“I still don’t believe that. Not the way she did it—letting me think you didn’t want me.” She took a breath, then added, “That you didn’t love me.”
“I always loved you,” he said, moving forward. “I always will, baby girl. Whether you’re in Crimson or Chicago or halfway around the world.”
She bit down on the inside of her cheek to keep from crying. Shewould notcry.
“Do what you want with those checks,” he said, covering her hand with his. “I never understood why I was saving them, but now I know it was to give them to you. You can hate me and refuse to speak to me but don’t ever doubt that I love you.” The corner of his mouth lifted. “In my own messed-up way.”
She choked back a sob. “Is there any other way to love someone?”
He pulled her in for a tight hug. “Not in this family,” he said.
After a moment, Sienna relaxed into him, and it felt like coming home.
* * *
Sienna watched the black Porsche tear into the ski resort’s empty parking lot. Dust flew up around the SUV as it came to a quick stop in front of where she sat on the gravel.
She sucked in a breath as a man rushed from the vehicle, slamming shut the driver’s side door and stalking toward her. Shep Bennett was indeed identical in looks to Cole, although Sienna would never confuse one brother for the other. She’d been shocked when Paige had told her Shep’s company had bought the ski resort and that he was personally under contract to purchase The Bumblebee.
Of course, she couldn’t call Cole to ask him about it because she wasn’t speaking to Cole—wasn’t sure if she’d ever speak to him again. She knew it didn’t make sense, but the fact that he hadn’t told her what he knew about her parents’ arrangement felt like a bigger betrayal than her family lying to her all those years. Although she knew in her heart—her broken heart—the lie was just an excuse.
“You’re trespassing, Sienna.” He pointed a finger at her. “Not to mention making me think my resort was on fire and scaring the hell out of me.”
Sienna looked up at the plume of smoke wafting into the air, then poked a stick at the smoldering logs in the metal fire pit she’d dragged from around the back of the lodge.
“You know who I am,” she said quietly.
Shep nodded. “My brother is pretty much tied in knots over you. I’ll admit I was curious, although he forgot to mention your pyromaniac tendencies. You know there’s a fire ban around here?”
“That’s why I’m in the parking lot, where there are no trees. It seemed safe.” She glanced at Shep and raised a brow. “Are you going to call the cops?”
Shep blew out a breath. “Sadly, you don’t look like a handcuffs type of girl.”
“You have no idea what kind of woman I am.”
“The kind my brother fell in love with, which says something about you.”
“That I was crazy,” Sienna muttered, “to get involved with him.”
“Well, yes,” Shep agreed, rubbing a hand over his jaw in a gesture so similar to Cole’s that it made her heart ache. He glanced back at the SUV, then crouched down next to her. “What’s with the fire?”
“Maybe I wanted to make s’mores.”
“Or burn down the forest.” He grabbed the stick from her hand. “Enough poking at it. You got your point across.”
“Back off, Smokey Bear,” she said under her breath.
Shep laughed. “I can see why Cole is so damn in love with you.”
She leveled a glare at him. “Your brother said hecaresabout me, which is not the same thing as love.”
“Not always silky smooth, that guy. I also heard he lied to you, although he wasn’t forthcoming with much in the way of details.”
“I’ve got the details right here.” Sienna plucked another check out of the envelope she held between her knees, wadded it into a ball, then tossed it into the fire. The edges caught first, burning bright orange, then turning to black as the paper disintegrated in the heat of the fire.
She’d come out to the ski resort because she wanted to be alone but didn’t trust her rental car on the dirt roads that led into Forest Service land. The mountains were so close here it felt like they were embracing the valley, and it surprised her that no one had bought the property sooner.
Shep straightened when a noise came from the SUV. He jogged around the driver’s side and Sienna heard a small cry, then the soft rumble of Shep making soothing sounds.
