Free 01 Winters Thaw by Jayne Rylon, Mari Carr Page B

again, refusing to hold back any of the desire he’d spent weeks stifling. Sienna Compton needed to go wild.
    And he intended to be the man who really set her free.

Chapter Five
    Sienna glanced out her window, studying the moonless night sky. A week had passed since Thanksgiving, and she’d taken the coward’s way out. She’d holed up in her bedroom every night after work rather than risk seeing Daniel, too afraid of succumbing to the temptation he provided.
    She’d given seven years of her life to Josh. Wrapped her world around him, and it wasn’t easy to let go of that. Despite how much Josh’s need for a break hurt, there were still too many good years—memories—to mourn. When she added the recollection of Daniel’s amazing kisses to her mixed-up thoughts, it felt like she was on system overload.
    Her family was worried about her sudden retreat, though they’d allowed her the space. Mom brought her dinner on a tray each night, offering a soft kiss on the brow and her assurance that things would get better. Doug usually kept her company for an hour or so before his bedtime, filling her in on his school day and his rodeo lessons with Daniel. Even her dad had stopped by two nights ago to check on her and to tell her he loved her. His sweet words had been her undoing and she’d curled into his arms and cried out all her pain against her daddy’s strong chest.
    Despite the love and support of her family, Sienna still struggled to pull herself out of her funk.
    “Knock knock.”
    Sienna spotted her grandmother at the door. “Hey, Vivi.”
    “Thought I’d check to make sure you still live here. The house isn’t nearly as nice since you went into hiding.” Vivi planted herself on the bed, patting the mattress to encourage Sienna to sit next to her.
    “I’m not hiding.” It was a lie, but Sienna felt compelled to tell it anyway.
    “Of course you are. But that’s all right. I suspect you needed a wee respite from real life. You ready to come back yet?”
    Sienna felt like she should protest, but unfortunately there was too much truth in her grandmother’s observation. She sank down next to her grandmother. “I don’t have a clue what I’m supposed to do next.”
    Vivi nodded. “I’m sure you don’t. And I’m glad.”
    “Glad? Why?”
    “Because for the first time in your life, you’re facing an uncertain future. That’s not a bad thing, Sienna. In fact, it’s perfectly normal. I think of all my granddaughters, I’ve always worried about you the most.”
    “You must be kidding. What about Jade’s recklessness or Hope’s shyness? God, Vivi, Sterling is so damn impulsive, you never know what she’s going to do next.”
    “And yet, they’ll all be fine because they’ve learned to roll with the punches. They’ve taken risks in their lives and they’ve survived the fallout. You’re twenty-two, Sienna, and you’ve never suffered a broken heart until this moment. You’ve never faced any true adversity or trouble. You set your course at a very young age and you marched toward it without a single misstep.”
    Sienna grimaced. “You don’t think Josh was a misstep?”
    “Do you?”
    Did she? Even though she was hurt and pissed as hell, she worried about the small part of her she knew would take him back if he called tomorrow to say he’d changed his mind. She hated that part. It made her feel cowardly, weak, shallow.
    “So what do I do now?”
    Vivi took her hand and squeezed it. “That’s yours to figure out.”
    Sienna closed her eyes. “That’s your advice. Figure it out?”
    Vivi pressed her forehead to Sienna’s. “You expected something wiser?”
    “Uh, yeah. Jeez, Vivi, you’re nearly seventy. Surely you’ve learned something in all that time that could help me.”
    “Maybe I have. Did I ever tell you about the night I met your Granddaddy JD?”
    Sienna shook her head. “No. I don’t think so.”
    “We met at a barn dance over in Clarke. That’s where I’m originally