Chapter Text
The tall man brushed his fingers through his hair, before he grabbed the cowboy hat next to him. He liked his hair, so he didn't mind spending a bit more time in the bathroom to style each strand towards the sky, even though most people wouldn't see it beneath his hat. But he knew that he was obliged to wear it because of his job. So he gently placed the hat on top of his blond strands and examined his green eyes in the mirror for a moment. His hands straightened his vest and he polished the sheriff's badge with his shirtsleeve, before looking up once more. When a smile appeared on his lips, he turned around to leave the room.
He closed the door to his living quarters behind him, and walked down the stairs, which led him right into his office. He was glad that his office wasn’t next to the county jail, like it was in some other towns, because he wouldn't feel safe sleeping next to the prisoners. Although there were rarely criminals needing imprisonment in his town. The young sheriff, who went by the name Rhett James McLaughlin, was actually pretty proud of himself. His town was filled with kind people and the only 'crimes' he had to deal with were small fights that happened whenever the men drank too much in the saloon, and of course when strangers came into town, looking for trouble. But besides that, he had a relaxing life as a sheriff and he loved it the way it was.
He walked down the street and greeted some people with a tap on his hat and a slight nod. While the men responded the same way, the women giggled shyly and made a curtsey for him. Most of them would avert their eyes in embarrassment, whenever he gave them a smile and he knew all too well that most of the ladies in this town were trying to win his affections. He was flattered by their attention, however no woman had ever managed to steal his heart.
When he walked past the barber, who was sweeping his front porch, he heard a loud voice yelling: “Good morning, Sheriff McLaughlin! When will you come over so I can trim your beard again?” Rhett stopped and turned to the man with short, brown hair. “Maybe in one or two days, Edward. Depending on my duties.” The other man chuckled and answered: “Alright. I'll reserve your seat. I don't want our sheriff to look bad for the festival!” “Thanks, Eddie.” Rhett continued to walk down the street and soon his thoughts turned to the festival. It was taking place in a few days and everyone in town was excited about it. But the only thing Rhett enjoyed at festivals was the music - everything else could lead to trouble.
After he visited a few shops and chatted with some folks, he arrived at the county jail. A blonde woman, a few years younger than him, arose from her desk the moment he walked into the building.
“Good morning, Sheriff McLaughlin!” She said with a cheerful voice, while saluting him. He chuckled and shook his head slightly, while he responded: “Christy, how many times do I have to tell you, that you don't need to greet me so formally?” Her cheeks turned red and she brought down her hand along with her head. “I'm sorry, Sheriff Rhett. I'm just so used to it.” “It's okay. Anything I need to know?”
She quickly grabbed some papers and handed them to him. “Yes. The prisoner from Greenville was picked up this morning.” “Oh, good to hear that. I couldn't stand his attitude. He didn't bother you too much, did he?” Rhett murmured, while he looked through the papers. Christy shook her head and smiled a bit. “No. Not any more than the other prisoners.” “Okay. Well I hope, that we don't get new prisoners before the festival is over. It would be a shame if you couldn't come because of some stupid criminals.” Christy put a strand of her hair behind her ear, while she looked away. “It wouldn't be such a big problem. I don't even know, if I want to go there anyway.”
Rhett sighed quietly and placed the papers back on the table, before he looked at Christy with a concerned look on his face. “You know, you shouldn't hide yourself in this county jail all day.” Instead of looking at Rhett, Christy just arranged the papers on her desk.
“I'm not like you, Sheriff.”
“A tall dork?”
“No.” Christy glanced at him quickly. “A handsome and confident man.”
When she turned around to put the papers in the cabinets behind her desk, Rhett chuckled a little. “Well, I'm actually glad that you're not a man.” “You don't take me serious, Rhett.” He shook his head and pulled his hat from it, so he could brush through his hair.
“I do, Christy. But you have to meet some other people than me from time to time, don't you think?” She remained quiet for a moment, before she looked at him with a serious face. “I have no other news for you, Sheriff McLaughlin. I'll inform you immediately, if anything out of the ordinary happens.” She made it clear that she wanted to end the conversation at that point. Rhett rolled his eyes a bit, before he placed the cowboy hat back on his hair and turned around to leave Christy alone.
When he was outside the building, he started to think about the blonde woman again. Christy was a really sweet girl. She was the best employee he could have asked for, but she was also extremely shy and Rhett always felt that he needed to protect her.
Before long, Rhett found himself in front of the saloon. He could already hear the music outside the building and smiled a bit, before he passed the leashed horses and entered the establishment. The swing door creaked when Rhett pushed the wood out of his way. The first thing that hit him was the strong smell. The heavy scent of alcohol and tobacco mixed in the air made him almost dizzy. Rhett was sober, and had never touched a cigarette, so the odour was quite unpleasant for him. He looked around and saw many familiar faces, already drinking with their buddies. While he made his way to the bar, he glanced over to the stage where he heard a beautiful voice singing a country song. He smiled a bit more, as he recognized the dark-haired woman, who wore a cherry-red corset and a long skirt in the same color. She sang and smiled at the men in front of her, while the piano played along.
Rhett stood next to a bar stool and listened to the woman, when someone spoke to him. “Looking at the ladies again, are we?” Rhett grinned and looked at the barkeeper, before he responded: “Watch your tongue, Chase. Or else I'll make sure that you have to pay more taxes!” “I'm pretty sure it is illegal to threaten somebody!” “Well, too bad for you that I'm in charge of the county jail. And now shut your mouth and give me something to drink already!” Chase laughed and prepared a coffee for Rhett. The tall man sat down on the bar stool and glanced at himself in the giant mirror behind the bar. He took the hat from his head and grabbed the cup that Chase handed to him. “Thank you!” He said before he put the cup to his lips to take two gulps. “So is everything as quiet as ever in our town, Sheriff?” Rhett smiled at Chase and nodded a little, whilst placing the coffee on the counter. “Of course. The last prisoner has left our town this morning. So maybe there won't be any new trouble until the festival!” Chase laughed a little and responded: “Only if you cut the alcohol short. And you won't do that, right?” Rhett giggled and shook his head lightly, before he took another sip.
Suddenly Rhett felt a hand caressing his neck and he heard a seductive voice next to his ear. “What is so funny, darling~?” Rhett started to grin and placed his cup where it was, before he answered. “The same stuff that men always find funny. Alcohol.” When he turned his head, he saw the dark-haired woman right next to him. She smiled charmingly at him, and pulled his hand out of his neck, before she sat down beside him. “I don't get it...what would be so funny about alcohol? Most of the men become horrible wrecks when they drink .”
“Exactly. And that is the fun part about it. But tell me, Jessie...is it okay for you to take a break just to chat with someone at the bar? Won't your fans be disappointed?” The woman named Jessie leaned closer to Rhett and brushed a strand of hair from her face. “You are not just 'someone'. First of all, you are the Sheriff. And second of all, you are the most precious person to me~” “I could arrest you for lying. Do you want me to do that?” “I'm fine with everything that will lead to me getting handcuffed by you, Rhett.”
While Rhett shook his head amused, he could hear Chase chuckle as he handed Jessie a drink as well. “I will never understand why you two are not engaged.” He said with an honest voice and started to clean some glasses. “Maybe we are too similar? Or maybe we simply have known each other for too long. What do you think, Jessie?” Rhett looked over to her and she giggled a bit, before she responded: “I guess, it was a fault that we met so early in life. You never took my advances serious since we have grown up together!” “You deserve someone better than me and we both know that, Jessie.” Rhett answered in a quiet voice, when he looked back at his coffee. Jessie's smile softened and she took a sip, before she replied: “I know that you would be perfect for me. And whenever your mind changes...you know, where you can find me. In this bar, on that stage. Singing for you~...and some drunk guys.”
All three of them laughed, until Rhett leaned back a bit and changed the topic of their conversation. “Anyways. I have some bad news, Jessie.” She raised an eyebrow and asked: “What is it? Something happened?” “Christy won't come to the festival.” Jessie sighed and ruffled through her hair with an irritated expression on her face. “Why?” “You know the reason.” Rhett answered, while he finished his drink. Jessie and Christy were best friends, even though they were as different as day and night. But similar to Rhett, Jessie always cared for Christy so much, that it almost seemed like they were sisters. “Argh...why doesn't she like being with other people? It's so frustrating to see her all alone in that stupid county jail all day. She rarely comes here to hear me sing, because of all the men...” “I know. I thought you could maybe change her mind.” Jessie put a finger on her lips and thought about a plan. Chase took the empty cup, that Rhett gave him and said: “Do you think it's a good idea to force her to something she doesn't want? Maybe she just likes-”
“HA!” Jessie interrupted Chase and pointed at him with a victorious smile on her face. “That is the solution! You ask her to accompany you to the festival!” “What!?” Chase looked at her unbelieving and shook his head somewhat, before he continued: “How is THAT a solution?” “Well...I'm sure she likes you. And if you asked her, she won't say 'No'.” Rhett saw that Chase began to blush a bit, before he turned away to bring some other guests something to drink. He could clearly hear him mumble “..ridiculous.” on his way, which brought a smile to Rhett's face. Jessie giggled quietly and turned her attention back to Rhett. “And? Who is the lucky lady, that will accompany you to the festival?” “I don't need a lady, Jessie. I'm the Sheriff. I'll be there to ensure that everything is fine and not to drink and have fun.” Jessie rolled her eyes a bit and took another sip, before she replied: “You are way too serious sometimes, Rhett.”
The Sheriff wanted to reply to her, when he suddenly heard a lot of whispering in the room, even over the quiet piano in the background. He noticed through the mirror in front of him that someone had entered the building, so he turned around.
It was a man with dark hair, and a clean shaven face, dressed in a long black coat. The spurs on his cowboy boots made a clanking noise, while he made his way to the bar. The way he walked signalized Rhett immediately that the man was very confident and that he didn't mind the attention he was getting. He pulled his hands out of his coat when he came to a stop next to Rhett. “What can I get you to drink, stranger?” Chase asked politely and glanced sideways at Rhett. The blonde man was still examining the newcomer, but the smaller man didn't pay any attention to the Sheriff next to him. “Whiskey, please.” Rhett was astonished, when he heard the voice of the dark-haired man. He didn't know which voice he had in mind, but he was sure that it wasn't the one he had heard a second ago. It was very clear and soft. The stranger sounded incredibly young, compared to his appearance (which to Rhett meant the man had had a lot of life experience). Chase prepared the glass and placed it in front of the guy, who then placed two gold coins on the counter before he raised his head. Rhett was absorbed in thoughts, until the stranger spoke again. This time to him directly. “Am I such a threat, that the Sheriff himself won't stop observing me?” Rhett was about to answer saucily, when he met eyes with the stranger.
Blue. Sapphire blue eyes met the gaze of the young Sheriff and rendered him speechless. He had never seen such shining eyes, and he didn't realize that he hadn't answered the newcomer. When Rhett saw a smirk on the stranger's lips, he pulled himself together and replied: “I just like to know who visits my town.”
A chuckle.
Rhett stood up to appear a bit more intimidating, feeling as though his staring had made him look foolish. But it didn't seem to have any effect on the stranger.
“Don't worry. I won't stay too long.” he answered smoothly. “But the day after tomorrow is a big festival in this town! Maybe you should visit that, before you leave~” Jessie said with an obvious smirk on her face. Rhett looked at her with an irritated look in his eyes, when he heard the reply from the stranger: “That sounds really nice. Maybe I'll look into that.” Rhett rolled his eyes a bit, before he grabbed his cowboy hat. He placed it on his head and he left the bar, while he mumbled: “See you later, Chase!”
He could hear Jessie's giggle, when he pushed the swing doors open to step out into the sunshine.