Chapter Sixteen
The following morning, Cole sped along the winding road that led to Crimson’s abandoned ski resort, the Jeep’s lights flashing but its sirens silent. He was checking on a call the station had received that shots were being fired on the ski mountain.
It wasn’t anywhere near ski season, not to mention no one in town had rights to be on that land anyway. Cole couldn’t imagine the resort’s new owner would want to hear about some crazy person popping off multiple rounds on private land.
Since the road was all but deserted this time of day, Cole kept the Jeep’s siren off. If someone was trespassing or worse on resort property, he didn’t want to warn them of his approach.
He parked in the lot, empty except for a gleaming black Porsche SUV near the far end. As he approached the vehicle, the distant sound of music wafted toward him. He shined his flashlight into the tinted windows, but the Porsche was empty.
He followed the sound of music—and more specifically The Piña Colada Song—up the stairs that led to the lodge’s wraparound patio.
The ski resort had closed in the early nineties due to a bankruptcy filing and family disputes by the long-time owners. Some of the older deputies had shared that it used to be a popular spot for local teens right after it was abandoned, but that had changed in the ensuing years. Nowadays, he had someone check the property on a routine basis but not many people ventured out this way other than hikers or tourists who’d taken a wrong turn.
Beer cans lined the patio’s wide rail, and Cole automatically put a hand on his weapon as he came around the corner.
A pair of long legs and expensive-looking sneakers came into view, and the next moment Cole let out a string of curses so vile it would have made his old army buddies blush. The man lounging in the chair was so similar to Cole in his features and build, it was almost like looking in a mirror. A mirror he wanted to punch with every fiber of his being.
“Hey, bro. I was wondering when you’d get here.” Shep Bennett made a show of checking his watch, sun reflecting off the shiny face. “Twenty-four minutes from when I fired my first round. Not great response time, if you ask me.” He hit a button on his phone to turn off the music, then picked up a .22 handgun from the arm of the weathered lounge chair where he was sitting and aimed at the beer cans.
“Don’t you dare—”
Shep fired three shots and a trio of cans disappeared over the railing.
“Put it down and explain what the hell you’re doing here.”
Shep laughed as he placed the gun on the chair’s arm again. “I’m letting off a little steam is all. You remember fun, don’t you?”
Anger flooded through Cole, engulfing the relief he felt at seeing Shep safe after all these years. He grabbed the gun, unloaded the magazine and took the bullet out of the chamber. He stepped directly in front of his brother, blocking his view of the ski mountain. “Why does your idea of fun always involve being an idiot?”
Shep stood, walked to the patio’s railing. “Guess I take after dad,” he said and flicked the remaining beer can over the edge.
“You’re going to clean all those up.” Cole moved forward to stand next to his brother. “Then you can drive away from here—back to wherever life has taken you.”
“That’s a funny story,” Shep muttered.
“Tell me you didn’t steal the Porsche.”
Shep turned, leaning a hip on the rail. “Give me a break, Cole. It’s mine.”
“Since when do you have that kind of money?”
“A lot can happen in seven years.”
“Like Mom’s funeral,” Cole shot back. He saw pain flare in his brother’s features before the smirk he remembered so well returned.
“You had to go there.”
It wasn’t just that Cole saw he’d upset Shep. He felt his brother’s emotional pain, courtesy of the unexplainable connection he had with his twin. Shep might pretend he didn’t care, but the truth was far more complicated.
“Where were you?” Cole asked.
Shep shrugged. “Arizona for a while. A few months in Mazatlán. Mainly I’ve been in California. The weather is—”
“February 12,” Cole interrupted. “That was the day I buried her. By myself. It would have killed her how little you care.”
“The heart attack beat me to it,” Shep ground out between clenched teeth. “You know I loved her. She knew it. I was down in Mexico when she died and couldn’t get back in time.”
“You never even called.”
“To say what?” Shep crossed his arms over his chest. “What did you want from me? Were we supposed to commiserate over our shared loss? As if being orphaned was going to bring us suddenly closer. Dad ruined all of our lives.”
“She died of a broken heart,” Cole murmured.
“There was nothing I could have done about it at the time.”
“You could have helped me deal with things.”
Shep barked out a harsh laugh. “Give me a break. You’ve never needed a moment’s help in your whole life. The stronger twin. The alpha. That’s what Mom always called you.”
“Only so she’d have an excuse to baby you.”
“Baby me? That’s rich.”
Cole pushed away from the railing and paced along the edge of the patio. Shep exasperated him, but Cole didn’t want this kind of animosity. It did neither of them any good to fight. Cole prided himself on keeping his temper in check and blamed the shock of seeing his brother after so long on his behavior.
His first instinct, after wanting to berate Shep for the business with the gun and beer cans, had been to rush forward and throw his arms around his twin. It felt like he’d stumbled upon an appendage he hadn’t realized he’d been missing. A part of him had come home.
But Crimson wasn’t Shep’s home, and the fact that he’d shown up without warning, clearly ready to antagonize Cole, didn’t bode well for a brotherly reunion. Still, Cole felt like he had to try.
“It’s good to see you despite everything.”
“Liar.” Shep flashed a small smile. “You always were a horrible liar. Half the time that’s how Mom could tell us apart when we got into trouble.”
“You were an expert,” Cole agreed. “Yet somehow we both got into the same amount of trouble. Out with it, Shep. What are you doing here?” He held out his hands. “Why the big production to get me to this place? A phone call or a text would have worked fine.”
“I figured it was time I visit my new home.” Shep flashed a far too innocent smile. “Do you want to be the first person to welcome me to Crimson, Sheriff Bennett?”
Cole swallowed, feeling like he’d just downed a handful of sawdust. He and Shep were like oil and water, and Cole had made Crimson his own. It was one thing for his brother to pay an unexpected visit, but the thought that Shep might be in Colorado permanently was too much.
“Don’t mess with me.” He removed his sunglasses, made a show of cleaning them on his shirtfront. Trying to look casual. Trying to appear as if he wasn’t losing his mind. “Crimson isn’t your kind of place.”
The town was Cole’s place. He and his brother had never been good at sharing. Whether toys or friends or later women, if one twin claimed something or someone, there was an unspoken rule that the other let it go.
“I’m ready for a change.” Shep lifted his arms and spun in a slow circle. “A new challenge.”
“A development company bought the resort,” Cole argued. “Even abandoned and in disrepair, the land is worth millions. Unless you’ve been running drugs for the past few years, there’s no way you could do this on your own.” He cursed, then added, “I sure as hell hope you’re not running drugs.”
“Dude, you’ve been binge-watching too many shows,” Shep said, looking both amused and offended. “I’m the head of Trinity Development Company. Right after Dad died, I got lucky on a piece of land outside of Vegas. Turns out real estate development is a lot about luck.”
“Our family never had much.”
“Things change. I like to think it was the old man looking out for me from the great beyond.” He tapped a finger on his chin. “Do you think he’s upstairs or down below given the rat he turned out to be?”
“Shut up, Shep.”
“Down below. That’s what I think, too. But he’s still taking care of me.” He shrugged. “I only had to make half a deal with the devil in the process.”
“What have you gotten yourself mixed up in now?”
“Success,” Shep said, pointing a finger at Cole. “You’re not the only one in this family who has something to offer.”
“You know better than anyone that I’m no competition in the success game.” Cole blew out a breath, rubbed a hand over his jaw. “I’m sheriff in a small town in the middle of the Rocky Mountains. I walked away from a career in the army because I didn’t want to deal with Dad’s legacy haunting me every step of the way. It works for me, but there’s nothing about my life you need to envy.”
“I don’t envy you,” Shep said tightly. “But those stupid two minutes you had on me at birth meant I had to spend my whole childhood in your shadow.”
“Not tru—”
“I’m here, Cole. I’m not leaving.”
The ridiculous old Western movie phrase “this town ain’t big enough for the two of us” leaped into Cole’s mind. He felt like he was six years old again, arguing over who got first dibs with their favorite Lego set. But this was his brother. Cole had learned as a kid that all he had to do was wait and Shep would get bored and move on to the next shiny toy.
Somehow Shep had gotten a burr up his backside to mess with Cole again, just when things were starting to feel like a decent fit. Cole wondered if it was that twin spidey sense at work. Shep had somehow recognized Cole’s contentment and decided it was high time to crash it.
“Welcome to Crimson,” Cole said, making his tone casual. “Folks around here are thrilled the resort’s going to open again. It’ll mean more jobs for locals and an influx of tourist dollars that the town can always use. A lot of people will be counting on you.”
Shep blanched but didn’t respond. He’d never been one for responsibility, and Cole knew it.
“You still have my cell number?”
“Yeah, I’ve got it.”
“Give me a call later.” Cole flashed a quick smile. “I’ll introduce you to Jase Crenshaw, Crimson’s mayor. I’m sure he’ll want you involved in the local business owners’ association right away.”
“Sure,” Shep agreed, but his voice wavered the tiniest bit.
“Do you have a general contractor lined up?”
Shep stared at him for a long moment, as if he couldn’t quite figure out why Cole had changed tactics. Finally he said, “We have plans. Big ones.”
“I bet.”
“It’s not a joke.”
“I’m not laughing.” Cole gestured to the darkened lodge. “I gather you’re not staying here.”
“Not yet,” Shep admitted. “There’s some work to do before the place is habitable again. And I have other...commitments right now.”
“What’s your time frame?”
“Six months.”
“Are you joking? You’ll never get things going again in that amount of time.”
Shep bristled, as if Cole doubting him was a physical blow. “We’re farther along than you think.”
Cole ran a hand through his hair. “Why didn’t you contact me earlier?”
“I like surprises,” Shep said, his smirk firmly back in place.
“Don’t cause trouble. This town means something to me, and I won’t have you stirring things up around here.”
“You sure do know how to make a man feel welcome. It warms my heart. Really.”
Cole shook his head, both unable and unwilling to bridge the distance between him and his brother. “I’ll see you later, Shep,” he said and walked away.
* * *
Sienna heard a crash, then another, coming from the kitchen as she walked down the inn’s staircase the next morning.
It was too early for construction workers, so she hurried toward the sound, calling out to Paige as she did.
She found the innkeeper grabbing pans and metal bowls from the pantry and slamming them onto the counter.
“Everything okay?”
“Coffee in the pot and French toast casserole on the stove,” Paige said, her frenetic movements not stopping. “Do you want fresh squeezed orange juice to go with it?”
“Paige.” Sienna put a hand on her friend’s arm. “What are you doing?”
“Taking care of the only guest this place might ever see.” Paige shook her head and pressed the back of her hand to her mouth when a small sob escaped.
“What are you talking about?”
“I called my mom this morning.” Her voice was miserable. “I told you the house is in her name, and I’ve been trying to save money to buy it from her. I’ve also been paying the mortgage, and maybe I missed a couple of months because of other expenses I’ve had to shell out to maintain this place. Maybe I told her I’d miss this month, as well.”
“Okay.”
“Not okay,” Paige countered. “At least that’s what I realized. My mom is under contract to sell The Bumblebee.”
“She can’t do that,” Sienna said immediately. “You’ve put so much time and effort into it. You’re almost ready to open.”
Paige gave a strained laugh and gestured to the mess of the living room floor. “Not quite almost, but I was getting there. I called to give her an update and talk about the construction expenses. She told me she was approached last week by a buyer out of California who wanted this property.”
“Why The Bumblebee?”
“It’s not just the house. The land borders the old ski resort. Apparently whoever bought the resort wants to make the inn part of that property. Grammy was always at odds with the former owner of the ski mountain, but I never thought it would be an issue for me.”
“Your mom didn’t bother to mention this to you?”
Paige sniffed and shook her head. “I made the mistake of calling her in a moment of weakness—when I was feeling overwhelmed. I might have cried and told her I wasn’t sure I could handle the inn.”
“Crying is okay and doubts are normal. It doesn’t mean—”
“I was sick as a kid,” Paige blurted. “Really sick.”
Sienna felt her mouth drop open. “Are you sick now?”
Paige shook her head. “I had leukemia. I was in and out of the hospital my last two years of high school doing chemo and radiation. I’ve been fine for almost ten years, but after that phone call, my mom decided that the stress of opening and running an inn would be too much for me.” She threw up her hands. “According to her, she’s doing me a favor.”
“We need to convince her to cancel the sale. When is the closing scheduled?”
“You have no idea what my mom is like when she sets her mind to something.”
“Maybe not,” Sienna agreed. “However, I’m familiar with overbearing mothers.”
Paige gave a soft laugh. “I suppose you are. But you’ve made a success of yourself in your own right. You have that important job—”
“Which I don’t miss.”
“You lived with your boyfriend—”
“Who cheated on me,” Sienna pointed out with a wince.
“There were some setbacks,” Paige admitted. “But you’ve proven you can be an adult. Before I came to Crimson, I still lived with my mom. She said the house was too big for her to be there alone after my dad died, and she wasn’t ready to sell it. The truth was she didn’t trust me on my own. Do you have any idea what it’s like when no one believes you can handle your own life? It’s embarrassing, and now this happens.”
Sienna could relate to Paige’s dilemma. Maybe her life wasn’t as sheltered, but she’d followed wherever her mom and stepdad had led her. Yes, she had a great job, but she’d gotten hired with the ad agency because her stepdad had been fraternity brothers with one of the senior partners. Her mom had basically set up her first date with Kevin through someone she’d met at a charity dinner.
Everything in Sienna’s life had been arranged to follow the path that Dana deemed appropriate. As if Sienna couldn’t be trusted to make her own decisions.
It wasn’t until she’d arrived in Crimson that she’d tasted real freedom. Cole had been the first person to act like he believed she was strong enough to handle whatever life threw at her. No wonder she’d fallen for him so fast and hard. Butterflies flitted around her insides at the thought of him, but right now she needed to focus on seeing her friend through this mini meltdown.
“Your mom lives in Denver, right?” she asked.
“On the south end of town.”
“Has she been up here to see what you’ve done with the place?”
“No. She hasn’t been here since my grandma’s funeral and the house was a mess at that point. When Grammy died, Mom wanted to sell the inn right away. I convinced her to let me try to make something of it.”
“You have,” Sienna said immediately, her heart aching to see the other woman so sad. In the past couple of weeks, Paige had become a true friend. They’d spent hours sitting on the front porch at night, and Paige had been infinitely patient listening to all of Sienna’s worries. Paige had seemed so settled and sure, and it was a shock to hear about her illness and the uncertainty surrounding her mother and the inn.
“Not quite. I should have known better than to share my problems with her. She’s always treated me like the sick girl I used to be, even after I wasn’t sick anymore. It’s part of the reason I wanted to open the inn. I wanted to prove to her and to myself that I could succeed in something big. I can work hard and it won’t hurt me.”
“You’re doing great,” Sienna insisted. “Invite your mom up, and we’ll make sure she changes her mind.”
“Maybe I can introduce her to your mother,” Paige said with a slight smile. “They can compare notes on their wayward daughters.”
Sienna grabbed a coffee mug from the counter. “My mom won’t be here long enough for that.”
“Are you going back to Chicago with her?”
“She definitely thinks so. I managed to convince her I couldn’t leave until tomorrow at the earliest. But we both know I can’t ignore my life forever.”
“But this is your life, too.” Paige handed her a carton of creamer as she poured coffee into the mug. “Maybe it’s time to think of making some permanent changes. You have to claim the life you want to live.”
Sienna lifted a brow. “Like you’re going to claim the inn?”
Paige drew in a tremulous breath, like the question had knocked the wind out of her. Then she pulled two plates from a cabinet, porcelain clattering as she placed them on the counter with unsteady hands.
“French toast first,” she said with a too-bright smile. “No one should take back her life on an empty stomach.”
Sienna nodded. “I’ll get the syrup.”