Total pages in book: 37
Estimated words: 35240 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 176(@200wpm)___ 141(@250wpm)___ 117(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 35240 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 176(@200wpm)___ 141(@250wpm)___ 117(@300wpm)
He loved his dad, and when he had a scare nearly five years ago and came close to losing him, Jaxson knew his place was at Higher Ridge.
Jaxson stormed out of the sheriff’s building and went back to his truck. He had a full afternoon of appointments. There was never a dull moment in Higher Ridge, and as he looked across the parking lot, he watched as Tillie Short climbed out of her car. Her blonde hair was curled, but she had pulled it up into a single clip at the back of her head. By her side was the small Jack Russell she had saved a few years ago. The dog’s name was Belle, and Tillie adored her.
He couldn’t look away. Out of all of the people in Higher Ridge, Tillie was like a breath of fresh air. He watched as she padded her way toward the fabric shop, and knowing her, she would be in that place for hours.
He couldn’t look away. She was absolutely stunning and one of the nicest women he had ever met. Six years younger than him, and no man had married her yet. He never heard any nasty rumors. In fact, no one knew anything of her romantic interests.
Tillie was all alone in the world as her parents had died a few years ago, one after the other, of heart failure, and he knew it had completely destroyed her. That was where Belle had come in, and of course the rest was history.
She was a well-loved member of Higher Ridge. The town absolutely adored her, and she had become somewhat of a social media star. She’d built her own sewing channel from scratch after she was fired from the doctor’s office. He did hear that several patients had gone into the doctor’s office, and she’d not been able to handle it. One had a broken ankle, and that had caused her to pass out. Another was a kid who impaled himself on something, which resulted in her throwing up. She was a great woman, but when it came to blood and injury, she didn’t have the stomach. This was when her parents were still alive, and did everything they could to convince her she had to invest in herself.
Not that Jaxson would ever tell anyone, but she was amazing. He was not into crafts or sewing, or anything like that, yet he had sat back and watched all of her videos over the last ten years. He looked forward to them. In fact, one would be released tonight, as she had a regular schedule of twice a week, and sometimes they even got a third if she was able.
He pulled out of his thoughts as his cell phone started to buzz. He picked it up, seeing an alert for an appointment he needed to get to in the next fifteen minutes. Even though he could sit in the sheriff’s parking lot and wait for Tillie to come out, he had responsibilities.
Reluctantly, he turned his truck over, put it in gear, and left his spot, wanting nothing more than to stay and watch Tillie.
****
Tillie Short never went out, let alone on a Friday night, but for some reason, she decided to enjoy the warm June evening. Belle was at her feet as they sat outside the only bar in town, The Old Miller, owned by Tom Miller, and had been for generations.
The bar was busy, and she could hear the music filtering outside. She had a glass of orange juice with just a wedge of lime. She always liked this drink, and she never drank any alcohol. Her and alcohol never mixed well. She figured it was just another quirk of her funny stomach.
It had been a productive day as she filmed going to her local fabric shop. It did wonders for Kate’s online business. A few years ago, Kate had confided in her that if business didn’t turn around soon, she would have to close. It had seemed sewing and crafts were a dying business. Tillie asked if she could film a shopping trip, advised that Kate consider moving her business online, and the rest is history.
They had also become very good friends. Kate was given the fabric shop from her mother, and it had been in the “red” when she got it. It was why her mother gave her the shop in the first place. Tillie was more than happy to help. Since she was a little girl, crafting, knitting, and sewing brought her the most joy. She figured it was one of the many reasons she didn’t get on well with her peers.
She liked a lot of different things. By the time she was a teenager, rather than shop, she’d look through a patterns catalog, choose what she liked, and spend the entire summer creating herself a new wardrobe.