“I was at the Crossing,” he said. “I just came from there. Sully said he’d told you how to get to my house. I came right away. I thought I might pass you on the road.”

    “You were at the Crossing...?”

    “I’m there all the time. Or haven’t you noticed?”

    “I realized I was taking that for granted because the first time you weren’t there, I didn’t even have your phone number so I could call and see if everything was all right.”

    “Sierra, everyone has my phone number!”

    “Yeah, except me. So Sully gave me the number and it went right to voice mail.”

    He yanked it out of his pocket and looked at it. “Oh, I had my ringer off. But you didn’t leave a message?” he asked. “Or a text? What’s going on with us? Why can’t we have a normal relationship?”

    “I don’t know,” she said tiredly. “It’s probably me. I told you—I’m no good at this.”

    He laid his hands on her shoulders and looked down into her eyes. “Why were you looking for me?” he asked.

    “Why’d you have your phone off?”

    “I went to see my mom,” he said. “I wasn’t planning to but I saw I could steal a couple of hours from work at the end of the day so I called her. She was free at four when she got off work. I drove to Denver to see her. I hadn’t seen her in a while. I talk to her all the time but I haven’t seen her in a month or maybe two. We just spent about an hour together, that’s all. I must’ve forgot to turn my ringer back on.”

    “Your mom?” she asked.

    “Yeah, she’s great. I’ll take you to meet her one of these days. If you want to.”

    Sierra laughed at herself, feeling foolish. “Oh, Connie,” she said.

    He rubbed the knuckle of his index finger down her cheek. “So, you were looking for me? You’ve never done that before. Should I take that as a good sign?”

    “You have no idea what I thought,” she said with some embarrassment.

    “Oh? What did you think?”

    “I saw you with that woman,” she said. “I guess I jumped to conclusions...”

    “What woman?” he asked, his brow furrowed.

    “Lola said that was your ex-girlfriend. You were hugging her. You must be on very good terms with her.”

    “Huh?” he asked. “Oh, you mean Alyssa? No,” he said, shaking his head. “I wouldn’t say we’re on very good terms. I mean, I behave when I see her. We were horrible to each other right after we broke up, but like I told you, that was a while ago—over two years at least. But today? She wanted to tell me something—her mom, who I always liked a lot, has cancer and she’s in the final stages. Alyssa has always been close with her mom and she was all messed up about it, which I guess anyone would be. It was terrible news and I felt sorry for her.”

    “Oh,” she said. “Oh, I’m sorry...”

    “She asked me if I’d visit her and I said, sure I would.”

    “You will?”

    “Yeah,” he said. “It’s the decent thing to do. Like I said, she’s a very nice lady. But it had the worst effect on me, hearing that. I went back to work and couldn’t stop thinking about my mom. My mom has not had an easy life. She’s had two lousy, abusive husbands, never had an extra dollar to spend, but she was always there for me. You know? Always pulling for me, having long talks with me about every stupid, pissant problem I thought I had. She’s always doing a little extra for me—like making my favorite dinner if she knew it had been a big day. My brother, too—she made so many sacrifices for both of us. A lot of the time it was just me and my mom. She’s about the same age as Alyssa’s mom—not even sixty years old. Just the thought of her suddenly getting sick and dying—it just hit me. I should do more for my mom. I should at least let her know how much I appreciate her because you never know. Right?”

    “Did you tell your mom why you wanted to see her?” Sierra asked.

    “Not till I got there, but she figured out real fast that I don’t drop everything and drive to Denver unless I have something on my mind. Something I couldn’t figure out on my own. But why’d I have to do this at rush hour? I hate traffic.”

    “Oh, Connie, I’m just not used to a man like you,” she said, touching his cheek.

    “I hope that’s not a bad thing,” he said.

    “Are you feeling better now?” she asked.

    “Yes. I’m not sorry you were worried, though. Thought I was going to make another run at Alyssa, did you?” he asked with an evil grin.

    “For a minute, I did,” she said with a laugh. “She’s very beautiful.”

    “So are you,” he said.

    “I’m a little woodland creature compared to her,” she said. “A gopher next to a gazelle...”

    “You’re very beautiful compared to her, not that any comparisons ever crossed my mind. Sierra, get this straight—Alyssa doesn’t tempt me. Not in the smallest way. How can I say this without sounding like an ass? I’m glad she screwed it up because now I can see it wasn’t right.” He shook his head. “I don’t even think of her as a friend.”

    “But she wants to get back together with you, doesn’t she?”

    “I don’t know. She did before but I shut that down. And if she still does—it’s not my problem. It’s not possible.”

    She just looked at his beautiful face for a moment. Molly nosed her hand, looking for a little attention. “You went to see your mom. And I thought you were with another girl.”