Sierra Falls (Sierra Falls 1)

She gauged the talk in the other room. Billy’s deep voice, her mother chatting away, and Dad’s occasional humph. They were deep in conversation. It didn’t seem like anyone would come in and catch them kissing.

As she stood on her toes, she wondered why she was feeling so self-conscious. She told herself it was just polite. It was a considerate thing, not kissing one’s boyfriend in front of one’s dinner guest.

Damien’s hands were warm and sure, sweeping down her back to cup her bottom. “Shorty,” he teased. “I need to pull you up to reach me. ”

He pulled her higher onto her toes, and she wrapped her arms around his neck for a slow kiss. She tried to forget herself, but remained overly aware of the hum of conversation in the other room. She wanted to push the voices out of her mind, but they weren’t to be ignored.

Damien must’ve sensed it, because he broke the kiss to nip along her jaw, nuzzling in behind her ear. “C’mon, gorgeous” was a hot whisper in her ear.

A shiver rippled across her skin. The man definitely had some good moves.

“Sorrow,” her mother called, “do I smell something burning?”

That was the problem—nothing was burning at the moment. Putting her hands on Damien’s arms, she pulled away, and they both sighed.

“Mom won’t want to keep hungry men waiting,” she told him.

He touched his forehead to hers. “Are you saying you’re blowing me off again?”

“Me cooking dinner is hardly blowing you off. ” Though she did find she was anxious to get back to her cooking, for more than one reason.

He gave her shoulders a squeeze. “It’s okay. I’m a patient man. ”

Her mom bustled into the kitchen to toss a couple of empty bottles into the recycling bin. “I set another place, Damien. You’ll be sitting right across from the sheriff. ”

A knot twisted in Sorrow’s belly.

Not what she’d pictured for the evening. Though why that was so troublesome to her, she had no idea.

Fourteen

Billy studied the man across from him. If he had to be honest with himself, he might say he was a little jealous of Damien Simmons. Not the guy’s looks, which were good, and not even his bank account, which seemed sizeable. It was the guy’s ease, that nonchalant way he carried himself through the world.

Billy had lost his ease when he’d lost his wife.

But Damien was young, eager to take life by the horns. He was the sort of guy who flirted with every waitress and cracked jokes with strangers. As though he were a friend to all.

Which made Billy wonder how much anybody really knew the guy.

“So, this is actual bamboo?” Damien studied the food speared on the end of his fork. “Does that make me a panda?” He gave the table a cheeky smile before shoving a hearty bite in his mouth.

Bear chewed and swallowed, frowning all the while. “Why you didn’t just toss the fish on the grill is beyond me. Some butter, a little salt, there’s a good meal right there. Takes a lot less time, too. ”

“You seem to be enjoying it well enough,” Sorrow said, not looking up from her plate.

Billy had to agree. The man complained a lot, but he sure did seem to be clearing his plate. He watched her father bristle, and jumped in to defray the tension. “Well, I’m impressed. ”

“Me, too,” Damien chimed in, not to be outdone. “Totally. ”

The compliment seemed rote, so Billy added, “I used to eat a lot of Thai, and this is as good as any I got in the Bay Area. ”

“Thank you, Sheriff. ” Sorrow put her fork down, seeming genuinely touched.

He leaned back in his chair, overcome by a feeling of contentment. It must’ve been a combination of good food, a cold beer, and general conviviality. And, he realized, it was because of Sorrow, too.

That she’d asked about Keri had somehow drawn an invisible thread, connecting the two of them. His grief set him apart from other people, but Sorrow’s openness had offered him a bridge back. He waited for the guilt to hit, but oddly, it didn’t come.

The thought was interrupted when the dog exploded into frantic barking.