A Place to Belong

by RaeAnne Thayne

  He wore a pair of dark jeans and a crisp white button-down that made his tanned skin look even more golden. The sleeves were rolled up to the elbows, and the hair that peppered his forearms was somehow the sexiest thing she’d ever seen.

  “I’m pathetic,” she muttered, and Cole grabbed her hand and squeezed.

  He waved to one of the workers, then led her out of the house. As soon as the front door had closed behind them, he turned and claimed her mouth, the kiss gentle and intense at the same time.

  Her eyes drifted shut as she lost herself in the feel of him. This was what she wanted, to forget everything in her life except the way Cole’s touch made her body come to life.

  All too soon, he pulled away. “Thank you,” he whispered, pressing his forehead to hers.

  “For kissing you?”

  “For agreeing to go out with me.”

  She should tell him it didn’t mean anything. She needed to eat and wanted a distraction while she waited for news on her dad. But she couldn’t make her mouth form the words, because it did mean something to her.

  Yes, Cole was handsome as sin, but her connection to him was way more than a physical attraction. She loved his honesty and integrity, the way he tried to take care of her even when she didn’t need him to. She liked the person she was when they were together. He made her feel more confident because he expected more from her than anyone ever had.

  “I’m glad you asked,” she told him, then fused her mouth to his. By the time she pulled back, they were both breathing heavily and Sienna felt like her whole body was on fire.

  “But we should get dinner,” she added, not trusting herself to share her bone-deep yearning to be close to him. Sienna had always stayed emotionally distant from the people around her. It was a defense mechanism, something to ensure she wouldn’t be hurt.

  Cole made her want to throw caution and all her self-preservation instincts to the wind and open herself up completely. It was terrifying and exhilarating at the same time, like climbing the first hill on a roller coaster when the car was cresting the top and about to careen down the other side.

  “You’re too practical for your own good,” he said with a low chuckle. “But let me ply you with food and spirits and then we’ll see where this takes us.”

  “Romantic,” she said, elbowing him as they walked to his truck.

  “I have my moments,” he told her with a wink.

  “I just bet you do.”

  She climbed into the truck and fastened her seat belt, her insides still tingling from his kiss.

  He pulled away from the curb, surprising her when he turned away from town.

  “Where are we going?”

  “It’s a surprise.”

  She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. “I hope this isn’t some covert plan to dump me over the county line because I’m too much trouble.”

  He kept his eyes on the road in front of them. “Apparently I like trouble.”

  She tried—and failed—to hide her smile at his words.

  A few minutes later, the truck’s front dipped as he maneuvered onto a dirt road and drove over a deep rut. Sienna’s stomach lurched in response.

  She wasn’t sure what to expect from this night. Her past dating experience had always been completely traditional and boring.

  Dinner at a trendy restaurant, sometimes dancing at a nightclub or a round of tennis at the country club. After a few weeks, there would be the obligatory family get-together—usually Sunday brunch or happy hour with business colleagues. All of it on an appropriate timeline that showed interest—but not too much—and a sense of decorum that Sienna now recognized had been one of the things that had made her feel stifled and sick to death of her own life.

  Everything with Cole felt new and exciting, and the unknown of it thrilled her.

  “We’re here,” he said, pulling onto the narrow shoulder.

  “Where’s here?”

  “Dinner,” he answered. “Although with the way you look tonight, I’m second-guessing my plan.”

  “Do you have a plan?”

  “You trust me, right?”

  “Well, I trust that you’re not a secret sheriff serial killer.”

  “Good to know,” he said with a grin.

  He got out of the truck and moved around to her side, opening the door for her. “We don’t have to go far.”

  She nodded and stepped out, figuring she might as well be game for whatever adventure he had planned. At least it was taking her mind off her father and his condition.

  She silently congratulated herself for choosing a pair of comfortable wedge heels from Paige’s closet so she wasn’t worried about breaking an ankle on the trail.

  Cole took a cooler out of the truck’s cargo bed and started up the path peeking out from the heavily wooded area.

  They’d only walked about twenty-five feet when the forest opened into a picturesque meadow, complete with a view of the mountains and a rustic picnic table set up in the middle of the field.

  She stepped into the clearing, then spun around in a slow circle, marveling at the quiet beauty around them. “Is there some manual they gave you when you moved here about hidden vistas in Crimson?”

  He flashed a wide smile. “I talk to a lot of people in my line of work. I ask questions. Privacy is important to me, but I don’t want to miss out on how great this area is because of it. I’ll take the road or the picnic area less traveled when I can.”

  “I’m overdressed.”

  “You look perfect.”

  “It looks like the picnic table is already set.”

  He nodded, looking almost sheepish. “I came out earlier and got things ready.”

  She followed him to the center of the meadow. A linen covered the picnic table, which was set for two. “I hope you’re not disappointed that we’re not at a restaurant in town. It seemed like you might get a bunch of questions about your dad. I thought you could use a break, and we’re closer to the hospital here than if we’d gone downtown.”

  “So you cooked?”

  He placed the cooler on one of the long benches. “Not exactly,” he told her, opening the lid. “But I’m great at ordering carryout.” He took out several cardboard food containers. “There’s a new Italian place on the way to Aspen. Best manicotti ever.”

  He placed the boxes on the table, then pulled out a bottle of wine and two glasses.

  “You went to so much trouble,” she murmured.

  “We can hit the town next time if you want,” he told her with a boyish smile that melted her heart.

  “This is perfect.” She leaned in to brush a kiss across his jaw. What she wanted to say was that Cole was perfect. Perfect for her. But she was afraid to reveal too much, terrified at how serious her feelings for him had become in such a short time.

  He uncorked the wine and she held the glasses while he poured. They toasted to Declan’s health and new beginnings, then Cole opened the containers and served them both crisp green salad and a scrumptious-smelling portion of pasta.

  “It’s amazing,” she said after taking a bite, the combination of tangy sauce and rich cheese making her want to moan with pleasure.

  “What’s your favorite restaurant in Chicago?” he asked.

  She smiled. “The shawarma food truck that parks around the corner from my condo. I’m not much of a cook either. I eat there at least twice a week.”

  “Do you miss the city?”

  She forked up another bite but paused before putting it in her mouth. “Not really, which is strange. Everything in my regular life was so structured. I thought that’s how I liked it, but now I see that it was also suffocating me.”

  “Structure isn’t a bad thing,” he said, taking a sip of wine.

  She smiled. “So says the lawman with the military background. I wish I’d questi
oned things more when I was growing up, and even as an adult. My mom made it clear that I should be grateful for the life we had, and I was. But I didn’t choose it. I never learned to figure out what I wanted. You’d think with the Crenshaw blood in me I would have rebelled or gone off the rails or something. Instead I was just a dutiful little sheep following the flock.”

  She put down her fork and picked up the wineglass. “I’m mostly disappointed in myself at this point for letting other people decide how I should live my life.”

  “You can always change that.”

  “What about you?” she asked, twirling the stem of the wineglass between her fingers.

  “What about me?”

  “Is there something you’d change about your—?”

  “Nope. My life is just fine.”

  “What about your brother? Aren’t you curious about where he is now? He’s the only family you have, right?”

  Cole’s jaw clenched, but he nodded.

  “You could reach out to him. Try to mend the rift—”

  “I told you I don’t even know if he’s still alive.”

  “You’re twins,” she insisted. “I have to believe you’d know if something awful had happened.”

  “Yeah,” he agreed reluctantly, running a hand over his jaw. “I’d know. But Shep made his choice after Dad died. The fact that he didn’t come back for Mom’s funeral... I can’t forgive that.”

  “You could at least try to contact him.”

  “I have no idea where he is at this point.”

  “People have to work hard to hide in this day and age. One quick Google search and I bet—”

  “I don’t need him,” Cole snapped. “I don’t need anyone. My life is fine the way it is.”

  She forced herself to swallow the bite of pasta she’d just taken, even though it felt like it had turned to sawdust in her mouth. “Good to know.”

  Cole blew out a breath. “I didn’t mean that the way it sounded.”

  “It’s fine,” she lied.

  “Sienna, I’m—”

  He broke off when both of their phones chirped wildly. Sienna grabbed hers from her purse as Cole pulled his from his back pocket.

  “He’s awake,” she whispered, knowing that Cole would understand she was talking about her father. Jase had texted them both.

  She let out a shuddery breath and pressed her fingers to her mouth when a sob threatened to emerge. Cole immediately stood and came around to her side of the table. He dropped down next to her and wrapped a hand around her shoulder.

  She buried her face in the crook of his neck, breathing in the strong, safe scent of him. He rubbed his open palm in wide circles on her back, murmuring soothing words against her ear.

  “I’ll take you to the hospital,” he told her.

  “We haven’t finished dinner,” she argued weakly. “Jase is there and—”

  “It’s okay,” he promised. “We can take a rain check on dessert. You need to be with your family right now.”

  Family. It was still difficult to believe that just by coming to Crimson and inserting herself in their lives that Declan and Jase were her family. Not after so many years of absence from her life.

  But that’s how it felt. They were family. The bond between the three of them was fragile, but it tied them together nonetheless.

  “Thank you for understanding,” she said as he gathered their plates and leftover food.

  They made quick work of putting away the picnic, then returned down the trail to the truck. They were only ten minutes to the hospital, but the drive seemed interminable to Sienna. She vacillated between guilt that she hadn’t been there when Declan first woke to regret that she’d effectively ruined the perfect date Cole had planned. Once again, nothing she did was quite right.

  “Do you want me to go in with you?” Cole asked, parking in front of the hospital’s entrance.

  “I should go on my own,” she told him, then leaned across the console to give him a quick kiss. “Thank you again. Tonight was the best date I’ve ever had.”

  He traced a finger along her jaw. “And the shortest, I’m guessing.”

  “Rain check,” she promised, giving him one last kiss before hurrying into the hospital.

  Chapter 14

  The swoosh of the elevator doors sounded particularly loud as Sienna exited. She checked in with the nurse at the charge desk, then walked down the hall toward her father’s room.

  She knocked softly and, with a deep breath, pushed open the door. Jase immediately straightened from a chair to one side of the bed, rubbing a hand over his eyes as he moved toward her.

  “Sorry I wasn’t here earlier.” Her gaze tracked to Declan, lying in the hospital bed with his eyes closed and a sheet pulled up to just below his chest. He looked peaceful. Silver whiskers shadowed his jaw and a long tube peeked out from the gap in the front of the hospital gown, attached to a heart monitor next to the bed.

  “Don’t worry about it,” he answered. “He only woke up for a few minutes, then drifted back to sleep.”

  “Is that good or bad?”

  “The doctors believe he’ll make a full recovery. They did an angioplasty for a blockage in one of his arteries and inserted a stent to keep it open long-term. He’s going to need to finally take his diet more seriously, and we’ll need to make sure he starts exercising regularly. But if we can convince him to give up the junk food and make his health a priority, he should be around to be a pain in the butt for a good while.”

  She laughed softly. “Cheese puffs,” she murmured. “I remember him loving cheese puffs. He’d deny it, but his fingertips were always stained orange.”

  “Still loves them,” Jase confirmed. He took a step back and looked her up and down. “You look nice.”

  She smoothed a self-conscious hand over the front of her dress. “I borrowed it from Paige. I had... I went out... I was having dinner when you texted.”

  “With Paige?” he asked, one thick brow lifting.

  She shook her head but didn’t give any more information.

  “Then it must have been Cole.” His tone was low and fairly disapproving.

  “He’s your best friend,” she pointed out. “Is there some problem with me having dinner with him?”

  “You’re my sister,” he answered, as if that explained everything.

  It was odd but sweet to hear him refer to her in that way, sounding both overprotective and exasperated. It was clear Jase couldn’t explain how they’d gotten to this place any more than she could.

  She raised a brow. “From what I heard, not that long ago you wanted Cole close to me so he could make sure I didn’t have any evil plans for my time in Crimson.”

  One side of his mouth curved. “Evil isn’t quite the right term. Things changed. I’m not trying to chase you away, Sienna, and Cole is a friend. But he’s not a long-term bet for a woman.”

  “Who says I’m interested in that?”

  “No one.” He shook his head. “But I hope you’re in our lives for the long term. It’s taken too many years to get to this point, and I don’t want anyone to mess that up. Dad can handle that all on his own.”

  “I’m stuck in this damn bed,” a gravelly voice said, “and you’re going to diss me.”

  “When did you start using the word diss?” Jase asked as they both turned to the bed, where Declan had propped himself up against the pillow.

  “My neighbor has a twelve-year-old boy. He downloaded Urban Dictionary on that fancy phone you got me.”

  “Lord help us,” Jase muttered.

  Sienna moved to the side of the bed. “How are you feeling, Dad?”

  Declan stared at her for a moment. “You called me Dad,” he said, adjusting the sheet. “I should come close to dying more often.”

  “Don’t even think about it,” she countered.r />
  “I’m fine, baby girl.” He lifted one thin shoulder, then let it drop. “It takes more than a wee clogged artery to finish me off.”

  “I’m glad.” She reached out and squeezed his hand. “You gave me quite a scare.”

  “Let’s be clear.” Declan looked between the two of them. “This episode had nothing to do with Sienna. It was me and the fact that I can barely remember to put the toilet seat down, let alone take my heart medication every day.”

  “I know,” Jase told him, affection clear in his tone. “You were lucky Sienna was with you when it happened.”

  “True dat,” Declan said, nodding.

  Sienna stifled a laugh and glanced at Jase.

  “Overmedicated,” he said in a stage whisper.

  Declan laughed. “No such thing.”

  Sienna felt a strange sense of happiness bubble up in her chest. It was surreal to be here with her dad and brother, a family gathered when someone needed help, making light of a situation that had clearly scared all of them.

  “How do you feel?” She let go of his hand and moved the chair closer to the bed.

  “Like a herd of cattle trampled over my chest.” He shrugged. “Pretty normal.”

  “You shouldn’t make light of it. Jase said they’ve talked to you about diet and exercise. You need to comply with the doctor’s orders.”

  Declan looked past her to Jase. “Did you pay her to say all that?”

  “She cares,” Jase answered, “even though you probably don’t deserve it.”

  “I definitely don’t,” her father agreed.

  “I care,” Sienna murmured, still surprised to find it was true. Not just because she felt guilty that she’d been arguing with her father when he collapsed. She wanted him to be well. She wanted a chance at some kind of relationship with both of these men. The feeling of abandonment that had been her companion for so long was slowly fading, replaced by the bright glow of her newly forged connection.

  Her father met her gaze for a long moment, his blue eyes tired but tender as he seemed to drink her in.

  “You two should go,” he said gruffly. “You’ve seen that I’m gonna make it. Go home and get some rest.”