Town Darling

by Copella, Holly

  “Did you sleep?” Casey asked gently.

  “A little,” Dina replied without looking at her.

  Casey took a deep breath and looked across the farm. It was a difficult conversation to have with her friend. She finally looked back at Dina.

  “I wish I could say what happened was just a random event,” Casey announced with great seriousness, “but it wasn’t. My return made you into a target.”

  Dina suddenly looked at Casey and appeared stunned. “Do you really believe that?”

  “I don’t have to believe it,” she replied. “I know it. I returned to Darwood Falls with a stick clutched firmly in my hand and poked it at a hornet’s nest.” She rested her head against the support beam and sighed deeply. “Now they’re going to hurt me by going through you.”

  There was an odd silence as Dina stared at Casey. She finally looked at Dina and appeared curious.

  “You don’t believe me, do you?” Casey asked.

  “Actually, I do,” Dina replied softly. “It was the Harford boys, wasn’t it?”

  Casey shrugged.

  “So what do we do?” Dina asked.

  “The guys think you should take a little vacation for a few weeks,” Casey announced.

  “Excuse me?” Dina suddenly remarked.

  “Ruger has a nice place a few hours from here,” she replied. “You can stay there until this blows over.”

  Dina stared at Casey a long, silent moment then finally responded. “Until what blows over, Casey?” she suddenly asked. “What are you really doing here?”

  She didn’t respond. She wasn’t sure how to respond. Casey stared at her friend and felt responsible for last night’s near miss. It was her fault, and she wasn’t sure if she could live with herself if she got Dina killed. Last night’s dream was enough to convince her that she couldn’t handle the guilt.

  “You need to go away for a few weeks,” Casey informed her firmly.

  “No,” Dina replied and sat up straight while planting her feet firmly on the porch. “Two years ago, you ran away from your fears. Now you’re back to face them. What happened to me last night was nothing compared to what you’d gone through. You need me. No matter what your reason for returning, I intend to stay and fight alongside you. I won’t leave you.”

  Casey stared at Dina with little reaction. She sighed and returned her head to the support beam. “I tried,” she announced simply.

  The porch door slowly opened on cue. Casey didn’t bother looking. Dina uncertainly looked back at the open door.

  †

  It was Tuesday evening and business at the tavern was starting to pick up despite the early hour. Melanie waited on tables while Wiley tended bar. Melanie hurried from table to table and appeared frazzled. She approached Wiley at the bar and exchange empty pitchers for full ones.

  “Where’s Dina?” Melanie scoffed. “She’s an hour late.”

  “I don’t know,” Wiley replied. “I haven’t heard from her since that business Saturday night. She didn’t call to say she was going to be late.”

  “She’s doing this on purpose,” Melanie whined. “She knows we get busy on bowling league nights.”

  “She’ll be here,” he assured her.

  Vaughn and Tucker sat on the other side of the bar in their street clothing with mugs of beer before them. Vaughn scribbled on a piece of paper. Wiley approached, studied them with interest, and appeared curious.

  “What’s so interesting on the north side of the bar?” Wiley teased.

  “Plotting our attack for the bachelor auction,” Vaughn said without looking up from his paper.

  Wiley held back his laugh and shook his head. “Are you seriously making Jeannie bid on you?”

  Vaughn looked up and appeared serious. “It’s the only way my ass goes on stage.”

  “I think it’s a lot of fun,” Tucker remarked cheerfully.

  “You would,” Vaughn scoffed.

  Tucker enjoyed making Vaughn squirm. “You’re too image conscious, Vaughn.”

  “It’s not my image,” he retorted to his best friend. “It’s my ego I’m worried about.”

  “Speaking of the fair,” Wiley announced then grinned. “Have you seen the revised fair flier?”

  Wiley placed the flier on the bar before them and pointed at the new addition. Both men studied the flier with shared looks of surprise. Tucker suddenly laughed.

  Vaughn appeared stunned and looked at Wiley. “This is a joke, right?”

  “Nope, no joke.”

  “I’ll believe that when I see it,” Vaughn scoffed and pushed the flier away.

  Melanie appeared between the two men and clung to both their shoulders while looking at the flier on the bar near them. “Believe what?” she asked cheerfully.

  “Casey’s working the kissing booth,” Tucker said while grinning lustfully.

  Melanie’s expression suddenly dropped to something resembling a sneer. She snatched the flier, looked at it, and then tossed it down with disgust.

  “Someone put that in there as a joke,” Melanie scoffed. “She’d never do that.”

  The front door was thrown open, causing several patrons to turn and look. Dina hurried across the tavern, paused before the bar, and handed Wiley her purse in exchange for an apron.

  “I’m late, I know,” she announced nearly out of breath while tying the apron around her waist.

  “It’s okay,” Wiley replied with little concern.

  Melanie glared her disapproval at Wiley. “Speak for yourself,” she huffed then looked at Dina who stood alongside her. “Is Casey seriously working the kissing booth?”

  Dina grinned and appeared pleased with herself. “Yeah, I talked her into it. Great, isn’t it?”

  “Well, bless you, Dina,” Tucker said while raising his beer and chuckling.

  Melanie turned to Vaughn and sneered at him. “Well, it looks like you might get your chance after all.”

  “Chance for what?” Dina asked.

  Melanie folded her arms across her chest and glared at Dina. “Our sheriff has the hots for Casey,” she snapped.

  Vaughn groaned and refused to look at her. “I do not,” he growled. “Don’t start with that.”

  Tucker, Dina, and Wiley stared at Vaughn with curious looks and awaited an explanation. He avoided looking at them and shifted with discomfort.

  “My interest in Casey is and was strictly professional,” Vaughn boldly announced.

  Dina snorted a laugh then hurried to a nearby table to tend to customers. Tucker suddenly laughed, causing Vaughn to glare at him. Wiley appeared interested.

  “Something to add?” Wiley teased.

  “Don’t do it,” Vaughn warned Tucker.

  Tucker didn’t seem concerned by Vaughn’s threatening look. “Back when Vaughn first started as deputy,” he announced while chuckling, “he had his eye on this hot, little number.”

  “Tucker,” Vaughn growled while shifting in his chair.

  Tucker ignored his friend. “He had his eye on her for weeks before he finally asked me who she was. That girl was Casey Remington.”

  Wiley and Melanie stared at Tucker with surprise then looked at Vaughn with equal astonishment.

  “She couldn’t have been more than fifteen!” Wiley suddenly cried out.

  “Oh, that’s disgusting,” Melanie scoffed with a sneer.

  “Okay, fine,” Vaughn snapped. “I thought she was attractive, but I didn’t know she was just a kid.”

  Wiley and Tucker laughed.

  “Come on,” Vaughn cried out. “Back me up here, she looked twenty.”

  “Well,” Wiley chuckled, “that is true. It’s a good thing Tucker set you straight before you made a fool of yourself.”

  Vaughn snorted then sneered. “Are you kidding? The bastard let me embarrass myself. It’s amazing we’re still friends.”

  Melanie and Wiley suddenly looked at Tucker. He started to laugh.

  “Oh, come on,” Tucker announced while maintaining his gr
in. “Initiating the new guy is part of the job.”

  “You let him ask her out?” Wiley demanded with surprise.

  “I didn’t ask her out,” Vaughn scoffed and shifted in his chair. “I approached her mother in the antique store and asked to see her sister. When she told me that Casey was her daughter, I was able to escape before completely embarrassing myself.”

  Wiley shook his head and glared at Tucker. “You should be ashamed of yourself.”

  Melanie suddenly sneered. “And that’s why we didn’t work out,” she announced then glared at Vaughn’s profile. “He couldn’t get her sweet, little ass out of his head.”

  Vaughn refused to look at Melanie or even acknowledge her.

  “Leave him alone, Mel,” Wiley announced then grinned lustfully. “I think Casey has a sweet, little ass too.”

  Melanie frowned with disgust, grabbed her full pitchers, and walked away as Dina returned with several empty beer bottles.

  Vaughn shook his head and groaned as Melanie left. “That night of bad judgment just keeps coming back to bite me.”

  “At least you have being drunk as an excuse,” Tucker scoffed then finished his glass of beer. He pushed the empty glass to Wiley and indicated he needed a refill. “I dated that devil’s whore of my own free will.”

  “Who’s the devil’s whore?” Casey suddenly asked from behind both men.

  Both looked back at her as she appeared seemingly out of nowhere and jumped onto the empty barstool alongside Tucker. He seemed pleased to see her. Vaughn appeared even more uncomfortable possibly wondering how much of their conversation she had overheard.

  “Melanie,” Dina casually replied while hiding her humor.

  Casey was suddenly interested and grinned slyly. “Is this topic officially open for debate?” she teased.

  “No, it’s closed,” Vaughn snapped.

  Tucker grinned at Casey, unable to hide his lust, and stared at her longer than he should have. “We just heard the exciting news,” he announced.

  “Oh? What news?”

  “You in the kissing booth,” Dina teased while dramatically batting her eyelashes.

  Casey rolled her eyes and groaned. The subject was already getting on her nerves, and she still had three more days until the official nightmare began.

  “If you’re having performance jitters, you can practice on me,” Tucker offered slyly.

  “Same here,” Wiley announced with a grin and leaned on the bar before her.

  “Thanks, boys, but I think I’ll manage,” Casey replied while hiding her embarrassment.

  Dina took her filled pitchers and left the bar. Melanie soon returned with a tray of empty glasses. Wiley kept his attention on Casey. He was obviously a little too happy to see her.

  “I see you signed up for the talent show,” Wiley announced with a pleased look.

  Melanie turned to Casey and now appeared stunned. Too much was being thrown at her at one time. “You entered the talent show?” she suddenly squawked.

  “Under extreme duress, I assure you,” she muttered in response but noted the look on Melanie’s face. It was almost entertaining to behold.

  The rage was boiling up inside Melanie, but she seemed to pull herself together and made an effort to suppress it. “So, uh, what are you planning to do?”

  Casey shrugged carelessly. “I suppose that’s up to my brother and Ruger.”

  The expression on Melanie’s face suddenly dropped. “You haven’t planned anything?” she cried out with surprise. She managed a tense laugh and shook her head. “Oh, Casey, you’re going to bomb. The fair is this Saturday.”

  “You’ll be fantastic,” Wiley told Casey while grinning.

  Casey thought his devotion to her was almost staggering. He wouldn’t believe anything bad about her even if he caught her standing over a dead body with a smoking gun in her hand.

  “You’re sweet, Wiley,” Casey said warmly.

  Wiley seemed humored. “Remember that when I see you at the kissing booth,” he teased.

  “You get a freebie,” Casey announced and leaned across the bar. She motioned him closer with a beckoning finger and kissed him quickly on the lips.

  Wiley grinned proudly and possibly blushed. “Nope, no practice needed there.”

  “Got one more freebie?” Tucker suddenly asked while appearing a little too enthusiastic.

  “Buy a ticket.”

  “One?” Tucker asked then laughed. “I’m cashing my entire paycheck.”

  Melanie appeared disgusted and walked away with a huff. Dina returned to the bar and appeared curious as she watched Melanie leave.

  “Hmm? What did I miss?” Dina asked.

  “Casey kissed me,” Wiley cheerfully replied.

  Grey, Ruger, and Diesel entered the tavern and approached them at the bar. Diesel stood behind Casey and massaged her shoulders, catching the attention of the men at the bar.

  “What do they have to eat?” Diesel asked.

  “You’re a bottomless pit,” Grey scoffed then looked at Casey, who enjoyed her shoulder massage from Diesel’s massive hands. “Did you want to get a table?”

  “Yeah, sure. Who’s designated driver?” she asked.

  Grey frowned and raised his hand.

  Casey laughed then grinned at Wiley while indicating her group. “We’re going to need a pitcher of martinis, three shots of tequila, and a soda for my poor brother.”

  Diesel spun Casey on her bar stool, picked her up into his arms, and carried her to the table. She let out a playful scream then laughed.

  Ruger rolled his eyes and shook his head. “It’s going to be a long night.”

  Chapter Twenty

  Nearly an hour later, the tavern was quickly filling with locals who had finished bowling at the local bowling alley. Bowling league nights brought in large crowds even without live entertainment. There was no music, leaving the dance floor vacant. Casey, Ruger, and Diesel drank shots and laughed drunkenly at their table while Grey appeared bored and sipped his soda. Casey slipped her hand into Diesel’s pocket and felt around for change. He grinned and held his hands up to allow her free access. He seemed disappointed she only went for the change. Casey took her newly found change and headed for the jukebox across the dance floor. She selected some songs and danced seductively to the first song as it played while scanning more titles. Diesel approached Casey from behind, placed his arms around her, and danced slowly and seductively with her. He spun her in his arms and they danced close to the slow song. Dina approached Grey from behind and rubbed his shoulders.

  “I’m on break. Care to dance?” Dina asked.

  Grey looked back at her, smiled as he took her hand, and joined her on the dance floor. They danced to the slow song, although not nearly as close and seductive as Casey and Diesel had danced. Melanie watched the couples dancing from her position at the bar and frowned. She was obviously bothered by their dancing. Tucker also felt compelled to watch Casey and Diesel dance close. He shook his head and looked back at Vaughn while frowning.

  “No one can compete with that guy,” Tucker muttered. “Look at him. He’s built like a tank!”

  Vaughn briefly glanced at them as they danced seductively. Diesel obviously knew no boundaries, and Casey didn’t seem to protest.

  “I always pictured her with someone smarter,” Vaughn remarked lowly while casually sipping his drink.

  Tucker looked at Vaughn with surprise and suddenly laughed. “You’re jealous!’

  Vaughn appeared embarrassed by Tucker’s loud outburst and fidgeted in his chair. “Don’t be ridiculous.”

  Tucker continued to chuckle softly and remained humored. “Whatever. I’ve had my limit,” he announced with a sigh. “Want a lift?”

  “No, I’ll get a ride home with Wiley,” Vaughn replied. “I want to discuss a few things with him.”

  “Oh, God, just let the bachelor auction go,” Tucker groaned. “You’ll be fine.”

  “It has nothing to do with that,” Vaughn replied.


  Tucker obviously didn’t buy it. He chuckled softly while standing. “Beware of booze and Melanie. Remember what happened the last time you combined the two.”

  Tucker patted his shoulder and left the tavern. As the song ended, Diesel gave Casey a big bear hug then escorted her back to the table for more drinks. Grey approached Vaughn at the bar and took Tucker’s seat.

  “Why don’t you join us, Sheriff?” Grey asked.

  Vaughn glanced from Grey to their table then minded his drink and shrugged. “I don’t want to intrude.”

  “Intrude on what?” Grey snorted. “Those three are already half wasted. I could use the conversation.”

  Vaughn considered his comment then nodded and joined him. Vaughn and Grey approached the table as the others laughed and did another shot.

  “Okay, make room, you lushes,” Grey announced loudly. “Darwood Falls’ finest is joining us.”

  Casey moved from her chair to open up a space. Diesel grinned at her and patted his lap, indicating a free spot for her to sit. Casey bypassed him and casually sat on Ruger’s lap. It was obviously non-sexual in nature, but Ruger proudly clung to her regardless.

  “Every time,” Diesel scoffed and shook his head. “How does this happen?”

  Ruger smiled drunkenly and held up his middle finger to Diesel behind Casey’s back.

  Diesel smirked and chuckled softly. “One day, you little Muppet--”

  †

  It was over an hour later. Dina brought more shots of tequila to the table and placed one in front of everyone except Grey, who remained sober and appeared bored. Vaughn was almost as drunk as the others were and shook his head at the offer of another shot.

  “No, no. I shouldn’t. Really--” he insisted.

  Vaughn picked up his shot glass along with the others, clinked glasses with them, and drank the contents. They all laughed and slammed their shot glasses down. Casey, still seated on Ruger’s lap, glanced across the crowded tavern. She placed her arm over Ruger’s shoulder and whispered something in his ear. He, too, glanced across the room. Wayne, Ryan, Blain, and Fred entered and stood just inside the doorway. They scanned the tavern as if looking for something in particular. Grey and Diesel glanced in the direction of the door as well now. The table became unusually quiet. Vaughn remained pleasantly drunk, noted the looks, and glanced behind him. The Harford boys looked at their table. Vaughn stiffened and sat straight while glaring back at the four by the door. Wayne nudged Ryan and motioned for his brothers to follow him to the pool area. It was unknown which occupant at the table they feared or were attempting to avoid.