Big Daddy Sheriff (Big Cedar Daddies #1)

Chapter 6

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… dressed differently . No judgement. Trust me. And Miss Marsha mentioned 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’t sound all that appealing. But where would she work? Where would she even live? She hadn’t seen many houses.

“This is amazing,” she said.

He chuckled. “We think so. Got the idea from what they did down there in Mountainville. Over yonder in Texas.”

“I’ve heard of that place! I want to visit someday.”

He nodded. “We’re not as big and don’t have near the stuff they do, but we do alright. My cousin, Dax, is the marshal down there.”

“He’s a cop, too?”

“Yep. Runs in the family. He used to be a Texas Ranger, but that was a long time ago. Now, he keeps the peace in Mountainville. It’s a full-time job, from what I hear. Those Littles really give him all he can handle.”

“So, uh, law enforcement and being a Daddy run in the family, huh?” she said with a grin.

He chuckled again. “I guess you could say that.”

He finished the last bite on his plate and said, “We need to talk about your situation. Little Grace and her Daddy won’t be back from camping until tomorrow.”

“I’ve tried calling them,” she said.

“Yeah. They’re not getting any cell service up there in the Ouachitas. It’s pretty remote.”

“Maybe I can rent one of those vacation homes you mentioned earlier,” she said hopefully.

“Or you can crash at my place.”

The words nearly mowed Alyssa over. “I don’t want to impose,” she said, after pondering the proposition.

“You wouldn’t be,” he quickly assured her. “Truth be told, I’d love the company. Gets a mite lonely by myself. And besides…” He grinned as he leaned closer and shifted his eyes toward the table of firemen across the room. “The only other option is staying with them. They’ve got an extra bunk in the firehouse.”

She laughed.

The thought of spending the night with three, hot sexy Daddies was more than a little appealing. But she didn’t need them.

Quinn Hardin was plenty appealing on his own.