Page 21 of Shielding Serena

The sting came first. The idea that he felt the need to look after her, that she somehow lacked the wherewithal to take care of herself, still really rubbed her the wrong way. But she had to admit, Walker and Garrett’s concerns were bleeding over to her, and having someone watch her back was sounding better and better, because she’d started to consider something she hadn’t yesterday, in the fray.

The intruder hadn’t found what he was looking for. What if he returned? It only made sense to have Walker there with her, especially since he seemed set on that path. But that wasn’t her only problem.

Having Walker under her roof was going to be a temptation. A big one.

Part of her wondered why that mattered so much. They knew each other. They were rebuilding something that resembled friendship. They already knew they were compatible. What was stopping them from scratching an itch?

And like last night, when she’d thought much the same, the answer was easy.

Walker wasn’t an itch. And he sure as hell wasn’t the kind of man who scratched one and walked away. He never had been, and she was sure he wasn’t now. Such a casual nature didn’t fit with everything she’d witnessed since she’d begun to get to know him as the man he was today.

Which meant the real question wasn’t about him.

It was about her.

Part of moving back had been about figuring out who she was now. Nearly forty, no longer the dutiful daughter or the rebellious young woman. She’d carved out a successful business life in a cutthroat field, broken hearts and had her own broken in return. Coming here had been a pause, a chance to breathe. She could’ve kept things small, run the curio shop, supplemented with online sales like her aunt had.

But she hadn’t.

She’d come here and seen the potential and felt the pull of simply being. Living in the present in a small town rather than a bustling city where sitting with your thoughts was a foreign concept.

Those were heavy thoughts for a morning ride, she decided with an inward smile as they headed back toward the stables.

Walker and Kujo had been talking the entire time, low and focused, clearly reaching some kind of agreement she’d missed. It wasn’t her business, but given what they’d explained about security and surveillance, it was hard not to be curious.

They were still chatting when they returned to the barn, but that didn’t stop Walker from helping her down, the heat of his hands at her waist both comforting and arousing at the same time.

They unsaddled the horses with Jesse’s help and headed back toward the main house. Serena thought about the quiet woman, about Garrett. Wondered what could have driven two seemingly nice people away from each other.

“I’ll leave you and Quentin to it,” Walker said, pulling her out of her thoughts as he shook Kujo’s hand. “It’s been a pleasure getting to know you better, even if you are a bit of a hardass.”

Kujo grinned in response. “Takes one to know one.”

That sealed it, Serena thought as she turned toward the cottage. Walker Landry was going to be living under her roof.

CHAPTER 10

As they drove into town, Quentin called. Since they’d left not five minutes ago, that was enough to make Walker’s radar ping. Hard.

“Someone’s been poking around the perimeter,” Quentin said by way of hello over the car’s nav system. “Nothing I caught on camera, but they definitely tripped the sensors down by the service road that Benedict and his men used last year. The voice warning activated correctly and warned them away, which might account for the lack of imagery.”

“I just passed there. There are no vehicles at any point along our road or the two-lane into town. I’m gonna turn around and see if there’s anything on the other side.” He pulled to the side of the road and flipped a u-turn.

Serena was quiet at his side, listening, but she didn’t appear alarmed, which made Walker feel all kinds of godlike. Because she trusted in him to take care of whatever this was.

They drove past the turnout the alarms had pinged on, then the entrance to the ranch, and another two miles, seeing only one ranch truck that clearly belonged to a local before they hit the four-lane highway that eventually led to the freeway. He pulled over and called Quentin. “Nothing. We could have missed them if they were heading for the interstate.”

“Could it be tourists or hikers?” Kujo asked, because of course he was listening in and watching their response.

“Maybe,” Quentin said. “There’s a trail a few miles away that the tin-foil-hat squad think is a vortex or a place to commune with UFOs. They may have ignored the ‘No Trespassing’ signs but been scared by the voice activation and dipped out.”

He wasn’t wrong. “It also might be a reporter trying to get a new angle. Between Hunter’s new online presence in the cooking world and Taylor having some notoriety, you never know.”

Quentin grunted in response, making Walker grin, despite the potential seriousness of the situation. Quentin had become an expert at avoiding limelight with every fiber of his being. While he did have a habit of hacking into things he shouldn’t on a regular basis, and that might drive some of his squirreliness, he was also a quiet guy who’d never been comfortable with the attention of others.

Last Light had been in the spotlight for longer than any of them liked after the initial federal law enforcement presence had dissipated last fall. Most of the recent activity had come from internet “influencers” calling themselves reporters who wanted to put their spin on the shootout and needed the background of the area surrounding the ranch to make it feel legit. But that’d died down after the first of the year. With the weather getting nicer, and the snow gone, springtime might be driving new interest.

“Maybe. Wanted to let you know. I ordered everything we talked about for Serena’s place, should be here tomorrow.” Then he disconnected unceremoniously.