Michelle Major - Coming Home To Crimson

“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.”