01 Winters Thaw

by Mari Carr

  Dedication

  This story is dedicated to the strong women in our lives—our grandmothers, Mary, Virginia, Gretchen and Ruth; our mothers, Linda and Susan; and to daughter Glen.

  Prologue

  “Shh. Quiet,” Sienna Compton warned as she and her cousins snuck into her family’s barn. It was nearly two a.m. on her sixteenth birthday. Sweet sixteen. At last.

  Her cousins—and best friends—Jade, Sterling and Hope had planned a sleepover to celebrate with her. They’d piggy-piled into sleeping bags in Sienna’s bedroom shortly after ten, chatting and giggling for hours. Her dad, Seth, had come in twice to tell them to quiet down.

  After a couple hours of whispered conversations, the rest of the house fell silent. That was when Jade had climbed out of her sleeping bag, tiptoed to the door and listened for a moment before declaring the coast was clear.

  When Sterling had asked what the heck it was clear for, Jade had refused to answer, picking up her backpack and telling them to follow her. On their way out, they’d detoured through the kitchen so Jade could grab a saltshaker and oranges.

  As they reached the hayloft, Sienna grabbed a camp lantern from the supply room and they each took a turn climbing the ladder. Once they reached the top, Sienna turned on the lamp. It cast the area in an eerie, dim light. They sat in a small circle facing each other as Jade produced a bottle of tequila from her bag.

  Hope’s eyes went wide. “Where did you get that?”

  “I smuggled it out of my parents’ liquor cabinet.”

  Sterling shook her head in disbelief. “Uncle Sawyer is going to ground you until you’re forty-seven.”

  Jade shrugged, unconcerned. “It’s Sienna’s sixteenth birthday. We need to do something special.”

  “The cake I baked for her wasn’t enough?” Hope asked.

  Sienna reached over to touch her cousin’s hand. “The cake was perfect. Chocolate is my favorite.”

  Jade rolled her eyes. “We always have cake on our birthdays. I thought tonight called for something different. The Mothers always pull this out on special occasions to make a toast. Why shouldn’t we do the same thing?”

  Sienna grinned at Jade’s nickname for their moms. The Mothers, as she and her cousins had taken to calling them, were a force unto themselves around Compass Ranch. Sienna was proud to come from such a long line of strong, self-confident women. Her mother, Jody, and aunts Leah, Lucy and Cindi, as well as her beloved grandmother, Vicky—Vivi to them—had raised her to believe in herself, always offering encouragement and unwavering support.

  Sienna was part of the Compton heritage, a family whose name was synonymous with power and honor in Compton Pass. The town had been named after her gazillions-great grandfather, and it had grown quite a bit during the years since her granddaddy JD’s death over fifteen years earlier. Though she’d never met JD, his legacy certainly lived on, and Sienna felt as though she had known him through the stories Vivi told her.

  “I turned sixteen in May and you didn’t steal tequila for me.” Hope crossed her arms, appearing only slightly put out. Sienna knew her cousin was uncomfortable with the trouble they were risking with this escapade. While Sterling and Jade were the more rebellious of the foursome, she and Hope tended to walk a straighter, narrower line in terms of following the rules.

  “I tried,” Jade explained, “but you decided to have a big-ass Sweet Sixteen party at the community center with our whole family and half of Compton Pass. There wasn’t anywhere to hide the damn bottle in that fancy dress I had to wear.”

  Hope’s birthday party was still a bone of contention between the two girls. Jade resided squarely in the middle of tomboy camp. Wearing a dress to any event was akin to eating manure. Sienna recalled Aunt Leah telling the other Mothers about the battle she’d waged to get Jade to wear the simple green dress. Aunt Leah knew Jade well enough to buy her a dress without frills, but regardless of her efforts, Jade resisted putting it on. Jade had insisted she’d look just fine in her new jeans, but Aunt Leah had stuck to her guns.

  “You were really pretty that night.” Hope remained resolute in her choice of fancy attire for the party. “Half of the boys in our class looked like their eyes would pop out of their heads when you showed up.”

  “I think you’re mistaking shock for interest. So, are we gabbing or are we drinking?” Jade pulled the cork out of the bottle of Patrón.

  Sterling took a quick sniff, scowling. “Jesus. That smells terrible.”

  Jade wasn’t deterred, picking up an orange and peeling it. “The salt and limes are supposed to take the burn off.”

  Sienna pointed out the obvious. “We don’t have limes.”

  “Hence the oranges. I guess it’s about the same. They’re both juicy fruits. Personally, I think the orange might taste better. It’s sweeter.” Jade broke the orange slices apart and placed them on a napkin in the center of their circle.

  Sterling began to fill the shot glasses. “Guess we should go ahead and see what the fuss is about, since Jade went to all this trouble.”

  Sienna didn’t think Sterling was too bothered by the prospect of trying the shot. Of course, that was par for the course for Sterling. She was usually up for anything.

  Sterling handed each girl a glass.

  Sienna didn’t even have to lift it to her nose to catch the overwhelming scent of alcohol. Jade licked her hand, sprinkled salt on it and then passed the shaker around, gesturing for them to do the same.

  “So it’s salt, shot and orange,” Jade instructed, though none of them needed the tutorial. The Mothers had been following this same birthday tradition for as long as the girls had been alive.

  “Aren’t we supposed to propose a toast?” Hope asked as they lifted their glasses.

  “I have one,” Jade said. “Here’s to all the boys whose hearts we’re going to break this year. Poor suckers.”

  They drank the shots, each of them wincing as they sucked on the sweet oranges they hoped would kill the taste.

  “That’s awful,” Hope declared, wrinkling her nose and covering her mouth. “Totally gross. Why would anyone drink that?”

  Sterling didn’t bother to respond. Instead, she studied Jade’s face. “Whose heart are you planning to break? I thought you had the hots for Evan. And I get the feeling he likes you too. You already sick of him?”

  Jade shook her head. “I wasn’t thinking of anyone in particular. We’re all going to be sixteen soon. Hope and Sienna are already there, and you and I are celebrating our birthdays in January. Let’s face it. None of us is going to meet the one for a damn long time—if ever. In the meantime, I plan to be the dumper, not the dumpee. There’s no way you’ll catch me crying for weeks over a boy like Jenna Garber did when Russ Philpott broke up with her.”

  “Jenna was ridiculous,” Sterling agreed.

  Hope, ever the compassionate one, chimed in. “Russ was her first love. And he immediately started going out with her best friend. That’s pretty harsh.”

  “This,” Jade explained, “is why I’m always going to make sure I throw the first punch. No boy is ever going to get close enough to break my heart.”

  Sienna shook her head. “I don’t think that’s a very smart way to live your life. And you’re wrong about us being too young to realize if someone’s the one. Look at me and Josh. We’ve been together for nearly four months, and he’s totally awesome. There’s no way I’m leaving him. We’re going to go to the same college, then come back here to live in Compton Pass. We want the same things. That’s why we’re so perfect together. I don’t plan on breaking his heart and he won’t break mine.”

  “How can you plan forever with a guy you’ve never gone past second base with?” Jade asked. “Uncle Seth’s never even
let you go on a car date alone with Josh.”

  “That’s because I was only fifteen. Now that I’m sixteen and I can get my driver’s license, Dad said I can go out with him. And even if we haven’t gone on a real date, that doesn’t mean we haven’t kissed. A lot.”

  Jade rolled her eyes. “Kissing. Big deal.”

  “Josh respects me. He said we could wait until I’m ready. Besides, unless I missed the memo, you haven’t even walked up to the plate with Evan. You’re both still in that middle school, arm-punching phase.”

  Jade narrowed her eyes. “Ha ha. I told you. I’m not settling for the first guy to glance my way. Or even the second or third or—”

  “We get the picture.” Hope, ever the peacemaker, picked up another orange slice and tried to steer the conversation to safer waters. “You and Josh are great together, Sienna. I wish I could meet a guy—or two—like him.”

  Sienna grinned. Rather than two parents, Hope had three. Uncle Silas and Uncle Colby were both married to Hope’s mother, Lucy. While Sienna realized there were folks around town who thought the union was weird and looked down on it, Sienna thought it was beautiful. She knew Hope couldn’t see it as anything but natural and would be open to the same type of relationship.

  Sterling’s view of relationships was harder to put a finger on. Sterling wasn’t quite the romantic Sienna and Hope were, nor was her view of relationships quite as jaded as…well, Jade’s. In most things, Sterling marched to the beat of her own drummer, which made her nearly impossible for Sienna to read.

  “I think we’re too young to worry about any of this.” Sterling poured another round. “This stuff isn’t so bad. I’m feeling sort of warm and fuzzy inside. Should we try another one?”

  Sienna was surprised when Jade and Hope both agreed. Never one to be left out, she accepted the salt and the glass again.

  Once again, Jade proposed the toast. “Here’s to the Compass Girls, the craziest cousins west of the Mississippi.”

  They laughed as they drank, and this time, no one disagreed.

  Chapter One

  Six years later…

  Sienna stepped out onto the front porch of her family’s house and pulled her jacket more tightly against her. It was damn chilly for mid-October. If the cool autumn was an indicator, she’d guess they were in for a long, frosty winter. Typically she enjoyed the return of cold air, hot chocolate, skiing and snowy mornings, but this year, she wasn’t looking forward to any of it.

  Her distaste for the season probably had to do with the fact she’d be spending most of the winter without Josh. The idea of enduring the icy months without him was depressing. For years, it had been their favorite season as they celebrated the holidays together with their families, took weekend ski trips to Snowy Range or just cuddled in front of the fireplace at the ranch.

  Unfortunately, she was home alone while Josh was still away at college. To add insult to injury, he’d begun dropping hints in his past few emails that he’d been invited to spend Christmas with his college roommates in Florida. He hadn’t come out and said he was accepting, but she definitely got the sense he was feeling her out and trying to get her consent.

  The idea of spending the holidays without Josh wasn’t sitting well with her. As a result, she’d been walking around the past few weeks like a bear with a thorn in her paw, snapping and attacking her family with very little provocation. She was turning into a bitch and hating herself for it.

  “What on Earth are you doing standing out here? It’s cold as a tomb today.”

  Sienna turned as Vivi tugged a shawl over her shoulders and joined her on the porch. “Dad just called from the road. Said he and the boys were almost home. Apparently, they’ve got a surprise.”

  Her dad and younger brothers, Doug and James, had driven to Casper a few days earlier to attend a trade show featuring rodeo equipment. Her brothers—hell, her entire family—were rodeo-mad. Not that she blamed them. Doug and James were extremely talented riders who excelled in nearly every competition. She’d even participated in the sport when she was in high school. For three years running, she’d been the top barrel racer in her division.

  “Wonder what they could be bringing.” Vivi’s gaze drifted down the long stretch of road that would lead the guys home from the highway. “You suppose they bought another horse?”

  Sienna rolled her eyes. Her father, Seth, had been increasing their stable quite a bit the past few months, taking his interest in horse breeding out of the hobby range and turning it into a full-fledged career. “I wouldn’t consider that very shocking. Seems like lately all they do is come home with new horses. Although I don’t know how they’d get it here from Casper. They didn’t take a trailer with them.”

  “Seth always was crazy about horses. Lord knows this ranch is big enough to support this new venture of his. Sam seems to think we’ll turn a pretty fair profit from the fine horseflesh Seth’s hoping to breed.”

  Sienna leaned against the railing. “Yeah, but between the horses, the other ranch chores and the time Dad spends working with the boys on their rodeo skills, Mom seems to think he’s wearing himself a bit thin.”

  “Jody has said the same thing to me. She’s trying to encourage him to hire more help, but that boy can be stubborn as a mule sometimes.”

  Sienna grinned at her grandmother calling her nearly fifty-year-old father a boy. In Vivi’s eyes, her beloved sons would always be her boys. “Well, so can Mom. It might be fun to see who wins this fight.”

  Vivi moved closer. Sienna suspected it was to share body heat as the breeze picked up. She knew she should suggest they go inside, but Sienna needed the fresh air. It helped clear her rather disconcerting thoughts.

  “It will be little surprise to either of us who wins, Sienna. Seth would move heaven and earth to make your mom happy.”

  Sienna’s smile dimmed a bit. She recognized the truth behind her grandmother’s words and it reminded her of why she’d come outside in the first place.

  Josh.

  She used to believe they were soul mates, destined to share the same enduring love Sienna witnessed every day between her parents. Now, she was starting to question those feelings.

  “What’s wrong, See?”

  Sienna had never been able to hide anything from Vivi. “Just missing Josh.”

  Vivi sighed. “That boy has some growing up to do.”

  Sienna shrugged, though she certainly agreed. “Maybe he does. Did I tell you he’s hinting around about possibly going to Florida with his roommates from college over the holidays?”

  Her grandmother’s scowl told her she wasn’t any happier with Josh’s desire to miss a Compton Pass Christmas than Sienna was. Of course, if it had just been the trip, maybe Sienna could have understood, but lately, Josh was doing a lot of things she couldn’t wrap her head around.

  “That young man needs to get his head out of his ass. Pardon my language.” Oh yeah. Vivi was annoyed. She rarely cursed.

  Strangely, her grandmother’s response made Sienna feel less guilty about her own anger. “I agree with you. I can’t figure him out these days.”

  Since they were fifteen years old, she and Josh had walked the same path, hand in hand. They’d chosen to attend the same university after graduating from high school and their master plan had never wavered. She would become a nurse, he a teacher. They’d come home to Compton Pass, get married and live happily ever after. Sienna was still committed to that dream.

  As for Josh…

  Vivi tightened her grip on her shawl when another gust of wind blew over them. “I was surprised when he changed his major. Thought he was determined to be a teacher.”

  “So did I. I’m sure his parents are thrilled he’s chosen to study business so that he’ll be better prepared to take over the store when they retire, but I think they would have preferred he made that decision before they spent so much money on an education he won’t be using.”

  Josh’s family owned and operated the local hardware store. As
an only child, Josh stood to inherit the prosperous business. For most of his life, Josh had insisted he had no desire to run the store. Sienna wasn’t sure what had happened to change his mind. He’d simply stood up after Thanksgiving dinner last year and announced he was switching his major and that his four-year college plan would now take five.

  Sienna had been as shocked as his parents and hurt that he’d made the decision without discussing it with her first. Not that she would have tried to talk him out of it. She’d never ask him to pursue a career if it wasn’t something that would make him happy. But weren’t they supposed to be partners? They’d mapped out their futures together. So why did Josh take a detour without her?

  “I’ve been worried about you, See. I know you miss Josh, but you’re still young. There’s no reason why your life should be put on hold while you wait for that boy to come home. Why don’t you take Jade up on her offer the next time she invites you for a girls’ night out?”

  Sienna made a pained face. “Jade’s idea of fun is a million miles away from mine, Vivi. If she was interested in dinner and a movie or shopping or something like that, I’d be there. For her, girls’ night out involves crowded bars, loud music and pool tables. I’m not in the mood to spend an evening fending off a bunch of drunk rednecks, while trying to keep Jade from getting into a fight with whoever is stupid enough to cross her path.”

  Vivi chuckled. “I suppose you’re right. That girl has a wild streak a mile wide. Gonna take a pretty special man to love her without breaking her spirit.”

  “Personally, I think she could do with a bit less of that damn spirit.”

  Vivi shook her head. “No. Jade’s just fine the way she is.” Vivi seemed to be the only Compton who didn’t see anything wrong with Jade’s rebelliousness, though she had to admit there were times when Sienna wished she was more like her carefree cousin. Jade lived in the moment, never thinking much beyond what the next five minutes would bring. Sienna had never mastered that concept.