Chapter 7

CHAPTER SEVEN

Quinn’s place was a little cottage on Main Street.

As the marshal, he needed to be close enough to town to respond to any emergencies. Though there weren’t many in Big Cedar.

“I’ll warn you,” he said. “The extra bedroom is set up for a Little.”

“Oh. You, eh, have one?” she asked. She seemed disappointed at the prospect.

“Nope. Just thinking ahead,” he explained. “And I have friends in the Community who drop by and visit. Like I said, we don’t have any hotels around here, so they just stay with me when they come through these parts.”

Alyssa seemed to understand that when he said the Community , he was talking about the AgePlay Community rather than Big Cedar itself.

“If it bothers you,” he said, “I can crash in there and let you take my room.”

“No, it’s fine,” she quickly assured him.

Bother her? Was he kidding? he asked himself. He suspected it was going to be a dream come true.

That hunch was confirmed when she saw the room and he read the delight in her eyes.

There were two beds—one “normal” and one toddler-style, but sized for an adult. There was a toy box against one wall and a chest of drawers on another. An oversized rocking chair rested in the corner near the window.

“Feel free to take whichever bed you want,” he said. “And you’ll have your own bathroom. Make yourself at home and stay as long as you’d like.”

She giggled as she continued to survey the room. A moment later, she hugged Quinn. “Thank you so much!”

He returned the embrace, holding her close and savoring the feeling of having the cutie pressed tightly against him.

I could get used to this, he thought. Wouldn’t take long at all, either.

Letting go, he said, “Hey, do you have any luggage?”

“Oh yeah!” she quickly replied. “The suitcase is in my car.”

“I don’t mind jogging over to Clyde’s place and getting it. I can see what the status of those repairs is, too.”

“You want me to come?”

“Only if you want to.”

She was about to answer, but a yawn stopped her.

“Why don’t you stay here and catch a little nap,” he suggested.

She thought it over and nodded. “Yeah. I guess I am sleepy. I’ve been under a lot of stress lately.”

“Do you want to talk about it?” Quinn asked.

He watched as she mulled it over, chewing on the inside of her cheek. Finally, she shook her head. “Everything is fine. Just had a lot going on.”

“Well, maybe this trip will be good for you,” he said. “These mountains have a way of resetting folks. They recharge the soul.”

“I guess you’re right. I know I just live in Arkansas, but Little Rock isn’t anything like this.”

He waved off the very notion that it might be. “It’s just a big city.”

She giggled. “Most people wouldn’t call Little Rock big. Compared to New York or Chicago or something.”

He grinned. “And most people don’t live in Big Cedar.”

“You got me there.” She stretched and yawned again. “Are you sure you’re fine with me staying here?”

“Of course. If you’re fine being in a strange house by yourself.”

“It doesn’t seem strange. It feels… homey.”

He grinned even wider. He sure liked the sound of that.

Maybe this cutie would one day call his house her home.

And call him Daddy.

“They sold that poor girl a lemon. I hope she didn’t give too much for it.” Clyde scowled as if whoever had ripped Alyssa off had personally affronted him.

Quinn was disappointed in the news, but not surprised by it. He’d suspected as much. “What’s wrong with it?”

“Well, for starters… radiator issues, some bad hoses, and a faulty thermostat. I could go on. But fixing those things should take care of the overheating and get her up and running again. For how long though, well, I can’t say.”

“I’ll cover the tab,” Quinn said.

Clyde grinned. “I figured you’d say that. I’ll bring ‘er in for as cheap as possible.”

“Much obliged,” Quinn replied with a nod. “I’m going to grab her suitcase out of the back here.” He reached in, took out the single piece of luggage, and shut the door. “Thanks again, Clyde.”

“Just give me a couple of days. I’ll have to order a few of those parts.”

“She’s good until then,” Quinn said, already rolling the suitcase out the open garage door.

“Hey, Quinn?”

Quinn turned around.

“You think she’s the sweet Little you’ve been looking for?”

Quinn could hardly suppress a grin. He tried hard, though. He didn’t want to get anyone’s hopes up. Especially his own.

“Hell, Clyde, I just met her. She’s just a gal in town to visit a friend.”

Clyde snorted, smiling. “A mighty pretty gal in town to visit a friend.”

Quinn nodded. He couldn’t dispute that. It was fact.

Without another word, he headed out, deciding to pick up the suitcase so the hard street didn’t hurt the wheels. It only took him a few minutes to walk to his house. He came in quietly, just in case Alyssa was asleep.

It was a good thing, because that turned out to be the case.

As he poked his head into the extra bedroom, he saw a sight that warmed his heart and awoke every Daddy instinct he had.

Alyssa was asleep in the Little bed. She’d found one of the stuffed bears from the toy box and was hugging it tightly.

Quinn battled the urge he felt to go pick her up and carry her to his bed. It was hard, but he managed to refrain somehow.

Maybe he’d hold her tight and take care of her when she woke up. That was, if she’d let him.

The Daddy inside was roaring to get out. It was a battle to keep him caged.

He’d only known the woman a couple of hours, and already he was wondering if he’d win that battle.

It sure was getting harder by the second.