“Hey, is this my room?” The young boy scurried into the room, holding the dog in his arms.
“Sure is.”
“It’s awesome! What do you think, Ace?” he asked as he stared down at the puppy.
“Ace?” Preston inquired.
“Yeah, I hadn’t heard you call him a name yet, and while we were walking, we decided on the name Ace.” The boy spoke as he looked down at the dog, he had bestowed a name upon, but then stopped and glanced up at Preston with wide eyes filled with worry. “Is that okay?”
“Oh, yeah, sure. Ace is a great name for him. Thanks for helping me pick it,” Preston said without missing a beat, reaching out to rub the top of Ace’s head. “Ready to see the master?”
“Abel, keep the dog in your room, please. Preferably in your arms so he doesn’t get dirt and hair everywhere, okay?”
Preston wanted to chime in that it wasn’t a big deal, but Abel agreed without even the slightest hint of a temper tantrum.
Preston guided Shelly from the smaller bedroom, pointing at the one full bath across the way that they would share, before leading her to the door at the end of the hall.
“Now remember, the Connelly girls chose everything in this room. My only input was the paint color. So, if you hate it, you’ll have to take it up with them.”
She giggled at his comment as she pushed past him into the room and Preston vowed that he would do his best to make her smile and laugh whenever he could. Just as he went to follow her inside the room, the phone in his pocket vibrated. Glancing at the number on the screen, he knew he’d have to take the call and told Shelly he’d be just outside taking a work call.
As much as he hated the interruption, it served as a hardy reminder that he needed to keep his distance from Shelly. His job required him twenty-four-seven and that left no time for a relationship. It didn’t help that his assistant knew his whereabouts at all times.
“Hey, Jackie. What we got?”
***
Shelly was glad that Preston had stepped away from the room. Her body was wound so tight she was afraid she’d spring loose like a jack in the box. Leaning her hip against the queen-sized bed, Shelly pressed her hand to her chest. Her heart was pounding and she felt like she had run a marathon.
It took a few deep and steady breaths, but finally, Shelly found herself relaxing. Well, as relaxed as much as she could in a room that smelled like fresh paint and Preston. His scent was everywhere and she wasn’t sure if she wanted to bask in it or run.
“Mom,” Abel shouted as he came dashing into her room with the puppy tucked safely in his arms. “Look what Ace can do!”
Without placing the dog on the floor, Abel asked the cute beagle to give him his paw, to which he complied dutifully.
“That’s great, Abel.”
“I taught him that like two seconds ago. He’s super smart. Do you think Sheriff Savage would let me watch him sometimes? That way I get practice for my own.”
“Um. . .sure. We can ask him later though. I’m sure he has a lot going on. You know, as Sheriff, he pretty much keeps the entire town safe. Isn’t that neat?” she pried, enjoying how Abel’s eyes widened in awe.
“Really? So, he’s like the town superhero.”
“That’s one way to look at it.”
“Wow,” Abel said with a dazed look in his eyes, until the puppy licked his cheek, causing them both to laugh. “I’m going to take Ace back outside. I love my room!”
“Alright, just be careful,” Shelly reminded her precocious son. It’s not that Abel was in trouble frequently, but he had a knack for getting into things he shouldn’t be. She supposed that was like many children.
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 glance
d 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.