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“I’m staying here if Claire wants company.”
April stepped forward. “I’ll keep Claire company.” She smiled. “I made chicken soup and an apple crisp earlier. I happen to know there’s a Jane Austen marathon tonight. Emma and Sense and Sensibility, two of my favorites. Does that sound okay, Claire?”
The girl nodded then gave a tiny hiccup. “I’m going to take a shower. I’ll be down when everyone else is gone.”
She gave Sara a quick hug. “I had a good time with you. Sorry Dad ruined it for both of us.”
“I enjoyed the day, no matter what.”
“I’ll get fresh towels for you,” April said, and took Claire’s hand, leading her up the back stairs.
Sara braced her hands on the counter and leaned forward, dropping her head to stretch out some of the tension in her neck.
“Now I ruined the whole day?”
She looked up as Josh filled the doorway leading to the front hall. His broad shoulders looked as tense as hers felt.
“You need to apologize,” she answered.
“To Claire or to you?” He crossed his arms over his chest, his dark eyes unreadable in the shadows of the soft evening light.
“I’m not important here.” She straightened, wiping an imaginary crumb from the counter. “Your daughter is.”
“You’re important to me,” he said quietly.
“Don’t do that, Josh.”
“Do what?”
“Care.”
He took a step forward at the same moment the back door of the house burst open.
“Come on, you two,” Ryan said. “I’ve got the masses corralled into the Suburban. We need to make it to town before the poor vehicle implodes from the force of all that testosterone.”
Sara saw his eyebrows raise as he studied both Josh and her. “Whatever’s going on here can only be helped by a drink and some food. Let’s go.”
Before she could argue, Ryan took her hand and pulled her out into the night.
* * *
Josh emptied his second beer and set it on the table. He looked down to where Sara sat, Manny and Noah on either side of her. He made eye contact with the waitress and lifted his finger to order another round.
“Rough day with the girls?” Dave asked from his seat next to him.
“I’d rather spend an hour in the ring with the orneriest bull you can find than another minute shopping.”
“Amen to that,” his friend agreed. “But I sure do like the results.”
Josh followed Dave’s gaze to where Brandy did a quick two-step with young Bryson on the dance floor. She wore a short skirt and a colorful blouse that flowed as she spun to the music. “How do you two make it look so easy?” he grumbled.
“I’m smarter than you,” his friend told him sagely. “I keep my mouth shut unless I’m giving her a compliment.”
Josh’s laugh turned into a coughing fit as Noah leaned in close to whisper in Sara’s ear.
He started to stand but Dave cuffed him on the shoulder. “He’s doing it to get a rise out of you.”
“Looks more like he’s trying to get a rise out of himself.”
“It’s freaking him out being in town again, but we wanted to make sure you were doing okay. Neither of us planned on ever coming back to Crimson until we heard you’d settled here.”
“Wasn’t my plan either, but I’m going to make it work.”
“Have you seen Logan and Jake recently?”
Josh took a breath at the mention of his two brothers. “Jake was here for Mom’s funeral a couple of years ago. We both stayed less than twenty-four hours. Long enough to hire someone to clear out the old house and get it on the market. He flew off to whatever country needed doctors again after that. Logan...well, he couldn’t exactly get away at the time.”
“I’m sorry, man. About a lot of things.”
Josh did stand now. He wasn’t ready for this conversation. “I’m going to stretch my legs while doing my best to ignore your brother.”
He got his beer at the bar and tried not to watch his two so-called friends flirting with Sara. It wasn’t any business of his what she did with her time, but it still grated on his nerves.
His eyes strayed to the woman next to him, or at least to her hands, which were busily building some sort of structure out of a pile of matchbooks. “That’s quite a building you’ve got there,” he said, focusing all his wayward attention on the intricate display.
The woman jumped three feet in the air at his words, the house of matchbooks crumbling onto the bar.
“Sorry,” he said with a wince. “Looks like that took some time.”
He saw color rise to her pale cheeks. She turned and gave him an embarrassed smile. “It’s a silly pastime.” Her light brown hair was pulled back into a tight bun at the back of her head. She began stacking the little cardboard boxes into neat rows. “You’re Josh Travers, right?”
He nodded. “Have we met?”
She shook her head. “No, but my husband grew up here, so he’s mentioned you.” She glanced over her shoulder. “He told me Serena Wellens is staying with you for the summer.”
“Her name is Sara Wells now,” Josh said, his protective instinct kicking in. “Who is your husband?”
The woman closed her eyes for a moment as if she’d said too much. Just then a firm hand clasped Josh on the shoulder. “Travers, it’s been a while. How’s it hangin’?”
Josh turned to see Craig Wilder, one of his least favorite people in all of Crimson, Colorado. Craig had been an insufferable prig as a kid. His family was the wealthiest in town, and they’d made sure everyone else knew it. Craig had had no time for any of the Travers kids, who were way below him on the social totem pole. Since Josh had come back, not much had changed. He knew Craig had become mayor last year, and he’d heard rumors that he’d bought the election. But Josh hadn’t had a conversation with him for years, and he didn’t want to start now.
One more reason he kept to himself out on the ranch.
“It’s hanging fine,” he said through clenched teeth.
“I see you met my wife, Olivia.” Craig glanced at the woman. “Seriously, you aren’t making those stupid houses again, are you, Liv?”
“No,” she mumbled, and gave Josh an apologetic smile.
“I’m going to head back to the table,” Josh said quickly. “Dave and Noah are at the ranch this week.”
Craig stepped in front of him. “I hear Serena Wellens is there, too.”
“She prefers Sara Wells,” Olivia interjected.
Craig shot his wife a silencing glare. “You may have heard that in addition to my duties as mayor, I bought the old community-center building in town. I feel as though it’s my civic duty to bring some culture back to Crimson. There are plenty of people who’d drive over from Aspen with the right incentive.”
Josh took a slow pull on his beer. “You think Sara is the right incentive?”
“A D-list celebrity,” Craig said with a chuckle, “is better than no celebrity at all.”
Without thinking, Josh reached out and grabbed the other man by his shirtfront, pulling him close enough to see the whites of his eyes. “You’re not using Sara for anything, Wilder. Don’t talk to her. Don’t even look at her. You were a slimeball when we were young, and I don’t see that much has changed.”
Craig fidgeted. then narrowed his eyes. “You’re going to need the support of this town and the visitors’ center to draw people to your ranch. Don’t forget that.”
Olivia stood and smiled at Josh. “I volunteer at the visitors’ center. I’ll make sure you get whatever publicity you need, Mr. Travers.”
“Shut it, Liv,” Craig said on a hiss of breath.
“I’ll wait for you in the car,” she answered, and turned away.
Josh released Craig and stared as he stomped off after his wife. He couldn’t imagine all the things wrong in that marriage, but he’d meant what he said. He wouldn’t let anyone use Sara for her fame. She deserved much more than that.
His eyes tracked to where she sat at the table. A man he didn’t recognize sat next to her now, with Ryan standing between them, his face alight with excitement. The other man was clearly another Hollywood type. A shaggy beard covered his jaw, but his button-down shirt looked like some sort of expensive fabric. and a heavy gold Rolex flashed on his wrist.
Crimson had seen its share of wealth and fame. The town’s close proximity to Aspen drew enough moneyed tourists to keep the town thriving. He’d been able to ignore them growing up and hoped that wouldn’t change. The who’s who wasn’t the crowd he hoped to attract to the ranch—his ideal guests were people who’d appreciate the beauty and majesty of the mountains as much as he did. People who wanted a true Colorado vacation experience. But money was money, and he’d take what he could get if it meant having enough savings to buy the ranch at the end of the summer.
Watching Sara smile at Ryan and the other man made him wonder what she truly wanted. He was only guessing at the things that made her happy.
He had trouble believing all she cared about was selling her grandmother’s house. Already she was an important part of his daughter’s life and had captured a big part of his heart, even if he didn’t want to admit it. But he couldn’t blame her for wanting to reclaim her life on her own terms. He only hoped he could convince her there was room enough in it for him.
Chapter Eleven (#ulink_28249b0a-e631-5c15-b01b-df6603d891df)
Sara twirled the stem of the wineglass between her fingertips as she looked up at the stars dotting the Colorado night sky. It was well past midnight, but she wasn’t the least bit tired.
She’d feigned a yawn when the group had gotten back from town, needing to be alone to sort out her thoughts. Her emotions were a jumble, and something about sitting under the vast expanse of stars calmed her frazzled nerves.
Footsteps echoed across the flagstone path that led from her small porch to the main house. She half expected Ryan to seek her out and thought about retreating into her cabin, unwilling to submit to his relentless pressure any more tonight.
But the way the hairs on her neck pricked as the figure drew closer made her think of beating a retreat for an entirely different reason. Instead. she remained rooted in her chair as Josh’s tall figure came clearly into view.
“I saw your light on,” he said simply as he hoisted one hip onto her front porch rail. Buster trotted forward out of the darkness, sniffed at her leg and plopped onto the ground.
“I couldn’t sleep yet,” she answered. “I have a lot on my mind.”
He glanced up at the sky above them. “This is as good a place as any to work things out.”
Her mouth curved into an unwilling smile at how succinctly he’d guessed her reason for being outside tonight. Still, she shivered as a sudden breeze whipped up from the creek bed behind the property.
“Your grandma loved that robe,” he said as she cinched the belt of it tighter.
“I found it in her bedroom.” She smoothed her fingers across the soft folds of chenille and cotton. “I hope you don’t mind that I took it.”
He waited until she met his gaze. “Everything in that house belongs to you, Sara. Don’t forget that.”
“It doesn’t feel like mine.” She shook her head. “You and Claire belong here, Josh.”
“If I don’t push her away.” He repeated her words from earlier.
“Like you said, what do I know about making relationships work?” She tried to laugh but it caught in her throat. She wanted to muster the righteous anger she’d felt earlier but didn’t have the energy or inclination for it.
“I’m sorry,” he said softly. “I didn’t mean that.” He stood, walking to the edge of the porch. “It scares the hell out of me to think of Claire with her mother. Jennifer wouldn’t know a maternal instinct if it bit her on the nose. Claire was an easy little girl, quiet and bent on pleasing whomever she was with at the time. Jennifer could send her off to school then shuttle her around on breaks, parading her in front of the media for a photo op before pawning her off on nannies or lackeys or whoever was available at the time. She let me have Claire more as she got older and had needs of her own. Now that Claire’s on the verge of becoming a woman, I’m afraid Jen will treat her as a young protégé, using Claire to get into clubs or entice men.” He ran a hand through his hair. “If I’m not there to protect her, there’s no telling what could happen.”
“Claire has a good head on her shoulders.” Sara didn’t know how to assuage his fears. “You’ve raised an amazing daughter and you have to trust she’ll make the right decisions.”
“I can’t,” he whispered miserably. “The stakes are too high. If I let her go...”
“You don’t know—”
He whirled around. “I do know, Sara. My sister died in a car accident because I left her behind. I didn’t take care of Beth, and I’m not going to make the same mistake with Claire.”
She stood, wanting to reach out to him. For the first time she saw the stark pain his strength hid so well. Now it made sense to her. It was in the hard line of his jaw, the square set of his broad shoulders, the sharp pull of a mouth she knew to be soft as a butterfly kiss. All of that hid the pain and guilt he felt over his sister’s death.
She knew what it was like to hide your true self so thoroughly that you almost believed the mask you wore was real. She knew the emotional risk involved in revealing the wound behind it.
“Tell me,” she whispered.
He turned away again.
For a moment she thought he’d leap off the porch and disappear into the black night. When he didn’t move, she came slowly toward him, wrapping her arms around his strong middle. Her cheek pressed against the back of his denim jacket. She breathed in his scent as she willed away the tension pouring off him. Willed him not to leave.
After a moment, his warm hands enveloped hers and he took a deep, shuddering breath. His muscles remained tight but he stayed with her. That was enough for now.
“Tell me,” she said again. “Please.”
“My father was a mean drunk,” he began. “My mom, she both loved and feared him. I’m not sure which one made her stay. In the end, it didn’t really matter. There were four of us kids. My brother Jake is two years older than me. When I was four, the twins were born. Beth and my other brother, Logan. My mom did what she could to keep us in line. My dad worked construction, mainly over in Aspen. The more time he spent building mansions for rich people, the more bitter he became about our tiny, run-down farmhouse. And the more bitter he became, the more he drank. Then...”
Sara laced her fingers in his. “What happened?”
“It’s not an uncommon story in the mountains. As beautiful as it is up here, it’s isolating, especially in the winter. Especially when there’s not much work or a man can’t hold a job because he’s too tempted by the bottle. When we were young, my mom tried to keep us away from him when he was in a mood. That didn’t always work with three boys underfoot. Beth was the only one of us he ever seemed to care about. She was shy and quiet. A hell of a lot easier to be around than the rest of us.”
He squeezed her hands. “As soon as Jake and I got big enough to fight back, Dad left us alone. He’d take out that anger on Mom when we weren’t around. She’d hide the bruises, but we knew. She never sent him away or thought of leaving. Said he needed her too much. More than we needed a decent life.
“Jake got a college scholarship and never looked back. I started on the circuit soon after. I sent money back to Mom when I could. Jake and I both did. But without us in the house to temper his behavior, Dad got even worse. Beth was so quiet, and Logan was a scrawny, sickly kid back then. Mom eventually kicked the jerk out, but it was too late. Beth and Logan were running wild. Beth had an older boyfriend. One night there was an accident. Beth and a group of friends had been drinking—the boyfriend was driving drunk. He hit an elk crossing the highway and...”
Sara wrapped her arms tighter around Josh’s waist as he spoke. The anguish and guilt were clear in his tone.
“It wasn’t your fault,” she whispered.
