Southern Accent M7 ATF AU
The blonde owner of the small bookstore was in the back putting up some new volumes when she heard the bell over the door chime. Since she only had a couple more to situate and most folks took their time browsing, she decided to finish what she was doing before heading to the front. Wondering who had arrived, she strained to listen however.
She heard him before she saw him. That thick, sexy drawl like warm honey that made her insides almost melt every time he spoke came to her ears. Her heart skipped a beat in spite of herself. The owner of the southern accent was one of her favorite customers and she had to admit she eagerly looked forward to his periodic visits. She knew he was in law enforcement since the first time he had visited he had placed his gold badge in his belt near his holstered weapon to reassure her that he meant her no harm. Somewhat surprisingly since she would have thought he had enough excitement due to that vocation, he had a fascination with old 1940s crime fighter novels and had discovered that she had several in stock thanks to the estate of an old patron. She now actively searched for the genre, avidly bidding online for anything she thought he might like and spending hours rummaging through cobweb covered boxes at yard sales and such.
"Miss Jane? I hope I'm not disturbing you?" came that deep accent as he called softly down the aisle she was working on.
"No, of course not, Mr. Standish. I'll be right there. I found a couple that you might be interested in. They're a little rough, but I saved them anyway in case you wanted to check them out." She put up the last book she held and dusted herself off before literally scurrying toward the attractive figure's voice.
"Excellent! Thank you, my dear. We'll just look around while we wait." offered the polite tones as the well-dressed form turned to speak to someone else.
Jane's heart started thudding even faster as her legs carried her at an almost indecent pace to the front counter.
'We'… that meant at least one of the other handsome men that sometimes accompanied him was here as well. Sliding to a stop near the end of the crowded shelves, she tried to calm her breathing and peeked carefully around to see if she could tell who was with her favorite customer. What she saw caused her to place one hand over her chest. 'Good Lord… all seven are here!' she mouthed silently to herself. Heaven help her… they'd never all come in at one time before, just in twos and threes. She wasn't sure her respiratory system could handle the whole group!
The first one to come into view after Standish was the slim figure with the shoulder-length sandy hair. His sky blue eyes were scanning the labels attached to each set of shelves, making sure that the poetry section was still where it was the last time he had been in with his friend. While slender, he had broad shoulders and a taut chest and his face sported a smile that could make women swoon. Instead of the deep south accent, he had a slightly raspy Texas one that sent shivers up Jane's spine when he spoke. He was unfailingly polite when he came, calling her "ma'am" and often touching his hat or cap with his fingers respectfully. Her tongue flicked along her mouth unconsciously. He had visited several times with Standish, as had the tall blond that Jane's gaze landed on next.
Mercy! Blue eyes looked the form over as the hand that had been on her chest fanned her face instinctively. The golden-haired figure was undoubtedly drop-dead gorgeous! While lean, he was well-muscled, and with the ebony pants and accessories he always wore he had a definite big cat vibe that matched the dangerous and commanding aura that surrounded him. He spoke softly to the one called Vin, his voice low and enticing with just a tiny touch of a western inflection in the tones. Today he wore a silvery gray shirt that looked like silk, the hue enhancing the icy pale green of his eyes. Like his friends, he was always polite to her, but she had to admit that she found him a bit intimidating as well. She certainly didn't want to get on his bad side, that was for sure!
Once he finished his brief conversation, the lithe form prowled toward the section that housed the old westerns, Louis L'Amour being an apparent favorite. Jane had a list of the books that he already owned, keeping an eye out for any rarer titles that she came across. She figured when he was done there, he would head to the wood-working section to peruse the available books and magazines she had on the subject. She'd just added a couple of new ones, so thought that he would be pleased when he found them. Like Standish, money never seemed to be an issue if he found something he liked.
The oldest one of the group caught the proprietor's gaze next. Josiah, if she remembered his name correctly, was also one of the largest and most powerful looking of the men. He had arms that reminded her of tree limbs and a wide, impressive chest. Intelligent blue-gray eyes seemed to assess everyone he met, and something about him made you want to be sure you were right with your God when you were in his presence! He was already striding to the area that held the classics, probably going to inspect the copies of Homer she'd put out a week or so before. That section was across from the reference volumes which included tomes on archeology and psychology that the big form often checked out as well.
She wasn't surprised when the other tall, well-developed figure moved with determination toward the medical journals and anatomy books. The only dark-skinned member of the group, he was impressive in stature and form, but like many powerful men, he was aware of the dangerous air he gave off and made a point of being unfailingly polite to her. She'd discovered some time ago that they all worked together and had overheard mention that Nathan, as he was called, was the team's medic. She was rather happy to know they had one, since Ezra and a couple of the others had been wearing slings or leg braces and such on a few occasions when they'd visited.
A smile curved her lips when her eyes landed on the youngest and shortest of the men. While obviously efficient at his job, since he was a member of the impressive group, he also had the most exuberance. His interests varied between the newest magazines on computer technology and the selection of old, somewhat dog-eared copies of nineteenth century dime novels that she'd come across in an abandoned storage unit almost a year ago. He'd purchased almost every one she previously stocked, but she'd found one called The Magnificent Seven online, as well as a couple about the leader of the Seven who was apparently a famous gunfighter in the 1860s and 70s. She had eagerly placed the faded paperbacks in JD's favorite section, pausing to flip through the one titled The Legend of Larabee briefly before inserting it carefully in the shelf. Something about the hand-drawn illustration on the front and the description on the first page reminded her of the dangerous blond who was currently skimming over the spines of the westerns. She could almost see the imposing form in the dark clothes and silver-trimmed gunbelt and spur harnesses. Another shiver coursed up her back. She somehow had no doubt that he would be as deadly as his alter-ego's reputation.
The last member of the group was the tall, lanky brunet with the black hair and mustache and flirtatious smile. While he was undoubtedly a ladies' man, he was always respectful when he came to the shop, and she couldn't deny that his compliments and flattery made her feel special and attractive. He had a warm accent that made her want to hear more, and was boisterous and normally good-natured, although she could tell he was as dangerous as the rest if the situation warranted. He wasn't much into novels and such apparently, but did enjoy flipping through the classic car magazines and books on auto repair and customization.
His dark blue eyes happened to spy her as she was straightening her skirt and he gave her a beaming smile and wink. Grinning back instinctively, she hurried to the counter to pull out the hard-bound volumes she'd put back for Mr. Standish. As she did so, she grimaced at the ink stains that covered her fingers. Dang those newspapers anyway! Now she looked like a chimney sweep… not the appearance she wanted to give to the elegant southerner. Grabbing a piece of paper towel from under the desk, she attempted to wipe off the dark smears as the object of her thoughts strolled to join her. Absently she raised one hand and swiped the hair out of her eyes. The emerald ring the handsome figure wore flashed in the sunlight coming through the front window as he withdrew a snowy handkerchief and handed it to her with a smile that showed his gold tooth.
"Here my dear. You have a bit of ink on your cheek, but I won't presume to be forward enough to wipe it off." There was that honeyed tone again that made her stomach do flip-flops. Now flushing an attractive pink, she motioned to the pristine piece of material and decided to be brave.
"Well, Mr. Standish, since I don't have a mirror, I probably need your help and I won't consider it forward, I promise."
"If I'm to offer assistance, then please call me Ezra." With a wink of one green eye, the attractive form leaned over and proceeded to gently remove the smudge on her face. When he was done, he dipped an eyelid at her again and then picked up the books she placed in front of him. They chatted for a bit, then the rest of the gorgeous group strolled up with their selections as well. The various voices blended into an appealing mélange as they all spoke softly to her. Once they'd paid, they all said goodbye, Standish being the last to exit. Long fingers gave her a small salute as the smooth tones wished her a good day and mentioned that he looked forward to seeing her again soon. As the door closed on the honeyed drawl, Jane rested her chin on her now clean hand and gave a contented sigh. Yep, she did indeed love a southern accent! And the rest of them weren't bad either…
By DMA