Texas saves Isabelle, though not without taking some damage herself

It wasn't until the ice was a foot from Isabelle's head that she decided to open her eyes and saw the massive block of ice barreling down at her. There wasn't enough time for her to even register the thread before she was shoved to the side. Texas had managed to get there just in the nick of time to push her to safety... of course, that left the weasel in the ice's path instead. All Texas could do was look up and whimper, resigning herself to what was to come...

*BOOOOM!*

"Good lord! Miss Stanton!" Frank cried, placing his hands on top of his head in disbelief. The ice hadn't so much as cracked as it collided with with the ground. The parts of the sheriff they could still see were her twitching hands and feet. The rest of her was completely obscured, though the ice was just see-through enough that they could make out the pained expression on her flattened face. The delivery men went to work in an instant, each one taking hold of one side and lifting with all the strength they could manage. Even with their combined might, this proved a difficult task as they could only manage to get it a foot off the ground before their legs began to buckle.

"Hey, lady!" one of them snapped as he looked over at the bewildered belle. "You gotta... snatch her up... before we... drop this thing...!"

Isabelle blinked, snapping out of her stupor as she nodded and knelt down to grab the weasel's ponytail. It took a bit of effort on her part, the impact leaving the sheriff almost ingrained into the dirt itself. After a few more tugs, she managed to peel Texas free. Seconds later the delivery men dropped the ice back down and sighed in relief.

It took a good half hour for Texas's body to fully reform. During that time, the delivery men hastily brought the block of ice into the tavern and hightailed it as far as they could. The situation was hectic enough for them but once Frank informed them that they had just crushed the town sheriff, they didn't want to stick around to face the consequences of their actions. Texas wasn't normally the type to take such a slight lying down, but Isabelle's presence managed to temper her fury. The two of them sat at the counter, the sheriff's hand gripped tightly around a glass of whiskey while Isabelle sipped away at her iced tea without a care in the world.

"This trip proven to be been quite exhilarating! I can't wait to tell mother about how I was saved by a strong, brave, gorgeous lawman~" the sheep cooed. "Twice in the same evening, no less!" Her praise flattered Texas, though her expression was less than amused.

"Ah... appreciate the sentiment, but... look, ah ain't gonna sugar coat this. Ya'll gotta be more careful walkin' around the town, missy. Ah hate to think what woulda happened to you if ah wasn't around to help ya" Texas said sternly. She expected Isabelle throw out an airheaded rebuttal but to her surprise, the sheep looked down at her drink with a somber expression.

"Had you not arrived to save me from those brutes, there's a good chance that a terrible fate would have befallen them... just like every other unfortunate soul who's lives have been blighted by me..." she said softly.

"Now what in tarnation is THAT spose to mean?" Texas asked curiously.

"It's... a rather long story... and not a particularly happy one at that. Since I was born, I have been considered something of an omen by those around me. I was the only sheep among my family to have ever been born with black wool; the literal Black Sheep of the family. That was all that was needed for them to ostracize me, as they feared that my very presence would bring misfortune to them..."

"They gave you the cold shoulder just because of the color'a yer wool? Now if that ain't the saddest bunch of folk ah ever heard of! Don't let those varmints get ya down. Black looks great on you!" Texas said assuredly. Isabelle blushed brightly and smiled for a moment before her dour expression returned.

"Their fears were not unfounded. A cloud of bad luck seems to hover over me at all times, affecting those closest to me. I was the middle child of eight... was"

Her words gave the sheriff pause, making her freeze mid-sip of her drink. She had hoped to provide comfort to the sheep, but what could she say after having such a bombshell dropped on her? Swallowing her drink, she gave Isabelle a pat on the back.

"Very sorry for your lost... " the sheriff said softly.

"W-what? Oh no, they aren't dead!" Isabelle clarified frantically. "Although I'm willing to wager that **** would probably have been the preferred outcome for most of them..."

"See, now ya lost me" Texas said before downing the rest of her drink.

"Perhaps I should have explained. Back down south, my family runs business harvesting cotton and manufacturing high quality garments for distinguished ladies. We're quite well known in the region, our estate being something of a landmark for passing tourists but I digress. My siblings and I were taught how to work a mill long before we even learned to read or write! It was a charmed life until I became a teenager and my curse reared it's head for the first time...

"First was my oldest sister Janice. She fell into one of the bins and ended up getting weaved into a corset. There there was Cynthia, the second oldest. She somehow managed to get her hair stuck in one of the looms. I think she ended up as a blanket... or was that Malinda? No no, Malinda got her foot caught in one of the conveyor belts and got made into a pair of curtains. I think it was Amanda was the blanket..."

"Ah thought you said that they weren't dead" Texas interjected curiously.

"Oh, they're still alive. Mama and I keep them around the estate, away from the prying eyes of the locals. What happened to my siblings was a tragedy and the last thing we wanted was for them to be gawked at by some nosy locals!" she said with a huff.

"Well... sorry to hear that ya'll went through that. Ah don't see why you'd blame yerself though"

"I would have thought the same had it not continued to happen well into my young adulthood. When I was old enough, the responsibility of running the estate fell upon my shoulders, a job that would have been given to my siblings had they been more... umm... able bodied. Such an important position necessitated that I form connections with other captains of industry and that would often lead to... um..." she paused and blushed as she drummed her fingers on the table. "Well, let's just say I've had more than a few romantic romps with my supposed business partners..."

Texas listened intently, though she was having a bit of trouble wrapping her head around the sheep's diction. It wasn't often that you'd hear someone speak in such a verbose manner in Gold Springs. Her brow raised at the mention of Isabelle's past romantic encounters. The sheep seemed so naïve and innocent that Texas had a hard time believing it.

"It's been five years since I took over the estate... and in those five years, I've been married seven times. Thus far, every single one has ended in disaster. My last husband was the owner of a massive construction company and somehow he wound up falling into a cement mixer. By the time they realized that he was missing, there was nothing left of him but grey mush and a pair of eyes. The actually had the gall to send him to my estate as a statue as if that would make up for their blunder!"

"Well, that's... something" Texas said as she looked away nervously. When she picked up this stranger from the edge of town, she hadn't expected things to become so morose. She began to wonder if there was some merit to this supposed "curse", especially after the incident with the ice block. The weasel's attention was brought back to Isabelle as she felt the familiar warmth of the sheep's bosom resting against her arm. Texas shivered as their gazes met and she saw the warmth laying beneath the sheep's eyes.

"But... I think all that's behind me now..." she said as she nuzzled into the flustered sheriff's shoulder. "I travelled all this way in the hopes of getting my mind off my most recent loss. When those two brutes assailed me, I thought that there would be no end to my misfortune. Then you came riding over the hill and saved me, as if you were my own guardian angel..."

"W-Well, ah um... a-ah was just d-doin' mah job..." Texas stammered bashfully, the heat beginning to rise in her face once again. Isabelle either didn't hear the sheriff or didn't care as she leaned in with an amorous smile.

"A woman as fetching as yourself must have suitors lined up by the dozen. Tell me... are you single...?"

"Uh wa- woowee, would ya look at the time!" the weasel shouted suddenly as she jumped to her feet, freeing her arm from the lusty belle's grip. "It won't be long before the sun starts to set! Ya'll wanted a tour of the town, right? We'd be get moving before we it gets too dark!" Texas said, her words coming out a mile a minute as she tried to ease her nerves. She took a moment to grab what remained of her drink and tossed it back in a single gulp before she started towards the exit.

"Oh yes! In all this excitement I've completely lost track of the time!" Isabelle said as she stood to her feet and brushed the dust off her dress. Her flirtations demeanor dropped in an instant as she hustled to join the skittish weasel outside. She found Texas leaned up against the support beam, her cheeks flushed as she tried to wipe the sweat off her face with a handkerchief.

"S-So, should we get movin'?" Texas asked with a nervous grin. Isabelle nodded eagerly and took hold of the sheriff's hand again.

"Yes, please! I want to see all there is to see in this town!" the giddy sheep exclaimed. Texas was happy to oblige, but Gold Springs wasn't exactly a tourist haven. She wracked her brain trying to think of somewhere interesting to take Isabelle, but in the end, left it to the sheep to decide where they went next.