Page 34 of Shielding Serena

“Since you found Mr. Higgins’ figurine and the café is closed, what do you want to do tomorrow?” Walker asked, hoping she didn’t want to go back to the storage unit. He’d had enough antiquing for a little bit.

“I was thinking about a hike out to Devil’s Bridge to get some exercise,” she said. “You up for that?”

He nodded. “Haven’t done that one in a long time. The season hasn’t officially started, so it shouldn’t be too crowded.”

“I want to sleep in to the glorious hour of seven,” she proclaimed and made him grin.

He was sorry to burst her bubble, but he had to tell her he’d talked to Marcus. Had to ask if any of her exes before him would come all the way up here to assault her. Just like with Anderson and her father, he doubted it. The assault hadn’t been personal, but a means to an end, otherwise they wouldn’t have come back.

“Listen…” he began.

She tipped her head to one side and looked at him consideringly. “I’m not going to like what you have to say, am I?”

“No,” he said. “But I have to tell you. I talked to Marcus Anderson a little while ago.”

Those amazing blue eyes hardened the tiniest bit, and Walker didn’t know if it was because he’d called Anderson or because the man was a complete asshole. “He has an alibi for the morning of your assault. I didn’t want him to catch you off guard by calling or texting to bitch about my questions.”

“Oh, Marcus would never deign to spend his precious time calling me,” she assured him, a wry smile twisting her lips now. “He would never go to the effort of coming here and dirtying his hands with something as base as violence. I could have told you he was a dead end.”

“I had to look into him. He’s a cold bastard, that’s for sure. Is there anyone else I should be investigating?”

She shook her head. “Nothing of note, and no broken hearts along the way. I was too busy throwing elbows on my way to the top for hearts and flowers. Kind of like Marcus. Or Parker.”

He didn’t like the almost wounded expression on her face. A look he was positive she didn’t know he saw. Felt deep down in a place he didn’t like to venture often.

“He didn’t deserve you, you know,” Walker said.

“Oh, I don’t know, we were in the same place at the same time. I simply know that he’s done with me, and the feeling is mutual.” Her tone was flat.

“My ex-wife said I’m like him. Cold,” he blurted. Anything to take that look off her face.

It worked because she laughed and it opened her up when she’d been shutting down. “Walker Landry, you are the furthest thing from Marcus or Parker in the universe, and I’m not saying that to inflate your already healthy ego.” Now her eyes were positively dancing.

He wished she was right, but Carrie had been pretty clear when she’d filed for divorce, so he just shrugged.

“Okay, let’s suspend reality for one second. What did she say that would make you think that?”

Now he squirmed a bit. He’d been fine talking about her past, but bringing up his own wasn’t something he was comfortable with and hadn’t anticipated.

“She said I was more invested in my friends than I was with her.” He still wasn’t sure he understood what she’d meant, but their life together had become a nightmarish slog. He’d figured his commitment to his team and the long, weird hours of his new job had been what she’d referred to. Plus, she’d never liked the ranch and that wasn’t something he could abide.

Serena looked absolutely befuddled. “I mean, they’re your friends. What were you supposed to do, not talk to them again after you got married?”

He shrugged again. In his mind, the subject was done, but obviously not to Serena.

“Walker, you’ve spent a decade pulling together a ranch for wounded veterans and kept your team tight from what I can see. You’re creating a new business that specializes in helping people. You talked to a freakin’ psychologist to make sure the cottages would be soothing.”

“Sure, but that’s for other people. I guess I wasn’t there enough for her.”

Serena harrumphed. “Walker, I never met your ex, but I’ll wager that none of your friends liked her. Am I wrong?”

She wasn’t, and that had always burned more than a little.

Serena read his expression. “Mmm hmmm. To me, the evidence points to a woman who was pissed you didn’t make her your whole world. That you had commitments to other people you honored. I’ll bet you never, ever forgot a birthday or anniversary, and went out of your way to make them special for her. How long were you married?”

“Five years,” he said, not sure how this had turned into a triage of his failed marriage. He sure as hell didn’t like it. He’d been through this with his mother ad nauseum and didn’t particularly want Serena to see this part of him.

Carrie had so charmed him that he’d made excuses to himself for the fact everyone seemed leery of her after a while. Everything had been fine until he’d left the Army and started his career in private security. He’d been gone a lot, so he’d attributed her unhappiness to being lonely. He’d offered to bring her along when he could, started turning down longer jobs, all with the goal of making it work. Nothing had been good enough.