Chapter Eight
Later that morning, Sienna walked into Life is Sweet, her stomach in knots. Pretending like she belonged in Crimson seemed to be almost as difficult as gathering the courage to talk to her father or brother.
But she couldn’t spend her day holed up at the inn, especially with Paige dropping not-so-subtle hints about Cole. Sienna still wasn’t sure what she’d been thinking inviting him into the house—and into her bed. All she knew was she’d slept better in those hours she was next to him than she had in ages.
Paige wasn’t much for subtlety, so as soon as Sienna had walked down the stairs, the innkeeper handed her a cup of coffee and a box of condoms.
“Here at The Bumblebee,” she’d said with a smile, “we like to make sure our guests haven’t forgotten anything they might need during their stay.”
“It wasn’t like that,” Sienna had insisted.
“Then you’re not as smart as you look. That man is gorgeous and I’ll tell you if a hot guy ended up in my bed—no matter the reason—I wouldn’t squander my opportunity.”
Sienna wasn’t sure what kind of opportunity she wanted with the town’s sexy sheriff, but she knew she wasn’t ready to talk about it. She’d taken the condoms and the coffee and returned to her room with the excuse of having to call her office in Chicago.
That part wasn’t a lie. Before she left for Aspen, she’d been working on a big ad campaign for a multinational telecommunication company ready to roll out its latest device. Although her extended stay in Colorado complicated things, she could do most of the work remotely.
She’d sent out a round of emails to her team, then tweaked a presentation her assistant had sent her the night before. Her boss was being patient because he needed Sienna’s reputation and the relationships she’d cultivated with their client base, but she knew that wouldn’t last forever.
The hotel in Aspen had delivered her luggage, and while her clothes weren’t perfect for Crimson’s casual vibe, at least they were hers. Now she had to come up with a plan for her time in Crimson and figure out how long she was planning to stay. For that, she needed more coffee and one of the muffins she’d seen in the glass display counter of the bakery.
Katie, the bakery’s owner, was nowhere in sight as Sienna approached the counter, and a strange sense of disappointment washed over her. The woman had been friendly, even after Cole explained who she was. Sienna secretly looked forward to another conversation with someone who didn’t seem either fascinated by or skeptical of her past in Crimson.
She ordered a coffee and muffin, then turned to find a beautiful and very pregnant woman staring at her.
“Even if I hadn’t Googled you, I’d know who you are,” the woman told her, one hand coming to rest on her belly in an oddly protective gesture. “You and Jase must have looked like twins as kids.”
“I don’t have photos,” Sienna answered automatically, then took her drink as the barista placed it on the counter. She didn’t need to ask the woman’s identity. This had to be Emily, her brother’s wife. Sienna’s sister-in-law. The thought of it was both strange and oddly appealing.
At least it would have been in a perfect world. But not with how Emily was glaring at her. This was one confrontation Sienna knew she wouldn’t be able to get out of so easily.
“Your dad does.” Emily’s eyes narrowed. “In fact, a framed photo of you has pride of place on the mantel in his new house. Maybe you would have found that out if you hadn’t run off like a big chicken when he spoke to you.”
Sienna heard the sharp intake of breath from the woman behind the counter. She turned and took the bag with the muffin the woman handed her, offering a smile and ignoring the fact that her fingers trembled. Big chicken. Good to know Emily Crenshaw didn’t hold back.
Sienna had spent a lifetime tiptoeing around difficult conversations. Her mother preferred the don’t ask/don’t tell school of thought for any topic thornier than which strand of pearls to wear to the country club for her weekly ladies’ luncheon.
So the issues and questions Sienna had throughout her childhood consumed her body from the inside out. And with that one snappish comment, Emily set lighter fluid to the flame and Sienna’s entire being was engulfed. The mask she’d worn for years burned to ash, leaving her true self standing raw and new. Somehow it was a liberating sensation.
She straightened her shoulders and inclined her head. “I was seven when my mother put me in that car and drove away. For years, I waited for a letter or phone call from my dad. Every birthday, each Christmas. I wanted him to care that I was gone. I wanted him to find me. But he never did. He never even tried.”
“You don’t know what—”
Sienna held up a hand. “He had Jase because Jase was the one he needed. So if you think I’m going to go all misty-eyed and sentimental over the fact that he still has a left-behind picture of me on display, think again.”
Suddenly she understood why she couldn’t force herself to confront her father or brother. The pain might pour out, and then they’d see—everyone would see—how much it hurt her to be taken away from her life in this town.
Even though her childhood had been far from perfect, she’d belonged, unlike the way she’d been raised in Chicago, where she was constantly reminded of how grateful she should be for the advantages her mother’s marriage to Craig Pierce had given both of them.
But to Sienna, those advantages had felt like a straitjacket. Having Emily try to confront her was like breaking free, and the tumble of emotions was overwhelming and devastating. She no longer cared who heard their conversation.
Sienna was done hiding her crazy.
“How about the years in between and the memories that could have—should have—been captured? Maybe I’m more interested in the things in my life he missed.” She leaned in slightly. “But I’m sure not interested in being lectured on how I handle myself now. So back off, sister-in-law.”
Emily’s blue eyes widened slightly, but she didn’t back down. “I won’t let you hurt my family.”
“Is that why you think I’m here?”
“If you’re anything like your mother,” Emily said, arching an eyebrow, “then yes.”
“I’m nothing like her,” Sienna said, but she couldn’t be sure that was true. Dana had tried her best to mold Sienna into her own image. Sienna had followed along because she hadn’t felt like there was another choice. How much of it had become embedded into the fiber of who she was remained to be seen away from her mother’s influence.
Her comment seemed to surprise Emily, and she nodded slightly. “We’ll see about that. Come to dinner tonight.”
Sienna felt her mouth drop open. “You just read me the riot act about not messing with you, and now you’re inviting me to dinner? Are you nuts?”
“Rhetorical question,” a voice chimed in and both women turned to see Katie standing behind the cash registers. “Don’t question how Emily’s mind works. It’s a mystery to us all.”
“Very funny,” Emily muttered, but Sienna felt an easing in the tension rolling off her brother’s wife. She expected nothing less from the sweet-tempered bakery owner. Katie Crawford could likely tame a grizzly bear by whispering lullabies into its furry ear.
“Not as funny as most of my customers watching this little exchange with great fascination.” Katie inclined her head. “I’m pretty sure Mrs. Wasinski recorded the whole thing on her new smartphone. If we’re lucky, she’ll upload the video to Facebook and tag you both.” Saccharine-sweet sarcasm dripped from her tone.
Emily whipped around and pointed at an elderly woman in a lavender tracksuit and thick hiking boots. “Delete it, Mrs. W., or I’m going to take Ruby for an after-dinner walk every night this month and let her poop in your rosebushes.”
“You wouldn’t dare,” the woman said, looking shocked. “My roses took first place in the county fair last year.”
“Then you probably don’t want extra fertilizer on them.”
“I assume Ruby is your dog,” Sienna said, “and not your daughter.”
“Best dog ever,” Emily confirmed. She patted her belly. “My girl is on the way.”
Mrs. Wasinski messed with her phone for several seconds before looking up again. “I don’t care what Jase has done for this town, the Crenshaws have always been trouble, whether they grew up in Crimson or married into the family.”
“Thanks for your opinion,” Emily said sweetly as the older woman hurried out of the bakery.
“You’re chasing off my customers now,” Katie said with a groan.
Emily rolled her eyes. “She’ll be back. No one can stay away from here for long.” She turned her full attention on Sienna again. “Dinner at six tonight.”
“I don’t think—”
“You don’t have to think. Just show up. If you’re not here to make trouble, that’s fine. If you are, we need to deal with it sooner than later because when this baby comes I need Jase’s full attention.”
Sienna glanced at Katie, who shrugged. “She won’t take no for an answer at this point.”
“Will you and your husband be there?” Sienna asked Katie.
“You need a buffer between yourself and your family?” Emily demanded.
Sienna winced slightly but nodded. “It can’t hurt.”
“Noah and Katie will be there then. I’ll call my brother and tell him the good news,” Emily said. “He’s got dinner plans.”
“I’ll bring dessert,” Katie offered.
“Make it chocolate,” Emily said, then added, “Please.” She pulled a small notepad from her purse, scribbled something on it and handed a sheet of paper to Sienna. “Here’s our address. See you tonight.”
“Um...thanks.”
With a sharp nod, Emily turned and walked out of the bakery. Sienna let out a long breath as she stared at the address written on the slip of paper. Family dinner.
“Here you go.” She looked up to find that Katie had walked around to the front of the counter. She handed Sienna another brown paper bag. “It’s banana nut to go with your blueberry. I figure after that it could be a two-muffin morning.”
“Thanks.” Sienna took the bag. “Is she always so intense?”
“More so with the pregnancy. She really loves your brother.”
“My brother,” Sienna repeated softly. “Family dinner at my brother’s house.”
“Ready or not,” Katie told her, as if reading Sienna’s mind.
“Ready or not,” Sienna agreed.
* * *
“I’m coming,” Cole called, muting the baseball game he’d been watching and straightening from the couch. “No need to break down the door.”
The pounding at his front door stopped as he approached it. Through the gauzy curtains he hadn’t bothered to change when he bought the house last year, he saw the outline of a slender woman, her blond hair pulled back in a low ponytail.
“How did you find out where I live?” he asked as he opened the door.
Sienna stood on the front porch, her arms wrapped tightly around her waist. “Is it a secret? Do you call it the Sheriffcave?”
“Not quite,” he said, trying to get his bearings. He still felt off-kilter from spending the night with her, and having her so close made him remember all the things about the previous night he’d been trying to force himself to forget. The warmth of her body, the scent of her hair as it tickled his cheek, how soft her skin was at the crook of her neck.
“Are you going to invite me in then?” One delicate brow lifted. “Because that would be the polite thing to do.”
“Yeah, I’m real concerned about good manners,” he said with a laugh but stepped back so she could walk past him into the house. She wore a pale pink scoop neck cotton shirt and slim jeans that grazed her ankles. As he’d come to expect, her makeup was minimal, and he had the urge to trace his finger along her cheek to feel its softness. She didn’t yet look at home in Colorado but seemed less buttoned-up than she had that first day she’d arrived in town. As if the casual vibe of Crimson was slowly rubbing off on her.
An emotion he didn’t recognize flared low in his belly as he watched her examine the space. He’d never brought a woman to his house. Hell, his dating life had been almost nonexistent since he’d moved to Crimson. Cole was dedicated to his job, and up until the past few days, that had been enough.
“Did you just move in?” she asked, her gaze snagging on a stack of cardboard boxes pushed against one wall.
“About a year ago,” he admitted. “I’ve been too busy to deal with unpacking everything.”
She inclined her head toward the muted television and the half-empty beer bottle and bag of chips on the coffee table. “Clearly.”
“What’s going on?” he asked. “Or did you stop by for the sole purpose of critiquing my interior decorating skills?”
“I need you to go to dinner with me,” she blurted.
“Okay,” he said slowly. “Did you have someplace special in mind?”
“I met my sister-in-law today,” she continued. “She invited me to dinner. I’m supposed to be there in...” She glanced at the chunky silver watch that encircled her wrist. “Ten minutes.”
“Emily invited you for dinner?” Cole tried to hide his shock, especially after Jase had told him he didn’t trust Sienna. “And you want me to go with you?”
“Katie and her husband will be there, too.” She walked forward and ran a hand along the back of his leather couch. “But they’re Team Jase. I need someone on my side.”
“You think that’s me?” Pride and disbelief warred inside him at the idea that he was the one she’d come to for support. He realized she knew very few people in town, but still—
“You’re all I’ve got,” she muttered, then made a face. “Sorry. I didn’t mean it to come out that way.”
“You know Jase is my best friend,” he said. “I’m the one who told him you’d come to town. You might remember raking me over the coals in the bakery.”
“So all of this is really your fault.” She flashed a smile that was more like a baring of teeth from a grizzly bear facing off with a mountain lion. “You have to go.”
“What if I have plans?”
She glanced at the television, then back at him. “Are they important?”
“Give me a minute to change clothes.”
“Thank you,” she said softly, her gaze dropping to the ground as if she couldn’t bear to make eye contact. He wondered what he’d see in her beautiful blue gaze right now. Unable to resist, he moved toward her and placed a finger under her chin, tipping it up until she looked at him.
It was all there—pain, loneliness, vulnerability and the smallest sliver of hope. As much as she pretended otherwise, Sienna wanted things to work out with Jase and her father. This night meant something to her. More than she probably knew.
Cole felt the heavy weight of responsibility settle on his shoulders, but to his surprise, he didn’t immediately want to shrug it off. He had no problem with work responsibility but kept his personal life clean and simple because it was easier that way—no chance for mess or for anyone to get hurt. But he couldn’t seem to keep Sienna at arm’s length, and the more time he spent with her, the more he wanted to pull her in closer.
“It’s going to be fine,” he told her and brushed his lips across hers.
“Only if we’re not late,” she said, her breath tickling his skin.
He drew back, dropped a quick kiss on her nose and headed toward his bedroom.