Finally taking in the master bedroom, Shelly was surprised at how spacious it seemed. Though tiny compared to her bedroom in the condo in New York, which was surprising in its own right, Shelly felt a sense of ease in the space. The colors were muted to give the space a serenity for relaxation. But the icing on the cake were the two windows that looked out into the back yard. Despite her reservations at being so closer to Sheriff Savage, she couldn’t dispute the fact that the cabin was perfect.
Taking a peek in the surprisingly deep closet, Shelly felt her phone vibrate in her back pocket. She had a message from Cassidy asking what she thought of the rental. Shelly couldn’t deny that her friend had done a wonderful job at finding her a home to rent and sent a thumbs-up emoji as a reply.
She wasn’t sure how much time had passed as she took another tour of the house, amazed that he had even furnished the cookware. Preston had pulled out all of the stops and Shelly was incredibly impressed.
She glanced out to the small surrounding yard using the front door, but couldn’t find her son or Preston. A bark sounded off in the distance and Shelly followed the noise to the large landscaped back yard they passed on the way to the cabin. There she found Abel and Preston taking turns throwing a ball for the puppy to chase.
Slowly she approached the group, standing behind Preston, and murmured a greeting, but neither of them noticed her. Preston grabbed the ball from Ace as the puppy dropped it at his feet, wagging his tail excitedly. Shelly was so lost in the moment, smiling at the good dog, that she didn’t notice Preston gearing up to throw the ball.
He took a massive step back, his arm moving in unison, as he collided with her. His foot and leg crashing right into hers, knocking her to the ground.
“Shit,” he exclaimed as he dropped the ball back to the ground and reached down to help her stand. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t see you there.”
“That’s okay,” she replied, clasping his hand to stand. She tried to ignore the sizzle from his touch, but the moment their eyes met, she knew that he felt it too. This feeling was dangerous and she was worried about the ramifications of what that meant. He was a cop, and they had turned her stomach sour time and time again.
But dammit, if his blue eyes didn’t sparkle as she stood close enough to catch a whiff of his masculine scent. He squeezed her hand that still held his before she slipped her palm free, instantly missing the feel of his skin. She brushed the back of her pants to break the spell he had her under.
“It’s my fault. I got too close.”
“Are you sure?” he asked, and when she glanced up, she noticed the confusion across his features.
“Yeah,” she began, then her son ran over with Ace trailing closely behind.
“Mom! Sheriff Savage said if we stayed here, I could play with the puppy whenever I wanted and if it was okay with you, I could come to the obedience classes with him. Isn’t that cool?” Shelly turned her gaze from Abel to Preston, who looked away sheepishly.
“Not above bribery, are you?”
Shrugging his broad shoulders beneath the tight T-shirt, he looked away in denial. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Mmhmm,” she said in the mom-tone she had mastered when disciplining Abel. Turning her attention back to her son, she said, “Well, I guess it’s a good thing that I love the house and I think it’s the perfect fit for us.”
Abel screamed and shouted in joy, earning a few howls from Ace in return.
“But,” Shelly interrupted his celebration, “we’ll have to talk about the obedience classes. I’m sure Ace needs to keep the distractions to a minimum.”
“But,” he began to stutter, but as she turned her gaze lethal. “Yes, ma’am,” Abel replied dutifully.
“Man, you’ll have to teach me that one. I bet I could get someone to piss their pants with that look.”
“Sorry, it’s a mom only secret.”
“Well, if you were serious about the rental, I have the paperwork up at the main house. We can get it signed and come to an agreement on the rental fee, though honestly, it’s whatever you’re comfortable with. The cabin was just sitting empty on the property and it has its own utilities you can cover.”
“Yes, please. It really is wonderful.”
“If you want to follow me, I have everything in my kitchen. You’ll be able to see Abel playing in the yard from the window.”
Nodding, she followed him across the large two-acre yard, making sure Abel knew to play a little closer to the house. They made small talk. She learned that he had lived in the town for about five years but moved into the house two years ago.
She was surprised to find the house more modern than it appeared from the outside. Dark-stained wooden planks ran the length of the house and complimented the creamy white walls. She imagined that his work life was full of chaos and mayhem, so that when he came home, he wanted a place that relaxed him.
“You’re place is lovely.”
“Thank you. I had some help from my mom decorating, but I’m happy with it. Over here are the papers.” He gestured to a large table with a small stack of papers and when they drew closer, he pulled out a chair for her to sit.
“Thanks.”
The rental agreement was straightforward and they negotiated a rental rate that she was happy with, even though he insisted that she could just cover the utilities. She didn’t want to be a charity case, especially not to him.
Once she finished signing her name, Shelly glanced toward the window and smiled. Her son was having the time of his life outside in the large yard.
“He seems to be enjoying himself.”
“Yeah, he loves the outdoors.”
“Did you. . .um. . .did you want to see the rest of the house?”
Could she be alone with him in his house? She knew that Abel would be fine in the yard, but did she trust herself? Her head and heart seemed to be battling a war against each other and Shelly felt like her soul was the one that was going to lose out.
Taking a deep breath, she turned her gaze in his direction. “Yes, I’d love to see more.”
And as he took her around the upper floor to see the upstairs bedrooms and the loft that had been turned into an office, Shelly found herself loving his house almost if not more than she loved the cabin. Luckily he seemed to be keeping his distance as he gave the tour, no more bodies brushing against each other as they had earlier.
And she couldn’t figure out why that disappointed her so much.
Chapter Five
Preston had been working endlessly since the Monday he showed Shelly the cabin. The summer tourist season was brutal. Not just an increase of people in his town to keep an eye on, but due to the wineries and breweries, there was a boost in drunk driving charges. He and Alexis had found themselves writing more tickets for DUIs this season than any year prior. He considered that he would have to request a budget increase to add another deputy or two if things continued this way.
A soft knock on his door brought his attention away from his computer, where he was running a search on a man he pulled over the night before. Something about the tourist didn’t sit right, and when he ran the plates, they came up under a completely different name, but hadn’t been listed as stolen.