Page 149 of Ride a Cowboy

“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 from. JD was in town visiting a neighbor of mine for a few days. I swear the second he walked into the barn, every woman’s head turned to stare at him. JD was handsome as the devil, with jet-black hair and eyes as dark as midnight in the mountains.”

Sienna had seen pictures of her grandfather. Vivi’s description was accurate. “He was totally dime.”

Vivi laughed. “You girls and your funny words for things. I can remember when Jody used to say Seth was a hottie. I assume dime means he was good-looking?”

Sienna nodded, her grin growing wider. “Yeah. But don’t ask me why.”

“It wasn’t just JD’s appearance that caught my eye. It was the way he held himself.”

“I guess so. He was huge.” Sienna could recall her mom referring to JD as a gentle giant.

“That’s not exactly what I mean. Sure, you would expect such a tall, broad-shouldered man to make an impact when he entered a room, but it was even more than his size. It was his personality, Sienna. JD was a commanding presence.”

“He sounds really cool. And a little bit scary.”

“That’s a perfect description of how I felt when I saw him. I was attending the dance with my beau, Charles.”

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