over two years.”
“And his saggy butt came as a surprise?”
She laughed, low and husky, and he felt it all the way to his toes. “I got good at not looking. He had other redeemable qualities.”
“Fidelity wasn’t one of them?”
He regretted the question when the corners of her mouth turned down. He liked seeing her smile and got the impression she didn’t do it half as much as she should.
“Apparently not.”
“Do I need to confiscate the keys so you don’t take off?” he asked conversationally. “I’m not in the mood for a car chase today.”
She met his gaze, her blue eyes sparking with some emotion he couldn’t name but that resonated deep in his gut. “Do I look like a flight risk?”
“You look like ten kinds of trouble,” he answered, then turned and headed for the Jeep he drove while on duty. Cole Bennett didn’t need trouble in his life, no matter how appealing a package it came wrapped in.
Both the car and the woman checked out fine, but Cole didn’t trust that things wouldn’t go south when the ex-boyfriend realized the car was gone. Maybe she was indeed going to return it, or maybe she was going to do something stupid that would end up bad for all of them.
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.”
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
