Dixie Lynn Dwyer (4 page)

“He came by with his brother Monte. Man, is that guy scary and intense. He seems so dominating and powerful,” Elise added.

“What business does he or his brother have coming in here giving advice and speaking with my staff about security? That’s why I hired Carl and Richie.” She raised her voice and then held her side as she closed her eyes and calmed her breathing.

Ava placed her hand over Susanna’s hand. “Hey, honey, calm down before you hurt yourself. It was no big deal. The sheriff was concerned about your well-being and ours. Monte knows his shit. I have to tell you, those two are incredible. They gave us some pointers about things we hadn’t thought of. They were sincerely concerned over you and us.”

Susanna swallowed hard.

“All this occurred while I was resting upstairs? You all went behind my back and didn’t tell me what was going on?”

Ava shook her head.

“It wasn’t like that, Susanna. God, you’re still so petrified to trust anyone but the four of us. These are good men. They really care,” Ava told Susanna, but Susanna shook her head in denial. She was hiding her true feelings. They all heard about her and the sheriff locked up in her office last night. He even tried to stick around the dance hall, but she pushed him away. They were all surprised that the Sheriff came back to help them while Susanna rested. It was only last night that Susanna was attacked by Don and Brent.

Susanna took a deep breath as she looked around at her friends.

“I’m sorry. I just don’t like being out of the loop. This is our place and Alexa’s and Sally’s. We make the decisions together. We’ll talk about this on Sunday as we’re waiting for the call from Alexa and Sally.” Ava watched as Susanna looked at her watch.

“We have fifteen minutes until doors open. Anything else we need to discuss?” Susanna asked.

Juliet, with her long red hair, shyly rocked on the heels of her boots. She was as petite as a pixie, the shortest of the group with delicate features, a tiny nose, a small mouth, and big bright blue eyes.

“I was just wondering. Well, I mean, we were just wondering what exactly went on upstairs with you and the sheriff?”

“What?” Susanna asked as her cheeks turned a nice shade of red.

“Oh crap, something did happen,” Ava added.

“Yes!” Paula chimed in as she gave a small fist pump then high-fived Elise then Juliet.

“Cut it out now!” Susanna yelled then looked around and lowered her voice.

“Nothing happened. He was concerned over Don, and I should have listened sooner.”

“Why didn’t you?” Juliet asked.

“Yeah, were you too busy fooling around with him in your office?” Elise teased.

“No! Damn it, I’m not interested in him or his brother.”

“His brother, too? Oh shit, you go girl! You’re gonna do the local ménage thing, ain’t ya? Knocking boots double Delite style! Whoo-hoo!” Elise teased.

“Oh my, that would be something else. I am so interested in that. I wouldn’t mind a few men drooling over me and taking me at once in bed. That has to be fucking hot,” Paula admitted, and the women chuckled as they smiled wide and began joking around about a few potential possibilities.

Juliet lowered her eyes and blushed. Ava knew that Carl and Richie in security had their eyes on her. But she was shy. She’d been abused as a young woman living in Mississippi with a very religious family upbringing.

“I think we can drop this conversation for now. Let’s get to work. Everyone, hands in.” Susanna placed her hand in the center of the circle, then Ava placed her hand over hers, then Juliet, Paula, and Elise.

“On one.”

“Dixie Chix!” they yelled and raised their hands. This was their nightly tradition and probably the reason why Susanna didn’t remain upstairs resting, Ava thought as she watched the others smiling and laughing.

The women walked away, and Susanna slowly took a few steps back to lean against the end of the bar again.

Ava stood next to her.

“You sure you’re okay?” Ava asked Susanna.

Susanna nodded her head, but she was watching everything that was going on around them. She had taken the lead from the start. Out of the seven of them, Susanna and Ava had the most business sense, and Susanna had guts. Susanna had been working so hard at establishing the business and making it a success for all of them so they would be free and clear financially, she had been overworking and struggling to provide for them. She had succeeded, and after all their hard work, they were all reaping the benefits, but still Susanna held out doing anything for herself. She would remain that way as long as Alexa and Sally weren’t with her here in Delite. Ava knew that the sheriff and his brother were interested. Hell, anyone within a few feet of them could practically feel the vibes between them, but Susanna wasn’t budging. She felt compelled to remain focused on everyone but herself.

“The place looks great, doesn’t it, Ava?” Susanna stated, interrupting the silence between them as people began to flow into the place. Things didn’t get hopping until later on a Friday night, but that didn’t seem the case tonight.

“It sure does. You know, the dance lessons are getting more and more crowded. We may have to use the other room soon.”

“Really? That’s great. Do you think it means other people from out of town are coming through?”

“I’d say so. Especially after that article Monday about Dixie Chix. That’s probably why we have the early crowd tonight.”

Susanna appeared a little panicked.

“Are you sure we have enough supplies?”

“Relax, Susanna. We took care of everything. We’re always prepared for the unexpected. That’s what you taught us, remember?” Ava winked at Susanna. Her eyes brightened, and then she looked upset again. Susanna glanced down at the floor then across the room at the crowd.

“I wasn’t prepared last night. I let my damn temper get the better of me and ran off all ready to kick the world’s ass by myself. I should have listened to Carl.”

Ava swallowed hard. This wasn’t Susanna’s normal attitude. Something else was bothering her. Ava felt Susanna was overworked and run down.

Ava touched her shoulder.

“Hey, you did what any of us would have done, or any boss, anyways. It worked out fine and that sexy sheriff of yours kicked both Don’s and Brent’s ass good. He didn’t even break a sweat.”

Susanna shook her head.

“He’s not my sheriff.”

“Uh-huh. You keep lying to yourself, darling, and let me know when reality hits. He wants you and so does his brother. Monte kept asking if you were resting like the good doctor told you to.”

Her eyes widened.

“I hope you told him I was and that I could take care of myself.”

“I did, don’t you worry, but maybe you should accept their advances, Susanna.”

“What? Me with two men like them. They’re…scary,” she blurted out. Ava wasn’t surprised. Both men were damn intimidating and confrontational when they needed to be. They had reputations around town, and most people respected them and stayed clear of them.

“They wouldn’t hurt you. They are ex-military. Good, upstanding citizens in the community, and they are mighty fine, good-looking men. When they enter a room, everyone knows it.”

“Yeah, well, when my uncles and their crew entered a room, we all knew it, too.” Susanna looked away from Ava.

Ava knew that her uncles were bad men. They were involved with everything from drugs to stolen cars. Susanna and Alexa and Sally, who were four years younger than Susanna’s twenty-seven years, were forced to do a lot of illegal things. Susanna never talked about much of it, and Ava was certain she left a lot out.

“There’s a difference,” Ava stated.

“What’s that?”

“These two men could actually care about you. Scratch that. Those two men definitely care about you. I’ve never seen the sheriff so angry and concerned in my life. He got to you before anyone else could, and then Monte shows up today and helps us out with some changes. He kept looking for you and asking if you were resting. He cares. That right there is a difference.”

Susanna was quiet a moment. “I’m not interested right now. My life is too busy, and I need to get Alexa and Sally here fast. I won’t rest easy until they’re both in my arms. I can’t wait to speak with them on Sunday.”

Ava smiled then added. “Me either.”

“You’d better get a move on it,” Susanna told Ava as she nodded toward the dance floor. It was nearly jammed packed.

“It’s gonna be a great night,” Ava stated then twirled around on her boots and did a little two-step as she walked away.

Sheriff BJ Parker was doing his rounds. It was getting late, nearly midnight, when he stopped by Dixie Chix to see some of his men patrolling. His department was big, and he had four deputies patrolling outside, keeping traffic control and also maintaining the peace. For the most part they barely had any problems at Dixie Chix but lately people were coming from outside of town. Pickup trucks, sports cars, and even fancy limos were dropping off new customers. If this place got any more crowded, the fire marshal would be on the scene doing an inspection. Now BJ knew Tyler, the fire inspector, well and could get him to hold off a bit in warning, but still Susanna needed to gain some control of the situation.

Just as he pulled up alongside the deputies, he noticed a group of rowdy cowboys trying to harass Big Dog, one of Susanna’s main bouncers.

He got out of the car as he radioed in. A minute later, the front entrance was under control again.

“Hey, Big Dog, we’re gonna have to break up this line. You don’t have anyone coming out to let these people in,” Deputy Tommy Ollsen told him as the sheriff walked over.

“What’s going on?” the sheriff asked as a few other deputies began to send the waiting crowd home.

“It’s a madhouse in there tonight. Usually people come and go, but the new band is kicking ass and the ladies are having a great time. The building just can’t accommodate more than a few hundred people.”

“Hey, Dog, I got five people leaving now,” G-Force, the other bouncer, stated, and Big Dog let five more people in.

“We better go in and check it out,” Sheriff BJ said as he and the two Ollsen deputies entered the club.

Sure enough, the place was crowded but surprisingly under complete control. The section toward the back where the band played had a nice crowd of people just sitting back enjoying the country music. The band was playing Luke Bryan’s song “Drunk on You,” one of BJ’s favorites. He scanned the other bars. People acknowledged his presence and moved out of the way. His deputies checked out the area and everything looked good, and then he saw Susanna. She was standing near the main bar, dressed in one of her rather sexy outfits. Susanna was a gorgeous sight, even from across the room and amongst the many good-looking women in the place. He felt his gut clench. First of all, what the hell was she doing working tonight with bruised ribs, and secondly, who the fuck were the three men surrounding her?

He knew he couldn’t go over there. Not in uniform and not all fired up with jealousy.

He watched her as he pretended to scan the place. It wasn’t uncommon for him or his deputies to do a walk-through and make sure things were under control. It was a community effort to maintain the peace. Business owners in Delite liked it when the officers checked out their establishments and made their presence known.

He stood there a few more seconds. He saw her cringe as she adjusted her position. One of the men reached for her, and she shook her head declining his assistance. Fire burned in BJ’s gut. This had to end. He and Monte had to take charge of the situation and fast before some asshole moved in on her, or three for that matter.

“Sheriff, all looks good,” Deputy Tommy Ollsen stated and nodded his head before they exited the building together. On his way out, he saw Monte in the side corner. A bit of relief hit his gut. His brother had just arrived. He’d take care of Susanna.

He nodded toward him, acknowledging his presence, then nodded in the direction of Susanna. Monte tapped a finger to his black Stetson and nodded. He saw what BJ saw, and Monte would take care of her.

He exited the building and continued his patrol for the night.

* * * *

Susanna was getting tired, and the ibuprofen she’d taken earlier wore off a while ago. She needed to head up to her office for a bit and rest.

She started to get down off the stool when one of the three men who had been talking with her for a while now grabbed her elbow to assist her.

He was a good-looking guy but a bit older than her.

“Where ya running off to, sugar?” he asked, standing a little too close to her.

She placed her hand on his chest and took a step forward trying to let him know he needed to give her some room.

“If you’ll excuse me, I need to take care of something.”

He didn’t budge, but instead he and his two friends let their eyes travel shamelessly from her face down to her cleavage. She had nice breasts and hips and an ass to go with them. She smiled at him.

“Maybe we can help you?” he asked then licked his bottom lip. She knew what they wanted. She’d declined enough offers for sex over the years to know when a man, or in this case men, were horny. She was in pain and just wanted to go sit down or even lie down for a while.