October 3rd, 1200 Hours
Trina carried a bowl of potato salad outside and placed it on the picnic table. She had decided last minute to have a cookout with her friends while the weather was still nice. Steve was flipping the burgers on the grill. Jimmy and Naomi had arrived and were chatting with Layfield and Seth. Jey was due to arrive later.
"So Monica…" Seth called out.
"Rollins, I am gonna let Jack chew your leg off." Trina rolled her eyes.
"Where is this goat you got this morning?" Seth laughed.
"Oh Daniel, I went and picked him up this morning. I will go get him." Trina smiled and took off around the house towards the barn.
"I can't believe she actually got a goat." Naomi said. "Yes I can, she loves animals."
"I can't believe she actually named it Daniel after the old joke." Jimmy laughed.
"I went with her to get him." Steve said. "She wants to get a horse next."
Trina came walking back around the side of the house leading the goat on a leash. Seth chuckled as she approached. The goat was not yet full grown only six months old and he was mostly brown with a few white spots.
"This is Daniel." Trina said.
Seth burst out laughing. "Daniel the goat….this is too funny."
"Don't male goats usually have bad odors?" Naomi asked as she patted his head.
"Only if they still have their testicles. Daniel was banded as a baby so he won't smell bad." Trina explained.
Seth laughed harder. "Daniel is nutless."
"If you don't stop, you're going to be nutless." Trina glared at him.
"He is kinda cute…for a goat." Jimmy said.
"I am gonna keep him in the barn that Steve repaired for me." She smiled.
"Daniel has no balls." Seth laughed more and fell back on the grass.
"Seth, will you get over it? You grew up around here, you know all about neutering animals." Trina sighed.
"It's too funny…you named him after….and he has no nuts!" Seth laughed more.
"Small things amuse small minds." Trina said.
"He has no small things anymore." Seth still laughed.
"You know, from anyone else…..having just one goat would be weird." Layfield laughed.
"Well Steve, you can truly say your girl has it all….looks, brains, personality…and now a goat." Jimmy nudged Steve.
Steve smiled and looked over at Trina petting the goat while smacking at Seth. He chuckled. "She is something else."
Jimmy recognized the look in his eyes. "I know, I feel the same way about Naomi."
"Trina…..you made my day. Daniel the Nutless….." Seth kept laughing.
"Hey there is Jey." Naomi spotted Jey pulling up the long driveway.
Seth moved over and patted the goat. "Listen dude…you won the lottery…okay so not when they took your nuts but living here will be great."
"Seth, go listen to Taylor Swift." Trina sighed.
"I mean, Trina will take great care of you…Steve will be around a lot. Hell, I'll even come visit once in a while." Seth told the goat then looked at Trina. "See, we're friends."
"These two are like having kids." Layfield laughed. "Hey Jey, how's it going?"
Jey walked over to them, giving a confused look towards Seth. "Not bad, what's going on?"
"This is Trina's nutless goat." Seth laughed. "Daniel."
"She didn't? Daniel….goat." Jey who also knew the joke began laughing.
"Do you know what we now have in common with the Chicago Cubs?" John laughed. "We've both been cursed by a goat."
"Burgers are ready!" Steve announced.
"Oh good, I'll go put Daniel back by the barn. Jack is still getting used to him." Trina stood up. "Come on little man."
Trina took the goat back behind the house, as those who had patted the goat went inside to wash their hands. Steve put the platter of burgers on the table with the rest of the food as people began sitting down to eat. Trina came back from the house after cleaning up and sat down next to him.
"So what do you have now, a coydog, nine cats and a goat?" John laughed.
"Yes, and I want to get a horse. And I was thinking of getting a few chickens but they are vulnerable to so many predators and with me working such crazy hours at times." She said as she fixed herself a burger.
"Chickens?" Jey asked.
"Sure, I love fresh eggs." Trina smiled. "And they would be great for breakfast in bed." She giggled and leaned against Steve's shoulder.
"More of that cute in love stuff." Jimmy chuckled.
"When I came through town I saw people setting up the novelty shop, they were putting up a sign….Midnight something or other." Jey said.
"We need to meet this guy. Apparently he isn't from around here, I heard Jerry talking about him yesterday." John said.
"I am hoping I can get a great Halloween costume for the party from there." Seth said.
"Go as yourself, that is scary enough." Trina rolled her eyes.
"Steve, when do your sons get here?" Jey asked.
"Monday, they are flying in to Baltimore and renting a car to drive over." Steve said.
"You must be so excited. What all do you have planned for while they are in town?" John asked.
"I am going to show them around the area, might take a day and go hiking. I want them to get to know Trina while they are here." He smiled, trying to reassure her again that everything would be okay.
"I can't wait to meet them. I want to see if they look like Steve." Naomi chuckled.
"I am sure they will be around the station a few times. Sheriff wants to meet them too." Steve said.
October 4th, 1700 Hours
Layfield walked into the Davis station to find Steve sitting at Trina's desk with her while Seth worked on his laptop.
"Steve, what are you doing here?" John asked.
"I'll give you a hint. It's got two legs and a nutless goat." Seth chuckled.
"Rollins, go play in traffic." Trina sighed. "Steve found an excuse to come see me."
"You know, until Steve came along I never realized being in love is the same in your fifties as it is in your twenties." Seth said and the others looked at him. "You know what I mean."
"No I don't." John sat down.
"Nevermind, my point is it is great to see that romance never dies." Seth said.
"You been watching that women's network on the nightshift again?" John asked.
Jimmy and Naomi walked in. Jimmy had the day off and Naomi was spending it with him.
"Hey, what brings you guys to Davis?" Trina asked.
"We wanted to see if the new novelty store was open. It's not but I saw people in there setting up. We're gonna go check it out." Jimmy said.
"I figure as a member of city council I should introduce myself." Naomi said.
"I'll come with you. I want to look around and see what all he has. I can introduce myself too." Trina stood up.
"Oh I wanna go too. Maybe he will have Halloween costumes, or at least can tell me what his inventory is." Seth said as he stood up.
"Well if you're all going, I might as well go too." Steve said.
"You coming John?" Trina asked.
"No thanks, I got paperwork to catch up on." John said.
The five of them walked out of the station and down the street a few buildings to where the new novelty shop was being set up in the old building. They saw a newly painted sign in the window reading 'Midnight Express'.
"That is an interesting name for a novelty shop." Jimmy said.
Seth found the door was unlocked and they walked inside. They didn't see anyone around but there were several boxes along the walls and on the floor. Suddenly a middle aged pudgy man with a ponytail despite being bald stepped out of the back.
"Oh, hello, we're not open for business yet." He said.
"That's okay, we're not here to shop. We just wanted to introduce ourselves." Naomi said. "I'm Naomi Knight, member of the city council of Parsons which is the county seat. Welcome to Tucker County."
"And I am Officer Trina Conley of the Davis PD and this is Officer Seth Rollins. If you ever need us, please let us know." Trina smiled. "And this is county detective Steve Borden. He is also glad to help at any time."
The man stared at them for a few seconds. "Ladies and gentlemen, my name is Paul Heyman and I am the proud owner of Midnight Express, a novelty shop with a variety of merchandise ranging from funny to sexy."
"Sexy?" Steve raised his eyebrow.
"Oh you know, some harmless adult fun. No more exotic than what you'd find at the mall. I am hoping with this area being a bit secluded I will have a corner on the market." Heyman said. "I am afraid that I am not set up quite yet, but hope to be soon with Halloween coming up. The unpackers are on a dinner break but feel free to look around at anything unpacked or open boxes. I appreciate the local civil servants coming to welcome me."
"So tell me, where are you from Mr. Heyman?" Jimmy asked.
"Down south. I decided to move north and bring my business with me. I have been in the novelty business for about 25 years now." Heyman said. "Don't be shy, go ahead and look around."
"What are you gonna have in Halloween costumes?" Seth asked.
"Ah, I will have a great line of costumes in adult sizes everything from witches to chicken suits." Heyman said.
Everyone began wandering around the shop looking at some of the items that had already been placed on the shelves. There was a shelf of magic tricks of various levels and another of prank toys.
"This is an interesting variety." Trina said as she looked into a box seeing bachelorette party items.
"Well he certainly did corner the market. No place like this anywhere around here." Steve said. "Wonder what he has in the way of those 'sexy items'?"
Trina chuckled. "Feeling frisky detective?" she wrapped her arms around him.
"Always, have you seen my girlfriend? She is beautiful." He smiled.
"Ah, a couple." Heyman appeared beside them. "Anything I can help you find?"
Steve looked over at him. "No, we're just browsing."
"Are you two in a daddy/little girl relationship?" Heyman asked.
Trina did a double-take. "No, not at all. We have an age gap but….that's all it is."
"My mistake." Heyman smiled. "Well if there is anything you need help with let me know."
They watched Heyman walk over to where Seth was looking at some horror movie action figures.
"That was a strange question." Steve commented.
Trina shrugged. "Maybe he just felt we would be interested in handcuffs or something…..you know sexy handcuffs not the ones we carry."
"It was still odd…a little too forward for my tastes." Steve said.
"You think he might have some naughty Halloween costumes?" Trina whispered. "Not for the party….just between us."
"Would you really wear something like that?" Steve looked at her.
She winked and giggled before hurrying over to Naomi and whispering something in her ear that made Naomi laugh out loud. Seth walked over to Steve.
"What are the girls carrying on about?" Seth looked where Naomi and Trina were whispering and giggling while Jimmy shrugged back at them.
"I am not entirely sure but I think I am gonna enjoy Halloween this year." Steve smiled.
Seth looked at Steve a moment then smirked. "Just make sure she is able to walk afterwards, we need her around here."
"Rollins, don't make me strangle you." Trina rolled her eyes.
They wandered around a bit more, looking at some of the merchandise the shop would be selling. Seth seemed quite interested in a few costumes.
"Thank you again for stopping by. I appreciate such a warm welcome to the community." Heyman smiled as they exited the shop.
"We hope you enjoy being in Tucker county." Seth said.
"Good luck with your new shop, I am sure it will be a success." Naomi said.
They started walking back down the street towards the station. Ahead of them they could see Bray Wyatt standing with a very tall man. Bray seemed to be pointing out buildings around town.
"Bray, nice to see you." Trina greeted him, noting the unknown man towered over all of them.
"Trina, such a nice surprise." Bray smiled. "I'd like you to meet Braun Stowman. He has just moved to the area and joined my church."
"Nice to meet you." She smiled though the guy kept a very serious face.
"Braun, Trina is an officer here in Davis and a very nice lady. My family has known her for years." Bray said. "And this is Detective Steve Borden, her sweetheart. And Parsons Officer Jimmy Uso and his fiancée Naomi Knight who is on the city council. And of course Officer Seth Rollins also from the Davis police."
"Mr. Stowman, what brings you to Tucker County?" Seth asked.
"I took a job with one of the logging companies in the area." Stowman said.
"Where are you from?" Jimmy asked.
"Arkansas." He replied.
"Did you grow up in a Pentecostal church?" Trina asked.
"Yes, that is why I looked for one when I moved here." Stowman said.
"I was just showing him around the area." Bray said.
"Well, welcome to the area. Let us know if there is anything we can do for you." Naomi said.
2000 Hours
"So what did you think of that guy with Wyatt today?" Trina asked Steve as she moved things around in his fridge.
"He didn't have much to say." Steve said from where he stood leaning on the counter.
"He's the size of a grizzly bear. I hope he is a peaceful person." She said as she placed a few more casserole dishes in the fridge.
"I still don't know how to take that Heyman guy asking about our relationship." Steve said.
"Oh don't worry about that. He probably just assumed since you are older that we were into the daddy/little girl scene." Trina closed the fridge.
"Should I worry that you know about this stuff?" he chuckled.
"All part of being a well-informed officer." She smiled. "Okay, I have put a few casseroles and a lasagna in the fridge, all you have to do is put them in the oven."
"You didn't have to do that." Steve smiled and wrapped his arms around her waist.
"I wanted to make sure you and the boys had plenty to eat and not have to live on take out while they are here." She said. "I really hope their visit goes well."
"It will. Steven will come around. And I am sure you and Garrett will get along just fine." He said.
"I hope so. I know how important your boys are to you." She cuddled against him.
"You are too so it will all work out." He rubbed her back.
Author's Note- Short, fluffy but needed chapter. I just want to thank everyone for the reviews, messages and follows to this story so far. I really appreciate it and hope everyone continues to read/review/enjoy the story. PS- no one caught the Scorpion King joke last chapter. LOL Martham73 (love your pic of Dean) XoxoShonKV (Oh it has some twists you won't expect…I hope.) Paisley2 (When I was bouncing ideas off a friend she said I have a sick mind. LOL) Batistasprincess (Don't worry more jokes coming.) jcott3 (Oh I have always been nauseated at Karen with Jeff. There will be lots of references for you to catch…you keep me on my toes with that.) Carlyrosanna83 (So glad you are back!) Lordban (I should write Michael Hayes in here somewhere, LOL.)
