Coming Home to Crimson

by Michelle Major

  “I wanted to check on you.” The fact that he admitted it obviously surprised her as much as it did him.

  “How did you know I was here?”

  She moved back and he stepped into the house, gently closing the ancient screen door behind him. He didn’t bother with the front door. It was a perfect Colorado night, about ten degrees cooler than it had been when the sun was out, and Cole needed the fresh air to remind him to keep his self-control in place.

  “Rodney mentioned you picked up one of the business cards for The Bumblebee. There aren’t many open rooms in town because of the rodeo, so I assumed this is where you ended up. Once the call came in, I had no doubt you were here.” He inclined his head. “You and trouble and all that.”

  “I don’t get into trouble,” she insisted, narrowing her eyes.

  “Other than speeding and stealing a car and—”

  “I didn’t steal the car.”

  “You stole a car?”

  Cole looked up as Paige Harper rushed into the room. “That’s crazy in an awesome Thelma and Louise kind of way. Hey, Sheriff.”

  “Evening, Paige.”

  “Sorry about the music.”

  “It was more the lights this time. They worried Mrs. Morrison.”

  “Of course they did. She’s probably jealous that she has no reason to turn on disco lights.” Paige nudged Sienna. “If you want to be Thelma, I can be Louise. Or we can trade roles. I’m more of a Thelma anyway, I think. Sheriff, do you have an opinion on that?”

  “Uh, no,” Cole admitted, not sure what the bubbly innkeeper was talking about. But it didn’t matter because he saw the start of a smile curve Sienna’s full mouth and felt suddenly grateful for Paige Harper and her ramshackle inn.

  Even though she seemed tough, he had a feeling Sienna was more vulnerable in Crimson than she’d ever let on. If Jase’s wariness and Emily’s underlying temper were any indication, she might need a friend during her time in town. Paige would be the perfect ally.

  “I’m not Thelma or Louise,” Sienna said. “I borrowed a car from my ex-boyfriend this morning and then I returned it. The sheriff was a witness. I’m not planning on causing trouble. Pierce women don’t do trouble.”

  “You’re a Crenshaw here in Crimson,” Cole felt compelled to point out. “And the Crenshaw family has a long history of trouble in this town.”

  “Jase Crenshaw is the family you’re in town to visit?” Paige asked, wide-eyed.

  Sienna nodded tightly. “Jase and my dad.”

  “Why didn’t you say so in the first place? Jase is a great guy. I’m new enough to Crimson that I don’t know much about anyone’s past history, but I can almost guarantee Jase isn’t involved in any kind of trouble. He’s too good for that.”

  “How do you know my brother?” Sienna asked quietly, shifting away from Paige and closer to Cole. He had the ridiculous urge to wrap an arm around her shoulder but managed to keep his hands at his sides.

  “Well, he’s the mayor so everyone knows him. But I met him personally at a town council meeting when I first started working on The Bumblebee. He was really helpful and supportive of my ideas for the inn. Everyone in Crimson loves Jase.”

  “Of course they do.” Sienna’s shoulders sagged.

  Cole realized she had no reason to know that her brother was the town’s favorite son. Jase had been through plenty—overcoming his family’s less-than-stellar reputation and taking care of his father during the years Declan couldn’t pull himself out of the bottle. But now Jase was universally liked and well respected, both in Crimson and throughout the network of high-country towns in this part of Colorado.

  Cole wasn’t sure why this knowledge seemed to affect Sienna like the sharp point of a pin to a balloon, but he could almost see her deflating before his eyes.

  “You should invite Jase and Emily to the inn for dinner. They can bring Davey, too. He’s a sweet kid.”

  “Davey?”

  “Emily’s son,” Paige clarified. “You haven’t met him?”

  Sienna shook her head.

  “What about Emily?”

  “His wife?” Sienna asked Cole.

  “They got married last year,” he confirmed.

  Sienna looked at Paige again. “Jase and I aren’t exactly close.”

  “When was the last time you saw him?”

  “Um...about twenty years ago.”

  Paige whistled softly. “We’re going to need more vodka for this story.”

  “No more vodka,” Cole said at the same time as Sienna.

  “Or disco lights,” Cole added, pointing at each of the women.

  Paige pressed two fingers to her forehead. “Probably a good idea. I can already feel a headache brewing. I’m going to go to bed. Sienna, you can give me the fascinating details of your family history over coffee and muffins in the morning.”

  “There’s nothing fascinating about me.”

  Paige darted a glance toward Cole, as if she knew he wanted to argue.

  “I’ll get going then,” he said instead. “Keep the music down and pull the shades if you want to turn on the disco lights.”

  “Sienna will walk you to your car,” Paige offered. “’Night, you two.” She turned, then looked back over her shoulder. “By the way, there’s something fascinating about everyone. Some of us just need to figure out what it is.”

  “Let’s go,” Sienna said, starting to move past him.

  He placed a hand on her arm, not surprised to find her skin hot to the touch. As much as he might want to deny it, it seemed neither of them could ignore the flame of attraction that burned between them. “You don’t need to walk me.”

  “Come on, Sheriff,” she answered, shrugging off his touch.

  He followed her onto the porch, the light above the doorframe casting a pale glow. He was used to people calling him Sheriff, and normally he liked it. At times his job felt like the only thing that defined him. But coming from Sienna, the word was wrong. He wanted to hear his name on her lips, preferably whispered over and over as he drove her crazy with desire.

  No doubt he should have had a deputy answer this call tonight.

  “I’m guessing you didn’t contact Jase or Declan yet,” he said into the silence.

  She grabbed the porch railing, as if to steady herself—a result of the alcohol or the mention of her dad and brother, he couldn’t tell which. “I wanted a day to get settled. Today wasn’t exactly filled with shining star moments for me.”

  “Except maybe a pajama dance party. That’s the stuff of shining moments, not to mention male fantasies everywhere.”

  She laughed softly, and once again he felt it all the way to his toes. The sound was low and husky, like she was as out of practice with laughter as he was. Holding out her arms, she spun in a small circle on the gravel driveway. “This outfit isn’t the stuff of anyone’s fantasy.”

  “You have no idea.”

  “How long have you lived in Crimson?” she asked suddenly, a variation of the line of questioning he’d reacted to so badly earlier.

  He wanted to keep it together tonight. They’d made it to his Jeep, the Crimson County Sheriff’s emblem emblazoned across the side and illuminated in the moonlight.

  “I came here a few years back for a deputy position. There were some shake-ups within the department and Jase convinced me to run for sheriff in the last election. That was two years ago.”

  “You and Jase are close,” she whispered.

  “Yeah. Your brother is a good man, Sienna.”

  “My brother,” she repeated as if she couldn’t quite grasp the meaning of the word, then turned so she was facing Cole. “Did you tell him I was here?”

  “Yes.”

  She sucked her bottom lip into her mouth and bit down. Cole’s knees went weak.

  “I should probably leave in the morning. Coming to Crimson seemed like a great idea when I was all fired up this morning, but now—”

  “Don’t go.” He reached out, tucked a stray lock
of hair behind her ear.

  “I can’t believe Jase would want me here. He came to visit our mom last winter. I wasn’t exactly...cordial.”

  “Emily mentioned that.”

  “The wife. Is she going to be a problem for me?”

  “Emily is protective of Jase. He’s sometimes too nice for his own good. His dad...your dad has needed a lot of caregiving through the years. There were some dark days, most of them before I got to town, but Declan has stumbled even recently. Sobriety is a harsh mistress for him sometimes.”

  “I remember the drinking.” Her eyes closed, and he watched her chest rise and fall as she sucked in a deep breath. “I don’t remember much, maybe because that’s the way Mom wanted it. We barely spoke about Jase or my dad once we left Crimson. But the smell of whiskey brings back snippets of memory. Most of them I should probably forget. My parents weren’t exactly kind to each other when they drank.”

  “That’s fairly common. Alcohol doesn’t bring out the best in anyone.”

  She blinked, her blue eyes clear as a mountain lake as she looked up at him. “My mom hasn’t taken a drink, not even a sip of champagne at a wedding, since she left here. Even though she wouldn’t talk about it, I always got the impression she blamed the town for her downward spiral as much as she did my dad.”

  “I’m sorry she had to break ties with Colorado so dramatically, but this town isn’t to blame for the troubles she had. It’s a great community.”

  “You’re the sheriff,” she said with a smile. “Of course you think that. Everyone has to be nice to you. They’ll end up in jail otherwise.”

  He laughed. “Not exactly.”

  “Do you have a girlfriend, Sheriff?”

  Cole, he wanted to shout, suddenly desperate to hear her say his name.

  “Nope. Work keeps me too busy.”

  “Lame excuse. I bet there is a line of women hoping you’ll notice them.”

  “Hardly.”

  “How many times a week does some generous citizen...” She leaned in closer and he caught the light floral scent of her shampoo. “Some female citizen,” she clarified, “bring fresh muffins by your office?”

  “Only on Fridays,” he admitted, then shrugged when Sienna looked confused. “Our office manager went low-carb last year. Marlene limits the baked goods to once a week.”

  Sienna shook her head, another smile playing around the corners of her mouth. “My mom only referred to Crimson as ‘that place,’ but I always imagined it as some sort of high-altitude version of Sodom and Gomorrah.” Her smile widened. “It’s more like mountain Mayberry.”

  “I’m not Andy Griffith,” Cole argued, annoyed by the implied comparison.

  “If you start whistling—”

  He leaned in and kissed her, somehow wanting to prove that he wasn’t the easygoing, small-town lawman she presumed him to be. At least that’s the reason he gave himself. The truth was he couldn’t resist her one more second. Her smart mouth and sassy attitude. All the ways she tried to pretend she wasn’t hurting.

  The fact that he recognized the loneliness in her gaze because he saw the same thing in his own eyes every time he looked in the mirror.

  She stilled for a moment, then sighed and sank into the kiss. It wasn’t the reaction he’d expected and the surprise of it made his body burn. He’d figured she would snap at him or give him a swift punch to the gut. But she seemed to need the touch as much as he did.

  He moved closer, still touching her with only his mouth, but close enough that he could feel her heat. Her mouth was soft under his, sweet and pliant. She made another sound, a soft moan, and swayed closer. Cole reached out a hand and gently gripped the graceful column of her neck.

  The contact was enough to break the spell between them. Sienna stepped back, away from his grasp, her fingertips pressing against her swollen lips.

  “Why did you do that?” She seemed more confused than angry, which was a small victory in Cole’s mind.

  “I needed to know if your mouth was as soft as it looks.”

  She gathered her long blond hair and flipped it over her shoulder, rolling her eyes at him. “I don’t think I’ve ever been described as soft.”

  “You’re soft,” he assured her. “At least when you’re not being disagreeable and argumentative.”

  “I don’t argue and I can be agreeable when I want to.” She no longer looked dazed. Instead the spark had returned to her gaze. He liked it there. “I don’t need to prove anything to anyone.”

  He shrugged. “Except maybe yourself.”

  “You shouldn’t kiss me again.”

  “Do you want to argue about it?”

  She narrowed her eyes. “Good night, Sheriff.”

  “Call me Cole,” he said, unable to stop himself from making the request.

  She stared at him so long he wasn’t sure she’d answer, then whispered, “Good night, Cole,” and turned for the house.

  He watched her walk away until the front door clicked shut behind her. Crickets chirped from the bushes and an owl in a tree at the edge of the forest gave a mournful hoot.

  Cole had come to Colorado as an escape, running from the scandal and tragedy that surrounded his parents’ deaths.

  He’d found refuge in small-town life and in serving and protecting the people who made this town their home. But he wasn’t a part of the fabric of Crimson’s community in the same way as Jase. Growing up an army brat, Cole had become an expert at making connections without truly allowing himself to bond to anyone or anything. Hell, he’d never even owned a dog, which was practically a requirement in Colorado.

  Sienna made him feel different. Maybe because she was also so obviously alone. He could allow himself this connection with her—but whether it was real or imagined he couldn’t quite say.

  Did it really matter? Cole knew that along with emotional ties came the very real possibility of someone getting hurt. He’d had a ringside seat to watch his mom unravel after his father’s death until her heart had literally given out. He didn’t want any part of that kind of pain, either for himself or anyone around him.

  Marlene down at the department liked to tease him about the parade of women who made excuses to stop in. But Cole wasn’t interested in getting close to a woman, even to an almost irresistible blonde who took his breath away every time he looked at her.

  At least that’s what he tried to convince himself of as he climbed in his truck and drove through the quiet streets of the town he’d made his home. Attraction was one thing, but he wouldn’t let it go any further.

  Chapter Five

  Sienna couldn’t have said how long she’d been sitting in her rental car outside the tiny brick duplex the next morning, but her backside was numb and her throat had gone dry from the air conditioner blowing through the vents in the dash.

  She’d turned the car on and off at least a dozen times, psyching herself up for approaching the modest home. Within those walls lived a man she hadn’t seen in two decades but who was never far from her mind, no matter how hard she tried to forget him.

  A knock on the driver’s side window made her jerk around so fast she banged her forehead into the glass. She let out a sound somewhere between a scream and a groan, blinking away tears of fear, frustration and pain. Her gaze focused on the gray-haired man standing next to the car, and her stomach dipped.

  The years hadn’t been kind to Declan Crenshaw, but Sienna knew the signs of age had as much to do with the choices he’d made as the passage of time.

  She looked at him through the glass, half tempted to throw the car into Drive and speed away from everything this moment represented.

  For his part, her dad looked like he could wait all day for her to decide whether to acknowledge him. It was that air of serene patience that made her punch down the window button.

  “I thought you might run out of gas idling at the curb so long,” he said conversationally.

  “It seemed like a good idea to sneak up on me?” she shot back, pressi
ng her fingers to the goose egg quickly rising on her forehead.

  He ran a hand over his face, where at least a day of salt-and-pepper whiskers shadowed his jaw. “Figured you’d drive off if I came at you through the front door.”

  She wouldn’t tell him he’d been right. There was no way she’d admit that he had any sort of insight into her behavior. “You don’t seem surprised to see me.”

  “Jase called yesterday.” He inclined his head. “Damn, you look like your mother.”

  “So I’m told.”

  “You have softer features, though. And straighter hair.”

  Sienna huffed out a small laugh. It was the second time in less than twenty-four hours she’d been described as soft, after a lifetime becoming reconciled to her hard edges.

  “How’s your mother doing?”

  “You can’t expect me to answer that,” she said, not bothering to hide the snap in her tone. No matter the issues Sienna had with her mom, Dana was the one who’d chosen her at least. She owed her mother some loyalty.

  Declan stared, as if weighing her answer...as if weighing her. Then he asked, “How are you?”

  He had no right to know anything about her life after all these years. Except she was the one who’d sought him out.

  Sienna and her mother had left Crimson years ago, and not once had her father contacted her. He hadn’t so much as sent a birthday card. How was she ever supposed to put aside the pain of rejection that was woven into every inch of the woman she’d become?

  “I can’t do this,” she whispered, glancing up at him.

  Something flashed in his blue eyes, but he didn’t argue. There was no fight, no begging her to stay. He simply stepped back from the car as she rolled up the window, and watched her drive away.

  Tears streamed down her face as she turned the corner. Had she really expected him to fight for her? Did her arrival in town mean anything to him? Jase had told him she’d come to Crimson, but neither man had sought her out. They had their lives here, and Sienna had stopped being a part of them a long time ago.

  Why should that change now? Growing up without a real father might have defined her, but it clearly had very little impact on the man who’d let her go.