Hey, it’s Rhett. I was at the vet and Sarah gave me this number as somewhere renting a place to stay? Landlord won’t let Tiger stay at my place.

I must have stared at the text for ten minutes straight. Did I want Rhett living in the guest house? I didn’t want some stranger in my space. Though but advertising for renters meant I would have some stranger in my space. I knew that. Was Rhett a better idea? Or a worse idea?

Pros: he seems like someone who pays his rent on time and wouldn’t trash the place. I’d get to see Tiger, and puppies are always good to have around. I’m not ready for my own dog yet, but Tiger was a good interim solution. Plus Rhett’s sexy as hell, and would not be terrible to look at.

Cons: He’s sexy as hell and would not be terrible to look at.

The last thing I need is a romantic complication, especially with a tenant. Are there rules about that? I didn’t even know.

Did Sarah know all this when she gave him the number? I never told her about Rhett so that’s not likely.

I finally texted him back.

Funny! You can look at the guest house when you come today.

I was looking for a tenant. I needed remodeling help. He needed dog training help. Why did this seem inevitable? I sat on the edge of my bed and stared at myself in the closet door mirrors. This house was so ‘80s it was hilarious. I kind of liked it, to be honest. It reminded me of my grandma, though her house was more palatial.

I must have checked my reflection a million times in anticipation of Rhett coming over. I had no idea what he was going to think of my spring green t-shirt and my purple Converse.  Then I reminded myself to not care. Get a grip. The cover model fireman is not a good idea. He is not interested in you and you are definitely not interested in him. It’s a mismatch, and that’s good news.

Tell that to whatever part it was inside me that lit on fire the moment our eyes locked yesterday.

Maybe I just needed to get it out of my system.

Yeah, that’s a great idea.

It was already noon. I had an hour before he was supposed to be here. I paced around my house, chewing on my fingernails. Realizing what I was doing, I pulled my fingers out of my mouth and stuffed them in my pockets.

I could chop down more of my bathroom, but then I’d be sweaty and dusty. I checked my watch and realized he would be here in fifteen minutes. Where did the time go?

Maybe I needed someone around to help me stay grounded in the here and now. I kept losing time, not knowing where it went. I think I was pacing? Staring in the mirror? Chewing my fingernails?

I looked down at my hands. Definitely chewing my fingernails and probably the other things as well.

I’m a fucking mess. That’s why I can’t get involved with anyone. Good thing he’s just coming over to check out the guest house and get dog training help.

Rhett’s truck arrived exactly on time. Five minutes early, actually. He climbed out, with Tiger under his arm. I walked out onto the driveway to meet them. Tiger had a shiny new collar, with a custom name plate and tags from the vet.

“Should I snap the leash on him, or…?” Rhett looked at me questioningly.

Before I could answer I had to ask. “How was his first night?”

He rubbed his eyes and shook his head. “He cried when I tried to leave him alone in the crate.”

I held my breath, waiting for him to tell me he slept with the puppy. That’s usually what people say.

He continued, “So I ended up sleeping on the floor next to the crate with my hand on him to keep him calm.”

I laughed out loud, delighted with this news. “That’s great!”

He frowned. “Are you making fun of me? I know the papers said he had to spend the night in the cage.”

“I’m really not! It’s good that you came up with a solution that kept him in his crate. I promise it’s not a cage. It will become his haven. Think of it as his den.”

He sighed. “Okay, well, you can help me figure all that out as I go, I guess.”

“Speaking of figuring out things as you go, what’s this about you need a new place to stay?”

“Yeah my landlord showed up bright and early this morning and said the dog had to go.” He rubbed the back of his neck, and looked at me sideways as we walked toward the house. “So I told him if the dog goes, I go.”

I waited, listening.

“So I’m going.”

“Ah,” was all I could think to say. This guy got this dog yesterday and he was already willing to lose his apartment. That showed real commitment.

“This morning at the vet, Sarah told me she knew of a place renting. She gave me your number, and I didn’t even look at it until I was out of there. Then I realized it was you. Weird, right?”

I didn’t know if I should laugh. “Yeah, weird. Do you want to see it right now?”

“Lead the way,” he said. He looked down and Tiger kept up nicely. He wasn’t heeling or anything, more like weaving back and forth on the leash, but he was coming along. We could work on heel soon enough.

“It’s back here, obviously behind the main house.” I pointed to a path and we picked our way over the hardened dirt path. The midday sun lit up the wildflowers along the sides, and they appeared to glow. This place was so pretty, it was like it wasn’t real.

Rhett watched Tiger and made sure he came along with us. “So if this works out, it might be just the thing. After last night I’m not sure I know what I am doing with this dog, and I can help you with…” he trailed off.

I raised my eyebrows and smirked at him, even though I felt like ass for not helping him out, I couldn’t help it.

“Whatever you need help with,” he finally finished. He looked at me sideways. It felt like he was trying to get a beat on me. How could he understand me when I don’t even understand myself?

“True,” I admitted. We got to the guest house and I unlocked the door. “I have a tenant coming at the end of the summer, though it may be more into fall. But the house is available until then.”

Rhett looked around. “This place is nice! And it’s already furnished?”

“Mostly,” I said. “It all came with the house. I mean, you could bring whatever furniture you’d rather have, and I have no idea how old that bed is. If you already have one, I could get rid of this. It’s probably more dust than anything else at this point.”

“I have a bed,” he said. “I could definitely bring it, and a few other things, but I don’t have that much stuff. Just to the end of the summer, or whatever, might be perfect. That gives me enough time to find something else, and you can help me get the dog off to a good start.”

I sighed, thinking. Rhett would be a better option than anyone else. He was a stranger, but not as much of a stranger as some random person from an online ad. And if Sarah told him about this place, she must think he’s okay. So I have her recommendation already. “How much are you paying in rent right now?”

Rhett blinked at me and then gave me the amount. “It’s super shitty for where I live. The landlord overcharges but I never thought about it too much, like whatever, pay the rent, who cares, right?”

The amount was more than I was planning on asking, especially considering it was a short-term lease. “You can pay that for this place, and we will keep up our agreement of dog training for home improvement help.” I tried to sound as formal and businesslike as I could. Most of the time I felt like some dumb kid who was faking it. Could Rhett see through me?

But I don’t think he did. All he said was, “Really? God I’m so relieved!” He picked up his meandering puppy and hugged him. “Did you hear that Tiger? We have a new home!”

Tiger looked at me with his big brown eyes and then leaned sideways and tried to lick Rhett’s face. He laughed and put the dog down. “So how about we start on that training?”

With Tiger so young, there wasn’t a lot to do at first. He needed to learn to sit and wait. We worked on that for a while. Both Rhett and Tiger were fast learners. I admit I’d been concerned when I handed Rhett all those papers and he looked unhappy, but with today’s hands-on training he excelled. I could see how he was a good fireman.

Everyone has a different learning style. I’d forgotten about that the last few years, but watching Rhett it was coming back to me. Not everyone does well with a mountain of reading.

After a while I could tell Tiger was getting tired. “It’s important to not overdo it with him. He’s still young, so you have to balance a good foundation with allowing his body and brain to rest as he grows.”

“Speaking of rest,” Rhett said. “I can’t stay with him in my apartment another night. I need to go get some stuff, and bring my motorcycle back.”

Rhett’s movie-star eyes locked onto mine, after we both avoided lot of this kind of eye contact all afternoon. The instant connection made my knees buckle. He paused in our gaze for a moment, and then said, “This might be a lot to ask but, will you go with us to my apartment and drive my truck back?”