Chapter 28
Chapter Twenty-Eight
SIERRA
Cole Strong takes up too much room. No matter how I angle my chair at the table that seats eighteen people, something of his is touching me.
His muscular thigh. His big elbow. That damn ox sized shoulder of his.
And the waves of heat coming off of him are ridiculous. The man’s like a radiator.
I grit my teeth in frustration. The last thing I want is for him to be rubbing all over me. I agreed to be nice at dinner. I didn’t agree to be mauled. Lorded over. Smooshed. Heated up by his mere proximity. Damn him.
He passes me a platter of roast vegetables. I do my best not to let my hands touch his in the process.
The woman across from me chuckles. “You okay over there? Want me to change seats with you? Or we can put Cole and his brother next to each other.”
I drop a huge mound of mashed potatoes on my plate with a splat. “That’s not a bad idea.”
Cole grumbles something about how he’s not going anywhere.
His brother across the table from him laughs before he turns his attention on me. “I’m Carter, by the way, and this is my wife, Summer. So, tell me about your impression of Eden, so far.”
“It’s lovely.” Except for the infuriating man next to me. But I keep that last part in.
“Are you a mountain girl?”
I shrug. “I’m not sure at the moment.” If being a mountain girl means dealing with mountain men like Cole, then NO.
Carter raises a brow at me, then glances at Cole.
“She’s only been here a few days and we haven’t really gotten out much.”
Carter laughs softly. In a hushed voice, he says, “I have a feeling I know why.”
His wife must kick him under the table because he jumps and frowns.
Tossing him a heavy dose of side-eye, she picks up the conversation. “So, the snow is lovely, isn’t it?”
“It is. I admit I didn’t know exactly what to expect coming to Utah in the winter.”
The brother to Cole’s right leans in, listening. “Good time of year for evenings by the fire.”
I glance at Cole who’s looking as irritated as I feel.
I say, “Cole’s got plenty of firewood for that. He spent all morning taking his frustrations out with an axe.”
Carter laughs. “I’ve spent a few days like that. Women do that to a man.”
“Lord, that’s the truth,” Cole mutters.
I stab a hunk of chicken that’s on the platter in my hand, secretly fantasizing about poking a pitchfork into Cole. “Guess I need to figure out something that I can do to take out my frustrations. Maybe one of you ladies can help me since you seem to know how to deal with the Strongs.”
Suddenly, Cole’s energy goes all porcupine. Bristling tension crackles all around him. He leans into me, puts his mouth right next to my ear. “Chill it.”
The shiver he elicits only pisses me off more.
I reach for the platter of rolls that’s being passed my way, ignoring him.
“Oh, I’m chill. Chill as a snowball down the collar. But you seem to be emitting nuclear energy over there—”
“She’s just sore because I crushed her in a snowball fight.”
I gasp. “I had a handicap. I haven’t had a lifetime of making snowballs.”
Cole makes a pfft sound. “Pathetic excuse.”
Nolene Strong is watching Cole with intent when I glance up. She clears her throat. “Ahem, Cole Strong, I raised you better than that.”
The guys snicker. Only to fall instantly silent when their mother cuts her eyes to each of them.
Summer waves her fork in the air as she laughs. “Nolene, you might just have to withhold dessert from these boys.”
“I think you’re right, young lady. We’ll just kick all the men out when we're done with the main course.”
Martin Strong, seated at the head of the table, drops his head. “I knew I should have said no to having kids.”
Nolene swats her husband’s arm. “Every single one of you, trouble. And you were the trouble long before we had any kids. So, you can’t blame it all on them. If I had a penny for every time I hid dessert from you because you were in trouble, I’d be able to buy myself a nice new diamond ring.”
I grin.
Some of my anger lifts.
The women around the table burst into laughter.
Cole’s hand lands on my leg under the table. He narrows his eyes on me. “I won’t forget that I missed out on Larson’s famous seven layer chocolate cake because of you.”
“Good. Maybe you won’t be such a jerk anymore.”
* * *
Not only does Nolene kick the men out of the dining room after the main course, she makes them clean up everything after the ladies and kids enjoy cake and cookies.
Sophia, grabs my arm. “Come on. Want to do our nails? Nolene has a full salon downstairs. There’s plenty of guys to keep the kids and take care of cleaning up.”
I can see by the look in her eyes that saying no isn’t an option. “Sure, why not.”
We walk down the hallway toward the big living room on the front of the house. “Hang on. Let me grab another gal who’d love this.”
I hang by the front door until she appears with one of the wives. And from the looks of it, there’s a stork coming to visit them very soon.
“This is Savannah, in case all the names got away from you.”
“Thanks, it’s a lot to take in all the names at once. Nice to meet you again, Savannah.”
Sophia ushers us out the door. “Come on, ladies. We’ve got pampering to do.”
The basement salon is tidy and full to the gills with equipment and supplies. Sophia flips on various light switches while Savannah puts on some music on her phone.
Soon, the place feels alive, like it’s stretched, yawned, awoken after a long nap.
I look through all the pretty shades of polish in pink, coral, red, and lavender. Some of the tension from the day starts to ease out of my shoulders.
“Thanks, girls. I needed this.”
Savannah sighs and leans back in the dryer chair as she rubs her pregnant belly. “Me too, hun. It’s been a hectic week at our house.”
“Are those your children, the teens?”
“Adopted. Yes.”
Suddenly, my mind goes off into a rabbit hole. Adopted. If my parents died when I was twelve, I must have been adopted… or in foster care.
“You okay?” Sophia brushes a hand over my shoulder.
“Just got a little lost in thought, that’s all.”
Savannah picks up a bottle of dark pink polish, the color of azalea blooms. “I want this one. So, Sierra, how did you meet Cole?”
I catch the glance Sophia gives Savannah, but am not really certain of the meaning.
“The Air Force. We were both in at the time.”
Savannah swipes a stroke of polish on her nail. “Sounds exciting. Those Strongs love their thrilling jobs.”
“Do they?”
Sophia smiles softly. “Do they ever. Liam was a Navy Trauma Surgeon and all the guys are firefighters.”
“Caleb, my husband, is the Fire Chief,” Savannah adds. “You must be a bit of an adrenaline junky too if you’re in the Air Force.”
“I love to fly,” I say with conviction as I hold the charm on my bracelet for them to see.
It’s one of the few things I know. I love airplanes and the free feeling of flight. But my chest feels suddenly hot and tight. Tears clog my throat.
Savannah tunes right in. “Oh no, did I say something wrong?”
I shake my head and dab my eye with my sleeve.
Sophia takes my other hand gently in hers. “It’s okay, dear. You’re amongst friends.”
For some reason, that uncorks a flood of tears. “I’m sorry. I’ve just had a bit of a rough time lately.”
Savannah shifts closer. “Do you want to talk about it? We’ve all had our garbage to deal with. You wouldn’t believe my story if I told you.”
I smile around the thing clogging my throat. “I’m sure you’d say the same about my story.”
“Wanna compare notes?” Sophia asks with a gentle smile. “Liam had to rescue me from a burning building.”
“And Caleb faced down an organized crime ring for me.”
I wipe at my eyes. Maybe….there’s no reason why these women shouldn’t know.
I draw in a big breath, then tell them. “Cole brought me here to Eden because I was in an accident and have amnesia. When he picked me up I didn’t even remember who he was.”
Savannah stops mid-stroke and the polish drips off her brush onto the table. “But… I don’t understand. I thought you were a couple.”
“I guess we were at one point. God. I don’t even know. But all I know now is that we’ve had sex. Really good sex. And at the moment, I’m furious with him.”
Sophia laughs softly. “Lord, I’ve been there. Not the amnesia part, but the confusion and the nail-spitting anger.”
I slump. “He won’t tell me what he knows about my past.”
Savannah watches me carefully. “Does he have a reason?”
Twisting my lips in frustration, I shake my head. “He says I’m not ready to hear it.”
Savannah resumes painting. “Are you?”
I pick up a bottle of lavender polish. “You know, I thought I was, but something about the way Cole’s acting makes me scared to hear what he has to say.”
Sophia files her thumbnail for a few seconds. “Cole’s a good man. Just like his brothers. I am sure he’s just trying to look out for you.”
“I just get the feeling he doesn’t want me to know something.”
Sophia shakes the bottle of red polish she’s chosen. “I’m a doctor, I don’t know if you know that. But anyway, sometimes it’s best to adjust slowly when you’ve got amnesia. It’s kind of like going to Disney when you’re four years old. It’s just too much, and you end up feeling like a train wreck.”
“I kind of already feel like a train wreck, only I have no clue where the cargo went when I crashed.”
Savannah holds up her freshly painted nail for an inspection. “That has to suck. But you’re in the right hands. Cole cares about you. You can see it all over his face. The Strongs aren’t always easy men to love, but I promise you, they're worth the headache.”
Sophia nods. “Absolutely. And I can’t think of a more perfect time than the Christmas holiday to get to know each other again. The holiday is so great with this family.”
Waving her pretty nails, Savannah says, “And to have a white Christmas is the icing on the cake.”
Christmas.
It seems so daunting. And so far away, even though it’s right around the corner. But nothing feels settled. “If I’m still here, I guess it might be my first.”