiptail Lizardman who wanted to court Ms. Zetta but was not particularly keen about keeping his hands to himself despite Ms. Zetta’s obvious rejection and refusal and had the woman pinned against the wall. Ms. Zetta was never a damsel in distress as she was able to keep him back with her tail for the most part, but he’d heard the undeniable fear in her voice when she shouted for help.
Wesley had acted without thinking, tearing into the restaurant, and snatching the Lizardman by his tail to pull him off Ms. Zetta. Fists were thrown, blood was drawn, and if it weren’t for the Lizardman’s tail nearly strangling him Wesley wouldn’t have had to headbutt him unconscious. He’d heard the cocking of a revolver as Ms. Zetta held a pistol in her hands, pointing it at the unconscious Lizardman with wide eyes and surprise when she saw Wesley the one walking away from the fight. Zarod had come in shortly after and helped arrest the Lizardman and Ms. Zetta took care of his wounds and even made them better with some of her home cooking.
Wesley was not as strong as an Orc, but he could handle himself better than most of the nonhumans gave him credit for, and after surviving a tussle with a Whiptail Lizardman, he gained the respect of most of the town, but especially Ms. Zetta; and her opinion of him mattered more to him than town as a whole. A part of him knew better than to think that way, but he knew the moment Zarod wanted to become sheriff he’d have to step down or else deal with a riot. The people of Ottilie were good people, but they were ones to stick close to their kinfolk and those they knew better than some human guy like him. But that was all right, it meant there was good in this town, and they would stick together through thick and thin even if they decided they no longer wanted him running the town anymore; Wesley could only hope that Ms. Zetta would still want him around.
On his way back into town, the orange sun was setting over the tallest spire of the church and making the whole indigo desert shift into more vibrant hues before the moon came up. The whole town slowly settled down for the night with gentle fires crackling in their cookstoves, children played while the adults laughed inside their homes, and the essence of the day ending wafted over him with the rich scent of thyme mixed with good home cooking and made his stomach rumble in anticipation for Ms. Zetta’s meal. He was pleasantly surprised to see none of the usuals lingering outside The Hidden Wisp, and it was very odd with how quiet it was.
When all the work was done for the day, everyone wanted a drink and went over to the Hidden Wisp for Ms. Zetta’s fine food and entertainment but tonight it was so quiet that not even the crickets wanted to play their songs. There was no piano music, no loud laughter, nor bright lights inside The Hidden Wisp. When Wesley stepped on the porch, he heard the rushed clicking of heels on the wooden boards and Ms. Zetta uttering things to herself as she moved around inside. Glancing at the clock on the face of the church, he saw he had another fifteen minutes before his dinner with Ms. Zetta, he couldn’t tell if she was ready for him yet and decided to wait on the porch. However, as he turned to sit on the steps, the flurry of her shoes facing across the floor and the creaking of her front door made him freeze. He turned and saw Ms. Zetta’s white eyes peeking through the curtains, wide and alarmed. Ms. Zetta gasped as she opened the door and looked him over.
“Y – You’re early.”
“Yes.” He whipped off his hat and cleared his throat as he gestured to the porch stairs. “I was gonna wait on the stairs here to give ya a few more minutes. It sounded like you weren’t quite ready.”
“That’s thoughtful, but there’s no need.” She smiled at him and opened the door to reveal her beauty. Wesley felt his stomach tighten at the sight of her in a dress that looked as though it were made from the soft blue rays of the moon and was glad his hat was in his hands. Ms. Zetta wore high collared dresses with long sleeves she kept rolled up because they were easy to work in, but this dress made of moon beams was the entire opposite. The soft puffed sleeves sat off her shoulders exposing the creamy lilac skin of her shoulders and bosom and the sweetheart neckline revealing all that she normally hid with a silver chained moon drop pendant nestled just above the crevice of her bosom. Her luxurious curls that he wanted to run his fingers through were pinned back around her horns to reveal she wore matching moon droplets at the end of each of her horns.
She was so beautiful it took all his self-control to keep his hands tightly locked around his hat to keep from drawing her to him so he could taste her berry painted lips. Wesley was always a man in control of himself, and for Ms. Zetta and all her moonlit loveliness, he could continue to be that man in control. She had enough men throwing themselves at her that he refused to be one of them, even if she did nearly drive him wild.
Ms. Zetta giggled as her lilac hand reached under his chin to close his mouth. “Careful Sheriff, you might catch flies. It’d be a terrible thing to happen before you eat some of my cooking.”
Catching her hand, Wesley pressed a chaste kiss on the curl of her fingers and held her there. “Forgive me for being starstruck, Ms. Zetta, I couldn’t help it, my heart simply wasn’t prepared for your loveliness this evening, but I assure you I will enjoy anything you make, Ms. Zetta.”
Her cheeks darkened and he heard a soft gasp pass her lips as she smiled up at him. “Wooing a lady before dinner is dangerous, Sheriff.”
“Wesley.” He gently corrected as he took a brave foot forward and twined their fingers together as he looked at her. “If we’re to have a proper dinner, wouldn’t it be better to call me by my name, Ms. Zetta?”
Her eyes widened and within their starry depths he felt a white-hot fire growing behind them as her tail traced around the toe of his boots. “Only if you’ll call me by mine, Wesley.”
His throat was dryer than the desert and desperate for the lovely glass of water before him by hearing his name on her pretty lips, but he managed to wet his mouth enough to respond. “If that’s what you want, Zetta.”
It tasted like sin on his tongue but came out like a prayer as her tail threatened to wrap around his boot again. Zetta’s chest rose and fell with her deep breath, and she pulled him inside. He nearly lost his breath again when he passed the threshold. A table for two with folded napkins, her best china and silverware, and candles all aglow sat in the center of the room waiting on them. Zetta’s heels clicked against the floor and helped pull him into motion as she led them over to the table with their fingers still twined together.
“What I want, Wesley, is for us to enjoy a proper meal together and then we will see where things go.” She laughed airily, but he could tell she was just as nervous as he was. “I hope it’s not too much.”
“No, not at all, its lovely.” He followed her to her seat and was prepared to pull it out for her when she turned and looked at him.
“You think you can open the wine while I get dinner?”
Her tail gently shoved a bottle of white wine in his hands before it swished happily behind her as she retreated off into the kitchen. As his hands worked the stopper into the wine cork, he noticed she’d even adorned her tail with the same moon droplet decorations. She was a woman with an eye to detail and he found he would love nothing more than to study the art she presented him with. The wine opened with a hollow pop just as Zetta reentered the room carrying a plate in each hand and a basket of rye bread with her tail.
“I hope you like fish.” Her melodic voice was lit with joy and shyness as she joined him at the table. “I made a black bean potato au gratin with salmon.”
When she set the plates down on the table, he immediately recognized the black beans, potatoes, and fish, and it smelled heavenly. His stomach growled as he poured the wine into the glasses she provided on the table. “I reckon I’ll like anything you make, Zetta, even if I can’t pronounce it as prettily as you.”
“Then let us dine, Wesley.” Her smile was bright and inviting and for once he wanted to forgo dinner to sample her lips; but Wesley was a gentleman and that was exactly what he’d give Zetta. Zetta was a Tiefling with horns and a tail with a hard life in a hard place working hard all the time, if there was any woman in Ottilie that deserved soft it was her.
Wesley pulled her chair out for her and caught the sweet perfume of the pitcher’s leather flower, one of the climbing vine flowers from her garden in her hair as he pushed her chair forward. He took his seat across from her and felt as though a different sort of spell had somehow been cast. The candles were all aglow and lit her eyes with a fine warm gold color that he couldn’t help but admire. Zetta’s food was always impeccable, but it was especially delicious that night and the white wine she paired with it was perfect.
“It always makes me happy when a man eats everything on his plate.” Zetta hummed happily as she sipped her wine. “Makes me feel like I’ve done something right in life, even if it’s just from working in the kitchen.”
“You do plenty right, Zetta.” Wesley wiped his mouth on the cloth napkin and set it beside his nearly licked clean plate. “Besides your cooking you’ve got one of the biggest hearts that I’ve seen in anyone in a long time.”
Her smile made the corners of her eyes crinkle and put dimples in her cheeks, but her shoulders slumped. “You’re too kind, but I doubt that’s true. Afterall you’ve only known me a few months, ask anyone here and they’ll tell you about my temper.”
“Even without experiencing it firsthand, Zetta, I know plenty about your temper.” He chuckled as he recalled all the times she had to physically throw a drunk out of The Hidden Wisp when they were getting too ballsy. Many received a nasty tail lashing from her and sent home crying to their wives or crying for their wives to forgive them for having to pick them up.
“But the way you treat everyone, no matter who they are, what they are, or what they look like, you do plenty right to those around you in Ottilie. I see the way you give the kids an extra treat when they dine in with their mothers and the way you treat the elderly, the way you treat everyone equally and with the same level of respect. You do plenty right.”
“Well, give it another month and I’m sure you’ll change your mind.” Her smile shrank into self-depreciation as she set her glass back on the table and sighed as she fisted her napkin in her hand. “Many others have.”
“Well in case you haven’t noticed, I’m not like others.” Feeling brave he reached his hand across the table and held it. Her eyes snapped up to his and he didn’t dare look away. “Ask me again in a month and I promise my opinion will stay the same. I’m not planning on going anywhere anytime soon and I want to see all the good you do, Zetta.”
Her beautiful white eyes stared back at him in surprise, searching for any trace of a lie as her tail coiled tightly around his calf and Wesley hoped he could feel the truth in his words. The Tiefling lady before him was a one of beauty, kindness, and a temper to scare any badger off if they dared to set fire to her business or hurt her workers. He knew her kindness came from experience, as much as he hated to think about it, probably bad ones. Tieflings, especially females, were as beautiful as they were rare for their magical abilities and strength that could challenge any Orc should it be required, so any that were held in captivity were very prized and often lusted after. While she came from a loving home with two parents, he had no doubt she had some sort of trouble in her past that kept her nicer to folks that didn’t deserve it.
“Tell me, Wesley.” She didn’t blink, but somehow her eyes changed, and he felt the loneliness within her soul calling out to his own; or maybe that was just her tail. “What do you see in me?”
Beauty transcending all others to grace the earth for his unworthy soul to behold; a warm hand that knew how to mend and tend with care as well as throw a mean left hook; strength unlike anything he could ever hope to achieve because he was born a human with different luxuries and privileges that were unfair to others; the embodiment of love put into everything she did, her food, her songs, her words; a woman he wanted to have and hold and treasure and hoped she wanted him as badly as he wanted her. All these things and many more ran through his mind, calculative in the way he wanted to say it all, but instead, his heart answered faster than his brain could, and it was breathless to get the word out.
“Everything.”
He never felt like such a fool before until he saw her brow pinched in disbelief and her smile falter as she bit her lip and shook her head with a different smile. Zetta’s smile was polite, but sad and her dimples were gone. “Surely not. When you’ve lived in Luneburg all your life. Surely there was another lady that caught your fancy.”
She tried to withdraw her hand from his, to retreat from him, and he held her hand tighter. Her eyes went wide as she looked up at him and his heart spoke louder than his brain again.
“I mean it, Zetta.” He wasn’t sure why he whispered to her when he would shout atop the church’s steeple for the world to hear his adoration for her. “It doesn’t matter that I’m from Luneburg, I’ve seen as many pretty faces as I’ve seen ugliness from the city, and nothing I’ve seen compares to you, Zetta. I know you’ve got enough suitors here to have your pick of the lot if you really wanted, but I’m not just interested in a beautiful face, I want to get to know you, to get to know your heart, Zetta; if you’d let me that is.”
Her pupilless eyes stared at him and it was only her tail wrapping tighter around his leg that let him know she was at least considering him.
“Then what about me?” Her words were a whisper, but he caught the fear in them. “Say you get to know my heart, what happens, Wesley?”
He leaned across the table not daring to break eye contact with her. “Whatever you want. You can keep me, get rid of me – ”
“I don’t want to get rid of you.” Her tail squeezed tighter, and he was certain he was losing blood flow to his toes, but he didn’t care. “I just. . . I just can’t be expected to do things most women would do.”
“And what is it most women do, hm?” His mouth tugged up in a smile as he placed his other hand, palm up in an invitation to her. “Cook, clean, have babies? I won’t expect anything like that from you Zetta unless that’s what you want. All I want to do now is get to know you more.”
“You say that now.” She shook her head and her tail loosened slightly and he watched something pass over her as she tried to pull away again. “What’s goin’ to happen when the busy season kicks in by the end of the summer and I won’t have time for you? I have a business to run, Wesley, I won’t always have time for you.”
“And I’m the sheriff where most of the town will call me to pull men out of the mines, I won’t have as much time for you as I would like either.” He gave a half shrug, and finally allowed his brain to do some of the talking. “I will give you all the time I can.”
She shook her head in disbelief and Wesley feared he saw tears welling up in her eyes.
“Why?”
“You’re worth it, and if you would have me, I will give you anything you’d ever want.” He brought her lilac hand to his mouth and brushed a chaste kiss there with all his honest feelings pressing into the veins of her fingers. The faint freckles along her body almost seemed to glow as her face and neck darkened a shade of purple and her throat bobbed with a hard swallow.
“That’s a bold statement, Wesley.”
“And one I would do whatever I could to fulfill.”
The dimples returned to her cheeks, and she placed her other hand in his as she placed her hand in his. Her plump lips tugged up in a smile and her tail wrapped around his chair to pull him closer. “Well then, I suppose I could at least give you a fighting chance; if you think you’re up for it that is.”
“I’ll take what I can get.” The table was small enough to where all he needed to do was lean over for a kiss, and with that inviting look she was giving him and her tail creeping up his leg, he almost fell into temptation. As if a string tightened between them, their faces drew closer together, until their foreheads touched, and the tip of Zetta’s tail slid into the belt loop on his hip. His heart hammered like horse hooves in his ears as he closed his eyes and was ready to take the plunge for a kiss when the doors flew open.
“Zetta!”
The force in which they pulled apart from one another was enough to throw his chair back and nearly throw him out of his chair. They both turned to see the strawberry haired witch with green eyes, Ms. Ruby Rose standing panting and disheveled with blood staining her dusty pink dress.
“Ruby?” Zetta stood to her feet and rushed over to her.
Ruby looked from Zetta to Wesley as he recovered himself and got to his feet and shook her head with wide eyes. “Zetta, are you – ”
“What happened?” Zetta shook her head and her tail whipped out behind her. “I wasn’t expecting you for another few days.”
“Lemnos was hot on my tails.” She bit her lip and looked from Zetta to Wesley. “I’m so sorry, I wouldn’t have barged on in here if it wasn’t an emergency –”
“Ruby, honey, it’s fine.” Zetta cupped her face and looked her over. “Who’s hurt?”
The look of defeat on the elemental witch’s face as her face crumpled with tears and sagged against Zetta. “All of them.”
“All right, we’ll get them taken care of.” Zetta reassured her and glanced over her shoulder. “Think you can help us out, Wesley?”
Wesley wasn’t sure what was going on, but he nodded his head all the same and straightened up. He was a man of his word and if Zetta needed help with something then that’s what he’d do.
“What do I need to do?” He searched her pupilless eyes and felt his heart tug at the relief in her eyes as she patted Ruby’s back then squared her shoulders.
“We need to bring them inside, get them fed and washed up.” Still dressed in her finery, Zetta’s mindset went from fancy dinner to caretaker immediately. “You help Ruby bring them in while I get a meal ready for them. Gods know they’ll need it.”
Nodding his head, Wesley followed Ms. Ruby Rose out to her wagon and could hardly contain himself at the sight of the people she brought. Orcs starved thin, moths with tattered wings, trembling goblins, and a harpy missing half its feathers. Even after living in Luneburg for most of his life, nothing could have prepared him for the sight of them. They were slaves and weren’t treated right. Wesley’s hand clenched into a fist as his mind dared to ponder what sort of treatment these folk underwent and watched an orc child tremble.
“Don’t be scared, Sheriff Skye is here to help.” Ruby soothed as she held her hands out to reach for the trembling child. “He’ll protect us, don’t ya worry now.”
While Wesley wasn’t particularly pleased to have had his dinner plans interrupted, he would have never forgiven himself had he not done something to help these folks. Bending down to the child’s level he managed to smile and held his hand out.
“Ms. Ruby here is right; I won’t let anything happen to y’all while you are in my town. Now let’s get you inside.”
AUTHOR’S NOTE:
Thank you so much for reading! I hope you’re enjoying the story so far, please remember to leave a like, comment or review, but most importantly reblog!
Techinically this is part of the Old Westen Universe I’m working on, but this isn’t the main story. This is more or less a backstory /side story for the side characters that I love.
The sun was slow to rise on the blue plains of Ottilie, but already the town was coming to life with all the early risers.
Sipping his coffee from his desk in the sheriff’s office, Wesley just allowed the day to start on its own. He’d been here for a few months now and was questioning why he was here, though after all the trouble he started in Luneburg he could see why. Losenia was supposed to be a land of opportunity, but everywhere he went Wesley found himself questioning just who the law actually helped. The poor needed more help than the rich were willing to give outside their one-time lump sum to some charity to help lost souls in another country rather than helping those right in front of them. Wesley wasn’t foolish enough to think everyone in Ottilie needed help, some of them needed to learn from the consequences of their actions. It was the single mothers with all the children suffering because of the stupid New Poor Law which allowed men to walk away if they thought the kids weren’t their own. If the men believed the infants illegitimate, they were free from any and all financial, moral, and social impact of raising the kids and putting the entire responsibilities on the mothers. It was a law to benefit the men in higher status to get out of and cover up their mistakes and get out trouble with their wives. In an entire fit of outrage, he marched down the governor’s office and demanded an explanation for why they would pass such a thing.
The man’s eyes were darker than the pits of hell and the immorality of his self-fulfilled wish came off him in waves as the governor merely laughed in his face and had him removed from the property. His father beat him for embarrassing him and his mother scolded him for his outburst, but it did nothing to deter the fires of injustice burning within him. Even after the beating and the warnings he went around telling anyone who would listen about the injustices of this system. Of course, there was no getting out of much of anything by the time the station caught wind of what happened and had him sent out to Ottilie faster than a cricket played its fiddle on a hot summer night. His father pretended to be proud of his “promotion” while his mother sobbed as she waved him goodbye at the station. A sense of dread for all the women and children in the city muddied his mind and left him feeling bitter knowing he was in a place where the people needed help. All Wesley wanted to do was help, to set things right, to defend the people, that was the whole reason why he went into the whole business of law, and after a two-week train ride that left him with stiff joints and doubt, he feared all his efforts were in vain.
Ottilie was a rare town turning into a city in Losenia that managed to allow humans and nonhuman species to coexist without enslaving and killing one another, though there were a handful that liked to stay at each other’s throats. When Wesley was first assigned to transfer to Ottilie from Luneburg he didn’t really know what to expect. Nothing the academy taught would have prepared him for the corruption in Luneburg let alone what to expect anywhere else. When the train pulled into a train stop two green Orcs dressed like any other gentleman from Luneburg stood with an oxen pulled wagon waiting behind them. Wesley wasn’t sure what to expect for a welcome, but the two large Orcs that could throttle him if they so wanted wasn’t it.
“Mr. Wesley Sky, welcome!” The taller of the two dressed in grey had a wide grin on his face as he tipped his hat up to look Wesley up and down. “I’m Mayor Yargol and this here is my boy Zarod!”
“Pleasure to meet ya both.” He returned the smile and held his hand out to shake their hands, and they shook his hand with such undulation that his feet nearly left the ground.
“I really can’t thank ya enough, Mr. Wesley, it means a lot to me to have you come all the way out here willing to be our sheriff.” Yargol was jovial as he clapped him on the shoulder, and it took everything in him to keep the smile on Wesley’s face at the reminder of his hurt pride. He was certain that if the Orc knew the real reason he was sent here, just to get out of the hair of the corrupt politicians, then maybe he wouldn’t have received him so jovially.
“It’s an honor, sir.”
“For us.” Yargol nodded in agreement then turned his green blue eyes up at his son. “Zarod, get the man’s bags, we gotta make it back to town before your mother gets supper out.”
“I can grab my own things – ” Before Wesley could reach for his things, Zarod already had them loaded in his arms and was walking towards the wagon. Yargol clapped him on the shoulder again with enough force to leave him winded as he turned him around and guided him towards the wagon.
“Let the boy help ya since he’s gonna be your deputy.”
“My deputy?” He couldn’t hide the surprise in his voice or his face as his head whipped around to look up at the mayor.
“‘Course. Under normal circumstances you’d have your own pick of the lot but seeing as we don’t have many volunteers to be the lawmen around, except for Zarod, figured it best he be your deputy.”
“Except Duma.” Zarod chimed in as he climbed up in the driver’s seat and took up the reins. Mayor Yargol encouraged Wesley to step in the back first, and he followed him. When the two were settled, Zarod whipped the reins and the wagon jerked into motion.
“Except for Duma, but he’s so up in years now his wife’ll kill us if we let him run the law for much longer.” Yargol nodded forlornly with a sigh as he leaned back against the wooden wagon. “The spitfire is still around and will more than likely tell you how to do your job, but just nod your head and pretend to listen. It’ll get ya farther along in your work than you know, trust me. Zarod was his deputy, so he’ll be yours for the time being. He’ll show ya around, help ya get used to things and how we run things around here, but you, Mr. Wesley, will in charge of the law around these parts.”
“Wouldn’t it make more sense for Zarod to be sheriff then?” Wesley did his best to remain polite, but his brow furrowed as he tried to comprehend the need for his presence here.
“It would if we weren’t getting’ complaints from the human residents.” Zarod scoffed over his shoulder. Wesley’s eyes went wide as he cocked a brow at Yargol.
“Got discord in paradise mister mayor?”
Yargol’s smile tensed and he rubbed at his jaw to coax it into a more relaxed smile. “Ottilie is known for having the blended community of all species, however, it’s far from a perfect place, though we’re trying to get it that way.”
“I know better than to anticipate anywhere being perfect, mayor, but what sorts of trouble am I to expect coming in?”
Yargol tensed and opened his mouth to speak, but Zarod spoke faster and louder. “Prejudice from both sides, and most of the men, both human and nonhuman, not knowing how to keep their hands to themselves then getting upset when particular women don’t want to be manhandled.”
He could already feel his blood boil as all the injustices he’d been unable to rectify flooded him. His hand resting on his knee tightened over his kneecap and he had to take a deep breath to calm his nerves. “And has anything been done, or are we just letting these men pay a fine and have a timeout in jail for a night?”
He hadn’t meant for the question to sound so heated, but after everything that happened in Luneburg, he refused to sit by the sidelines. If people needed help here, he was going to help them, whether they wanted his help or not. He could handle prejudice; it was a stupid stigma that stuck with adults but could be cut away from the children with the right guiding hand. However, he would not put up with the manhandling nor the disrespecting of women while he was around. After everything that happened in Luneburg, he refused to allow this place to fall into the same cesspool of corruption.
“We handle our own with a good thrashin’ if it comes down to it, Mr. Wesley, but I assure you we punish accordingly to fit the crimes.” Zaron called over his shoulder. “We’ve only ever had to hand three men, one human and two shifters that couldn’t get their act together.”
It eased some of his anger, but not enough of it for him to relax. His jaw tightened and he couldn’t bring himself to look Yargol in the eye without asking what sort of crimes these men committed to get hung. “Whatever you’re thinking about, Mr. Wesley, I assure you that we do things very differently here in Ottilie in comparison to the grand city Luneburg.”
Wesley dared a glance and Yargol pinned him with a knowing look. “I know why you were sent here, Mr. Sky, I’m no fool. I know about the new law that was passed in the city and your efforts to wisen up the people to the immoral law, which is the entire reason I paid a nice sum to have you come to Ottilie.”
“What?” His blue eyes widened and Yargol merely nodded at him.
“I always do a bit of digging into one’s character before letting them just roll up into Ottilie. We were looking for some sort of man to come in as new law enforcement, however none of them proved worthy enough until I saw you causing a ruckus down at the governor’s mansion.” A crooked smile slid on his face as a dark look passed over the Orc’s face. “That sort of law will not exist in Ottilie so long as I or any who upholds the Orcian values of a community stand to fight against it. You can be sure of that, Mr. Wesley. Men leaving their families because they claim their kids ain’t theirs just ‘cause they’re tired of being a father isn’t something that particularly flies well in Ottilie. You’ll come to find out that most of the community, save for a few prejudice folk, try to play off the Orcian roots where we take care of our community. We have plenty of whelps that come from broken homes, dead parents, or even rescued from the Orion Hunters but we don’t simply hand the women and children off to someone else just ‘cause we get a little tired of our responsibilities. No, the community does their share to help all the kids grow up knowing what a true family is.”
Whatever tension was held in his shoulders that day relaxed, and a strange sense of peace washed over him as they rolled under the curling sign that read Ottilie.
The humans were all ready to accept him the day he rolled in, all expecting him to simply take their side whenever things went wrong just because he was one of their kind; boy were they surprised after that first arrest. Many a trial and case were held to prove a man and woman’s innocence and Wesley refused to back down from his moral code and keep things as black and white as he could in the mixed community. If this was to be his city to protect, he wasn’t going to let anyone get away with anything. People threatened him within the first week they were going to run him out of town and yet, here he was some three and a half months later.
Shopkeepers unlocked their doors for the public, the blacksmith blazed his fires, the baker laid out his bread, the washer women carried their buckets, and the doors to The Hidden Wisp flung open. Ms. Zetta, a Tiefling lady that captivated his heart like no other before, stepped out wearing a faded ochre calico dress that clung to her body and complimented her lilac skin held the door open for the stumbling drunks. Her white eyes were as bright and billowy as clouds, and her dark hair was pulled into buns on either side of her lilac horns which he noticed she adorned with red cactus flowers on either side of her horn. The airy soprano with a touch of prickly cactus rang through the air and wrapped around his heart as she pointed in the general direction away from her dining establishment. “Go on, git on out, your wives’ll be ready to throttle you all for staying late again.”
“Not so loud Ms. Zetta.” A human patron complained as he pressed a hand to his ear and winced.
“Keep it up Brunson and I’ll get louder.” Her long tail flicked irritably like a cat making all the golden charms and bangles at the end jingle like a rattlesnake behind her. “Ms. Amy isn’t going to like knowin’ you stayed at my B&B again without her because you drank too much again.”
The sentence that slurred out of his mouth was intelligible and in his native tongue that he didn’t bother translating as he stumbled off. Ms. Zetta merely rolled her eyes and shook her head as she sent all the other drunks out packing so she could sweep off her porch and put the breakfast tables out to bring in customers. Hiding a smile behind his coffee, he downed it quickly and set the mug down on his desk so he could go over and help her. The woman owned entire dining and staying in establishment by herself and acted like she had to do everything else on her own when she had plenty of capable workers. She had two cooks, seven servers, and ten maids to help keep up her establishment and she would not settle less for anything else than perfection.
Tucking his badge in his pocket he heard the front door open as Zarod walked into the station. Wesley greeted with a nod as he pulled on his belt and holster. “Mornin’ Zarod.”
“Mornin’ Wes.” Zarod smirked and cocked a knowing look his way as he took his place at his own desk. “Off to go help Zetta this mornin’?”
He felt his ears burn as he kept his back to him and slid his feet into his boots. “Just helpin’ her set up for the day and getting’ the other drunks out so she can open for the day.”
“Whatever you say, Wes.” He chuckled and his chair creaked as he sat down onto it. “Just make sure to bring me somethin’ on your way back.”
“I’ll think about it.” He grumbled as he slid on his brown cowboy hat and walked out the door. It was no secret between the two friends, and probably the whole town if everyone paid enough attention, that the feelings Wesley held for Ms. Zetta were something stronger than anything else he’d ever felt before and if it weren’t for his job and the fact, she had so many suitors, he might have tried his hand at courting by now. As it were he had enough work with the new renovations being done to the place that occupied his time that didn’t leave him with enough time show a good lady like Ms. Zetta the time she deserved. He took every spare chance he had to see her to at least bask in her presence with pleasant conversation to satisfy his longing for another day.
The Hidden Wisp was only a few blocks away from the Sheriff’s station and acted as the only bed and breakfast, lunch, and dinner in all Ottilie. With the gold rush passing over all of Losenia they had more unseemly characters ride through and stay out their welcome in Ottilie before they eventually set off to continue their journey farther West. They were having to be a lot more careful with so many humans passing through and carrying diseases that they needed a separate building for those that needed to rest and heal in isolation to keep from taking up all the sickbeds. One way or another they managed to keep most of the diseases away and none of the human folk caught it, but it still made him anxious when he heard a stranger cough and Ms. Ruby Rose wasn’t in town. The strawberry witch was a kind stranger to him and the beloved friend and sister to Ms. Zetta who he always made sure to keep a special eye out for ever since he caught news of the Order of Lemnos tiptoeing this way.
As he crossed the crackled blue indigo dirt, Ms. Zetta huffed and puffed as she dragged another table out to set it out on her porch. He waited for her to catch her breath before calling out to her. “Good morning, Ms. Zetta.”
She stood upright with a gasp, tail going ridid, and shot him a smile more radiant than the sun. “Good morning, to you Sheriff. To what do I owe the pleasure this morning?”
“I see you’re setting up shop for the day.” He gestured to the table she struggled to get out the front door as he climbed a step closer to her. “I’d like to offer some assistance if you would allow it.”
She was as tall as she was beautiful and was at least a whole head taller than him. He was tall for human standards at seven three, but her Tiefling limbs and horns certainly gave her a vertical advantage that he didn’t mind. Her plump violet limps curled into a smile wide enough to reveal her pointed fangs and he had to hope she couldn’t hear his rapid heart. “That’s mighty kind of you, sheriff, but are you leaving Zarod with your paperwork again?”
When he first started off in Ottilie he hated working up the papers and all the details that went into them. It was a thing that required patience, which he’d not had much in the beginning, and needed Zarod’s help getting most of it accomplished. With all the construction going on in Ottilie, he especially had to be careful with all the paperwork floating around the sheriff’s station.
“No ma’am I got up early this morning to finish it before he even got there this morning.” He felt a sense of pride dwelling within him at succeeding in keeping the workload lighter for his coworker, even at the expense of his sleep, but it was worth it to see the smile bloom on her face.
“Well, if you’re offering, I won’t refuse.” She gave him a wink over her shoulder that shot him through the heart and sent a fire churning in his gut as he followed her inside to grab tables.
For an establishment that stayed open well into the witching hours, it was always surprising how well Ms. Zetta managed to keep it so clean; especially with the number of drunks that stumbled out this morning. He knew most of it came from her consternation about cleanliness while the other part had to be magic. There wasn’t a rat to be seen nor bug to worry about falling into your food or drink while you dined in her establishment and if Wesley didn’t have to worry about his pockets getting empty, he’d dine in more often. While Ms. Zetta had two cooks that handled her lunches and dinners, she was the one that handled all her breakfasts. Wesley could live off her breakfasts alone and never get tired of it for years to come, everything from flat cakes with sausages to muffins overflowing with the berries of the seasons. Her dishes were known to accommodate both the human and non-human species of all their diet types and were a popular stop in spot for many along their travels.
While he put out the tables and chairs out on the porch, she pulled out white table clothes and decorated the table according to her tastes. Tiny vases with her own grown flowers soon decorated the tables along with the clean white linen napkins folded at the left of the seats and she gave her nod of approval and dusting her hands off with pride. Ms. Zetta turned and smiled at him.
“Thank you, Sheriff, that certainly helped save me a little bit of time. What can I get you this morning?”
He made sure to keep his eyes on her face and didn’t dare let them stray down to the hollow of her exposed throat that he’d love nothing more than to leave a few kisses up and down that beautiful lilac column. “What’s on the menu this morning?”
“I can fry up an egg and get enough biscuits goin’ for you to take some back to Zoran if ya got the time.” There was a knowing twinkle in her eye as she tucked a stray strand of her midnight hair behind her pointed ear. “I’ll have coffee on in a minute, so sit out front and pretend like you’re a customer to draw in a few more.”
“Yes ma’am.”
He tipped his hat off to her and went to the first table on the left and laced his fingers together and rested his cheek on his knuckles as watched all the people pass by. Little children squealed as they ran off together in the direction of the school as the bell rang. Their mothers called after them reminding them to take their lunches while their fathers laughed at their antics before stooping down to give his wife a kiss goodbye before setting off to work over yonder at the construction site. Wesley wasn’t disillusioned to think every home was happy or without issues, but the things he saw here were so far apart from his own upbringing that he found himself craving more lately now than ever.
A piping hot plate of yellow eggs and golden biscuits was set down in front of him before his mind could wander down the dangerous path of hopeful futures. Inhaling the food, Ms. Vetta poured a fresh cup of coffee and set it down beside his hand.
“Somethin’ on your mind?”
His eyes flicked to her sweet white ones, and he almost admitted that he was thinking about her. Clearing his throat, he managed to smile before sitting upright and reaching for the fork. “Nah, it’s nothin’ to worry about Ms. Zetta.”
Her brow pinched and her lips pulled down into a pout as she pulled the chair out across from him and joined her. “Do you mind if I join you?”
“I always enjoy your company Ms. Zetta.” The words rang with so much truth they were louder than the school bell. Her mouth curled into a soft smile, and she poured herself a cup of coffee. He was careful to enjoy the breakfast a little slower than normal as she seemed to pass some sort of spell and slowed time down. She took a long slow drag on her coffee before she exhaled a breath and turned those white eyes on him. His mouth was full of biscuits, and he suddenly felt like a fool and wanted to cover himself. Her lips curled into a smile as he frantically took a sip of the coffee melted away the biscuit in his mouth.
“Tell me something, sheriff.” She set her cup down on the table and curled her fingers around the edges. “Why do you make so much time to see me?”
Her face was smooth of any wrinkles with her inquiry, but his heart was ablaze and terrified. This woman wasn’t short of any suitors from either gender or species, yet she hadn’t seemed to take a liking to any of them. It gave him more hope than he dared to feel and made him very wary of what to say next. Setting his fork down he forced his hands to lay limp on either side of the table even though he felt the tremors vibrating throughout his body all the way from his fingers down to his toes.
“Quite a number of things, Ms. Zetta.” He admitted and ran a nervous hand through his hair. “But if I am to properly address your question, it is because I enjoy your company above everyone else’s including my own deputy; and I spend a lot of time with him down at the station.”
She cracked a smile that put a dimple in her cheek that he wanted to take and stick in his pocket. “Surely you don’t mean that, not with everyone who you talk with in town.”
“Tis the truth, Ms. Zetta, and I will swear it to the high heavens.”
“No need for that now.” Her cheeks darkened a deeper shade of purple and he swore he felt her tail creeping around his ankle. “I know you’re an honest man, sheriff. Perhaps the most honest man in Ottilie.”
He smiled then and forced a laugh to get his nerves off. “I don’t know about that, Ms. Zetta, but I do always try to be that good and honest if I can be.”
She merely hummed as she took another sip of her coffee and Wesley’s heart hammered in his chest as his own question stood at the tip of his tongue. “Ms. Zetta, may I ask you a question?”
Her smile grew as she raised a dark brow at him then nodded her approval.
“Why. . .” It felt rather taboo to ask, but it sat in his mind for so long now that if he didn’t ask, he wasn’t sure if he ever would. “Why won’t you allow anyone to court you?”
AUTHOR’S NOTE:
Thank you so much for reading! I hope you’re enjoying the story so far, please remember to leave a like, comment or review, but most importantly reblog!
