Big Daddy Sheriff (Big Cedar Daddies #1)

Chapter 5

CHAPTER FIVE

Forty minutes later, Quinn and Alyssa were standing in a hot garage.

The smell of motor oil and rubber was heavy. Tool chests lined the walls on one side. Neatly stacked tires occupied the other.

A man with broad shoulders and thick dark hair stood looking at Alyssa’s car, shaking his head, saying, “It’s given you a lot of miles.”

“Not really,” Alyssa countered with a grim sigh. “I bought it from my, eh, old boss. She… ran a car lot. Among other things.”

She didn’t elaborate on what else Lana did. It was best not to go into all that. She didn’t want the men to think she’d taken any part in that junk.

She certainly had not.

“You just got this thing?” the mechanic asked, his tone doubtful. The sewn-on name tag read Clyde in cursive script.

“Yeah. About six months ago.”

“Does it have any kind of warranty?”

She shook her head. “Lana runs a crappy used car lot. Warranties aren’t really her thing.”

Hiding drugs in the cars, selling them to other dealers, and then using the lot as a way to wash money is her thing .

Once again, she kept that to herself.

“Is it going to be expensive?” she asked.

“Well, I’m not sure what’s wrong with it, but we’ll see how cheap we can bring ‘er in. Don’t go worrying about it. Might be that I have some spare parts around here and I can just replace whatever’s busted. Heck, maybe it’s as simple as the thermostat is sticking. That would be an easy, cheap fix. I’ll know more this afternoon.”

Alyssa smiled. She liked the man. There was something about him that put her at ease. It was the same quality she’d recognized in Quinn.

Before she could say anything else, someone asked, “Daddy, when are you going to stop for lunch?”

Alyssa nearly fell to the floor in shock. Had she actually heard what she thought she heard?

The sound of the voice made it clear this was an adult woman who’d asked the question. That was proven true a moment later when a curvy woman of about forty stepped out from the office attached to the garage. She wore a babydoll-style dress that didn’t quite cover her panties. Those panties were ruffled, and they bulged a bit, making Alyssa wonder if she was wearing a diaper beneath them.

The woman gasped in shock and scurried quickly back into the office. The metal door slammed shut behind her.

Clyde chuckled. “Don’t mind her, ma’am. That’s just my wife, Belinda. She didn’t realize an outsider was here in the shop.”

“An outsider?” Alyssa questioned.

The look on Clyde’s face revealed that he felt as if he’d said too much. It was the exact same look Quinn had worn earlier when he’d referenced Theo being Grace’s Daddy.

When Alyssa looked at Quinn, he just smiled and said, “Small town. We don’t get many folks passing through around these parts.”

She had a strong feeling there was more to it than that, but she didn’t press.

“I’ll get going on this,” Clyde said. “Do you have a place to go? It’s too hot to be outdoors for long periods of time. You’re more than welcome to hang out in the office.” He cast a quick glance over his shoulder and said, “We can get Belinda to open that door.”

“Thank you, but I was going to look for a motel,” Alyssa said.

“Well, about that,” Quinn piped up, “we don’t have one. A couple of folks around here put up their places on those vacation rental apps, but that’s about it.”

“Oh. Well…” Alyssa wasn’t sure what else to say, so she simply let her words trail off. She didn’t want the men to feel sorry for her. She was the one who’d just tried showing up to a friend’s house unannounced. She should have planned better. Then again, the situation back in Little Rock hadn’t given her much of a choice.

“Let’s go get a bite to eat at the café,” Quinn offered. “After that, we’ll figure out where you can stay. We won’t put you out on the streets.”

He winked, and for some reason she couldn’t quite explain his easy ways made her giggle.

She didn’t know what would happen, but for some reason, she believed him.

Things were going to be okay.

They were walking across the street to the café when Alyssa noticed an area that didn’t quite fit the rest of the town.

It wasn’t easy to spot at first. Folks passing by would more than likely not notice it from the road. But the way she and Quinn cut between a couple of buildings gave her a good view.

“What’s that?” she said, pointing.

“That’s the park.”

“Why is there a fence around it?”

She was still a few yards away, so she couldn’t make out all the details. But it looked like the gate set into the tall, wooden privacy fence had a keypad on it. It was more of a door, really.

“Well, we just like to keep that one for town residents only. We’re not trying to be rude. The last thing Big Cedar wants to be called is inhospitable. But…” He shrugged. “Come on. Let’s go wrangle us up some food.”

She stared at the fenced-in park for another moment and wondered what was going on. There was something more there. Something Quinn didn’t want to elaborate on.

But it wasn’t her place to pry. She hoped to stay with Grace for a while, but Big Cedar wasn’t her home. Whatever the town did and why wasn’t any of her business.

The café was in an old brick building with a false front, well over a hundred years old. It was well kept, though, and looked as if it had been recently restored. A couple of old tin signs hung on the outside, one encouraging people to drink Nehi and the other Royal Crown Cola. A barely raised, wooden-plank porch ran the building’s front length, complete with an overhang covering it. Quinn’s boots thudded when he stepped onto it and held out his arm to escort Alyssa past the wicker rocking chairs that rested on either side of the door.

A surge of electricity jolted through her as she accepted his offer and grabbed his arm.

She told herself not to read anything into it. This was obviously an old-fashioned town, so it made sense that it had an old-fashioned marshal. That’s all there was to it. He was simply a gentleman.

“This place is so charming,” she said, trying to distract herself from the excitement she felt.

“Thanks. There wasn’t much to Big Cedar a few years ago. And when I say not much, I mean the population had dwindled to seven. What buildings remained were in pretty rough shape, too. But it’s coming back around and we’re mighty proud of it.”

Inside, the place looked just as charming. More tin signs were tastefully hanging from the wall, advertising long-gone brands and a few current ones.

“These booths were carved by hand back in the twenties,” Quinn said proudly as he stopped before one. He stayed on his feet until Alyssa slid in, then took the opposite side.

They were the only customers.

A large ceiling fan turned lazy circles in the center of the room. The voice of Patsy Cline lamenting a faded love emitted quietly from speakers Alyssa couldn’t see. A woman who looked to be about sixty appeared, holding paper menus.

“Well, Quinn, you don’t need one of these. Had I known it was you I wouldn’t have even bothered bringing them.” She then saw Alyssa and smiled. “Guess it’s just as well I did. We have a guest.”

She looked briefly at Quinn, smiling, and Alyssa read something in her eyes that seemed to be asking, “Is this a date?”

Quinn kept his face neutral, ignoring the implied question, and simply saying, “Thanks, Marsha.”

Alyssa tried not to blush. Even though the question hadn’t been asked aloud, it was hard to miss. But she knew the answer. Of course this wasn’t a date. No way.

Thankfully, the woman followed Quinn’s lead and moved on, smiling brightly at Alyssa, and introducing herself, even though Quinn had already said her name and she was wearing a name tag.

“My name is Marsha. Welcome to Big Cedar.”

“Nice to meet you, ma’am. My name is Alyssa.”

The older woman smiled. “Are you here to play with the other Littles, honey?”

“What?” she said with a gasp.

Alyssa couldn’t believe it. Did this woman know about Littles? And more importantly, did she know Alyssa was a Little? Was it that obvious? She sank a little in the booth, suddenly feeling very self-conscious.

Marsha winced. “I’m sorry. I, uh, shouldn’t assume. I’ll start with drinks and give you some time to look over the menu.”

“Do you even have to ask?” Quinn teased.

“Not for you, honey. Sweet tea,” Marsha replied, the smile back on her face.

“I’ll have the same, please,” Alyssa said.

Before leaving, Marsha looked to Quinn and mouthed, “Sorry.”

Quinn nodded quickly.

Alyssa looked over the menu and tried to forget about what she’d just heard. Her mind was racing, though.

Focus on the words in front of you. What do you want to eat?

But so many thoughts were running through her mind.

Again, Marsha hadn’t asked if it was a date but that look in her eyes had been clear. That must mean Quinn was single. Right?

He wasn’t wearing a ring. But that didn’t necessarily confirm things one way or the other.

And what about all this Little stuff?

First, Quinn knew about Theo and Grace’s relationship. Then there was Belinda back at the mechanic’s shop. She was clearly dressed like a Little! In public, too. And what about the park? Something was up with that, as well.

Marsha returned with big Mason jars full of sweet tea, deposited them on the table, and said, “Did you decide on anything, hon?”

“You go first,” Alyssa said to Quinn.

He chuckled. “She already knows what I want.”

“Sure do. Chicken fried steak platter with fried okra, mashed potatoes and gravy.”

“Oh,” Alyssa said. “I see you’re a regular here.”

“Hon, when it’s the only place to eat in town, they’re all regulars,” Marsha replied with a grin.

Alyssa chuckled. “I guess I’ll just have the burger and fries, please.”

“Coming right up.” Marsha took the menus and disappeared into the kitchen.

“You seem hesitant about that pick,” Quinn said, his frows furrowing as he frowned at her.

Alyssa shrugged. “I’m already fat enough. I don’t need to be eating a burger.”

“Whoa, there.” Quinn’s whole demeanor changed in an instant. “I don’t care for that kind of talk.”

There was something about the way he said it and the way he looked at her that had Alyssa worried she was about to take a spanking.

That’s ridiculous. You just met this guy. Calm down. Stop projecting your Daddy fantasies onto him.

Before she could respond, the door opened and three men—hot, sexy men—strolled in.

“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!