“My brother,” Sienna repeated softly. “Family dinner at my brother’s house.”
“Ready or not,” Katie told her, as if reading Sienna’s mind.
“Ready or not,” Sienna agreed.
* * *
“I’m coming,” Cole called, muting the baseball game he’d been watching and straightening from the couch. “No need to break down the door.”
The pounding at his front door stopped as he approached it. Through the gauzy curtains he hadn’t bothered to change when he bought the house last year, he saw the outline of a slender woman, her blond hair pulled back in a low ponytail.
“How did you find out where I live?” he asked as he opened the door.
Sienna stood on the front porch, her arms wrapped tightly around her waist. “Is it a secret? Do you call it the Sheriffcave?”
“Not quite,” he said, trying to get his bearings. He still felt off-kilter from spending the night with her, and having her so close made him remember all the things about the previous night he’d been trying to force himself to forget. The warmth of her body, the scent of her hair as it tickled his cheek, how soft her skin was at the crook of her neck.
“Are you going to invite me in then?” One delicate brow lifted. “Because that would be the polite thing to do.”
“Yeah, I’m real concerned about good manners,” he said with a laugh but stepped back so she could walk past him into the house. She wore a pale pink scoop neck cotton shirt and slim jeans that grazed her ankles. As he’d come to expect, her makeup was minimal, and he had the urge to trace his finger along her cheek to feel its softness. She didn’t yet look at home in Colorado but seemed less buttoned-up than she had that first day she’d arrived in town. As if the casual vibe of Crimson was slowly rubbing off on her.
An emotion he didn’t recognize flared low in his belly as he watched her examine the space. He’d never brought a woman to his house. Hell, his dating life had been almost nonexistent since he’d moved to Crimson. Cole was dedicated to his job, and up until the past few days, that had been enough.
“Did you just move in?” she asked, her gaze snagging on a stack of cardboard boxes pushed against one wall.
“About a year ago,” he admitted. “I’ve been too busy to deal with unpacking everything.”
She inclined her head toward the muted television and the half-empty beer bottle and bag of chips on the coffee table. “Clearly.”
“What’s going on?” he asked. “Or did you stop by for the sole purpose of critiquing my interior decorating skills?”
“I need you to go to dinner with me,” she blurted.
“Okay,” he said slowly. “Did you have someplace special in mind?”
“I met my sister-in-law today,” she continued. “She invited me to dinner. I’m supposed to be there in...” She glanced at the chunky silver watch that encircled her wrist. “Ten minutes.”
“Emily invited you for dinner?” Cole tried to hide his shock, especially after Jase had told him he didn’t trust Sienna. “And you want me to go with you?”
“Katie and her husband will be there, too.” She walked forward and ran a hand along the back of his leather couch. “But they’re Team Jase. I need someone on my side.”
“You think that’s me?” Pride and disbelief warred inside him at the idea that he was the one she’d come to for support. He realized she knew very few people in town, but still—
“You’re all I’ve got,” she muttered, then made a face. “Sorry. I didn’t mean it to come out that way.”
“You know Jase is my best friend,” he said. “I’m the one who told him you’d come to town. You might remember raking me over the coals in the bakery.”
“So all of this is really your fault.” She flashed a smile that was more like a baring of teeth from a grizzly bear facing off with a mountain lion. “You have to go.”
“What if I have plans?”
She glanced at the television, then back at him. “Are they important?”
“Give me a minute to change clothes.”
“Thank you,” she said softly, her gaze dropping to the ground as if she couldn’t bear to make eye contact. He wondered what he’d see in her beautiful blue gaze right now. Unable to resist, he moved toward her and placed a finger under her chin, tipping it up until she looked at him.
It was all there—pain, loneliness, vulnerability and the smallest sliver of hope. As much as she pretended otherwise, Sienna wanted things to work out with Jase and her father. This night meant something to her. More than she probably knew.
Cole felt the heavy weight of responsibility settle on his shoulders, but to his surprise, he didn’t immediately want to shrug it off. He had no problem with work responsibility but kept his personal life clean and simple because it was easier that way—no chance for mess or for anyone to get hurt. But he couldn’t seem to keep Sienna at arm’s length, and the more time he spent with her, the more he wanted to pull her in closer.
“It’s going to be fine,” he told her and brushed his lips across hers.
“Only if we’re not late,” she said, her breath tickling his skin.
He drew back, dropped a quick kiss on her nose and headed toward his bedroom.
