Big Sky (Beau Arlen x Female!Reader)

Catch A Few Fish

A few days had passed and Cassie kept her word as she came by my house to take me to the counseling meeting. We pulled up to the community center and I stare at it like it was Mount Doom.

"I just...I don't know about this, Cassie." I said, a little nervously, as we get out of her car. "I know it's hard but, I promise this meeting will help you." Cassie tells me and I sigh at this. "I just..." I stop then look down. "Can, uh...you give me a moment?" I asked her and she gives me a sympathetic look then nods.

"I'll see ya in there." Cassie tells me and pats my shoulder then she walks towards the community center. I stopped and stared at the building, the feeling of dread overtaking me. What if people judge me for what happened? What if they blame me for what happened and tell me that I'm a hopeless case?

"Hey, you, in the boots!" A loud gruff voice called out and I jumped out of my thoughts and look over to my left to see a man laying on his back under his red Jeep, his legs sticking out from underneath. "You know anything about cars? Power steering pump, particularly." The man asked as he pulls himself out from underneath the jeep. "This thing is just..." he said and he looks up at me, surprised, while I also stare at him.

Not gonna lie, this man was very good-looking. He has that ruggedly handsome face any girl would fall for and I get this weird feeling that I've seen him before, like I know him from somewhere but...I would never forget a face like his.

"Oh." He said, surprised, then he chuckles. "Sorry, I thought you were a guy." He said as he stands up. "Huh?" I asked. "The...The boots." He said as he gestures to my boots. I look down at them then back at him with my brow raised. "Oh, so I can't help you with the car." I said, questioningly.

"Well, come on, girls don't know anything about cars." He said, shrugging, and I snort out a laugh. "Oh-ho-ho, stereotypical much?" I asked, sarcastically, before I walk over to his jeep. "Move to the side, please." I tell him. "Okay." He mutters as he steps aside and I look into the opened hood of his car.

"That's your pump right there." I tell him as I point at the location of the pump and he looks over where I was pointing. "Son of a bitch. You're good." The man compliments me as I kneel down to look under his car. "Okay, but the...the leak's coming from..." he starts to explain as I go over to the side of his jeep. "The leak is coming from underneath there, and so I just...Truth is, I'm worried about it getting in the waterways. It's bad for the trout, conservation, all that." He said as I back away and walk back in front of him as he turns to me.

"So, you fish?" He asked me. "Fish?" I asked, playing dumb. "Yeah." He said. "Fish...that's with a fishing pole?" I asked, mimicking throwing a cast with a fishing pole. He then starts to laugh.

"Okay, you're funny. I'm being an ass." He said, chuckling a little, then he holds a hand out to me. "Sorry. Beau Arlen." He introduced and I smile and take his hand. "(Y/n) (l/n)." I said as we shake hands. "I know who you are." He said and I raise a curious eyebrow. "You do?" I asked, wondering how the hell he would know me as I only lived here for a few weeks.

"Well, it's a small town. And law enforcement's one big, not so happy, dysfunctional family, right?" Beau asked as he walks over to the side of his car and grabs the rag to clean his hands and I chuckled. "Yeah. You in law enforcement?" I asked him. "Mm, well, I was...in Houston. But then I'm sorta retired...well, on the bench." Beau admits. "Fishing. But now I'm un-retired, so..." he said and I realized this must be the temporary sheriff Tubb told me and Jenny about. "Stepping in for Sheriff Tubb?" I questioned and Beau gives an impressed smile. "You are good." He said, impressed.

"Small town, right?" I asked and he nods, a little. "Okay." He mutters. "Yeah. Well, good luck with that. Jenny Hoyt, she's my partner." I said. "Oh, yeah. Yeah, I heard about Jenny Hoyt. I can handle her." He said, so sure of himself, and I laugh at this.