Sleigh Bells In Crimson

As soon as the truck had disappeared down the long, winding drive that led to the highway, Caden turned and stalked away.

Lucy returned to the main house and wandered from room to room, imagining life here before the force of nature that was her mother descended. How did a father and son, a widower and a bachelor surrounded by the memories of a beloved wife and brother, spend their evenings?

From Garrett’s effusive compliments about her mother’s cooking, he wasn’t accustomed to home-cooked meals. Lucy could relate to that. The only time her mother had ever cooked when Lucy was growing up was when Maureen was trying to impress a new boyfriend.

She moved toward the bookshelves in the family room, which were filled with volumes on outdoor life and classics she’d expect a man like Garrett to read—Hemingway and Twain—with the occasional modern thriller thrown in for good measure. A collection of framed photos took up an entire shelf, and she could piece together the Sharpe family history from the faces smiling out at her.

There was one of a beautiful young woman holding a toddler, who grinned widely and wore cowboy boots a size too big for him. The woman’s hair was pulled back into a low ponytail and she wore no makeup, but she didn’t need any. She stood in front of a split-rail fence with a dozen cattle grazing behind her.

The next photo showed the same boy, who Lucy assumed was Tyson Sharpe, as a gangly adolescent with his arm slung around Caden’s shoulder. Lucy could easily recognize his mutinous scowl, although in the photo he was all gangly arms and skinny shoulders. He was glaring at the camera, a fact that his brother seemed to enjoy immensely.

Another photo showed both Tyson and Caden wearing graduation gowns and caps, Garrett with an arm wrapped around each of them. Caden had started to grow into his body by that point, and Tyson had also become a wildly handsome young man with thick blond hair and a careless grin so different from that of his brother’s tight smile.

Lucy’s breath caught at the final photo. It showed Tyson and Caden at the base of a sheer cliff, both wearing climbing gear. Caden was a few inches taller than his brother, but what punched at Lucy’s chest was the pure joy displayed in the photo.

Caden’s head was thrown back in laughter, and Tyson was grinning and looking at Caden with a good bit of love and adoration. The bond between the brothers had clearly been solidified at that point. At least in the second the photo was snapped, Caden had dropped his defenses to revel in whatever moment they were having.

She couldn’t help but be curious as to the circumstances of Tyson’s death and why Caden seemed to take the blame for it. She wished she’d asked her mother for more details, although there was a good chance Maureen wouldn’t be aware of the situation since it didn’t affect her directly.

The sound of the front door opening and male voices coming closer interrupted her musings. She whirled away from the bookcase and took two hurried steps toward the middle of the room, feeling somehow like she’d been spying on Caden by looking at the photos.

He appeared in the hall a moment later, and color rushed to Lucy’s cheeks as his stark gaze landed on her. She cursed her pathetic and weak body, which reacted to the way he was studying her with an involuntary shiver.

How was she supposed to keep her distance from this man when she could almost feel the current of attraction pulsing between them?

“Are you casing the place now that my dad’s away?” he asked drily, offering an acute reminder of why it would be easy to stay away from him.

Because he was a jerk.

“You must be Maureen’s daughter,” the other man said and strode forward to take Lucy’s hand. She guessed he was younger than Caden by at least five years. His light blond hair fell over hazel eyes that were wide and welcoming. “Your mom is awesome. She’s pretty hot, too. A real MILF—”

“Chad.” Caden’s voice was like a slap, cutting off Chad midsentence. Lucy had to admit she was grateful. She should have been used to how men both young and old reacted to her mother. Yet it still made her as uncomfortable now as it had when she was a kid. There were many years she’d lied to her mother about school activities just to avoid Maureen showing up in her plunging necklines and thigh-grazing hems to flirt with unsuspecting teachers or the fathers of Lucy’s few friends.

The younger man chuckled. “Sorry,” he said, although he didn’t look the least bit apologetic. “But, sweetheart, you clearly inherited your looks from your mama.”

“I’m not your sweetheart,” Lucy said softly, earning another chuckle from the man.

“Not yet, anyway,” he said with a wink.

Lucy rolled her eyes but felt the corners of her mouth curve up. There was something so inherently charismatic about Chad, not to mention how handsome he was. In his tight jeans, cowboy boots and fitted flannel shirt, he reminded Lucy of a young Brad Pitt circa Thelma and Louise.

Not that she had any intention of driving her car over the edge of a cliff or getting involved with an obvious player like Chad. But it was fun to be on the receiving end of that thousand-watt smile, especially when Caden was looming at the far end of the room, glowering at the two of them.

“I’m Chad Penderson and I work here at Sharpe Ranch.”

“I’m Lucy Renner.”

“Pleased to make your acquaintance, Miss Lucy.” He took a step back and gave her a courtly bow. “If you need anything while you’re here, just let me know.” He straightened again and wiggled his brows. “I do mean anything.”

Lucy heard something that sounded like a growl from Caden, but Chad’s grin only widened. “How long are you staying at the ranch?”

She shrugged. “The plan is for me to stay through the wedding. Garrett has asked me to go over the books and—”

“Not necessary,” Caden interrupted, stepping forward.

She bristled at his dismissive tone. Lucy had spent too much time being dismissed to ever let it pass without a fight. “That’s not what your father seems to think.”

“We have a financial manager who’s taken over the accounting since...” He paused, then said, “For the past couple of years. He’s immensely qualified.”

He didn’t add the words unlike you, but Lucy felt them linger in the air just the same.

“You can hang out with me,” Chad offered. “It’s quiet around here in the winter but there’s plenty of work to go around. You know how to ride a horse?”

“Not really,” Lucy admitted.

“Then I can teach you.”

“She’s not learning to ride with you,” Caden said, his voice pitched low.

“Listen to Mr. Party Pooper back there.” Chad hitched a thumb in Caden’s direction. “Speaking of parties, I’m meeting some friends in town tonight for a little pre-Christmas bash. Why don’t you join us?”

Lucy shook her head. “I don’t think—”

“Come on,” Chad coaxed. “You’ll have more fun with me than stuck out here with Caden.” He threw a glance over his shoulder. “No offense, boss, but you’re about as much fun as mucking a hog pen.”

“She’s not going with you. Grab a cup of coffee and let’s finish fixing the heater before the water freezes.”

“As in, we won’t have running water?” Lucy asked, trying not to sound panicked. She was by no means spoiled but definitely enjoyed a hot shower on a cold morning.

Chad winked. “We have to keep the water troughs heated for the cattle.”

“Can’t they eat snow?”

“No, darlin’. One of the biggest threats to livestock in the winter is the cold. The snow lowers their body temperature, which could be deadly. Our job is to keep them warm and safe.”

“Oh.”

Caden folded his arms over his big chest. “Your job is not standing in the house jawing all afternoon, Chad. You wanted a cup of coffee. Get it and let’s go.”

“If you change your mind about tonight, I’ll be leaving here around seven.” Chad pointed out the window toward a smaller structure about ten feet behind the main barn. “I’m out in the bunkhouse.” Another wink. “For your information.”

“She’s not going,” Caden repeated, glaring at Lucy over Chad’s shoulder.

If there was one thing Lucy hated, it was being told what to do. By anyone. It had led to some monumentally stupid decisions on her part, but it was a part of herself she couldn’t seem to rein in.

“I’d love to go to your Christmas party,” she told Chad, offering a slight smile.

“Hot damn,” the young cowboy said, slapping his knee. “I’ve got me a date.”

He shot Caden a gloating smile. “You hear that, old man? Miss Lucy here is going to be my date for the evening.”

Caden said nothing, but Lucy could almost see the smoke curling from his ears.

“I’ll see you later, darlin’,” Chad crooned before leaving the room.

Caden didn’t move, just continued staring at Lucy.

“Of course it’s not a date,” she said after a moment, pulling at the hem of the pale pink sweater she wore. Having lived in Florida for so many years, she had very little in the way of warm clothes and wondered if there was any discount shopping to be found in Crimson. “He’s far too young for me.”

“That won’t matter to Chad.” Caden spoke through clenched teeth. “Don’t let the aw-shucks act fool you. That boy is a player.”

Lucy wasn’t sure whether to be offended that he hadn’t denied she was too old for Chad or flattered that Caden was, in his own awkward way, trying to protect her from being hurt. “I’m not in the market for getting played. You don’t need to worry about me.”

He looked as though he wanted to argue, but said, “I wasn’t kidding about the ranch finances. One of Tyson’s friends from high school who’s a CPA has taken over since...”

“Since your brother died?” she asked gently.

“Yeah.”

“My mom told me it was a rock climbing accident. I’m sorry.”

Once again, Caden’s silence stretched so long she thought he might not respond. He looked past her, out the window into the darkening night. His green eyes filled with so much sorrow that Lucy felt an answering pull of sadness in her chest.

“I’m the one who’s sorry,” he said finally. “His accident was my fault.”

Lucy gasped, and Caden’s gaze shot to hers. All the vulnerability that had been there moments before was gone, his expression carefully blank.

“You don’t belong here,” he said, his voice so low she had to strain to make out the words. “I’ll hurt you whether I want to or not. It’s what I do.”

Then he turned and walked away.

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