Chapter Three – Doreen
Sorcha glanced at her watch. “We’d better leave you two to get settled.”
“Three,” Jake piped up, pointing at Bash, who was already circling a spot on the rug.
“Three,” Sorcha corrected with a smile. “Of course.”
Doreen saw them to the door, thanking them for their help. “We’d have been lost without you. Literally.”
“Just doing my job,” James said, shrugging off the compliment. But as he stepped onto the porch, he turned back, catching her gaze. Something sparked between them, and Doreen’s fingers tightened on the doorframe. A smile spread across his face that turned the spark into a flame.
None of this was lost on Sorcha, her eyes darting between them with a knowing grin. She lifted a brow at James, and though he tried to hide it by ducking his head beneath his hat, color flushed his cheeks.
Doreen’s breath caught. Did he always blush this easily… or was she the reason for that faint pink creeping up his neck?
Goodness, was there something in the water in Bear Creek?
But then she hadn’t touched the water, or anything else. Except for Deputy James Pike’s hand. And goodness, that had been enough to short-circuit her brain. Had he cast a spell on her?
“See you later!” Sorcha called out as she crossed the porch.
“Looking forward to it,” Doreen said as she lifted her hand in what she hoped was a casual wave.
“Me too.” James tipped his hat, the old-fashioned gesture making her pulse stutter before he turned to follow Sorcha down the porch steps.
As they walked away, Sorcha nudged James lightly with her elbow, and he turned to her and shook his head.
What did that mean? Was he telling Sorcha that he wasn’t interested? Had she imagined that earlier moment between them? Surely she must have. Men like him didn’t… look at women like her like that.
“Aunt D, this cabin is the best. And Bash likes it too. Can we explore? Or make hot chocolate? Or both?” Jake’s excited voice jerked her back to the room, and she was grateful for it. This was why she was here, to have fun with her nephew, not to drool over the first man who smiled at her.
But what a smile!
She still wasn’t sure what to make of the sudden spark she felt around him, but she couldn’t deny it was there.
“Both,” she said, as she closed the door firmly. “But let’s get our things unpacked first. And maybe check if Bash is planning to stay inside or go feral and live with the squirrels.”
Jake giggled and immediately crouched beside Bash, who thumped his tail and licked Jake’s cheek with sloppy enthusiasm. “He’s staying inside,” Jake said confidently. “He likes the rug.”
“Great, the cabin has the Bash seal of approval,” Doreen said with an indulgent smile.
“Hear that, Bash?” Jake asked, ruffling the dog’s fur before he straightened up. “Do I get to choose my room?”
“Why not?” Doreen asked as Jake ran to the first room, Bash hot on his heels.
“What do you think, Bash?” Jake glanced down at the golden retriever. “You’re right, we should check out both rooms before we decide.”
Jake darted down the hallway and into the second bedroom with Bash thumping after him with the single-minded enthusiasm of a dog who was clearly loving the adventure.
Doreen followed close behind, watching Jake open and close the closet door, testing the hinges with a serious expression. She fought back a smile at his methodical approach. So much like his mother, who had always been both practical and thorough.
“This one is bigger,” he announced, “but the other one has the best window.” He turned to Bash. “What do you think, boy?”
Bash woofed loudly and trotted back toward the first bedroom. Jake followed, and Doreen trailed behind, curious about his decision-making process.
Back in the first bedroom, Jake immediately went to the window that faced the back of the cabin. He pressed his nose against the glass, his breath fogging the pane as he peered into the gathering darkness. Bash stood beside him, front paws on the windowsill, tail swishing with interest.
“I choose this one,” Jake declared with certainty. “The window looks right into the woods.”
Doreen joined them at the window. Beyond the small cleared area behind the cabin, the forest stretched dark and mysterious, the outlines of pine trees barely visible in the fading light. A shiver ran through her that wasn’t entirely from the cold seeping through the glass.
She had spent little time in the wilderness, and although she admired the beauty of the forests that covered the mountainside, there was something intimidating about them. Something ancient and unknowable.
As if they could swallow you whole.
“Can you see any squirrels out there, Bash?” Jake whispered, his arm draped over the dog’s back.
Bash’s tail thumped against the floor in cheerful response, his ears perked forward as he stared intently at something Doreen couldn’t see.
“Aunt D,” Jake said without turning from the window, excitement making his voice rise. “Do you think we’ll see wolves? Dad said wolves are brave but shy.”
Doreen hesitated, not wanting to dash his hopes but also not wanting to encourage him to go looking for potentially dangerous wildlife. “I’m not sure they come this close to the cabins, honey. But the woods are their home, so who knows? We’ll just have to be careful.”
“I’ll ask James later at dinner,” Jake decided, scratching Bash behind the ears. “He’ll know.”
“Deputy Pike,” Doreen corrected automatically, trying to ignore the little thrill that shot through her at the thought of seeing him again.
“I like Deputy Pike,” Jake said, turning away from the window to ruffle Bash’s fur affectionately. “So does Bash.”
The dog looked up at Jake with adoring eyes, seeming to confirm this statement.
“Do you?” Jake turned around suddenly, fixing Doreen with a look so direct and penetrating that she felt pinned in place. His eyes, like her sister’s, seemed to see right through her carefully constructed composure.
For a moment, Doreen was speechless, her mouth opening and closing without sound. She swallowed hard, her throat suddenly dry. “Yes, he seems like a great guy,” she managed finally. “He certainly saved us from having to hunt around for Bash in the cold.”
Jake nodded, apparently satisfied with her answer. He patted Bash on the head. “He’s going to help me train you.”
Bash looked up at Jake with that warm, friendly expression golden retrievers were famous for, his tongue lolling out the side of his mouth. If the dog could talk, Doreen was sure he’d be saying something like, “Wanna bet!”
She smiled to herself, grateful for the moment of levity. “Okay, so this is your room?”
“It is,” Jake confirmed with a definitive nod.
“Great, then let’s go grab your things, and you can unpack.” Doreen led the way back to the living room, where James had deposited their luggage earlier.
As she picked up Jake’s backpack, the memory of James carrying everything in flooded back, his arms loaded with their bags, the determined set of his jaw, the way he’d insisted on taking it all in one trip.
She shouldn’t read into that. He was probably just being polite.
Helpful. Efficient. But a small, traitorous part of her wondered if he’d wanted to impress her.
And that thought was both ridiculous… and oddly thrilling.
Doreen shook her head slightly. She was still confused by what she read as mixed signals from the deputy.
The way he’d looked at her when they shook hands had seemed.
.. significant. But maybe it was just her imagination working overtime.
Her instincts had betrayed her once before, rather spectacularly. Why trust them now?
While Jake arranged his clothes in the dresser, Doreen retreated to her own room to unpack. She hung her clothes up carefully, pausing as she considered what to wear for dinner tonight. Before Sorcha had invited James, Doreen had planned to go in her comfortable navy sweater and loose slacks.
But now…
Her fingers drifted to a more flattering burgundy cashmere sweater she’d packed on a whim. Would it be too much? Too obvious? She bit her lower lip as she questioned whether it even mattered what she wore.
She closed her eyes, leaning her forehead against the cool wood of the closet door. What was she feeling? This flutter in her stomach, this awareness that hummed just under her skin whenever she thought about James Pike...
It took her a moment to recognize it for what it was.
Hope.
The realization made her breath catch. After all this time, all the hurt and disappointment, she was feeling hope. Hope that she might get a second chance at love. A chance she’d never believed she’d deserve again.
“That’s ridiculous,” she whispered to herself, hanging the burgundy sweater back in the closet. “You just met the man.”
But as she reached for the navy one instead, her hand faltered.
With a small, defiant smile, she pulled the burgundy sweater back out.
It didn’t have to mean anything. She could just want to look nice for dinner with friends.
And she wanted to feel like herself again—someone vibrant, alive, not invisible.
How had this simple getaway turned into something so complicated? Because that was life. Messy, complicated, and with no guarantees.
And life was what Doreen had been running from, hiding from for far too long. It was time to borrow some of Bash and Jake’s enthusiasm for life. Time to grab it with both hands and take risks.
Because otherwise she was sentencing herself to a life alone, and she was so very tired of feeling alone.
“Aunt D!” Jake called from the hallway. “Can we make that hot chocolate now?”
“Coming!” she called back, her fingers lingering on the burgundy sweater before she closed the closet door. She’d decide what to wear later. Right now, her nephew needed her, and that was something she knew exactly how to handle.
As she headed toward the kitchen, she couldn’t help but smile. Maybe this unexpected trip to Bear Creek was exactly what she needed after all.