“She’s okay with other dogs?” he asked.
“Wonderful,” Helena said. “She’s a true lady, through and through. Do you think you could do something with her?”
“I do,” he told her. “I’m pretty sure we can find a job for her to do, though I’ll want to spend some time with her to figure out exactly what, and to make sure she’s really ready.”
“I’ll tell you what,” Helena said. “You take her with you today, and if anything makes you rethink that decision, you bring her right back to me. Most times we ask our adopters to make a full commitment, but obviously this is a very different scenario, and I appreciate you giving Shadow a chance to have a more interesting life.”
“Worst case, she’ll make someone a wonderfulcompanion dog,” Ransom said, giving the pretty girl another pat. “Want to come home with me, Shadow? It’ll be a lot of work.”
Shadow smiled at him, her tongue lolling out of her mouth as her tail swept back and forth like she understood him.
“Let’s do the paperwork,” he told Helena. “Then you can take a look at those donations.”
“She’s a lucky girl,” Helena said. “Right time, right place, right person.”
Ransom smiled at that. Lately he’d been feeling lost, but suddenly he felt the puzzle pieces of his life sliding back together like they were always meant to fit this way—not just the dog, but the kids, his sister, the house, and especially the arrival of his new neighbor.
I just need to manage to hold it all together this time.
11
HAILEY
Hailey stepped into the library at the farmhouse and sighed happily as she looked at the painted walls and ceiling.
“Wow,” she said to herself, feeling a little whisper of pride.
Ransom had gently recommended that she actually do the ceiling and the walls before the trim, and she was grateful for that advice, since those flat expanses were definitely the easiest part of the room.
And yesterday she had beenverygrateful for the tarps Ransom brought as she set about painting the ceiling. No matter how careful she tried to be, paint dripped everywhere, and she got it in her hair and even her eyelashes at one point.
But the job was done now, and the result was actually really nice. It had been encouraging to see it this morning when she set about starting the walls, which were also a snowy white.
Even with the furniture and books taking up thewhole center of the room, she could see how nicely it was all coming together. The space was already brighter, and she knew the white walls and ceiling would make the Tiffany blue of the bookshelves pop once she got them painted. And it was easier to do white on both the walls and ceiling while she was still learning.
“Tomorrow the trim,” she said to herself happily.
It would be difficult and time-consuming to paint so much by hand, but she had been looking forward to adding bright colors here and there since the day she made an offer on the place. And now that she had been working with paint again for two days, she felt more ready.
Aidan the carpenter was going to be painting the kitchen cabinets and putting on new pulls. He would probably do the living and dining rooms for her next week, so that the place would be ready for her mini event.
Aidan had already built trellises that flanked the big patio, and Tanner had installed some lighting. A plumber friend of Tanner’s was going to run a gas line so she could have the heat lamps put in this weekend.
When she was done with the library, she still wanted to sew curtains from the gorgeous fabric she had bought in the village, and do some thrifting for fun decor to add.
Since the mini event for vendors and friends was just a first floor and outdoor event, she would have more time for doing the upstairs bedrooms on her own, or to bring Aidan back for them later, depending on how she felt. For now, she kind of liked rolling her sleeves up, and it certainly helped with her budget, even if the work wentmuchmore slowly.
If Ransom stops by to help me, it’ll go a lot faster.
He’d been sending her a text here and there, and one of them was to ask her permission to stop by next week when the kids were in school to lend a hand. But most of them were about the big event at the open-air market today.
Her phone buzzed now, like he knew she was thinking of him. She pulled it out of her pocket, and smiled at the message.
Ransom
We’re heading over now
She wasn’t proud of how her heart leaped.
