01 Winters Thaw (21 page)

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 that, 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.

“You’re not going to like it,” Seth warned.

Daniel frowned. “Are you going to tell me to stop seeing Sienna?”

Seth shook his head. “No. Be a waste of breath if I did. Keeping you away from that girl would be as easy as separating Doug from his horse. No, it’s just this. You’re gonna have to give her time.”

Daniel blew out a long breath. “How much time?”

Seth chuckled. “You expect me to give you a date? Doesn’t work that way. She just got out of a long-term relationship with an idiot she truly planned to marry. She’s still smartin’ over that. You two are obviously head over heels in love. Pretty compatible, I’d say.”

Daniel couldn’t hold back his cocky grin as he considered just how well-suited they were—in the bedroom and out. “We’re a good fit. A real good fit.”

Seth raised his hand in warning. “I can still kick your ass, son.”

Daniel laughed. “Sorry. So you’re telling me to slow down. Stop trying to force it.”

Seth stood and walked to the fireplace mantel. Daniel spotted a photograph of a much younger Seth and Jody on their wedding day there. Seth ran his finger along the frame almost absentmindedly. “It’s not an easy thing. I see a lot of myself in you. When men like us make up our mind about how things are going to be, that’s it. We move forward and God help anybody who gets in our way. I made a lot of mistakes when I was trying to win Jody’s heart. I pushed her away with both hands for years because she had some growing up to do. Problem was, when I finally reached out for her, she wasn’t reaching back.”

Daniel nodded. “I let Sienna believe we were having a casual affair. Pretended it was something easy, something she could control. Shame of it is I wasn’t just lying to her, I was lying to myself too. I latched on to the no-strings deal because I figured that was enough, all I needed. What if she
never
reaches out for me?”

Seth turned to face him once more. “That’s where the time thing comes in. Sienna is questioning her judgment on everything these days. I guess that’s not a comfortable place for a girl who’s always had her life figured out. All you can do is hang in there. Be the man she needs. Be honest about how you feel. If you’re a religious man, a bit of prayer might not hurt.”

Daniel sniggered, but he appreciated the advice. “Okay. So the plan stays the same. Take it one day at a time and hope I manage to wear her down.”

Seth walked back to his desk and plopped down in the large leather chair with a shit-eating grin on his face. “And if that fails, you resort to plan B.”

“What’s plan B?”

“We revisit the kidnapping idea.”

Chapter Thirteen

Daniel drove the ranch truck one-handed. His other arm was occupied, wrapped around Sienna’s shoulder. She’d opted to ride in the middle of the cab. It was Valentine’s Day. It was also his first “date” with Sienna since talking to Seth three weeks earlier.

He’d taken Seth’s advice and slowed things down, allowing things with Sienna to fall into a normal—God, if he could call Heaven normal—pattern. Neither he nor Sienna had talked about their feelings, and subjects like commitment and the future simply didn’t come up.

At least, they hadn’t until now. He hoped a romantic atmosphere would soften Sienna, make her more receptive to his affections. He was adding a new word to their relationship vocabulary tonight—love. He loved her and he was going to tell her.

Life had turned into one perfect day after another. He and Sienna would eat with her family every night, then pile into the family room to watch TV or play games. Sienna kept a close eye on Vicky and often the two women stole away for some private time. Her grandmother was determined to share her stories—of childhood, of marriage and of raising children. Sienna had confessed to Vicky that Daniel knew about her diagnosis as well. As a result, he’d been told a few stories himself. Vicky had shared some entertaining memories about crazy things JD had done when he was a younger man to woo her. Daniel appreciated Vicky’s matchmaking help and was sorry he’d never met JD.

As evening gave way to night, he and Sienna would walk to his RV together. There was no more hiding or sneaking about. When darkness descended, they came together in a tangle of limbs and lips. Sometimes their lovemaking was a rough, heart-racing ride, wilder than his eight seconds on the bull. Other times it was slow and peaceful as a country ballad. Afterwards, they’d fall asleep in each other’s arms. Come morning, he’d leave early, as his chores on the ranch started at first light. Sienna took a bit more time with her waking. She’d return home, shower, dress and head to work. Then he’d spend the entire day watching the clock and waiting for her to return.

He knew what his future should be, but Seth was right—a few months wasn’t all that long. Rushing things was only going to push her away.

As they pulled into town, Daniel drove down Main Street, seeking a place to park. He’d made reservations at the fanciest restaurant in town and then told her last night he was taking her out for the holiday. He’d held his breath as he’d waited for her reply, hoping her fear of hopping back into the “dating scene” had abated since New Year’s. She’d smiled at the invitation and accepted immediately.

“Wow. Charlotte went all out.”

He glanced over to see what had caught Sienna’s eye. He fought to restrain a groan. Charlotte, the owner of Northstar Restaurant, had obviously spared no expense on decorating the windows in a sea of red silk and roses.

“Yeah.” His soft sigh must have given him away as Sienna giggled.

“Aw, come on, Daniel. You know you love all this mushy-gushy shit. Cupids and hearts with arrows through them and chocolates. Maybe Charlotte’s hired Janine from the local high school to stroll around the place playing the violin again.”

Daniel parked the truck on the side of the street, then glanced at Sienna. “Please tell me you’re joking about the violin.”

Sienna’s grin grew. “Sorry. Can’t do that. She’s had a year to practice, so I’m sure she’s better than last year.”

“Were you here last year?”

Sienna shook her head. “No. I was away at school. Hope told me about it. It was really sweet of you to go to all this trouble. I understand that Valentine’s Day isn’t exactly a guy holiday.”

Daniel considered contradicting her. There were parts of this day that were definitely for him. In addition to the flowers he’d given her when he picked her up for their date, there was still a wrapped package on his bed that contained the sexiest red teddy he’d ever seen and pair of furred-lined handcuffs.

Oh, he fully intended to enjoy the holiday. Unfortunately, the fun stuff apparently wasn’t going to start until he’d spent the next two hours listening to some girl named Janine butcher “Lady of Spain”.

Daniel climbed out of the truck, crossing to open Sienna’s door for her. She was wearing a hot pink dress with a v-neck that showed off her cleavage a bit too well for his peace of mind. He’d had to make several adjustments to his pants since first seeing her and he’d even tried to make a deal with his cock.
Go away through dinner and reap the rewards all night long.
Damn thing had a head of its own. Literally. It wasn’t going anywhere.

She stepped out of the vehicle, keeping her hand in his as he led her to the restaurant. The inside of the restaurant was designed with lovers in mind. Each table was covered in a long white tablecloth with a single red rose lying across the lady’s plate. The lighting was dim enough to allow the flickering candles to complete the ambiance. So far, so good. There was no teenaged strolling violinist. Instead there was the soft sound of piano music filling the air.

It was perfect.

The hostess led them to a small table in the middle of the floor. Sienna picked up her rose and smelled it. “This is all so nice.”

Charlotte really had outdone herself. They’d arrived earlier than most of the dinner crowd. Daniel had purposely chosen the first seating offered since he intended to spend the majority of the night in bed with Sienna. As a result, only about half of the tables were full. He was glad. It added to the magic of the evening. They could pretend they were the only two people in the place.

The waitress came over to take their drink orders and since they were doing an abbreviated menu for the special occasion, she asked them for their dinner preferences. Daniel opted for the steak, while Sienna ordered the vegetarian lasagna.

Daniel reached across the table, clasping her hand in his. “You look beautiful in candlelight. Remind me to get some candles for the RV.”

She leaned forward, the new position giving him far too nice a view of her breasts as they peeked out from beneath her dress. “Thank you for inviting me out tonight, Daniel.”

He shrugged. “It’s a holiday for lovers.”

Her fingers tightened around his and, for a moment, he got a sense that she was going to say something. Her face was serious, pensive. Unfortunately, the expression morphed to one of surprise.