going to head upsta—”
She got up from her stool just as Paige turned toward her. Sienna’s arm jostled the cup Paige held, and vodka lemonade splashed all over the front of Paige’s pajamas.
“Yuck,” Paige cried. “I’m going to be a sticky mess. You get the door while I change.”
“I can’t—”
Paige’s eyes widened. “Don’t make me answer it when I’m practically bathed in vodka. A plumbing problem is bad enough. Who wants to stay at a B&B where the lady who runs it is a stinking drunk?”
The knock sounded again, more forcefully this time.
“It’s not like potential guests will hear about it,” Sienna protested, shaking her head.
“This is Crimson.” Paige threw up her hands. “Everyone will know.” She made a kissing sound toward Sienna. “I’ll be back in a jiffy.”
Sienna sighed as Paige disappeared into her bedroom. She turned down the music, flipped off the disco light and padded to the door, trying to ignore both her hammering heart and the fact that she was wearing a set of Paige’s tie-dyed pajamas.
She wet her lips with her tongue, said a silent prayer that some low-level officer had gotten stuck with this call and opened the door.
Cole Bennett stood on the other side.
“Seriously?”
Sienna’s blue eyes burned like the center of a flame as she glared at him.
“The neighbors called,” he said, like he owed her some sort of explanation. “Mrs. Morrison saw lights flashing through the trees while she was walking her dog before bed tonight. She was convinced they were a result of some sort of unlawful activity.”
“I heard about the neighbors,” Sienna muttered. “Paige and I were having a dance party.” She glowered at him like he’d put the older couple up to making the complaint. As if he didn’t have anything better to do than show up to check out the situation—like he’d been looking for an excuse to see her again. The latter might be slightly true, even though he’d never admit it.
“Don’t you have deputies or something?” she demanded, crossing her arms over the faded tie-dyed tank top she wore. She had matching pajama pants, and with her blond hair tumbling over her shoulders and the pink glow to her cheeks, she was even more beautiful now than she’d been earlier that morning.
“I wanted to check on you.” The fact that he admitted it obviously surprised her as much as it did him.
“How did you know I was here?”
She moved back and he stepped into the house, gently closing the ancient screen door behind him. He didn’t bother with the front door. It was a perfect Colorado night, about ten degrees cooler than it had been when the sun was out, and Cole needed the fresh air to remind him to keep his self-control in place.
“Rodney mentioned you picked up one of the business cards for The Bumblebee. There aren’t many open rooms in town because of the rodeo, so I assumed this is where you ended up. Once the call came in, I had no doubt you were here.” He inclined his head. “You and trouble and all that.”
“I don’t get into trouble,” she insisted, narrowing her eyes.
“Other than speeding and stealing a car and—”
“I didn’t steal the car.”
“You stole a car?”
Cole looked up as Paige Harper rushed into the room. “That’s crazy in an awesome Thelma and Louise kind of way. Hey, Sheriff.”
“Evening, Paige.”
“Sorry about the music.”
“It was more the lights this time. They worried Mrs. Morrison.”
“Of course they did. She’s probably jealous that she has no reason to turn on disco lights.” Paige nudged Sienna. “If you want to be Thelma, I can be Louise. Or we can trade roles. I’m more of a Thelma anyway, I think. Sheriff, do you have an opinion on that?”
“Uh, no,” Cole admitted, not sure what the bubbly innkeeper was talking about. But it didn’t matter because he saw the start of a smile curve Sienna’s full mouth and felt suddenly grateful for Paige Harper and her ramshackle inn.
Even though she seemed tough, he had a feeling Sienna was more vulnerable in Crimson than she’d ever let on. If Jase’s wariness and Emily’s underlying temper were any indication, she might need a friend during her time in town. Paige would be the perfect ally.
“I’m not Thelma or Louise,” Sienna said. “I borrowed a car from my ex-boyfriend this morning and then I returned it. The sheriff was a witness. I’m not planning on causing trouble. Pierce women don’t do trouble.”
“You’re a Crenshaw here in Crimson,” Cole felt compelled to point out. “And the Crenshaw family has a long history of trouble in this town.”
“Jase Crenshaw is the family you’re in town to visit?” Paige asked, wide-eyed.
Sienna nodded tightly. “Jase and my dad.”
“Why didn’t you say so in the first place? Jase is a great guy. I’m new enough to Crimson that I don’t know much about anyone’s past history, but I can almost guarantee Jase isn’t involved in any kind of trouble. He’s too good for that.”
“How do you know my brother?” Sienna asked quietly, shifting away from Paige and closer to Cole. He had the ridiculous urge to wrap an arm around her shoulder but managed to keep his hands at his sides.
“Well, he’s the mayor so everyone knows him. But I met him personally at a town council meeting when I first started working on The Bumblebee. He was really helpful and supportive of my ideas for the inn. Everyone in Crimson loves Jase.”
“Of course they do.” Sienna’s shoulders sagged.
Cole realized she had no reason to know that her brother was the town’s favorite son. Jase had been through plenty—overcoming his family’s less-than-stellar reputation and taking care of his father during the years Declan couldn’t pull himself out of the bottle. But now Jase was universally liked and well respected, both in Crimson and throughout the network of high-country towns in this part of Colorado.
Cole wasn’t sure why this knowledge seemed to affect Sienna like the sharp point of a pin to a balloon, but he could almost see her deflating before his eyes.
“You should invite Jase and Emily to the inn for dinner. They can bring Davey, too. He’s a sweet kid.”
“Davey?”
“Emily’s son,” Paige clarified. “You haven’t met him?”
Sienna shook her head.
