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“Abby … don’t go because you’reinto We are friends I made a mistake, that’s all”

“I’ because I have business to tend to” Which was a lie and they both knew it She hadn’t had any plans to leave until the last five o and make it even harder than it already was When had she started to get so attached to this place?

She got out and slammed the truck door shut He rolled down the“Hey, Abby?”

She looked up into the cab and felt that same little jolt of electricity she felt every ti It made her feel weak and vulnerable

“Will you textdrive Just so I know you got there okay”

She nodded and turned away quickly, taking one step and then another away from the truck so he wouldn’t see the sudden tears in her eyes before she resolutely blinked them away

Toht Bitterly So da like he cared There hadn’t been anyone to care whether she ca And she didn’t want to rely on hiht had erased thes for a ht and be honest It wasn’t much to ask

Putting some distance between them was the best idea she’d had all week

CHAPTER 13

It didn’t make sense that a rundown mansion that she’d occupied for less than a month should feel like home, but it did Abby braked her car partway up the drive and sies only a feeeks had wrought The white exterior seemed whiter soles shining in the June sun The trim around the s had been painted a creainal colors, and the front columns had been treated to white paint while a darker stain had been applied to the porch floor Even the overgrown ivy had been trimmed back, and alre

ady it looked far healthier All in all the house was looking rather grand and even a bit welco

Abby let off the brake and drove the reet inside and see what other changes had taken place while she was gone

The front laas freshly e urn of spiky grass, begonias, and trailing lobelia taking up one corner of the floor of the veranda Cli the steps, she spied a plastic stake in the planter holding a card Curious, she plucked it from the holder and opened the tiny envelope

Welcome home

That was all it said but Abby knew in an instant who’d put it there Toh her She hated what he’d done She’d told herself a hundred tihts she’d had about hi for the party A garden planter wasn’t exactly rohtful and suited the corner perfectly It was better than flowers It was … personal What waswas that he’d soain before tucking it into her pocket, where it rested war it hard for her to stay mad at him