The return to the Le Brione ranch felt less like a homecoming and more like a tactical retreat. True to her word, Dianthe did not follow Garette into the master suite. Instead, she directed the house staff to move her meager belongings—the ones she had packed in her old, worn suitcase—into the West Guest Wing. It was a beautiful room, airy and filled with natural light, but it was miles away from the heartbeat of the house.
Garette stood in the hallway, leaning against the door frame as he watched her arrange her nursing books on a small mahogany shelf. He had shed his suit jacket and unbuttoned the collar of his shirt, looking restless and out of sorts.
"The guest wing is drafty this time of year," he noted, his voice smooth as silk but carrying a hint of a challenge. "The master suite
