The car followed dutifully behind him as he passed the main house and Preston couldn’t help but wonder what Shelly thought of the house he renovated and made his own. But before he had a chance to think about showing her the inside of his home, the small cabin came into view.
Opening the small door to the travel crate, Preston grabbed the puppy that licked his chin as he latched the leash before they hopped down from the truck. He hadn’t quite settled on a name for the puppy, but with the way he had kept Preston up during the night with his whining and howling, he thought the name, Wolf, sounded appropriate.
Shelly and Abel approached, the boy crouching down to scratch the top of the pup’s head while his mother stared at the cabin. Preston was having a hard time reading her expression. Her eyes were wide, eyebrows raised, but he wasn’t sure if that was because she was impressed or terrified.
Squatting beside Abel, Preston handed the end of the leash to the boy and asked if he wanted to walk the pup around the small patch of open yard in front of the cabin while he showed his mom the cabin. The boy jumped at the chance to take care of the dog. It was when the two of them went running in the other direction that Preston realized his mistake. He was alone with Shelly, and in a minute, he would be alone with her in the cabin that he had spent too much money letting his friends decorate for her.
“Ready to see inside?” he asked as he took a step toward her. His question must have surprised her because she jumped skittishly before turning her attention away from the cabin toward him.
“Sorry,” she apologized. “I, just. . .is this really it?”
Suddenly Preston felt like a child about to be reprimanded. He knew the cabin wasn’t going to come up to snuff for a woman that had recently traveled the world.
“I. . .er. . .if it’s not right for you, I can call Cassidy and her brother Austin could probably help you find someplace to rent. If I remember correc
tly her younger brother Jameson bought a bunch of houses in a rundown neighborhood to flip them.” He was rambling. He always rambled when he got nervous and Shelly made him tenser than he had ever been around a woman.
“Preston.” She interrupted his internal musing by placing her small hand on his exposed arm. “It’s beautiful. Honestly, it’s way better than anything I could have imagined. Are you sure you want to rent this? You could get a good a lot more if you sold it.”
“Yeah, but then I’d have to share the land or sell a parcel of it. And I don’t know if you’re aware, but there aren’t a lot of people that want to live on the sheriff’s property.”
“Which is strange because I would think a lot of people would think that would be a bonus.”
“What about you?” He asked curiously.
“What about me?”
“Is it a bonus for you?” He hadn’t flirted with a woman in a long time. Usually, it wasn’t necessary to get his needs fulfilled, and with the way Shelly’s cheeks turned the faintest shade of rouge, Preston figured he hadn’t forgotten how.
“I. . .um. . .” she started, then paused to lick her lips. Preston’s pants tightened around his hips as he watched her soft pink tongue brush against the soft flesh. He wanted to feel that tongue slide against his own. “I haven’t decided yet.”
“Want to change that?” his voice sounded deep and husky to his own ears, and he wondered if she caught the double meaning.
“What?”
“I mean, do you want to see the inside and decide if it’s worth it to live on the sheriff’s property.”
“Oh! Yeah, lead the way.”
He took a step forward and walked up the small porch before opening the front door for her. What he really wanted to do was lead her back to his house and show her all the ways he was very good at changing her mind.”
Standing to the side as she entered, he tried to hide his smile as she gasped in surprise, but he failed miserably.
“Seriously?” she questioned, spinning on her heels to look at him. “Everything in here is exactly what I would have chosen. Everything.”
“So, you like it?” he asked.
“Love it! Preston, it’s amazing. How did you do all of this?” Shelly began to walk around the open living room and kitchen before her gaze landed on the large yard on the other side of her cabin, complete with a fire pit and gazebo.
“I confess I didn’t do it all. I painted and made sure all electrical, plumbing, and HVAC were up to date, but Cassidy orchestrated an ambush on me this weekend. So, the furnishings were chosen by Sydney and Nikki.”
“Ah, that explains it,” she replied with a knowing look, one he was sure her son received far too often. “Sydney gave me the weirdest look this morning, like she knew a secret. Makes sense now.”
“Do you have any questions or see anything you want to be changed? I still have the receipts.”
“My only question so far is which way to the bedrooms.” Preston joined in her chuckle as he pointed down the hallway where they came to Abel’s room first.
He had asked the women to keep any themes to a minimum. He remembered how quickly he grew out of superheroes and race cars. What they had decided on was a room filled with navy blue and lime green accents. The entire far wall was filled with floating shelves so that Abel could fill them with whatever he wanted.