“Sorry,” she said just as he wrapped an arm around her waist and held her close, the tiniest of smiles lifting the edge of his mouth. Maybe they weren’t as bad off as Savannah thought.
Still holding her, Beau reached out and shook the sheriff’s hand before guiding her from the building. They had driven from her grandfather’s house early that morning and now Savannah was regretting it. She wasn’t sure she could be confined in a small space with Beau and not beg him to take time off from work and have his way with her. The feel of his hand and arm along her waist was still simmering under her skin.
“My mom finished moving today. Husband number eight, I think. I really lost count at this point. I need to grab a few boxes of my dad’s. Want to join me? Or I can drop you off at the clinic.”
“I’d love to go.”
Savannah was eager to see the place where Beau had lived in Carson before venturing out on his own. As he helped her into the truck, he mentioned that it wasn’t too far from the town.
It only took about ten minutes for him to turn into a small but well-kept neighborhood. There were tell-tale signs that kids played in their yards. A tire hung by a rope on a tree for a swing, a plastic slide, a make-shift clubhouse. It was both idyllic and sad.
Savannah could see why Beau’s mother would choose this part of Carson to put down some sort of roots, but he never got the chance to play like the other kids. From everything she had learned, Beau was more like the parent with his mother.
He’d explained that she was still reeling from his father's death, seeming to not get over it. She continued to wear her wedding band, just on the opposite hand. She grieved by covering it up with the joy of love, Beau never got the chance to grieve. This surprised Savannah that he planned to stay close to his mom in case things fell through again. He was too afraid of what would happen if he wasn’t there to catch her.
Beau turned the truck into a gravel driveway where a small peach-colored bungalow sat. It was an older house but well maintained. Savannah loved it instantly.
“It’s cute,” she told him as they exited the truck. Beau grunted in response as he headed toward the backyard, where Savannah could see a shed in the far corner.
He unlocked the door, started lifting a box, and returned to the truck. Savannah attempted to help, but the boxes weighed more than she suspected. She was only able to carry one in the same amount of time it took Beau to carry the remainder.
By the end, they had wordlessly carried six boxes of his father’s belongings out of the shed and deposited them into the truck.
He had already explained that there was a storage space above the auto garage where he planned to put the items until he was ready to move permanently.
On the way back to the clinic, Beau said nothing but reached for her hand, which she happily obliged. Savannah loved seeing her much smaller hand encased in his. She loved when he’d wrap his huge arms around her shoulders. It made her feel like a living doll. And she loved the way he gave her all of him without question.
Love? Did she love him?
Savannah’s hand clenched in Beau’s and he glanced over and asked if she was okay. She nodded and tried to release her hold, but Beau held firm.
She was mortified. She’d moved to the small town and done the one thing she never wanted; she got attached and fell in love.
What an idiot!
Finally, the truck pulled off the road and parked in the lot adjacent to the clinic. Savannah hopped out of the door before Beau could turn off the engine and made her way toward the entrance.
“Savannah?” he called out, his arm resting on the open window and his head poking over.
“Yeah?”
“I’m going to have Alexis keep you company tonight.”
“What? Why?” she asked, instantly alarmed. Could he tell that she had fallen for him? Was there some secret code she didn’t know about?
“I have my tux fitting at Cassidy’s.”
“Oh. Um. . .okay. Well, I’ll see you later.”
“Yeah.”
Savannah spent the rest of the day on edge. Nothing seemed to be going right. The computer system crashed. She had to wrangle with a cat that wanted to use Savannah’s arms as a scratch post. They had four sick dogs in the clinic go into cardiac arrest. And there was a storm covering most of the county and the lights were flickering off and on for the last two hours the clinic was open.
By the time Alexis knocked on her office door, Savannah was ready to call it a night. It had been the Mondayest Tuesday ever. She’d texted Savannah earlier and they made plans to watch a couple of movies and order pizza.
They moved toward the main house and through the secure door, Alexis going first so that she could check the space. Savannah had thought Beau was being overprotective, but she quickly learned everyone in the town did the same things.
“Cliff is bringing our pizza, by the way,” Alexis said as she returned and signaled that it was safe for Savannah to enter.
“That’s okay. He doesn’t need to do that. We can just have it delivered.”
“Well, see, here is the thing. He doesn’t want us to open the door to any strangers. Plus, he has a late scheduled client to tattoo tonight. It works out.”
“Whatever you say. I’m fine with anything but anchovies. Do you mind if I go change?”
“Not at all. I’ll queue up the first movie.”