Chapter Fifteen
“Where are you rushing off to?”
Sienna gave a weak smile as she fastened her bra, then reached for her dress, which was still in a crumpled pile on the floor next to the bed. It was remarkably difficult to get dressed while keeping the sheet around her body.
“I need to go home.” She cleared her throat. “To the inn. I’m sure you need to get to work and...” She stretched out a toe, trying to inch the dress closer. “I should call the office. I’ve been missing a lot of client meetings so I check in with my assistant first thing in the morning. It makes me feel like I’m not totally out of touch.”
Cole had been in the bathroom for a few minutes, which had given her much needed time to collect herself after the best two orgasms of her life. She’d never thought herself the kind of woman to be affected by great sex, although maybe that was because up until Cole, she’d only had mediocre intimate relationships. Mediocre at best, as the saying went.
“You’re talking fast like you’re uncomfortable,” Cole said, bending forward and plucking her dress off the floor.
She sighed and reached out a hand. “Babbling,” she muttered. “It’s called babbling.”
One corner of his mouth kicked up, then he dropped down next to her on the bed. He’d put on his boxers, although his bare chest was plenty distracting. She was currently dealing with something way more serious than physical attraction. She was falling hard and fast for Sheriff Cole Bennett.
Falling in love.
It was ridiculous and painfully ill-advised. Cole had all but admitted he was going to hurt her. Her brother had warned her. Her father had warned her.
Sienna might be new to having so many men who cared in her life, yet she wasn’t a fool. She’d be an idiot to let herself fall in love with Cole, not when her time in Crimson might be temporary and he hadn’t given her any sign he wanted anything long-term.
“I’m an idiot,” she muttered, quickly ripping off the sheet and pulling up her dress. It had been easy to feel confident about her body when she was in the throes of passion. Now she felt too exposed.
“I like the babbling,” Cole said, giving her arm a playful nudge.
She stood, turning away from him, and slipped her arms into the dress, struggling to tug the zipper all the way up. She felt his warm body at her back a moment later. With gentle fingers, he gathered her hair and draped it over one shoulder, then zipped up the dress.
“I know it’s silly,” she protested, “that I get nervous around you.” She grabbed her shoes off the floor and forced herself to meet his gaze. “I’m sorry I’m bad at the morning-after stuff.”
“Technically, it’s still the morning of.”
She groaned. Why couldn’t she manage to act normal five minutes after the best sex of her life? “Even worse.”
“You’re cute.” He dropped a kiss on the tip of her nose.
She wanted to splay her hands across his bare chest, push him back down on the bed and have her merry way with him.
“I really need to go,” she said instead.
“Okay.” He traced the tip of one finger along her jaw. “But promise me you won’t let this freak you out. It’s not a big deal.”
If they gave out Academy Awards for keeping a poker face, Sienna would be a front-runner. It felt like Cole had just driven his fist into her chest. She could actually feel her heart shriveling as his words spread like a cancer through her.
“Of course,” she agreed, forcing a bright smile. He frowned, as if he detected the hysterical edge to her voice but couldn’t quite figure out what had caused it. “I’ll catch you on the flip side, Sheriff.” She placed a quick kiss on his mouth, then turned and gave what she hoped was a jaunty wave.
“I’ll check in at the hospital later,” he called, and she lifted her arm again, then pulled it tight to her side when she realized her fingers were shaking like an aspen leaf in the wind.
She grabbed her purse and quickly let herself out of Cole’s house, only realizing as she stood on the front porch that she had no mode of transportation to get home. Not home. To the inn. She had no home at the moment.
Tears of pain and embarrassment pricked at the backs of Sienna’s eyes. Afraid Cole would realize she’d taken an Uber from the hospital to his house, she hurried down the sidewalk and around the corner. Still somewhat unfamiliar with Crimson’s geography, despite the small-town flavor, she punched the B&B’s address into the GPS on her phone and began walking the neighborhood streets in the direction it sent her.
The morning was lovely, as seemed to be the norm in Colorado. A chill hung in the air but the sun shining from a clear blue sky was quickly warming things. She held her heels in one hand, appreciating the feel of the sidewalk beneath her feet. The cool pavement acted to ground her, helping her to remember she was more than just her aching heart.
She waved to an older woman sweeping off her front walk. The woman stared for several seconds, then called, “Dana?”
“I’m her daughter,” Sienna answered, slowing her pace.
The woman walked closer. “Of course. I heard you were in town. You really do look so much like her.”
“I’ve been told that most of my life. Were you friends with my mother?” She suddenly had an urge to know more about her mom’s time in Crimson. How did things get so far off track and why did Dana feel like she had no choice but to leave the way she did?
“Lordy, no.” The woman gave a dismissive laugh. “She and Declan hung with a wild crowd. Always up to no good. It’s a wonder you and your brother survived it.”
“Oh.” Not that Sienna necessarily denied the truth of the woman’s words but that didn’t make them any easier to hear.
“Those two were the most irresponsible, reckless—”
“Well, nice talking to you,” Sienna interrupted. She couldn’t stand to hear any more.
“Someone told me you were different,” the woman continued, scrunching up her nose like she’d smelled something rotten. “More like your brother.” Her gaze raked over Sienna, disapproval clear in her dull brown eyes. “But I doubt you put on that outfit this morning. It’s clear the Crenshaw blood runs strong in you, missy.”
Paige had joked about the walk of shame the first time Sienna spent the night at Cole’s, but this woman wasn’t making a joke.
“I take that as a compliment,” Sienna said, despite the embarrassment washing over her. She had nothing to feel guilty about—spending the night in an uncomfortable hospital chair didn’t constitute wild and reckless. She lifted her chin and adopted the haughty glare she’d watched her mother perfect over the years. “Have a lovely morning,” she said in a clipped tone, then walked away without a backward glance.
It was another half mile to The Bumblebee, and Sienna walked it quickly, her gaze focused on the sidewalk in front of her. She passed several morning joggers but didn’t bother greeting any of them. The woman’s words had hit their mark. Was that the sort of judgment her mom had received from this small community? It left a sour taste in Sienna’s mouth.
The front door of the inn was open and she called out a greeting to Paige as she entered the foyer. The sound of hammering had already started, and she hoped for her friend’s sake the construction project would finish soon.
“Sienna, you’re back.” Paige rushed from the direction of the kitchen, curls bouncing.
“No ‘walk of shame’ comments,” Sienna said with a dry laugh. “I’ve had enough—”
“I have another guest,” Paige blurted. “She arrived this morning and insisted on taking the room across from yours. I told her she’d be more comfortable at one of the hotels in town, but—”
“Where have you been and why are you dressed like that?”
Sienna sucked in a breath, dropping the shoes she’d been holding to the wood floor with a thud. “Oh, no,” she whispered under her breath.
“Oh, yes,” Paige answered in a similar whisper.
“Mom, what are you doing here?”
Dana Pierce came down the steps as if she was being presented at a debutante ball, shoulders straight, chin lifted, two fingers gingerly skimming the wooden handrail. As if Sienna’s mother needed support. Her blond hair was pulled back into a neat chignon, putting her elegant throat and the strand of pearls around her neck on full display. She wore an outfit Sienna had come to think of as her mother’s uniform—slim trousers and a crisp button-down shirt, slightly fitted, with the collar starched so that it stood stiff like a soldier at boot camp.
Today’s shirt was a shade of pale green, perhaps as a nod to the pine forests that surrounded Crimson. Matching the occasion was sort of a thing for Dana. Pink for Valentine’s Day, yellow on Easter and a pattern of red and white stripes around the holidays. Festive but understated.
“You haven’t called in several days,” Dana said, as if that explained everything.
“So you flew to Colorado?” Sienna pressed a hand to her forehead.
“Coffee?” Paige asked.
Sienna nodded. “Yes, please.”
“Mrs. Pierce?”
“Half a cup with a tablespoon of creamer.” Dana pierced Paige with one of her laser-beam glares as she came to stand at the bottom of the stairs. “No more than a tablespoon.”
“I’ll measure,” Paige offered quickly, then hurried toward the kitchen.
“You could have just asked for light creamer,” Sienna said with an eye roll.
“How do I know what that woman considers light?” Dana swept an arm toward the front room, which was crowded with the furniture and knickknacks Paige had moved so the guys could work on the floor. “I appreciate details, and it doesn’t seem like the innkeeper cares much for them. How does one expect to run a business like this?”
“The floor had water damage. She’s having it repaired. Paige has done a great job refurbishing this place, and she’s a fantastic cook and generous hostess. The Bumblebee will succeed.” Sienna wasn’t sure why she felt the need to defend Paige, but it was easier than talking about her mother’s unexpected appearance.
Dana sniffed. “I didn’t rearrange my schedule to come here and talk about a ramshackle bed-and-breakfast.”
Sienna inclined her head to study her mother, thinking about her encounter with the woman on her way home from Cole’s. “What happened to you in Crimson?”
“I don’t know what you mean. I arrived this morning and—”
“When I was a kid,” Sienna clarified. “I’ve talked to several people who remember you and—”
“I changed.”
“That could be the understatement of the century. Going from brunette to redhead or having bangs cut is a change. You left Crimson a party girl and made yourself into some sort of Grace Kelly or Jackie O. wannabee.”
“That’s ridiculous. I never wanted to be anyone but myself.”
“Who are you really?” Sienna stepped closer, and her mother looked away.
“I’m a woman who fell in love with the wrong man and wanted to take my children away from the mess of our lives.”
“You walked away so easily. You never drink and your idea of a party is a string quartet and cucumber sandwiches.”
“This is who I am.”
“But not who you were. I didn’t realize the reputation you had here. I thought it was Dad.”
Her mother’s mouth pressed into a thin line. “Declan Crenshaw is your father by biology only. Do not call him Dad to me.” She practically spit the word. “It’s disrespectful to your stepfather, who’s taken care of you all these years.”
“Financially,” Sienna muttered.
“Excuse me?”
“Craig Pierce has taken care of me financially, and I’m grateful to him. I always will be. But neither of us should pretend he has any real affection for me. He wanted you, and I was part of the package.”
“That’s not...” Her mother broke off because it was the truth and they both knew it. “Declan doesn’t care about you either.”
“He does,” Sienna argued. “Jase, too. I was just never allowed to believe it.”
“You don’t know everything, Sienna.”
“Because you’d never tell me anything. Dad has talked to me plenty, and he’s apologized for the mistakes he made.”
Dana let out a derisive laugh. “He hasn’t told you the truth then.”
Sienna threw up her hands. “Are you going to enlighten me?”
“I’m here to take you home.” Her mother clasped her hands together in front of her chest. “We had dinner with Kevin the other night. He told us you’d moved your things out of the condo.”
“I had Jennie do it. She’s keeping them in her parents’ garage until I get back.”
“It was a hasty decision. Kevin wants another chance.”
“He cheated on me,” Sienna shouted. “Then blamed me for not being able to keep his junk in his pants.”
“Don’t be crude.”
“You know what I discovered? It’s not me. I’m not frigid. In fact, I had the best sex of my life just this morning and a big, fat...” She made the shape of an O with her fingers. “I had no complaints about my part in things.”
“Sienna.”
“It wasn’t my fault,” she yelled, then pressed a hand to her mouth. The hammering from the other room had stopped. Color flooded her cheeks as she imagined the workers listening to her outburst.
Paige breezed into the room, smiling widely but looking about as uncomfortable as Sienna felt at the moment. “Who’s ready for coffee?” she asked brightly. “One tablespoon of creamer.” She held out a mug to Sienna’s mother. “Not a drop more.”
Dana didn’t take the mug. “I’m going to return to my room and gather my things,” she said, her lips barely moving. “Paige, I believe you were correct in your assessment that I’d be better suited to a hotel in town. Sienna, we’ll talk when you’ve calmed down. This behavior is unbecoming and not like you. Crimson has a bad effect on the women in our family. We leave for Denver the day after tomorrow. I’ll have my travel agent make the flight arrangements.”
Sienna clenched her hands into fists, focusing on drawing air in and out of her lungs. The hammering resumed, and her mother turned and walked up the stairs.
“Okay then,” Paige said cheerily, moving into Sienna’s line of sight. “I think that went well.”