13. Dodging Wynonna

“So, Haught!”

Nicole straightened up and looked back over her shoulder at Wynonna and the two male Alphas with her. “I’m sorry, I don’t think we’ve been introduced, but if you’re coming on to me… I’m afraid you’re just not my type.” Whistling under her breath, Nicole picked up her shopping basket and left Wynonna opening and closing her mouth in shock as the men’s rich chuckles followed her as she quickly made her way around to another aisle.

Wynonna was getting more and more difficult to shake off as the day went on. And while Nicole knew it was only a matter of time before Wynonna worked out that she and Waverly were an item, especially as Waverly kept finding any excuse to be with her despite the ever-present threat of her sister… and Nicole could never seem to think of anything she would rather have than Waverly spending time with her.

A coffee here, a touch there, a stolen conversation while she left the station. A lingering lunch and even flat out just strolling in and sitting on her desk while she did paperwork. Luckily the Sheriff just glanced at them and muttered something about Wynonna and left for ‘happy hour’ at Shorty’s.

It wasn’t the first time he had grumbled about Wynonna that day. When Nicole had arrived at the station he had been trying to gruffly console a sobbing Lonnie who Wynonna had apparently threatened to rip limb from limb if he didn’t release Waverly from the cells.

Shooting a smirking Doc and Xavier a glare, Wynonna gathered her composure and set off after the Officer. “Wait a minute there, Red!”

“Hmm?”

“You’ve been hanging around my sister a lot today and… what’s that?”

“Hair dye?” Nicole held up the box of dye she’d managed to grab off the shelf just before Wynonna had rounded the corner and locked her sights on her again. Luckily it actually came close to matching the colour of her natural hair.

Wynonna looked back and forth between the box of dye and Nicole’s hair. “Wait… then that’s not your natural colour?”

“Naw, I just like to stand out,” she smiled as innocently as she could manage with the Alpha’s piercing blue eyes fixed upon her. Nicole could see that it had thrown Wynonna… just as she had hoped. But then this was a game she had played many times, though, granted, not with the sister of an Omega implanted in her heart.

Hair dye always threw off an over-curious wolf though as it just didn’t work on wolves. Didn’t matter how fancy a dye job it was, one change and it stripped it all out and left the wolf the colour of their natural hair.

“You were saying something about your sister?”

“Yeah, Waverly…”

“Oh, you must by Wynonna,” rather than sticking out a hand, Nicole nodded at her and the two men as they finally made their way around to join them. She could see them scenting the air, trying to get a read on her, but she knew that mostly they would get nothing… or maybe a touch of Waverly and the doughnuts she had already placed in her basket to act as a decoy. “Waverly’s been kind enough to show me around town today, get me used to the layout, introduced me to some people and all. Very helpful.”

“Yeah,” Wynonna muttered, “she’s like that.”

“Sure is… well, if y’all excuse me, I need to get this finished, not much time left on my break,” Nicole threw in a little ‘you know how it is,’ grimace. “Gentlemen,” she gave them a nod as she brushed past them and moved towards the checkout.

“I must admit that I like her,” Doc decided as he tried not to chuckle at the utterly bemused expression that trying to pin down the Officer had left on Wynonna’s face.

“You’re not buying that are you, Doc?”

“Of course not, Xavier. I do not think any of us are but look at the facts and what you have seen of Officer Haught… and how she treats our young Waverly.” He nodded to the shop window to where the youngest Earp was sidling up to the Officer as she packed her bag of groceries in the car and gave her a little bump with her hip. “She was not shy about admitting her attraction to our elusive red visitor. Then after two weeks of moping around, she is all over Sheriff Nedley’s shiny new Deputy there and once more looking like she wants to be more than just friendly.”

“Then how do we prove it?” Wynonna growled. She’d felt sure they’d got her and then she’d pulled out the doe-eyed expression and doubled down with the box of hair dye.

“Are you really worried because of her colour?”

“No, I’m worried because she’s my baby sister, Xavier. As for the red wolf, to be honest I kind of feel sorry for her if she did manage to escape the shit show that went down in Georgia or if she was just caught up in the prejudice because of her colour. Messing with my sister though… that makes her my business.”

“Our business,” Doc clarified. “To be fair though, Waverly did try to claim her first.”

“Not helping, Doc!”