Sierra Falls

She nodded warily. “He told me.”



“So then you know it’s all good.” He chucked her chin. “Your sheriff’s not that bad even. For a relic.” He gave her a pointed look that drew a smile from her. “Yeah, that’s the Bailey I know. Here,” he said, handing her a box. “I even brought you a peace offering.”



She took it—it was one of those decorative tins—and she hefted it suspiciously in her hands. “What’s in it?”



“Cookies. Fancy cookies. You should look for yourself. And before you thank me, don’t. My parents got them for you.”



She pried open the box. It was filled with chocolate-dipped madeleines.



He said, “Because of Laura’s accident.”



“Oh, wow…” She was speechless, touched by the gesture. To her it meant so much more than just them wishing her family well during this tough time. It meant that all was forgiven. She’d broken up with their only son, but they hadn’t taken it personally themselves.



“I think they’re from France,” he said. “Your fancy-pants sister should like that.”



She laughed. “They don’t know Laura very well if they sent her cookies.” But then she gave an automatic tug to the leg of her jeans—all the cooking she was doing for Billy was beginning to take its toll. “Or is it so obvious how much I like cookies?”



“No, goof. It’s so obvious you deserve a treat.” Seeing her suspiciously narrowed eyes, he quickly added, “I’m saying that as a friend. You’re pretty as ever, but I told you, Billy and I had a meeting of the minds. We’re all good.”



“What’s with you men? Everything is ‘It’s all good. It’s cool.’”



He gave her a broad smile. “That’s because it is, Bailey.”



She closed the tin. “So this is your peace offering? Some cookies that your mom picked out?”



“No,” Damien said defensively. “Well, okay, partly. The cookies are gravy. I’m really here because I need to show you something.”



“What?” she demanded, instantly on her guard.



“You have to come with me to see it.”



She and Billy had agreed—Damien wasn’t capable of such calculated evil as a hit-and-run designed to hurt her. But still, something niggled in the back of her mind. “Can’t you just tell me? Why the mystery?”



Damien’s eyes went cold. “Don’t look at me like that, Sorrow. God, you make me feel like a criminal. I found something you’ll think is cool. I wanted to surprise you with it. Sort of like one last hurrah for the two of us.” At her skeptical glare, he added, “A platonic hurrah. Come on. Be a sport. I’ll have you back in an hour.”



Her misgivings transformed into pity. She felt ridiculous being suspicious of Damien—she’d known him all her life. But she did have an honest excuse. “I’m busy,” she told him.



“C’mon, Bailey. The dinner crowd won’t be here for hours. And Sully’s back there, right? He can hold down the fort in the meantime.”



She checked the clock on the wall—made from a slab of wood, it’d hung there for as long as she could remember. “I haven’t even eaten lunch yet.”



“Let’s pack a couple of sandwiches.” He grabbed the tin. “We can bring these, too. Come on,” he pleaded again, making her smile. “I’ve got no meetings till three. Just sixty minutes, for an old friend. Closure, isn’t that what you women are always clamoring on about?”



She barked out a laugh at that. It was the mischievous Damien she’d always known, and that was what decided it. It would be nice to have a little closure. She’d love to remain his friend, and an impromptu picnic seemed like just the right first step in that direction.



She whipped together a few sandwiches, grabbed a couple of apples, refilled her water bottle, and they were on their way. Some fresh air would do her good anyhow. She hadn’t been out since Laura’s accident, and spring was in full force, teasing her from outside the window. She was dying for a little blue sky. And, with him driving, she’d be safe. Whoever this mysterious bad guy was would assume she was at the lodge.



Her doubts burst back to the surface the farther they got from civilization. He was driving them down an old fire road, well off Irish Camp Road and deep into Simmons Timber land. “Where are you taking me?”



“I told you. I have something to show you.”



She had to trust that Damien wouldn’t hurt her. She knew him. But still, she couldn’t help but joke uneasily. “You’re kind of freaking me out here.”



He sighed heavily, pulling onto a dirt road, and stopped almost immediately, his sports car unable to go any far-



ther. Hurt flickered in his eyes—he’d heard her unease. “You used to trust me, remember? What happened between us, Sorrow?”



She sat stiffly, not unbuckling. “Is that why you brought me here? To talk about our relationship? You need to bring me back home, right now.”



He leaned back against the headrest, looking tired. “Give me just fifteen minutes. Then I’ll take you back.”



“First, you have to answer something for me.” When Billy mentioned his initial reservations about Damien, she’d scoffed. But now, sitting in the middle of nowhere, everything Damien had ever said, every crisis at the lodge, every moment he’d happened to be right there to swoop in and save the day—it all came to her in a rush. There was just one too many coincidences. “Have you been sabotaging us?”



His face hardened into stunned disbelief. “What?”



She almost chickened out, but the words had been said. They were out there, hanging, with no going back now. She might as well let it all out.



“There have been so many freak accidents at the lodge,” she said carefully. “And yet you always seem to be right there to help.”



He stared in stunned silence. She’d expected the truth to flash in his eyes, but all she read was confusion, comprehension, and a surprising despair.



Finally, he spoke, his voice low and achingly heartfelt. “Jesus, Sorrow. I know I can be a jerk, but I would never sabotage you. Never.”



She watched him, plumbing those eyes for the truth. “How can I be sure?”



“How could you even think that? I’ve been trying to help. You’ve been so in over your head.” He slammed his hands on the steering wheel. “Why would I ever hurt you? I care about you.”



She racked her mind for possible reasons. “Maybe you’re jealous.”



“Of Billy? Yeah, sure, I admit, at first my gut twisted every time I saw his damned cruiser parked in your lot. I mean, what’s the appeal? He’s older, he doesn’t try worth a damn—and yet every woman in town swoons for the guy.”



“Seems to me, you’re the one they’re swooning for.”



“I don’t know. Maybe. It doesn’t matter.” He stared sightlessly out the front window, his voice gone soft. “You always talk about how you feel stuck, Sorrow. Abandoned in Sierra Falls by your siblings. But think how I feel.” He met her eyes, and his were dark with anguish. “I’d give my left nut for a sibling. You think you’re stuck, but I’m the one trapped with a golden boy rep and an empire whether I want it or not. What good am I, when my own girlfriend doesn’t want me, and I’m the dude who supposedly has it all?”



Her eyes went wide. “Are you kidding? Damien, you’re like…the prince of Sierra Falls. You were the star quarterback. You’re the one who’s going to inherit half the town.”



“You still broke up with me.”



“It wasn’t because of you, though. You’re amazing. It’s just that I connected with Billy.”



He gave a bitter laugh. “The old ‘it’s not you, it’s me’ talk. But the thing is, Sorrow, it was me.” He shook his head. “You don’t get it. Billy Preston is the kind of man I could never be. Simple, loved.”



“You’re loved!”



“Sure thing, Sorrow.” Damien’s expression shuttered. “Forget all that. It’s not what I came here for, whatever you might think. Look, I’m glad you found Billy. If you get off on the guy, I’m thrilled for you. If you’re happy, I’m happy.”



“Then what do you want?” she asked quietly.



“All I want, all I ever wanted, was to look out for you.”



“Look out for me?” Ice rushed into her veins. “From what?” She looked out the window—they were surrounded by towering pines, and not another soul for miles. “You have me a little freaked out here.”



He practically tore off his seat belt and pinned her with a look. “I keep being misunderstood, and I need to make it right.”



Forty-one



Damien got out and angrily flung open her door. He offered his hand, his arm extended rigidly. “Come with me. I swear I’ll keep you safe.” Something broke in his expression when she didn’t take his hand right away. “I wanted this to be fun, and you’re wigging out on me.” His arm dropped, and he sighed, a tired, sad sound. “Hell, Sorrow, until that sheriff started showing his face around, I was the only one who gave a shit about whether or not you kept your head above water.”



She stared up at him and saw emotions she’d never seen on Damien’s face before—earnestness, anxiety, and even pain. It was in such contrast to the easy confidence she was used to. This was the Damien she’d suspected had been there all along.



She made her decision. Reaching up, Sorrow took his hand. “Fifteen minutes.”



They hiked in silence. The trail was overgrown, and though they probably only went about a half mile, it was slow going.



She stopped to catch her breath. “So this is Simmons land?”



He leaned against a tree, pulling a water bottle from his pack, offering it to her first. “You don’t know where we are, do you?”