When Snow Falls (Whiskey Creek #2)(50)
Author: Brenda Novak

If that happened, they might lose the grip they had on him and he could drift away for good.

* * *

Cheyenne was so nervous she almost backed out.

“Come on. You said you’d go,” Presley whispered.

They were in the bathroom, where Cheyenne was just finishing her makeup. Marcy had already arrived to take care of Anita and might be able to hear them in the kitchen, so they were keeping their voices down.

“He’s not expecting me,” she said.

“He doesn’t have to be expecting you. This is casual. We’re just going to drop by and say hello, see what they’re doing.”

“We hired a nurse. How is that casual?”

“Maybe we wanted to go out together for a change.”

That brought up a subject Cheyenne didn’t want to broach—the fact that they rarely did this sort of thing, that they lived in separate worlds, except when they were at home. So she didn’t point out how unusual that would be. “It’ll be awkward to show up out of the blue.”

“It’ll be fine. Come on.”

With a final look in the mirror, Cheyenne sighed. She’d committed herself. She’d even bought a new pair of jeans and some boots. Presley wouldn’t let her back out. “I’m glad we have a chance to go out as sisters,” she said, trying to bolster her conviction. “We’ve been playing tag team for so long.”

Presley smiled. “Exactly. See? There you go. We’ll drive to Sacramento and catch a movie if the Amos boys are busy. You may not even see him.”

A movie, any movie, sounded relaxing by comparison. And yet Cheyenne knew she’d be disappointed if they had to resort to plan B. Dylan had been on her mind all day. Some of her memories of him were quite erotic, but she wasn’t going to get physical with him again. She wanted to start over—at the beginning this time—to figure out what kind of man he really was. “Let me grab my coat.”

It hadn’t snowed for a week, but the weather report said another storm was on its way, so they drove over in Presley’s Mustang instead of walking.

“You okay?” Presley asked, giving her hand a squeeze before they got out.

Cheyenne could see a number of vehicles in the garage, the drive, the side yard. It looked like everyone was home, including Dylan. His Jeep and his bike were parked in their usual spots. “Are you sure you don’t want to go straight to the movies and skip this part?”

Presley chuckled. “Nice try.”

After taking a second to gather her resolve, Cheyenne followed her sister across the lawn to the front door. Then she stood there, biting her lip, trying to alleviate the anxiety.

Mack answered their knock, amidst the barking of Dylan’s dogs. “Hey, Presley.” His eyes shifted to Cheyenne. Cheyenne thought she saw some surprise there, but he covered his reaction with a nod of acknowledgment.

“Aaron around?” Presley asked.

“He is.” He stepped to one side. “Come on in.”

He showed them through the house Cheyenne had previously seen from the entryway and only in the dark. But the impressions she’d gotten seemed accurate. There weren’t a lot of decorations, very few pictures and memorabilia. The Amoses had what most men would consider the basics—a big-screen TV, plenty of other electronics, a comfortable couch and several recliners. There was even a Christmas tree in the corner, one that looked and smelled freshly cut. It had the usual stand, but no ornaments or presents to go with it.

Someone had lit a fire in the fireplace, which made the house several degrees warmer than her own. Cheyenne appreciated that, because her hands felt like blocks of ice. She also appreciated the smell of wood smoke. It was a scent she associated with Christmas.

The dogs seemed to remember her. They followed her, tails wagging, to lick her hand. She bent to pet them, eager for the distraction, since there were three Amoses in the living room—Mack, Grady and Rod—who’d quit watching whatever they’d been watching to stare at her.

Dylan wasn’t in the room. Cheyenne could tell immediately, even though the only light came from the TV and fireplace and what spilled over from the hallway and kitchen.

Aaron was getting a beer out of the fridge. “Hey,” he called when he saw them. “You brought your sister.”

Presley dragged her forward. “I told her you guys wouldn’t mind a little company.” She grinned meaningfully. “I also told her you were always a good time.”

His lips, lips that looked so much like Dylan’s, hitched up on one side. He spoke to Presley but never took his eyes off her. “What kind of fun is she after?”

Cheyenne cleared her throat and spoke up, so she wouldn’t seem as uncomfortable as she felt. “Just getting out of the house works for me. I don’t need a lot.”

He nodded toward the TV. “Good. Because I’m not sure the movie we rented shows much promise.”

“What is it?” Presley asked.

“That new horror flick—The Haunting. We just put it in if you want to watch.”

One glance over her shoulder told Cheyenne that the Amos boys hadn’t taken her unexpected appearance in stride the way Presley had said they would. They remained in their seats, but one of them had paused the movie, and they were all gaping at her as if she was an asteroid that had just come crashing into their house.

“Sure,” she said. “I’ll give it a chance.”

“Where’s Dylan?” Presley asked.

“Right here.”

Cheyenne turned to see Dylan walking around the corner from the direction of his bedroom. He had wet hair; he must’ve gotten out of the shower a few minutes ago. But he didn’t look like he was about to leave. He was dressed in a black V-neck T-shirt, jeans and house shoes.

“Great!” Presley smiled broadly. “My sister was hoping you’d be home.”

The heat of a blush crept up Cheyenne’s neck as their eyes met. Presley had just announced to the whole room that Dylan was the reason she’d decided to tag along tonight; Cheyenne wasn’t used to being so transparent.

“You know Chey, don’t you?” Presley said.

A muscle moved in Dylan’s cheek, indicating the presence of some strong emotion, but Cheyenne had no idea which emotion. He probably thought she had a lot of nerve after last night. “I’ve met her once or twice.”

Presley helped herself to a beer. “She wants to watch a movie with you,” she said. Then they all settled in the living room, in whatever seats were left, and started the movie at the beginning. But it wasn’t long before Aaron pulled Presley away, into one of the back bedrooms, leaving Cheyenne alone with Dylan and the rest of his brothers.