“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.
Chapter 9
“We should have sex.”
Sienna threw a sidelong glance at Cole. Her stomach flipped up and down after she made the suggestion, like she was being pummeled by a tropical storm.
He stopped dead in his tracks, staring at the cobblestone walkway before them, and massaged a
hand over the back of his neck. “Uh...do you have any context you want to offer with that suggestion?”
They were standing at the edge of sidewalk in front of Jase and Emily’s house. Sienna was about to spend an evening with her father and brother for the first time in twenty years. The thought made her terrified, and fear made her say stupid things.
“You want to, right?” she demanded, turning to face Cole.
He looked down, desire and amusement both clear in his gaze. “Yes, but I don’t think that’s the point at the moment.”
“No one has seen us yet. We could turn right around and drive back to your house.” She held up her hands like she was showing off the grand prize in a game show contest. As if she were the prize, when they both knew she was anything but at the moment.
The words coming out of her mouth sounded crazy to her own ears, but she couldn’t stop them. “Or we could get a hotel room. Not The Bumblebee. That would be weird with Paige there. Does Crimson have any rent-by-the-hour motels?”
He shook his head. “Not as far as I know.”
“Your place then.” She grabbed his hand and turned for the truck he drove when he wasn’t on duty.
Cole didn’t budge, and trying to get him to move was like tugging on a mountain.
“Sienna.”
“Is it yes or no?” She tried to pull her hand away from his when it was clear he wasn’t moving, but he held tight. “Because I could find someone else.”
She gave a little yelp as she was suddenly plastered against the hard front of Cole’s body. “No one else,” he said, his voice a gravelly purr. “But right now we’re having dinner at Jase’s house. A dinner you invited me to about eight minutes ago. We couldn’t be late and all that.”
“Changed my mind.”
“No.”
“Yes,” she insisted, letting her tone become peevish. “It’s my mind and I get to do with it what I want. Along with my body.”
“Duly noted,” he said, infinitely patient. “I told you, tonight is going to be fine.”
She bit down on her lip when a whimper threatened to escape. She swallowed and shook her head. “It’s not going to be fine. I shouldn’t be here. I should never have come in the first place. If they’d wanted to see me, they would have. It’s been two decades and—”
“Jase said he came to Chicago last year. You didn’t see him.”
She spread her fingers out along his chest, letting the heat of his body seep into her palms. Wanting to curl against him but forcing herself to take a step back in case anyone inside the house was looking. “He was there because my mom summoned him. No one refuses Dana Pierce.”
She sighed when Cole grimaced.
“I know I sound harsh,” she told him. “But that’s how my mom is about things. She’s in remission now, and I’m grateful but I couldn’t be a part of it at that time. And now...”
“Now is your chance.”
“These aren’t my people,” she said, feeling miserable and alone.
“I’m your person.”
“You’re Jase’s friend,” she countered, refusing to allow herself to hold on to his words the way her heart wanted to. “You said so yourself.”
“Tonight I’m yours.” He laced his fingers with hers and started forward. “I’ve got your back.”
She allowed him to lead her, knowing she wouldn’t be able to make her legs move if he wasn’t next to her.
“You ring the bell,” he told her when they were on the porch.
She knocked instead, earning a smile from Cole. “A rebel at heart,” he murmured. “You’ll fit in just fine, sweetheart.”
The door opened to reveal Jase Crenshaw standing on the other side. He was taller than Cole, probably close to six foot four, lanky and handsome and familiar to Sienna even as much as he was a stranger.
“I wasn’t expecting to see you tonight,” he said to Cole, looking more confused than surprised. “How many times have you been invited over but always managed not to make it?”
Cole flinched but covered it with a small laugh. “I made it tonight.”
“I invited him,” Sienna offered.
Jase raised a brow. “I’m glad you both could make it.”
“Your wife didn’t seem like she was going to take no for an answer.”
“That’s Emily,” he agreed, smiling.
Sienna glanced over her shoulder toward Cole’s truck. “I brought a bottle of wine but left it in the truck. I’ll go—”
“I’ll get it,” Cole offered and jogged down the walkway toward the street before she could argue.
“Is wine okay?” she asked, turning back to Jase. “I forgot about your dad being sober and—”
“It’s fine. And he’s your dad, too,” Jase added quietly. “He’s doing well right now, but sobriety and Declan are fickle companions.”
“I’m not going to do anything to sabotage him.” Sienna clasped her hands in front of her stomach. “I just want you to know I’m not here to cause trouble for either of you.”
“I’d ask why you are here,” Jase said, stepping back into the house and gesturing for her to follow, “but I suppose you’ll let us know that in your own time.”
“Do you remember me?” she asked suddenly. “From when we were kids.”
Jase frowned. “Yes. You’re my sister.”
He said the words with such certainty, it made Sienna’s chest tighten. “I can picture the night we left,” she told him. “I remember turning around in the back seat and watching you get smaller, then disappear in the darkness as Mom drove away.” She shook her head. “But nothing else in any detail.”
“There wasn’t much worth remembering,” Jase said with a small laugh.
“It was the first seven years of my life,” Sienna countered. “And it’s all a jumble to me.”
“Is that part of what upsets you?” He studied her, his gaze intense, and a whisper of familiarity brushed over her like the touch of a feather. She could see in her mind the image of a solemn boy putting a bandage on her knee as she wiped away tears after a fall.
“I think so,” she admitted. “Although I didn’t realize I cared until I came to Colorado. Did you teach me to ride a bike?”
“Maybe you remember more than you think,” Jase said.
“Here’s the wine,” Cole said as he came through the front door. “Everything okay?”
He pressed his fingers to the small of Sienna’s back, handing Jase the bottle of wine. The light touch was more comforting than she could have imagined.
“It’s fine,” she said.
“Come into the kitchen,” Jase told them both. “We’ll eat soon.”
Cole kept his hand on her back as they walked, reminding Sienna that she didn’t have the option to run away, even if her hammering heart told her that would be the smart thing to do.
She heard voices and laughter as they walked toward the back of the house, but silence descended over the group as she entered the bright and airy kitchen.
Jase and Emily’s house was an old Victorian, but the inside had been remodeled recently. The kitchen had white craftsman-style cabinets with dark soapstone countertops over them. The floors looked original in a deep mahogany stain. There was a vase of fresh flowers on the island and framed photos and kids art decorated the walls.
Emily, Katie and a friendly looking man who Sienna guessed was Noah Crawford all glanced between her and Cole, but it was Declan Crenshaw who moved forward.
“Isn’t she the spitting image of your mother back in the day?” he asked Jase. “She even has Dana’s eyes.” He stopped when he was directly in front of Sienna. “You gonna take off again if I talk to you tonight?”
She shook her head, ignoring her sweaty palms and pounding heart.
“Good,” he said, “because I got plenty to say.”
; “Dad, let’s eat first.” Jase’s voice was gentle.
“It’s been twenty years,” Declan argued. “Food can wait.”
“I’m hungry now,” a small voice said from behind Sienna.
A young boy scooted past, keeping his hands at his sides so he wouldn’t brush against her. A fluffy dog followed, wagging its tail and sniffing at Sienna and Cole before trotting forward to greet everyone else.
“Davey, we have people here for dinner,” Emily said.
“I know,” the boy answered, glancing at his mother before dropping his gaze back to the ground. He held out one hand and the dog immediately moved to his side, tucking herself against his leg. “I want a hot dog.”
“Dogs and burgers are almost ready to come off the grill,” Noah said. “I just checked them.”
Jase touched Davey’s shoulder. “Do you want to say hello to our guest?”
“Hi,” the boy muttered but didn’t make eye contact.
Everyone else seemed to take the behavior in stride. Katie and Noah both greeted Davey and the adorable baby Noah held smiled widely.
Paige had told Sienna that Emily’s son from a previous marriage had Asperger’s, which explained the way he interacted with everyone. She looked toward Emily, who lifted her chin as if in challenge. Clearly, Jase’s wife had been through some battles defending her boy.
Sienna didn’t have much experience with kids, and certainly not special needs children, but she felt a new respect for Emily. “Why don’t we talk over dinner?” she said to Declan. “Davey’s not the only one who’s ready to eat.”
She saw Emily let out a breath, and Jase gave her an approving nod. “Davey, get a plate from your mommy,” he told the boy, setting the wine on the counter, “and you can help me with the burgers and hot dogs.”
“I’m Noah Crawford,” Katie’s husband said as he stepped forward. “This is little Willow.”
“Nice to meet you,” Sienna said, smiling.
She could feel her father’s intense gaze on her and was relieved when Cole turned and engaged Declan in conversation. Emily handed Sienna a bowl of salad across the counter. “Would you bring this to the patio?”
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