Slim Sherman drabble #1

It's been A. WHILE. since I've really written for ANY characters or fandoms. Trying to get my groove back, I decided to work with prompts to get quick little things out and it's really helped! They may or may not show up again in the longer stories. 

*Note: These are unedited*

Naomi Culver found herself stranded at the Sherman ranch for the last three weeks. The family, she used that word loosely, that left her here just outside of Laramie, Wyoming wasn't even worth going after and Philadelphia was too far to return alone. Her parents and brother long since passed on, there were little to no options for her moving forward. 

 

Luckily Slim Sherman, the owner of the ranch, his brother Andy, longtime family friend Jonesy, and friend and hired hand Jess Harper took her right in. They worried over her more than she anticipated and she felt guilty for being dumped in their laps so unceremoniously. But, they always reassured her that her presence was a welcome change, especially when she began to cook in Jonesy’s stead.

 

“Well now Naomi, that was the best meal we’ve had around here in a long time.” Jonesy admitted one evening after spending most of the day defending his own cooking.

 

“Are you sure you’re okay with me cooking? I don’t want to step on anyone’s toes around here. I just want to make sure I’m pulling my weight.”

 

“Oh no, you aren’t steppin’ on my toes. I’ve got plenty to do around here and it’s one less thing to hear them complain about.” He gestured across the table to Slim and Jess.

 

“Okay, well hopefully I won’t disappoint.” She chuckled and stood and started gathering their dishes.

 

“No, you just sit down. We’ll take care of the dishes.” Slim stood and took the plates out of her hands.

 

She sat back and chatted with Jess and Jonesy while Andy and Slim washed up. It was nice to feel wanted, but there were still some pangs of loneliness and not quite feeling like she belonged no matter how good these men were to her.

 

Her sleep was restless and just as the sun was rising, she decided to give up. She quietly got herself together and walked out to the front porch to enjoy the quiet of the morning before the rest awoke.

 

Being a light sleeper, Slim had heard Naomi get up and head outside. It wasn’t too terribly early, so he decided to dress and check on her. Despite her laughing and talking with them the night before, he detected some distance from her. When he approached the front door, he moved the curtain aside to reveal her leaning against the porch rail in a daze.

 

The click of the door opening startled her and she turned to see Slim. She gave him a half-hearted smile as his towering 6’2” frame approached her.

 

“You’re up early this mornin’.” He leaned against the post to her right.

 

“Mmm, yeah I had a hard time sleeping last night. Got tired of fighting it.” They stood there in comfortable silence and Naomi appreciated that he wasn’t going to try and ‘fix’ this problem for her. If there was one thing that was clear in the whole mess, it was Slim. He’d been more accommodating and kind to her than she ever expected. Even more, she found herself falling for him.

 

“Tell you what,” Slim gently placed a hand on her shoulder. “I’ll go get coffee and breakfast started.”

 

“Thank you.” She reached up and placed her hand on top of his for a moment, their eyes locked before he pulled away and went back into the house.  Returning to her thoughts, she tried to straighten out what she could before heading back inside to take over breakfast.

 

“Oh well thank goodness!” Jonesy exclaimed when she entered the kitchen. “I thought you’d run away and we were at the mercy of Slim’s cookin’ this morning.”

 

Naomi couldn’t stop the chuckle that rose in her throat as she took the eggs out of Slim’s hands. “Now, he can’t be that bad. Are you?”

 

“I don’t think you want to find out.” He gave her a wide grin before heading off to get Andy moving.

 

Naomi shook her head and got breakfast together while the others worked on their morning chores. Once they came in, they ate relatively quickly before they had to get back to work. She took her time clearing the dishes and just let her mind wander before moving onto the laundry and mending she had volunteered to tackle for the boys.

 

As she was hanging their freshly washed laundry, Andy jogged over to her. She smiled as he found a place to sit and chat with her. He had really taken to Naomi and they especially connected over their love of animals.

 

“Did you have any pets back in Philadelphia?”

 

“We had a few cats around. But, we lived in town so they never stuck around for long. I certainly tried.” Naomi gave him a sad smile thinking about what used to be.

 

“Oh! We have a cat that’s going to have some kittens soon. Slim will let you keep one around.”

 

“Speaking of Slim.” Naomi caught sight of him coming their way around the sheet she’d just hung. “You finished what you were supposed to right?” Andy nodded. “You better get cleaned up for lunch then.”

 

Slim walked up to Naomi, who was hanging the last blanket on the line. Tucking his work gloves in his pocket, he ducked under the line where she was standing.

 

“Hey! I just washed all of that!” She watched as the blanket and sheet next to it dragged against his sleeve. “You’re all dusty.” She grumbled more or less to herself before she noticed the grin on his face. “Oh, you think that’s funny? How funny will it be when that blanket goes on your bed?” She placed her hands on her hip.

 

“I’ve slept in worse conditions.” He chuckled and went into a full laugh when she rolled her eyes at him. I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” He placed his hands on both of her shoulders before one hand went to her cheek.

 

Naomi huffed and looked up at him. “I know you are.” She leaned her cheek into his hand. “I guess I’ve been feeling a little on edge today.”

 

“I noticed.” He let his hands fall away as she turned to fuss with the sheets and blankets some more. “Do you want to talk about it?”

 

“I’ve just been thinking a lot about home, well what used to be home anyway.” She turned to look at him, one hand still fidgeting with the sheet. “I keep trying to straighten out what I want and what is ahead of me and it just hasn’t been clear. You’d think after three weeks something would have come to me.”

 

Slim just listened to her quietly and fought the urge to pull her to him. He knew that she’d been a blessing around here and had heard quite enough from Jess and Jonesy about his feelings for her.

 

“But, today it dawned on me. All I ever wanted is right here in front of me Slim.” She released the sheet and stepped closer to him. “Especially you. I feel like I’m home whenever I see you.” 

 

“Are you saying you wanna stay?” He reached out and caressed her cheek, letting his hand rest on her jaw.

 

“Will you have me?” She shifted closer to him and placed her hands on his chest.

 

“Mmhmm.” He hummed and leaned down pressing a soft kiss to her lips.

 

Naomi’s eyes fluttered open as he pulled away and a mischievous twinkle came to her eye. “Then kiss me like you mean it.”

 

Slim didn’t hesitate pulling her up against him, both hands on either side of her face. He felt her arms wrap around his waist as she relaxed into his kiss. Breaking away for just a moment to catch a breath, he had to smile to himself as she whined quietly. His lips met hers again with even more passion than before and completely oblivious to anyone nearby.

 

“Looks like I’ll be making lunch today.” Jonesy stated as he, Jess, and Andy stood watching Slim and Naomi. “Come on Andy, you help.”

 

“You think they’ll be done before supper? I don’t know if my stomach can handle your cooking twice today.” Jess joked as he followed them inside.

 

Hearing the less than quiet commentary, Naomi slowly pulled away. “You think I should go in and fix lunch?”

 

“You could or I could keep showin’ you how much I want you here. I’ve lived this long with Jonesy’s cooking.”

 

“True.” She turned her cheek and rested it against his chest. “Don’t want to spoil you boys with too much good cooking now do I?”