Total pages in book: 112
Estimated words: 113272 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 566(@200wpm)___ 453(@250wpm)___ 378(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 113272 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 566(@200wpm)___ 453(@250wpm)___ 378(@300wpm)
His voice was soft and he wasn’t being condescending or rude. But she still got the feeling she was being scolded.
“Right.”
“You just got here so you’re given some grace, but, Arabella, I would consider sleeping in your car in a public park putting yourself in danger.”
“I don’t understand. What did you want me to do? I looked for somewhere else to stay. I didn’t want to sleep in my car.”
“I get that. And you probably didn’t realize that you could call me at any time, but you can. I’m not upset and I’m not scolding you. But if that happens again, call me. I’ll give you my number.” He drew out a card and handed it to her.
“Thanks. But I don’t know if I’ll be able to find another rental at such short notice. It was difficult to find that one.”
He nodded. “Places don’t come up that often in Haven. And the council has preferences about who houses get rented to.”
They did?
Was that normal? She hadn’t rented a house before but she was certain that it wasn’t. Maybe it was a small town thing.
“But the good news is that everything is arranged for you to move into your original rental. I called Mrs. Taylor before I came to see you. She said she has no problem with a dog as long as you promise to have the house professionally cleaned before you leave at the end of the rental term.”
“I, yes of course I will. Is that . . . is that really true?”
He raised his eyebrows. “Of course. And don’t worry, you won’t have to deal with Ravina anymore. She might not live in Haven, so she’s not in my jurisdiction, however her aunt isn’t that happy with her. She said she’d have a chat with her.”
“Oh. Now I feel bad.”
“Don’t. Ravina likes to talk a lot of trash about Haven. She’s not a fan. So, Ravina is supposed to deliver the keys to me by the end of today. Knowing her that could be late, but luckily Mrs. Taylor has a spare set with a friend. So, if you head over there in about an hour, Cliff Stockton will meet you there. Sound good?”
“That sounds amazing. Thanks, Sheriff.”
“Jake,” he said firmly.
“Jake.”
“Anything else you need to tell me?” he asked.
She thought about Lee. And her reason for coming here.
Should she tell Jake? He seemed like a good person. However, that didn’t mean that he was.
Appearances could be deceptive.
“I just want a new life. Away from the past,” she said.
He eyed her for a long moment and it seemed like he was going to disagree with her. However, all he did was nod.
“I understand that.”
Did he know who her father was? Or had been?
“But if there is anything worrying you or anyone scaring you, I expect to know first, am I understood?”
He spoke so sternly that all she could do was nod.
You really should tell him.
But it wasn’t like Lee had threatened her. And he hadn’t done anything to her.
So was she really going to tell Jake that she had a bad feeling about someone?
No. However, if it became more than a feeling, then she’d say something. But it was likely that she’d never see him again.
“All right. I’ll drop the keys off later if Ravina brings them in before I head home. Or tomorrow. All right?”
“Thanks, Jake. I appreciate it.”
He nodded and stood, eyeing Horse. “Big dog.”
“Um, yeah. I found him on the road by the Welcome to Haven sign. Have you ever seen him around?”
“Nope. Can’t say that I have. You’re going to try and find his owners?”
“You don’t think I should? They might be missing him.”
He grunted. “If they cared about him, I’m guessing I would have seen a flyer or heard about him. Seems like he likes you. And a woman alone needs protection. He’d scare most people, I’d say.”
That was a good point. Although she wouldn’t want Horse to get hurt in any altercation, so she was pretty certain that she’d be the one protecting him.
After Jake left, she went back to her room to grab her things before heading to reception to pay her bill.
“Um, what do you mean the room is fully paid for until the end of the week? It can’t be because I didn’t pay it.”
The woman gave her a worried look. “I’m just telling you what the system says. It’s fully paid for.”
“Does it say who paid it?” She didn’t know why she asked. There could only be one person who had paid for it.
Well, two people.
“I can’t tell you that. Sorry. Is there an issue?”
“No issue. I just need to talk to someone about this. I won’t be using the room, are you able to refund his card?”
“I’m sorry we can’t do that.”
With a sigh, she left. Well, she guessed if he wanted to waste his money it shouldn’t affect her.