01 Winters Thaw (3 page)

“I can see how that might have impacted sales,” Mom said, laughing.

“Anyway, we invited him to join us for lunch. One thing led to another and I realized that with his knowledge of horse breeding, he would be an asset to Compass Ranch.”

“And don’t forget he’s going to teach us how to be real rodeo cowboys,” Doug added, stressing what was clearly the most important part of Daniel’s new duties on the ranch.

Daniel reached over and messed up Doug’s hair. “I’m only going to teach you if you promise to stop cussing in front of ladies. Cowboys are always gentlemen.”

Doug nodded his consent. Sienna suspected her little brother would also promise Daniel the moon on a silver platter and the dirty magazine he had hidden under his bed if it meant he’d get his lessons.

Dad pointed to the rickety RV. “And better yet, Daniel comes to us with his own lodging. Sienna, why don’t you help him pick out a nice spot to set up camp while the boys and I unpack the truck? Unfortunately, not all the salespeople at the trade show were bad at their jobs. I bought way too much.”

Mom grinned. “I’ll remember that the next time I go shopping with Cindi, Leah and Lucy.”

Vivi walked to the front door. “I’ve got a big pot of spaghetti sauce simmering on the stove. I hope you’ll join us for dinner, Daniel.”

Daniel gave her grandmother a smile that was far too charming, and Sienna felt the effects of it in places she didn’t care to acknowledge. “Thank you, Mrs. Compton. Spaghetti sounds real good.”

“Call me Vicky. I think you’ll find we’re not big on formalities here at the ranch.”

Daniel touched the brim of his hat again, the old-fashioned gesture touching…and sexy. “Thank you, Vicky.”

Sienna took a deep breath. Dammit. She wouldn’t be feeling so hot and bothered if Josh had just stuck to the plan. She’d never abstained for so long. Sex was one of the best perks of a steady boyfriend, as far as she was concerned.

Daniel waited for her to descend the stairs and then led her to his RV. Opening the passenger door, he gestured for her to climb in. “Welcome to my palace, Sienna.”

His voice was pure mischief. Sienna could tell by the perceptive look in his eyes he knew she wasn’t as immune to his charms as she wished. No doubt Daniel was a ladies’ man, used to having his pick of the buckle bunnies. Well, he was going to be disappointed if he expected her to fall all over herself trying to turn his head.

She claimed her seat without giving him a sideways glance. Instead, she stared through the dirty windshield, wondering how much space she could put between his rusty RV and the house, the stables, her.

Daniel climbed behind the wheel and started the engine. “Your dad said there are plenty of side paths where I can park this monster without being in the way.”

Compass Ranch was a massive property. It not only supported the main house, where she lived with her family and Vivi, but also held homes for Uncle Silas and Uncle Sam and their families. The only Compton brother who didn’t live on the property was Uncle Sawyer, who’d opted for a home in town, so he could be close to the police department where he worked as Sheriff.

Sienna twisted in the seat to study the rest of the RV. For its inauspicious outer appearance, she had to admit the inside appeared neat and downright cozy. “You really live in here?”

He followed the driveway, passing the main house and stable. “I spent several years on the road with the rodeo. For the first few months, I either pitched a tent or slept in my truck. That got old pretty quick. Decided a house on wheels was a necessity. I got lucky. I was able to pick this beauty up real cheap and she offers a comfortable bed and place to kick up my feet after a long day.”

Sienna snorted at the word
beauty
. Daniel grinned. He was obviously aware of the less than attractive state of his so-called
perfect
home. He winked at her.

Daniel was an easygoing, nice guy. She felt guilty about her earlier rudeness. “I really am sorry to hear you were hurt so badly. How long ago did it happen?”

Daniel considered her question. “Hmm. Let me see. Almost a year ago to the day. Guess I’m celebrating an anniversary of sorts. I spent six months recuperating and then three more in rehab. I’d only been doing the sales job a few months. Thankfully, I met your dad. He’s a great guy. Pretty sure he saved me from a life of poverty. There was no way in hell I was gonna make ends meet as a salesman.”

She smiled, trying to make amends for their rough beginning. “I’m glad you took him up on his offer. He’s been planning to get this new business off the ground for a while now. Between tinkering with the horse breeding and running my brothers all over God’s creation for rodeo events, he was running out of hours in the day to do everything he wanted to.” She pointed to smaller path off the main road. “Turn here. I think this is a good area.”

They were quiet as Daniel maneuvered the RV over the rutty lane.

“There’s a turnaround spot on the right that might be a nice place for you to park this monstrosity. No one uses this lane anymore. It used to lead to a storage shed that was abandoned back during my Granddaddy JD’s day. The actual building fell down a few years ago during a bad storm and my Uncle Colby had the remains hauled off.”

Daniel backed the RV into the spot she indicated, then turned off the vehicle. He glanced around at their surroundings. “It’s nice back here. Private, but not too far away from the stable or main house.” He looked at her. “Thanks for your help, Sienna.”

She licked her lips nervously, suddenly realizing how alone they were in the shelter of the woods. His face was the epitome of harmlessness, but there was something in his eyes that lured her, tempted her.

“Well,” she said too loudly, “I guess I’ll head back to the house and let you settle in.”

“That’s the beauty of an RV. Once you’re parked, you’re pretty much settled. I just have to throw some wheel chocks under the tires, expand the slide outs and voila—home sweet home. Want a tour?”

She did…and she didn’t. Daniel had been nothing but friendly to her. Regardless, he left her unsettled. She’d never felt an attraction to any man except Josh. Ever. Her cousins told her that was a sad commentary for her life, but Sienna stood by her assertion that she’d been lucky, meeting her true love at fifteen.

She still felt that way. Sort of.

Daniel took her silence as acquiescence and rose, leaving the driver’s seat and walking into the living room area. “I’m sure it seems small now, but that wall behind the couch slides out. Once I’ve got the whole thing opened up, it’s actually bigger than you might expect.”

She’d spent nearly an entire summer in a similar RV with her family one year when her mother insisted it was time they saw more of the world than Wyoming. They’d driven to Texas in a borrowed RV to visit Granddaddy Thomas, then taken a meandering tour through Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada and several other states. Her parents had taken them to the Grand Canyon, the Hoover Dam, Mount Rushmore and Las Vegas.

By the end of the summer, Sienna had seen plenty of the country. She was also on the verge of killing her entire family after spending so much time confined with them in the small space. The experience had left her less than fond of RV’ing. She’d made a vow to herself that when she and Josh had kids, they’d travel the traditional way—in planes and hotels.

“It’s very nice.” Her tone must have betrayed her true thoughts.

Daniel chuckled. “Not much for hitting the open road and camping along the way, huh?”

She shrugged. “I like my vacations a little more organized.”

“Organized how?”

Her answer was simple. “Plane tickets with definite departure and arrival times, hotel reservations and a detailed itinerary. Driving around with no definite idea of where you’re going or when you’ll get there is insanity.”

Daniel shook his head. “Haven’t you ever heard the expression
It’s the journey, not the destination
?”

“No doubt that was penned by someone who couldn’t be bothered to go online and book a room.”

Daniel didn’t respond. Instead, he simply studied her face. When she began to feel uncomfortable under his scrutiny, she turned and pretended to be fascinated by his kitchen. “You cook a lot?”

He shook his head. “I have enough skill not to starve. Mainly live on soup and sandwiches. Oh, and I can whip up a mean breakfast—scrambled eggs and bacon.”

“Well, it sounds like Vivi is saving you from a light dinner tonight. Her homemade spaghetti sauce is to die for.”

“Vivi?”

“Vicky, my grandmother. My cousin, Hope, dubbed her Vivi when she was two years old. She tried to say Vicky, but Vivi was all she could manage. There were three more of us learning to talk at about the same time, so the name stuck.”

“Seth told me a bit about your family. Sounds like there are a lot of Comptons living on Compass Ranch.”

She smiled. Talking about her family was never a hardship. She adored each and every cousin, aunt and uncle. “There are. I’m sure you’ll meet most of them tomorrow morning. All of my uncles except Sawyer work on the ranch. My aunt Cindi is the bookkeeper. My mom and Vivi take care of the main house and keeping the ranch hands fed.”

“Must be nice to have such a big family around all the time.”

“It is. I love living here. What about your family?”

“Just me and my parents. I had an older brother, but he was killed in a motorcycle accident when he was eighteen.”

Sienna reached out before she could think better of it. She lightly touched his arm. “I’m so sorry. That’s terrible.”

Daniel glanced down at her hand. Rather than shrug it off, he covered it with his. His face appeared relaxed, but his eyes had darkened with the memory. “It was. Took me a long time to come to terms with it. Such a huge waste. He was a great brother—smart and funny. Eventually I found a way to move on.”

“How?” she asked.

“I think about him every day. I remember that life’s short. There aren’t any guaranteed tomorrows, so it’s a smart idea to take advantage of today.”

His response annoyed her, and her fingers dropped from his arm. “That’s rather shortsighted, wouldn’t you say?”

“What?”

Sienna wasn’t sure what had triggered the damn temper she was helpless to keep contained lately, but she found herself unleashing far too much anger on this stranger. “I guess you never given a thought to the consequences of your actions and how they might affect others. God, your poor mother must’ve died a million deaths when you told her you were joining the rodeo. She’d already lost one son and then you head off to do something reckless and dangerous too.”

“My mother understood my love of the rodeo and wanted me to be happy. She supported my career choice.”

Sienna shook her head. “I bet what she said and what she felt were two different things. It’s pretty callous of you to think only of yourself without caring about what you’re doing to the people who love you.”

Daniel frowned. “I love my mother and I wouldn’t do anything to hurt her. If you knew me better—hell, if you knew me at all—you’d understand that.”

She sucked in a deep breath. What the hell was wrong with her? She was chastising a stranger for his choices in life. She was losing her mind these days. “I apologize. I didn’t mean—”

“Who’s hurting
you
, Sienna?”

She couldn’t speak the real answer. She hadn’t even admitted it to herself, so she grasped a lie instead. It was easier. “No one. I’ll see you at the house for dinner.”

She stepped out of his trailer before he could question her further, but Daniel didn’t take the hint.

“Hey, See,” he called from the doorway.

She turned to face him, debating whether or not she should chastise him for using her family’s nickname for her. It was too personal. Too close.

“You got a boyfriend?” he asked.

She nodded.

“Does he drive motorcycles? Ride with the circuit?”

She smirked, understanding full well where he was going with his questions. “No, he doesn’t. He’s away at college, studying business.”

He graced her with that charming, deadly grin she’d seen earlier. “Serious boyfriend?”

She tilted her head. “Very serious. We’re going to get married and buy a house in Compton Pass. He’ll inherit his parents’ hardware store while I work as a nurse and—God willing—we’re going to have a couple kids.”

He glanced at her left hand. She felt compelled to stuff it in her pocket so she wouldn’t have to acknowledge his shrewd look that told her there was no ring on her finger yet. “So you got it all figured out, do you?”

She nodded, wishing he wouldn’t give her that wicked look that made her think wholly inappropriate thoughts.

“Kind of reminds me of another saying.”

“My, aren’t you the king of quotations.”

He didn’t bother to acknowledge her snide comment. “A wise man once said the best laid plans often go astray. Seems to me your well-organized life could benefit from some shaking up.”

“My life is just fine. And none of your damn business.”

“Maybe. Maybe not.” Daniel gave her a sexy, suggestive wink before turning and heading inside his trailer.