Page 12 of Big Daddy Sheriff

“Hey, Quinn,” one said. “Who is this cutie you have?—”

“She’s just visiting town, passing through,” Quinn said quickly, as if trying to warn them she wasn’t an insider.

The three guys nodded, indicating they understood.

What the heck was going on with this town?

She was even more confused when Quinn just continued with a regular introduction like that whole exchange hadn’t happened.

“Boys, this is Alyssa. She ran into a stroke of bad luck when her car gave out a few miles from town. Alyssa, meet the Big Cedar Fire Department. That fella is Walker Hoyle. That’s Cane Gant. And that tall, blond-haired devil is Austin Tyler.”

“Pleased to meet you, ma’am,” Walker greeted her.

“We’re sorry about your car but glad you found your way to Big Cedar,” Cane said with a friendly smile.

“I’ll echo those sentiments,” Austin added. “Glad to have you in town.” He looked at Quinn. “I guess you’re going to say you saw her first so she’s off limits.”

“We’ll see about that,” Cane said. “A gal that pretty waltzes in here and I’m liable to give you a run for your money, Quinn.”

The three guys laughed, nodded again to Alyssa, then found a table across the room.

Alyssa was blushing hard.

She wasn’t sure what was going on with this town, but she was sure she liked it!

CHAPTER SIX

Quinn and Alyssa were halfway through their meals when she said, “Those firemen keep looking over here.” She was blushing once again.

Quinn chuckled. “Don’t mind them. They act that way around beautiful women.”

“Then why are they acting that way around me?”

Quinn’s fork clanked loudly against the plate as he dropped it. He delivered a very pointed stare across the table. “Alyssa, you’re gorgeous. And as I told you before, I don’t like hearing you say hurtful things about yourself. You best nip that in the bud.”

She nodded. There was more she wanted to say, but she just couldn’t bring herself to. It took a few minutes for her to find the courage. Finally, after eating a bit more of her burger, she said, “I kind of have a theory about this town.”

“Let’s hear it.”

It took another couple of moments for her to gather her thoughts. “Well, Belinda was, uh, you know… dresseddifferently. No judgement. Trust me. And Miss Marshamentioned Littles. And, well…” She stopped, realizing she was coming dangerously close to outing her friend.

As if reading her mind, Quinn finished for her. “And Grace is a Little.”

She smiled.

“It’s okay,” Quinn said. “I know all about it. Her Daddy, Theo, is a good friend of mine.” The wooden booth creaked a little as he leaned back. There was a thoughtful pause as he formed his words. “You know about Littles?”

She nodded. “That’s how I met Grace. On a forum online. For people… like us.”

Quinn raised his brows in surprise, smiled and nodded. “Well, then you’ll fit right in around these parts. Big Cedar is a unique town. We didn’t mean to take it over. But, like I said, the population had dwindled. It was an unincorporated community and didn’t have much of a structure. One Daddy and his Little moved here and told some friends. They came, fell in love with the mountains and forests, and next thing you know, word got out. We incorporated, got an official town government, and here we are.”

Alyssa thought it over for a while. Excitement swirled in her core. A whole town for people like her? This was amazing! There were other communities out there, but she never thought she’d visit one.

“Do you have to be a Daddy or Little to live here?” she said.

“Nope,” he said. “We can’t really enforce that. But the town bylaws are written so that our way of life is protected.” He took a drink of tea and then added, “And you don’t have to be a Daddy and Little. Could be a Mommy. Could be Daddies with Little Boys. Mommies with Little Girls. As long as you’re consenting adults, your dynamic is welcome here. We don’t judge.”

A warmth suffused throughout Alyssa. Maybe she was home, after all! Suddenly, the thought of ever leaving Big Cedar didn’tsound all that appealing. But where would she work? Where would she even live? She hadn’t seen many houses.

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