His dark eyes studied her intently, and she ducked her head, refusing to meet his direct stare. Sharp as a tack and adept at reading people better than anybody she knew, she didn’t dare let on anything was amiss. He’d get suspicious and go into Mr. FBI agent mode, sticking his nose into her business. It was the last thing she could afford to happen now, not when she stood on the brink of her whole world imploding.
“Okay.” He drawled out the word, still watching her closely, a tiny smile playing on his lips. “Thought I’d stop by and say hello. I’m headed to Austin. The Dallas office is loaning me out to help on a case, because they’re short-staffed. I don’t mind, it gives me a chance to be a little closer to home, which is always nice.”
“That’s great. I’m sure Douglas and Ms. Patti will love you’re being able to visit more often.” She pressed the button on the key fob, unlocking the door and pulled it open, tossing her bag onto the passenger seat. “Sorry, I’ve gotta go. My client is waiting for me.”
“Of course. I’ll see you later.” He stepped back, making room for her to inch past him. Her shoulder brushed his arm as she scooted past, and her breath caught in her throat. Why, why, why did this have to happen now? Antonio’s finally going to be around Shiloh Springs more, which is what I’ve always wanted, and I’ve got to run—again.
As she drove away, her gaze strayed to the rearview mirror. Antonio stood still as a statue in the parking lot, his eyes watching her, his expression serious yet unreadable. She kept her eyes glued to him silhouetted in the mirror until he disappeared from view, trying to memorize the sight. One last memory of the man who’d fascinated her from the moment they’d met. Another regret to add to the list of things she wished she could change. Swallowing back a sigh, she headed for her townhouse to pack.
Antonio stared as the car pulled away, arms crossed over his chest. Well, that had been strange. Nothing about his encounter with Serena felt normal. She’d been flustered and jumpy, almost skittish. Not the woman he’d known for almost a year. Tugging on the brim of his cowboy hat, he debated going into the real estate office and saying hello to his mother. He’d be lying if he said the only reason he’d stopped by Boudreau Reality had been to visit with family. Catching a glimpse of the dark-haired beauty who’d skedaddled away as though her tail was on fire might’ve played a significant part in his detour.
Glancing at his watch, he realized it was later than he thought. He’d have to call his momma from the road, because he needed to check in with the Austin office before the end of the day and get a quick briefing on the case he’d be working. Come morning, he could hit the ground running. He’d been feeling stifled in Dallas, the big city closing in on him, suffocating any pleasure he got from doing the job he’d always loved. It hadn’t taken him long to realize he wasn’t meant for big city living, but once there, he’d been kinda stuck. Maybe this change of location, being a lot closer to Shiloh Springs and his family, could help him make the hard decisions about his life and what he wanted to do with it.
With one last look in the direction Serena had driven away, he shook his head and climbed into his car. Figuring her out would have to wait. He had a job to do.
CHAPTER TWO
Serena parked in the driveway of Ms. Patti’s house, known throughout Shiloh Springs as the Big House, and shut off the engine. Even though the Boudreaus had lived here for generations, nobody called the Boudreau ranch anything but the Big House, and the name stuck. She loved the place, and was going to miss being able to spend time out here in the country, breathing in the sweet, clean air and the feeling of home she always got whenever she stepped foot on the land.
As much as she wanted to scurry away under cover of darkness, telling nobody why she’d left or where she was heading, she couldn’t do that to Ms. Patti. The woman had been more than a mentor to her since she stumbled into Shiloh Springs almost a year ago. Ms. Patti had become a surrogate mother, replacing the one she barely remembered. Her biological mother had left when she was a little girl, barely able to remember what she looked like, and her father remarried not long after and had spent all his time catering to his new wife. That is when he wasn’t sitting in Big Jim’s pocket or bowing and scraping to please his former brother-in-law.
Now it was time to say goodbye and leave the town and the people she’d come to love behind, and never look back. She closed her eyes to stop the tears welling up. Blinking rapidly, she brushed her fingers over her eyelids and took a deep breath. This wasn’t the time to fall apart. It could wait until she hit the road, leaving Shiloh Springs in her rearview mirror.
Staring through the windshield, she studied the Boudreau home. It was perfect, and she loved this ranch and everything about it. A huge white-painted house, it epitomized everything she secretly wished for with its simple, elegant style. Two stories tall, it sported huge wraparound porches, one on each level. Dark green shutters flanked the large windows on each side, their color a stark, yet inviting contrast to the brilliant white. A single-story addition had been added to the east side of the house at some point over the years and sported a rooftop deck. She knew the master bedroom suite on the second floor held French doors
