Whitey Winn One Shots

The Rugged Cowboy P2

I woke up to a surprising amount of light flooding into my little house, forcing open my eyes to greet the New Mexico morning sun. I noticed I had failed to close one of my curtains last night but honestly the house needed more work than that so I didn't let it weigh too heavily on my mind. I could hear the town already busy with folks coming back and forth so I climbed from my bed and made the sheets behind me. I washed my face with the small white soap bar and some water from the basin, making sure to clean my skin well for the day ahead. I slipped my nightie off my shoulders letting it pool at my ankles as I grabbed my undergarments from the chair working on the intricate procedure it was to dress. Grabbing my boots from the door and slipped them on lacing them up high as I would be unable to once all my garments were on, once it was all they should be I chose a blue dress with small white flowers slipped it on and tieing it all up. I plaited my hair quickly my fingers moving around the strands by pure habit without even having to look at them in the mirror or at my own hands then pinning said plait up around my head. I took my small blue parasol in hand and headed out my door being now fully greeted by that harsh sunlight. already the heat seeping through me. 

I stepped out down my little porch and into the slightly yellowed dirt and sand, taking my steps slowly and carefully down the street seeing all the little shops opening up, dry goods, undertakers, hairdressers, the hotel, bar and all manner of other such things. Everywhere I looked women worked, walked and waved. Many worked on the shell of a church near the end of town and carted the supplies needed for it. Once I arrived in the centre of town admittedly I felt slightly overwhelmed by it all, the new faces and places that would soon become merely normality in my mind. 

I caught sight of the sheriff's office as battered and broken as you would expect it to be, and I smiled thinking of whitey. honestly, no wonder he was the deputy the sheriff's office and himself shared a.... broken down dirty quality. I hitched my parasol on my shoulder a little and headed over stepping up onto the porch closing it down and using the metal tip to tap on the door.

"Uhh... it's open?" The familiar voice yelled from within seeming perplexed as to why anyone had knocked, So I gently pushed open the door and took and step inside shutting the door with my hip behind me.

The office was, well. A large wooden room that had been patched many times, the windows didn't quite fit into the windowsills they laid in with small cracks in the glass and cream blinds half drew to keep out the high sun, wood panelling on the walls to about my hips and then once cream-painted plaster to the ceiling with the prints and streaks of thousands of touches from dirty hands never move having been cleaned. the floor is dusty and would likely give you a splinter if you walked across it barefoot. I stood with the door behind me the small light from the little glass around the door illuminating my shadow across the room, to my right was a hook with a familiar stetson hat, besides it on the next hook was an old moth-consumed brown leather jacket with a layer of dust over it, next was a window that sat beside a tall tower of brown filing draws, then against the wall in front of me sat an old wooden gun cabinet a mirror in the back and two square wire doors that had been left open and by the dust likely had rarely been closed, a few rifles, shotguns, and other such weaponry stacked up around the mirror rather than having been put away. the front shelf was covered with boxes of ammunition all laid out by size and design in front of the cabinet was a wooden desk well battered and bruised, with a few papers, some books and such strewn about on it but the chair empty, looking into the room there where three fairly sized cells sealed off from the rest of the office by the metal poles the furthest had a small window to the outside side of it which seemed, like a bad idea. none of the beds inside was made up, and a small wall protected the second desk from the cells. and speaking of the second desk, it sat with two large windows behind it and two more to its side, much cleaner and better cared for than the first, more books and paperwork over it some keys hung on it, and behind it a wooden chair where a familiar boy sat himself. He sat his brown boots crossed on the floor a small pile of dust below them having been knocked off from his slight movements, the same textured tight pants I had seen him in yesterday fact the same shirt and jumper too, his deputy badge glinting on his shirt pocket where it caught the sun from the window to my right, his hair allowed to flow as it wanted a messy madness of dirt, curl and flick that I doubt had been combed for... Oh goodness, I wouldn't like to guess. his face read of confusion at first until he realized it was me and a smile cracked across his lips, in his left hand sat a bullet casing that he was tossing around playing with it in his fingers fidgeting with it, and in his right sat a copy of my book 'The Garden of Roses' which he shut in his hand as he saw me.

"Well. Miss Y/l/n what a nice surprise" He says 

"Good Morning Master Winn, Up bright and early I see" 

"Well, when the sheriffs not 'ere, somebody has to look after all ya lovely ladies"

"Important work indeed" I smiled 

"Important work, and hard work, but someone has to do it darlin'" He smiled stepping out from behind his desk taking my hand and giving it a soft kiss "How are ya findin' LaBelle so far then?"

"Perfectly Pleasant" I smiled holding my parasols handle "How are you enjoying the garden?" I asked 

he seemed confused for a second so I glanced at the book he had left on the table "Ohh yes. very beautiful I struggle with some of the words there a bit.... long. for me"

"well I could always answer things if you get stuck Master Winn" I laughed 

"well, then... this one," he says grabbing the book and flipping through the pages "Here, Botanial?"

"Botanical" I corrected "It means flowers, so a Botanical garden is a flower garden, and a botanical perfume is a floral or flower perfume" I explained 

"Ahh. Thank you. I was stuck on that for ages" He says "Well, I'm sure I need anymore help I can always ask the lovely writer herself" He smiled giving my hand another kiss "Ya know, I'm not too busy, if ya like I'd be happy to take ya around give ya a little tour of LaBelle?"

"That would be mighty kind of you, But I don't want to be any trouble"

"It's no trouble miss y/l/n I'd be honoured to show ya around"

"Are you sure?"

"Course"

"Well, I'd like that very much" I smiled offering my arm he happily let me take his arm giving my hand a tap 

"And just whitey, I insist"

"Alright whitey," I blushed "Then just y/n"

"May I?"

"You may"

"Alright, come on then I know the perfect place to start off" he smiled 

Whitey took me around LaBelle to all the little shops and sites introducing me to all the lovely ladies about town, I had to admit for whitey being such a rugged cowboy he was a perfect gentleman and once we had been all the way around town he took me back to my little house and I let him in for a cup of tea,

"Impressive," he says "Ya only arrived yesterday" 

"Well, I like to be comfortable" I smiled 

"Well ya sure do look comfortable," he says glancing around my house at my nick-nacks and such as I made the tea "Ohh? Ya workin' on a new book?" He asks looking at my typewriter 

"No" I snapped dropping my teapot on the table and rushing over putting my body between him and the typewriter even if it meant my body was pressed against his and clearly he felt how close we were too as a smirk grew across his face 

"why? ya workin' on some little smutty story or somethin'?" he smirked wrapping his arms around my waist 

"whitey!" I gasped in shock

"Sorry" he chuckled moving back "Come on let me see"

"Sorry whitey, but no. I never let anyone read my work until it's done" I told him "Not even my editor or my publisher. they don't get anything till I have the first draft"

"Alright, sorry I asked"

"It alright you didn't know," I said heading back to the table and doing the tea and he happily came to join me.