He didn’t look convinced, and she fought the urge to tell him he was overreacting. She didn’t want to go down a weird rabbithole of conspiracy and fear. On the other hand, she also didn’t want to turn a blind eye if something weirdwasgoing on, even if she couldn’t fathom what it was.
Collin lifted a hand, as if to touch her, then dropped it again. “What time do you need to be home?”
She reached over and tipped her phone up. Almost seven. “I should probably head out now.” She’d never thought of the castle as remotely cozy, but with the four of them tucked into the tasting room, the card games, the food, the fire, and the Christmas tree lit, she could almost forget the rest of the world existed.
But it did. And she had three parties in the next few days. None were particularly difficult, but no one working for Sundaram took anything for granted.
“I’ll drive you,” Collin said.
“It’s my car.”
“I’ll walk back. I could use the exercise.”
She doubted that but didn’t argue. “Let me finish this load of folding, and then I’ll be ready. Won’t be five minutes.”
His eyes held hers, as if he had something to say, some world to share with her, then he nodded and stepped away.
Fifteen minutes later, following an extended round of goodbyes and making plans to see each other again, she and Collin climbed into her car. The ride was silent, though not uncomfortable. The hustle and bustle of the valley gave her energy, but she loved these quiet times when it felt as if the land breathed again.
They pulled through the gate as a car and van passed.
“Who’s that?” Collin asked as she waved.
“Felipe and Greg.”
“The kitchen manager?”
She nodded. “Felipe is the floral supplier. He was probably making a delivery for the upcoming events. We have a coolingroom to keep flowers in, so if they aren’t the sort to wilt or go off, he’ll frequently deliver them a few days before they’re needed.”
“Kind of late,” he said, as she pulled into the spot beside her house.
She tipped her head. “It feels that way because it’s so dark.”
The look Collin shot her was inscrutable. “I’ll walk you to your door.”
The door was all of twenty feet from where she parked, but who was she to argue? Maybe he’d even kiss her good-night. Although if the way his hand fell away from her in the laundry was any indication, she’d need to initiate it. Which seemed like a good idea to her. Surely a planned kiss couldn’t be as good as the surprise kiss she’d laid on him earlier. And if it wasn’t as incendiary, maybe she could stop obsessing about it.
Collin opened her door, startling her out of her thoughts. She hadn’t even noticed he’d exited the car.
“Ready?” he said, holding out his hand. Not a kiss, but she’d take the offer, and she slid her palm into his. She’d always liked the subtle, almost innocent yet intimate, connection.
Hand in hand, they strolled toward her front door. She’d left the lights off in the house, but the motion-sensing one on her porch flickered on when they approached. She blinked at the sudden bright glow in the dark night, then stumbled as Collin hauled her behind him.
She hadn’t seen anything, but his reaction triggered her fear instincts, and she tucked herself against his back. Curling her hand into his flannel shirt, her heart running like a conga line in her chest, she asked, “Collin?”
“Did you close the door when we left?” he asked.
She tried to peek around his wide shoulders, but he nudged her back with his arm, his hand resting on her hip.
“Yes. And locked it. I always do. Force of habit when you regularly have strangers partying on the property.” She hesitated. “Why?”
A cricket chirped somewhere out in the vineyard.
“Go back to your car, get in, and lock the door.”
“Um, no.”
He didn’t shift from his protective stance, but his eyes met hers over his shoulder.
