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?”