Chapter Eight
Later that morning, Sienna walked into Life is Sweet, her stomach in knots. Pretending like she belonged in Crimson seemed to be almost as difficult as gathering the courage to talk to her father or brother.
But she couldn’t spend her day holed up at the inn, especially with Paige dropping not-so-subtle hints about Cole. Sienna still wasn’t sure what she’d been thinking inviting him into the house—and into her bed. All she knew was she’d slept better in those hours she was next to him than she had in ages.
Paige wasn’t much for subtlety, so as soon as Sienna had walked down the stairs, the innkeeper handed her a cup of coffee and a box of condoms.
“Here at The Bumblebee,” she’d said with a smile, “we like to make sure our guests haven’t forgotten anything they might need during their stay.”
“It wasn’t like that,” Sienna had insisted.
“Then you’re not as smart as you look. That man is gorgeous and I’ll tell you if a hot guy ended up in my bed—no matter the reason—I wouldn’t squander my opportunity.”
Sienna wasn’t sure what kind of opportunity she wanted with the town’s sexy sheriff, but she knew she wasn’t ready to talk about it. She’d taken the condoms and the coffee and returned to her room with the excuse of having to call her office in Chicago.
That part wasn’t a lie. Before she left for Aspen, she’d been working on a big ad campaign for a multinational telecommunication company ready to roll out its latest device. Although her extended stay in Colorado complicated things, she could do most of the work remotely.
She’d sent out a round of emails to her team, then tweaked a presentation her assistant had sent her the night before. Her boss was being patient because he needed Sienna’s reputation and the relationships she’d cultivated with their client base, but she knew that wouldn’t last forever.
The hotel in Aspen had delivered her luggage, and while her clothes weren’t perfect for Crimson’s casual vibe, at least they were hers. Now she had to come up with a plan for her time in Crimson and figure out how long she was planning to stay. For that, she needed more coffee and one of the muffins she’d seen in the glass display counter of the bakery.
Katie, the bakery’s owner, was nowhere in sight as Sienna approached the counter, and a strange sense of disappointment washed over her. The woman had been friendly, even after Cole explained who she was. Sienna secretly looked forward to another conversation with someone who didn’t seem either fascinated by or skeptical of her past in Crimson.
She ordered a coffee and muffin, then turned to find a beautiful and very pregnant woman staring at her.
“Even if I hadn’t Googled you, I’d know who you are,” the woman told her, one hand coming to rest on her belly in an oddly protective gesture. “You and Jase must have looked like twins as kids.”
“I don’t have photos,” Sienna answered automatically, then took her drink as the barista placed it on the counter. She didn’t need to ask the woman’s identity. This had to be Emily, her brother’s wife. Sienna’s sister-in-law. The thought of it was both strange and oddly appealing.
At least it would have been in a perfect world. But not with how Emily was glaring at her. This was one confrontation Sienna knew she wouldn’t be able to get out of so easily.
“Your dad does.” Emily’s eyes narrowed. “In fact, a framed photo of you has pride of place on the mantel in his new house. Maybe you would have found that out if you hadn’t run off like a big chicken when he spoke to you.”
Sienna heard the sharp intake of breath from the woman behind the counter. She turned and took the bag with the muffin the woman handed her, offering a smile and ignoring the fact that her fingers trembled.Big chicken.Good to know Emily Crenshaw didn’t hold back.
Sienna had spent a lifetime tiptoeing around difficult conversations. Her mother preferred the don’t ask/don’t tell school of thought for any topic thornier than which strand of pearls to wear to the country club for her weekly ladies’ luncheon.
So the issues and questions Sienna had throughout her childhood consumed her body from the inside out. And with that one snappish comment, Emily set lighter fluid to the flame and Sienna’s entire being was engulfed. The mask she’d worn for years burned to ash, leaving her true self standing raw and new. Somehow it was a liberating sensation.
She straightened her shoulders and inclined her head. “I was seven when my mother put me in that car and drove away. For years, I waited for a letter or phone call from my dad. Every birthday, each Christmas. I wanted him to care that I was gone. I wanted him to find me. But he never did. He never even tried.”
“You don’t know what—”
Sienna held up a hand. “He had Jase because Jase was the one he needed. So if you think I’m going to go all misty-eyed and sentimental over the fact that he still has a left-behind picture of me on display, think again.”
Suddenly she understood why she couldn’t force herself to confront her father or brother. The pain might pour out, and then they’d see—everyone would see—how much it hurt her to be taken away from her life in this town.
Even though her childhood had been far from perfect, she’d belonged, unlike the way she’d been raised in Chicago, where she was constantly reminded of how grateful she should be for the advantages her mother’s marriage to Craig Pierce had given both of them.
But to Sienna, those advantages had felt like a straitjacket. Having Emily try to confront her was like breaking free, and the tumble of emotions was overwhelming and devastating. She no longer cared who heard their conversation.
Sienna was done hiding her crazy.
“How about the years in between and the memories that could have—should have—been captured? Maybe I’m more interested in the things in my life he missed.” She leaned in slightly. “But I’m sure not interested in being lectured on how I handle myself now. So back off, sister-in-law.”
Emily’s blue eyes widened slightly, but she didn’t back down. “I won’t let you hurt my family.”
“Is that why you think I’m here?”
