Chapter 12
Nicole rushed after work to get ready in time to meet Waverly at the poker spectacular. She was excited to see Waverly done up to the nines, but nervous about interacting with her in front of her friends. Waverly hadn’t admitted it, but Nicole knew tonight was a kind of a dry run. Nicole quickly put her earrings in and looked at herself one more time in the mirror. With a nodded of her head, she hopped in her truck and rode into town.
Waverly was just getting out of her old Jeep when she saw the old Chevy pull up. Nicole was a vision when she stepped out of her truck. She had on a beautiful purple dress, her hair was curled perfectly and she had some simply elegant jewelry to accentuate the look. Waverly smoothed her own dress, a turquoise mermaid cut gown.
Nicole flashed a dazzling smile at Waverly before heading to the old Jeep. The sight of that dimple lit a fire inside of Waverly, one she knew she wouldn’t be able to put out on her own.
“You look amazing,” Nicole smiled softly.
“That color is stunning on you,” Waverly smiled back, looking around real quick before stealing a kiss from her love.
“Ready to go inside?” Nicole asked.
“Absolutely,”
Nicole stood around a table with Waverly and her friends. She stayed quiet, know they were al also friends with Champ and not wanting to step on any toes. She went around the table trying to remember names. Across from her was a pretty blonde with kind eyes. Nicole had met Chrissy Nedley before, she was known to stop in occasionally and leave her dad lunch at the vet clinic. Sometimes she would bring lunch for everyone. But beyond that Nicole and Chrissy didn’t really know each other.
Then there was Stephanie Jones. She was blonde, but not naturally so. Her face had a permanent smugness to it that made Nicole uneasy. This was exactly the type of girl she had imagined from Wynonna’s stories.
There was a third brunette that Nicole couldn’t remember her name, it was Marissa or Melisa or maybe Meredith? She couldn’t say.
“Oh, Nicole, how did your last competition go? My dad mentioned you headed out to Mesa?” Chrissy asked, politely trying to get Nicole involved in the conversation.
“Yeah, I won my semipro round,” Nicole smiled politely, “We are headed to Tulsa next week,”
“You rope too, right?” Chrissy was genuinely interested. Waverly never shuts up about the new ranch hand and she wanted to get to know her.
“Yeah, I team rope,”
“I don’t think girls should do anything but barrel race,” Stephanie piped up, “Its not like girls rope in real life, what’s the point?”
Nicole could feel her blood boiling, but she kept it cool, “I rope in real life too. I’ve worked on cattle ranches since I was old enough to walk,”
“It’s just dirty and un-ladylike,” Stephanie goaded.
“I think its really neat,” Waverly said, resting her hand on Nicole’s, giving her a light squeeze, “I’m here for women kicking ass any day,”
“I mean, anything that disrupts the patriarchy is cool with me,” Chrissy smiled.
Nicole drained her glass, “Hey, Wave’s need a refill? I’ll get us refills,”
“She’s…jumpy,” Stephanie said once Nicole was out of earshot.
“She’s just nervous about meeting you guys and you aren’t exactly helping Stephanie,” Waverly scolded.
Stephanie rolled her eyes and took a drink of champagne
“Calm down, Waverly,” Melisa whined.
“Guys,” Chrissy stepped in, “Back off and be nice,” She directed at Stephanie and Melisa, “Waverly I like Nicole and I’m glad you brought her for us to meet,”
“Thank you,” Waverly said.
Nicole returned with two glasses, “Here you go, Wave’s.”
“Have you seen Champ yet?” Stephanie asked looking down at her phone.
Waverly shook her head.
“I guess him and some of the boys pre-gamed before coming so they will be in rare form tonight,” Melisa said.
Nicole tried not to say anything but she cringed slightly.
“Speak of the devil,” Waverly said into her glass before draining the contents.
Champ and a group of look-a-like cowboy types tumbled in. Loud, boisterous and underdressed; they didn’t fit into the calm, formal setting.
Stephanie and Melisa looked at them and back to the group, “We are going to go say hi to the boys,”
Chrissy watched them walk away, “Ya know, sometimes I wonder why we are friends with them,”
“I do too,” Waverly admitted.
“They are still mad at you for breaking up with Champ, which is weird considering they have benefited from it,” Chrissy said.
“Also, it wasn’t their fucking relationship. They don’t know what it was truly like,”
Nicole instinctively touched the small of Waverly’s back.
“He didn’t treat you like you deserved, but from talking to him he really did love you. But that doesn’t excuse the shit he did,” Chrissy shook her head.
“Haught!” a voice came from over her shoulder.
She turned around to see Dolls, done up in a tux.
She hugged him and introduced him to Chrissy.
“It’s nice to meet you,” Chrissy shook his hand, “Look, a cowboy who knows how to dress for a formal event,”
“Yeah, I saw those yahoos come in,” he side-eyed the rowdy group around a craps table.
They chatted for a while before Wynonna showed up in a stunning red ball gown.
“You look great,” Dolls beamed.
“Thank you,” Wynonna said as she turned to the three women, “Sorry, I am going to steal Dolls away,”
Wynonna took his hand and lead him to the gambling floor.
“I need to use the lady’s room,” Waverly picked up her clutch.
“Oh, I’ll go with you,” Chrissy set her drink down.
Waverly gave Nicole an apologetic look. Nicole gave her a nod, knowing she needed to talk to her friend in private for a second.
“I love this dress but it's impossible to pee in,” Waverly said from her stall.
“That mermaid cut will get you,” Chrissy agreed from where she was checking her makeup in the mirror.
When Waverly finally walked out she washed her hands next to Chrissy.
“Nicole is nice,” Chrissy said as she capped her lipstick.
“I’m glad you like her, I was worried no one would,”
“You’ve kept her hidden away, it’s nice to finally meet her since you never shut up about her,”
“You can see why right? She’s pretty great,”
“She is,” Chrissy turned around and leaned against the sink so she could look at Waverly, “But when were you going to tell me you two were seeing each other?”
Waverly blushed in embarrassment, “We haven’t actually told anyone yet,”
Chrissy put her hand on Waverly’s shoulder, “Just know I support you and your happiness. I know Purgatory is small and kind of backward at times, but you should be with whoever you want to be with,”
Waverly hugged her friend, “Thank you. It means the world,”
“And Champ was a scumbag and never fucking deserved you,”
Waverly laughed, she had known Chrissy long enough to know that was mostly the champagne talking, “I had blinders on, that’s for sure,”
“So are you and Nicole… like official?”
“We haven’t really put a label on it or anything,”
“Well, you guys are cute together. I’m sorry Steph has been a bit of a…”
“Bitch?” Waverly finished her sentence.
“Yeah,” Chrissy breathed out, “Maybe just wait to tell her,”
“Yeah I wasn’t planning on it,” Waverly said quietly, “Yeah know the last rodeo in town Champ saw us line dancing and he was pretty messed up and flipped his lid,”
Chrissy nodded, “I remember hearing about that. He kept saying that there was something about Nicole that rubbed him the wrong way,”
“Speaking of, we probably should get back out there before Nicole thinks we abandoned her,”
Nicole let out a sigh of relief when she saw the two women coming back out.
“Sorry, this dress is totally not bathroom friendly,” Waverly said as she retook her spot next to the tall redhead.
“I don’t doubt it,” Nicole nodded.
“Well,” Chrissy started, “it’s a poker spectacular, are we going to gamble or not?”
Nicole wasn’t a big gambler but she followed the two around. She watched as Waverly won her second hand of blackjack.
“I didn’t realize you were a card shark,” Nicole said, nudging her shoulder.
“There’s a lot you don’t know about me,” Waverly said tilting her head with a cocky air.
“Looks like your good luck charm is working,” The middle-aged dealer said, nodding towards Nicole.
“She makes her own luck well enough,” Nicole gave him a wink.
The night culminated with a high-stakes poker game. All the hot shots and high rollers from purgatory and the surrounding towns were sat around a large poker table.
Nicole locked eyes with her benefactor. Doc was in a tux, his customary black hat pulled down low, shading his eyes.
“Doc looks… scary,” Waverly said.
“He looks like he’s scheming,” Nicole agreed.
They watched as Doc easily won the first hand and the second.
“He’s good,” Waverly said in awe. The table had dwindled down to Doc, Bobo Del Rey, and a slimy man named Jared.
“Ah, yes, the final hand,” Bobo snapped his teeth together producing a hollow click.
“Indeed,” Doc said as he stared Bobo down.
The game lived up to the descriptor of high stakes.
There were thousands of dollars worth of chips on the table. They watched as Doc flippantly threw down a couple of grand worth of chips.
Jared folded, leaving just Bobo and Doc.
“It’s just the two of us, again,” Bobo said, checking is cards one last time.
“Only this time the table’s are flipped,” Doc said with venom in his voice.
“What’s the history there?” Nicole whispered.
“It’s rumored that when they were younger, Bobo stole a large quantity of Holiday cattle,”
“Well did he?” Nicole asked.
“It's unclear, but he did Kill Doc’s brother in the process, he got off on self-defense,”
“Oh,” Nicole nodded.
Doc and Bobo were locked in a glare as the dealer placed the last card on the table.
Doc kept the stare as he and Bobo simultaneously revealed their cards.
Doc smirked when he saw, “Look’s like the Del Rey’s can loose after all,”
The crowd let out a collective breath as Doc stood, taking a bow.
Bobo pushed back from the table violently, fire in his eyes. He ran his hands through his hair composing himself.
“Good game, Doc. All for a good cause,” he plastered an unconvincing smile before storming out.
“Well he’s a bad sport,” Wynonna said as she walked up.
“To be fair, he did just lose $50,000 to his mortal enemy,” Dolls said, just behind Wynonna’s shoulder.
“Yeah, that’s fair,” Nicole agreed.
“We are going to Shorty’s, Doc’s buying,” Wynonna offered.
Waverly and Nicole shared a look.
“We have plans,” Waverly said motioning between them.
Wynonna gave a confused look between them, “What kind of plans?”
“I think Chrissy mentioned something about a party,” Nicole cut in.
“Huh, well if that falls through, please join us,” Wynonna said, squeezing her sister's hand.
“No promises,” Waverly kissed Wynonna’s cheek and ushered Nicole out the door.
They drove separately to Nicole’s house. Waverly took the time to text Chrissy for a cover story.
If she was honest, she’s had a one-track mind since she saw Nicole in that dress.
Waverly hammed on the gas and managed to beat Nicole back to her house. She waited for Nicole to pull up.
“Hey there Jeff Gordon, you got here fast,”
“Local advantage,” Waverly shrugged.
“That was close,” Nicole said as she closed the distance between them.
“Chrissy is covering for us,”
“For what, exactly?” Nicole smirked as she placed her hands on Waverly’s hips and leaned her into the side of the jeep.
“For this,” Waverly said, kissing Nicole passionately.
“Oh yes, I do think we need cover for that,” Nicole said before kissing her back.
Heavy breaths, searching hands, and hot skin braced themselves against the side of the old jeep.
Waverly pulled away, catching her breath, “Let’s take this inside,”
They hurried out of the chilly fall air and Nicole smiled softly to Waverly as they took off their shoes.
“I’ve got to feed Calamity Jane or she won't leave us alone,” Nicole said, hurrying into the kitchen, pouring kibble into the little bowl with fish printed on the side.
Nicole hurried back over, lightly holding the sides of Waverly’s arms, “Where were we?”
“If memory serves, I think here,” Waverly leaned up; gently brushing red curls to the side. She kissed along Nicole’s jaw and down her neck, biting lightly at Nicole’s shoulder.
“Now I remember,” Nicole said in a breathy tone. She used her index finger to guide Waverly’s head back up and reconnected their lips, causing Waverly to brace herself against the back of the couch.
“Get me out of this dress,” Waverly said softly.
“I would love nothing more,” Nicole said, taking Waverly’s hand and leading her upstairs. They stumbled a bit in their haste over lose clothes on Nicole’s bedroom floor.
“Sorry, I forgot to clean up,” Nicole said sheepishly.
“Shh,” Waverly pressed a finger against her lips; afraid any divergence from the task at hand would cause her to lose her nerve.
Waverly walked them back towards the bed and Nicole fumbled with the zipper on Waverly’s dress.
“It’s stuck,” Nicole said, almost frantic.
“Damn mermaid cut,” Waverly muttered, opting instead to try and pull the dress up and over her head. It was not graceful, but after a few moments of wiggling and yanking and some choice cuss words, Nicole helped her free of the fabric.
“Damn Mermaid cut,” Waverly breathed out as she shucked the fabric to the side, “Turn,”
Waverly unzipped Nicole’s dress and pushed it down so she could step out of it. Nicole ran her fingers through her hair pushing it all to one side.
Waverly reconnected their lips, and let her hands roam, finding their way to Nicole’s bra clasp.
Nicole stilled her hand for a second, “Are you sure?”
“I’m so sure,” Waverly breathed out with a small laugh.
Nicole let her bra hit the floor and lifted Waverly, laying her down on the bed.
A shrill ringtone broke the silence and the half-asleep dozing of Nicole and Waverly.
“Shit that’s my phone,” Waverly said, rolling out of Nicole’s arms, onto the floor and began searching around for her phone.
She found it and answered, “Hey Wynonna,” Waverly looked at Nicole sheepishly.
“Hey is Chrissy’s thing still going on?” Wynonna said over the din of Shorty’s in the background.
“Ah, actually we just headed back to Nicole’s to get changed, it was kind of a dud,” Waverly looked at Nicole for help.
“Ok, well get changed and come out to Shorty’s!” Wynonna said, “Tell Nicole to get her but out here,” A slightly drunk sounding Dolls said in the background.
“Ok, let me talk to Nicole and see what she wants to do,”
“Don’t let her be a wet noodle, drag her out here,” Wynonna said.
“I’ll talk to her,” Waverly promised before hanging up the phone.
Nicole propped herself up on an elbow. Waverly blushed at the sight of her porcelain skin in the moonlight.
“Wynonna wants us to come to Shorty’s,” Waverly said, sitting down on the bed, “And Dolls said to get your butt down there,”
Nicole rolled out of bed and pulled on a pair of pants off the floor and fumbled with the buckle of her belt, “Well I guess we better get down there,”
Waverly walked around the bed and kissed her lightly, “Do you want to go?”
Nicole smiled, “If I’m honest, I would much rather stay here and pick up where we left off,” Nicole said, pulling Waverly’s naked body close and leaning in to whisper in her ear, “But we have a public appearance to keep up,”
Nicole let Waverly go and fumbled around for a shirt, “So get dressed, and maybe fix your hair,”
Waverly was a little shell-shocked, “I don’t think I have clothes to change into,”
Nicole pulled open the bottom drawer of her dresser, “You left these here,” She handed Waverly a pair of high-waisted jeans and a crop top, “I can lend you a sweater if you need,”
“Thank you,” Waverly kissed her cheek.
They got dressed and made themselves presentable before getting in Nicole’s truck. As they drove Waverly rested her hand on Nicole’s thigh.
Nicole would never admit it, Waverly in those jeans, that crop top and with her hand on her thigh was making her squirm. She wanted nothing more than to turn that truck around and tear Waverly’s clothes off, again.
The parking lot of Shorty’s was at maximum capacity so Nicole parked down the street. They walked inside and were greeted with the sight of a drunken Wynonna on the mechanical bull, Dolls hooping and hollering on the rail.
“Good evening, Ms. Haught, Ms. Waverly,” Doc greeted them with a tip of his hat, “Drinks?”
“Absolutely,” Waverly agreed.
Doc came back with two beers for the girls, “It must be mighty cold out there, both of you look absolutely flushed,”
“It has gotten chilly,” Waverly couldn’t suppress the smirk on her lips. Nicole coughed and sipped her drink.
The pair made their way over to the inflatable ring around the mechanical bull just in time to watch Wynonna get thrown off.
She popped up cackling, “OH my God that was fun! Hey red, it’s your turn!” Wynonna pointed at Nicole.
“No, no, no,” Nicole shook her head.
“Come on cowgirl,” Wynonna said, “Get on up there,”
“Yeah, cowgirl, give it a whirl,” Waverly goaded.
“Fine,” Nicole said, slipping out of her boots. She could never say no to Waverly.
She pushed her hat down and walked on the inflatable floor up to the bull.
Wynonna slipped in next to Waverly, out of breath, “Wow, Haughtshot looks good in those pants,”
Waverly watched hungrily at the way the denim clung to Nicole’s legs and butt, “She sure does,”
Wynonna looked from Nicole to Waverly and back, making a mental note to ask Waverly some questions later.
The bull operator started off slow and easy, smoothly moving the bull up and down and to the side. Nicole’s hips matched the movement perfectly as it picked up the pace and became jerky.
Waverly could feel the heat building inside her again; coming out to Shorty’s was a great idea.
Once Nicole finally got flung off she picked up her hat and waved to the crowd the way she had seen bull riders do in the past.
“You did great,” Waverly smiled up at her.
“Thank you,” Nicole leaned against a table, and sipped her beer.
“Haughtshot, you look more confident than normal,” Wynonna said clapping her on the shoulder, “I like it,”
“Hey, I’m going to pop over to the lady’s room,” Waverly said, lingering just a second before turning on her heal and heading towards the bathroom.
Nicole floundered for a second, “I ah, gotta go too,”
“Psh, breaking the seal this early is a rookie mistake,” Wynonna jerked her thumb towards them and leaned into Dolls’ side. He just chuckled.
Nicole followed Waverly into the bathroom and into one of the stalls. Waverly nearly knocked her hat off as she kissed her. She unbuttoned Nicole’s shirt and left a trail of kisses down to her chest.
“Coming out was a great idea,” Nicole breathed.
“You looked so hot up on that bull,” Waverly said kissing her again.
Waverly could hear the unmistakable sound of Wynonna’s voice approaching the bathroom door.
“Shit,” Waverly fixed Nicole’s hat and opened the stall door. Nicole frantically started buttoning her shirt.
“Hey guys,” Wynonna said bursting through the swinging door.
“Yeah, I agree you should get that mole checked out,” Waverly said to Nicole.
“I can recommend a good dermatologist,” Wynonna said looking at them, “Move, I gotta take a leak,”
The two made a show of washing their hands before they went back out and joined the rest of the group and did their best to stay discrete. But Waverly felt like a teenager, in all those years it had never been like this with Champ. Sure they had a honeymoon stage but she had never wanted him the way she wanted Nicole.
As the night went on the bar started to thin out, the group was the only ones left at the bar. A few patrons still clung to the corners of the bar.
“Do you want a ride home with us?” Wynonna asked Waverly.
“Us?”
“Yeah, Dolls can't drive, he’s coming back to the homestead,” Wynonna said as though it was obvious.
“Oh ew, no thank you,” Waverly wrinkled her nose, “besides, we stopped at Nicole’s and that’s where my jeep is. I’ll just ride with her, probably spend the night at hers,”
“Well fine, I’ll see you in the morning,” Wynonna said, turning away slightly.
Rosita rolled her eyes from behind the bar, “Wynonna, Waverly just doesn’t want to hear you banging your latest boy toy is all,”
Wynonna shot her a look before collecting Dolls and leaving.
“Thanks for that,” Waverly said to Rosita.
“No problem,” Rosita gave her a wink.
“Did I miss something?” Nicole asked.
“I got Wynonna off your back, you are welcome,” Rosita said before setting a glass of water down in front of Nicole.
Nicole looked back and forth between them in confusion.
Rosita rolled her eyes again, “Waverly didn’t tell me anything but I saw the way you two were eye-fucking all night… also, I was in one of the stalls when you guys were in the bathroom,”
Both women’s cheeks turned bright red.
“I’m so sorry,” Nicole said looking down.
“No need to be,” Rosita said, “But if you guys are trying to stay on the DL, maybe don’t get hot and heavy in a crowded bar bathroom,”
“Yeah that wasn’t my greatest idea,” Waverly admitted.
“Oh, I still think it was a great idea,” Nicole said.
“Ew,” Rosita said, “We are going to be closing up soon, and you two should head on home,”
The pair bid Rosita good night and headed down the road to Nicole’s truck.
“I had a good night,” Waverly said as she cuddled into Nicole’s arm as they walked.
“So did I,” Nicole hummed.
“You really did look super hot up on that bull,” Waverly said.
“Why do you think I agreed to get up on it?” Nicole flashed a smile.
“Nicole Haught, were you trying to seduce me?” Waverly feigned offense.
“Trying? No, I’m pretty sure I succeeded,” Nicole said as she opened the passenger door for Waverly.
Waverly got in the car, “Let's get back to your house,” Waverly said, placing her hand on Nicole’s thigh once she was in the driver seat. As they drove across town Waverly’s hand crept dangerously higher up her leg.
“Roger that,” Nicole said, stepping on the gas.