Winters Thaw

chapter Two


Daniel sat astride his horse and watched the clock as Doug ran a few drills to improve his barrel racing. He had been living on Compass Ranch for two weeks and for the first time in ages, he felt at home somewhere. The Compton family was, as his mother liked to say, good folk. They worked hard, played hard and, from what he could tell, they fell hard. He’d never met so many devoted, wholly in love couples in his life. After several years traveling the rodeo circuit, he’d seen one marriage after another crumble amongst the cowboys. So many, in fact, he’d sworn off commitment and sticky entanglements for a while. Living in Compton Pass had started to renew his faith in the institution, made him think that hitching himself to a pretty woman wouldn’t be such a hardship.

“How was that?” Doug asked, riding alongside him.

Daniel checked the clock. “Not bad. You shaved about half a second off your time.”

Doug’s grin grew. The boy reminded Daniel of himself when he was younger. There was no denying Doug had been bitten by the rodeo bug. While James enjoyed the sport, for the older boy it was just a way to pass the time until graduation, and to impress girls. Doug, however, was constantly driven to learn, to improve.

Doug sidled closer. “You think you’ll ever go back out on the circuit?”

For a long time after his accident, Daniel had considered returning, despite the doctor’s advice. He often dreamed he’d be the one to beat the odds, to come back stronger and better than before. Reality has a way of kicking you in the teeth. His arm wasn’t—and wouldn’t ever be—powerful enough to allow him to compete competitively.

He shook his head. “No. I’m afraid not.”

Doug’s young face reflected exactly how much he knew that loss must hurt. “Do you miss it?”

Daniel smiled sadly. “Yep. I sure do.”

“Yeah. I would too. Bet you had a lot of girlfriends when you were riding the bulls.”

Daniel swatted Doug playfully with his hat. “Is that the only reason you’re practicing so hard? To get that cute little blonde thing I saw hanging out here yesterday to notice you?”

Doug blushed and shook his head emphatically. “Hell no. I don’t like Denise. She’s annoying.”

“What did I say about your cussing?”

Doug glanced around. “There ain’t any ladies here right now.”

Daniel couldn’t argue with the boy’s logic. “You got me there.”

“You got a girlfriend?” Doug asked.

“No.” Daniel hadn’t had a serious girlfriend since he left Virginia. Truth be told, if there was a silver lining to his accident, it was that. He’d missed the companionship of a woman. Longed for someone to share his days—and nights—with. After years of one-night stands, he was hoping to turn over a new leaf. He was nearly twenty-six. The idea of settling down wasn’t as scary as it had been when he was twenty-one and thought he was ten-feet tall and bulletproof.

“Jade doesn’t have a boyfriend either,” Doug suggested.

Daniel had met Doug’s cousin. The accident had injured his arm, not his brain. “I think Jade’s a bit unbroken for me. She’d be a wild filly to tame.”

Doug laughed. “Yeah. Uncle Sawyer says she’s ornery as a mule.”

Daniel had to agree with that assessment.

“There’s always my other cousins, Hope or Sterling. They’re not dating anybody either.”

Doug’s matchmaking was in full-force. “Well, I’ll keep that in mind. I haven’t had a chance to meet them yet.”

“If Sienna wasn’t dating Josh, you could go out with her.”

Daniel couldn’t resist digging for a little info. “You like Josh?”

Doug shrugged. “He’s okay, I guess. He doesn’t ride horses or rope or anything like that.” Daniel could tell by the crinkle in Doug’s nose those were big marks against Josh.

“Well, not all guys can be as cool as us.”

Doug laughed. “Yeah. You’re right. Can I go again?”

Daniel rubbed his shoulder, trying to ease some of the stiffness out. The damn thing was giving him fits today. “Aren’t you tired? You’ve been at this same drill for nearly two hours.”

Doug shrugged. “One more time. Please.”

Daniel nodded and started the clock. A car pulled down the driveway, distracting him. Sienna was home from work. She was the lone Compton who hadn’t fully embraced his arrival here. While she was friendly, he’d had to work hard to engage her in conversation after his playful teasing at his trailer. It had taken days for her to look at him without suspicion or nervousness. Oddly enough, her anxiety pleased him, made him realize he wasn’t alone in his attraction.

Sienna Compton was an equal mix of sweet and sexy, with long chestnut hair that was touched with just enough red highlights to match the fiery temper he’d seen the day they’d met. She had dark brown eyes and an hourglass figure that just begged to be admired and touched and caressed and…

Shit. If Seth knew all the inappropriate thoughts Daniel was having about his daughter, his boss would probably kick his ass from here to Mars.

On top of her pretty face and quiet disposition, Sienna was also a puzzle. Daniel had precious few challenges in his life now that his bull riding days were over. There was something about Sienna that called to him, made him long to figure her out.

He’d actually learned more than he cared to about her boyfriend, Josh, from Jade. Jade was a regular around the stable, a born ranch hand. She was tough, opinionated and funny as hell. Daniel had uncovered quite a bit about Sienna through her. Jade’s main concern about her cousin was the fact she’d never dated anyone except Josh. In Jade’s opinion, See was settling for the first boy she ever loved without bothering to “test drive” different makes and models.

While Daniel couldn’t fault Sienna for her loyalty and commitment—he admired both those characteristics—it was her unwillingness to live a little that bothered him. In the two weeks he’d been here, she’d done nothing more than go to work and hang out with her family each night. She constantly followed the same routine of work and home with nothing else to break up the monotony. Jade assured him that pattern wasn’t a fluke, but the norm.

Jade complained that her cousin was too set in her ways, and Daniel had to agree. He longed to take Ms. Sienna Compton out of her comfort zone and show her a good time, introduce her to a little spontaneity. From what he could tell, fun was something she was lacking in her life. Hell, it was something that had been lacking in his lately as well.

He lifted his hand in greeting as she emerged from her car. She waved back and then walked over to the paddock when Doug called out to her.

“Hey, See. Watch me!”

Doug returned to the starting line, then asked Daniel to restart the clock.

Sienna patted Daniel’s horse before approaching the fence. “Okay, I’m watching.”

Daniel gave Doug the nod to begin.

Sienna blew out a long, tired breath. She looked like a balloon with a slow leak, her shoulders sinking.

“Tough day?” he asked, observing her exhausted expression.

“Yeah. There’s a flu bug going around. We were booked solid on appointments today. I barely managed to squeeze in a ten-minute lunch break.” Sienna worked for one of the local doctors. While Compton Pass wasn’t exactly a small town, it certainly wasn’t large enough to classify as a city. It boasted five doctors, two dentists, a grocery store and, he’d learned from Sawyer, they’d just added a deputy to the police department, which meant Sienna’s uncle was no longer the lone lawman. The nearest Walmart was nearly sixty miles away, something unheard of in Daniel’s home state, where it seemed like you couldn’t throw a stone without hitting one of the stores.

“Hope you don’t come down with the flu.”

She glanced up at him. “I had a shot.”

He absentmindedly rubbed his shoulder again and studied her outfit, silently amused with himself. He was actually turned on by Sienna’s hot pink scrubs. Jesus. He’d gone way too long without a woman. Hell, he hadn’t gotten laid since his accident. He’d hit a honky-tonk last night with some of the other ranch hands, but none of the local ladies tempted him like Sienna.

“Does your arm hurt?” Sienna asked.

Daniel stopped moving. “It’s a little stiff.” He glanced toward the sky. “I suspect we’ll have a thunderstorm tonight. One of the benefits of my injury is I can now predict rain with pretty decent accuracy. The weathermen have nothin’ on me.”

Her gaze locked on his face, studying him in a purely medical way. He wished she’d view him a little less professionally.

“You’ve been working really hard since you got here. You need to be careful not to overdo it. What were your injuries exactly? You never said.”

He shrugged, wondering if there was some way to avoid this conversation. He didn’t like to dwell on the accident. It reminded him too much of how much he’d lost. “Dislocated shoulder, right arm broken in three places, four broken ribs, cracked skull and a punctured lung. Those were the biggies. There were a bunch of other smaller issues.”

Sienna winced. “The biggies were big enough. I have some salve in the house that will help that sore shoulder. I’ll change out of my work clothes and bring it over to your trailer in about an hour. It’ll fix you right up. Okay?”

His pride emerged first and Daniel started to refuse, to claim his shoulder was fine and that he had his own muscle cream. Luckily, his brain engaged just in time to save him from refusing her generous offer. “Thanks.”

She turned to offer Doug some sound advice on his run before she headed toward the house. Daniel gave Doug a few more pointers and then returned his horse to the stable. He hurried back to his trailer, anxious to tidy the place before Sienna arrived.

They hadn’t started off on the best of terms and he was hoping to correct that. He’d just dried and put away the last dish when there was a knock on the door.

He opened it and invited Sienna to enter. “Come on in. I was just straightening up a bit.” While he’d thought her nursing scrubs were cute, she was downright hot in her jeans and sweater.

Sienna smiled. “You didn’t have to go to the trouble. I’ll only be here a minute.”

He hoped he’d be able to entice her to hang around longer. She started to hand him the salve, but he didn’t reach for it. “Truth is, I have some cream, Sienna. I just don’t seem to be able hit all the sore spots with it.”

She eyed him suspiciously. He couldn’t blame her. Despite his attempts to play nice, he’d definitely admitted to his interest in her the last time she was in his trailer.

“Daniel, I—”

“You have a boyfriend. I’m perfectly aware of that, Sienna. I’m just asking for a little nursing TLC.” It was a lie and a dirty trick. If he’d learned anything about her, it was that she took her job very seriously.

“Fine,” she said, gesturing to his upper body. “Take off your shirt.”

Daniel couldn’t restrain the grin that proved her words had taken his mind straight to the gutter.

Sienna frowned, though he didn’t think she was as annoyed as she pretended. Maybe somewhere in the past two weeks she’d begun to soften toward him? “Don’t get excited, cowboy. I’m just going to rub some of this ointment on your sore shoulder.”

“You know, I’m a firm believer in paying my way. I could return the favor. I’ve been told I give very good massages and you look like you could use some relaxing after your long day.” He took a step toward her, but she stopped him, placing her hand on his chest.

“Your gratitude is more than enough for me.” She definitely wasn’t annoyed. Sienna was smiling, clearly enjoying their flirting dance. Her hand lingered on his chest. Daniel tried to ignore how good it felt there.

“My shoulder is pretty sore. I might need some help with these buttons.”

Sienna laughed. “Just take the damn thing off.”

He grinned and began to unbutton his flannel shirt. “I think we got off on the wrong foot, Sienna.”

Her smile dimmed. “You didn’t, but I did. I’m sorry I snapped at you the first day we met. I’ve been in a really shitty mood lately and you ended up in the line of fire.”

He shrugged off his shirt and waited for the inevitable pity. He’d seen it in the eyes of plenty of nurses as he recovered from his injuries. Though the scars weren’t quite as red or as angry-looking as they had been right after the accident, they still managed to cut a fairly nasty swath across his pale skin. He hoped when summer arrived, the tan he usually acquired would tone down the paths of destruction wrought by the bull.

Sienna didn’t speak for several moments, her face completely inscrutable. Finally, she lifted her gaze to his, her playful eyes capturing his. “Ouch.”

Her unexpected joke caught him off-guard, and he laughed. “You can say that again.”

She stepped toward him, her close proximity allowing him to catch a whiff of her floral perfume. Lilacs? Roses? He sucked when it came to distinguishing flower scents, but either way, she smelled damn fine.

“RDL?” she asked, pointing to the small tattoo etched just above his heart.

He glanced down, running his fingers across the letters. “My brother’s initials.”

“Oh.”

“Got the tattoo on what would have been his twenty-first birthday. Might sound corny, but I sort of thought it was a way to show I’d never forget him.”

She shook her head. “Nothing corny about that. I think it’s a beautiful gesture. My dad and uncles have tattoos on their backs. Amazing ones that represent Compass Ranch. When I was little, I used to run my finger along the pictures on my dad’s while he explained what everything signified.”

“No ink on you?”

She grinned. “God no.”

“Why do you say it like that? Sounds like you like tattoos.”

“Oh, I do. I love them. I guess I’ve just never found anything meaningful enough to have it etched on my skin forever. Suppose I’m still searching for that memory I want to last.”

He could understand that. The small tattoo on his chest was his only one. Like her, he believed the sentiment behind the ink needed to be significant. Important.

She pointed down the narrow hallway toward the rear of his trailer. “I assume your bedroom is back there?”

“Won you over with my hot body, didn’t I?”

She uncapped the salve and he crinkled his nose at the potent scent. “You wish. This will be easier on the bed.”

He wiggled his eyebrows. “Most things are easier on the bed.”

She tilted her head. “One more sexual innuendo from you and I’m walking. Got it?”

“Spoilsport.”

She laughed as she headed down the hall. “Grab a bath towel if you have one.”

He stopped briefly by his small bathroom and plucked one from the rack. Then he joined her in his bedroom. “What’s this for?”

“I thought you could lay on it. It’ll keep your bedspread from getting sticky.” She kept her eyes glued to his face as she spoke, daring him to make another dirty comment.

“You’re not playing fair.”

Sienna winked. “Never said I would. Lay down, cowboy. On your stomach.”

Daniel spread the towel out and crawled to the center of the mattress, while trying to discreetly adjust the hard-on that emerged the moment Sienna had entered his bedroom.

Her knee lightly grazed his hip. He watched as she scooped some of the salve onto her hands and rubbed them together before pressing on his shoulder. Daniel groaned in relief.

“God damn, that feels nice.”

She deepened her touch, digging her fingers in and hitting all the right spots. “You’re wound up as tight as a spring. Try to relax.”

“That would be easier if you’d move those sweet hands a little lo—” He paused, cutting off his dirty joke midstream.

Her hands stopped moving. “A little what?”

“Nope. Not saying it. I don’t want you to leave.”

She chuckled and began caressing his stiff muscles again. “That bull did a number on you.”

He nodded, her soothing massage taking effect quickly. A few more minutes with her talented hands and he’d be sound asleep. “Yeah. I guess so.”

“I realize my dad brought you here to help the boys train for their rodeo competitions, but—” She stopped speaking. Daniel waited a few seconds, then he realized she wasn’t going to finish.

“But you hate the idea of your brothers growing up to ride the bulls.”

“It terrifies me.”

He could understand her concerns. “If it makes you feel any better, I don’t think James will pursue a life on the circuit. It’s just a hobby for him. Sort of like the guys who play football in high school. They’re in it for the camaraderie, the fun, not the long run.”

Sienna added more balm to her hands, then started rubbing his other shoulder. He didn’t bother to tell her that arm was fine. Her caresses were addictive. “It’s not James I’m worried about. It’s Doug.”

“He’s young. A million things could come up between now and the time when he’s old enough to decide where he wants his life to take him.”

His words didn’t seem to comfort her. “Maybe. But maybe not. Doug’s a lot like me. Once he latches on to something, it’s next to impossible to sway him. He seems hell-bent on riding the circuit as soon as he’s old enough.”

“Does that mean you always knew you’d be a nurse?”

She nodded. “Aunt Lucy swears I came out of the womb with my future predetermined.”

Daniel wasn’t surprised. “Lucy is the aunt who is a nurse too, right?” Even after two weeks, he was still trying to put names with all the Compton faces. It was a big family.

“Yeah. She is. I used to love to follow her around when she made house calls. She’s an amazing caregiver, so compassionate, patient, kind. I spent every summer from the time I was twelve until I graduated from high school as her assistant.”

“You’re lucky.”

“How so?” she asked.

“I never really knew what I wanted to do with my life. Hell, I still don’t.”

Her hands left his shoulders, moving lower along his back. If he were a cat, he swore to God, he’d start purring. She was working her magic, alleviating every bit of tension in his body, offering him comfort, relieving the pain. Lucy was right. She was born to be a nurse.

“You didn’t always plan to ride bulls in the rodeo?”

He shook his head once, too lethargic for much more motion than that. “No. I guess I was just your typical kid, full of crazy dreams about futures that wouldn’t happen. In elementary school, I told everyone I was going to be a famous football quarterback with a handful of Super Bowl rings. Then, in middle school, I figured I’d make an awesome rock star even though I’d never picked up a guitar and my singing sounds more like frogs croaking.”

Sienna laughed. “Wow. There’s a perverse side of me that would like to hear you sing.”

Daniel grinned. “Seriously toyed with the idea of being a cop in high school, but I have an aversion to guns.”

“Really? So you aren’t a hunter?”

Daniel knew hunting was a popular form of recreation in Wyoming—for sport and for food—but he’d never felt compelled to go out and kill a defenseless creature. “Nope. Not going to shoot something that doesn’t have the ability to shoot me back. Doesn’t seem fair.”

He glanced over his shoulder in time to catch her impressed expression. “Good for you. Josh and his dad hunt all the time. Before we went off to college, they spent two weeks every fall on these big hunting excursions. The living room in his family’s home is filled with deer heads and stuffed turkeys, even a bobcat. It’s like Village of the Damned in there. Gives me the creeps.”

“I can imagine it would.” He resisted the urge to point out that if she married Josh it was likely she’d be living in her own creepy animal graveyard.

“So when did you realize you could ride the circuit?” she asked.

He shrugged. “Not sure there was an aha moment or if I just sort of fell into it. I graduated from high school and decided to take a year to travel around, see a bit more of this big-ass country of ours. I only made it as far as Colorado. Stopped off to see a rodeo. I’d participated in competitions most of my life, but in the East, it’s not quite at the same level as out here. Anyway, I was bitten. Signed up for some amateur shows, won more than I lost. Before I knew it, I was there, riding in the professional circuit. Best two years of my life.”

“And then the bull?”

“Yep. Bastard put a period to that career choice.”

Her hands stilled, but she left them lying in the middle of his back. They were warm, comforting. “So what now? You plan to be a ranch hand the rest of your life?”

He sat up, facing her. “I haven’t exactly figured that out yet.”

She shook her head, a wrinkle forming in the center of her brow. “How can you stand that?”

He chuckled. “Stand what?”

“Just drifting around aimlessly with no direction, no goals.”

He tilted his head. “I have a goal, Sienna.”

She picked up his towel and wiped her hands on it. “Like what?”

“I want to be happy.”

“That’s your big goal? To be happy?”

He stretched his shoulders, amazed by how much better he felt, how loose. She’d worked wonders on his tense muscles. “Can you think of a better ambition?”

“I’m not saying that’s not a good thing to aspire to, but how do you intend to get there?”

He glanced around his room. “I’m pretty happy right now.”

“At Compass Ranch?”

He nodded, though she’d missed his point. “Yeah, I like it here. Like your family and the work.”

“Oh.”

He shifted closer. “But when I said I’m happy now, I meant this moment, sitting here, with you.”

A slight flush painted her cheeks. “Flirting will get you nowhere, Daniel Lennon. I have a boyfriend, remember?”

He nodded, unconcerned by her reminder. Sienna needed a break from her well-ordered life and he intended to see she got it. There was something about the unflappable woman that made him long to ruffle her feathers. “What do you do for fun, Sienna? I’ve been here two weeks and your life seems to consist of work, home, repeat. Don’t you ever go out?”

She shrugged. “I’ll go out when Josh gets home. We like to go to the movies or out to dinner together.”

He let his sarcastic tone say it all. “Wow.”

She scowled. “I’m sure it doesn’t sound very exciting to you. I understand you went out with some of the hands last night. Rumors are flying around about you and the blonde waitress at Spurs.”

He loved small towns. Never took long to get a reputation. Even one that wasn’t earned. “Oh yeah? What are the rumors?”

Her face turned a bright shade of red. “I’m not about to say it aloud, but I’d certainly never be caught dead having sex in a public bathroom. They’re filthy.”

He couldn’t help it. He laughed. He’d been propositioned by the waitress, but he hadn’t accepted her offer. Even so, it was more fun to let Sienna think he had. “Are you sure you want to get married, Sienna? Seems to me you may be better suited for life in a convent.”

“There’s absolutely nothing wrong with keeping my sexual encounters private and with someone that I love.”

“Josh was your first, wasn’t he?” He knew the answer. There weren’t too many subjects Jade considered off-limits and she’d filled in that blank on Daniel’s third day on the ranch.

Sienna glanced around the room, unwilling to look him in the eye. “Not that it’s any of your business, but yes.”

“And you’ve never been with anyone else?”

She shook her head, still refusing to face him.

“What a waste.”

Her gaze flew to his. “It’s not a waste. It’s beautiful, romantic. We’re in love. Who says I have to sleep with a million different men just to have a full life?”

“I’m not suggesting you go out and screw half the men in Compton Pass. But aren’t you curious? Don’t you ever wonder what it would be like to take another man to your bed?”

Sienna started to rise, but Daniel caught her hand.

“This conversation is way too personal. You’re crossing a line, Daniel.”

“No. I haven’t even started to cross it yet. But I will.” He tightened his grip on her wrist, though the action wasn’t necessary. She wasn’t trying to get away anymore. “It’s like you’re frozen in ice, Sienna. You’ve surrounded yourself with a thick, cold wall hoping it will preserve all the things you think you want and keep you safe from the unknown.”

She didn’t respond, though he felt the slightest tremor in her hand.

“You’re so focused on the end result, you’re stifling yourself. Have you ever said to hell with anything? Ever done something crazy without worrying about the consequences?”

“That would be stupid, reckless,” she whispered.

“Yeah, it would.” He leaned closer, drawing her near enough that he could feel the heat of her breath on his face. “Be reckless,” he dared her. “Just once. Right now.”

She didn’t move, didn’t reject him as he closed the distance between them and kissed her. He kept the touch light at first, gentling her as he would a skittish horse. Her lips gradually softened beneath his. He lifted his hand to her face, cupping her smooth cheek with his palm before running his fingers through her long hair.

Sienna’s name suited her. There was a fiery red fighting to be released from the muted brown she used to bury her true nature.

She responded slowly but surely. Turning her head slightly, she allowed him to deepen the kiss. Her lips parted and he accepted her silent invitation, his tongue meeting hers halfway. She tasted so damn sweet.

Her hands returned to his bare shoulders, her fingers gripping the muscles in a much sexier massage. It took all the strength in his body not to push her down on the mattress, to cover her body with his and show her the true meaning of recklessness. But he wouldn’t—couldn’t—do it. She wasn’t ready to accept his offer. And if he was a good guy, he wouldn’t make it. She had a boyfriend.

He started to break the connection, but Sienna beat him to it. She rose quickly, moving backward until she hit the wall. “Shit. I can’t… We shouldn’t have—”

He raised his hands in a gesture of surrender. “It’s okay, Sienna.”

“No. It’s not. I don’t cheat on my boyfriend. This is wrong.”

He couldn’t argue with that. He’d been an ass to push her. “I’m sorry. I promise it won’t happen again.” He prayed to God he could keep that vow. Problem was he still longed to kiss her. Badly.

She studied his face and he suspected she was searching for deceit.

“I mean it, Sienna. I won’t touch you again until you ask me to.”

“I’ll never ask for that.” Her voice was shaky.

He was tempted to call her on the lie. She’d ask. He’d make damn sure she did, but until then…

He remained silent.

She looked toward the door, anxious for an escape. “I have to go.”

He didn’t try to stop her. “Thanks for the salve and the massage.”

She nodded, then left without another word.



Sienna rushed from Daniel’s trailer, her head whirling. Why had she let that get so far out of hand? She’d never been tempted to let another man touch her, let alone kiss her. So why had she granted Daniel such liberties?

Because you wanted it. You were dying to know what it would feel like to have his lips on yours.

Daniel pushed buttons she didn’t realize existed. She’d always thought herself lucky in love. She and Josh were compatible in bed as well as out. It had never been hard for her to achieve an orgasm. Josh was a considerate, patient lover, and she had no complaints.

Until Daniel Lennon showed up at Compton Pass. He made her imagine things she’d never considered, never desired with Josh. She and Josh had learned about sex with each other. They’d both been virgins when they met, so they’d fumbled through, found their own way. Just because they didn’t exactly set the sheets on fire didn’t mean it wasn’t good. It was comfortable, easy with Josh. Sweet.

Daniel struck Sienna as a man who could teach her things she’d only read about in erotic romance books. And suddenly, she was dying of lust, anxious to try them.

It bugged her that while she’d never longed to try those things with Josh, the same didn’t hold true for Daniel. Her body physically ached every time they were in the same vicinity. Her nipples tightened, her p-ssy tingled and her skin flushed.

Josh would be home in a few weeks. God. If she could keep her libido under control until then, she could get some of this pent-up sexual frustration out of her system. Maybe she’d even suggest to Josh that they spice up their vanilla sex life. Then she’d convince him to come home for Christmas so they could really explore some new things. She could do this.

She had to.

“Where are you going in such a hurry?”

Sienna jumped, startled when Jade emerged from the stable. “Jesus!”

Jade threw her hands up. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to scare you.”

Sienna put her hand over her heart, trying to calm it. It had been racing since she left Daniel’s trailer. “It’s okay. I didn’t see you there.”

Jade glanced to the left, following the direction Sienna had come. “Where were you?”

Sienna considered lying, but it was pointless. Jade could read her face too well. “Daniel overdid it today working with the horses and then teaching Doug barrel racing techniques. I offered some salve to soothe his stiff shoulder.”

Jade smiled. “Only the salve or did you rub it on too?”

Sienna rolled her eyes. “I’m a nurse, Jade. He was in pain and I helped alleviate it.”

“I bet there are a few other pains in Daniel Lennon’s body he’d let you ease if you’d let him.”

“Don’t be vulgar.”

“A little dirty fun with Daniel might be just what you need. I bet that man could teach you some new tricks. And it’s obvious he’s into you.”

Sienna frowned, disagreeing with Jade’s assessment. “Daniel’s into women in general. He’s a player. I’m sure you’ve heard the rumor about Lacey going down on him in the bathroom at Spurs last night. Hell, you work there. You must’ve seen it.”

Jade rolled her eyes. “It’s a complete lie. Lacey caught sight of Daniel when he came in with the hands. She likes to mark her territory whenever a hot new buck comes to town. She followed him to the bathroom all right, but I’d bet Compass Ranch nothing happened. For one thing, there wasn’t enough time. Secondly, I saw Daniel and Lacey’s faces when they came out. She was putting on a good front, but I could tell she’d been rejected, and he was annoyed, plain and simple.”

Sienna wondered why Daniel didn’t attempt to clear his name when she mentioned the rumor. “Regardless of what he did or didn’t do with Lacey, I’m not interested.”

Jade grinned. “Really? Tell me again, Sienna. When did you go completely blind? That guy is sex in blue jeans. I wouldn’t mind taking a tumble with him in the hayloft. I hope to hell he’s still here during the summertime. What’s he look like without his shirt on? Bet he’s built like a brick shit house.”

“You need to stop hanging out with ranch hands all the time.”

Jade didn’t back down. “Don’t hold out, See. Put me out of my misery.”

Sienna recalled the scars on Daniel’s chest. They seemed to make him uncomfortable. “He’s okay.”

Jade laughed. “You’re such a shitty liar.”

“This whole conversation is pointless. In case you’ve forgotten, I’m in a relationship. I’m not about to throw away what Josh and I have for a roll in the hay with some cowboy who probably won’t be here come spring.”

“Remind me again. What is it you and Josh have exactly?”

“What’s that supposed to mean? You know damn well we’re committed to each other. Our futures are set. Together.”

Jade smirked. “I understand that you think so, but I’m starting to doubt whether or not Josh is still on board with the Sienna Life Plan. Have you asked him lately?”

Sienna tried to ignore the little voice in the back of her head that said Jade was right. Josh had been distant since returning to college this year without her. She blamed it on the miles and the fact they were both busy, but her gut instinct told her it was more than that. “It’s not my life plan, Jade. It’s ours. Josh is as committed to me as I am to him.”

Jade stuffed her hands in her front pockets and started walking toward her car. “I hope that’s true. I gotta go. I’m bartending at Spurs again tonight. See you tomorrow.”

Sienna watched her cousin climb into her car and drive away. She reached up and touched her lips, recalling Daniel’s kiss. There was a part of her that couldn’t deny it was the best kiss she’d ever had.

God. When did life get so complicated?

And exciting?