Alex Collins did not know there was more than one Chester County in the country, but the misunderstanding that broke his little heart when he later found out, has earned him a friend for life.

According to a story posted Sunday to Philly.com, ten-year-old Collins, nicknamed “Little A” to avoid confusion, first contacted his namesake, sheriff Alex “Big A” Underwood, last year asking to attend the annual hunting trip the sheriff organizes with local children.

However, Alex, who lives in West Goshen Township, did not notice that the post he had read about the trip on Facebook, referred to South Carolina’s Chester County.

That could have been the end of it, but thanks to generosity of two sheriffs, Alex’s story has a happy ending. After finding out about the boy’s confusion, South Carolina’s Chester County sheriff Alex Underwood, and his Pennsylvania Chester County counterpart, sheriff Carolyn Bunny Welsh, combined forces to make sure his wish came true.

Alex, who lives with a single mother with health problems, flew out to South Carolina last December for a personal hunting trip with Underwood. The boy and the sheriff immediately hit it off, and the trip turned into an enriching experience for both of them, so much so, that another trip to South Carolina followed in the spring.

This Thanksgiving, another surprise was in store for young Alex, as the sheriffs made arrangements for him to fly out to South Carolina the weekend before Thanksgiving for the same children’s hunting trip he missed last year due to the geographical misunderstanding.

During a separate hunting trip on Tuesday, Alex also bagged a buck which helped feed needy families in South Carolina for the holiday.

On Thanksgiving, Little A set down to dinner with Underwood and his family, feeling like one of their own.

“It’s just like he’s mine, just like my own son,” said Underwood.

Alex hunted with the sheriff until his flight back home on Sunday, with the promise of another trip in January.

“I want to spend as much time as I can with him,” continued Underwood, who called Alex “a delight.”

Sheriff Welsh echoes the sentiment saying that since last year, the boy has now become a familiar face around her office. In August, she took him to his first Eagles game, one of many they have now attended together.

“He’s a beautiful little boy,” she noted, “who wiggled his way into the hearts of two sheriffs.”