01 Winters Thaw

by Mari Carr

  He was waiting in his usual place when she emerged at midnight. Rather than grasping her hand and dragging her to his RV, he simply opened his arms. She fell into them, soaking up the warmth and comfort of his embrace.

  After a few minutes, he whispered in her ear. “Ready?”

  She nodded. The walk to his trailer was made in silence. Daniel wouldn’t prod her for answers if she wasn’t ready to give them. While she’d promised her grandmother she wouldn’t share her secret with the family, she couldn’t make that same vow in regard to Daniel. She needed someone to talk to, someone who—unlike her cousins—wouldn’t be weighted down by emotions that clouded their judgment.

  They entered the RV and Daniel helped her take off her coat. “How about we sit for a while? I could make us some hot tea or pour a couple of bourbon and Cokes.”

  “I don’t need anything to drink. I just—” For most of the afternoon she had been able to keep her emotions in check, but when she saw the compassion in Daniel’s eyes, the dam broke.

  “Hey,” he said, reaching for her as the tears started to flow. “Come on now. It can’t be that bad.” He led her to the couch. Sitting first, he tugged her onto his lap, cuddling her in his embrace. She buried her head in the crook of his neck and simply let it all go.

  Daniel’s arms tightened around her and she let his strength seep into her bones. She wasn’t tough enough to carry this heavy weight alone. He didn’t ask what was wrong. Instead, he rocked her gently, rubbed her back, whispering words of comfort.

  When the tears began to subside, he cupped her cheek and lifted her gaze until it met his. “Ready to talk about it?”

  She nodded. And then she explained. About Vivi’s illness, the prognosis. About her grandmother’s desire to keep it a secret from the family, her plans to share her memories with the girls and her wish to move into a nursing home. Through it all, Daniel listened, offering her the words she needed to hear.

  He thought they were right to keep Vivi’s secret. Of all her grandmother’s requests, that was the one that sat most heavily upon her shoulders. Daniel convinced her there was no harm in honoring her wishes for the time being. The diagnosis would be the same regardless of when the rest of the family found out. Daniel could sympathize with Vivi’s determination to sort out her own affairs before that happened.

  He pointed out it how hard it would be for Seth and his brothers to let Vivi go, so she’d have to ease them into that eventuality. Daniel was right. Sienna could picture the fuss Silas would kick up, imagine her father and Sawyer barring the door while Sam promised every penny he’d ever made to any doctor who could offer a cure. Vivi would need the time to prepare herself for that.

  Sienna had no doubt her grandmother would win in the end. It reminded her of something Vivi had said back in the fall—Seth would move heaven and earth to keep Jody happy. The same was true for his mother. If Vivi needed to go away to deal with her illness, he might not like it, but eventually, he would resign himself to that end and he would let her go.

  “Feeling better?” Daniel reached toward the table for the box of tissues. He grabbed a couple, using them to wipe her eyes, then held them in front of her nose and told her to “Blow.”

  She laughed, but she blew her nose just the same.

  “Daniel,” she said, “I don’t think I could have gotten through this without you. My cousins—”

  “Are as upset as you.”

  She nodded. “Jade’s pissed, Hope’s devastated and I can’t tell if Sterling is in shock or denial.”

  “You all have your grandmother’s strength. You’ll be fine. I promise.”

  It was exactly what she needed to hear. Sienna leaned forward and kissed him. It wasn’t a gentle kiss, rather it was one that was full of demand. And promise.

  Daniel hesitated at first. He wouldn’t push her or take advantage when she was so distressed. He needn’t have worried.

  She tackled the buttons on his shirt with haste, desperate to touch his warm skin. She was cold right now. So damn frozen. She needed the heat that only he could provide.

  Sienna deepened the kiss, opened her lips to thrust her tongue into Daniel’s mouth. He met her halfway. Gripping the hem of her sweater, he drew it over her head.

  “Let’s go to bed.” She rose but remained bent at the waist until he joined her. She refused to give up the solace his mouth provided for even a second. They stumbled to the bedroom together, a mass of limbs trying to walk and undress while their lips never parted.

  By the time they reached the bed, they were naked and ravenous. Sienna sat on the edge, dragging Daniel over her as she lay down. Their tongues continued to tangle as Daniel caged her beneath him.

  After several minutes of nothing more than soul-stealing kisses, Daniel moved back. “Sienna, if you—”

  “Shh.” She placed her finger against his lip. “Don’t you dare stop now. I need you, Daniel. I need to feel warm again. To feel alive, real, special.”

  Daniel ran the backs of his fingers along her cheek in a way that made her tremble at the sweetness of the touch. “You are alive, See. And you’re the most extraordinary woman I’ve ever met.”

  Sienna became aware of her suddenly racing heart. While she was certain it was her arousal that made it pound so furiously, she couldn’t help but wonder if her heart had ever truly beat before she met him.

  “Make love to me,” she whispered.

  “Always,” Daniel replied.

  When they kissed again, the urgency had given way to something much calmer, but no less potent. Sienna opened her legs to welcome him inside and Daniel pressed in slowly.

  There was no need to rush. They were starting this journey together.

  And they had all the time in the world.

  Chapter Twelve

  Sienna sighed contentedly against Daniel’s chest. She woke up slowly, exhausted. Life was one long, winding road. While she knew Vivi was right, that she needed to keep walking, it was difficult not to miss and mourn the ones who took a different path or who quit walking altogether. She couldn’t help but grieve for Vivi, JD, even Charles.

  She and Daniel had made love until the wee hours, their motions slow, sensuous and beautiful. She’d tried to tell him she loved him, but the feelings were too new, too fresh. They simply wouldn’t come. So instead she’d shown him with her kisses, her caresses.

  She lazily opened her eyes, realizing the trailer was too bright. Lifting her head, she glanced at the clock by the side of the bed.

  “Shit.” She started to rise, but Daniel’s arm tightened.

  “Stay a few more minutes,” he mumbled, still half asleep.

  “Daniel. Wake up. It’s late. My family will be getting up soon. If they haven’t already.”

  His eyes opened, taking in her panicked state. “We overslept.”

  Leave it to Daniel to state the obvious. “No shit, Sherlock. I have to get back.” She tried once more to rise, but Daniel’s grip became viselike around her shoulders. Then he lifted the sheet over her, covering her more completely.

  “What are you doing? I don’t have time for this. I have to go.”

  “No. You don’t.” Daniel’s tone was off, strange.

  “Why not?”

  “Because your family is already awake.” Her dad’s deep voice filled the small space. Sienna twisted, her gaze taking in what Daniel had already seen, landing on her father filling the doorway to the bedroom.

  “Shit,” she whispered.

  She tugged the sheet higher, but there was no denying she was naked in Daniel’s bed.

  “Put some clothes on,” Dad said. “I’ll be waiting for both of you at the house.” He turned to leave, but then faced them once more, raising a finger. “Ten minutes,” he added. “Be there in ten minutes.”

  Sienna wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry. Did her dad really think she and Daniel would lounge around in bed and have a quickie?

  The door to the RV banged closed, marking her father’s departure.
/>   “Guess that’s what I get for not locking my door at night.”

  Sienna tried not to smile at Daniel’s jest. Her dad was pissed. She could tell. But, for some reason, it didn’t matter. She didn’t care. “You realize he’s going to rake us over the coals. I’m afraid the next hour or two aren’t going to be pleasant.”

  “Jesus,” Daniel said, rising and throwing on yesterday’s jeans. “You think he’ll rail at us for two hours?”

  She lifted one shoulder. “Who knows? I’ve never actually gotten caught having sex before.”

  Daniel stared at her. “You mean to tell me in six years you and Josh never—”

  “We were very discreet. And quick. And, well, let’s just say you and I have probably had more sex in the past three months than Josh and I usually did in a year.”

  “Jackass,” he muttered.

  Sienna giggled, perfectly used to Daniel’s opinion of Josh. She was starting to share it. “It’ll be fine. We’re both adults and there’s no way in hell I’ll let him fire you for this. I’ll recruit my mom and Vivi if I have to. We’ll make him understand.”

  Daniel sat on the edge of the bed, pulling on his boots. “We’re consenting adults. Besides I don’t give a shit if he does fire me. I’m not leaving Compton Pass, Sienna. I’m not leaving you.”

  Ever since New Year’s, Daniel had worked hard to stake a claim on her heart, but the fact was, he’d owned it for weeks. It was her head that was still waging the battle. No, she was wrong. Even that part of her was finished fighting.

  She was in love with Daniel Lennon and, despite her best efforts to remain spontaneous and carefree, her true nature was reappearing—with a vengeance. Plans for the future, their future, were filling up all the cold, lonely spots inside her. She’d never felt so warm.

  “You ready?” he asked, reaching out for her.

  She nodded and took his hand.

  They broke tradition as they returned to her house. Usually, he waited as she snuck in the back door before dawn. Today, they were entering by the front door in broad daylight together.

  Doug was standing in the hallway as they entered. His eyes widened when he caught sight of them, both wearing yesterday’s crumpled clothes, their hair messy from sleep.

  “Whoa. No wonder Dad’s so mad.”

  “Where is he, Doug?” she asked.

  Doug jerked his head to the left, toward the family room. His initial astonishment gave way to concern. “He’s not going to fire you, is he, Daniel?”

  “I hope not, kiddo.”

  Doug’s shoulders sagged. “Do you think it would help if I went in with you? I can put in a good word.”

  Daniel walked over to place a friendly hand on her brother’s shoulder.

  Sienna smiled at the kind gesture, the genuine affection between the boy and the man. She wasn’t the only one who’d found a shoulder to cry on, a friend she could rely on. Daniel had offered those same things to Doug in the few months he’d been here.

  “I appreciate the offer. Let me see how things go. If I need your help, I’ll come find you. Okay?”

  Doug nodded. “I’ll just be in the stable.” He walked out slowly, giving them an encouraging, though somewhat worried, glance over his shoulder as he left.

  “Come on.” Daniel took her hand once more.

  Dad was leaning against his desk, his finger tapping a vicious rhythm out on the cherry wood top. He glanced up when they entered and acknowledged their linked hands with a grimace.

  “Have a seat.” Dad gestured to the couch.

  “Seth—” Daniel started.

  “I’m going to speak my piece first, Daniel, so you may as well sit down.”

  While her dad’s tone wasn’t exactly friendly, it didn’t seem nearly as menacing as it had in the trailer earlier.

  She and Daniel sat together. If she’d expected Daniel to try to put a respectable space between them, she really should have known better. They were side by side, their legs touching from hip to knee. She appreciated Daniel’s unspoken support. They were in this together.

  Dad walked over and claimed the chair across from them. He sank down slowly, releasing a long breath as he did so. “Why didn’t you tell me the two of you were involved?”

  Sienna had expected a lecture that would take a strip out of her hide. Her father’s almost hurt question pierced more. “I was afraid you’d fire Daniel.”

  Her father nodded, his brows furrowed. “Have I ever been that unreasonable?”

  No. He hadn’t. The second Dad said the words, Sienna was overcome with guilt. “God, no. It wasn’t that. Not really. I was worried about what you’d think of me.”

  This answer, though more truthful, was worse than the first.

  “You’re twenty-two years old, Sienna. Do you think I don’t realize you have sex? Jesus, your mother took you to the doctor to put you on birth control at seventeen. You don’t seriously think I believed that line about it making your periods better, do you?”

  She flushed, then grinned. “You’re pretty overprotective. You’ve got to give me that, at least. And you talk a damn good game. Poor Josh didn’t touch me for six months after that lecture you gave him about me being your little angel and how you’d do anything to keep me safe. Then you bragged about your days as an amateur boxer. You’ve never boxed a day in your life.”

  Daniel chuckled. “Damn. He just told me at Christmas he’d like to see you remain young and innocent for a little while longer.”

  Sienna turned her attention to Daniel. “He warned you away from me?” Her gaze flew back to her father. “Innocent? You used the word innocent?”

  Dad shrugged. “I think I said inexperienced, actually.”

  Sienna winced. “That’s even worse.”

  “I had to say something. You’d been sneaking out to meet the man for weeks.”

  Sienna leaned back, her jaw dropping. “You knew? You knew the whole time?”

  Dad nodded. “It’s an old house with squeaky hardwood floors and your bedroom’s right above mine and your mother’s. We didn’t put you there by accident. Learned that trick from JD when he and Mom stayed in the downstairs bedroom.”

  Sienna laughed. “God. I love you, Dad.”

  Her father grinned. “I love you too. You’re an adult. I understand that. But that doesn’t mean you’re not my little girl. You’ll always be that.”

  She recalled Vivi’s habit of calling her grown sons boys. Though her dad would respect her adult decisions, there was a part of him that would always remember the little girl who crawled onto his lap each night for a bedtime story. And as his child, she’d been too worried about disappointing him to come clean about what had truly begun as a casual affair.

  Dad shrugged. “You could have told me about Daniel.”

  She realized that now. Hell, she’d always known it. “I’m sorry I didn’t.” She rose from the couch and walked over to her dad. He stood, welcoming her into his strong embrace. Her dad gave some of the world’s greatest hugs. The only ones that had ever come close to comparing were Daniel’s.

  “Now,” Dad said. “If you’ll excuse us a minute, Sienna, I think Daniel and I need to have a little chat. Man to man.”

  She shook her head. “Hell no.”

  Daniel stood. “It’s okay, Sienna. Your dad’s right.”

  She glanced at him nervously. “Daniel—”

  “Just give us a few minutes,” Daniel prodded.

  She flashed her father an unspoken warning, not that she expected it to work.

  “Don’t worry. I’m not going to hurt your boyfriend, Sienna.” And then, because he was a horrible tease, Dad added, “Much.”

  “Fine. I’ll just go find Mom and Vivi.” She could issue threats as well as her father. If there was any force capable of holding her dad back, it was Seth’s wife and his mother. Sienna wasn’t completely without backup.

  She stopped at the doorway to the hall and glanced back. Daniel gave her a reassuring wink.

  With t
hat, she left.

  “So what’s the plan?”

  Daniel frowned at Seth’s question. “Plan?”

  Seth crossed his arms. “Don’t play stupid, Daniel. You got it bad for her. But something tells me she hasn’t quite figured that out yet.”

  Daniel grimaced and sank back onto the couch. “She knows.”

  “Ah,” Seth nodded, reclaiming his own seat. “She still hung up on Josh?”

  Daniel shook his head. “No. I don’t think so.” The more he thought of it, the more he realized Josh really was out of the picture. “No. She’s not,” he added, more firmly.

  “I’m glad to hear it. So what’s your next move?”

  “God, Seth. I wish I could figure one out. I considered taking a page from your book, but I’m guessing I wouldn’t have your blessing to kidnap Sienna and hide her away until she comes around.”

  “You wouldn’t.”

  Daniel chuckled. “Yeah. I didn’t think so. You can blame your brothers for that idea, by the way. They planted a seed at Christmas when they talked about the way you proposed to Jody.”

  Seth nodded. “So noted. I’ll find my brothers after we finish up here and kick their asses instead since I foolishly promised my daughter I wouldn’t hurt you. Won’t be the first time.”

  “I love her, Seth. I’m in love with her. I feel like I’ve been thrown off the bull and now he’s crushing my guts out under his hooves.”

  “That sounds about right.”

  Daniel looked at Seth incredulously. “Nothing about this feels right. Every time I think I’m getting through to her, every time I feel like maybe she’s starting to care for me, she takes three big steps back. Doesn’t help that Josh keeps creeping in every now and then. Everyone she loves keeps telling her to get out there, that there are other fish in the sea. She spent years of her life, walking toward a future that was certain in her mind. I’ve been here less than three months and I’m asking her to throw all that away, to take a chance on me.”

  “Can I give you a little advice?”

  “Hell yeah.” Daniel was grateful for the offer. He’d come to respect Seth Compton as much as he did his own father. Seth wouldn’t lead him wrong.