Coming Home to Crimson Read online

  Cole prided himself on his ability to read people and situations. It was a skill he’d learned first in the army and then through a more recent career in law enforcement. But Sienna Pierce was an enigma.

  On the surface, she was a perfect, polished society type—the kind of woman he would have looked right through on any given day. But a current of something more ran just below the surface—a feral energy he didn’t quite understand but that drew him despite his better judgment.

  He glanced through the front window of the Jeep to the Porsche and sighed. He could call Jase and dump this problem onto his friend’s doorstep. There was no doubt Sienna was going to be a problem. Jase rarely talked about the sister who’d left with their mother when they were kids.

  But Cole knew his friend had received a letter from his estranged mother last fall. It had pushed his recovering alcoholic father, Declan, off the wagon in a tumble that had almost cost Jase the town’s mayoral election and the woman he loved.

  Jase was a good man, honest and loyal. Cole understood better than most how much that meant and what a rare commodity it could be. No matter what Sienna’s intentions were, her brother would give her the benefit of the doubt and open his home and heart to her. Cole wasn’t convinced she deserved that chance.

  Sometimes people were too kind and they got hurt because of it. His mother had been one of those gentle-hearted souls. Jase likely was, as well, although his wife, Emily, was tough enough for the both of them. Either way, Cole would do his best to protect his friend. He made his decision, called the station to tell the department’s secretary his plans and got out of the car.

  Sienna turned her head as he approached. She’d put on tortoise-framed sunglasses in the interim so her eyes were hidden from view. Also hidden—or at least ruthlessly tamped down—was any of the wild spirit he’d sensed in her earlier. The woman frowning up at him was so cold she could make a polar bear shiver.

  “It’s your lucky day, ma’am,” he told her, handing back her license and registration.

  Her rosy lips pressed together. “Is that so?”

  “You’ve earned yourself a sheriff’s escort.”

  “Was the car reported stolen?” she asked with much less concern in her voice than he would have expected. “Are you arresting me?”

  “The car’s fine,” he answered. “For now. I’m going to make sure it stays that way. We’re heading back to Aspen, Ms. Pierce, to return the Porsche.”

  “I don’t need your help with the car.”

  “Good.” He leaned a little closer. “Because it’s not you I’m helping. It’s your brother I care about.”

  Chapter Two

  Kevin stood on the sidewalk under the hotel’s blue awning, obviously arguing with one of the valets, as Sienna pulled the Porsche to the curb.

  “You stole my car,” he yelled as she got out, stalking toward her. “What the hell were you thinking?”

  She took a moment to adjust her skirt and ran a hand through her hair, then tossed the keys to the relieved young man in the valet uniform gaping at them both.

  “What were you thinking?” she countered, strangely empty of emotion at the moment. Her heels made a soft clicking noise on the pavement as she moved to stand in front of him.

  “Come in the hotel, Sienna. We’ll work this out.”

  “There’s nothing left to work out.” She reached in her purse and handed the valet a twenty-dollar bill. “Thank you,” she told him with a serene smile. From the corner of her eye, she saw Cole Bennett climb out of the Jeep that had the words Crimson County Sheriff emblazoned across the side.

  Under normal circumstances, Sienna loathed drawing attention to herself. Right now she couldn’t find the energy to care.

  “Don’t be ridiculous,” Kevin snapped. “I made a mistake. It was one night. I didn’t even know her.”

  “That doesn’t make it any better,” Sienna said through clenched teeth.

  “Ready to head out?” Cole asked as he came to stand beside her.

  “Who the hell are you?” Kevin demanded.

  Cole flashed an aw-shucks grin that would have done Andy Griffith proud and pointed to the badge on his chest. “Good morning to you, too, buddy. I gather you can read as well as cheat on your girlfriend?”

  Kevin narrowed his eyes as he gave Cole the once-over. “A cop,” he muttered.

  “Sheriff,” Cole corrected.

  “I want this woman arrested.” Kevin pointed toward Sienna. “For grand theft auto.”

  Sienna felt her body go rigid, then Cole put a hand on her back, whether as comfort or as a silent reminder not to flee, she couldn’t tell.

  “A fan of video games, I take it,” Cole said conversationally. “‘Grand Theft Auto’ is good but I prefer ‘Call of Duty’ myself.”

  Kevin’s hands clenched into fists. “This isn’t a damn joke.”

  “I borrowed the car because I needed to compose myself,” Sienna said, forcing her voice to remain calm. “Then I returned it.”

  “She has a witness,” Cole added. He pointed to the young valet. “You saw her return it.”

  The gangly teen swallowed. “Yes, sir.”

  Kevin lifted a brow. “Come with me and work this out, and we’ll let it go. Otherwise, you’re going to have to explain to your parents why you were arrested for stealing a car. Mommy won’t like it when that hits the news cycle, and what a blow after she just finished chemo.”

  He reached for her, but Cole moved forward, effectively blocking his access. “The only thing you’re letting go of is Sienna,” he said, all trace of civility gone from his tone. Sienna had a sudden twinge of sympathy for whatever bad guys were lurking around this section of the Rocky Mountains. Cole Bennett was clearly not a lawman to tangle with.

  “This is none of your business, Sheriff.”

  “Are you joking?” Cole threw up his hands. “You’re going to force me to use the ‘I’m making it my business’ line? I try not to veer into TV cop stereotypes, but if that’s what it takes...”

  Sienna raised a hand to her mouth, stifling a giggle. The situation was no laughing matter and Kevin had the right of it with his implied threat about her parents. Both her mom and stepdad assumed her marriage to Kevin was a done deal, the engagement just a box to check off the official wedding to-do list.

  Maybe she was light-headed from lack of oxygen at this altitude, but she realized she not only had other options in life but wanted to explore them. To see who she could have become without the rigid constraints of the life her mom had orchestrated. Her mother had gone through her own emotional journey during her battle with cancer, one that had culminated with reuniting with the son she’d left behind. But Sienna wasn’t on the path of reconciliation, and certainly not with Kevin.

  She pointed at her ex-boyfriend. “You have a saggy butt.”

  The valet snickered as Kevin’s mouth dropped open.

  Cole turned to her, one corner of his gorgeous mouth twitching with amusement. His honey-brown gaze held hers for a moment. “You went there,” he muttered. “Really?”

  “I deserve better than you,” she continued, moving around Cole to go toe-to-toe with Kevin. “I deserve better than how you treated me.”

  “Keep telling yourself that,” he said, and she wondered why she’d never noticed that when he smiled it looked more like a sneer. “If you weren’t such a stuffy prude, I wouldn’t have had to find another woman to warm the bed. This is your—”

  His head snapped back as her fist connected with his nose. She yelped, as surprised by the fact that she’d punched him as she was by the pain in her knuckles. Kevin cried out, covering his face with his hands.

  “You saw her. Assault and battery,” he shouted through his fingers.

  “I’ll keep that in mind,” Cole promised. He gestured to the valet. “Get him a towel and some ice.” Then he grabbed Sienna’s arm. “I think you’re done here.”

  “I didn’t mean—”

  “No more talking,” he told h
er, half leading and half dragging her across the street to his Jeep. “Let’s just get out of this town before you cause an even bigger scene.”

  She stopped a few feet from the car. “Are you going to make me sit in the back seat?”

  “I should after that stunt,” Cole said but opened the passenger door for her. “Get in. Your saggy bottomed ex has gone into the hotel. We should be gone by the time he comes out again.”

  Neither of them spoke as Cole drove out of Aspen. The upscale shops and restaurants housed in historic brick buildings gave way to apartment complexes and other, newer structures and finally changed to open meadows as he took the turn onto the highway that led to Crimson. It was the third time today she’d driven this stretch of road.

  As they passed a herd of cattle grazing in a field behind a split-rail fence, Sienna searched for the mama and baby she’d spotted earlier this morning. The young calf, which couldn’t have been more than a few weeks or months old, had been glued to its mother’s side as if that was the safest place in the world to be.

  Sienna wished she could relate to that feeling.

  “I don’t make scenes,” she said, finally breaking the silence.

  Cole’s fingers tightened on the steering wheel. “Then you do a great imitation of someone who does.”

  “It’s not my fault he cheated,” she whispered.

  Cole glanced over at her. “Say it like you mean it, sweetheart.”

  “I do. I want to.” She clasped her hands tight in her lap. “He was right about one thing. My mother is going to be irked by this situation.”

  “The part where he cheated or the part where you broke up with him because of it?”

  “We were supposed to get engaged on this trip,” she said because she wasn’t ready to answer his question out loud.

  “Then I’d say you dodged a bullet.”

  She held on to that comment for a moment, cupped it between her hands—like a kid would with a firefly late on a summer night—and found she liked the light shining from it. So she tucked that light inside herself, the way she’d learned to do with anything that made her happy but would have disappointed her mother.

  Sienna had learned early how to pick her battles with Dana Crenshaw Pierce, and most of them weren’t worth waging.

  “Did you grow up in Crimson?” she asked, needing a break from talking about her own messed-up life.

  It was a simple enough question but Cole tensed like she’d just requested he recount his first sexual encounter in graphic detail, then broadcast the story across his cruiser’s radio.

  “No.”

  “Somewhere in Colorado?”

  “No.”

  “Okay then.” When he didn’t add anything more, she threw up her hands. “I’m going to assume you’re some sort of super secret law enforcement guy and you’ve had your past wiped out by the covert government agency that basically owns you and if you breathe one word of where you came from or who you used to be, everyone in your family will die.”

  “They’re already dead,” he said quietly.

  “Oh.” She reached out a hand, placed it on his arm. “I’m sorry.”

  He swerved off the highway to the shoulder, braking hard. The Jeep’s tires crunched in the dirt and gravel. Sienna tried to catch her breath as she was jostled in her seat.

  “Let’s get a few things straight.” Cole’s voice was as jarring as fingernails on a chalkboard. “I don’t need or want your pity.”

  “I wasn’t—” she began, but he held up a hand.

  “We’re not friends,” he continued. “We’re not going to be friends. You were a mess this morning and I was taking care of my friend by taking care of you. If the ex-boyfriend is any indication, you need serious help with your taste in men. Maybe you need help in general.” He jabbed a finger toward her, then back at himself. “I’m not going to be the one to give it. I’m dropping you off at the rental car agency, and we’re done. Is that clear?”

  “Crystal,” she said, feeling as if she had ice forming inside her veins. She straightened her skirt, wishing it were a few inches longer so her legs weren’t exposed to Cole’s gaze. She could feel him watching her, although she refused to make eye contact.

  She sat tall, shoulders back, her posture impeccable—the way she’d been taught in the five years of ballet classes her mother had wrenched out of her after Dana had married Craig Pierce and had the money to reinvent herself. To recreate both of their lives—a do-over of monumental proportions and one Sienna had never wanted.

  Eventually Cole blew out a long breath, then started driving again. Sienna didn’t so much as twitch until he pulled into a rental car parking lot that was part of a strip mall a mile past the Crimson city limits sign. The rental car place shared the space with a grocery store, a hair salon and a sandwich shop.

  As soon as the Jeep stopped, she unfastened her seat belt and opened the door.

  “Thank you for the ride,” she mumbled over her shoulder, because along with perfect posture, good manners had been drilled into her. Oddly, she felt almost as angry with Cole as she was with Kevin, which was stupid because the sheriff didn’t owe her anything. He’d done her a favor this morning, but they weren’t friends. He was nothing to her, so why had her chest ached when he’d told her exactly that?

  “Sienna.” He reached for her arm but she shrugged away from his touch.

  “We’re done, Sheriff.” He winced slightly, as if he didn’t appreciate having his words thrown back at him. “I can handle things from here.”

  She slammed the door shut and walked toward the building, telling herself she was glad to be leaving behind Sheriff Cole Bennett and this whole humiliating morning.

  * * *

  Fifteen minutes later, Cole pushed through the door of the mayor’s office on the second floor of the county courthouse. “Where’s Jase? He’s not answering his phone.”

  “Good morning to you, too.” Emily Crenshaw inclined her head, then turned her attention to the computer screen. “Help yourself to fresh coffee. Not sure what’s got your boxers in a bunch today.” Her gaze flicked back to him. “Or is it boxer briefs? You look like a boxer brief type of guy, Sheriff. Definitely not tighty-whities, something for which we can all be grateful.”

  “Emily.”

  “Either way, grab a cup of coffee, then come back and I’ll give you a do-over on this conversation.” She lifted a brow. “I learned that trick from my job at the front desk of the elementary school. Some kids need help learning how to appropriately greet people. I guess you didn’t get that lesson or you’ve forgotten.” She flashed a wide smile. “I’m here to help.”

  Cole felt his mouth drop open and quickly closed it again. What was it about this day and sassy blondes? But Emily Crenshaw was a force to be reckoned with and currently sat in the computer chair normally occupied by Jase’s sweet-tempered secretary, Molly.

  Cole was developing a new appreciation for sweet-tempered.

  He grabbed a mug from the cart positioned along the far wall and poured himself a steaming cup of coffee. “Good morning, Emily,” he said as he took a drink. “You’re filling in for Molly today?”

  “Just for the morning.” Emily pushed away from the computer and smiled. “She had to take her mom to a doctor’s appointment, and Davey is in a Lego camp this week. It’s always a challenge to keep a first-grade boy occupied during the summer.”

  “I can imagine,” he said even as he thought of how he and his brother, Shep, had run wild through the various army bases around the world where his dad had been stationed back in the day.

  “Thank you for the pleasantries,” Emily told him. “Jase had a meeting with the city finance director, so I doubt his phone is on. They’re on the first floor, so he should be back soon.”

  “I’ll wait.”

  “What’s going on, Cole?” Emily’s big eyes narrowed. She looked a little bit like Sienna, now that he thought about it. Blond hair, blue eyes, beautiful with that certain shine that time spe
nt in a big city gave to women. Sienna was a couple inches taller, her face more heart-shaped with delicate features.

  Emily was a Crimson native who’d moved away, then back with her young son early last year. She was different from Sienna in one major way—Emily radiated happiness. It had been hard earned, he knew, and was glad that she and Jase had worked out their issues.

  She stood, and he was reminded of another significant difference between the two women. Emily was seven months pregnant, which made her seem somehow more intimidating than usual. Give Cole a bar fight to break up or even an underground drug bust rather than be stared down by a heavily pregnant woman.

  He shrugged and gave her his don’t-mess-with-me law enforcement face. “I need to talk to him. Sheriff’s office business.”

  She crossed her arms over her chest, resting them on her round belly. “Do I look stupid?”

  So much for intimidation. “Um...no.”

  “It seems like somebody’s in trouble with my better half.”

  Cole turned, profoundly grateful to see Jase Crenshaw standing in the door to the outer office, one side of his mouth curved as he looked between Cole and Emily.

  “The sheriff wants to talk to you,” Emily told her husband.

  “Okay,” Jase answered and walked forward, leaning over the receptionist desk to kiss her, while gently placing a hand on her baby bump.

  Cole quickly turned and refilled his coffee mug, uncomfortable with the easy show of affection.

  “But he’s acting suspicious.” Emily frowned at Cole. “Something’s up and I want to know what it is.”

  “It’s nothing,” Cole insisted and flicked a help-me glance to Jase.

  “You might as well say it.” Jase shrugged. “If she doesn’t find out now, I’ll have to tell her later.”

  “What if it’s confidential?”

  Emily sniffed. “I’m his wife. He tells me everything.”

  Jase nodded. “It’s true. I’m not an expert on marriage, but I do understand that honesty is a pretty important foundation.”