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Chapter 1
Cameron
“Hell’sbells.”Grumbling,Igot out of my seven-year-old SUV and slammed the door.
I couldn’t believe I let Jude send me out here. I’d been running behind all day, and now he had me up in the hills outside of town, doing a final inspection of a rental house. This wasn’t my job. I was a real estate agent, not a property manager.
My late husband’s brother owed me.
The ring of keys for all the rental properties managed by Beautiful Hills Real Estate lived in the deepest, darkest recesses of my oversized handbag. Digging them out, I surveyed the property. This was one of the nicest homes Jude had in his management portfolio.
The creamy white Austin stone two-story perched on the top of a hill afforded the affluent renter panoramic views of the town of Elmer down in the valley. The front yard was tidy, courtesy of the landscaping crew that had done their job earlier in the week. New crushed gravel covered the front path, and the gnarled live oaks that bracketed the home on either side were freshly trimmed.
I checked my cell phone to see who’d rented the house. The property management app listed the client as Bio-ID LLC. There were no special requests noted. Wonderful. I’d be in and out in ten minutes.
I fit the key in the lock and swung open the door. The luxurious, modern farmhouse chic interior and heart-stopping views of the canyon out the back of the house barely registered. I searched for dust and disorder.
As I expected, it was perfect!
We ran a tight ship at Beautiful Hills. I turned on a few lamps and fluffed a pillow on the big wrap-around sectional. The heels of my favorite scuffed cowboy boots echoed on the wood-look tile floors as I rushed through the house.
Toilet paper: check.
Clean towels: check.
Fully stocked fridge: check.
Outside, on the flagstone back patio, I stopped to tug off the padded cover on the hot tub and turn the heater on. I consulted the app and triple-checked the client’s arrival time. When they got here in two hours, the spa would be up to temp.
I dusted a few dried leaves off a patio tabletop and spun, looking at the outdoor living space with a critical eye. A dark shadow at the bottom of the pool was the only blight on the pristine setting. I peered into the depths of the crystal-clear water, trying to figure out what the heck had sunk to the bottom.
My lip curled. It was a dead animal, a rat or squirrel.
Gross and unacceptable.
Around the side of the house, I searched for the pool cleaning net. The hook for it was right where I remembered, but the skimmer pole and net were missing. Not okay. Martin at the pool company had earned himself a nasty email. I kicked a small white stone down the path in frustration.
There had to be an alternative. I ransacked the house, starting in the garage and finishing in the kitchen. By the time I was back outside next to the pool, breathing hard, I clutched a long pair of BBQ tongs in one hand and a plastic shopping bag and a bath towel in the other. I put my weapons on the nearby table.
Jude owed me so much for what I was contemplating. He was paying my tab at The Pub all next month. My brother-in-law could afford it. He was rolling in money.
I stared long and hard at the thing at the bottom of the pool. My skin crawled, and I rubbed my upper arms while psyching myself up.
Did it just move? I spun away, shaking my hands like I’d already touched it and whispering curses under my breath.
Kneeling, I checked the water temperature. Not ideal, but bearable. It was refreshing.That was a lie.Spring nights in this part of Texas were in the fifties. The water was freezing. It would suck.
I scanned the hillside across the canyon. The only house in view was a lovely estate that sat empty except on occasional weekends when the owners came from Houston. It was me, the wildlife, and the blue skies.
Jude owed me a case of wine from Blanco Reserve, my favorite local winery. And the month’s bar tab.
I sat on the nearest lounge chair and tugged off my boots. Time was ticking. Better do it before I lost my nerve.
My jeans and blouse followed the boots. The sun warmed my skin. I hesitated—fully nude or not? I had places to go after this. It was commando now or commando later...
I shrugged out of my bra and, after a moment’s hesitation, shimmied out of my panties. Wadding up my underthings, I shoved them into a boot.
With resolve, I scooped up my weapons, holding them over my boobs, and checked the hillside one last time to confirm no one was watching my skinny-dipping escapade. At forty-two, I was confident in my body, or at least accepting of its flaws, but I wasn’t about to flash my lady bits at a landscaping crew working at the estate across the canyon. The rumors in this town never died. If word got out of this adventure, I’d never hear the end of it.
